Cold water spilled over Leonis' palms. He wanted to wash himself in hot water when he thought of the blood spilled throughout the body, but it was cold water that lifted his mind.
Leonis knew how to effectively subside the curse by slaughtering prisoners every day.
The madness in his body preferred to bleed as much as possible. The madness subsided in an instant, covered in blood that was being slashed to the throat without stabbing it in the heart.
All that was left was aversion to himself.
Ugh...
Leonis gritted his teeth, thinking of the imperial family who had the audacity to pass this curse on.
Not enough to hand over such a terrible curse, their father and son wanted to put a leash around Leonis' neck. Exactly like the Duke of the Sun, Leonis was hoping to be their hound.
Whether he wanted it or not, he had to put blood on his hands, so it was Moore's fault to make his hands dirty more.
"……It's unclear how they've been invading, but that's why the tower's involvement is all the more questionable."
Mages belonging to the Duke said so.
A beast that had been rented to the point of tearing down the wall could not help but be found on the patrol. It was clear that someone had opened a gate inside the duchy and attracted other local monsters.
Leonis wondered who was responsible for it.
'It won't be the Emperor. He wants Celia and him to have children soon...…. It is right to think that one of the three princes is the culprit.’
The second prince was the most successful in this marriage, so even excluding him, there were two princes left. They were on the side of the Emperor, but they would have been wary of Leonis leaning towards the Second Prince.
In addition, Celia was a woman of the Second Prince's side, so she could have tried to ruin this marriage.
After taking a bath, Leonis came out of the bathroom dripping with water. The servants, who were waiting with towels, wiped the water from his body and dressed him in a hurry.
Leonis, who was being briefed on today's schedule with an expressionless face, looked up.
"……What's my wife doing?"
"Madam went out an hour ago."
Going out?
The gaze of Leonis turned pale.
Celia was married to the Duke of Cardian, but she was not locked up. Isn't it Leonis who ordered the Duchess to obey?
But as soon as Leonis heard of Celia's outing, it first occurred to her that she was likely to flee.
"Where did she go?"
"I heard she was going around town. She's going to refresh herself.”
It wasn't bad for Celia to stroll outside, not just at the duchy. It doesn't make sense that the Duchess of Cardian is confined to the residence.
Knowing that, Leonis became nervous. It occurred to him that he had not seen Celia's face for five days for one reason or another.
While Celia was asleep, she went into her room and came out looking at her sleeping face, but Celia wouldn't know it. He may have thought he had neglected himself.
But once in contact with her, Leonis lost the confidence to touch her.
Even if it was the blood of a sinner, he was reluctant to encounter Celia with the hands that killed people. He was afraid that he might see Celia with contempt in her eyes, just as other nobles in society despise him from behind.
"Shall I bring you here?"
When Leonis' fierce complexion was asked by the servant, his fearsome gaze reached the servant.
"What are you talking about?"
Celia was not a prisoner. She was the mistress of the Duke of Cardian and was now the owner of the land as well.
The woman who became his wife couldn't be treated like that.
Leonis pressed and contained the boiling feeling. He knew his feelings were unjustified, but he didn't know how to get rid of them.
He felt like his stomach was in a mess.
* * *
"Is this all the jewelry that came out?"
There was no birth control ring that Celia wanted at the jewelry store she visited. The jeweler's only recommendation was large, dazzling jewels.
What Celia wanted was a cute little ring that could be put on her pinky.
You can't just ask for a birth control ring.
It could be a bad rumor to hear that your new wife, who had just married, came out to buy a birth control ring. Nevertheless, he was a duke of Cardian who lived with bad rumors.
"Is there anything you like?"
"What I wanted was not a big gem to wear to the ball. I'm looking for a small ring for my sister. It's not a birthday present, it's a light gift."
When Celia added, the jeweler looked disappointed but wrapped it up with a smile.
"Well, you did! Then please take a look at this here! This is the precious jewel in vogue with the ladies of Asylus these days!"
The jeweler changed his stance and recommended other jewels. Celia continued to ask questions, choosing from one thing to another while buying various jewels.
