TLSD 22

Chapter 22

“Do it later.”

Carlos said in a low voice as he accepted the bundle of documents.

Greta lowered her voice as she gazed at Elio, who was sleeping with her head resting on Carlos’s thigh.

“Are you going to stay like this until she wakes up?”

Greta paused, her gaze fixed on Elio. The full curve of Elio’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

“…Senior. Did you touch the lady’s undergarments?”

Greta used the word “Senior,” just like back in their military academy days—the way she always did when they were alone.

“……It looked like she couldn’t breathe properly.”

Carlos replied after a few seconds of silence.

“You said you were the one who told her to wear that. Isn’t it compressing her chest too much?”

Carlos gently stroked the woman’s back over the blanket. He tapped lightly near the area with five large hooks and frowned.

“The child looked like she couldn’t breathe.”

“That’s because it has to be safe. It helps her avoid a fatal wound even if she’s stabbed with a knife. Since we never know when an assassin might strike, we have to be careful.”

Greta curved her neat lips.

“I’ll pay closer attention to the lady’s safety, so Senior, ease your worries and mind your own boundaries.”

“……”

“No matter how much she looks like a child, this is crossing the line with the lady. Anyone looking would think she’s Senior’s daughter.”

Carlos silently patted Elio’s back.

Shaking her head with a smile at his unconcerned attitude, Greta handed over another document.

“We’ve narrowed down potential matches suitable for the young lady of Aquitaine to those spanning all the way to the Kingdom of Cyprus. Since there are no succession struggles in those families, there won’t be any issues regarding her safety.”

“Right.”

Carlos gently smoothed out the wrinkled space between Elio’s brows. What kind of dream was she having to smack her lips and frown like that?

Was she not having nightmares anymore? He wanted to pry her mind wide open to figure out why she had groaned and suffered all night just because she hated beds.

“Ah. The Marquis is visiting Schüpenhardt.”

“…The Marquis of Hoffmann?”

Greta gazed quietly at the spot where Carlos’s eyes and hands were directed.

“Yes. My father is—”

“Go outside.”

Carlos said as he brushed back Elio’s sweat-dampened forehead.

“We’ll talk later.”

Greta stared at Carlos with a smile for a few seconds before slowly nodding.

“…Understood. I’ll be waiting in my room.”

At dawn, with a persistent drizzle scattering through the air, sweat droplets fell from Elio’s flushed face.

“Ross. You know what? That man…”

The giant black horse shook its head huffily, as if expressing its displeasure.

“Hey. Carlos.”

Squatting in front of the stable attached to the annex, Elio furrowed her brows and stroked the black horse’s head.

“I’m serious right now, you know? Why on earth is that man hugging me and sleeping? Since you’re his master, you should know.”

Elio placed a hand over her heart, which was still thumping wildly. Her heart, which had been hammering as she tried to sneak away from that huge man, refused to calm down.

“Could he have stumbled into the wrong room because he was drunk…? Is your master a lightweight?”

The horse stamped its feet fiercely and shook its head.

Even its temper was just like its master’s…

…Seriously… he’s so handsome…

Recalling the delicate face of the man she had seen right up close, Elio stared blankly at the black horse.

Doesn’t this mean he’s the kind of carefree man who easily enters women’s rooms and casually holds and sleeps with them…?

Elio lowered her head toward the muddy ground. Muttering the word “playboy,” she suddenly felt depressed as memories of last night rushed back to her.

Was it true that he had no interest in the imperial throne?

If he really didn’t want to become Emperor and had used her just for that, maybe her guilt would feel a little lighter. Hoping that her father’s obstructive schemes—using her as a mere pawn—had been completely meaningless…

“…Hey. Ross. Shall we try practicing purification?”

Even though the man hadn’t urged her to demonstrate purification, Elio felt a guilty conscience pricking at her. Even without that, she was already painfully aware that she was the most incompetent person here.

“The lady is now the young lady of the Aquitaine baronetcy. In effect, that makes her a commoner. Legal treatment varies in many ways, so make sure to read the scriptures thoroughly.”

Thinking of the words Greta had spoken last night, her heartbeat quickened with anxiety once again.

Although she had managed to reply with a composed face, thanking Greta for the advice when told to prepare well in advance, inside she was burning up enough to chug wine straight from the bottle.

It only made sense now why the man had so casually said he could annul the oath of the blue-orb wedding night.

Since she wasn’t a true noble lady, the marriage oath could probably be nullified at any time.

…If it’s going to be like this, wouldn’t it be better to just be a complete commoner…? Anyway, as a baronet’s family, taxes and tax rates are the same as a commoner’s.

Biting her lip, Elio rolled up her sleeves.

“…Ross. I’m going to try the lowest-grade purification magic. I’ll do it slowly…”

Suddenly, a pitch-black shadow fell over her. Startled, Elio jerked her head upward.

“Hey idiot, you’re only carrying hay and all the water buckets are coming my—whoa, what the—”

Water sloshed from the bucket, splashing down in droplets over Elio’s dress.

“M-My Lady? What are you doing?”

