“Princess, do you believe in love?”
“Did you drink?”
Is he mad?
Kirona, who was lying down idly on her armchair, stroked her belly. She glanced at her knight Jade Eclipse who seemed to be dead drunk in the middle of the day.
“If you drink whilst you’re on duty, you’ll be punished. I’m fond of your impudence, but you still have to protect me. What are you going to do if I tell Maron?”
“I can’t get drunk on fruit juice. What’s the use?”
“Arrogant. What’s to be proud of for being a good drinker?”
“…Do you think I’ll be afraid of Maron, when I don’t even listen to the Princess?”
“Hah…so you admit that you don’t listen to me. And here I thought you didn’t know.”
“You like it.”
As usual, Jade brushed off Kirona’s words. Even if she did, did he have to be so blunt? Kirona was annoyed. So was he saying that he wasn’t insane?
Well, lately Jade wore a particularly troubled face. Today, his demeanour was especially weird. She had tried picking a fight with him in the morning, but there was no response as usual. Was he depressed because of the gloomy weather? Kirona shifted her gaze to look outside the window. The glass was spotless, and she could clearly see the cold winter rain drizzling outside
Kirona immediately shook her head. If Maron had said the same thing, he would have said it because of the weather.
She was sentimental enough to have a husband who was a minstrel. But Jade was not the type to turn soft and blabber merely upon hearing the pitter-patter of rain. Kirona was seriously troubled. It wasn’t long before she came to a conclusion. There was only one situation possible where the question of believing in love could come out of a sober Jade Eclipse.
“Do you have a lover? Are you married?”
Speaking of which, it seemed quite plausible. Kirona sprang out of her armchair in an instant. Jade, who had been sitting roughly on the Dwayne flower embroidered rug, grabbed Kirona by the shoulder in fright.
“Don’t all of sudden stand up! How many times have I told you to be careful when you’ve got stuff in your stomach…”
“Don’t talk about the heir of the empire as if it were lunch, Jade.” Kirona gave Jade a slap. After telling him she was quick with child, he panicked and followed Kirona all day anxiously. She might as well have flown or topple over if she was blown. Sometimes, he would stare at her tummy weirdly. Kirona wondered whether it was because he despised or cared for the baby in her womb.
He seemed to be confused, so of course she couldn’t tell. Regardless, those words were definitely deliberate, not a slip of the tongue. It was blasphemy that deserved capital punishment and his chopped head hung on the city walls. But Kirona let him off the hook. Because he was Jade Eclipse.
“The word ‘pregnancy’ suddenly came to mind. Speaking of which, when you eat, it’s the same.”
There were signs that his nagging was about to recommence. Kirona crossed her arms and brought the subject up again.
“If you’re going to get married, let me know in advance. At least half a year. It’s a fat headache to prepare for.”
“When did I say I was getting married?”
“Yes, you’re twenty-two years old, and because I’m also your age, I’m telling you it’s a good age to get married.”
Kirona looked at Jade’s smooth face and fell into deep contemplation.
Marriage…
Kirona’s motherland, the Mihadas Empire, was a matrilineal society. Unlike other countries, the system of marriage was not developed. This was because there were many women remained unmarried, lived alone, and had children without a biological father. A man had to go through a difficult process to become a family member. Either a woman found a man she was particularly fond of, or in love with, and married him, or recognised him as the official birth father of her child.
Of course, whether he was truly the biological father did not matter because no one knew the truth. Large aristocratic families had political marriages for political and business reasons. But even if he was a member of a family and had a daughter, the groom was in a position to be thankful for being recognised as the father of the children the bride gave birth to.
Of course, for the absolute majority of men, they were never married. But for Jade Eclipse, marriage wasn’t impossible. A handsome face that even Kirona, who has known him for a long time, often admired; passion and diligence as vice-captain of the Royal Knights at the age of twenty-two; and of course, his body would pass with flying colours because he was a guard.
His personality wasn’t bad either. Albeit a little cold and cheeky, he was a warm-hearted man. I’m sure you like children and will take good care of them. Come to think of it, marriage felt even more strange now that she had brought it up. Wasn’t ‘getting married’ or becoming the father of the baby’, the common dream for all young men? The royal knights, dressed in splendid uniforms were often the object of admiration everywhere, easily attracted the attention of the opposite sex. Some of the boys came into the Knights Templar after passing a difficult test, for that sole purpose alone. It was at that time, when Kirona was considering how much gold to give as a gift for his wedding that Jade laughed.
“Why is the story like that?”
“‘Do you believe in love?’ What else would I think with that phrase coming from your mouth? Oh, I guess he’s tired from working too much and wants to settle down.”
“You don’t have to twist it. I meant it literally. I assure you, I’ll never quit. Do you think there’s anyone else who can keep up with your temper all day?”
“If you don’t quit, you’ll get divorced. In all honesty, being my exclusive escort is not a good position. You have to be mindful and perform small tasks with me, day & and night. How many days a year do you have to rest? Sometimes, you end up in remote mountains months on end, to subdue them. I don’t think that’s a job a married man should do.” Kirona offered him some sincere and useful advice*.
*Literally, giving ‘blood’ & ‘flesh’ worthy advice; sacrifice on her part to give him up. 그에게 피와 살이 될 만한 충고를 건 네었다.
“I didn’t know you had so many thoughts about not using married men as your escort.”
Jade narrowed his eyes, and spoke through gritted teeth. Kirona glanced at him briefly, admitting it was true.
“Yes, honestly, the whole empire knows I’m lecherous*. That’s one of the reasons why I’m stabbed. To contain the source of potential problems.”
*ladykiller/stud.
“So, you mean to say that if the chance arises, you’ll kick me out?”
“How can I kick you out? But if that happens, you’ll say you left on your own.”
“…Please answer me. I asked you. Do you believe in love?”
Jade repeated, throwing firewood at the fire. Sparks blew into the air, and lit up the side of Jade’s face. The jawline that traced its way up to his dark blonde wet hair was sharp. He originally did not have soft facial features, but these days, they appeared to be even more sharp.
He seemed to have lost weight. Did she go overboard? Kirona put the book she was reading down, and finally answered his random question.
“Do you believe in love? You’re talking about love. You see me live every day. Do you think I believe in that?”
It wasn’t the answer he was expecting, but Jade kept his mouth shut. Kirona felt a guilty conscience. She made him do many things she couldn’t.
When she bathed without armour after subjugation; when she spent the night with her lover. No matter how she lived with her nerves on edge; constantly alert, there were moments when everyone was inevitably defenceless. Jade had Kirona’s back in those times.
He was her eyes and ears, so she knew what happened behind her back. How many times Kirona changed her lover. How fleeting her love was. There were times when they were in places with poor soundproofing, and the unfamiliar moans echoed vividly.
It wasn’t something that the glorious descendants of the Eclipse would do. But he couldn’t help it. That was the only thing Kirona believed in without any doubts — him.
“I believe in love.”
//Ru – New series!! It seems like such a charming and fun story, and has a really high rating on Ridi (4.8/5; 884 reviewers). The setup reminded me of the matriarchal society in Romance of Tiger & Rose.