Was this return a chance? Or is it just another level of life where you simply have to avoid making mistakes, regardless of chances?

Peon always fell deep into thought whenever he saw Kaella’s smooth face. It was a face that could enchant people with just a glance. Clean, orderly, with finely sculpted features that bore no expression at all.

So he couldn’t help but agonize over her even more. What on earth is she thinking?

The sudden appearance of Beatrice Lavalle alone was enough to make his mind wander, and he also had to think about the fact that her luggage, which had been transported through the magic tool, had diminished.

But Peon stopped all those thoughts and looked at Kaella.

Offering to give up the Grand Duchess’ bedroom? Saying she would never marry him even if she died, no, that it would be better to die, the woman who had run out could not possibly make such an unaffected expression as if she had taken out all her liver and gallbladder, washed them clean, and put them back in as if nothing had happened. She couldn’t possibly do that.

“Your Highness.”

“Come in.”

The chief court lady, and even the butler, looked back at Peon with an expression that said, ‘Does that make sense?’. It meant that Peon was the only one who could stop her.

But Kaella’s words are law. The man who had closed his eyes, mouth, and ears without listening to her words or looking into her eyes before returning could not dare to do so again.

For him, what she said was a rule that must be followed. He could not dare to show the sight of blocking her words in front of Beatrice. Kaella must have her own thoughts.

So Peon only nodded silently, without adding a single word. In the end, it was decided that Beatrice Lavalle would stay in the Grand Duchess’ bedroom, which the Grand Duchess had never used.

“Show her the way.”

“I know where it is too.”

Beatrice, who spoke sharply with an expression that said she had been to Lucenpot Castle more often than Kaella, turned around and left. The chief court lady, who had no choice but to stay behind, whispered to Kaella,

“Your Highness. How……”

“That’s enough. There’s no better place than that room right now anyway.”

Kaella, who had cut her off curtly, turned around.

She, too, felt unwell when she saw Beatrice Lavalle. The Marquis of Monde had made her into a very nasty person. Someone who envied, was jealous, and only had bad thoughts.

When she did not run into Beatrice, Kaella was not the kind of person who dwelled on disliking others, being irritated, and being depressed, but rather someone who looked for fun things to do, paid attention to other people’s circumstances, and went around looking for places that needed help.

No one had expected Beatrice Lavalle to appear, but on second thought, it was not surprising. At least, that was the case for Kaella.

Throughout their marriage, she had seen Beatrice appear briefly in Lucenpot, shake up Peon, captivate Lucenpot, knock her down, and then disappear completely, too many times. So it was nothing new. This was only the beginning.

“Bi.”

If there was a bit of a problem, it was her husband who had changed quite a bit from before she died. Peon called her with a complicated face, no, a face full of discontent and irritation. What else had displeased him?

“I did not dare to interrupt when you spoke, but are you going to continue to accept that disrespectful attitude?”

Kaella looked at him in slight surprise. She never gets used to it. A husband who thinks the same as her is always unfamiliar no matter how much she experiences it.

“If there is anything I have done wrong, please tell me. I will correct it.”

“It’s not that you have made a mistake, Your Highness……”

Change is unpleasant. Kaella shrugged her shoulders. She just wanted to submerge herself inside and close her eyes quietly. Peon looked at her and stopped talking.

“No. I will take care of this matter myself. Please do as you think is best, Your Highness. However.”

However? Kaella looked up at him.

“I think there will be times when I will have to stop you from doing what you are doing. Please understand in advance.”

Ah, that’s familiar. Kaella solemnly nodded.

“You must do as you wish, Your Majesty.”

Then can he kick Beatrice out of the Grand Duchess’ bedroom? No matter how much it is under repair, why the bedroom that has never been used……. Peon, whose thoughts had reached that point, stared at Kaella. Could it be?

His wife was walking very quietly and elegantly as always, with a very meek expression. Peon held out his arm.

“Hold on. You must always be careful during the thawing season.”

The memory of Kaella slipping on the stairs, breaking her bones, and being supported by the knights to be brought back was still vivid in Peon’s brain as well.

In Lucenpot, many people get hurt and die much worse than that. So, honestly, it wasn’t really important that the Grand Duchess had fallen and suffered a fracture. She is not a soldier, and she will be cared for anyway.

But that memory kept haunting Peon, even before he died, and even now that he had returned. He could have done many things then.

