Translator: Nox

Chapter 9

“River Ross.”

“Yes?”

Vanessa, who had approached with a limp in her left foot, widened her eyes when the man reflexively answered to the name ‘River Ross.’ Realizing his mistake too late, ‘River Ross’ waved his hands in a fluster.

“Ah, no. It’s not that.”

Vanessa tilted her head in confusion before making a polite request.

“I’m sorry, but could you give us a moment? I have some questions for Mr. River Ross… regarding a new rose variety.”

Theodore couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter at her words. Immediately, the woman’s sharp gaze flew toward him, but once started, his low chuckles were slow to subside. What to do, Vanessa? Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anyone here who would fall for your lie.

“Uh… but, well, I…”

The real ‘River Ross,’ looking restless, kept glancing at Theodore. It was as if he were seeking permission, even though there was no need. Finally, when Theodore gave a small nod, River bowed deeply and hurried away toward the far side of the garden. Theodore’s lip curled into a smirk at the man’s clumsy departure.

It was the gardener, Mr. Ross, who had advised the Duke to pretend to be his nephew, River Ross. While the photos and portraits of Theodore available to the public were all from when he was around eight years old, someone with a keen eye might still grow suspicious. In such a case, having an old gardener who had long been devoted to the family vouch for his identity would significantly reduce the risk of being caught.

As it happened, no one remained at the castle who knew the real River Ross as a child. Though he had unintentionally stolen his subordinate’s name, Theodore hadn’t considered it much of a problem. After all, once this summer passed, the uninvited guest would vanish without leaving a single trace of his stay.

“River Ross. Are you listening?”

To think things would turn out like this. Theodore gathered his wandering thoughts at the sudden sound of her voice. Vanessa’s clear face as she looked up at him was now clouded with an anxiety she could no longer hide.

She already looked desperately breathless; he could see a dreadfully exhausting future ahead if they became further entangled. Theodore replied with a perfectly polite face.

“I am listening.”

“We need to talk.”

“I’m not sure what there is for a Lady and myself to discuss.”

“River. Why are you being like this?”

Theodore strode past the bewildered Vanessa and headed deeper into the Rose Garden. As he picked up the canteen he had dropped under a tree, Vanessa hurriedly followed behind him. Every time she limped forward, the white ribbon tied around her slender left ankle fluttered.

Finally managing to overtake him, Vanessa blocked his path, reaching her arms out wide.

“Listen, the wedding date has been set.”

“Congratulations.”

“It’s Lord Roden.”

Theodore paused just as he was about to take a drink from the canteen and looked down at Vanessa. Lord Roden was a man in his fifties. Though he had amassed some wealth through the mining business, he was a notorious lecher rumored to have laid hands on every pretty maid in his household.

After rumors spread through the social circles of the capital, Linden, that he had impregnated a widow working in his house and then feigned ignorance of the illegitimate child, Theodore thought any family willing to give their daughter to that piece of trash had surely gone extinct.

Theodore clicked his tongue softly. It seemed the Earl of Somerset had truly chosen the worst of the worst. He felt a flicker of regret for his flippant congratulations. Of course, regardless of his human pity, the woman remained a nuisance. He stood with a slight slouch, eyeing her askance.

“If you’re in such a hurry, why don’t you go buy a man instead of bothering me?”

Vanessa shook her head with a profoundly gloomy expression.

“My outings are strictly limited. This place is one of the few areas where the surveillance is a bit lighter.”

“Then you can just call someone here.”

“Everyone allowed in here is employed by my uncle.”

“Then bribe a doctor. For a few coins, I’m sure one would be happy to testify exactly as you wish.”

“That wouldn’t be enough to cause a scandal. They would just find a way to silence them. And I truly need a child.”

Theodore arched an eyebrow. He was starting to find this situation rather tiresome.

“Then, Vanessa. You might as well run away. Somewhere very far.”

“Even if I leave, I have to return to this country someday. That’s why it’s vital that I make my uncle give up on me.”

“Do you have a hidden lover living nearby?”

“My parents are buried not far from here. I’m the only one who looks after them.”

