EEA Chapter 38

Lanteigne Green, daughter of Count Green of Geneta Castle, remembered vividly. The Kanna Imperial army that suddenly poured into Geneta Castle, and the knights and servants who died before Lanteigne's very eyes.

Her heart felt as if it would be crushed completely.

When she was trembling in prison, waiting only for the day she would die, the stone floor of the underground dungeon shifted, and a piece of paper wrapped around a quill pen was thrown up.

'Knight Commander Clint Rishers of the Teniac Tiliph Knights. We seek the cooperation of the Green family.'

Those letters. Lanteigne had never seen such brilliant letters in her life. While she had been trembling in fear, wondering whether it would be better to be dragged away by them or to die right there, Lanteigne became a different person in that moment.

Lanteigne immediately wrote a reply with that pen.

'I will be waiting. Lanteigne Green.'

While Lanteigne was recalling memories from nearly two years ago, her carriage stopped in front of Excalize Castle. She got out of the carriage and ran to Ailea.

"Ailea!"

After shouting first, Lanteigne belatedly said:

"...My lady!"

Ailea laughed joyfully as she watched the overly energetic Lanteigne. Though Lanteigne was the same age as her when they met at the banquet, she somehow felt like a younger sister to Ailea.

When Ailea climbed into the carriage, her knight followed on horseback. About an hour's carriage ride from Excalize led to the bustling district where Flora's salon was located.

At the very end of that bustling district were the ball gown shops. Ailea was amazed by the dress styles that were completely different from the capital. As she had felt at the last banquet, Sutton's dresses were bold. They revealed much of the chest, and many dresses had no sleeves.

Ailea walked through the bustling district with Lanteigne, her face covered with a veil. Walking down the street with a friend. For Ailea, it was a moment when a lifelong wish was being fulfilled. Lanteigne chattered away.

"So then, I told that man to come visit our castle sometime, you know? He won't come even once. Is he testing me?"

Ailea had been nodding earnestly, but she startled at that question and answered:

"Well, I don't know much about relationships between men and women..."

"Don't know? How can you melt a man so soft and tender like His Grace the Grand Duke?"

Lanteigne asked full of curiosity, and Ailea laughed melodiously.

"I didn't melt him. My husband is kind to all women, originally."

"What?"

"He's a man who is gentle to all women."

I won't expect something like love. I won't even realize that this feeling is love.

Ailea made that resolution every night.

But it was impossible for her, who wasn't even a child, not to realize that this fluttering feeling, this emotion that made her feel like she'd go crazy when she thought about it, was love. Ailea pretended it was nothing, forcing herself to smile as she entered the designer's shop that Lanteigne had introduced.

Inside, there were truly dazzlingly gorgeous dresses lined up. She could see pastel-toned dresses that would smell of spring if decorated with flowers.

When Lanteigne entered, the designer asked, "Lady Lanteigne? Who is the person you came with?"

"Ah, Her Grace the Grand Duchess of Excalize. She came to choose a dress to wear at the capital wedding."

"Her Grace the Grand Duchess?"

The designer, who had been sitting arrogantly, confident in her fame, visibly clicked her tongue. She looked disgusted and whispered to Lanteigne:

"That... she has a birthmark, doesn't she?"

"Ugh, news travels fast."

"Lady Lanteigne, I have to make a living too, don't I? If I sell a dress to someone with that kind of appearance, it will tarnish my reputation as well."

"What?"

"Someone who would know said so."

Though the whispering voices couldn't be heard at all, the designer's disgusted face was clearly visible to Ailea as well. Moreover, Ailea was quite familiar with this kind of situation. Ailea hurriedly lowered her hand that had been examining the dress and smiled with her face hidden by the veil as she said:

"Lady Lanteigne, the clothes here aren't my style. Shall we go somewhere else?"

Whether she heard her words or not, Lanteigne's expression crumpled, and she said to the designer:

"Hey!"

"H-hey?"

"Hey, if you're going to talk, talk loudly. Where do you get off whispering like that, making people feel bad? Are you my friend?"

When Lanteigne spoke according to her temperament, Ailea was startled and tried to stop her.

"L-Lady Lanteigne!"

"No, seriously, this is ridiculous. Ah, I'm not buying either. I won't buy. This bitch, where does she..."

Ailea was shocked by Lanteigne's high-level cursing and covered her mouth with both hands. The designer, who had dealt with noble ladies and might have been unpleasant but had never been frightened, trembled in fear. After pouring out curses, Lanteigne swept her hair back with her hand and linked arms with Ailea.

