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Chapter 56 [part 1]

< — To the Capital — > (2)

'Refreshing…'

Lucia felt as though she was trapped in a burning fire and couldn't breather then a careful touch began to sweep over her body and little by little, she was able to breathe again.

Gradually, her consciousness returned and she slowly opened her eyes. She could see him but she couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality.

"Vivian."

He called her name, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"…Hugh."

When she heard his voice, Lucia suddenly felt emotional. She stretched out her hand as though to grab him.

"Haa…"

Hugo gave a huge sigh of relief. He lifted the thin blanket to cover her then took her hand and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

He gathered her hair, dampened with sweat, and brushed it then he wiped down her forehead with a towel. Seeing his eyes filled with worry, Lucia felt sick to her stomach. It wasn't just because of the indigestion. It was the first time since her mother died that someone was taking care of her when she was sick and in difficulty.

Tears welled up in her eyes and began to fall. Hugo's expression hardened at this sight.

"Is anyone there! Where is the doctor!"

Seeing as he'd forgotten about using the rope to call and was screaming, Lucia squeezed his hand.

'It will be fine.'

For some reason, this thought crossed her mind. The thought that it would be fine even if they went to the Capital. It was a vague belief that this peace and happiness would not be broken.

"Hugh. If we go to the capital, will you be unfaithful?"

"…What?"

'She must really be in a lot of pain,' Hugo thought and at the same time, the realization that she didn't trust him at all made him feel powerless. In her mind, he was still far from reliable.

"I will never do that." (Hugo)

Lucia watched him quietly then gave a small laugh.

"Then it's fine."

'I'll trust you.'

Even if he got another woman, he wasn't one to deceive and hide in secret while cheating. He would rather say it out squarely.

'After all, he can't lie well.'

Lucia had seen him get thrown off guard and looking embarrassed several times. When he gave orders to the servants, there was nothing stopping him from lying so she thought that lying was probably his weak spot.

'But, in the Capital's political struggle, lying is essential. Will he be okay?"

Hugo's cold mask only broke down in front of Lucia. She was worrying about something that didn't need worrying. Lucia seemed to have already forgotten the Hugo she saw in her dream and the Hugo from before their marriage.

'What the heck does 'then it's fine' mean? Fine? What's fine?'

Hugo wanted to shake her and ask her what she was thinking about. Just then, Anna came in and while she exchanged questions and answers with Lucia about her symptoms, Hugo sorted out his complicated feelings.

Was she always so difficult? He really didn't know. In the past, he used to think that once he gave women jewelry, everything would be solved. Until now, nothing had ever given him so much trouble.

"I will prescribe digestive medicine to calm your nausea. Once you take it and sleep well, you should be fine."

While waiting for the medicine to be brought, Hugo continued to wipe off the sweat on her forehead. The high fever had still not reduced and her breathing was still uneven. Hugo couldn't make a sick person talk for too long so he shoved his wandering thoughts away for the moment.

"Why are you so foolish? If you were sick, you should have called someone."

"I thought it would be fine."

"It could have been a disaster. You lost consciousness."

"Is it dawn? What do we do? You have to leave early but you haven't gotten much sleep."

"That's not the problem now."

Hugo lowered his voice as much as possible and tried not to get angry at her. She had done nothing wrong to make him angry. It was merely his heart that felt sad.

"I hear you're often sick."

"I am?"

"The headaches."

"Ah…that's just a common thing."

"Can't it be cured completely?"

Lucic chuckled softly.

"When you say it like that, it sounds like a fatal illness. It's not serious. It's similar to someone who has frequent stomachaches. It can't be helped."

"Serious or not, I hate when you're sick."

"I'll be careful not to fall sick."

"That's not what I mean….don't hide it from me when you're sick or in pain. As your husband, I deserve to know that much."

"Okay, I won't."

The maid soon came in with the medicine. Hugo held her to his chest and fed her the medicine then helped her change into new set of dry clothing. Not long after taking the medicine, Lucia fell asleep. With that, it was assumed that the sudden turmoil of the night was over.

Before daybreak, Lucia's temperature began to rise again. She threw everything up including the medicine and her temperature repeatedly rose up and down. Hugo stayed up all night trying to bring down her fever.

Hugo expressed his anger to Anna who was called for the second time.

"Didn't you say it was indigestion? What is this! She can't even keep the medicine down!"

If the northern nobles saw this, they would recall the rumor that the Duke of Taran turned into a flaming dragon when angry. Facing the Duke's anger for the first time, Anna was so nervous that her fingers went numb. She realized that it was a blessing that only she and the Madam knew of her offering Sir Philip's remedy without knowing the components. Anna instinctive felt that if the Duke knew, she would lose her head.

"I-I think Milady's stomach is very upset. By any chance, has Milady been shocked or greatly surprised recently? If there are addition psychological factors, indigestion can worsen."

Hugo frowned and sank into thought. Apart from hearing of the King's death, there was nothing different from usual.

'So, she was shocked because the King died?'

Since Hugo had no affection for his father, he overlooked the feelings normal people would have towards the death of their parent.

She frequently talked about her mother but never really mentioned her father so Hugo was even forgetting that the King was her father. Still, since they were flesh and blood, so perhaps there were some unspoken left over feelings.

He wasn't being considerate when he passed on the news. Hugo felt angry at his lack of sensitivity.

***

Lucia threw up everything she ate and she could only take in barely tea for two whole days then on the third day, she was finally able to take some watered down food. She ate about half of the rice porridge before leaning back on the bed and closing her eyes.

'I must have been too worried about going up to the capital.'

It was her first time have such a terrible case of indigestion. She felt a cool hand on her forehead and opened her eyes. He was by her side.

"…The fever seems to have gone down a little now."

He pushed back his plans to go to the capital and had stuck beside her the whole time. Lucia felt sorry, thankful and worried that it might affect his work.

"I'm really okay now."

Hugo frowned slightly. The words 'I'm okay' seemed sewn to her mouth. She was sick so he didn't want to make her to feel uncomfortable. he took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"I heard you had a little porridge. Do you feel okay?"

"Yes, it seems to be digesting now. I don't feel nauseous."

"Are uncomfortable anywhere? You couldn't eat well for a while, do you feel dizzy?"

"I won't die if I don't eat for a few days. My stomach was just a little upset."

"It's not only fatal illnesses that are illnesses."

Even when she was sick, she didn't desire anything. Even though she was sick enough to throw up everything she ate and her fever was high enough to scare him, she didn't even say she was hurting.

Every time he saw her pale complexion, she would repeatedly ask him when he would be going up to the capital. And several times he wanted to reply with, 'you're really harsh' but he swallowed those words down.

'Do I really seem that unreliable?'

He felt anxious as he stayed by her side and watched over her.

"I think I have to go to the capital now."

The urgency has now reached its limit. The Crown Prince had been sending letters but finally couldn't contain himself and sent a messenger who arrived this morning. At least until the national funeral was over, Hugo had to be in the capital.

The fact that he had to leave while she was sick was very annoying but he couldn't make the excuse that his wife was sick. To put in bluntly, she wasn't terminally ill so he couldn't.

"I'm fine. You have to go, don't you?"

Seeing her weak but pure smile, his chest felt numb. His wife didn't give him any trouble at all. But he hoped that she would trouble him. If she held onto him and told him not to go, he would chuck it all and stay by her side. His woman was lying sick in bed so who cared whether the king died.

"Get some rest. Don't think about anything else. Take your medicine and don't skip your meals."

"Your nagging has increased."

"If you don't like it, don't make me worry."

Hugo bent down and kissed her head, forehead and dry lips.

"Vivian, are you really okay?"

Even though she reassured him several times but he remained for a long time, watching her with an anxious gaze then finally, he turned around to leave. As the door closed and the room became quiet, Lucia felt her sight grow blurry and blinked. Her tears fell onto the pillow. Maybe because she was sick, her emotional hold seemed to have weakened considerably.

She wanted to tell him not to go. She wanted to complain that she was sick and it was tough.

[Females sometimes fall apart when they lose the object of their affection.]

It was something Madam Michelle said some time ago. The Countess' words weren't wrong. If she relied on him without standing on her feet, she would completely collapse if he left.

To what extent was the proper distance Madam Michelle talked about? Lucia wished she could know the exact answer to that.

< — To the Capital — > (2)

"Wow, it's been hard to see your face."

Hugo ignored the man expressing his welcome in an exaggerated manner and sat down. Kwiz didn't mind the rudeness at all and just laughed cheerfully.

"Is your territory filled with honey? I didn't really think you'd stay there for over a year."

"Isn't a lord taking care of his territory good for Your Highness? No, is it Your Majesty now?"

