Chapter 9. The Kingdom's Envoy
Crackle.
In bed in her room, Erna was biting her thumbnail while pulling the covers over her. She couldn't clearly remember how much time had passed since Vanessa had visited earlier that day. From that moment on, there was only one thought in Erna's mind.
The Marquis of Carnarvon is coming.'
How could she ever forget that name?
She had heard his name a few times as he was one of the real power brokers in Havand. Sometimes she had even seen him walking from a distance inside the royal palace. He always went to pay his respects to the children of the first or third Queens, but he had never once visited Erna.
That is why Erna looked at Havand properly for the first time when he left.
He was a man whose words were polite, but whose gaze and attitude were rude. He treated Erna like a piece of luggage that he could abandon along the way without consequence.
During the journey to Hessengard, Erna had asked him for favors a few times. They were very trivial requests. Because it was the first time in her life she had been in a carriage for such a long time, she was suffering from terrible motion sickness. As a result, she threw up everything in her stomach, but the ladies-in-waiting merely brought her water and paid no attention to her meals. Feeling so hungry, she asked him to bring her at least a piece of fruit as he passed by, to which the Marquess of Carnarvon chuckled and replied.
“That is good. It would be better to lighten the load a little before arriving. The Princess should be able to hold out for a few days.”
At his words, the sound of laughter could be heard not only from the knights standing beside him but also from the ladies-in-waiting. Unable to say a word, Erna bowed her head and returned to the carriage. While Havand's delegation ate outside, Erna sat alone in the carriage with her face buried in a cushion, covering her mouth.
From then until she arrived in Hessengard, she could not tell anyone what she wanted or what she wanted to eat.
“Ugh...”
As the memory of that time resurfaced, Erna involuntarily covered her mouth and gagged.
"It is already in the past; things are different now." No matter how many times she repeated this to herself, the memory, which remained like a deep wound, instantly dragged Erna back 10 years.
It was when Erna was curling up even more and holding her breath.
Knock knock.
“...!”
She snapped back to reality at the sound of a sudden knock. The sound came from the door leading to the master bedroom. Turning her head to look at the clock, she saw that it was 10:01. The moment she confirmed this, Erna sprang to her feet, walked to the door, flung it open, and shouted.
"Sometimes things get a little late in life. Are you really going to knock on the door right away like this?!"
Erna, who had let out a loud scream at Callion standing beyond the open door, walked into the couple's bedroom as if it were the most natural thing in the world, slumped onto the bed, and spoke.
“Let me tell you in advance, I can’t do this today. Absolutely not. My whole body hurts, and down there too... anyway, it hurts! I said I can’t!”
Erna was about to say that her lower body was still throbbing, but for some reason, she felt too embarrassed to say it, so she changed the subject and shouted loudly. However, Callion paid no heed to her scream and climbed onto the bed. The words "You beast!" rose to the tip of her tongue, but Erna stopped shouting and simply lay down on the bed.
The bed mattress swayed as she felt Callion sit beside her. Thanks to that, the sensations of last night returned.
'Come to think of it, he probably doesn't need to consider my situation.'
It hurts, but it's not enough to kill him right away. Besides, Callion looked quite satisfied last night. Otherwise, there is no way he would have kept doing it like that.
As Callion's hand grabbed her arm, Erna squeezed her eyes shut.
It had been a restless day because of the Marquis of Carnarvon. But what did it matter if the day ended a bit of a mess? Maybe sleeping with Callion was a good idea. When we made love yesterday, she, too, had felt an intoxicating pleasure. She thought that, especially at a time like this, it wouldn't be a bad idea to forget everything and cling to that sensation.
Callion's hand grabbed her waist and turned her over. Lying face down on the bed, Erna was startled, thinking, 'Surely he isn't planning to do this?' and tried to sit up. At that moment, Callion pressed down hard on the back of her neck, forcing her back onto the bed.
“Hey! I don’t mind you doing it, but in this position... Aaaargh!”
Erna, who was about to shout, "Are you a pervert?", screamed as Callion's hand pressed tightly against the lower part of her neck. As she slumped onto the bed in terrible pain, Callion's hand moved mercilessly again. Her neck, her shoulders, and her back. Erna struggled with all her might to break free as his hand pressed hard only on the most painful spots. However, Callion's other hand held her waist tightly and would not let go.
