Chapter 13 – Part 1

Tenere said she was riding.

Contrary to her initial fears, James, a tricky horse, had adapted to the palace without difficulty.

Not surprisingly, because his owner visited him every day to take care of him.

Tenere had just returned from a round of hunting when Leonard came to her.

One of the maids handed her a dry towel.

“I’d heard he was handsome, but I didn’t expect him to be this good-looking.”

James’s good looks were quite the topic of conversation among the maids.

Big, feral body, brilliant eyes, glossy black mane.

Add to that the fact that he could be demanding with others but meek as a lamb in the presence of his master, and he was quite the charmer.

“It’s fortunate that the hunting ground is spacious. You were worried he might feel stifled, weren’t you?”

“Indeed.”

Tenere wiped the sweat from her brow as she responded to the maids’ comments.

As she gently stroked the horse’s mane, James shivered and rubbed the bridge of her nose against the nape of her neck.

“It tickles, James.”

It was then that Leonard approached.

When Tenere turned her head at the sound, the maids all turned their heads towards where her gaze was directed.

“……Your Majesty.”

Her eyes, which had been smiling, narrowed in surprise as she recognized Leonard.

“What brings you here?”

It was a friendly question, as always.

Leonard glanced briefly at James, who stood at Tenere’s side, then back at her.

“I came to see you.”

He spoke softly, but Tenere didn’t reply.

She just smiled, clutching the reins tightly.

“I’ve just finished riding, and I’m about to head back. Would you like to take a walk with me?”

It was an affectionate invitation. Leonard nodded slowly.

Tenere handed the reins to her servant and patted James on the rump.

Glancing back at his master, James obediently followed the servant, and the maids bowed in greeting before returning to the Rose Palace.

The sun was shining, and it was a pleasant day for a stroll.

Tenere took off her riding coat, and Leonard immediately took it.

She looked a little surprised, but she didn’t stop him.

“……Did you bid farewell to Lord Evan?”

Leonard asked cautiously, walking with his arms crossed. Tenere nodded.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“His eyes seemed red, though.”

“He has a tender heart. He cried a lot when Josie was born, too…….”

Tenere looked away for a moment, as if remembering the past.

Perhaps it was longing in that face, Leonard thought suddenly.

“Tenere.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Tenere replied, still meek.

She didn’t seem to be drawing a line in the sand, but she also didn’t sound as affectionate as before.

As if the day’s events were a dream.

He knew she would comply if he asked her to call him by name.

Even if he asked for a kiss right here, or to go to the bedroom at this late hour, she wouldn’t refuse.

“……What’s wrong?”

Tenere asked worriedly when Leonard didn’t answer.

She scolded him for being unnecessarily affectionate, telling him not to expect love, and isn’t the same thing happening here?

‘You’ve run to me, you’ve held me, you’ve worried about me, and yet you haven’t even called me by my name.’

“……Tenere.”

Leonard stopped in his tracks and gently pulled her by the shoulders to hug her.

Tenere looked a little surprised, but she didn’t push him away.

She merely rubbed his back out of habit.

“…Shall we move somewhere else?”

Tenere asked cautiously.

She meant to ask if there was something they needed to talk about in private.

Leonard shook his head as he held her tightly.

“It’s just…… anxiety. I keep having bad thoughts.”

He knew affection didn’t necessarily mean love.

And that smiling at him didn’t necessarily signify affection.

But who was to blame for harboring endless expectations even within this persistent anxiety?

‘I wonder if the love you would eventually express would be genuine, if you’d stay by my side even if we don’t have children, when everything is so uncertain.’

“Don’t worry too much, Your Majesty. Lady Alaina is cooperating, so it will be resolved.”

Tenere whispered comfortingly.

Leonard could only nod silently as he held her close.

* * *

Mrs. Anzu, who lived in a small village outside the Duke of Travell’s estate, was a wild and nagging woman.

Especially to her one and only husband.

