Chapter 5.3

Sally was clutching Leo tightly. The men, short daggers in their hands, were chewing on something and jabbering strange things.

“Why did that guy want us to capture them in the first place?”

“How should I know? What’s that old geezer going to do with that woman…?”

The men snickered as they looked over Sally. Dragged straight from playing in the water with Leo at home, the boy hadn’t even been properly dressed.

“But didn’t he say the woman’s hair was black?”

“What does it matter what color it is? This is definitely the right house.”

“By the way, can’t we have a little fun before the old man does?”

Sally hugged Leo even tighter as she listened to their vulgar jokes.

Thinking she had to protect the child no matter what, Sally tightened her grip on Leo. This was all she could do right now.

“That would be great, but he told us to wait, so let’s just wait. If he tells us to kill them, we can have our fun then, and it won’t be too late.”

“But didn’t you say that old geezer was the lord of this territory’s uncle?”

“Watch your mouth. Don’t you know you’re never supposed to talk about that?”

“What does it matter? These two are as good as dead anyway. Dead people can’t talk, can they?”

At the black-haired man’s remark, the other two laughed harder. Then one of them grabbed his crotch and strode toward Sally and Leo.

“Pull the brat off her. They’ll be ordered dead soon enough, might as well kill time until then.”

At those words, the black-haired man quickly stepped forward and stood in front of them. When he tried to pry the child away, Leo wrapped his arms around Sally’s neck and began shaking his head. But a child was no match for the strength of grown men.

Eventually, the child was separated from Sally and began to cry and scream.

“Waaahhhh!”

And as if that sound was a signal, the back door of the cabin burst open. The black-haired man retreated quickly with Leo in his arms, while another seized Sally by the wrist and yanked her upright, pressing a knife to her throat.

But they started to laugh when they saw that Cedric, who had appeared at the back door, was alone.

“What? Does this woman have a husband?”

But the man who said that was no longer able to stand. The back door was locked, but the front door wasn’t, so Adrian entered without a sound.

He slit the throat of the man who wasn’t holding a hostage and quietly laid the body on a pile of hay.

But the other two men were so focused on Cedric that they didn’t notice Adrian had come in.

“Yeah, how dare you touch my wife?”

Sally’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Cedric, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Put the child down. If you just put the child down and back away, I’ll spare your lives.”

Adrian moved closer behind the man holding Leo. Fortunately, this man had no weapons. Adrian placed one arm under the child’s bottom and stabbed the man in the neck with his knife from behind.

“Ugh!”

With a small cry, Leo fell down. At that moment, Adrian snatched the child and held him tightly in his arms.

“Leo, it’s alright now.”

As the child was in his arms, a sense of relief that made his chest ache washed over him.

And when the man who had been distracted by his partner’s small scream loosened his grip on the knife he held to Sally’s throat, Cedric threw his dagger at him.

The dagger flew and lodged perfectly in the man’s forehead. It all happened in a flash.

“Ahhh!”

Sally screamed in surprise and began to sink to the ground, and at that moment, the knife near her neck left a long wound on Sally. Just as she was about to collapse, holding her neck, Cedric came and picked her up.

“Are you alright?”

He remembered Sally. And he checked to see how deep the wound on her neck was. But Sally looked at Cedric’s face and then passed out.

 

***

 

As soon as I heard Leo’s scream, I ran like a madwoman toward the cabin in the woods. At that moment, I could only act on instinct. And just as I was about to open the door, I heard Sally’s scream again.

I didn’t hesitate and swung the door open, and I saw Adrian standing in front of the fireplace. And Leo was clinging to his father’s arms as if he was glued there.

As if to reassure me that everyone was safe, Adrian smiled at me, and I just held onto the doorknob and sank to the floor. But Leo wasn’t showing his face, so I was anxious. I called out the child’s name and slowly approached them.

“Leo, it’s Mom. Come here.”

Leo heard my voice, quickly turned his head to look at me, and tears streamed down his face.

“Come here, baby. It’s alright now.”

The child started wailing when he saw me, but he didn’t let go of Adrian’s neck. Leo seemed to be in a state of shock, and it seemed he was clinging to the safest arms he could find.

“Let’s go outside for now, Claire.”

“Is Sally… is Sally alright?”

“We’ll have to check when we get out, but the wound doesn’t seem to be very deep.”

Cedric was carrying the unconscious Sally. Adrian and I took Leo and went back to where the horses were.

“The house isn’t safe right now. Let’s go to the ducal estate together.”

