Schuden spoke a word so powerful the backyard was twice as chaotic as before.
“Oh my, did you hear what he just said?”
“I’m sure he said ‘my dear wife’. Right?”
“Then is that lady Marchioness Garth?”
The surroundings were all noisy. Valia had never been in such a situation before. She thought she had to say something, but she could not figure out what to say.
Perhaps it was because Schuden was tightly holding her hand, which had been shaking ever so slightly due to the tension. But even in the midst of the confusion, she was not anxious. Rather, she quickly regained her stability.
But Cassia could not do that.
“No way! As far as I know, Your Grace is definitely single…!”
Schuden responded calmly.
“It seems that the news is late.”
Just a while ago at the banquet in the Imperial Palace, he was still single. There was no single nobleman as famous as him. The reason was simple. He was the most coveted potential husband. He was such an attractive man that, not just the young ladies and noblewomen in the Empire, even the Princesses from other countries also had their eyes on him.
But had his status suddenly changed in just a few days?
Moreover, was his wife the daughter of the small Kingdom’s knight whom the Princess had been looking down on?
‘No way!’
Cassia had come to the point where she suspected that she was dreaming while standing up. Schuden’s bride─or Marchioness Garth─was dressed in ordinary clothes. She was dressed so simple; not even having any hair decorations nor a crinoline on her dress. That woman without any single piece of jewelry was Marchioness Garth. Cassia looked down on Valia because of her modest attire. Of course, Cassia was not stupid enough to say it out loud.
“Should I put it on myself?”
To make matters worse, Marquess Garth said so while looking at the cufflink. As if the owner of the cufflink was clearly Valia. It was only a loss for the Princess to be more stubborn there. After all, she had been pulling the cufflink with all her strength since earlier but it did not even move. Cassia eventually let go of the cufflink, suffering from disgrace, a sense of outrage, and embarrassment.
“I will give way, Marchioness. So, why don’t you put it on…your husband directly? Many of the Princesses and ladies here are watching with anticipation.”
No matter what, Cassia was still the third Princess of the Hildon Kingdom. Having reigned as a royal family in high society since childhood, she was able to skillfully use the so-called ‘noble way of speaking’. It was elegant and pure on the surface, however, if one thought about it deeply, one would be able to see the hidden malice.
Cassia deliberately pointed to Valia. The fact that Marquess Garth became married in just a few days meant it was the same for this woman. In addition, seeing how she did not identify herself as Marchioness Garth from the beginning meant that she had not yet adapted to her status.
‘I’m sure she’s timid and cowardly. What can even be expected from the daughter of a small kingdom’s knight?’
And so she deliberately mentioned the large audience that was watching the scene. As soon as she was reminded that all the ladies’ eyes and attention were focused on her, her actions would be unnatural and even her breathing would be burdensome.
Since Marquess Garth was standing next to her, Cassia could not openly mock or insult Valia. However, she thought she would feel at least better if she could watch her waver. If Valia could be seen feeling diffident, rumors might spread that Marchioness Garth was timid, and was unbefitting of her status.
However, the situation went opposite of Cassia’s expectations.
“That’s very kind of you, Princess.”
Valia smiled with an indifferent face. While Cassia was thinking how this was not what she had in mind, Valia looked back at Schuden.
“Is it okay if I attach the cufflink?”
“Be my guest.”
Her cheeks turned a little red but that was not even a flaw. In addition, Marquiss Garth, whose reputation and appearance was both perfect, even extended his right arm naturally. It was like a drawing that any lady would have dreamed of. As evidence, squealing could be heard from around them.
In the meantime, Valia calmly attached the cufflink. Though it was not difficult, every time her fingertips touched his palm, she felt weird. When she was about to lift her hand from the cufflink, Schuden grabbed her hand tightly.
“How about we go for a walk, my wife?”
She was still not used to when he called her ‘my wife’. But still, it felt good to listen to it. Ignoring the people’s focused attention, Valia smiled at the red eyes that were looking at her.