Overwhelmed by the terrible pain that felt like her muscles were being torn apart, Erna screamed, momentarily forgetting about the Marquis of Carnarvon, Callion, and everything else. Eventually, she shed tears.
“Stop, I said stop... You bastard...”
As Erna hiccuped and punched with her weak hand, only then did Callion release his grip on her and torment her.
Erna was furious at being caught off guard. Just as she was about to swing her fist with all her might, Callion spoke.
"It should be okay now."
“What’s okay...?”
It was only then that Erna realized what was happening when she saw Callion patting her neck with his hand.
“It hurts less...?”
“When I touched it, the muscles were incredibly knotted. I had suspected it ever since you started lying around without doing any exercise, though.”
Callion spoke in a condescending tone, but Erna paid no heed and felt around the places he had been touching just moments ago. These were all spots that had been plagued by muscle pain all day; while the pain hadn't completely subsided, it had significantly decreased compared to earlier in the day.
While Erna continued to grope her body out of curiosity, Callion lay her back down.
"I heard that a delegation is coming from Havand."
“...”
Erna bit her lip as she remembered something she had momentarily forgotten.
“It seemed to be quite a large group. Judging by the fact that they requested a separate escort force from the Knights.”
At those words, Erna let out a short sigh and gently pushed Callion's hand away.
“About thirty in total. Vanessa finished talking to them earlier today. It seems they are coming for reconnaissance purposes... so I’ll let you know if anything happens. Is that enough?”
It was an attitude that clearly showed she did not want to talk about the matter anymore. Callion nodded as if to say he understood without asking any further questions.
“Alright. Then lie down again.”
“What? Why? Argh! Why are you holding me there, you crazy bastard!”
This time, Erna struggled again as Callion's hand clutched her chest. A moment later, she realized that the area there was also tight and hurt twice as much as other places. Erna's screams did not stop until late into the night. By the time dawn broke, Erna had fallen fast asleep, unable to recall the Marquis of Carnarvon in the slightest.
For three days after that, Callion could not see Erna.
Of course, it was likely largely because the morning after he had rubbed almost every part of her body, Erna threw a cushion at his face and shouted, "You heartless bastard!" But the bigger reason was to prepare to welcome the delegation from Havand that was about to arrive.
Since there was a clause stating that they could not meet when they had official duties, Callion had no choice but to accept Erna's absence.
“...”
Even though he knew Erna couldn't come, Callion headed to the couple's bedroom at 10 o'clock. Of course, it was more comfortable to work at the desk placed there. However, as he quietly read documents while listening to the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace, his gaze kept drifting toward the empty bed.
'I guess I'll have to look for another priest.'
Feeling too guilty to ask Vanessa for a favor again, it seemed he would have to rely on her personal connections. Although he had nothing when he first arrived in Hessengard, as he established and grew the Knights, the number of people who could be called his own had increased.
He looked back and forth between the empty bed and the documents, then picked up a new document.
“This is...”
It was the document Cedric had mentioned, containing the selection of knights to welcome and escort the envoy from Havand. It also listed the criteria Cedric had used to select them.
Judging that it would be of no use to look foolish to Havand's envoys, he selected the knights with the most handsome looks and best physiques. Since they are all highly skilled, there will be no problem protecting Grand Duke Erna and keeping an eye on Havand's envoys.
Callion looked again at the low selection criteria of Cedric.
“...”
He couldn't take his eyes off the documents for quite a while.
"Ha..."
Inside the carriage, Erna sighed and covered her mouth. She should have come on horseback instead. In any case, having to ride in the carriage again out of courtesy kept bringing back memories of the past, leaving her in a bad mood. The only saving grace was that, being the only one in the carriage, she wouldn't be seen in this state by anyone else.
“It’s okay. I said it’s okay...”
Over the past few days, Erna had repeated this to herself hundreds of times. There was little the Marquis of Carnarvon could do here now. Hessengard had regained stability, and the supreme rulers were herself and Callion; they had come here merely to look around and return.
'So I can't do the same thing as back then.'