"Let's go. There's no need to buy a dress from such an ungrateful bastard. She can sell dresses to me because His Grace the Grand Duke pushed back the Kanna Imperial army, yet where does she get off talking about reputation... Ah, this is infuriating."

When Lanteigne got angry, Ailea's body trembled. Once they came outside, Lanteigne, still angry, even shouted at Ailea:

"Ah, and my lady, what did you do wrong? When someone says such things, you should go and curse along with them, not just listen! Are capital people too refined to even know how to curse?"

"N-no. It's just that what she said wasn't wrong either..."

"What nonsense. People don't even dislike you, my lady, so why would there be problems with her reputation for selling you a dress? She's just being arrogant for no reason. This won't do. My lady, follow me and say this."

"What?"

"You know your livelihood is about to be cut off now."

"...You know your livelihood is about to be cut off now?"

"Go in and say that to that person."

Lanteigne pointed at the designer. But as Ailea listened, a smile gradually spread across her lips, and soon she covered her mouth with her hand and began to laugh out loud. The pleasant sound made passersby turn and smile. Lanteigne asked in bewilderment:

"Why are you laughing?"

"I never even thought of saying such things."

"Livelihood?"

"Yes. And that cursing from earlier too. Wow, how refreshing."

"After going through a life-or-death situation, I started thinking there's nothing much in the world."

Ailea nodded at Lanteigne's words. Ailea covered her face, which was aching from laughing too much, with her hands and said:

"Ah, I should have said such things. Why did I live so frustratingly?"

"Am I... having a bad influence on you right now, my lady?"

"Bad influence? It's a good influence."

Ailea, who had been laughing frantically for a while, slowly removed the veil she was wearing. She smiled brightly and said:

"I'll be right back."

"R-really? Really?"

Ailea nodded and entered the designer's shop. Lanteigne wondered if she would actually curse and peeked her head in slightly to watch. Ailea said to the trembling designer:

"You said you didn't want to sell me a dress, didn't you?"

"Y-Your Grace the Grand Duchess! That's not what I meant!"

The designer's eyes grew round. Compared to the rumors, she wasn't that ugly. Rather, her face with its lingering smile was even lovely. Ailea said,

"I wanted to buy one. Your dress was really pretty. But I won't buy it. That's unfortunate. Though it must be a happy thing for you. But I wonder if it will continue to be a happy thing. Is there anything good about having a bad relationship with me?"

At Ailea's words, the designer's face turned pale. When she came out of the clothing store, Lanteigne's mouth fell open.

"D-did you just threaten her?"

"Yes. She won't actually suffer any disadvantage, but she'll be a little scared."

"M-my lady threatening someone... Someone as gentle as you, my lady..."

"At least no one has the right to discriminate against me."

At Ailea's words, Lanteigne gradually calmed down and linked arms with her again.

"If we go to dress shops and get kicked out, should we curse and come out of all of them?"

"Ah, that sounds good. It would be fun."

When Ailea responded enthusiastically, Lanteigne flinched and said:

"Isn't that wrong? The appropriate response you should give here, my lady, is to scold me saying we can't do that..."

"Hm?"

"...Never mind. I somehow feel sorry to His Grace."

It seems my lady has awakened to a new form of entertainment. I'm sorry for repaying kindness with ingratitude, Your Grace...

While thinking this to herself, Lanteigne moved to the next shop with Ailea with excited steps. Lanteigne said, "I already liked you, my lady, but I like you even more today."

Then Ailea asked in surprise:

"You like me?"

"When I saw you at the banquet, surprised and covering the injured maid's hand, and when you spoke up for that maid, for the Sutton people, I thought, 'That person is really nice.'"

"..."

"I like your voice, my lady."

Ailea, who had thought until now that Lanteigne was only associating with her out of gratitude to Clint, was surprised and her eyes widened, then soon smiled clearly with joy.

Thanks to thoroughly wandering around with Lanteigne, Ailea obtained a very splendid dress. It was a dress made of pure white muslin with roses embroidered in blue thread from Dipolia, a neighboring country. In Teniac, it was proper etiquette to wear a modest white dress to weddings. The dress looked modest yet was very elegant.

If it had been before, she wouldn't have chosen such a bright dress. Only today did Ailea realize that she liked clothes in bright colors. She had just been turning away from her own tastes until now.

When Ailea returned to the castle and asked a servant, she was told that Clint had returned home first. Ailea entered the study.

