Chapter 9
Even after she finished speaking, Haela could not look Heinrich straight in the eye.
As her escort, he didn’t necessarily need to get involved in such matters.
Unlike staying at the mansion to protect a noble lady, a subjugation was a grueling task that involved harsh environments and taking risks.
However, if the men Haela brought along participated in the subjugation and achieved merit, the people of the territory would be grateful to her.
Therefore, this act would surely help establish Haela’s dignity and strengthen her position.
“Is that why you looked so tense while saying that? Your expression was so serious that I thought something terrible had happened.”
Heinrich laughed heartily with a relaxed face and patted his chest.
“Do not worry. I will do anything if it helps you, Madam. Besides, a subjugation is nothing special. I’ll think of it as earning my keep, finish it quickly, and return.”
His boastful appearance was extremely reliable.
However, Haela’s expression remained dark as she looked at him.
With a serious face and no trace of a smile, she urged him:
“No. Use whatever excuse you must, but you have to refuse.”
The people her father had sent with her out of worry were destined to die one by one.
Heinrich and the knights were the very first victims.
“Madam, why are you doing this? Are you alright?”
Seeing Haela’s complexion turn pale, Heinrich asked worriedly.
His expression, which was initially puzzled, also sank into a dark gloom.
“I’m fine.”
Heinrich, who had participated in the subjugation for her sake without showing any sign of dislike, had returned as a corpse, unlike his energetic appearance when he left.
That day was the day of Uriel’s birthday banquet.
When she ran out upon hearing the news that the subjugation team had returned, what greeted her was his severed head inside a box.
She had fainted upon seeing it and was bedridden for a week.
Kersian had known about their deaths in advance but still made her prepare for Uriel’s birthday banquet. And while she lay unconscious, Uriel freely came and went from the Duke’s mansion without having to be careful.
Immediately after waking up, Haela heard from several people that the two of them had shared public displays of affection.
Haela’s lips moved, but she couldn’t bring herself to say these things.
Instead, she turned away to hide her reddening eyes.
“Your duty is to protect me. Not the Duchy. The same goes for the other knights who followed me.”
If others heard the mistress of the Duchy saying to ignore the Duchy’s situation, they would have plenty of reason to criticize her.
However, Heinrich was not disappointed; instead, he looked at her with questioning eyes.
Her small head and her already small frame looked fragile, shrinking back as if terrified of something.
“Sir, you are very precious to me, just like Marlin. I absolutely do not want to lose you. So please, promise me right now.”
Heinrich was a righteous person with a strong competitive spirit.
He was not a cruel person who could look at those dying in front of him and ignore them.
Therefore, she could not be at peace until she heard his answer.
“I understand.”
“Let’s prioritize our safety above all else and be careful not to get caught up in various matters for no reason. Never trust anyone easily here.”
“I will do so. But Madam, is it truly impossible for you to tell me what is going on?”
“I had an ominous dream, and the feeling was just too bad.”
“I see. Understood. If there is anything else you wish to command, please call for me.”
Heinrich might look dull, but he was not slow-witted.
Moreover, since he had watched over her since she was a child, he must have noticed something strange no matter how much she tried to hide it.
However, he had always let her win since she was little.
It was the same this time.
Feeling both sorry and grateful to Heinrich, Haela left the place as if running away.
She used to be a sinner to many people and blamed herself for everything.
Her thought that she was a sinner remained unchanged, but not everything was her fault alone.
There were others who truly deserved to be punished.
Vowing that she would never forget that fact this time, she wiped her eyes, only to see someone’s uniform in front of her.
“Princess?”
Raising her head, she saw a boy in a white shirt and black pants, holding a blunt sword at his waist.
Droplets of sweat flowing down his mysterious silver hair soaked his white shirt.
Looking at his slim but sturdy body and his beautiful, clean face that looked like a girl’s, her faded memories became vivid again.
He had a significantly smaller frame compared to the other knights, and despite training the same as everyone else, his skin was unusually fair. He was Heinrich’s apprentice knight.
“Sir Elliot, are you on your way back from an errand?”
“Yes.”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment before handing her something he was holding.
“I washed it earlier, so it’s clean. I thought you might need it.”
The handkerchief was still damp as if to prove his words were true, and it still held the shape of being wrung out.
Elliot held out the handkerchief but then seemed to regret it, looking down and checking her reaction.
