The moon was very bright today, it wasn’t too dark during the night. It was enough for her to find home easily by herself. Except after she drank alcohol. Or if Claude hadn’t come to pick me up, I would have slept in the office today without going home.
On the way home, I almost lay down because I felt drunk.
After a long time had passed, Claude opened the window connected to the coach and said.
“Drop me off here.”
At his command, the carriage stopped slowly.
“Huh? Has it arrived yet?”
I got out of the carriage with assistance from Claude, and we arrived at the entrance to the village. I was bewildered when thinking if we had dropped too far.
“Why don’t we just get off in front of the house?”
“Noona, you reek of alcohol right now. If we go in like this, Bella will be worried. Let’s get you sober first.”
It was true. When the cold night air brushed against my cheeks, I felt my complicated thoughts return to where they belonged.
“Yes, let’s walk a bit.”
Perhaps, it was because it was nighttime. There was the sound of flowing river water nearby. The sky was filled with stars that seemed glimmering.
‘Is my house really this far from the village entrance?’
At the moment this thought crossed my mind, I heard rustling sounds among the bushes repeatedly. Perhaps a mountain animal was passing by.
Even though there was Claude beside me, my imagination continued to wander mindlessly. It was as if someone was following us from behind the dark bushes. Humans are scarier than animals in the dark.
We should have just gotten off in front of the house.
I carefully held onto Claude’s sleeve.
He must have sensed something as well. He clasped my hand tightly and looked around. I stared at the bushes where the rustling sound came from a moment ago.
“….”
I thought someone would show up. However, nothing happened.
“…Oh, it’s nothing. It’s probably just a wild animal.”
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief after saying this, something huge flashed in front of us.
“Oh, God!”
Shocked for a moment, I closed my eyes tightly and clung to Claude. When I opened my eyes carefully, I spotted the dear running away from us.
“Huh. Huh. Huh! I’m surprised.”
I somehow managed to hug Claude sideways. We fell asleep in the same bed at dawn, and I even hugged him this time. Haha, how awkward.
The day seemed so long. I was more embarrassed by the moonlight shining on us.
The wind blew from a distance and the sound of rustling leaves come through my ears.
I carefully removed my hand that was touching Claude and distanced myself from him. My younger brother looked embarrassed by the unexpected contact. He was baffled and remained still in his place.
“Come on, let’s keep walking, Claude.”
I walked first because I felt embarrassed. I gradually increase the speed of my footsteps. All I wanted to do was lie down on the bed as soon as possible because of the sudden exhaustion. That’s exactly what happened.
Claude chased after me with quick steps, and in the blink of an eye his body came to my face. When I came to, I was in his arms.
“Claude, let me go. What happen to you…”
My heart was pounding again. The symptoms might have become too severe at this rate. Wouldn’t it be too lame if the cause of my death was the irregular heartbeat in such a romance-fantasy setting? I felt dizzy because I had anemia, but suddenly I felt Claude’s hot breath touched my ears.
My face felt itchy for no reason, so I turned my head slightly and frowned. She whispered in my ear.
“Noona, can’t you just look at me?”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Even if I make you feel burdened. Can you keep staying by my side?”
“Of course. Why are you suddenly saying that?”
Claude bit his lip slightly and looked at me sorrowfully. His eyes held the unusual sorrow emotion. Could I have seen it wrong?
“Claude. Is something wrong?”
My younger brother shook his head upon my words. However, I’ve seen the similar gaze my brother gave me when I was little.
“Did any of the hotel staff bother you? Is it because you’re the son of the Duke? Did the staff make you irritated in any way? I’m going to teach them a lesson!”
I would take a bath while getting mad at the thought. No curses managed to come out of my mouth. It was because Claude hurriedly covered my lips with his.
Due to the soft texture that suddenly hit me, I was so shocked that my whole body went numb. What have I done with the man whom I had always considered my own younger brother? Even my brain stopped thinking about everything. The movement I felt in my mouth was so strange that I felt like losing my mind.
However, this was the line that wasn’t supposed to be crossed. The beeping sound reverberated in my mind as if it had been on strike and also indicated that it was working properly again. Though, my head and body continued to act separately. I couldn’t help but notice Claude’s rugged breathing. No, he was probably enjoying this situation.
When I came to my senses, my hands were wrapped around the back of his neck.
Something soft and moist moved gently inside my mouth. Claude’s hot palm wrapped my cheek affectionately. There was a faint scent of mint on the tip of his tongue. Our minds wandered somewhere while exchanging breath with each other.
“D*mn. Noona, I was actually going to…”
Claude brought his lips together with mine one more time before exhaled roughly and muttered something. Subconsciously, I felt sorry for him, so I hugged him tightly. Then, he immediately retaliated wildly using his lips. Huft huft, all sorts of noises around us disappeared as if we were the only ones in here.
