Chapter 20
Victor was busier than yesterday.
Omarion left with Carls and mingled with the guests.
He said he was mainly speaking to high-ranking aristocrats who frequented the imperial palace to announce that they were leaving for their estates.
After greeting a few ladies, I grabbed some light refreshments and snuck a glance at Victor.
“How is he so beautiful?”
No matter how many men she saw, nothing compared to Victor.
“Besides, isn't he incredibly strong?”
“You look like a girl in love, ma'am.”
I looked at Carls in surprise.
“No! I just think it's cool”…
Stupid excuses flowed from her mouth as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
truly? I also think he's pretty cool when he's not carrying a sword. "
I became suspicious.
Wasn't he even cooler because his sword skill was so great?
But soon Sir Carls lost interest and shoved a bunch of sweets into his mouth.
He gave her a random piece of advice while wiping crumbs off his shirt.
"Please be careful when you say things like, 'I don't like it,' it's annoying." "
“Why?”
“His Highness is desperate to make up for you now. If you ask the lady, he will behead the Emperor.”
She didn't understand.
“What points did Victor lose? Was it because of me?”
She kept the terrible rumors from him, and in return was told that it was okay for her to be by his side. If anything, she owes him.
Carls, noticing her puzzled expression, explained further.
“You have a job, but you also suffer every night because of his illness. He brought my lady, a knight, without a proper explanation. I am sorry for everything you had to go through.”
I frowned.
“Why? How difficult is that...?”
“Of course, I was surprised at first… but it's not uncommon for patients to be selfish and besides, it's not that difficult to put Victor to sleep. I was wondering if I could get a big dowry for this kind of work.”
“What Victor did was too much. He is really weak at night… Have you encountered him at night, Sir Carls?”
“I did.”
Karls replied grimly. He sighed like an old man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“You will not understand, ma’am.”
“What? Why?”
No, I'll go get some drinks and it's hard to be stuck with you two sober."
He complained incomprehensibly and left.
She blinked in surprise and leaned against the table.
She was alone, but she wasn't as afraid as before.
She had Victor and Karls by her side, and no one dared to insult her as blatantly as before.
Strangely, Nanael's friends seemed to be avoiding her.
Every time their eyes met, they looked fearfully at Victor.
She had doubts, but she was more worried about others.
A large number of knights and young ladies were spying on her.
She realized that it was similar to the looks of the children spying on her while she was practicing her swordsmanship in Amari.
“Why are they looking at me like that?”
She thought, and soon someone approached her through the noisy crowd.
I recognized him immediately.
“Sir Geoffrey?”
A knight with short brown hair knelt before her and bowed his head.
He kissed the back of her hand
“Grand Duchess of Morty, I welcome you. I am Geoffrey of Sutherland.”
He stopped, and I looked at him in surprise.
“Is he here for revenge?”
However, Geoffrey did not even have a sword, and was wearing civilian clothes.
Moreover, his expression was soft and gentle.
“I was looking forward to seeing you again.”
Now she was really confused.
“Why did you want to see me again if you didn't want revenge? Do the men of the Empire crush on the women they beat?”
He straightened his posture.
“I wanted to apologize. Even though you claimed to be a knight, it was rude of me to ask the lady to bring another knight.”
"Ah"...
I remembered what he said during the duel.
Didn't he say he didn't want to hurt a lady?
She relaxed and smiled.
“You did what you were supposed to do as a knight who fought both for ourselves and for our master’s honor. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I'm glad you said that.”
Jeffrey smiled softly.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“It's a shame, but this was the first time I lost a battle that wasn't against 3 men. It was as if I was fighting with the Grand Duke.”
“How many people have you fought?!”
She swallowed her words and examined him. He didn't look weak, but she knew otherwise from experience.
“If Welsh knights are weak, they shouldn't say such things.”
Sir Geoffrey asked in a slightly nervous tone.
“I heard rumors that the Ammari Knights were powerful, but I did not expect them to be this powerful. Can you teach our knights swordsmanship? If you are uncomfortable, we will visit Morty’s training ground.”
“Oh, I”…
“Many of my knights are curious about Her Highness.” As the next commander of the Welsh Knights -
Stop mid-sentence, and focus on something behind it. At the same time, a familiar musky scent surrounded her from behind.
“I think that would be difficult.”
Her deep voice answered.
Victor walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“It's terrible to see you here. I heard you closed the Welsh doors.”
Karls, who had just returned, added quietly.
“Your Majesty, Sir Geoffrey is a member of the Welsh Knights, not a vassal. He is also the son of Baron Sutherland, so his visit has nothing to do with the Welsh lockdown. "
Really
Victor's gaze scanned Jeffrey slowly.
“You have misunderstood because you do not have the name of a successor. I'm sorry"
“Oh no, the Grand Duke.”
Strangely, almost all the color left Sir Geoffrey's face.
I looked at him, confused.
She couldn't understand why the leader was suddenly trembling like a child who had just seen a monster.
“Could Victor have done something bad to him? It can't be. "
Victor moved their conversation to another topic smoothly.
“Unfortunately, my wife and I will have to leave for our property soon. You understand that the war was long and we were away for a long time, right? "
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“We must be on the same battlefield when the Empire invaded the Eastern Kingdom.”
Jeffrey's skin was sick now. His pride seems to be the only thing keeping him from escaping.
Victor laughed softly.
“So it will be difficult for the Grand Duchess to teach you swordsmanship. She has a busy schedule.”
“Okay. I apologize for making an unreasonable request. Then, I will see you later, Grand Duke, Grand Duchess.”
Sir Geoffrey bowed his trembling head and turned away.
She looked at Victor, not understanding their exchange.
The reason for his rejection is the knight's enthusiasm for learning, and the reason why the knight trembles like a child.
Victor's sweet, patient voice interrupted her thoughts.
“I'm sorry, Marion. We have a tight schedule.”
“But it won't take long.”
“It belongs to Welsh, right? I’m afraid he will hurt you.”
She narrowed her eyes.
Are you serious?
“He didn't seem like that kind of person. Besides, you can't say things like that about a weak person.”
If Sir Geoffrey was the next leader of the Welsh knights, they were less dangerous than a pack of wolves.
If they hurt her, what more could they do to her?
So, just as she taught people in her hometown, she wanted to help them practice.
Victor's eyes lit up.
It was an expression that seemed to indicate agreement, but she found that it had a completely different meaning: that he didn't like anything very much.
Victor pulled her closer to her and whispered.
“You decided to stay by my side. This is because I don’t want to show you to others. Yes?”
It was the gentle, soft voice that always defeated her.
She couldn't help but blush and nod her head.
She didn't know whether it was Victor's kindness or her soft heart, but she always had a hard time rejecting anything Victor said.
A satisfied smile graced his lips.
“As I said before, if you want to train, go to our training ground. If I train there, I will be at peace.”
Although she couldn't shake her uneasiness, she nodded again.
Victor leaned down and kissed her forehead gently.
***
On her way back to the palace, she rode with Karls, because Victor had to stop at the Imperial Palace for a moment.
As she sat face to face with Karls, she remembered the times she had gone to the banquet with him.
At that time, Karls tried hard to improve her mood. Even though it was only last week, it seemed like a long time ago.
Maybe she could put her mind at ease this time.
When she looked at Karls with a smile, he flinched and shivered.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It's just, I like you.”
Carls became contemplative. He hastily looked out the window.
“Ma’am, you’re not allowed to say that either.” I like you. “You don't bother me.” “You’re good.” None of them are. “Unless you want to see my head roll.”
***
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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