Chapter 9
9. What? This wound.2021.09.30.
Rembrandt continued with a smile.
“Sir Arthur may not know this, but Lady Julius, the daughter of Marquis Julius, is famous for not mingling with people at all. The only place one can see her is the temple.”
Arthur countered with amusement.
“The temple?”
“Yes. Despite being so hard to meet, she never misses the victory prayer mass at the temple. It’s a famous anecdote around here that the number of worshippers visiting the temple to see her, the greatest beauty in high society, has tripled.”
“Hmm.”
Next came effusive praise for Christina’s devotion in praying for Arthur’s victory for five long years. And ceremonial compliments on her exceptional chastity in strictly observing the imperial decree to seclude herself and avoid social gatherings more faithfully than anyone else while the war dragged on. The Marchioness listened to Rembrandt’s words with bated breath, stealing glances at Arthur. In truth, participating in religious events had been a way to showcase Christina’s stunning beauty in place of forbidden social affairs. Avoiding all mingling was to hide her less-than-angelic personality. And adhering so strictly to the imperial decree to seclude herself and skip social gatherings had been to block questions about Christina’s marriage. They hadn’t anticipated it would be disguised as chastity for her fiancé away at war, but in any case. In the end, everything had fallen into place so exquisitely that the beautiful, aloof, veiled Christina had reigned as the queen of a social world empty of gatherings for the past five years. As the only daughter of the precious House Julius, with a massive dowry and inheritance promised, she was truly worthy of being called the bride of the century.
‘This reputation was something we carefully managed to send her to a good match if Arthur died…’
Now it was all for nothing. Amid words elevating Christina as the finest lady, Rembrandt observed Arthur’s expression. Arthur seemed only politely curious, not particularly interested. One might expect him to gloat in this amusing situation where they were all on tenterhooks… Without betraying his own judgment, Rembrandt asked forthrightly.
“May I have the honor of greeting the lady?”
Pretending to know nothing of the current ‘Christina’s’ true identity, Rembrandt added innocently.
“In fact, the Marquis asked me to capture your reunion in a painting, and I gladly accepted. I’m free today as well.”
The Marquis’s eyes widened like saucers as he half-rose from his seat. The Marchioness, forgetting her pride, stared wide-eyed at Arthur with a desperate gaze.
‘Please… please, Arthur! Refuse!’
Arthur replied gently.
“Of course. My wife will be delighted.”
The Marquis and Marchioness went pale. The Marquis even shot up from his chair.
“Ha, ha. Then I must prepare Christina!”
“I’ll do it!”
The Marchioness jumped up in a panic as well. But without even glancing their way, Arthur added.
“But today might be too much. My wife suffered all night last night, so she’s not feeling well. Let’s find an opportunity soon.”
The couple, who had leaped up from their own guilt, flushed beet red. * * *
Reina’s eyes darted around anxiously. She wanted to ask these girls what was happening outside right now, and why she’d been in this room… After a long, uncomfortable silence while they dressed her hair, Reina awkwardly attempted conversation.
“Um… I’m Reina.”
The black-haired maid applying oil to Reina’s hair and combing it glanced at her through the mirror and replied curtly.
“Yeah, we know. You think there’s anyone here who doesn’t know you?”
Reina, who had little interaction with her fellow maids, flinched as if she’d committed some crime at the unexpected words.
“You know me?”
Of course they did—Reina stood out. What a pain. The black-haired maid snorted openly but at least gave her name.
“You don’t know me, right? I’m Marina. That’s Brody.”
The aggrieved-looking maid tending to the other side of her hair, Brody, exchanged eye contact with Reina through the mirror. Reina had worried that news of the fake bride might have leaked outside, but in fact, she was quietly famous among the maids to begin with. Nine out of ten new servants in the mansion asked ‘Who’s that?’ the moment they spotted her. And the next thing those servants heard after her name was, ‘Don’t get close to her. She’s got a prickly personality.’ Why was Marina making an effort at introductions this time? As she ruffled Reina’s hair, Marina pouted.
“But is it true the lady’s sick?”
“……”
“Why did you go out in her place?”
“……”
Reina clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t answer any of it. Reina wasn’t particularly talented at lying. She wasn’t completely hopeless, but she lacked the quick wit to spin a plausible excuse on the spot when questioned. This was about her grandmother’s well-being. That’s why she’d built walls with the other maids, to avoid questions like these… When Reina said nothing, Marina sneered coldly with a ‘just as I thought’ look and fell silent. Making the awkward silence between them even thicker than before.
“……”
“You suddenly collapsed yesterday.”
Marina spoke up again out of the blue. Reina startled and looked at her.
“So Sir Arthur seemed pretty shocked, then he suddenly drew his sword and ended the triumphal procession with ‘For His Imperial Majesty.’ Then he carried you straight up here.”
Reina’s face flushed with guilt and embarrassment at the explanation that anticipated her very question. I couldn’t tell you anything… Clutching her hands on her lap, Reina mumbled.
“……Ah, no one tried to stop him?”
Marina scowled.
“Was it something we could stop? We didn’t know anything.”
“……”
“The lady being sick is a lie, right.”
“……”
“Are we going to be okay?”
“……”
Reina could give no answer. …If I answer, you’ll be in even more danger. Clunk. With the sound of the door, the maids let out shrill screams of surprise.
“Ah, Sir Arthur!”
The two startled maids quickly released Reina’s hair and turned around. Spotting Arthur through the mirror, Reina froze in her seat at the vanity. Seeing Reina surrounded by the maids, Arthur nodded to them.
