Chapter 20

Mervin was the first to receive the documents that came to Ragnar. There were numerous letters on the desk where he sat, along with a pile of papers. Various invitations, documents, certificates, etc. Among them, there was one of the most troublesome letters.

It was a personal letter from the Imperial Palace. Although it was not an order, the content earnestly said that the Emperor was pushing for marriage with the princess.

“Having the Emperor as a father-in-law is something that ordinary people don’t have to worry about.”

But his boss wasn’t a man with an ordinary mindset. Even the imperial family was unlikely to budge on this one.

Now that the Unification War is over, the external enemy is gone. The visibly dangerous enemy inside was rather Argonod.

The one who is next in line for the throne and has enormous wealth. It was a background that could threaten the imperial family. Political marriage was indispensable to keep him in check.

Mervin felt a burning sensation in his stomach and agonized over how to reply to the letter from the palace. It was not anyone but himself who was involved in the fight between the two whales. It was a perfect case for his stomach to break.

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“Oh, my God, Duke, to whom do we owe the pleasure of you visiting such a shabby place!”

With the appearance of the distinguished guest, the Baron widened his surprised rabbit-like eyes and froze.

It was the very Duke of Argonod who really came to the barony.

About an hour ago his attendant sent a message, but it was a very rude act. But who dared to refuse Argonod?

Eva spent an hour cleaning up the house, changing the layout of the furniture, and decorating the flowers. The baron’s maids had to move around diligently with the master’s wife.

Eva was so surprised that she couldn’t close her chin. Ragnar said with a friendly smile,

“Sir Palmaril…… No, I came to see Lady Palmaril.”

Sebastian whispered, poking Eva in the ribs.

‘If the Duke comes all the way here himself, then they are not in a typical relationship! Hurry up and drag Christa out and try to get the most out of the conversation.’

It was Sebastian, who was anxious that Count Pasquier was on the fence for the wedding. But heaven didn’t abandon him. A bigger catch took the bait. Sebastian rejoiced, saying, “I’ve grabbed the biggest rod of my life.”

However, his niece, who was actually involved, somehow got stuck in the corner of the room and did not come out. Because of this, Baron Palmaril had to worry nervously.

“Well, I’ll get Christa! Why don’t you join us for dinner, Duke?”

“Well, yes. Duke! Our family’s cooks are very good. Come on, let’s go to the dining hall with me.”

Eva rushed out somewhere, and Sebastian led Ragnar to sit in the dining hall. It took a long meal time to dig between the two effectively.

Bang bang bang!

Christa’s old attic door was smashed. Then, she heard the sound of kicking. In the end, she had no choice but to open the door.

“Now, greet the duke.”

Eva pushed her back and finally brought her to the dining hall.

Ragnar was sitting at the top of the table as if it was his own home. Next to him, Sebastian was clinging to him and rambling hard about something.

“Oh, Christa! My dear niece. Come here.”

Sebastian called Christa’s name very softly, unlike usual. Not knowing what harmony this was, Christa had no choice but to stand idly.

“Lady Palmaril.”

Then Ragnar rose from his seat and approached Christa.

“How are you feeling?”

Christa was startled. She was too unfamiliar with etiquette.

It wasn’t until Eva poked her in the ribs that she could bend her knees and say hello.

“Not enough to be concerned about.”

The bandage wrapped around his left hand was more concerning than the well-being of her own body. The wound, which still smelled faintly of blood, was clearly a trace of that time.

“So am I. Oh, just in case it bothers you.”

But, ironically, isn’t this man raising his bandaged left hand and pushing it to her as if he wanted her to see it?

“No, how did this happen? Don’t tell me you got hurt because of this kid! Oh, my God, Christa, what have you done? Duke! Shall we call the doctor?”

Eva’s scream-like fuss sticks in her ears and stimulates her eardrums. In addition, the inference was largely close to the correct answer. That’s why Christa had no choice but to bow her head more.

“Sorry, I am… sorry….”

She really had nothing to say about that wound. She felt as if her throat was full of sand.

“It was just an accident. Don’t worry.”

Ragnar said, thankfully. Was it just the kind of thing to call an accident? Christa couldn’t hide her wonder.

She couldn’t figure out why he came all the way here. Christa stared at Ragnar. He looks at her as if he has noticed her look. Then he laughed. Why is he laughing?

“Now, now! We don’t have to do this. We have prepared dishes that our chef put his best to prepare with the best of his abilities.”

Sebastian was sweating profusely. She felt sorry for the sweat that was coming out.

