Chapter 13
Nadia woke up early the next day, perhaps because she had tossed and turned all night. After breakfast and a brief teatime, Mila guided her around the castle.
It was as though she was boasting the long history of the Marquisate and this castle. The morning flew by as Nadia half-heartedly listened to Mila’s explanation as they climbed the watchtower just to see how spacious the estate was.
It was fortunate that she had no time alone to feel anxious or depressed—there was no time for her to think back on what happened at dinner last night.
She couldn’t look around to see all the annex buildings. She decided to explore them later because lunchtime was slowly approaching.
There was actually enough time for her so she didn’t need to rush, but because more time had passed by than they expected, Mila was behind on her work, and Nadia was still fatigued. They decided to take a break.
It was refreshing, the cool summer breeze that passed by coming from the riverside. Nadia appreciated the view from high above.
With the bustling city below them, there were foreign merchant ships docked at the river port where there was also a huge drawbridge. Beyond that, there was a vast, fertile farmland. As she saw the pastures, Nadia couldn’t help but admire it all.
She imagined that this would be a desolate and barren land because of her own assumptions, but that was not the case at all. She even wanted to apologize due to her poor imagination.
“Thanks to the treaty that was signed with Alquid a few years ago, there hasn’t been much conflict at the borders. Still, the knights regularly did their patrols. Sometimes wild animals from the mountains or monsters would come to prey on the sheep or goats.”
Nadia nodded wordlessly as she listened to Mila. She shifted her gaze towards the land where Mila pointed. A dense forest full of broad-leaved trees could be seen behind the castle, and it was at the base of a low hill.
“If you ride a horse and go south for about two days, you will arrive at the sea. That’s at the southern end of the Marquisate.”
“The sea?”
Nadia had never seen the sea. She realized how
The woman smiled softly at Nadia, who had a surprised expression, then continued speaking as though she was telling an interesting story to a child.
“You can tell Milord that you’d like to go to the villa when the summer is ripe. The Marquis has a beautiful mansion along Lancard Beach.”
Nadia could only nod as though she was possessed. She liked the idea of a beautiful villa, but what she liked more was the beach. She imagined what the waves over the sea and the dazzling white sand beach would look like, and Nadia felt her expectations rising.
While descending the watchtower, Mila’s explanation continued. It was all interesting to Nadia, so she tried to listen without missing anything.
She talked about how Marquiz Elantz greatly improved the relationship of Elheim with Alquid due to the settlement of the border disputes. It was also thanks to the Emperor’s support. Every autumn, the Emperor comes down to Elheim for a week.
The head maid seemed to be proud of the tight knit relationship of the Emperor and the Marquis. Nadia knew that they were cousins, but it was still strange to her that the Emperor—who slaughtered his own brothers and his father, the previous Emperor—trusted and cared for a cousin of his.
Because the Emperor did not rise to the throne legitimately, in a way, Edwin was also a danger… Nadia took in a sharp breath and shook her head to shake off those thoughts.
Those were words that should not be uttered carelessly. She firmly pushed those ideas out of her head as though she had never even thought of them in the first place. Other than that, there were plenty of other things that she needed to pay attention to. Although it’s said that they trusted each other a lot, the Emperor was still a distant person. And the Marquis himself was her husband, yet it felt like he was so far out of her reach.
“If you go that way, you’ll find the training grounds, but it would be better if you don’t go there. There’s nothing there for the Madam to see.”
“Is that so?”
She grew nervous once more at the mention of ‘training grounds’, but she noticeably became relaxed when Mila said that she shouldn’t go there. The older woman smiled as if to reassure Nadia, perhaps because she thought that Nadia was frightened.
“Although they are considered the most esteemed knights in the continent, they are energetic young men who sometimes fight and stab each other. If the Madam is nearby and a broken piece of blade flies out, you might get into an accident. That’s why you must avoid the training grounds…”
Nadia only murmured dismally in reply. It wouldn’t happen anyway, was what she thought. She didn’t want to run into Asheel, not even by chance, so she was going to avoid that place anyway.
She was not naïve enough to not avoid a dangerous situation like that. What came to her mind was how Asheel had groped her behind while smiling. This made her expression harden.
The last place they stopped by was the rear garden that Edwin had mentioned yesterday. Just as he said, it was truly beautiful. As she passed through the arched pathway where vines meandered with light pink roses, she was enveloped with the breathtaking scent of roses.
The scent of roses seemed to have permeated her body entirely in the short while that she passed through the passage. Nadia took a whiff of her hair and immediately recognized the scent.
They soon arrived by a large pond full of water lilies. There was a small bridge over it and a white pavilion at the end of the bridge. Nadia gasped in admiration.
“How beautiful.”
“Isn’t it? It’s all yours, Madam.”
For a moment, she thought that being the Marchioness was worthwhile if only to be in a place like this. She could just endure the gossip about her husband. It wouldn’t last long. Nadia encouraged herself again.
