Chapter 77
No one dared to make a sound.
The emperor has authority and influence over civil servants, and the emperor himself is backed with a strong army. If they agreed with Noahâs declaration that he was the most powerful man in the country, that would mean he was above the emperor himself!
Wouldnât the king cut off their necks then?
Seeing them being so terrified, Noah clicked his tongue and picked up a folder. It was the document summarizing a report of the dukeâs territory.
He unhurriedly gave rough scan over the contents.
ãAlthough not on a large scale, landslides do occur frequently at some places includingâ¦
â¦trees that have been uprooted should be handled as soon as possible to address the flooding issues that reach 1.5 meters in heightâ¦
â¦there is no cause for alarm for this mountainâs volcanic tendencies. However, a monster has recently been acting up, affecting the hills behind the dukeâs house. Itâs getting worse byâ¦ã
âCome here.â
The servant standing near the wall quickly skittered over.
Without taking his eyes off the paper, he asked, âWhere is my wife now?â
âAh?â Why would he mention the madame all of a sudden? The servant thought to himself. âMilord, Her Ladyship said that she wanted to take a walk by the hillsââ
Noah cursed out loud and grabbed his sword, abruptly leaving the office.
***
The Harus Hills is connected adjacent to a dormant volcanic mountain, which is why this place was so fertile and full with fields of diverse flowers that blossom beautifully during spring.
âMilady, look at all these flowers! Theyâre so pretty!â
On the green fields on the hill, numerous cosmos flowers were radiantly blooming. Lina went on a picnic with Adele and was really enjoying herself as she admired the flowers. However, Adeleâs mind was elsewhere as she absentmindedly touched a cosmos flower.
âMn. Right, they are.â
ââ¦â
Lina was initially very excited to see the flowers, but her mood dampened at Adeleâs unenthusiastic reply and became silent.
Right, didnât Her Ladyship say that after she married the new lord, she had frequent mood swings?
Lina thought that it was difficult for the duchess to get used to living with the new, cold-blooded lord when the former lord was such a kind-hearted man. Even if she didnât say it, Lina knew how she feels.
Lina watched her mistress with a sympathetic gaze.
It was two years ago. When Linaâs mother contracted tuberculosis, they said she only had one day left to live. But then she remembered Adele sending for a doctor and purchasing expensive medicines to extend her life.
Lina felt deep gratitude towards Adele, the person who had helped her, and only wanted her to be happy. She gave a soft smile.
Adele smiled back weakly, not knowing what Lina was thinking about. âI want to sit. Can you find a place where we can spread the mat?â
At Adeleâs words, Lina glanced sneakily at the man behind her.
Philip, this big burly man, was actually carrying a pink mat on his back. Lina sniggered inwardly at his comical appearance. Even Adele tried to hold back her laughter.
âIâm sorry, Philip. I made you come here.â
âMilady, I should be thanking you! This is so much better than being in scorching plains with those stinky knights.â
Philip was sincere. This was already heaven compared to training troublesome knights who donât even listen to him. Itâs like he wasnât assigned to escort Adele but instead was having a vacation.
âHelp Lina for a little while, would you?â
âHmmâ¦â Philip had been following Adele and so far, there was no trouble. He thought it was alright to be separated from her for a few moments. While Philip was silent, Adele thought he wouldnât agree to let her be so she shook her head.
âI have a lot in my mind. Iâll be near here, so you go and help Lina.â
Having made up his mind, he nodded. âYes maâam, please wait for a moment.â
âMn. Donât worry about me.â
As soon as Adele finished speaking, Lina beckoned him to go near her. Philip didnât want to trample on those little flowers, he walked quite carefully that he almost fell.
Lina gave him a disdainful look, âHow can a knight be this slow? Hurry!â
He snorted, âComing.â
As Philip had been following the lady everywhere she goes, he became a little close with the little maid. Adele burst into laughter thanks to the silly banter between the two. She had been feeling blue these days, so it was a good distraction.
Left alone, she stared at the stream in front of the fields with a bitter expression. As she listened to the rippling water, she recalled Noah from her memory.
âDo you hate me?â
Recalling what Noah had said not long ago, Adele shook her head. She didnât hate him. He may be scary person, but sometimesâ¦
âI thought I was freezing to death.â
He has a cute side to him.
âLive with me forever, Adellia.â
His sad eyes made her heart race. But heâ¦
Adele slowly took a ring out of her arms. It was the wedding ring she had with Enon that a servant gave back to her.
Her face was filled with guilt.
To appease her troubled mind, she walked aimlessly until she reached a brook. Feeling thirsty, she bowed her head to scoop some water and saw that there were countless forget-me-nots blooming nearby. She was happy to see this flower she hadnât seen for a long time.
She reached out and touched the leaf when an unfamiliar memory came to her mind.
âMarry me, Adellia.â In the dark-haired boyâs hands was a forget-me-not. His face, Adele couldnât see it clearly. Adele shook her head and frowned.
Where did this memory come from? Who was that child?
Adele thought hard, but couldnât come up with an answer.
Iâll probably remember it soonâ¦
My head hurts, I need a little rest.
She hurriedly walked to where the others were. Lina had already pulled out food from the basket and meticulously arranged them on the pink mat she, she was just waiting for her mistress to show up. Seeing her figure getting near, Lina stood up and elatedly waved her hand.
Adele grinned. But as she was approaching them, a very loud noise echoed.