Side Story Episode 5, 2024.06.
2
2. “Are you insane? What do you think you’re doing?” At Kaian’s words, she froze. ‘Insane?’ This was not the reaction Claudel had imagined when she’d hatched her little scheme. She had wanted him to look at her with fervent eyes, as though he were beholding something infinitely precious and dear. She had believed the two of them would end up tumbling together onto the grass like beasts caught in the same snare. Because this was what he had always wished for, wanted, and begged for. He had said he wanted to hold her beneath the tree by the lakeside, the place full of their memories, where they had shared their first kiss. “In-insane? How could you say such a thing…” As the flustered Claudel stammered, Kaian flew into a rage. “Then should I ask if you’ve lost your mind? What do you mean, taking your clothes off here?” Though he shuddered, his hands were firm and quick as he fetched a towel and wrapped Claudel up tightly. As if not even the smallest glimpse of her skin could be allowed to show beneath the sunlight. That attitude left Claudel even more dumbfounded. “You asked me to do this, didn’t you?” “I did?” “Yes. You used to badger me about it every chance you got.” The accusation came out nakedly because she was so bewildered, and Kaian’s eyebrow twitched. “Can’t you tell the difference between a joke and something serious?” “But…” “There are no buts.” He spoke sharply, like a beast with its claws bared and its teeth exposed. “Do you have any sense at all? Trying to do something so absurd in a place like this.” Claudel was at a loss for words. “Why do you think rumors start about so-and-so of some castle doing such-and-such? Because people act carelessly where there are bastards who might spy on them, and it turns into a scandal.” …
Every single thing Kaian said as he lectured her like a scolding was something Claudel herself had said at least once while refusing him back when he had been the one begging. ‘Good heavens. Unbelievable.’ She had thought he was clever, but she had never expected this. That he would throw her own words right back at her. All the sweetness Claudel had dreamed of when she boldly set this up shattered into pieces. Feeling that there was no way they could return to a pleasant mood, she tried to stagger to her feet, but her foot caught in the large towel and she fell toward Kaian. “How clumsy.” When she heard his voice still full of reproach, Claudel’s emotions surged. His chest, which she had instinctively braced herself against as she fell, was lined with glittering decorations and jeweled medals made of gold and platinum. ‘I miscalculated.’ She had only meant to create a rare chance for them to talk privately and spend time together. Perhaps she should have revised today’s plan when Kaian appeared dressed in the overly formal full regalia of a king. In the past, there had been many times when he had hurriedly stripped off his clothes, not caring if they tore, and lunged as though he meant to take her into his arms at once. Hadn’t she already thought that his attire was far too magnificent to ruin, and that it would be a burden on Madame Marcel? Now that she thought of it, even a picnic meant spreading something out and sitting on the grass, so his thoroughly formal outfit had been inappropriate from the start. When she imagined that he might have been disappointed to see her dressed simply, as she had been when she was the former lady of the estate, her chest grew tight. “Unlike before, many people come and go from the castle now, and in the rear garden of all places…” “Kaian. Stop.” Claudel took her hand from his chest and hunched her shoulders. “I was thoughtless.” Her eyes stung before she knew it, upset as she was. “I absolutely wasn’t trying to embarrass you.” “That…” Kaian seemed about to say something, then sighed in a softened manner. “You’ll catch a cold. Let’s go inside at once.” “I can go alone.” When Claudel fumbled and reached for the dress she had taken off, Kaian wrapped the large towel around her again, from the crown of her head down. “Do you intend to wander around looking like this?” Her face felt as if it were on fire. He picked her up and strode toward the castle. *** At that moment, inside the castle, Madame Marcel and Hanna were busy redecorating the bed while Claudel was away. Watching Madame Marcel show off her skills to the fullest, Hanna exclaimed in admiration. “Wow. It’s really wonderful.” “Hoho. Is it?” “It feels somehow befitting of royalty.” Rowen Castle had originally been the royal castle from the founding of Oberon, and it was a place where the historic ducal house of Temnes had long served as castle lords and resided. Since the previous duchess had been a princess, though it was an estate lord’s castle, its atmosphere was by no means inferior to that of a royal castle. The items placed throughout were all of the highest quality, to the point that Valquiter, sometimes envious, would beg to be given them. He would ask how they managed to acquire such precious things so well. “Is it because you understand art that you’re different after all?” Though Madame Marcel was a seamstress, she had conceived all sorts of things suited to a new kingdom. For example, a new national flag, or uniforms for the royal castle guard. Such things were easy to dismiss as not particularly important in the midst of busyness, but when a great flag embroidered in gold thread with a lion emblem fluttered at a grand event, its presence was tremendous. After decorating the castle here and there from Temnes into the symbol of the Kingdom of Rowen, and having finished most of what needed doing, she now intended to change the bedding of the king and queen, and to replace the linens in the guest rooms where nobles from afar would stay with crisp new ones embroidered with Rowen’s emblem. Her aim was to make whoever came to lodge there feel, ‘So this is the royal castle of the Kingdom of Rowen.’ At Hanna’s praise, Madame Marcel smiled. “It’s rewarding to have you see it that way.” “I think Her Majesty will be truly delighted when she comes and sees it.” They had not realized it before, but when Claudel had stayed in this room as the duchess, the preparations to welcome her had not been especially meticulous. It had been when Baron Colon was serving as butler, so one could say he had been preoccupied with tending to Kaian’s mood after he had been stopped from taking even a single step onto the battlefield despite all preparations for war being complete. But because the marriage itself had taken place so suddenly, there had been too little time to procure items suitable to the dignity of a duchess. Thus, though the furniture and bed in the room, as well as the quilts laid upon it, had been brought out new from the household goods of the late previous duchess, even the finest items were different once time had passed. The surgery for the leg that had been bitten by a crocodile, and the illness that made her cough blood, had both been treated on this bed, and though no one knew it at the time, it had in truth been a great ordeal for the butler. He had prepared the bed with the cleanest and newest among the duchess’s items they had, but each time it ended up soaked in blood and had to be stripped off and replaced with something else. In the end, Claudel wound up using the shabby, worn things for the longest time. “I hope so.” Hanna and Madame Marcel made the bed with great care, wishing for Claudel’s happiness as though it were their own. ‘Her Majesty will be so surprised when she sees His Majesty. Hehe.’ Throughout it all, the smile never left Madame Marcel’s lips. Kaian had little interest in adorning himself. He already had a superior physique that looked good even in anything thrown on carelessly, and a striking appearance besides; moreover, at the age when young men usually awakened to dressing themselves up, he had spent the whole time on dusty battlefields, which had left its influence. Kaian considered the fashions popular in the capital gaudy and unsightly. ‘Lord Valquiter was originally far more interested in such things.’ In a way, it might have seemed practical and wise, but Kaian was now the king of a nation. She had always thought it absolutely unacceptable for Kaian’s attire to look rustic. Unexpectedly, however, Kaian himself had readily shown interest first in the new uniform she was making. ‘Can I wear it right away?’ Hearing from Hanna that he was to have a date with Claudel in the rear garden today, Madame Marcel had cried victory inwardly as she dressed Kaian up. ‘Ah. I’m dying to know Lady Claudel’s reaction.’ So while her hands moved busily and her mind wandered elsewhere—click. Without warning, the bedroom door opened, and Claudel walked in. Hanna and Madame Marcel, who had instinctively brightened and were about to greet her, froze at the same time. “Your Majesty!” “Lady Claudel!” Her long red hair, which had been so prettily done when she left, was soaked through and tangled all over in a mess. Moreover, the Rowen-style dress she had said she would wear comfortably and informally since it was a simple occasion was nowhere to be seen, and her drenched body in undergarments was covered here and there with two large towels. Just when both of them were at a loss, unable to open their mouths because they had no idea what the problem was or what to ask first, Hanna asked with wide eyes, “Why have you come back already?” “I thought you wouldn’t return until around sunset.” Claudel smiled awkwardly and said, “Kaian is angry.” Hanna and Madame Marcel both half jumped at the same time. “…
I’m upset.” She had ruined the event she had arranged with such care as a chance for reconciliation. Claudel was deeply dejected. Madame Marcel brought a fresh towel and covered her with it, then quickly led her to the bathroom. “You’ll catch a cold if you stay like this. Wash up and tell us slowly afterward.” “Mm.” However, even after she had washed for a long time in hot water, Claudel sat with a sullen face and her shoulders drooping. Seeing how she remained curled up quietly but did not tell Madame Marcel and Hanna to leave, it seemed Claudel did not want to be alone. Hanna quietly took out a bottle of liquor she had brought from the Sol Continent. “What’s that?” “It’s something I brought from the Sol Continent to give you as a gift.” Though she was from the Ita Continent, Hanna looked as if she was proud of the culture of the Sol Continent, like someone born and raised there. “They say this liquor makes you forget your troubles and worries.” “Drinking makes my head hurt afterward.” “It’s liquor made with a secret technique from the Sol Continent, so no matter how much you drink, you’ll be perfectly fine the next day.” “Oh my. There’s such a thing?” With curious eyes, Madame Marcel quietly brought out the wineglasses that had been useless in Claudel’s bedroom. *** Kaian sat motionless in his office. Each time Claudel swam across the surface of the water, her white, slender arms had stirred the water gently, and it felt as if they were stirring his mind into confusion as well. “Damn it.” He had no idea what thoughts had been in Claudel’s small head. Once, he had thought he knew that something very peculiar and strange resided there. Kaian breathed hard. “What was she going to do if someone saw?”