“Oh, is Joseph your son?”
“Do you know my son?”
“Of course. I know him well.”
Agnes smiled mischievously.
“I remember what you said when we met at the hall before. Oh that, I don’t know anything because I am too young.”
“Yes, yes?”
Norbert began wiping his forehead with a handkerchief much more frequently.
“I remember vividly what he said, ‘how could I meet lowly merchants without caring about the prestige and dignity as the Duchess of Arpad.’”
“How dare Joseph say that to the Duchess?”
“Yeah. I remember it very clearly because I was greatly shocked that day.”
Agnes gently gestured towards the door with a kind and gentle face.
“So, get out.”
“Duchess. I’m so sorry. I must have failed in educating my child. How dare he speak such words to you.”
“What’s there to be sorry about? It’s your son who is at fault. So, would you kindly leave? My heart that was once wounded seems to ache as if it’s tearing apart.”
Despite Norbert’s additional explanations and apologies, he had to leave without any gain.
Afterwards, there were many vassals who came to her seeking financial support.
Agnes allowed only a small part of it and calmly turned away the rest.
In response, they went to Laslo instead of Agnes and complained about their pitiful situation.
“Oh, princess.”
When he found her, he jumped up from his seat.
“What’s going on?”
“Hmm. Since this might take a bit of time, please have a seat.”
Agnes sat opposite Laslo. Ney brought in a warm cup of tea.
“For the past few days, vassals have been constantly coming to ask for financial support.”
“I know. I provided to those truly in need.”
“What about giving others a chance as well?”
“Others? Who?”
“Inga and Kairen are having a hard time these days. So, please consider giving them a chance too.”
“A chance?”
Agnes chuckled softly as she murmured the word.
Duke Laslo Arpad is undoubtedly a good lord.
He had never lost his sense of fairness in dealing with people seeking assistance. Even if they made mistakes, he would generously offer understanding.
However, his compassionate nature could sometimes be seen as harsh to certain individuals.
“Duke Arpad, treat me either as the lady of this castle or as a member of the royal family.”
“What are you talking about?” Laslo asked.
“If you treat me as the lady of the castle, acknowledge my authority in financial management. If you treat me as a member of the royal family, then cut off the tongues of those who dare to insult the princess.”
“Princess.”
The Duke’s face hardened a little by her words.
“If you truly understood even a fraction of the humiliation I endured from them since coming to this castle, you wouldn’t have uttered so easily to give them a chance.”
She spoke calmly. In Agnes’ eyes, there was no resentment or criticism against Laslo.
“…I didn’t know there was friction with the vassals. It’s my fault.”
“That’s right. It’s the Duke’s fault. Sometimes ignorance can be more cruel than malice.”
“…….”
“Do you know what I heard from them? Did you know that the vassals gathered to claim that I, the worthless princess, was forsaken by the king and married off without a dowry?”
Agnes’s voice was neither loud nor quiet.
“That I was ignored by them because I was young and didn’t know how to behave.”
“……”
“Are you going to tell me to give them a chance when they meet me in the hallway and they just pass by me without a greeting?”
He simply heard that Agnes did not provide financial support to the vassals.
He hadn’t delved deeply into why she made that decision.
“Was it that severe?”
His sigh was long and deep.
“I heard that after being rejected by me, they came to you, fell to their knees, and begged for mercy. Did you not see that? That they don’t consider me as the Mistress of the castle?”
“……”
Laslo was at a loss for words.
“Do I have to endure more?”
Agnes asked him directly, looking him straight in the eye.
In the past, she thought she had to endure.
Since she was a powerless princess, a princess who came without a dowry, and a princess abandoned in the palace, she tried hard to suppress herself by counting her situation.
She buried her face in a pillow at night and cried silently, So Ney won’t hear.
“Princess……”
Laslo couldn’t raise his head straight because of the guilt that was rushing in. His face was flushed.
He thought it would be enough to let everyone know she was the Mistress of the castle.
Despite claiming to cherish her, he hadn’t paid much attention to how she was actually living.
Agnes drank the cold tea. It tasted bitter on her tongue.
Both of them found it difficult to speak for their own reasons.
“There’s no reason or need for you to endure.”
It was the duke that broke the silence first.
He looked hurt as if he had been stabbed by a thorn just by opening his mouth.
“I don’t know what to say because I’m ashamed.”
Laslo closed his eyes for a long time then opened them.
“Perhaps giving the vassals another chance wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Agnes said. Laslo shook his head.
“No. The princess is right. Ignorance can be more cruel than malice at times.I have only treated you with words of respect, but I haven’t done anything substantial. I’m ashamed of myself.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Moreover, the financial management of the castle is clearly the mistress’s right, and I interfered prematurely and meddled. I’ll leave it entirely to the princess.”
She nodded in response.
“Princess.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. I ask for your forgiveness. It’s definitely my fault that you heard such harsh words.”
“……”
He bowed his head down.
Agnes gazed at his golden-brown hair for a long time.
Steam rose from the teacup, briefly clouding her face before dissipating.
“I forgave you long ago.”
“…….”
“A long time ago?”
“A long time ago. The moment the Duke can’t remember.”
When you didn’t hand me over to Sebastian. When your limbs were cut off. When you told Zoltan to take me and leave for Cyclosiro.
When you called me your wife.
“So, stop and raise your head.”
Only then did Laslo lift his deeply bowed head.
“There is only one thing I want from you.”
“One thing?”
Laslo asked. He was ready to listen to whatever she had to say.
“I don’t want the Duke to die because of me.”
“…is that all?”
Laslo asked back with a puzzled face.
“That’s all.”
That’s all Agnes wishes for.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“Oh well, you have to line up!”
“Hey, I’ve been standing here for two days, when can I see a doctor?”
The woman holding a child asked with a desperate expression.
“Just wait a little longer. There are only a few people left ahead now.”
The woman who was given an answer went back to the bustling crowd.
“What’s going on?”
She came upon hearing that the clinic had opened.
The area around the hospital was crowded. The long line that started from the entrance shows no end.
“When did they say the hospital opened?”
“About 10 days ago.”
Niall, who came with me, replied.
“But there are so many people already?”
“There was already a rumor since the stage of the clinic’s construction. It’s a golden opportunity to treat the poor for free.”
“I see.”
Agnes carefully observed the people in line. Various faces with pained expressions stood there.
“Give them some bread or something. They must be getting hungry from waiting for so long.”
“I’ll do that. Madam.”
The hospital was full of people. Niall managed to push through and find Adrienne.
“Madam.”
As Agnes entered, Adrienne stood up and greeted her eagerly.
“I was worried that only flies would fly but it seems it was an unnecessary worry.”
“I didn’t expect this many people to gather either.”
A smile appeared on Adrienne’s face.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m happy.”
Even in the dead of winter, sweat beads formed on her forehead.
Despite the dark circles under her eyes from several sleepless nights, the overflowing joy was undeniable.
“I’m so happy.”
Adrienne said again.
“I hope someone leaves the clinic today feeling better. I hope they won’t be in too much pain. That’s all I want.”
Agnes had a strange feeling. She felt like she could understand Adrienne, yet at the same time, she felt like she couldn’t.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Well, it seems like people are the main issue. I didn’t expect this many to gather.”
“I think I can help you with that.”
Agnes winked at Niall standing behind her.
“I’ll talk to Miss Adrienne.”
“Thank you, Madam.”
“Don’t overexert yourself. It’s easy to feel burned out if you take on too much at once.”
“Yes.”
She bid farewell to Adrienne and stepped outside the clinic.
As she headed towards the carriage, she noticed many people anxiously waiting their turn outside the clinic.
“If she needs anything else, don’t hesitate to assist. She’s someone who doesn’t buy clothes for herself but finds happiness in using that money to help others. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t lend a hand.”
Agnes said as she climbed the carriage with the help of Niall.
“Understood.”
Thank you!❤️🔥❤️🔥