46 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
Alicia spoke humbly, spreading a soft smile.
It was difficult to read any traces of violence on her gentle face.
The emotion in Alicia's face as she looked up at Josefina seemed round and admiring, as if she were looking at someone she envied.
There was no acquaintance between the two.
However, Alicia's expression as she looked at Josefina was as touching as if she had met a benefactor.
It seemed like she would leave the carriage Josefina had arrived in behind.
"Well, would you like to take a look around the Great West?"
Josefina said impulsively, feeling a strange pressure.
"I'd be honored."
Alicia replied with a touched expression.
It was a pure and innocent reaction that made one worry if she could survive in the Imperial Society.
She was the type of person you wanted to tell that saying 'yes, yes' to everything would get her into big trouble.
Did she fight in the Imperial Palace?
The Zephyr Clan members were confused, seeing her face as if she knew nothing about aristocratic society and social circles.
Her bright expression, admiring and marveling at everything in the Great West, plunged them into deeper and deeper questions.
Alicia had learned all the names of the Clan members, and even the short moments of greeting and talking were so kind and friendly that they made the listener smile without realizing it.
Some even teased her, saying that if her current behavior was acting, she would be more than qualified to live in the Imperial City.
Alicia, as if unaware that they were picking a fight with her, said with genuine concern that she had come from the far north and was lacking in many ways to live in the Imperial City, so she asked them to help her a lot, making those who watched feel sorry for her.
Before the day was over, praise spread that Alicia Lane's nature was like an angel.
On the other hand, rumors spread that Alicia Lane's personality was too gentle to survive in society.
Either way, it was said that Alicia's personality was pure, so those who knew Alicia had to swallow their doubts.
It was evening when Alicia left the Great West.
All the exclamations Alicia had uttered in the Great West were genuine.
In the past, she had been interested, but because of her shrinking personality, she had not even dared to imagine wanting to see it.
Everything there was amazing and surprising.
It didn't feel real that she was walking through the Great West, which she had only heard about.
She was surrounded all day by people she hadn't even dared to make eye contact with before.
Considering the places Alicia had been through, the Great West was rather modest.
The Imperial Palace, the Empress Palace, the Imperial Concubine quarters, Tessen Castle, Lilliese Detached Palace, Ludern.
But more than all those places, the Great West felt different to Alicia.
Perhaps it was because the shining place she had only heard rumors of during the most passive period of her previous life remained as a symbol, the Great West.
The few sharp words in the Great West were nothing compared to her past self, who couldn't even approach them.
Alicia thought she was indulging in very childish sentiments.
Nevertheless, she enjoyed the childish happiness for a long time.
Alicia, who was heading to the carriage after leaving the Great West, stopped walking.
Those who were following Alicia also stopped abruptly.
Grand Duke Tessen's party was at the front gate.
Reikart, who had been summoned to the Imperial Palace as soon as dawn broke, was still not finished with his work and was talking seriously with his aide.
"Your Highness."
At Roderick's signal, Reikart turned to look at Alicia.
Reikart was wearing his uniform.
It seemed there had been an event at the Imperial Palace.
The man in his uniform, with a red top, dark bottoms, a blue sash, and numerous medals, looked like he had walked out of a painting.
"……."
The face that looked like it had walked out of a masterpiece turned to look at Alicia and paused for a moment.
Alicia stopped admiring the face shining in the sunset and tried to pay her respects.
Those around Alicia were already paying their respects to the Grand Duke.
"Your Highness…."
Reikart strode forward to Alicia, who was about to bend her knee.
"Have you made many friends?"
His amber eyes scanned Alicia's side.
Then, Reikart placed his hand over the hand holding the dress.
His always slightly lukewarm and dry hand was unusually hot.
"Yes. They are the people who were kind to me today."
Alicia grasped the hand she was holding tightly, examining his usually unwavering face.
Reikart had no frown on his face except that his hand was damp.
"I'm grateful to them. I came to pick you up. Shall we go?"
Alicia and Reikart exchanged words while looking at each other's faces.
Reikart took Alicia to his side.
He tapped Josefina's shoulder with his fingertips among those who were paying their respects to him, acknowledging her.
"……."
Josefina, who had been elegantly paying her respects until just now, tilted her head.
Her clear, watery eyes were fixed on Reikart's and Alicia's tightly clasped hands.
Josefina expressed her discomfort with a fierce expression.
Reikart tapped Josefina's strangely contorted head again with his fingertips.
Josefina tilted her head even more violently.
It didn't look like the appearance of a strict Imperial family member.
They looked more like siblings with a large age gap than an uncle and niece with a small age gap.
Josefina's innocent face made a crude chin gesture.
Let go of my hand.
Her twisted lips drew a grotesque shape.
It looked like she was cursing.
Then, Josefina, who made eye contact with Alicia, gave her a gentle smile.
"Are you sick, Josefina? If you're sick, go in and rest. Thank you all for seeing us off. Then, goodbye."
Reikart's low voice, whispering to Josefina, was unusually immature.
The following words were the same as usual, making it even more obvious.
"Please be careful, Grand Duke."
Josefina took a step forward and greeted him.
