Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Evan’s lips twitched as he saw me getting ready to go out in the morning, but he didn’t say anything to me.

It was worth asking roughly where I am going, but he didn’t.

‘Well, he’s always indifferent.’ He used to be a character who didn’t care what his wife did.

“Evan, what are you doing today?”

Still, I am not the type to pretend that we don’t know each other. So, I tried starting the conversation while picking out clothes in the closet.

“You’ve been in the library all this time, and you’re going to the library again today, right?”

No matter what questions I asked, it was obvious that I should stay calm so I wouldn’t put any stress on him.

“I’m going to see the Knights Commander.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to the Military Gymnasium tomorrow.”

I think I haven’t gone to the gymnasium since I was fifteen.

“Why?”

“It’s just, I like swords.”

“Really?”

The indifferent boy looked really happy when he talked about something he ‘likes.’ He always shook his head when asked if he liked sweets while emptying his dessert plate every morning.

“I don’t know, but shouldn’t I look good for the knights?”

“What…?”

“Then… dress up with some decent clothes. What about this vest?” I grinned as I took out the gray vest from the closet.

Picking clothes for important events.

It is very easy to be nice to Evan. I think we should start with this kind of set up!

He will grow up to be indifferent to his wife anyway, but at this moment, it is fun to be nice to him.

Evan, who clearly knew that he was not loved, was kind to her because he felt sorry for her. Though recently, Evan, who showed her that he didn’t hate her, is rather cute.

I laughed to myself with pride after seeing him picking up the vest I had picked without saying anything.

‘Cute…’

And then we left the duchy after dressing appropriately with Two knight escorts and Lisa, the maid, following us out to the town.

‘Well, it doesn’t make sense for me to go out alone.’

I didn’t know what my next move would be, but I know that I need to look around.

I swirled around the dress shop, toy shop, stationery store, and jewelry shop and bought nothing.

Lisa and the guards started to get bored.

By the time I was tired, I headed to the most famous dessert shop. Ganache was so popular that I could only buy one per person.

Nevertheless, the line was so long that I was advised to stand for another hour.

“Even really enjoy sweet things, so let’s buy this.” I said, standing at the end of the line.

Since we can only get one per person, everyone needs to get one, okay?

“Let’s just say you’re the little lady of the Duchy of Icard. Then, we might be able to get it without standing in line.”

“If you don’t stand in line, we’ll be criticized by people. I don’t want them to gossip about the Duke.”

Lisa scratched her chin regretfully but could not refute my noble decision.

I wonder if I’ve been in line for about twenty minutes yet.

“Keuk, Cough!”

I coughed but quickly put my handkerchief to my mouth. Lisa, fully aware of my occasional blood splurge, rushed to help me.

“Little Miss! Are you all right?”

“Cough, cough, cough! I-I’m! Cough! Okay…”

I grabbed Lisa’s arm and rushed to breathe.

“I-I have to go… to the bathroom…”

“I’m going with you!”

“N-no! Cough, cough! Even if I don’t get it…Cough! Please get three.”

Lisa stomped her foot helplessly, but I glared at the guards.

“I’m going to the bathroom. You have to take it.”

“B-but…”

“If you only get it for Evan, he won’t eat it. We need the three of us to eat so we can have tea time together.”

I stopped coughing and spoke clearly in a very logical tone.

“Even if one person’s missing, that would break our tea time. So, are you still coming with me?”

“B-but…”

“If there’s no tea time, our family, which has been a little closer since we went to the horse racing venue, will be distant. This is important for our relationship.”

“Um…”

“Then, we’ll gradually grow apart and become estranged. Evan, my husband, would be estranged.”

“Ah…”

“There will be no succession, and then the title will be cut off. Icard’s history will be gone.”

“And it would be all because you didn’t buy Ganache, just by following me to the bathroom.”

“B-but… ”

“Cough! Cou-u-u-gh! Cough, cough, cough!”

Two guards and Lisa sighed, looking at each other.

“Cough, cough, cough! Then I’ll- cough! I’ll go to the bathroom and be waiting in front of you. Cough! I’ll meet you over there…” I pointed my finger at the front of the crowded line and quickly got out.

After being completely out of their sight, I quickly turned around in the alley.

Ah, I started looking around.

Now, I’m going to get ready to bounce in earnest, and there is an appropriate place around here for me to take.