"It will be anyways but I haven't been crowned yet. People are being nit picky over customs for that one."

Kwiz shrugged his shoulders. He was currently acting as King and of course, he was confident that the throne was his. It was not possible to overturn the justification of the Crown Prince ascending the throne. Even with his brothers eyeing his seat and watching for an opportunity, Kwiz was confident.

Kwiz gazed at the black-haired man sipping tea with an indifferent expression and recalled the long time advice of his loyal assistant and tactician, Count Benef.

[He is a wild beast, Your Highness.]

The Count passed away from a disease in the past year, dealing him a huge loss.

[A wild beast that is untamed and can never be tamed. Don't try to confine him to us. A satisfied wild beast does not covet the deer in front of it. He will gladly stand by Your Highness to oppose those who wish to confine him to a cage.]

[Are you saying not to expect his loyalty?]

[A stable alliance is a hundred times better than an uncertain loyalty. Remember that no royal has ever obtained the loyalty of the Taran Duke. The Taran Duke will not pounce unless provoked.]

[…So what you're saying is I should show my back to a wild beast. Without fastening a leash.]

[He will tear those who come at Your Highness from the back to pieces. The House of Taran already has much to its name. Your Highness does not need to give it more, it is enough to just acknowledge what one has in the first place.]

The late Hesse VIII was a King that entertained himself more than he dealt with official matters. Despite that, his reign was considerably long. What he did best was never touching the Duke of Taran and that alone said that Hesse the 8th was a wiser King than he was known for.

The Ducal House of Taran was a strange family. It wasn't clear when they began to exist but there was already a Taran Family when the nation was founded. At that time, the House of Taran distinguished themselves greatly in the founding of Xenon and received royal treatment with a status of Grand Duke and had autonomy over a Grand Duchy. They almost had formal rights to the throne. But against all expectations, they did not enter into politics.

In the reign of the second King who sought absolute royal authority, all Grand Dukes were stripped of their authority and relegated to Dukes. Their Grand Duchies, downgraded to a fiefs.

The Grand Dukes at the time rebelled and walked the path of familial destruction but if anything, because the House of Taran obediently accepted their relegation, they were guaranteed rights to the throne.

Even then, the House of Taran was still not interested in politics. Many years passed, numerous families repeatedly rose and fell and Hesse, the third King of Xenon came into power. The House of Taran was still doing well and was the only Ducal House with rights to the throne.

As long as the royal family did not perish, it was almost impossible to rank formally, but the Dukes of Taran were treated almost like royalty. All the while, the Ducal House of Taran did not interfere in politics at all but their presence was heavily revealed through war.

People began to say that Xenon exists because Taran exists. The Taran family was more strongly impressed in the minds of people than Marquis families that produced the Queen or the Prime Minister. Yet, the Taran family never once challenged royal authority or expanded their territory.

Their territory was just as they got it when the nation was founded. The Taran territory was quite large but their borders faced that of one of the most troublesome tribal nations. Defending against the countless barbarian invasions was the Taran Duke's role. In addition, when war broke out, the Taran Duke stood at the front line and took care of everything.

Some kings were afraid of the untold power of such a Taran Duke and acted hostile but after doing so, their later years weren't good. Hesse VIII chose the path of acknowledging the Ducal House of Taran as it is and Kwiz was also of the same thought.

"How do you like the newly married life? Didn't the Duchess feel stifled being stuck in the territory?"

Kwiz thought that if the new bride complained, the Duke would give in after a couple of times and come up to the capital. He didn't think the Duke would stay away for so long. With enough time, people began to wonder on their own whether the bond between the Crown Prince and the Taran Duke was in peril.

Kwiz knew that the opposition was trying to approach and recruit the Taran Duke several times but he left it alone. The Taran Duke was never someone that would dance in the direction of power. It wasn't because of some grand reason but because it was too annoying to do so. Even without that, the Taran House didn't have any interest in politics.

"She likes quiet places so she didn't."

"How peculiar."

They were both his sisters but were so different. Perhaps because their mothers were different. Kwiz's blood sister, Katherine was a party animal. She couldn't survive without having dresses, jewelries and parties to show off at.

Since her standards were very high, she showed no intention of getting married and pretended not to hear when one said there would be no one to choose from when she got older.

In truth, no matter who she married, Kwiz was more worried about how the person that became her husband would be able to live together with such vanity.

"Duke, do you want to marry one more time?" (Kwiz)

His sister had set her mind on the Duke of Taran. Upon hearing that the Duke had gotten married, the party animal, Katherine, stayed indoors for a week. Monogamy was law except for the Royal family but the Taran Duke had a way to be exempt from that.

Since he was a Duke, even if he wanted to take a second wife, no one would come to argue about the law with him. To Kwiz, it didn't really matter whether his sister went in as the main wife or the second wife. He had no complaint if it was someone like the Taran Duke that she was marrying.

"Did you call me here to say this nonsense?"

As a matter of fact, seeing Kwiz' face reminded Hugo of her condition and made him upset. He could still remember her question of whether he would cheat when he got to the capital. The rumors in the capital were a lot of smoke without fire so Hugo couldn't help but feel uneasy that she might have heard a rumor that he didn't know about and misunderstood. Kwiz's words were basically pouring water on boiling oil.

"Just consider it. Even if you're officially married, you'll probably get a few suggestions like the one I just made."

Hugo fixed him with an intense gaze and Kwiz quickly took a step back.

"I don't do anything that has no worth to me." (Hugo)

"What? no worth? Three wives and three concubines is the fantasy of many men."

"Then Your Highness can fulfill and live that dream. As king, you can realize the dream to the fullest."

Kwiz wore an awkward expression. The Duke of Taran was truly ambiguous in the sense that he seemed to like and dislike women. He was never free of women yet when it came to cutting them off, he was ruthless.

"About your successor. Do you really plan on it?" (Kwiz)

"I do."

"No, you're married now. A child is going to be born in the future. Even if he's the eldest son, I mean."

Isn't he an illegitimate child anyways? Kwiz swallowed the rest of that sentence. To avoid any clamor by supporting the illegitimate son of the Duke when he took over the title. This was the condition Kwiz was given to be able to bring the Taran Duke onto the political scene.

Having an illegitimate son take over the Duke's title was simple but also difficult. This was because it went against implicit social customs. However, Kwiz thought it was a very easy condition for obtaining the Duke of Taran. Kwiz himself wasn't legal per se either so he wasn't that narrow-minded about the issue.

However, in reality when the Duke got married, Kwiz felt a little reluctant. Even if it was his half-sister whose face he'd never seen, it was still his sister. The thought that his sister's child would be treated as a figurehead didn't really make him feel good.

"…Since when have you been so interested in my personal life? If this is all you have to say, I'll excuse myself." (Hugo)

"Ah, alright, alright. Really. Even after marriage, you're still so stiff."

Kwiz was very interested in the Duke's personal life but at this point, he had to give up for now. Afterwards, they began to discuss the direction of the state affairs in earnest.

Chapter 57 [part 1]

< — To the Capital — > (3)

TN: We have met the GOAL on Patreon! There will be 10 bonus releases for this month(oct)! Oh and remember, 'Gong' is a title.

The discussion that followed was informal but with more crucial people joining, and looking at the faces of the people involved, it was almost like a cabinet meeting.

After the lengthy discussion was over, Hugo stood up and patted the shoulder of the eye-catching man that was standing at the side, and acting like he didn't know anything for a while now.

"You've worked hard."

The eye-catching man, Roy, grinned as if to say it was just so so. After Hugo left, Kwiz couldn't bear the sight of Roy that kept glancing at the door like a dog waiting for his master so he spoke.

"Sir Krotin, do you really have no interest of becoming my knight?"

"I do not."

At first, when the Duke of Taran said that he would place an escort knight at his side, Kwiz was a bit displeased that the Knight's former status was that of a commoner.

Moreover, it was one with no manners and unbelievably impertinent. If it wasn't for the fact that Roy was a close associate and former guard of the Duke of Taran, Kwiz would have driven him away.

However, as time passed, his value was brought to light. In the past year, the amount of times that Kwiz's life was saved thanks to Sir Krotin was numerous. In front of Sir Krotin, assasins that tried to escape were caught and slaughtered like bugs.

Knowing of his tremendous skill, Kwiz tried to entice Krotin into being his knight at every turn but Krotin didn't even look like he was considering it.

"What is the reason? If you become my knight, you can receive more power and remuneration that you receive now. You don't want that at all?"

"I don't really care for that."

"Then, what do you get from the Duke? Is it because you admire him as a Knight?"

"There's a more realistic reason. My Lord lets me duel."

