2. Don’t Believe What You See
Upon discovering me, Young Master Jace Riverton wore an extremely startled expression. It was an expected and completely natural reaction.
His emerald eyes trembled pitifully, and the breath he held before exhaling was notably unstable.
“…….”
If someone had been living alone in a castle due to illness, and a suspicious woman drenched from head to toe appeared while he was sleeping, I would have been just as startled as he was now.
I immediately stepped back about three paces.
Before he became even more surprised and had a seizure, I decided to quickly introduce myself.
“Um…… hello. I’m Rosaline from the Brienne family.”
Noticing his lips slowly beginning to move, I became so flustered that I started saying whatever came to mind.
“The, the castle is really beautiful! The flowers blooming in the garden on my way here were so pretty too! And the interior decorations suit this place so well…… I was amazed by the architect’s eye for detail!”
His jewel-like blue-green eyes, still drowsy with sleep, moved slowly.
Though he still appeared bewildered, he stopped trying to speak and seemed to be examining me.
I considered taking out the small postcard and handmade feather bed decoration I had brought for his sick visit, but decided against it.
They would surely be as soaked and ruined as my dress.
Producing such things would only insult him.
For the poor young master who had just awakened to find a drenched, terrible fiancée, I decided to quickly say goodbye and flee.
“Um…… you were resting, and I’ve disturbed you too much, haven’t I? I don’t want to bother you anymore, so I should leave right away. It was nice to meet you. I hope you get better soon!”
I hastily lifted my wet dress hem, gave a quick, simplified curtsy, and turned toward the wide-open entrance.
Then I walked away with very quick steps.
The entire time I walked, my clothes made splashing sounds with each step. The sound was so embarrassing that I felt my face might explode all the way to the exit.
“Could you be the lady…….”
A frail voice, clearly affected by illness, broke through, but his voice was distinct and clear.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Are you the one who was supposed to visit me today, the person who will marry me?”
Did the young master know I was coming?
No, thinking about it, it would be more natural for him to know. Even for an isolated young master, it would be expected that he’d be notified if someone was scheduled to visit.
I heard the sound of fabric sliding as he rose from where he had been lying.
I turned around.
“Cough, cough.”
He covered his mouth with a hand that couldn’t fully extend and coughed. Now that he had risen from his bed, I could see him better than when he was lying down.
Bathed in sunlight, his coloring looked entirely fragile, as if he might melt away at any moment. Realizing I was rudely staring at him, I quickly averted my gaze. Between light coughs, his small, thin voice was heard again.
“All dangerous objects should have been removed, I’m sorry…… My father worries I might face assassination attempts while I sleep, cough.”
The coughing sound was concerning. Even to my untrained ear, it didn’t seem like an ordinary cold.
Worried about him, I glanced up to look at him.
Due to his severe coughing just now, a tear hung heavily at the corner of his left eye.
It was absurd to think that someone so frail could clear away those dangerous obstacles.
With such a weak body, if he tried to lift even one of those hazardous obstacles, he might faint from the weight. I quickly felt I needed to stop him.
“No! I’m fine! Actually, I really enjoy avoiding obstacles.”
“Pardon……?”
His blue-green eyes showed great confusion.
His eyes gave the impression of absolute purity, untouched by any worldly corruption.
And that was true. He possessed excellent character, showing consideration for a strange guest even in such a desperate situation.
I began to feel sorry for having prejudged him as someone twisted and difficult due to loneliness.
“I can avoid them well enough on my own. Besides, you need them for your safety, don’t you? I’m fine, so please be comfortable.”
“Well…….”
The young master clearly hesitated, wanting to say something.
Feeling sorry for his uncertain demeanor, I carefully prompted him.
“Please, go ahead.”
Perched on the edge of the bed, he looked up at me with teary eyes.
His respiratory system seemed severely compromised, and his appearance in a shirt with a couple of buttons undone looked terribly vulnerable. The shoulder line of the shirt barely fit, but below that it was loose, causing air to flow through the gaps in his clothes when he coughed.
