Side Story 1. A Midsummer Night

Broken pine branches and rose petals torn to shreds rolled around without distinguishing between sidewalks and roads. The owner of the jewelry store located right next to the street tree scratched his head while looking at the broken window.

The plan to buy Celian a piece of jewelry had failed. Izer gripped his cane tighter and turned toward the tea leaf shop.

“Welcome, customer. Is there something you’re looking for?”

“Could you recommend a tea that’s good for sleep?”

“Please come this way. I’ll show you our herbal tea selection.”

The tea leaf shop was free from the commotion outside. Just breathing in the pungent aroma that blended pleasantly with the crackling sound of burning wood made him feel much more at ease. Izer unconsciously spoke his true feelings aloud.

“I should have come with my wife. She would have loved this.”

“Many customers who come alone say they should have come with their spouse. Please be sure to visit together next time.”

The young employee smiled and led him to one wall.

“Here we have valerian, chamomile, and lavender. These three are the most representative for relieving stress and aiding sleep.”

“I’d like to choose the most effective one.”

“If you purely want help with sleep, valerian would probably be best. However, customer……”

The employee trailed off and quickly looked around. The older man who appeared to be the owner was busy attending to a young lady at the opposite counter.

The male employee lowered his voice considerably.

“This might be presumptuous, but if you’re suffering from severe insomnia, I’d like to suggest seeing a doctor. My younger sister is prescribed sleeping pills, and she says they’re much better. Please don’t tell the owner I said this.”

“Thank you for your concern. But the doctor said sleeping pills wouldn’t work for my wife.”

“Pardon?”

Was it not this customer but his wife who couldn’t sleep well? To the bewildered-looking employee, Izer smiled bitterly and pointed to the dried valerian root.

“I’ll take 5 ounces of this. Please wrap it as prettily as possible.”

***

“……”

Her eyelids blinked slowly. Soon a dim view entered her eyes. Her hollow face, having just escaped from the fantasy flower garden she had been wandering through, reflected like a ghost in the window. The man’s hand overlapping hers on the window frame was trembling.

Celian gazed into the darkness and whispered. Heavy raindrops were roughly beating against the window.

“Where?”

“Our room.”

She could sense anxiety in her husband’s attitude as he pulled her close. Celian quietly looked down at Izer’s hand and then turned her body. Izer’s eyebrows furrowed at her dangerous action of sitting on the window frame that seemed ready to break in the wind at any moment, but she naturally wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck to reassure him.

“Sorry, were you very startled?”

Her finely trembling body and the black hair settling on her collarbone answered instead. Izer tried to persuade her again with a cracked voice.

“Lian, no matter how I think about it, it would be better to use this place as a vacation home and live in the suburban villa. Think it over again.”

“That house is too small for Bess and Percy to live in too. And we already completely renovated the interior here. It’s finally become a house that perfectly suits my taste.”

Izer muttered heavily.

“Then what can we do.”

Every night, all the windows of the Chesterfield ducal residence were tightly locked. This was the result of Celian’s persistent insistence despite Izer’s opposition. Even so, the doors remained open because Izer had dissuaded her until the end.

Only Izer and the head maid had keys to the windows. Celian had earnestly begged Izer never to tell her the location of the keys. After several arguments that bordered on marital disputes, Izer finally accepted her wishes.

He buried his head in Celian’s shoulder and took a deep breath.

“Lian, you don’t know how I feel. It’s like sleeping on thin ice every night. No matter how tightly I hold you while sleeping, do you know how anxious I am that I might lose you in my sleep?”

“I know, I’m sorry. But the frequency has decreased a lot. I regain my senses quickly too. Owen said I’ve improved considerably.”

“That man told me it would be best to remove the cause.”

“Is Owen’s word more important than mine?”

“You know that’s not what I mean, Lian.”

Izer sighed and lifted Celian up. He was careful to distribute the weight to his arm instead of his stiff right hand.

“Don’t think about seducing me, my queen. That won’t make my worries disappear.”

“If I fall asleep from exhaustion, I won’t have the strength to wander around. It’s the most effective method. Can’t we really?”

“No. They said a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Don’t even dream about it until you’re completely better.”

“—That’s what Izer Chesterfield said last night too.”

As she deliberately pulled on Izer’s neck while speaking, a growling breath could be heard from his chest. Celian smiled triumphantly and wiggled her thighs.

“Can’t we really, honey?”

Celian smiled seductively and clung tightly to his waist. Izer tried to detach her before lying down on the bed, but Celian persistently held onto his shoulders and endured. Eventually, the man who sat on the bed with her still dangling from him looked at her with an expression of frustration.

“Lian, you barely ate dinner either. You’ve been leaving more food than Percy lately. Don’t you think there’s a problem?”

“It’s not that I eat little, it’s that Percy eats a lot. There’s nothing wrong with my appetite.”

She spoke nonchalantly while gradually pressing her pelvis against her husband’s waist. Her lips curved upward at the sensation of the lower body that hadn’t been directly touching when she was being held gradually hardening.

“Mmm, Izer.”

“Celian, stop.”

His voice, now much huskier, stopped her. Celian looked down and pointed out.

“Your words and hands are doing different things.”

“Damn……”

The negligee she wore to sleep was thin and loose. The hand that easily slipped under her skirt was busy caressing her heaving chest. The clumsily moving fingers stimulated Celian unnecessarily.

She also smiled mischievously and tugged at the buttons of the sleep shirt her husband wore. His chest opened up nicely, revealing itself. When Celian caressed it, she could clearly see his Adam’s apple, which he had been holding back, bob greatly.

Izer stopped her with a suppressed voice.

“Don’t stimulate me, Lian. It’s already hard enough.”

“You think only you have it hard. Women have desires too.”

She deliberately acted more shameless. If they went straight to sleep like this, Izer would obviously spend the night awake from agitation.

Izer usually tried to slip away like an eel, saying he didn’t want to strain her. Rather, there were many days when Celian was the one whose body was heated and tried to seduce him. Usually her efforts yielded tremendous results, and eventually Izer would give in to what Celian wanted. Very passionately and very fantastically.

