“W-why all of a sudden?”
“You should know the reason better than anyone, right?”
Rather, Laslo asked back.
“I, um, don’t know what the duke is saying.”
Agnes deliberately feigned ignorance.
“You don’t know? Then I’ll undress you myself.”
Normally, he wouldn’t dare touch her, but boldly, he began to fumble with the knots on Agnes’s dress. Only then did Agnes realize that Laslo was serious.
“Alright!”
She grabbed his wrist and shouted.
“When I fell yesterday, my arm got slightly injured.”
“How bad is it?”
“It’s just a little bruised. It’s not serious enough to mention, it should heal in a day or two.”
“Show me.”
“It’s in my arm, to show you that I need to….”
“Why does it matter? We are husband and wife.”
Laslo, who gets red with just a hug, is gone and only a determined man remains.
“Can I show you later?”
If she takes off the dress, her neck will unavoidably be exposed. Agnes wanted to hide it as much as possible.
“Agnes.”
Laslo smiled crookedly for the first time since they came into the room.
“I’m barely containing the urge to tear your clothes right now.”
“······”
“I’ll call a maid.”
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“Duke.”
Agnes peeked her head out from behind the partition.
“Are you there?”
Laslo, who was sitting on a distant sofa, stood up.
“Did you call me?”
“Come here.”
A small, white palm fluttered like a butterfly.
Where did Agnes, who had boldly attempted to undress him on their first night, go?
She hid behind the partition, feeling embarrassed to show her naked body.
“Can you see this?”
A thin arm, with nothing covering it, suddenly appeared in front of him.
“It’s nothing much.”
“Why is this not a big deal?”
Although she acted as if it was nothing, her body was marked with bruises and injuries.
Perhaps due to her fair skin, the mottled bruises were particularly noticeable.
With a sense of pity, Laszlo gently brushed away the bruised arm.
He felt regretful. He should have asked the physician properly yesterday.
“Did you show it to the physician?”
“Yes. He gave me some medicine.”
“What about other places?”
“Hmm?”
“When you fell, you fell on your back, right? How about other places besides your arm?”
When Laslo asked, the white arm twitched.
“Not much.”
“Saying ‘not much’ implies there is something.”
“Oh, I really mean there’s not much.”
Agnes tried to pull her arm out of his grip by waving it. Laslo couldn’t shake off his suspicious look.
“Then show me the other arm as well.”
“You’re quite persistent.”
“Do you understand now?”
“Ugh, fine.”
Agnes grumbled. There was a rustling sound behind the partition.
“Why do you not believe people when they say they’re okay?”
The partition rattled. It seemed like she had stepped on some clothing while changing.
Startled, Laslo quickly went inside the partition and supported her as she almost fell.
“That was close. I almost fell down. Thank you for catching me.”
“······”
“Duke? What’s wrong with your face?”
Laslo’s face was seriously stiff when she looked up.
Agnes instantly realized where his gaze lingered.
“Well, you see… When I fell at the hunting ground…”
“Did the king do this?”
There were clear hand marks on Agnes’s neck.It was unmistakably a mark of strangulation to anyone who saw it.
It was obviously a wound that didn’t exist until he saw her off this morning, so he could immediately figure out who did it.
His mind went blank for a moment.
It felt like the thread of reason he had been holding onto had snapped.
“Duke, it hurts.”
It seemed like he put too much force in holding her waist. Laslo immediately let go of his hand.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Agnes took a few steps back.
Laslo managed to suppress his anger through deep breaths.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m afraid the duke will worry like this.”
She let out a small sigh. Wearing only a thin slip, her physical condition was clearly visible.
Despite Agnes saying she was fine, the bruising was not limited to her arm.
There were small blue bruises on her knees, forearms, thighs, and even on her back.
Additionally, there were clear marks of blood and abrasions on her back, making it painful to look at.
For the first time, Laslo regretted not spending the night with her.
