The Tragedy of The Villainess (Completed)

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Table of Contents

  • 1. Chapter 1 - Prologue
  • 2. Chapter 2 - Part 1 - Can I Be Rude To The Villain?
  • 3. Chapter 2 - Part 2 - Can I Be Rude To The Villain
  • 4. Chapter 3 Part 1
  • 5. Chapter 3 Part 2
  • 6. Chapter 4 Part 1
  • 7. Chapter 4 Part 2
  • 8. Chapter 5 Part 1
  • 9. Chapter 5 Part 2
  • 10. Chapter 6 Part 1
  • 11. Chapter 6 Part 2
  • 12. Chapter 7 Part 1
  • 13. Chapter 7 Part 2
  • 14. Chapter 8
  • 15. Chapter 9
  • 16. Chapter 10
  • 17. Chapter 11
  • 18. Chapter 12
  • 19. Chapter 13 Part 1
  • 20. Chapter 13 Part 2
  • 21. Chapter 14
  • 22. Chapter 15
  • 23. Chapter 16
  • 24. Chapter 17
  • 25. Chapter 18
  • 26. Chapter 19
  • 27. Chapter 20
  • 28. Chapter 21
  • 29. Chapter 22
  • 30. Chapter 23
  • 31. Chapter 24
  • 32. Chapter 25
  • 33. Chapter 26
  • 34. Chapter 27
  • 35. Chapter 28
  • 36. Chapter 29
  • 37. Chapter 30
  • 38. Chapter 31
  • 39. Chapter 32
  • 40. Chapter 33
  • 41. Chapter 34
  • 42. Chapter 35
  • 43. Chapter 36
  • 44. Chapter 37
  • 45. Chapter 38
  • 46. Chapter 39
  • 47. Chapter 40
  • 48. Chapter 41
  • 49. Chapter 42
  • 50. Chapter 43
  • 51. Chapter 44
  • 52. Chapter 45
  • 53. Chapter 46
  • 54. Chapter 47
  • 55. Chapter 48
  • 56. Chapter 49
  • 57. Chapter 50
  • 58. Chapter 51
  • 59. Chapter 52
  • 60. Chapter 53
  • 61. Chapter 54
  • 62. Chapter 55
  • 63. Chapter 56
  • 64. Chapter 57
  • 65. Chapter 58
  • 66. Chapter 59
  • 67. Chapter 60
  • 68. Chapter 61
  • 69. Chapter 62
  • 70. Chapter 63
  • 71. Chapter 64
  • 72. Chapter 65
  • 73. Chapter 66
  • 74. Chapter 67
  • 75. Chapter 68
  • 76. Chapter 69
  • 77. Chapter 70
  • 78. Tragedy 71
  • 79. Chapter 72
  • 80. Chapter 73
  • 81. Chapter 74
  • 82. Chapter 75
  • 83. Chapter 76
  • 84. Chapter 77
  • 85. Chapter 78
  • 86. Chapter 79
  • 87. Chapter 80
  • 88. Chapter 81
  • 89. Chapter 82
  • 90. Chapter 83
  • 91. Chapter 84
  • 92. Chapter 85
  • 93. Chapter 86
  • 94. Chapter 87
  • 95. Chapter 88
  • 96. Tragedy 89
  • 97. Chapter 90
  • 98. Chapter 91
  • 99. Chapter 92
  • 100. Chapter 93
  • 101. Chapter 94
  • 102. Chapter 95
  • 103. Chapter 96
  • 104. Chapter 97
  • 105. Tragedy 98
  • 106. Chapter 99
  • 107. Chapter 100
  • 108. Chapter 101
  • 109. Chapter 102
  • 110. Chapter 103
  • 111. Chapter 104