This time too, her scheme worked to some extent. The loose neckline slipped over her head. A pleasant summer night breeze brushed around her suddenly bare body. Celian instinctively burrowed into her husband’s embrace seeking warmth. He always had a high body temperature and served as a good heater for Celian.

A low laugh echoed from above the woman curled up like a kitten.

“My queen, you’re not planning to stop after seducing me, are you.”

“Of course not. So hurry up and warm me.”

The last button of the shirt draped over his abs also came undone. Izer responded as she led him to remove his left arm from the shirt.

“You say dangerously tempting things so casually.”

She didn’t even pretend to listen and fidgeted as she set about the remaining task. Izer always said it was fine, but she paid special attention every time she touched Izer’s right arm. That’s why it took much longer to remove his right arm from the shirt, unlike his left arm which came out instantly.

Watching Celian struggle, Izer sighed and laid her down on the bed as she was.

“……?”

The shirt Celian had been desperately trying to grab was futilely thrown aside. Soon a hot body descended upon her.

“Telling me to get completely naked and wait while fidgeting on top, that’s going too far even for you.”

Izer leisurely met her gaze.

“How impudent. Let me try playing some tricks too.”

“……”

The tip that heavily brushed past her lower body made her tingle. She bit her lips hard, embarrassed by the wet sounds quietly settling in the quiet bedroom. Both had expected to roll around frantically, but today’s husband didn’t seem inclined to easily match her rhythm.

A much more explicit sensation than when he caressed and pressed with his palm swept through her entire body. Celian barely suppressed her moan. Every time Izer’s chest rose and fell, it grazed her plump nipples, doubling the stimulation. She thought about raising her hands to stop him, but feeling like she would lose, she decided not to block him even if she had to light a double wick in her eyes.

Izer moved his hips rhythmically while meeting her gaze.

The sheet, wet with slippery liquid, stuck stickily to Celian’s thighs. Still, when she didn’t make a sound, Izer lowered his body a little closer to the bed. Judging by his firmly erect member, he seemed to be feeling desire too, but unlike the intensely erotic situation, Izer’s face remained consistently dry.

Celian, feeling competitive, looked him straight in the eye and caressed her husband’s nape. Even when she pressed firmly on the blood vessel where his pulse was beating rapidly and moved her hand downward, he remained indifferent.

Celian’s posture became even bolder. She spread her legs a little wider to make penetration easier and moved the hand that had been sliding along her chest downward. Her hand, now damp with sweat that had begun to emerge, grasped the slippery tip.

With her eyes cast firmly downward, her husband’s member was clearly visible. The cock that had been moving up and down around Celian’s gap was now near her chest, having passed her abdomen. The penis that received her gaze twitched in greeting.

But that was merely a physical response; the face reflected in her raised gaze was utterly rigid. It seemed Izer had no intention today. She decided to give up instead of being stubborn for no reason.

The failed attempt was somewhat embarrassing. The fact that only she seemed excited about being naked and pressed together made her face flush hot. She dropped her hand and avoided his gaze.

“Sorry, I’ll sleep quietly.”

“Hm?”

“I said I won’t do it. Sorry for fooling around.”

She muttered and pushed against his firm abdomen. It didn’t budge. Celian voiced her opinion once more, quietly.

“Get off, you’re heavy.”

But neither he nor his cock moved from their positions. It was then that the man who had been looking down at her with the same expression moved his hips forward.

“……!”

The protruding glans touched her swollen nipple. When she reflexively screamed at the unfamiliar sensation, a large hand covered her mouth. Izer looked down at his wife, who was gripping his wrist, and growled.

“When will my queen finally admit that her husband is not in his right mind.”

“……”

“Lian, because you keep doing this, I can’t control myself even when I try to be gentle. It’s like you’re testing a person’s patience, teasing to see how much I’ll endure today……”

Despite his leisurely voice, his eyes burned. Even in the darkness, she could clearly see him gripping his penis and rubbing it against Celian’s nipples.

The part that discharged semen was rubbing against the position meant to feed babies. The nipple that hadn’t even been touched by lips quickly became wet. Still unsatisfied, Izer brought the tip where liquid flowed to her nipple and persistently rubbed it. Not stopping there, he even drew circles with the pre-cum that had flowed abundantly over her breast.

The small bumps that protruded on her areola became wet, then dried and became parched as his hand moved elsewhere. Watching the skin that had stiffened while standing erect, Izer struck her nipple with his cock. Celian’s body flinched.

He growled in a deeply sunken voice.

“Seducing someone who’s barely holding back and then saying you don’t want to…… there are all kinds of ways to drive a person crazy. Of course, if it’s what you want, I’d even drink poison for you.”

Thwack, thwack, heavy impacts continued on the swollen, sensitive area. Unfortunately for Izer, he had only one cock, so for the peak he couldn’t directly cherish, he personally pinched it between his fingertips and alternately crossed two fingers like scissors. A thin moan flowed from Celian, whose mind became hazy from the different stimulations coming from both breasts.

“Ah……!”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

It didn’t hurt, but it was shameful. Tears welled up from the excessively intense stimulation. Even knowing that Izer got more excited the more she struggled, she couldn’t help it.

Now Izer gathered the two pieces of flesh that stood high toward the sky and squeezed his penis between them. Thanks to using liquid that might have been sweat or pre-cum as lubricant, his posture of moving back and forth between her breasts looked utterly comfortable.

But she, with her chest squeezed to the point of bursting, was not comfortable. Every time the tip of the large glans came toward her face, Celian’s back tensed up accordingly. Her tension was not based on fear of when that flesh would pierce her throat, but stemmed from imagining it moving violently inside her.

Izer whispered nonchalantly while quickening his back-and-forth movement.

“There will be strong handprints. Is that okay?”

“Uh, yes.”

She barely managed to answer. It was absurd even to herself to give consent when her breathing was constricted, but if she said no at that point, Izer’s eyes would completely lose it.

Today Izer acted as if he was using Celian for entertainment rather than for her sake. In other words, his caresses were being used as a means to maximize his own pleasure instead of for the purpose of exciting Celian. Even knowing this obvious fact, her vaginal walls began moving on their own, waiting only to accept their partner.

Izer read her flustered expression accurately.