For example, he could have checked where and how much she had broken, and could have carried Kaella himself to the bedroom. Then he could have checked the terrible state of the bedroom and changed it at the same time.

Those were things he would never have done then, so he kept chewing on them over and over again. The things he hadn’t done were the things he had to do, and the things he had done were useless.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Kaella, who had lived with “Oppa, let’s go together!” on the tip of her tongue since she was young, did not rely on him much more.

She simply held his arm lightly, as if getting help when getting off a carriage or getting on a horse, and did not put any weight on it. She doubted whether he would be able to give her proper help like this.

Peon had no choice but to stick closer to her. But if he got even half a step closer, Kaella would walk a few steps and slowly move away. She seemed uncomfortable with him getting close.

Even though they were finally shoulder to shoulder, Peon was walking alone. As Kaella had once said, he walked alone.

“Bring me a horse.”

As soon as Peon gave the order, a knight ran to the stable. If the emperor had sent Beatrice, the inspector might arrive early as well. There would be a lot of work to do.

Kaella tried to let go of Peon’s hand and send him off. But a large hand in a black glove covered the back of her powerless hand.

“Shall we get some fresh air for a moment, Bi?”

What does that mean? Kaella was surprised several times by words Peon was unlikely to say. Now that she had died and come back to life, Peon seemed to have gained new skills.

“When a guest has arrived, Your Majesty.”

“Just because a guest has arrived doesn’t mean there should be a big change in the host’s daily life. Above all, you are still recuperating, aren’t you, Your Highness?”

There were several stables in Lucenpot Castle, so horses were always readily available anywhere. This was all because they were prepared in case they didn’t know when the battle would start. Thanks to that, a huge black horse approached close to Peon.

“I thought you could slowly start riding earlier, so let’s just start now.”

After saying that, he grabbed Kaella’s waist with both hands and swiftly lifted her up. In an instant, she, wearing a heavy winter dress and fur, was lifted into the air and landed on the saddle.

By the time Kaella was slightly surprised and inhaled at that tremendous strength, Peon had already swiftly mounted behind her and grabbed the reins. It felt like she had caught a glimpse of the strength and speed he possessed when he fought.

“No escort is needed.”

“Have a safe trip.”

The horse, despite its huge size, began to walk very gently. Still, it was faster than humans, so the bleak and drab Lucenpot Castle quickly receded behind Kaella’s back. She looked back at the castle and swayed slightly.

“Don’t tense up, lean on me.”

Stiff, a flower leaning against a wall that men don’t even look at, Kaella. Never having ridden a horse with a man, she rides alone because of that.

She, who always acted clumsy and made mistakes only when she was with Peon, always recalled the whispers she had heard before she died. Usually, it was all talk that came out of Beatrice’s mouth, and the Marchioness of Monde fanned the flames.

So, those who could barely face Kaella and say such things were those of lower status than her, without any hesitation.

That was the extent of the honor and treatment she received after losing her father and title at the same time. They were words that she herself came to recall reflexively because she had heard them so much.

Peon must have heard them too. Because they were so loud.

“Your Majesty, where are you trying to go……”

Kaella did not answer to his words to lean on him and only asked something else. Meanwhile, she struggled to maintain her balance on her own, swaying unsteadily between his arms.

Peon just pulled her in with a jerk. The petite woman, carrying a faint floral scent, collapsed into his arms with a thud.

It’s a bright summer scent that one can only dream of in Lucenpot. The precious duchess must have been startled, but it was rather fitting for a lowly bastard, a commoner without a father, to commit such a rude act.

In case anyone sees, he put Kaella deeper into the cloak he was wearing. He closed her cold eyes close to his furiously beating heart, unable to face the face that kept trying to look at him.

“You haven’t had a chance to look around yet.”

Clop clop, the horse slightly picked up speed. The sound of hooves occasionally hitting the hard stone floor was lively.

“Let’s take a short tour.”

You will be leaving this place soon anyway, Your Highness.

With that, he sped up and left Lucenpot Castle far, far behind.

The farther away he got, the more refreshed he felt, and he only felt the light density of the small warmth in his arms. His shoulders feel light. Yes. This is how he wanted to run. He wanted to hold her in his arms and run away from the world.

The horse, which had trotted lively and quickly, headed in the opposite direction of the village below the castle. A loyal warhorse goes where its master directs. Only the small Grand Duchess trapped in his arms moves her blue eyes here and there, not knowing where they are going.

