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Published at 4th of December 2022 08:18:40 PM


Chapter 22

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Chapter 22

“You’re not enough to see every time, again and again.”

“What is that?”

Iellie let out a small laugh. Her pale green eyes gazed at him warmly, as always. “Are you tired? Meet the Duke first, then go in and rest.”

“….”

“Zachary?”

She tilts her head and calls out to him. Zachary, who had been staring intently at her face, was surprised and looked at Iellie, and bit his lip.

Her tenderness is so sweet that he sometimes forgets that she and he are looking at each other at different temperatures.

“I know you think of me like a little brother.”

Each time he realizes that Iellie’s warmth to him was not because she was interested in him like the opposite sex, his heart cools. Still, he couldn’t let her go because she was the only light and reason in his life.

“Nothing.”

He smiled awkwardly.

Seeing that, she stared at him with her bewildered expression. at that time.

“Heir Apparent, Lady Hessenweitz has insulted me. Besides, in front of the maid!”

Perhaps this was the time the Countess rushed to Zachary. She even made a pitiful expression on her face.

“Ah, aunt. Long time no see.”

Zachary turned his head as if he had recognized Countess Laurent.

At that, the Countess froze on the spot for a moment. It was because the friendly smile she saw when he saw Iellie was gone, and his expression was very cold.

“I heard you were coming, but honestly, I’m not happy.”

“Heir, Heir Apparent?”

“Because Iellie is angry.”

“….”

The Countess bit her lip. His dark blue gaze is fierce as though it would pierce her through.

“Len isn’t a person who gets angry easily, so obviously aunt must have done something wrong.”

“Heir Apparent, it’s not like that.”

“And, unfortunately, I also heard what my aunt had said just now.”

Saying so, Zachary stared at her obliquely. Blue eyes as cold as ice. Full of ridicule. “Perhaps, you asked if the power of winter can solve all problems?”

The Countess immediately noticed that Zachary was in a bad mood.

He stood gloomy as he continued his words.

“I think I know what aunt thought of me.”

He was now almost sarcastic. His tone was so fierce that the Countess’ face turned white.

“All-around monster that solves all the troublesome problems. Isn’t that what it is?”

“Why do you say that? How dare I do that?”

“Then, please explain what you mean.”

At those words, the Countess became mute. After a while, she somehow pulls up excuses and goes back and forth.

“I, I just did it because I was happy that the Duke had such a powerful power.”

“Are you happy to have great powers?”

“Yes, that’s right! Because of the power of Hessenweitz, the Imperial family can’t cross the North, doesn’t it?”

This was the Northern noble most familiar apart from the Imperial Family, she said. Zachary narrowed his eyes.

“If that’s the opinion of Countess Laurent… Well, that’s a bit sad.”

Aside from saying that he was sad, his expression was sharp. Zachary glared down at the Countess coldly.

“If the power of winter is such a noble power, why have I been living with contempt all this time?”

“Who dares to despise the successor of Hessenweitz?!”

“From above—my father, and from below—the nobles of the North like you.”

But, his voice didn’t waver. Zachary tilted his head and smiled.

“I was brought up with a lot of contempt, didn’t I?”

“….!”

The Countess bit her lips once more. She wanted to refute something, though it was a complicated look with nothing to refute.

Zachary spoke softly to her. His voice was as eventful as a spring day.

“There was no one in the North who did not disdain me except for Iellie.”

He meant that.

Everyone always looking at him with cold eyes. Only Iellie gazed at Zachary and smiled. In a world that was like a prison woven of ice, she was like the asha-flower girl who was warm alone.

“And, there were rude incidents like today, and I have seen the rudeness with my own eyes. The Imperial Family will also accept my opinion that the Countess aunt should stop. Isn’t it?”

“Heir Apparent…!”

“The woman who dares to argue the woman who will become the Mistress of Hessenweitz.”

The Countess somehow tried to make an excuse for herself. Although Zachary didn’t even think to listen to that.

“Aunt doesn’t seem to be of any help to Len’s education…”

The dark blue eyes looked at the Countess up and down. Eventually, the young man’s eyes narrowed nicely.

“How about taking a break from education?”

As he ended his words, the Countess’s face was contorted red.

Even so, she was the mistress of Zachary’s maternal family house and was the educator sent directly from the Imperial Family. Her self-esteem had been quite damaged, so the Countess’ voice suddenly rose.

“I, I am the Heir Apparent’s aunt. How could you do this to me!”

“Isn’t a wife a lot closer than an aunt?”

Zachary cut off the Countess’ words with a gentle voice. He shrugged his shoulders and stared at his aunt.

“Besides, aunt is really rude.”

“I, I…!”

“Do you believe that all such arrogant behavior will be accepted just because you are my aunt…”

As a relative barely seeing his face growing up, acting as if she were his mother was brazen.

“Be aware of your own position.”

Hearing this, the Countess recalled the hierarchy between the Duke and the Countess. Her face was wrinkled.

“You’re in trouble if you act like this, I’ll tell the Duke everything about this!”

“Is that so? Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

The Countess clenched her teeth. Now, she was talking about things she couldn’t even say.

“His Majesty the Emperor will be offended by this today!”

“Aha. Emperor?”

