Is the Price of Curiosity an Exceptional Man? - Chapter 8 (Part 3)
Chapter 8 (Part 3)
“Commander, you’re back? You look quite worn out.”
Ford, who met Patrick in front of the study, spoke with a worried look.
Patrick had returned from the border region after three days, bringing only Jake with him in the early morning. He had come to report the situation directly to the Duke.
The situation at the border was quite troublesome. The pirates, who should have stayed at sea, were causing havoc on land as well.
As expected, their atrocities were severe, so he needed to discuss with Duke Lennox how to handle the pirates after reporting the situation.
The situation was so urgent that he had ridden through the night to report as quickly as possible, which made him look more exhausted than usual.
“I plan to rest briefly and then return to the border. Prepare the knights I’ll name to accompany me.”
The voice was filled with deep fatigue.
“Understood.”
Deputy Commander Ford, having received his orders, immediately headed to the training grounds where the knights were.
After discussing with Duke Lennox, it was decided to split half of the knights into advance and rear guards and send them to the border region. Thus, after washing up and getting some rest, Patrick was to leave for the border region again with the rear guard.
When Patrick came out of the shower in the lounge, the training grounds were bustling.
He had already handed the list of knights to accompany him to Deputy Commander Ford. Given the significant number of knights who would be leaving the Lennox estate for some time, the commotion was understandable.
Just as he was about to tell the advance guard knights to start preparing to leave, Patrick heard something unbelievable.
“Have you heard the news? They say the Lady is getting engaged!”
“What? You mean Lady Reina?”
“Yes. Rumor has it that talks of marriage with Earl Selkirk are progressing. It might even happen this year.”
Upon hearing this, Patrick dropped the sword he was holding.
For a knight to drop their sword, which is like their lifeline, was unimaginable. Especially for Patrick. Naturally, the knights’ gazes turned towards him.
“Commander? You must have overexerted yourself.”
“Yeah, the Commander is just human like us after all. No wonder we can relate to him sometimes. Haha.”
Though it was the first time this had happened, knowing how much he had exerted himself until dawn, they tried to understand Patrick’s actions.
However, Patrick couldn’t hear any of their words. Just thinking about Reina becoming another man’s woman made his mind go blank.
During his brief time at the border, he had received a letter stating that Lady Berkshire and Sir Bill had broken up.
Since Sir Bill was very fond of Lady Berkshire, Patrick had hoped they would reconcile and resolve their feelings, but it ended in failure.
Receiving the letter left Patrick feeling empty. How could the love his dear friend had so desperately wanted to protect be shattered so easily?
A hollow laugh escaped his lips. If he had known this, he wouldn’t have agreed to help in the first place.
By agreeing to Bill’s earnest request, he had put Reina in a difficult situation. She could have been branded as someone who stole a man with a fiancée.
That’s why he had kept his relationship with Reina a secret. To protect her honor. He didn’t want her to get caught up in any dirty rumors.
It was clear from Duke Lennox’s behavior that he shared the same thoughts.
Fearing bad rumors might spread, the Duke had kept Patrick away from Reina and pushed for a marriage with Earl Selkirk in the meantime.
But the result of the actions he had taken for his friend’s sake was absurd, and now he risked losing his own woman to a formidable rival.
Why does everything keep going wrong in this love that started with so much thought and struggle?
Was it because I had angered the gods by entering into a fake engagement to fend off troublesome women while pretending to help my friend?
If he had known this, he should have broken off the engagement sooner. All sorts of thoughts cluttered his mind, but regretting it now was useless.
Nothing would change by staying still. If he remained passive, the worst-case scenario of losing his woman to another man could happen.
I can’t let that happen!
No matter how rational he was, Patrick always became emotional when it came to Reina. His judgment would become clouded, making it impossible to make the right decisions. It was the same now.
“Commander, where are you going? Weren’t you going to get some rest?”
He heard voices calling him from behind, but Patrick ignored them and headed towards the Duke’s estate.
* * *
At the same time, Reina was in the study. For the second day in a row, Duke Lennox was trying to persuade her, but she was doing her best not to be swayed.
“Are you still determined not to change your mind?”
“Yes. I have no intention of marrying Earl Selkirk. So please stop trying to persuade me.”
As Reina continued to be stubborn, Duke Lennox frowned. He sighed deeply and spoke with a pained expression.
“If you dislike it that much, I have no choice. I’ll have to proceed with the engagement by force.”
“What? What do you mean? Without even asking for my opinion?”
“Isn’t that what arranged marriages are? I tried to respect your opinion, but given the circumstances, I have no choice.”
“Father!”
“Earl Selkirk already knows about the necklace, doesn’t he? So we can’t just sit idly by.”
“Haven’t I told you countless times that I don’t want to be engaged to him?”
“I know you can’t accept my decision now. But later, you’ll thank me. This judgment comes from experience, so it won’t fail.”
“No. I will never marry Earl Selkirk. He’s more interested in the necklace than in me. It’s not a political marriage, so I don’t think it’s right to marry based on just the necklace.”
“You don’t understand now, but you’ll find your feelings drawn to him with experience. Do you know how excellent Earl Selkirk’s character is? If he had a strange personality, I wouldn’t have allowed the engagement even if the necklace changed color.”
“That’s just your opinion, Father. It’s not mine. So please don’t force your opinion on me!”
This was the first time Reina had ever stood up to Duke Lennox like this. Having always been cautious due to her past mistakes, her changed behavior puzzled the Duke.
Why hasn’t she gotten over Commander Marionus yet?
While Patrick was sent to the border, the Duke had deliberately created opportunities for Reina and Earl Selkirk to spend time together.
Given the time they had already spent together, her feelings should have shifted to Earl Selkirk by now. It was strange that her feelings hadn’t changed yet.
“Is it so hard to give up on the man you have feelings for?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s not important how I know. What matters is whether you’ve gotten over him or not.”
“…You’re right. I can’t give up on him.”
Reina, who had been looking at the Duke with startled eyes, hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Would you still feel the same even if the color of the necklace didn’t change?”
“Yes.”
Sigh. Duke Lennox let out a deep sigh.
This is quite troublesome.
Facing an unexpected obstacle was frustrating.
Until now, the necklace had always pointed to the person whose heart matched the wearer’s, so he naturally assumed the necklace would guide Reina to her destined partner.
Didn’t the magic necklace prove how accurate it was, as seen with Louis and Richelle? And even the Duchess and he had the necklace colors changed.
Since he had experienced it firsthand, he believed without a doubt that it wasn’t wrong.
As their bodies matched well, the feelings of love also blossomed, so Duke Lennox thought the necklace was perfect for finding one’s match.
But the appearance of an exception, where the necklace and the heart did not align…. This was the first time, so he couldn’t help but feel flustered.
He thought Reina’s feelings would change if he kept her away from Patrick, but they didn’t. Reina’s heart remained steadfast, not budging an inch, which was very frustrating.
The magical necklace wasn’t broken, so he couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working only for Reina.
Of all people, it malfunctioned for the most troublesome one. It felt like the gods were punishing him for raising her too indulgently.