******
Just before Asaya collapsed, Edwin reached out and grabbed her with one arm. Her body was too light. He wondered if she was any heavier than the sword he carried on his body every day.
The lean and infinitely small woman was unusually pale. Then Edwin looked around at the gathered onlookers who regained their senses at Edwin’s cold gaze and stepped back.
“Make sure what happened here doesn’t leak out.”
Marshall, who was waiting next to Edwin’s side, nodded.
“Yes, My Lord.”
When all the commotion was over, Leah and Asaya’s mother in the house carefully stepped out. Edwin, who was looking at the two thin women as small as Asaya, deep in thought.
“Was all this just a coincidence?”
Though he knew through the preliminary investigation that Asaya, who was picked up from outside the wall, was actually a noblewoman and was related to the church. Then the unexpected meeting with the Bishop who was acting suspiciously. All this was too exquisite to dismiss it simply as a coincidence. At one point, Edwin suspected that Asaya was related to the church and that their encounter that day by the wall was done in a deliberate plan, but that doubt was soon withdrawn. Asaya’s emotions today were genuinely expressed. The extreme anger was delivered intact.
Was it such a violent reaction that Edwin wondered if Asaya was actually a gentlewoman?
“Postpone the schedules today to later and hurry to bring a priest to look into Asaya’s body,” Edwin ordered Marshall.
Due to Asaya’s sudden fall, Edwin canceled all of his schedules in the afternoon. If the original plan had been, he would have gone to the treatment quarantine, made a simple greeting with Reibene, and went back after examining the treatment process, but now there was no reason or meaning to do so. It may be embarrassing to greet the Bishop now, Edwin guessed it was because he had met the Bishop and talked to him already.
“I brought the priest,” Marshall announced as he walked into the house with a woman.
Fortunately, there was a priest not far away. The woman who was called in hurriedly and nervously began to look at Asaya’s fallen body.
“How’s her condition?” Edwin anxiously asked.
“She must have been very nervous, that’s why she fainted. Leave her to rest and she will soon wake up.”
“Asaya was nervous?” Edwin tilted his head after hearing the word. She was scared and anxious enough to lose consciousness? Edwin recalled Asaya’s appearance. She didn’t look tense at all. Her anger and excitement that seemed to be able to tear the other person up at any moment were far from being nervous and fearful. Her feelings against Reibene were outright, but the outward attitude seemed rather calm and confident. Edwin turned his head. Then he looked at Leah, who was hesitating.
“There, come here for a moment.”
As Edwin beckoned at Leah, Leah carefully approached and stood in front of him.
“Are you Asaya’s friend?”
“That’s right.”
“Has she been unconscious often?”
“No.”
“The Bishop and Asaya’s relationship is private so I will leave it aside but answer one question. Was Reibene Schrandel related to the incident seven years ago?”
At a straightforward question, Leah bowed her head, biting her lips and thought to herself.
‘The case 7 years ago was concealed inside the church. How does this man know? How much does he know? Rather than asking about the relationship between that rotten bastard and Asaya, he asked about Raibene Schrandel and if he was related to the incident seven years ago … Did he know that Asaya had something to do with the incident seven years ago?’
Leah hesitated for an answer. Of course, it was natural to be on the lookout for the man in front of her because it was not possible to know whether Edwin was an enemy or an ally. Asaya said Edwin loved her, called her into the wall, and gave her ample support, but Leah wasn’t foolish enough to believe that. There must have been some conversation or deal between the two. Leah didn’t know what kind of transaction came and went, but it was all or nothing. Would they return to the outside wall in a terrible way if Asaya didn’t agree to his conditions? Or should she continue to stay under this man’s unknown intentions? Whether this man was a man she can trust or not. Why does that matter? It was true that Asaya, her mother, and Asaran’s lives were in the hands of this man. Leah determined and opened her mouth.
“I don’t know if it’s obvious. But at least I and Asaya are convinced that Reibene Schrandel had something to do with the incident seven years ago.”