I didn’t want to go home right now either. When we got to the horse, the child had calmed down a bit and tried to come into my arms. But Adrian first helped me onto the horse and then handed the child to me.

And Adrian also got on behind me, and we headed for the ducal estate.

When the iron gate of the ducal estate opened and we entered the garden, the Duke and the butler, who had heard the news, ran out to the main entrance.

When I saw Henry and Gary, the tears I had been holding back burst forth. The Duke ran to me and took the child from my arms. And he took my hand and helped me dismount the horse.

“Your Grace.”

The Duke lightly hugged and comforted my shoulders, which were trembling and stained with tears.

“What in the world happened?”

Cedric, who had put Sally in front of him, was already right behind us.

“Your Grace, we must take these people to the annexes.”

At Gary’s words, we moved to the annex we used before. Soon, maids came into the room, and I washed up with Leo in my arms. Fortunately, there were clothes left from when I lived here, so Leo and I changed into them and lay down on the bed.

The child grabbed onto my collar and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Leo, it’s alright now. We’re safe now.”

“What about Auntie…?”

“The doctor said Auntie is alright. If you go to sleep now and wake up, you can see Auntie.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.”

“What about that man?”

“Huh? Who?”

“Can I see the man who saved me tomorrow?”

“Of course. So you have to go to sleep fast, right?”

“Yes, sing me a lullaby.”

When I heard the child’s voice, I finally let out a sigh of relief. When I had heard the child’s screams, my mind had gone blank, and I literally couldn’t see anything.

As I quietly sang the child’s favorite lullaby, he soon fell asleep with an angelic expression on his face.

I entrusted Leo to a maid and went down to the reception room in the annex. As soon as Adrian saw me, he immediately asked about Leo.

“How is Leo?”

“He’s… asleep.”

“What in the world happened, Your Majesty?”

Henry Kabyl interrupted our conversation.

“Claire… no, Lady Taylor’s house was attacked. Fortunately, I heard the child’s scream in the forest on the way here, so I was able to chase them.”

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”

The Duke expressed his sincere gratitude and bowed deeply to the emperor. And Adrian also felt his sincerity. But he wasn’t exactly happy to be receiving gratitude for saving the lives of Claire and Leo from this man.

Just then, Cedric came into the reception room.

“The maid has just woken up.”

“How is Sally now?”

“She’s fine. The wound on her neck isn’t deep, and she’ll be okay if she keeps a bandage on it for a few days.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“But, about that…”

“What is it, Cedric?”

The Duke was staring at me as I called the name of the Vice-Captain of the Quinze-Nouais Imperial First Knight Order without any hesitation.

“Your Majesty, according to the maid, the one who did this was Duke Henry Kabyl’s uncle.”

“What?”

Adrian was the one who received the report, but it was the Duke who answered in a surprised voice.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, she said she heard the men talking in the cabin.”

The Duke and I looked at each other, knowing what he meant. Just then, Adrian yelled at the Duke sharply.

“What is this supposed to mean, Duke? For what reason would your uncle plot something like this?”

After Viscount Kabyl was humiliated by me that day, he had come to the ducal estate a few more times. But each time, Duke Kabyl had refused to meet with him.

When Henry Kabyl didn’t answer, Adrian pressed him again.

“Duke, is that a possibility?”

“It’s awful, but… yes, it is.”

“Why? Why would your uncle target a child? No, I don’t need to hear more. Guide me to his house right now!”

Adrian came so close to the Duke that it looked like he was about to kill Viscount Kabyl on the spot. But I squeezed in between Adrian and the Duke.

“You can’t do that, Your Majesty. This is an issue of the Turk Empire, and specifically, the Kabyl territory.”

As I stood in his way, Adrian’s eyes flickered wildly.

“Are you saying this is not my problem?”

Adrian no longer seemed to be trying to hide it, and his look and tone toward me weren’t feigned in the slightest.

“Yes, Your Majesty. No matter if you are the most respected ruler of Quinze-Nouais, this is a hostile nation. If you were to behead a Turk noble without proper procedure, it could escalate into a national issue.”

Adrian turned his gaze from me to the Duke. The Duke’s face was already awfully wrinkled from a moment ago.

“Is that what you think as well?”

The Duke just closed his eyes without answering. But I didn’t let Adrian press him.

“My thoughts are the Duke’s thoughts. The matter of Viscount Joseph Kabyl will be decided by Turk law.”

Adrian’s Adam’s apple bobbed greatly, and he turned around and went outside. I, too, no longer had the strength to stand, so I found a sofa in the reception room and sat down.

