“What is it?”
“What would happen if demonic beasts showed up in Blue Atrium?”
The Queen’s eyes grew wide.
“What on earth are you talking about, all of a sudden? Don’t tell me, is it actually—”
“No. I’m only speaking hypothetically. Blue Atrium borders Frost-Hill, so there’s always a chance some lucky demonic beast might wander across, isn’t there?”
Thankfully, the Queen didn’t seem to suspect his hastily concocted excuse.
“Ahaha! ‘Borders’ makes it sound close, but Frost-Hill is vast. Even if some lucky demonic beast crossed the northern fortress and the castle, it would still be inside Frost-Hill. You ought to study the map a bit more closely next time.”
“What if it moved along the coastline? Or if it actually appeared within Blue Atrium itself?”
“Why so many worries, Tristan.”
The Queen didn’t think long before giving her answer.
“It’s fine. If something like that really happened, we’d entrust it to the Grand Duke Frost-Hill and find you another territory.”
Bullseye.
Not that it made him happy.
“Don’t fret. We’d never demand anything unreasonable from you. Whether it’s dealing with demonic beasts or developing a Mana Stone Mine, we’d leave that to someone more suited.”
Of course he knew.
His parents didn’t expect anything from Tristan.
No—there was precisely one thing they expected.
‘Just live quietly.’
Don’t ever outshine your eldest brother in the people’s eyes. But also, don’t do anything to embarrass the royal family.
“If you tried to govern a land plagued by demonic beasts and failed, it would damage the royal family’s reputation. That old lord would start running his mouth too, saying, ‘My bastard would’ve ruled it better.’”
“……”
“You look upset. Don’t worry, you’ll always have a comfortable position somewhere. And if you end up ruling a different estate than ‘Blue Atrium,’ then your engagement…”
Now they were getting to the heart of it.
Tristan clenched his fist lightly, feeling a thin thread of tension.
“Obviously, the engagement with House Redfield would lose all meaning. You’d be free to find a lady you actually like and marry her.”
Exactly the answer he’d anticipated and expected.
Yet somehow it didn’t bring him any joy.
So a retort he didn’t even particularly want to make ended up slipping out.
“But Count Redfield, who kept his youngest daughter bound to this engagement for five years, might protest. Who besides me would take Dori Redfield?”
“Is that something we need to worry about?”
“That’s…”
“We were grateful for their cooperation five years ago, but House Redfield itself isn’t worth much. It’s not like they have any great fortune or connections.”
I was asking about Dori Redfield. Why must she always be weighed solely as the ‘daughter of a count’?
Tristan barely swallowed down that question with a gulp of tea.
The answer was obvious.
Dori had no value beyond being the Count’s daughter. She lacked social finesse, she wasn’t some famed beauty.
All it did was slightly improve his mood when he pictured her smiling face.
Clink. The Queen set her teacup down on the saucer with a slightly rough sound, snapping Tristan out of his thoughts.
“Let’s put such fantasies aside. You’ll almost certainly become the lord of peaceful Blue Atrium, and at your side will be Dori Redfield.”
“Understood.”
“That’s all I had to say. You must be tired—go on in and rest.”
The Queen rose from her seat, stretching lightly. She looked quite refreshed, as if unburdened after finally airing old stories.
Watching that silver hair move away, Tristan found himself asking a question internally.
‘Why didn’t I tell her about the rumors of demonic beasts in Blue Atrium?’
Just saying that would end his engagement to Dori Redfield. They’d hand that troublesome land to that bear-like fool instead…
‘…No. It’s not certain yet.’
It was too big a matter.
He could wait until he confirmed whether demonic beasts truly were appearing.
‘And who would marry Dori Redfield if not me. I can postpone disappointing her until later.’
* * *
After the royal banquet ended, the Count and Countess were practically giddy, slurping up the kimchi soup of their own delusions every single day.
“Do you think Dori can handle the role of a Duchess? She’s so gentle, it worries me.”
“Isn’t she still better than Natalie? People say northerners are a stoic bunch. If Natalie went up there, she’d probably faint from boredom.”
“Maybe so, but she’d likely fulfill the duties of a Duchess even better. Time she used that fire on political affairs instead of the dance floor.”
Arthur and I have never spoken for longer an hour. Seriously, get a grip, people.
Soon enough, the arrows came flying right into the drawing room, where I was reading.
“Dori. What are you reading?”
“A natural history book.”
“What on earth do you need to read that for? …Ah. You must be studying up on the northern environment in advance. Keep reading, then.”
As if that’s the reason.
Still, since the interruption ended there, I went back to my book.
But my mind was off wandering in a bean field.
Today was Saturday. Which meant—it was Sacred Salon day!
Time to collect on the last bet.
‘I should be getting two coins.’
Would they give them to me as actual coins? Given the risk of losing them, they’d probably just have the staff record it. But if they did come in the form of commemorative coins, that’d be so nice…
Wait a second?
As I was daydreaming about shiny coins, the maids approached my feet.
“What are you doing?”
“Pardon us, My Lady.”
Because I’d sunken deep into the sofa, I couldn’t immediately straighten my torso. Meanwhile, the maids avoided my eyes like it was their life’s mission, slipping something like an enormous shoe onto my foot.
