VNC 22

Chapter 22

“Please, I ask for your generous understanding regarding Merchelli’s rudeness.”

Schwen found the situation deeply uncomfortable.

Naiven offered a polite apology.

Still, people who had not only behaved discourteously at a first meeting but had even stabbed someone with a sword did not leave a good impression on Schwen.

Merchelli was not a particularly important supporting character in the original story.

He was merely one of the many people constantly eyeing the healing potion.

Although he had done nothing truly terrible beyond planning the initial kidnapping incident—

Even so, Schwen had never imagined that he would stab Eselian with a blade.

‘I’m fine. I suppose I should take it as the playful mischief of a cute cousin. But it looked like Your Grace’s wife was the one who was more startled…’

Schwen had probed Eselian just in case, but his response had been vague and unsatisfying.

Eselian was a man with a past. Unfortunately, Schwen had dropped the novel halfway through and didn’t know what that past was.

Thinking it over, she began to suspect that those people might have had something to do with it.

For example—something negative.

Unless you truly hated someone, how could you stab them?

That thought made Merchelli look even worse in her eyes.

“Yes. Please be more careful next time.”

And Eselian’s request to let the matter go quietly, without making a big deal of it, only solidified Schwen’s suspicions.

She didn’t know that Eselian had said that simply because he hated dealing with trouble.

Merchelli, looking dissatisfied, merely muttered under his breath and said nothing more.

Schwen wanted to avoid staying with them as much as possible.

It wasn’t just because Eselian had been injured.

Anyone who could so lightly commit such a violent act as stabbing someone was better kept at a distance.

To be honest, she was scared.

‘Absolutely, absolutely—don’t get kidnapped.’

Before the wedding, she had actually hoped to be kidnapped.

But that was only when the kidnapper would be a mercenary who pitied Titiana. If she were kidnapped by Merchelli or Naiven, it could become far more dangerous.

At this point, there was nothing to gain from being kidnapped anyway.

Eselian likely already knew that Merchelli had been behind the kidnapping. The only reason he was leaving him alone was probably the lack of evidence.

Now, Schwen couldn’t very well ask him to expel Merchelli by claiming she knew he was behind it.

Eselian had already dismissed Schwen’s claim of knowing the mastermind as nonsense.

Unfortunately, Schwen herself had no proof or concrete grounds to accuse Merchelli.

‘I can’t exactly say I read it in a novel.’

If she said something like that, Eselian might look at her with contempt.

So Schwen would have to protect herself.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I left the gift in the carriage. If you don’t mind, may I go fetch it?”

Naiven wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked for her permission.

The meal was still ongoing.

When Schwen nodded slightly, Eselian chimed in from beside her.

“I’ll send my attendant. I’m quite curious what kind of gift it is.”

“You may look forward to it.”

“I can only hope it’s a fine gift for both myself and the Archduchess.”

“Of course. You’ll like it.”

Eselian signaled to the butler.

The perceptive old butler, Edward, nodded.

A short while later, an attendant returned carrying a ribbon-tied box.

The look on the attendant’s face as he glanced at Eselian was not good.

“Was it checked?”

“There’s a magical lock. We couldn’t open the box.”

He lowered his voice so only Eselian could hear.

Merchelli suddenly sprang up, stepped to Schwen’s side, and slid the box across the table toward her.

“A gift should be given to its owner. It’s a welcome present for the Archduchess.”

“You said there was a lock.”

“Of course! You think I’d leave it unprotected when others would obviously try to open it? Do you think I’m that stupid?”

As Merchelli recited the activation phrase, the ribbon binding the box loosened and fell away on its own.

Schwen looked once at Merchelli and Naiven, then at Eselian, before opening the box.

The moment she lifted the lid—

“…!”

Hiss!

With an ominous sound, something lunged straight toward her face.

Schwen couldn’t even scream.

As she squeezed her eyes shut and clutched the lid tightly, someone burst out laughing.

“Welcome to the Lanied family!”

A hand shot out in front of Schwen, who had reflexively hunched her shoulders and shut her eyes.

Eselian caught the snake that had sprung out of the box as if it had been waiting for him.

He looked silently at Merchelli.

When Schwen opened her eyes—having felt nothing as she’d expected—she saw the snake coiling up Eselian’s arm.

Seeing the snake wrap around his solid arm as though they were one body made Schwen hiccup involuntarily.

“Who prepared this gift?”

Schwen grabbed the glass of water Eselian pushed toward her and gulped it down.

Merchelli proudly pointed to himself, like a child expecting praise.

“Obviously, me!”

He looked at Schwen with confusion.

Merchelli couldn’t understand the Archduchess, who had gone pale as a sheet.