“My Lady, I’m sorry…”

“Yes, I know. I feel like I want to go find him and kill him right now, just thinking about what might have happened to Leo and Sally.”

I looked at the Duke, my eyes hardened.

“But remember this. This is not your fault either, Your Grace. If you blame yourself now, I truly won’t forgive you. So please, reveal his crimes clearly and make him pay for his sins.”

The Duke nodded without answering. To him, Leo was family too.

He couldn’t let Joseph Kabyl, who had touched his family, get away with it. After all, he had the authority to judge serious crimes within his territory, and he was going to use this right in the most powerful way.

 

***

 

I couldn’t sleep at all because I couldn’t stop thinking about the look in Adrian’s eyes in the reception room. I thought about going to see him after the child fell asleep, but I just couldn’t bring myself to take a single step.

I hadn’t even properly thanked him, so I just forced myself to sleep, waiting for tomorrow to come.

The next morning, I finally fell asleep and woke up to a feeling of emptiness. Leo, who should have been in my arms, was nowhere in the room.

“Leo?”

I ran out the door, forgetting that I was still in my pajamas. No, I tried to run out. But I had no choice but to stop after just a few steps.

Adrian and Leo, both wearing white shirts, were sleeping in the hallway outside the bedroom, clinging to each other.

As I slowly approached, Adrian’s eyes opened. He was dazzling, even in the morning, as he swept his hair back, opening his eyes with effort.

“What in the world happened?”

When I whispered quietly, Adrian gently stood up, holding Leo, and came into my room. And he slowly laid the child down on the bed. He did it so naturally that I couldn’t stop him.

After a moment of tossing and turning, Leo’s breathing became relaxed, and Adrian slowly stood up and came toward me. I came to my senses and realized I was standing next to the bed in my pajamas, with him.

“The first time a person witnesses a murder can never sleep peacefully. Not even a small child.”

I covered my mouth, thinking of the shock Leo must have gone through.

“I thought the child might run out in a panic. Most people do.”

“So… you were at the door? All night?”

“He could have gotten hurt running out. And you must have been tired, so you might not have noticed the child leaving…”

“So you sat here all night?”

“Yes, I tried to make it so they wouldn’t see the situation, but I can’t say the child didn’t see anything at all. There are things you can feel even if you don’t see them.”

“Adrian, what in the world are you…”

“…What? Was my being here uncomfortable for you?”

“’Am I uncomfortable?’”

“Yes, if my actions made you uncomfortable, I won’t do it again.”

“If you were so worried, you could have had a knight do it.”

I turned away abruptly, squinting with an unknown emotion. Adrian reflexively moved toward me as I took a step away, but he stopped.

But when I composed myself and turned back to him, I felt like I had witnessed something I should never have seen. Adrian’s face was flushed red.

“Why…?”

“What?”

“Why is your face…”

I stopped asking and realized in an instant. What I was wearing. My summer pajamas were transparent.

‘What was I wearing?’

It seemed that as I turned away and moved a little farther from him, my attire had caught his eye.

I had to make a choice here.

Should I cross my arms in an X to cover my body? Or should I pretend nothing was showing, even though everything was visible? I made my choice quickly.

I held my head a little higher than usual and began to speak stiffly to Adrian.

“Well, Adrian. You are very thoughtful. Thank you very much for your considerate actions. Now go back to your room and get some rest, even for a little while.”

Despite my creaky words, Adrian’s face showed no sign of returning to normal.

“This is why I can’t have knights stand guard outside your room…”

Realizing this wasn’t going to work, I took his wrist and gently turned him around to send him out.

“Good night, Adrian.”

And I closed the door… but then opened it again.

“Thank you so much for yesterday.”

Adrian was still turned away, and all I could see was the back of his reddened neck. It was only then that I looked down at my own attire. If there were an eraser to completely erase yesterday and today, I would spend my entire fortune to buy it.

 

***

 

That evening, the Duke had prepared dinner for all of us.

Sally was also invited, but she firmly declined, saying she hadn’t fully recovered and felt too uncomfortable.

So, all of us except Sally gathered around one table.

Leo couldn’t wait for the food to be ready and took another maid by the hand, leaving the dining room.

Soon, a flawless Turk-style formal meal began to be served, perfectly orchestrated by Gary.

The formal meals here were mainly richer and oilier than those in Quinze-Nouais.

Adrian, sitting at the head of the table, also began to eat with an elegant posture. We were just about to start our main courses while making small talk about the Turk weather.

