Chapter 4
Several days had passed since that day.
Today, too, Helena remained in the annex until the sun dipped behind the mountain ridge. Swish, swish. Seated before a large easel, Helena’s hand moved busily.
Wherever the brush tip passed, colorful flowers bloomed, and green leaves shimmered with sunlight. In an instant, a vast field and a blue sky unfolded across the canvas.
A satisfied smile tugged at her lips as she gazed at the painting. She idly thought that she might have already achieved the happiness her mother had spoken of.
Having been recognized for her grand prize win at an art exhibition, Helena had been selected as an invited artist for the upcoming imperial-hosted art exhibition.
About three weeks remained until the submission deadline. It wasn’t as generous a timeframe as she had hoped.
Thinking she needed to pick up the pace, she diligently moved her hand when Marian, standing beside her, spoke cautiously.
“Um, Madam… how about taking a break now? It’s almost time for dinner.”
“…Oh. Has it gotten that late already?”
The sky, which had been blue just moments ago, was now tinged with red. As Helena rose from her seat, Marian’s face brightened.
After quickly tidying her art supplies, they left the annex. On the way to the main building, Marian shared various big and small happenings from the ducal residence with Helena.
Nodding along to the interesting stories or wearing surprised expressions, Helena suddenly halted her steps.
“……”
It was because she spotted Kavil leading his aides far in the distance. His frame was far larger than others, making him recognizable at a glance even from afar.
“I hope this time you don’t forget my command.”
She hadn’t faced Kavil directly since that day.
It was only possible because, like now, Helena would spot him first and freeze in place.
She had thought she was thoroughly accustomed to inexplicable coldness and disregard through her father, but it had all been her misconception.
‘From now on, always….’
Did she have to live like this?
She had resolved to survive no matter what, but she had never wanted a life where she had to stop at the mere sound of her husband’s footsteps.
Helena pressed her hand firmly against her chest. Her heart felt stifled, as if someone were blocking her breath.
Only after Kavil had completely vanished from sight did Helena resume walking.
‘Haa.’
Following behind Helena, Marian let out a small sigh. She hadn’t expected the duke’s cold treatment toward the madam to last this long.
‘How could there be such a lovable madam in the world!’
Marian’s fists trembled with anger. She couldn’t comprehend how the duke could be so cruel to the madam, whose very shadow was endearing.
Huffing in frustration, Marian soon exhaled a deep sigh. Her shoulders slumped as she continued walking. It was at that moment that Marian’s eyes suddenly widened. Helena, who had been right in front of her just seconds ago, was nowhere to be seen.
In a panic, she hurriedly scanned the surroundings. Fortunately, Marian spotted Helena not far away.
Helena was squatting near the wall of the annex, intently staring at something. Her luxurious dress was wrinkled unpleasantly, but she seemed unbothered.
Marian rushed over to Helena.
“Madam! What are you doing there all of a sudden? You startled me—I thought you’d collapsed!”
Despite Marian’s exaggerated cry, Helena continued to gaze at the base of the wall.
“Marian, look at this. There’s a flower blooming.”
“A flower?”
“Yes. Look here.”
Where Helena’s fingertip pointed, a small wildflower was blooming.
“Goodness. There really is a flower blooming in a place like this?”
“How did this flower manage to push through the crack in the wall?”
Seeing that Helena didn’t seem inclined to stand up anytime soon, Marian perceptively sat down beside her and said,
“It must be a brave flower.”
“A brave flower?”
“Yes, since it survived by breaking through a hard wall instead of soft soil, it’s a very brave flower.”
Helena’s eyes widened as she mulled over Marian’s words, then her eyes softened into a gentle curve.
“You’re right. To survive, one has to be brave first.”
“Seems that way, doesn’t it? Madam? …Where are you going? That’s not the way to the main building. Madam!”
Turning back, Helena smiled brightly.
“To become brave.”
“Pardon?”
Realizing that Helena’s steps were heading toward the training ground where Kavil would be, Marian’s eyes rounded in shock.
“Madam! Wait for me, Madam!”
Before Helena could get any farther, Marian scurried after her.
At that time, in the training ground.
Kavil had come to the knights’ training ground, not his private one in the mansion, and was personally sparring with each knight one by one.
Of course, “sparring” was Kavil’s one-sided view; for the knights suddenly facing him, it was nothing short of hell on earth.
Clang!
Before even two exchanges could pass, the knight clashing swords with Kavil had his weapon futilely drop to the ground. Kavil looked down pitifully at the knight who slumped to the floor alongside his sword, then jerked his chin.
“Why are you so weak? Next.”
Malone, the knight captain who had been watching the fallen knights with sympathy, approached Claude, the secretary, and asked,
“Is something troubling His Grace? His expression is even more fierce than usual.”
“Ah, well… yes, something did happen. He received a report from me about how the madam has been faring.”
“You brought up the madam to His Grace?”
At Malone’s expression implying he had foolishly mentioned Helena in front of Kavil, Claude frowned and replied,
“His Grace asked me first—to look into the madam.”
