Side Story 38 |
“Huh?”
I counted the days inside and opened my mouth.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“But today is the fifth day.”
There are still two days left before the promised deadline. However, Irdan was determined as if he had made up his mind.
“I've already identified what's important.”
There's no reason not to welcome his decision, but……..
“May I ask what the important thing is?”
Irdan was silent for a moment and then apologized suddenly.
“…….I'm sorry.”
‘What he’s apologizing about?'
Don't tell me he’s apologizing because he couldn't answer my question?
But it didn't seem that way.
Irdan raised his head, bowed deeply, and said.
“At first, I suspected the Duchess.”
“Suspicion?”
“Actually…….”
After a while, Irdan's explanation ended and I was dumbfounded.
“…….that's what it was?”
He’s suspected I was the same as the late Queen, and he’s worried that in the future when the kingdom of Viroz revived, I'll covet the throne, so he’s here to confirm it?
‘Then those mother-in-law's eyes were all…….’
It was absurd.
It is absurd that Irdan stayed here for that reason, and it is even more absurd to say it straightforwardly.
“Why would you tell me that?”
He doesn't have to confess, he could just gloss it over and leave for his homeland.
“I thought it was right, to be honest, and ask for forgiveness because I had suspected you arbitrarily.”
“Yes….”
What to forgive.
‘Anyway, he’s really a tight person.’
I took a look at Irdan's neat, hard-looking face.
I accept it because he looked very similar to my personality.
I sighed briefly and shrugged lightly.
“So after observing me for five days, did you conclude that I’m a completely different person from the late Queen?”
“Yes.”
“At what point?”
Of course, I don't think I have much resemblance to my biological mother, the late Queen.
However, I wondered in what way exactly it felt to others.
Irdan opened his mouth without a sign of choosing his words.
“The late Queen…She was a woman of strong narcissism.”
“……?”
“It was so strong that she didn't have any affection to share with others.”
“Oh.”
“Even if the other person is her blood-sharing family.”
I understand what Irdan is trying to say.
“You must have had a lot of thoughts when you saw me treating Ollie, the princess.”
“Honestly, I did. Especially in the garden….…”
If it's a garden, does he mean when I hurt my palm covering Ollie's fall?
Irdan said after a distant look as if he were reminiscing about the time.
“Surprised, I was ashamed of myself for questioning the Duchess.”
“…….”
“I apologize again.”
“That's fine.”
‘It's unfair that I was once nervous because I thought I was being treated like a daughter-in-law.’
But I'll let that go.
And my love for Ollie played a crucial role in disposing of the suspicions.
On the other hand, I was quite proud.
Yes, the late Queen can't even compare with me in that respect.
She was just a crazy woman who gave birth, while I'm a mother.
“I will keep my promise.”
“…….”
“The Kingdom of Viroz will be an ally of the Duke of Widgreen in some circumstances.”
“That promise.”
I just remembered. I asked a question to Irdan.
“What were you going to do if I resemble the late Queen as you feared?
Irdan made that promise only on the condition that he would be allowed to stay here for a week.
But if I resemble, even just slightly, the late Queen, I don't know what would happen, but I don't think I'd be left alone.
If he messed up with me, isn't that breaking his promise to remain an ally of the Duke?
“……then, I would no longer be Duke of Magzier.”
“Are you saying that regardless of the kingdom of Viroz, you would have acted as an individual?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re playing your words.”
After sniffing, Irdan hurriedly added as if he were making an excuse.
“No, I meant what I promised. It's just that I… I was just determined to abandon my homeland and title in case of emergency. Or even life.”
“…….”
“It's not going to happen any more.”
Okay, I'll let him off the hook. It's about whether I’m going to let it slide or not anyway.
I said lightly for the last time, looking at Irdan Magzier's face.
“When you return to the Kingdom of Viroz, tell the people this word.”
“……?”
“The Duchess of Widgreen loved her daughter so much that she was ill if she didn't hug her for a day and kiss her cheek.”
With a bright complexion, Irdan immediately replied.