Those words touched Zachary’s nerves. The Countess hardened her body.

He then said as if singing his words. “It’s okay for His Majesty to be offended. But…”

Monster.

The Countess murmured into her mouth.

Blue eyes like a glacier that never melts. The pressure unique to the silver dragon’s bloodline, as well as the momentum of a knight who had reached a master’s level, overlapped.

The Countess felt her breath choking. It felt as if someone had raised their hand and strangled her neck with all their might.

Zachary laughed.

“Countess Laurent. You seem to have forgotten where the Countess lives?”

“…Uhk, heuk. Heo—uhk…”

“This is the North, and the lord of the North is Hessenweitz.”

Now, the Countess couldn’t even breathe.

Looking at the blue face, he continues.

“As far as I can remember, all the nobles of the North pay an oath of allegiance to Heisenweitz.”

Zachary said coolly.

Uhk, keuh, uhuk…!

Instead of an answer, the Countess grabbed her neck and struggled with it.

“My mother is from your family, so I am enduring your arrogance now.”

Zachary took a step forward. Winter moon-like eyes cannot contain even a single piece of warmth.

“So, I hope you don’t forget. We’re showing a lot of patience.”

It was a strangely soft voice.

The Countess peered up at Zachary with a terrified look on her face.

“The North can reclaim the throne at any time. Do you understand?”

At the same time, she gasped for breath. Literal tears welled up in the countess’ eyes. She gasps “Heok, uhuk. Huk—huk.”

“Go back.”

“….”

The Countess chose to hastily turn around rather than say more.

The appearance of the back that disappeared quickly was quite shabby, unlike the usual proud appearance that confronted Iellie.

She muttered hopelessly.

“Zachary, if you strike the Imperial Family’s limbs like this…”

“No, it’s fine.”

It was completely different from when he was dealing with the Countess earlier. Zachary responded to Iellie with a friendly voice.

“You are a hundred times more precious than the Imperial Family.”

“….”

“Besides, this won’t be enough to cut Countess Laurent out, anyway.”

Countess Laurent was the only northern noble the Imperial Family had managed to make on their side. It was because they could not give up to this extent.

With that thought, Iellie had a complicated face in an instant.

Seeing so, Zachary held her behind her back and hugged her. He put his lips on the back of her head and whispers softly.

“Len.”

“Huh?”

“I am sleepy.”

“Why don’t you go in and sleep?”

She answered him with a bewildered look. In reply, Zachary whined like a child.

“Put me to sleep.”

“…What?”

At his words, she had a surprised face. However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of breaking his stubbornness.

“I mean, I fought a lot with the beasts. I think the corpses of the beasts will appear in my dreams.”

“….”

For a moment, Iellie took a breath. Is that so. Even with such a calm face, Zachary came back to her side after countless tough battles. Her heart hurts.

Turning her back, she asked, “How can I put you to sleep?”

Hearing those words, Zachary rolled his eyes. He seemed to be thinking about it for a while, before whispering softly.

“Well, I think I’ll sleep better if Ien sings a lullaby?”

“I don’t know who you resemble, you’re such an idiot.”

Iellie sulked and gazed at Zachary. A wide smile spread on his face as he held her cheeks and made eye contact with her.

“I don’t know who I resembled.”

“Huh…?”

“You know who made me such an idiot.”

Her eyes narrowed. Zachary faced Iellie’s gaze shamelessly.

She asked back.

“…That, are you talking about me?”

“Correct.”

In response, he tapped her forehead lightly and Iellie let out a long sigh.

“Yes, that’s what you’re doing now.”

“So, you don’t like it?”

He continued his words, “No… you’re going to cry if I say I don’t like it, right?”

Zachary’s expression turned serious in response to the playful answer.

Iellie was in a pinch. No, she thought that this guy’s mentality has become quite strong these days, but he is still whiny like this?

She spoke cautiously.

“Hey, it’s a joke…”

“Maybe.”

“Huh?”

‘No, what does he mean?’

Confused, Iellie wrinkled her brows slightly. Though Zachary was speaking the truth.

“If you start to hate me, I don’t think there’s any meaning to living.”

“Well, you seem to like me too much, then.”

“Is it natural for a couple to respect and care for each other?”

“That…”

In the end, she blinked her eyes and smiled. Iellie then grabbed Zachary’s hand and opened her mouth.

“I can’t say anything. Okay, let’s go into the room.”

He nodded his head gently and followed her. It’s surprising that Zachary’s hand holding her is bigger than she thought.

“It’s like I’m raising a gentle beast that listens to you,” Iellie muttered, smiling softly.

As soon as she enters Zachary’s room, she shoves her husband’s back right away and pushes him into the bathroom.

“You wash up first, okay?”

“You can’t go anywhere.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you.”

She gently waved her hand as she said that. Meanwhile, he gazed at her with suspicious eyes, then slipped into the bathroom.

As she sat in Zachary’s room, Iellie chuckled quietly.

‘Oh my gosh, my husband could be this cute.’

Then she heard the sound of water dripping through the bathroom.

‘Um, this is a little…’

Iellie, who had been listening closely to the sound, groaned and turned her gaze away. She has strangely flushed cheeks.

‘…No, because Zachary is like my little brother!’




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