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CHAPTER 80………………..
Etisha sat quietly by Kaiyen’s bedside, holding his hand. Then she pulled the blanket over him as he lay on the bed.
Last time, during the wolf-hunting outing when Etisha had collapsed, she had been the one lying in bed with Kaiyen at her side. Now, their roles were reversed.
Worried, Etisha kept checking his temperature over and over.
She brushed back his black hair, pressed her palm against his broad forehead, and found herself admiring his handsome face anew.
In truth, if Kaiyen hadn’t been in what she thought was a dire, sickly state, she would never have dared to touch his face so freely.
“I’m worried. What if it’s something serious? What if it’s a grave illness…?”
“That won’t be the case.”
“But it feels like your fever is getting higher.”
“That’s because you keep touching me, my lady.”
“Wh-what?”
“I didn’t mean you should stop. You may touch me as much as you like.”
Though he permitted it, Etisha never again laid her hand on his face.
Kaiyen silently clicked his tongue.
That was foolish.
Had he just kept quiet, she might have continued stroking his face. Now it was too late for regrets.
From now on, I must be extremely careful with my words and actions.
That thought brought back her earlier words.
Etisha had rejected the Angel’s Heart, saying it was “too much.” Surely what she meant was that Kaiyen was pressing her more than she could handle.
So she wants me to keep my distance…
He swallowed a bitter smile.
It hit him again that Etisha did not think of him at all.
Of course, all of this has only ever been my feelings alone.
It was only Kaiyen who wanted to kiss her. Only Kaiyen who lost his mind when she was called his beloved mistress. Only Kaiyen who fell into despair at the thought of her death.
Ha…
His insides roiled.
An uncontrollable storm tore through him, leaving his body ravaged. Was this what it felt like to have one’s heart ripped out?
Kaiyen stood desolate, as if on barren ground with no one by his side.
Yet, he had no thought of giving her up.
Not her heart, nor her life.
Kaiyen wanted it all.
If anything, his longing only grew stronger.
Crash!
Kaiyen burst into the office, smashing the door apart.
Valdefram, who had been quietly sorting papers, gasped inwardly.
Oh no… I didn’t see that coming.
He glanced sadly at the spare stock of papers, pens, and desks he had prepared, then at the door split in two.
The door must have been at least fifteen centimeters thick—how on earth had it been broken?
“Tsk. It must have been old.”
Kaiyen tossed the handle aside and strode in.
“Hold someone accountable for this neglect.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Of course, no one had been neglectful, so there was no one to hold responsible.
Kaiyen sat slowly at the desk while Valdefram quickly retreated to the wall, unable to remain close.
The oppressive aura, tinged with subtle killing intent and leaking magic, made it clear that something had happened again between him and Etisha.
Please, Lady Etisha, just get along with His Grace!
Perhaps he would even kneel before her to beg later.
Even if marital affairs were not for a third party to meddle in, Valdefram was deadly serious.
Sure enough, Kaiyen immediately brought her up.
“Valdefram.”
“Yes.”
“Which merchants recommended and sold me the Angel’s Hearts? We had ongoing tax-exempt contracts with them, but inform them there will be no renewal.”
Valdefram swallowed hard.
This is a deadly question. A single wrong word could cost me dearly.
Carefully, like walking on a blade, he answered.
“Your Grace… Denying tax exemptions to a few major trading houses isn’t itself a great problem, but… is this because Lady Etisha rejected the Angel’s Heart?”
“That’s right. They all lied to me. They said there wasn’t a wife alive who wouldn’t be overjoyed to receive one, swearing that if their recommendation was wrong, they’d wager their very lives.”
“…”
“And when they insisted that finding and selling a rare and renowned jewel like the Angel’s Heart wasn’t easy, I even paid them triple.”
“…”
“My wife’s dislike of it is unavoidable. But there is no need to continue granting exemptions to merchants so dull and loose-tongued. Better to foster other, rising houses.”
Valdefram bowed deeply.
Kaiyen was right about trade policy. But what Valdefram truly wanted to address wasn’t the merchants’ fate.
“Forgive me for overstepping, but I don’t believe Lady Etisha actually disliked the Angel’s Heart.”
“…What?”
“Sometimes, even if they like something, women say they don’t.”
“…”
“Gifts should be things that bring joy to the one receiving them. Perhaps Lady Etisha simply wants something else.”
“Something else?”
“What does she like, Your Grace? What makes her smile brightly?”