"Duel? Isn't that something you can do anywhere?"

"Only with my Lord can I fight to the fullest without caring if my opponent gets hurt. I can't have such fun in another place."

"…I see."

Kwiz felt slightly fed up. Krotin was greatly skilled and no one among his knights could last more than a dozen rounds against him. Nevertheless, it was obvious that Krotin controlled his tempo and adjusted his strength to match his opponents.

This gave a great shock to Kwiz who always took pride in having the best knights around him. But soon, he acknowledged that it wasn't that his knights were weak, but that Krotin was terribly strong.

'Is Taran Gong that strong?'

Kwiz had personally seen the Duke of Taran wielding a sword on the battlefield numerous times. He knew it was great but since the battle was so lopsided, like a tiger in the midst of sheep, he couldn't exactly tell the extent of the Duke's skill.

'And now that I think about it, I haven't ever seen Taran Gong duel with someone since then.'

The only time the Duke of Taran lifted a sword was when he cut down his enemy. When one thought about it, it was quite dreadsome. Warriors liked to show off their strength but the Taran Duke didn't do so even though he was a knight.

Perhaps because of that, when Kwiz faced the sword-less Taran Duke, he sometimes forgot that the Duke was a knight.

"Who wins if you duel? Have you ever won by a stretch?" (Kwiz)

Roy rolled his eyes and burst into laughter. Those in attendance were now somewhat used to Roy's unconcerned and rude attitude in front of the prince so they didn't have any outward reaction.

"Winning? Who? Me? That's my goal in life. Although I don't know if it can ever be achieved."

"Are you saying you've never won before?"

"Honestly, my Lord doesn't go all out in our duels. Apparently, it's annoying. He says why should he exert himself for something he can't kill."

"…"

"Sometimes, my Lord doesn't even let me draw the sword. I have to be careful before brandishing the sword."

"…Why?"

"Because he might be in a bad mood. In that case, battle or what, I just get beat up."

"…Even with that treatment, you like it there?"

"It means I am one of the few people my lord trusts."

"Getting beat up?"

"That is the evidence of trust. My lord would rather just kill something than go through the hassle of beating it."

Kwiz had nothing more to say. Anyways, this was an unexpected harvest. The Taran Duke had a remarkably more foul nature than what was known.

***

"Taran Gong!"

Hugo stopped walking and turned around. The owner of the voice calling him quickly approached his side.

"If you have some time, would you like to accompany me for a while?"

The young man with an amiable smile was Count David Ramis. When he came of age as the eldest son of Duke Ramis, he received a part of his father's estate along with the title of Count. He was also the Crown Prince's brother-in-law.

Once Kwiz sat on the throne, David was sure to rise to the center of power in the future.

David was the same age as Hugo. However, an enormous difference existed between them. Hugo was a Duke and head of his family while David was nothing but a successor to a Duke.

So David calling Hugo by 'Taran Gong' was a very rude act. To be able to call Hugo in that manner, one had to at least be a Duke. And if one were to quibble over it, even a Duke had to address Hugo with honorifics.

Even formally, the position of the Taran Duke was recipient to royal treatment. Hugo could see through David.

Outwardly the man smiled amiably but inwardly, he was full of rivalry. Greenhorn. Hugo sneered inside but on the surface, his expression remained taciturn.

"I do not believe I will fit in."

Hugo responded after briefly staring at David and his followers that were stucking to him like a tail. In any case, Hugo thought of Duke Ramis' face and treated them with adequate courtesy.

"Ha-ha. What are you talking about? I'm sure if Gong is with us, the occasion will shine even more."

"I mean I'm concerned that only I will shine."

There was no one that couldn't understand the meaning behind this sarcastic remark. David's eyes widened in embarrassment and his ears flushed red.

It was the first time he was turned down so blatantly. The people around David always tried to prove their loyalty to him because he was positioned to become the next Duke.

"Hahaha, just as I have heard you are an outspoken person. Will you oblige and share your valuable opinions with me?"

"Hear that from your father. If your father has nothing to say, come and find me."

The Duke of Taran suddenly spun around and began to walk away so David couldn't hold him back anymore. He clenched his fists at the humiliation and his followers sensing his mood, began to furtively scratch his back. (1)

"I have heard he was a knight but how rude."

"It would have been more harmful if he went to our meeting."

David smiled widely.

"Even if he's knight-born, he's an excellent person. Hence why His Highness the Crown Prince is so trusting of him." (David)

"Even so, can he be compared to Elder? Is not Elder the father of the future Queen of this nation? If one looks further, Sir will become the uncle of the one that rises to the throne of this nation."

David smiled, pleased at his follower's flattery.

'Indeed. No matter how arrogant one acts, one can't surpass my father. After all, we are tightly bound with His Highness by blood.'

Hugo didn't give a crap about David at all but David was burning with rivalry against the Duke of Taran. There were many nobles with higher status and authority than David. But they were all elders, well advanced in their years.

Therfore, there were no competitors around David's age except for the Duke of Taran. And even though the Duke of Taran was the same age as David, he was already a Duke. He gained a reputation by sweeping through the battlefield and was very famous for how the Crown Prince went through great lengths to acquire him.

Even his father praised the Duke of Taran to the skies. His father warned him several times that the Duke of Taran wore the skin of a bear but in reality was a fox and one should be careful with one's words and actions before him.

David replied in affirmation but scoffed inwardly. He was very unhappy that whenever the Duke of Taran appeared, everyone's attention shifted towards him. What was so great about him swinging a sword on the battlefield a few times?

If David had seen the Duke of Taran on the battlefield even once, he would not have had this thought but throughtout last war, he was safely at the rear.

'No matter what, he is just an ignorant knight.'

David was brimming with groundless confidence.

Translator's Corner:

1) Do not take this literally.

2) By Elder, he's referring to David's father. By Sir, he's referring to David.

Chapter 57 [part 2]

< — To the Capital — > (3)

TN: (*＾ڡ＾*)

After a few days, Lucia got off her sickbed and was good as new. She had been in bed for quite some time because of the indigestion, but there were no aftereffects.

As though a reward for the last few days of poor food, the table was full of high quality dishes for lunch as well as for dinner. They did not forget to be considerate and only gave her food that was easy to digest.

"Jerome, the number of maids has diminished a lot. There are faces I haven't seen too."

"Yes, Milady. The employment period has expired for many."

The Duke ordered for the servants waiting on the Madam to be changed because their attitudes were bad. In any case, most of them were employed temporarily. They were initially to take all subsequent temporaries to the capital, but since such a situation occurred, the Duke just terminated all the contracts.

The plan was to find the whereabouts of the maids that worked in the residence in the capital and re-employ them. After which, he would leave one maid in charge of managing the Roam castle.

Even though the maids that waited on her for over a year were changed in a single morning, the madam simply replied with, 'I see', and said nothing more.

At first, Jerome thought she was an innocent and delicate person but over time his thoughts changed. It was rare for someone to deviate so greatly from his first impression but the Duchess was truly a mysterious person.

'She's truly strong.'

As soon as she got married, she was taken to her husband's home where she didn't know a single person so she was bound to be lonely and uneasy. If she looked for someone to rely on, it would usually be the maid who took care of her like her hands and feet.

When a maid was favored by the mistress of the house, a ranking forms among the maids. Discord among maids was like a drizzle that went unnoticed until one was drenched. At worst, it could even invade the authority of the steward so most noble stewards were worried about such tiresome things happening.

The Duchess handled those working under her with a clear line. She ordered only what was necessary and did not bother with superfluous actions. Even if something was done wrong, she simply pointed it out and it was rare for her to raise her voice.

In that respect, the madam resembled the duke closely. The reason why servants found it hard to attend to the couple's needs even though they had never been disciplined before was because the servants weren't given any room for engagement.

'Is it because their marital harmony is good?'

It was very strange but no matter how Jerome thought about it, if the couple's relationship became estranged, the one to suffer the biggest blow would not be his mistress but his master. Jerome couldn't give an objective reason why, but it was an instinctive feeling.

"His Grace sent that you should recuperate well and come to the capital at the end of this month."

"What recuperation will takes that long? It's just indigestion. Everyone is making such a big deal out of this."

Jerome smiled ambiguously.

'Milady says so because you didn't see Master properly during your fever.'

Jerome was on edge in the receiving room when his master called the doctor and kicked up a storm. When Anna was called back at dawn and came out looking pale, Jerome's heart sank, thinking the Madam's illness was very serious.

When the Madam finally fell asleep and his master came out, one didn't know how much his master rebuked Anna for not treating the Madam properly. It was the first time Jerome saw his master expressing such extreme emotions. He truly felt pitiful for Anna who was shaken up. She would probably gain a handful of gray hair.