In her hands were sweet breads she had bought in the bustling district. Ailea carefully opened the study door and went inside.

Clint was sitting at his desk reading a book, and Blue was sleeping at his feet. That cat seemed to quite like Clint. While it showed distaste when others tried to touch it, it would seek out Clint's side and lean against him.

When Ailea approached, the cat quickly got up and rubbed against her legs. Then it went out through the open door gap. Now that Ailea had come, it was going back to its room to sleep.

Clint turned his head at the sound and smiled.

"You're back? It smells delicious."

"Ah, bread... I ate some in the bustling district and it was so delicious that I bought some. I bought some for others too. A lot."

"I was just getting hungry."

Clint took the bag of bread from Ailea's hands. He asked:

"Did you buy a dress?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go buy jewelry together tomorrow."

"Um... Clint."

"Yeah?"

"I have something I want to say."

At her words, Clint looked at Ailea. Strangely, his heart sank. Even though nothing particularly bad had ever come out of her mouth. 

Clint asked, "What is it?"

"While walking through the bustling district with Lady Lanteigne today, I had this thought."

"What thought."

"I... I was mistaken thinking that if other family members just believed I was happy, then I would be happy too. But that's not it. I want to be happier myself, more."

"...Why are you being scary."

Clint, who had become anxious for no reason, tried to stop this conversation with a joke, but Ailea spoke first.

"I hate philanderers. So, if you're going to have an affair, please divorce me instead."

"..."

"I don't like it anymore. I don't want to be an obstacle to someone else's love anymore. So... tell me. Promise me that you'll divorce me, that you'll tell me first before having an affair."

Ailea spoke with emphasis.

She had been betrayed by Roylin and died horribly. The fact that she had been betrayed by him hurt more than the fact that her body was burning.

She had waited for Roylin like a fool, not knowing anything. If only he had told her once, just once in advance. That he wanted to marry another woman, that she had become an obstacle, if he had just told her once, it wouldn't have hurt so much.

Even after living for seven years in a state where she couldn't properly feel emotions, couldn't feel love or joy, it hurt so much when Roylin betrayed her.

How much more would it hurt if this man she loved so painfully came to hate her? If Clint one day cruelly told her that she had become an obstacle in his life, then even in death, she felt she wouldn't be able to overcome that pain.

Because she had come to know that he was someone who would be forever embedded in her memory, never to disappear.

Unable to continue speaking, Ailea, who had been silently shedding tears for a while, forced herself to smile.

"That's all, what I wanted to say. Just think of it as courtesy toward me."

At that moment, Clint resolved that if he were reborn, he would absolutely, absolutely never gain a reputation as a philanderer.

He hadn't properly realized that his past was making her suffer. When he said she was pretty, she must have thought it was all lies. When he kissed her? When they were intimate?

What on earth had his wife been thinking while in the arms of a man who couldn't give her hope for the future or expectations of love...

Ailea seemed like someone determined to tear Clint's heart to shreds.

Clint knew that even if he said right here that he wouldn't have affairs or anything like that, she wouldn't believe him. There was no trust between her and him. It had been a marriage where love couldn't be expected, and what Clint had emphasized before marriage was also asking her to leave him free.

He had said he didn't need a wife, but someone to play the role of a wife.

What should he say? After pondering for a long time, Clint opened his mouth.

"Alright. I will."

"..."

"If I'm going to have an affair, I'll tell you first. I promise."

Right now, that was the only promise he could make to her.

Clint continued, "But you do the same."

"Alright. If I come to love another man, I'll tell you in advance."

When the words "another man" came out of Ailea's mouth, Clint's eyes turned coldly. He couldn't understand how she could say such horrible words out loud.

To stop this horrible conversation, he opened the bag Ailea had given him and picked up a piece of bread. And while chewing the bread that wouldn't go down, he said:

"It's delicious."

"That's good."

Ailea pressed her eyes firmly with both hands to wipe away her tears and forced herself to smile. Watching her like this, Clint felt an overwhelming urge to tell her to stop. Why are you smiling after crying like that? If you're going to smile like that, why cry?

Clint swallowed the bread in two bites and picked up another piece. In the midst of this, Ailea said worriedly, "Don't eat too fast. You'll get indigestion."

"Mm."

"Shall I bring you something to drink?"

"I don't need it."

When he spoke coldly, Ailea hesitated. She nodded and said, "Then I'll go out."

No response came back from Clint, who was roughly chewing and swallowing the bread.