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Chapter 24
The Women We Knew
Dominic followed right behind Daniel as they went down the stairs.
“Seriously, I told the Duchess you would beat Sir Rosivalt, and she glared at me! She was so angry, saying, ‘How could Muriel lose?’”
Daniel turned his shoulder a little and asked,
“‘Our… Muriel?’”
Dominic nodded hard.
“Yes, our Muriel! The Duchess cares about her knight so much. Didn’t you see it that day? She didn’t even look at you when you were hurt, just rushed Muriel inside.”
Dominic stopped walking and hit his open palm with his fist.
“Ah, maybe she’s mad at you because you took Sir Rosivalt’s sword.”
Daniel frowned.
“Who took what? I won it fair and square—”
“Right, that’s true.”
But Dominic kept nodding, not really listening.
“The Duchess is going to buy Muriel a new sword, so please be generous with the gold.”
“I already gave her the key to the treasury.”
Daniel still got notes about what the money was spent on. The Duchess would push the paper under their bedroom door instead of telling him in person. She never hid her feelings, so Daniel always knew when she was angry. What bothered him was that he cared about it. Even seeing those notes annoyed him, and now she avoided his eyes too.
I didn’t steal the sword or force her to give it up. I even made sure Muriel’s honor was protected. And still…
“I’m the one who got hurt.”
Daniel grabbed the reins, and his horse, Balzac, stomped and tossed his head.
“Whoa, easy. Calm down, you bad-tempered thing.”
Dominic brushed Balzac’s mane as he spoke, not clear if he was calming the horse or talking to Daniel.
“When are you coming back?”
“Why?”
Daniel climbed up into the saddle smoothly. A servant handed a small bag of food to Dominic, then ran away quickly to avoid Balzac’s kicks. As Dominic tied the bag to the saddle, his tone became more serious.
“People are starting to gossip about you and the Duchess. No one has ever seen you eat together, not even once.”
“Is the dining table even still there?”
Dominic looked up at Daniel with a hopeless face.
“It’s not about the table. It’s about ‘sitting together.’ The Duchess has always eaten in the kitchen with the servants. It made sense when you weren’t around, but not anymore.”
Dominic watched Daniel’s blank face and asked seriously,
“Do you two ever talk? About anything? Even just a little?”
Dominic sighed.
“Sigh… I’m stupid for asking. Why would I expect anything from people who live like priests?”
“Someone might think you’re different.”
“You and me aren’t the same!”
Dominic raised his voice, and Balzac snorted in surprise. Dominic glared at the horse, then at Daniel.
“Don’t let people say rude things about the Duchess. It might not happen in the castle, but news spreads. Outsiders are starting to come here.”
Dominic hesitated, then added softly,
“And more than that… she’s a good person. She’s kind. She’s not like any other woman we’ve known.”
She’s different… now I know why she bothers me so much.
“She’s different, all right.”
She’s so different that I want to know more about her. What would today’s Frida think of today’s Daniel? That thought annoys me… just a little.
Daniel pulled the reins hard, and Balzac took off in a cloud of dust.
Lately, the castle at Muenheim felt different at night. The hallways and even the kitchen, which used to go dark early, stayed bright much later. The reason was always the same: the Duchess, Frida. She used to save oil and never came downstairs after dark. Now, even late at night, she stayed up looking at papers in the kitchen. Adele, the cook, put a bowl of potato soup with basil in front of Frida.
“Have some soup while you work, Madam. You barely ate dinner.”
“Barely? You gave me two plates of chicken with new herbs, remember?”
The big, bright kitchen was warm and comfortable, a good place for Frida to work. The only problem was that Adele always gave her more food, making her go to bed full. Frida glared playfully at Adele, who was about to bring out even more food.
“Adele, if you keep doing this, I really won’t come to the kitchen anymore.”
“It’s not like you have anywhere else to go. You said you can’t work in your bedroom. And Muriel, don’t just stand there—come eat too.”
A bowl was set for Muriel, who sat beside Frida. Adele seemed even happier now that Frida was always in the kitchen. Watching Adele work so hard, Frida felt a little guilty.
“Some new servants will arrive soon, so please hang in there a bit longer, Adele. Sorry for making you handle the kitchen alone.”
“Oh, don’t worry. The castle is big, but we don’t have big feasts or picky nobles. My old job was ten times busier. Try this, both of you!”
Adele scooped something from a barrel and mixed it with water, then gave it to Frida and Muriel.
“Anton said herbs help with coughing if you drink them. I mixed it with water, and it has a nice buzz.”
Muriel swallowed her drink and started coughing.
“Wait, Adele, did you just give our lady alcohol? Miss, give me that—”
“Ahh.”
Frida finished her drink in one go and handed her cup back to Adele.
“It tastes strange, but it makes my chest feel clear. Adele, give me another.”
“See? If it’s too strong, I’ll add more water. Drink a few and sleep well tonight. Muriel, don’t try to stop her, just have another yourself.”
Adele refilled the cups, and Frida drank without hesitating. Muriel, realizing it was too late to stop her, just ate her soup. Suddenly, Frida patted Muriel’s shoulder, making her spill soup on the table.
“Don’t be too upset, Muriel. I already asked a merchant in Weimar to find the best craftsman in the empire. I’ll get you a sword better than Koldar. If I can’t find one, I’ll have it made.”
Muriel stared at the spilled soup, deep in thought. All her worries over the past days felt like this soup, making a mess she couldn’t clean up.
“Thank you for finding me a good sword. But honestly, I’m more grateful to the Duke than to you, Miss.”
“What do you mean?”
Muriel finished her drink quickly, and Adele refilled it. She didn’t stop Adele from refilling Frida’s cup either. Muriel rested her head on her arms and spoke softly.
“I still remember the day I beat my second brother and got Koldar. I was so happy to be the best knight in the Rosivalt family.”
But the happiness didn’t last long.
“Later, I found out it was all part of my father and brothers’ plan. They wanted the first woman in our family to become a royal knight leader.”
After drinking Adele’s special drink, Muriel felt something heavy in her chest finally lift.
“What was worse was pretending I didn’t know. I kept quiet, clinging to that useless honor. I realized then how hard it is to turn back after taking the wrong path.”
“If it wasn’t for the Duke, I would never have let go of that sword. I feel free now. I just don’t like everyone trying to comfort me. So, Miss, please don’t pity me anymore.”
“Muriel…”
Frida, looking sad, suddenly raised her glass high.
“To Sir Muriel Rosivalt, who will always be the best knight to me!”
Adele burst out laughing and clinked her cup with Frida’s.
“To the best knight, Muriel Rosivalt!”
Muriel smiled and lifted her own cup.
“To Muriel Rosivalt.”
All three shouted together,
“Cheers!”
In the middle of the laughter, the kitchen door quietly opened. Adele, facing the door, was the first to see who came in.
“L-Lord Duke.”
Daniel looked calmly at Frida’s purple eyes and spoke.
“Is it too late for dinner?”
Hot bread, freshly cooked vegetables, three kinds of cheese, smoked pork, and potato soup—Adele quickly brought everything to Daniel.
“One more thing, please.”
“What is it?”
Adele watched as Daniel pointed at Frida’s cup, so she quickly poured him a glass of the herbal drink.
“You can go rest now.”
“But…”
“You too, Sir Rosivalt.”
After a spoonful of soup, Daniel said again, quietly but firmly,
“Please leave us.”
Adele and Muriel hurried out. As Frida started to get up to follow, Daniel caught her arm.
“Can you stay with me, please?”
