Translator and Editor: Effe and Lili
ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
Chapter 73
After all, Aedis had only started talking about getting a divorce because Iâd found out about his secret.
âYour Grace!â
Regen arrived while I was struggling to move both from the chair to the bed and from the bed to the bathroom.
I was a bit confused though because Regen wasnât supposed to be idle at this time.
âMy Lord? Isnât it class time right now?â
He couldnât stop sniffling and his eyes were dyed red.
âIâm sorry. Itâs all my fault.â
âWhat?â
âI, I broke the sealâ¦â
I donât know which bastard was spreading rumors that I was sick because I had signed a contract with the spirit, but Iâll have to try to catch them.
I ordered Sarah and the maid chief to dispel the rumors, but it was to no avail.
âIâm not really sick because of that.â
I raised my hand to stroke Regenâs hair, then paused.
Regen, who was sobbing and crying, seemed to overlap with the image of Aedis from my dream.
Those empty eyes that couldnât express any emotion wouldnât leave my mind.
ââ¦Lord.â
Feeling as if my chest was scratched with a hook, I smiled at Regen.
âIâm fine, so please donât be sad. Seeing the Lord grieving makes my heart ache.â
âYour Graceâ¦?â
âIâm truly fine.â
I was speaking to Regen, but it was like I was making a promise to myself.
* * *
I coaxed Regen to return and I put on my coat.
âUgh. Sarah, come help me up.â
While supporting me, Sarahâs face was filled with concern.
Besides Aedis, Sarah was the only one who knew the real reason why I was sick.
âCan you walk?â
âItâs going to be hard to find my husband. Have you found out where Aedis is yet?â
âThe butler said that heâs not even in the study.â
Aedisâs usual range of action was so narrow that I could picture all his usual places in my head. But as soon as Iâd woken up, heâd disappeared and hasnât been seen since.
Besides, the castle was bustling right now.
As I slowly descended the steps, I grabbed a maid I encountered and asked.
âWhatâs going on?â
âIt is said that the training ground was destroyed in an accident. The knights were also injured.â
âAccident?â
âThatâs what the former Knight Commanderâ¦â
There was a hint of trouble in the maidâs words.
I glanced at Sarah.
âSarah, you should go check it out too.â
âButâ¦.â
Sarah hesitated with a face that looked like she would die because of how worried she was about me.
âGo take a look at the situation and then let me know.â
âAt least let me take you to the bedroom.â
I shook my head.
âI want to walk a little longer.â
If I just continue sitting in a room, donât you think Iâll get even more worried about Aedis? Rehabilitation exercise is better for me.
After sending Sarah away and walking for about 20 minutes, I managed to arrive at the backyard, which was less crowded.
Ugh, this is my limit. I donât think I can take another step.
When someone passes by, Iâll have to ask them for help.
I sat down on a bench to get some sun.
The weather was quite warm.
When winter comes, will it be super cold? I didnât know I could feel so cold, so I just want to hibernate and wake up when springtime comes around.
I donât know what Aedis is doing.
Did he leave the castle because I was occupying the space he was always confined to?
You left, now when will you come back?
â¦Will you come back?
Aedis didnât explain it at all, but I know what I saw was his past.
I guess Iâm just feeling terrible.
Suddenly, a shadow fell on my face and I opened my eyes.
âHas there ever been someone so weak in the castle before?â
In front of me stood a woman who had the same energy as a wild dog. Her upper body was bent down and yet she was still looking down at me.
She wasnât very muscular, but she had a well-built body.
Her distinctive bluish-gray hair was ruffled and had varying lengths and thickness, like the mane of a wild animal.
However, it was strange because it wasnât just unorganized sporadic hair.
The bayonet on her back was taller than a grown woman, probably over 180 centimeters. It looked very heavy too.
I tilted my head.
Her eyebrows are very thick, and once I looked at them, they left a strong impression that was hard to forget.
âAre you Shaula?â
She was the only woman in Cyclamen Castle who could exude such an atmosphere, one like a wild beastâs.
Shaula recognized me and grinned.
âAha, youâre the new Grand Duchess.â
Blood dripped from her clothes, and it wasnât her own.
âThat blood.ââIs it Procyonâs blood or Polluxâs?â
When my expression changed unexpectedly, Shaula burst into laughter.
âYour Grace, why does your face look scary? Are you trying to attack me?â
Even though she called me Grand Duchess, she didnât treat me like a Grand Duchess at all.
At first, she just appeared to be a little bad at socializing.
âMaybe itâs because the dogâs owner abandoned it, but itâs acting rude.â
âSo the Grand Duchess is trying to tame it?â
Shaula leaned close to my face and looked at me.
âWell, Iâm sorry.â
ââ¦..â
âWhether itâs the Grand Duchess or whatever, I donât listen to people who are weaker than me.â
ââ¦..â
âYou can try and force me to yield like the Grand Duke or go mobilize all of your subordinates to kill me. I donât really know which side would be annihilated in the end though.â
Procyon, werenât you quite naive when you described Shaula?
Sheâs as strong as Gilbert, and her toughness is also comparable to that of Gilbertâs.
Even this brief conversation was enough for me to grasp what kind of person she was.
The type thatâs rather easy to handle.
Because to them, only power determines the rank.
She might even say something like that in front of the Emperor.
Anyway, Aedis must have brought her back for a reason. Itâs hard to say.
I wish it was just buried in the quarry.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
I nodded my head to Shaula, who was waiting for my reaction.
âYes, sorry. I was wrong.â
Youâre just a little bastard, arenât you?
I tried to get up, knowing that talking to Shaula would give me nothing but high blood pressure.
Unfortunately, I couldnât get my hips off properly, so I had to sit back down.
Damn, my legs donât have any strength left.
The criminal who made me into a wreck that couldnât even stand up was just staring at me blankly.
This is all because of you!
Even though my teeth were gritted on the inside, I asked her nicely.
âCan you help me up?â
âWhat?â
Donât pretend you didnât hear me. Itâs hard to say it twice, okay?
âEven my maids had to run off to fix what you did.â
Cyclamen Castle was running without any extra manpower because of Tolyman Elliott. He said that the property of the Grand Duchy had to be saved even by one mark.
So in the event of a sudden accident like this one, the entire castle had no choice but to be busy.
A cold sweat formed on my forehead as I tried to force my impatient body to move.
Did I come to the backyard because I was too eager?
But the ashes did blow up in the central garden, so there was really nowhere else to go nearby.
âAre you asking me for help?â
Shaula asked in a funny tone.
âIf you donât pick me up, Iâll freeze to death here.â
Slightly dizzy, I narrowed my eyes and saw Shaula grin.
âOkay. Iâll help you.â
She lifted me up.
â¦This is a princess carry.
âAll you had to do was help me up.â
Being held in the arms of a woman who looked like a wild beast, I felt a subtle emotion that was difficult to express with just words.
Shaula didnât care at all.
âYour Grace, arenât you too light? I can lift you with one finger.â
Not one hand, but one fingerâ¦
âAnd youâre really weak. I can sense the fire element, but itâs faint.â
If itâs the fire element, are you referring to Paimon?
Shaula, who lightly recognized my abilities, shrugged her shoulders.
âAnyway, Iâll apologize too. Because youâre the Lordâs wife, I thought you were a monster.â
I donât know if itâs a good thing or a bad thing to be recognized by Shaula while at my weakest.
Holding back my complicated feelings, I directed Shaula to my room.
She kicked her foot and opened the door, and as soon as she took a step inside she asked.
âIs this not Your Graceâs room?â
âIt is.â
âYour smell is faint here.â
I just thought she had the same energy as a wild dog, but now sheâs talking like a real dogâ¦
I donât know if I wanted to explain it like this, but she seemed curious, so I finally said.
âEven though itâs my room, I donât come here often. I share a bedroom with Aedis.â
She gave me a look of realization as she lowered me onto the bed.
âAh, so thatâs why the Lord was angry at that time.â
âAt that time?â
âThe Lord didnât tell you? I was caught messing around in the land that Your Grace had bought.â
Iâ¦I have to control my facial expressions.
Nothing good would come from Shaula discovering my relationship with the body of the beast in the quarry.
âI broke a barrier there and he got very angry. But that wonât ever happen again because the Lord installed a new barrier himself.â
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