Fortunately, the word birth control ring finally popped out of the jeweler's mouth.
The common people seem to live openly, but the birth control ring was a secret purchase among aristocratic young lovers.
Also, its shape was not much different from ordinary precious jewels. I'm going to be wearing accessories with contraceptive magic. There was no noble lady who wanted to spread her rumors.
Celia bought more than a dozen trinkets, including that. Thanks to this, sales would have risen quite a bit even though it was not a big gem.
'Lily may have already fled, but...….’
In terms of plot, it would be the case. Before attempting suicide, Celia had taken steps to allow Lily to escape out of the Marquisate and live.
The brilliant Lily would have escaped safely from the Marquis with the money and valuables that Celia gave her. She could have fled to another city to avoid Marquess re-trial.
'This accessory is...I'll give it to my maid later.'
Having got what she wanted, Celia's next destination was a cafe known for its delicious dessert. The cook of the Duke of Cardian was excellent, but the work of another chef was different.
Some of Celia decided to eat on the spot, while others were wrapped. It was intended to be given to maids and servants whom she became quite close to each other in a few days.
Guards refused to sit due to work, but the maids sat next to Celia. As I drank tea and ate cake, time seemed to pass by.
"Sigh, that's how you live.’
This time was all the more special because I was dead but then got reincarnated.
"What do you do when you wake up from a beautiful woman's body? I should have gotten married as soon as I opened my eyes." I can't even see what the groom does or does when he's handsome and rich!’
It's all about everything. Everything was happy when something delicious went into my mouth. There are times when I feel depressed because I think of my family over there.… I decided to forget about it for the time being.
There was a huge task to adapt to this world to be depressed.
"So you really don't know what the Duke is doing?”
The maids seemed to have a clue, but they remained ignorant. I didn't see and hear it in person, so I thought I'd pretend not to know.
'We're not that close yet. I saw you for a few days...….’
Of course, you would be more afraid of a maid who has worked for decades than a newly married duchess. Celia decided to focus on cake and tea without further questioning.
* * *
'You shouldn't follow...….’
Leonis held back as if he were poking his thigh with a pen. Celia just went out, so if she goes there, she'll be completely unseemly.
It was also ridiculous to see her face in her sleep these past few days and chase her for going outside.
'You're sure you're out, aren't you? I don't like it, so I'm looking for a way out of the duke's house.….’
Nevertheless, he was a Cardian duke who was secretly ostracized in society. The curse of the Duke of Cardian came from the imperial family, but the condition that blood must be seen to suppress the curse caused the nobles to despise the Duke of Cardian.
Leonis hated those who saw blood for being cursed, pretending not to know it as mere amusement.
Within the Duchy of Cardian, he is loved by the people as a good monarch, but he is treated as such by the social circle of the capital.
"Duke!"
The pen broke inside the grasp and ink was flowing down. Deputy Peter panicked and let Leonis open his hands. Fortunately, the piece of pen didn't seem to have hurt the palm of his hand. His hands, trained with swords, had thick and hard palms.
Leonis looked out of the window as the servant wiped his hands with a handkerchief. It would have been time to come in because you said it was a light outing.
Suddenly, seeing Leonis' expression brightening noticeably, Peter followed his gaze and looked out of the window. The duke's carriage had arrived.
'You're back, Madam.’
Is that why you seemed nervous the whole time? Peter glanced into Leonis' face as he thought. Leonis was pulling out a new pen with a face that seemed to have abated. His hands had already been cleaned.
"Aren't you coming to meet her?"
"Who are you talking about?"
Peter didn't add words to Leonis' face pretending to be innocent. He secretly asked for another recommendation, but he ignored it.
'What's wrong with a married man meeting his wife?'
Peter was one of the few people who knew why Leonis forced marriage on Celia.
'It seems the Duke is a man who doesn't move with just urging.’
He had to get his feet on the ground first. Thinking that he should raise the stakes for it, Peter pretended not to know and put out the following papers.
Leonis' eyes on him were frightening, but Peter was brazen to the end.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment