A journalist took a photo of Therese distributing food.
While she fulfilled his repeated requests such as:
“Look over here, smiling big!” –
She was carrying a large pot and her hands were shaking, yet she was trying to maintain her smile.
While another journalist took pictures of the children after they finished eating, then he interviewed them and began scribbling something in his notebook.
The hall was downright chaotic, with the sounds of children running, noble ladies volunteering, and journalists mingling.
In addition, she was feeling very uncomfortable with her new shoes that she wore for the first time.
Who are you showing this to?
You shouldn't have hesitated and worn comfortable shoes.
Even though she knew no one would hear her, Thérèse secretly hoped so.
She did her best not to limp and lose her dignity.
Between the vertebrae of her spine, hidden under the layers of the dress, sweat trickled down.
“Your Highness!
Give me this heavy object, please.”
“It's okay, I can carry it.”
“Oh, no, let me do it.”
"Thank you."
Although Thérèse said she was fine, she stubbornly stared at the woman who had snatched the pot from her.
She was Madame Dario, a newly married countess who became a countess.
What are her intentions?
“Madam!
How do you carry something this heavy when you are pregnant?!”
Another middle-aged noblewoman, looking terrified, rushed over and dropped the pot from the Countess's hand.
“It's okay!
I'm in a stable pregnancy now, so it doesn't bother me at all.”
“Dario,” the Countess replied with a seemingly naive smile.
Ah, it took fate from me just to get to this moment.
Therese did not find their clumsy attempts funny, and contented herself silently with collecting the empty plates.
The middle-aged lady and the countess were both acquaintances of Prince Fabrice.
“Haven't you been married for about a year?”
“That's right.
Fortunately, my baby came quickly.
We only hope that the heir to succeed the Count's title will be born healthy.”
Their overheard conversation with her was very stilted.
The Countess of Dario seemed curious to know how Thérèse would respond, as her face turned slightly dark.
Thérèse, who was half turned, turned completely and stood before the Countess.
“I congratulate you on your pregnancy, Madam Countess.
I did not know you were pregnant because we did not communicate.
Forgive me for my oversight.”
Therese replied coldly.
“Forgive you?
It’s not that bad, Your Highness!
After the pregnancy, my health deteriorated and I was only staying in my room, so I couldn’t inform you.”
“See?
I will pray for you to be able to give birth to a healthy heir.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.
I will also pray for you so that you can give birth to a healthy heir.”
The Countess bowed politely to Thérèse.
You're praying for me to give birth to an heir, and I'm not even pregnant?
Therese felt so upset she almost laughed, but she didn't show it.
“Thank you.
I will take care of things here, so help those ladies, Madam Countess.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The Countess of Dario made another noisy bow, and then quickly disappeared.
Since then, subtle harassment from Prince Fabrice's acquaintances has continued.
Thérèse held herself together with difficulty.
She didn't like uncontrollable things.
Things like children.
Moreover, she had to continue to subtly help while behaving with the arrogant ladies.
Nothing was easy from either side.
In fact, since she was born the daughter of a high-ranking noble, she had little experience with household chores.
She had to make a great effort not to appear tired, despite her internal sighs.
As a result of constantly smiling, the corners of her mouth were twitching.
In addition, due to her lack of sleep, her eyelids were constantly drooping, and unfortunately, her swollen feet hurt with every step.
She began to feel longing and longing for someone, while at the same time feeling very upset with him as he sat comfortably in the luxurious guest room of the shelter and chatted.
“Thank you for coming today, Your Highness.”
“You're welcome to invite me back next time.”
“Have a safe trip when you return.”
She boarded the train and the shelter employees bid her farewell.
As soon as she closed the cabin door, her taut back collapsed as if it were collapsing.
Therese leaned back on the chair as if she had fallen on it, staring at the ceiling.
She was physically and mentally exhausted.
Dennis looked at her for a moment, then loosened his neatly arranged tie around his neck.
If things go as calmly on the train as they came, you'll recover a little.
Then, she will be able to do her tasks in the afternoon.
At that moment, a fragrant, fresh, forest-like scent surprised her.
Then he lifted the hem of her dress.
He took out her little foot hidden under the layers of the hem of the dress and placed it on his solid thigh.
Therese screamed in surprise.
"What do you do?"
“Don't you see?”
He grabbed her writhing ankles tightly, took off her shoes and threw them on the floor.
“Leave it, they are dirty.”
"You should have rested smartly.
Don't you know moderation?
Your feet are swollen."
Dennis ran his fingers over her peeled heel gently, then grumbled.
"Yes!"
A groan escaped her mouth involuntarily.
“How can a princess act smartly and moderately?
Wearing shoes is not elegant, so take them off until we arrive.”
In her entire life, Thérèse had no memory of anyone belittling her appearance.
It was because of her Engelger family lineage, and because of her beautiful appearance that she inherited from her really beautiful mother.
But she had one flaw, which was that she was a little shorter than average.
So, the problem was when she stood next to him tall, she looked like a young lady who had just entered society and not like his wife.
