While he'd rolled through the battlefield, he'd never let go of his sword. Even when he'd shoveled a meal mixed with sand into his mouth without even tasting it to fuel his body, it was the kingdom of Oberon that Kaian had devoted his life to protecting.
Valquiterre's hands were white and soft as if he'd never done anything difficult in his life. Unlike Kaian, whose calluses were so thick that when he held the inside of his palm, it felt like it was covered with thick leather, the tips of Valquiterre's long fingers—which seemed better suited to holding a pen than a sword, or even playing a stringed instrument—let go of the flower and withdrew. He smoothed Claudel's bright red hair as if with regret.
Her silken hair wrapped around his beautiful fingertips, which he'd preserved through a glorious period of his life.
"If you call me Bark instead of Your Majesty, I will be your faithful friend at any time."
Claudel nodded without saying anything, as if troubled.
"Bark."
As if he really liked the answer, Valquiterre lightly kissed the back of her hand.
At that moment, Kaian noticed Claudel looking shy with an awkward look in her eyes. Although Valquiterre's voice couldn't be heard, his wife laughed at his mischievous gesture.
As his world seemed to flash white, the woman with eyelashes as red and neat as her hair carefully withdrew her hand, and the scene fell on Kaian like a thunderbolt.
Claudel was laughing. It had been a while since he'd seen her smiling face. He didn't know why.
From the moment he'd rejected the confessing woman by putting her on the defensive in the capital city, she couldn't bring herself to smile at him.
When she'd first come to Rowan, she'd been brought to the brink of death because she was suffering from consumption, so instead of laughing, she'd never shown any human emotions and had been as helpless as a doll.
As she'd recovered from her illness, she'd sometimes smiled when she saw him. As if just looking at him made her happy, as if just meeting his eyes made her excited.
When he'd plunged her emotions into the abyss after Vermont, he'd had no idea that her smiling face—which had become a part of his daily life—was part of his treasure.
Instead, what had taken its place were her sad, sorrowful, dark eyes. There'd been a time when, looking at it, he'd felt glad that the woman's soul had been completely placed in his hands. He'd thought so, but then he'd realized once again that he was a fool.
When he saw her smiling face now, he began to wonder if he was missing something very important. However, such subtle self-reflection disappeared in an instant as he was caught up in the feelings of jealousy that immediately exploded.
"Claudel!"
As soon as she heard her name called out with force—without knowing he was upset—he saw Claudel flinch as if she was scared. When Kaian saw Claudel's stiff appearance, his anger burned brightly, as if he'd thrown a straw bale and poured a pot of oil on a fire.
"Kaian."
As he got closer to her, she was overcome by his intensity and instinctively took a few steps back, as if she'd avoid him. Kaian pulled Claudel into his arms as if snatching her.
"You've been walking too long."
"What?"
"I waited in the room for a long time, but you didn't come."
"No, I just came out..."
"Where did Hannah go?"
Claudel couldn't hide her embarrassment and glanced at Valquiterre.
"The shade of the tree was cooler than I expected, so she went to get something to wear."
Kaian suppressed his anger and tried to act within reason.
"Has the busy work passed?"
Valquiterre asked curiously.
"It's almost lunchtime, so let's have a meal together."
Kaian tensed his eyebrows without realizing it.
*If I say I'm busy, you'll say you'll eat with Claudel, right?*
He was so irritated that he wanted to drag her back to the bedroom right away, but there seemed to be no other way.
"Sure."
"Oh, for some reason, you can answer so easily. You were so busy the whole time."
Every word Valquiterre said grated on him.
"I think this is our first time having lunch together since coming to Rowan."
Well, lunch was one of the rare opportunities to spend time alone with Claudel. If he missed lunch, it was hard to see her until he got to her bedroom at night. This was even more so now that work had increased due to Valquiterre's surprise visit.
Valquiterre grinned calmly.
"I ate a light breakfast and I'm hungry. Let's go now."
Kaian hurried his steps, not wanting to see Valquiterre in his bubbling anger.
"Kaian, Kaian—go a little slower. Ahh!"
However, Claudel, who was being held by him and walking as if being dragged, stumbled. She didn't fall down since she was in Kaian's arms, but she frowned as she took a step with her right foot and felt pain.
"Oh, I sprained my ankle."
"I don't think it's that bad."
Kaian ignored Claudel's words and looked at Valquiterre.
"My wife hurt her leg, so she won't be able to eat with us. I need to call a doctor."
