Chapter 3 – Part 9

Olivia’s face darkened. Cotton tossed the bomb into the air, catching it like a toy.

“Yes, it’s a bomb. Small enough to fit in your palm but incredibly powerful. A proud weapon of the Vanitas Empire.”

Cotton laughed softly. Marsden stood protectively by Olivia’s side.

“Haha, indeed. This bomb is one of the Vanitas border Marchioness’ bombs, made by your family.”

The air in the tent grew heavy. Even the seasoned soldiers felt the tension.

Cotton was curious to see how the Donau Marchioness would react. This Marchioness had been fierce in battle but timid in conversation. It seemed to be his default state.

‘That man was always with her back then too.’

The timid Marchioness always had this duke by her side, looking ready to bite at the slightest provocation.

‘Like a nanny.’

Cotton chuckled. Despite the rumors, how much could a person change? He expected the same frustrating behavior as before.

“Oh, so that’s why you called me? It makes sense. Haha, no wonder things were resolved so easily.”

Cotton couldn’t believe his ears. She was laughing as if the cold atmosphere were a facade.

“A bomb exploded in the demilitarized zone, so of course, you called me. But we didn’t do it. To be precise, the Charbert family didn’t do it, nor did the Empire. This means some small fry did this, right?”

“…”

Cotton was at a loss for words. There was a madness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“Did anyone get hurt?”

“…There are serious injuries, but fortunately, no fatalities.”

“Whew, that’s a relief. If anyone had died, I would’ve rounded up all the suspects and beheaded them, hahaha!”

For the first time since meeting a woman, Cotton felt his body stiffen. The soldiers beside him looked at her as if they were seeing a possessed person.

Marsden, the only one observing the situation with a semblance of calm, stood quietly. Cotton wanted to ask him; Can’t you see she’s gone mad?

“Thank you for handling this rationally. It was the right decision as a commander to seek dialogue immediately,” Olivia said, her previous madness replaced by a calm demeanor. Cotton could only blink at the sudden shift.

“I understand it’s our responsibility to clarify and negotiate since a bomb made by our family was found. Even if it was leaked from within, as a border master, I feel deeply ashamed and sorry toward the Katlan Kingdom. We’ll compensate for the damage; please grant us time to investigate.”

Cotton felt a strange loss of resolve. Before she arrived, he had been eagerly anticipating how he would handle the supposedly weak Marchioness. But who is this woman now? Apologizing and proposing solutions before he even had a chance to speak.

“As you know, I’ve recently returned after being injured and need time to secure the border region. Could you grant us this time?”

Though it was a request, there was no hint of servitude. Cotton felt an irrational surge of frustration.

The Katlan Kingdom. Among the kingdoms, it was one of the stronger ones, but it was not on par with the Vanitas Empire. Cotton despised the Empire’s attempts to subjugate them and especially… he despised this woman.

“Very well. Clashing with Vanitas would result in significant losses on our side too.”

“On behalf of the Empire, I thank you. We’ll withdraw immediately.”

Her attitude showed she had no lingering attachments. Olivia turned to leave the tent.

“Lady of Donau.”

Cotton stood up, calling after her. Olivia turned to look at him with a questioning expression.

Her eyes, resembling the sun, were filled with a determination that shone brighter than before.

“What happened over the past half year?”

“……!”

Caught off guard by the question, Olivia stiffened. Cotton slowly approached her.

“What did you go through in the last six months to change so drastically?”

Olivia pondered Cotton’s words. Now that she thought about it, no one had easily asked this question before. Even Emperor Hellebore hadn’t really asked…

Hadn’t asked?

Yes, it was strange. Even if those of lower status or those not close to her had not asked, why hadn’t Hellebore?

A chill ran down her spine. Hellebore…

“Give up! Give up, Troy…!”

Her head pounded, a sharp pain shooting through her head, but Olivia gritted her teeth. She had to deal with Cotton first.

“Sir Cotton.”

Before she could speak, a familiar voice cut through the silence.

“Is that information necessary for resolving this situation?”

The soldiers recoiled slightly. Marsden gently but firmly took hold of Olivia’s wrist.

“That’s a very rude question. Personal inquiries are not something I can allow.”

“…”

Cotton quickly backed down. He had to admit, one thing was clear: the Duke would tear anyone apart to protect the Marchioness.

“I apologize for my rudeness.”

“Then we’ll take our leave.”

Marsden didn’t wait for Cotton’s response and escorted Olivia out. Cotton smirked inwardly.

‘Still a foolish man. How could that be a Duke protecting a Marchioness?’

If anything, he looked like a man protecting his woman.

Cotton collapsed into his chair, savoring the pleasant tension as he lit a cigarette.

* * *

“Hey, Duke? This is overprotective.”

Olivia looked down at the layers of clothes wrapped around her.

“You had chills. You need to stay warm.”

Marsden draped yet another blanket over her.

Their party had paused on their way to the Flatd Castle to rest when Olivia started feeling chills and sweating.

Marsden ordered Glenn to light a fire immediately. Glenn and the knights cleared large stones and lit a fire for her to rest by.

“Your Grace, we don’t have time for this.”

“Alright… yes, Mas.”

Bundled up like a snowman, Olivia craned her neck.

“The bomb definitely came from Flatd Castle. We should hurry…”

“And are you sure you won’t fall ill again on the way?”

Marsden’s stern face was clearly illuminated by the fire. Olivia suddenly felt an urge to touch his sharp jawline.

“Well, I can endure it, but I can’t be sure I won’t get sick again.”

“Then no. We rest for 30 minutes.”

Marsden, who usually had a nonchalant attitude, was now stern and almost childishly frightened.

“……!”

So Olivia did something funny. She lightly tapped Marsden’s chin with her forehead.

“Do you like me that much? You’re being dramatic over a little pain, Mas.”

Looking at the situation, he seemed to be in more pain than she was. His complexion was pale, and his chest heaved heavily as if it were difficult for him to breathe.

“…If you knew how much I liked you, you’d run away. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.”

Crackle, crackle.

The sound of wood burning tickled their ears.

“That’s strange. Then why haven’t you asked?”

“…Asked what.”

“What happened to me in the past six months?”

Upon reflection, many things were strange. Normally, if someone liked another that much, they would ask what had happened, if anything bad had occurred.

Moreover, Marsden wasn’t of a lower status than her; in fact, he was her guardian. Even if he asked her what had happened, she wouldn’t have been able to fault him.

So why didn’t he ask?

“While others were making a fuss about a supposedly dead person being found in the bedroom, why… didn’t you ask anything?”

As if he already knew something.

“Mas.”

Olivia unwrapped a few blankets. She could move her arms now.

“Olivia!”

“You lied to me.”

Olivia grabbed Marsden by the collar.

“You lied about question number four.”

“……”

Olivia’s grip on Marsden’s collar tightened.

“Ahh……!”

“You didn’t find a pool of my blood.”

Olivia couldn’t hold back any longer and grabbed Marsden by the scruff of his neck.

“You found me! To be precise, you found me bleeding! Why did you lie? Why?”