Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Since then, Hert never once thought of himself as normal. He knew it best—that he was broken. Still, he tried to pretend he wasn’t. He had to somehow persevere until he met Tessa.

But Tessa wasn’t alright either?

Then what’s left?

At least one of them should be sane. Because that’s the weight of this scale. Wouldn’t it be too much of a shame if they both went crazy without getting anything? They lost each other and met again here, at this point.

It was like a battle over who was more unfortunate. And it was all really useless.

‘It’s all for nothing…’

Why the hell was it nothing? Hert let out a hard breath as he pondered what Tessa had said as she was in tears. Everything was absurd and he was about to get sick of it. It felt like he was naked and bare to all. If he could forget it, he just wanted to forget it.

No matter how he thought about it, wasn’t this too unfair? The past seven years he lived through seemed to be slowly vanishing into thin air. How was he supposed to accept the end of this betrayal when there would be nothing left?

Hert couldn’t even hate Tessa to his heart’s content anymore, and he felt pitiful and pathetic. Did he come back alive from that hell to see something like this?

What should he do now?

At that moment, there was someone who woke up Hert’s long thoughts.

It was Lange, his noncommissioned officer.

“Your Excellency, I’m coming in.”

With a small knock, Lange entered the office. He looked anxiously at his superior, who was sitting quietly in a chair without lighting a candle. He didn’t have a good feeling. Warning bells in his head seemed to be signaling danger. He staggered back.

“I’ll probably come back later…”

“It’s good that you’re here. Geoffrey, it looks like you just have something to do.”

“…I am still busy, but.”

“Get rid of them all and dig into my past.”

Hert stood up and said. Because of this, Lange furrowed his brow in bewilderment. What was he talking about?

“Haven’t you always been curious about my past?”

“No, that…”

“Because I can’t trust that damn woman.”

“Still, for me to dig into your past…”

“I will allow it.”

Lange couldn’t utter a word at his superior’s voice, which seemed to hold something tight. Here, if he answered the wrong question, it seemed that he would grab him by the collar. Really, he was really going crazy. Lange was at a loss as to how to come out of this situation unscathed.

“Your Excellency, calm down for a moment…”

“It’s weird no matter how you think about it. No, I need to check properly.”

Hert thought there must have been more he didn’t know. If he couldn’t hear it from Tessa’s mouth, he had to find out for himself. After knowing all of that, it would have been enough for him to contemplate what to do with himself and Tessa in the future.

“I will see with my own eyes how she sold me. Don’t you think it’s odd, too?”

“It is, but…”

Lange also gathered information about Tessa, though he thought it was a bit odd. Did the Madam really sell his superior? However, seven years ago, their past was completely erased so there was no way to confirm it, that’s why he stopped thinking about it.

“Then go and dig up my past.”

“Your Excellency, what makes it so easy…”

“Shut up and do it.”

Lange decided to shut up as his superior’s voice seemed to tear him apart at any moment. Since he told him too, that’s okay, Is there anything else? He didn’t want to die at the hands of his superior.

* * *

“Miss, Sir Geoffrey will be away for a long time.”

“What?”

At Jean’s words, Janet, who was lying with slices of cucumber on her face, jumped up. Because of that, the cucumbers fell from her face. Oh my cucumber! Janet hastily picked up the pieces that had fallen.

Jean walked up to her with fresh cucumbers that had been on the table and said,

“I dropped by the castle for a while, but he was in a hurry to get ready and left. I don’t know why.”

“No, what would he do if he left in this situation?”

“It could be because of the new lord. Here are some new ones.”

“No, but how important is this time, he just left the place? I’m definitely stuck at the castle, oh! It’s cold.”

Janet trembled as she threw away the fallen cucumber and put a new cucumber on her face. Jean responded by arranging Janet’s hair that had popped out of her head.

“What can Sir Geoffrey do? He is also in a situation where he has to take orders from the top. What should we do anyway? It would have been easier with Sir Geoffrey.”

“That’s what I mean. I have no reason to enter the castle. My place is the largest in the annex… Hmmm, but why did they get Geoffrey out all of a sudden?”

Lange Geoffrey was one of Hert Shine’s excellent subordinates. He was an indispensable person, especially when it came to gathering intelligence and strategizing.

