Mort (5)

The first week in Mort passed in that manner.

Victor returned in the middle of the night and left again at the crack of dawn, while I gradually adjusted to the castle despite worrying about him.

Once I relaxed, Mort Castle proved to be a very pleasant place to live.

First of all, the food was delicious. It had been the same in the capital, but the cooks here seemed to work some kind of magic on their dishes. Moreover, the ingredients were similar to those from my homeland, so they suited my palate even better. Accompanied by mead, a northern specialty, I was able to enjoy every meal in bliss.

I also became much closer to the maids than I had been at first. Perhaps they had realized that I would not harm them, because they now smiled and even spoke to me first.

Mary even began nagging me. It was because I had given away all the cream cookies served as a snack.

“My Lady, how could you give away all these precious cookies?”

“But I already ate one.”

I awkwardly made an excuse.

“I tried one and it was delicious, so I thought it would be nice if we all ate them together. Right?”

At my question, the young maids nodded vigorously. Cookie crumbs clung to the corners of their mouths.

Smiling, I raised my handkerchief and gently dabbed at their mouths. The maids flinched in surprise but did not move away. It felt just like when I had cared for the children at the shelter in Amari.

Mary suddenly asked,

“Did you do this even when you were in the capital, My Lady?”

“Hmm? Yes, I did.”

Of course, the maids in the capital had been older than the ones here, but sharing snacks and chatting together had been the same. In any case, I received far more than I needed now. Sharing food and gifts and using the lady of the house’s budget to raise the servants’ wages had not been difficult. I was also grateful that they always worked so hard for me.

Mary looked at me with a complicated expression.

Sir Raul, who stood beside her, shook his head with a laugh.

“Give it up, Miss Mary. Her Ladyship has always been like that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You are practically the embodiment of chivalry.”

Raul stroked his chin solemnly.

“You personally practice honor, mercy, and self-sacrifice, do you not? You give until nothing remains and fight at the very front. Not even the noblest knight commander would live as you do.”

Blushing, I lowered my head.

It was hardly something worth describing so grandly. Any proper knight would have acted as I did.

Victor, for instance.

“Victor would have done the same in my situation.”

“His Grace?”

Sir Raul snorted.

“His Grace is merciless, My Lady. Anyone who behaved spoiled around him the way they do around you would probably have their head chopped clean off.”

I tilted my head.

Despite treating him so casually, the knights of Mort all seemed to regard Victor as a terrifying man. Of course, they had known him for a long time and must have seen sides of him that I had not, but Victor had always been nothing but gentle in front of me.

When I turned back, I was startled by the maids. They had gone deathly pale, as though they had seen a monster.

Mary forced herself to speak, her face drained of color.

“The tea has grown cold, so I will warm it again, My Lady.”

Not knowing why, I could only tell her to do so.

After drinking tea, I decided to visit Victor. Several things had been weighing on my mind, and more than anything, I wondered whether there was anything I could do to help.

Thinking that the maids might become frightened again, I instructed only the knights to follow me.

However, Mary stubbornly insisted.

“A lady cannot go anywhere without a maid accompanying her, My Lady.”

“It is all right, so stay here and rest.”

I gently shook my head and gestured to Raul. As before, Sir Raul stationed several knights at the door and followed me.

Warm air blew through the corridor windows. Even though this was the north, it was still part of the Empire, and green leaves were unfurling beneath the hot sunlight. Fidgeting with the hem of my thin indoor dress, I suddenly asked,

“Why are they all so afraid?”

“What do you mean?”

“The maids. Why are they so afraid of Victor?”

Sir Raul’s expression stiffened. Raul must naturally have noticed it as well. There was no way people as perceptive as knights could have missed how visibly intimidated the maids became.

Raul asked seriously,

“Do you have any idea why?”

“None at all. They were frightened even of me when we first met. They do not act that way around the other knights, yet whenever Victor is mentioned, they tremble like that……”

I was worried that something bad might have happened.

I swallowed the final words. I did not want to suspect him, even as a mere possibility.

After a brief silence, Raul spoke quietly.

“My Lady, His Grace can sometimes be cruel, but he is not a man who would harm his own people.”

“I know.”

“In fact, he tends to treat them quite generously.”

I nodded.

