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Rewards and Punishments (1)
Slow footsteps of two men crossed the dark hallway of Winter Castle.
“Isn’t this the area where the maids live?” Dandelion lifted the lamp. Feeling reluctant, he turned his head to Tristan. “But is it really okay? Does any woman who works in the duke’s castle want to be a prostitute?”
“This kind of luring is a mark of skill.”
Dandelion stuck out his tongue in disgust. “It smells like garbage, Brother.”
“What is it? It’s different from you. I’m just going to play with a pretty girl for a day. I won’t force anyone if they don’t like it.” Tristan tapped Dandelion on the shoulder.
After stopping for a moment, they turned the corner and entered the narrow passage.
“What if all the maids are ugly? I was really surprised earlier because all of them were wearing masks. I can see why they call this the Monster Castle.”
“Your sister doesn’t seem to care about looks. You always show your face like that.”
“Men are originally animals who care about their pride. That’s why the knight and viscount took my older sister as their wife. But, well, my father tried.”
Tristan paused. His eyes were surprisingly cold. “…Watch your mouth, Dandelion.”
Dandelion seemed to have no idea that he had crossed the line, looking around the passageway with an excited expression on his face. “And my older sister is usually good-natured. I lived in a village with her for a year.”
Tristan’s blue eyes grew round. It was the first time he had heard of it. Shockingly, there was something he didn’t know about Lily.
Dandelion looked back at him and shrugged. “You didn’t know? I ran away with my sister while my mother was alive, but my father caught me from a village. That was when I was about two or three years old, so I don’t remember.”
“…That’s before I knew you guys.”
“Oh, yes? Anyway, it’s probably from that time that my sister’s personality started to become weird. She said she wanted to go back to living there. Fortunately, she hasn’t talked about it since her mother passed away.”
Tristan just silently followed Dandelion with a thoughtful expression.
“That’s why she never complained about her second ex-husband’s illness,” he murmured to himself.
Lily never said anything even though it was obvious that she was struggling to the point of exhaustion.
What bothered him even more was the contempt and discrimination that she received from her first husband, who was a knight.
Lily, who had been hugged while tearing up, was pitiful and beautiful.
For many nights he had masturbated imagining her weeping beneath him, an enormous amount of release painting his hands each time.
But as Dandelion said, she couldn’t be his forever.
So she had to be unhappy.
Tristan had to be the only escape she came running to.
The sound of women’s laughter from the entrance of the hallway interrupted his thoughts. He and Dandelion silently clung to the wall.
“Isn’t Madam really amazing? I didn’t know she could adjust to all the servants in a week. Is that really possible?”
“She’s the daughter of a merchant. She’s very skilled in dealing with subordinates.”
“But I’m still worried. Our castle… isn’t that beautiful. As you said, Madam grew up in a wealthy family, so her expectations must be high. Won’t she secretly hate us?”
“Don’t worry. Madam isn’t that naive. I can assure you of that since I serve her every day,” Buttercup whispered triumphantly.
As the maids got closer, both Dandelion and Tristan’s jaws dropped in shock.
“What the hell is that?”
Two maids of the same height as Buttercup and a blind maid skillfully rounded the corner and approached them.
Tristan’s eyes narrowed after understanding the situation. “Don’t tell me… they’re Lily’s maids?”
Dandelion’s face slowly turned red. “Those bastards. No matter what, they’re commoners, how can they talk about… Brother, what are you doing!?”
Tristan suddenly snatched the lamp from Dandelion’s hand and strode towards the maidens.
***
Lily waited for her husband with the blindfold on after her bath, hugging her knees and laying her cheek on them.
She felt like she was getting used to the lack of vision.
“Tristan… What the hell is wrong with him?”
It was shocking. He had never pushed her to do anything like that before. He called her husband a tyrant and urged her to disobey him.
“It’s as if he doesn’t want my marriage to go well…”
A bizarre hypothesis came to mind, but Lily quickly stopped thinking about it.
They’d known each other for 10 years.
She thought that he definitely wouldn’t have such heinous intentions.
If she lost him, Lily would have no one to talk to.
A deep sigh escaped her. She regretted bringing Dandelion and Tristan into the castle the whole time. Vlad seemed to be uncomfortable with guests.
In the meantime, if she even went against his goodwill, she would look very mean.
But what if Tristan is caught lying to my father?
Her father punished Tristan with her brother if she did something wrong. Her youngest sibling, ten years old, should not be whipped because of his sister’s lies.