Ch#139
139
“Ah… I see.”
I couldn’t find anything else to add.
Whether he knew the men lined up were staring at him with dazed eyes or not, the man sitting nonchalantly atop his warhorse gave a blunt nod.
“Forgive me for delaying your journey.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he began to lead his horse away.
Tairon felt the tension drain out of him and slid his sword back into its sheath.
Daren spoke up, as if trying to smooth over the awkward atmosphere.
“You’ve heard the news that Her Grace is expecting, haven’t you? Since it’s her first pregnancy, the Grand Duke seems to be quite concerned. Her Grace has always been a picky eater with a delicate appetite, after all. That’s why he’s paying extraordinary attention to her meals.”
‘I don’t think much has changed from before, though…’
Tairon glanced at his liege’s retreating back and swallowed the sarcasm rising in his throat.
This was a man who had run a spear through a mountain of a man simply because he had dared to lay a hand on his wife.
And how was he when the Grand Duchess collapsed? Not only did he have all sorts of ingredients flown in from the Central Region, but he even personally attended to her meals like a servant.
Now that there was a child involved, it was obvious without looking just how much of a fuss he would make.
“I have also heard the joyous news that you will be having an heir. My sincerest congratulations, Grand Duke.”
A merchant, who had been following quietly at a distance, suddenly chimed into the conversation. He seemed well aware that his fate rested in the hands of the young Grand Duke.
The man, who had been unable to hide his disgruntled expression throughout the journey after practically being dragged from the North, now wore a slick smile and flattered him diligently.
“It is a modest gesture, but our guild has prepared a congratulatory gift. We heard the Grand Duchess enjoys fresh fruit, so we mobilized our entire distribution network to bring in freshly harvested crops… though I do not know if they will suit Her Grace’s palate.”
As they emerged from the forest and began to ascend a hill, the Grand Duke looked back at the merchant over his shoulder. A spark of interest finally flickered in a gaze that had previously treated the man like an inanimate object.
“I heard you reside in the North, yet you are well-versed in the affairs of this place.”
“A merchant’s ears and mouth are faster than the wind. Rumors that Your Excellency is seeking rare fruits for the Grand Duchess are widespread among the traders.”
“……I shall have to hope that such information-gathering skills are not put to the wrong use.”
At the subtle threat, a faint tension gripped the merchant’s oily, glistening face. It seemed he had only just realized that this was not a man who could be swayed by trivial bribes or flattery.
Gulping dryly, the man lowered his eyes with an awkward laugh. Barkas watched him with a cold expression before spurring his horse forward again.
Tairon quickened his pace behind him. Before long, the massive walls surrounding Kalmor appeared over the hill.
Stepping forward, Daren shouted out orders.
“Zram people have appeared in the Argand Forest! Dispatch a search party immediately and strengthen the guard on all thoroughfares in the Northwest!”
As his booming voice echoed, the soldiers lined up atop the walls scattered quickly. They seemed intent on delivering the news to the guard at once.
Leaving the chaotic scene behind, Barkas passed through the gates and crossed the city center.
Finally, the grand walls surrounding Raedgo Castle filled their vision.
Entering the grounds, Tairon took a slow look around the castle scenery he hadn’t seen in nearly a month. Surrounded by the familiar environment, a fatigue he hadn’t even realized he was carrying began to wash over him.
He dismounted and massaged his stiff shoulders.
When he had left for the North under Barkas’s orders, the winds of war had been reaching a precarious peak, but they had since subsided beneath the surface. This was thanks to the season of rest, which had restricted some of the supply routes to the North.
Furthermore, Barkas’s political pressure on the conservative nobles had played a major role. Sensing that the situation was turning grim, some of the Northern nobles had begun to lie low.
If they could succeed in seizing control of the Northern distribution networks during this window, not even the Heimdal family would be able to start a war recklessly.
‘Now it all depends on how we handle that man.’
Tairon watched the guild leader whispering something to his subordinates in a corner of the castle courtyard, then turned his gaze back to Barkas.
He was handing over his hunting catch to the servants. Seeing that relaxed sight, the tension left Tairon’s shoulders once more.
It seemed his lord was more concerned with the dishes that would grace his wife’s table than the question of whether a rebellion would break out.
Tossing aside his soiled gloves, the man gave meticulous instructions to the servants.
“Choose the one with the most tender meat and roast it. Clean the rest and make a stew, and use the spices sparingly.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The servants who received the five pheasants hurried toward the kitchen immediately. Seeing them move in such perfect order without a hint of fluster, it seemed this wasn’t the first time he had personally brought back ingredients.
Surely his main purpose for going on patrol today wasn’t actually hunting.
As Tairon watched Barkas with a suspicious eye, the man, who had been turning toward the main castle, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Tairon instinctively followed his gaze and caught his breath.
Near the entrance of the main castle, in front of a small fountain, sat a blonde woman wrapped in silver fur.
The moment he saw her face surrounded by the pale winter light, his mind went blank.
When he first met her, she had exuded a chilling, eerie aura. But the woman who once seemed so unstable she might shatter at any moment was now radiating a pearlescent glow, tinged with a languid vitality.
As he stood dazed by the surreal sight, the Lord of the East strode toward her in a single breath.
“Why are you out here?”
The woman’s large eyes, which had been looking up at the sky as if dreaming while wide awake, turned toward her husband.
A faint smile spread across a face that had always been frozen in coldness.
“I came out to see the snow.”
“It is not yet time for snow.”
“No, it was fluttering a bit earlier. If I wait, more might fall.”
“You can see it from inside the room as well.”
“It’s stifling to stay in the bedroom all the time. And Marisen said it’s better for me to move around a little.”
The woman’s brow furrowed slightly, as if she didn’t want to hear a lecture.
“If you’re going to nag me every time I come outside, why did you give me this fur as a gift in the first place?”
“I did not give it to you so you could roam the castle in such a defenseless state.”
“What is wrong with the way I look?”
The corners of the woman’s eyes tilted upward as her irritation grew. With her eyes flushed as if she were suffering a slight fever, she looked strangely provocative.
Whether he felt a similar sentiment or not, a peculiar tension flickered across the man’s face, which looked as if it had been carved from plaster.
Apparently unaware of this, the woman continued to press him.
“Tell me. Is there something wrong with my appearance?”
The man, his lips pulled tight with tension, let out a long breath and stripped off his overcoat, tossing it to the page standing behind him. Then, he carefully gathered his wife into his arms.
“Please bear with me for a moment, even if I smell unpleasant.”
Then, before she could offer any protest, he strode toward the entrance of the main castle. Those gathered in the courtyard watched the scene with dazed expressions.
And for good reason. With her brilliant golden hair, blue eyes, and skin as white as ivory, they looked like beings detached from the real world.
“……They truly are a well-matched pair.”
The Northern merchant exhaled in admiration.
Because those words sounded so strange, Tairon knitted his brows.
Certainly, they were as well-matched as a pair of thoroughbreds. It was almost startling to think that the two of them had been little more than enemies for several years.
