TVDE CH 29

~Chapter 29~

Richard’s eyes changed, and a harsh atmosphere came out again. Nathan also showed his vigilance by sticking close to Anthea. Nathan’s actions naturally fueled Richard’s anger. The servants and knights who had come to meet the master could not even blink, as if they were watching the imminent situation unfold.

‘I thought I could barely calm him down. Oh, my head.’

She sighed as she felt like she had a headache. It seemed that what was needed for a dog fight was not words, but a glass of water. Since she couldn’t really go get water at this time, Anthea had no choice but to serve as the water. Anthea looked at Richard and Nathan in turn, then slightly raised her head and opened her mouth. It was a small movement, but it was enough to attract the attention of the two men.

“to… Hitch!”

“Oh my gosh, I left you too outside when you were weak.”

Anthea’s sneeze instantly shifted Nathan’s attention, which had been focusing on Richard. Nathan immediately took off her cape and draped it over her shoulder as Anthea slightly shrugged her shoulders. However, in the short time Nathan took off her cape, the black shadow that came quickly hid Anthea.

“Anthea!”

Before she could even use her hand, Nathan had Anthea taken away right before her eyes. It was a brief moment, lasting no more than a few seconds. Even while hearing Nathan’s surprised voice, Anthea did not immediately recognize her own situation. She suddenly went dark and her body seemed to spin around and at one point she was lifted into the air.

“Duke Gwyntede, don’t mistreat that child!”

“I can’t leave my wife shivering in the cold.”

“Yes? Eh?”

At the sound of Richard’s voice above her, Anthea urgently checked herself to see what was happening. She was embarrassed because the hard, yet soft, pitch-black hair was close enough to tickle the tip of her nose. When she touched it with her hand, it seemed to be thick, but it had an earthy, leather-like smell.

‘Bear skin? Am I wearing a bearskin now?’

Anthea was held in Richard’s arms, her entire body wrapped in the bear skin that the owner of her house had been holding just a moment ago.

“Let’s go inside.”

While Anthea was speechless in embarrassment, Richard went straight into the mansion. It was so fast that even though Nathan desperately chased after Richard, the distance between him and her did not close. In an instant, the three people who were the eye of the storm disappeared into the mansion, and the difficult situation was resolved. Only then did the knights and servants let out the breath they had been holding.

“Whoa, I’m glad.”

“I thought I saw blood.”

Sighs of relief broke out everywhere. The employees who were worried that Richard might treat the Count’s guests like he would cut down a demonic beast were finally able to relax. The guard knights who guarded Richard’s back in front of the mansion also rolled their shoulders and relaxed.

“Should I chase you all the way inside?”

“It’s not an emergency, so the escorts only end here.”

“That’s true, but are you really saying you came back because of your wife?”

The guards who came along to protect the duke were at a loss as to how to react when they saw the unexpected sight. While the subjugation of the demonic beasts was in full swing, they suddenly rode together on horseback and rushed after Richard, who was leaving. He arrived nervous, thinking something was going on at the mansion, and he seemed to have witnessed something resembling a violent fight. More than anything, the knights were even more surprised by Richard’s change in momentum. At first, he showed slight irritation towards Nathan, who seemed like a literary young man. The guards felt uneasy due to the clearly deepening hostility from Richard. However, the moment Richard hugged Anthea, his unpleasant mood seemed to have disappeared.

“Then should we wait here until His Excellency returns?”

“Based on the atmosphere earlier, it looks like it will take some time, but let’s go to the training ground.”

As soon as the knights left, the coachmen who had split on both sides left, each confused and saying they should take a rest. With everyone leaving to do their own things, the Duke’s house seemed to return to normal. That was the case except for three people.

“What rude behavior is this!

“Let Anne go!”

Nathan shouted as he desperately chased after Richard, who had wrapped Anthea up in a bear skin. She was nervous because she thought she would miss them both if she kept running like this. Contrary to Nathan’s concerns, Richard slowed down in front of the living room inside the mansion. Richard sat Anthea, surrounded by bearskin, on the large sofa in the spacious living room and headed to the fireplace without hesitation. Nathan ran straight to Anthea’s side and peeled off the bear skin.

“Anne, are you okay?”

“Oh, yes. Yes. I’m okay.”

