Chapter 8

"After arriving at the duchy, for the first few months, you just looked around everywhere, and one day you called me and said this."

"‘Dominic, we need to cut down the forest to the east of the castle.’"

"Did I ever imagine that it meant clearing the entire forest?"

After finishing his portion of the soup, Daniel picked up the bread from Dominic’s plate. He must have been hungrier than he realized. Despite the almost broth-like, bland patient’s soup, it went down easily as he faced the unbelievable scenery beyond the valley. Clearing the entire forest to make a field. If he had only heard it with his ears and not seen it with his eyes, he would have laughed it off as nonsense. Leaning against the large willow trunk, Dominic’s crumbs of bread that he hadn’t swallowed yet flew out of his mouth.

"At first, I thought you might just cut down a few trees and make a small field, like the size of a palm. But, being a noble lady, how far-reaching your plans were... It was endless, to the point where even my father and I struggled to keep up."

"Did you manage to fund such a large-scale project by selling just a few pieces of furniture?"

"No way."

Dominic chewed the meat in the soup roughly and swallowed it, then let out a long burp and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Everything valuable that you brought with you when you got married, including your dowry, was sold. From jewels to dresses to shoes. That’s how you covered the construction costs, and eventually, you sold off the household items in the castle one by one. But that’s not all."

Dominic took a sip of wine and smiled, recalling something.

"Her negotiation skills are simply incredible, a real con artist. Do you know what she offered the merchant from Weimar when buying seeds for the field?"

Daniel, still amazed, whistled.

"She offered to pay half the cost upfront and the remaining half in grain once the seeds grew. She said, ‘Isn’t that a win for you too?’ and didn’t even blink while pulling off such a scam. Ha ha. Honestly, who knows if the crops would even grow, but where does she get such nerve?"

"What did you do about it?"

"Huh?"

Dominic’s hand, reaching for another piece of bread, froze and then stiffened. The special knowledge he had about Daniel Rihardt, due to their unique friendship, came to mind. When this guy calls me ‘brother’ in such a familiar way, I need to avoid him at all costs. Before he could fully recall this, Daniel’s hand grabbed his wrist. His eyes, which had turned red in an instant, glared at Dominic with fiery intensity.

"What were you doing while that small woman worked so hard for land that wasn’t even hers, you bastard?"

"Ow, ow, it hurts."

"You should have stopped her or at least opened the vault. Did you just watch her sell everything she had? Are you even a man?"

The grip on his wrist was stronger than expected, and Dominic’s eyes squinted in pain. How could this guy, who had been bedridden for over a thousand days, still have such strength? Just a brute. Dominic twisted his wrist and finally freed it from Daniel’s grip. A dark, deep mark was left on his tanned arm. Checking if it was broken, Dominic suddenly shouted.

"I just let it be, thinking it wouldn’t last long! I thought she was too frail to do much! Everyone said she wouldn’t live long..."

"What?"

"That’s right."

Dominic, who had already stood up, took a step back to create distance from Daniel. He had realized before he was fifteen that he was no match in strength and never rebelled pointlessly. This red-eyed Daniel, who called him ‘brother,’ was more terrifying than any beast of Altas. After creating enough distance to dodge a punch, Dominic raised his voice.

"She looked so frail, even if she wasn’t from the Harkonnen family. She’s gained some weight now, but three years ago, everyone whispered that she wouldn’t last a year. No wonder your father kept checking on the duchess’s health, coming and going from the castle morning and night."

Despite his rough, unfeeling appearance, he had a lot of affection. Even if he was told not to get attached because anything could happen, he wouldn’t listen. Pushing aside a branch with his throbbing arm, Dominic sat back down.

"She’s the daughter-in-law of Laura, so she’s your daughter-in-law too, right? What a joke. How can a lowly mercenary leader from Milabo be the daughter-in-law of a noble from Svergen? But the real joke is... do you know what?"

Dominic scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit conflicted.

"That noble lady... she’s become like real family. Damn, it’s uncomfortable."

A sudden strong wind made the willow branches sway. The empty food basket rolled away behind Daniel. The long hair that had poked his eye now made his chest hurt. It must have been uncomfortable for her too. If even he felt this way, how could someone like Dominic, known as ‘the cold heart,’ have endured it? The uncomfortable, tangled feeling kept coming back. The solution was simple. Daniel grabbed the hair that was poking his eye.

"Let’s start by cutting this."

If it can be removed, remove it. If not, draw a line. Hold your ground. Don’t cross it. If not... cut it. No exceptions, family or not. *** Another piece of meat, soft and mushy, was added to the bowl of soup that still had more than half left. If it were any other time, Frieda would have complained about being full and pushed the bowl away. But now, she was propping her chin on her hand and poking the bottom of the bowl with her spoon. A governess from the prestigious Harkonnen family would have been amazed by this behavior. Her pouting lips, which refused to close, were equally unbecoming of a noble.