The dining room door opened, and Leo, holding a maid’s hand, walked back inside.

Thinking what a handsome child I had, I reached out to hug him, but the rascal avoided me and walked toward the seat opposite me.

And without any hesitation, he climbed onto Adrian’s lap and settled down.

“Leo, come here.”

“No.”

I called to Leo, but he just glanced at me and then turned to face Adrian. Soon, Adrian whispered something to the child, and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Leo turned his body to face the table. Then he opened his mouth, asking for food.

But that was only for a moment. When Adrian offered Leo a carrot, the child shut his mouth.

“You have to eat it.”

I firmly believed that no one in this world could make Leo eat a carrot. As expected, the child shook his head, saying he didn’t want it.

But then Adrian whispered something into Leo’s ear again. A miracle happened. The child took the fork himself and put the carrot into his mouth.

I watched the scene, my throat dry. I think I felt a strange sense of betrayal.

Adrian himself showed no sign of being flustered, but anyone in that dining room would have felt a strange emotion watching the two of them.

A miniature. Yes, Leo really looked like a miniature figure of Adrian.

The rascal, who would normally have been running around complaining about how small the room was, was now sitting in Adrian’s lap and eating patiently like a baby bird. A torrent of emotions went through me.

“What brings Your Majesty the Emperor to the Kabyl territory again this time?”

Adrian finally tore his eyes away from the child and looked at the Duke.

“A letter from the Turk Emperor will arrive soon, but in short, I came here to make you a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

Just then, the child wiggled his body and turned to face Adrian. And I heard it clearly. The child called the Emperor of Quinze-Nouais “Adrian.”

‘When did he teach him that?’

Adrian smiled softly at the child. Then he whispered something again. And like magic, the child turned back to the table and began to eat quietly.

“This is not a suitable place to discuss such matters. It would be better to talk in your office after dinner.”

“Yes, understood, Your Majesty.”

After dinner, while Adrian and the Duke went to the office, I took Leo to see Sally.

“Sally, how are you today?”

“I’m fine now. I was very surprised, but I’m just so relieved. Just imagining what could have happened to our Leo makes my whole body ache and go numb.”

“I know. It’s horrible to even imagine what would have happened if it weren’t for those two people.”

“I know, right? I was so surprised when Sir Cedric appeared. How can he be so manly and cool even in that situation…”

Sally stopped mid-sentence.

“Cedric is… manly and cool, indeed.”

My lips couldn’t help but form a mischievous smile.

“Sally, you’ve always called Cedric a handsome knight.”

“Me? When did I?”

“Every time you saw Cedric, that’s when.”

“Ah, my throat suddenly feels a little sore. I think I need to rest.”

“Alright, I understand. I guess I’ll go see what the handsome Cedric is up to.”

As I spoke with a mischievous smile, Sally gave me a resentful look.

“Auntie Sally seems to like Cedric.”

“Oh, Leo. Do you think so too? Mom does as well…”

“Leo!”

Leo and I were chased out of the room by Sally’s voice.

I had tried so hard to keep the child away from Adrian, but it had all come to this. But he, in fact, hadn’t shown any particular reaction.

Just as I was about to take the child to my room, a familiar maid approached me.

“What is it?”

“His Grace the Duke is calling for you.”

At the maid’s words, I quickly walked to where the Duke was.

“You called for me?”

“Ah, yes.”

“What is it?”

“Please, have a seat.”

When I took a seat across from him, the Duke offered me a drink, and I didn’t refuse.

“I already knew that Lady Taylor and the Emperor of Quinze-Nouais were acquainted.”

I had already lost the will to hide that fact. But I didn’t think the Duke would punish me for it. The trust we had built was quite deep.

“Yes… I just didn’t tell you because of the circumstances. There were no other malicious intentions.”

“I didn’t call you to blame you. However, Emperor Aurelian asked me what kind of relationship we had. Since it concerns you, I thought I should tell you.”

“And… what did you answer?”

“I deliberated. I couldn’t tell what the Emperor’s intention was in asking what our relationship was.”

“And so…?”

“I simply… told him that I asked you to be my wife and that I’m waiting for your answer.”

My mind became a jumble. Why would Adrian, who had never shown any interest in me before, ask the Duke that? No matter how I thought about it, the only reason was Leo.

And the Duke’s answer was also puzzling. I had thought he was a man with zero flexibility who could never tell a lie.

‘Does he not have a child with Celine yet?’

Even if he had a child, if Adrian had guessed that Leo was his son, he wouldn’t just leave him alone.

