Chapter 30

While Frida hesitated to speak first, Daniel observed his wife closely. The doctor had come and gone, but since she didn’t look sick, it was clear that she was confused because of what happened last night. Last night... If someone heard about it, they might think something significant had happened, but it was just a kiss between a husband and wife. And it was the first time in three years since their marriage. If someone were to ask why it had to be that moment, that night, well... It just so happened that his wife was there, and she looked very beautiful. Did it mean that she liked him? He hadn’t bothered to find an excuse, so he didn’t know how to explain it. She was just beautiful. And she was also admirable. Despite the harsh conditions of the impoverished duchy, she had accomplished what seemed impossible for a woman, yet she chattered innocently as if it were nothing.

"You are the benefactor who helped me achieve my dream."

The thought that he had been seen as a good person, a benefactor, by someone made him feel both amused and strangely moved. Most of what Daniel had heard over the years were curses and insults, not words of gratitude.

"Daniel Rihardt, you filthy bastard. I will curse you even in hell. You are the eternal enemy of our family!"

Was the voice that came to mind now that of Graf, the duke? There were so many people who cursed him that he couldn’t keep track of who was who. The people who fought against Daniel all died saying the same things, even though he had never started a fight first. It was because of the contract he had with his mother Laura and the Empress Dowager. As long as Daniel protected Leopold, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t kill him. Protecting meant defending, not attacking first. He only stepped in after the battle had started. If they had behaved themselves, they wouldn’t have met Daniel, but they caused their own destruction and blamed him for it. But no matter how many excuses they made, it didn’t justify or make it easier to take a life. It was something that couldn’t be done with emotion. That’s why Daniel had been living without emotion for a long time. As calmly, indifferently, and expressionlessly as possible. As a result, everything in the world seemed trivial. Even being close to a woman felt that way. Even when Ricardo brought a woman to his bed without permission, he felt no desire. He had never found a naked body beautiful. To Daniel, a human body was just something that would die and disappear. After a battle, the survivors stripped the dead of everything they had—clothes, shoes, weapons, belts. If they found gold, the mercenaries would dance in front of the mutilated bodies. This was the scene he had seen since he was ten. When he was young, the shock was so great that he would vomit at the sight of similar scenes.

"Do you have to act like a noble brat?"

Every time, he heard Dominic’s mocking voice. Suddenly, he wondered which was more terrifying: the young self who was repulsed by such scenes or the current self who felt nothing. If he asked his wife, what would she say?

"You are the benefactor who helped me achieve my dream."

If he said that he felt his heart purified when he heard those words last night, and that he wanted to kiss her pure lips, and that he also wanted to taint her pure body and soul like his own, how would she respond? Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them and spoke.

"Do you have something to talk to me about?"

"Huh? You were the one who knocked on the door first."

"I thought you had something to say to me."

"Oh, you heard that? I spoke softly."

Frida, covering her mouth, looked around the open door with wide eyes.

"I saw more than I heard."

The narrow gap under the door repeatedly showed and hid shadows. Sometimes they would stop for a long time. After waiting for a while, he got tired and knocked on the door.

"Speak. What do you want from me?"

"Well... I was wondering if you could help me go outside."

Daniel looked at the bright, sunny landscape outside and the perfectly fine Frida who had walked into the room.

"Did you hurt your leg?"

That’s why the doctor came? Frida, seeing the wrinkles on her husband’s forehead, shook her head.

"No. My leg is fine. It’s just that Muriel has issued another no-outside order, so I can’t go out."

"Why?"

"Well... Muriel knows I’m sick."

"But you’re not, right? I heard the doctor came."

"I’m not sick, I just pretended to be... because I was embarrassed."

Frida pouted and mumbled.

"Please help me get to the tower with the vault. I have to pay some money today. Dominic is waiting anxiously."

"Anxiously?" The tone didn’t match her usual noble lady demeanor, probably influenced by Ricardo. How many things had happened in this land over the past three years? Dominic’s lament that this woman now felt like family came to mind. The cold guy who thought all women were like his mother, who had abandoned him, had been moved by this woman. Suddenly, the unfamiliar emotion he had felt made sense. Dominic had said he had something to do outside the castle in the afternoon, probably to deliver money. Despite complaining about the vault being empty, he always did what the duchess asked. Daniel clicked his tongue and lit the lamp in the corner. He walked to the bookshelf. Despite not being invited, the sound of Frida’s light footsteps following him was heard. Creak. When he pushed the bookshelf, the familiar darkness appeared. Daniel thought of his wife, who had fainted and collapsed there recently, and turned to look at her.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

Fear always leaves some trace. But his wife, whom he thought would be afraid, smiled brightly and nodded.

"Of course. I’m going with you, so I’m fine. I’m not scared at all."

"You’re brave."

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

"I hear that a lot."

