TMET 44

Chapter 44

Sobelvio

 Damion believed this was the best course of action.

Ansi de Orphez was not the kind of woman who would refrain from doing what she wanted just because someone told her not to. The fact that she went to see the Duchess without informing him proved that well enough.

If he couldn’t stop her from meeting the people of Orphez anyway, then it was only right that he accompanied her.

The only exception was Cardian. He didn’t want Ansi to come face-to-face with him under any circumstances.

With that thought, Damion left the Orphez mansion with a much lighter heart.

It would be a long farce, but for Ansi, he could manage that much.

“Please, build a better world.”

The message was simple. There was no need to write a long-winded explanation or reveal the sender’s identity. What mattered was the seal.

Ansi pulled out the simplified Orphez seal and stamped it at the bottom of the paper. The red crest of Orphez appeared vividly.

After making sure the ink had dried, Ansi folded the paper.

The neatly folded paper was placed into a brown envelope.

Inside the already-thick envelope was a bundle of cash.

Ansi sealed the envelope tightly and double-checked the address where the parcel would be sent.

She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.

Then, holding the heavy envelope, she quietly looked around her room.

It was a cozy space—but it wasn’t her home.

Letting go of her hesitation, Ansi stood up.

There was nothing wrong with the package. That meant there was nothing wrong with what she was about to do for revenge either.

The package would now be delivered to the revolutionaries via the postal service. Then, the revolutionaries would begin paying attention to Orphez.

The sword was already drawn.

There was no turning back.

Reaching Chelsha, a northern region where Sobelvio was located, took less time than expected.

After taking an early morning train to a town near Chelsha, they traveled the rest of the way by carriage. By evening, they arrived at Sobelvio.

A beautiful garden stretched out before the fast-moving carriage. At the end of the well-maintained green landscape stood a grand stone building, glowing red under the orange sunset.

“We’ve arrived.”

Damion and Ansi got out of the carriage together. Ansi pulled her cloak tighter around her. Though it was June, the evening here was as chilly as a spring night due to the lower temperatures compared to the capital.

The large door bore the crest of Orphez. Ansi thought of the same crest she had stamped on the letter to the revolutionaries. To hide her thoughts, she forced a smile.

“It’s a lovely mansion.”

“Let’s go inside.”

The two entered the mansion. As they stepped into the large lobby, someone cheerfully called out from the second floor.

“Ansi, Damion! Welcome.”

It was Marianne. Wearing a light silk robe over her indoor dress, she descended the stairs with elegant steps.

She smiled brightly and took both of Ansi’s hands. The unexpectedly warm welcome made Ansi a little stiff as she greeted her.

“Thank… you for inviting me, Mother.”

“Oh, think of it as your home now, Ansi. You must be tired from the journey. Why don’t you and Damion have dinner alone tonight? We can dine together tomorrow.”

Though it seemed she was being considerate of Ansi, Marianne’s eyes briefly flicked toward Damion. She was clearly saying that the charade would begin tomorrow.

“We’ll do that, Mother.”

Damion smiled gently.

“Then rest well.”

Without any lingering hesitation, Marianne returned upstairs. Soon, a butler led the two to their room.

“Ah…”

There was only one room. Ansi had expected separate rooms, so she was flustered. Still, she entered without showing it too much.

While Damion remained at the door speaking to the butler, Ansi began unpacking the luggage that had been brought up. Sitting around waiting for her husband in this room felt awkward and uncomfortable, so she felt the need to do something.

She hung her clothes, took out her belongings, and organized them—calming herself in the process.

“Dinner will be in 20 minutes. The staff will unpack the rest of the—”

Damion stopped mid-sentence as he stepped into the room. Seeing that everything had already been neatly unpacked, Ansi asked sheepishly:

“Ah… usually, I’m not supposed to do this myself, right?”

She had become used to doing things herself back when she was a maid, so she did it naturally.

Seeing Ansi’s empty suitcase, Damion opened his own.

Ansi tried to stop him.

“Let the staff unpack for you, Damion. You’re not used to this like I am…”

“I’m probably more used to it than you think.”

