RYEHC | Ch 14

14.

“Elaine, about that vase from yesterday…”

“Don’t worry, I hardly touched it. I’ll have to burn the box it came in, too.”

Elaine quickly shook her head, guessing what Selaya was worried about.

Hearing that she hadn’t been exposed much to the poison, Selaya let out a sigh of relief.

“In Teian, using that green dye mixed with copper has been banned for over ten years. But I guess in Tropez it’s still around,” Laska said.

Selaya couldn’t bring herself to reply.

In Tropez, toxic green dye wasn’t illegal, but the Imperial family already knew of its dangers and avoided it completely.

She’d suspected it from the color… but for it to actually be coated with poison?

If Hendrik picked out the gift, there’s no way he didn’t know it was laced with arsenic.

Did he give it to me to get rid of me? Or maybe to harm Lotte…

Her pale fingertips trembled. No… that child with royal blood… surely not.

“My lady,” Elaine and Maximilian looked at her with worried faces, already guessing what she was thinking.

…Wait a second.

Selaya recalled yesterday again.

“This is a gift from His Majesty,” they’d said.

But in the Empire, there was more than one person addressed as “His Majesty.” And Hendrik hadn’t said a single word about the gift when it was handed over.

If Hendrik had given it out of goodwill without knowing it was dangerous, he would’ve at least bragged a little.

Besides, he doesn’t need such petty tricks to threaten me or Lotte. If he wanted us dead, he could easily do it anytime.

So then… who else could be called ‘His Majesty’?

The Empress. Or the Dowager Empress.

Either way, this was clearly a warning. Selaya’s eyes grew serious.

“Your ex-husband may still have feelings for you, my lady, but it seems not everyone around him does,” Laska muttered casually.

Selaya looked at him. Even without knowing all the details, he’d already figured out the vase wasn’t Hendrik’s doing.

“The gift didn’t come from your ex. If it really had, he wouldn’t have said what he did yesterday.”

Elaine’s face turned pale as she glanced at Selaya, startled by Laska’s words. Selaya gave her a small nod, and Elaine whispered, “Oh no…” rubbing her temples.

Watching them, Maximilian leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“My lady, the political climate is bad, and trustworthy people are few. Perhaps someone with no ties at all would be best. You’ve at least confirmed his basic background.”

“…”

The Imperial family and nobles cared nothing for the people.

The Empress, with her own child to protect, would see Lotte as a thorn in her side.

All the danger was directed at her daughter now.

Selaya had only one choice.

With her mind made up, she spoke firmly.

“I’ll hire you as Captain of the Castle Guard, Laska.”

A grin spread across his face.

“I’ll do my duty.”

He stepped closer, knelt on one knee, and reached for her hand.

After a moment’s hesitation, Selaya slowly held it out. His rough hand, nearly twice the size of hers, wrapped around it.

“I swear, by Ceylon, the star that never fades.”

He smelled of earth and wind. His striking blue-green eyes locked on her.

“I’ll do everything I can to protect you and the young lady.”

Warm lips pressed against the back of her hand.

The strange, ticklish feeling made her heart flutter unexpectedly. Selaya kept her face calm and nodded.

“I’ll be counting on you, Laska.”

In the end, they didn’t even have to worry about disposing of the vase.

Before Vera could get to the parlor on Selaya’s orders, Lotte had already broken it.

“I was just looking at it, and I accidentally knocked it off the desk…”

Selaya gasped and immediately checked if her daughter had touched it, but thankfully Lotte hadn’t—she’d only bumped the desk.

It was unusual for Lotte to make such a mistake, but Selaya was too relieved that she was safe to think much of it.

Unaware of how dangerous the vase had been, Lotte was overjoyed that Laska was now Captain of the Guards, as if she’d gotten the best birthday present.

Seeing her daughter so happy, Selaya found her own doubts slowly easing, too.

The first thing Laska did as Captain was to repair the castle roof.

“You did a great job, Mr. Laska! Next, could you fix the stable posts, too?”

“No problem.”

Vera, who’d been waiting for someone capable of handling repairs, happily kept him busy. And Laska, always smiling, agreed to everything.

After a few days of watching, they saw he was truly reliable. Strong, handy, and diligent.

“He’s really useful, my lady!” Vera said with delight.

“I don’t know why he’s so good at all this, but he’s definitely capable,” Elaine muttered begrudgingly, though even she had to admit it.

“Well… now I feel like I’ve scammed him into a job,” Selaya groaned, rubbing her face.

Meanwhile, Laska split a thick log into four neat pieces with one swing of the axe.

His rolled-up sleeves revealed solid, muscular arms, and his blond hair glistened in the sun, damp with sweat.

“Is that enough firewood?” he asked, stacking the last logs neatly.

“Yes, more than enough,” Selaya replied quickly.

“Firewood’s done, but we’ve still got other work!” Vera said cheerfully, pointing to a heavy sack.

Laska hefted it easily. “What’s this?”

“Seed potatoes!” came a little voice.

He looked down—way down—to find Lotte standing there with a serious face.

“Seed potatoes?”

“Yup. In spring, you have to plant them so we can harvest in autumn. Potatoes don’t grow from seeds, but from seed potatoes.”

Laska listened seriously and nodded. Lotte glanced around excitedly. Selaya noticed her daughter was unusually thrilled.

“Wait here! I’ll grab the shovel from the shed!” Lotte shouted and ran off.

“Lotte, hold on—Laska can rest a bit—” But her daughter was already gone. Vera hurried after her to fetch supplies, leaving just Selaya and Laska in the yard.

“Laska, you should rest. We can start farming tomorrow. I’ll explain it to Lotte,” Selaya said.

“I’m fine, my lady.”

“But you haven’t even taken a break today.”

“I’ll rest while the young lady is gone,” he said with his usual smile.

Didn’t he say he wanted to ‘look back on life’? At this rate, he won’t even have time to think, she thought, feeling both guilty and worried.

Maybe she should ask Vera to prepare meat for dinner tonight…

“It really must be spring,” Laska murmured, lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. His abs flashed in the sunlight, muscles shifting with the movement.

Selaya quickly turned her head away. Staring at bare skin wasn’t polite.

“My lady.”
“Yes…?”

She looked back at him, startled by the sudden call. Her heart thumped faster, as if she’d been caught.

“Nothing big, just curious… Is farming good here in Cheringen?”

He’d already dropped his shirt back in place, smiling gently.

“Well, not enough to support the whole territory. Wheat doesn’t grow well… But potatoes have been doing better each year, so it’s worth trying.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Vera told me you used your own money to buy fertilizer and help the farmers. That’s impressive.”

“Cheringen is a border region. It doesn’t get much support from the capital. As lord, I just did my duty to the land,” she said modestly.

He only looked at her quietly, gaze fixed. Feeling his eyes, Selaya tilted her head.

“Is there something you want to say…?”

“My lady, excuse me for a moment.”

He leaned down slightly, reaching out. His hand moved with such calm and natural ease that she didn’t even think to step back.

Until his warm, calloused fingers touched her cheek.

“Ah—”

Her eyes widened at the sudden contact. His long lashes, the sunlight tracing his straight nose, and the firm line of his lips—all of it felt far too close.