The Trash Lady Who Stole the Duke's First Night
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
“Together in here…”
“Commander. Are you sleeping together? You’re going to frighten the lady.”
At the unfamiliar voice, Elio hunched her shoulders in surprise.
“It seems the carriage was uncomfortable for the lady. Shall I lend her my tent?”
A knight with short brown hair ducked slightly into the tent with a gentle smile.
Carlos paused, staring at the knight at the entrance for a moment. Then, casually replying that he would sleep in the carriage, he took the drink being offered to him.
Watching the tall, brown-haired knight bending down, Elio suddenly swallowed hard.
From the broad, well-proportioned frame to the sturdy jawline and handsomely tanned skin, this person looked like a nobleman brimming with vitality.
Yet, strangely, she could just tell by instinct.
…This person,
……is a woman.
The knight’s hazel eyes curved softly as she gazed at her.
“My lady, I am Grita of the Marquis Hoffman family. Allow me to greet you properly now. Is the carriage very uncomfortable?”
❖ ❖ ❖
“Sir, your sword is truly handsom… pretty.”
Elio, having marveled at Grita’s build—tall and broad enough to rival most men—was admiring her sword.
Densely encrusted with a double-headed eagle crest, garnets, and emeralds, the longsword looked more like a work of art than a weapon.
“It is the Hoffman family heirloom. A relic of the Kingdom of Thun. It is the most precious treasure among those bestowed by His Majesty the King.”
At Grita’s gentle reply, Elio’s eyes widened.
“You are from Thun?”
“Yes. I grew up in Thun when I was young.”
Elio hesitated, her lips parting. She was somewhat flustered, unsure how to respond to someone speaking so proudly of a Northern Continent nation that had fallen and vanished long ago in a war of conquest.
If they maintained the title of Marquis in Lübeck even after the fall… was it a traitor family to the Kingdom of Thun…?
As if guessing the thoughts troubling Elio, Grita smiled.
“My maternal family has served as Lübeck’s Minister of Finance for generations. Though, since my mother passed away when I was two, I do not remember her well.”
“Ah…”
“Just looking at my build, don’t I look like someone from the Northern Continent? A woman of this stature is rare in Lübeck. Regrettably, instead of taking after my mother, who was one of the Empire’s three great beauties, I took after my father.”
At Grita’s joking laugh, Elio nodded without realizing it.
Truly, this was the first woman so large and tall she had seen since her older sister.
Moreover, coming from a Marquis family and being a formidable knight worthy of inheriting such a treasured sword… wasn’t she the perfect bridal candidate for Carlos?
“I-It’s my first time seeing a young lady so strong and handsome as you, Sir.”
Realizing a beat later that it might be an impolite thing to say to a lady, Elio quickly added,
“I mean it as a compliment. Because I’m envious. I want to become a strong person like you too, Sir.”
Grita nodded, the corners of her mouth curving upward.
“My lady is like a pure white little mermaid. Slender and… your eyes are as beautiful as the sea.”
Caught in a sudden, awkward back-and-forth of forced compliments, Elio rolled her eyes with an uncomfortable smile.
She was a woman who could deliver even embarrassing praise in a remarkably dry, straightforward tone.
“I’m glad you’re here, Sir. Since everyone else was a man, I was… a bit scared.”
“I see. That is natural, being a lady.”
Grita smiled gently.
“As the only woman, weren’t you uncomfortable on the way here, Sir? Camping out so much and all…”
Elio wondered how she managed to wash, change, and use the restroom among all these men.
“Ah. I consider the distinction between men and women meaningless. I have no interest in men whatsoever, either.”
“Ah… I see. Right, m-meaningless, of course.”
Elio brushed her temple, her face flushing red. She felt embarrassed, as if she had sounded like a frivolous lady overly conscious of men.
I didn’t mean I was uncomfortable because I’m interested in men…
Feeling a little glum, Elio held the treasured sword up to the light to change the subject.
“Anyway, it really looks like a true heirloom! My sword is terribly ugly.”
“You have a sword?”
“Yes. But it’s not a pretty sword like yours, Sir. It’s just, well… a small, crude blade rolling around a blacksmith’s shop.”
“…Did you learn swordsmanship?”
“Yes!”
Elio answered brightly. Grita paused, then narrowed her eyes with a smile again.
“You must have attended an academy.”
“No? I just learned on the mountain behind our place.”
Grita stopped wiping her gauntlet. Why would a young lady who did not even come from a knightly family learn swordsmanship on a mountain out back?
“The mountain behind your place? From whom?”
“From an unnie I know!”
“Did you learn from a knight?”
Setting the sword down, Elio tilted her head. Her unnie, who had always hurled curses while insisting she wasn't a knight, truly didn't seem like one.
“No? Definitely not a knight. Unnie was always cursing knights. Saying they only chased useless pomp and formality, so their skills fell behind. Ah, of course, I don’t mean the members of the Lobitan Knight Order are like that.”
“Then what kind of person was…”
“Just… someone who fought well… a wanderer?”
“Pardon?”