Still early in the dark hours of dawn, the squire knights who had come out to prepare for morning training dropped their jaws the moment they spotted the tiny lady in the gloom.

Carlos put one hand on his waist and roughly rubbed his face with the other.

Because he had rushed down without even changing out of his training clothes, his chest muscles swelled and fell beneath the thin, disheveled tunic.

“Lord Carlos!”

Sitting atop the giant black horse while wearing a raincoat much larger than her own frame, Elio burst into cheerful laughter.

“What is she doing right now?”

Carlos narrowed his eyes, watching the woman who looked so pleased with herself atop his black horse right in the middle of the training ground. After running away from his embrace, what on earth was she up to at dawn? She should’ve been sleeping more.

The answer popped up from an unexpected quarter.

“She’s learning how to ride a horse!”

“The lady wanted to try horseback riding, so she was just playing around by herself in the stables!”

“I can make wyvern cries and swing daggers! I should know how to ride a horse, too!”

The squire knights in raincoats surrounded Elio on horseback like a retinue of attendants.

Carlos massaged his throbbing temple and slowly closed his eyes.

Had these idiots all lost their minds en masse?

“My Lord! Look! Look!”

As Elio gently pulled the reins with a flushed face, the black horse took a slow, deliberate step forward.

That hypocritical black horse had probably never walked that slowly even on the day it was born.

“Oh! Our lady actually has a talent for horseback riding!”

“Aside from her small stature, with just a little effort, she could become a fine Northern warrior!”

Rather than a woman riding a horse, it looked more like a horse carrying a woman around to play with her, accompanied by a barrage of absolute nonsense.

Watching the oblivious fools and the bright-eyed girl, Carlos pressed the corners of his eyes tightly and let out a low, sigh-laden laugh.

“A Northern warrior…? Do you think I could fight properly with Lord Carlos…?”

Carlos twitched an eyebrow.

“Why would you want to fight me?”

“W-Well… just…”

Elio stammered, looking at the man wrapping his hand over hers.

Without a word, Carlos uncurled her small fingers from their tight grip on the reins, slid the reins between her ring and middle fingers, wrapped them upward, and tucked them securely beneath her thumb.

“We should get along, why would we fight?”

Elio tightly curled her reddened fingertips inward. The man standing there holding her hand was infinitely calm.

He was blindingly handsome today as well, and it looked like he had slept extremely well. If she touched the man’s sun-kissed, softly tanned golden skin, her fingers would probably just slide right off.

Just how well did he have to sleep to look that glowing and polished?

Was it even normal for someone to calmly fall asleep hugging a woman no matter how drunk they were…?

She could vividly imagine just how many women he must have fooled around with in the military academy dormitories.

“Are you coming down?”

Elio nodded.

“……Actually, my leg strength is usually really good. But I was exhausted from the pilgrimage and then drank yesterday, so…”

Without even listening, Carlos rolled up his sleeves.

“Try getting down by yourself.”

Elio rounded her eyes.

“I haven’t learned that part yet?”

“Take your feet out of the stirrups. Swing your right leg over toward me and lie face down across the horse’s back.”

As Elio swallowed hard, not knowing what to do, the squire knights who had betrayed her sat some distance away, diligently polishing their swords and shouting, “A Northern warrior can do it!”

Can’t you just lower me down by holding me? Isn’t helping a lady dismount a basic courtesy for a playboy?

She couldn’t bring herself to voice such impudent thoughts. With her mind turning blank, she recalled how her sister used to ride horses, swung her right leg over, and landed to the left.

Gathering both legs together, she draped herself over the horse like a crescent moon. Her body stiffened out of fear that she might slip and fall off the swaying black horse.

Just as she was gauging the height she was hanging at and getting ready to let go, the horse—which had been docile until now—suddenly kicked its hind legs forcefully as if to fling her off.

“M-My Lord!”

Carlos immediately wrapped his arms around her waist from directly behind her.

“Let go.”

Elio held on tightly as if clinging to a lifeline.

“Hands.”

Elio opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, thrown off by the man giving her instructions as if commanding a dog (‘Paw!’). The intense heat surged through her because of the man’s hard abdomen pressing directly against her backside.

“Let go of your hands. You just need to put your feet on the ground.”

When Elio clung desperately to the saddle as though it were her only salvation, Carlos let out a laugh like a sigh. He pulled the woman into his embrace as if peeling off a stubborn leech.

His breath brushed the back of her neck, and her feet landed securely on the ground a moment later.

The young knights burst into laughter, seemingly thrilled just watching the scene of helping a lady dismount. They were as bright and rowdy as schoolboys witnessing their teacher’s romantic exploits.

Whispers followed, wondering if he wouldn’t just take her as a mistress even if he didn’t marry her.

At that, Greta, sitting on a bench, nodded with a gentle smile.

“As long as she doesn’t get pregnant, it doesn’t matter how many commoner mistresses he keeps.”

“Ah, Lord Greta. Is that something you can just control whenever you want?”

A knight lying sprawled beneath a tree laughed teasingly, clicking his tongue that innocent young ladies knew nothing about a man’s lust.

Greta gave a small, light chuckle and said.

“That’s what contraceptive medicine was invented for.”