“Please, please try to forgive me…”

“That’s my line, isn’t it? When will you open your heart to me?”

The sun is still high. A woman and a man facing each other in an empty corridor. One of them had their arms against the wall, and the other one in between. The so-called wall slam.

The man’s mouth swayed as if he was trying to hold himself back, and the woman glared upwards at him.

“A place like this… If someone sees us…”

“We’d both be in trouble. If you understand, then what about just saying the words I want to hear?”

“That’s…”

“Well then, Renee, answer me… What is my husband’s favourite type of woman?”

“Please forgive me. Even if it is a command from you, I cannot speak openly of such important things. Even if you forced me to expose myself, no one can expose my heart which is devoted to him..!”

“Hmph! In that case, perhaps I shall ask your body, as you wish! I’m looking forward to seeing how much you can endure!”

“Ah! Please stop doing things like this..! I have a healthy mother left in the countryside with still working legs and loins…”

“…You two, what are you doing?”

Edward, the husband, peeking down the corridor. Me, pushing my husband’s aide against the wall and interrogating him in the deserted corridor, and Renee, the flippant aide smiling and waving at my husband from between my arms.

Before this scene, Edward looked like he was getting a headache.

Ah… Maybe I got a bit ahead of myself.

A man with bright straw-coloured hair wearing the Liditz Territorial Guard uniform.

Do you remember? It is the person who was in the room with my husband when I first broke into the office.

He is called Renee. He is the fourth son of the Viscount family, also called the right hand of Margrave Edward Bartoshek, and the number two of the Liditz Territorial Guard.

In the novel, in addition to this, he was the man in charge of teaching Alfred the military side of things.

Alfred, who grew up under the care of Edward, a faceless man with no interest in his family other than to use his son as a tool to usurp the throne, was able to grow up in a cheerful and respectable manner largely because of this man.

He is a mood maker with a bright and funny personality. Known for his skill as a swordsman, he has absolute loyalty towards his lord, Edward. As such, he was sincere and close towards Alfred, the heir. While being aware of Edward’s plot, he raised Alfred in such a way that he would not simply become a puppet. He could be called a second father, or a teacher.

If he is an ally of Alfred, then we are of the same mind. Basically, I guess he’s my ally too? So I tried to get him to reveal some personal information about Edward, but he wouldn’t open his mouth at all. What was all that about being my ally?

“I am not doing anything. Of course, I have not touched a finger onto the lady. Lady Justina has forcibly…”

When Renee brazenly started speaking, I quickly put up my right hand.

“Objection! Renee is performing an act in order to confuse me, the lady of the house! Is this how a gentleman should treat women!? He should be re-educated!”

“Hey, please wait a bit! Is it befitting of a lady to traumatize a soldier with re-education?!”

“Be quiet, both of you.”

With an even lower voice than usual, Edward suddenly silenced both of us.

Just like his voice, the atmosphere was also more overbearing than usual. It’s Renee’s fault. I’m sure of it.

“…I don’t want to say things like this, but are you willing to accept anyone as long as it’s a man?”

“No way, how can you say something like that!? All I wish for is to give birth to a boy from you, my dear husband! Accept anyone… Such insulting words!”

After hearing the screams of my heart, my husband fell into silence while holding the temples of his head, and Renee was still looking at me as if he had seen a sudden rare beast appear in the room.

“…Then, why did you touch this thing?”

Oh, “you”, huh? That’s rare.

He usually speaks to me so formally.

Too bad for Renee, suddenly being called “this thing”.

“Lady Justina keeps asking me to speak to her of the type of woman that My Lord would like.”

“Dear Husband. Perhaps re-education is necessary after all, seeing as he so openly reveals a private conversation with a lady? I can be the one to educate him, if that would be acceptable.”

Renee and I glared at each other.

This loose-tongued man is getting ahead of himself. How can he be so disrespectful in his manners towards his respectable lord’s wife?

“…Why do you want to learn about my favourite type of women now?”

“My dear husband, if you prefer plump, self-indulgent bodies, I’m not up to that yet, so why don’t we take a measure such as keeping our clothes on in the bedroom?”

My husband held his head and hung it low. Renee is rolling on the ground laughing next to us.

Aren’t tendencies and countermeasures important? I don’t get it.

We have dinner together every night. We’re starting to talk more than we did before, and I can clearly say that we are getting closer both emotionally and physically.

We should be ready to make children.

But, why!? Are we still in a “pure” relationship!?

“Perhaps all that is left for me to do is to sneak into your bedroom, dear husband.”

“You’re gonna get chased out, you know? You definitely will.”

Daniella is tough with me again today. She is also an ally of my husband, who is her employer. I’m completely helpless with no support.

I’d like to ask Justina from the novel about this. I wonder how she managed to get this Edward guy into bed? Perhaps she was not a simple secluded princess, after all? Maybe they didn’t give any details about it, since it’s a novel for all ages? Tell me, Miss. Justina!

I looked up to the window, and sighed deeply.

I’m continuing the exercises in order to escape ill-health. I took a walk in the garden with Daniella today.

I call it a garden, but it does not have the elegance of an arbour or walking paths that one would imagine in a noble’s mansion. Although one part of the garden has been planted with flowers and is being tended to, the Bartoshek Residence’s garden feels more like a “forest” to me.

It was explained to me that since it was in the hands of a gardener, it was not a “natural forest”, but I personally have no idea what the difference is. I could easily call it a “forest”. There are a lot of trees close together, so I judged that it was a forest.

Further, it’s very wide. If you carelessly go too deep, you might get lost. As such, I make sure that I’m not alone when I’m taking walks in the garden… Honestly, I doubt that I would even be searched for if I went in alone and got lost. I’m still a countess though, you know?

Exhaling again and looking up through the trees, I return my gaze to the sky.

Then, something moved in the corner of my line of sight.

This is a forest so there may be small animals around, and I’ve definitely seen birds or squirrels in the past. However, this was a human.

I quietly sigh in relief that it was not a bear or anything like that. Even if this is the feudal lord’s mansion garden and not actually a forest.

The gardener would at least salute me from the distance, but this person is approaching me in silence. They’re dressed like a local, and as I was wondering what they wanted with me, Daniella asked in a stiff voice: “Who would you be?”

I guess Daniella doesn’t know either.

It has been less than a year since I got married. There are probably many faces that I don’t know who rarely leave the house, but if even Daniella who has been working for Bartoshek for five years doesn’t know this person, that’s a different thing.

I was cautious. Cautious of the man approaching us without saying a single thing.

“Please stop right there, can’t you hear?”

I spoke so with a harsh voice also. Then, the man stopped, as if in reaction to that voice.

He must be about five meters away from us.

“…Is there something you want?”

I had intended to have asked so with caution, but Daniella gave me a look of criticism from the side. But, I mean, come on.

“You’re Justina Bartoshek, right?”

Without replying to my question, the man replied so while looking down on me.

This is bad. I desperately hold back the urge to run away. I’m afraid of aggravating the man by making even the slightest movement.

After all, that wasn’t really a question. It was a confirmation. Further, he holds such an attitude to me, even while knowing who I am.

I’ve lived my days being looked down upon and despised in the royal palace, but this is different.

If there was an alarm system inside me, it would be ringing at maximum level right now. That my life was in danger.

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Chapter 8>