Chapter – 03.
A Peaceful Daily Life
A week after the funeral, Jessica’s daily life flowed on monotonously. Waking up, having breakfast with her father, watching the knights and soldiers of the Marquis’ household train, and then reading a book next to the training grounds had become her routine. When Marquis Vitern told her not to go out, saying it was dangerous, Jessica replied.
“Aren’t I just watching the members of the Marquis’ household? They will protect me, won’t they?”
At her words, Anna, who remarked that the young lady had finally come to her senses while pulling out a handkerchief, was ignored by Jessica. And in reality, it was true. When she had entered the Duke’s household, the only person who had taken her side was Sir Alter. It wasn’t just Alter either.
Even after the new Marchioness entered and many knights of the Vitern Marquisate left, there was Sir Sern, who had stubbornly remained. He, now the captain of the Marquis’ knight order, had opposed her marriage until the very end and had even prepared an escape route for her, trying to open a path for her to survive. But Jessica had refused. Because she couldn’t risk endangering the many people of the Marquis’ household.
“You’ve come out again today.”
“Sir Sern.”
“If you are here, young lady, those fellows can’t concentrate.”
“Pardon?”
Sir Sern’s face was stiff, blatantly telling her not to come out because it was inconvenient. She wondered why she had been afraid of that face when she was young. Looking closely, his eyes were full of affection for her.
“Then… should I go in?”
When she spoke sullenly, Sir Sern panicked, saying ‘that’s not it’. Seeing that expression made her laugh. The knights of the Marquis’ household spent more than half the year at the border, and the days they were at the Marquis’ residence were extremely few. But whenever Marquis Vitern brought them back, Jessica’s mother always welcomed them with a smile. Watching Sir Sern and the knights, Jessica was reminded of her mother’s face.
“Jessica, they are the ones who protect us and protect your father. So you must always be grateful to them.”
Thinking about it, her mother was such a kind person.
‘But how did a daughter like me come from them?’
Her father was kindly to a fault, and her mother was a person with a heart so good she was called the reincarnation of an angel. But Jessica, born from those two, was different. If people didn’t meet her standards, she would not only discard them but also secretly eliminate them.
“But that’s all in the past.”
Now that she wasn’t the mistress of the Duke’s household, there was no need for her to show her edge. Her fingers turning the pages of the book were light, as if they could fly away. Why did the sound of clashing swords put her heart at ease?
The spring breeze blowing softly tickled her face. When the sunlight filtering through the trees settled on her book, she unconsciously lowered her gaze to the light. She couldn’t take her eyes off the glittering light.
“It’s dangerous! Young lady!”
“Kyaak, young lady!”
At the sudden voices of Alter and Anna, she raised her head, and a ‘clang’ sound followed by the sound of something falling was heard. She couldn’t take her eyes off the back of the man who stood in front of her, blocking her with a longsword.
“Are you alright?”
The sunlight glittering behind his head was dazzling, making it hard for her to keep her eyes open. She blinked slightly. Sir Sern, who had run to her, raised his voice towards the knights.
“Get your heads on straight! The young lady almost got hurt!”
“I’m fine.”
“Even so, young lady.”
“I’m really fine.”
Although she was a little startled, Jessica calmly waved her hand at Sir Sern and smiled softly. The man who had blocked the flying blade had already approached and was staring at her intently. Then, as if to quell this minor disturbance, he reached out his hand and spoke.
“It’s dangerous here. It would be better to move elsewhere.”
“…The honor is mine. Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
She didn’t even need to ask who he was. It was a familiar face. The Crown Prince of this nation, the First Prince, the man she had killed with her own hands in her previous life—Salifer Ert.
Afraid he might notice her trembling hand, she hesitated for a moment. The hand extended to her wasn’t withdrawn. She took a deep breath, took his hand, and slowly stood up. Although a cloth had been spread, the green stain on the hem of her skirt was unavoidable. When her gaze lingered on the stain for a moment, Salifer’s eyes also turned to the hem of her skirt.
“It’s stained.”
“It’s alright.”
It was a dress she cherished, but there was nothing to be done. This happened because she did something she normally didn’t do. Usually, she would have had the table from the garden brought here, but it was her fault for insisting that she wanted to feel the sensation of being outdoors. At Salifer’s words, she saw Anna’s gaze linger on the hem of the dress before turning to her face, but Jessica didn’t look back.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to discuss something with the Border Count, and I happened to see you in danger.”
“I forgot to thank you for saving me.”
Salifer’s eyebrow moved at the sight of her gracefully smoothing her skirt and bowing.
“Do you know the imperial court etiquette?”
“I am also a noble of this empire.”
“I see.”
She laughed it off, but cold sweat was running down her back. The current Jessica had not yet entered the imperial palace nor had her debutante. The fact that she already knew the imperial court etiquette could plant suspicion in Salifer’s mind.