In fact, Erna knew that the humiliating events of their wedding night were something he had ordered. Shortly after arriving in Hessengard, a plague broke out. And the Marquess of Carnarvon quickly returned, leaving only a few ladies-in-waiting behind. The ladies-in-waiting remaining in Hessengard gathered among themselves to discuss what they should do now.
“I treated Princess Erna harshly, trusting only the Marquis. After all, I was told that he would become the de facto ruler here as the Princess’s regent. But then he went back to live on his own... and because the Princess shudders at the mere sight of them, she won't even let the people of Hessengard get close.”
“I know. If I had known this would happen, I should have treated the Princess better...”
While eavesdropping on their conversation, Erna realized that the terrible events of the wedding night were all carried out under the orders of the Marquis of Carnarvon.
Was that the reason? Erna, on her way to meet him, was biting her nails again.
“We’ve arrived! There’s the delegation!”
At the shout of the knight running ahead, everyone slowed down. Erna leaned her head out the window and looked ahead. She could see a crowd of people gathered. They were wearing Havand clothes, which she hadn't seen in a very long time, and were bearing the Havand coat of arms.
“...”
Erna's face grew even paler. Now she had to face them. Those who had mocked and insulted her. As if nothing had happened. As the Grand Duke of Hessengard.
She thought she had prepared sufficiently for ten years, but when it actually came, she felt breathless and wanted to run away immediately. Erna bit her lip again at the sensation of the carriage coming to a halt. Now, she really had to meet them.
“Grand Duke?”
Orpheus, who had been standing outside, called out to Erna, puzzled by her failure to come out. At the sound of her voice urging her on, Erna grabbed the carriage handle. She had to open the door and get out. It was just a matter of doing that.
Erna could not open the door at the thought that she had to face them alone.
At that moment, the sound of a horse galloping wildly from behind was heard. And the sound of those standing outside reacting in surprise.
Before she could even wonder who on earth had come to cause such a commotion, the door of the carriage Erna was riding in burst open. The man, who had rudely opened the door without permission, saw the frozen Erna, clicked his tongue, and held out his hand.
“I’ll help you. Come out.”
Erna could not say a word at the sight of Callion reaching out his hand to her.
Crackle.
In bed in her room, Erna was biting her thumbnail while pulling the covers over her. She couldn't clearly remember how much time had passed since Vanessa had visited earlier that day. From that moment on, there was only one thought in Erna's mind.
The Marquis of Carnarvon is coming.'
How could she ever forget that name?
She had heard his name a few times as he was one of the real power brokers in Havand. Sometimes she had even seen him walking from a distance inside the royal palace. He always went to pay his respects to the children of the first or third Queens, but he had never once visited Erna.
That is why Erna looked at Havand properly for the first time when he left.
He was a man whose words were polite, but whose gaze and attitude were rude. He treated Erna like a piece of luggage that he could abandon along the way without consequence.
During the journey to Hessengard, Erna had asked him for favors a few times. They were very trivial requests. Because it was the first time in her life she had been in a carriage for such a long time, she was suffering from terrible motion sickness. As a result, she threw up everything in her stomach, but the ladies-in-waiting merely brought her water and paid no attention to her meals. Feeling so hungry, she asked him to bring her at least a piece of fruit as he passed by, to which the Marquess of Carnarvon chuckled and replied.
“That is good. It would be better to lighten the load a little before arriving. The Princess should be able to hold out for a few days.”
At his words, the sound of laughter could be heard not only from the knights standing beside him but also from the ladies-in-waiting. Unable to say a word, Erna bowed her head and returned to the carriage. While Havand's delegation ate outside, Erna sat alone in the carriage with her face buried in a cushion, covering her mouth.
From then until she arrived in Hessengard, she could not tell anyone what she wanted or what she wanted to eat.
“Ugh...”
As the memory of that time resurfaced, Erna involuntarily covered her mouth and gagged.
"It is already in the past; things are different now." No matter how many times she repeated this to herself, the memory, which remained like a deep wound, instantly dragged Erna back 10 years.
It was when Erna was curling up even more and holding her breath.
Knock knock.
“...!”
She snapped back to reality at the sound of a sudden knock. The sound came from the door leading to the master bedroom. Turning her head to look at the clock, she saw that it was 10:01. The moment she confirmed this, Erna sprang to her feet, walked to the door, flung it open, and shouted.
"Sometimes things get a little late in life. Are you really going to knock on the door right away like this?!"
Erna, who had let out a loud scream at Callion standing beyond the open door, walked into the couple's bedroom as if it were the most natural thing in the world, slumped onto the bed, and spoke.
“Let me tell you in advance, I can’t do this today. Absolutely not. My whole body hurts, and down there too... anyway, it hurts! I said I can’t!”
Erna was about to say that her lower body was still throbbing, but for some reason, she felt too embarrassed to say it, so she changed the subject and shouted loudly. However, Callion paid no heed to her scream and climbed onto the bed. The words "You beast!" rose to the tip of her tongue, but Erna stopped shouting and simply lay down on the bed.
The bed mattress swayed as she felt Callion sit beside her. Thanks to that, the sensations of last night returned.
'Come to think of it, he probably doesn't need to consider my situation.'
It hurts, but it's not enough to kill him right away. Besides, Callion looked quite satisfied last night. Otherwise, there is no way he would have kept doing it like that.
As Callion's hand grabbed her arm, Erna squeezed her eyes shut.
It had been a restless day because of the Marquis of Carnarvon. But what did it matter if the day ended a bit of a mess? Maybe sleeping with Callion was a good idea. When we made love yesterday, she, too, had felt an intoxicating pleasure. She thought that, especially at a time like this, it wouldn't be a bad idea to forget everything and cling to that sensation.
Callion's hand grabbed her waist and turned her over. Lying face down on the bed, Erna was startled, thinking, 'Surely he isn't planning to do this?' and tried to sit up. At that moment, Callion pressed down hard on the back of her neck, forcing her back onto the bed.
“Hey! I don’t mind you doing it, but in this position... Aaaargh!”
Erna, who was about to shout, "Are you a pervert?", screamed as Callion's hand pressed tightly against the lower part of her neck. As she slumped onto the bed in terrible pain, Callion's hand moved mercilessly again. Her neck, her shoulders, and her back. Erna struggled with all her might to break free as his hand pressed hard only on the most painful spots. However, Callion's other hand held her waist tightly and would not let go.
Overwhelmed by the terrible pain that felt like her muscles were being torn apart, Erna screamed, momentarily forgetting about the Marquis of Carnarvon, Callion, and everything else. Eventually, she shed tears.
“Stop, I said stop... You bastard...”
As Erna hiccuped and punched with her weak hand, only then did Callion release his grip on her and torment her.
Erna was furious at being caught off guard. Just as she was about to swing her fist with all her might, Callion spoke.
"It should be okay now."
“What’s okay...?”
It was only then that Erna realized what was happening when she saw Callion patting her neck with his hand.
“It hurts less...?”
“When I touched it, the muscles were incredibly knotted. I had suspected it ever since you started lying around without doing any exercise, though.”
Callion spoke in a condescending tone, but Erna paid no heed and felt around the places he had been touching just moments ago. These were all spots that had been plagued by muscle pain all day; while the pain hadn't completely subsided, it had significantly decreased compared to earlier in the day.
While Erna continued to grope her body out of curiosity, Callion lay her back down.
"I heard that a delegation is coming from Havand."
“...”
Erna bit her lip as she remembered something she had momentarily forgotten.
“It seemed to be quite a large group. Judging by the fact that they requested a separate escort force from the Knights.”
At those words, Erna let out a short sigh and gently pushed Callion's hand away.
“About thirty in total. Vanessa finished talking to them earlier today. It seems they are coming for reconnaissance purposes... so I’ll let you know if anything happens. Is that enough?”
It was an attitude that clearly showed she did not want to talk about the matter anymore. Callion nodded as if to say he understood without asking any further questions.
“Alright. Then lie down again.”
“What? Why? Argh! Why are you holding me there, you crazy bastard!”
This time, Erna struggled again as Callion's hand clutched her chest. A moment later, she realized that the area there was also tight and hurt twice as much as other places. Erna's screams did not stop until late into the night. By the time dawn broke, Erna had fallen fast asleep, unable to recall the Marquis of Carnarvon in the slightest.
***
For three days after that, Callion could not see Erna.