'I hope Milady continues to be beside Master this way. I am earnestly hoping and looking forward to it.'

Looking at Lucia relaxing in satisfaction as she drank tea, Jerome thought this way.

People didn't know much about the Taran family. Apart from the fact that it was a very famous knight family, nothing was known. In the north, the land was harsh, the population was small, and day in day out, war with the barbarians broke out on its borders.

It was indeed a land without room to spare for profits. This was a reason that no one coveted the vast land that was the Taran territory.

Of course, the Duke was wealthy. No matter how ungainly the land was, there was no way the owner of such a vast land could be poor.

Even though everyone acknowledged the financial and military power of the Taran Duke's family, no one looked beyond that. The Taran family was a family that had existed for a very long time.

They didn't thrive enough to stand out conspicuously but they weren't invisible. Their years of power could not be ignored. The Taran territory, the north, had been ruled by the Duke of Taran for quite the long time and in the north, the Taran family was like King.

Nobles saw the people's support as a trivial thing but at times the support could become a tremendous force. If the Duke of Taran took the lead, the northern people would all follow without complaints. Taran's military power was not the knights that belonged to the family but all of the northern people. Other nobles were unaware of this.

The north was calm. It was contradictory to say that the north which was always at war with the barbarians was calm but except from the war, the north was calm. Unlike other territories, in the north, there were no occasional uprisings.

One might think that the reason was because people were united to fight against the barbarians but the biggest reason was because they all had enough to make a living.

The Duke of Taran somehow managed to oversee the north better any other Duke. He did not take too much tax, exploit or suppress with power. Rewards and punishments were certain and no matter how noble, one couldn't harm another without reason. As long as one obeyed the law, nothing irrational would happen.

The northern people knew how good it was to live in the north. Even though the land was barren and one couldn't amass wealth from farming, one didn't have to starve. Rather, because one wasn't well-off, one didn't fall into depravity.

The northern people all had integrity and stability and that was an enormous asset to the north. And the power that the Duke of Taran held was more than people could imagine.

For many years, the Taran family didn't have to drain their energy with the likes of succession struggles, and the power of the family that protected and maintained its title blossomed to a tremendous degree.

No one knew that the Duke of Taran had acquired a few gem mines from the barbarian lands after subjugating them, or that he owned several top giants actively operating in other countries, or that that he had bought a great deal of land and islands in other countries.

Jerome thought that if the Duke of Taran made up his mind, it would be easy for him to overthrow this country. Overthrowing was one thing and setting up and running the country was another matter but anyways, the power that the Duke held was much more than people thought.

From the level Jerome could see as a steward of the house, he thought so. But the Duke had no attachment to family. The Duke led the family as though something was tying him down.

Rather than an obligation to perform his duties as a Duke, it was more like he was entangled in something sticky and wanted to break out but couldn't.

Once in a while, there were times when the indifferently cold Duke revealed his inner feelings but even then, he had an expression like he'd had enough.

But one didn't know since when, but Jerome hadn't seen that expression and he was certain that the reason was the Madam. If for any reason or in any form, his master lost the madam, what would happen?

Jerome was afraid to even imagine it.

***

The carriage left Roam and arrived in the Capital around ten days later. The time spent was double compared to when Lucia went from the Capital to Roam.

The fastest route was a wasteland with no shade so they couldn't go through it at midday with the blazing sun. And because she took advantage of the evening and early morning hours for some activity, the speed couldn't help but be slower.

This journey this time was also escorted by Knight Dean. The last journey, he escorted by order of the Duke but this time, he volunteered. Dean was a man with pure loyalty to the Madam but if it were a knight other than Dean, Hugo would have been uncomfortable.

Hugo had faith in his elite Knight's loyalty and in particular, he valued Dean and Roy greatly. He believed in Dean's prudence and sincerity just as he tolerated Roy's simple character and believed in his ability.

Returning after a year and some months, Lucia felt emotional as she looked at the Ducal Residence. It was from here on that her life began to change.

On the way back after the exchanging certificates in wedding ceremony, he said:

[If you want to remain in the Capital, you can.]

She really did well in not accepting the Duke's words and choosing to live apart from him. If she did that then the both of them would have remained as strangers forever.

'Although I'm no confident in being the perfect couple with him.'

But to some extent, she knew and understood him. At the very least, the phase of other people saying that they were only couples on the surface had passed.

As Lucia entered the mansion, she subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. Cool air, distinctly different from the hot air outside, hit her skin.

Due to the house' excellent design with heat-dissipating features, Lucia's first impression of the house was that there was no warmth. At the time, she didn't know she would get married and stay there for a few days.

She was able to compare to it because she had stayed in Roam. The cold stone wall of Roam was much warmer than this. Even though it was steadily managed, she realized than indeed one had to live in a house for it to feel like home.

She felt sorry when she realized he'd been living alone in this cold, spacious house.

"Milady, your bedroom is opposite Master's bedroom just like in Roam. It is facing the hallway and the room you stayed in previously when you were here-."

"I will find it on my own. You must be busy, you can go see to things."

"Yes, Milady. And this might be needless words of concern, but please be sure to bring a maid with you when you step out of the house even if it is just to the yard. Unlike Roam, one cannot predict how many eyes are watching or what can happen in the Capital."

"Alright. I will be going up to get some sleep. When will he be coming in?"

"He is scheduled till evening so it seems he will be returning late."

It would have been nice to see him today, Lucia thought as she went up to the bedroom on the second floor.

Chapter 58 [part 1]

< — The Capital's High Society(1)– > (1)

TN: ┐(︶▽︶)┌ | So I guess this could also be called 'The Capital's Social Circle' but I feel like 'high society' is a glaring indication that the title refers to nobles.

It was a late evening gathering done to avoid people's gazes. Every single member in this secret gathering was a great figure in society. It would likely be very hard for this group of people to be able to gather in secret again.

Crown Prince Kwiz, Duke Taran, Duke Ramis, Marquis Philip and Marquis DeKhan. Excluding the Crown Prince, all four were Gong and if one were to add up all the territories they governed individually, they were high-ranking influential nobles that governed half of the country.

"So, what is Taran Gong's view on this?"

Hugo thought about Kwiz's question for a moment and spoke.

"War will happen. It is just a matter of time. Therefore, the anti-forces certainly needs to be cleaned up."

"Mmm…"

They all hummed thoughtfully. There was no one here that didn't know that even though it was said the war had ended, it was closer to being a ceasefire.

The Southwest Allied Forces were defeated in the war and were paying dearly for it because they had to pay many reparations for the war.

Unable to bear the heavy tax, rebellions rose all over, civil wars broke out, some countries were overthrown and dynasties were changed. Except from war, there was no other way to escape their current predicament.

"I agree with Ramis Gong's idea of leaving them to grow in strength for the time being." (Hugo)

"What is the problem with just dealing with them from the start?"

"Instead of snapping the branches, pull it out from the roots. If dealt with a half-measure, hidden enemies could emerge later, during the war."

This was a place to discuss how to handle the so-called, anti-Imperial forces, which was basically the Crown Prince's half-brothers.

Duke Taran and Duke Ramis were of the opinion to leave them for now and deal with them later but the two Marquis' were of the opinion that it was cleaner to just clear them out now.

Both sides had reason to it so Kwiz was pondering it over.

"If Taran Gong is making the decision, would you leave it alone for now?"

"No. If I am making the decision, I will deal with it now."

Hn? They all turned their gazes to Hugo, signaling they didn't understand his meaning.

"Why have your words changed? I thought you wanted to pull it up from the roots and not handle it sloppily."

"That is playing by the books but I am not Crown Prince. I can't stand annoying things buzzing around me. It suits me more to start killing everything."

"…Ah. Is that so."

Kwiz suddenly remembered how the Duke of Taran handled the northern lords that betrayed him over a year ago. Close to 1,000 people died.

Even the King who tolerated and stayed out of northern affairs showed significant discomfort at the time. Even without knowing the details, there was no doubt that the previous King had received an enormous gift to block his mouth back then. After all, the incident had fizzled out as though nothing happened.

"If they crawl up later, one can just kill them again. Even if they are dealt with right now, I will not object. But I am confident to kill them all, disregarding the aftermath. Isn't that what troubles Your Highness Crown Prince?"

Kwiz looked disinclined. It seemed like complete understanding of the Taran Duke who thought of people's lives like insects would forever be impossible. But whenever this extremity surfaced, Kwiz felt strangely relieved.

This was because the Duke of Taran was not likely to act like a fox and scheme behind his back. But one cannot know everything.