He needed an excuse to keep the Duke. Argonod himself, their best candidate and their lifeline, was in front of him.

But Ragnar flatly refused.

“Oh, that’s all right. I stopped by here today because I had an appointment to go see a play with Lady Palmaril.”

“What?”

Christa’s head finally rises at the sound of a promise that she doesn’t even remember.

“Now, Lady?”

Ragnar reached out his hand. She didn’t know if it was intended or not, but it was his left hand he used. Christa had no choice but to hold out her hand. Somehow she felt like she should.

“Shall we go?”

The two naturally escaped the mansion. In front of the door was a luxurious carriage.

The carriage is hung with metal relief. A golden shield was engraved on the front, and two black lions emit fire on both sides. It was a black lion, the symbol of Argonod.

The inside of the carriage was also luxurious. Christa looked bitter until she got into the carriage under Ragnar’s escort.

So far, she couldn’t even figure out what Ragnar was doing.

When Ragnar knocked, the carriage moved. The unshakable ride and cushion of the chair gave more comfort than expected, but her mind was the opposite. Either way, Ragnar opens his mouth.

“Do you like the theater?”

“When on earth did we make such a promise?”

“Don’t you remember that night?”

Christa recounted the day’s conversation in her head. When on earth did she make such a promise?

“I remember that night vividly. And we never made such a promise…….”

Then he spoke in a rather strict tone this time.

“You don’t mean to run away like that and just end it like this.”

When the memory of that day suddenly came to mind, she quickly felt her face burning. She bowed her head and looked at her toes in unbearable shame.

‘Is he trying to punish me? It wouldn’t be surprising since I stole the sword and ran away.’

I was prepared for it. However, Ragnar’s expression was not angry, but somehow seemed to be happy.

However, Christa’s ability to read other people’s facial expressions is worse than that of a five-year-old.

‘Will I be stripped of my knighthood?’

The war was over anyway, so it didn’t matter. Her mind was busy. Considering one’s own disposition, this amounts to high treason. She’ll be moving into the permafrost of the North and face a labor edification.

She thought maybe it might be better. Because many prisoners of war met their end there.

When she firmly clenches her skirt while determining her determination to die, her knuckles are revealed. Somehow Ragnar frowned at it.

“Well, as expected, you’re too thin. I’d rather we have a meal than a play. Do you like meat dishes?”

When Ragnar opened the window near the coachman and said something, the destination changed. Christa plucked up the courage to ask him.

“Are we going to a presiding judge?”

“Huh? No, we’re going to my house”

It was not a lie that they’re going to the Duke’s house, because the carriage really stopped in front of the mansion owned by the Argonod family.

A town house owned by the Duke of Argonod, just outside the capital. It was a mansion that could not be compared to Palmaril’s.

The square building, which has a six-stories and symmetrical structure, consists of classical arched pillars from east, west, north, and south, and there was a huge courtyard and fountain in the middle.

Argonod’s estate was in the northern Wishus, but the capital’s townhouse, the Palatium, was used from spring to early summer during the capital’s social season. It was an admirable wealth to own and manage such a huge mansion just for social use.

‘Why the hell did we come here?’

Rather, the fact that she had been dragged home amplified her fear along with the terrible anxiety.

Obviously, what she committed was a serious crime, so it was natural for her to be sent to court-martial. But the fact that he brought her to his private land…….

‘Does he want revenge?’

It would be no business for him to get rid of a humble woman like her in this spacious mansion.

Argonod, the hero of the North and the guardian of the border. Wishes is a border area that frequently checks forces that target the empire in all directions. There was a rumor that the army guarding the border was larger than the standing army of the capital. That force alone can sufficiently threaten the current state of the Imperial Family.

She dared to touch Ragnar, the head of such a dukedom. She was not only deceiving him and extorting things, but she even caused injury.

It was obvious why Ragnar suddenly visited the Palmaril estate. Of course it was to reprimand Christa. It is inevitable.

It’s what she’s thinking now, but she can’t stop her hands from shaking. It was something that she’s done without any context.

Her pale face faded even more.

But it worked out for the better. It didn’t make much difference to Christa, whether she died on her own or on his hands. Thinking about it like that made her feel much better.

The carriage door opened and somehow Ragnar reached out to her. Christa hesitated for a long time whether to hold that hand or not. She had no choice but to hold it.

At the front door of the mansion, the employees who were waiting for the return of the owner stood in line.

“Are you back, my lord?”

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