“Am I interrupting?”
“No, sir, we’re done. We’ll take our leave.”
The two maids hurriedly finished her makeup, then bowed to Reina as if she were the real Lady Christina.
“Have a pleasant time.”
“If you need anything, just pull the bell cord here.”
The maids backed away and vanished. Reina belatedly scrambled up from her chair and stood awkwardly facing him, her eyes darting everywhere, unable to settle.
“……”
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes? Yes……”
For a split second, Reina met his eyes before flinching away and dropping her gaze. Arthur’s voice continued.
“I thought you were hurt when you collapsed so suddenly.”
Reina shook her head frantically in denial.
“No, no. I’m not hurt. Yesterday was just… accumulated fatigue, I guess.”
She still couldn’t meet his eyes. Arthur stood quietly watching her, then glanced aside as he spoke.
“Your undergarments… I’m sorry.”
“It’s f-fine…… Huh?”
Arthur frowned and turned his head sideways.
“I’d heard urban legends about it sometimes choking the lady, but I didn’t think it was real. Isn’t that undergarment too dangerous?”
“Huh?”
Reina let out a string of dazed sounds. Arthur shut his mouth, ruffled his own hair, paused a beat, then said.
“It was okay when I carried you up, but when I laid you down, you weren’t breathing. I thought you’d suffocate if I left it.”
“……”
“……Even taking off the dress didn’t help, so I tore it off in a hurry. Then it was ruined and I couldn’t put it back on.”
“……”
Her face burned hot. Ah… Aah. So that’s what happened. That’s why there was no corset. Sir Arthur… did that.
“……”
“I didn’t undress you with any other intentions.”
She got the sense he was extremely troubled. Embarrassed? Stammering while looking away, Reina replied.
“Y-You did? It’s f-fine. Th-Thank…… you.”
What was this…? He was embarrassed over just helping her out of her clothes…? She was the one exposed, yet he was the embarrassed one—that felt odd. Even if he had undressed her with other intentions, who would complain? They’d already married, and it wasn’t their first time. She was his wife, undertaking the role including such things. He was the general who went to the front lines for his family, achieved brilliant results, and returned deserving reward for his hardships… Yet here he was, making excuses as if afraid of being misunderstood. That was even stranger. Seeing him so hesitant over something like that only made her more embarrassed, heat rising to her face.
“!”
Suddenly, Arthur grabbed her head with his hand and fixed it to face him. Her evasive eyes met his head-on.
“Is that why you won’t look at me?”
“!”
Reina’s flustered face turned bright red.
“N-No……”
At that moment, Arthur’s expression shifted subtly.
“?”
Arthur moved the hand on her head slightly toward her forehead, touching the area hidden by her bangs beside her forehead.
“Ah.”
A dull pain flashed through. Reina reflexively hunched her shoulders.
Arthur’s face hardened.
“What? What’s this wound?”
She knew immediately what he meant. It was the gash from the ashtray Christina had thrown at her two days ago. Reina pulled back slightly, away from him, smoothing her bangs to hide the wound.
“I got hurt a few days ago. It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? It’s on your face. How did it happen?”
“It’s hidden by my bangs, so it’s fine.”
“How.”
Arthur repeated without letting it go. Reina quickly made up a simple excuse.
“I bumped into the edge of a table. Picking up a comb that fell on the floor while bending down.”
Thankfully, a fitting reason came to mind, making the lie sound natural. Arthur frowned.
“Did you see a doctor?”
Reina laughed as if it were a joke and countered.
“Yeah? Call a doctor for something like this……”
Mid-sentence, she stopped. Lady Christina would have summoned a doctor without question. It was a noble lady’s face. Reina quickly corrected herself.
“Of course we did. The doctor already checked it once.”
Arthur raised one eyebrow skeptically, as if to say ‘really?’ He clearly didn’t believe her. Arthur strode to the bed and pulled the bell cord. Moments later, a knock came from outside.
“You called?”
“Is there a family physician in the mansion?”
“Yes.”
“Call him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Uh…… Doctor…? Standing dazed, Reina suddenly realized something, her face draining of color. Wait. The doctor thinks it’s Lady Christina and will come. Then even he’ll find out! Reina urgently grabbed Arthur’s arm.
“Arthur, Sir Arthur. No, it’s fine, don’t call him.”
Arthur wrapped his hand around hers and gently led her to the sofa, ignoring her words.
“We’ll have him check the forehead wound and confirm you’re healthy too. It might not just be fatigue that made you collapse.”
What do I do? I can’t think of an excuse not to call the doctor. The limit of my casual lies is just explaining the forehead injury. If I can’t come up with a convincing reason, my lies get awkward fast. Reina squeezed her eyes shut.
“J-Just the two of us! I want to be alone with you!”
Arthur halted abruptly. Aagh. They do this in novels. But it’s so awkward. It sounds like such an obvious lie. After a brief silence, Arthur chuckled, covering his mouth.
“……I’m glad you say that.”
Huh? It worked? Reina blinked rapidly.
“Let’s have the doctor check the wound first, then we can be alone, my lady.”
Aagh. Failed. Of course that excuse doesn’t hold. The doctor’s just coming for a quick check anyway, and I spouted nonsense. Arthur held back a laugh, one corner of his mouth twitching up as he bowed his head and muttered.
“Hearing your voice makes it feel like I’m really back.”
Thud. Her heart hit the floor.
