Volume 3 - CH 12

Cedric made his way back to the Countdom.

“Uncle, you don’t seem to be feeling well.”

“Selina.”

Cedric, who had returned from the barbarians’ reconnaissance, had a gloomy countenance. It was as if something had gone horribly wrong.

Moreover, the rumors spread out about the Grandson family abruptly terminating the agricultural contract as the impact of Camilla’s rejection for remarry to the Old Count Grandson.

Camilla, who had to clarify the rumors in this situation, left the Countdom once more and went hunting.

‘That’s how she hides herself.’

Tsk tsk.

Even if Cedric went wild and enraged because of this, I could understand him.

‘That’s why you should make plans to chase Camilla out as soon as possible.’

Cedric, on the other hand, who is a model of impartiality, is incapable of devising such a scheme.

I’m not sure how long he’ll put up with her behavior.

“You… Selina, are you stuttering again?”

“Yes? Me?”

I encountered his anxious glance at that very moment.

I remember the time I stuttered when I saw him off with Camilla next to me.

Then I quickly act out as a tragic heroine.

“That… I don’t typically stutter like that, but I don’t know why I constantly stutter when my mother is nearby.”

Cedric’s brow furrowed in response to my comment.

“William says the Countess scolded you a lot while I was away. That’s… Is that the reason?”

“I was hit a lot. Because of it, my bones still hurt on rainy days.”

I said bitterly, glancing aside as if reminiscing.

“As you said, Uncle, I’m sure my Mother is doing it for my sake. There’s no way My Mother would intentionally abuse me.”

I chose the word ‘abuse’ on purpose.

Cedric’s face became white, then crimson, as I could see through the mirrored window. His face was a total mess.

He appeared to be on the verge of taking Camilla into prison.

‘Don’t be swayed. He’s just pretending to be worried.’

I know another bystander, who overlooked violence, under the pretext of maintaining neutrality.

That person was my school’s dean.

Because of the nature of art college, the Department of Theater and Film was known for its strict discipline.

If the bully gets to the point of violence, they would interrupt it, but that person ignores it and pretends not to notice.

I was an outcast until I was a senior, but the bullies were never punished. This condition persisted till I graduated.

‘Those are the people I despise the most.’

When are you going to stop being so indecisive?

Cedric was, obviously, the supporting character I despised the most.

* * * * *

As night fell, the Countdom’s lights went out one by one, leaving just the bare necessities.

Today, I wore my hood and carried a lantern with me.

“Are you going to meet that Toono, my Lady?”

“Yeah.”

It’s been a long time since I met him late at night.

Since the time he pushed me away, saying I wasn’t his reality.

And in the meantime, I didn’t go to see Valhail on purpose.

‘He’s probably waiting for me, right?’

Will he welcome me if I come to see him right now?

He had to consider who would lose if he created a wall over me.

‘He appeared to be someone who had never liked anyone before.’

Otherwise, there’s no way he would push his opponent away like a fool.

“Aren’t you afraid of him, My Lady?”

“Am I afraid of Valhail?”

“So, his name is Valhail. Yes, that guy, My Lady.”

“I don’t think he would be dangerous for me.”

“However, My Lady, I hope you’d be more cautious. We never knew what he was going to do…… He was a Toono, after all. He must have been associated with the other sinner at the prison.”

Nope. At the prison, he didn’t associate with anyone.

Rather, he killed all the sinners in his cell and was imprisoned in the quarantine room… …

‘However, I shouldn’t say stuff like that.’ 

Because Penny is constantly worried about me.

She’s a child who always waits for me, with her eyes open, even though I told her to sleep before me. Every single time.

“My Lady, if you keep coming out late at night like this, people could misunderstand you.” “Yeah.”

I gave a tiny nod as I gazed at Penny, who was frantically fastening my hood. “I know.”

Penny’s face brightened up as I confidently answered.

“Just as expected! Do you have a plan in mind, My Lady?”

Yes, of course.

I’ve gone out of the castle and encountered Valhail several times at night, though not every night.

The room I am staying at is the Countess room, the room located in the middle of the castle.

‘Nevertheless, how do you think I still could avoid people’s attention whenever I went out?’

I was skeptical, on the other hand, that the stealthy step behind me was too late.