“Okay.”
Seeing Cassia with her mouth twitching, Valia contemplated for a very short time. From her past experience, Valia knew what kind of outcome Cassia was aiming for when she said the words she had said. Thousands of invisible knives were stuck in her words that were disguised as a courtesy. Fortunately, she was not struck anywhere so she could just let it go.
The red eyes that were looking at her were odd. It looked like it was expecting something more. Feeling a little adventurous, Valia carefully added.
“…Schu.”
A subtle sense of happiness could be sensed from Schuden’s red eyes. Valia could capture his slight smile. It was a relief, she was worried that he might feel offended. So she became more comfortable and smiled brightly.
The backyard became noisy. Anyone could tell that the ‘Schu’ mentioned by Valia was a pet name for Marquess Garth. Who else in the Empire would be given permission to call Marquess Garth by a pet name?
As a matter of fact, Marquess Garth’s popularity was slightly different in his own country than in other countries. While he was famous in his country for being an impeccably perfect man, in other countries, he was often referred to with a terrifying nickname—the devilish murderer on the battlefield. Therefore, as he was an absolutely perfect nobleman at the banquet hall, the royal families of other countries who first saw Schuden in the Imperial Palace party were often flustered by the gap between reality and his rumors.
Nevertheless, fears of his nickname as the devilish murderer that was widely known in the continent still remained. He was actually aristocratic and polite, but he had a dangerous feeling that was just hard to say. As if it was just his nature. But a woman was calling someone like that with a pet name? Gel’s ladies went wild but the Princesses from other countries even had their eyes wide open.
“I’m certain His Grace called her ‘my wife.”
“When did he get married? He was definitely still single when he attended the banquet last time.”
“I know, right? I will ask my father when I get home.”
“By the way, it would have been nice if I had known earlier that she was Marchioness Garth. I should have at least greeted her.”
As their romantic appreciation went, they had a realistic thought.
“But at least we did not do what Princess Cassia did…”
“My escort knight gave me a tip earlier. Apparently, Princess Cassia one-sidedly provoked the Marchioness. What would the Princess do if the Marchioness got angry?”
“She’s just uselessly boosting her ego, tsk.”
What the ladies and Princesses were talking about had reached Cassia’s ears really well. She clenched her fist. Her fine hands were white after being hit with a sense of humiliation.
At times like this, Cassia would have grouped with a Princess from a Kingdom weaker than her own. Unfortunately for Cassia, there were only Princesses who were on a similar level with her in that place. The Gel Empire necessarily considered the power of each country when making schedules for the royal families.
It began from the incident at the Imperial Palace a few years ago. A stuck-up Prince from a rich kingdom persistently harassed a Prince from a small kingdom. The Prince who was distressed eventually attempted suicide in the garden. The Prince barely survived. Since then, as a measure to prevent such a situation, the Gel Empire would only schedule royal families with similar national power to be together.
Thus, all of the people who visited the temple today were Princesses from kingdoms similar in size to Cassia’s. They did not have to please Cassia, especially since she had a bad reputation for choosing people according to their status and position.
After suffering directly or indirectly because of Cassia, it was only natural for the ladies to not do anything for her. However, such interest was soon stopped. The best topic at the moment was the Marchioness who suddenly appeared in none other than the temple, and one who would somehow be a calm ripple in the high society.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Schuden and Valia were walking together in the temple’s beautiful backyard. It was a quiet place with not many people present.
Schuden was almost a head taller than Valia. It was only natural that their walking speeds would be different. In the past, when Valia worked in the Imperial Palace, there were often times when she had to walk along with male knights. As she followed those who usually had a better physique than her, she quickly ran out of breath.
But now she had no trouble walking. She wondered if the happiness blessing that the High Priest gave to her was a blessing that actually improved her stamina. But when she looked closely, Schuden was walking at a slower pace than normal. Valia belatedly noticed that he was matching her pace.
If they were in an ordinary relationship and they were ordinary lovers, her heart would have skipped a beat. But Valia thought of something else first.