She wanted to be recognized as his wife in front of others.
Her black shoes, which she had worn to look a little good in his eyes, were lying upside down on their side.
The discarded shoe looked like her picture at that moment.
Dennis took his glasses out of his coat, put them on his nose, and then began reading the papers.
Therese wanted to criticize him.
While I was carrying a heavy pot in my shoes, you were sitting comfortably on the plush guest room sofa.
“…As a princess, I can’t take off my shoes that easily outside.”
She picked up the upside-down shoe and tried to insert her foot.
Her swollen foot did not fit into the shoe.
She forced her feet and pulled her back.
Dennis looked up from the papers he was reading and looked into Therese's face.
Therese looked out the window and acted as if nothing had happened.
Dennis sighed and said to her:
“Okay, ma’am, when are you going to take these shoes off then?”
“I'll take it off before bed.”
Dennis took off his glasses, which he had just placed on his nose, and put them in his pocket.
Then he rubbed his forehead with his hand as if he was tired.
He seemed to say something like: 'Stubborn.'
He called her in a low voice:
“So then, Therese.”
He took one step towards her from the seat opposite.
“If that's what my wife wants.”
Narrow distance.
Dennis fiddled with her side-swept hair, which had fallen out of her carefully arranged hairstyle since the morning.
“For my wife’s sake, this is nothing but a husband’s duty, isn’t it?”
She looked at him reproachfully, but she couldn't push his hand away.
"No way, Your Highness!
If you do that here…"
“It's okay, people won't know.”
Dennis smiled seductively.
He knelt at Therese's feet and took off her shoes again.
Then he started massaging her ankle, then her leg, then her thigh under the dress.
Yes.
Therese bit her lip hard.
His touches were soft, unlike his stubborn actions.
As he massaged her swollen foot from standing all day wearing the shoes, Therese felt extremely self-conscious.
“It's dirty, Your Highness, stop it...”
“It can't be dirty.”
While he was teasing her in a playful tone, he continued to carefully massage her stiff muscles.
“Were you very tired?”
“A little…”
It seemed as if her temperature had risen at her ears.
Because he was so cute.
Therese turned her head consciously and looked out the train window.
The train, leaving the station, was passing through quiet rural scenes.
Fortunately, there was no one there.
They were completely alone.
His hand was hot from the heat, and Therese's tense body gradually began to relax.
Her eyelids became heavier.
“Please, Dennis, stop…”
Thérèse pleaded with him with a feeling of helplessness, as if she had half given up.
Because she didn't want to become a princess who slept ugly inside the train.
“Shh Therese, it’s time for bed now.”
His smiling eyes were so playful.
Into the deep warm spring, I buried my face.
To the sweet, wet spring, I could not rest.
To that spring under the valley thick with trees.
To the inexhaustible spring, even if I drink, I go today too.
“Will you stop singing?”
Therese shouted as she lay on the bed.
“Oh, ma'am, how could I waste such an opportunity?”
Dennis was sitting loosely in the chair next to the bed, giggling.
In the end, she passed out and fell asleep on the train yesterday.
Since she had gone to the shelter and tired her body that had not slept well the night before, her delicate body could not bear it.
When they arrived in the capital, he could have woken her while she was sleeping, but Dennis picked her up and got off.
It was said that there was a great commotion when he got off the train.
He told the courtiers that Thérèse appeared to have fainted from exhaustion.
The maids came in and described how she had returned the night before, and how handsome the prince was.
She returned to her bedroom like a princess saved by her knight!
At that moment, she couldn't bear the shame.
She was embarrassed.
What about my dignity, and the status of a princess?
Why is he so inconsiderate?
There was something even more embarrassing.
Whenever she was about to fall asleep, he would shake her awake.
In total fog, only that long night was clear.
I didn't eat anything wrong.
How could she have surrendered to him so completely...?
Thérèse did not understand herself very well last night.
She seemed to be enchanted by Denise.
Because of this, Therese's fatigue piled up even more.
After the big commotion, the palace doctor examined her because she fainted from exhaustion.
Since she was just sleeping, it wasn't a big problem.
Because of this, Thérèse was lying down pretending to be sick when she would normally be doing her tasks.
In fact, it was also because she didn't dare to leave the bedroom because of her shyness.
“How long should I lie down, Your Highness?”
Therese asked in a sullen tone.
"Okay.
Until you recover, right?"
Dennis answered indifferently as he read a yellow newspaper.
“Since my wife fainted from exhaustion, I think she should rest for two more days.”
Therese showed a dissatisfied expression.
“So, don’t worry and rest, I will end the patient’s visit here.”
He got up from the chair and patted her forehead gently.
Under the bright morning sun, Denise's eyes looking down at her looked fresh.
“Your husband will go and earn hard money.”
Dennis straightened Therese's blanket once and then walked out of the room.
The room suddenly became quiet after the person left.
Therese sighed and lay upright.
Even though she had slept a lot yesterday, she was still drowsy.