“My Lady.” William was the one who immediately deected any presence and informed me of it.

I blow with my index finger in front of my mouth, making a hissing sound.

“But……”

William cast a worried glance behind him.

“I know. Don’t worry.”

William eventually stopped talking after hearing my confident response.

Until he led me to the Outer Guard Post, William quit nagging me.

And that indicated he had trust in me.

* * * * *

“I’d want to speak with Valhail alone.”

“I understand. I’ll bring that guard with me.”

William took the guard who was acquainted with Valhail and went off somewhere.

Valhail went to the bench at the rear of the guard post since he knew William’s arrival indicated I was coming to see him.

His gait appeared to be particularly light.

And I could tell he was pleased to see me.

“Here.”

I took out the lantern that I had brought with me.

His eyes twinkled for a brief while as the light spread, like a beast in the dark.

‘Ah, he’s handsome.’

He followed me cautiously but obediently as I entered the guard post with a happy smile.

I opened the window slightly on purpose.

So that unidentified unwelcome visitors can look in from the outside.

‘However, they couldn’t hear our conversation, could they?’

The roar of the burning bonfire was overwhelming in the narrow post.

My voice wasn’t very loud. So if I talk in hushed tones, no one outside will be able to hear me.

Valhail’s demeanor was such that whenever he met me, he never said anything like ‘I’m glad to see you‘ or ‘Why haven’t you been here?’

But the way he stared at me, as if he were someone who attempts not to miss a single moment and remembers everything about me, was far away from his normal demeanor.

He used to prefer standing with his back to me rather than facing me in this manner.

Because I had not visited him in the meantime, I could see his despair mingled with excitement in his eyes, as if he was going through a difficult period.

“Should we take a seat?”

There were many wooden crates wheeled around at the guard station that looked like chairs.

“Are you going to sit here……?”

“Yeah.”

Valhail’s lovely brow wrinkled.

“This is nothing compared to sleeping in a bloody dungeon.”

But he came to a halt in front of me and voluntarily removed his coat and placed it on the wooden box.

“Your clothes are going to crumple.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

I sat on his coat after politely declining the favor.

“Your hair has grown long……”

He didn’t have a lot of hair growth.

To be honest, his hair may not have grown at all, but Valhail automatically dropped his upper body to me as I feigned to be interested in his hair and extended out my hand.

‘How kind of him.’

Valhail is quite docile in comparison to Tori, who I had to battle every time he was groomed.

Valhail remained calm even when I stroked his beautiful hair. Just like when he bent down and let me touch him as much as I wanted.

My breath was taken away by the aroma of sage and lavender plants that suddenly floated through me.

“You…… Why do you smell so good?”

It’s a question I was muttering without realizing it. Instead of responding, he asked me a follow-up question.

“Then, what about you?”

“It’s because I’m the Count’s daughter, thus it’s expected.”

“I’m the same way. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be clean as well.”

That…… that’s of course.

With a dissatisfied expression on my face, I nodded my head.

“Take it off.” “What?”

“I told you to take it off.”

As I lowered my voice as if I was whispering, Valhail looked at me with a strange expression for a moment.

However, he quickly unbuttoned his shirt.

‘See, you’re going to take it off after all.’

The inside of the guard station was pretty bright thanks to the lantern and the bonfire.

“Because you keep saying nonsense that you’re going to participate in the war, I should make sure you’re good and healthy.”

“Why is that nonsense?”

Valhail removed his shirt and asked, his gaze fixed on me.

“Of course, it’s because you’re aiming to go to the war while you have such a simple job as the Countdom’s outer guard.”

He gave me a bewildered look before turning his head and laughing when I answered his question, which was more like arguing with him.

“Do not laugh.”

“Shouldn’t I be able to laugh as much as I want?”

“No. You can’t do it.”

I got out of my seat when I saw his top was entirely exposed.

Then I walked up to him and halted directly in front of his nose, as his eyes followed my movement.

People would see me standing in front of a naked man from outside the window.

They’d see my back, to be precise.

“It was I who saved you from death. Then doesn’t this body belong to me?”

“You’re correct.”

He responded as I fiddled with his hair.

“This body is yours.”

As I gazed down at the big guy, who was sitting quietly and looking up at me, I felt weird.