The snake was the symbol of the Lanied family.

Gifting two snakes—the family emblem—was a tradition meant to wish newlyweds a peaceful, uneventful marriage.

Some people were startled by it.

But this level of revulsion was a first even for Merchelli.

Seeing Schwen glare at him, he tugged his lips into a grin.

“Oh? Because there’s only one? Don’t worry, Your Highness. Eselian already has the other one. Three snakes would be a bit much, don’t you think?”

“My, Merchelli. It seems you’ve made a mistake this time. As you can see, the Archduchess is rather faint-hearted.”

Merchelli didn’t understand what he meant.

He was impulsive and willful by nature.

He had no consideration for others.

“I’ll accept the gift with thanks. I’d like to return the favor—do you hunt at all? We haven’t gone hunting together since we were young.”

Eselian took hold of the snake beginning to coil around his neck and handed it to an attendant standing near the wall.

“Hunting? Well, I suppose…”

“There happens to be a red-furred fox around. Why don’t we go hunting together?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure.”

“I’d like to repay you properly for wishing us well.”

Schwen squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.

She had let her guard down for a moment.

In this grim, brutal story, it wasn’t just Eselian—villainous supporting characters delighted in tormenting the heroine.

She had a bad feeling that something unpleasant was about to happen.

*

“How frightened our young lady must have been.”

Sophie gently wiped Schwen’s forehead, her touch full of worry.

She was trying to cool her down after the shock.

As Sophie rubbed her forehead with a towel soaked in ice water, Schwen began to feel better.

“I almost fainted.”

As soon as Schwen returned to her room with Eselian’s support, she called for Sophie.

After hearing what had happened, Sophie jumped in place.

She spent quite a while cursing Merchelli.

Naturally, Schwen was the only one who heard it.

‘In a couple of days, I’ll be going hunting in the forest with Merchelli. You don’t need to come along, my lady. If it’s too much for you, you don’t even have to come down to the lower floors.’

‘For how long?’

‘As long as you’re comfortable.’

‘…’

‘Then rest well.’

Without asking if she was all right or whether she’d been frightened, Eselian left only those words and coldly went down the stairs.

“Couldn’t he at least warn someone? What kind of ridiculous surprise was that?”

“Exactly. If I’d known in advance, I wouldn’t have opened it.”

Schwen resolved to avoid Merchelli and Naiven as much as possible.

That would significantly lower the chance of being kidnapped, too.

‘I need to separate Eselian from Merchelli.’

“Do you happen to know when they’re leaving, Sophie?”

“I’m not sure… Should I go find out?”

“No.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go check.”

“It’s really okay. It’s nothing important—I was just a little curious.”

She honestly wanted to send Sophie right away.

But Schwen knew Sophie didn’t fit in with the other servants here.

If she asked, she’d only come back having been bullied.

Only after sipping a calming tea and waiting until night fell did Schwen head to Eselian’s bedroom.

It wasn’t far—his room was right next door.

“Your Highness, are you in there?”

She knocked for quite a while.

Schwen concluded he might not be in his room yet.

Just then, she heard a quiet presence behind her.

Startled, she panicked.

She fumbled, opened the door in front of her, and hurried inside.

This entire floor belonged to Eselian and Schwen.

But Merchelli could easily barge into Eselian’s room for a chat.

The moment she rushed in, Schwen immediately regretted it.

“Being caught here would be even stranger.”

If Merchelli really opened the door, it would be unbearably awkward.

“I should hide somewhere.”

It would only become more embarrassing.

Of course, it was natural for a married couple to share a bedroom.

But it didn’t feel that way to Schwen.

‘So he says he doesn’t like anything, but he does like alcohol.’

A large display shelf stood in one corner of the room, filled entirely with wine.

Once, Schwen had asked Eselian what he liked and disliked.

He’d answered “nothing” to everything.

Nothing he disliked. Nothing he liked.

Eselian liked wine.

Fixing that fact in her mind, Schwen headed toward the wardrobe.

That was when—

The door behind her suddenly opened.

“My lady.”

The foot she’d stepped forward with froze in place.

“At this late hour, what brings you to my room?”

The moment she heard his familiar voice utter a title she still wasn’t used to, Schwen felt genuine relief.

Then she realized she’d sneaked into someone else’s room.

And the owner of that room was standing right behind her.

She stiffly turned to face him.

“I believe I said you needn’t fulfill your duties tonight.”

Schwen’s eyes darted about.

An excuse. A pretext.

What reason could she possibly have for sneaking into Eselian’s room at this hour?

“With me….”

Just then, inspiration struck.

Schwen quickly pointed at the wine display.

Then she delivered the most plausible reason she could think of for coming so late.

“Let’s have a drink.”