Is it wrong for me to like seeing the villain suffer [27]
Early in the morning.
I went to the dining hall to have breakfast, and I found that everyone I met was trying to encourage me in some way.
“Madam Lizzie, you look more like an angel today than ever before. No one sees you without falling in love with you.”
“Even the way you eat is pleasing to behold. If my younger brother married a woman like you, I would cry with joy.”
"Here, eat more. Eat well and gain strength!"
...I hardly know how to get food down.
Like I kicked yesterday, they seem to think I'm nervous about my first meeting with Martha.
One of the maids approached me with a very warm smile and said in a determined voice:
“Please remember just one thing… whatever happens, we are all on your side, ma’am.”
If someone saw us from afar, they would think I was going to a death square.
“Enough of this talk.”
Naran, who had been eating his food in silence until the moment, said.
“Don't you know Lizzy? Nothing will ever happen.”
His calm words made the servants exchange glances as if they realized that their fears were exaggerated.
He added in a confident tone:
"No need to say more. My sister Martha will surely like Lizzie."
'Two fires...'
His steady voice was truly touching.
“Otherwise, I will run away from home.”
“……?!”
I almost couldn't believe my ears.
Naran continued his words indifferently as he continued eating:
“If my sister tries to kick Lizzy out of this palace, I will tell her that she will have to kick me out first.”
“…….”
In other words... threatening his sister?
“Your words won't help.”
Arkell said with a sarcastic laugh as he broke the silence.
"What did you say?!"
Naran growled, giving him a sharp look.
“Do you think our sister will make a move just because you're leaving the house?”
“That’s because—”
“On the contrary, you might be glad of it. It would be a less troublesome mouth. You are too ignorant of your sister, Naran-kain.”
“You bastard—!”
“At least you should have said that you were leaving the entire empire, not just the palace.”
'Huh?'
I stopped chewing and stared at Arkell.
As for him, he kept his usual monotonous face as he continued:
“Leaving home won't move her, but announcing a departure from the empire might force her to listen.”
“Really?”
Naran muttered as if he was convinced.
'Isn't this an outright threat… or rather, childish naughtiness?'
I looked at them with skeptical eyes.
Anxiety began to seep into me.
'What if they actually act like this in front of Martha and make her angry with me?'
Arkel turned to me and tightened his voice as if reassuring me:
“Don’t worry, ma’am. Even if we have to leave, I have a fiefdom in the neighboring kingdom. You won’t be short of shelter.”
‘…Is this what worries me at all?!’
Because I did not respond, Naran said reproachfully:
"Hey, don't say things like that, Arkle! Look how you've worried Lizzy. Don't take it seriously, Lizzy, we're just talking hypothetically."
Then he smiled faintly and said in a low voice:
“But of course Martha has to take it seriously...”
'No, this nonsense cannot continue.'
I said with a confused smile as I tried to interrupt their conversation:
“You two… I really thank you for your concern for me, it makes me very happy, but—”
Naran interrupted me with a wide smile, his cheeks turning red:
“Really? So my words gave you some power?”
As for Arkal, he cleared his throat and lowered his gaze:
“Didn’t I say earlier that I am responsible for your safety, ma’am?”
'Oh my God... aren't they still in another world?'
I had no choice but to use a firm tone:
“…You have disappointed me.”
The two froze in place.
Naran's smile suddenly faded, and although his features seemed rigid, I clearly heard that he held his breath for a moment.
She continued in a serious tone:
“Isn't it normal for you to put Miss Martha before anyone else? She's coming back exhausted from her work in the capital, and then I'm making things worse with my attitude... It's bound to hit her harder.”
“A bad incident? She should be thankful for your presence—”
“This is no time for joking, Naran.”
Naran complied immediately.
"Anyway, my request is that you pay attention to Martha first, not to me. I'm really fine, so please... keep your feelings directed towards her and not towards me. Understood?"
It was a clear warning: do not open your mouths to Martha with threats or arguments, just go along with her.
This is how it should be.
In a situation like this, I should bend down, not raise my head.
But Arkel and Naran's looks at me became strange.
Arkell said seriously:
“I'm too short-sighted, ma'am.”
Then he fell silent, seeming to blame himself.
As for Naran, he said with a look of regret:
“I didn't know you were so wise, Lizzy... Or maybe I knew, but I couldn't imagine to what extent... I thought you were afraid of Martha or even hated her, because she...”
He didn't finish what he said, but I knew what he meant.
'That's right... she was the one who kidnapped me in the first place.'
Maybe that's why he was so protective of me.
But in truth, I no longer hold any grudge against her.
'On the contrary, when I think about my previous life in Aliheim, I almost thank her for kidnapping me!'
“I'm quite well. To put it bluntly... perhaps I owe Lady Martha some gratitude. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have met you all.”
They were nothing but honest words wrapped in some tact, but they fell like a thunderbolt.
