Chapter 34
Omarion returned to her room and sat down.
She opened the second volume of
, but did not read a single word.
Her mind was so wandering.
She was used to such criticism.
During the social season in the capital, the nobles insulted her with much harsher words than the vassals did.
They described her as alluring and charming.
Compared to such insults, the followers' words were more like criticism.
Her family didn't help Morty, and she couldn't do her job as a hostess properly, so the followers had every right to be dissatisfied.
The reason she feels down is because Victor heard bad things about her.
She was happy that he wanted to keep her by his side, and she thought that it didn't matter what others said. It was sad to see that Victor was treated like a reckless master because of her.
And the name that appeared, Morthion.
“Who the hell is this?”
If she was not mistaken, it was the name of Khalifa. A name given to a legitimate heir by slightly changing the family surname.
Omarion, Catalina... Older children from noble families had similar names.
It is clear that “Victor” was not the name of Khalifa.
“Ma’am, dinner is ready.”
I looked in surprise.
Mary called out to her carefully, her expression full of worry.
Omarion faked a smile and headed into the dining room.
***
Victor was already sitting down.
He looked at her and smiled brightly.
“Marion, did you have a good day today?”
She avoided his gaze and nodded.
She couldn't look at Victor now.
Their food was served quickly, but she had no appetite and played with her food instead of eating it.
Victor soon noticed her strange behavior.
... “Marion.”
“Yes”...
“Can you tell me what's going on?”
She could barely lift her head. Victor looked at her with worried eyes.
When she saw those amber-like eyes, the excuses she had come up with earlier fled from her mind.
She didn't know where to start.
The insults you've heard before, the remarks, the accumulated questions...
She ended up asking the most pressing question first.
“Do you know the name Mortheon?”
Someone gasped.
The servants attending their dinner turned white and bowed their heads.
Mary's face, the other maids, and even Deederick looked cruel.
I frowned.
After a long while, she turned to Victor, whose expression sank to a frightening degree.
“Where did you hear that name?”
Victor was expressionless. Why?
His friendly smile and cheerful appearance were nowhere to be seen.
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Her instincts were sending danger signals.
“The walk of death is right in front of you.”
His terrifyingly low voice asked again.
“Marion, where did you hear that name?”
... «Please wait a moment».
She turned her head and looked at those present.
Mary tried to make sense of something to her, but Omarion asked them to leave.
Soon it was just the two of them in the spacious and luxurious dining room.
She looked at her food for a moment, then back to Victor.
"As you can see"...
“Aren't you going to answer my question?”
“I asked first.”
Victor bit his lip.
He still had a thoughtless and expressionless face.
She kept her mouth closed and waited for his answer.
At length, Victor spoke dryly.
“I had an older brother, Morty Morty, my father's eldest son and the former Grand Duke.”
“…”
“But he died during the war.”
Indescribable pain flashed across his face.
It was a short moment, but she knew.
She saw that look every time Viktor had a night terror, and his sword slashed hard at her.
Her heart sank.
I held his hand and apologized.
“I'm sorry for reminding you of sad memories.”
“No, I should have told you right away.”
Victor smiled bitterly.
“His name is taboo in the castle. I don’t…I don’t want to hear it.”
I understand
“So, answer my question now, where did you hear that name?”
I thought for a moment.
She didn't know what to say.
If I told him exactly what the underlings said, Victor would be upset.
Or worse, he might get angry.
Her heart felt heavy just imagining him.
But at the same time, she remembered the incident that occurred in the capital.
What she hid and endured ended up hurting everyone more.
Victor, who apologized to her at the time, looked really sad.
She didn't want to see Victor so sad again.
She glanced at him. Victor was silently waiting for her words.
After much hesitation, I made a decision.
“Would it be okay if I told you?”
She had some doubts recently, but the Victor she knew was a nice person.
If you tell him, he will definitely solve everything like a merciful knight.
For the first time in her life, she confided in someone.
