🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 19
Kassel, who had been tacitly designated as the next Captain of the Firearms Brigade even before he entered the order, was more than just a genius. He was a monster. In the tournament duel held to select the next Captain, Douglas was utterly defeated by Kassel.
Furthermore, having ceded the position of second-in-command to Edwin, who had also gone to war and gained real combat experience, Douglas had no choice but to settle for the position of Third Brigade Captain. While it meant being the third most outstanding knight in Bayern, it could never satisfy his father, who was obsessed with elevating the family’s honor.
‘Born a son of Valois, with all that money spent on you, and you end up as just the Third Brigade Captain! Are you out of your mind?!’
The day his father first laid a hand on him came to mind. He shut his eyes tightly.
‘If you can’t make it on skill alone, then stick to the Emperor’s side like glue and at least earn his favor. Even if you have to pretend to be half-dead with loyalty, become his right-hand man!’
Now, Kassel, who had easily snatched away the position Douglas rightfully believed was his, was trying to monopolize even the Emperor’s favor. Every time he saw that, Douglas felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation and rage that even he found hard to comprehend.
“Here, looks like you need this.”
After rummaging around for a moment, Edwin took out a fine cigar and handed it to Douglas.
“What? No, I’m fine.”
“Fine, my foot. Nothing beats this in times like these.”
Douglas hesitated briefly, then pretended to give in and accepted the cigar Edwin offered. Soon, the cigar was lit.
“Hoo…”
He exhaled, staring blankly at the central courtyard, and for a while, he expelled the anger that had filled him along with the burning tobacco.
The night she returned to the Marquis’ residence from Ephron.
Blair lay in bed, eyes wide open. She had gone to bed early in the evening, but insomnia had struck again. On a night where even the fatigue from the long journey couldn’t put her to sleep, all sorts of thoughts flooded her mind.
‘If life there gets tough, come here anytime. Nothing is more important to me than you.’
Just before she left, Aaron had held her hand tightly with his wrinkled hand and said that. Although Aaron didn’t seem to completely believe she was having a happy married life, he no longer strongly opposed it.
He just looked at her with the same worried eyes as when they first met.
‘Well, he’s still as kind as ever.’
Grateful yet sorry for his concern, Blair pouted her lips for no reason.
“But at least it’s a relief we got past that. Still, I need to be careful since rumors spread faster than I thought.”
Honestly, she had been a bit complacent, thinking news of their marriage would reach her teacher’s ears much later. But the influence of a man named Kassel Herman was truly formidable.
It was clear that from now on, every move Kassel and Blair made would be prime fodder for gossipmongers. If they caught even a slight whiff of anything, exaggerated rumors would spread rapidly across the country.
It wasn’t just about the penalty anymore. To avoid being found out by Aaron, she needed to act the part of the perfectly harmonious couple even more flawlessly. Not as an excuse, but for real. Blair nodded her head as if convinced.
‘By the way, has Kassel returned yet?’
She had looked for him as soon as she arrived, but he wasn’t at the Marquis’ residence. He was said to have been summoned to the imperial palace. He really was a man who was busy without a moment’s rest. Was that why? Every time he appeared unannounced, she felt more delighted and inexplicably nervous. Besides…
‘He’s someone who quietly considers those around him without being fussy. He’s surprisingly pure, and it’s quite fun to be with him, you know?’
It felt like putting feelings into words made them clearer. Although she had said it thoughtlessly to calm her teacher down, honestly, it wasn’t a lie. Blair, tossing and turning with a ticklish heart, suddenly sat up.
‘Since I can’t sleep, maybe I’ll take a stroll?’
Thinking that even as a fake couple, it wouldn’t be right to fall asleep before her husband returned, before she knew it, Blair’s footsteps were dragging her towards Kassel’s room.
It was a night when all the maids were asleep. Relying on a flickering small lantern, she had just reached his door when she heard a faint sound from inside.
‘Did Kassel come back?’
Blair crouched down like a thief and pressed her ear tightly against the door.
“Ugh, ngh.”
But it was strange. It was clearly his voice, so why did it sound like a groan? Thinking she might have misheard, she pricked up her ears again, but it was unmistakably Kassel’s voice.
‘What on earth is happening? Is he in pain? Could it be that the pain from before has come back?’
Anxiously pacing the corridor, Blair nervously bit her nails. Should she call a doctor in the middle of the night? But what if it was an attack of the illness he didn’t want discovered? Her dilemma was brief.
‘Ah, forget it. I can’t just leave him like this.’
Even before her thoughts were sorted, her hand moved instinctively. Blair grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and went straight into Kassel’s room. As she went further inside, his clear groans struck her ears. Her footsteps quickened in turn. Soon, reaching the front of the bed,
“Ugh… haah, haah.”
She saw Kassel lying down, clutching his chest and writhing. His always impassive and straight face was contorted in a way she had never seen before.
Thump. She felt her heart drop.
“Kassel! Are you okay?”
A startled Blair hurriedly approached the bed and shook him. A damp sensation met her fingertips. Not only his hair, but his clothes were also soaked through with sweat. How long had he been suffering? Blair cupped his face, checking his consciousness.
“Snap out of it! You mustn’t lose consciousness now.”
“Haah… ngh.”
But it seemed her voice wasn’t reaching him. Instead of answering, he clawed violently at his chest with his large hand. Blood was welling up on his chest, visible through the severely disheveled shirt.
“Wait, just wait. Please don’t do this.”
‘I need to tie his hands first.’
Holding her trembling body, Blair looked around for something to tie him with. But nothing suitable was at hand. Her wandering gaze, searching frantically, abruptly stopped on the hem of her own skirt. Then, with a rrriip, the lower part of her skirt was torn off roughly.
“Just a moment. Bear with it, even if it’s uncomfortable. Just until I get the medicine.”
And the moment she grabbed his wrist to tie his hands—
“Ghk!”
It happened in an instant. When she came to her senses, her body was pinned underneath Kassel in a flash. Her neck was crushed under his thick forearm. His eyes, though unfocused, seethed with a murderous aura. It wasn’t the Kassel she knew, but like a wild beast.
“Breath… I can’t. Ghk.”
Blair unconsciously squeezed her eyes shut. Fear overwhelmed her entire body. She raised her frail hands, desperately hitting his arm, but it was useless. Without flinching, he pressed down harder on her neck.
By now, her face was drenched. Whether from tears or the sweat dripping from his face, she didn’t know. Blair mustered her last ounce of strength and forced her mouth open with difficulty.
“Ka…ssel. Please. I can’t… breathe, Kassel.”
That was when it happened. Suddenly, the strength in the arm choking her neck drained away. Blair slowly lifted her eyelids and looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. The light had returned to his eyes, which had been unfocused just moments before. It seemed he had reacted to his name.
“Ka, Kassel…”
As Blair called his name once more.
“Bl…aire?”
He gasped out her name with a ragged breath. Recognizing Blair’s face illuminated by the moonlight, he flinched and scrambled away from her.
“Gasp, huff… What on earth happened? Did the pain come back?”
Blair asked, cradling her stinging neck. Her hands were trembling finely. Her heart still felt constricted with fear.
“…What on earth are you doing here?”
But the voice that returned to her was as cold as the winter wind.