A sudden weight settled on it.
“What is this?!”
I jumped up from the sofa, horrified—and saw that my foot was encased in a plaster cast.
A cast? What the hell?
My mother explained to my bewildered face.
“I heard from your aunt. That Young Duke stepped on your foot quite roughly at the last banquet, didn’t he?”
“He did, but it doesn’t even hurt anymore!”
“It needs to hurt. That’s the rumor we’ve spread, after all.”
“A rumor? Why—wait a second.”
“You’re still said to be limping, so the Young Duke will come pay a sick visit today. If you try to take that cast off on your own, your father will march right back in here and step on your foot again. So lie there quietly.”
Wow. Move over Mrs. Bennet marrying off her daughter using the rain—these people are on another level.
Before I could launch into my usual ‘I already have a fiancé’ speech,
Mother cut me off first.
“Think of your sister.”
“Pardon?”
“Him visiting isn’t just an opportunity for you. It’s a chance for Natalie too. Would you really want your sister to be miserable another year without marrying?”
Whether I want it or not, Natalie isn’t exactly cut out for marriage.
She’s the villainess. Fated to get so jealous of the female lead she gets packed off to a convent.
But then again, my thoughts tangled.
Is Natalie even still a villainess now?
I can’t exactly say she’s a good person, but when she looks out for me, she doesn’t seem like a bad one either.
Will she change too, once Arthur and Maria’s love story properly kicks off?
And the biggest problem.
Does Natalie have to become a villainess for me to get a happy ending…?
It felt like someone had set a heavy stone on my chest. I could still see my sister’s face as she pinned that feather ornament in my hair.
I want my happy ending.
But also—
“I don’t… want my sister to be unhappy. Obviously.”
“Then keep that boot on and stay put.”
So that’s the conclusion, huh.
I lifted my right foot. It wasn’t made only of plaster—there was some real heft to it.
“Do I really have to wear it already? Couldn’t I put it on once the Young Duke enters the garden?”
“You need to get used to it first. It’s not like your activities ever take you farther than reading books at home anyway, do they?”
No retort to that.
After Mother left the drawing room, the maids gave me sheepish smiles.
“If you need anything, My Lady, just say so. We’ll bring it right away.”
“Bring me madeleines to comfort this pitiful soul. Make sure they’ve got those pretty belly ridges on top.”
“Madam has forbidden anything with butter. Please settle for some candies.”
Hnnng.
I settled for sucking on candy, and one maid tried to console me.
“There’s supposedly a delicious new dessert shop nearby. If he’s thoughtful, perhaps your guest will bring back some pastries.”
“I’ll just stick with candy.”
“Young Duke didn’t strike you as someone who’d bring pastries, huh?”
“Unfortunately not.”
If he were a modern Korean, he’d probably show up at the hospital rigidly clutching a fruit basket—wasting money and putting the patient and caregivers on the spot all at once. That’s just the impression he gave.
The maid’s eyes sparkled, clearly wanting to hear more.
“What’s he like? They say his eyes are as sharp as obsidian arrows.”
“His face is too high up for me to see clearly. It’ll be better if you check for yourself later.”
“I have errands outside this afternoon… Thank you for telling me anyway, My Lady.”
The maid left with disappointment practically dripping from her face.
Just then, someone knocked at the front door.
“My Lady Dori, you have a visitor. May we show them in now?”
The maids clapped hands over their mouths, their faces screaming ‘Kyaaa!’ I answered calmly.
“Yes, let them in.”
Didn’t they say afternoon?
Well, if he’s early, that’s even better for me.
One maid hurried off to fetch Natalie upstairs, while another frantically tidied my stray hair.
But the moment the door opened, they all froze, hands and feet suspended.
Because the one visiting Count Redfield’s Manor was not the Young Duke.
“Hello, Lady Dori.”
“Lady Maria? What brings you here?”
“I heard you’d been injured. Are you alright?”
Maria Meyer. The angelic original female lead stepped into the drawing room. When she spotted my right foot, she drew in a sharp breath.
“It’s that serious of an injury?”
“It’s not really worth worrying over. I’m much better… Um, the person with you is?”
“Oh dear, where are my manners? Let me introduce you.”
Maria gestured to the man standing two paces behind her.
“This is Rick Ray. A friend of mine.”
The man gave an exaggerated bow.
“And also Lady Meyer’s personal knight.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not like I’m in a position to have a personal knight!”
“I just like the title ‘personal knight.’ Don’t you think it sounds impressive, my lady?”
That tall man’s playful voice naturally drew me in.
Rick Ray.
The original story’s second male lead, a knight one year older whom Maria befriended in her late teens.
And then…
“My Lady, I’ve given you my name. Might I have yours now?”
As he bent one knee to meet me eye-level, green eyes and brown hair framing his face, I belatedly remembered the skeleton mask I’d met at Sacred Salon.
💟 Translator Notes 💟
“Move over Mrs. Bennet marrying off her daughter using the rain” referencing the scene in Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ when Mrs. Bennet sends her daughter Jane off on a horse, because it was going to rain later.
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