How can men approach Arielsa if he’s like this!
Nevertheless, he still smiled despite his trembling mouth.
“A, Arielsa… When the time comes, your dad…”
“Dad, are you going to marry me instead?”
George’s face reddened when I looked back at him with my sulky and pouting face. I felt so nervous that my hands were starting to sweat but I couldn’t stop now.
“Everyone has been treating me like a weird kid but… If things keep on going on like this then I think I’ll really become that kind of person.”
“Which bastard?! Who dares say that to you?!”
I looked back at him with the saddest look that I could muster.
“Weird is weird. No other girl wears dark clothes like this and no one else haven’t stayed up all night during the festival…”
I slightly closed my eyes when I saw the fork that was stabbed on the table slightly get bent under George’s grasp.
“Dad’s like that too.”
“What…? What?”
“Dad is working hard to raise me, I know that. Auntie Bella must have wanted to go to the festival with my dad too but you’re thinking of going to the festival with me this year too, right daddy? Because of me…”
“Keok…”
“I’m sorry daddy. I didn’t know that I was disturbing my dad’s happiness. I didn’t know until now because I was young.”
I slowly got up from my seat with a very sad face.
“Ah!”
However, he pulled the tail of my braid and brought me back to my seat before huffing. The people that were passing by the restaurant glanced at our table. When they saw us, they immediately went back to avoid us.
He was huffing as if he had slight difficulty in breathing.
“Calm down Arielsa. It’s not like that. Calm down.”
But I thought it should be my dad who should calm down. I glanced at him but kept my head down.
“Y, you want to enjoy and have fun at night during the festival? Sure. Let’s do that.”
“Look! What about Aunty Belia?!”
“Be, Belia…”
“Without me, my dad would definitely have a happy time with Aunty Belia.”
“No!”
“No? You don’t like Aunty? Even though I like her…”
His face turned redder as his muscles bulged. I could see the people sitting near our table moving farther away with their tablewares in fear.
“No? It’s not that I… That… Hnggh…”
I was going to wait until the answer that I wanted came out of his mouth but I couldn’t let this go so I spoke up.
“I’ll really just sit still and watch before going. Daddy should have a good time with Aunty Belia. For me.”
“Cough… Just watching?”
I nodded diligently.
“Yes. Just watching.”
George mumbled sadly as he looked up at the sky.
“Oh. God who holds the snow and ice in his hands…”
This ahjussi was going to be in big trouble. Was this something that you needed to call God for? He was even asking to bring the harsh Northern winter to the spring festival.
The Northerners believed that the snow and ice were created by a God that was sleeping on the snow mountain located at the Northern end of Harpel. The words that talked about God who held the snow and ice in his hands was an idea that came from the Northern part of the country that had been fighting against the cold all their lives.
I stood up and left my seat. George would be able to prepare himself until the festival if he continued on at this rate.
❄❅❄
When I came to work in Duke Kyron’s office, I saw him looking out of the window.
“Good morning Duke.”
“On the desk.”
The atmosphere surrounding Duke Kyron was a bit unusual so I carefully went to the desk and looked at the letter on it. My face that had been filled with excitement also subsided until it was already calm.
‘So it finally showed up.’
I had no choice but to think of this.
“His Majesty is ordering you to attend the spring hunting contest.”
I quickly went to the console table and made some yendel tea. There was no way that the Emperor’s summon was anything good. After all, he was someone who wanted to remove himself.
“Am I going to come back safely? Arielsa.”
I took the teacup and walked towards the window as I handed it over to him.
“Yes and no.”
Duke Kyron’s eyes turned fierce as he stared at me. In fact, I was really the one who wanted to calm down. It seemed like the festival and George’s date was now far from my reality. However, despite the turbulent thoughts running in my head, I still spoke as calmly as I could.
“There’s a noble from the East who will insult the Duke and pick a fight with you. The two of you will have a duel and the crown prince who tried to stop it will get hurt by the Duke’s sword.”
“What?”
Duke Kyron looked at me in shock.
“His Highness, the Crown Prince, generously forgives the Duke. But as soon as the Duke returns to the North after the hunt is over, the other servants and nobles blame the Duke.”
“Was the Crown Prince seriously injured because of me?”
