The conversation from last night that she had barely managed to forget came back to her mind.
Her thoughts became complicated once again.
“Princess?”
“It’s nothing. We just became a family, so I thought we should foster friendship. By the way, what about the demonic beasts that broke through the northern defense line?”
Agnes changed the subject.
“Oh, it’s all resolved now. With so many of them and even unfamiliar types of horses coming down, it was quite challenging to handle.”
“Did you get any injuries?”
Laslo shook his head lightly.
“None.”
“Thank you for your hard work. By the way, have you had breakfast?”
“Not yet. Would you like to have it together?”
“Let’s go.”
The couple headed to the dining hall quite amicably.
The meal was simple. There was no need for the maid to move the plates multiple times.
Boiled potatoes without any seasoning were served.
Laslo quickly picked up a hot potato with his hand and placed it on Agnes’ plate.
“Please eat plenty.”
That was an expression that could easily be followed by “so you can grow well.”
“Potatoes…”
“Hm? Don’t you like potatoes?”
Steam rose from the potatoes on the plate.
Agnes gazed at the potatoes on her plate for a moment.
In an instant, she remembered the bundle he had handed her on their last day. There were some potatoes like this inside.
She remembered eating it raw because she didn’t know how to start a fire.
But that wasn’t all.
The bundle was filled with clothes, small jewels, immediate coins for use, a map, and dried foods.
What was he thinking while packing these items?
What thoughts crossed his mind as he sent her away and was left to die alone?
“Why do you try to bear everything by yourself?”
“What?”
“Why won’t you share the burden with me?”
The emotions she had suppressed in her heart burst out.
Not understanding what she meant, Laslo set down the tableware and stared intently at Agnes.
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you have no regrets.”
Seeing her uneasy expression, he first dismissed the servants who were standing around.
“Princess.”
“You said you have no regrets about marrying me.”
Agnes’ voice trembled.
She clenched her fist tightly, her nails digging into her palm. Yet, Agnes couldn’t feel any pain.
She only saw the man in front of her.
“Do you remember? What I said to you that night?”
“Yes, I remember.”
Laslo replied quietly.
Agnes faced him, trying to contain her surging emotions as much as possible.
“Do you remember? Do you recall? Then why did you cancel the ritual? Did my words sound ridiculous to you? Did you think it was okay to ignore the words of a naive princess?”
Agnes couldn’t distinguish whether the intense emotion rising from deep within her was anger or sadness.
Feeling choked up and stifled, she found herself repeatedly clenching and tearing at her chest with her hands.
“Princess.”
As Agnes’s voice grew louder, Laslo quietly called out to her.
“That’s not it, I just…”
Laslo awkwardly turned his head away, avoiding eye contact.
“Is it because of the former duchess?”
“Princess”
Laslo’s gaze changed in an instant.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, then let out a deep sigh.
“It seems you heard from Zoltan. I didn’t expect you two to become so close.”
“I don’t know what kind of life the Duchess of Arpad lived. So I can’t judge her recklessly.”
“Let’s stop this conversation.”
His voice gradually lowered, eventually sounding like a growl of a beast.
Of course, Agnes was not afraid at all. On the contrary, she took a step closer to Laslo.
“I have no regrets.”
Agnes repeated that sentence several times.
“I will die here.”
Her shining eyes were unbelievably firm.
“I will die in this castle, with you. I will never leave you and run away, nor will I survive alone.”
Agnes couldn’t calm her trembling body and breathed heavily.
She still saw Zoltan, covered in blood, and Laslo’s right arm with half-eaten flesh when she dreamed.
Ney would wake Agnes up, drenched in cold sweat and ask her what kind of nightmare it was, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak of it.
Her eyes reddened.
Agnes stubbornly raised her head towards the ceiling, not wanting to show tears in front of this man again. After taking a deep breath, her tears dried up.
Finally, she could meet Laslo’s gaze.
“So please, just believe me. Accept me as your wife.”
Laslo furrowed his brow deeply.
He raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, then roughly wiped his face.
“I can’t do that.”
“What did you say?”
Agnes was at a loss for words when she received such a firm response.
“I said it can’t be done, Princess. I never intended to go to do the ritual with you from the beginning.”
In case Agnes didn’t hear clearly, Laslo reiterated his words once again.
“Why?”
“Have you ever experienced hunger, Princess?”
An unexpected question came up.
Agnes was taken aback as she didn’t understand the point of the question.
“Hunger?”
It was unlikely that a princess who had always eaten the finest and best in the palace had ever experienced having an empty stomach.
Before Agnes could shake her head, Laslo continued.
“Have you ever had to cut off a rotten arm because you couldn’t afford to call a physician?”
“Have you ever trembled in fear not knowing when the demonic beasts would come down and harm your family?”
“That… I…”
Agnes tried to find something to say in response, but all that came out was a dry mouth.
It was a distant story that she had never imagined or experienced before.
“I won’t say you’re young and inexperienced. I’m aware that the Princess is of adult age. I can’t even judge you as naive. It’s just that you have lived in a different world…”
“Duke Arpad.”
“When you said you would die with me in this castle, I was truly grateful.”
His eyes were clear and held no cloudiness, so Agnes didn’t feel scared or intimidated looking into those dark eyes for the first time.
“But that is separate from this.”
“Duke.”
“I don’t know if it’s better to die with me in this castle or to live a different life. I hope you don’t live such a life like my mother, hiding a sick body and pretending to be fine with a forced smile.”
Contrary to his words, the Duke smiled lightly. His smile appeared so serene that it seemed unusual.
“I will ensure that you can stay here without any shortcomings during your time in this castle.”
He spoke in a polite and calm tone.
“During my time here?”
Among his words, there was a sentence that grated on her ears.
“I understand the importance of an oath before the gods. However, sometimes human needs take precedence over the gods.”
Agnes had a profound realization at that moment.
To this man, Laslo Arpad, Agnes had never been his wife.
She was just a pitiful princess from the palace, someone to be protected and looked after.
Upon realizing this, her heart surprisingly calmed down.
Without receiving any advice from anyone, she now knew what she had to do.
“Then let’s do this.”
“What?”
“Give me time.”
“For what?”
“Since Father’s body is not in good shape, Sebastian will likely ascend to the throne by next spring at the latest.”
“So, there’s less than half a year left now.”
Laslo muttered as he counted the months.
“Yes. So please watch over me until then. If your feelings remain unchanged even when spring comes, I will leave. Before Sebastian notices.”
“Understood.”
“But if your feelings change…”
“….”
“Then let us die together.”
Laslo couldn’t say anything in response.
3: Inception
“How is it?”
Agnes observed the man sitting across from her with a nervous heart, studying his expression. He sat at the table with a stern face.
Since there had been no change in his expression from earlier, he seemed more like a stone statue than a person.
“It’s not bad for a start, is it?”
She asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Has anyone taught you, Madam?”
Niall, who had been scrutinizing the ledger for a while, spoke up.
He closed the ledger that Agnes had confidently brought.
“No. I learned about budget execution, but…”
Her voice grew quieter towards the end.
It was somewhat embarrassing to admit that he had learned by imitating Niall’s actions over his shoulder, rather than having been taught by someone with authority.
“That’s a relief. If someone had taught the Madam, it would be considered a serious offense of undermining the royal family, and that person would immediately have their property confiscated and be imprisoned as a severe punishment.”
Although his tone was generally calm, it grew louder when mentioning undermining and punishment.
“Is it really that serious?”
“……”
Niall simply gazed at the princess’s face in silence.
“Why are you silent?”
“I’m choosing my words carefully to avoid causing offense.”
“Wow. Do you think a few words from you would hurt my feelings? Speak truthfully.”
She said with a generous smile.
Niall unfolded the ledger.
“It’s a complete mess from start to finish.There are so many discrepancies in the numbers that it’s difficult to tally, and the expenses used are not even listed in the ledger, making it impossible to assess the inventory. Moreover, what is this? How should we handle combining the carried-over amount from the previous month into this month’s expenses…?”