Of course, it was likely largely because the morning after he had rubbed almost every part of her body, Erna threw a cushion at his face and shouted, "You heartless bastard!" But the bigger reason was to prepare to welcome the delegation from Havand that was about to arrive.
Since there was a clause stating that they could not meet when they had official duties, Callion had no choice but to accept Erna's absence.
“...”
Even though he knew Erna couldn't come, Callion headed to the couple's bedroom at 10 o'clock. Of course, it was more comfortable to work at the desk placed there. However, as he quietly read documents while listening to the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace, his gaze kept drifting toward the empty bed.
'I guess I'll have to look for another priest.'
Feeling too guilty to ask Vanessa for a favor again, it seemed he would have to rely on her personal connections. Although he had nothing when he first arrived in Hessengard, as he established and grew the Knights, the number of people who could be called his own had increased.
He looked back and forth between the empty bed and the documents, then picked up a new document.
“This is...”
It was the document Cedric had mentioned, containing the selection of knights to welcome and escort the envoy from Havand. It also listed the criteria Cedric had used to select them.
Judging that it would be of no use to look foolish to Havand's envoys, he selected the knights with the most handsome looks and best physiques. Since they are all highly skilled, there will be no problem protecting Grand Duke Erna and keeping an eye on Havand's envoys.
Callion looked again at the low selection criteria of Cedric.
“...”
He couldn't take his eyes off the documents for quite a while.
***
"Ha..."
Inside the carriage, Erna sighed and covered her mouth. She should have come on horseback instead. In any case, having to ride in the carriage again out of courtesy kept bringing back memories of the past, leaving her in a bad mood. The only saving grace was that, being the only one in the carriage, she wouldn't be seen in this state by anyone else.
“It’s okay. I said it’s okay...”
Over the past few days, Erna had repeated this to herself hundreds of times. There was little the Marquis of Carnarvon could do here now. Hessengard had regained stability, and the supreme rulers were herself and Callion; they had come here merely to look around and return.
'So I can't do the same thing as back then.'
In fact, Erna knew that the humiliating events of their wedding night were something he had ordered. Shortly after arriving in Hessengard, a plague broke out. And the Marquess of Carnarvon quickly returned, leaving only a few ladies-in-waiting behind. The ladies-in-waiting remaining in Hessengard gathered among themselves to discuss what they should do now.
“I treated Princess Erna harshly, trusting only the Marquis. After all, I was told that he would become the de facto ruler here as the Princess’s regent. But then he went back to live on his own... and because the Princess shudders at the mere sight of them, she won't even let the people of Hessengard get close.”
“I know. If I had known this would happen, I should have treated the Princess better...”
While eavesdropping on their conversation, Erna realized that the terrible events of the wedding night were all carried out under the orders of the Marquis of Carnarvon.
Was that the reason? Erna, on her way to meet him, was biting her nails again.
“We’ve arrived! There’s the delegation!”
At the shout of the knight running ahead, everyone slowed down. Erna leaned her head out the window and looked ahead. She could see a crowd of people gathered. They were wearing Havand clothes, which she hadn't seen in a very long time, and were bearing the Havand coat of arms.
“...”
Erna's face grew even paler. Now she had to face them. Those who had mocked and insulted her. As if nothing had happened. As the Grand Duke of Hessengard.
She thought she had prepared sufficiently for ten years, but when it actually came, she felt breathless and wanted to run away immediately. Erna bit her lip again at the sensation of the carriage coming to a halt. Now, she really had to meet them.
“Grand Duke?”
Orpheus, who had been standing outside, called out to Erna, puzzled by her failure to come out. At the sound of her voice urging her on, Erna grabbed the carriage handle. She had to open the door and get out. It was just a matter of doing that.
Erna could not open the door at the thought that she had to face them alone.
At that moment, the sound of a horse galloping wildly from behind was heard. And the sound of those standing outside reacting in surprise.
Before she could even wonder who on earth had come to cause such a commotion, the door of the carriage Erna was riding in burst open. The man, who had rudely opened the door without permission, saw the frozen Erna, clicked his tongue, and held out his hand.
“I’ll help you. Come out.”
Erna could not say a word at the sight of Callion reaching out his hand to her.
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