On her wedding day at Castle Valmonde, Claudel had worn sparkling jewels from her head to the hem of her bridal gown. The early wedding gift Kaian had given her—though he now knew Claudel had never even seen it because Antjone had stolen it—should have been noticed, shouldn't it?
When Kaian thought about it, the extravagant display made sense for someone of her status. It had all been carefully planned. Yet the Claudel he observed at Rowan Castle never wore jewelry.
To his chagrin, as the butler had said, he only ever saw her in the bedroom. But even outside those encounters, there were no jewels or gold adorning her earlobes, neck, or fingers.
Well, there was one exception.
Claudel still wore the button bezel he'd given her, looped through her fingers like a ring. Sometimes he wanted to remove it secretly when he saw it, but he never found the opportunity—Claudel always had it on.
*"If there's something that suits you, try it."*
*"I'll try it later. I'm tired after looking at clothes for a while."*
She had looked troubled by his words. His astute intuition was leading him toward a certain conclusion.
---
That night, when everyone was asleep, Kaian concealed his presence and made his way to Claudel's bedroom.
No one in this castle could stop him from entering her room. Nevertheless, there was another reason why he took advantage of the darkness, slipping through shadows like a phantom.
Kaian's eyes fell upon the still-pristine bed. Claudel was sleeping comfortably among the large pillows and cushions. He glanced at her peaceful form, then quietly headed to the dressing room.
The man, who possessed keener night vision than most, surveyed the spacious room by moonlight streaming through the window.
*This is absurd.*
Usually, noble women were greedy and eager to spend on jewels. This was true for everyone, regardless of age. Without going far, even Bianque—Claudel's half-cousin and the kingdom's only princess—wore earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and even anklets of precious metals. It was common to have a variety of dresses for each season, organized by purpose, color, and accessories matched to each gown's material.
However, Claudel's dressing room was so empty that anyone looking at it would think it unused.
Kaian frowned in bewilderment, then noticed a familiar dress. Looking closer, he saw only a few garments hanging in the smallest section of the spacious dressing room—an area less than an arm's length wide.
Just three pieces, including the Valmonde-style high-necked dress he'd told her to discard today. And beside them hung two familiar nightgowns, neatly arranged.
One had even been torn at the chest because he'd been so eager he'd ripped it. The fabric had been carefully mended with hand-stitching.
Kaian's eyes moved to the cabinet where jewels were typically stored.
*Click.*
When he opened it with a subtle metallic sound, the contents inside were even more absurd. When the previous Duchess—Kaian's mother—had used this room, enjoying greater wealth and fame than most of the living, the jewelry displays in this cabinet had overflowed with treasures. The velvet torsos had been draped in necklaces and bracelets.
Now they stood completely bare, without a single ornament.
There was nothing. Claudel had nothing.
Kaian quietly left the bedroom. As if cold water had been poured over his fevered thoughts, reason finally reached the conclusion he'd been seeking.
"You lied."
Claudel had certainly said so when he'd been furious upon learning she had contracted consumption.
*"How dare he deceive me and send a flawed bride to the Lord of Rowan? Old Vermont is growing senile."*
*"I will destroy everything alive and breathing in the Valmonde estate..."*
*"No!"*
*"Well, what are you then?"*
*"The Duke of Vermont... Father—he doesn't know anything."*
That she had fooled him. That the Duke of Vermont knew nothing.
"How could he not know?"
There was only one reason why not a single bridal gift—not even a dress—had been sent for a wedding between ducal families, one carried out by royal decree.
The Duke of Vermont had known that Claudel would die.
Kaian roughly ran his fingers through his hair. He was irritated, but he couldn't tell if it was because Claudel had lied to him, or because the Duke of Vermont had looked down on him so thoroughly.
---
Rowan Castle was bustling from early morning.
Having just finished breakfast, I stuck my head out the window to see what was happening, but I couldn't determine the cause of the commotion. Then the butler found me.
"My Lady, the Lord has ordered you to prepare for an outing."
"What? An outing?"
"Yes. You won't be traveling far, but it would be wise to wear one of your new dresses."
"I see."
Hannah's eyes lit up as the butler disappeared.
"Quickly, change into a new dress!"
"Which one should I wear?"
I needed to know our destination to prepare accordingly, but the butler had already gone.
"This one. Wear this."
What Hannah chose was a dress that exposed both shoulders with a deep V-shaped neckline.
"Isn't that for a party or a ball?"
"Where is it? The skirt doesn't even spread that much."
"I don't even know where we're going. The chiffon is so thin—what if it catches on something and tears?"
"What if it does? Then you'll simply ask the Lord to buy you a new dress."
After much fussing, I settled on a dress with puffed sleeves, a square neckline, and a ribbon tied beneath the bust. I thought this was appropriate and not too extravagant, but when I tried it on, the thin fabric seemed to reveal my figure rather prominently.
"Isn't this a bit... much?"
"You need to adapt to Rowan's style, my Lady. Everyone dresses this way here."
