ITMWG 73

Chapter 73…

Can’t I?

The embarrassment only lasted for a moment. Nadia soon realised she couldn’t imagine Altair dancing excitedly to this kind of melody.

I’m certain he won’t dance!

With that, she turned to Altair, feeling strongly supported, but quickly became astonished. Altair, with a sullen expression on his face, was standing among the dancing people. At this unexpected development, her eyes widened as she quickly walked to his side.

“Are you really going to dance?”

“These guys won’t let it go until they get what they want.”

Altair shrugged his shoulders and glanced around. She also turned her head after him and saw that everyone was looking at them with a smile as if anticipating something.

“If you don’t resist and just go along with it, you can escape it soon enough.”

It was a quick decision that seemed to reflect many years of experience. If Altair had said so, there was no way for Nadia to escape this situation either.

He’s-, he’s right. Let’s just get it over with quickly!

But this was her first time dancing in front of so many people. No, to be more precise, it was her first time dancing in front of others. Nadia mostly didn’t attend parties, and when she had to, she stayed in a corner to avoid people’s attention. She had learned to dance as a basic skill for a lady, but she felt that such dance would not be suitable for this situation. So the only person she could trust was Altair!

Listening to what they said, it seems like Altair danced in front of people every year…

She would be able to get out of the situation with a dance that suited the atmosphere. Nadia felt a little more at ease knowing that she had someone to trust and that she didn’t have to go through it alone. At that moment, Altair held out his hand and she gladly grabbed it. The surrounding area was already full of people dancing freely to the exciting music. Altair began to skillfully move his body along the melody. He was someone who could perform complicated swordsmanship with ease, so dancing was not awkward at all for him. In contrast, she was clumsy no matter what she did, so all she could do was follow his movements.

But still,…

It’s fun! Was it because the cheerful music? Or was it because of the overflowing energy of the people present at the festival? Regardless of the reason, it was fun. As Nadia was concentrating on getting her frantic movements together, all the worries that filled her mind went away. She smiled with glee and tried hard to follow Altair’s steps. She was clumsy, but it wasn’t impossible for her to keep up. Feeling proud that she was somehow accomplishing something, Nadia lifted her head and looked at Altair. A rare smile appeared on his face. He looked amused.

“You’re laughing at me when I’m trying hard… Isn’t that kind of mean?”

When Nadia protested grumpily, Altair slightly nodded.

“My wife always try her best at everything she does. I know.”

“Then why are you laughing at me?”

“I have never laughed at someone who works hard. Not once.”

She looked at Altair’s sulkily, wondering if he was trying to avoid the situation by lying. But Altair’s gaze were so sincere as he looked at her that she couldn’t bring herself to think that it was a lie. Moreover, the strange heat Nadia felt in those eyes was familiar yet strange, so her body momentarily stiffened. With their feet moving to an unfamiliar fast beat, losing focus even for a second was fatal.

“Ah!”

Nadia’s feet got twisted and her body tilted to the side without her having any time to react. But her body never touched the ground. It was thanks to Altair holding her tightly. From being led by Altair’s hands, she found herself in his arms. As everyone was watching, whistles and exclamations came from all around them.

How embarrassing!

Her face flushed slightly, abashed that she had made a mistake in front of everyone. The next moment, her body started to float. Altair had picked her up. The admiration of those around them grew even more as he carried her in the ‘bridal style’. Needless to say, she became even more flustered. The only calm one was Altair.

“Is this enough for you all?”

Altair held her and began to walk away with long strides.

“This is just the beginning. Where are you going?”

A protest was heard from behind, but Altair paid it no mind. In response to such protests, he just walked away silently with his usual stoic face. Altair left the centre of the lake where the festival was in full swing and stopped once the two of them reached a quiet, dark grove of grass. As Nadia got down from his arms and looked at the bright festival in the distance, which was in much contrast to where she was standing, she couldn’t believe she was there just a moment ago. The sound of music and people’s voices. Everything was far away. Even so, just seeing everyone happy warmed her heart. It started with the simple idea of making the territory wealthy in order to avoid turning Altair into a fearsome villain, but so many people were involved in her plan. When she thought about it that way, she felt a sense of pride as well as a sense of responsibility. A smile naturally crept upon her lips.

“I guess everyone is having fun.”

The moment she turned her head towards Altair seeking for agreement, something warm touched her lips. He kissed her. Her eyes rounded in surprise and the kiss became even more passionate. As Nadia stumbled under Altair’s huge frame, he firmly supported her waist and the back of her head. For that, she was completely wrapped in his arms, unable to escape. As they were entangled with each other, at some point,she began to lose her breath due to Altair’s ceaseless urge.

“Umm…”

Altair finally let go of her as she let out a moan. As she took a deep breath with her flushed face, Altair bent down so that his eyes were level with hers. The  kiss made them feel each other so nakedly, so it was difficult for her to look directly into Altair’s eyes due to the lingering sensation. Nadia lowered her head as Altair pulled her into a tight hug. Altair’s embrace was always warm and secure. But at the same time, she couldn’t miss the tension in his arms. It was because of the sensual atmosphere between them.

