Chapter 22
#22. White Handkerchief2021.11.14.
“Don’t get up.”
Arthur stopped her as he walked in. Reina sat awkwardly on the bed, holding the medicine and a cup of water in her hands, and looked up at him.
“…….”
The family physician subtly glanced at Reina, whose face visibly relaxed upon Arthur’s arrival but who still seemed at a loss for what to do. Given the circumstances, he had been worried, but it seemed Arthur wasn’t being too harsh with her, which put his mind at ease. If he was the kind of man who could make her show such an expression, he wouldn’t make unreasonable demands of her while she was ill. The dark red liquid could probably wait a day or so.
“Take your medicine.”
He instructed her again not to just hold it but to swallow it.
“Ah, yes.”
Reina awkwardly noticed the pill and cup in her hands once more, glanced at Arthur, and swallowed the medicine. Arthur approached and asked,
“Are you all right?”
Reina quickly swallowed the water and answered a beat late.
“Yes. I’m sorry for worrying you. Are you heading out somewhere?”
“It’s a follow-up to yesterday’s business. I’ve wrapped it up.”
Reina hesitated. She felt bad for not being able to go with him.
“……I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you.”
“It’s fine. There was no obligation for you to drag your sick body to a place like that.”
Arthur turned his head back and beckoned one of his subordinates with his eyes. The knight who had been guarding the bedroom door approached. Arthur briefly introduced him.
“He’s my knight. I’m sorry for letting him into your bedroom without permission. I was worried about leaving you alone without one of my men while you’re ill.”
So that’s how it was. He must be someone he trusted. Reina smiled.
“No, it’s fine. Thank you for caring.”
She greeted the knight beside her.
“Hello, Sir Knight. I’m sorry for greeting you like this.”
“Not at all. Please call me comfortably. I’m Kay. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady.”
Kay bent at the waist and lightly kissed the back of Reina’s hand.
“The honor is mine, Sir Kay. Thank you for protecting me.”
Lies must get easier with practice. It came out smoothly after just once. And much less awkwardly… Reina smiled faintly. Arthur, who had been watching silently, tossed out abruptly,
“You said you didn’t even want to meet men other than me, but you’re chatting away just fine.”
“…….”
What was that supposed to mean? Kay glanced sideways subtly. Reina’s face flushed red from the nape of her neck up in embarrassment.
“…….”
Kay saw her face like that and silently stepped back half a pace.
“…….”
…She’s a beauty. Dangerous. Honestly, he hadn’t been too worried about what Tristan had implied. She was the complete opposite of the image he’d imagined from Tristan’s story. But she was far more dangerous than that. He’d pictured a femme fatale—beautiful yet inscrutable, subtly exuding sexual allure even when it seemed unintentional. …She is pretty. Pretty, sure.
‘But she looks so pitiful.’
Her inner thoughts were completely transparent. She even seemed innocent and youthful. Rather than fatal, she stirred protective instincts. And he could bet that for Sir Arthur, this type was far more dangerous than any femme fatale. This was concerning.
“…….”
Arthur, leaning obliquely against the bedpost, slowly combed through Reina’s hair with his fingers and then tied it back with a white lace handkerchief as a hair tie. Reina touched her hair with a puzzled expression and looked up at him, at which Arthur just smiled and said it was a gift.
* * *
“Is there any problem with my wife?”
It was unexpected when Arthur approached and asked. The family physician Lorenson was in the middle of packing up the empty medicine jar and treatment tools from the table and standing to leave. Arthur’s question continued.
“She collapsed suddenly on the day of the triumphal procession, and now three days later, she’s down with a cold and can’t even get up. It doesn’t feel normal.”
“…….”
Arthur lightly placed his hand on the table and fixed his gaze as he asked.
“I want your honest opinion. As a doctor, a conscientious diagnosis.”
“…….”
Doctor Lorenson glanced toward the bed where Reina lay.
“…….”
To Alvin Lorenson, it was obvious. Reina had barely slept a wink for a whole month while being hounded by work. Her body was in a state of accumulated extreme fatigue. On top of that, the mental stress from this unprecedented situation. And the dark red liquid. It seemed the marchioness had made her drink too much on the first day. Even diluted and in small amounts daily, it was potent stuff. It would have been stranger if her health hadn’t suffered. Alvin Lorenson withdrew his gaze from Reina and looked up at Arthur.
“……We’ll need to observe a bit more to be certain, but it seems like just accumulated fatigue. As you might guess, it’s been a tough situation all around.”
Doctor Lorenson answered frankly, assuming they both knew about Reina stepping in as Christina’s stand-in.
“But she’s eating and sleeping better than usual now, so she’ll recover quickly. It looks like her body just couldn’t handle the concentrated stress over a short period and gave out briefly. I don’t think you need to worry too much.”
And since he was worried anyway, he added it as insurance, purely out of sympathy.
“……Leave her be today.”
Arthur’s face made it unclear if he’d understood. Alvin Lorenson stated it more directly.
