If he had just spat out the usual rejection, it would have been over, but that day, he was annoyed at her for still not giving up.
"...Do you like me that much? I don't really remember doing anything special for you."
"You may not remember, but I once lost my handkerchief at my debutante ball and was crying, and the Marquis found it for me."
He thought he felt a little offended by the whispering voice saying that she had come to like him since then.
He was uncharacteristically considerate of the other person on several occasions. He gave them the opportunity not to see the cold and heartless truth.
"Even if I were to marry you, I would never be able to love you for the rest of my life. You are someone who doesn't know such things; all you do is likely spend a lot of time alone in that vast mansion."
Garen Wilbreed reached out and slowly brought his hand to her cheek, leaning his upper body forward and whispering in a gentle voice right in front of her nose.
However, his expression was blank.
As the smile that had always been his trademark vanished, Lady Hyde opened her eyes wide in surprise.
"I am saying that nothing you expect will come of it. The day will come when you think it would have been better to stay as you are now."
Garen Wilbreed spoke affectionately to her cold cheek and leisurely rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
Garen watched the cheeks turning red even from that dry contact, as if quietly observing.
He was an observer and a bystander for a long time that no human could dare to fathom, and to him, all humans were nothing more than ants being observed.
"...Marquis?"
"It is good if you are prepared for that. After all, I did need someone to look after the mansion while I was away. However, I cannot do anything for you."
It probably wasn't an answer to a sweet confession, or anything of the sort, but she smiled broadly.
As if she were so happy that it made even the man who had set the mood feel embarrassed.
On the last day of that year, two people referred to as the people of the century held a wedding ceremony.
***
"...Are you going out today too?”
"Ah. I have some business to attend to. I might not be able to come back for a few days, so please don't wait for me."
"... Yes."
Garendidn't really bother her.
However, he was a busy man, and since something interesting had happened around that time, he lost interest in her.
It means that wandering around outside has become more frequent.
He maintained a moderate relationship, ate meals together, and had moderate conversations, but she, too, who went from Lady Hyde to the Marchioness Willbread, must have gradually realized that this was not right.
She always welcomed him in the same spot and, as promised, perfectly managed the Marquis's mansion.
He would spend some time with her if she wanted, but he wasn't particularly interested.
He was a man with desires and a need for pleasure. A pleasure different from the primal pleasures of humans, I mean. Of course, he also needed interest.
War, battles, and fighting were all elements that aroused his interest.
There were more days she was away from home than at home, and even she, who used to laugh easily, began to lose her smile little by little at some point.
'I told you it would have been better to stay there.'
A relationship where they meet and talk moderately.
A relationship where you don't have to show your true nature and just need to show a fabricated face.
Those who did not realize that it was consideration for others tried to dig deep into his heart.
"There is a banquet at the Imperial Palace. I think I should attend; do you have time?"
"...Ah. Of course."
A frail and foolish woman who is overjoyed at a single word spoken to her, and who simply smiles if someone reaches out and strokes her cheek.
It was a bit strange that he couldn't let go of the feeling that it was okay even in this state.
Even when they went to the banquet, they didn't really do anything.
He was busy conversing with key figures, and she was just busy following him around.
Still, for the first few years after getting married, things were just moderately awkward, and didn't go to the worst.
When was it?
Ah. It was when Count and Countess Hyde were involved in an unexpected carriage accident.
The Hyde family had a fairly good relationship among themselves. Enough to turn a blind eye to their daughter, who went around making arrogant confessions right up until she was on the verge of marriageable age, even though they looked annoyed.
Garen was a polite man in his own way. Upon hearing the news, he went with them to the county to pay his respects.
However, he was a busy person.
He had several businesses underway and had to constantly travel between the Marquisate and the capital, so he couldn't afford to take a long time off.
When he said he would return after seeing her younger brother receive the title of Count, she readily gave her permission and returned to the estate first.
Letters updating him on her whereabouts arrived without fail, but the number of times he replied could be counted on one hand.
