# 34
---
Damien had to return to his country temporarily after this hunting trip ended.
Since the decision had been made to start a new business venture, the leader could not be absent for a long period.
However, he was supposed to show more enthusiasm in his latest agenda in Lentia, but his heart was not with him.
'I should have spoken to the lady before leaving.'
That what you thought will become a reality, and that it will be fun to discuss more together.
'Oh, I feel so sorry.'
What was it like to meet Ariana Clifford when she was still an Aberdeen family? Wouldn't she have been the perfect partner?
Meaningless fantasies, but fantasy is not considered a crime if it remains just fantasy.
But, unfortunately, these innocent fantasies were shattered by the sound of a harsh gunshot.
And it was very close.
"what …!"
Damian almost exploded with curses in his native language. With difficulty controlling himf, he turned violently towards the direction from which the bullet had come.
Kenneth tilted his head without a trace of surprise or apology, as if what had happened was nothing.
"My apologies, Mr. Batiste. Are you injured?"
"Oh my God...! Ha! Kenneth Clifford!"
Damian forgot to act like a grown man, and Kenneth called his name sharply. He felt terrified and angry at the same time.
“What was that just about?”
“I saw a fox passing behind your back.”
“What…?”
Damian didn't know whether he should burst out laughing or ruffle his hair violently, or maybe do both?
fox? Of all the animals that roam this place, a fox...?
“Ha...”
Damian rubbed his face with his dry hand as he thought.
calm. This man is the most important in the empire's network of relationships.
One would make such a crazy mistake if someone almost got shot.
Damian tried to make fun of it and get past it with a joke, but no matter how proficient he was in the Imperial language, he couldn't formulate his words properly as his blood ran hot.
'What a crazy dog, how does a fox appear in June?'
The words did not come out even in his mother tongue.
Kenneth laughed as he looked at the angry man holding himf back. But his eyes were immersed in a strange darkness like black desolation.
He responded coldly as if he understood everything.
“If it wasn't a fox, maybe it was an animal that behaved like a fox.”
“…Ha, if you’re angry, let’s talk like civilized people.”
"I'm sorry. That's usually the right thing."
Kenneth reloaded the gun, and a fresh metallic sound echoed through the hunting wood.
“But sometimes, talking just doesn't work.”
“Oh Duke...!”
When Damian tried to respond in an angry tone, Kenneth took his eyes off the gun and looked at Damian with a cold, hard look.
“I appreciate your efforts to please the lady of the house, but it had better be in moderation.”
"What …?"
“In this country, the custom of the ‘allowed companion’ (*a lover permitted by the husband) has long since ended.”
Damian laughed with a frown in response to Kenneth's biting insinuation.
"Wait. What are you trying to say? Have you offended Mrs.-?"
“Do not cross the border.”
“Boundaries? Ha! ‘I want to find a ruler to guide me after all this.’”
Damian couldn't take it anymore, so he quickly cursed in his native language before he could control himf.
“You invite someone and then treat them this way-”
“Damien Baptiste, you know what I did to the one who betrayed me, right?”
“Duke Clifford-”
“My father’s business partners, my mother’s contacts in the community, even my close friends, everyone.”
At these words, Damian closed his mouth and was about to raise his voice.
Even across the seas, news of the Duke's vengeance reached his kingdom.
Those who betrayed Clifford did not commit crimes worthy of death.
Even if we rule out incitement to assassination, killing everyone due to embezzlement or deception would leave the land empty.
But Kenneth made them pay in other “appropriate” ways.
Exploit simple loopholes to bankrupt their otherwise peaceful businesses, or dig up old matters to inflate sanctions.
Some of them did not escape the execution platform in the square.
When Kenneth sets his mind to something, he carries it out to the end, and he achieves what he wanted.
Only Ariana survived this chaos.
From the moment she clung to his feet while crying, Ariana was in his grasp.
Even if their relationship becomes tainted by hatred, deceit, and suspicion, as long as she lives, she remains Kenneth Clifford's woman.
Kenneth's eyes shone with a dark light. Despite his smile, his mind and heart were filled with dizzying poison.
“…She is my wife.”
How funny that would be announced.
But he didn't want to relive that old miserable feeling when he lost her helplessly.
Even if that is not the disgusting feeling of “love”.
Kenneth took a few steps closer to the stunned Damian.
"You're smart. So, you'll regret our families' deals. You wouldn't want to upset them over a woman."
“And do not think that I did not notice what you once showed before my eyes.”
“…ha.”
Finally, instead of cursing, Damian let out an exasperated growl.
As he was arranging his fishing gear, he raised his sharp gray eyes.
“Well, if I was hasty, I apologize. But all I did was talk about business and ask her about its health.”
“Thanks. I will handle it myf in the future, so there is no need to bother.”
“As you wish. Eh, sure.”
Damian turned angrily at Kenneth.
If they were a happy couple with no gaps, Damian's hope would truly be considered a sin.
But at this point, he felt even more angry, and a spirit of resistance arose against Kenneth.
'He has eyes full of suspicion and cold anger, yet he claims that he will take care of his wife.'
He will not believe the intentions of others, no matter what they say, and will only view the world through evidence that he deems correct.
After he violently crushes the flower he held, he will finally be reassured that he owns it completely.
“Ha...”
Damian laughed angrily, gritting his teeth in anger rising again.
He too was from Dobris, where he lacked nothing, and was not accustomed to harsh threats that would put him in an inferior position.
'Well…this is how you play, isn't it, Clifford?'
It is said that crazy people should not be provoked, but he will not remain calm like a defeated dog folding its tail.
* * *
Due to Kenneth's decision to move, the main palace was in turmoil.
Ariana was supervising the maids as they prepared the clothes needed for the South.
But she did not expect that a servant who often followed Damian from the attached wing would come to visit her.
"Good evening. What's going on?"
“Hello, ma’am! It’s nothing, but my master has received royal support for his work this time.”
“Oh my God, congratulations!”
Ariana smiled politely on the outside, but was genuinely surprised internally.
'It really came true.'
Luang was supposed to become a thriving trading center, but bringing that forward by at least a year was a good thing.
“I apologize, but since he must prepare to return to his country in a hurry, he ordered me to convey his thanks to you for your hospitality.”
“It's okay, I totally understand.”
Indeed, if Damien himf had come to greet him, the eavesdropping maids would have whispered, “The harlot has brought another man into her bedroom.”
Given that, it was safer to send a servant to greet him.
The servant, who was less fluent in the imperial language than his master, held out a small, flat gift box with a tense face.
Inside the box, there was a round metal box filled with lemon candy.
“It is a humble snack that we enjoy at Dobris.”
“No, I had a lot of fun on the ship too.”
The maids who were arranging the clothes turned around and looked sorry. If they were jewels, it would be a flirty gift, but candy doesn't count as such.
But Ariana calmly looked at the handwritten writing on the box label.
[If you need help, please contact me at any time]
Ariana rubbed the writing with her thumb and smiled gently.
“...the cover is very beautiful, tell him I liked it very much”