Chapter 23

Episode 23

Even though during first debut, she was drunk and messed up, it was good that returned to society the following year by receiving an invitation from a duke.

“Kicking all that luck and going through a hard road with her own feet.”

Chloe smiled softly as the Viscount pressed his temple and shook his head.

“Wait and see. Alice will happily ever after, overshadowing the worries of my father and I.”

The Viscount looked at Chloe with deep affectionate eyes. Chloe put down the teacup and patted her thighs with a thump, thump sound as if her legs were hurting.

“Put your legs on the sofa, Chloe.”

“No, father. It’s fine.”

Chloe quickly lowered her hand and straightened her posture. Correcting her posture is a result of learning from a young age, but it was only natural that it sometimes looked pitiful.

“…father.”

Chloe blinked as she watched Viscount carefully place her legs on the stool. Since she couldn’t use her strength on one leg, she had to put too much strength and pressure on her left leg. As the days got colder, her muscles stiffen faster and she felt tired.

“Chloe.”

“Yes.”

Viscount sat close to her and began to massage his daughter’s stiffened legs. Taking off her shoes, the Viscount hesitated at his words, while rubbing her calves, ankles and feet.

“In my eyes, Alice and you are still my young daughters.”

Chloe saw the Viscount who wouldn’t make eye contact with her. Did something happen in Swan? Chloe started to get a little worried as she recalled the face of her father, whom he loved like his child, saying that he had bought delicious snacks from the capital.

“In the eyes of parents, all children are like that. Maybe even when I become a grandmother, I will still look like the young Chloe to my father.”

His own eyes were reddened to see Chloe soothing him with a friendly voice.

“I know. You have now become a decent duchess, and you should have gotten out of my arms sooner.”

Unlike Alice, who kicked herself out for her happiness, Chloe knew well that she was a daughter who couldn’t. It is said that there are no sore fingers by biting her ten fingers, but that’s why he loves Chloe so much.

“I want to live in this castle with my father and servants, forever.”

Viscount Verdier didn’t mean he didn’t read the capital’s gossip. It was Chloe who persuaded her furious father and stopped him from sending a telegraph to the Duke immediately.

She managed to prevent him from contacting the Duke with a serious persuasion that it would be funnier to respond to third-rate newspapers that write ghost stories or nonsense stories for fun.

“The duke also said that it is his duty to be by his majesty’s side.”

The Duke sent a dry reply to the letter the Viscount Verdier had written after thinking about it for three days and nights. The fact that the king was lying on a sickbed was a fact that all the nobles knew, so it couldn’t be added as an excuse.

“Yes, but it seems that his Majesty has finally recovered his health.”

“…..What?”

Chloe raised her head and blinked. Suddenly, an uneasy feeling crossed her heart .

“It’s a good thing. Don’t you think so? Chloe?”

“O-of course. It’s a good thing. Father.”

It was blasphemy to not to rejoice at the news that the sun of the Kingdom had regained his health. Chloe hurriedly drew a cross and offered a brief prayer, but her heart was beating rapidly. The official reason why the Duke left for the capital was because his Majesty was in poor condition, which allowed her to continue staying in Verdier, her home.

“Chloe.”

The Viscount smiled with his teary eyes as he pulled out a letter from his arms

“I met the duke in Swan. I bought the letter myself before he was about to send you a telegram.”

The cold wind shook the window of the parlour. The nail-sized moon was foretelling that the night would be very long. Chloe tried hard to smile and read the letter.

It was the first letter she received after half a year, but the moment she saw the letter, she felt as if she could hear his voice. Chloe swallowed her dry saliva, recognizing that his face, which naturally came into her mind, was much clearer than her memory.

“It was the first time we met in person since the wedding, but the Duke knew everything that happened in our territory.”

That’s because Chloe sent a letter close to the report once a week.

“It means that even though he was physically away, his mind has been caring about the place where you are.”