‘How can he toy with a woman’s heart like this?’
What did he do before? After appearing like a savior, he just called me ‘my wife’ right away. He kissed the back of my hand in such a crowded place, too.
‘Did he do that to the previous Marchioness too?’
If what happened was the same as the way he treated her, he would have done more to the previous Marchioness. Because the Marchioness was quite a beauty. In addition, guessing from the High Priest’s actions, it seemed that she had also received a unique blessing to seduce people. He must have been a few times more affectionate to the Marchioness than he was to Valia. After only doing something that could even make wood and stone fall for him, how could he love another woman?
Valia wriggled her hand that was being held for no reason.
“Is it uncomfortable?”
Schuden, who interpreted her action as being uncomfortable, asked her.
“No!”
Valia who unconsciously answered loudly cleared her throat.
“It was my first time holding hands like that, so it felt awkward.”
“It can’t be helped. I will be your first and last so you have to get used to it.”
“Pardon? Ah… Yes…”
Valia managed to calm her cheeks down before it was about to flush up again. No matter how she thought about it, this man was no joke. After saying something like that, he just looked ahead with an emotionless face as if nothing happened. He was still good-looking even when he did that.
As Valia glanced at his beautiful side, Schuden opened his mouth.
“You did well before. It seems like you don’t get nervous easily.”
Valia shook her head with a smile.
“I was okay just earlier, but I do get nervous easily.”
In the past, Valia was mainly in charge of female Imperial families, and as a result, she had opportunities to attend to noble ladies and Princesses. The ladies and Princesses were purer than she had thought.
As was often said, acts of jealousy were not something they would do and they were not enthusiastic about gossiping. They were just busy living their lives. Most of the ladies who were watching Valia did it out of curiosity. Knowing that, there was no reason for her to be intimidated.
The reliable man standing right next to her was also the reason she did not get nervous earlier. But Valia was not outgoing enough to say it out loud.
“Lady Dean, I have a question.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Schuden spoke a word so powerful the backyard was twice as chaotic as before.
“Oh my, did you hear what he just said?”
“I’m sure he said ‘my dear wife’. Right?”
“Then is that lady Marchioness Garth?”
The surroundings were all noisy. Valia had never been in such a situation before. She thought she had to say something, but she could not figure out what to say.
Perhaps it was because Schuden was tightly holding her hand, which had been shaking ever so slightly due to the tension. But even in the midst of the confusion, she was not anxious. Rather, she quickly regained her stability.
But Cassia could not do that.
“No way! As far as I know, Your Grace is definitely single…!”
Schuden responded calmly.
“It seems that the news is late.”
Just a while ago at the banquet in the Imperial Palace, he was still single. There was no single nobleman as famous as him. The reason was simple. He was the most coveted potential husband. He was such an attractive man that, not just the young ladies and noblewomen in the Empire, even the Princesses from other countries also had their eyes on him.
But had his status suddenly changed in just a few days?
Moreover, was his wife the daughter of the small Kingdom’s knight whom the Princess had been looking down on?
‘No way!’
Cassia had come to the point where she suspected that she was dreaming while standing up. Schuden’s bride─or Marchioness Garth─was dressed in ordinary clothes. She was dressed so simple; not even having any hair decorations nor a crinoline on her dress. That woman without any single piece of jewelry was Marchioness Garth. Cassia looked down on Valia because of her modest attire. Of course, Cassia was not stupid enough to say it out loud.
“Should I put it on myself?”
To make matters worse, Marquess Garth said so while looking at the cufflink. As if the owner of the cufflink was clearly Valia. It was only a loss for the Princess to be more stubborn there. After all, she had been pulling the cufflink with all her strength since earlier but it did not even move. Cassia eventually let go of the cufflink, suffering from disgrace, a sense of outrage, and embarrassment.
“I will give way, Marchioness. So, why don’t you put it on…your husband directly? Many of the Princesses and ladies here are watching with anticipation.”
No matter what, Cassia was still the third Princess of the Hildon Kingdom. Having reigned as a royal family in high society since childhood, she was able to skillfully use the so-called ‘noble way of speaking’. It was elegant and pure on the surface, however, if one thought about it deeply, one would be able to see the hidden malice.
Cassia deliberately pointed to Valia. The fact that Marquess Garth became married in just a few days meant it was the same for this woman. In addition, seeing how she did not identify herself as Marchioness Garth from the beginning meant that she had not yet adapted to her status.
‘I’m sure she’s timid and cowardly. What can even be expected from the daughter of a small kingdom’s knight?’
And so she deliberately mentioned the large audience that was watching the scene. As soon as she was reminded that all the ladies’ eyes and attention were focused on her, her actions would be unnatural and even her breathing would be burdensome.
Since Marquess Garth was standing next to her, Cassia could not openly mock or insult Valia. However, she thought she would feel at least better if she could watch her waver. If Valia could be seen feeling diffident, rumors might spread that Marchioness Garth was timid, and was unbefitting of her status.
However, the situation went opposite of Cassia’s expectations.
“That’s very kind of you, Princess.”
Valia smiled with an indifferent face. While Cassia was thinking how this was not what she had in mind, Valia looked back at Schuden.
“Is it okay if I attach the cufflink?”
“Be my guest.”
Her cheeks turned a little red but that was not even a flaw. In addition, Marquiss Garth, whose reputation and appearance was both perfect, even extended his right arm naturally. It was like a drawing that any lady would have dreamed of. As evidence, squealing could be heard from around them.
In the meantime, Valia calmly attached the cufflink. Though it was not difficult, every time her fingertips touched his palm, she felt weird. When she was about to lift her hand from the cufflink, Schuden grabbed her hand tightly.
“How about we go for a walk, my wife?”
She was still not used to when he called her ‘my wife’. But still, it felt good to listen to it. Ignoring the people’s focused attention, Valia smiled at the red eyes that were looking at her.
“Okay.”
Seeing Cassia with her mouth twitching, Valia contemplated for a very short time. From her past experience, Valia knew what kind of outcome Cassia was aiming for when she said the words she had said. Thousands of invisible knives were stuck in her words that were disguised as a courtesy. Fortunately, she was not struck anywhere so she could just let it go.
The red eyes that were looking at her were odd. It looked like it was expecting something more. Feeling a little adventurous, Valia carefully added.
“…Schu.”
A subtle sense of happiness could be sensed from Schuden’s red eyes. Valia could capture his slight smile. It was a relief, she was worried that he might feel offended. So she became more comfortable and smiled brightly.
The backyard became noisy. Anyone could tell that the ‘Schu’ mentioned by Valia was a pet name for Marquess Garth. Who else in the Empire would be given permission to call Marquess Garth by a pet name?
As a matter of fact, Marquess Garth’s popularity was slightly different in his own country than in other countries. While he was famous in his country for being an impeccably perfect man, in other countries, he was often referred to with a terrifying nickname—the devilish murderer on the battlefield. Therefore, as he was an absolutely perfect nobleman at the banquet hall, the royal families of other countries who first saw Schuden in the Imperial Palace party were often flustered by the gap between reality and his rumors.
Nevertheless, fears of his nickname as the devilish murderer that was widely known in the continent still remained. He was actually aristocratic and polite, but he had a dangerous feeling that was just hard to say. As if it was just his nature. But a woman was calling someone like that with a pet name? Gel’s ladies went wild but the Princesses from other countries even had their eyes wide open.
“I’m certain His Grace called her ‘my wife.”
“When did he get married? He was definitely still single when he attended the banquet last time.”
“I know, right? I will ask my father when I get home.”
“By the way, it would have been nice if I had known earlier that she was Marchioness Garth. I should have at least greeted her.”
As their romantic appreciation went, they had a realistic thought.
“But at least we did not do what Princess Cassia did…”
“My escort knight gave me a tip earlier. Apparently, Princess Cassia one-sidedly provoked the Marchioness. What would the Princess do if the Marchioness got angry?”
“She’s just uselessly boosting her ego, tsk.”
What the ladies and Princesses were talking about had reached Cassia’s ears really well. She clenched her fist. Her fine hands were white after being hit with a sense of humiliation.
At times like this, Cassia would have grouped with a Princess from a Kingdom weaker than her own. Unfortunately for Cassia, there were only Princesses who were on a similar level with her in that place. The Gel Empire necessarily considered the power of each country when making schedules for the royal families.
It began from the incident at the Imperial Palace a few years ago. A stuck-up Prince from a rich kingdom persistently harassed a Prince from a small kingdom. The Prince who was distressed eventually attempted suicide in the garden. The Prince barely survived. Since then, as a measure to prevent such a situation, the Gel Empire would only schedule royal families with similar national power to be together.
Thus, all of the people who visited the temple today were Princesses from kingdoms similar in size to Cassia’s. They did not have to please Cassia, especially since she had a bad reputation for choosing people according to their status and position.
After suffering directly or indirectly because of Cassia, it was only natural for the ladies to not do anything for her. However, such interest was soon stopped. The best topic at the moment was the Marchioness who suddenly appeared in none other than the temple, and one who would somehow be a calm ripple in the high society.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Schuden and Valia were walking together in the temple’s beautiful backyard. It was a quiet place with not many people present.
Schuden was almost a head taller than Valia. It was only natural that their walking speeds would be different. In the past, when Valia worked in the Imperial Palace, there were often times when she had to walk along with male knights. As she followed those who usually had a better physique than her, she quickly ran out of breath.
But now she had no trouble walking. She wondered if the happiness blessing that the High Priest gave to her was a blessing that actually improved her stamina. But when she looked closely, Schuden was walking at a slower pace than normal. Valia belatedly noticed that he was matching her pace.
If they were in an ordinary relationship and they were ordinary lovers, her heart would have skipped a beat. But Valia thought of something else first.
‘How can he toy with a woman’s heart like this?’
What did he do before? After appearing like a savior, he just called me ‘my wife’ right away. He kissed the back of my hand in such a crowded place, too.
‘Did he do that to the previous Marchioness too?’
If what happened was the same as the way he treated her, he would have done more to the previous Marchioness. Because the Marchioness was quite a beauty. In addition, guessing from the High Priest’s actions, it seemed that she had also received a unique blessing to seduce people. He must have been a few times more affectionate to the Marchioness than he was to Valia. After only doing something that could even make wood and stone fall for him, how could he love another woman?
Valia wriggled her hand that was being held for no reason.
“Is it uncomfortable?”
Schuden, who interpreted her action as being uncomfortable, asked her.
“No!”
Valia who unconsciously answered loudly cleared her throat.
“It was my first time holding hands like that, so it felt awkward.”
“It can’t be helped. I will be your first and last so you have to get used to it.”
“Pardon? Ah… Yes…”
Valia managed to calm her cheeks down before it was about to flush up again. No matter how she thought about it, this man was no joke. After saying something like that, he just looked ahead with an emotionless face as if nothing happened. He was still good-looking even when he did that.
As Valia glanced at his beautiful side, Schuden opened his mouth.
“You did well before. It seems like you don’t get nervous easily.”
Valia shook her head with a smile.
“I was okay just earlier, but I do get nervous easily.”
In the past, Valia was mainly in charge of female Imperial families, and as a result, she had opportunities to attend to noble ladies and Princesses. The ladies and Princesses were purer than she had thought.
As was often said, acts of jealousy were not something they would do and they were not enthusiastic about gossiping. They were just busy living their lives. Most of the ladies who were watching Valia did it out of curiosity. Knowing that, there was no reason for her to be intimidated.
The reliable man standing right next to her was also the reason she did not get nervous earlier. But Valia was not outgoing enough to say it out loud.
“Lady Dean, I have a question.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
