Chapter 66: Chapter 66

Translator: Latte Editor: Sasha

Caville spent the whole night pondering.

‘Since when did things start to go wrong…?’

He realized that there had been a lot of obstacles in the relationship between him and his wife.

From the start, Caville had planned to live the rest of his life in peace with his wife after returning from the war. However, everything turned into a disaster because of other people’s interventions! From the Temple to the Imperial Government, none of them did any good for him!

Caville just couldn’t take it anymore. Therefore, he shooed all those unwanted guests away from his residence. The documents from the emperor had already been signed anyway. So, they had no more reason to stay here in the mansion any longer.

“But, Your Grace…! We were sent by His Majesty here to—”

“Have I not already signed all the documents the emperor requested me to? There is no more reason for you to stay here in the duchy.”

“H-how can His Grace say those things to the emperor’s envoys…?” Count DeFore murmured.

Caville didn’t care at all.

He had even fulfilled the promise of participating in the war with the emperor. There was literally nothing else that connected Caville to the emperor anymore! He had already done enough!

“Your Highness, Count DeFore, and the other guests. You may return to the capital.”

“……”

At his words, Princess Larissa almost collapsed due to shock.

That night, Larissa wasn’t able to sleep a wink. She could not believe that the Duke of Cernoir had rejected her right after he told her that he had no intention of divorcing the duchess. After hearing those words, she knew that she should just give up, but she still wondered why her feelings for him kept growing stronger and stronger instead.

Larissa thought that if she were able to expose the duchess of her evil schemes. The duke might change his mind.

But to think that he instantly told her to leave… It was as if her world had just broken apart.

“But, Your Grace…”

“Your Highness does not have a reason to stay here any longer. Your belongings will be sent back to the capital immediately. So, please leave.”

“……”

“……”

* * *

After forcing the imperial envoys to leave, Caville proceeded to kick out the guests from the Temple of Thysser.

The priests had originally planned to reside in the mansion until the renovation of the Cernoir Temple had been finished. But Caville just couldn’t wait any longer.

He spoke to High Priest Amos, “One of your paladins touched the duchess’s body without my permission.”

“What…? Who is that man if I may ask?”

“It’s Sir Theodore! How dare he touch my wife’s arm?! Is that the kind of education you teach in the Temple?!”

“What does this mean, Sir Theodore?”

“Hmph! Whatever it is, after you return to the Temple, you may discuss it amongst yourselves.”

“……”

Thus, Caville finally finished cleaning all the rats inside the mansion.

* * *

“Your Highness! What on earth is happening? Why are we leaving so suddenly?” Carolina asked as she looked at the mansion through the carriage window.

Princess Larissa didn’t answer. She only wiped the tears on her face with a broken heart.

Everything felt unfair. The duchess had everything she didn’t; a huge mansion, a beautiful greenhouse, stunning flowers, friendly servants, trustworthy knights, and even the Duke of Cernoir!

Princess Larissa finally admitted her true feelings. What she felt was greed.

Her home, the Castle of Dayev, was destroyed to bits and pieces. She was devastated when that happened, though she still kept the memory in her head as a place full of happiness.

It wasn’t as if the duchess had taken away the things she owned, but Princess Larissa still felt as if she did.

“Your Highness… please don’t cry. We can come back again later, alright?”

“…Yes.”

Princess Larissa promised to guard the duke’s castle in her memory and heart, hoping that maybe she might be able to return to that beautiful place one day.

Count DeFore, who was sitting on another carriage, also stared outside the window, glaring at the mansion while gritting his teeth.

‘How dare he ignore His Majesty’s orders…!’

Even if he was a war hero, he shouldn’t have done that!

Count DeFore was one of the most powerful aristocrats in the capital, and he had earned the emperor’s trust. So when the emperor told him to go to the duchy to gain the duke’s favor. The count had vowed to finish his task successfully. But to think that he would kick them out instead…

‘I shall report all of this to His Majesty,’ Count DeFore thought while clenching his fist.

The emperor only wanted to maintain a good relationship with the duke, but the duke himself refused his kind offer! He’d have no choice but to pay the price.

Both Count DeFore and Princess Larissa stared at the mansion from a distance. However, what was going inside their minds wasn’t the same at all. While Princess Larissa imagined coming back to the beautiful mansion, Count DeFore wanted the place to burn in hell.

* * *

Since she couldn’t sleep early that night, Elody ended up falling asleep at dawn and wasn’t able to wake up until evening came.