“From the followers who passed through the castle during the day.”
I sighed.
“They complained that they couldn't manage the budget themselves, that they were able to erase some traces because I couldn't manage the books. And... they don't understand why you have an unworthy woman like the Grand Duchess.”
Victor remained silent.
His bright yellow eyes stared at her, unblinking.
“Finally, they said this wouldn't have happened if Morthion had been a duke. That's all
She concluded quietly.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a long time.
She looked at Victor worriedly.
“Did you hurt his feelings? As expected...”
She felt a little frustrated and added.
"I'm sorry"
"What do you mean?"
“I heard things that shouldn't have been my fault.”
As soon as her words left her lips, Victor grabbed her hand.
Hot kisses grazed her stiff joints.
He whispered seriously.
“Please don't apologise, Marion. I'm the one who's sorry."
"Victor"...
“I decided not to let this happen again, but”…
His expression didn't seem right.
His long, frustrated eyelashes obscured his eyes.
She could barely lift the corners of her lips.
“It's okay, it's not a big deal. Shall we eat now? The soup looks really good! "
I hurriedly picked up a spoon.
She felt Victor's gaze on her as she ate the lukewarm soup.
He softened his difficult expression and gave her a very seductive smile.
He pushed his soup towards her.
“Eat too much, Marion. The chef said he made it special, just for you. "
“Victor, aren’t you going to eat?”
“Don't you know that I don't eat much?”
Victor smiled.
Then he shook his head and pretended to sigh.
“Of the snacks you send to my office, Carls eats almost all of them.”
“It is a bad knight who touches his master’s plate.”
Victor laughed.
She sighed in relief and accepted his bowl.
However, I thought it was good to be honest, because he didn't seem as angry as I thought.
They ended up having dinner, just the two of them, smiling at each other...
***
She returned to her room with Mary, who was waiting for her.
Her maids looked terrified, but they listened to her orders without asking any questions.
She put on a shirt and pants and headed to the bedroom.
Victor wasn't there yet.
Unlocked
.
Dordovin eventually obtained the Gorgon's poison and returned to the tower where Flamberg was trapped.
[Finally, Flamberg has obtained the horrific poison.]
“How will you use it, ma'am?”
From the bottom of the tower, Dordovin asked with a stern face.
Flamberg poured the poison into the teapot and smiled brightly like a daffodil.
[“I will share a drink with all my friendly knights.”]
Beneath the words was an illustration of Flamberg and Durdovin.
Flamberg was smiling with her mouth wide open, making her look more terrifying than beautiful.
In the corner, her guards were trembling, holding cups of poisoned tea.
But, as always, Dordovin looked at Flamberg with a puzzled expression.
I flipped to the next page.
“How come Dordovin doesn't notice? Is it because he's stupid?”
“Or does he know and pretend not to?”
Someone wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“Is the book interesting?”
“Victor!”
I closed the book and looked at it.
The smell of soap spread from his body.
As soon as she saw his wet chest, she looked away.
Her cheeks suddenly turned red.
“Put some clothes on...!!”
His upper body was clearly visible through his robe, which was tied loosely.
Victor followed her gaze and smiled.
“Why? Don’t you want to see me?”
"Don't make fun of me"...
She muttered, placing her book on the side table.
His fingers caressed her hair as if he were touching something precious.
Sincere emotion emanated from his slow, careful movements.
She looked at Victor as if she was possessed.
Victor spoke, his smile fading from his lips.
“Marion, you saved me. Even if they gave me billions of gold, I wouldn’t trade it for you.”
He kissed the tip of her nose.
She held her breath.
Victor's eyes were sunken and emotionless again.
to whisper.
“I don't care what others say, I just need you.”
A chill ran down her spine.
Victor's strong arms hugged her tighter.
Her ears were getting hot.
She closed her eyes, inhaling his amazing scent.
«Thank you, Victor-»
Suddenly, his lips met hers.
***
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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