"Really? Is it truly acceptable?"
"Absolutely. It's perfectly appropriate, my Lady."
I felt pressured when Hannah called me "my Lady" with such emphasis, and I ended up nodding.
After a while, a castle servant came to escort me. I followed him outside, where a large and sturdy-looking carriage stood waiting before the castle entrance.
"Oh my."
I was genuinely impressed. Compared to this, the carriage I'd ridden from the north seemed so flimsy that water had actually leaked through the ceiling during the rain.
As I admired the luxurious and sturdy carriage, I heard a familiar cold voice behind me.
"What are you doing standing there? Get in."
"Ah..."
Kaian held out his hand to me. When I stood staring blankly, he pulled at the hand I was using to hold my dress hem, as if frustrated by my hesitation.
"Hurry up. I'm busy."
"Yes."
As soon as Kaian and I entered the carriage, the door closed and we departed. The seats were quite spacious, and the cushions were soft, making me comfortable despite the journey. I couldn't feel the characteristic rattling of a carriage at all, and the wind blowing through the open window rushed past pleasantly.
Today was my first time outside since arriving at Rowan Castle over two months ago. Perhaps that's why I felt so excited. When I'd first traveled to this castle, I'd already been on the verge of death—so being healed so completely felt like nothing short of a miracle.
Reminded of this, I called out to Kaian.
"Duke."
"What?"
"There's something I want to try. May I?"
"Yes."
When Kaian, who sat across from me, gave permission, I lay down sideways on the seat despite the impropriety, given my position.
"Oh! I can lie down completely."
Outside the window by my head, lush trees shining light green against the blue sky passed quickly.
I quickly sat up again, resuming a proper, dignified posture. As expected, Kaian was looking at me with an expression of bewilderment. He generally didn't change his expression and always seemed stern, but I'd grown able to read the emotions in his eyes somewhat.
"It's my first time riding in a carriage this large. I was curious if I could lie down."
I pressed my lips together as I watched him furrow his brow.
"Shouldn't you be more curious about where we're going rather than testing the furniture?"
"Where are we going?"
"You'll know when we arrive."
Clearly, there was no need to answer my question properly. I quietly admired the scenery outside the window instead.
Rowan was a truly beautiful place. The landscape differed entirely from the surroundings of Valmonde Castle, which had at most waist-high shrubs and sparse vegetation.
*If it hadn't rained when I first came, I would have seen all of this.*
Sadly, my journey to Rowan had been plagued by rain for three consecutive days, forcing me to keep the windows closed the entire time. Even when I'd opened them briefly, all I could see was a gloomy gray sky and sheets of water.
As the butler had said, the carriage soon entered a road paved with stone. My eyes sparkled as I saw beautiful buildings on both sides.
Eventually, the carriage stopped. Kaian disembarked first and held out his hand to me.
"Get down."
"All right..."
I nearly exclaimed "Wow!" but closed my mouth instead. I didn't think he would appreciate me showing such unsophisticated enthusiasm here.
People recognized him as their Lord and bowed respectfully in all directions.
*How impressive.*
I was genuinely struck by the difference from seeing him within the castle walls. Here, I could completely feel that he was the ruler of this land—commanding absolute authority and respect.
"Come."
I took the hand he offered and entered the establishment. It was a jewelry shop.
The jeweler who had previously crafted my rings and bracelets greeted us with a beaming face.
"My Lord, my Lady, I've been expecting you. Please, sit this way."
As I sat beside Kaian on the long sofa, I became acutely conscious of his presence. He'd sat across from me at tables before, but he'd never sat directly next to me like this.
*After spending nights together, sitting beside each other shouldn't feel awkward, and yet...*
I tried to banish the thoughts from my head when—
"Recommend jewelry that would suit my wife."
I blinked, unable to fully comprehend what Kaian had said.
"If there's something you like, you may choose it yourself."
"Jewelry?"
"Yes."
He frowned slightly.
"I know your taste. If any Valmonde-style gaudy piece catches my eye, I'll immediately throw it into the moat beneath the drawbridge."
"Ah..."
In truth, I didn't have any jewelry. This was because the Duke of Vermont had not provided the gifts that would normally be expected for a bride.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford them—he simply didn't give them intentionally. This was because after my death, my property would belong to the Duke of Temnes.
Because of this, my uncle and aunt had quarreled for several days. The Duchess had claimed they would be condemned, that it would disgrace Vermont—a house overflowing with gold and jewels—to send me away empty-handed. There had been quite an uproar.
In the end, they loaded wedding gifts into my carriage, then stopped the procession outside Castle Valmonde, out of the Duchess's sight. They removed everything before the journey to Rowan continued.
*Has he noticed that I have no jewelry?*
Yesterday he'd said if there was anything I liked, I should try it. But I'd acted awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
"Is there anything you like?"
"Oh, no. Everything is beautiful."
When I answered hastily, Kaian nodded.
"We'll take everything."
---