“You’re making a face that’s properly feeling it, Lian.”

“……”

Without time to stop him, the tip that had been tormenting her chest moved downward. His hand also moved to her genitals. Her legs reflexively drew together at the touch that tickled the tender flesh inside her thighs, which were damp with moisture.

“It tickles.”

“Spread them.”

The thigh that squeezed between her legs somewhat roughly spread her two legs apart. The man’s stiff pubic hair stabbed at the small protrusion where the skin had peeled. Her pelvis twisted at that sensation, and her clitoris, responding to the friction, cheered and increased in size.

It was a good situation to be caught in. Two fingers pinched precisely, and a moan burst out involuntarily.

“Haah.”

“How is it, do you still not want to do it?”

The voice that whispered while twisting and stimulating the protrusion was lascivious. What use was it to curve his eyes like a crescent moon when his gaze was already that of a beast? What use was it to ask as if being generous when he was already tracing his fingers at the entrance of her gap, showing he wouldn’t allow refusal?

And Celian wanted him like that. Her rapid breathing urged Izer on.

“Do it, do it for me. Ugh!”

Their positions instantly reversed. Izer, lying on his back on the bed, looked up at her sitting on his chest.

“You…… do it.”

The handprints he had left on her breasts were vivid. He could anticipate the spectacular sight of those marks shaking along when she moved her body, and saliva gathered in his mouth.

Celian followed his words. She wriggled and lifted her pelvis upward, trying to fit herself below. Her erected thighs were so lewd that he was about to thrust his hips up immediately, but decided to endure so that giving her the initiative would be worthwhile. However, when he felt the entrance rubbing against her vaginal opening, he could no longer endure.

“Ah!”

A scream burst from the woman’s mouth as she was instantly penetrated by him. There would be some shock since he had penetrated all at once.

The woman looking up from below was ecstatic. He swallowed his breath while staring intently at Celian’s face and thrusting his hips upward. Celian’s interior, which had been trembling violently, suddenly tightened.

“What’s wrong, Lian…… If you do this, I won’t be able to let you go quickly.”

“Hah, uh……”

“Damn……”

She wasn’t used to being on top. That clumsiness was sweet to Izer. During the day, he was helplessly dragged along by Celian and elated with joy, and at night, he held her leash and shook her as he wanted. What a perfect relationship. Especially if the woman who had been following his lead began voluntarily swaying her hips, intoxicated by her own sensations.

Once he brought her to a certain level of excitement, Celian would voluntarily swallow Izer. Even now, the red inner walls that were greedily swallowing his tip would probably be reluctantly following along even when he withdrew. It was his joy to serve passionately in tune with her moans that pressured his excessively swollen member as if to squeeze it while urging him to go deeper.

The female body that had been shaking her hips with her hands braced behind her back collapsed onto him with a thud. Her entire body was drenched in sweat and slippery.

Izer asked while sensuously stroking her thighs that were trembling with exhaustion. He could hear panting breaths by his ear.

“Done? Can you sleep now?”

“Uh, yes……”

“I’m not.”

He was still inside her. Izer gripped her struggling shoulder blades and thrust his hips upward. Her limp body moaned and shook.

“Just bear with it a little, Lian.”

“Hah, haah……”

“I’ll make you come once more……”

Drawing out consecutive climaxes was simple. Deeper than the first time, stronger, faster. It was even more effective if he chose the parts where she felt it well and stabbed them. As much as he wanted to torment her more, he reminded himself repeatedly that he must not forget his original purpose by being dominated by lust, and he focused on draining his wife’s strength.

The female body that had been sobbing like a wrongfully dead ghost with her head drooped on Izer’s shoulder convulsed once more. Izer pretended to be benevolent as he stroked Celian’s cheek.

“I’d like you to moan a little louder today, my queen.”

So that the damn storm cannot harm your night. Izer swallowed his unspoken words and gripped Celian’s pelvis.

***

At least one of Celian’s claims was certain. She fell asleep so exhausted that she couldn’t even lift her body, let alone get out of bed.

Izer gave her his arm as a pillow and held her close. As soon as her thighs, which had become fluffy after being carefully wiped clean, brushed against his center, his lower body heated up hotly again.

Fortunately, he had enough sense not to succumb to that level of desire. Izer slightly pulled his buttocks back, hoping he wouldn’t wake Celian. His deeply sleeping wife didn’t move at all. A quiet sigh flowed through the teeth of the man lying straight so his breath wouldn’t reach his wife.

‘She needs to sleep soundly until morning.’

For two consecutive days, fierce storms had blown. Just as he had expected when he lay in bed warily watching the thickening raindrops, Celian got up around midnight and headed for the window. Following Owen’s advice that it would be dangerous to forcibly drag her from unconsciousness and mix it with consciousness, Izer waited one step behind for Celian to come to her senses.

Still, today she woke up from sleep faster than last night. Thanks to regaining her senses inside the room, Izer didn’t have to worry about her tumbling down the stairs.

‘Can she really get completely better……’

Celian seemed unaware that her sleepwalking symptoms only appeared on rainy days. While it was fortunate that she was fine on clear days, knowing the reason why she specifically broke down on rainy days made him furious.

‘That bastard.’

Celian had nightmares whenever it rained. One day, had it been thirty minutes since he barely managed to bring her, who had been wandering around the house, back to bed? Izer’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Celian sobbing.

Tears flowed ceaselessly beside her twitching eyelids. While concentrating on her incomprehensible mumbling and wondering whether he should wake her, one sentence flew clearly into his ear and stuck.

‘Izer, don’t die……’

The moment he heard those words, Izer lost his reason and woke Celian. He kissed her face full of despair and diligently rubbed his groin to make his presence known. I’m here, I’m alive and well by your side, no one can harm us — only after whispering endlessly did Celian fall back asleep with him inside her.

That day, Izer got drunk for the first time since her return. Sitting beside the sleeping Celian, ready to respond the moment she called, he finished off half a bottle of whiskey.

Just as Celian had died countless times in his dreams, he was dying in her dreams. Since the years Celian had been separated from Izer were much longer than the few months he had lost Celian, it meant she had been bound to the specter of that barn for all that long time. Carrying unspeakable anguish, crying convulsively every rainy night.

