Chapter 5
Daniel's hand lingered on his forehead, refusing to drop. Dominic's eyes busied themselves assessing his lord's condition.
"My lord, leave the rest to me and rest..."
"And trust you, who let things get this far?"
Even after unleashing a torrent of curses, Daniel's voice still brimmed with lingering anger. Dominic scratched the back of his hand, which was clasped behind him, and mumbled.
"As I said, please understand my position."
He was now bearing the full brunt of Daniel's fury alone, after his father had rushed out at his lord's command.
"I have no regrets whatsoever about my judgment that we couldn't show that place to just anyone."
"And if she had died before I even woke up because of that judgment?"
"Well... that's something no human can thwart, the will of the gods."
A soft scoff escaped Daniel's lips as he sat with eyes closed.
"Indeed, that's what makes you Dominic. A cold heart that never wavers, Dominic Molly."
"Thank you for the praise, my lord."
Finally, Daniel's hand dropped from his forehead. His reddish-brown eyes, still tinged with red, turned toward Dominic.
"Not content with hoarding glittering treasures in the vault and letting that small woman toil away, you even made her sleep beside a corpse-like man for three years?"
"A year and a half. The Duchess's room was the last one we managed to hold onto. Though she insisted on selling off the valuable items first. She's strong and remarkable."
Dominic's lips, which had held a faint smile, suddenly turned icy.
"But nothing takes precedence over you for me, my lord. So I beg you, reconsider even now. Despite her delicate appearance, the Duchess has tremendous drive. If she learns the truth about the vault, she'll revive the duchy into Svergen's finest land within a few years."
Dominic approached the desk and leaned in close, whispering to Daniel. His deep dark brown eyes, typical of those from south of Rapas, blinked calmly.
"Word that you've awakened is already heading to Shendal Castle. Do you think the Empress Dowager will sit idly by while Utrecht prospers in the midst of this? You'll be dragged around as the Emperor's hunting dog until the day you die."
To Dominic, Daniel was both lord and brother. Knowing Daniel hadn't died, even without consciousness, had sustained him through the past three years. Otherwise, he might have stormed Shendal Castle and vented his rage until it cost him his life.
"Don't forget Laura's entreaty. Nothing is more important than staying alive. Pretend to be dead for the time being, my lord."
Pretend to be dead. Hadn't he already done more than enough of that? Proof lay in his body, limp for the first time in his life.
"Dominic."
When Daniel beckoned as if demanding something, Dominic let out a long sigh and removed the leather cord from around his neck, placing it in his hand. The crude, long key dangling from the end gleamed on Daniel's palm. The only means to open the iron door he had personally locked three years ago. Hand this to his frail yet driven wife, and it would draw the imperial gaze? Revive this barren land? Ridiculous. What could that small, fragile body possibly achieve?
"You're right, Dominic. Nothing is more important than staying alive."
Daniel gripped the key tightly and rose from his seat.
"So let her live as she pleases while she's alive."
A faint dizziness rose, and he gripped the desk briefly to steady his breathing. Brushing off Dominic's hand reaching to support him, Daniel muttered in a somewhat subdued voice.
"Anyway... you won't live long, right?"
Dominic's expression, now stepped aside, hardened for an instant before returning to normal. *** Thump, thump. Her heart pounded relentlessly. Frida paced the corridor anxiously, rubbing her hands, until she spotted Muriel approaching from afar and lifted her skirt hem to dash over.
"Did you hear? Any idea what they're talking about?"
"No."
She had felt it before, but the doors in Munheim Castle were all unnecessarily thick and sturdy. It was because the trees from the dense Altas foothills had grown thick and robust over long years undisturbed. No wonder Muriel had suggested ripping off and selling the doors first when Frida was selling off the castle's furniture. Frida's white face instantly crumpled at Muriel's words that she hadn't heard a thing.
"He must be furious. Otherwise, how could he be moving already with that body? And walking with two legs, striding along like this?"
Muriel looked indifferently at Frida, who straightened her back ramrod-straight and mimed spreading her legs wide. News of Duke Rihardt's awakening after three years asleep had come just past noon. Now, as the sun began to set, he was already walking alone and summoning the Molly duo to the study. Duke Rihardt might be even more of a monster than the rumors suggested. But that was that, and Muriel's priority was this hopelessly reckless young Duchess. Gripping Frida's arm, Muriel half-dragged her toward the stairs. Frida whined as she was pulled along.
"Where are we going? Muriel, I don't have time for this."
"You haven't eaten dinner. Fill your stomach first, then worry."
"You think I can swallow food right now? When he's found out I sold off the entire castle behind his back."
"Because that lord slept for three years without earning a single coin."
When Frida grabbed the stair railing with her free arm to resist, Muriel effortlessly scooped her up by the waist. Even as a woman, Muriel's build was nearly as tall as Dominic's, so carrying Frida was no trouble at all. Having been carried by Muriel since childhood, Frida soon gave up and relaxed her arms.