At Leah’s words, Edwin replied, sighing little.
“According to Marshall’s words, I heard that you have been uncooperative and surprisingly quiet.”
“Because I knew it wasn’t just a matter of keeping your mouth shut as long as I met Reibene Schrandel again.”
“If so, does that mean you will be cooperative in the future?”
“Unless you are an enemy. “
At Leah’s alert attitude, Edwin curled up his mouth.
“I understand your vigilance, but that’s enough. I don’t know why I have to waste my time making an enemy from outside the wall who has nothing to spare. “
“Then can I ask just one question?”
“Say it.”
“Why did you bring a lowly woman outside the wall who had nothing to August by marrying her?”
“By now, articles must have been pouring out. You haven’t seen the love story of the century that shook the world yet?”
“Love? Who would believe that nonsense?”
In a hard voice, Edwin stood up as if he was tired. There was no need to explain to others the reasons for what he was doing. He looked at Leah with dissatisfied eyes. Leah had an unnecessary firmness in her eyes. And Edwin did not hate it as he first felt it in Asaya’s eyes too. Like Asaya, it was a strange gaze that attracted people. So he came up with an answer to Leah’s question which he didn’t have to answer.
“It’s an investment. I found something worthwhile and I invested in it. And now I’m convinced that my eyes were correct.”
It was only a vague assumption that Reibene Schrandel had something to do with the case that was concealed seven years ago, but now Edwin had a clue to be sure of it. This was definitely a big harvest and a satisfactory investment. However, Leah was still suspicious of a man wearing dazzlingly expensive clothes all over his body.
“I know you have a lot of doubts. But whether you keep suspicious of me or not, it has nothing to do with me, and if you really are a victim of that incident 7 years ago, you should think about it. Who should you be cooperative with?”
“…….”
Edwin turned around and lifted Asaya’s body up carefully. The carriage arrived shortly after to pick them up. Edwin dissuaded the escorts who wanted to move Asaya and got into the carriage while holding her in his arms. The place where the storm once hit was still. The people who had gathered were scattered, forced by the soldiers to crackdown. Marshall, who glanced at the distant carriage, approached Leah standing outside the door.
“I think it’s a problem that needs to be considered, but since I am on the same boat anyway, I wonder if it would be less tiring to work cooperatively. What do you think Lady?”
Leah frowned while staring at his warm face with his hand outstretched and a kind smile.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a person inside the wall who is respectful to a person from outside the wall.”
“You are not just from outside the wall, you are the Lady’s family.”
Leah realized it anew. Asaya was really marrying a man who only knows his name. All those ridiculous dreamy situations were really real.
“And her mother was also from outside the wall. “
At Marshall’s words that followed, Leah shut her mouth tight. She recalled the appearance of Marshall, who was prying sensitive questions like an interrogation. After Asaya went to Kabelheider mansion, Marshall came to see her quite often, asking all about the things related to Asaya. At that time, he was an unpleasant man. Leah thought he was just a cunning and irritable man armed with a nice smile. Her head was confused. Leah also needed time to clear up all these situations and take it intact.
“Give me some time to accept all this. “
“Sure.”
Leah walked into the house, leaving Marshall behind. Asaran and Asaya’s mother fell asleep lying side by side on the bed. Asaya’s younger brother was born with a disability who couldn’t speak or understand properly. And her mother, whose mind goes back and forth. Watching the two of them made her heartache. A new hell awaited as they escaped that hellish place. As soon as she crossed the wall, she ran into Reibene Schrandel. Leah sighed a heavy sigh and sat down in the chair. She felt something was going wrong. Perhaps it was better to have a life of filth and blood in the rotted ground. Because there were things in this land that are dirtier than the filth that covered the land. She never thought they would be reunited this early.
“It must be a bridle of evil.”
Leah struggled to swallow the bitter taste that filled her throat. As she tried to calm her trembling fingers, she closed her eyes and strove to cover up the terrible past rising over the dark vision. That terrible past might soon happen again.
