Chapter 1 (Part 3)

After the maid neatly arranged the Madam’s skirt and the shaggy-haired servant began to lead the mule towards the castle entrance, Edan finally withdrew his gaze as if thawed.

The old men looked at the young man, who seemed spellbound, with understanding expressions.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

“…Yes.”

“When the lord was alive, she couldn’t even speak.”

“Yes, when she was healthy, she was truly like an angel.”

“Ugh, Wex, that scoundrel. How could he say such things about her.”

“His eyes must be completely blind. That’s why his parish suffered such a drought this year.”

The old men continued their boisterous chatter, sharing stories only they knew.

As he let their words wash over him, Edan once again looked towards the direction where the Madam had disappeared. Even as she turned the corner, her gaze remained fixed in his direction. He dared to think that her sea-colored eyes, swaying with the mule’s movements, were surely reflecting him.

***

The people of the castle soon grew accustomed to Edan’s presence. The watchful eyes that observed whether he did his tasks properly gradually disappeared, and before long, he became a full-fledged worker like the others.

Today, he was called to the woodworking shop. Edan nailed together various wooden pieces as instructed by the carpenter. He was attaching long wooden pieces to an arched wooden board, similar to the windows in each room.

The carpenter, who had been watching Edan hold nails with his right hand and hammer with his left, nodded slightly and returned to his own work.

For a while, the only sound in the woodworking shop was the steady thudding of the hammer.

“But this… is it a storm shutter?”

Edan, who rarely spoke, asked, and the carpenter responded readily.

“Yes, we need to keep the windows tightly shut during the rainy season.”

“So, you’re installing storm shutters on all the windows in the castle?”

“Rather than that… the Madam is very afraid of thunder and lightning. You know, all noble ladies have at least one peculiar quirk.”

“The Madam, you say.”

The carpenter made a joke, but Edan murmured seriously, as if contemplating something beyond.

His fingers lingered on the protruding part of the nail for a long time.

“Your name is Edan, right?”

He was crouched in the castle yard, wringing out rags given by the carpenter, when he heard a voice from above.

Edan felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

Under the overcast sky, a woman in light colors was looking down at him.

It was the first time he had seen the Madam so closely, now at thirty. She was gaunt and thin, her face so slender that her bones stood out, yet she exuded a mature beauty.

The only thing vibrant in her pale face was her warm, water-colored eyes.

Was it to meet those eyes that I had come here?

Thinking so, he felt himself being drawn uncontrollably into countless nights of agonizing fantasies.

As if sensing his gaze, her slender chest rose and fell gently.

He imagined burying his nose in her thin neck, deeply inhaling her scent until it filled his lungs. And if those twig-like fingers wrapped around his most intimate part, without much force……

“You’re quite handsome.”

As if cutting off his boundless fantasies, she spoke with a sly smile. A shallow dimple appeared on the side of her mouth that curved upward.

“You are the lord’s benefactor, so don’t overwork yourself.”

“I should at least earn my keep.”

It was then that Edan realized he could sound so dazed.

The Madam of Tarnu, Ellenia, chuckled and slowly crouched down in front of him. The sound of the maids, who were always with her, bickering with other servants around the corner could be heard.

Does that mean there’s no danger within the castle?

As he wondered whether to be relieved or worried about the lack of a sense of crisis, Ellenia slowly extended her arm and gently stroked his golden hair with her delicate fingers.

“Are you twenty-one?”

“Yes, around that…”

It felt as if her touch was not on his hair but on his hipbone or the hollow of his lower back. 

Was it the vigor of his twenties?

His now fully hardened m*mber was becoming troublesome.

At the same time, he imagined burrowing under her skirt, licking her beneath like a panting dog… 

Was this also the vigor of his twenties? Or was it long-held lust?

He knew too well how her fingers would tremble and how her clear eyes would quiver… Ah, with all that difficulty, Edan slowly lowered his head. Fortunately, his baggy pants hid his ar*usal, but he unconsciously drew his legs together slightly.

Noticing his slightly reddened ears, Ellenia slowly withdrew her hand from his hair. Her hand stopped at the height of his nose.

Remembering the embarrassment in the audience chamber on the first day, Edan stared blankly at her face. Her water-colored eyes shone brightly in the middle of her pale, white face.

“Greet me.”

“My hands are…”

They’re dirty…

As if to say it was okay, Ellenia gave a small wave.

Edan quickly wiped his hand on his tunic, then fussed, tucking it under his arm and then to his neck.

Ellenia didn’t miss a single moment of this. It was ridiculous, but not funny at all, so her eyes subtly hardened.

“…What are you doing?”

“My hands are cold.”

‘Because my hands are cold.’

Suddenly, a voice from a cherished day rushed in… 

As Ellenia’s eyes softened, he quickly rubbed his hands together and carefully took hers.

When her thin hand rested in his palm, the shadow cast on the ground was entirely his own.

“They’re warm.”

Edan, who had been staring at it for a while, slowly raised his head. Ellenia’s face, looking at him, was tense with anxiety. Just like he was.

Perhaps it was a mix of subtle excitement, wariness, and curiosity.

Unable to take his eyes off her gaze, he gently closed his hand around hers and swiftly flipped it over. Her palm was revealed, with four fingers neatly covered by his thumb.

In her small palm, finely etched lines.

He brushed it with his thumb, then lowered his gaze and stared at it for a long time. His eyes were as serious as if he were deciphering an ancient map.

The silence stretched, but no one broke it.

Ellenia gently lowered her eyes and examined his brow. His dense golden eyelashes hung down calmly like the evening sun.

Sensing her gaze, his green eyes briefly turned towards her through the golden waves.

In that moment, as if he had longed for ten years, his rough lips descended on her palm.

“It must have been… hard alone.”

“…”

As his lips brushed her palm, the ticklish sensation seemed to travel up to her heart, squeezing it tightly.

When there was no response from her, Edan slowly lifted his head. At the end of his gaze was Ellenia’s face, crumbling without any pretense.

In the young, innocent face of the man, green eyes resembling her husband’s shone. As Ellenia stared blankly at them, she saw a deep, intense passion as dark as the summer foliage and as deep as an abyss flicker in his eyes.

Scratching, his thumbnail grazed the deepest part of her palm where he had kissed.

“…”

Staring blankly at her face, he once again placed his lips on her palm.

In the center of her palm, a second kiss.

The movement deepened, and her frail arm followed helplessly. His sharp nose buried deeply in the pulse point of her wrist.

Drip, drop.

Between the darkening sky, raindrops began to fall one by one.

The rainy season had begun.