Kaiyen fell into thoughtful silence.
Seeing him struggle, Valdefram shook his head.
“Has she never once said she wanted something? Something she’d like to have, or do?”
“Now that you mention it… there was one thing.”
“Oh? What was it?”
“A debutante ball. She said she wished to make her debut. I told her it was not possible.”
Valdefram nearly slapped his knee.
“That’s it! What Lady Etisha truly wants is her debutante ball!”
He was certain.
What use was a famous jewel if it could only be admired at home, with no party to wear it to?
Etisha had said she wanted a debut, and Kaiyen had refused. That explained everything.
Valdefram declared boldly:
“Your Grace was in the wrong. Go apologize at once and tell her you’ll hold a grand debutante ball. Then Lady Etisha’s heart will soften and she will love you deeply.”
So spoke Valdefram, a man of the North.
Better than Kaiyen in such matters perhaps, but still far from wise in affairs of romance.
Peace in Wintel, it seemed, was still a long way off.
Etisha’s debutante was decided.
She felt slightly dazed—for Kaiyen himself had taken charge of arranging it.
It had been Kaiyen who suggested postponing her debut due to concerns over Guama disease, and yet now he was personally overseeing the preparations. She couldn’t understand it.
Surely His Grace has no time for such things, busy as he is…
Though confused, those around her treated his actions as only natural.
“His Grace is always so passionate. My lady, you must be so happy! Heheheh!”
Maid Marin hummed cheerfully as she brushed Etisha’s hair. She seemed delighted, though Etisha couldn’t see what was so “passionate” or “wonderful.”
“Lady Etisha, forgive me for being forward, but I beg you—please be a little generous with His Grace.”
Every time Valdefram met her, he bowed with serious eyes and said such words. She couldn’t tell who was supposed to be forgiving whom.
“Daughter-in-law, I heard the news. The date for your debutante is set, is it not? If anything happens, you must come to me at once.”
Then there was Lady Cyrilese.
Though her eyes brimmed with worry, she spoke calmly and resolutely.
“I only worry that you… no, never mind. Forget I said anything. Nothing has happened. Nothing at all…”
Even Larienne, newly “awakened,” came to see her.
“I’ve reflected a lot, Tisha… This time, I won’t ruin your debut. I’ll let you have everything your way. I promise, I’ll never trouble you again.”
Everyone seemed to have changed, as if by secret agreement.
Marin now blushed meaningfully more often. Valdefram bowed again and again, entrusting Kaiyen to her care.
Lady Cyrilese acted like a lone warrior guarding the world’s end, while Larienne suddenly behaved like a meek lamb, ready to obey Etisha’s every word.
And all of them, with one mind, supported her debutante.
This is strange… really strange.
Lost in thought, Etisha touched her chin with her fingertips.
Truthfully, Marin, Valdefram, Lady Cyrilese, and Larienne were all odd—but the strangest of all was Kaiyen.
Out of nowhere, he had declared he would personally host her debut.
And the preparations themselves were extraordinary. Though she didn’t know all the details, she had the sense the party would be even grander than a wedding.
Hmm…
Come to think of it, this wasn’t the only oddity about Kaiyen.
There were the repeated gifts of Angel’s Hearts. The time he had waited for her at the chapel. And that day when he’d been “sick,” so strangely so.
His face had indeed flushed, his body hot, yet the Wintel family physician later said Kaiyen was healthier and more vigorous than ever.
And there’s more.
The sudden increase in physical closeness—this was odd too.
Somehow, he had started asking at every chance, “May I hold your hand?” Or tidying her appearance, saying, “Your hair is out of place.”
They “happened” to run into each other often. And on days when Etisha slipped and called him “Your Grace” instead of “Kaiyen,” he would suddenly look gloomy.
Not truly gloomy, of course—his expression outwardly unchanged, but in her eyes, it seemed so.
What is this? Is something going on with His Grace that I don’t know about…?
As far as she knew, there was only one thing that could weigh on him.
Rayen Wintel.
Kaiyen’s biological father, imprisoned in the dungeon.
Kaiyen had said he married her for revenge against him. So Rayen Wintel was the one who most influenced Kaiyen.
Well… anyone meeting the nemesis they’d hated all their life couldn’t stay composed. That must be why His Grace seems so different lately.
With that conclusion, Etisha felt a deep, aching sorrow.
After all, she knew better than anyone what it meant to endure an abused childhood.
