COARV Chapter 28

"Dame Abigail, you just informed Lady Seria of a private murder threat even though you clearly knew I was standing behind you. Doesn't that mean one of two things? Either you trust me, or..."

"There's no way I trust you."

"If you don't, then you should engrave my words even more clearly. It means your emotions are running so far ahead that you'd speak of murder plots aloud even in front of someone you don't trust."

Abigail closed her mouth and quietly stared at Elliot. Elliot spoke in a serious tone.

"If it's for Lady Seria's sake, I'm telling you to act more sensibly. Last time too—if I were you, instead of throwing handkerchiefs at all ten of House Haneton's knights, I would have beaten only the knight with the highest rank to a pulp. That wouldn't be an insult offense."

The strange killing intent that had been seeping from her was instantly reined in.

"That's useful advice. I'll engrave it. But there's one thing where your opinion differs from mine."

"What's that?"

"If it were me, I'd choose the knight the target cherishes most and carve their limbs piece by piece."

The bedroom I returned to was quiet. The quick-handed maids said they'd already packed all my luggage and loaded it onto the carriage. With absolutely nothing left to do, I sat on the bed and just blinked. It was still mid-morning. Plus maybe because I'd woken too early, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

There was plenty of time left before departing for Laurel Manor, so I'd have enough time for a nap, the maids said, and I slowly closed my eyes...

I shouldn't have fallen asleep then.

An hour later, I screamed silently while harboring great regret.

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't on the bed but inside a carriage. The sound of wheels rolling smoothly. The snowy scenery outside beyond the glass window. White birch trees resembling a snow scene spread out beautifully, but... a snowstorm that could be called a blizzard if it intensified just slightly more was raging.

In this pure white scene, my heart was not peaceful at all.

Why is there suddenly a snowstorm...

The weather had been fine just this morning—where had these dark clouds come from?

I lowered my gaze slightly. Right now I was wrapped in blankets as if freshly lifted from bed. I could at least understand this part. I was wearing pajamas under the blankets.

The problem wasn't that.

With truly mortified feelings, I raised only my eyes slightly. A beautiful face immediately came into view. Below gleaming silver hair, a sharp nose bridge and closed lips. But his gaze was strangely cold—a man who seemed better viewed from afar than up close.

That's right.

Right now I was...

Being held in Lesche Berke's arms, blankets and all, riding in a carriage.

Several hours ago, when I'd been deep in slumber.

The maids had urgently woken me. I couldn't even open my eyes properly in my half-asleep state when they quickly wiped me down. While completing both washing and brushing my teeth while still sitting on the bed, what I'd picked up was that a blizzard was suddenly pouring down.

We had to depart urgently for the manor, so I needed to come out right away, they said...

Suddenly my body was lifted whole. Blankets and all.

Before I could gather my wits, I'd been transferred from bed to carriage. I wondered if this could possibly be real, but it was. I honestly thought I was dreaming. The maids hurriedly followed along and said my face would sting from the cold weather, covering me head to toe with blankets, so I couldn't see what was fluttering before my eyes properly.

So I'd half-imagined it.

The man carrying me right now must be Elliot, right? Or perhaps someone else. Maybe the silver hair I'd glimpsed earlier was actually a mistake?

But that couldn't be. I swallowed dryly, very slowly, and looked up at Lesche Berke—the man who'd carried me. I cautiously opened my mouth.

"...Your Grace?"

Lesche, who'd been gazing out the window with his brow slightly furrowed, looked down at me. His red eyes felt more sunken than usual, making me inexplicably afraid. When I kept furtively avoiding his gaze after calling him, Lesche moved his eyes back to the blizzard outside the window.

"Sleep more. We have far to go before arriving."

But how could I sleep like this...? I moved my head to look at the opposite side of the carriage. Fortunately, that seat was completely empty.

"Then I'll sleep over there, so please put me down."

"Put you down?"

Lesche gestured with his chin toward my feet.

"You have no shoes."

"What?"

"There was no time to pick up your slippers. They'll be in the luggage carriage, so just sleep until then."

He kept telling me to sleep, but I really wanted to ask who could sleep peacefully in this situation. Conversely, I wanted to ask if he could sleep comfortably if our positions were reversed.

Hmm...

Of course, there was quite a size difference between us, but...

Unlike my awkward feelings, Lesche Berke—this man was currently holding me quite securely. His embrace was broad enough that even though I was almost leaning my entire upper body against him, it felt spacious, and the blanket wrapping around my body like a caterpillar was also fluffy.

But separate from this physical comfort, I felt too mentally uncomfortable. If the problem was no shoes, couldn't I just walk barefoot briefly to the opposite side? Was that too unnoble? Was Lesche Berke the type to care about such things?

Various thoughts followed in succession. I was just staring at my protruding feet for no reason when suddenly, truly suddenly, Lesche's hand grasped my foot.