“Yes.”
***
So Irdan immediately left the Dukedom and returned to the kingdom.
I knew it would happen, but I don't know what's going to happen.
Irdan stayed for two more days and only left after a full week he had promised.
The reason was simple.
‘I felt fate the first time I saw you.’
‘……?’
‘Please go out with me!'
‘Eh?’
To Dylan, who returned to the mansion after work on the estate, Irdan fell in love, at first sight, that day!
And I was surprised in two ways at the time.
One.
Was he single?
Of course, I thought that Irdan would have a fiancé, spouse, or someone else who he promised her his whole life.
This is the prejudice I have because of his title and age. Yeah, I admit it.
Next two.
‘……….why does Sir Davery look so unhappy?'
After Dylan was confessed to by Irdan overnight, Sir Davery looked quite uncomfortable.
It seemed like he was trying to hide it, but frankly, it was too obvious.
“What, what?”
Dylan's got a confession, and Sir Davery is in a bad mood?
‘These two can't be……….’
All kinds of reasonable doubts naturally disturbed my head and made my heart pounded.
But I didn't come forward to confirm the facts from both of them.
This kind of thing isn't supposed to get involved. So I'm just staying still.
I didn't come forward, just remained silent, and if I received an invitation later, I would smile and congratulate……..
Am I going too far?
Well, anyway.
As I can guess from the fact that Irdan eventually left, Dylan turned him down.
Quite steadfastly, too, Irdan was told that Dylan left no room for himself by refusing him.
‘That's why he did it.’
The day Irdan left, I remembered Irdan's first and last clear expression.
A sullen look.
“Hmm…….”
His last memory of the empire from a long way across is a broken heart.
It's a bit of a pity.
“What do you think?”
Then, at the time, Ash hugged me from behind.
I lay my hand over the terrace railing that I was holding and overlapped my hand in Ash's hand that hugged me.
“What about Ollie?”
“She’s sleeping, Marvin watching over her.”
Marvin is the name of the newly chosen nanny for Ollie.
The former nanny was fired.
I found out that she absurdly talked about how precocious Ollie that it was so disgusting behind my back.
I was thankful though. Because I could see that she's a strange person with a weird mind and a bad eye.
I couldn't have a sick person by Ollie's side, so I fired her right away.
And I told the same thing to the other families as well.
It's a big deal if someone like that takes care of a child somewhere else.
“Ash.”
I said I felt the embrace of Ash, who held me silently.
“Yeah.”
“You asked me what I was thinking right?”
I opened my mouth without taking my gaze outside the railing.
“I thought I’m lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yes, in many ways….”
I blinked slowly. What’s in my heart leaked out of my open mouth.
“I feel like I'm lucky.”
After saying that, I looked straight ahead for a moment, then turned around and stared at Ash.
Ash was staring at me instead of asking me why…
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“I wanted to kiss you.”
“……..all of a sudden?”
Ash laughed silently when asked again in embarrassment.
I suddenly realized when I saw that smile.
Oh, yeah. When was there any other time that wasn't sudden?
I closed my eyes quietly, aware of the new fact.
Soon the glad warmth found my lips a little hastily.
***
After Irdan, I thought that the unannounced guest coming is over.
But, it wasn’t the case.
“Human!”
“…….Gyerg?”
I blinked in bewilderment.
How long has it been?
I had not seen Gyerg after his stay at the mansion a long time ago, even before I had Ollie.
‘Has it been six years?'
However, such Gyerg appeared out of nowhere in the Dukedom with a very urgent face.
What was more out of the blue was that Gyerg wasn't alone.
“Hello!”
A girl standing next to Gyerg stepped forward and greeted brightly.
“I'm a disciple of Master Gyerg.”
“…….Master Gyerg?”
What kind of weird word is that?
Then Gyerg was surprised to find Ollie attached to the hem of my dress belatedly.
Gyerg glared as if he had faced something even stranger than me.
“What, what, what is this little thing that resembles the Duke? So scary!”
