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Chapter 20
It was a night bright with moonlight—a perfect evening for hosting a banquet.
Fortunately, the dress that had been prepared was said to have been delivered safely to Edith Prim.
Johannes rested his chin on the back of his hand, pondering whether what he had done would be of any help to the outcome at all. It had begun as nothing more than idle curiosity. Would Edith Prim choose to protect her pride?
Pathetically enough, it was just a trivial prank—nothing serious, merely a small, harmless bit of mischief. And until a report came in, he had no intention whatsoever of withdrawing it.
“We received word through Madam Marilyn. It seems Miss Prim’s condition isn’t very good.”
Fret Gunner straightened his posture and continued,
“I heard you sent her a thin muslin dress. No matter how sensitive she may be to heat, it is the dead of winter. It seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it?”
In short, he was asking whether Johannes had thought this through. Even Johannes himself knew that, by common sense, it was a questionable decision.
“So—did she say she’d wear it?”
“Since Madam Marilyn didn’t say anything to the contrary, it appears so.”
She really was an incredibly foolish woman.
“If she has any sense, she’ll deal with it herself,” Johannes said.
Fret Gunner spoke up in Edith’s defense.
“But since Miss Prim was raised as a commoner, it would be difficult for her to refuse a gift from you, my lord.”
“How foolish.”
“Not foolish, but—”
Fret Gunner stopped himself. His superior, a grand noble from birth, would never understand no matter how much he explained.
“What about the banquet preparations?”
As expected, Johannes brushed aside the matter of Edith Prim and quickly changed the subject.
With a sigh, Fret Gunner replied,
“Perfect. All the nobles have arrived.”
“Good. You’ve done well.”
Seeing the complicated look on his aide’s face, Johannes dismissed him with a brief gesture.
Darkness settled over the study. Left alone, Johannes tapped his long fingers rhythmically against the desk. Then he shifted his gaze.
On one corner of the desk lay a thick white shawl, neatly folded—prepared together with the dress.
He had never intended to send the dress alone.
But remembering how she had clearly been shivering from the cold, and yet continued to avoid him using such a ridiculous excuse…
She really must dislike me that much.
Put plainly, it felt like an unforgivable slight.
Ordinary Dochillian nobles were not bound by the weather. They always flaunted themselves, unafraid of the harsh sea winds or the sky above. If it meant they could shine, they were people willing to wear clothes unsuited to the season without hesitation.
But Edith Prim had not been raised as a Dochillian noble. Johannes knew that well.
Was it too much?
He couldn’t let her damage her health.
Letting out a sigh, Johannes picked up the shawl. Stretching his long legs, he left the study and headed toward where Edith was staying.
After walking some distance through the corridor, an absurd scene unfolded before him. Rather than anger, a hollow laugh escaped his lips.
“I never thought the dignity of the Duke of Schultz’s household had fallen this far.”
Swallowing the curse that nearly slipped out, he spoke—and eyes like the greenery at dawn turned to look at him.
The man who had been holding my throat released his grip. I collapsed straight to the floor, coughing uncontrollably. Even as I hacked and gasped, I could feel a cold gaze directed down at me.
As my head cleared, I saw the man hesitate and step back out of the corner of my eye.
After catching my breath, I slowly lifted my head.
Johannes emerged from the center of the marble corridor, walking calmly. He wore a jet-black tailcoat, the perfectly pressed fabric falling neatly over his broad shoulders. He looked every bit the host of the banquet.
In his right hand, he held a white shawl embroidered with delicate patterns—an item that seemed oddly out of place.
The ice-cold eyes that had been directed at me shifted to the man.
“It seems you’ve fallen even lower than I thought.”
Maintaining a dry expression, Johannes continued,
“To dare attempt something so reckless inside my own castle.”
“N-no! That is, I—”
The man’s hands trembled like aspen leaves. Standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do, he looked like a hyena cornered by a predator.
“I only thought she might be an intruder sent by the royal family…!”
Ignoring the rambling man, Johannes approached slowly. He passed the terrified man and extended his hand toward me.
When I took his large hand and rose to my feet, Johannes draped the shawl he had been holding over my shoulders. Then he turned to face the man.
His tightly closed lips parted, and a dry voice flowed out.
“Viscount Schwaben. To your eyes, does this young lady look like an intruder?”
He gestured toward me and spoke almost admiringly.
“No matter how poorly you judge her, she looks like nothing more than an ordinary lady who hasn’t even learned self-defense. Are you so lacking in discernment that you can’t tell the difference?”
The Viscount of Schwaben, who had been glaring at me, sucked in a sharp breath. Johannes’s sharp words continued without pause.
“It seems the degenerate blood of the Schwaben family doesn’t thin out, no matter how many generations pass.”
The viscount’s eyes widened. Unable to endure it any longer, his body began to shake violently before he finally shouted, spittle flying,
“Do not insult the honor of my family!”
“I’m not sure there’s any honor to insult,” Johannes replied in an utterly flat voice.
Unlike the viscount, who was raging with fury, Johannes spoke calmly—so calmly that he didn’t even seem to think he was insulting anyone.