The sinner was dead, but the scars remained.

It was lamentable that the victim happened to be his beloved wife.

***

Izer, who had been walking perfectly equipped with hat and cane, stopped in place. A clear voice came from behind him as he was wondering whether to go buy the jewelry he couldn’t get yesterday.

“Your Grace?”

“Wendy, you came out for a walk. Where’s Jade?”

“He left early in the morning saying he was going to look around the training ground. He seems worried that the storm might have broken the targets. Well, targets are much more fragile than wives.”

The sharp words mocking her husband who made all sorts of excuses to extend his training time even a little were cutting. The minor nerve war between his friend who tried to be faithful to both home and profession, and his friend’s wife who didn’t care about work but wanted him to focus on home, was one of Izer’s sources of entertainment.

Wendy made a face that said ‘then why are you here alone?’

“Why did Your Grace come out alone?”

“I told my wife to rest a bit.”

Wendy showed an understanding expression.

“It has been raining continuously lately. Is it still the same?”

“……”

“Never mind, you don’t have to answer. Anyone can see there’s trouble in Your Grace’s household. I also understand very well that you came out at dawn because you couldn’t show that face to Celian.”

Izer playfully raised both hands in surrender. His cane dangled from his hand.

“I had no intention of hiding it, but now that I’m caught, it’s embarrassing.”

“If Your Grace has nowhere urgent to go anyway, would you like to have some tea? Let’s talk as people who can’t be with their spouses for various reasons.”

“I have to see His Highness the Prince in two hours. It’s difficult……”

“The royal palace is thirty minutes from here. I hope Your Grace isn’t being mindful of Lian just for having coffee with me. How many times have I said Your Grace’s face isn’t my type?”

It seemed Mrs. Schwenn’s nerves were on edge from her husband leaving her behind this morning. Izer didn’t refuse further and accepted.

Wendy walked in step with him while pouring out her anger about Jade.

“Do you know what that person’s goal is? To get promoted to major within two years. Does a major just sit still? He has to fight operations and battles to achieve merit.”

“……”

“If he hadn’t married, he could have dreamed such dreams. But now he’s married and business is going well too. There would be no problem with our livelihood even if Jade quit being a soldier. Rather, it might be better if he quit being a soldier and was faithful to his family!”

Seating the excited Wendy in a chair, Izer calmly called the waiter.

“Please put plenty of milk in the tea. What about Wendy?”

“I’ll have coffee. No sugar. Just seeing sugar makes me angry thinking of my husband. He thinks he’ll be young forever……!”

“In that sense, training is good exercise. It’s also Jade’s secret to maintaining his health……”

“Your Grace.”

“I’m sorry.”

Izer, who had tried to subtly take his friend’s side, immediately backed down. Actually, even he thought Jade wasn’t behaving very admirably as a husband.

The moment a man married, all his decision-making rights were granted to his wife. That was the first rule and unwritten law for a peaceful home.

‘……I wasn’t though.’

Thus his home was not peaceful. Izer sipped his tea. It was exactly the style Celian would like — appropriately bitter and smooth with milk. He was thinking he should bring her sometime when he put down his cup, and Wendy sighed loudly and scooped a large spoonful of sugar into her coffee.

“I envy Your Grace. You don’t fight with Lian, do you?”

“Hmm, we have our battles over other things.”

“For example?”

“We go to the department store but Lian insists she doesn’t want anything so I get upset, or she has tea time alone with her sister without me and I get upset when I find out, or she goes to the villa without telling me and I get upset again……”

Wendy covered her ears.

“I’ll only listen up to there. I don’t want to hear more newlywed stories from you two sugar bowls.”

“There’s more.”

“I’m not curious. But what are you doing out here alone this morning when you’re so devoted to your wife?”

“That’s a different kind of worry.”

Darkness instantly covered the pale face that had worn a boyish smile when talking about Celian. Wendy, who had been quietly watching that expression change, moistened her lips with her sugared coffee.

“What did Doctor Owen say?”

“Only that time is needed. I understand with my head too. I understand, but…… watching it from the side is another matter.”

His eyes looking only down at his teacup were gloomy. Wendy knew everything anyway. Izer expressed his frustrated feelings.

“I don’t know what more I should do. She hates moving, says sleeping pills are useless, and I’m not God so I can’t control the weather.”

All traces that might remind her of that rainy day had disappeared. He threw out all the chains, shackles, and objects that might remind one of confinement, and even replaced all the iron decorations that caught the eye with wood or cloth materials.

A royal orphanage was built on the site of Winston’s house that Prince Edmond had torn down. Finally, Izer burned down the old barn where their nightmare began and planted a large tree.

Despite all those efforts, the demon still dominated Celian. Wendy carefully suggested.

“What do you think about having another baby?”

“I hate it.”

Izer refused flatly.

He acknowledged that miscarriage played a large part in her sleepwalking. If a new baby comforted her heart, Celian’s wandering at night might also disappear.

Perhaps Celian had similar thoughts, as she subtly refused contraception. Just a few days ago, she had sat on top of him and tried to endure until the end. If Izer hadn’t forcibly pulled her down, his seed might have taken root in her womb.

Absolutely unacceptable. Izer shook his head.

“Pregnancy is too dangerous for her body. Of course it would be good if the baby was born safely, but we can’t ignore the possibility of something similar happening again. Then again……”

He didn’t even want to think about it. To repeat once more that day when the woman he had barely regained had hovered at death’s door — absolutely not.

“If Your Grace thinks that way, there’s nothing to be done. I understand.”

“If my wife really wants to have a baby, I’m also considering adoption. It happens sometimes in this society.”

“Either way, it’s not something that can be decided right away.”

Wendy only said that much. Even knowing the whispers that adoption or formal adoption would bring, the determination to endure it was beyond the scope of understanding.

Izer also answered in a subdued tone.

“Right now there’s nothing I can do. I’m just powerless.”

“You can’t force time to pass. Even God doesn’t meddle with time.”

The pain repeated in Celian’s unconscious during the long time she had lived through couldn’t be covered by Izer’s efforts. Wendy, who had been quietly staring at him, got up from her seat.

“Celian will get better soon. She’s just too happy now to be buried in bad memories.”