  • 112. Chapter 105
  • 113. Chapter 106
  • 114. Chapter 107
  • 115. Chapter 108
  • 116. Chapter 109
  • 117. Chapter 110
  • 118. Chapter 111
  • 119. Chapter 112
  • 120. Chapter 113
  • 121. Chapter 114
  • 122. Chapter 115
  • 123. Chapter 116
  • 124. Chapter 117
  • 125. Chapter 118
  • 126. Chapter 119
  • 127. Chapter 120
  • 128. Chapter 121
  • 129. Chapter 122
  • 130. Chapter 123
  • 131. Chapter 124
  • 132. Chapter 125
  • 133. Chapter 126
  • 134. Chapter 127
  • 135. Chapter 128
  • 136. Chapter 129
  • 137. Chapter 130
  • 138. Chapter 131
  • 139. Chapter 132
  • 140. Chapter 133
  • 141. Chapter 134
  • 142. Chapter 135
  • 143. Chapter 136
  • 144. Tragedy 137
  • 145. Chapter 138
  • 146. Chapter 139
  • 147. Chapter 140
  • 148. Chapter 141
  • 149. Chapter 142
  • 150. Chapter 143
  • 151. Chapter 144
  • 152. Chapter 145
  • 153. Chapter 146
  • 154. Chapter 147
  • 155. Chapter 148
  • 156. Chapter 149
  • 157. Chapter 150
  • 158. Chapter 151
  • 159. Chapter 152
  • 160. Chapter 153
  • 161. Chapter 154
  • 162. Chapter 155
  • 163. Chapter 156
  • 164. Chapter 157
  • 165. Chapter 158
  • 166. Chapter 159
  • 167. Chapter 160
  • 168. Chapter 161
  • 169. Chapter 162
  • 170. Chapter 163
  • 171. Chapter 164
  • 172. Chapter 165
  • 173. Chapter 166
  • 174. Chapter 167
  • 175. Chapter 168
  • 176. Chapter 169
  • 177. Chapter 170
  • 178. Chapter 171
  • 179. Chapter 172
  • 180. Chapter 173
  • 181. Chapter 174
  • 182. Chapter 175
  • 183. Chapter 176
  • 184. Chapter 177
  • 185. Chapter 178
  • 186. Chapter 179
  • 187. Chapter 180
  • 188. Chapter 181
  • 189. Chapter 182
  • 190. Chapter 183
  • 191. Chapter 184
  • 192. Chapter 185
  • 193. Chapter 186
  • 194. Chapter 187
  • 195. Chapter 188
  • 196. Chapter 189. Side Story (1) - Berg's Daily Life
  • 197. Chapter 190. Side Story 2
  • 198. Chapter 191. Side Story 3
  • 199. Chapter 192. Side Story 4
  • 200. Chapter 193. Side Story 5
  • 201. Chapter 194. Side Story 6. Confinement
  • 202. Chapter 195. Side Story 7
  • 203. Chapter 196. Side Story 8
  • 204. Chapter 197. Side Story 9
  • 205. Chapter 198. Side Story 10
  • 206. Chapter 199. Side Story 11
  • 207. Chapter 200. Side Story 12
  • 208. Chapter 201. Side Story 13
  • 209. Chapter 202. Side Story 14
  • 210. Chapter 203. Side Story 15
  • 211. Chapter 204. Side Story 16. Lovesick (End)

