Chapter 27

Chapter 27
A cold, faint smirk formed on his lips as he shook his head. Tracing his fingers down his jaw, he picked up the green envelope.

He knit his brows at the sight of the pig-pink ribbon—a color so distasteful it ruined his mood just by looking at it.

Whenever the Imperial Princess sent a gift wrapped in a pig-colored ribbon, it always came with a load of nonsense and a personal visit…

“Young Lord, please sign the merchant guild documents first. Her Imperial Highness will be raiding—ah, I mean, visiting us shortly anyway…”

The butler handed him another thick stack of documents.

Carlos silently examined the fine print of hundreds of pages, revised the phrasing, pressed his seal, and drafted reply letters.

It was only after signing the sixth document that he slowly turned his chair with dark, sunken eyes.

Through the large bay window that eased his suffocating chest, he could look down at the stream and the small village surrounding the ducal castle.

Lilacs, willow trees… and a rabbit…?

❖ ❖ ❖

Under the shade of a willow tree, Elio inserted a straw into a box of white milk and drank it down without stopping. Her hands and dress were filthy with black grime.

I already received three months’ worth of living expenses, didn’t I?

Getting called a trashy lady in exchange for that much money is a total win, right?

She took a deep breath.

People forget everything over time anyway. They forget other people’s business quickly. Besides, they said I can’t be held legally accountable.

Sniffling, she wiped her nose and smoothed out the folds of her skirt.

Country folk don’t really read the newspaper, so it’s fine. First, I’ll find a job as a maid, and I can keep practicing my purification and healing magic.

She rolled up her soaked sleeves. Straightening her fallen bicycle, she glared toward the ducal castle.

…Liar.

…Bastard.

She hung her shopping bag on the handlebars and squeezed the left brake lever, testing its squeaky grip.

In two months, I’m leaving for the countryside immediately.

Settling onto the seat, she pedaled beneath the blue sky as if trying to shake everything off.

❖ ❖ ❖

Why hasn’t the Empress sent assassins yet?

Carlos walked slowly, trying to fathom the Empress’s suspicious intentions.

It wasn’t as if she had given up on placing her own child on the throne.

Water droplets dripped from his freshly washed hair. He adjusted his attire and buttoned up his open collar.

He walked down the path toward the willow trees, stepping through the blooming lilacs.

Looking at the sweet, purple blossoms, a silent chuckle escaped him again. It was a place that didn’t suit him.

The moment he turned a lush corner, he froze in his tracks.

His eyes narrowed, while in the distance, a pair of blue-green eyes trembled violently.

“Aaaaaah!”

Carlos stood with his hands behind his back and let out a dry laugh.

What on earth was she doing now?

The rabbit, standing hesitantly on a steep downhill slope, had slipped and started hurtling downward.

Rather, the bicycle was rolling down on its own, and the rabbit was clinging to it in utter terror. She seemed to have panicked upon spotting him.

“S… S-Sir! Sir!”

The sobbing voice of the woman racing down the hill called out to him. Her tiny face was pale with fright.

Carlos tilted his head slightly, and then…

One step.

Two steps.

He casually stepped aside with his long legs.

A wave of golden hair swept past him, fluttering her snowy-white skirt in the wind.

“You… you… son of a bitch!”

A flock of white birds took flight at her trembling, clear voice.

Carlos finally burst out laughing.

Listening to the man’s refreshing laughter, Elio’s mouth hung open in shock.

I’m gonna crash! I’m gonna fall in…!! Into the stream!!

The handlebars wobbled, and the accelerating bicycle charged straight toward the water.

Squeak, squeak, squeak! She frantically squeezed the right brake, but it was stiff, creaking uselessly without catching.

She had never intended to ride down such a steep hill in the first place.

It was all because of that man.

Why—why did he suddenly appear?!

And why did he dodge?!

Facing the bright blue ripples crashing before her, Elio squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. She threw her arms out to brace for the fall.

At that exact moment—

Splash! A large spray of water erupted over the stream, kicks of murky dust swirling up into the air.

Whirrr, whirrr… The front wheel, half-submerged and turned on its side, spun rapidly in place.

Elio’s heart dropped into her stomach. Her chest thudded frantically, and a soft tremor vibrated through the firm chest pressing against her.

With her lips bitten tight, Elio refused to look up. She kept her eyes shut, pressing her forehead against the sturdy chest of the man holding her.

A calm voice tinged with amusement echoed through the rustling of the leaves.

“Now I’m a son of a bitch?”

Carlos looked down at the bright red nape of the rabbit he had plucked out of the water.

Whatever she was thinking, she pulled in her slender limbs that had been flailing seconds ago, burying her face into his chest as it heaved with breath. His chuckle caused the waterbirds to flutter their wings once more.

“Have I evolved?”

“You… bastard…” Elio muttered, covering her face with both hands. Heat flushed through her whole body where they touched, making her curl even tighter against his broad chest.

The white waterbirds in the blue stream flew up and away again, frightened by Carlos’s booming laughter.

As the sun began to set, the noisy birds settled back into peace, diving lazily through the blue ripples. A watercock—a summer migratory bird that visits only during the sticky rainy season—swam sluggishly around them, seemingly intrigued by the man and woman who hadn’t left the stream for a long time.