I truly knew that as well. I remembered the knights who claimed Victor was terrifying but treated him like a friend throughout our journey, and the servants at the capital residence who attended him with familiarity. They could not have done so if Victor had not ordinarily been tolerant.

Raul reminisced.

“He was the same on the battlefield. To the enemy, he must have looked like the god of death, but His Grace merely did whatever was necessary to protect us. Even I could sense that, though I was only a newly recruited nobody.”

“……”

“At least, that was the kind of man His Grace was from what I saw.”

Then why?

We fell into thought at the same time. Raul and I had practically only just arrived here, and we knew nothing about Mort. Therefore, we could only speculate.

Victor remained the perfect gentleman. Even though he must have been exhausted, he asked after me every night and whispered that he was sorry we had so little time together. He also spoke about what we would do once he had finished dealing with the urgent matters. We talked about reading together, dancing, touring the garden, and piling up a mountain of my favorite cookies to eat. Naturally, he also treated the servants with the same kindness he had shown in the capital.

However, the reactions of the people around him were entirely different. And fear always had a reason.

Was there something about him that I did not know?

What could it be?

While I was lost in thought, the Grand Duke’s office appeared before us. Serious voices drifted through the open doorway. Through the gap, I could see documents piled like a mountain on the table.

I hesitated briefly at the door.

“You still seem to be busy.”

“Yes. To tell the truth, I ran away from being told to help with the work by claiming that I needed to stay beside you.”

Sir Raul laughed heartily. I glared at him for casting aside his duty as a vassal as though it were an old shoe, then approached the door.

At that moment, Victor suddenly raised his head. The instant our eyes met, his summer-sun eyes brightened.

“Marion! What brings you here?”

“I am sorry if I interrupted you, Victor.”

“What are you talking about? I am delighted.”

At his gesture, Kaltz and Leonard, who had been crumpled in their chairs, groaned as they rose. Dideric also removed his monocle and rubbed his temples. They all had dark circles beneath their eyes and looked utterly exhausted.

‘Even if Dideric is accustomed to this, the knights probably are not.’

After greeting me as I looked at them with concern, they left the office one by one.

I glanced down at the scattered documents. They were filled with unfamiliar names that meant nothing to me.

“Marion.”

Victor took my hand. When I naturally raised my head, he smiled at me.

“What truly brings you here? You came all the way to my office.”

“There was no particular reason……”

I suddenly felt embarrassed and let my words trail off. All the reasons I had thought of before coming suddenly felt like lies.

Breathing in his enchanting musky scent, I admitted it to myself. I had simply wanted to see Victor.

“I was merely curious about what you were doing. We have not seen much of each other lately. We have not even been able to eat breakfast together……”

“……”

“So I wondered whether you were still very busy, and whether there was anything I could help with.”

Victor’s eyes curved into crescents. He bent down and kissed my cheek twice. My face turned red, and I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them again.

He laughed softly and explained affectionately,

“Most of the urgent matters have been settled. We are nearly finished reviewing the ledgers as well. There is nothing for you to worry about.”

“That is a relief.”

“Before long, I will be able to have tea with you as well.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

Victor had been extremely busy even in the capital, so we had rarely spent time alone together. I was delighted by the thought that I could finally enjoy a leisurely afternoon with him.

As though he had thought the same, Victor smiled.

“I am looking forward to it.”

“Yes. I think it will be enjoyable.”

“How far have you read in your book?”

“I am about to begin the second volume.”

I was almost at the end of the first volume of <The Adventures of Doldopin, the Wandering Knight>.

Just as Victor had said, Doldopin, who wandered the continent, proposed to Grand Princess Flamberge, who was imprisoned in a tower, around the middle of the first volume. Flamberge was beautiful but cruel by nature, so her father, the Grand Duke, had confined her. Flamberge agreed to accept his proposal on the condition that he fulfill three requests. Her first request was for him to obtain serpent venom from a monster with snakes for hair, a gorgon.

Victor appeared lost in memory.

“I loved that book as a child and often read it.”

“What did you like about it?”

“I cannot tell you the ending in advance. Would you not scold me again?”

His playful smile made one spread across my own face.

Sunlight streamed through the window and illuminated Victor’s smooth black hair. His lightly tanned skin gleamed like gold. My beautiful husband raised the back of my hand and kissed it.

“Let us dine together tonight. The work is nearly finished.”