“The festival… Do you want to come back to enjoy it?”

Altair slowly stroked her back and whispered. He spoke as if he was asking for her opinion, but strangely to Nadia, it sounded like he was whining.

“The festival has just begun. Is it okay for the lord to leave?”

“Everyone is so into drinking and dancing that they don’t even care about that.”

“But I haven’t even sent the boat away yet.”

“You can send it out later.”

Altair answered calmly as he untied the straps on her back. Startled by the feeling of her top loosening, Nadia tapped Altair’s chest.

“W-what are you doing!”

“Can’t I?”

Altair looked at her and asked with calm. He was so composed that she almost thought he was only asking consent for a trivial matter. But the faint sound coming from afar made her alerted again.

“Of course not! There are a ton of people over there!”

“But…no one is coming to this area.”

Altair untied her straps and lightly kissed her collarbone, which was exposed at the loose top. Appalled, Nadia hit him on the back. She did not know where she got the courage from, but stopping him was her priority right now.

“N-Not here!”

“Right. It’s not possible to do it ‘here’.”

Though he did not seem to understand what the problem was, Altair answered calmly and swept her up again.

“Then where would be okay?”

“In-in our bedroom or something…somewhere not exposed…”

As Nadia answered obediently, she wondered if she had been swayed by Altair, but it was already too late to turn back. Altair gave her a soft kiss, then pulled away and grinned.

“Alright, sounds good.”

❈❈❈

“Sir Cain overturned a barrel full of beer and there was an uproar.”

“Still, it was truly spectacular to see the lake filled with boats on fire.”

Nadia sat in front of the dressing table and smiled awkwardly while listening to Anna and Marie’s story. Marie was combing her hair and Anna was tidying up the messy room and talking excitedly about what happened at the festival last night, but there was nothing she could relate to.

Because after enjoying the first part of the festival, Altair and I left the place and…

When Nadia recalled the long night before, her face naturally heated up. It was a shame that she couldn’t send the boat away, but it’s fine because she would be able to do that at next year’s festival. Having such a thought cross her mind, it felt somewhat miraculous to her.

Next year.

She was already looking forward to the next year so naturally. When she first got married into Aylesford and realised that her husband was the villain Altair, it was not easy to envision the future. Back then, she was always shaking and just thinking about how she could get through each day safely. Now, she could already be thinking about the upcoming year. As she stared at the mirror, overcome by a strange feeling, she heard Anna’s voice from behind her.

“Huh? Why is this here?”

When Nadia turned her head at the maids’ confused voice, she saw Anna standing at the window holding her bra. It was the undergarment she wore yesterday.

Ugh, Ahhhhh!

Since last night did not pass with her just lying quietly on the bed, her underwear was scattered here and there. Anna’s face also turned red, probably because she belatedly realised the situation after seeing Nadia’s blushed face.

“Uh, that, well…It could be here…of course it can…”

Unlike Anna, who was flustered, Marie was calm.

“We have visitors scheduled for the afternoon, so we’ll have to look at every nook and cranny carefully. You never know where something like this might pop up again.”

It was indeed the response of a professional maid. Thanks to Marie’s calm response, they were fortunate enough to find a few more underwear in unexpected places and put them away before welcoming the afternoon visitor. Nadia felt like her face would burst out of embarrassment every time her underwear appeared…

Let’s forget about it.

The afternoon visitor was Pavel. The purpose was to discuss future schedules.

“Now that the festival is over, we must leave for the capital.”

Although the main purpose was to attend events celebrating the Emperor’s Silver Jubilee, there were many other things to do in the capital.

The gift for the emperor has already been made.

They had also prepared magic stones to be used for promotional purposes. They had to speed up, as they would need to leave after finishing the festival due to a tight schedule. Since the more people there were, the slower they inevitably became, they kept the number of people coming along to a minimum. And most importantly, the  place they were going to stay…

“The Marquis of Vine also sent a letter. It said that they had already prepared to welcome guests, so feel free to visit them.”

Marquis of Vine. Nadia’s hands became damp with sweat at the familiar name. Pavel looked grave, Marie looked worried, and only Anna, who did not know what was going on, looked excited.

“It’s been a while since you’re going to your parents’ house! I heard that the Vine is a very wealthy and prestigious family, so the mansion must be nice, right?”

“Yes…It’s a nice mansion.”

It certainly was.

But the owner of that wonderful mansion…

Nadia tried to keep her composure, so as her shoulders would not droop. She was Nadia ‘Aylesford’ now. She couldn’t be as helpless before her uncle as she used to.

If I act ridiculous, both Altair and Aylesford will be a laughing stock.

Nadia remembered the people of Aylesford welcoming her brightly at the festival. There were Marie and Anna, who always protected her, and Pavel, who silently provided her with support. Now that she was no longer alone, she had to become stronger.

I will never be intimidated. I won’t bow down easily. And I will not give in helplessly.

Determined, Nadia tightened the grip on the hem of her dress.