Daniel, who rarely found himself at a loss for words, struggled to find a response. He silently stepped aside, indicating that it was fine to go together. Frida, who seemed to mean it, stepped inside and took the lamp from him.

"I’ll carry this."

After saying that, she stopped and looked at Daniel calmly. Blink, blink. Her innocent white eyelashes fluttered, and her expression suggested she had something to say. Not understanding what her eyes were saying, Daniel looked down at her calmly.

"..."

"..."

Realizing the reason for her hesitation, he saw the lamp in her hand and her awkwardly spread arms, ready to hug. Recalling a past memory, he couldn’t help but laugh.

"Are you asking me to carry you now?"

Watching the blush spread quickly across her white face, Daniel’s smile grew.

***

In the south of the Svergen Empire, in Weimar. This region, once the land of Graf, one of the twelve dukes, fell into the hands of Duke Matthias Andrea after his death. Technically, it was leased from the royal family, but as long as the money kept coming in, the royal family didn’t care about managing all the land in the empire. Duke Andrea, a branch of the royal family, had cleverly seized the opportunity and amassed great wealth in just a few years. Through the waterways extending from the south, he traded mainly with Turk to the east, and with the Rügen Empire, Milan, Bologna, and Florence to the west. He focused on large-scale trade, primarily in luxury goods and iron ore. The narrow duchy of Utrecht, nestled in the Altas mountain range and bordering Weimar, was outside his interest. If not for the request of his distant relative, Count Hackborn. A typical Svergen with blonde hair and green eyes, he frowned at the words of Baron Turner, who managed the duchy’s finances.

"Utrecht is hiring servants again? What do they need so many servants for in that mountain village castle?"

Due to Count Hackborn’s frequent letters worrying about his daughter, he had instructed Utrecht to provide whatever they needed. A few years ago, when they urgently needed to sell furniture, he bought it at a good price. Though a noble in appearance, he was a businessman at heart and made a profit, but it wasn’t excessive compared to other deals. Feeling sorry for a duchy without a husband, he had shown some concern, even if he wasn’t interested. But lately, Utrecht was mentioned frequently.

"I heard that Duke Rihardt woke up, but when did that man start acting like a noble and hire servants? He probably hasn’t even changed his mercenary habits. What servants?"

"The Empress Dowager sent a butler, so he’s probably trying to act more like a noble."

"How many people are they hiring? Do they have the money?"

"That’s the strange part."

Baron Turner handed Duke Andrea a document filled with numbers and text.

"Last time, you requested about ten people, and they were all experienced and clean-backgrounded, with recommendations. But this time, they just said 'as many as possible' with no additional requirements."

"So what’s the problem? We just need to find them and take the fee."

"The problem is that there are too many applicants. Even those who had already agreed to board the ship are now saying they want to go to the duchy. 'Andin Franco' just caused a commotion."

Pointing to a list in the document, Baron Turner added.

"It seems the rumor that the duchy is a good place to live has spread."

The document listed at least thirty names. If all of them had refused to board the ship, Andin wouldn’t have just let it go. The foul-tempered man, who handled maritime trade between the Rügen Empire and Weimar, would have had a reason to cause a commotion. Duke Andrea, rubbing his forehead, waved the document and shouted.

"Find out what’s going on in Utrecht!"

***

The light from the lamp in Frida’s hand flickered, casting and erasing their shadows on the floor. Frida, nestled in Daniel’s arms, kept her gaze on her husband’s lips, which were as expressionless as usual, but the smile from earlier made him seem like a different person. She had seen him make a smile-like expression before, but this was the first time his eyes and the corners of his mouth curved beautifully. It was a beautiful smile that would stay with her for a long time. Frida, burrowing into Daniel’s chest, whispered shyly.

"I’ve never seen you smile before, Your Grace."

"There’s nothing to smile about."

Her heart ached at his words, especially after hearing Ricardo’s story yesterday. How could someone who smiled so beautifully, and who was just a child back then, have nothing to smile about? The Empress Dowager was too harsh. Slowly lifting her head, Frida looked at his sharp jawline and spoke hesitantly.

"When I was six, my older sister died, and my younger brother Albert was born."

Frida felt the arms holding her tighten slightly and shrank back.

"I don’t remember much, but according to my sister Lote, I was extremely jealous of my younger brother. I would pinch him and make him cry when my parents weren’t looking... One day, I put salt in the milk he was drinking, and he cried and screamed... Oops!"

Daniel suddenly let go of her. Thrown to the ground, Frida lost her balance and dropped the lamp. Clang! The lamp shattered on the floor, spreading a wide beam of light. Seeing her husband’s face in the light, Frida gasped.

"Ricardo? Or Dominic?"

Her husband’s eyes, which glowed a vivid red even in the darkness, pinned her against the wall.

"Who? Who told you unnecessary things?"