“Oh dear… I can’t live like this. Didn’t I tell you to get yourself together?”

“No, I did…….”

Called cute and adorable by his mother and grandmother, Mr. Anzu bowed his head as always in the face of his wife’s nagging.

His muscular body shrank into a puddle.

“It’s fine if it’s the herb bag. But why did you leave behind that big jar? Don’t you have enough papers and things to deal with already? Do we have to come back here on top of it all?”

Living outside the manor was freeing, but it was also dangerous,

The villagers eventually moved to the Duke of Travell’s estate.

With housing provided and a generous resettlement grant, they were able to load up their wagons and leave for their new home without complaint.

However, in his haste to collect the traps he had set in the forest, Mr. Anzu made the mistake of forgetting the jar of liquor and his wife’s bag of herbs, which led to his brief return to the village.

“That…… was my fault, Sarah. You know I’ve been in a hurry.”

Anzu quickly hugged his wife and kissed her on the side of the head.

They made such a good couple, Sarah had to laugh, even as she pushed him away for tickling her.

Hans, driving the cart, glanced back at them and yelled.

“Oh, that’s the sixth one of those today. Can’t you do that stuff when you’re alone?”

“Do you think we’d just kiss if we were alone? “

“Oh, come on, stop being so nosy.”

Mrs. Anzu slapped her husband hard on the back.

Hans shook his head in disbelief.

“We’re here, so get ready to get off.”

Beyond the dense canopy of trees, the village was getting closer.

Hans skillfully led the cart to the front of Anzus’ house.

When the hooves stopped beating, Mr. Anzu dismounted first and took his wife’s hand.

The village was empty now that the people had left.

Sarah looked around the deserted village and spoke softly.

“I wonder how ……they’re doing.”

“Who?”

“Who else? Our Empress, His Highness the Prince, and the Marquis.”

“Well, of course they’ll be fine. They will no longer hear your scolding.”

Hans chuckled.

While he was being slapped on the back by Sarah, Mr. Anzu opened the door to the warehouse and began loading the jars of wine into the cart.

“Well, they’re more at home there than here, so I’m sure they’ll get along fine. Maybe we’ll see them later when they come for an inspection. By the way, Hans, you’re going to have to move some stuff, too.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Load it up. I’m going to check the house to see if I forgot anything else.”

Sarah opened the door and went inside the house.

Meanwhile, Mr. Anzu and Hans worked feverishly in the warehouse.

The weather had warmed up a bit, and they quickly broke into a sweat as they moved some heavy jars.

“Huh, Mr. Anzu.”

Wiping his sweat roughly with his shirt, Anzu looked up at Hans’s voice, calling out to him.

Hans’s gaze was fixed on the forest in the distance.

“Look over there, see? Is there someone there?”

“Someone?”

At Hans’s words, Mr. Anzu squinted and looked in that direction.

Two people in thick fur coats were moving about in the forest.

“Travelers? It could be dangerous for them to be here.”

“They look like herb gatherers, don’t they? Judging by the bags they’re carrying.”

Said Hans, who had better eyesight.

At that moment, the ones rummaging through the forest seemed to have noticed this side.

They exchanged some words among themselves and then mounted the horses tied to a tree.

“Ah. They’re coming this way.”

“Go inside with Sarah for a moment.”

Mr. Anzu said, picking up an axe from the cart.

Hans looked a little uneasy, but he went inside the house without saying a word.

As the women on horseback approached, the clattering of hooves stopped in front of him.

“……Who are you?”

Mr. Anzu asked in a wary voice. The brown-haired woman answered.

“I’m looking for some herbs.”

“What herbs?”

“Do you know an herb called Livano? They say it’s a white grass that grows in the northern forests.”

The moment the woman spoke, Mr. Anzu’s shoulders drooped as if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have.

Then, as if to save him, the tightly closed window creaked open.

“Are you looking for the Livano grass?”