V2C28

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They ran fast down the palace corridors

headed to the Marquis Bellmud’s rooms.

‘Leann, go ahead of me.’ Matilda

said when she noticed Leandroth matching his running pace to hers. Leandroth

shook his head and slowed down.

‘Mattie, wait!’

She wanted to hurry on, but he was

stopping her. On stopping, he gave her a quick tight hug and started running

again.

The knights surrounded them,

leading and flanking. Their personal court and the maids were running behind

them.

They stopped short at the doors to

the Marquis’ rooms. Matilda’s legs were so shaky she had to hold on to

Leandroth’s arm to keep herself steady.

‘It’s okay if it is just Matilda

and I,’ he said to the entourage behind them.

They both took a deep breath and

Leandroth knocked on the door. It opened ominously, its creak echoing thorough

the quiet corridor.

‘Matilda,’

She looked up to see Leandroth

looking down at her. His hand was trembling, so she held tighter onto him. They

entered the room.

‘I was waiting for you,’ the white

haired doctor said as they entered. (Zuben: You know they were elsewhere,

right?)

On the bed, was the form of a

person covered with a white sheet.

‘…It’s a lie…’ Matilda cried.

He’d been smiling that morning. If

he wanted to die, he should have died when he struck his head a few days ago.

No way.

Her legs lost their strength, and

she nearly collapsed if not for Leandroth holding her.

‘Be strong, Mattie.’

Holding onto Mattie, Leandroth

moved closer to the bed.

The doctor checked the doors behind

them and then closed it securely as though he did not want the world to witness

Matilda’s distress.

She looked at the unmoving body.

Why? She wondered. The sound of her crying filled the room, even if she wanted

to contain herself, she couldn’t. She fell into Leandroth’s chest as she cried,

but she heard an exasperated sigh over her head,

‘Grandfather, I can see the cloth

move with your breathing.’

He gave Matilda a comforting squeeze with his arm around her,

‘Hey hey, I am dead.’ a voice said from the bed.

‘A dead man does not say he is

dead.’ Leandroth replied, his tone droll.

‘It was a lovely show, though~’ the

marquis said he pulled the cloth from his face and sat up.

Matilda watched him in shock.

‘It is a problem for a man who is trying to be cute at this age.’

‘What did you say?! A man is always charming.’

Before he could say anything else,

Matilda threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

He was alive.

He was alive.

Despite her relief, her tears would

not stop. So she was laughing and crying.

‘No, it was bad.’ She cried. It was

a pleasure to say that to him, she rocked him from side to side.

‘You being alive is good.’

The doctor prepared three chairs.

Leandroth peeled Matilda from the Marquis and sat her down beside him and

handed her a handkerchief.

She received it with a smile and

wiped her tears.

‘So the reason, you performed such

an exaggerated drama, is that you want to retire from your duties as Prime

Minister?’ Leandroth asked.

‘I thought I would go to Icecoreta

and become teacher grandpa to Matilda’s younger brothers.’ The marquis replied

laughing.

Leandroth turned to Matilda,

‘Mattie…’ he growled.

Matilda unconsciously tensed and

straightened in her seat.

‘Hold on,’ Bellmud called,

‘Don’t scold Mattie. All my happy

memories have disappeared from here. I don’t want to become a husk living in the

past. I have gotten tired of this life for a while now. So I decided to take

Matilda’s invitation, and see if I can start a new chapter in my life.’

‘I will be accompanying him,’ the

doctor said with a smile.

Matilda studied the doctor. Who was

this person that sat calmly before the royal family with no deference?

‘Without Orlatta, this castle has

no place for me anymore. So I want to seek new memories in a new place.

Princess Matilda, in your country you would have need of a doctor who has studied

Southern Medicine. Would it not be better for me to accompany him, rather than

him going alone?’

‘Count Ivrahim…?’

Leandroth looked at him like a he

was a disgusting insect.

He was a count?!

‘Orlatta and I were in love. We

promised to be together after Leandroth was married.’ The Doctor Ivrahim said.

‘Eh…?!!!’ Leandroth and the Marquis

exclaimed at the same time.

‘Oh you did not know? I should have

told you earlier.’ He said vaguely.

‘It could not be…’

‘That…’

The two men could not hide their

upset, which seemed to delight the white haired doctor. He grinned.

‘Orlatta was not weak. If she could

see me now, she’d say, “Don’t wait for me, find yourself a new love. Don’t

wallow in worry.” She was an encouraging person. Oh dear, it seems his Majesty

and the Marquis are misunderstanding something.’ He said with a laugh

So Orlatta wasn’t a weak person,

Matilda thought to herself (Zuben: ¬.¬) No matter how much she was suffering,

she seemed to have been someone who did not forget to smile and to love.

‘I have already handed over my work

to one of my associate doctors in preparation for my departure. Icecoretta has

a thriving herbalism research, it will be beneficial to go and study there. And

I can keep this old knight company as well.’

Leandroth expression was still cold

and displeased like he’d taken some bitter medicine. Matilda held his arm and

said,

‘Your mother sounds like she was a

really nice woman,’

He turned to her and his expression

relaxed,

Bellmud coughed and said,

‘Leandroth, Matilda, send someone to my house to give instructions to my staff

about my departure.’

