Chapter 16
Leofric murmured the words. They were heavy—so heavy that they frightened Godiva more than his earlier outburst.
“You never look at what truly stands before you.”
A thin layer of frost seemed to settle over his silver eyes.
“Leofric.”
A hollow fear opened inside her. Godiva called his name softly.
“You only ever love in grand gestures.”
It felt like a severing. Something immense rose up between them. She wanted to cry out—I love you. I love you with all my heart. But not a single word left her lips. She only bit them faintly and looked at him through blurred eyes.
“Silence can be the clearest kind of affirmation.”
That was all. Leofric said nothing more. He turned his back on her and walked away, growing distant.
“….”
Godiva could only watch, tears pooling in her eyes. The words I love you bloomed in her chest like blood-red flowers.
* * *
She began to cry. Her heart hurt as though it might burst. Pressing her face into a large pillow, she sobbed quietly. The memory of his gaze still burned. Moonlight slipping through the window told her how deep the night had grown. She wept like that until dawn seemed near.
Creak.
She heard a sound but did not lift her head. She only squeezed her swollen eyes shut.
Rustle.
Wrapped in crisp linen, she felt herself enclosed. A solid weight settled over her.
Drop.
Drip.
Cold droplets seeped into her hair.
“…Huh.”
She knew who it was, yet she could not call his name. She only wept quietly and let herself be held.
What had he done? Leofric was cold and damp, as if he had stood long outside. There was none of his usual warmth, and that absence tightened her throat. She bit her lip hard.
“….”
“….”
Neither spoke. She trembled in silent sobs; he held her firmly. In the darkness, they remained like that—joined, unmoving. Time seemed to dissolve as the moon sank lower. Their shadows did not part.
“If your love for the serfs is truly that desperate—”
Just as her sobbing began to fade and she drew a shaky breath, his cold voice cut through the dark.
“Prove it to me.”
The words that followed were understandable in her mind, yet her heart could not accept them. To Godiva, they felt unreal—mere words.
“Lady Godiva, if you cannot… then you will remain silent forever.”
He spoke as though he would never turn back. Like a sheer cliff face, he stood firm.
“Leofric, how could you…?”
She twisted, trying to pull free, but she lacked the strength.
“The choice is yours.”
His breath was hot against her ear. She shook her head, but he pressed her down, leaving her unable even to turn away.
“How can you ask this of me…?”
She exhaled in despair.
Without replying, Leofric only gripped a handful of her hair.
* * *
“My lord, you must also review these documents.”
The retainers’ voices were always the same. Attend to this, attend to that. Everything they urged him to examine concerned their own security.
“My lord, as for the serfs who trade in the marketplace…”
The same refrain. The taxes must be raised further.
In the midst of it, another voice echoed in Leofric’s mind—Godiva’s tearful pleas, now rising loudly against the counsel of his men.
Knock. Knock.
Leofric turned his gaze to the door. He already knew who stood beyond it.
“Madam.”
The door opened, and golden light spilled into the room. The retainers bowed at once.
“My lord.”
Her face was pale from a sleepless night; even her lips had lost their color. Yet she was painfully beautiful. Every man present looked at her with admiration.
“What is it?”
Cruel man. Leofric knew well what turmoil she must be enduring. He gave a bitter smile, disgusted with himself.
“I wished to bid you farewell…”
Farewell—for what? Heat flared in his chest. Leofric kicked his chair aside and strode toward her. The moment he stood before his wife, he seized her narrow shoulders, gripping them hard enough to bruise.
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