Chapter 4 (Part 8)

Calm returned to the once chaotic room.

Sophie was alive, and Tenus was safe. Everything was alright.

Suddenly, the tension released from her body, which she hadn’t realized was there. As Sellakia staggered, Tenus, who was sitting on the bed, firmly supported her waist. She almost sat on the bed with her blood-stained dress.

“Thank you. I’m fine now.”

She meant that he could let go, but Tenus didn’t seem to understand. He didn’t remove his hand and instead asked an unexpected question.

“Even after all this, haven’t you changed your mind? Do you still want to leave Aldrich alone?”

“Well……”

It seemed like something needed to be done to safely leave the mansion, but her mind wasn’t working well after everything that had happened.

Despite having bled profusely, Tenus still seemed full of energy and continued speaking.

“Aldrich knows that I’m immune to poison.”

“…So it wasn’t a plan to poison you then.”

Was it just a scheme targeting me?

But with such insufficient evidence? That was a naïve thought.

Even if she was initially dragged to the underground prison as a poisoner, it would only be a matter of time before the truth came out. It would be difficult to punish Sellakia, who came from a noble family, without evidence.

So rather than that……

“Did Aldrich want to drive a wedge between us?”

Even if there was no physical evidence, the suspicion would remain. Once a seed of doubt was planted, it would sprout and spread even with trivial matters. It was a predictable process for their relationship to gradually become estranged after that.

If successful, Aldrich would have smoothly sailed towards his goal without lifting a finger. It was a clever method.

“Aldrich did something unnecessary.”

But he overlooked one thing.

“You don’t trust me at all anyway.”

Tenus raised one eyebrow as if asking what she meant. Sellakia found his innocent face absurd.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? You didn’t trust me, so you secretly had Sir Pinter as a bodyguard. Wasn’t Sir Belfona enough?”

Planting a seed of doubt is only effective when there’s at least some affection for the other person. Tenus’s feelings for Sellakia were so dry and cracked that there was no room for a seed of doubt to take root.

Sellakia was sure of it.

She didn’t resent Tenus for that. In fact, it was fortunate. Thanks to Mark, whom Tenus had assigned and she hadn’t even known was by her side, she was able to prove her innocence safely.

However, Sellakia felt pathetic for finding comfort in Tenus’s earnest eyes when she was confused. She thought she didn’t harbor even a single doubt, but the person Tenus trusted was Mark, not her.

“What’s wrong with having a bodyguard? You might not know, but there are many cases where they protect without showing themselves. To prepare for danger……”

“Yes, yes. Thank you for your wise judgment.”

Sellakia answered Tenus’s reasoning half-heartedly and made a new resolution.

She decided to stop pretending to get along with Tenus. She thought that pretending to be a loving couple would stop Aldrich’s schemes, but she didn’t expect it to backfire like this.

That bastard. Why is he so desperate to ruin me?

Sellakia’s demeanor was quite fierce as she chewed over the harsh words in her mind. Tenus, who had been watching her quietly, spoke.

“Do you dislike Mark guarding you that much?”

At the unexpected question, Sellakia, who was grinding her teeth, opened her eyes wide.

“If that’s the case, just say so. Roberta is more than capable, so I don’t intend to force Mark on you.”

If she refused Mark, he might secretly assign another unknown person to her.

“Why would I dislike it after receiving help today? Leave Sir Pinter as he is.”

“Then why the face? If you have something to say, say it. Don’t hold back.”

“I want to take off this blood-stained dress. It seems like the first aid is done, so can I go to the dressing room now?”

Sellakia slightly turned her body to show the state of the dress, heavily stained with blood on the back. Feeling uncomfortable, she wanted to change quickly, but Tenus didn’t easily let her go.

“Are you not going to say it properly? That’s not what you were thinking about.”

“What do you think I was going to say? What if I make a difficult request?”

Tenus tilted his chin as if to say, “Go ahead and try.” Sellakia didn’t hesitate long before speaking.

“Get rid of Aldrich for a month.”

Noticing Tenus’s peculiar expression, Sellakia quickly added conditions.

“Don’t kill him. And don’t bring me Aldrich’s head.”

“Should I throw him in the underground prison to pay for his crimes?”

“I don’t want that either.”

“What about making sure he can’t pull such tricks again?”

“Stop saying such horrible things.”

“How about putting him on a slave ship heading to a foreign country? I’ll personally come for him in a month.”

“Hey!”

“But why only for a month?”

“That’s because I…”

Sellakia, who was responding angrily, suddenly stopped. Tenus watched her reaction closely, noticing her hesitation. It was clear that the reason he was spouting nonsense was to get an answer to his last question. Sellakia, flustered, quickly gathered her scattered thoughts.

“When I officially become the Duchess in a month, Aldrich might stop doing these things. It was just a thought that crossed my mind.”

