***
***
She got off the carriage and looked up blankly at the castle.
The inner wall, which was built out of pure white stone, looked as if it was made of ice.
The castle was quaint and dazzlingly majestic, unbelievably old enough to rival the age of the Empire.
They approached the barbican*. In front of the gate, dozens of servants were waiting for them.
[*E/N: A barbican is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle.]
“Welcome back, Grand Duke.”
A man who looked like the head of staff bowed very deeply, looking sullen.
Victor looked down at him with an indifferent expression.
“You must have suffered a lot while I was away.”
“It’s not like that. It’s my pleasure to serve your highness…”
“Is my wife’s room ready?”
Victor didn’t listen to his answer and started walking inside, his arms wrapped around her.
She was taken aback, but she had no choice but to hurriedly follow him.
***
As they walked through the castle, the attendants were strangely stiff. The atmosphere was much worse than when she met the servants of the Capital mansion.
After parting from Victor, she headed to the Duchess’ room and realized that the door was frigid cold.
‘What’s wrong with everything?’
She wanted to ask, but Victor wasn’t with her, and she didn’t feel comfortable enough with the servants to bother them.
The hostess’s room had been empty for a long time, so it felt dead and lifeless inside.
However, the golden furniture, pure white walls, and dazzlingly white carpet created an elegant atmosphere that seemed out of this world.
She sat down on the sofa. The servants who followed her quickly unpacked her luggage.
They didn’t make a sound while unpacking and organizing her many dresses and accessories.
She watched them from a distance. Unlike her maids in the Capital, who always chatted, these servants had a cold atmosphere, leaving no room for conversation or pleasantries.
‘Are they that busy?’
Suddenly, she was snapped out of her thoughts by a sharp noise.
“Ah!”
One of the maids fell due to the weight of a dress. It was a bulky winter dress, difficult to carry alone.
She quickly jumped up to help. As she approached, the maid knelt down on her knees.
“I’m sorry, madame!”
She took a step back in surprise.
‘Why is she doing this?’
The maid was trembling.
The same was true of other maids in the room.
Everyone stopped what they were doing at once.
She realized.
They were afraid. Terrified even.
But she didn’t understand.
Their master was a hero and lord of the Empire, and she was his wife and their hostess.
A reputable knight like Victor wouldn’t have done anything to them.
‘Why are they so frightened?’
She grabbed the maid’s hand and helped her up.
“Are you hurt?”
The maid, who looked like she was about to cry, took a deep breath and replied in a soft voice that she was okay.
Amarion gave her a hot drink, and let her sit on the sofa to recover.
The servants snuck glances at her and hurriedly continued unpacking.
She felt weird.
The strange feeling only continued to grow.
***
It was soon the night of the great banquet.
Since it was also a victory banquet, all the vassals of the Grand Duchy would attend.
After getting ready with the help of her silent maids, she awkwardly chose her dress.
She couldn’t figure out which of the dresses she brought with her suited Morte’s banquet etiquette, and she couldn’t ask her frightened maids.
She finally settled on a plain, long sleeved summer dress embroidered with pearls.
The maids carefully looked through her jewelry box, and brought out an opal necklace that matched the dress.
“Thank you.”
When she thanked them, they bowed their heads in shock.
She got impatient waiting for Victor, and left for the banquet hall alone.
The banquet hall was ridiculously spacious.
The long tables were covered with white tablecloths, decorated with beautiful candlesticks and elaborate tableware. Diederick had lived up to his promise, having cooked a plethora of large turkeys and small bird dishes.
As soon as she saw the food, her tension melted away.
Victor approached her. He was wearing the same handsome robe she had seen him wear in the Capital.
He smiled softly.
“I think you’re tired of hearing this, but you’re really beautiful.”
‘I am tired of it, but it’s sweet, so I don’t mind.’
She looked around the room to avoid his gaze, her ears burning.
The knights were sitting on the right side of the room, and the vassals, the left.
Unlike the knights, who looked quite happy, the vassals seemed rigid.
‘Why?’
‘Is it because it’s been a while since they’ve seen their lord?’
While she was lost in thought, Victor announced the start of the banquet with a short speech.
“I commend the vassals who managed my land while I was away, and the knights who fought with me on the battlefield. Let’s eat and drink heartily in their honor.”
As soon as he sat down, the attendants cut the turkey.
She put aside all her thoughts and picked up a fork.
