***
The summer sun set quickly.
She ate dinner with Victor, changed, and headed to their bedroom early.
Volume 2 was on the table.
She sat on the bed and happily opened the book.
Dordophin, who had been asked to bring Gorgon Venom for Flamberge, was in the midst of his mission.
[The Gorgon screamed as Dordophin stepped on its foot.
“You crazy knight! What is this!”
“I’m sorry, I was trying to draw poison from the snake on the back of your head.”
“You just have to ask me, you idiot!”
At the Gorgon’s words, Dordophin became puzzled.]
She giggled. Dordophin was truly clueless! The sound of her door opening caused her to raise her head.
It was Victor.
“You’re early.”
“I was tired.”
He threw away his robe and went straight to the bed.
She blinked.
He usually went to bed after talking to her a bit.
‘Does he have any concerns?’
She sat quietly next to him.
Victor looked up at the ceiling and suddenly asked.
“How did you deal with thieves in your land?”
She thought for a moment before she answered.
“There were no thieves in my land. Everyone was so poor that we had to share to survive. During the winter, we pooled all the supplies we had and distributed them as needed. Everything was to survive one more day.”
Her hometown, Amari, is a thoroughly valued community.
When monsters came, children and the elderly were hidden in the estate basement and protected, as well as the sick and orphaned.
It was natural.
That way, the soldiers could leave their families behind and fight with confidence.
All life in Amari had adapted to its cruelly barren environment.
Victor’s eyes stared at her.
She quickly changed the subject.
“Why? Do you have to punish a thief?”
“I think so.”
“Can’t you just deal with them according to the law? What does the law say about stealing in Morte?”
“The thief has to compensate 7 times the amount they stole and have their hands cut off.”
“That’s too harsh!”
When she shouted in surprise, Victor smiled a little.
“You were the one who told me to follow the law.”
“But it’s too much. How can you punish someone so harshly when they didn’t hurt others?”
“That’s why the previous Grand Duke always punished them with a fine and detention.”
She glanced at Victor.
He looked tired due to being overworked every day.
Even when his face was distorted with agony, it was beautiful, but now was not the time to think like that.
She spoke sincerely.
“I believe you’ll make a wise decision, Victor. Because you’re a great knight. I’m sure you know mercy.”
Victor’s gaze slowly turned to her. His expression, illuminated by the swaying candlelight, was unfamiliar. He whispered sincerely.
“You make me weak.”
She quickly turned her head to hide her reddened cheeks. After he summoned a servant, the candles were put out one by one.
She closed her book and picked up her sword.
“Good night. I have to deal with you, who is truly weak.”
Victor smiled and closed his eyes.
***
Their daily routine did not change.
Every day was the same.
After that night, she wondered if Victor would punish anyone, but he didn’t seem to have any plans.
She was curious for a moment, but then she turned her attention elsewhere, believing that Victor took care of it.
Life in the castle was too much fun to worry about anything else.
She had been living in the castle for almost a month now.
She read books in the library and visited the concert room to practice the harp.
She didn’t enjoy embroidery, so she learned how to knit instead.
Her maids said that she could make a large blanket by weaving threads and stretching them.
She knitted with the maids, ate snacks, and occasionally had tea with Sir Raoul.
It was really enjoyable.
It was the first time she had been indoors for this long, and it was really pleasant, beyond her imagination.
The maids asked her if she wanted to go out frequently, but she really didn’t want to.
Because this was what she had wanted all her life.
No incidents, just a peaceful life.
The one thing that bothered her was that she still didn’t know why the maids were afraid of Victor.
She asked them why they were so scared on the first day she came, but they kept their mouths shut.
Mary quickly explained.
“Before your highnesses came, the Grand Duke sent several letters to the castle, asking us to properly serve him and his wife. Nothing should be neglected. So we were just nervous. I’m sorry if we made you worry, Madame.”
“Oh…”
She waved her hands as if asking them not to worry.
