“……Are you out of your mind?”

No matter how many times I read it, the wrinkles between my furrowed brows refused to smooth out.

[Brother. I want to go hunting. I hear the quality of fox fur caught in Fromhunt these days is good. As you know, the old fox is also the nickname of Duke Vermonte, so I believe the Duke’s attitude towards fox hunting will be more serious than ever. Ah, now that the old fox is your father-in-law, can’t you come fox hunting? See you in Fromhunt in two days.]

If someone had received this much content by telegram, they would have been shocked, thinking “Hiek, how much did this cost?”, but compared to what Valkyster had been sending until now, it was quite short.

In any case, Kaian was dumbfounded by its contents.

“Fox hunting? Now?”

With only about ten days left until the autumn festival.

This tyrannical madman is asking me to go fox hunting?

But there was one more line written below that made Kaian even angrier.

[This is a royal command. You wouldn’t dare disobey it, would you? Duke?]

Kaian put his hand to his forehead.

Looking at the entire Kingdom of Oberon, support for Valkyster’s rule was quite high.

Compared to Queen Sylvia’s experience, the opinion that he was an inexperienced young king was not something to be applied to Valkyster, who had defended the country and strengthened its foundations even during five years of war.

Nevertheless, the land where resentment towards Valkyster remained in the entire Kingdom of Oberon was the Lowen territory.

During the time of the previous Duke, it was the land with the highest support for the royal family thanks to having a Duchess who was the Queen’s sister, but now the situation had become the exact opposite.

There were several reasons for this.

First was the fact that he could have prevented Kaian’s deployment but didn’t.

Kaian was the child of a married princess, so half of his bloodline was royal.

Unlike other families, he had immunity that meant he didn’t have to go directly to the battlefield because he was a royal descendant, but because Valkyster ordered all noble families to deploy without exception, it became awkward to bring it up.

Kaian had never once thought he would die.

He was going to come back alive, and that was natural, and Temness was so populated with relatives that even going to the collateral line would be enough to tighten heir education.

Even if something unexpected happened, the lineage wouldn’t be cut off.

If there was a problem, it would be a bigger issue for Vermonte where hands were precious.

However, not everyone felt the same way, so during the five years when the head of the family without an heir did not return from the battlefield, resentment towards the king grew within the territory.

The second reason was that Valkyster had repeatedly summoned Kaian for trivial reasons over the past few years since he returned from the battlefield to govern the territory.

He received major reports by telegram from the battlefield, and the family’s messengers busily traveled back and forth to deliver the lord’s orders, but it was vastly different from Kaian staying at the castle and taking care directly.

The anxiety of the Lowen territory, which suddenly lost both its lord and lady at the same time, was dispelled when Kaian returned from the battlefield, but in reality, that lord had gone to a war he didn’t need to because of a few words from the king.

And now the king is telling our lord to come and go?

Relatives and retainers secretly submitted petitions suggesting that it might be better for Lowen to become independent from the Kingdom of Oberon.

Kaian had grown up with Valkyster so informally like brothers, and even now he thought that even if the world crumbled, Valkyster was the only person he could trust.

Unlike with Bianca, who was also his cousin.

Being the same age and both male, Valkyster was a very special existence to Kaian.

Family.

For Kaian, who grew up as an only child and had now lost his parents, Valkyster was definitely the person he could call family, and he was very soft towards what his brother did to him.

However, it was true that he got a headache as soon as he saw that telegram.

“There’s going to be another uproar.”

Fromhunt was a place you could reach after riding a horse northward for about a day from the lord’s castle in the center of the Lowen territory.

It was famous as a fox hunting ground where various types of foxes with slightly different fur colors lived in the dense forest.

If Kaian were to leave the territory for several days at this busy and important time by royal command, the retainers would again squawk noisily.

He could bet his position as head of the family that those who looked down even on the King of Oberon in front of the great Lord Kaian of Lowen would not hesitate to curse Valkyster.

It was very important and desirable for the people of the territory and retainers to revere and respect the lord like a god, but it was a different matter for them to be so blinded as to look down even on the king as inferior to their lord, but the current atmosphere within the Temness family was not easy in that aspect.

However, the most serious of his worries was something else.

“Haa. What about Claudel.”

The pitiful woman who couldn’t sleep unless he held her.

The thought of taking her to Fromhunt crossed his mind for a very brief moment before being immediately rejected in his mind.

“The hunting ground is dangerous.”

Remembering how Claudel had been injured during the crocodile hunt, goosebumps slightly rose on the arms of the fearless man.

Fromhunt was quite a well-groomed hunting ground, but Kaian couldn’t stay by her side the whole time. He would be dragged off to catch foxes with Valkyster.

“Does this bastard have no awareness that he’s the one who got me married?”

The fact that he, Kaian, was now a married man.

“Well. What would a guy who’s never even dated know?”

About the troubles of a husband who needs to take care of a wife who can’t sleep.

“Anyway, I can’t refuse a royal command.”

Kaian said as he got up, folding the letter back into the envelope.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next morning.

Claudel woke up to the gentle touch caressing her body.

“Mmm.”

Her lips curled up involuntarily at the familiar warmth and scent of the man.

‘Judging by how bright it is, the sun must have risen.’

Was she still dreaming because she wasn’t fully awake?

Claudel happily snuggled into Kaian’s arms.

“You’re making me not want to leave.”

When Claudel opened her eyes at Kaian’s voice, he was looking at her affectionately.

“Kaian? You haven’t left yet?”

“That’s right.”

Usually, he would slip out of bed before Claudel woke up.

It was the first time he was there when she opened her eyes, so Claudel was flustered.

“What’s the occasion? Ah, don’t look. I must look a mess.”