‘For instance, that she’s aiming for the position of Crown Princess.’
Fortunately, Salifer didn’t ask further. Feeling grateful, she walked slowly. He matched her pace, and watching Salifer enter the mansion, Jessica let out a sigh of relief.
“Young lady!”
“Anna.”
As soon as Salifer disappeared, she laughed seeing Anna calling her. She tuned out Anna’s nagging about the stained skirt and turned her gaze. She caught sight of Alter still practicing in a corner of the training grounds.
‘This time, I’ll protect you.’
Just as you did for me before.
“Anna, where’s the wet towel?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked where the wet towel is.”
Although puzzled by the young lady suddenly asking for a wet towel, obeying the master’s words was a maid’s duty. Anna went into the mansion and brought out a wet towel. Seeing the towel, Jessica headed towards the training grounds, and Anna hurriedly followed.
“Young lady, why are you going to the training grounds…?”
“Sir Alter.”
Alter, still a new knight, was surprised that the precious young lady of the Marquis’ household knew his name. The gazes of the knights, who had been taking a brief break from swinging their swords, turned towards Alter. Comments ranging from ‘how does the young lady know that guy’s name?’ to ‘what did you do to our young lady?’ abounded, but as if she couldn’t hear them, Jessica’s expression remained serene.
“Did you call for me, young lady?”
Seeing Alter kneeling before her, Jessica took the wet towel from Anna’s hand.
“You’ve sweated a lot.”
“Pardon?”
She smiled brightly at Alter’s upward gaze and held out the towel.
“Why aren’t you taking it? What are you doing?”
As he stared blankly at her hand, Anna’s sharp words made him accept the towel. It was improper for Anna, a maid, to step forward, but given the situation, it couldn’t be helped. The knights’ gazes on Alter were piercing.
“Ahem, young lady.”
“Sir Sern.”
“The training grounds are dangerous. It would be best if you didn’t come here anymore.”
“Ah, I see.”
Sir Sern sighed, looking at Jessica, who absolutely refused to say she wouldn’t come.
“It’s dangerous.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Unable to win against Jessica, who answered with a bright smile, Sir Sern shook his head. As Alter, who had been prostrate before her, withdrew at Sir Sern’s gesture, the other knights grabbed him as if they had been waiting.
“Sir Alter, it seems your stamina has been lacking lately…”
“That’s not true!”
“Not true? From what I see, it seems so. Are you saying your senior, who is like the heavens, is wrong?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Come with us.”
Watching the knights surround Alter and disappear, Jessica smiled brightly. Anna whispered to her in a small voice.
“Young lady, you don’t have feelings for Sir Alter, do you?”
“Why, is that not allowed?”
“Young lady!”
She laughed off Anna’s nagging, who said it was nonsense for the high-born daughter of a Marquis’ household and a trainee knight, and that such things only happen in novels. What does it matter if it’s true or not? She had no intention of leaving this Marquis’ household now. She planned to settle here, protect the people of the Marquis’ household, and seize everything the Marquis’ household had.
‘First, money.’
She needed to earn money for the Marquis’ household, which wasn’t financially abundant. She decided to secretly, without other families noticing, increase the Marquis’ household’s wealth to the point where it could overpower the Duke’s household. Watching the knights noisily moving away, she gave a faint smile, and that smile was tinged with a firm resolve.
Salifer, who was watching Jessica’s back as she remained at the training grounds without entering the mansion, spoke in a low voice.
“It’s strange.”
It was truly strange. That the daughter of a Marquis’ household knew the imperial court etiquette. Imperial etiquette wasn’t something one could learn just because they wanted to. Due to the closed nature of the imperial palace, only the noblewomen who frequented the palace received lessons on its etiquette. The Vitern Marquis’ family was not on the list of those noblewomen.
“It’s strange.”
“What is, Your Highness?”
Lost in thought, not even hearing the sound of the Border Count approaching, Salifer was able to break free from the thoughts that had gripped him upon hearing the Marquis’ voice.
“Ah, you’re here.”
“I just saw you holding my daughter’s hand.”
“I was merely escorting her.”
“You can’t have my daughter.”
“What nonsense are you talking?”
“Anyway, you can’t have my daughter. Our Jessica is pretty and kind and… anyway, she’s too delicate a child to enter the imperial palace!”
A girl who demonstrated etiquette befitting noblewomen who frequent the imperial palace, who told lies without batting an eye in front of the Crown Prince—and he calls her delicate?
“That won’t happen.”
“No matter how much you say that, Your Highness, I cannot believe it. Our Jessica is too beautiful…”
“Border Count!”
At the force in Salifer’s voice, the Marquis Vitern straightened his expression.
“I did not come to the Marquis’ household to discuss this. Let’s go inside first.”
“Understood.”