“…My goodness. That’s quite surprising.”
“Right? So I thought things might improve between them now. But seeing His Grace rampaging, it’s clearly not the case. Captain, you should brace yourself.”
“Pardon?”
“I think His Grace will soon order the training intensity to be increased by at least five times.”
“……”
At those words, Malone’s face visibly paled. Already, Kavil found one knight insufficient and was now facing over a dozen at once.
In truth, Kavil’s mind was fixated on the newspaper article Claude had shown him earlier.
[This Year’s Rising New Painter, Helena Destrian!
Painter Helena Destrian has captured the grand prize at the art exhibition hosted by the Art Association, establishing herself as the most注目-worthy new painter.
Her paintings, characterized by delicate yet dreamy color palettes, have captivated the eyes of royalty and high nobility alike.
…It is reported that the number of noble ladies taking up painting as a hobby has increased more than before due to her influence.]
As the prince had said, Helena had successfully made a name for herself as a painter and gained recognition in the art world.
“According to the butler’s report, the servants are full of praise for the madam. They all say ‘our madam’ and smile whenever talk of her comes up.”
“Our madam?”
“Yes. For reference, the knights also call her ‘our madam’ and follow her lead.”
“……”
Recalling Claude’s words, Kavil’s expression turned peculiar. Debuting as a painter. Winning over the long-time servants of the ducal household.
These were achievements she had accomplished on her own during the year he was away.
“I… don’t want to see Your Grace ever again.”
The faintly whispering voice and the fearfully trembling eyes.
Kavil had been certain that Helena would leave him.
Even if she couldn’t divorce immediately, he thought she would at least prepare the papers and get ready to leave the ducal residence.
But contrary to his expectations, she showed no signs of leaving the ducal residence; instead, she seemed determined to stay. Naturally, this left Kavil’s feelings in turmoil.
According to the report Claude had delivered, Helena had grown up as the precious youngest daughter of the count’s family.
The count had wrapped her fragile health in protection like a valuable gem, and as a result, her outings before adulthood could be counted on one hand.
That was all the publicly known information.
“…Since the madam rarely went out, there’s hardly any circulating information about how she lived in the count’s residence before marriage. For more specific and reliable details, it might be best to plant someone in the count’s household. What do you think? If you give the order, I’ll immediately—”
“No need. Why bother.”
“Understood for now.”
Claude nodded with a dubious expression. Then, struck by a sudden question, he added,
“But one thing is strange… The madam has two unmarried older sisters, yet instead of marrying off those two unwed daughters, they wed the youngest—and the most preciously raised youngest—to Your Grace. Isn’t that incredibly odd?”
“……”
“I mean, come on. Think about the infamous reputation attached to Your Grace. No proper father would marry his precious daughter to Your… J-Just kidding, Your Grace.”
‘Why did he have to say something unnecessary?’
Making him worry for nothing.
Kavil’s brow furrowed as he briefly mulled over Claude’s words. The unanswered question swirled in his mind.
Without asking Helena directly, it would be difficult to uncover why she intended to stay at the ducal residence.
“……”
Letting out an irritated sigh, he roughly raked his hand through his hair.
Kavil found Helena unsettling. Seeing her brought back emotions and memories he had tried hard to bury.
Memories so horrific that he couldn’t forget them, and thus regretted all the more—assaulting him every time he saw her.
“Can’t you not go?”
“……”
“I’m scared to be alone. It’s too dark here.”
“I have to go. I’ll come back.”
Helena resembled ‘that child’ from his memories to an astonishing degree. So much so that if that child had lived, she might have looked just like Helena.
That was why, at the wedding, seeing Helena filled him with both ecstasy and despair at once. It felt as if that child had returned alive. But that couldn’t be. It couldn’t….
It was while Kavil was lost in thought that a commotion arose at the entrance to the training ground. He casually shifted his gaze toward the noise, and his eyes widened.
Helena stood at the entrance to the training ground. Perhaps having come from painting, she wore an apron smeared with paint over her light sky-blue dress.
Amid the knights, including Kavil, all freezing in place. Helena slowly approached where Kavil was. Stopping at an appropriate distance, she looked at him.
“I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. There’s something I really need to say. If it’s alright, could you spare a moment?”
Nearly nodding in agreement to the clear eyes gazing up at him, Kavil belatedly furrowed his brow and replied,
“Madam. Didn’t I clearly tell you? What you need to do is….”
“I know.”
Cutting off Kavil’s words, Helena continued.
“That’s what I want to talk about.”
“……”
“I’ve mustered up the courage to come all the way here. You might not realize it, but facing you and having a conversation takes more courage than you think.”
“……”
“So talk with me.”
Helena truly seemed to have gathered her courage, staring at Kavil with resolute eyes.
However, noticing her clenched fists trembling slightly, Kavil sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“…First, I’ll wash up.”
“Pardon?”
“As you can see, I’ve sweated a lot. Let’s talk after I wash and come out.”
