Chapter 8
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#8.
With the Marquis Lorke siblings removed from the picture, peace had finally descended upon Hadelus Castle.
The only regrettable aspect was that the Grand Duke had chosen to overlook Marquis Lorke's transgressions.
'The legislation is still under review, after all.'
It seemed he was deliberately concealing the abuse incident to avoid complications while the bill remained under deliberation. Thus, the Grand Duke was currently allowing the Lorke family to remain unmolested.
But he certainly wasn't simply letting the matter rest.
Surely the Grand Duke had visited the Marquis and issued some form of warning—that he would reduce the Lorke family to dust the moment he loosened his tongue?
Judging by how quiet Marquis Lorke had been since then, it seemed certain.
I heard that Lady Lorke hadn't set foot outside her room even once.
She appeared to have suffered a considerable shock from being abandoned by the Grand Duke.
Well, she was the capricious Grand Duke's lover of three years—a concubine who had been at the estate even before I arrived.
'She probably never imagined she'd be cast aside so easily because of me.'
In any case, with the Lorke siblings dealt with, Arkid's path forward had become considerably brighter.
Perhaps feeling remorseful, the Grand Duke had been subtly looking after Arkid ever since.
What had he said this morning?
I recalled the conversation from this morning's breakfast, when the four of us had gathered together for the first time in a while.
The Grand Duke had spoken casually during the meal.
'If anyone dares to mistreat you again, don't simply endure it.'
I watched the Grand Duke speak so openly even before the Grand Duchess.
The Grand Duchess's expression was equally unperturbed.
'So they must have reached some sort of agreement yesterday.'
Perhaps, even if the Grand Duchess hadn't secured the mine as in the original story, they had certainly negotiated some form of deal.
Arkid blinked at the Grand Duke's unexpected words before responding curtly.
'Did you not previously instruct me to live as quietly as a dead mouse?'
The Grand Duke's brow twitched at the subtle reproach, and he spoke in a low voice.
'That doesn't mean you should simply accept being struck.'
As if that weren't enough, he added further.
'Strike back instead. It's far more convenient to handle the aftermath when you're the one doing the hitting rather than the one being hit.'
'...I shall keep that in mind.'
'What excellent advice you're giving. What exactly are you teaching our gentle Arkid?'
I clicked my tongue as I recalled the Grand Duke's absurd counsel once more.
Of course, I disliked being struck, but hitting someone simply because I disliked them was far too thuggish.
Arkid resembled the Grand Duke greatly in appearance, but their personalities were entirely different.
The Grand Duke possessed unrestrained impulses and an abundance of self-regard.
Arkid, by contrast, had grown up reading the room since childhood, developing the unfortunate habit of interpreting everything negatively.
This had frequently caused conflict with the heroine Mabel, and ultimately, she had been taken from him by the male lead Jeronis.
'It's alright. As long as I'm here, Arkid's childhood will never be unhappy.'
Thinking of Arkid for no particular reason, a smile bloomed across my face.
Just then, Hannah entered the bedroom carrying a flower basket.
"Where did these flowers come from?"
"Oh, the flower festival is coming up soon, so I brought these to brighten your spirits a bit."
"A flower festival? In this weather?"
I blinked at the howling wind and biting cold visible through the window outside.
Though the harsh winter had passed, it was still early spring.
Even if flowers were beginning to peek through sporadically, the weather was hardly suitable for hosting a festival.
Seeing my bewildered expression, Vivian chuckled softly and spoke.
"You're not staying in Delus for just a day or two—why are you acting so confused?"
"Huh?"
"It's called a flower festival, but it's really the day for sowing seeds."
"Sowing seeds?"
"My goodness, our young lady seems drowsy today. Why do you keep pretending not to know?"
As Vivian asked with narrowed eyes, I felt caught and my eyes darted away. Then Shuri offered an explanation.
"Yes. Since the soil of Delus itself makes it difficult for flowers to bloom, they hold this event where people voluntarily sow seeds."
Hannah added her voice while arranging the flowers in a vase.
"Could it be you don't remember because you ran away from the tedious event when you first came to Delus?"
"Ah, that's right. You did that last year. Hmm, well, that would explain it then."
Vivian stuck her tongue out slightly as if just remembering. Shuri beside her nodded in agreement.
"Well, you were probably more frazzled back then, having only recently married into the family."
"Right. I suppose that was it."
I smoothly added my voice to the servants' understanding and deftly evaded this crisis.
Hannah met my gaze and spoke seriously.
"You can't run away this time like you did before. The Grand Duchess might scold you severely."
"Of c-course not! I'm going to listen well now and fulfill my role as a wife properly."
"My, really? You're not planning to be capricious again and put the Grand Duke's son in an awkward position?"
I bristled at Vivian's provocation and cried out.
"I'm not! I care about Arkid so much!"
"Goodness, our young lady finally acknowledges the Grand Duke's son!"
Hannah spoke brightly as if delighted to hear such words.
"Could it be that all your complaining this whole time was actually just pretending not to care while you were interested? My word."
When I couldn't respond, Vivian shrugged and continued.
"Tsk, tsk. You're clumsy at this. If it were anyone other than the Grand Duke's son, they would have run away long ago. These days, if you act so mischievously, any affection just withers away."
