Chapter 6 (Part 5)

After taking a sip of warm tea, Therese sank deeply into the back of her chair. Roshan then brought out a fan and gently fanned her from behind.  

“Roshan, your arms must be tired. Stop.”  

“Serving you, Master, is my only joy.”  

“If only you didn’t talk so much.”  

The two exchanged lighthearted banter for a while longer. The midday scene was so peaceful that the chaos of the previous night felt like a distant memory.  

As the plate of lemon tarts was nearly empty, Therese tilted her head.  

“This tastes a bit different.”  

There was a distinct flavor in the tart that she hadn’t noticed before. At her question, Roshan answered proudly.  

“It was made with Amalfi lemons, specially prepared.”  

“Ah, that’s why it tastes better.”  

Roshan couldn’t hide his satisfaction at her praise.  

“By the way, what happened to your hand?”  

“Oh, it’s nothing.”  

When Therese glanced at him, Roshan quickly hid his hand behind his back.  

In truth, Roshan had baked the tarts himself today. Having only ever wielded a sword, the process of making the tarts had been anything but easy for him. Even peeling the lemons had been a challenge.  

‘I’m glad she enjoyed them.’  

Roshan wanted to offer something to Therese, who always stayed by his side. He constantly felt regretful that he couldn’t give her more.  

‘Do you understand this desire to do anything for you?’  

Roshan, with a deep and affectionate gaze, watched Therese. Just then, an owl flapped its wings and landed by the window.  

“Roshan, go check it.”  

When Roshan opened the window, the owl calmly perched on the office stand. He untied the note attached to its leg, and his expression grew serious as he read it.  

“Master, it seems those people are about to make a move.”  

“……Make sure they don’t lose track of them.”  

“Understood.”  

Requests to find missing persons had been pouring into the guild. Such a large-scale disappearance was unprecedented.  

‘And yet, there’s still no news about it in the papers.’  

Among the clients were nobles who had lost their daughters or sons.  

‘And yet, the silence is deafening.’  

It was highly suspicious.  

Tapping her fork lightly against the table, Therese fell into deep thought. She had no grand ambition to solve societal problems.  

However, if she couldn’t uncover the truth behind this case, she wouldn’t be able to fulfill the requests either.  

“Roshan. There’s a ball coming up, and I’ll be attending.”  

“I heard from Victor.”  

“Yes.”  

“You’ll be going with His Grace, the Duke, won’t you?”  

Therese shifted her eyes at the obvious question. At the ball, she would not attend as Therese Demori but as Duchess Richard.  

“Why even ask when it’s obvious?”  

The very thought of the ball made her head ache, and her voice lacked energy as she replied.  

“I don’t like him.”  

“……?”  

Roshan had never said such a thing before. Even when she had announced her marriage, he had knelt and wished her nothing but happiness.  

Therese couldn’t hide her bewildered expression as Roshan quickly changed the subject.  

“The wind is chilly.”  

“It’s summer. How can it be chilly?”  

Before she realized it, Roshan had positioned himself behind her and draped a shawl over her shoulders.  

“You’re in poor health right now, Master, so you need to be especially careful.”  

Roshan’s large hands gently held the ends of the shawl, and a faint tremor passed through them. That trembling traveled to Therese, making her heart sink.  

“Roshan, what’s wrong?”  

He acted as though he knew about her regression.  

‘Could it be, Roshan, are you like me?’  

Therese swallowed the question she couldn’t bring herself to ask.  

“It’s just that hearing you coughed up blood again makes me worry.”

“……Ah.”  

At his sincere answer, Therese let out a sigh of relief. If Roshan had also regressed, she wouldn’t know how to face him. Could she smile at him as she did before, knowing he had witnessed all of her end?  

Wiping away her dry smile, Therese reached out and patted the back of Roshan’s hand.  

“Don’t worry about me.”  

“Th-Thank you, Master.”  

“What are you thanking me for?”  

A smile of the same hue spread across the faces of the two as they exchanged glances.  

* * *  

Dressed in tightly fitted white pants, a white shirt, and even a white vest, Georges Dupont stood at the entrance of the training grounds, mimicking the pose of a statue with a sword adorned with golden tassels raised high. Stretching his arm upward, he began to speak.  

“Hey, Thomas. Do you know why His Grace is in such a foul mood this morning?”  

“……I’m not sure.”  

Thomas Hammer, who was spinning a spear left and right, replied absentmindedly. Georges shook his brown ponytail fiercely in irritation.  

“You really lack the basics of being a loyal vassal. Isn’t it important to read our lord’s expressions and understand his feelings?”  