Kwiz would not do something stupid like understanding someone with feelings alone. But when it came to understanding someone, it was inevitable to trust the image drawn in one's head instinctively.

"…Mm. For now, I will watch the situation unfold. What do the rest of you think?" (Kwiz)

Duke Ramis as well as the two Marquis' agreed. Duke Ramis turned to look at Duke Taran with a profound gaze. Perhaps he was growing senile but he sensed that the Duke of Taran had deliberately phrased it that way.

I am ignorant so I want to kill everything but what does Crown Prince think.

In that way, he naturally drove the Crown Prince's thoughts to the other side.

'Hmmm…'

Unintentionally, Duke Ramis kept comparing his son and the Taran Duke. Probably because they were the same age. And every time his son lost. From the outset, the capability itself was different. It was really fortunate that the Duke of Taran did not hold much interest in political power.

Duke Ramis decided that he would give his son a firm warning again when he got home. He would tell him not try to compete with the Taran Duke out of pointless childishness.

His son, David, had a passably exceptional head on his shoulders but he was arrogant and haughty. He only received worship from young and did not know how scary the world could be.

If one pushed forward boldly, it could become an advantage but if one didn't know their place, it could become a huge problem.

Duke Ramis was now old enough to begin worrying about matters after his death. The Crown Prince, who would rise to the throne, was at his prime and so was the Duke of Taran.

Under the reign of the new King, the ones that would guarded the family were the children. So Duke Ramis' attention was focused on the issue of sucession.

Kwiz did not resemble his predecessor. On the surface he seemed virtuous but his nature was a powerful. If one wanted to protect their family under a King that was sure to pursue strong royal authority, one had to know how to lower their head.

But in that regard, David made him uneasy. It would be fortunate if David didn't run himself against the wall thinking he was extraordinary.

'Perhaps Robin might be better a option than David.'

Duke Ramis was beginning to consider his gentle second son, Robin as his successor, instead of the overly confident and prideful David.

And David was unable to even fathom that the Duke of Ramis could be having such a thought.

Chapter 58 [part 2]

< — The Capital's High Society[1]– > (1)

TN: (ᗒᗨᗕ)

Hugo felt exhausted from attending a meeting that he didn't lead. He could somewhat understand the troubles of his vassals and locals lords that attended his meetings.

His distant mansion which was submerged in darkness, looked exceptionally lonely today. Ever since coming to the capital, his steps grew heavy whenever he entered the mansion. To him, a house used to have no special meaning to him except for being a sleeping place.

But in the north, whenever he left and came back to Roam, there was always someone waiting for him and for the first time ever, he felt the feeling of going home.

Hugo heard that she had left for the Capital but because he told her to take it easy and not overdo it, it would take some time for them to arrive in the Capital. To be honest, he wanted her to arrive in the capital as soon as possible.

As he stepped out of the carriage, he was surprised at the sight of Jerome who greeted him.

"Have you been well, Your Grace?"

"When did you arrive?"

"I arrived this morning escorting Madam."

"Did anything happen?"

"No. No incident occurred with the Madam the entire journey. After arriving, she slept shortly during the day and retired to her bedroom a while ago."

While listening absentmindedly, Hugo walked past Jerome, entering the mansion and quickly climbing up the stairs. He habitually opened the door to his bedroom and his heart jumped for a moment in view of the empty and chilly room. Nothing was there.

He opened the door to the dark bedroom on the opposite side of the hallway and the silhouette lying on the bed moved.

"Mm…are you just coming in?"

Hugo's heart throbbed as he listened to her voice full of sleep. Could a song be sweeter than this on his ears? He quickly moved to the bed, abruptly pulled her body into his arms then he buried his nose in her neck. He'd really missed her scent and soft body that sank into his arms. The sensation filled his lonely heart with joy.

Lucia felt as though the fatigue from the trip was flying away in his strong embrace. She leaned on his chest and enjoyed the embrace she longed for. They stayed in that position for a while, intoxicated with each other's warmth.

He grabbed her shoulders with both hands, moving her away from his chest and in a swift motion, he captured her lips. His hot tongue parted her lips and wove itself into her mouth. Their breath and saliva were instantly mixed and his lips vigorously devoured hers.

They separated for an instant then her lips were swallowed again. Lucia's senses were overwhelmed by the intense, sweet and imploring kiss. His hand slid into her thin nightwear, grabbing her bare breast. Her body, accustomed to his caresses, was thrilled by the stimulation and automatically flinched.

His large hand kneaded her breast and his fingers rubbed her nipple. Her body longed for his touch and was instantly aroused from his caresses. Because of the hot weather, her nightwear was somewhat transparent and light. So, his hand exploring on her nightwear could feel her figure in its entirety.

He placed his lip on her taut breast and pulled her nipple with his teeth.

"Huu…"

Her stimulated nipple grew stiff. He licked her nightwear covered nipple and ended his licks with a bite. The breast area of her nightwear was wet with saliva and stuck to her chest, looking erotic.

He fondled her breasts to his heart's contents and suddenly, the nightwear started to look irritating. He wanted to taste her sweet, soft skin. He grabbed the front of her nightwear and pulled it aside. The few top buttons of the nightwear were sent flying and the garment was ripped apart, unable to win against his strength.

He immediately sucked on her pale breast, now fully exposed to him.

"Hng!"

Her hands dug into his hair. When his tongue began to lap around her chest, a shiver ran down her spine. Her body surged with heat, readying to accept him. The inside of her legs grew hot and an anxious sensation traveled through her body. Her waist moved restlessly and her legs rubbed against each other.

His hand traced down to her thighs, pulling down her underwear. He stripped her underwear off her ankle and carelessly threw them aside. He didn't have the focus or patience to take off all his clothes.

He pulled down his pants, bringing out his hardened member then he grabbed her legs and spread them around his waist. His firm member reached her clandestine spring and he moved his waist a little, rubbing against her drenched entrance.

He lowered his head and whispered to her in a heavily subdued tone.

"Can I?"

She gave a small nod and the tip of his penis touching her entrance pushed in slightly and his length slowly entered her. It was a careful motion compared to his usual urgent movements. He clenched his teeth, suppressing his desire to thrust into her with intensity. He was worried that if he went in impatiently, his small, feeble wife would get hurt.

When he was completely inside her, their breaths which had stopped for a while, simultaneously burst out. His huge thing fully occupied her small body, as though it originally existed there.

Lucia sighed with relish. The feeling of her insides being filled gave her a sense of satisfaction and pleasure. His member entered and throbbed inside her, widening the narrow walls of her vagina. The sensation of a foreign body pushing against her inner walls was vivid and Lucia knit her brows.

"Does it hurt?"

"Haa…N..No."

"I'm going to…go a little stronger. Tell me if it hurts."

Hugo put strength in his arms, holding back his desire to ravage her insides recklessly, and the veins of his arms bulged. He pulled out slowly then thrust in heavily. Her body flinched as an achy tingling sensation traveled through her body. The dull ache was gone in a moment, and a weak sense of climax ran up her spine. Her body shuddered with pleasure.

Again, he slowly pulled out and with a heavier thrust, he penetrated deeper. Lucia moaned and grabbed his arm, squeezing the sleeve of his shirt. When he kissed and caressed her, her body grew sensitive and excited, as if to accept him, and at the same time, it contracted and tightened, as if to resist him.

"Hng…"

"Gh…Vivian…too…tight."

Really. It's sucking me in. He muttered with rough breath. His penis pushed against her tender walls and entered deeper. Her insides were so tight and wet that every inch filled him with relish.

He held down the reins of his desire that wished to run wild. Not yet. Her body needed a little more preparation. He knew from experience. He had to make her wetter for the path to flow smoother.

He opened her body tenderly and slowly, with movements like a starving beast. She felt like a treasure being bathed with love. This feeling filled her with more excitement than any intense stimulation. She closed her legs around his waist and lifted her hips to accept him deeper. She felt breathless as she swallowed him all the way to the hilt.

He took rough breaths beside her ear and the two fully entwined bodies began to move together in rhythm. He increased his thrusting speed a little and his thing rubbed against her inner walls intensely.

"Ng…good…"

"…What?"

Hugo mumbled roughly and while moving waist, he nibbled on her ear. He moved to her neck and licked it. Then he opened his mouth and bit down on her neck. He sucked on the throbbing pulse of her neck as though it were her body's source of fragrance.

"Say it again."

A shudder ran down his spine. Because of her skill-less words, blood rushed to his lower abdomen. The thought that those words had unconsciously spilled out of her mouth made him really excited. He lifted his waist and drove his thickness deep into her.

"Ah! Ng!"