That’s understandable, since there wasn’t really anything to talk about.
He was busy replying to letters filled with trivial details about what she ate today, what the weather was like, what trouble the maids had caused, and what she herself had done.
It was about half a year later that she returned to the Marquis's mansion.
Since then, she often asked him to stay with her, to sleep together, and wanted him to make time for her.
That day was the same as always.
"Selena, I am busy. I don't have much time to hang out with you. If you are feeling anxious because your mind isn't at ease yet, you may stay in the County a little longer."
"...It's because I need you."
"I warned you before the marriage. That I wouldn't be able to do anything you want."
"...I'm not asking you to stay forever. I'm just asking if you could stay for even just a few days starting today?"
Garen slowly pulled away the hand she was holding.
"I told you so. That the day would come when you regret it and think things would have been better just the way they were."
"..."
"Please don't tire me out. You didn't bother me, did you?"
Garen thought that she would definitely regret it even before the marriage.
Because the face of the woman who always whispered words of love with a happy expression was distorted, like someone facing reality for the first time.
" ...That's right. I'm sorry."
After that day, she no longer approached Garen.
She didn't ask for anything useless, and at the same time, she stopped smiling at him.
She stopped suggesting meals together or having tea, stopped asking to attend banquets, and stopped asking to stay with her.
She always attended places she was required to attend as a lady. She also did not neglect the management of the Marquis's residence.
It just felt like she had understood reality and moved away.
He thought it wasn't bad. They faced each other at a moderate distance, and when he spoke to her, she gave him a moderate answer.
And as time passed and time went by, just as they had gotten used to the distance between them, the country began to become noisy.
Several families were severely shaken after having information or technology stolen by spies, and a strange organization called Makluxa appeared in the world.
The ducal family of the Empire was not just faltering, but had begun to go bankrupt.
Public sentiment was volatile due to the damage caused by monsters, and villages were consumed by inexplicable fires across the land.
Furthermore, the war with Kaluta was on the verge of breaking out.
It was a pleasant experience after quite a long time. After all, if a war broke out, he was bound to participate.
Garen was in a good mood because, for the first time in a long while, things that excited him kept happening one after another.
As you live for a long time, the ordinary things that happen in the world are just boring.
There is no human who would take pleasure in watching an ant crawl endlessly.
Around that time, large and small battles were gradually breaking out, so several nobles were conscripted.
And the young Count Hyde, who had been drafted into battle, died.
It was her younger brother.
Around that time, an unknown epidemic began to spread, and it was on a day when a report was received that Selena had collapsed while spitting up blood that it became known she had contracted the disease.
Once the fighting in the region where he had been dispatched subsided, he returned to his estate and saw Selena lying in bed, looking rather pale.
"Selena, are you okay?"
"... Yes?"
She had become much thinner since he last saw her, and the area under her eyes was dark and deeply sunken.
"If you had been feeling unwell, you should have gotten a checkup at a doctor's. Why did you just let it get to this point?"
“I was a little busy.”
"...What was so busy about it?"
"Marquis, I heard this is an epidemic. What are you going to do if it turns out to be true? It’s fine, so go and attend to your business. You are busy, after all."
"No problem."
There was no way he could have contracted such a trivial human disease.
She turned her head without a word and closed her eyes.
"Haa, just wait a moment. I heard there is a doctor who has developed a cure. I'll go get it for you..."
"It's okay. If I eat well and rest, I'll get better soon."
Even after returning, she answered in a dry voice without making eye contact even once.
"Please don't make me out to be the one who killed even my wife. Anyway, wait."
"Could you please give that to my younger sibling instead of me? A letter arrived, and it seems the war situation is bad and they are in poor health."
Garen frowned as he paused and turned around. It had been a short while since he received the bad news.
"...Selena, your younger sibling is...."
Garen, who had been moving his lips, turned away instead of saying anything more.
'It's already quite advanced.'
First of all, getting the medicine was the priority.
However, the medicine he brought never went into her mouth.
Previous Next
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment