Chapter 28
“Thea, can you open my trousseau box?”
And until death, she hadn’t managed to say she truly loved him.
Even if she couldn’t do the latter, wasn’t the former worth trying?
After finding something suitable from the box, Freesia stood up.
“Let’s go down to the knights’ training ground, Thea.”
“Huh? Even if the Master isn’t there?”
“Yes, I know.”
Izar would likely be in his office, a place Freesia couldn’t enter now.
If she wanted to deliver something, she had to enlist someone else’s help.
‘At this time, that man is probably the only one training there.’
And that person had already been marked during her stay at the capital residence.
***
Most servants of the ducal castle had already chewed up and spit out the ‘duchess’ like a piece of lamb.
The young knights were particularly eager participants.
It was a good pastime when bored, and they thought there would be no punishment for gossiping behind her back.
However, some of them became reticent after having brought the ‘duchess’ home.
They would have scorned her for any complaint during the journey, but the woman remained much too docile.
She didn’t display her countryside roots, didn’t loudly express herself, cry, or clumsily try to ingratiate herself with any awkward flirtation.
And Van Dike was among those who felt awkward…
“Good day, Sir Van Dike.”
“…Yes, Madam.”
When the subject of gossip greeted him with a bright smile, Van Dike awkwardly averted his gaze, feeling an unexpected sense of guilt despite not leading the backbiting.
‘And why is she at the training grounds at this time…?’
As the evening approached, the other knights began to tidy up their equipment and head in. Van, being a bit old-fashioned, stayed later on purpose to use the training gear a bit more.
However, the duchess continued to converse with a bright smile.
“Is His Grace about to leave somewhere soon? It seems like he’s been gathering his equipment lately.”
“Yes, you’re right. It’s for the monster subjugation.”
“I see… How long will it take?”
“About a fortnight.”
Van hoped the conversation would end quickly and responded as briefly as possible. That the Lord didn’t need to personally partake in the hunt was something this small woman didn’t need to know. Then, the duchess handed something she was holding to Van.
“Sir Van Dike, could I ask you to deliver this?”
“…?”
“Could you pass this on to His Grace for me?”
Van accepted it unwittingly. What the duchess gave him was a small utility dagger.
“I don’t have anything proper to give to him… but just in case.”
“….”
“But I think he would dislike it if I gave it to him directly.”
Van looked down at the dagger. It seemed well-made, possibly by a craftsman from the capital, but he handed it back.
“This won’t be necessary. We have recently equipped ourselves with new gear.”
“Ah.”
“And His Grace already has a dagger that he’s more accustomed to.”
“I see…”
The duchess awkwardly smiled as she took the dagger back. Van wished he’d be dismissed soon. Yet, the duchess looked at him with a certain desperation in her eyes.
“Then, what would be a good thing to give to someone going on a subjugation campaign?”
“….”
“What, really… Is there nothing I can give to His Grace…”
“….”
“I don’t have any other intentions.”
An awkward silence followed. Van, with his hands behind his back, silently looked down.
At first, he was outraged at the disgrace of placing a shameful illegitimate bastard next to their lord. But after a day or two, and then three…
Eventually, after ten days of cold stares directed at this woman, his heart chilled too.
And at this moment, Van realized.
This woman was simply a new bride.
A young bride who only wanted to give something to her husband who was leaving, feeling the absence beside her.
Realizing this made him a bit sad, and he felt somewhat ashamed of his gruff behavior.
So, he decided to meddle a bit.
“…How about a bracelet made of thread that you knit yourself?”
“A thread bracelet?”
“Isn’t there something that village women give to men when they go hunting or on expeditions?”
“Ah.”
The duchess understood what he meant and her eyes widened.
In this village, women often gave men they cared for bracelets they knitted themselves, wishing for their safe return from hunting or fighting.
“Wouldn’t that be too humble for a piece of adornment?”
“What use is something extravagant on a hunt?”
“Ah…”
“If it’s flashy, it’ll catch the monsters’ eyes and be useless.”
“I see.”
At his words, the duchess finally smiled awkwardly. Van began to gather his equipment, preparing to leave.
“Even something simple can catch the eye more if it holds personal value.”
“….”
“Then…”
“Yes, I’m sorry for keeping you. Thank you.”
And the duchess, along with her maid, headed back to the castle first. Her receding figure seemed somehow fragile.
Like a small flower that fades into darkness as the twilight falls.
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