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Chapter 114
“Then, are the arrows from the Crown Prince’s side?”
The arrows are the surest proof. Since it was directly embedded in the body, it couldn’t be counterfeited.
“There are no arrows.”
However, Count Orlen shook his head.
“As soon as I opened my eyes, I checked and it was already gone. It must have been a hand from the barracks.”
It reminded her of the Crown Prince who had just come out of the barracks. It wouldn’t have been difficult to sneak an arrow through the frantic medical staff.
“Ah…”
Selina sighed in pity. The most important piece of evidence was missing. If so, now they had no choice but to piece together the clues and trace them.
“I met the Crown Prince at the entrance earlier. He told me it was all Rosalyn’s doing.”
“Lady Rosalyn?”
“She did it out of jealousy and excessive loyalty. She loved him too much.”
“Hmm… That makes sense. It is right that she acted for the Crown Prince, and she does not care about the means.”
Count Orlen agreed lightly. Nonetheless, it seemed that he knew nothing more than that.
“What did the Crown Prince say about this incident?”
“It was a formal consolation. It was a hunting ground, so there would be arrows from someone inexperienced, and he pretended it was bad luck.”
Count Orlen was not directly involved in Irell’s case. He was really unlucky.
“It’s a warning to stay quiet.”
As Selina laughed out loud at the choice of words, Kalcion also gave a chuckle from her side. Count Orlen also laughed together, so apart from the conversation, a fairly friendly atmosphere was created, although the content of the conversation was serious.
“When I thought about it, I talked quite a bit. I kept in touch with the queen, made friends with Renbird through Miss Selina, and tried to openly talk about Miss Irell’s affair.”
Count Orlen smiled.
“I thought I was holding my breath in my own way though I guess I couldn’t avoid the Crown Prince’s eyes because the sound of my breathing was louder than the others.”
“So, do you plan to go down to the estate?”
“Yes, I don’t want to be arrogant. I need to get some rest. I won’t be able to go out and play until my body recovers.”
Even though he said it as if he was going on vacation, it was more of a runaway from the Crown Prince’s pressure. Was this what the Crown Prince wanted? He was like a servant who goes when told and comes when called.
If that was what he wanted from Kalcion… The expected ending would only be a catastrophe.
* * *
The carriage the Princess was riding in had been arranged to wait in a nearby forest. The roads that carriages could go on were limited, so it was easy to find.
“Thank you for today.”
Right before changing carriages, the Princess hesitated, then spat out a word, sat down in the carriage, and turned her head.
“If you’re grateful, pay off your debt next time.”
As if she did have any intention of repaying back, the Princess quietly turned her head this way.
“If there is a way to pay it back…”
“There is a good way to give up on the Duke.”
At those words, the Princess reflexively opened her eyes, but the force was not what it used to be.
“Someday I will… when I become a cool girl like Selina… then…”
She wondered if he would throw a challenge, but in the end, it was a compliment to Selina. It seemed that in the Princess’s heart, Selina had settled down as a better person than Kalcion.
Selina pursed her lips tightly as laughter seemed to roll away.
“By that time, the Duke will already be an old man.”
“No…! Even if the Duke is old, he won’t be like those uncles!”
Immediately, the Princess screamed and slammed the carriage door with her hand. Staring at her departing carriage, Selina nudged Kalcion in the side.
“Really, the Duke Renbird won’t be like uncles even when he’s old?”
What an important question that is, Kalcion earnestly recalled the face of his ancestors.
“They seem younger than the average age group.”
She never thought he would have a real good bloodline.
“It would be nice to have someone to live with.”
There was nothing particularly good or bad about oneself as long as one did not live by looking in the mirror, checking if one’s face was handsome or ugly. It was a benefit to those who always saw that face.
Hearing those words, Kalcion fell into thought once again.
“I don’t think my mother thought it was very nice.”
It was a joke, but a serious family affair came out. Nevertheless, thinking about it, wouldn’t the previous duke look similar to Kalcion? Still, it was an unsatisfying marriage.
“Your mother must have been more concerned with the character than the face.”
Selina was truly sorry.
If the previous Duke had been a little more friendly, or if the previous Duchess had shown her face a little more, they would have lived moderately well together. Kalcion, the young one in the middle, wouldn’t have grown up too strict.
“I think so.”
“A face like this is enough to exceed my taste, but if I didn’t get along well with this face and money, would there be anything more than your personality?”
“That’s true.”
When Kalcion naturally held out his hand to Selina as she climbed into the carriage, she naturally took his hands.
Looking at their clasped hands, he suddenly remembered a piece of his childhood memory.
His mother was like this, too. Although she always treated the former duke with a cold face, she naturally accepted this kind of escort. She wasn’t surprised by his hand wrapping around her waist, and they danced together at her ball.
Even so, when she opened her mouth, she was dissatisfied. Even though every time she went to the capital, she made a new lover, her dissatisfaction with her husband, the late Duke, did not go away.
Suddenly, he wondered what Selina would be like. No matter what happened, he still vividly remembers saying that she didn’t like men like Kalcion, though his mother didn’t marry to her liking either.
“What about you?”
“Both.”
Selina answered immediately without even thinking.
“Isn’t that the right answer in this case? If you were the previous duchess, what would you have been like?”
“I don’t think I would have gotten married in the first place.”
Again, her answer was short and straightforward. Those who were firm in their thoughts did not have to ponder for a long time.
“Marriage is a matter of intertwined family interests, so it’s not something you can choose as you like, right?”
When it got to that point, she was finally troubled. Well… Selina, who was dragging her words, answered before long.
“Still, I would have run away without getting married. My view of marriage is really clear.”
“What kind of marriage is it?”
“Marriage is never something to do.”
“….”
What did he expect? Kalcion quietly sank into silence.
Meanwhile, Selina, unaware of that, ranted alone about why she shouldn’t get married.
“People think they would die if they get separated from each other and get married, then get married and get annoyed by the sound of going to the bathroom at dawn. Marriage is real life. However, is it really happiness for two humans to live side by side for the rest of their lives? I think that is a complete illusion.”
“I see…”
Kalcion, who had a simple view of marriage: marriage was only a process for maintaining and prospering a family, had no opinions to put forward. The idea of marriage from the other world that he had never heard of in his life was fresh.
“Is it really possible for a person to match their appearance, personality, finances, hobbies, and lifestyle? And live in harmony? You can live happily and safely on your own, so why bother?”
“There is no need to do that.”
Therefore, even if married, the couple must respect each other’s privacy. Kalcion also actively agreed with this part.
“In the Duke’s case, you have to marry out of duty, like going to the battlefield for the sake of future generations or the survival of your family. But if I have to get married out of duty, I’d rather pack up my money and run away.”
In every word, the view of marriage that Kalcion had been thinking about all his life was like that.
All of the married life that he had seen since birth was nothing more than ‘duty,’ a tedious duty. He would like to avoid it if he can.
Forcing to match with someone was annoying. Since he could not produce an heir himself, the final ‘duty’ he had to fulfill was marriage. It would be enough to clap his hands and agree with Selina’s words, but Kalcion’s mood was endlessly miserable.
“You seem to hate the very form of marriage.”
“I think marriage to other people is a beautiful thing. It’s just that in order for me to get married, I have to meet someone as miraculous as I have come to this world moving through dimension… Oh?”
Selina’s words, which continued until the carriage entered the city, suddenly stopped as she passed through an alley.
“Wait, wait, wait…!”
Selina slammed the wall of the carriage and stuck her head out the door. Because of that, the carriage hastily stopped. She tried to stick his head out, wondering what was going on, but Kalcion pulled her body.
Tang!
A sharp sound of blades colliding with each other came from the alley. He instinctively grabbed the sword at his waist.
“Duke, wait!”
“It’s dangerous. What is it?”
Kalcion asked as he hid Selina behind his back. The situation outside the carriage was unusual.
“Your Excellency, what shall we do?”
The coachman urged in an anxious voice. He seemed to want to leave this place soon. The sharp friction sound didn’t end once.
The horses stamped their feet impatiently at the sound of a series of rustles.
“Well, I think I saw Juna!”
“Kyaaak!”
Almost simultaneously with Selina’s cry, a scream erupted from the back of the alley.
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