I sighed deeply as I shook my head.
“No. You only cut his hand. A little bit.”
He looked extremely shocked to hear that he had injured the Crown Prince so I spoke bluntly to him.
“Hmph. Isn’t it only natural that he bounces back easily if that’s his only injury. In addition, it’s an unwritten rule that another man should not intervene in other people’s duel.”
This was it. It was because of this personality that it was easy to get him into this trap.
“And that’s when the rumors started to spread.”
Duke Kyron stared at me.
His past and future stories that were heard through my mouth sounded very unfamiliar to me too. I felt it a bit rude to summarize and explain someone else’s life in such an easy way. However, I still continued calmly.
“Duke Kyron does not blink even if he injured His Highness, the Crown Prince. So, in the future, he will probably do worse things without any hesitation… is what they said.”
“Should I kill you?”
“……”
I remained standing beside him as he stood by the window.
The sky from across the window was clear and blue while the people in the castle were moving around happily in their busy schedules. It was the spring, the time when people took off their thick coats.
“So, that’s how they create an atmosphere to get rid of me.”
“It’s because the people are afraid of the Duke since you’re the only person who can suppress the demonic beasts in the North. And…”
“And?”
“It’s because the Duke is a man who never bows his head to anyone.”
That was what the original work said about him.
[ It was only natural for Duke Kyron, the Lord of the North, to be accused of treason.
He was the first and the only human to completely drive the demonic beasts that polluted the North beyond the barrier. He made achievements that no Emperor could ever have.
He only remained lurking in the North as he focused on governing Harpel. However, the fear and awe of this man that stood arrogant on his land only grew.
He was a man who never smiled whenever he asked for a favor in front of the Emperor. He looked like someone who had never bowed his head to anyone.]
Looking at his beautiful face right now, I could feel that the words that I read were alive and breathing vividly.
Then, a question came to my mind.
Would everything have changed if he just smiled when he asked favor from the Emperor?
Probably not. After all, the anxiety and fear that lurked in the heart of that man was so powerful that it could not be resolved by just a smile.
Duke Kyron continued to stare out the window as he spoke in his low yet firm voice.
“I have never coveted anything that is not mine. Arielsa.”
“I know Duke. I know…”
I whispered quietly as I fixed my gaze on his cheeks. He had been true to his words. However, he did not know it himself yet. That he was someone who could be hellishly obsessed with things and people that he thought were his.
“Th, What’s that?”
I suddenly pointed towards the window. There I could see some of the inner part of the walls from the office. It seemed like they were connected to the tower.
“It’s a guard tower. However, there is no way to shout from all the way over there so it actually serves as a warehouse.”
“Don’t you think that we don’t need a warehouse?”
“……”
Duke Kyron turned to look at me with a grim expression on his face.
❄❄❄❄❄
5. I decided to enjoy the festival with my own way this year
“D, Duke…?”
“……”
“Duke?”
Duke Kyron, who was sitting on the sofa and drinking his tea, looked up to me in annoyance. It showed all over his face that he did not want to get disturbed while he was drinking his tea. But I felt extremely impatient.
The Duke did not have any schedule for today. And after receiving the message that Belia had sent through the maid in the morning, all I ever wanted to do was to run.
However, no matter what I said, Duke Kyron did not answer me. So I resorted to squatting in front of him. Perhaps my eyes even looked similar to a pleading cat.
“Duke. Please let me go out for an hour today.”
But Duke Kyron immediately turned his head away from me.
“Hmph!”
“Duke!”
“Didn’t you know that your one hour is half a day? Arielsa.”
I answered in agitation.
“No! This time, for real. I will be right back after an hour! Yes? If I’m late then you can punish me…”
I quickly shut my mouth.
This was because Duke Kyron, who had been turning a blind eye to my pleading, turned to look at me with a crooked smile on his face. It seemed like he had been waiting for those words to come out of my mouth.
When I went to the store, Belia looked serious. All I could do was follow behind her seriously while gulping my saliva down.
There, I saw a yellow dress hanging on a hanger.
“Heok…”
“Right?”
Belia grabbed my shoulder from behind and laughed.
“This is beyond what I expected… This is a piece of art, Aunty!”
How can men approach Arielsa if he’s like this!
Nevertheless, he still smiled despite his trembling mouth.
“A, Arielsa… When the time comes, your dad…”
“Dad, are you going to marry me instead?”
George’s face reddened when I looked back at him with my sulky and pouting face. I felt so nervous that my hands were starting to sweat but I couldn’t stop now.
“Everyone has been treating me like a weird kid but… If things keep on going on like this then I think I’ll really become that kind of person.”
“Which bastard?! Who dares say that to you?!”
I looked back at him with the saddest look that I could muster.
“Weird is weird. No other girl wears dark clothes like this and no one else haven’t stayed up all night during the festival…”
I slightly closed my eyes when I saw the fork that was stabbed on the table slightly get bent under George’s grasp.
“Dad’s like that too.”
“What…? What?”
“Dad is working hard to raise me, I know that. Auntie Bella must have wanted to go to the festival with my dad too but you’re thinking of going to the festival with me this year too, right daddy? Because of me…”
“Keok…”
“I’m sorry daddy. I didn’t know that I was disturbing my dad’s happiness. I didn’t know until now because I was young.”
I slowly got up from my seat with a very sad face.
“Ah!”
However, he pulled the tail of my braid and brought me back to my seat before huffing. The people that were passing by the restaurant glanced at our table. When they saw us, they immediately went back to avoid us.
He was huffing as if he had slight difficulty in breathing.
“Calm down Arielsa. It’s not like that. Calm down.”
But I thought it should be my dad who should calm down. I glanced at him but kept my head down.
“Y, you want to enjoy and have fun at night during the festival? Sure. Let’s do that.”
“Look! What about Aunty Belia?!”
“Be, Belia…”
“Without me, my dad would definitely have a happy time with Aunty Belia.”
“No!”
“No? You don’t like Aunty? Even though I like her…”
His face turned redder as his muscles bulged. I could see the people sitting near our table moving farther away with their tablewares in fear.
“No? It’s not that I… That… Hnggh…”
I was going to wait until the answer that I wanted came out of his mouth but I couldn’t let this go so I spoke up.
“I’ll really just sit still and watch before going. Daddy should have a good time with Aunty Belia. For me.”
“Cough… Just watching?”
I nodded diligently.
“Yes. Just watching.”
George mumbled sadly as he looked up at the sky.
“Oh. God who holds the snow and ice in his hands…”
This ahjussi was going to be in big trouble. Was this something that you needed to call God for? He was even asking to bring the harsh Northern winter to the spring festival.
The Northerners believed that the snow and ice were created by a God that was sleeping on the snow mountain located at the Northern end of Harpel. The words that talked about God who held the snow and ice in his hands was an idea that came from the Northern part of the country that had been fighting against the cold all their lives.
I stood up and left my seat. George would be able to prepare himself until the festival if he continued on at this rate.
❄❅❄
When I came to work in Duke Kyron’s office, I saw him looking out of the window.
“Good morning Duke.”
“On the desk.”
The atmosphere surrounding Duke Kyron was a bit unusual so I carefully went to the desk and looked at the letter on it. My face that had been filled with excitement also subsided until it was already calm.
‘So it finally showed up.’
I had no choice but to think of this.
“His Majesty is ordering you to attend the spring hunting contest.”
I quickly went to the console table and made some yendel tea. There was no way that the Emperor’s summon was anything good. After all, he was someone who wanted to remove himself.
“Am I going to come back safely? Arielsa.”
I took the teacup and walked towards the window as I handed it over to him.
“Yes and no.”
Duke Kyron’s eyes turned fierce as he stared at me. In fact, I was really the one who wanted to calm down. It seemed like the festival and George’s date was now far from my reality. However, despite the turbulent thoughts running in my head, I still spoke as calmly as I could.
“There’s a noble from the East who will insult the Duke and pick a fight with you. The two of you will have a duel and the crown prince who tried to stop it will get hurt by the Duke’s sword.”
“What?”
Duke Kyron looked at me in shock.
“His Highness, the Crown Prince, generously forgives the Duke. But as soon as the Duke returns to the North after the hunt is over, the other servants and nobles blame the Duke.”
“Was the Crown Prince seriously injured because of me?”
I sighed deeply as I shook my head.
“No. You only cut his hand. A little bit.”
He looked extremely shocked to hear that he had injured the Crown Prince so I spoke bluntly to him.
“Hmph. Isn’t it only natural that he bounces back easily if that’s his only injury. In addition, it’s an unwritten rule that another man should not intervene in other people’s duel.”
This was it. It was because of this personality that it was easy to get him into this trap.
“And that’s when the rumors started to spread.”
Duke Kyron stared at me.
His past and future stories that were heard through my mouth sounded very unfamiliar to me too. I felt it a bit rude to summarize and explain someone else’s life in such an easy way. However, I still continued calmly.
“Duke Kyron does not blink even if he injured His Highness, the Crown Prince. So, in the future, he will probably do worse things without any hesitation… is what they said.”
“Should I kill you?”
“……”
I remained standing beside him as he stood by the window.
The sky from across the window was clear and blue while the people in the castle were moving around happily in their busy schedules. It was the spring, the time when people took off their thick coats.
“So, that’s how they create an atmosphere to get rid of me.”
“It’s because the people are afraid of the Duke since you’re the only person who can suppress the demonic beasts in the North. And…”
“And?”
“It’s because the Duke is a man who never bows his head to anyone.”
That was what the original work said about him.
[ It was only natural for Duke Kyron, the Lord of the North, to be accused of treason.
He was the first and the only human to completely drive the demonic beasts that polluted the North beyond the barrier. He made achievements that no Emperor could ever have.
He only remained lurking in the North as he focused on governing Harpel. However, the fear and awe of this man that stood arrogant on his land only grew.
He was a man who never smiled whenever he asked for a favor in front of the Emperor. He looked like someone who had never bowed his head to anyone.]
Looking at his beautiful face right now, I could feel that the words that I read were alive and breathing vividly.
Then, a question came to my mind.
Would everything have changed if he just smiled when he asked favor from the Emperor?
Probably not. After all, the anxiety and fear that lurked in the heart of that man was so powerful that it could not be resolved by just a smile.
Duke Kyron continued to stare out the window as he spoke in his low yet firm voice.
“I have never coveted anything that is not mine. Arielsa.”
“I know Duke. I know…”
I whispered quietly as I fixed my gaze on his cheeks. He had been true to his words. However, he did not know it himself yet. That he was someone who could be hellishly obsessed with things and people that he thought were his.
“Th, What’s that?”
I suddenly pointed towards the window. There I could see some of the inner part of the walls from the office. It seemed like they were connected to the tower.
“It’s a guard tower. However, there is no way to shout from all the way over there so it actually serves as a warehouse.”
“Don’t you think that we don’t need a warehouse?”
“……”
Duke Kyron turned to look at me with a grim expression on his face.
❄❄❄❄❄
5. I decided to enjoy the festival with my own way this year
“D, Duke…?”
“……”
“Duke?”
Duke Kyron, who was sitting on the sofa and drinking his tea, looked up to me in annoyance. It showed all over his face that he did not want to get disturbed while he was drinking his tea. But I felt extremely impatient.
The Duke did not have any schedule for today. And after receiving the message that Belia had sent through the maid in the morning, all I ever wanted to do was to run.
However, no matter what I said, Duke Kyron did not answer me. So I resorted to squatting in front of him. Perhaps my eyes even looked similar to a pleading cat.
“Duke. Please let me go out for an hour today.”
But Duke Kyron immediately turned his head away from me.
“Hmph!”
“Duke!”
“Didn’t you know that your one hour is half a day? Arielsa.”
I answered in agitation.
“No! This time, for real. I will be right back after an hour! Yes? If I’m late then you can punish me…”
I quickly shut my mouth.
This was because Duke Kyron, who had been turning a blind eye to my pleading, turned to look at me with a crooked smile on his face. It seemed like he had been waiting for those words to come out of my mouth.
When I went to the store, Belia looked serious. All I could do was follow behind her seriously while gulping my saliva down.
There, I saw a yellow dress hanging on a hanger.
“Heok…”
“Right?”
Belia grabbed my shoulder from behind and laughed.
“This is beyond what I expected… This is a piece of art, Aunty!”