‘If we had shared a bed, I would have known all the injuries on her body.’
“You don’t have to respond every time Sebastian acts like that.”
“I don’t?”
“It’s just because he’s curious how I react. You don’t have to worry……”
“Don’t worry? How?”
Laslo was taken aback by her words.
“How can you say not to worry when my wife returns with marks on her neck from another man?”
“That’s…”
“How do you see me, exactly?”
Agnes was about to offer an explanation but stopped herself.
Laslo’s face was contorted in agony as he faced her.
“I’m……”
A peculiar silence filled the room. Agnes stopped her lips from trembling.
“I’m in love with you.”
Laslo spoke, looking straight into her blue eyes.
“Do you understand what that means?”
Despite confessing his love to his wife, he appeared far from happy.
Instead, he struggled to breathe under the weight of heart-wrenching pain and constriction in his chest.
“It means that I can’t sleep if even a hair on you is hurt, worrying endlessly. If you come back with these wounds…”
Laslo slowly raised his hand and lightly brushed the bruised marks on her neck.
“It means that I want to find the one who hurt you and make him pay back many times.”
He couldn’t smooth out his furrowed brow. He barely contained the surging emotions.
Laslo picked up the shawl on the chair and draped it over her shoulders.
“Duke.”
Agnes reached out to grab his clothing, but Laslo was quicker.
“Take a rest. I’ll call for a physician.”
He spoke in a lowered voice before leaving the bedroom. Agnes looked at the spot where he had left for a long time.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“Ney.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“What is love?”
Ney, who was diligently applying medicine over Agnes’ wound, raised her head.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“The Duke likes me.”
“Oh my!”
Ney set down the ointment and her eyes sparkled.
“Does that mean you’ll be sharing a bed now?”
“Is sharing a bed a sign of love?”
At the question, the maid hesitated and trailed off.
“It’s not necessarily like that, but…”
“Then?”
“When you love someone, you naturally want to do everything together. Being together brings happiness.”
“Is that love?”
Agnes asked with wide eyes. Ney awkwardly smiled as she struggled to explain.
“That’s love for me”
Although Agnes couldn’t fully grasp Ney’s words, she simply nodded.
Love. Love.
Laslo’s face comes to mind.
His lips and expression as he said he liked her, even the clenched fist, were vivid.
But Laslo didn’t look happy. He looked tormented and somehow sad.
“Please rest, Madam.”
Ney turned off the light. Agnes, unable to sleep until late, finally closed her eyes.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“There hasn’t been any significant movement within the territory yet.”
Count Barania politely said. Sebastian raised his tilted head.
“What about the military numbers?”
“It’s difficult to count precisely, but there has been an increase in the number of knights compared to last spring. They also acquired quite a few warhorses.”
“That’s right….”
He tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair.
He deliberately got her married to a falling Duke’s family, but that family has been thriving each day since the princess came.
Irritation prevailed over anxiety.
What he thought he didn’t need to worry about continued to bother him.
Count Barania stood by his side silently for a while.
“Your Majesty.”
At that moment, a servant walked silently and whispered in the king’s ear.
“What about Agnes?”
“It seems the Duke has come alone, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm.”
A small smile tugged at Sebastian’s lips.
“Bring him in. And Count, you may leave.”
After the servant and the Count bowed, they left.
Shortly after, Duke Arpad opened the door to the audience chamber and entered.
“I don’t remember calling the Duke of Arpad. What brings you here? Where is my dear sister, and have you come alone?”
“Agnes is not feeling well, so I have come in her place, Your Majesty.”
“She seemed fine when I saw her yesterday.”
“After returning to the mansion, she developed a fever and is having difficulty recovering.”
“Is that so?”
Sebastian called the servant, who was standing behind him.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Pick up some medicinal herbs that are good for fever and send it to Arpad Townhouse. How weak is her body to fall down overnight?”
He spoke bluntly as he wagged his finger. The servant bowed his head.