Arkle and Naran were silent, and even the servants around us put their hands on their mouths, taken aback.
Their features showed emotion, as if they were about to flood the place with a torrent of praise.
Indeed, one of the servants almost said:
“C…—”
She quickly interrupted him:
"There's no need for all this. Just remember what you promised me, won't you? To be considerate of Miss Martha above all else."
In a clear, passionate voice, she spoke, and Erkel, Naran, and the servants shook their heads one by one.
“Understood, ma’am.”
“Trust me Pa Lizzy...!”
“Ma’am...Ma’am...”
“I sincerely thank you all.”
A satisfied smile appeared on my face.
I was fighting a silent battle that no one knew about, just to gain the approval of the true heroine of this story.
‘This way I won’t seem so pathetic in her eyes…? Anyway, when will Martha arrive?'
❖ ❖ ❖
Meanwhile, inside the Cayenne.
Martha Cain was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, until the carriage shook slightly and her eyelids slowly opened.
She looked outside, and the scene did not indicate that they had arrived in the Cayenne lands yet.
Her face was reflected in the window pane; The face of a beautiful woman with natural dignity, black hair, sharp-rimmed glasses, and reddish-violet eyes.
However, the dark shadows under her eyes clearly revealed her deep exhaustion.
Since her arrival in the capital, she has not had a single day of rest, consecutive meetings and accumulated tasks.
Even upon her return to the feudal lord, what awaited her was not recreation, but a mountain of deferred work.
The short time the cart took to move was the only resort for her to take a short nap.
However, she did not hate this life of hers.
Rather, she wished she could be more busy and active.
‘…The work ahead of me is enormous. That damned Calin had inflicted huge losses on the Cayin House. The first thing I need to do when I get back is check who knows about it. If the scandal had leaked, it would have severely damaged Cayenne's name. I must at all costs silence tongues, and then...'
Even at this moment, her mind was continuing to work non-stop.
‘I must petition the Emperor to confiscate his property. He will be executed soon, and I must anticipate that. What other urgent matters were there?'
As she thought, she remembered some of what had been said in Arkell's letter.
‘Yes, that boy… he wrote that when I come back he will tell me something important.’
This surprised her at first.
Her second brother, even if the empire fell tomorrow, usually didn't care. If something is considered “important,” it must really be so.
Perhaps even more important than the Kaline issue.
'So what is he hiding?'
The letter did not contain any details other than a promise to reveal the matter upon her return, but despite that, she felt something coming to mind.
'Lizzy Alheim... could it be her?'
As soon as the name came into her mind, a cold, heavy feeling washed over her.
Martha was not one to rely on intuition, and yet an ominous foreboding washed over her: dangerous news must relate to this woman.
Could she have died? Or did her holy powers not work on Arkell? Or has Alheim declared war?
These were the worst possibilities she could imagine.
She bit her lips resolutely.
From the beginning, when Lizzie kidnapped Alheim, she knew it could develop into a major case.
‘…Whatever comes next, I will take full responsibility.’
She repeated this to her bed, then closed her eyes.
After she had prepared for every catastrophic scenario, she was confident that she would not be surprised by anything.
❖ ❖ ❖
The carriage drove on for a long time until it finally stopped in front of the Caen Palace.
The night fell around them.
The servants began unloading the luggage while Martha stood looking at the palace and breathing deeply.
“Tell Irkle to come to my office tonight.”
She said to the butler, who hurried in after bowing.
She extended her arms, yawned slightly, and then advanced towards the palace.
❖ ❖ ❖
In Arkle's office.
He was leafing through the fiefdom's reports when he heard a knock on the door.
“I am Nuan. Sir, Grand Miss has arrived.”
“…….”
Arkell slowly stood up and left the room.
As he walked towards Martha's office, Huan spoke cautiously behind him:
“There is something Lady Lizzy recommended.”
"What is it?"
“Explain the issue of formal marriage to your sister well until she is convinced. She said she trusts you.”
“…Lizzy trusts me.”
'Did he also listen to the first part of what she said?'
Hwan wondered secretly as he looked at the side of Arkell's face, which had a rare, gentle smile on it.
However, he is known for his coldness and wisdom. It will improve the communication of the idea.
Indeed, when they approached Martha's office, Arkell's face returned to its usual seriousness.
"my sister."
“Come in.”
She responded without delay.
The door opened, and the first thing that greeted them was a towering pile of papers on top of the desk.
In her heart, Martha sat and continued writing without raising her eyes towards them.
“Welcome back.”
How much time had passed since her arrival until all these files had been completed?
Hwan asked, fascinated.
Arkell said:
“I have to inform you about something that happened in your absence...”
“Short, I just want the result.”
As was her habit of revering efficiency, she interrupted his speech with decisive words.
“I married Lizzie Alheim.”
The pen in Martha's hand stopped suddenly.
She raised her eyes from the papers for the first time and said:
“Give me the full details.”
***
Translated by: Snow
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