Even after seeing Valquiterre's eyes widen in bewilderment, Kaian called the butler without any hesitation.
"Butler, I heard His Majesty the King is hungry, so hurry up and prepare lunch. And call the doctor."
"Yes, my Lord."
Baron Colon bowed his head toward Valquiterre.
"I'll take you to the dining room."
"..."
Valquiterre's blue eyes looked at him intently, as if trying to see what he was thinking. Kaian pretended not to notice his gaze and picked up Claudel and headed toward her room.
For a short time, a fleeting emotion passed by, and his heart was pounding.
*Did I make a mistake?*
All this time, he'd been worried about what would happen if Valquiterre treated Claudel the way he'd once treated things Kaian cared about—by destroying them.
He knew it didn't make sense, but there were so many things that Kaian had lost or given up to Valquiterre that it made him think that way.
However, as Valquiterre looked closely at the relationship between him and Claudel, despite all the attention Kaian had paid so far, an unpleasant feeling crept up on him.
*I shouldn't have treated Claudel like this in front of Valquiterre.*
Valquiterre hadn't been interested in Kaian's indifferent wives before. Claudel was his wife, and it was through the marriage that Valquiterre had arranged.
Valquiterre couldn't covet or steal Claudel. Like the knight doll that the Grand Duke of Luxen had given him or the dagger that his father had given him as a birthday present, she wasn't something Valquiterre could take as he pleased.
Nevertheless, the sight he'd seen with his eyes was so powerful that Valquiterre seemed to be very fond of Claudel. Things that didn't make sense were spinning around in his head.
"Why on earth are you doing that?"
As soon as they reached Claudel's room and closed the door, he lashed out.
"Are you really a person with sense?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Without even touching her ear, he tore off the jacaranda flower adorning her hair and threw it on the floor.
"I told you to be careful so that nothing unpleasant happens."
"I went with Hannah."
"But the two of you were together with Valquiterre. Are you the mistress of the castle but without self-awareness?"
Kaian sarcastically vented his feelings.
"A woman who pushed away even me, your husband, saying you didn't know who would see if you received affection from me."
"That's because you were being too harsh."
"Is it rude for your husband to show affection but social for another man to put flowers in your hair?"
"An expression of affection? Don't be ridiculous. You just wanted to toy with me as you pleased."
Claudel was furious.
"Isn't an expression of affection only valid if there's affection?"
"Is now the time to ask such questions? Why did you stay still when Valquiterre touched you?"
"He touched me? You speak really strangely. Bark just gave me some flowers. Wouldn't it be even weirder if I turned away coldly?"
"Would you like to hear a rumor about which one is weirder?"
Claudel bit her lower lip and staggered as if in some kind of pain, pressing her fisted hand to the center of her chest.
*Again...*
A woman who didn't cry sometimes appeared to cry without tears. Claudel made Kaian feel remorse for making the woman cry without shedding a single tear.
On the other hand, this situation was pathetic. When he realized it had been a long time since he'd seen her smile, he suddenly felt as if she were starving—starving for his affection.
Kaian suddenly developed a murderous hatred for the Duke of Vermont.
*If only I hadn't heard the old fox Duke tell Claudel to put a knife to my throat.*
There would have been no such duplicitous treatment of her. The position of Temnes family head had passed to Kaian. After hearing Vermont's words, Kaian's guardedness had been almost a reflexive action.
At the time, he'd thought it was the most reasonable option. In hindsight, he felt sorry for Claudel. He'd been so confident in pouring out harsh words to a woman who'd had pure feelings for him.
Kaian offered his hand to Claudel. But the woman who'd expected him to pull her into his arms took his hand, brought it to her cheek, and closed her eyes.
"Kaian, don't do that to me."
Claudel's voice became quiet as if it would die out.
"Don't act like you hate me so much anymore. It's scary."
When she opened her eyes, there was sadness in her golden eyes.
"You cared for me a lot. It's okay if you don't treat me as warmly as before."
Only then did he understand why she didn't come to him, as if she'd fly away.
He wondered if she'd grown to dislike him because he'd drawn a line after Vermont.
Kaian opened his mouth intending to correct her by saying that wasn't true.
"Claudel, I didn't mean that."
However, a disturbing commotion was heard outside the door.
"...What happened?"
"Well."
While they were puzzled, the butler who was supposed to be attending Valquiterre's meal knocked on the door.
"My Lord, Princess Bianque has arrived."
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