Even though it was spring in May, he should be dressed more warmly.
I inwardly resolved to bring thicker clothes on my next visit.
“I don’t know how to thank you for coming to see someone like me…….”
I was dumbfounded at the words the hesitant young master finally uttered.
He seemed apologetic about the fact that I had to marry someone as sickly as him.
Seeing his face at that moment, I felt a lump in my throat.
After finishing his sentence, he began coughing lightly again.
His light brown hair scattered and settled with his movements.
Due to the severe coughing, his reddish eyes and translucent white face quickly flushed. Eventually, the transparent tears that had pooled in his eyes rolled down his cheeks.
I strode toward him, closing the distance between us.
“Please don’t say such things. I…….”
I wanted to reassure him.
I moved a little closer to him as he coughed.
“I’m not afraid of you, young master.”
At that moment, Young Master Riverton’s eyes opened wider than ever before.
❀❀❀
“Robin.”
At the young master’s call, someone who had been hiding on the balcony outside the window revealed himself.
“You called, sir?”
The man called Robin walked to the bedside.
The Riverton young master leaned sideways at the edge of the bed, sitting with his legs crossed, and pulled out a long, thin cigarette hidden under the blanket. As he picked it up between two fingers, Robin lit the end. Smoke immediately began to rise.
“I didn’t think she would actually come, but she did. My fiancée. Completely soaked.”
Young Master Riverton chuckled as if amused and put the cigarette to his lips.
He deeply inhaled the smoke, then exhaled a cloudy puff.
“They say there’s a legend that my fiancée’s family has healing powers that can cure anything…… What do you think?”
With the smoking cigarette loosely held between his fingers, he asked Robin.
Robin stood beside him with an expressionless face, offering no reply.
He knew from numerous experiences that speaking carelessly near the young master might result in being kicked by his cruel foot.
His fastidious and violent temperament was unpredictable. Therefore, in such situations, silence was the greatest virtue.
Robin inwardly expressed condolences to Lady Brienne, who had unfortunately become the young master’s target.
Young Master Riverton chuckled at Robin’s lack of response.
“I heard she had a strong sense of responsibility, so I tested her, and indeed, she lived up to her reputation. Not only did she volunteer to be the head of her ruined family, but she also broke through all the obstacles I personally prepared and made it here.”
In truth, Robin suspected that the woman’s journey to this place was entirely due to the young master’s scheming.
Logically, the Brienne comital family, which owned several iron mines, couldn’t suddenly go bankrupt.
But his master often defied what appeared to be “common sense” without hesitation.
“By the way, how are things progressing with the coronation?”
The young master’s slowly raised red lip corner suggested he already knew the answer.
Robin always found that smile chilling.
How many people in the world knew that the young master, isolated from society due to severe illness, was secretly replacing the Empire’s emperor behind the scenes?
Probably no one except Young Master Riverton himself, Robin, and other anonymous subordinates.
The identities of those working as the young master’s hands and feet were also kept strictly confidential.
Even Robin had no idea who else worked as the young master’s agents.
When strange incidents occurred within the Empire, he could only vaguely guess that there must be others helping him.
But one thing was certain.
All of them, like the pitiful fiancée who visited the young master today or himself, had been pursued by situations he created and became his subordinates.
Robin tried his best to show no expression on his face, but whenever he stood before him, he always felt his thoughts were being read.
“As you directed, the scheduled coronation will likely be canceled. I received information that Prince Glemis left for a foreign country a few days ago, avoiding people’s eyes. The count who supported him was also sentenced to indefinite house arrest three days ago.”
“I see.”
The young master picked up the cigarette held between his fingers again.
“Shall I make my cute little cousin the next emperor?”
He smirked as he put the cigarette to his lips.
Robin remained silent again, struggling not to show his rising disgust toward him.