"I should have left a few guest rooms. Selling even the beds was a bit much, wasn't it?"
"Who comes to this mountain hollow needing guest rooms? And frankly, did you buy jewels or clothes with that money? You emptied out everything, even what you brought from your wedding, to pay the workers."
"Well, the duchy is now my land where I'll live..."
That damn 'my land' talk. She hadn't realized it at first upon arriving here. How insatiable Frida's land greed was. Muriel clicked her tongue and opened the kitchen door, where delicious aromas wafted. No servant was surprised or questioned why the Duchess was entering the kitchen instead of the dining hall. Adel, who had become Munheim Castle's head cook after catching Frida's eye two years ago, spotted her and immediately set down a loaf of bread the size of a person's face, along with soup and assorted roasted vegetables.
"I was just wondering whether to bring it to your room, Madam. We boiled separate soup for the Duke—shall I have it brought up now?"
"No. He said he'll eat starting tomorrow. Since it's his first meal in a long time, please prepare something light and easy on him, Adel."
"Oh dear. Don't worry about the Duke—eat up, Madam. I heard you even had a nosebleed today."
Affection filled the hand that placed a spoon in Frida's grasp. Adel diced bread into Frida's soup bowl and urged her to eat quickly. Matilda, the maid who had appeared out of nowhere, set a large glass of freshly milked milk before Frida. Adel showed no intention of leaving until Frida finished her bowl of soup. Muriel silently emptied her own beside them. Frida, surrounded by people shoving food at her to get her to eat more, had her worries gradually fade from her face. When Muriel had first arrived in the duchy with Frida, she couldn't have imagined a day like this.
"Knight of Rosivalt. As you know, Frida won't live long. If it's too hard, bring her straight home. She'll want to spend her final days with family."
She had wondered if she'd last a year—no, half a year. Anxious that, like Frida's two older sisters born before her, she might not even reach twenty. Moreover, Munheim Castle's conditions were the worst of the worst. It was an abandoned castle with nothing in place—it hardly seemed a duchy. Duke Rihardt was the Emperor Bolshtark II's half-brother and one of the famed Twelve Dukes, yet... Even as the bastard son of a Milabo mercenary captain's daughter, to be so neglected. Called the Emperor's hunting dog, he apparently hadn't even had time to tend the castle. At least Frida was adapting healthily without issue, so Muriel had merely observed. Otherwise, she would have taken her back to the Harkbon estate immediately. Muriel's keen senses caught familiar footsteps, and the kitchen door burst open. Ricardo Molly, whose bulk filled the doorframe and more, rushed in.
"Duchess, there you are? I've been searching everywhere. Oh dear, just now starting dinner?"
"Why, Sir Ricardo? Is the Duke looking for me?"
"He is, but he said to wait. Eat up. You can take your time even after finishing. Blow on it gently so it doesn't burn your palate, eat slowly."
There was another reason Muriel let Frida stay in this barbaric land. The people of the duchy, scatterbrained as they were, all genuinely cherished and adored Frida. *** Seated in a chair by the fireplace, Frida's eyes anxiously darted to the door. She had wanted to rush to the Duke at his summons, but Ricardo had stubbornly made her finish her meal first. Now, she waited in the bedroom, told that his talk with Dominic would take time. It felt like sitting on pins and needles the whole while. She tried to steel herself, thinking as Muriel said that she hadn't done anything wrong, but then wondered if selling off the entire castle's furnishings had been too much. Still, she had no choice. To gather residents for the territory, they needed homes, and for people to settle, farmland was essential... With the duchy covered in dense forests, creating fields required felling trees, which demanded massive labor. To hire that many workers, wages were necessary. And to pay them, she had to sell what she could. Right. What did I do wrong? Over the past three years, how much sweat and blood had she poured into protecting this land? No need to fear. No need to cower. Clenching her fist and glaring fiercely, courage welled up. When the Duke arrived, she would proudly declare that she had fulfilled her duties as Duchess.
"Sigh... but why isn't he coming?"
Flopping face-down on the table, Frida dazedly watched the crackling flames with her cheek pressed against it. Today felt longer than any day she'd spent in the duchy. At the same time, the past three years flashed by like a lantern show. Those days when she had felt truly alive, moment by moment. Frida's lips parted in a wide grin as a soft mumble slipped out.
"Lotte unnie, Hestia unnie. Frida's been having so much fun here, really really."
Everyone praises me so much, it makes me puff up with pride.
"And I... I'm twenty now."
The Harkbon estate never celebrated girls' birthdays. Celebrating meant death was near. An age none of her sisters had reached. Unbeknownst to anyone, Frida had turned twenty this year. Satisfaction at having made it, mingled with pride in her own endurance. Immersed in the desire to boast and bask in overflowing praise, her drowsy eyelids slowly closed. Was it a dream? A low, calm voice mingled with the fireplace's warmth, seeping into her ear.
"Well done, Frida."
A warm energy spread through her body, like swallowing Adel's hot soup.