“Intimacy… would be too much. Please refrain just for today.”
Arthur stayed silent for a moment, then smiled with an inscrutable expression. * * * Julius Mansion, Arthur’s private reception room.
“Aaagh……!”
Tristan calmly stopped Lukan from messing up his hair and screaming at the top of his lungs. Unable to contain his frustration, Lukan grumbled and flopped onto the sofa. Arthur, who had just entered the reception room and taken a seat, smiled faintly and put a cigar in his mouth.
“…….”
Regardless of the opinions swirling in his head, Kay calmly lit Arthur’s cigar. Arthur gave a slight nod of thanks and took a puff.
“Won’t this cause problems?”
Lukan, who had been sprawled out, suddenly sat up and asked.
“Of course it will.”
Kay said curtly.
“But since Sir Arthur is the victim, even if it becomes a problem, it’ll be on the Julius side.”
Lukan groaned and clutched his head.
“……What if they claim he has no rights since he didn’t marry my daughter?”
Kay smiled brightly.
“Against the Imperial family? They want to die?”
There was a sharp edge to his voice. He was saying that, but it was clear he was concerned too. Lukan ruffled his hair again with his hand and leaned forward.
“They say a noble marriage is invalid without consummation. Then that means Lady Christina’s body is legally still a virgin. If they push for annulment, aren’t we screwed?”
“The Imperial family won’t let that happen.”
Kay turned a cold gaze and continued.
“Before that, the Julius side would be the ones in trouble. Spreading around that they tricked the empire’s hero into a sham marriage. They’d face ridicule from the whole world, turn against the Imperial family, and who would marry the fraud ‘Christina’ then? By that point, Julius wouldn’t even be an elector anymore.”
The implication was that Marquis Julius himself wouldn’t get off unscathed, added sharply. Arthur, who had inhaled a puff of cigar smoke, finally spoke for the first time.
“Julius wants to bury this matter, and I’ve taken that woman as a fitting hostage for compensation. She’s evidence of the past incident.”
The knights’ gazes gathered on Arthur. Arthur smiled faintly.
“She’ll secure us a favorable position in various ways. Including compensation for the shoddy supplies issue, and matters involving their house.”
Hooh…? Lukan, stroking his chin and raising one eyebrow while staring off into the distance, had an expression that seemed to find it plausible. Arthur smiled as he brought the cigar to his lips.
“So treat her preciously.”
The knights exchanged looks, as if it was a perspective they hadn’t considered.
“…….”
Tristan asked with a slightly hardened face.
“Will that woman cooperate? She’s a maid bought off by the Julius side.”
Arthur replied as if it were no big deal.
“Then I’ll buy her off too. For a similar amount, wouldn’t she go with the one she prefers? I can treat her better than Marquis Julius, I think.”
Lukan and Tristan blinked at him with slightly surprised eyes. Arthur continued.
“If she has any weakness held by the marquis, I can take responsibility and protect her. Well, gaining her trust will take some time.”
Arthur looked at Tristan.
“You’re still investigating ‘Reina,’ right?”
“Ah……. Yes!”
Even on Tristan’s surprised face as he answered, a light of conviction slowly dawned. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Was this what he had in mind…? Arthur continued in a nonchalant tone.
“Julius will want to seal my mouth in as good an atmosphere as possible if they can, so they probably won’t go that far, but keep it in mind as a possibility that they might try to eliminate her, and protect her accordingly.”
“……!”
The knights exchanged serious glances. He was right. If Reina was a maid bought off for that past incident, then protecting her was actually their responsibility. She was a valuable witness, and the one who wanted her mouth shut more than anyone was Marquis Julius. New resolve shone on Tristan and Lukan’s faces as they understood the situation.
“Yes!”
“Leave it to us!”
Arthur smiled faintly. Kay, who had been lost in thought for a moment, asked.
“……What about the ‘real Christina Julius’?”
The report about the blonde lady who had come to greet Arthur last night lingered in his mind. Maybe… that woman was.
“The real Christina?”
Arthur snorted and flicked his cigar ash.
“I don’t need to go looking for her. She’ll be the one regretting it.”
Arthur indifferently put the cigar back in his mouth.
“Don’t worry about it. She’ll come find us on her own.”
The knights looked impressed.
“Yes!”
Tristan pressed his lips together tightly to manage his expression, beaming with pride. So cool. Our Commander, Your Excellency. Toying with that formidable Christina Julius. Our Excellency wouldn’t get boiled by some sly fox. Tristan felt so proud he cleared his throat with a satisfied hum. At that moment, Arthur suddenly held something out to Tristan.
“?”
Tristan looked up quickly. Taking it reflexively, he saw it was a handkerchief.
“…….”
It was the one Tristan had reluctantly lent Reina yesterday when she was crying beside him.
“……?”
Suddenly, Tristan felt strange again. Right, it’s mine, so… he has to return it…
“…….”
What… is this indescribable feeling?