“I had just been impressed by the bastard who behaved like a rabid dog, and now it turns out there’s an even worse breed here.”
There was no hint of sarcasm in his tone, but the truth, by nature, cuts the deepest.
In the faint moonlight, the Viscount of Schwaben’s face turned from red to a dark, purplish hue.
“…What did you just say? Your Grace, I will not tolerate any further rudeness—!”
“You think the rudeness you showed my fiancée is tolerable?”
Johannes tilted his head slightly.
At the same time, the viscount’s raised shoulders sagged.
He looked down at me—standing there unsteadily—with a gaze full of disgust.
“So you’re not surprised. That means you knew she was my fiancée.”
“T-that’s—!”
“I’ll be contacting your father separately. To raise a legitimate son and a bastard to be indistinguishable—such depth of impropriety is truly remarkable.”
In essence: I’ll tell your father everything, so deal with the consequences yourself—expressed in the most aristocratic manner possible.
The viscount pointed at me and shouted,
“N-no! I only wished to show my loyalty, thinking she might be a spy—”
“Did your father send a spy in a dress to Evanstein Castle?”
At Johannes’s sharp tone, the viscount flailed his hands wildly.
“Never! How could we commit such an offense…!”
“Then wouldn’t it have made sense to bring the woman directly before me?”
Johannes glanced at me, his voice dropping even lower.
“If the Schwaben family weren’t deeply involved in the filthy deeds of a bastard, there would be no reason to be choking her like this.”
The viscount’s eyes bulged. He looked like someone who had been struck squarely in the weak spot.
“The family’s prestige has already suffered greatly from those absurd rumors involving Banuks lately. All the more reason not to vent your anger on innocent people, wouldn’t you agree?”
Seeing that the man—who had been talking nonstop until now—couldn’t muster a single reply, it seemed Johannes wasn’t wrong.
Fixing the wide-eyed viscount with a cold stare, Johannes continued,
“Wait obediently at home. Appropriate measures will be taken with your family soon enough.”
When the Viscount of Schwaben fled with a face flushed red and blue, only Johannes and I remained in the gentleman’s corridor.
“Thank you for—”
“How did you end up here? Instead of staying in the inner castle until the banquet.”
He cut me off, asking with a rigid expression.
Just moments ago, his voice had sounded utterly devoid of emotion—now it was clearly angry.
So he hid his emotions from nobles, but thought it acceptable to vent his anger at me?
The relief I had felt vanished, replaced by a sense of injustice. I looked straight up at Johannes’s stiff face.
Was he reacting like this not out of concern for me, but simply because a mere viscount had harmed someone who belonged to the ducal household?
Perhaps, once I lost my usefulness, I would be thoroughly ignored. Still—this was too much. I had nearly died. The sensation of my throat being crushed was still painfully vivid.
“I asked why you’re here. The banquet is about to begin.”
When I didn’t answer, he repeated the question, his face even more tense.
Ah. Was he angry because I might not make it to the banquet on time? Because he needed to announce the marriage and spread the news that would excite the public?
A bitter laugh slipped out. A surge of emotion welled up, and I replied in a sharper tone.
“I got lost.”
“At this hour, there’s no reason to get lost. Shouldn’t you be in the midst of banquet preparations?”
His words felt accusatory, making me feel as though I had to justify myself.
“I had a headache. My chest felt tight. It was noisy outside, and staying cooped up in my room didn’t seem like it would help… I couldn’t afford to ruin the banquet, so I got Marilyn’s permission and stepped out for a bit of fresh air, and then—”
As I continued explaining myself, the sense of injustice and sadness only grew. The tension in my shoulders drained away in an instant.
“I don’t even know why I’m trying so desperately to explain myself. Why are you angry at me…?”
“When did I ever get angry—”
“You did. You didn’t raise your voice, but you were angry.”
I looked up at him, my brows tightly drawn together.
“I’m sorry for causing a disturbance. I know you’re worried the banquet might be affected. But it’s not like I expected something like this to happen. I never imagined I’d be attacked—choked out of nowhere—inside the castle…”
As I brushed my hand over the back of my neck, still burning with pain, I continued,
“Of course, I know it’s presumptuous to expect concern. But couldn’t you at least ask, even out of politeness, whether I’m all right?”
I was glad, relieved, and grateful that this man had saved me from dying an unnoticed, meaningless death.
When he draped the shawl over my shoulders, absurdly enough, he had even felt like a real husband.
And yet, all I got in return was a cold question about why I was here—spoken with anger, no less.
What was so wrong about being here? How could he speak so sternly to someone who had nearly died?
Forcing down the emotions surging within me, I continued,
“You know… I was so relieved when you came, Your Grace.”
“…That—”
“I know it’s presumptuous. But I had to say this.”
The atmosphere sank into heavy silence in an instant.
“Even if it’s just for show, please don’t forget that I am the woman who is supposed to become your wife.”
Johannes did not respond.
Was he taken aback by my presumption? By my acting as though I were truly his wife?
I didn’t know.
Perhaps considering my condition, he refrained from getting angry any further. He merely stared at me with an unreadable expression.
I gave a bitter smile and bowed deeply.
“Thank you—for saving my life.”