As the banquet continued, alcohol was served. It was a wine of good flavor and quality, different from the bitter alcohol she drank in Amari.
In the middle of their leisurely meal, Victor and her were dragged to the knights’ table under various pretexts.
Perhaps because of the fear of future troubles, no vassals pushed Victor to drink. Regardless, he was forced to by his knights.
The knights had emptied barrels of strong wine, and were already quite intoxicated.
“…Our Madame can slash three wolves with a single stroke…”
“You expect me to believe such a story?”
“It’s true! Even if Madame fought with her elbows, she’d win.”
Leonard noded with a serious expression and filled her cup.
She drank the fragrant wine.
She tended to only drink alcohol when she really needed to, but the wine was so delicious that it compelled her to continue drinking.
Sir Carlz expressed his worry for her in a louder voice than usual.
“Madame! Drink slowly. No matter how strong your body may be, alcohol ruins the mind.”
“Is that so…?”
Amarion examined Sir Carlz with a blank expression.
To be honest, she was much more worried about him.
Carlz’s face was as red as his hair.
She scratched her cheek and poured herself another glass of wine.
In Amari, alcohol was made from fruits and medicinal herbs instead of precious grains.
If you put a little alcohol, water, and medicinal herbs in a jar and left it for several years, it would turn into a strong drink that was high in alcohol content and terribly bitter.
Such alcohol was usually used to clean wounds or to warm the body on a cold day.
The weather in the north could freeze you to death, so most northerners were alcoholics. Compared to Amarian alcohol, the Empire’s was nothing more than a beverage.
She sat quietly at the table as the knights passed out, one by one. In the end, even Sir Raoul, who had lasted the longest, succumbed to his drunkenness.
“Madame, what kind of life did you lead…”
He fell over with a thump and started snoring.
She emptied her glass and looked around.
She wanted to find Victor, who disappeared at some point.
She saw that the curtains to the terrace were half open. She got up and headed there.
“…Victor?”
As expected, she found Victor there.
He looked back at her and took a deep breath. A light smile appeared on his beautiful face.
“Did you drink to your satisfaction?”
“I didn’t drink that much.”
She protested lightly and stood next to him.
From the terrace, the village below could be seen in its entirety.
Although it wasn’t as glamorous as the Capital, it was well-organized.
Under the cool summer night sky, the lights from each house flickered like stars.
She looked up at Victor’s profile. His amber eyes gazed down at his land calmly.
‘What are you thinking about?’
Victor was especially quiet today.
When he entered the castle and when he came to the banquet hall, he greeted everyone with a dry smile.
She thought he would be happier to be home.
‘Is he not happy?’
Victor asked suddenly.
“What do you think about the estate?”
She opened her eyes in surprise and answered cautiously.
“I think it’s a lively place. It’s similar to Amari. Of course, everyone’s a lot richer here.”
He smiled as if he had guessed her answer.
“I’m glad you like it. My land is yours…”
He mumbled to himself.
“Yeah… my land. My land where I can hold you and hide you…”
He looked back at her slowly.
She felt an unknown heat in his eyes.
‘Is Victor drunk?’
“Victor?”
He came closer without hesitation.
His body approached her in an instant and he encompassed her in his arms.
A hot whisper tickled her ears.
“You know what pisses me off the most about this illness?”
He leaned even closer to her ear. It felt like he was whispering into her soul.
“We didn’t get to have our wedding night.”
‘…!!’
As soon as she realized what he meant, her face burned hot.
Her heart was beating wildly.
Under the starry night sky, Victor was looking at her with eyes filled with desire.
She turned her head, hiding her bright red cheeks.
Of course, he meant, ‘We’ve never slept together.’
It was because Victor was ill and she had to monitor him.
In the meantime, he had no energy to do other work.
And it was the same today.
Victor’s condition had worsened, tormenting him throughout their journey.
So… they could think about it later.
She looked up at him again.
His eyes were filled with a burning longing. They were unfamiliar, yet extremely alluring.
She smiled, trying to wipe away her dirty thoughts.
“You must be tired, so you better sleep.”
“Will you come to the bedroom with me?”
She wanted to answer yes, but bit her lip instead.
Her answer wasn’t meant like that.
“I have to watch you sleep.”
“But, Marion.”
He slowly caressed her cheek.
“If you are in my arms, I will not be afraid of anything. No nightmares, no sickness, nothing.”
He whispered sweetly.
She took a deep breath.
***