Without anyone knowing, Josefina stretched her arm forward and tried to break Alicia's and Reikart's intertwined hands.
Reikart gently moved his position and re-grasped her hand.
Naturally, Josefina was blocked by Reikart's torso.
"Are you stupid?"
"I'm going to tell Mom everything."
"Tell her, red doesn't suit you. You look like a pheasant."
"I'm going to tell Great Uncle everything."
"You have to live kindly, Josefina."
The conversation was only heard by Josefina, Reikart, and Alicia because they spoke in such small voices.
Reikart's appearance, childishly scratching at Josefina's nerves, was like a lacking uncle.
Calling Josefina, who was no different from an angel, a pheasant was too low-level of a taunt.
"……."
Alicia was pushed into the carriage.
Even after getting into the carriage, the daze did not disappear.
The childish fight continued.
"Why is a man in a carriage?"
"His Majesty also rides in a carriage. You're guilty of insulting the Emperor. Go in, you."
"You…!"
"Go in. If you're jealous, hold hands with your fiancé too."
Reikart poured out immature words with a cold and indifferent face.
Josefina made a fierce expression, but the threat did not seep into the carriage.
Soon the carriage began to move.
As the carriage moved, Reikart sighed and leaned back against the backrest.
Alicia pretended not to know about the childish fight between the uncle and niece.
"Did you suddenly get worse?"
Alicia placed her other hand over the hand she was holding.
"It's not as bad as the periodic pain that comes from Tessen. It's just that the sounds in my head have gotten a little louder. How many of those people are real friends?"
Reikart said, looking back at the path they had passed.
"I don't know."
Alicia shook her head honestly.
Perhaps none of those people could be called real friends.
More than that, Alicia discovered that cold sweat had formed on his expressionless face, which she thought was normal, and wiped it away with a handkerchief.
"It's okay."
Reikart tried to stop Alicia from coming closer.
"Have you been like this occasionally before?"
Alicia meticulously caressed his struggling face, not caring.
Reikart couldn't push away the proactive handkerchief any further.
"There have been times when the sounds suddenly got louder before, but it's been happening more and more frequently."
"And even in the midst of this, you're joking with your niece…. You seem to have a good relationship."
There was suspicion in Alicia's calm face.
Was it you who told her to send the Zephyr Clan invitation?
"It's because she's trying to beat me at something ridiculous."
Reikart expressed his honest feelings directly.
The man's face looked very similar to when Harry would playfully tease and harass her.
"You have a good relationship."
Alicia decided to ignore it since it was a matter between the Imperial family.
She thought about something else instead.
Something she hadn't thought deeply about because she was so focused on keeping the situation flowing as planned.
In the past, Grand Duke Tessen had not married until late, then suddenly rushed into marriage.
After marrying once, he successively took new brides.
She wondered if the Grand Duke's marriage might be related to his strange pain.
If the hypothesis was correct, she came to the conclusion that he would be getting married soon.
Then, a forgotten memory of humiliation came to mind.
'Don't marry me, Alicia.'
The shocking memory of being rejected even though she had never confessed.
"……."
Alicia only left the hand she was holding and quietly moved away from Reikart's side.
She felt very upset.
Reikart, sensing the rapidly chilling atmosphere, watched Alicia's face, which was wrapped in silence.
You couldn't know a woman's feelings.
Reikart wondered what the problem was, but there were surprisingly too many things that bothered him.
Teasing her for not having friends.
Not being able to see her face because he had to come out since dawn.
Josefina seemed to be treating her well, but he had unintentionally interfered.
Suddenly appearing and grabbing her hand first.
Reikart cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"Is it okay if I keep holding your hand?"
"Are you feeling better now?"
Alicia, who had been looking out the window, turned to look at him and asked.
"Not yet."
Reikart couldn't understand the brothers who were very fussy when he lived in the Imperial Palace as a child.
The Imperial Concubine had a lot of work to do.
Not knowing that, he thought it was pathetic that his brothers, who missed Mobi's embrace, pretended to be sick even though they weren't very sick and tried to sleep in the Imperial Concubine's chambers.
Now he felt like he could understand the feeling of pretending to be pitifully sick.
"But why did you let go?"
Reikart was relieved that Alicia was covering his hand with both of her hands, which had been quiet.
In fact, the sounds in his head disappeared as if washed away the moment he grabbed Alicia's hand.
But if he let go of her hand, it would soon start to scratch at his nerves.
So it was good to hold her hand for a while.
He was worried that he could attract attention by pretending to be pitiful once, rather than trying to start a conversation with difficulty.
He felt like he would become like his brothers, who were increasingly feigning illness.
Of course, he really felt pain.
But he was worried because he seemed to be unable to endure even the pain that he used to endure well when Alicia was by his side.
"This is a big problem."
He couldn't tell anyone about his pathetic situation.
"Are you feeling very bad?"
Alicia said in a worried voice.
It was a voice that sounded like she would hug him if necessary, like she had done before.
Reikart gently shook his head.
He caressed his hand a little more affectionately and did not refuse the touch that came to his forehead.
In the end, he quietly defended himself, saying that his feigned illness was not entirely false.
As spring approached, the evening air touching his face became much softer.
It was a warm night.