Her hair must be all tangled and her face dirty from just waking up.

He lightly kissed Claudel’s lips as she shyly tried to hide.

“You’re not as much of a mess as you think, so don’t worry.”

……Couldn’t he say she’s pretty even after sleeping, that it’s okay?

As Claudel was feeling pleased yet slightly disappointed, he said,

“I’ll have to leave the lord’s castle for three days starting today.”

“What?”

She was startled.

“You mean you’re leaving the lord’s castle?”

“A royal command has come down, so I’ll have to go to Fromhunt.”

“Fromhunt?”

Kaian smoothed her tangled hair with the hand that had been patting her back.

“It’s a hunting ground in the north of the territory. The telegram that came yesterday said to meet in two days, so the king must have left the royal castle three days ago. He probably sent the telegram when he felt like it halfway through.”

“It’s so sudden.”

When Claudel murmured, Kaian hugged her tightly.

“It is. He’s always like this, even though it’s not something I can refuse.”

Kaian pressed his lips to her nape, holding a handful of the red hair he had just smoothed, and whispered,

“I’ll bring back some material for the scarf you’ll make this winter.”

“But… Lowen isn’t cold even in winter. You don’t need things like scarves, do you?”

“I want to see you wearing only that.”

“……”

As Claudel resisted as if to pull away from his embrace, Kaian quickly kissed her and caressed the woman’s warmth over her thin nightgown.

After a deep kiss, Claudel, released from Kaian, couldn’t hide her disappointed expression.

“You could have told me last night. If you have to leave today.”

“I was going to tell you, but I forgot.”

There are other things to forget.

Kaian came to the bedroom much later than usual yesterday.

‘Because I was busy with a sudden matter.’

While apologizing, he immediately embraced her and started kissing her.

Even though they kiss every day!

To forget such an important thing.

Claudel knew that Kaian didn’t expect much of her role as a duchess.

When she realized this fact like now, she wondered what was the use of the role of mistress of the house that she was trying hard to learn.

Seeing Claudel deflated, he was silent for a moment.

“I should get ready.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to see me off. I woke you up when you fell asleep late. Get some more rest.”

“Um.”

Claudel hesitated before asking him.

“I think Irena will arrive soon.”

“Ah. You mean your sister.”

Kaian answered smoothly.

“I heard she’s been studying hard in the meantime. When the lord is away, the lady of the house must act in my stead. I’ll tell the butler to welcome her properly so there’s no lack.”

“Yes.”

“Since I’m leaving the seat urgently by royal command. We’ll hold the welcoming banquet after I return.”

“I understand.”

Kaian looked at her with eyes that seemed to want something.

“Aren’t you sad that your husband will be away for three days?”

“Don’t go.”

Claudel’s words made him widen his eyes in surprise.

“You know I can’t sleep when you’re not here. Don’t go.”

Claudel said glumly, then slightly raised her eyes. There was no trace of the disappointed look from earlier.

“It’s not like you’re going to disobey the royal command anyway. You suddenly notify me and expect a lot. You even want me to be sad.”

“I almost fell for it. It looked so sincere.”

Kaian punished her lips briefly and regretfully.

He held Claudel and nibbled her sensitive spots gently for a long time until she was out of breath.

“Don’t get hurt.”

The man stared into her clear eyes for a moment, reading the anxiety in them.

“I won’t get hurt.”

“Still……”

Kaian noticed that Claudel was also recalling the incident from the crocodile hunt.

‘It was right not to bring Claudel after all.’

Swallowing a sigh inwardly, he said to her,

“Tell Hannah to sleep here while I’m gone.”

“What? Really?”

Kaian decided to allow the servant who had pledged her soul to Temness to lie in his place.

It was absolutely unheard of for a maid to lie in the lord and lady’s bed – unless the lord was taking that maid as his mistress – but Kaian decided to take extraordinary measures for Claudel’s health.

“It can’t be helped, for your sake.”

“Thank you.”

“In return, you have to sleep well and welcome me back.”

Kaian was pleased to see Claudel nodding.

His wife was becoming well-trained.

[This is the timeline separator]

Kaian left early in the morning for the hunting ground.

Not long after, an advance party arrived at the castle saying that Irena would arrive in half a day.

“It’s not even funny. Even on that day when that heavy rain was pouring, Duke Vermonte said he couldn’t give more escorts to the lady. What’s this advance party for on such a fine day?”

“Be quiet, Hannah. Someone might hear.”

“So what if someone hears? I’m a servant of Temness.”

On the way to Lowen, heavy rain poured down, making the roads the carriage had to travel dangerous as they crumbled in many places.

The party asked to hire mercenaries from Valmont to add more escorts even in the middle city, but Duke Vermonte only sent a short reply telling them to just go.

It was after that when water started leaking from the roof of the carriage as it forcibly traveled on roads that were pitted and had rocks exposed everywhere. It was fortunate that the carriage wheels only broke down upon arriving at the castle.

“Still, we’ll all look foolish together. Temness will only think of us as Vermonte.”

Even if Irena’s reception was lacking, it would be a flaw of the lady from Vermonte, not Temness.

‘Surely the butler won’t treat her poorly after receiving Kaian’s request.’

Claudel was still nervous as she hadn’t done anything as the lady of the castle yet.

Soon, a splendid carriage arrived at Lowen Castle along with escorts riding horses with golden curtains.

The familiar Vermonte family crest was stamped on the door that opened, and Irena stepped out from inside.

Her luscious red hair, like flower petals swaying in a gentle breeze, fluttered in the wind.

The dazzlingly beautiful woman smiled brightly and opened her arms wide towards Claudel.

“Claudel! My sister!”