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Chapter 15
“Yes, I do.”
“You kicked him right in the groin and punched his jaw, didn’t you?”
“I also remember you strangling the fallen man with his jacket. You didn’t stop until he begged you to never do it again.”
By chance, Victor had witnessed the scene and punished the offending officer according to military law. It was also Victor who calmed Ibel, who had been rampaging like a wounded beast.
“I know how to protect myself. I was just startled by the sudden greeting….”
Besides, Victor had rushed in the moment he heard the noise, so things had settled quickly.
With the head of the household looking out for her first, there was nothing to be afraid of.
“……There’s something I’d like to show you. I had you rest here alone while I checked it first.”
“I’m looking forward to it. It had better be something very nice.”
At her lightly threatening tone, Victor let out a small laugh.
“Then let me show you, to lighten the mood.”
“Alright. I’ll look forward to it.”
When Ibel stood up energetically, Victor watched her carefully before offering his escort.
She looked fine on the outside. But he could guess how startled she must have been.
Not just because of their contract… Ibel was the only person who shared the same memories as him. No one else retained memories of the future.
Therefore, Ibel was still a subordinate he had a duty to care for and look after.
“This is the marital bedroom.”
“……!”
The moment she stepped inside, Ibel was struck speechless.
It was a blue room, decorated with the very color she had once said she liked.
The elegant carpet was a slightly lighter blue than the curtains, and the bedding—white, sky blue, and deep blue—resembled rolling waves.
Everything looked brand new at a glance.
And scattered throughout the bedroom were pots of orange jasmine.
The small, star-shaped white flowers filled the room with a fresh fragrance.
“When did you…?”
“I wanted it to feel like a place you could settle into. Please stay here while the bedroom windows are being repaired. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
Victor spoke calmly as he guided her. Ibel stared down at one of the pots tied with a ribbon as deep blue as his eyes, then lowered her head to breathe in its scent.
She had only casually mentioned a memory of a single plant she once cherished. She had never imagined he would fill the entire room with them.
I never even dreamed of this….
Her chest felt strange. It churned, and it felt hard to breathe.
There was nothing physically wrong with her body, so this had to be emotional.
Just a little—very little—but tears welled up.
She had never once expected that someone would do something like this for her.
“I actually wanted to fill the saplings in the garden you see from here with orange jasmine as well, but it’s difficult to find fully grown trees. Still, I should be able to get them over time.”
Victor approached from behind and spoke quietly. Ibel tried to say something but held her breath instead. Then she slowly turned to face him.
“This is more than enough for me. Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me. I’m sorry you had to go through something like that as soon as you arrived. At least this helps me save a bit of face.”
Though her initiation had been quite intense, being surrounded by things she liked made her feel much better. Not just in words—truly.
“The sofa must be uncomfortable. I’ll sleep there instead.”
“How could I make a lady sleep in such a place?”
“But still. It doesn’t feel right, like I’m chasing the owner out.”
Victor paused briefly at her words, then found a solution.
“Then let me rephrase. I’ll only take light rest on the sofa.”
“That’s basically the same thing!”
There was no way a rigid man like him would suggest sharing the same bed before marriage, so he clearly meant he’d sleep on the sofa—just worded differently.
Bursting into laughter, Ibel brushed a spotless flowerpot. Then suddenly, a simple question came to mind.
Why?
Why had Anselm done that, even knowing he would be punished?
The Victor she knew was fair and strict. Having spent a long time in the military—well, not at this time, actually.
Anyway, whether one understood the situation or not, he was the type to deal out punishment for wrongdoing without fail.
Rigid in some ways, but a perfect head of the household. And not someone who could be deceived.
There was no way Anselm, his own family, didn’t know that.
Then that act just now must have been a form of protest…
“By any chance, was the bedroom assigned to me originally Sersanna’s?”
The question came out abruptly, but she was almost certain. Victor showed a faint look of surprise.
“How did you know?”
“It’s the sunniest room on the second floor. But it’s not the grand duke couple’s bedroom.”
So that was it. That’s why.
“Maybe Anselm… thought I had taken his mother’s place. That’s why he resented me.”
“I already explained that clearly two weeks ago.”
“It wasn’t enough—for a smart child like Anselm.”
Shaking her head, Ibel reconsidered things from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy.
“If it were me… hmm. I think I’d be angry too. If a stranger suddenly came in and took something precious away.”
Catching a glimpse of Victor’s puzzled expression, she realized he didn’t understand at all and let out a sigh.
Right. The Grand Duke of Bayern was oddly delicate in some ways, yet completely oblivious in areas everyone else would understand.
“Did you remove all of Sersanna’s belongings? Things like bedding and clothes?”
“Willen likely moved them to storage.”
Storage.
It wasn’t hard for her to imagine what Anselm must have felt seeing his mother’s belongings shoved into a dark room.
“Victor, we’re not married yet, but may I give instructions to the butler as the lady of the house?”
“Of course.”
“Then please call the butler and Granny Vanya.”
There’s a long way to go.
Clicking her tongue inwardly, Ibel soon stood before the butler and Granny Vanya and gave her first order.
Restore Sersanna’s bedroom completely by tomorrow.
Every single item, down to the smallest decoration and its exact position.
“I’m tired.”
That night. As soon as the sun set, Ibel finished bathing with Eloy’s help and came out, her damp hair hanging loose as she collapsed onto the couch.
Anyway, she had arrived. Somehow, things would work out now.
A gentle breeze drifted in through the wide-open terrace window. The soft wind carried the pleasant scent of orange jasmine.
And then…
She suddenly found herself craving a cold beer.
Or maybe she just missed the days when she had people to drink with.
Lucas, Heinrich, Dominique, Florian… none of them remember any of it, do they.
These were names of the Final Twelve—those who had become her companions.
Their ranks had been different, so at first they hadn’t even known each other, but eventually, all of that no longer mattered.
Especially Lucas, who was playful and always messed up her hair whenever he got the chance. Gieube was a man who knew the stars well—he had once wanted to become a poet.
Dominique seemed blunt and cold at first glance, but he was thoughtful, making it easy to confide in him. More than once, she had thought that if she had a proper older brother, he would be like that.
Ah, come to think of it, where was Abel imprisoned?
Or had he been exiled?
She didn’t care much, but she hoped he would never appear in her life again.
Ibel felt nothing for family bound by blood. To her, “family” meant those twelve who had stayed with her until the very end.
“I thought you might need some beer.”
At that moment—
