“It’s been a while, Lady Laurel.”
“……A while, you say?”
“No, I mean, seeing you here……”
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
Ethan decided to apologize cleanly rather than babble incoherently.
Sitting beside him, Lady Laurel had her cheeks puffed up. She looked oddly sensitive. Ethan knew it was best not to provoke her in such times.
“Are you having a peaceful day, lady?”
She shook her head vigorously. Her red hair swayed like the wind, looking so cute that it worried him. Ethan admired her rosy cheeks in a daze and asked a beat late,
“What’s the matter?”
“I got scolded by my nanny until I cried.”
“……”
“But I did a good thing!”
Returning covered in mud, it was no wonder she was scolded to tears. Knowing he was the cause, Ethan found the woman stomping her feet cute but couldn’t laugh. So he placed his hand on his chest and put on a solemn face.
“Mrs Ir was too harsh.”
“Actually, it wasn’t entirely my fault.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Seeing Hyacinth’s disheveled appearance yesterday, Seina almost fainted. She barely managed to stand upright and shouted with fierce eyes.
‘Princess, you’re not the only one staying in Tyche, right?’
However, it was not easy to ask the servants to clean up. It was none other than the Duchess’s ring. If such an item were found in the rainy garden, it would surely cause gossip.
Hyacinth couldn’t bring herself to explain this logical excuse to Seina—since it was a matter about Trisel, she couldn’t speak carelessly—so whether she sulked or not, Seina threw her precious troublemaker into the bathtub without hesitation. Even the space under her nails were dirty, so she had to scrub diligently. What else could she do?
Since becoming more mature, raising her had become easier, but if she let her guard down, every baby always caused big trouble.
Hyacinth, who had to endure the nanny’s non-punishment and non-nagging from late night to dawn, had no choice but to find a hiding place to grumble.
If she had known she would meet this man, she would have gone to the royal garden.
Hyacinth sighed deeply and glared at the man sitting next to her. The Duke of Trisel, who had been fidgeting, withered pathetically under her gaze. He must be a tree grown in the cold northern region, yet he was wilting like a plant that hadn’t received a drop of water.
“I should reconcile with my nanny.”
“That’s a good thought.”
“Are you alright? After being soaked in the rain.”
“……Yes, I’m naturally sturdy. Thank you for your concern.”
The conversation was choppy. Not surprising at all.
Not wanting to prolong the social interaction with the taciturn rock, Hyacinth got up without hesitation. The experience of wandering the rainy garden without an umbrella was unique, but she had no intention of turning it into a bond between them.
“I’m glad to hear you’re well, Duke. Then, have a peaceful day.”
“……”
“Well then—”
As Hyacinth got up, she had to look down with wide eyes. She felt a hand gripping her skirt.
Looking down, even the Duke seemed flustered, his ears reddening as if he couldn’t believe he had held onto her.
He sat there, flustered, like a child overwhelmed by uncontrollable emotions.
“I, I’m sorry, lady.”
“……”
“I didn’t mean to be rude. Absolutely not.”
The usually sharp eyes looked as if they were about to cry. He seemed on the verge of tears, like if you gave him a little tap, thick tears would fall drop by drop. Come to think of it, I had wanted to see that man cry, but I haven’t seen it yet. Not yet.
Hyacinth slowly blinked, trying to interpret the situation and her feelings. As the silence grew longer, the Duke’s hand fell away.
It looked almost like a fall.
Hyacinth pressed her lips together. She was torn between leaving him and saying something to this pitiful-looking man. She sighed deeply and sat back down.
As she adjusted her posture and turned her head, she saw the Duke’s noticeably brightened face up close. His face was almost artistic, with perfectly sculpted features. His eyelashes, the same color as his hair, were dense, adding to his mysterious appearance. The gray eyes within whispered stories.
Hyacinth frowned. Was it because of his silver hair? Her tangled emotions wanted to burst out.
But Ethan Erentis is not that ‘man’……
The silver-haired man in her dream was bigger and stronger than the Duke. Dream Hyacinth Hener liked his robust physique, which seemed to cover the whole world when he held her. Ethan Erentis was big but didn’t have the same overwhelming frame.
Maybe in about five years, when he fully matures……
Would he become similar to the man in her dream?
Hyacinth flinched and moved back. She almost hit her head on the wall, but the man quickly reached out and placed his hand between her head and the wall.
His soft hand cushioned the impact.
“……Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
She found herself trapped by the man’s arm. Hyacinth stared blankly at his sharp jawline right in front of her. Ethan Erentis seemed even leaner than when he first arrived in Tyche. The sharp lines made her dizzy.
A few inhales. A few exhales.