"Right. It must be uncomfortable. I understand. I understand, but..."

Thud. Before Frieda could finish, Adel cut a potato in half with a large knife.

"Still, it’s not right for the lord to say such things."

Matilda, stirring the soup pot next to Adel, nodded in agreement.

"That’s true. The duchy became livable thanks to her. If it weren’t for our lady, everyone would have starved to death, and the castle would be empty."

"But, Matilda, isn’t that a bit too much..."

Trying to calm Matilda down, Adel cut another potato and shouted.

"I mean, how many lords settled here to make money during the last harvest? Some were even from the eastern region where I lived. Remember the couple with twins?"

"Not just that. The herb merchant said that the rumor of the duchy becoming livable is spreading throughout the empire."

"Really?"

Frieda, whose eyes had lit up, asked Matilda if it was true.

"Really. The lady knows, right? The land above the duchy, the one the emperor gave to the government. The herb merchant said the climate and crops are much better here."

Matilda pushed the bowl closer to Frieda while they talked.

"Besides, with the emperor visiting, they’re making hunting grounds and stirring things up, so everyone is ready to move if needed. Oh, the soup is getting cold. I’ll eat this, so just leave it, and I’ll bring you a hot one."

"No, Matilda. It’s fine. It’s perfect."

Feeling much better, Frieda was about to ladle the soup when Adel’s plump hand snatched the bowl.

"Perfect? It’s cold. Matilda, bring the lady a fresh bowl of soup."

Adel smiled warmly at Frieda while cutting the potatoes from the basket.

"Since it’s cooked well for the lady, chew the meat thoroughly and eat it all. It’s very tender. And forget what the duke said. Men are naturally short-sighted."

"Right, right. How much effort does our lady put into washing and massaging him every day, and he says it’s uncomfortable? Is he small or something? He’s heavy, very heavy."

Matilda and Adel continued to support Frieda wholeheartedly and criticize the duke. Adel’s arm grew stronger as she cut the potatoes, and the halves often flew out and sometimes landed on the floor.

"Men are all about their character, which is worrying!"

Matilda patted her chest in agreement.

"Right. What good is a face? A broad heart is what matters."

Muriel, standing quietly in a corner of the kitchen, clicked her tongue. Sensing unfamiliar footsteps, she decided to intervene and uncrossed her arms.

"Maybe it’s time to stop."

"Stop? Why should we stop? Aren’t you upset? Our lady worked so hard, and he says it’s uncomfortable! How could the lord say such a thing?"

The kitchen door, which people often passed through, opened silently. Adel, about to cut another potato, met the eyes of the man entering.

"..."

Matilda, who was cutting bread, and Frieda, who was swallowing soup, also fell silent and looked at the door.

Everyone’s attention turned to Daniel, who had cut his long hair, revealing his clear features. Dominic, who had just entered behind Daniel, paused, sensing the strange atmosphere. He then spotted Frieda among the stunned women and smiled warmly.

"Having breakfast? Take your time. I’ll come back after you finish."

Frieda, who had put down her spoon, quickly stood up.

"No, I’m done. Is there something you need to tell me...?"

"It’s not me, but the lord has something to say to you."

Dominic moved aside and pointed to Daniel, who was standing by the door. Daniel, with his right hand behind his back, looked at the food on the table and then spoke.

"Can you spare a moment?"

"R-right now?"

"No. After you finish your meal. Dominic, please escort the lady to the study once she’s done."

"Yes, my lord."

The women in the kitchen finally noticed Dominic and turned their eyes to him, but they quickly returned their gaze to Daniel, who had left. Thud. Adel’s knife, which had been suspended in the air, finally landed on the cutting board, narrowly missing the edge of the potato. Adel, still watching the direction the duke had gone, nudged Matilda, who had been holding her breath.

"Matilda, what did I say about men?"

"Character."

"Did I? I said character?"

"Yes... I said a broad heart is what matters."

"Right. It’s not wrong, but why..."

Dominic, feeling the intense gazes of Adel and Matilda, tilted his head.

"Why? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Adel, whose eyes had softened, whispered in Matilda’s ear.

"Why didn’t I see Dominic just now?"

Matilda, who usually found Dominic’s handsome appearance appealing, was also in a daze as she stirred the pot.

"Me too. I didn’t even notice he was there."

Frieda, who had been quietly chewing her meat, mumbled.

"Me too."

'I only saw him.' The words were swallowed along with the tender meat.