***

After finishing dinner at the royal palace, people passed by the man returning home. Izer pushed through the crowd clamoring to get home and got into his carriage.

Due to the aftermath of the storm, the carriage moved slower than usual. Through the window, he could see strong men carrying broken trees on their shoulders and walking vigorously. Despite it being quite hard work, their faces were bright.

‘They must have agreed to receive good wages in exchange for clearing the roads.’

He doubted it would even be 10 pence per day, but for them it would be an amount that meant not having to work for a week. He envied those who could smile so brightly over just a few silver coins.

Izer was in the process of regaining lost things one by one. He thought he had obtained everything he wanted by keeping Celian by his side. She had voluntarily chosen to remain by Izer’s side, and Izer trembled with emotion every time Celian came into his arms. Her existence was Izer’s only pleasure and happiness.

However, when he looked at her sleeping face, his expression sank again, making the smile he showed in front of Celian meaningless.

It wasn’t because his feelings for her were small. It was just a sense of debt stemming from the thought that the joy Celian enjoyed was too insufficient compared to his happiness. I’m this happy thanks to you, but are you really the same? — something like that.

His anxiety manifested as material devotion. With the momentum of offering all the jewels and dresses that existed in the world, he swept through jewelry stores and called in tailors.

For his wife who was troubled about having no place to put things, he ordered unused rooms to be organized and decorated as dressing rooms — the ducal residence had very many rooms anyway — and in half a year, three rooms had found their purpose this way.

Every time he realized that his wife’s increasingly frequent outings, her necklaces and dresses were all things he had bought for her, he trembled with ecstasy again.

Sometimes his wife would deliberately appear before him wearing nothing but jewelry on her naked body. Making his efforts to restrain himself worthless, every time that happened, his reason that had flown away was soon gripping her buttocks and breathing heavily.

All such things were happiness.

Izer Chesterfield’s happiness.

‘Why is Celian still……’

The carriage slowed down. As he opened the door and got out, his eyes caught the huge tree located in one corner of the ducal residence garden. The position of the ladder leaning against it was subtly different from this morning.

He thought of her favorite activities one by one. Tree climbing, listening to bird songs, embroidering. Moving to the realm of objects, there were Percy’s poorly drawn pictures, Bess’s increasingly improving handwriting, and the cross necklace that appeared once in a while when he was about to forget it.

She could do her favorite activities anytime and had all her favorite things. He was angry at himself for having nothing more he could do for her.

Even the air drifting over the grass was humid. It seemed it would rain tonight too. It was when Izer had crossed the garden with somewhat sensitive steps and arrived at the front door.

The door burst open.

“Izer!”

His wife, backlit by bright light, ran over in one breath and threw herself into his arms. He hurriedly put down his cane and his freed hand embraced his wife.

Celian, who had buried her head deeply in his jacket, chattered happily.

“I forgot you were going to the royal palace. I was wondering why you weren’t coming all afternoon. Did your talk with His Highness the Prince end well? It’s late, did you eat? I hope the next ruler isn’t evil enough to not even feed a meal to someone who isn’t even a formal official before grinding them down.”

It wasn’t common for him to be away from home all day. Izer, wearing a comfortable smile, stroked the hair of his wife who was tightly embracing his waist.

“I was going to tell you once more in the morning but you were sleeping so soundly I just left. I had dinner with His Highness too. The royal palace is in complete chaos because the Fairville delegation is scheduled to come in two weeks.”

“The city is the same. I went out with Percy for lunch.”

A unique subtle fragrance came from her hair. Celian firmly grabbed his hand and led him to the second floor, to Izer’s dressing room. Izer’s dressing room, which had originally been in their bedroom, was pushed to the next room when Izer bought loads of clothes for Celian.

“Izer, when the delegation comes, you’ll have to show your face too, right?”

“I’ll have to. His Majesty hoped you would also come and raise Treven’s spirit, what do you think?”

“Tell him I absolutely hate it. I’m sick of Fairville.”

“I thought so. I’ll say you refused.”

The two countries, Treven and Fairville, found an appropriate balance point with Fairville returning all the legitimate rights they had taken.

However, the old grudges left by the long war weren’t simply resolved, so there were subtle nerve wars between the delegation and the dignitaries of the host country.

The best people to suppress the Fairville delegation’s spirit were the meritorious subjects who had contributed to suppressing Ferbien Letters’ rebellion.

Even James III had hinted that he wanted to invite Celian to the banquet more than Izer. But since Celian absolutely hated it, the king’s wish would not be realized.

Celian began unbuttoning his vest. What was merely time for her to help her husband change clothes was torture for Izer. Not that he had any intention of refusing her touch, so he tried to turn his attention elsewhere, but Celian chattered in an utterly lovely voice.

“I took a nap today. The new tea leaves, you bought them, right? They smelled good.”

“Who said I bought them?”

“All the maids knew.”

“They said unnecessary things.”

“You like it but pretend you don’t. I really mean the tea is good. I slept for two straight hours without even dreaming. What that means is, I’m very energetic right now.”

The hand that had been undoing his vest slyly grabbed his shirt collar. Izer, who had been only looking at the closed wardrobe door, gave a hollow laugh and kissed his wife. As if she had been waiting, the woman pressed her body close while caressing his firm chest.

Izer reached out and closed the dressing room door. As long as she could be happy, he could willingly offer himself.

***

Two weeks later.

Carriages painted in red and gold stopped in a line right in front of Treven’s royal castle. Around the royal carriages that had gone to the train station to personally bring the delegation, guards in red clothes also stood watch. Armed with formal musket guns and wearing black hats that had absolutely no practical use, they were on high alert for the one-in-ten-thousand chance that citizens might try to assassinate the Fairville delegation.

Citizens who didn’t want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings watched the long procession from a certain distance. If they were lucky, they might be able to see the famous garden from afar when the palace gates opened.

According to the eighth cousin of someone who worked at the royal palace, the garden stretching from the main gate to the building where His Majesty the King resided was said to be 1,000 yards long. That long garden formed perfect left-right symmetry, and the grass was cut more neatly than the stepping stones where the carriages had stopped.