Even as Georges scolded him, Thomas remained nonchalant.  

“Instead of just putting on airs, you should train your body like me if you want to protect our lord.”  

“……Are you picking a fight with me right now?”  

Unable to suppress the anger that had been piling up, the hot-tempered Georges took off his gloves and threw them to the ground.  

At his challenge, all the knights training in the grounds gathered in a circle around the two.  

“The captains are dueling! A duel!”  

The knights of the 2nd Order, dressed in red cloaks, began boasting as if the outcome was already decided.  

“It’s obvious our captain will win. Captain Hammer can take down a bear with his bare hands.”  

Hearing this, the knights of the 1st Order, wearing blue cloaks, laughed mockingly.  

“Do you think he can beat Captain Dupont, who can slice through huge monsters blindfolded?”  

As the two knight orders clashed over their captains, Georges and Thomas glared at each other.  

“I’ve been planning to teach you a lesson someday.”  

“Well, I’m not afraid of empty words.”  

Judging by appearances, Thomas seemed like the clear winner. With his short black hair and bear-like physique, he looked formidable.  

In contrast, Georges, with his slim build and cheerful demeanor, didn’t seem very strong.  

“I’ll show you what real swordsmanship is today.”  

Georges drew his sword from his waist, while Thomas spun his spear in the air.  

Just as the two were about to aim their weapons at each other, a long shadow fell over the training grounds.  

“What do you think you’re doing? Were you planning to engage in a duel, which His Majesty the Emperor has forbidden by law?”  

“……Your Grace!”  

At the icy voice, Thomas and Georges quickly hid their weapons behind their backs.  

“If you’re so restless that you can’t stand still, I can personally spar with you.”  

As Duke Richard took a step closer, a terrifying aura emanated from behind him.  

At the sight of this, all the knights scattered in a panic, leaving only Thomas and Georges amid the dust.  

“Your Grace, please calm your anger. This isn’t a duel; Captain Hammer simply asked me to spar with him.”  

Georges blinked one eye exaggeratedly, and Thomas, a beat late, nodded in agreement.  

“Yes, yes, that’s right.”  

“As two people who should set an example, you’ll now run 100 laps around the training grounds as a time of reflection.”  

“No, Your Grace! If I run that much, I’ll collapse……”  

Georges pleaded, but the Duke didn’t even pretend to hear him.  

Jeremy Richard was in the worst mood. By now, he should have been escorting Therese, but he couldn’t.  

The Emperor had ordered the capital’s security to be tightened ahead of the ball, leaving him no choice.  

‘It feels like my chest is going to burst.’  

His face flushed with heat from his stifled emotions.  

‘I haven’t even caught the culprit yet…….’  

He had investigated every employee of the ducal residence, the merchants supplying food, and anyone entering and leaving the estate.  

‘There’s one missing maid, but her whereabouts are unknown.’  

There was nothing more he could do.  

The image of Therese coughing up blood haunted him several times a day, tormenting him.  

“Is she with that detestable man again today?”  

The thought of the Pasa man, whom Therese cared for despite her husband being right there, made his blood boil.  

‘Roshan, was it?’  

The two, who had known each other since childhood, were as close as siblings.  

‘No, that bastard’s gaze wasn’t that of a brother.’  

Therese seemed to care for him like family, but Jeremy instinctively knew how the red-eyed man from Pasa felt about her.  

‘I didn’t like him from the start.’  

He recalled the humiliation of the day he had begged for milk tea.  

Therese had reluctantly made him the milk tea and even dried his hair, but she hadn’t been kind at all.  

‘Roshan. I’m worried your wound might worsen.’  

‘Master, I’m sorry for troubling you.’  

‘There’s no need for such words between us.’  

Her voice, when speaking to Roshan, was like a spring haze—so tender and warm that he couldn’t bear to touch it.  

Jeremy Richard was not the type to envy others. He believed that each person had their own fate and that coveting what one couldn’t have was the act of a fool.  

‘But at that moment, I envied that slave.’  

Yes, even he, Duke Richard of the Caspian Empire.  

“……Ha.”  

When he told Therese he wouldn’t be able to accompany her today, she had been discreet, but she was clearly pleased.  

‘Even so, you are my wife, not his.’  

He had sworn before Goddess Diana and held a marriage certificate proving they were husband and wife.  

‘Why does she dislike me so much?’  

Jeremy had tried everything to win her favor. Then, he encountered a question.  

‘Why do I want to win her favor?’  

Jeremy froze completely at the sudden question.