Why? It’s not like Damion had ever worked as a servant.

As she looked at him curiously, Damion chuckled and began taking out his clothes.

“In the military, we usually unpacked ourselves.”

Ah. Ansi let out a soft exclamation.

The atmosphere at the early lunch was pleasant. Underneath the ornate ceiling painting of the grand dining hall, an array of delicious-looking dishes was laid out.

Ansi ate with extra enthusiasm, not wanting to be seen as picky or dainty. Somehow, she felt like she might end up with indigestion.

“We’re family now. Would it be all right if I spoke more informally?”

Bashirof asked politely and respectfully.

“Of course.”

“Good. Does the food suit your taste?”

“Yes. It’s tender and delicious.”

Ansi smiled warmly.

Maybe it was the fatigue from the journey, but she had fallen deeply asleep last night, making all her nerves feel pointless. She’d forgotten she was in Orphez’s countryside estate and that Damion de Orphez was beside her.

But starting today, she couldn’t afford to be so relaxed. Ansi mustered all the sociability she had, reacting to and joining in the conversation of the Duke and Duchess of Orphez.

What she hadn’t expected was how little Damion spoke—something of a challenge. Still, just being present was enough for him to fulfill his role.

The whole point was to anchor Ansi within the Orphez household. The one who had to work to fit in was Ansi.

“Do you like polo, by chance?”

As lunch was coming to an end, Marianne gently asked, putting down her fork gracefully. Ansi nodded, having anticipated the question.

“Absolutely. I was really looking forward to it on the way to Chelsha. I still remember watching a match between Team Volby and Peña when I was young—it left a strong impression.”

“That’s wonderful. As it happens, today there’s a grand polo viewing.”

“Really?”

“In the summer in Chelsha, there are two large viewing matches a week. Smaller games happen nearly every day.”

Bashirof, who had been silent, now spoke up.

“I’m excited.”

Ansi leaned forward slightly and spoke in an eager voice.

Damion studied her face. He couldn’t tell whether she was lying to fit in or genuinely liked polo.

Back when she was Ansi de Rubelsa, there had been no mention of polo in her records. Even when he had brought up the Orphez family’s love for the sport, she hadn’t said anything about teams like Volby or Peña.

Well, they hadn’t been close back then, so maybe she hadn’t mentioned it.

Still, she didn’t look like she truly enjoyed it. Because Damion knew what she looked like when she was genuinely happy about something.

“Go change into your outing clothes,” Bashirof said as he rose from his seat.

When they emerged after changing, a carriage was already prepared outside.

Drawn by four horses, the carriage was much more extravagant than usual. It was the kind of carriage often seen on big event days like polo matches.

Ansi, who didn’t enjoy drawing attention, hesitated at the luxurious sight, but the others climbed in as if it were nothing.

“Careful getting in.”

Damion extended a hand. With his help, Ansi climbed in, and the carriage departed for the polo stadium.

The streets they passed were packed. It seemed the rumors were true—on grand viewing days, people came from the capital and other regions to Chelsha.

Judging by how slow some of the carriages moved, it looked like many would arrive after the game had already begun.

But their carriage advanced smoothly. They were using a private road reserved for the Duke of Orphez.

“It’s quite close, actually. We purposely built the polo stadium near Sobelvio.”

Wearing a large hat, Marianne spoke with pride. Ansi nodded.

“Yes, the young duke mentioned that, too. He said it’s close enough that he can enjoy polo often.”

Damion’s eyes narrowed. “The young duke,” she said. So she must have heard that during the wedding reception while dancing with Cardian.

“Then you must’ve seen a lot of polo games with Damion too.”

“We did.”

Damion smiled warmly in response to Ansi’s comment, masking his true feelings.

In truth, he had rarely gone to polo games with his family. Only on a few occasions—when they needed to quiet bad rumors about the Orphez second son—had they taken him along.

But there was no need to reveal unpleasant truths. After all, he had even given up his shares to fabricate a harmonious family just for Ansi de Orphez.