WGMFTR | Chapter 28

Episode 28

The moment they reached the bedroom, a servant came running in haste to inform them of the court physician’s arrival.

“Tell him to come here.”

“…So it wasn’t just an excuse to get me out of there, it was real?”

“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if the wound got worse?”

Leaning leisurely against the table with arms crossed and an expressionless face, it was impossible to tell if he was being serious or just teasing her.

‘It’ll probably be fine by tomorrow even if we leave it alone.’

Even looking into the mirror in the room, it was hard to locate the wound after wiping off the blood.

Just like last time, it felt like he was calling the physician for something trivial again.

“If we make a fuss, it’ll send a clearer message to Madeline Ines too.”

“Oh. That’s true.”

Of course, Ilian Esteban hadn’t considered public perception or Madeline’s response in his actions at all.

He had simply become irrationally enraged upon seeing the wound, and overwhelmed by emotions he couldn’t even understand himself, he felt the need to leave the place.

He clearly couldn’t stand the sight of that woman trying to lean on the name ‘Esteban.’

Yes, that was all there was to it.

Ilian ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh.

“Next time, don’t go so easy on her. Just throw her out.”

“…I was handling it just fine until you showed up, though.”

Lydia believed she had carried out Baroness Schnette’s teachings rather well. Probably.

“This?”

Seeing him gesture toward the wound and speak that way, she began to wonder if, considering the marquis’s words and actions, maybe she had actually gone quite easy on her.

He was far colder than she had imagined.

Still, what could she do when both the marquis and his godmother acted outside the bounds of what Baroness Schnette called “common noble etiquette”?

Lydia lost her chance to complain thanks to the physician knocking and entering the room.

“…It’s a shallow wound. As long as you apply the ointment regularly, it shouldn’t leave a scar.”

As expected, Lydia’s injury was so minor that it felt almost embarrassing to have called the physician all the way here.

As soon as the physician left, it was none other than Marquis Esteban who stopped Lydia from placing the ointment on the vanity table.

“Didn’t you hear what the physician said? He didn’t give that to you just to keep it stored away.”

“I was going to apply it later.”

Even though no one else was in the room, every action felt unnecessarily dramatic.

Unable to resist Ilian’s steady gaze, Lydia eventually opened the ointment and applied a generous amount to her cheek.

She could swear even when she had cut herself with a knife while cooking and bled, she hadn’t tended to the wound this meticulously.

“You got it everywhere. And the location’s wrong, too.”

Apparently, the issue was that she hadn’t bothered to check the mirror properly out of laziness.

Just as Lydia sighed and reluctantly turned to check the mirror—

“Careless as always.”

Just like before, the marquis gently held her cheek and carefully brushed his thumb across it.

He bent down to check the wound himself, his face so close their breaths nearly touched.

Lydia froze, overwhelmed with tension.

It wasn’t the first time they had been this close, or even touched, but for some reason her heart was racing like never before.

“There. All done.”

The marquis lifted his head again as if nothing had happened.

Only then did Lydia manage to let out the breath she’d been holding.

But she still wondered why he wasn’t letting go of her cheek.

‘Does it hurt? Is that why? Then wouldn’t it be more comfortable to just hold hands instead of this?’

As Lydia racked her brain, trying to figure out what to say and why he was just staring at her silently—

The sound of a knock was immediately followed by the door swinging open, and both Ilian and Lydia froze in place.

“I just kicked out an uninvited guest and was on my way… Oh my.”

Katrina entered gracefully, her blonde hair fluttering, pretending to be surprised as she brought her hand to her mouth.

Looking back and forth between them, she grabbed the door handle again.

“Oops. I forgot I was barging in on a newlywed couple. It’s not like someone stopped me from attending my own brother’s wedding. Wait. Now that I think about it, wasn’t it the person who didn’t tell me about the wedding until less than a month before?”

“Sister.”

Unlike the still-stiff Lydia, Ilian naturally took Lydia’s hand and helped her to her feet.

“That’s why I told you not to come.”

“But I wanted to.”

Ilian recalled the troubling news that had made him rush out this morning to meet a few nobles connected to the southern coast to verify the truth.

Recently, there had been quiet rumors that the lord of the Lescal Archipelago had suffered a serious injury and was recuperating, leading to pirates infesting the area.

‘Is it just a baseless rumor and thus not a problem, or…?’

He couldn’t tell whether it was just gossip, or if the situation was serious enough that Katrina, as Countess Rodrigo, had to personally leave her domain to seek a solution.

Since most of the survival skills he had learned came from Katrina, his sister, who stood there acting as if nothing was wrong, gave away no hints.

Katrina leaned quietly against the doorway and, in a much softer tone than before, said:

“Ilian. I’m truly happy for you.”

And I’m sorry.

Ilian read the unspoken words Katrina couldn’t bring herself to say aloud.

The two siblings, proud and reserved, rarely spoke their true feelings, but they understood each other well.

She wasn’t unaware of the burden Ilian carried, left alone to protect the estate.

Her exaggerated behavior today was simply her way of responding to the guilt she believed he must harbor toward her.

<Little brother. Whatever choice you make, I support you. Rodrigo supports you.>

He knew that Katrina’s unusually quick acceptance of Lydia—despite her picky nature in judging people—was also for his sake.

Which was why he couldn’t tell her the truth.

If his strong sister ever learned that Ilian hadn’t found peace or happiness but was instead cursed, she would surely find a way to blame herself.

“How long do you plan to stay in the capital?”

Knowing she wouldn’t want him to acknowledge her inner thoughts, Ilian changed the subject.

Katrina, returning to her usual self, shrugged her shoulders.

“Not long. I’ll head back soon. I came just to see your face.”

After seeming to deliberate for a moment, she suddenly addressed them.

“…But now that you have a wife, do you still plan to stay in this old-fashioned capital mansion?”

“There’s a lot to do in the capital.”

“Still, the master of Esteban shouldn’t be holed up in such a decrepit house. Especially when you’ve left the main estate empty. Isn’t that right? Lydia, you’ve never been to the main estate, have you?”

Startled by the question aimed at her, Lydia shook her head—of course she hadn’t. Katrina looked shocked.

“Oh, dear. That place is the real deal. The Esteban main estate is our family’s pride. It’s practically a resort—very comfortable to live in.”

Though she didn’t know the exact location, Lydia imagined it must be far south.

She tried to picture it vaguely but could only guess that a grand castle fitting Katrina’s words must exist if this splendid mansion was considered outdated.

“We can visit the main estate later.”

“But wouldn’t it be nicer, so soon after the wedding, to spend time alone together somewhere quiet rather than in this busy capital? Even the butler followed you all the way from his hometown to live here for how many years now?”

Katrina, thinking she was being considerate toward the newlyweds—especially Lydia—was unaware that Lydia deeply sympathized with Ilian’s slightly troubled expression.

Still, judging from the marquis’s flustered effort to come up with an excuse, it did seem true that he had neglected the Esteban estate, where the family head was supposed to reside.

“You’re not planning to let your wife be looked down on, are you? At the very least, you need to visit the main estate once to solidify her role as the lady of the house in everyone’s eyes.”

Lydia knew that if the marquis’s problem was resolved earlier than expected, she might be able to leave even within a few months. So traveling all the way south felt unnecessary.

She had assumed the marquis would decline for that reason.

“…I’ll consider it.”

But after looking steadily at Katrina Rodrigo, the marquis surprisingly gave an unexpectedly agreeable answer.

From the looks of things, it seemed that an impromptu move to the Esteban estate was all but decided.