〈033〉
“We’ll need to call for a freight carriage.”
“Huh? Is there luggage?”
At the sudden remark from Lord Winchester, I glanced around. I wondered if he had packed heaps of gifts to thank the royal palace for the invitation.
“It seems Miss Naeri won’t be able to get into the carriage.”
“What? Me?”
Surely, he wasn’t calling me the luggage, right? Instead of saying I look beautiful all dressed up like this, was he seriously telling me to ride in a freight wagon because I looked like cargo?
I didn’t think Lord Winchester was that kind of person—but this was too much!
“I don’t believe the dress will fit through the carriage door.”
“…Excuse me?”
He said it with such a serious expression that I was caught completely off guard.
“So you’re saying… my skirt is too wide to fit through the carriage door, and since I obviously can’t walk all the way to the palace, you’re kindly suggesting I ride in the freight carriage instead?”
Lord Winchester nodded at my words. His expression remained dead serious. He was genuinely worried that I wouldn’t be able to get into the carriage—and had thoughtfully offered a freight cart as an alternative.
He was certainly a man with a very misleading way of speaking.
Such was Lord Winchester.
“I can get in just fine.”
At my words, Lord Winchester gave my dress a curious look. The skirt was indeed much wider and fuller than the carriage door.
“But it would be helpful if you held it for me.”
I held out my hand—the same one that had awkwardly floated in the air earlier—toward him. Reflexively, he took it.
Leaning on Lord Winchester with one hand, and lifting the hem of my skirt slightly with the other, I visually checked the steps of the carriage and gracefully stepped up.
As I placed my foot inside the carriage, Lord Winchester continued to eye my dress and the doorway with doubt. Sensing his gaze, I carefully gathered the dress in my hands, making sure it didn’t catch on anything, and eased myself inside.
As expected, the dress folded inward gently, and I was able to enter the carriage without any difficulty. At some point, Lord Winchester had naturally let go of my hand.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Already seated inside, I smiled at him with ease. For someone I thought was rather stiff and curt, Lord Winchester had a surprisingly endearing side.
The dinner at the royal palace was much less formal than I had imagined. In fact, it was warm and cheerful. If not for the setting and the fact that the people around the table were royalty, it could’ve passed for a close-knit family gathering.
“As expected, I suppose Lord Winchester will win the upcoming tournament again?”
“That goes without saying, Your Majesty. There’s no knight in the empire who can match him.”
It wasn’t Lord Winchester who responded, but his disciple—the Crown Prince. He looked proud, clearly admiring his master’s swordsmanship.
“The outcome is so obvious that I wonder if the tournament won’t be boring.”
“In that case, I shall not participate this time.”
“You mustn’t say that! There are so many young knights eager to cross swords with you at least once.”
When Lord Winchester attempted to bow out of the tournament, it was again the Crown Prince who vehemently protested.
“Knights of the Imperial Guard may get a chance to spar with you, but the others don’t. Not to mention the many knights traveling in from the provinces. If you don’t compete, they’ll be disappointed.”
“But if the winner is already a foregone conclusion, wouldn’t that dampen their motivation?”
“The purpose of the tournament isn’t just to crown a winner, is it? It’s also to discover hidden talents, to test one’s skills, and to set higher goals. Ultimately, it’s through that process that sword masters like you are born.”
While the Emperor and Crown Prince engaged in a passionate debate over Lord Winchester’s participation, the man in question remained silent. As the conversation deepened into swords and knighthood, my attention started to drift.
“I’ll never understand why men enjoy fighting so much.”
The princess shook her head, apparently feeling the same as I did. When our eyes met, she smiled warmly.
In that moment, she felt less like a dignified princess and more like a friendly girl-next-door.
“It’d be much better if everyone just got along.”
“Exactly. But I think men get closer by fighting—by clashing swords.”
“Isn’t that even stranger? Fighting makes them closer? My brother’s the same. He always complains about how grueling Lord Winchester’s training is, and the next day he’s groaning from muscle pain. Yet he eagerly waits for the next session.”