Chapter 1 - Prologue

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 2 - Part 1 - Can I be rude to the villain?

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 2 - Part 2 - Can I be rude to the villain

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 3 Part 1

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 3 Part 2

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 4 Part 1

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 4 Part 2

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 5 Part 1

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 5 Part 2

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 6 Part 1

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 6 Part 2

https://www.patreon.com/TOTV

***

That exact moment the sword pierced him.

“Aah!”

The sorcerer’s arm snapped into a bizarre shape and he fell to the floor. Seria lifted her head, feeling her heart beating hard.

“…”

Lesche was right in front of her, a little out of breath, as he seemed to have run in a hurry. He quickly scanned Seria from head to toe and turned around quickly.

“This is outrageous. Where’s the rest?”

“They’re on the fourth floor.”

At the same time as Susan’s report, something was rolling down the stairs. Two of the sorcerers fell down the stairs with their hands and feet tied up. The other two were dragged down by the hands.

It was Joanna, the gardener of this dilapidated manor. A neat, middle-aged woman who liked green that resembled grass, easily dragging healthy men along with her, was a drastic divergence in its own right.

“Joanna. Is that all of them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Susan found out from the young lady that there was the smell of the imprints. She told me to put them on the fourth floor, and he suddenly attacked Linon…”

“Paralyze them all and throw them in the basement. I’ll call the knights tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How about Martha?” Seria asked.

“She’s fine. She wasn’t hit in the vital points.”

“I’m glad.”

It was amazing, even in the midst of all this, Joanna subdued the four sorcerers, and at that time, she also confirmed where Martha was injured.

It was almost midnight when the commotion ended.

Seria couldn’t sleep in the dining room anymore, so she went back to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. Before Lesche, of course, because he seemed to be busy dealing with the sorcerers.

She stared at the bedroom for a moment with her arms crossed. She didn’t expect to return within a few hours of fighting.

‘What’s wrong with the situation? I’m glad Martha is safe, but…’

She wondered if she should sleep on the couch, but Seria decided to go to the bed and lay down. The bed was so big that even six people could sleep comfortably. Though they just had a fight, Seria didn’t think Lesche would want to sleep on the bed now.

Seria lay on the bed after all the commotion, and sad feelings came pouring in.

‘Can’t you just ask me if I’m okay? Why did you have to mock me by bringing up Kalis? Not only do I care about the beautiful Laurel Manor, I also just want to keep  the people alive who have made their own memories. Yes, I just wanted to save them just like you do.’

Seria held a pillow and stared into the air. Lesche Berg. Didn’t  he also care enough to call sorcerers from another country? He wanted to save Martha and bring this place back to life.

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even though she knew there were circumstances beyond her knowledge.

‘I don’t know. Maybe I should sleep on the couch.’

She continued staring at the ceiling when the bedroom door slammed open. She paused for a moment and then heard the door close. Then she heard the sound of footsteps towards the bed.

It was Lesche, but Seria purposely didn’t show any reaction. She just laid there in a daze.

‘What am I going to do?’

Still, she didn’t turn her head even though Lesche stood right in front of the bed.

“…”

There was an overwhelming silence in the large bedroom, and after a few moments, she glanced sideways and saw Lesche sitting on the bed.

She was going to call him, but…

“Seria.”

“….”

A deep voice. She was a little surprised by the clear call. When she turned her head to the side, suddenly, one of her wrists was caught tightly. A strong force brought her back to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Seria stood on the floor. Lesche was still holding her wrist.

She didn’t have time to ask what he was doing because he reached towards her back and his large hand touched every inch from her neck to her waist as if he was checking something. Soon after, Lesche knelt on one knee in front of her.

“…”

Seria was dumbfounded but managed to keep her mouth shut. She had no choice but to do so because Lesche’s hand lifted her ankle.

She stumbled lightly for a moment and sat back in bed. Lesche’s hands were hard as they touched her skin.

Embarrassed, Seria couldn’t say anything for a moment. But slowly she had an idea of what Lesche was doing. This man was now checking her body to see if there were any injuries.

Lesche raised his head.

“I don’t think you’re hurt.”

“No…”

Seria shuffled her feet a little as Lesche grabbed her ankles tightly.

“I’m not. Please let go.”

Lesche silently stared at Seria and let go of her ankle a moment later. However, he didn’t get up. With one knee knelt on the floor, he just looked up at her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were much more downcast than usual.

“I don’t understand.”

His voice was the same. Shadows were cast low on his red eyes.

“You spoke to Susan. The sorcerers were suspicious.”

It was true that Susan had said such things to her. As it turned out, it was a good thing. If it hadn’t been, she would have been in as much trouble as Martha.

But Lesche didn’t seem to think so.

“If it had gone a little wrong, you would have been stabbed with a blade. Don’t you know that?”

“I do.”

“How could you be so reckless when you know that?”

“They would never have stabbed to kill me. They knew I was a Stern and I know they’re afraid the High Priest would retaliate. So there was no need to bother His Highness.”