Not only that, any impudent grass that dared to obstruct the path where His Majesty the King’s guests walked was plucked by the hands of palace servants as soon as it was seen, and whether it was tough leaves, new leaves, flowers, or fruit, they showed no mercy.

After being intimidated once by His Majesty the King’s greatness in perfectly suppressing nature, the interior that was said to appear and make one want to kneel before God was also a subject of citizens’ interest.

Rumors about the interior were a bit more realistic than those about the garden. The front building had full glass windows facing south. The time to marvel at the glass windows, 3 yards wide and 8 yards high, fitted between the minimal marble columns was very short.

Guests who set foot inside the palace soon opened their mouths before the religious paintings filling the ceiling and walls. After guests who were speechless before the long religious paintings depicting the process of God bestowing a crown upon Treven’s monarch who defeated demons quietly passed through the corridor, only then did they earn the qualification to be guided to meeting rooms, lodgings, dining halls, or other places where they could breathe.

This initiation that would excessively intimidate strangers failed to evoke any emotion in those who frequented the place. Izer walked looking ahead without even glancing at the religious paintings. The attendant guiding him spoke in an excited tone.

“Your Grace, this banquet has been filled with precious foods that only come from Treven. It will completely crush the spirits of those Fairville bastards.”

“His Majesty makes harsh decisions in times of peace.”

“Competition is competition, isn’t it.”

The attendant, three or four years older than Izer, answered and announced his visit inside. Soon Izer entered. Edmond, who had been fastening a heavy belt around his waist with the attendant’s help, met his eyes through the mirror.

“Sorry to meet you looking like this. I haven’t finished getting dressed yet.”

“Did you hear that the delegation has arrived? When I came, it seemed they had all already been guided into the palace.”

“I heard. I told them to rest from their journey until the banquet. The days have gotten much longer…… now I can finally say it’s getting dark.”

Blue-black darkness had settled over the sky that had been red when he arrived outside the royal palace. Izer stood motionless and stared at the process of red and blue meeting to become tinged with purple.

He was dressed in a black tailcoat today. Medals from his officer days hung on his neatly buttoned jacket.

Edmond, who glanced at him, showed a regretful expression. The bright red uniform suited his blond hair quite well.

“Your wife really isn’t planning to come.”

“My wife doesn’t like noisy places. If she comes to the banquet hall, she’d have to dance too.”

The moment he spoke, Izer realized he had said something very wrong. The lie that Celian hated noisy places wouldn’t be believable at all. Izer corrected himself before Edmond could object.

“More precisely, she hates noisy places where Fairville people are present.”

“I understand. I don’t blame her.”

Izer had asked Celian only once whether she would attend the banquet. For Celian, ‘Fairville’ was a medium that made her recall her father’s death, Winston’s atrocities, and her miscarriage all at once just from that word alone. Even if she showed the slightest positive sign, Izer would have seriously dissuaded her, so he had no intention whatsoever of bringing up the topic again with a woman who absolutely hated it.

“Are you okay with it though?”

“With what?”

“It seems like Fairville isn’t a very good memory for either your wife or you. Sorry if my guess was excessive.”

“……”

In Fairville, he had heard the story that his wife had been kidnapped. It was also in Fairville that he had mistakenly thought she had died miserably without even being able to find her body.

However, Izer replied calmly.

“Not as much as my wife.”

At least he no longer had dreams of Celian dying. When he barely had enough time to care for and love the real Celian by his side, having the luxury to ruminate on past pain was wasteful.

But Celian was still trapped in that day. Suddenly his chest felt stuffy as if a stone had been placed in one corner of his heart.

Edmond gestured for him to sit.

“There’s still some time before the banquet starts. Sit and have some refreshments.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Izer silently only put cookies in his mouth. The coin-sized cookies were convenient because there was no need to bite them and drop crumbs.

An attendant poured tea into his cup. A familiar color and scent — valerian.

Everything surrounding him reminded him of his wife. Izer, who had been staring down at his teacup, asked.

“When do you feel happy, Your Highness?”

Edmond’s eyes sparkled as he leaned forward.

“When the Duke generously invests his family’s wealth for me?”

“I’ll speak frankly. You should stop associating with Captain Schwenn. Your sense of humor has become similar.”

At his utterly stiff words, the corners of Edmond’s eyes drooped. He was about to curse with his eyes that he was indeed a boring man, but seeing Izer’s expression, he made a serious face.

“If you don’t regret the past, it’s easy to be happy. What matters most is not holding on to the choices I didn’t make.”

“……”

“What if I had done this, what if I had done that, what would we look like now if I had made this choice. We could have been happier. We wouldn’t have had to experience things we didn’t need to experience—.”

“……”

“They’re all pointless thoughts. What changes by thinking about it? And really, if I had made that choice, could a better situation than now have arisen?”

Slurp, the sound of Edmond drinking his tea broke the silence. Izer sat unable to move and pondered his words.

‘Regret, lingering attachment, possibility.’

Seeing Izer lost in thought, Edmond waved his hand. If he looked at the Fairville delegation with that face, the friendship they had barely formed might erupt into war again.

“If you’re going to make that face, go. The reason I asked you to come was hoping you might bring Marquis Berienne along. You without your wife is just a supporting role. If you want to stay, fix your expression……”

“Thank you.”

“Izer?”

In the blink of an eye, Duke Chesterfield had turned his back. Watching his retreating figure disappear through the door without a chance to stop him, Edmond let out a hollow laugh.

“I’m going to get scolded by His Majesty……”

Well, what can I do about what’s already happened.

***

Celian picked up a pair of small scissors with a proud face. The colored thread dangling on the fabric was cut cleanly with a snip. Soon the fabric also found freedom from the embroidery hoop.

“Done.”

She had finally completed a new handkerchief for Izer. For Izer who liked neat things, yellow wildflowers were fully contained on white silk fabric with lace minimized. It took a bit more time than expected to delicately express the small petals.

She had embroidered Izer’s initials in the lower right corner of the handkerchief. While she had embroidered her name for him in her girlhood, now they were both proper adults, and a gentleman carrying around a handkerchief with his wife’s name on it seemed utterly lacking in style.