Because of his strong penetrations, her body swayed back and forth and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She hung her head on his shoulders and her upper body tilted slightly. His large hand reached out and reliably supported her back. He continued to thrust faster and deeper and her inner walls moved with his penis as though attached.

"Ang! Uuu…ah…good…deeper…"

"Haa, you're really…something…"

Hugo grunted fiercely and buried his head in her neck.

"A! Aah!"

Her body shook frantically. He lay her back on the bed and she linked her hands around him as she held on. He roughly kissed her lips then nibbled and sucked on her breasts. His manhood fiercely pounded into her womb, stirring up her insides and touching her sensitive parts. Her vaginal walls reacted and began to gush with fluids.

"Ahhh!"

She cried out seductively as she reached her climax and her toes curled up in pleasure. Her insides spasmed intensely and wrapped around his member tightly. He paused his movements and endured the churning of her insides.

When her inner spasms subsided a little, he began to explore her hot, narrow path again.

"Ah! A-ng! Hugh!"

She uttered a coquettish cry as though imploring him and he kissed her teary eyes. He held her thighs firmly in his hands, spreading them apart and seeing her body in full bloom beneath him, he gasped for breath. Her taste was sweet like honey in his mouth.

His pleasure gradually intensified and when he reached his climax, he groaned in pleasure and closed his eyes. He stiffened as pleasure rushed from his waist to his head. His penis throbbed as he released semen into her. When his long release was over, they both collapsed onto the bed.

His breathing calmed down soon enough but her breathing took a while to calm down. He lifted his torso and slowly slid out of her causing her body tremble. She shrunk her legs and her entire body continued to shudder. Maybe he felt it because he placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her strongly to his chest.

Tightly pressed against his bosom, Lucia choose to breathe. Her body hung listlessly. It was summer but she didn't dislike the heat from his body. He poured small kisses on her eyes, lips, and all over her face.

"Vivian."

"Hm…"

She felt like sleep was slowly approaching and blinked her eyes.

"Let's do it one more time."

He blocked her lips before she could reply. Their tongues entwined, sharing their innermost temperatures with each other and a passionate kiss ensued. She felt out of breath as she responded to his kiss. The intoxicating and dizzying heat of the kiss filled her with pleasure.

Whether hot or passionate, she always got entranced by his kisses. His hand grabbed her inner thighs and pried them apart. Soon, there was a handprint on her tender skin.

"Hk!"

He penetrated her vagina with his already energetic rod, and her inner walls, soaked with love juices and semen, swallowed him with no resistance.

At this rate, there'll be no end. Lucia pushed away from his chest and twisted her waist but even so, he didn't budge. Even though she knew she couldn't overcome him with strength, she angrily knocked on his chest.

"You do this every time."

"Cut me some slack. It's been a while."

"When do you ever care about that!"

No matter if it was once a day or after a few days, his endless pursuit remained the same. Every day, he bothered her like usual, and when it was after a long time, he would use time as a reason to be more persistent.

Hugo easily over powered her, whose anger was like a mermaid dragged out of water. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and held it over her head. He grabbed her thigh with his other hand, pulling her towards his waist. His penis immediately sank deeper, reaching her deepest parts at once.

"Huu…"

"If you cooperate, I'll really just do it one more time."

She glared as him for a while, then traced his waist with her legs as though giving permission. She didn't think he was going to obediently step down anyways.

She had already restrained to this extent so she wasn't going to stop herself from sleeping anymore. In its own way, it was a trick she learnt when she couldn't cope with his endless stamina.

Hugo tried not to push her as intensely as possible. All the positions he wanted to try kept floating in his head but no. He had to endure today. Although, if he really wanted to be considerate, he could just let her sleep for today but he ignored that contradiction.

For now, he was giving it his best in his fight against his desire. Lucia watched through blurry eyes as her body shook from his movements, and once in a while, she let out a moan of pleasure.

Suddenly, she realized that he was still wearing his clothes. Only his bottoms were off as he thrust into her meanwhile under him, she was completely naked. At this contrast, Lucia felt strange.

"Shirt…"

"Shirt?"

"Your shirt…it'll wrinkle."

Hugo chuckled deeply and abruptly thrust into her.

"Aah!"

"Does it bother you? That you're naked and I'm not?"

"…"

"Do I take it off? But if I do, you won't sleep today."

He chuckled mischievously at her curt reply of 'don't'. Then he captured her lips.

Chapter 59 [part 1]

< — The Capital's High Society[1]– > (2)

TN: (≧▽≦) BONUS RELEASE 1

When Lucia opened her eyes in the morning, she found herself lying with her head on his shoulder while one of his hands were wrapped around her shoulders and the other around her waist. They were both naked and only the lower part of their body was covered by a thin blanket.

Last night, he eventually took off all his clothes and flung them aside. Lucia lifted her hand and slowly stroked his chest from top to bottom. She enjoyed the feeling of unevenness and abdominal muscles beneath her palm.

Suddenly his hand holding her waist grew firm, and he moved to place a kiss on her cheek.

"What's the occasion?" (Lucia)

"Huh?"

"You're here, being idle."

He nuzzled under her neck and kissed her chin repeatedly. It felt ticklish so she twitched and giggled.

"I should have days like this sometimes."

It was both nice and unfamiliar for him to be next to her when she woke up in the morning. She wondered if he would be troubled if she told him that she wanted to wake up next to him in the morning sometimes, even if it wasn't every day.

She wanted to keep this excessively diligent man on the bed a little more. The breeze blew over them and her hand kept roaming. She ran her soft palm over the firm and buoyant muscles of his chest. The feeling of his solid muscles was really nice. Her hand exploring his chest went down to his clearly defined abdominal muscles.

His hand caught her wrist at that point but she wanted to feel a little more. His obstruction was so heartless, she thought but when she looked up and met his eyes, that bitter feeling subsided. Hot passion lingered in his red eyes gazing at her.

Suddenly, using the arm wrapped around her waist, he pulled her into his bosom. Their naked abdomens were closely in contact with each other and the only obstruction was the thin silk quilt.

His manhood was already huge and was lodged between her thighs. Lucia's face flushed red with embarrassment and her body grew rigid. He put his lips to her ear and whispered to her, his voice low.

"Are you seducing me?"

Hearing his voice laced with patient desire, her body automatically shook. When she buried her head in his chest without denying it, it was rather Hugo who was taken aback.

'Why are you so cute?'

His wife was usually very shy and felt pressured at the smallest contact with him when the day was bright. Normally, he wouldn't turn down such an opportunity. Right now, he wanted to kiss her till she was breathless, leave his traces all over her pale skin, press her down and enter her hot body…

Damn it! He roared voicelessly. His schedule couldn't be cancelled at all this morning. To have to leave this prepared lavish meal…! Ugh. He sighed inwardly and laboriously pushed down his lingering desires.

"I have to go."

"…Oh."

"Sleep some more. I don't think your fatigue from travel is fully relieved yet."

As he spoke, he felt a little poked at. It was actually himself that bothered her all night before her fatigued was relieved. He should have allowed her some rest.

He felt his poor self-control was pathetic and became worried that she would fall ill again. He decided he would ask Jerome to call for a doctor and make sure she got treated when he left.

'I'll have to ask for tonics too.'

Her stamina was too weak.

"Okay…"

Hearing her mumbled response, he lifted her chin and kissed her lips then he lifted himself off the bed. He picked up the gown lying on the end table and draped it on his body.

Lucia watched his back until he was out of the bedroom then she burrowed back into the blankets like a cat.

***

When she got up again, it was almost noon. Lucia looked around the strange bedroom. It was not familiar like the one in Roam. Rather, the ceiling was lower than the one in the castle and the bedroom was a little smaller, but still, it felt spacious.

Now, she had to get accustomed to living here. Without any promise of return, it was very likely that they would be living in the capital for quite some time.

After having lunch, Lucia bid Jerome to prepare to head out.

"I would like to meet an acquaintance I haven't seen in a long time. However, this acquaintance doesn't know my identity. I will gradually talk about it but today, I would like to go inconspicuously to avoid surprise."

It had always been on Lucia's mind that when she came up to the capital, she would go see Norman next. She hadn't contacted the woman for over a year so she must have been worried. She wondered how Norman had been all this while.

"Before that, Milady, the doctor is waiting."

"The doctor?"

"Master asked for a doctor to be called to examine Milady because Milady might fall ill from overexertion after the long journey."

"…"

Lucia's face reddened a little. She doubted whether the 'overexertion' he referred to was actually from the fatigue of the trip. Quite frankly, the languidness she currently felt in her body was not due to the tiredness of travel.

"Alright. I just have to be examined?"

"He also asked for Milady to be given tonics."

