Chapter : 10
After witnessing Suu’s swordsmanship with my own eyes—and then seeing him accept defeat so decisively—the sound of Duke Kassiár suppressing laughter reached my ears.
He politely covered his mouth, but since I could hear him anyway, it was pointless for me.
Even recalling it now makes my face burn with embarrassment.
I covered my face with one hand, though my reddened ears couldn’t be hidden.
Where in the world does that skinny body of Suu’s get all that strength?
So this is why people say you shouldn’t judge by appearances.
For the first time, I felt I truly understood the meaning of those words—etched into my bones.
“Good. I’m glad Suu has pleased you.”
“Please stop laughing, Your Grace. I already feel embarrassed enough without you adding to it.”
I glanced sideways at Suu, gauging his expression.
This was clearly my fault.
I owed him an apology.
“I’m sorry, Suu. I judged you rashly, looking only at one part of you. I’ll reflect on it.”
Even as I apologized, the words didn’t fully capture my feelings.
Surely, Suu must have been offended.
I forced myself to look up at him.
“It’s all right. The fault is mine, for showing you such a defenseless side.”
He seemed to think that letting me see him asleep had failed to earn my trust.
Maybe it was better to let him think that.
“No, it’s still my fault. I’ll be more careful from now on. Please take care of me as my guard knight, Suu.”
At my words, Suu lowered his sword, bent down, and kissed the back of my hand.
That was the formal gesture of a knight pledging loyalty to his master.
Even knowing that, experiencing it firsthand left me feeling strange.
Maybe it was because Suu was so strikingly handsome.
That would explain it.
“Suu, that much formality will do.”
Just as I was starting to feel like a princess, Duke Kassiár ruined the mood.
“From this moment on, I shall follow you, my lady.”
Suu rose, looked at my hand for a moment longer, then disappeared through the window.
“But—this is the second floor. Is that safe?”
Startled, I rushed to the window, but he was already gone from sight.
“It’s fine. Suu is no ordinary knight.”
The way Duke Kassiár said it, he seemed quite used to that sort of sight.
If he’s no ordinary knight… then what exactly is he?
I had many questions, but rather than asking the duke, I decided I’d ask Suu directly.
After all, he was my guard now, so we’d have plenty of chances to meet.
“Will you be returning to the marquis’s estate now?”
The duke asked as I closed the window.
“Yes. If I don’t go back now, I feel like I’ll never make it back at all.”
The image of my mother’s face came to mind—one I had been trying to forget.
Ever since I was young, my family had been unusually strict about curfew. Even if I attended a party, I had to leave early, unable to stay and enjoy myself.
If I came home late, my mother’s discipline was waiting.
“How amusing. If you cannot return to the duke’s mansion, that would be a problem for me as well. I’ll have the carriage prepared immediately.”
Amusing?
Apparently, Duke Kassiár thought I was joking.
If he had ever once experienced my mother’s wrath, he’d know there was nothing amusing about it.
As I worried about how to lessen the sting of her discipline, I suddenly remembered something.
“Oh! I almost forgot. I need to return something to you.”
I handed back the ribbon I had borrowed to tie my hair.
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s tying ribbons!
Thanks to wrapping gifts at cosmetic shops, I could tie the prettiest bows anyone could imagine.
With practiced hands, I tied the duke’s shirt ribbon into a neat knot.
Perfect!
The bow sat flawlessly, without a single strand out of place.
“How is it? Do you like it?”
Pleased with myself, I looked up at him, expecting praise.
“Not bad.”
His lukewarm response was deflating.
Really?
“Have you ever seen a ribbon tied more perfectly than this? To say ‘not bad’—you must have impossibly high standards.”
Expecting compliments from him had been foolish of me.
As I turned away in a huff, I thought I heard his low voice murmur near my ear.
“‘Not bad’ is as good as saying it’s good.”
“Your Grace, what did you just say?”
I quickly spun back toward him, ears pricked.
“I said, ‘Not bad.’”
“No, after that!”
I pressed, but he only shrugged and walked away without another word.
He could have just said it was good.
He really was terrible at expressing himself.
Still… come to think of it, this was the first time he’d acknowledged something I did as good.
That wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
I silently laughed to myself, mimicking his words.
This once, I decided I’d be the bigger person and let him off.
When I arrived at the marquis’s estate, I barely stepped inside before screaming.
“Aaah! That hurts!”
I was currently experiencing my mother’s wrath—straight across my back.
“Spending the night away from home before you’re even married?!”
