“I will give you Valverde.”
A woman in her mid-30s sat on the sofa with her legs crossed.
Her lips, looking down at 15-year-old Annecy Bethelgius, were a deep red, perfectly matching her splendid attire.
“Chloe,” Annecy quietly called the woman’s name.
Chloe, ignoring him, continued her speech.
“If you don’t want it, you don’t have to take it. There are people in the world who won’t accept gold that rules a nation because it’s too heavy.”
Her slender fingers twirled her golden hair.
“But I know you, Annecy. You wouldn’t do that, would you? You wouldn’t let go of power, wealth, or strength. It’s surprising you have the talent to hold all of that. The only thing you don’t covet is love, right?”
Well, love isn’t a feeling that starts from greed.
Annecy stared blankly at her muttering softly. Her sharp eyes, not smiling, looked colder than anything.
“Greedy Annecy, take Valverde. And in return, destroy Rubiette.”
And after that……
Chloe bent down and whispered into Annecy’s ear.
* * *
‘Did I fall asleep?’
Annecy, waking from a shallow dream, squinted his eyes to clear his blurry vision.
On the deck of the ship, under the still bluish dawn sky, Annecy realized he had fallen asleep for a moment.
Subconsciously looking around, Annecy’s gaze stopped at Goyo, who was sitting across from him.
Goyo’s back, covered by Annecy’s coat, was rising and falling evenly in sleep. The two of them had fallen asleep face to face at the table on the deck.
Several wine bottles lay beneath the table, and Annecy let out a dry laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Annecy, who never sleeps in front of others unless they are his people, found this situation very unfamiliar.
Having drunk a few glasses of champagne at the wedding banquet, he must have gotten drunk.
He hadn’t been drinking for a while, so his tolerance might have dropped, or perhaps the champagne was stronger than he thought. If not…
Annecy, vaguely escaping reality, finally sighed.
Yes, the alcohol isn’t the problem.
From the moment they kissed, he hadn’t been in his right mind.
While a kiss wasn’t a big deal after becoming a married couple, there was a big difference between having and losing one’s senses.
‘What did I do?’
Annecy bowed his head, covering his mouth with one hand. It was ironic that he impulsively said it to Goyo before falling asleep, only to be swept away by his own impulses.
Not good, a groan escaped from his mouth unknowingly.
Whether he heard the sound or not, Goyo’s eyebrows twitched as she slept. Annecy’s body froze.
Holding his breath and quietly moving only his eyes to observe Goyo’s state, he saw that the sleeping woman’s breathing became even again. Swallowing a sigh of relief, Annecy let out a dry laugh. What on earth was he doing right now?
Annecy slowly got up from the table, retracing what had happened. Fortunately, after the kiss, they had only talked while drinking wine. Falling asleep without even realizing it was a different matter altogether, though.
“Annecy…?”
Startled by the voice thick with drowsiness, Annecy quickly turned his head. Goyo, not fully awake yet, was looking at him with half-open eyes.
“Is… is it cold? Why are you awake?”
“You talk as if the wine was drugged. Can’t I wake up…?”
“Drugged? How far has my image fallen… Goyo!”
As Goyo, who was trying to stand up shakily, stumbled over the chair leg, Annecy hurriedly supported him.
Instead of falling to the deck floor, Goyo bumped her head against Annecy’s chest and grimaced.
“Are you hurt?”
“My head hurts.”
“…That’s because of the hangover.”
“I’m dizzy and can’t control my body…”
“I said it’s because of the hangover.”
“Am I dreaming?”
“It’s the alcohol.”
You don’t listen at all. At Annecy’s sighing words, Goyo laughed silently.
“It feels like a dream. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be this kind.”
Reflecting on her past, Goyo thought about how the Annecy Bethelgius she had known through brief encounters and rumors was so different from the person now.
In the past, he was a ruthless and cold power player, but now he was mischievous yet delicate and considerate.
Of course, Goyo wasn’t foolish enough to believe she knew a person completely after only a few meetings. But at least she was reassured that Annecy showed a willingness to respect her outwardly.
How long would this gentlemanly facade last?
Goyo hoped this pretense would last a long time, as she quite liked this disguised version of Annecy, ideally until the moment she might be killed in a staged accident.
“Annecy.”
“Yes.”
“You said you’ve never loved anyone, right? And that you would never love me.”
“…Yes.”
I believe you, your words. Leaning against Annecy Bethelgius’s chest, Goyo’s voice was a murmur. Sleepiness mixed into her voice once more.
“Although I don’t want to trust anyone anymore, I feel like I can’t endure without even this contradictory belief.”
“Goyo.”
“I will believe in you. Please, me…”
Unable to finish her sentence, Goyo fell back asleep. Annecy looked down at the woman sleeping in his arms with a complicated expression. Believing that he wouldn’t love her was indeed a strange belief.
