TDOT~27

Chapter 27

 The Huge Black Shadow

“Miss!”

“Madam, are you okay?”

“Madam!”

Frida had fallen backwards, and Muriel, along with the servants walking in the hall, quickly rushed over to help her. Ricardo, who had just been hanging from the second-floor window, suddenly climbed over and came inside.

“Oh my, Madam. Did I scare you a lot?”

“Ricardo! You almost gave me a heart attack!”

Frida, her heart still pounding, let out a loud yell. But then, noticing everyone’s stares, she forced an awkward smile.

“I’m fine, everyone. It’s nothing, so just go back to your work. Haha.”

When the worried servants finally left, Frida turned sharply to Ricardo.

“What were you even doing up there? And how did you get up here anyway?”

Muriel helped Frida stand up as she rubbed her sore hip and looked toward the window. It was definitely the second floor, so she really didn’t know how Ricardo had appeared there. Ricardo scratched his head and pointed at the tree branch swaying outside the window.

“I thought it’d be better to cut that branch, so I was climbing the tree. Then I heard you talking, and I wondered how well I could hear from up there, so…”

“You climbed the tree?”

Frida went to the window and reached for the branch growing close by. Ricardo, standing beside her, closed one side of the window to block the sunlight from her arm.

“I just thought someone might sneak in through the darkness, so I was checking the area. That branch is in a perfect spot for someone to climb through the window, so it bothered me.”

Frida realized what Ricardo was worried about. Baron Boiled was sent by the Empress Dowager to spy on her husband. So, it was possible a spy would come into Skadi Hall secretly to contact him. With Boiled’s arrival getting close, even Dominic, who at first thought he could pass annoying jobs to the newcomer, had been on edge lately. Was the Empress Dowager ever truly kind to Daniel?

“Is there any reason to have a child that no one would welcome?”

When Daniel said that, it really felt like he was talking about himself. Frida’s heart felt heavy. She quietly asked Ricardo, who was still looking outside the window.

“Ricardo, is the Duke’s relationship with the Empress Dowager really that bad?”

Ricardo cut off the long branch and leaned on the window, rubbing his chin as if he was troubled.

“I think so. It’s true that the Empress Dowager doesn’t like him, but I don’t know how the Duke feels.”

Frida stood very close to Ricardo and her eyes sparkled.

“Is it true they used to be close in the past?”

“Well… it’s hard to explain…”

A strong wind suddenly pushed away the branches blocking the window, and sunlight shined through. Ricardo opened his hand and blocked the sunlight from touching Frida’s face, smiling softly.

“It’s good when a husband and wife care about each other. Why don’t we go somewhere quiet and talk for a while? Oh, is it true that Adele made some amazing liquor?”

Ricardo’s white hair shook wildly in the wind, just like the swaying branches. Seeing this made Ricardo smile for a long time.

Swish, slash! Each time the sword swung through the air, four out of the five logs standing in the training yard were cleanly cut. The split logs scattered all over the dusty ground. Daniel, holding the finely-sharpened sword, smiled a little. Dominic, walking over, looked at the special patterns on the Damascus steel sword and grumbled.

“So, Koldar finally ended up in your hands. You wanted it so much—are you happy now?”

Thinking Dominic would just move on, Daniel suddenly asked,

“Why can’t Svergen make swords of this quality?”

“It’s not just Svergen. No place on the continent can make swords like this anymore.”

Daniel swung the sword one last time and put Koldar away, his expression turning serious.

“If the Eastern army comes, what will we do? Their horse-riding and weapons are way ahead of ours. Do they not realize it yet?”

“Probably not. The people of Svergen still think the southern tribes are primitive. Why would they care about the East?”

Dominic kicked one of the logs far away, laughing.

“They even ignore obvious facts, like how universities and big cities are growing faster elsewhere than in Celleno. Why would they care about what’s happening in the East?”

For a long time, the Svergen people had acted like they owned the whole continent, just because they lived in its center. Daniel thought, if he hadn’t traveled as a mercenary, he’d be just as narrow-minded. Maybe he should thank the Empress Dowager for that? Daniel’s moment of sarcasm faded, and he left the training ground, giving cold, sharp instructions to Dominic.

“Whatever it takes, make the swords stronger. Tell the blacksmith not to slack off. If it’s really impossible, then invent something new.”

“That’s what you said three years ago. We know, and we’re already trying.”

