TMLWA 39💥

Chapter 39

Although Hannibal had acted as lord since he was fourteen, Count Arthur had held down the lord’s castle until Hannibal reached adulthood, leaving Hannibal with no choice but to roam the battlefields instead.

Moreover, taking the place of the Count, who could not ride a horse, he had to stand at the very front of the cavalry procession, if only symbolically.

From the age of fourteen to nineteen, small and large localized battles never ceased along the borders of the Kingdom of Luto, with enemies constantly crossing the Western border to provoke them.

Because the enemies looked down on the young Hannibal, he was tormented by an endless barrage of insults, threats, intimidation, and kidnapping attempts to his very face.

Fortunately, thanks to the hardships he endured back then, only intermittent, small-scale looting raids occurred now, and actual warfare had decreased significantly.

Because of this, Hannibal lived caring far more for the domain’s people—whom he had met in person and suffered alongside as they eked out a living in harsh lands—rather than for the Klaids, who lived comfortably inside the lord’s castle.

He did not regret that for a single moment.

However, he had never once considered how Victoria might be living in Tetegenes, the safest and most abundant place in the West.

She was a half-sister with whom he wasn’t particularly close, and even when he came to the lord’s castle, he spent little time there, as he was only subjected to his father’s nagging.

Thus, there had been no opportunity to hold a proper conversation.

Whenever he came to the castle, he mostly spent the entire day outside hunting or riding horses, or practicing martial arts before barely managing to attend the dinner table.

Even so, she wasn’t a woman wearing shabby, hole-ridden clothes.

She had neatly braided hair, wore glossy lace dresses and shoes with satin ribbons, and had fair, plump cheeks.

Even at the dinner table, she ate every meal with spices and ingredients that commoners wouldn’t even lay eyes on in their entire lives.

So, I thought you were doing just fine.

And yet, the only news that reached his ears year after year was…

“I heard Lady Victoria fought with the Count’s mistress again. They say the Count didn’t even stop it after hearing about it, right? In the end, he just gave the woman money for treatment and kicked her out. She reportedly put poison in her soup!”

“She scratched a woman’s face with a fire poker, so it’s total chaos right now. If pouring poison into soup wasn’t enough last time, how can such a young lady be so ferocious? It really feels like looking at a monster of the desert!”

The tales passed along by the servants’ mouths spread both inside and outside the castle, and Hannibal gradually came to look down on Victoria with even greater disdain.

Upon hearing that a thirteen-year-old girl wearing a pale pink ribbon had put poison into someone else’s dinner, he had merely clicked his tongue at her malice, never once considering why or how things had come to be that way.

“Brother, you’re back?”

Even though that bright, innocent face clearly belonged to a child.

“How dare she say she’ll give birth to a Klaid child! How dare she!”

Even when he directly witnessed her grabbing a woman’s hair in bloodshot, wild excitement and shoving her down the stairs.

Because he felt pity for women who wept bitterly after losing their families to war, he had only despised her even more for being nothing but violent and cruel.

The previous day, when he had called Patrick to hear Victoria’s story, Hannibal had inadvertently murmured to himself.

“Why did I never ask even once?”

“Pardon?”

Patrick asked back at Hannibal, who had interjected while he was speaking.

“Did Mother never teach Victoria?”

“From what I remember, she never gave her any special instruction. Of course, they occasionally had meals or tea times together, I’m told. But to consider that an education… Lady Victoria is excessively ignorant of proper etiquette, is she not?”

Then what on earth did Mother teach her during those times?

“Were there no other tutors or teachers? Did Father not assign any teacher to her either?”

“He did hire a swordsmanship instructor once, but that lasted for merely two days. Other than that, there were none at all. And…”

Patrick’s lips twitched slightly, as if it were a difficult topic to bring up.

“I will not reprimand you. Speak.”

“I once introduced a governess for the young lady, but the Countess rejected her, saying it was enough if she only knew how to read. After the Countess passed away, I made the request once more to the Count, but he told me never to bring up the young lady’s name again, so I couldn’t even mention it any further.”

“Ha.”

Victoria Klaid had been living locked up in this castle.

She had merely been raised like a nice-looking beast by being fed well and dressed well, growing up without any proper education.

In her very early years by his mother, and thereafter by his father.

Then again, his father—who had pushed him into the battlefield—was hardly the type of man to pay special attention to Victoria anyway.

Hannibal Klaid, only coming to realize this now, felt utterly absurd to himself.

“…Why is it that you’re the one finding the flaws I didn’t even notice every single time?”

Throughout the entire time he received Patrick’s confession, only the face of Anne Pero rebuking him kept coming to Hannibal’s mind.

Viscountess Deluca faithfully traveled to and from the Klaid castle for two months, and Anne Pero diligently received her instruction.

And day by day, Victoria’s dancing skills also improved.

“You are truly beautiful!”

As Victoria gracefully showcased her dance while swishing the skirt of her dress, Anne applauded in admiration.

Anne had faithfully learned down to the angle of every single finger from Viscountess Deluca and passed it on to Victoria.

The Klaid noblewoman, having properly mastered the dance movements, was truly like a butterfly.

“Do you think there will be a young lord who asks me to dance tomorrow?”

“Of course!”

Anne was certain. Above all, those of the Klaid bloodline were strikingly beautiful.

If André Chang’s dress and her dancing skills were added to that, it would be nothing short of perfect.

The effort of learning to dance until blood scabs formed on the backs of her heels and the soles of her worn-out shoes peeled off had truly paid off.

Anne took Victoria’s hands and hopped up and down together with her.

Outside the window in the hallway, Hannibal stood with his arms crossed, watching them.

At first, he had watched the two of them from near the corner of the hallway, but as time went on, he had gradually shifted his position to the middle of the corridor.

“Young Count?”

Because the day was hot, Anne, who had been practicing with the window open, turned around at the familiar scent of perfume.

“…I was just passing by.”

Hannibal said, pushing his body up from where he leaned against the wall.

“Ah, I see.”

An awkward silence flowed between them across the window.

Oh right! Anne clapped her hands as if something had suddenly come to mind.

“Could you perhaps escort Lady Victoria tomorrow?”

Was it because the cheerful mood from chatting excitedly with Victoria still lingered?

Anne spoke to him with an unusually bright, glowing face.

At the sight of her poking her head out by the window for something so trivial and seeking an answer from him, the tips of Hannibal’s ears burned hot.

“I can manage at least that much.”

“Thank you!”

She immediately turned her head and shouted to Victoria.

“My Lady, he says he will!”

Her clear, resonant voice was uniquely cheerful, catching his ear.

Thinking that the back of Anne’s head as she moved away looked quite round and cute, Hannibal unwittingly let out a soft chuckle.

He watched as Anne returned to her spot, held the hem of her skirt, and stood facing Victoria.

It seemed they were about to resume dance practice.

When her eyes turned back to meet his while surrendering her body to the rhythm, Hannibal turned away.

Since he had been just passing by, he had to go on his way. But suddenly, something caught the edge of his vision.

“Anne Pero.”

Having wiped away his smile from a moment ago, Hannibal changed direction and approached the window.

“What is with those shoes?”

“Pardon?”

When Hannibal pointed it out out loud from beyond the window, Anne discovered her feet caught in his line of sight and embarrassed, drew her feet together.

Her skirt was barely long enough to cover her ankles, leaving the worn-out toe caps and heel soles clearly visible.

“Oh my. Are your shoes this worn out? Anne, I’m sorry. Let’s go buy a pair right away. How did you even learn to dance like this?”

Victoria approached from behind, making a fuss.

“No, My Lady. You need to practice more. As for shoes, I will procure them separately—”

“How can you practice when the heels are completely worn out? We are going to buy them right now.”

Hannibal said to Anne.

“Right, Brother is correct. We have to go buy them right away.”

Victoria’s eyes sparkled at the mention of shopping. Hannibal extended a hand, blocking the momentum of his approaching younger sister.

“You stay here and keep practicing your dancing. I will buy the shoes for her.”

“…Pardon?”

At Hannibal’s sudden intervention, both Anne and Victoria were taken aback.

However, Hannibal merely clicked his tongue and stared back at Anne’s shoes.

“Walking around in something like this while being the Head Maid of Klaid.”

These were the only shoes she had worn since her time back at the Duke’s mansion.

Lacking financial leeway, she used to make a single pair last for a whole year, so she hadn’t realized that the shoes were wearing out quickly from practicing dancing almost all day.

“My apologies.”

At times, people gauged the dignity and standard of a noble family by the appearance of its servants.

Since Anne was the Head Maid, she ought to have kept that in mind beforehand. She quickly apologized for her oversight.

“No, it’s my fault for not checking in advance. Anne, I’m sorry.”

Victoria defended Anne while glaring at Hannibal. But Hannibal’s attitude remained unchanged.

“What are you doing standing there?”

It seemed Hannibal simply could not stand by and watch the prestige of the Klaid family drop.

However, she couldn’t possibly make a busy person like Hannibal spend his time just to go buy a pair of shoes for her.

“Young Count, since you must be busy, I will go by myself. I can come back in no time.”

“I was on my way out to inspect the territory anyway, so I intend to handle it all at once.”

“…Yes. Understood.”

Since he spoke like that, Anne could no longer refuse.