Celian, who had neatly folded the fluttering fabric and placed it on the table, rose from her rocking chair. Bess, with a cloak over her shoulders, greeted her through the door crack.

“I’ll be back, sister.”

“Be careful and don’t be late.”

To commemorate the delegation’s visit, James III had opened the national treasury wide. From Humingham to the provinces, today was a festival day for all of Treven.

However, Celian said she wouldn’t go out. She had no interest in festivals without Izer, and she refused to go out and risk being recognized by someone.

Moreover, the weather wasn’t good either. Celian reached out and closed the window.

After several clear days, clouds had been gathering since morning. Dark storm clouds were unwelcome guests at a time when festivals were being held throughout the country to commemorate the delegation’s arrival.

The ominous weather was also the reason she had decided to spend the night at the villa. It was too dangerous to fall asleep at the ducal residence when she didn’t know when Izer would return.

At the villa, she slept deeply without wandering around at night. Still, since the weather was gloomy, it seemed she should check the windows once more.

Only after going around this entire floor did Celian head downstairs.

As soon as she opened the front door, the fishy smell of grass under moonlight enveloped her. She worried about how ruined the lawn, which the gardener had cut to uniform height, would be in a few days. The hydrangea seedlings that the gardener, anticipating the storm, said he would care for in the small greenhouse until the weather improved would at least comfort both her and the gardener’s heart.

The walk that started in the garden continued to the shadowy backyard. She was walking toward the back door after finally checking the kitchen shutters.

“……”

Celian’s eyes sank coldly.

Someone was behind her.

She calmly reached for the back door while scanning the surroundings. She saw a rake leaning against the left wall. It was a bit big for her to handle, but it would serve as a decent weapon.

However, the intruder was faster than her. Before Celian could grab the rake, thick arms snatched her waist.

“Kyaa!”

“Shh, it’s me.”

“Izer?”

Celian, held in the man’s arms, turned her head to look up at the intruder and asked.

“Why are you back already? You came in sneaking around like a thief, I almost hit you with the rake.”

He was still in his tailcoat. A warm cloak settled on Celian’s shoulders as she looked puzzled. After tying the cloak ends in front of her neck, he took Celian’s hand and pulled her along.

“Izer, what are you doing? Where are we going?”

The direction he was heading was definitely the back gate. In the darkness, something that looked vaguely like a horse seemed visible. Izer walked one step ahead of Celian and answered calmly.

“Kidnapping.”

“Huh?”

“In the East, they also call it ‘bo-ssam.'”¹Historically. In the Joseon Dynasty, 보쌈 referred to a custom where a widow was kidnapped (often consensually) to be married again, since widows were legally restricted from remarrying. The man would “wrap up” the widow in a blanket and take her away — hence the term 보쌈, which literally means “wrapping.”

She had heard about it while teaching Bess. It was said to occasionally happen between men and women who had feelings for each other but whose adults’ interests didn’t align, causing them to pine. She didn’t know why this impure Eastern custom had come from his mouth now, a year and a half after their marriage, but Celian focused on more practical aspects.

“You should give me time to pack.”

“Don’t worry. Everything’s ready.”

The man who had been holding the horse bowed his head upon seeing the duchess. A sack presumed to be luggage dangled from the horse’s flank.

Celian told the secretary who offered to help that it was fine and leaped onto the horse’s back. The horse, which had been unpleasant about having to run through the humid air, became docile after a few touches from her.

Izer soon climbed up behind her. Celian moved her pelvis toward the horse’s neck so he could sit comfortably.

“It’s not good weather for escaping on horseback. It looks like a storm will hit.”

“Not right now. It seems like it’ll come from dawn.”

“How do you know?”

“There are things you learn when you live as a gardener’s son.”

Giddy-up, before she could stop him, the horse began to gallop. Now she didn’t know. Celian comfortably leaned her back against her husband. The scent of sweat proving he had come in a hurry mixed with his body odor from his firm chest.

***

The horse left the center of Humingham.

Izer’s words that it wouldn’t pour rain immediately were true. Izer deliberately drove the horse to a quiet riverside, avoiding the bustling downtown where people crowded. It was the first time for both of them to ride the course they sometimes used for recreational horseback riding at night.

Had they been riding for about two hours? Izer, who had been following the river, turned toward a mountain path.

“It’s a road with many trees. It would be good to duck your head.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’re almost there.”

Below a low hill, people moved among sporadically lit lights. Most of the land in this rural village, where even the tallest building was at most two stories, consisted of small fields.

Sky lanterns floated in the sky. However they had adjusted the weight, they didn’t disappear into the sky but floated for quite a long time at an appropriate height. Though there weren’t many, there were also sky lanterns that had gently settled on the stream.

A simple but charming sight. Izer stopped the horse and explained.

“This is the closest place to Humingham among my private lands. I lent the land to farmers and had them farm it.”

He wanted to tell Celian that she no longer needed to regret the past. It would have been impossible for them not to love each other. He wanted to let her know the fantastic fact that whether they had eloped together or stayed in place, the two of them would have found happiness in the end.

That’s why he chose this place. In this simple village that might have become their destiny, with the heart of experiencing for just one day another life they might have lived.

“It’s not as splendid as downtown Humingham, but since it’s supposedly a festival, they light up here too. I thought you might like it if I showed you……”

Izer’s voice grew smaller and smaller. It was a half-impulsive decision. Because of that, his secretary became twice as busy hastily preparing clothes and a horse. Izer, who had spent his childhood in the countryside, liked simple scenery, but the thought belatedly occurred to him that Celian, who had wandered the countryside after her downfall, might hate it.

‘I should have asked.’

Celian was silent. He regretted whether he had done something unnecessary after all.

“……tty.”

“Huh?”

There was no need to ask again. Celian’s voice grew louder.

“Pretty, Izer. I love it so much!”

“Lian, wait!”

The woman who had tumbled off the horse ran down the hill. Izer chased after her in panic. His wife’s face, caught while hopping around in a dress that stuck to her from sweat and humid air, was flushed red. Celian cheered and threw her arms around his neck.

“How did you think to bring me to a place like this? There are no people, so there’s no need to be prim and proper! Even if I lay down on the grass, no one would nag me!”