As she touched the railing of the marble pavilion, she thought that she could have a meal here tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Or, she could have tea here instead. It would be nice if there was someone for her to invite, but that was impossible. All the nobles in the capital were close to each other already and she had no acquaintances. Still, she could admire the scenery even if she was alone.
They passed through a small flower garden and reached a maze of shrubs that was well over Nadia’s height. She went on her tiptoes to try and look over it, then she grabbed Mila’s arm in worry.
“If you get lost after going in, isn’t that troubling?”
“Don’t worry, Madam. The maze isn’t big enough that one would wander in it for a long time.”
The woman looked at Nadia affectionately, thinking that her concerns were cute, then she took Nadia’s hand and led her into the maze. In the end, Nadia couldn’t resist her curiosity and followed Mila.
The scent of grass became even stronger. Mila went into the maze and pointed to a bell next to a pillar that was between the thick shrubs.
“If you can’t find your way out, you can ring the bell. There will be servants who will come to help you, Madam!”
Just as Mila said, the maze was not that wide. It eased her worries that they managed to leave the maze in an instant. Afterwards, Mila politely excused herself as she had work to do, and Nadia went back to her room to eat lunch.
After eating, Nadia rose to her feet and went out for a walk to digest her meal. She looked around the castle, but her expression was troubled as she thought that something was odd. Ever since this morning, she felt that her back was stiff and her lower abdomen was tingling, making the sore apex of her legs wet for some reason. Her expression wrinkled unknowingly.
“Susan, can you bring me some new underwear?”
“Yes, Milady!”
The quick-witted maid moved swiftly. As she changed into thicker underwear, Nadia rubbed her lower abdomen with her palm.
She completely forgot, but it was that time of the month. This would have been more unbearable if it came during the carriage trip, so she was glad that it only happened now. Just thinking of enduring the pain inside that rattling carriage without being able to wash herself made her feel sick and exhausted.
Sipping a cup of tea that served as a pain reliever, Nadia felt like she had forgotten something important.
Nadia cancelled her plans to go on a stroll and buried herself under her bed covers. With the body aches she felt, she trembled.
“Milady, shall I close the windows?”
“Yes… You should call me ‘Madam’ now.”
“I apologize, Madam.”
Susan closed the windows, the balcony door, and the curtains. In an instant, the room was enshrouded with darkness.
“After taking a nap, the medicine will take effect. I shall wake you at dinner time, Milady.”
Instead of answering, Nadia only pulled her blanket higher. As Susan left and closed the door behind her, sleep visited Nadia.
Nadia had a dream.
The familiar touch of fingertips carefully stroked her cheek, then went down to her abdomen. It felt strange, so she looked down, but her stomach was swollen like a ball.
She almost screamed—but she couldn’t because someone had kissed her. His tongue pushed in through her lips without hesitation and, feeling only half-awake, Nadia lifted her hand to touch her belly.
What the hell is… She couldn’t understand this situation. Then, she felt a hard chest coming up behind her. From the back, a man embraced her and gently began to rove her breasts. The front of her dress became soaked.
Nadia was startled and tried to break away from him, but she couldn’t at all.
”Whose child is this, hm?”
The man behind her whispered into her ear. It was Edwin’s voice. Goosebumps formed on her arms.
‘I… I’m…’
The man standing in front of her removed his lips, but with a rough touch, he pulled the front of her dress open.
When her breasts, which were larger than usual, were revealed, he leaned down and suckled one of her nipples. When the man buried his head into her chest, his red hair cascaded down. Asheel continued to suck on one nipple and then the other. Then, as though he had sucked something from her, he gulped something down.
He swallowed it. The sweet smell of milk was vivid, and white liquid flowed down through Edwin’s fingers as he kneaded her breasts.
Nadia screamed and struggled to get away from the two men, but she couldn’t escape.
”Is it my child?”
“Is it my child?”
Then, Nadia’s eyes shot open. Susan was hovering above her, looking at her with concern. Nadia sat up, her breathing rough. Her heart was beating so loudly to the point that it hurt. And her back was wet as though it was covered with cold sweat.
“Are you alright, Madam?”
“…I’m fine.”
With her forehead wrinkled, she looked down. She sighed in relief when she saw that her stomach was flat as usual.
She never imagined the day that she’d welcome her period wholeheartedly. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t even think about this dilemma before. Why wasn’t that her first thought? She was told that a woman who had her menstruation was not pregnant with a child.
She couldn’t stand how pathetic she was. It was terrible to think that she could have gotten pregnant. It felt like her blood was drying up as she imagined how she could have wondered every single day as her stomach grew bigger… about who the father could be.
She’s glad that this wasn’t a concern of hers anymore. The same thing would not happen again, so it was fine now.
With Susan’s help, Nadia ate dinner. She was served a lamb stew that was seasoned with lime and some steamed prawns as well. She had wheat bread with raisins and three kinds of cheese with pickled olives, then dried jujube and figs.
After dinner, she went out on a light stroll with Susan. She returned to her room soon after, then went to bed early. Fortunately this time, she had a dreamless slumber.