“A dark cafe with no proper sign and only a statue of a hideous horse in front of it… Oh, there it is!”

Thankfully, I found it before I got lost. I opened the door without any hesitation and went in.

“Who is it?”

I was dozing off at a table with no customers. And an old man came over to me and asked because I was sulking.

“I came to see Sven Vestian.”

I picked up a newspaper on the table. On the front page of the newspaper, there were two profile photos of the two, stated, ‘Black Horse Syndrome – Who is the main character of this amazing plot?’

Pointing at my picture in the newspaper with an innocent smile, I thrust my face in.

“Tell him this is me. Please ask him to meet me right away.”

The old man got up at once and headed to the kitchen, and politely led me in.

***

Evan was having a private conversation with Ludva Di Carto, the head of the Knights.

The Icardian uniform had two designs, black or blue.

However, the blue uniform’s design was so overwhelming that all knights, except Ludva would wear blue uniforms.

He was called the ‘Ludva of blue uniform,’ since he only wore blue With his brown hair and black eyes, Ludva had long been the head of the Icardian Order.

Evan took the podium while he was at the Academy. His blue uniform made him stand out among many people when he became the knight-in-chief. In doing so, no one except him wore the blue uniform.

“I see. You want to start sword training tomorrow.”

Ludva’s black eyes gazed at Evan.

“That’s right, the next duke should try hard.” Evan’s brow slightly frowned.

He was the first in the youth fencing competition. It would be natural to try, though it wasn’t something that the Knights of the Duchy of Icard, who would later be under him, would spit out loud.

“The Duke heir apparently was the one who killed the Duchess.”

Those words made Evan become stiffer.

“And the Duke was not really happy about it. The atmosphere of the duke was also the worst.”

Of course, he knew everyone was whispering behind him about this, but this was the first time he heard it directly.

“It’s all because of you.”

Evan suddenly felt his breath taken away. His chest felt stuffy.

“You know that, don’t you?”

When he thought of Matilda, his mother who died while giving birth to him, he became cold and stiff.

He heard that when Matilda was still alive and was the duchess of Duchy, the atmosphere was completely different from now. It was said that she was as warm as the spring sunshine. He had heard some conversations about her.

All deceit was turned into something great, not only Duke Icard, but everyone in the Duchy loved her deeply.

However, everything changed since her death. The duchy’s atmosphere had darkened, and Duke Icard began to cling to power like a madman. However, he didn’t look happy. Before, he would say, ‘I didn’t have a tendency to risk my life for wealth and power.’

Evan grew up being neglected by the duke, hearing his servants whispering such words since childhood.

When he was sent to the Academy, it was enough to deduce what he meant to the mansion and Duke Icard.

Ludva’s words followed.

“So, you should never be happy.”

Evan’s hand stopped as he tried to patch up the gray vest without realizing it.

“You made the Duke so lonely.”

Actually, he was a little happy when Laria picked out his clothes, but he suddenly felt guilty, thinking about the act of her maneuvering while choosing clothes alone.

‘There is nothing more than fencing to get rid of misconceptions and training his body. From now on, please come right before breakfast and even at dinner.’

He was having breakfast with Laria.

He liked it, but…

Ever since he was born, Evan slowly nodded, thinking of the duke who would have breakfast alone every day.

“…I see.”

Evan liked swordsmanship, but not enough to do it all day. Still, he had no choice but to answer him that way. No matter how high his face value was, he was only thirteen.

In the meantime, no one had openly said that this happened to the duke. So, Evan had only been thinking about it by himself, though hearing it directly from others was a huge blow.

For the first time in his life, he was forced to shrink in front of someone who pointed out his trauma head-on.

“I’m going to be needing your help when you grow up. That’s all you have to do.” Ludva’s words lowered his gaze.

“If you have humility, you shouldn’t look elsewhere.”

Evan, who spent more time in the academy than in the duchy, could not bear to deny the remark.

It was a fact that he knew very well.

When Laria first saw him, she smiled first, saying, ‘Let’s live well,’ so he thought the duke would be slightly different from before. Clearly, his daily life with her was enjoyable, even though it wasn’t supposed to be.

Because of him, his father and mother have been separated forever, and even if he got along well with Laria, everyone would still blame him like Ludva.

“Prince.”

Evan clasped the sword.

“For the rest of your life, you must be as unhappy as you are, even behind the shadows.”