“Seria Stern!”

His jaw clenched.

“I’m not talking about bothersome things.”

“Then what?”

“Why in the world didn’t Young Lady say anything to me?”

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

Seria bit the flesh in her mouth and stared firmly at Lesche.

“What could I say to someone who was busy mocking me for breaking up with Kalis?”

“…What?”

“You were trying to hurt me. You wanted to shut me up because I hurt your feelings.”

Seria had experienced this many times in the Imperial Capital before she went down to Berg’s estate, but frequent experiences didn’t mean she would get used to it. She didn’t even want to get used to this kind of mockery. A feeling of disappointment came over her.

“You want to talk about my safety, then why didn’t Your Highness talk about it yesterday?”

Lesche’s red eyes wavered uncharacteristically in anticipation.

“I didn’t mean it that way. Damn it, damn it.”

Lesche bit his lip hard and brushed his forehead roughly. A silence filled the bedroom. Seria turned away without saying anything more. Lesche was quiet too for a while.

Seria wondered how long he remained silent.

“I’m sorry.”

Suddenly, unexpected words rang in her ears. Seria looked ahead again, doubting her ears.

“…?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…”

What the  voice contained was a clear apology.

Apology. ‘What did this man just say to me?’

Not once but twice? Her sense of reality came back to her a step too late, and Seria hurriedly retreated before she knew it.

The problem was the distance between her and Lesche. It was so close that her foot kicked his leg while retreating. Lesche grinned.

“You don’t know how to kick a knight. It doesn’t even tickle, let alone I would fall down.”

“Who says I want to knock down Your Highness? It was a mistake.”

Seria’s anger faded a little at the joke, and what Lesche said slowly made sense in her mind. He was angry with her, but it was out of concern.

She didn’t want to build up her self-esteem even more after hearing these words along with his apology. She had heard from Linon about the illegitimate child, so why did Lesche make such a decision? To some extent it was understandable.

“Your Highness.”

After Seria called Lesche, she slowly moved to the side. She looked alternately between him and the bed.

“Do you want to lie down next to me?”

“What? You sound very strange.”

Seria said bluntly.

“You had a lot of work to do today and you must be tired. Are you going to stay on your knees like that?”

“I thought Young Lady would tell me to do that.”

“What do you think I am? How could I do that to Your Highness?”

Seria was silent for a moment. Because Lesche’s eyes, staring at her, had softened.

“No.”

“…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes…”

Seria cleared her throat and spoke more than she should have.

“Okay. Please lie down quickly. I’m going to sleep.”

Lesche, who was staring at her, stood up and gently lay down on the bed. There was a moment of silence.

In the beginning, she had always thought of Lesche as a cold, arrogant male lead. Certain parts of it were true. Because if a man in such a high position wasn’t arrogant, it would be strange in its own way.

Was that why? Seria began to recall the word “sorry” that she heard earlier.

She glanced over. Lesche’s eyes were neatly closed, but it was obvious that he was awake.

“Young Lady.”

His voice dropped suddenly.

“Let’s call each other by name from now on.”

“What?”

“Let’s call each other by name. It’s strange to call my wife as Young Lady every time, whether she’s temporary or not.”

Unexpectedly, Seria chuckled. She thought of the scene where Martha got angry with Linon over his use of honorific titles.

“By any chance….” Seria said.

“Huh?”

Seria lifted her eyebrows, holding back her laughter.

“Did Martha scold you, Your Highness?”

“Lesche.” Lesche said in a low voice.

At that moment, their eyes met. Seria stared at him in silence, as if caught in his gaze. She didn’t know why but somehow his voice made her cheeks feel hot.

“…”

So, she couldn’t answer easily, and after a while, Seria finally managed to open her mouth.

“Lesche…”

She said his name in a low voice, but Lesche didn’t reply. His silence must mean, “You answered too late.” If he really said that to her, it would be embarrassing, Seria thought.

She obliged and spoke again.

“Have a sweet dream, Lesche.”

In a very low voice, of course. It was almost a whisper.

***

Chapter 7 Part 1