Really, this husband of hers. His plan of feeding well and eating later was very obvious. Lucia never thought her body was weak. Her outer frame was small and she had a tiny build but her body was healthy and not constantly sick.

However, after marrying him, she realized what it meant to be exhausted from a lack of stamina. Sex with him consumed so much energy. She didn't know till a few months after her first time. However, the number of months accumulated and after a year, she realized how fortunate she was to have Anna's assertion of once every five days.

"…Is that so. If you must, then I ask for a very concentrated diet."

"For outing, I will accompany Milady. Opportunely, Sir Heba is around so escorting can be left up to him."

As though reading her mind, Jerome quickly got everything ready. He donned rustic clothing unlike that of a Duke's butler and Dean also wore leather armor so he would look like a common escort and not like a knight.

The carriage prepared also looked ordinary without the crest of the family. The carriage rode off in the direction given by Lucia. It was a simple company of people. But unknown to Lucia, secret escorts were following the carriage.

The carriage finally stopped a little distance away from Norman's two-story house.

Chapter 59 [part 2]

< — The Capital's High Society(1)– > (2)

TN: ＼(≧▽≦)／

Jerome and Dean followed a few steps behind Lucia as she came down from the carriage and headed towards Norman's house. Lucia knocked on the door. She expected to see Ms. Phil's plump face greeting her at the door but there was no reply.

She knocked a few more times but there was still no response.

'Did she go out? But Norman doesn't like going out. Why isn't Ms. Phil here?'

She felt sad that she had to leave without even seeing Norman's face so she stood in front of the door for a long time.

"Lucia!"

Lucia heard a voice calling her name from afar. A pair of two, male and female, were some distance away and out of the pair, the woman excitedly ran towards Lucia, waving her hand. She was no longer the lean girl from Lucia's memory. The surprisingly plump Norman rushed towards Lucia quickly.

"Lucia, right?!"

"Norman."

Norman hugged her tightly.

"My goodness. It's been so long. Let me look at you. Aiyo, you've become prettier. Look how fair your face is."

Norman was crying while holding Lucia's face and turning it left and right. Jerome and Dean were uncomfortable seeing the precious body of the Duchess mishandled and turned away slightly.

Norman fussed over Lucia, checking her face, hands and repeatedly saying things like 'you look healthy, thank goodness' or 'fortunately, you're not hurt'.

"Let's go inside. Just where and what have you been doing all this time…"

"Ah, Norman. This is…"

Lucia was curious about the identity of the man standing beside Norman. He was walking alongside with Norman and after Norman ran off, he followed after her.

The man grinned as though grateful for Lucia's lack of knowledge and promptly clung to Norman. Norman fixed him a lovable glare and jogged him with her elbow. Lucia's eyes widened at the very intimate display.

"I almost forgot to introduce him. This is Thomas. My fiancé."

"Fiancé?"

Lucia's voice increased in surprise. Norman gave an embarrassed laugh then briefly introduced Lucia to Thomas and vice versa then she quickly chased him away.

It was obvious from Thomas' gaze that he wanted to go into the house together and stick his head in their conversation but Norman pretended not to notice.

The man who turned around without concealing his regret gave off a nice and gentle impression. Norman linked arms with Lucia and tugged at her, showing her interest in the two attractive men behind Lucia.

"Who are those men? By any chance, you too?"

Norman sent Lucia a strange gaze. Which one is it? It was such a gaze. Lucia quickly resolved the misunderstanding. If Hugo were to hear this, it would be a disaster.

"No. They are my escorts."

"Escort? Wow. Lucia. What happened to you? I think we have a lot to talk about. But the people that came with you…"

"We are fine, you do not have to worried."

Hearing Jerome's reply, Norman's eyes widened in surprise. From his attire, she thought he was just a regular person but his tone and attitude showed etiquette and grace. It seemed he was not an ordinary person working under another.

Even though she knew it was rude, Norman kept glancing at the two men until she and Lucia entered the house and closed the door. As soon as the door was closed, the thoroughly maintained indoors of the small two-story house came into view.

As Lucia was seeing Norman's house again after a long time, she looked around in appreciation. The plainly formal atmosphere of the living room was unchanged.

Norman brought out some tea and sat on the couch facing Lucia.

"Where did Ms. Phil go?" (Lucia)

"She quit because of back pains. Plus I will be leaving soon anyways."

"Leaving?"

"You know, my fiancé you saw earlier. I decided to go to his hometown and get married."

"Norman, congratulations! When are you going?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow? You leave in two days?"

"Yes. We nearly missed each other. I didn't know you were coming so I was going to put this house up for rent. I was planning to have them contact me if you were to ever come."

Lucia felt deep regret. Norman was her first friend and her family. She was able to arrange a dress and meet Hugo with the money that Norman gave her, and she went to visit the ducal residence with the courage gained from Norman's advice.

If not for Norman, Lucia would not have been able to marry him. On the other hand, perhaps it was for the best. Lucia had experienced the life of a commoner and a noble.

So she knew how nobles looked at commoners. For the common people, the world of the nobility was an insurmountable wall, akin to heaven and earth and it could not be mixed with the world they lived in.

Most commoners would never see a high-ranking noble like a Duke in their entire lifetime. Lucia believed that Norman was not a person to change according to the status of another. But if she knew Lucia's real identity, she wouldn't be able to help feeling some distance in her heart.

The gap between the maid Lucia and the formerly princess but now Duchess Vivian was too big. It was hard to keep hiding this fact from Norman and Lucia was always worried that if she were to tell Norman, their relationship would become estranged.

She wanted to send Norman off as the Lucia that Norman knew. She wanted Norman to live a calm life, and perhaps if Norman didn't know, she could live carefreely.

"Actually, I am married too."

"What? Really?"

"I couldn't contact you because I got married and had to go far away with my husband in a hurry. I'm sorry."

"I see now. And no. I am getting married too so I know there are a lot of things to prepare and a lot to worry about. So I understand. Then, is it also your husband that placed those escorts?"

When Lucia nodded, Norman remarked, 'they did seem hired…' and exclaimed in admiration. Lucia was intimated by the questions of, how old, what kind of man, where does he live, where did you meet, that poured out non-stop from Norman.

Noticing that Lucia had difficulty answering, Norman did not push for an answer.

'In any case, I don't think the man Lucia is married to is an ordinary man.'

Norman recalled the men that followed Lucia as her escorts.

'Maybe she married a rich merchant or a noble. She did come with a valuable carriage from who knows where. Ah. A marriage with a noble. That is really what is called romance."

"Is your husband good to you?"

"Yes, he's affectionate."

"Does he earn well?"

Lucia burst into laughter.

"Yes, he earns very well."

"At night…"

"Oh, Norman!"

"What? Don't act so innocent on what a married woman does. You've already done it all."

Norman giggled as she looked at Lucia who was bright red. She teased Lucia about if she had any advice to share on a couple's night to her junior since Lucia was a senior in marriage. Lucia blushed fiercely, not saying anything and seeing that, Norman began to giggle again.

"You know, I thought of sending you a letter to ask if you were okay but honestly, I was a little worried about the medium. Something strange happened, you see." (Norman)

"Something strange?"

"Some woman came to me saying she was a fan of my novel. I couldn't find out who she was but to my senses, she felt like a noble. Even if one doesn't want to be exposed, whether it is from their tone or their actions. Something is different."

"A noble can be a fan though."

"That is true. But she was looking for you."

"…looking for me?"

"She came to find me a few times, mentioned your features and asked what you guaranteed when you made a bank account. When I asked why she was looking for you, she said she was looking for news as you were someone she knew. I just said you were a dongsaeng I knew. She wasn't interrogative but I pretended not to notice that she was quietly guiding me to talk about you. It isn't someone you know, right?"

"I don't know. I can't…get a sense of who it is at all."

Who could it be? Lucia was appalled by the fact that someone had come after Norman to ask about her. Someone was investigating her without her knowledge.

'Maybe they were aiming for him, not me.'

While there was no reason for anyone to go after her, his political opponents could still try to take advantage of her to get to him.

"Does the lady still come?"

"No. She suddenly stopped coming. It's already been several months. I haven't seen her ever since."

Lucia listened to Norman's detailed description of the woman's features and saved it in her mind. Since the woman tried to investigate, she would surely try to approach Lucia someday.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Norman had been staring at Lucia for a while now, so Lucia had to ask.

"It feels like you've changed a little."

"It has been a while after all."

"No. It's different from that."

Being the Duchess for more than a year, Lucia handled people under her and the leisure and skillfulness with which she dealt with the ladies of the northern high society flowed out of her unawares. Norman caught this with her sharp eyes. But Norman did not know exactly why or what was different so she just thought that something was different.