When it came to the storms of life, Annecy Bethelgius had lived a life that was second to none.
On the other hand, Goyo Rubiette, now Goyo Bethelgius, was, by Annecy’s standards, nothing more than a flower in a greenhouse.
Born and raised as a child of a prestigious family, she had always enjoyed a materially affluent life. She had never been spoken to harshly or disregarded. She had never curled up in guilt for killing someone or been tormented by nightmares.
However, despite living a seemingly smooth life, Goyo harbored an old melancholy.
The first time Annecy Bethelgius saw Goyo, who was born at the peak of the nobility in the Rubiette duchy, he thought she was the epitome of a noble. Goyo rarely showed her emotions and tried not to lose her composure in any situation.
But after a few encounters, it seemed that either Goyo had become accustomed to him or he had become accustomed to her. He started to see glimpses of what was inside her, her weary and twisted inner self.
Could the absence of love be so painful? Annecy, who had never been obsessed with love, found it hard to understand, but he didn’t want to belittle it as a trivial reason.
Everyone has their own pain that others can’t understand.
Annecy lifted Goyo Bethelgius with one arm. Then he picked up the coat that had fallen off when she woke up and covered her thin slip with it.
She had said her head hurt when she briefly woke up, so it would be worse tomorrow.
Annecy brushed Goyo’s bangs aside and kissed her rounded forehead.
Even this was an impulse, but having already done more, he had nothing to lose by being impulsive once more.
The energy that flowed in during the brief touch of Annecy’s lips would relieve Goyo’s headache and bring her a comfortable morning.
Just like he had relieved her cold at the ball.
Carrying Goyo in his arms, Annecy stepped off the deck and was confronted by someone. The black-haired man dressed as a crew member was Exer Fribesque, Annecy’s servant who had been with him for a long time.
Exer’s gaze was drawn to Goyo as he was about to say something.
“Why is Miss Goyo…”
“She’s asleep. She must have been tired after talking and drinking wine.”
“I see. I’ll take her to her room.”
“No, that’s alright. But Exer, I think you should address her properly.”
“Pardon?”
Annecy’s eyebrows slightly furrowed. How could someone from a noble family be so indiscriminate?
“It doesn’t sound good for a member of Bethelgius’s household to address the mistress by her name so carelessly.”
“I apologize. I will correct that, Master.”
Ignoring Exer’s words, Annecy adjusted his hold on Goyo. He disliked the word “sorry.” It was a word that followed mistakes.
After confirming once more that Goyo was deeply asleep, Annecy spoke coldly.
“Look into Terio Alte.”
“Erasing Alte as well will be difficult. Even if the Emperor supports you, taking down both ducal houses…”
Annecy cut off his subordinate’s words with a calm question.
“Since when have I been a benevolent leader who respects the opinions of my subordinates?”
Though his expression wasn’t a frown, the coldness in his eyes made his displeasure clear.
Looking down at the stiffened man, Annecy smiled coolly.
“Remember, Exer. I am above you not because I am less intelligent. If your opinions aren’t worthwhile, I’d rather not have my ears burdened by unnecessary noise.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Try not to say sorry three times.”
Annecy walked past Exer. The sound of the door to the interior opening stretched like a shadow.
Exer, watching Annecy open the door with a dark expression, called out to him. “Master.”
“I’m really just asking out of curiosity, but you don’t have feelings for the mistress, do you?”
“Kolabe and now you, you’re really something. Your speculation has crossed the line into delusion.”
“I see.”
“Everything is proceeding as planned.”
I will erase Rubiette. With the wind at his back, he spoke in a drifting voice.
“There will be no changes.”
* * *
The capital of Solaris, Lunaburn, was a bustling city.
Most of the people passing by were nobles or wealthy merchants, or their attendants, all dressed in neat and fine-quality clothing. It was said that you wouldn’t see anyone using copper coins on the streets of Lunaburn.
However, today, there was a rare sight: someone whose appearance was not tidy passing through Lunaburn.
What had once been good quality and neat clothing now looked washed and dried but was torn and discolored here and there.
People passing by all frowned and avoided him.
Even so, they couldn’t speak harshly to the man due to his large stature and the fierce, burning look in his eyes, as well as the long sword hanging at his waist.
With a solid knightly build and a handsome face under thick eyebrows, he was Terio Alte.
Having narrowly escaped the Avalanche Mountains and taken a portal, he returned to Lunaburn much sooner than Annecy had expected. Terio Alte was a far more skilled knight than known.
However, he had no emergency funds, and he didn’t have the guts to reveal himself as the young lord of Alte in such a beggarly state, so his appearance remained poor.
With rough steps, Terio Alte quickly arrived in front of the Rubiette ducal mansion. The guards seemed about to stop him but hesitated, recognizing his face.
In a voice full of displeasure, Terio commanded, “Open the door.”
“Tell them Terio Alte is here.”