The fact that Victor’s letter scared them…
In the end, all of their fear was because of Victor.
Her question still remained.
Why were the people of the estate so afraid of Victor?
She climbed the stairs, pondering her unanswered questions.
Today, she was alone.
The knights she was close with were training, so she left her room, alone.
She headed to the mailroom, where birds were gathered.
She had received a reply from Catalina.
‘Her reply arrived quickly.’
Yesterday evening, Catalina sent her a letter.
It was delivered by a bronze pigeon.
The bronze pigeon was a smart bird that was close to a monster in the wild, but when tamed, it could deliver a letter to a specific recipient rather than a place. They were exorbitantly expensive, but that probably wasn’t a problem for Catalina.
Her letter contained her greetings and a brief update on her life.
-Dear Amarion,
This is a reply to the letter you sent as you left. Have you arrived in Morte? How are you?
The social season is coming to an end. Sadly, there haven’t been many incidents that you would be interested in.
Oh! Nanael Welch is still hiding in her mansion.
I know you’d scold me for this, but honestly, a little gossip never hurt anyone.
I’m leaving the Capital soon. I have a deal with the Eastern Kingdom, so I’m traveling to the northern border.
Yes, near Morte.
Can I visit soon? If you don’t mind, I’d like to see you and have tea.
I will wait for your reply.
I wish you good health.
~Your friend, Catalina.
As soon as she read the letter, she was excited and wrote a reply.
‘Catalina is coming!’
She would always be welcomed.
She was in a hurry to leave her room as soon as the morning came with the letter she wrote. As soon as she entered the mailroom, the bronze pigeon approached her as if it had been waiting.
She tied the letter to its foot and stroked the bird’s small beak.
“Deliver this to your master.”
The pigeon flew through the open window.
She left the mailroom and headed for the kitchen.
When she was in the Capital, she visited the kitchen every day, but there was so much to do here that she didn’t visit often.
Since she was out, she should at least go in and say hello.
‘I’ll ask if there’s anything they need, and if there are any leftover cookies, I’ll get some.’
As she was going down the stairs excitedly, she suddenly heard a loud roar.
“I knew it. His highness couldn’t keep his promise!”
“Are you saying he will cut off our hands?!”
It was a group of vassals.
She was startled and hid behind a pillar.
It was the first time she had seen the vassals since the welcome banquet, so she was naturally very nervous.
As if they didn’t notice her, they walked towards her, whispering to each other. They spoke in small voices, but it was loud enough for her sensitive ears to pick up.
“You manage all the budget books yourself. This is definitely overwhelming. Isn’t budget execution our authority?”
A white-haired vassal rolled his eyes anxiously.
“What’s wrong? Did he notice something?
“That sounds funny. Would he have stayed quiet if he really noticed?”
The vassal with a large belly snorted.
He was the man who greeted Victor when they first arrived in Morte. He spoke, stroking his mustache.
“He doesn’t know yet. So you should quickly erase the traces before we get caught. He came back earlier than expected because of that woman, but…”
“On the other hand, isn’t it a relief? Thanks to her inability to manage the books, we have time to manipulate them.”
Her heart dropped.
She covered her mouth with her hand and listened.
Their voices, which were tinged with dissatisfaction, overlapped with each other.
“Would you keep that lowly woman in the position of Grand Duchess?”
“Have you not heard about the Welch family? If we pushed another young girl in, our necks would’ve been blown away.”
“I thought he was cruel, not senseless.”
“The only talent he has is with a sword, so why do we support him as the Grand Duke…?”
Each and every word cut her deeply, embedding themselves in her mind.
Another vassal let out an exaggerated sigh.
“I’ve told you this many times. This wouldn’t have happened if Mortheon* was here.”
“I know. We should’ve backed him more strongly.”
“It’s too bad.”
The vassals moved to the other side of the hallway.
Amarion stood there for a long time, grabbing her chest.
***