“The Lübeck Empire’s moral code under holy law states that all such offenses are non-prosecutable against the victim’s will.”

Elio stared blankly at the wicked lips of the stern man who was suddenly lecturing her on holy scriptures.

…Non-prosecutable against the victim’s will…?

“It means if the victim expresses to the temple that they do not wish for punishment, the perpetrator cannot be penalized.”

Elio let the man’s words drift past her like birdsong while counting the petals of a lilac flower. Carlos gently lifted her drooping chin.

“You aren’t paying attention at all.”

“…Liar. You said I only needed to study Verse 1… Now we’re already on Verse 27… I get it, so please stop.”

Elio grumbled under her breath and rubbed her swollen eyes. Despite the cool breeze blowing over the stream, her eyes still felt hot and stingy.

“You’re the woman who ambushed me. You ought to know the moral laws well.”

“Then why haven’t you issued a correction yet?!”

“If I do, then you and I—having both taken a false oath—will end up locked in the imperial dungeon side by side. We’d be torn apart by the Empress and the Papal faction for defying the Emperor’s decree and insulting a royal marriage.”

Carlos spoke coldly, meeting her bloodshot eyes.

“I… I…”

“…Why did you cry so much?”

Carlos gently stroked her warm eyelids with his thumb, letting out a low click of his tongue. She must have cried terribly hard; her delicate skin showed no signs of losing its inflamed heat.

“I became trash because of you, Sir…! The newspapers even printed my portrait on the front page saying I assaulted you! How am I supposed to stay calm? My marriage prospects are ruined, and finding a job will be impossible…!”

“You’re innocent, so that’s enough. You don’t need to care about political noise. Legally speaking, you committed no crime—”

“The Parliament and the press are—!”

“Let them fight among themselves. The people of Schpenhart don’t believe Lübeck newspapers anyway, nor do they care.”

“It was printed in the Cyprus paper too! It said I seduced you first like some temptress—it doesn’t make any sense…!”

How could anyone possibly seduce a man like him? Elio babbled, looking up at the muscular man sitting with his back to the sun, glowing in the backlight.

“P-Please correct it right away! Tell them I never unlawfully seduced you. We had zero interest in each other, and we never even spent the first night together!”

Carlos ran a hand through his hair, letting out a rough sigh.

“I’ll correct it in two months. Not now.”

“You mean after we break up?”

“Yes.”

“If you wait until then to fix it…!”

“I gave you a letter of recommendation, and I’ll find you a suitable marriage match. It won’t interfere whether you look for work or a husband. Besides, I told you I’d cover whatever money you need.”

Elio forced strength into her tearful eyes. How can I trust that you’ll take care of me after we part ways?

“This is just a political power struggle between the Papal faction and the Emperor’s faction. The higher up you are, the more common it is to be torn apart by yellow journalism regardless of the actual facts. Your father was the one who jumped into that dirty arena.”

Carlos continued coldly.

“Do you want to be dragged down as a lady who conspired with her father to bribe a priest and frame me for forced intimacy? Parliament already knows you’re innocent. They’re just using you as a human shield…”

Seeing the woman trembling and hesitating with her lips parted, Carlos took a deep breath and rubbed his temples.

“Don’t worry. I’ll resolve everything in two months. My knights and the people of Schpenhart don’t think ill of you. You don’t need to pay it any mind.”

“How can I not pay it any mind? Am I supposed to live as trash for the next two months? Even if people say they don’t believe it, your name will follow me like a tag forever!”

“…….”

“It’ll be burned into everyone’s minds! Now, whenever people see my face, they’ll instantly think of you and assume I’m a trashy noble lady desperate for the Duke of Schpenhart’s wealth and power! That I’m determined to leech off Schpenhart for the rest of my life! I… I’m not that kind of person!”

“Is that a problem?”

Taking a sharp breath, Carlos looked down at her with dark, unwavering eyes.

“Then try being a little more confident about being trash.”

For a moment, Elio stood with her mouth agape, unable to process what she had just heard.

“Telling a person to be trash?! I am not a shameless woman who craves a man’s wealth and power!”

“Do you dislike power and wealth, then? You’re still spewing naive nonsense even after becoming a commoner. What’s so shameless about it? The world is full of women like that.”

Carlos spoke with a sharp, piercing gaze.

Heaving an agitated breath, Elio shook her wet skirt violently and stood up. Her body felt so weak that even the black plastic bag felt heavy enough to make her stagger.

“…I really can’t talk to you, Sir. I’m leaving first. I can’t discuss this with you anymore today. Let’s talk next time.”

As she staggered along, clutching the black bag to her chest, Carlos snatched it out of her arms.

“I’ll walk you back.”

“No thanks. Give it back! Taking someone else’s groceries…!”

“Are these… groceries? Grapes and a loaf of bread? How are you ever going to grow if you only eat this much?”

“Why do you keep telling me to grow! Is that what’s important right now?! So what if Parliament knows I’m innocent? How am I supposed to hold my head up in front of the local estate residents? You want me to become a woman consumed by greed who violated a great knight? ‘Try being trash!’ Easy for you to say!”