After ten deep breaths, Hyacinth slowly pushed the man’s chest. The large man, like a swirling snowstorm, retreated obediently. The departing and staying hands briefly brushed.
The temperature was hotter than expected. Hyacinth quickly grabbed the man’s hand, feeling the intense heat that seemed to warm her fingers instantly. With a firm grip, she held on.
“Duke……?”
“No, I’m not in pain.”
Ethan Erentis denied, not pulling away.
“Northerners generally have high body temperatures; it’s normal.”
“But this kind of heat!”
Having searched the garden in the pouring rain, wouldn’t he catch a cold? Unlike the anxious Hyacinth, the owner of the heat seemed unbothered. Straightening up, he looked as cool and calm as usual.
The flustered look he had under her gaze was gone……
Hyacinth felt strange. Annoyed? Irritated? Whatever the emotion, she disliked how calm the man before her seemed. As soon as she sent a sinking gaze to the Duke, he began to waver.
Slightly but surely.
His eyes, like a storm-tossed sea, were full of turmoil. He seemed to focus all his attention on her. Confirming his trembling fingertips, Hyacinth sighed inwardly.
Why did she become so mean? It felt like she was showing all her bad temper in front of the Duke.
“Really, lady.”
Ethan Erentis awkwardly explained.
“Northerners, especially me, have high body temperatures.”
“……”
“I can endure six hours outside on a snowy winter night. Really. So, please don’t worry……”
“How do you know that?”
Flinch. He shut his mouth in surprise.
From the man’s blatant reaction, Hyacinth easily guessed the answer. How would he know? Who else would make the high lord of the North stand outside for six hours?
Bridget Erentis.
She really couldn’t stand that woman. The fact that she made the man pitiful made it worse. How should she put it? Hyacinth Hener wanted to feel many emotions towards Ethan Erentis, but not pity. Knowing the power of sympathy, she wanted to avoid it even more.
“With all due respect, Your Highness the Duke.”
Hyacinth delivered her verdict sternly.
“Bridget Erentis has crossed the line.”
“My relationship with my stepmother is, um, not good.”
“Not good seems an understatement.”
“……We’ve fought to the death since childhood.”
Fought to the death. What a mild expression.
Hyacinth half-threw away the hand she had been holding. She didn’t know if her anger was directed at Ethan Erentis or Bridget Erentis, but it was hard to suppress.
“Why do you endure it?”
Her voice grew sharper, perhaps due to her frustration. Hyacinth felt embarrassed the next moment. Criticizing the victim, not the perpetrator, was wrong.
She always felt exposed to her core in front of the Duke. Maybe that’s why she disliked him so much.
“I’m sorry.”
Hyacinth clicked her tongue and apologized.
And Ethan Erentis stared at the woman who was pouting her lips for a long time.
The figure of Hyacinth Hener, staying in the pool of light, was truly sublime. Enough to make the heart of the man watching her convulse. Ethan chewed over Hyacinth’s apology with a wretched heart.
Why are you apologizing to me? The one who truly needs to apologize is someone else.
“I don’t understand why the lady is apologizing.”
“I didn’t intend to blame the Duke.”
“You can blame me.”
Ethan whispered hastily.
“The lady doesn’t need to apologize to me for anything.”
“That’s quite a chivalrous thing to say.”
“No. If you feel any guilt towards me, there’s no need. Truly.”
In reality, if you were to tear my soul apart, I would be delighted. Completely.
Ethan suddenly felt a hunger to hand over everything he had to the woman. Hyacinth seemed like she would throw it away in horror. But still.
“Please do as you wish, lady. Anything.”
“Yes, I apologized as I wished. That’s all. No matter what, it’s wrong to get angry at the victim when there’s a separate perpetrator.”
“……”
“Do you have any complaints, Duke?”
“……None.”
Other than the despair that you’re too good of a person, making me want to gouge out my eyes. Ethan struggled to hold his breath and kill his emotions.
“To answer the part the lady was curious about……”
Ethan hesitated a beat before slowly revealing the truth.
“She has the seal.”
It was better to keep silent. He knew that in his head. Trisel’s matters were Trisel’s matters. They had to be resolved within the boundaries of the North……
Nevertheless, Hyacinth had the right to know. If she wanted the truth, Ethan Erentis had to offer it up.
“My father, that is, the previous Duke, had the seal of the Trisel Duchy. It’s more than an heirloom…… it’s a symbol of the North, so it’s hidden well and there’s no way to retrieve it.”
“……”
“No matter what conditions are set, she won’t return the seal.”
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Bessyluck
Hay tantas maneras de quitarle el sello a la madrastra y al ML no se le ocurre ninguna, hombre aburrido, sin imaginación y patético, la princesa se enamoró de su bonito caparazón nada más
Thanks