“But if you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to use it.”
“Thank you. I’ll wash it cleanly and return it to you.”
Before he could withdraw his hand, Haela grabbed it and took the handkerchief.
“Yes. Then…”
While Haela wiped her tears, Elliot, who stood there awkwardly as if the situation was uncomfortable, gave a quick bow and left as if running away.
A faint smile appeared on Haela’s lips as she watched his back.
He was exactly the same—the opposite of the outgoing Heinrich, shy and timid.
He, too, had been killed alongside Heinrich during the subjugation.
But this time, she would protect him.
Him as well…
Kersian got off the carriage and headed toward his office.
He stopped halfway up the stairs and turned around to head toward the room where Uriel should be.
Before Kersian could open the door, a maid came out from inside, sobbing.
She looked flustered upon seeing Kersian and wiped her tears.
“I greet Your Grace.”
Kersian ignored the maid and went inside.
It was strangely quiet inside.
He checked even the bedroom, but he couldn’t see the woman who would usually be waiting for him, finely groomed.
“The young lady left earlier this afternoon,” the maid who had followed him in said.
“Without a word to me?” Kersian asked, puzzled.
“She wouldn’t have had the chance.”
“No chance? What happened?”
“The young lady didn’t leave of her own will; she was kicked out.”
At those words, Kersian doubted his own ears.
“What does that mean?”
“The young lady was staying quietly in her room, but the Madam sent people to her room, though I don’t know how she found out. The young lady went out because she couldn’t refuse the Madam’s call, and she returned a long time later with a swollen face. She left as if running away, crying sorrowfully.”
It was hard to believe.
However, seeing the maid’s face full of resentment, it didn’t seem like she was lying.
“I was concerned about the handprints left on the young lady’s face, so I asked around the other servants, and it seems the Madam called the Count and the young lady and whipped them.”
Just then, the butler arrived, having heard the news that Kersian had returned.
“Your Grace, you have arrived.”
The butler sensed the situation in the room through intuition.
Kersian looked away from the maid and gave a command with a cold face.
“Explain what happened.”
“It seems the Count visited during the day and ran into the Madam. I don’t know how the Madam knew, but she called Uriel and the Count into a room and didn’t come out for a long time.”
The butler explained the events of the afternoon in detail.
After hearing it all, Kersian’s face was completely frozen.
The remaining maid saw his expression and looked down with a terrified face, her body trembling.
After the butler finished speaking, Kersian immediately headed somewhere.
Guessing where his steps were headed, the butler sighed softly, and the maid relaxed and secretly lifted the corners of her mouth once he was out of sight.
Haela sat on her bed, having finished her preparations for sleep, and stared at the fireplace.
Looking at the logs burning in a mix of red and gold, a certain person’s face suddenly came to mind.
One day, at a banquet, Kersian had abandoned her, his partner, to dance with Uriel.
At that time, it hadn’t been long since she had a miscarriage. With a troubled heart, she ran out of the banquet hall to find a corner.
She was crying silently in a place where no one was looking, when she heard a low, cold voice.
‘What are you doing, looking so miserable? If His Majesty in the capital saw this pathetic sight, he would shed quite a few tears. I heard his health wasn’t good to begin with.’
Everyone avoided and feared the Grand Duke, who held strong military power at a young age.
His temperament was blunt, he was arrogant, and his words were spiteful.
‘If it were me, I wouldn’t even come to a place like this. Is there a need to come out and ruin your dignity?’
At those words, her face had burned.
She felt ashamed, miserable, and she hated the man in front of her.
However, due to her fear and discomfort, she couldn’t argue back even though she felt wronged and dissatisfied.
Every time, she hoped she would never run into him again, but she met him several more times after that.
Looking back later, he was the one who approached and reached out to her in her difficult moments.
Seeing her messy face, he would hand her a handkerchief to wipe her tears and send someone to take her to her room.
Looking back, it seemed she had met him more with a crying face than a smiling one.
At the time, it was annoying to keep running into him during moments when she felt ashamed and wanted to hide, but without those moments, she would have broken down much faster.
Because every time she was about to crumble, she was able to endure by remembering the kindness and warmth she received back then.
In a short while, she would meet him again.
Thinking about it made her feel a little nervous.
Just then, the door opened without a knock, and Kersian walked in.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
She faced Kersian.
The next moment, she felt a stinging pain in her cheek.