“All hands to sleep! Everyone sleep except Squad Two on night watch! Grita, you hurry up and get to sleep too!”
Toby’s shout announcing bedtime rang out. Setting her questions aside for now, Grita bid Elio good night.
She looked down at the tiny woman chattering once more to thank her for helping her change clothes.
…She learned swordsmanship?
Grita shook her head with a faint smile.
“No need for thanks. However, I think it would be better for you to wear knight’s undergarments that compress the chest a bit more. When your chest bounces, your movements become sluggish. I will procure some for you when we reach the village tomorrow.”
“Undergarments? I-It’s fine, really, I’m fine.”
“No. Even in daily life, wearing undergarments that compress the chest will make traveling easier. For outer clothing as well, wear loose garments with long hems. Your skin is so fair and delicate that you seem prone to injury.”
Elio, blushing all the way to her fingertips, nodded for the time being.
She was already embarrassed enough about being stripped naked and changed. Having undergarments brought up so openly made her face burn. Was she telling her not to get hurt and become a burden?
Or was it concern?
Grita disappeared with an ambiguous smile.
A dark, heavy silence fell as dozens of knights closed their eyes.
Aside from the faint, distant chirping of birds, it felt as though all the sounds in the world had vanished.
Having taken a man’s tent and lying down alone, Elio could not easily fall asleep.
Burying her hot face in a cushion, she aimlessly touched her breasts, which were a bit large compared to her slender frame. She also brushed her fair skin, which had been called delicate.
Tossing and turning countless times, she reached her arm out of the sleeping bag to pull out her coin purse. Gazing despondently at her entire fortune contained within the thin, floral purse, she stuffed it into the deepest part of her bag.
Curling into a fetal position in the far corner of the tent, she tried to summon the sleep that would not come.
❖ ❖ ❖
In the early dawn, before the sun had even fully risen,
Elio moistened her lips, wrapped tightly in a blanket. Even though it was the rainy season, the dawn air deep in the mountains was so chilly that breath seemed ready to mist from her mouth.
The squires, glancing sideways without looking at her straight on, ladled freshly roasted bird legs, baby potatoes, and thin potato soup until her mess kit was overflowing.
After hesitating, Elio offered a small, grateful smile.
Avoiding her gaze, the squire scratched his reddened nape and replied that she should eat plenty.
Watching the squire’s flushed face closely, Elio gave a bright nod and parted her lips to say something more.
“Um, the potato you roasted yesterday was delicious to—”
“My lady. Could you please move forward quickly to keep the line moving? There is not much time left before departure.”
With an apologetic smile, Grita pointed toward an open clearing far ahead.
“Ah, yes. I-I have everything.”
Grita pointed toward the clearing once more with an affectionate smile. Then, rolling up her golden bracelet, she began distributing the rations herself.
Seeing the full-fledged knights swarming forward behind her with their mess kits, Elio hurriedly ran to a corner. She took a spot beneath a tree, as far removed from the knights as possible.
Steam rose from the dented corner of the mess kit.
Staring blankly at the hot food by herself, Elio cast her eyes around in search of Carlos.
He appeared to have finished his meal already, busy discussing something with Toby over an unrolled map.
Soon, Grita approached him carrying a mess kit. Carlos gave a short laugh and patted Grita on the shoulder.
Seeing her standing side by side with Carlos and his peerless stature, Grita—who had seemed so masculine—looked distinctly like a woman at a glance.
A twenty-six-year-old Young Duke and a twenty-five-year-old Marquis’s daughter.
The pairing of the two, both of prime marrying age, was flawlessly harmonious.
…A woman as strong as a man.
…The only female knight brought along among countless others.
Suddenly gripped by a bewildering suspicion, Elio stared at the two standing side by side.
Could Grita be his real lover…?
Is that why he was trying to avoid marrying the Imperial Princess…?
The moment she looked up at Carlos’s face in shock, her eyes met his cool, beast-like black gaze.
Elio covered her mouth and lowered her head. Her heart thumped rapidly, flopping like a fish pulled onto dry land.
In other words, if he was using her deliberately to avoid marrying the Imperial Princess for the sake of his lover, it made sense. He wouldn't be able to openly disobey an imperial decree, after all.
He said he could undo the first night's oath with me. After undoing the oath, is he planning to marry Grita?
Elio was suddenly reminded of the Little Mermaid story Grita had mentioned. Was it a story where the mermaid saved the prince, but in the end, the prince married the neighboring country’s princess? No, what did that story have to do with anything? She shook her confused head.
Moments later, a burst of laughter loud enough to shatter the cold air erupted.
Gathered around Grita, the knights tore into bird legs and raised their voices, cackling merrily among themselves.
Perhaps because she was sitting so far from the campfire, a chill crept over her body, making her shiver. The tender leaves swayed bleakly, and the chirping of insects echoed close by.
…Don't overthink it. Isn't it enough that they're feeding me and not starving me? Right? It's far better than Father.
Quickly rubbing her fingertips together, she carefully gripped her spoon. Once again, the loud laughter of the knights and Grita drifted over.
……Whether Grita was his real lover or not, what did it matter to her?