‘What about our wedding?’

‘Sorry but I won’t be attending. A

picture would be distributed eventually. I will see it then.’ (Zuben: Harsh)

‘Very well, stay with Bartholomew

until you leave. I think that it will take a little while for you accompanying

doctors to settle affairs here. What about your household, Count?’

The white haired count smiled

nonchalantly at the Marquis of Bellmud, ‘I have made my preparations. But you

decide what you would like me to do,’

The older man mumbled a bit, and

then said begrudgingly, ‘You can join me as my doctor.’

After that, they discussed other

matters pertaining to the departure. Leandroth called two of his trusted

assistants discussed with them the arrangements.

‘Grandfather Bell, make sure you write,

won’t you?’

‘I will. I promise.’

‘I wanted to talk with you more,’

Matilda said plaintively to Bellmud. She turned to Leandroth and said, ‘Why

don’t you ask your brother to come here, in the meantime, I will draft a letter

of introduction.’

She smiled as Leandroth stroked her

hair and went to do as she bid.

‘Orlatta was a strong woman, even

in this bird cage of a life.’ Bellmud said quietly. Matilda wrapped the

wrinkled frail hands in hers.

‘Hmm, a life that you are always

being watched…I can’t decide if it is terrible or a complicated feeling.’

‘Why did you not want to listen to

the count about Orlatta?’ (Zuben: cos writer sama doesn’t know herself)

Bellmud made an uneasy face,

‘I just didn’t want to listen to

the story of a lonely man who had only been well-behaved for a year who is just

feeling a small prickle of remorse.’

It was funny to Matilda what a

stubborn person Bellmud was.

She hugged him once more and he

gave kisses on both cheeks which she returned.

She prayed the clear blue skies of

Icecoretta would welcome Bellmud gently.

Leandroth took Matilda back to her

rooms.

‘Mattie, why did you cling to

Grandfather Bell so much?’ he asked in a small voice.

‘Why…?’

She did wonder why, she had never

hugged her father like that before.

‘I don’t think I ever hugged my

father,’

‘You’ve never hugged your father?

I’m surprised.’

‘Yes,’

She wondered why people hugged.

The body temperature of another

human was comfortable. Leandroth taught her that.

When they got to her rooms,

Celestia one of her ladies in waiting came to meet them,

‘I won’t be going back to the

office today, tell my staff and the courtiers. We will eat our meals here,’

‘Yes, your Majesty.’ She replied

with a smile and the rest of the ladies withdrew.

Leandroth pulled Matilda to her bedroom and sat her on her bed. He knelt before her and took her shoes off. He

kissed her instep, eliciting a small yelp. He reached up and unlatched her

stockings. Rolling them down, he stroked the length of her legs.

‘Ah, hold…L-Leann?’ she said as he

watched him trying to put her toes in his mouth. She pulled back quickly.

‘What are you trying to do?’

‘I was going to lick it.’

‘I don’t want that!’

He had her by the leg again and his

hand skimmed the sensitive skin of her calf,

‘Hmm, don’t you…?’

He asked as he drew closer,

‘You can’t possibly – ah! Want to –

to do –ah…’ Her voice grew smaller from embarrassment as he kissed his way up

to her knees moving her dress and petticoats out of the way. She made a cute

sound when he kissed a sensitive part of her knee. It was as though that was a

signal for Leandroth, for he rose and pulled her to him, sitting on the bed as

he stripped her of her clothes. He took off her brooch and her collar lace, and

put them on the side table. The dress she wore this day was dark green a colour

she felt was soothing. Leandroth’s fingers trembled as he undid her buttons.

Soon enough, there was a pool of green around her feet.

She clung to his neck, ‘I like you,

Leann,’ she said softly

‘Mattie…’

Matilda let go of him and began to

unfasten his clothes.

‘Grandfather Bell said people’s

hearts were like fragile glasswork, and we should learn to take care of them’

‘Hmm,’

‘I want us to be a pair that lasts;

I want to know how to take care of you.’

‘You being near, is enough.’ He

said

‘I knew you would say that,’ she

said with a wry smile, ‘But you know how easy it is for me to waver, you told

me to work harder.’

He looked down at her with laughter

dancing in his eyes,

‘Though you have a lot of

confidence in me,’ she continued, ‘I do not have confidence in myself. I don’t

like it but it is difficult to just grow confidence. And I don’t like myself

very much, but coming here, you are kind to me, and you adore me and encourage

me. Little by little, you helped me realise it is okay to like myself.’

‘Mattie…’

‘You’re amazing, Leann.’

A smile lit up his whole face,

‘Despite my behaviour, everyone

tried to be friendly. Grandfather Bell made things easier by being frank with

me and joking with me. He made me laugh.’

She pulled his clothes open (Zuben:

That took a long arse while) and ran a gentle hand across his chest, it was

strong and solid.

‘I have come to the point where I

think, it was only because I am woman I am able to meet you. But I want more

muscle; I’ve got too many fat bits.’

‘Just a little…’

She looked up at his words and she

saw his gaze was at her chest,

‘So adore me more…’ she said with a

smile on her face, ‘I know that you love me, and I will adore you so that you

can also know that you are loved by me.’

‘Mattie…’

‘Let’s live well together our whole

lives.’

The embraced each other tightly.