Inside the carriage was quiet throughout. Edwin’s gaze was fixed on Asaya’s face who was lying on his knees. It was strange to see her pale, lifeless face. He had seen countless numbers of dead people, but seeing a paler face than the corpses, made him feel strange. The uncomfortable and unpleasant feeling continued as the wagon arrived at the mansion. The mansion’s maidservants tried to bring a stretcher to move Asaya, but Edwin dissuaded them and decided to carry her himself. Then he stepped into the mansion and went straight to her bedroom, where Asaya usually stayed instead of his bedroom. Lucia and Diana, Asaya’s servants, hurriedly followed.
“For the time being, you need to take good care of her.”
At Edwin’s stiff voice, Lucia and Diana quickly began to tidy up Asaya’s bedsheets. They had a mountain of questions to ask but had to bear it because Edwin’s cold energy was pressing their necks like cold bones. Edwin looked sideways at Asaya, who was lying in bed, and ordered the maid who was by the bedside.
“Make sure to report on her condition regularly. Get a caretaker priest to take care of her, and put her expenses on the ledger without having to ask for my approval.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
After Edwin left the room, both Lucia and Diana, including the other maid, were astonished at the fact that the Grand Duke had held Asaya in his arms and cared for her. Even in the presence of a former priest, Menefrida, he had never taken care of her so seriously. The reports to Edwin had always been about critical affairs in the estate. Therefore it was a surprise to them to report regularly on Asaya’s condition.
“I guess love changes people. The great power of love..” Lucia said admirably.
Asaya was a woman who was promised to be married, so the treatment was different. Lucia and Diana smiled shyly as they recalled the scandal that made the public sensation and the love stories poured out through secondary creation. When the maid came to her senses, she got up and turned around, scolding the two young maids.
“How could you be so happy when the lady is unconscious? Tsk, Diana you stay here and look after the lady. Lucia, you will write a letter and go to the convent to get a priest right away.”
The daily routine of the mansion rapidly became busy.
*****
The quarantine treatment center was crowded with sick people. While the priests dispatched from the church were working hard to purify the energy of the plague that had spread to the patients, Bishop Reibene sat down in the corner and asked blankly.
”How many more patients are there to see?”
“There are about ten people left, and we can manage the rest even if the Bishop is busy.”
“What is the next schedule?”
“Today’s schedule ends with treating patients in the quarantine here.”
“I’m not feeling well, so I’ll take a rest first. I’ll be at the lodge, call me if anything happens.”
Reibene’s exclusive priest, Rodan, tried to go with him but Reibene wanted to go alone and set out on the road. As soon as he got out, he exhaled a harsh breath. He was nervous. Why was Asaya Lubedoa of all women? Why was she alive when he thought she was dead in the first place? It was too exquisite for a coincidence. Did he also sense something from Kabelheider?
”If the incident seven years ago rises above the water, it will become dangerous…”
Reibene was annoyingly messed with his hair. The unexpected encounter made him uneasy. The reason why he joined the delegation and came to August was to laugh at Kabelheider. Reibene hated Edwin. It was not because there was a particularly bad relationship. But because it was unpleasant to see a person that couldn’t live without the care of God, and to be so stubborn with the church and pretentious. Reibene didn’t like the special birth of this Royal, who was the same age as him but was born with all the talents. He was very young for the Grand Duke. He received the emperor’s trust and was especially admired and attracted attention wherever he went. And because he was a man with outstanding abilities among the royals.
It was natural that Reibene was bothered by Edwin having everything comfortably without trying. But there was one more thing that was bothering him the most. It was also quite dangerous too …
“I came to change my mood and I got insulted. Damn it!”
Reminiscent of the scene where Asaya and Edwin kissed, Reibene struck the tree next to him with his fists. How hard he hit it, there were lots of thorns on the back of his hand and blood dripping. Why? The fact that the woman who he once loved being held in the arms of another man made him angrier than meeting Asaya again. He couldn’t help but be annoyed.