"Because you weren't here, I got to learn precisely how great of a storyteller you are. I paid someone to get news of the noble circles a few times but it wasn't as funny and informative as when you tell it."

"Was there any interesting story?"

"The most memorable one…was news about the Duke of Taran."

Lucia almost choked on the tea she was drinking.

"Apparently, the Duke of Taran got married. Do you happen to know anything?"

"I-I'm not sure."

"Well indeed. People like us don't quibble over which noble marries whom. But the rumors about the Duke of Taran's marriage are interesting. They say, there was no wedding, and as soon as the secret marriage was over, he kidnapped the bride and dragged her to his estate."

"Pk!"

Lucia ended up spitting out the tea in her mouth.

"What's wrong? Is the tea too hot?"

"N-No."

Norman handed her a handkerchief and Lucia wiped off the spilled tea on her skirt.

"Oh no. I don't think the stain will come off completely."

"It's okay."

"What was I talking ab…Ah, right. The Duke of Taran. Anyway, but it is said that the Duke lost it and did that because the woman that became the Duchess is a woman of incomparable beauty, beautiful enough to ruin a country."

"…"

Lucia now had cold sweat forming on her back. That 'incomparable beauty' was none other than herself that was in front of Norman.

"At home, the Duke confines the Duchess…"

"Nor..Norman. Will you keep writing novels after you leave?"

Lucia couldn't listen any longer so she quickly changed the topic.

"It is uncertain. If not in the capital, my novels might not sell well so I don't know if it will be profitable. But I have the money I've made so far so I'm not worried. My fiancé runs a shop that has been in the family for generations so I think income will be okay."

"How did this ever happen? Norman used to not believe in love."

"That is why life is fun. Hahaha."

The afternoon went by as Lucia spent several hours listening to Normans' love story. As Lucia listened, it was a very typical and romantic encounter, compared to the romance novels written by Norman but Norman told the story with her eyes shining as though she were talking about the masterpiece of the century.

She really seemed like the one of the heroines in her novels that fell in love.

"What of you? Are you happy?"

Norman asked at an interval and Lucia replied with, 'yes, I'm happy.' The happiness in her smiling face was not a lie. Lucia was truly happy with her days with him. Her sincerity was fully conveyed to Norman. Norman made an expression of happiness and relief.

"Well, this can work as your wedding gift. This house. I transferred it to you."

"This house?"

"Your account was still open in the bank so I left it to the bank manager to process it. I've processed all the paperwork and taxes so all that's left is for you to receive it."

"Norman, this is the first house you bought, isn't it? A house with such precious memories…"

"And that is why I would like for you to accept it. The memories in this house are memories built with you. I don't want to sell it, but I do not know when I will be back to the capital."

Nolan stood up from the other couch and came to sit beside Lucia then gave her a firm hug.

"Lucia, I always worry about you because you are much younger than me. You have to be happy. You will know where I live, so come to me if your husband makes you unhappy."

"Norman, thank you. If it wasn't for Norman, I…"

Lucia was all choked up and couldn't speak. They hugged each other and cried, sharing the joy of reunion and the sorrow of parting.

Lucia dissuaded Norman from seeing her off. She declined saying that Norman would be busy all day tomorrow preparing and the day after tomorrow, Norman would have to depart in the morning so there was no need to see her off.

Norman didn't want to inconvenience Lucia who wasn't free to go around without an escort. Even though the two of them said their goodbyes for a while inside, they stood in front of the door unable to let go of their regret.

"Please take good care of her. She is someone I think of as a younger sister."

Norman requested this of Jerome

"Do not worry. We will serve with our utmost sincerity."

Norman watched as Jerome carefully escorted Lucia to the carriage and she thought:

'He seems like a really good man. I will be relieved if Lucia's husband is such a man. Ai. Lucia is already married. My small dream is gone.'

Norman had planned to introduce Lucia to the younger brother of her fiancé for marriage, when they got back in touch with each other. That way, she and Lucia would move from east to west and live close to each other forever. She was worried that the young Lucia wouldn't know a good man.

'I hope you aren't being held up by some strange guy and suffering.'

But still, she was relieved that the lonely Lucia was no longer alone. Even though the carriage was no longer in sight, Norman stood standing outside for a long while.

Translator's Corner:

1) Dongsaeng means: someone younger that you. Usually a close term. Can be used to refer to male or female. Direct translation is younger sister/child…

*We are getting to the point where we might need a term glossary.

*If someone can teach me footnotes, I'll do em lol.

*This chapter is the longest we've had I think. Phew.

Chapter 60 [part 1]

< — The Capital's High Society(1)– > (3)

TN: |･ω･)

During dinner, Hugo began to talk about her outing.

"I heard you went out."

"Yes. I went to see the acquaintance I asked you to deliver a letter to before. Do you remember?"

"I remember."

Not only did he remember, but ever since Fabian turned in the last report, he had been closely monitoring, as well as protecting the female novelist.

He had already known that the female novelist would be getting married soon and he had even investigated to see if the man had deliberately approached the novelist.

Unbeknownst to Norman, she was about to marry a man that was guaranteed as non suspicious by the Duke of Taran's Intelligence Unit.

"She is a precious friend of mine. As she is leaving the capital, I want to leave a connection to be able to help her, just in case she encounters any difficulties in her new home."

"Do as you see fit."

At his ready consent, her cheeks reddened a little. She didn't think he was going to refuse but she felt elated when he simply accepted her request.

"Also…do you happen to know the rumor going around about me?"

"There are always many rumors in the capital."

"It is such a ridiculous rumor…"

She didn't continue and just kept poking her dish with her fork causing Hugo to frown slightly. Through Fabian, he knew of all the rumors about her. The rumors were mostly ridiculous so as long as it wasn't malicious, a sensitive response would be rather counterproductive.

Fortunately, there were no malicious details in the rumors about her. The thought that she might have heard a bad rumor from somewhere he didn't know made Hugo's mood turn foul. If that was the case, he would call Fabian who didn't do his work properly and pound him to the ground.

"Rumors are usually ridiculous. What does the rumor say?"

Lucia was a bit hesitant at his question, then with a slightly reddened face, she tried to explain the unspeakable rumor while holding back her embarrassment.

"The Duchess of Taran is a great…beauty…so you…me…territory…"

"I've heard that. What about it?"

The rumor wasn't a big deal. He asked because he couldn't understand why it was making her very uncomfortable. Lucia also couldn't understand how he was completely unaffected by the rumor.

"It portrays you like some kind of kidnapper."

"For a rumor about me, it's more on the favorable side."

Lucia had heard all sorts of rumors about him in her dream. In addition, she had unintentionally delivered the rumor that he drank blood directly to his face. Considering his rather mirthful reaction to her words at the time, he seemed to be composed when faced with rumors about himself.

"But I mean, what incomparable beauty. It's so dumbfounding…In reality, when I go out to the circles, people will start talking."

"Why will they talk?"

She didn't know why he couldn't understand her after she had said so much.

"You know, because I'm not an incomparable beauty."

"What do you mean? You're pretty."

Lucia was stunned for a moment. And in an instant, her face went completely red. The servants quickly averted their gazes and acted like they didn't hear anything. The servants, whose expressions did not change at all in this situation, were genuinely admirable.

"…Don't tease me."

"I never did. I say you're pretty because you are pretty."

Even though he teased mischievously her once in a while, he wasn't one to joke insincerely. He had said the same thing once before but then, it was just the two of them. Lucia's face reddened so much that it couldn't get any redder and she was unable to sit still.

She got up like that and quickly left the dining room. A strong hand grabbed her arm, stopping her from going out to yard. At some point, he had caught up and was right behind her.

"Vivian, did I do something wrong?"

He thought she liked it when he called her pretty. It was clearly recorded like that in his list so he was taken aback by her reaction. Lucia furiously shook her head.

"No. I was…embarrassed because you said that in front of the servants."

"Wow. It was 'don't touch' in front of the servants now it's 'don't say' in front of the servants?"

Lucia wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest.

"Mm. I don't like stuff like that."

While grumbling about why he should care if the servants are there, he returned her hug, wrapping his arms around her back. Listening to his grumbles, Lucia rubbed her head on his chest and chuckled faintly.

Are you happy? Norman's questions sprang up in her mind. Lucia could give the answer 'I'm happy' over and over again. Ever since she decided to believe in him, she was a little less anxious and a little more happy.

'These damn rumors. I can't even grab every mouth that says stupid things and stuff it.'

Other rumors didn't matter but these days, Hugo was very worried that unfounded rumors involving women or scandals of the past would reach her ears.

Because of that, these days, Fabian was running around, day and night, gathering rumors.