This is Turk. It’s an obvious enemy nation to Quinze-Nouais, and it’s a country where small and large wars are still breaking out with Quinze-Nouais. And Leonardo is the Imperial Prince of Quinze-Nouais. The First Imperial Prince, at that.

A fundamental fear that my child might be taken away arose within me.

“Your Grace!”

When I called out to him urgently, the Duke, who was deep in thought, put down his glass and focused on my words.

“This is a bit of an old story… but do you remember the promise you made to me when I finished the contract with McTivy, before I came to the ducal estate?”

The Duke, who had been thinking for a moment, looked at me in surprise, as if something had just dawned on him.

“My goodness, that was years ago, and you’re going to use it now?”

“I don’t think a promise disappears with time. You clearly said you would grant me any favor, and I said I would save it for later.”

“Hah, alright. So what in the world is that favor?”

“Please tell Adrian, no, the Emperor of Quinze-Nouais, that you have heard my answer. That I plan to marry you. And that you also plan to accept Leo as a legitimate child and raise him as the heir to the Dukedom.”

“What?”

“Please. Just for a while, just until the Emperor of Quinze-Nouais finishes his business and returns to his country. Just lie for me until then.”

“But if you’re going to ask me to do that, don’t you at least have to tell me what your relationship with the Emperor of Quinze-Nouais is?”

He was right. But since I had already decided to be shameless, I decided to be a little more shameless.

“There was no clause that you could demand the truth as a price for granting the favor.”

The Duke was lost in thought for a moment.

“Alright. But Lady Taylor. The reason I’m granting your favor is not because of that promise.”

“I know. I know I can’t demand anything even if you don’t keep that promise. Thank you for your consideration, Your Grace.”

“No, that’s not it. Lady Taylor, no, Tess, the reason I’m granting your favor is…”

I waited anxiously for him to continue.

“I hope everything you just said to me comes true.”

“Everything I said?”

“That you will become my wife, and that your child will be my heir.”

“What?”

“Exactly. I didn’t want to express my feelings this way, but to be honest, I thought you already knew how I felt.”

“What? But I never had that feeling…”

As I spoke, I suddenly remembered the necklace he had given me by the lake a while ago. The Duke, noticing my embarrassment, picked up his glass, stood up, and walked to the window.

“Your Grace, but I…”

“No. Don’t give me your answer now. You must be in a state of confusion, so it’s not too late to think about all of this later.”

“Later, you say?”

“Yes, when it’s just the two of us here again. When you are Lady Tess Taylor, just like before, and the Emperor of Quinze-Nouais is gone and won’t be back.”

I left the ducal office with a blank expression on my face.

This feeling was similar to when I saw Han Hyuntaek at the airport, just as I was about to leave on a trip around the world. Is the saying “when it rains, it pours”* too frivolous to use at this moment?

[*T/N: An idiom meaning when something bad happens, other bad things tend to happen at the same time, making the situation much worse]

But I couldn’t think of any other words.

The necklace really was for a confession after all.

 

***

 

“Sir Cedric.”

“Ah, you… Is your neck alright?”

Cedric hesitated for a moment, not remembering the maid’s name who had appeared so suddenly.

“I’m Sally. And yes, I’m fine, thanks to you.”

“I see.”

Cedric finished his words and became engrossed in polishing his sword again. But Sally was looking at the veins that stood out on his forearm.

After a while, Cedric looked up again as the maid, whom he had thought would leave, continued to stand in front of him.

“Do you have something to say?”

“This is… for you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing much, but I made it to thank you for saving my life.”

Sally held out a handkerchief embroidered with Cedric’s name. As she didn’t have much time, the embroidery was just the initials “C.D.” and a few flowers, but Sally had stayed up all night to make it.

But Cedric was genuinely flustered. He had never received a gift like this from a woman before.

“Oh, I don’t use handkerchiefs…”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t need it.”

“Oh, okay… You don’t need a handkerchief. I understand.”

Cedric saw the clear look of disappointment on Sally’s face. But he had no idea what to do in this situation. And Sally hurried away from him.

He felt embarrassed and raised his hand to stop the maid from leaving so quickly, but he soon gave up. He had no idea what to say to her even if he saw her again.

Sally was disappointed but not hurt. She was just sad that she didn’t know he didn’t use handkerchiefs.

“Then what in the world should I make for him?”

Sally wondered what the man she had just seen might be lacking. But no matter how hard she tried to think, he didn’t seem to need anything at all. He was a perfect man.