And surprisingly, the first news she heard from Marie was that the guests from the Temple and the Imperial Palace had left the territory.

“Wha-what did you say?!”

Elody was so surprised that she began to choke on her drink.

“Cough, cough!”

“Are you alright, madame?! Should I call a doctor?” Marie said as she patted Elody’s back.

Then, after taking a deep breath, Elody spoke, “They all left?! So suddenly?”

“Yes, His Grace kicked them all out this morning.”

“But why?”

“I’m not sure either… Oh! And I think that His Grace spent all night sitting in the hallway in front of madame’s bedroom…”

“What?”

“When I arrived in madame’s room this morning, I saw His Grace sitting in the hallway. His eyes were red, so I guessed that he might not have slept at all yesterday.”

“……”

Elody sighed.

He seemed to have been keeping an eye on her in case she tried to escape. Moments like these made Elody think of him as a child.

‘But to think that he actually got rid of the guys from the Temple and the Imperial Government.’

Elody wasn’t too worried about the case since the priests were supposed to go to the Cernoir Temple and the Emperor’s envoy had no reason to stay anyway, but…

‘Did he do that because of me?’

She had a headache.

Even Princess Larissa was gone. Caville must have been really angry yesterday.

“Caville, you and Princess Larissa are bound by fate.”

It was all her fault.

‘I mean, what was I supposed to do?’

She had genuinely thought that the two would become lovers!

And the temple…

“Is it because of the Commander of the Paladins?”

When Caville caught her yesterday with him, Elody’s heart was racing, was it because of Caville’s expression? She really felt as if he had caught her having an affair.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to doubt her, but… seeing as how he threw the Temple people out, he must have been quite annoyed.

“I have to clear things up with him.”

It was necessary to speak again now that she had a clear mind.

Thus, Elody began to wash and change her clothes with Marie’s help.

* * *

Caville was contemplating his next plan with joy, and it was all because he had expelled the unwanted guests.

Ifrit was once again counseling Caville.

“I love my wife,” Caville said with a stern tone.

“Yeah, I know,” Ifrit replied.

“In the past, when I thought of my wife, my heart was calm… but it’s different now.”

“Yeah… you said it before, you said that it burns.”

“Yeah, it feels hot, I feel this weird pressure on my chest. And it felt like a fever since my whole body was burning.”

“So you finally realized that the feeling is called love.”

“But… I don’t think that my wife feels the same,” Caville said with a gloomy face.

Ifrit only chuckled in response.

“That’s called an unrequited love.”

“I hope my wife loves me as much as I love her…”

“Can I do anything to help you?”

At Ifrit’s words, Caville looked at him in disbelief. As if that tiny puppy could do anything to help him progress his relationship with his wife.

Seeing his disgusted expression, Ifrit only grumbled in annoyance.

Caville laughed and spoke, “Are you gonna talk nonsense again?”

“That… was your fault, not mine.”

“……”

“You’re too innocent and simpleminded, so I don’t think you’ll achieve much. But starting tomorrow, I’ll bring you a few books about love. So study them.”

Ifrit knew that Caville was too pure for his age, so he thought he needed an educational book. Caville knew nothing of what a man his age naturally knew, that’s why he didn’t get along with knights at all, except when they fought and trained on the battlefield.

Like the self-proclaimed older brother he was, Ifrit pledged to educate Caville well.

“Anyway, you don’t have to be like before! If you want your wife to love you, it’s important that you don’t go on behaving like a child.”

“……”

Caville agreed to his words as he knew at least that much now.

“And don’t whine.”

“……”

“Don’t force yourself on her.”

Caville’s forehead began to wrinkle.

“You cannot be too pushy. Don’t say things like ‘Oh! I love you so much, but why don’t you love me?’ It’s embarrassing, so stop it, okay?”

“……”

“It’s all on you though. Think wisely.”

“Alright. Then what do you think I should do?” Caville asked, frustrated by his words.

Ifrit replied, “…First, you have to let her fall in love with you!”

“How do I do that?”

“Well… I mean …Just look at yourself in the mirror! Your appearance is the number one priority!”

Caville followed lfrit’s advice and pulled out a mirror from his hand.

Then, Ifrit inwardly apologized when he saw Caville touching his face.

‘Sorry kid, I actually don’t know how to court girls either…’

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

“Caville, are you inside?”

It was Elody.