Peon, who looked down at his arms once, chuckled. A white face looks at him. You are so small, pretty and lovely. He confirmed it anew.

“I thought you would like a place with no people.”

When he slightly lifted the cloak, she poked her face out through the gap and looked around. Kaella’s blue eyes scanned the scenery one by one, as if absorbing the surroundings. She looked just like a little child who had come here for the first time.

No, it is her first time coming here. Peon felt like he had been hit in the back of the head. It’s true that Kaella is coming here for the first time. It was the first time she had come out since she got married.

“It’s the north side of the castle. The border is close and…… it’s a forest that’s good for hunting too. There’s a stream flowing, and now that it’s starting to melt, it’s somewhat worth seeing.”

His throat was dry, so the words didn’t come out well, but he forced his mouth to move.

The late Grand Duchess must have also been unable to move at all inside Lucenpot Castle, and it was only when she was dragged to the North Tower that she finally saw the most of what was outside the castle. Come to think of it, if you go a long way past this forest, you come to that North Tower. Peon flinched once more.

If cute herbivores that resemble Kaella, like rabbits or squirrels, came to the stream to drink water, Kaella would see them and be happy.

However, in the forest where the cold air still lingered, there was nothing but the rugged mountain range that rose with its eyes closed in the distance, the gray stream, and the densely surrounding trees.

There is no colorful and pretty scenery that suits her. All he could give her was this kind of bleak scenery.

“It really melted.”

A small voice chirped from within his arms. The sound of the stream water melting and flowing down was quite powerful.

“Yes. It has melted a lot. It’s spring.”

Kaella watched a huge unknown bird take off from afar with a flap. The sky was refreshing and clear.

“That’s right. It’s spring.”

She thought she would come in winter and die in winter, but she was now facing a new season like this.

Kaella looked around the stream she was visiting for the first time for a long time and breathed in the fresh air. So there was a place like this in Lucenpot too. After taking it in with her eyes for a long time, she tapped the arm that was tightly holding her waist.

“Let’s go back now.”

This is enough.

*

In Kaella’s eyes, Peon was a very indifferent person. That indifference was maximized towards those he disliked, and even if he liked someone, it wasn’t that he had no indifference at all.

No, he was affectionate, but he was sometimes indifferent to Beatrice. And Kaella struggled to gain even a little of that affection.

“Your Majesty, Lady Lavalle is looking for Your Majesty……”

“Kaella, what is this!”

It was when Peon had brought her down from the horse after returning to the castle, and they had entered the castle together. Beatrice, who had cut off even the chief court lady’s formal words as she looked like she was tired to death, rushed at them.

Of course, she wouldn’t have tried to physically grab Kaella, but before Kaella could be surprised by the face that was suddenly thrust at her, Peon blocked Beatrice. Beatrice flinched at the sight of Peon standing like a wall.

“What’s the matter?”

“The room, what is with the state of the room! How can I sleep there! There are no curtains at all, and the bedposts are broken! And why has the chief court lady changed? Where did Doris go?”

The Grand Duchess’ bedroom that Beatrice encountered was so eerie that it looked as if a ghost would pop out.

The furniture mixed with hideous deep pink velvet was cheap, there were no curtains, and even the posts of the four-poster bed were all broken, so there were no curtains to draw when lying on the bed.

“That’s the best room. You wanted that place, sister.”

Kaella looked at Beatrice and imitated exactly what Beatrice always did. She opened her eyes wide and tilted her head.

It would be strange and awkward compared to the flower of high society, but it worked anyway.

“You…… you……! Kaella, you……!”

Because Beatrice was at a loss for words. The sight of her opening and closing her mouth was ridiculous and at the same time futile.

So this was the easy and insignificant person you have been fighting for 4 years. It was this easy if you just let go of the desire to look good to Peon, and in some ways, she was far inferior.

It no longer matters what Peon thinks of Kaella. She is used to his coldness.

“Not ‘you’ but ‘Your Highness’.”

So Kaella was shocked when Peon frowned and pointed it out quietly but clearly.

Again? Taking her side again? Kaella, not Beatrice?

Even up to that point, Beatrice could probably have laughed it off. But Peon drove the point home.

“No one in Lucenpot has a noble enough status to dare call the Bi by her title, does Lady Lavalle not know the protocol according to status?”