He has been staying here for at least a month or more and runs the estate, but suddenly Lange Geoffrey had gone out? It was strange.

“I do not know. Only Sir Shine and Sir Geoffrey know why.”

Jean said lightly, putting the new cucumber on Janet’s face. Janet lay back on her bed and murmured, closing her mouth a little to keep the fresh cucumber from falling.

“Hmm, I mean, I’m worried something’s going on…”

* * *

Time passed, and since the day her residence was changed to the castle, Tessa was examined by Kennis in front of Hert. Kennis smiled faintly as she looked at Tessa, whose complexion was brighter than before.

“You are much better, Madam.”

“Ah… Is that so…”

“Yes, you’ve gained a little more weight. This is a very good sign that your body is recovering. However, do not overdo it or exercise excessively. It is best to refrain from it until you are completely healed.”

Saying that, Kennis glanced at Hert who was standing behind her. Tessa laughed at this.

Contrary to Kennis’ concerns, Hert still hadn’t urged Tessa to sleep with him. As he said before, it seemed that he was not going to touch her until she was healed.

Because of that, Tessa didn’t know whether to like it or not.

“Doctor, when it’s all over, just leave. You, prepare the clothes.”

As Hert gave orders to Kennis and Mani, the two began to move as if they were waiting.

With the stethoscope, Kennis left the room and Mani brought Tessa’s clothes today. One of the garments she had previously matched with Janet’s help, it was a blue fabric with a good combination of black lace.

“Here.”

Hert took off Tessa’s nightgown with skillful hands and began to put her underskirt and dress over it. Tessa’s neck burned tight whenever Hert’s hand touched her body. Although Mani helped her out, she wasn’t accustomed to being served by him as it wasn’t long before he started dressing her.

‘Even though I said it was okay…’

Tessa felt awkward changing clothes through Hert’s touch. She wondered how she could let him do such a thing.

He said that he was doing what he wanted to do, but which lord has directly helped the Madam change clothes? That was unheard of.

‘I think I’m ruining Hert’s reputation…’

From the day she promised to never betray her again, Hert began to treat Tessa with care, as if he was handling incredibly fragile pottery.

Tessa was very uncomfortable with it. How could it not be uncomfortable because the man who had to be served was rather serving a nobleman’s second wife, who was rather insignificant. Even when people insulted her as the previous lord’s wife, she had nothing to say.

“Too much?”

“…No it’s okay.”

“Then this much?”

“I think it’s fine…”

“You are too thin.”

Hert muttered as he knotted the string behind Tessa’s back. Even though it was tied as tight as possible, there was still plenty of room left in the dress. The doctor said she had gained weight, but for Hert, Tessa was still much too thin. She seemed to be the same even though he had been feeding her all this time.

“Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll tell the chef to make it for you.”

“…I’m okay. I am already eating enough.”

“You can’t even eat half of the amount I eat.”

“That…”

That’s because you eat a lot… Tessa couldn’t utter the next words, and shoved it down her throat. What Tessa realized while sharing every meal with Hert for nearly a fortnight was that Hert had a considerable appetite. It was also a fact that he did not know when they were in an orphanage because they always only had a fixed amount of food.

“We may not be able to eat lunch together today.”

Hert said quietly, putting the buttons on the front one by one. Tessa wanted to ask why they couldn’t eat together, but she didn’t deserve it. She closed her mouth.

She could actually guess what it was. Hert was the Lord and he had a lot of work to do as a sovereign, so this time it could be related to that too.

In fact, at some point, his noncommissioned officer was nowhere to be seen, and she felt that Hert had become very busy. Of course, he seemed to be trying to somehow dine with Tessa.

So, thinking that she was busy, Tessa quietly nodded her head.

But Hert’s position seemed a little different.

“Won’t you ask why?”

“…Huh?”

“Aren’t you wondering why we can’t have lunch together?”

Hert frowned as if he was hurt. Tessa’s eyes shook as she was flustered. Should she have asked? But she didn’t know if she was allowed… As Tessa hesitated, a small sigh escaped Hert’s lips. He said, threading the last button through the hole.

“It’s no big deal. I have to go to a place far away to search for something.”

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