"......"

Understanding the situation a beat late, I nearly fainted. While I was frozen stiff and dazed, Lesche frowned.

"Is the carriage cold?"

In that moment I flinched in shock and curled my feet.

"Don't touch me!"

"Why? Yes. But why?"

Lesche asked while obediently releasing my foot.

"What do you mean why? Why are you just touching someone else's feet?"

"We're not exactly strangers, are we? My lady."

At that retort, a strange thought flashed through my mind.

"Your Grace, by any chance, are we going to the manor to... to consummate the marriage?"

For an instant Lesche's eyes widened slightly. He paused briefly before answering in a low voice.

"Yes."

Watching Lesche's face as he slowly affirmed it, I felt relieved.

"You're lying. You startled me."

"......"

One of Lesche's eyebrows rose slightly.

"How do you know it's a lie?"

"I'm quite good at reading Your Grace's expressions."

When I answered in a serious voice, Lesche clicked his tongue. He leaned back comfortably against the carriage seat. Naturally, the angle supporting my back and thighs also changed. We'd grown closer, in other words. Even in the midst of this, I wasn't worried Lesche might drop me. I could feel even through the blanket how strong his grip holding me was...

Certainly. Lesche was an exceptionally outstanding knight.

"Your feet looked too cold, so I touched them. Since we can't raise the carriage temperature more because of the blizzard, me holding your feet seems like the best option."

"No, Your Grace. Please... your Grand Duchess declines..."

For an instant Lesche's expression briefly hardened. I'd spoken hastily because it seemed Lesche really would hold my feet until we arrived at the manor—had I overstepped? I blinked and added.

"Or I decline in the name of the Stern who inspects the glacier..."

"Why are you correcting yourself?"

Lesche looked at me steadily as he spoke.

"You are my Grand Duchess."

"Yes, well. Temporarily, but..."

"Right. Temporarily."

Lesche cleanly removed his hand from my foot. Instead, he pulled the end of the blanket down to cover my feet.

"If the Grand Duchess says she dislikes it, the Grand Duke can do nothing."

That statement didn't sound like a simple recitation of facts. The tone was strange. More than anything, I was someone who knew Lesche from the original story.

This man also lost both parents young, as I recall... Strange. Why can't I remember this clearly?

I felt puzzled. I remembered almost all of the original story. Sometimes I was even inwardly proud, thinking myself a genius. But why couldn't I recall the hidden past of this novel's male lead, who should be as important as the female lead?

Even trying to trace it back step by step, only that memory felt cut out in chunks.

Thinking I should carefully review the original story later, I shifted my gaze to the window. Befitting a seasonal carriage used in midwinter, the attached windows were small, with narrow, thick glass fitted in. Still, there was no problem looking outside.

I was gazing at the blizzard outside the window when suddenly I saw a knight overtaking the carriage. That was strange. Elliot had said knights couldn't enter Laurel Manor. Did it mean they couldn't enter at all, or only couldn't enter the manor's main building?

Isn't that stranger?

"Your Grace. Are there knights in the procession?"

"Yes."

"Why? I heard knights can't enter Laurel Manor."

"Didn't Linon explain?"

"He didn't say anything."

"...That bastard really."

Huh?

I blinked for a moment. Because a deep awkwardness crossed Lesche's frowning face. He looked like someone forced to take on the role of delivering unwelcome news.

Either way, it means it's something I'm allowed to know.

I'd been prepared to accept it if he said it was something I didn't need to know. I opened my mouth to say I'd hear it from Linon later.

"Your Gr—"

Thud.

That's when it happened.

The carriage shook and stopped urgently. For a moment, fear dominated—would I roll and fall like this?—but there was a force pulling me into a strong embrace. Lesche. Since my entire weight was resting only on Lesche's arms, my heart pounded.

Sounds came from the door—bang bang—then loud voices presumed to be knights' came from outside.

"Your Grace!"

"It's a demonic beast! A demonic beast has appeared!"

Those words made me doubt my ears for a moment. A demonic beast appeared? Why?

Lesche immediately reached out and lowered the small auxiliary window attached to the carriage door. Biting cold air immediately rushed in.

"The manor boundary?"

"Right ahead!"

"How reassuring to have a Stern here."

With those words, Lesche set me down on the carriage seat. Even then, he still kept my feet from touching the floor.

"Stay in the carriage. I'll send Linon."

"Yes. Don't get hurt."

I nodded hastily. Even though a demonic beast had appeared, Lesche wasn't particularly surprised. Despite everyone on this continent knowing what kind of terror demonic beasts represented. Because Lesche's attitude was so calm, I wasn't as shocked as I might have expected either.

The weather is very bad.

In the brief moment Lesche went outside, the rushing snowstorm seemed to lower the carriage's internal temperature by several degrees. I pulled both arms that had been well confined out from under the blanket and carefully looked outside.