Chapter 16. A Gift from Her Husband

Theo stared at Yuelina who had slipped under the blanket.

Right.

The Grand Duchess had gotten into the blanket.

While the Grand Duke was watching with wide-open eyes.

No matter how you think about it, there’s only one explanation for this.

And is there anything wrong with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess sharing a room, sharing a bed?

Is it wrong for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess to use the bed, for the Grand Duchess to bear the Grand Duke’s child, and for that child to live happily in the Grand Duchy for a long time?

Moreover, the attic room was filled with Yuelina’s scent.

The fragrance that assaulted Theo’s nose was already making his body disobey him.

And now she goes into the bed first.

Theo decided to let go of the thin thread of reason he had been maintaining.

Just then, Yuelina peeked her face out from under the blanket.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were coming, so I was wearing the nightgown I used in my village.”

Yes. And it was very nice.

If all the clothes worn in the village look like that, please wear only those kinds of clothes in the attic room from now on.

Theo rubbed his face dry, trying hard to keep his mouth shut.

“This is the Grand Duchess’s room, so wear whatever you want.”

“But why did you come here?”

Yuelina looked at Theo while pulling the blanket up to her neck.

Until just now she was clearly the Grand Duchess, but now she looked like a crow-tit chirping away.

“I came because I have something to give you.”

Theo took out the box he had put in his pocket and held it out to Yuelina.

Yuelina took out her arm from under the blanket and received the box Theo was handing over. She seemed very conscious of her attire.

“You seem uncomfortable, so I’ll leave now.”

“Ah, no! Um… There’s a robe in the closet, could you get it for me?”

Yuelina asked Theo with a troubled expression.

As she said, there was a robe hanging in the closet. A robe made of navy towel material and one made of thin silk.

Theo took out the thin silk robe without hesitation and handed it over.

What Yuelina had meant was the thick navy towel robe, but…

Yuelina didn’t ask to change it and put on the robe.

She tied the robe’s sash tightly and came out from under the blanket again.

It was better than when she was just wearing the nightgown, but the sight of her in the robe was enough to disturb Theo’s nerves.

“Here, sit down for a moment.”

Yuelina pointed to the blanket spread in front of the fireplace.

The two sat side by side in front of the fireplace. They were at a distance where their shoulders almost touched.

All of Theo’s senses were focused on Yuelina’s shoulder.

The wet hair falling below her shoulder smelled of fresh flowers just beginning to bloom.

Yuelina opened the jewelry box Theo had given her.

Inside the box was an earring with an oval ruby surrounded by a diamond border.

Yuelina’s mouth slowly opened.

The red jewel shimmered softly in the firelight. It was such a beautiful gift.

“Are you giving this to me?”

“Feel free to have it.”

Yuelina’s eyes curved into a smile. She seemed to genuinely like it.

Theo felt a tingling sensation.

He couldn’t tell exactly where or how it was tingling.

It was just itchy and fuzzy all over.

“It’s so beautiful. Thank you.”

Theo liked the sound of Yuelina’s excited voice saying thank you.

Perhaps it wasn’t his body that was tingling, but his heart.

Theo wondered if he should get up right away and bring the tiara he had left on the desk.

Would she smile more deeply and brightly if he gave her the tiara?

If so, he could gladly give it.

At this rate, he might end up giving not just jewels but the entire principality.

Yuelina was also happy that Theo had given her a gift out of consideration for her.

But the fact that it was earrings bothered her a little.

However, she decided not to show it.

What mattered was the fact that he had given her a gift for her sake.

After all, one couldn’t give a gift without some feeling, whether it was goodwill or a small affection or whatever.

Yuelina was truly touched by that sentiment.

If they exchanged small, warm feelings like this, perhaps someday they would whisper love to each other as a real married couple.

Yuelina said a short prayer in a small voice for that day to come soon.

* * *

Raye was a maid who served the knights in the training grounds.

To be precise, she volunteered to be a maid.

It was because she no longer wanted to go out for duels and wars.

Raye met Theo when she was twelve and he was seventeen.

Theo had looked at Raye with serious eyes when she volunteered to go to war instead of her sickly older brother.

Other knights either cursed at her to get lost or didn’t even bother to look at her.

But Raye was confident.

She had the determination to break through enemy lines more fiercely than anyone else, and the will to stand at the forefront and risk death.

It was Theo who recognized that fighting spirit.

Theo said he would take twelve-year-old Raye to war.

Afterwards, Theo had Raye run errands in the camp.

He ordered her to wash the knights’ clothes, and to hunt and cook wild game.

At first, she felt insulted, thinking he was using her as a maid when she had wanted to fight the enemies.

It was after a year had passed.

Theo taught Raye swordsmanship every dawn after she had done the knights’ chores.

He taught her meticulously, starting from how to hold a sword to simple techniques of swinging up and down.

It was only years later, when Raye went to war, that she realized novice knights learned swordsmanship by doing chores like she had.

Learning swordsmanship under Theo was the best decision of her life.

It was honorable.

Theo granted Raye the title of knight. It was a position difficult for a woman to reach.

No matter what war it was, there was nothing to fear if she was with Theo.

That’s why she forgot that everyone was afraid of Theo.

Just hearing Theo’s name on the streets makes people look around. Even crying children stop their tears.

The road back after winning a war is always unbearably lonely.

It was peace for the principality and the empire given by his sacrifice and effort.

Thanks to him breaking through enemy lines and swinging his sword relentlessly at bloody scenes, they were given ordinary daily lives.

However, Theo himself didn’t have such a daily life.

The academy education that was said to be natural for nobles, friends, romance, family — her lord had none of these.

She realized too late that Theo’s wounds had festered to the point where they could no longer heal.

So the news that Ulysse was looking for a marriage partner for Theo was also hope for Raye.

All the knights encouraged Theo to get married.

And the first wife ran away as soon as Theo went to war.

The second wife wasn’t even in the carriage.

The third wife left a note saying she’d rather jump to her death than be the wife of a monstrous murderer.

A monster?

After fighting for whom do they call him a monster!

Raye felt indignant.

She wanted to bring back the woman who had run away right now and force her to sit down.

She wanted to yell at her to be patient and watch more. Shouldn’t you see with your own eyes whether Theo is really a monster or not?

After the third wife died, Theo stopped going to war.

Since their lord no longer went to war, the knights also began their lives in the principality.

Some started families, some devoted themselves to knight training.

Raye declared retirement similar to Theo.

She had felt enough honor, and had experienced enough war.

Now she wanted to do something helpful for her lord who would be cooped up at home, so he wouldn’t get hurt anymore.

So she spent her days managing the household as a maid in the training grounds.

She had applied to be a maid in the training grounds because Theo spent more time there than in the mansion.

But one day, a woman appeared from an island country not even on the map, saying she would marry Theo.

It was said to be a marriage hosted by the Bios Empire.

Raye was skeptical until that woman arrived.

She didn’t believe it until the door of the navy carriage opened.

And then the carriage door opened.

A woman with fluttering snow-white hair stepped out shyly.

But her lord was just blinking, covered in blood.

And what? No wedding ceremony?

This time it really seems like the woman might run away and it wouldn’t be enough.

Raye clicked her tongue.

She could envision a future where her lord would grow old alone with the aging Black Mansion.

If Theo lost his mind due to loneliness, would she eventually have to take care of him even in the bathroom?

She absolutely hated that idea.

But what do you know?

A day passed, two days passed, three days, four days passed, and the woman was still in the Black Mansion.