The colorful hydrangeas shone beautifully in the moonlight, and the grass swayed gracefully near the river. The red roses in full bloom during June spread their rich floral fragrance through us. Those completed my perfect day.
Some times passed by. Our bodies felt like on fire and we didn’t realize where our hands were moving. The strong and nasty smell of alcohol appeared like an uninvited guest and pierced my nose.
“-Have a good time! It’s a good time-“
A man’s mocking voice came from behind us. His unfamiliar voice brought my mind back to where it should have been. We immediately panicked. I looked back, and Gloria’s father was pointing his finger at us.
“Huh? What? You’re my neighbors, aren’t you?”
Whistle-.
After letting out a poor whisle, Gloria’s father glanced at us for a moment and then continued on his way. Claude and I fanned our flushed cheeks and attemped to avoid each other’s gaze. This is awkward. I was about to lose my mind at any moment.
After that, we went home without saying anything to each other, and I stayed up all night. I couldn’t sleep at all.
‘I must have gone crazy. How would I act around Claude now?’
The regret, that arrived belatedly, was like a bonus to me.
At the same time, I kept feeling guilty for the main leads.
* * *
Claude got ready quickly and left the house early in the morning. This was because there was still something he hasn’t resolved with his father. For now, he must fulfill his duties as Duke Lischer’s successor.
Yesterday afternoon, the hotel manager, Jonathan Mayfield, called Claude.
“Hey, Claude. Follow me right now.”
Jay looked at the manager and asked Claude through his gaze, ‘Are you making trouble?’
Claude shook his head.
The manager’s eyes looked really red. Just like someone who had just shed tears all night long. Jay noticed it and brushed Claude’s side with his elbow.
“Hey, isn’t the manager a bit strange today?”
“Huh?”
“No, he must be. I guess someone who looks like they could stab others and merciless could cry after all. His eyes are red.”
Jay complained that his father was also very sensitive at that age and cried a lot, and he had to buy his manager a good potion reserved only for men. Jay used to be against the manager a lot and cursed him for bullying his employees. However, it turned out that Jay also didn’t want to see the manager look weary like that.
“Stop saying ridiculous things. I’ll be back.”
Jonathan took Claude to the private office of the Duke of Gateron Lischer. It was strange that he called Claude into his office as soon as he arrived. Despite the fact that Claude had been keeping his identity a secret from the hotel staff.
‘Do you have any errands for me?’
Claude entered the office without having much thought.
The Duke of Gateron looked at his son and told him to sit on the sofa.
“Son, it’s time to introduce you to the nobles of the capital.”
“What?”
Claude immediately examined the hotel manager’s face first. He had not yet revealed to Jonathan that he was the young master of the Lischer Family. Judging from the look on his face, the manager must have only heard the truth today. The manager’s jaw trembled slightly and his lips barely closed.
“All this time the hotel staff believed the young master died in a horse-drawn carriage accident. The same goes for the nobles in the capital. However, it turned out that you have grown up well. I’m touched.”
Jonathan turned around and wiped his tears again. He looked touched. The hotel manager had been a part of the Lischer Family for a long time, and he was worried that this family would diminish for not having a proper successor. Only today did Duke Gateron Lischer reveal the truth that he had been hiding the truth about Claude from them all this time.
“Son, by the time you were eleven years old, Emperor Miladen, my brother, died without leaving a successor. Members of Parliament were divided into two in the Imperial Palace. There was much talk about who should take over the throne, me or the current emperor. My birthday is a year earlier, but I am the child of the current empress, and the current emperor is treated as the rightful successor because he was the child of the former empress.”
“….”
When Claude asked his father about the accident, his father used to be reluctant to reveal the truth, and said, “We should talk about it later.” Therefore, now Claude felt confused as to why his father was suddenly talking about the past.
Gateron Lischer continues.
“There was a dispute over who should take the emperor position during the assembly. There was the older party that supported me as emperor, and the other party that replaced the emperor’s rightful lineage were at odds with each other. That incident would not have happened if I had taken the step to give up the throne sooner. I’m very sorry.”
Claude could subtly sense that the events the duke was talking about were referring to his mother’s death, which recurred in his nightmares.
“We agreed to choose the heir to the throne after getting votes from members of the Senate and House of Representatives during the assembly. I was about to make a speech before the vote. People came up to me and told me about the car accident that involved my wife and son. At that moment, I turned away and gave up on the race for the throne and ran to the scene of the accident.”
“My mother was shot dead by someone.”
“I know. I looked for you who disappeared. However, I didn’t find traces of you anywhere. In the process of investigating the case, I learned later on that the main culprits involved the current emperor’s consort and his wife, Empress Fionia. However, all the evidence had disappeared by then, so doubts were the only ones remained until now.”
Claude hated bothersome political talks. Claude’s smooth eyebrows furrowed slightly. So what? His mother was already dead. However, the Duke of Gateron didn’t seem to care about it and held Claude’s hand.
RECENTLY UPDATES