Chloe was not strong enough to correct her poor father’s happy illusion. As soon as she nodded, the Viscount opened his eyes wide and spoke.

“After meeting him…  I also asked straight-forward about the terrible scandal.  I am your father, no matter what anyone says.”

“F- father.”

With a solemn expression on his face, the Viscount smiled and embraced her in his arms.

“He swore on Tisse’s name, and said he had never done anything against his sacred marriage obligations.”

Chloe closed her eyes once and opened them. The Duke and this marriage was far from sacred. As far as she knew, he was a shameless man who would be proud of himself even if he had had an affair with every woman in the capital.

Chloe could easily guess how much her weak-hearted father would have thanked him. He might have held his hand and shed tears. How much did the duke sneer while watching her father begging him to take good care of his daughter?

“It’s time to let you go happily.”

I don’t want to go, father.

Chloe swallowed her heart and gave strength to the arm that was holding him.

“Don’t worry, father.”

The duke’s handwriting flickered in her blurry vision.

The perfect handwriting, scrawled without hesitation, gave the illusion that it was piercing through her insides

***

On the day of leaving, Chloe did not cry in front of her father. Viscount Verdier burst into laughter asking why did she packed so many luggages, saying there wouldn’t be any shortages in Tisse but he eventually burst into tears in front of the servants

“Gray. Take my daughter safely. Please.”

“Don’t worry, master.”

Tisse Duchy was a long distance from the capital Swan, to the north by train for two days. After arriving at Swan’s railway station, where people came and went busily, Gray opened the door of the carriage and asked carefully.

“Lady, would you like to stop by the Rose Palace?”

The villa where the duke was staying was right in front of the railway station. Chloe looked at Gray and shook his head.

“No. Let’s leave right away.”

Looking at Chloe’s swollen eyes, Gray no longer asked anything. He helped Chloe board on the train, unloaded all her luggage from the wagon, and transferred it to the cargo compartment. After temporarily leaving it in a carriage in front of the railway station, a ticket inspector called him up when he got on the train. While checking the ticket, he glanced at him and asked.

“You’re Gray Wilson?”

“Yes.”

“Go to first class. Your owner paid you a fortune and changed the ticket. Looks like you’ve met a generous owner. Or a very wealthy one.”

Only then did Gray realize that his seat had been changed from third to first class. Gray put on his hat and hurriedly opened the first-class door where Chloe was waiting.

“Lady.”

“Yes, gray.”

“I don’t mind if it’s a cargo compartment.”

Chloe smiled lightly and beckoned him.

“There will be plenty of time to be alone in the future.”

When she reached Tisse estate, Gray had to return back.  Then Chloe will really have to start a new life as a Duchess with strangers.

“I want to travel with you during this journey.”

Chloe hardly slept during the two-day trip. Gray could not tell what thoughts were passing by the duchess’ head, who was quietly blinking with an unknown expression.

With a honk, the train ran toward Tisse, the last stop. The place, which seems to have already reached the peak of winter, was a white landscape with snow piled up all around. Snow piled up on birch trees that stretched high toward the top to receive even a little more sun, and every time a bird flew, the snow flew quietly.

Chloe fixed her gaze over the window where she felt the cold air. The birch trees of Tisse, from which she had asked the duke to make her cane, stretched endlessly in the great forest. In the train running briskly with the seemingly never-ending forest on either side, Chloe thought of Duke Tisse.

The vastness of a different dimension from Verdier and the bitter cold of the north that seemed to freeze everything. The land where the duke was born was indeed a place suitable for him.  And now, this will be the place where she will spend the rest of her life.

The huge snowy landscape seemed to herald her marriage in the future. In this cold and lonely land, will I be able to do well?

Chloe bit her lip, hiding her pale face behind the veil on her hat.

“We have arrived, miss.”

Chloe took a deep breath and stood up. It was the moment for her to face the inevitable reality. While the Tisse’s winter breeze caressed her face coldly.

***