Mother was furious at my first-ever night out.
“It wasn’t like that, Mother! We only slept. That’s all!”
Rubbing my stinging back, I pouted.
Mother looked at me with worried eyes.
“That’s your choice, and I won’t interfere. But you should have at least sent word. If Duke Kassiár hadn’t contacted us, do you know how worried we would have been?”
“The duke… contacted you?”
That was news to me.
“Yes. He sent a messenger bird to say you’d fallen asleep by accident, so we shouldn’t worry.”
Even when he must have been feeling unwell, he still took the time to send word?
I remembered what Pani had once said—
that the duke could be endlessly considerate toward those he valued.
Wait a second. If he already reassured them, then why was I the one getting scolded?
“There was no need to worry, so why am I the one being punished?”
“Would you have sent word yourself if the duke hadn’t? Obviously not.”
…She wasn’t wrong. I had no comeback.
Unfair.
It’s like all mothers are born with mind-reading abilities.
How else could they always predict exactly what we’d do?
As I sulked, Riri came running into the hall.
“My lady! A gift has arrived from the duke’s mansion!”
“A gift?”
He hadn’t mentioned anything about that to me.
Why a gift all of a sudden?
“Oh my, what is all this?”
Mother and I went outside to see a golden carriage, dresses, jewelry, and furniture piled high—an extravagant display from Duke Kassiár.
So he wanted to flaunt his wealth.
But at least send a gift that could actually fit inside the house!
Even if we brought it all in, there’d be no space left for people.
“Duke Kassiár instructed me to deliver this letter to the Marquis and Marchioness.”
Father accepted the letter and, after reading, handed it to Mother.
“This is for you to read.”
Smiling broadly, he passed it over.
“What does it say?”
Peeking over Mother’s shoulder, I read the letter.
**[To the esteemed Marquis and Marchioness,
I sincerely apologize for not returning your precious daughter to you on time before the wedding. I know these gifts cannot truly ease your worry, but they are the only means I have to express my regret.
I have one request: please do not scold Riel too harshly. Next time I visit the marquis’s estate, I will gladly accept punishment in her place.
I ask for your broad and warm understanding.]**
“Riel, you’ve found yourself a truly good husband.”
Mother was clearly moved by the duke’s letter.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected him to go this far for me. Still, my feelings weren’t simple.
After all, Duke Kassiár wasn’t really my husband.
This was all just part of the play—to reassure my parents.
It was true that his thoughtfulness was helpful, and spared them from worry.
But why… did it feel so lonely?
“But Riel.”
“Yes?”
“What exactly did you tell the duke about me, that his very first request was for me not to scold you?”
…Cold.
I could feel Mother’s piercing gaze.
Sensing danger, I gathered up my skirts, ready to flee.
“Um… I’m really tired, so I’ll head in first. Goodnight, Mother!”
“Riel!”
The marquis’s estate echoed with our chase for quite some time.
After Riel left, Duke Kassiár’s mansion was quiet again.
Late at night, having finished his work, Kissen returned to his chambers. As he went to untie his ribbon, his hand stilled.
He looked at the ribbon Riel had tied for him, reflected in the mirror.
“Impressively neat.”
He recalled the warmth of her hands brushing against his neck.
It had been so long since he’d felt that kind of warmth.
Thinking of her noisy, lively presence, a faint smile touched his lips. Out of habit, his hand reached for the vial of sleeping pills.
But again, he did not pick it up.
Her words echoed in his head:
‘You’re forbidden from using sleeping pills until I come back. If I survive returning to the marquis’s estate, I’ll visit the duke’s mansion again tomorrow. Try falling asleep naturally until then.’
‘The only reason she keeps coming to mind is because she talks too much.’
She had also advised him to drink chamomile tea if he couldn’t sleep.
‘Why am I recalling all of this?’
Shaking his head at himself, Kissen reached for the ribbon.
A moment later, dressed in his robe, he still held the ribbon in its original form, tied exactly as Riel had left it.
‘Why did I go to such lengths to keep it neat?’
He sighed, remembering the struggle of carefully removing it without disturbing the bow.
‘That woman’s habits are rubbing off on me.’
Recalling the unusually lively day, Kissen finally closed his eyes.
‘She said chamomile tea helps with sleep. If it doesn’t work, I’ll have to ask Pani for it.’
Taking her advice as a last-ditch experiment, he decided to try sleeping naturally.
It would never work, of course.
But with that thought, Kissen drifted off to sleep—
the ribbon Riel had tied still resting tenderly in his hand.
