Chapter 53

Art and obscenity, maybe it was a design that narrowly walked on a tightrope between them.

It looked like a beautiful woman’s body was bound with a rope.

There was also a male version next to it, and it was too embarrassing to even look between his thighs.

“The Dew of Montaigne is a romantic wine for young lovers.”

“……”

“It is brewed with the finest grapes from the Montaigne region, and it needs to be aged for 20 years for the best taste to come out.”

“……”

“The taste left on the tongue is so wild that not many people look for it. That’s why it’s called ‘special taste’.”

Surprisingly, the explanation for the special taste was not because of the design of the wine bottle, but because of its aftertaste.

‘I guess this bottle shape is nothing special in this country?’

‘…As expected.’

‘…It’s a crazy country. The Archduke likes this embarrassing drink. Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird?!’

It was when I was confused between his innocent hobby of praying and his gap in preferences.

The owner abruptly intervened, and kindly suggested.

“May I wrap it up for you, Your Majesty?”

Blushing a little, I said,

“I wonder if it’s appropriate for a woman to give such a present to an unmarried man…”

The owner didn’t seem to understand my question at all, but after a few seconds, he said, “Oh!”

“Hahaha. Not at all, Your Majesty. It’s natural in our Aktoum.”

I answered calmly, pretending it was nothing.

“I see.”

Also, I felt like I was Heungseon Daewongun who saw the Western culture and raised a convulsion.(TL/N: 흥선대원군 was the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s and until his death a key political figure of late Joseon Korea.)

Or like a stranger wearing an all-black wetsuit alone while everyone naturally enjoyed the nude beach.

“Please pack this one.”

I mustered up the courage and said, pointing to the wine in the shape of a woman.

The owner then pushed the male version towards me.

“!”

“Your Majesty, shall I wrap this up for you?”

Both were developed too well to stare at it casually. I hated it like it was a flying insect that had approached my face, so I lowered my head and said,

“No. It’s fine.”

The owner said, “Okay.” After answering, he went to pack with a smile on his face.

After a while, I left the store with a specially packaged wine gift that looked as if it was wearing a dress, and got into the carriage.

Dalgatak, dalgatak.

The sound of horse hooves was particularly cheerful.

On the way to the archduke’s residence by carriage, colorful flowers were blooming.

Now the streets were dyed with the full color of summer.

It was when I was feeling very good breathing in the fresh greenery and clean air.

After passing a winding trail, the carriage stopped at a place that was not easily reached by people.

“Your Majesty, we have arrived.”

“Yes.”

As I grabbed the hem of my dress and rearranged it, I was startled.

‘…Hyuk, what is this big black mansion?’

The archduke’s mansion was as black as night.

It was black enough to absorb all the light around it.

At the entrance, a three-headed crow stone statue greeted me.

Contrary to Johann’s gentle image, this felt a little heinous?

‘No, why is this place so gloomy? It’s not my taste…’

I came from a country where the sky, the ground, and even the night were white. In my view, the archduke’s residence was close to an abomination.

It was disgustingly black.

‘No matter how black Aktoum’s symbol is, this is like a seaweed factory.’

Still, the magnificence was great.

To ordinary people, just living in a house like this would be overwhelming.

At that moment, the front door opened and an elderly butler walked out.

“Your Majesty, I have been waiting for you.”

I said with a little regret.

“Yes, I came a little earlier than the appointment time.”

“Yes, you came early.”

I was a little flustered for a bit. Wouldn’t one usually say ‘it’s okay’ for fear of embarrassing the other party?

“It is a great honor to have Her Majesty the Queen here today. I will bring you inside.”

He seemed unfriendly because he was oddly honest, but he was a kind and respectful butler to say the least.

I didn’t mean to come here early either. I just spent less time buying a gift thanks to the wine shop owner’s quick movements.

Anyway, I walked along with the butler with a bit of embarrassment.

There was a faint, pleasant scent in the mansion.

Contrary to the gloomy feeling of the exterior, the interior was luxurious and beautiful.

I asked as I walked.

“Is this the symbol of the Marquis family?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

With sharp claws and obsidian eyes, the three-headed crow evoked a strange feeling.

To my question, the butler quietly bowed his head and explained.

“There is a story about a three-headed crow in an ancient myth handed down to the continent of Romnia.”

“The crow that looks down on humans from above the clouds?”

“You know it. No human being can escape these six pupils.”

I recited softly as I looked at the crows.

“The eyes of the judge who look down upon humans…”

“…….”

“It seems that Archduke Marquis is truly a faithful man.”

This alone matched Johann’s image. An attitude that did not deviate from the eyes of the judge who always looked down on him.

Endlessly repenting, reflecting, and living as a child of God.

These were the stories the priests emphasized whenever one went to the temple.

Wasn’t it a symbolic animal that could only be possessed by those who have an attitude of integrity and innocence like a child of God?

His nobility, which had fallen a little due to his bizarre taste in wine, felt like it was properly restored.

‘I think he’ll be more straight than he looks.’(TL/N: I struggled in deciding how to express this. Anyways, straight personality – someone that has a specific view of things and it’s hard to change his mind. But in his case, it’s kinda more of being inflexible and prim.)

The last time we talked for a while, he wasn’t like that.

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Wasn’t it said that if you go into a person’s space, you could understand the other person better?

That was the feeling that came out of this house.

However, overshadowing my nervousness, Johann, who came to greet me, was smiling brightly as if he was glad to see me.

“Your Majesty the Queen.”

“Archduke Marquis!”

The other person welcomed me so warmly that I greeted him warmly without realizing it.

He came over, took my right hand and kissed the back of my hand lightly.

Ah… that’s right, his hands were soft. But those hands were not very good at dancing.

I thought of the terrible waltz where we struggled like four-year-olds, and had to force our cheeks to hold back laughter.

I thought it would be awkward coming to his house, but it was surprisingly comfortable.

“Thank you for coming a long way.”

“The scenery on the way here was beautiful. It was not difficult.”

“You are very kind with your words, Your Majesty.”

……Right. Don’t people usually say this?

Even if you have suffered, say that you did not suffer with modest words.

You don’t say things outrightly like the grandfather butler.

When I looked to the side, the butler, who was subtly unfriendly but openly kind, was staring at me.

“Melphis, go and prepare refreshments for Her Majesty.”

“Yes, Archduke.”

The butler then disappeared like a shadow.

Thanks to this, I offered the gift with a more relaxed mind.

“It’s a small gift, Archduke.”

It was a hit and run. It was a very expensive and big gift.

I thought it was some kind of golden drink, not wine.

“…Oh my, you brought a present that was too much for me to receive.”

Thanks for letting me know.

“I heard from Madam Verdi that you like this wine. I bought it directly from a shop in town.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

I bragged that I deliberately enquired about his taste, and even went to buy it myself to give it to him.

Today, no matter what, I was going to bring up the story of the seal of the marriage permit.

It was a very smooth start.

He guided me and showed me the prayer room that I was curious about first.

As soon as I entered, I was amazed.

It was the right scale to call it a small temple rather than a prayer room in the house.

A huge oil painting was painted on the ceiling of the rectangular temple, and it was estimated that it would have taken several years to paint it.

Each window was decorated with stained glass, and the light from the outside was reflected in five colors.

It was a beautiful sight.

In addition, there was more valuable artwork than in any other temple I had actually been to.

“I like Edwa’s portraits. It’s one of his earliest works.”

“Does Your Majesty also like this painter?”

“That’s right. It’s a painting that depicts the moment God has chosen you.”

The delightful expressions of the painter Edwa were well revealed.

“It’s my favorite painting, so I took part in the auction held at Breathbridge. I wondered who won the bid. Turns out it was the Archduke.”

“Haha. I guess I was a little more desperate.”

Surprisingly, Johann and I had similar interests, and he also had good artistic taste.

He said that his only hobby other than praying was reading.

Surprisingly, the novel that impressed me the most coincided with the novel he spoke of.

It felt like the more we talked, the more favorable feelings were built.

Above all, it was a comfortable conversation. I also remembered what I read in the original.

‘He was the only man who rebuked Deborah for her schemes.’

I felt a little closer to him, thinking that he had been a safety net for Rixus.

Perhaps the same could be said for Johann.

Almost all the groundwork was laid while discussing each other’s tastes in a friendly manner.

‘The excuse for the seal of the marriage permit!’

I slowly brought up the topic of Rixus.

“After coming to Aktoum, I could feel it well from Rixus.”

“…What did you feel?”

“He looked lonely.”

We walked slowly through the temple as we continued the conversation. Hearing that Rixus looked lonely, Johann’s face darkened in an instant.

“The Crown Prince has been my sore spot since childhood.”

“……”

“After His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress had an accident, he was left alone and suffered a lot.”

“…It seems so.”

“I hope he gets married, settles down, and gets into a solid position that’s less likely to be attacked.”

Ah, now was the time.

“I agree with you.”

I smiled softly without showing anything.

And I spoke carefully to the kind man with black eyes.

“So, by the way, can I get the marriage permit stamped today?”

“……”

“It’s not good for you to drag it for too long either.”

I thought there was no more perfect timing than now.

At this time, when his pity and concern for Rixus and favorable feelings for me were at their peak.

Wasn’t this a situation where it had to be a complete victory?

Johann soon stopped walking. Then he looked down at me with black eyes like the pupils of a crow…

And he spit out the question that slapped me in the back of the head.

“Why should I do that?”

At this point, it felt like the air around us had been blown dry like a desert.

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His eyes were so sincere and cold, there was no amusement in it at all; I was a fool to think we had become closer.

“I asked why I should be ignoring procedures and laws.”

“……”

“For Your Majesty.”

‘…Ah, this man isn’t easy.’