The princess shook her head again, as if it all truly baffled her.
“He’s so clueless, too. Always trying to summon you to the palace at the slightest opportunity, even though you’re newlyweds. Let me apologize on his behalf, Countess Winchester.”
“Oh, no, it’s perfectly fine.”
The princess was apologizing to me. I quickly waved my hands in denial. It wasn’t like Lord Winchester and I were really enjoying a honeymoon phase anyway.
“And besides, he really enjoys teaching His Highness the Crown Prince. He always prioritizes those lessons despite his busy schedule.”
“Really? My brother would love to hear that.”
“And even when it’s not about the Crown Prince, Lord Winchester has so many duties. I worry for his health, but he doesn’t seem to consider cutting back.”
What I had actually told Lord Winchester was to reduce his commitments to spend more time with Daniel. But he had refused—and it was true, he didn’t seem inclined to lessen his workload at all.
“Oh my! You call him ‘Lord Winchester’?”
The princess looked at me in mild shock. I blinked, unsure what was wrong with that.
It’s not like I’m Hong Gildong, unable to call my father father. So why…?
“Well, yes. He is Lord Winchester…”
I nodded as if that were the most natural thing in the world. But the princess only looked more puzzled. And now the Empress, too, seemed intrigued by our conversation.
“I mean, he is Lord Winchester, sure, but… you’re married! I thought maybe you had a more romantic nickname. I heard yours wasn’t a political marriage, but a love match.”
“Ah…”
A point I hadn’t considered at all.
“Then what does he call you? Surely not ‘Lady Naeri’ or ‘Countess,’ right?”
“No, not like that.”
“Oh good. I mean, it would be even worse if he called his wife Miss Naeri or something…”
“…”
“…He doesn’t. Does he?”
“…”
“Seriously?!”
Realizing her random joke was actually true, the princess stared at us both in shock.
Her reaction caught the attention of the Emperor and Crown Prince, who stopped their discussion to look over. Even Lord Winchester turned his head slightly, having quietly listened until now.
“Wait, do you seriously call each other ‘Lord Winchester’ and ‘Miss Naeri’?”
The princess looked utterly disillusioned, as though her dreams of a romantic newlywed couple had been crushed.
“Well, I mean… I say it out of respect…”
“Still, isn’t that a bit too formal for a married couple? I knew Lord Winchester was the quiet and stoic type, but I didn’t expect him to be that way with his wife, too.”
The princess pouted and threw a sideways glance at Lord Winchester. Of course, he remained unshaken, and she didn’t seem to expect much from that either.
The one truly shaken was me.
I had never thought much about how we addressed each other. I hadn’t even realized it was odd.
It’s my first marriage, alright!
“A-ah, no. Lord Winchester is actually… very kind.”
“…Pardon?”
“Come again?”
Did I say something weird?
The princess and the Crown Prince both looked like I had just said something completely unbelievable. Even the Emperor and Empress raised their brows, turning to look at Lord Winchester as if to say, “Really?”
“…”
The only one who didn’t react was Lord Winchester himself. He simply looked at me with a calm expression.
“He applied medicine when I was hurt…”
Though I did that myself… still, technically true.
“Sometimes we go out to eat or take walks…”
Even if it was technically a father-daughter outing with Daniel that I tagged along for… it still counts.
“He watches when I paint in the garden…”
Only once, but again—it happened.
“Lord Winchester is a kind man.”
It was strange. The more I tried to explain, the more incredulous everyone’s expressions became. And in the end, they all turned to Lord Winchester with the same disbelieving look, silently urging him to refute what I’d said.
“…It’s true.”
And at his calm confirmation, everyone’s faces finally shifted to sheer astonishment.
Hahhaha lolll the royal family is so funny I’m glad they aren’t the haughty type like in most novels 😂
That’s how much stoic and indifference our ml to get reaction like that from imperial family 😭😂