Nathan, who was closely examining Anthea’s bewildered face, became concerned about a suspicious sound coming from her fireplace. She looked up and saw that something had broken into dust in Richard’s hand. As she unwrapped her bearskin from Anthea, she glanced and Richard’s hand went back to the wall. As I watched what he was doing, he casually ripped off the magic stone that was deeply embedded in the wall with his hands and ground it into powder on the firewood. Just by pure grip strength. The power of Richard, who was able to shatter the magic stone, which was said to be difficult to split even when struck with a pickaxe as strong as it was, with just his grip strength, also applied strength to Nathan’s hands, which were holding Anthea. Just imagining the Duke with his crazy strength touching the delicate and weak Anthea was enough to scare me. Then, an ember was thrown into the fireworks, and small fireworks ignited one after another, like a firecracker exploding. Only then did she understand Richard’s actions. The attempt was to raise the temperature by burning firewood quickly using magic stone powder. By doing what he did to warm Anthea up as quickly as possible, Nathan was able to reduce her resentment toward Richard, albeit only slightly. Nathan was not surprised at Richard’s actions, nodding his head as if he did what he had to do.

Contrary to the two people’s calm reactions, Anthea, who was looking at them alternately, was on the verge of grabbing her by the back.

‘How precious is that fist-sized magic stone, and why are you using it as kindling? Nathan, why are you nodding when you see that?’

Even though it was a magic stone of a size rarely seen in the earldom, Nathan didn’t even seem interested. She was just looking around to see if Anthea was shaking and trying to straighten out her hair that had become disheveled from taking off the bear skin. If Richard, who had come up behind Nathan without a sound, had not caught him, he would have definitely done it. After witnessing Richard’s ridiculous grip strength, Nathan tensed just by having his wrist grabbed. Even though Nathan reacted so instinctively that his whole body naturally gained strength, he did not forget to show Anthea a friendly smile. As Anthea’s gaze turned to Nathan’s wrist, Richard’s hand, which was holding it, twitched for a moment and then loosened.

Nathan lightly shook his wrist as if nothing had happened and smiled slightly at Richard.

“I’m just trying to straighten Anthea’s hair. If you are uncomfortable with me touching you, please call the maid.”

Richard wasn’t very happy to see Nathan skillfully making her smile while her eyes didn’t contain the slightest kindness. As a result, he was unable to overcome the situation reasonably well.

“I think I spoke briefly earlier.”

“You must have heard wrong. I, who is only a minor count, could not have been rude to your Excellency.”

“Hmm…”

Nathan was intimidated by Richard’s inhuman strength, but his tone of voice and movements were no different from usual. It was too subtle to be considered a cornerstone for reconciliation. Nathan responded with a gentle smile to Richard’s suspicious look.

“I guess you have a hard time hearing people because you only hear the screams of the demonic beast.”

“Ha?”

Nathan’s comment made her smile and she suddenly stabbed her with a knife. If it had been a real sword, she would have taken it without hesitation and stabbed him in the neck, but since Richard was not used to stabbing people through conversation, she was slow to react. Only after taking a breath, feeling like putting her imaginary sword in her hand and releasing it, was Richard able to open her mouth. This kind of patience of hers was unfamiliar to Richard, but Anthea’s presence behind Nathan made it possible.

“Haa… Young Count Leslie.”

“Oh, there’s a maid coming. Unlike others, Anthea’s dedicated maids are deeply loyal and trustworthy.”

“Unlike who?”

Nathan, who was about to sit down next to Anthea after throwing her heavy bearskin next to the sofa, responded to Richard’s cold gaze with a smile.

“I’m glad you heard me correctly this time.”

Nathan still had no intention of backing down. Anthea, who belatedly came to her senses, pushed her body into the gap where the Duke and Nathan continued to collide. The sudden action made both of their eyes turn to Anthea.

Anthea had already been hit several times by Nathan’s words and turned her back on Richard, who was looking at her with her shaking eyes. When Anthea looked at her, Nathan’s smile grew brighter, as if her light had turned on.

“Anne, what do you have to say?”

“Yes. This is unbecoming of you.”

Even if the weight classes were similar, being distracted for just this moment could have led to a serious accident. Since no one was arguing with Richard like this right now, her reaction was slow and she didn’t see any blood. Even knowing that, Nathan bared his blunt teeth and raised his short claws. Nathan was so desperate for Anthea that he had to reveal all the weapons he didn’t have against an opponent he couldn’t easily defeat.

The words that came out of Richard’s mouth a moment ago were so insulting that Nathan had to sharpen them like this. She said the rumor shouldn’t have spread until after Nathan passed away. She was curious as to how the duke found out, but that wasn’t important right now. She was happy to be protected, but she couldn’t stand by and watch Nathan cross a dangerous path. She had to protect Nathan from an opponent who had the power to tear a person to death with his bare hands.