“That won’t do. What if you get bitten by bugs?”

Izer smiled and took down the luggage bundle from the horse’s back. It seemed he needed to change his wife’s clothes before she died crushed by her dress.

***

The farmers, whose hearts were abundant thanks to their generous landlord, were frantically focused on decorating their village prettily to match the nation’s celebration. Among them, the colored lanterns hanging full on strings connecting tree to tree caught the two people’s attention.

Celian looked up and asked. She wore the shabby dress Izer had brought and even had a kerchief firmly tied on her head.

“It looks like it’ll rain soon, what will happen to all those candles?”

Izer had his arm around Celian’s shoulder. He too was dressed in a wrinkled shirt and dirt-stained vest instead of his fancy dress uniform. A soft voice flowed from under his face hidden by a bowler hat that someone of Dr. Caleb’s age might wear.

“Farmers are sensitive to weather. They probably made them knowing they wouldn’t last many days…… why are you laughing?”

“It’s fascinating. Izer, being here really feels like we’ve run away.”

“As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Fortunately, she seemed comfortable. Celian, who had been walking while smiling, wrinkled her nose slightly.

“It smells like chicken droppings.”

“It’s the countryside. How was the place you lived before?”

“It was a slightly bigger village than this place. There were tons of orchards. I wonder if the lady there is doing well, she helped me a lot.”

Now they could exchange the times of their past without each other in comfortable tones. It was thanks to Izer’s fanatical obsession with conversation, sometimes the only means to understand even a little more of a partner who was difficult to comprehend.

“How many years did you live in that village?”

“Three years.”

“Weren’t there any bastards who asked you out?”

“It was a bit dirtier than that. There were many guys who wanted to sleep with me.”

“Lian, where is that village.”

“It’s a secret. Give up the idea of harming innocent people.”

“How are those bastards innocent? Fine, you don’t have to tell me, I’ll ask Owen and he’ll spill everything.”

Celian made an incredulous face.

“I should cut off contact between you two……”

A musty smell vibrated throughout the ground. Discovering Celian’s expression crumpling, Izer hastily pushed her into the restaurant. The restaurant that stayed open late into the night befitting the festival period turned out to be a tavern.

It was just when they had settled into their seats. Suddenly, the sound of a flute intruded into the interior that had been noisy with people’s voices. Izer and Celian’s heads simultaneously turned toward where the sound came from.

In one corner of the tavern, a flute that a drunk farmer had grabbed and started playing stirred people’s excitement. Soon, cheerful percussion sounds were added to the flute. Whether this was a common occurrence, all the people except Celian and Izer ate and chattered pleasantly without any bewilderment.

Celian watched the growing number of performers with curiosity filling her eyes. The music, which couldn’t be called good even as empty flattery, was truly a mess. The percussion was at least keeping its wits about it and leading the beat. A regular triple time. Celian smiled and whispered in Izer’s ear.

“It seems to be a waltz.”

Izer also agreed that it was a waltz. A violin with one broken string, appearing from who knows where, joined the flute that carried the melody. Watching these people play purely by feeling without sheet music or conducting, Celian’s shoulders began to sway along.

She wasn’t the only one. A young lady from a few tables away took the hand of the young man she came with and walked out to the center. This couple, famous in the village, danced an awkward but joyful waltz to the messy tune.

Two more couples joined the stage. One of them was a fat man presumed to be the tavern owner and his wife, who was similar in build. The slender couples yielded space to the bulky couple’s entrance. Even while bumping into each other and stepping on their partners’ feet, no one frowned.

It was then that the eyes of the panting, large couple dancing met Celian’s. The bearded man cheerfully shouted.

“Hey there, you young lady who came to have fun. You should come out with your boyfriend too!”

Celian whispered.

“Izer, how do they know we came to have fun?”

“In this small place, all unfamiliar faces must be people who came to have fun. Get up, Lian.”

“Huh?”

When she came to her senses, she was standing on the wooden floor. The steps she had learned as a child naturally flowed from her body.

“……”

She had only danced with her father at home. The family had fallen before she could have a proper debutante ball. There were balls in the countryside where she wandered with Bess, but Celian had made various excuses not to attend those places where the goal was to grope young ladies under the pretense of dancing.

She had no occasion to dance even after her restoration. The revived Marquis Berienne didn’t want to manage her expressions at balls where social skills were needed. She attended a few times for Izer’s sake, but her goal was to return home before dancing.

So her first dance with Izer took place in a smelly countryside tavern. Celian found it amusing and looked up at her husband.

He danced quite well. It was the result of Jade’s special training, saying that he needed to do at least this much to avoid being ignored by nobles. Though she had never spoken with him directly, being close to the prince, he must have danced with numerous ladies at various balls. As if reading her thoughts, Izer moved his lips.

“I never danced with Ophelia.”

At his wife’s face brightening instantly, a smile bloomed on Izer’s face as well.

Then they heard the man who had been glancing at them since they entered whispering to his companions.

“Isn’t that His Grace the Duke? I wasn’t sure because of the clothes, but it seems right?”

“Shh. Let’s pretend we don’t know.”

Izer pretended not to hear the farmers’ conversation and spun his wife around. People watching whistled at the graceful wing-like movement. Pure joy bloomed on Celian’s clear face, showing she was thrilled to death.

Izer’s lips moved slightly. He wondered if his heart had reached Celian. That our love has only the present, and the painful past has disappeared. That we only need to look at each other and smile, and you don’t need to struggle with the past you went through alone.

And the moment their eyes met, Izer knew his heart had gotten through.

Izer pulled Celian’s arm with force.

If we had held hands and run away at some moment in the past, by now we would be wearing shabby clothes like this and dancing in the middle of strangers.

While receiving people’s applause, spinning around in aprons splattered with food, sparks might have flown and burned holes in our clothes.

Still, we would have been happy. Because I would hold your hand, and you would be in my arms.

So we are happy now. Because you look into my eyes, and I kiss you like this.

People all cheered in unison at the passionate couple’s display of affection. It seemed like someone’s shout of “Your Grace, the best!” was mixed in, but the protagonists on stage didn’t care and kissed passionately.

That night, it rained in Humingham.

And the ducal residence was quiet until morning.