“So you’ll stay here and endure all this disgrace? For your dead parents? While being put on display as Somerset’s whore and consumed as society gossip?”

The woman’s pale face contorted with anxiety again. Her lips, which had been trembling as if she might burst into tears at any moment, smoothed out again with unnatural resolve. Perhaps she no longer had the luxury of considering other options.

“River… by any chance, do you not remember me?”

Theodore glanced up at the impossibly blue May sky before looking back down at Vanessa, who was clutching her trembling hands tightly together. It seemed there was a reason of sorts for this insane proposal. Some kind of promise, perhaps. Should he tell her now that he wasn’t the person she thought he was?

Why bother.

If he did, she would just run to the real River Ross and repeat the same proposal. And the hopelessly naive River Ross would be swept away, unable to even offer a proper refusal. It was obvious what a scandal with a fallen noblewoman would do to a promising naval officer, especially a commoner with no family to back him up.

Theodore reached a characteristically efficient conclusion and faced Vanessa. For the sake of his subordinate, it was best to settle this within reasonable limits. His lips twisted into a smirk.

“I’m far too expensive a man to be bought by your measly few coins. Nor am I desperate enough to roll around with a woman I have no feelings for.”

Vanessa now stood with her head hung low. He had no idea what kind of calculations were running through that small head of hers. He didn’t particularly want to know anymore, either. It was bound to be something consistently deranged. Just as he was about to pass her by, a small hand caught his sleeve.

“Then… I’ll even love you.”

Love. He felt a surge of nausea at that cliché, exhausting word. As he let out a sharp sigh and looked down, he saw Vanessa’s face, deathly pale. In that moment, Theodore let out a hollow laugh in spite of himself.

In the entire world, Vanessa Siren Somerset was likely the only woman who could speak of love with such a face. With a face that looked prepared for death, with the eyes of a warrior entering a duel, she spoke.

“It’s just that… if I absolutely must marry, I only hope that at least my husband won’t be someone who places any value on this. And for that reason, I want to get rid of it.”

This. As if her virginity were some troublesome burden to be disposed of. Theodore’s mouth twisted.

“So you’d willingly offer your virtue to a man you don’t even care for.”

“Men enjoy these things even without feelings. You probably do, too. So I thought there was no reason I couldn’t enjoy it as well.”

She was a woman who uttered such radical and rebellious words with an utterly submissive face. Her perspective, viewing men as little more than dogs in heat, was exasperating, yet it was a fairly realistic view.

Because they were common enough. Those madmen. The kind who wasted their precious lives on women, wine, and gambling.

Vile memories from the past floated like dust over the healthy rural scenery. Theodore unconsciously tugged at his shirt collar, which felt like it was choking him. His breathing had become somewhat uncomfortable because the look in Vanessa’s eyes as she watched him seemed far too innocent.

A woman trying to buy a man with money couldn’t be that innocent, surely. Theodore laughed irritably, as if to brush off the unpleasant thought.

“You were willing to waste yourself on me, thinking I was that kind of man?”

“You’re handsome… and you’re a sailor.”

“And?”

“Physically coercing a soldier belonging to the state for personal reasons is a serious crime. And the navy can be stationed overseas for years at any time.”

It was a strangely shrewd conclusion. She had even calculated that his status was one her uncle couldn’t easily touch, even if things went wrong.

“I will try my best to keep your identity hidden, but no one knows how things might turn out.”

“……”

“And the other servants working at the castle all have their livelihoods rooted in the southern lands. You’re a complete outsider, so you can leave whenever you want, and since you’re not a noble, you have no honor to lose.”

“And if I were a gentleman who valued his honor? You wouldn’t have made this offer then?”

“If the person who ruined my honor was a nobleman with assets to be seized, my uncle would do whatever it takes to foist me onto him.”

“……”

“So let’s just have a temporary relationship during your leave. Like when we played house as children… only this time, getting to know each other a little more.”

“Lovers.”

“It’s summer, after all. A season that will fade away soon enough.”

Vanessa’s cheeks were now flushed with the color of a summer peach. So fresh, as if sweet juice would flow if he bit into them.