"Hush now, Vivian, you..."
I trembled at the mention of Arkid running away.
The memory of him trying to escape last time by offering divorce made my irritation flare even more.
Then Shuri gently patted my back and spoke kindly.
"Hehe. How adorable. Ignore Vivian. She's just jealous of Arkid."
"Shuri, what are you talking about?"
Vivian jumped up and glared, but didn't deny the accusation.
I ignored them and fell into deep contemplation.
Either way, there was far too much mess left behind by Roena for me to handle.
Even the children brought from Count April's Estate doubt my transformation, so there's no way Arkid would believe it.
'This is going to take quite some time to convince everyone in the Grand Ducal House.'
I felt oddly exhausted and shook my head in resignation.
After a moment, I steered the conversation back to the flower festival.
"So what exactly am I supposed to do that day?"
* * *
Arkid sat on the terrace, absorbed in a book.
Since Marquis Lorke's disappearance, stability had finally returned to Arkid's life.
No longer did he have to cram through sleepless nights only to fail, and his new tutor was remarkably competent.
Moreover, the Grand Duke had even appointed a swordsmanship instructor for him.
'Perhaps his words about striking me were sincere after all.'
As such thoughts crossed his mind, a girl's crystalline laughter drifted across the terrace.
It came from the adjacent bedroom—Rhoena's chamber.
Arkid instantly recognized that laughter as belonging to Rhoena.
"She must be conversing with her attendants."
That particularly clear laughter kept drawing his attention.
Arkid closed his book, rose, and moved closer toward Rhoena's bedroom terrace.
It was eavesdropping he would not normally engage in. Though separated by the lobby, the adjoining terraces allowed them to see each other.
Of course, the distance was considerable enough to prevent easy crossing.
With the window left open, murmured voices drifted subtly onto Arkid's terrace.
He could not discern precisely what they were discussing.
He could only infer they were sharing something joyful.
'The attendants who came with her from Count April's Estate, perhaps.'
Arkid made an educated guess about the voices besides Rhoena's. She had been particularly close to these three since arriving at the castle.
While she kept her heart guarded from other servants, she relied upon them.
Arkid thought he should not pry into her private affairs and turned to leave.
Just then, Rhoena's bold voice rang out.
"How much I adore Arkid!"
"...!"
Arkid's breath caught at the sudden confession. Spoken so loudly, it reached him with perfect clarity.
Arkid choked, a cough escaping him.
"Cough! Hack!"
He barely suppressed the coughing fit, leaning against the wall. His heart pounded wildly from the shock.
He clamped his mouth shut and held his breath, terrified she might hear.
'Did I mishear that?'
Arkid was bewildered. That was unmistakably Rhoena's voice.
Yet the content was far too unexpected for words she would speak.
The wife he knew would never say such a thing.
'I despise you so much! Don't you dare come near me!'
Every time she opened her mouth, she hurled accusations of his worthlessness at him.
I had made no effort to hide my disdain—not merely in words, but through deliberate action as well.
And yet.
'I'm coming, dear.'
The moment Arkid recalled the term of endearment that had slipped so naturally from Roena's lips, heat flooded his face.
The words had been delivered with such effortless grace that it took him a moment to fully comprehend the shock of what she had said.
But when she reverted to calling him 'Lord Arkid' afterward, he found himself feeling oddly disappointed.
'Disappointed? Why on earth would I feel that?'
Arkid's thoughts spiraled into confusion, his composure thoroughly unsettled.
It was simply that Roena kept revealing new facets of herself, each one more bewildering than the last.
And now, suddenly claiming to care for him felt inexplicable. Was she attempting another deception?
"Sigh...."
Arkid exhaled deeply, unable to make sense of Roena no matter how hard he tried.
At least she was no longer throwing tantrums, which spared his parents from embarrassment.
The problem was the opposite—she had become far too affectionate toward me.
'What could my wife possibly be thinking?'
Inevitably, Roena consumed his every thought.
Then, suddenly, her words from earlier surfaced in his mind.
'It's true that I disliked Lord Arkid, but I never despised my own life.'
There had been something evasive in her tone at that moment.
Especially when she spoke of 'disliking Lord Arkid'—her voice had trembled noticeably.
Like someone reluctantly uttering a falsehood they wished to conceal. For someone as perceptive as Arkid, her inconsistency was deeply puzzling.
Arkid had remained leaning against the terrace wall for quite some time, lost in vacant contemplation.
Shortly after, he shuffled back to the table and sank into his chair.
Yet he made no move to open his book again. He merely toyed with its cover, worrying his lower lip.
Eventually, Arkid murmured softly to himself.
"She claimed to dislike me, and yet...."
His face flushed crimson as he hung his head low.
He couldn't remember the last time someone had told him they cared for him.
Embarrassed for reasons he couldn't quite name, he absently touched the back of his head, releasing one heavy sigh after another.
He felt pathetic—his heart melting away at just those few words.
After some time had passed, as his racing pulse finally began to settle.
Knock, knock.
"Lord Arkid. It's me, Roena."
Roena knocked upon the door to Arkid's bedroom.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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