The sharp, dark blue eyes were intimidating. The deep gaze seemed to unravel her inner thoughts, causing her breath to falter. Just before she reached the limit of maintaining her expression, Tenus thankfully looked away.

“If that’s the case, there’s no need to wait a month.”

“What do you mean? Did you receive some news from the Imperial Palace?”

“There is a more official way to be recognized as the Duchess than a piece of paper from the Imperial Palace.”

Tenus’s lips curved into a sly smile, and an ominous feeling swept over her.

“Soon, it’s the period for the monthly vassal meeting.”

The Seidon Duchy held a regular vassal meeting every month. Unlike other families, the vassals did not reside in the Ducal Castle due to Aldrich’s prickly nature.

Sellakia hadn’t attended a vassal meeting herself, as she had missed it last month due to an unfortunate incident.

“So? What’s that got to do with what we’re talking about?”

“I’m thinking of holding a banquet to welcome the new master of Seidon.”

“What?”

Sellakia’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. She widened her eyes in disbelief and then snapped back to reality at Tenus’s deepening smile.

“No!”

“As the head of the family, gaining the support of the vassals is more important than anything else. It’s more meaningful than an imperial decree.”

“I’d rather live under Aldrich’s schemes.”

“Why? Didn’t you want to be recognized as the Duchess as soon as possible?”

Sellakia had never said she wanted recognition. It was a complete fabrication. But it was hard to deny it now. If she denied it, her plan to escape might be exposed.

“It’s something you’ll have to experience anyway. It’s just a matter of advancing the timing, so what’s the problem?”

Tenus drove the point home, looking at Sellakia, who was silently agonizing.

“Fulfill your duty as the mistress.”

As if he was telling her not to just die.

Sellakia had never hosted, let alone attended, a banquet. She had no confidence in doing it well. She would be lucky if she didn’t make a fool of herself by showing how clumsy and inadequate she was.

“When is the vassal meeting?”

“In a week.”

“Then the banquet is also…?”

Tenus nodded brightly.

“If there’s anyone you’d like to invite, make sure to send out the invitations.”

Sellakia clenched her fists.

Just endure for a month, just a month.

The effectiveness of this daily mantra seemed somehow diminished now.

* * *

Sellakia rolled her eyes under her closed eyelids. Sleep was elusive. It was a strange occurrence for Sellakia, who prided herself on being able to sleep soundly in any situation.

“…”

Lying quietly in the darkness, thoughts flooded in.

She asked Mark to handle the blood-stained dress so there would be no aftermath. Although the dress had made a poor first impression, she felt a little regret knowing she would never see it again. It felt like saying goodbye to a comrade with whom she had fought a battle.

“Madam is innocent! I can prove it!”

Come to think of it, her real comrade was elsewhere. She had never imagined Nancy would step forward at that moment…

Nancy hadn’t come to her bedroom even though it was late. Sellakia had to change into her nightgown by herself.

There was no need for Nancy, Sellakia’s dedicated maid, to handle the cleanup of the banquet hall. Nancy’s absence likely had another reason.

For example, she might have lost affection for her master who punished the servants without mercy. Or perhaps the seeds of doubt sown by Sir Aldrich Logue had unexpectedly taken root in Nancy’s heart.

Maybe Nancy would come in the morning to express her intention to resign as my dedicated maid.

“……”

Sellakia tossed and turned, unable to overcome her frustration.

There was no special reason for appointing Nancy as the dedicated maid. It was simply because Nancy caught her eye at that moment. So there was no reason to regret it even if Nancy decided to quit.

It was better to take this opportunity to change the dedicated maid. If she became more attached to Nancy, it would weigh on her mind when she left this place.

So this was undoubtedly a good thing. It was a good thing, but…

“……”

Sellakia’s body stirred again.

No matter how much she recited the rationale, her heart wouldn’t follow. It felt as if the sound of the crumpling bedding was echoing in her chest.

If only it weren’t for that damned Sir Aldrich Logue.

Why on earth did he…!

Caught in the flow of her thoughts running wild, Sellakia frowned fiercely with her eyes closed.

She heard a small rustling sound next to her as Tenus shifted. 

Was he also unable to sleep?

In the limited space shrouded in darkness, lying side by side, their quiet breaths mingled. It was a strangely new feeling. She had never felt this way before because she had been too sleepy to notice Tenus lying next to her.

Now that she was aware of Tenus, she felt more uncomfortable than when she thought of Aldrich. Aldrich, who had filled her mind, quickly faded, and Tenus took his place.

As she lay there, sleep seemed to flee even further.

“……”

There was a soft rustling, the sound of fabric brushing. A dark shadow loomed in her darkened vision.

It was as if someone was approaching.

<To be continued in Volume 2 of “Things Washed Ashore by the Waves”>