“What’s the use of spending money if there are no results?”

“Spending that money wasn’t easy! I had to sneak into the vault like a thief, worrying about the Duchess noticing.”

Daniel ignored Dominic’s complaints and kept talking.

“You saw it, too. The weapons the Notingen people carried. All their spears and swords must’ve come from the East. I should’ve caught Arthur back then and found out where he got them.”

“Yeah, yeah. But lower your voice. Are you trying to let everyone know we’re making weapons?”

Dominic stuck out his neck and looked around.

“Good thing the Duchess likes making farm tools. If not, we’d have no excuse to keep the blacksmith so busy.”

The blacksmith at Muenheim Castle used to be a wanderer, living with mercenaries. He would’ve run away long ago if he hadn’t married one of the maids and had a child here. Or maybe he had the child first, then married. Either way, Dominic had more work because of him. During the day, the blacksmith fixed farm tools. At night, he worked on swords. Dominic listened to his complaints and secretly slipped him money. The Duchess worked hard, but so did Dominic. Now, after all that, Daniel just handed over the key to the vault without a word. Dominic squinted as he saw carts filling the front yard.

“If someone saw this, they’d think the emperor was coming. The Duchess is generous, but isn’t this too much?”

Maybe it wasn’t really too much, but compared to what they had at the castle, Dominic’s complaint made sense. The furniture and decorations being unloaded looked more expensive than anything in the lord’s wife’s room. Daniel thought of his wife, who still dressed plainly, even after getting the vault key. Shouldn’t a noblewoman have fancier things? She really was a woman who made him worry in many ways. Daniel watched as a fancy flower-patterned carpet was brought into Skadi Hall, then calmly walked to his own room, “Marian Hall.” Even though his wife’s plain white hair came to mind, he pushed the thought away.

“Even if he’s just a rat, I can’t be rude to a noble sent by the Empress Dowager. I have to keep up appearances.”

“Soon, the Empress Dowager will hear that the Duchess is too extravagant.”

“Dominic, if people call that extravagance, everyone will laugh.”

Dominic knew almost everything about the world, except money. He could fight well, but besides that, he was innocent and naive, just like Ricardo’s son. Still, maybe that was a good thing.

“Baron Boiled is on another level. If you don’t want to be looked down on, at least learn proper manners.”

“Oh, I didn’t know rats had levels too.”

Dominic stopped when Daniel stopped. Over Daniel’s shoulder, under the shade of the fir trees, he saw Ricardo and Frida talking quietly together. Dominic sighed.

“They look just like father and daughter. I’m worried. How is my father supposed to break away from her later…”

Seeing Ricardo and Frida sitting under the shade brought Daniel not worries about the future, but memories of the past.

“Daniel, stop training and come rest in the shade with us.”

“No, Madam. I want to be a great knight and protect Young Master Leopold.”

“Daniel, I don’t want you to call me Madam. You’re my son too, just like Leopold.”

Three years ago, if only his head hadn’t been broken—if only he could erase these cursed memories. Daniel walked quickly past them.

“Haa…”

Frida couldn’t sleep, even with her eyes closed. She kept tossing and turning. Finally, she kicked off her blanket and sat up with slumped shoulders.

“When he found out the truth, the Duke was so shocked he couldn’t speak for a while. Just imagine, hearing that someone cherished you just to use you as a shield for their own son. Anyone would be shocked, especially a child.”

The more she thought about it, the more unbelievable it was.

“Wow, that woman is just the worst.”

Frida jumped out of bed, unable to control her anger, and stomped around the room.

“Is this even possible? To a kid? What a terrible woman! Truly, truly terrible!”

Even shouting didn’t help her anger. Her throat felt dry, so she went to pour some water, but the jug was empty. She had been so upset all day, she forgot to ask for water. It was too late to ring the bell, and she was scared to walk down the dark hallway to the kitchen. Still, she needed something to drink, so Frida carefully opened her bedroom door. Luckily, the lamps in the hallway were still on. She took the lamp from her room, too, so it wasn’t too dark. She saw lights at both ends of the stairs. She must have left them on while working late. Slowly, she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Because she was still angry, she opened the kitchen door a bit roughly. Bang.

“Huh…?”

On one wall of the kitchen, a huge black shadow slowly turned toward the frozen Frida.

“If you’re not going back, come here and sit down.”