HGOS – Chapter 56

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“Honey.”

“Hm?”

“Can you go out alone later?”

“Later? When?”

“When you go to greet Count Axios. Mm, I guess not, right? I’m still the lady of Greze Castle, so it would be wrong not to show my face…”

“Why? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, it’s not that. I just don’t feel like it.”

Zester, who had been looking slightly dazed at her question, didn’t hesitate long before nodding.

“Alright, do that. I’ll go out alone.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I have no intention of forcing you if you don’t want to. You’re really not sick, right?”

“Yes, really.”

Cassia stared at Zester’s worried face, then rose from the bed. She walked slowly to the window overlooking the outside and her heart felt strangely unsettled.

Why wouldn’t Cassia have wanted to be loved and given attention? She had the mind of a grown adult now, but in her past, as a young seventeen-year-old girl, her indifferent husband had caused her endless heartache. It would be a lie to say she didn’t mourn those years. But now, as though trying to make up for all that past pain, her once-cold husband was endlessly sweet. gentle.

It made her want, just once, to act spoiled. To see how much he truly cherished her.

“Come to think of it, I wanted to laze around and not do anything after coming here. But in the end, I’ve been so busy.”

“I agree.”

She felt him step closer behind her.

Hm. She had no memory of ever acting childish or pouting to her parents or her husband, so she had no idea how to do it. Cassia thought for a moment before speaking.

“…If it gets too hard, I’m just going to lie down and do nothing.”

Is that the best I can do?! Just as I thought, people who’ve never slacked off don’t know how to do it.

She thought it was a pathetic attempt at a tantrum, and Zester’s reaction was exactly as expected.

“You don’t have to do anything right now. If you’re saying this, you must be really tired. Don’t worry about the wig business you’re preparing. I’ve been studying and getting all the progress reports from Paul. I may not be perfect, but I’ll take care of it.”

At his earnest reply, Cassia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She remembered how Estella and Allen always threw tantrums that flustered people the most. Now she understood, the urge to act childishly wasn’t unfamiliar after all. But she still laughed at herself. To think she wanted to test the new, changed Zester in this way.

“Hmm.”

She smoothed her furrowed brow and turned to him.

“I want to visit the capital. Is that okay?”

“The capital? That’s not difficult…”

Zester immediately started to answer, then paused.

Indeed, going to the capital wasn’t hard. The Imperial Capital, Keshetra, was in the north, and it was only half a day’s ride by carriage. It wasn’t a hard journey. If they could go to the southern Ruberno territory, why couldn’t they go to the capital?

Cassia must know this, too, so this request was likely not just about going to the capital. It was probably about wanting to go to the First Princess Iskria Simonee’s birthday festival, which was currently the talk of the capital.

But was Zester in any position to be invited to a royal event? If Cassia were still the daughter of Count Ruberno, she would have been invited to the capital, to the Imperial Palace, specifically, with her father.

Cassia, puzzled that he didn’t finish his sentence, turned to meet his eyes. Zester, staring at her tilting head, averted his gaze and his cheeks flushed as he mumbled.

“Right… the capital. Yes.”

“So we can go together, right? We should get there in time for the princess’ birthday festivities. There will be a lot going on in the capital.”

She had said it outright, ‘the birthday festivities.’ To Zester, it sounded like she wanted to enter the Imperial Palace, which was a privilege reserved for ‘real’ nobles.

Cassia, on the other hand, was puzzled by Zester’s lukewarm reaction. She, who was born and raised in a renowned count’s family, knew better than anyone that his meager territory and title were not enough to receive a royal invitation. She wasn’t even thinking of entering the palace. She just wanted to ‘stamp her face’ in the capital and make an appearance.

“Anyway, let’s prepare to go to the capital after we send Count Axios off.”

“…Alright.”

Whatever she said, he only nodded.

Cassia decided to give up on her pointless pouting and, swallowing her somewhat complicated feelings, stepped closer to him.

Today, Zester had dressed properly for the count’s visit.

Cassia straightened his slightly crooked coat collar and cravat, looking up at him. He, too, looked back at her, his eyes somewhat dejected for some reason.

Silence.

Zester, feeling awkward first, cleared his throat and looked away. As he wondered how to change the subject, he suddenly remembered something Paul had told him.

“Oh, right. I heard you’ve grown fond of a new maid.”

“Ah, Clara. Yes.”

“That’s good. I was worried, since I can’t be by your side all day. I thought it would be good if you had someone you can get along with. I’m really glad.”

Just as Cassia was wondering how to bring up Clara, Zester mentioned her first. Cassia paused, thinking.

She planned to punish Matthew Holton properly. She had no intention of gently coaxing him with money to get Clara away, like in her past life. She wanted Zester to use his authority as lord to punish Matthew for every single thing he had done. That plan hadn’t changed, but what Cassia was newly concerned about was…

‘I can’t keep treating my husband like a scarecrow forever. He’s not a newborn baby. He’s a proper noble and a lord. I can’t spoon-feed him everything.’

She was worried about Zester, who was still severely lacking as a lord. She was going to die in ten years, and she couldn’t stay by his side forever to teach him everything.

He had to be able to manage the territory on his own. The punishment of criminals in the territory. That was the lord’s authority, and it was directly related to the dignity he was expected to show.

“Honey, I’m suddenly curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“How do you punish the people of the territory when they commit a crime?”

“Punish?”

Zester’s expression went blank.

In truth, since becoming lord three years ago, he had never once punished a subject.

To be fair, there had never been a situation that required it. The Greze territory consisted of only two small villages, so the population was, of course, tiny.

Because of that, all the families maintained close relationships, knowing each other’s business. For a crime to be serious enough to require the lord’s direct intervention, like assault or murder, it would have to be reported to the castle. But in three years, no such crime had ever occurred.

He recalled receiving a few reports about minor disputes, but those were all handled as paperwork, and he had left the judgment to Paul. So, he didn’t really have an answer for Cassia.

Zester shrugged, smiling awkwardly.

“Our people are simple folk… It’s never escalated to the point where I had to intervene.”

It was the answer she expected. Cassia rubbed her forehead and sighed.

“Wait, why do you sigh? Isn’t that a good thing? It means everyone is living honestly.”

“Of course. But you never know what might happen. What will you do if someone reports a crime to the castle tomorrow? For instance, how would you punish a good-for-nothing husband who forces himself on his wife in bed, drinks all the time, and hits her? Should we just leave it be, since it’s a matter ‘between husband and wife’?”

“What?! Someone like that exists?”

“If they did.”

Zester scratched his head and replied.

“Well, if a report like that came in, I’d have to think about it…”

He said that, but he didn’t seem particularly worried. He seemed to be thinking, Surely, there’s no one like that in this tiny territory.

Cassia swallowed a sigh and finished adjusting his clothes.

“Yes. Please think about it carefully. Now, you’d better go. The Count you praise so endlessly will be here soon.”

“Oh, right.”

“I’ll take my time getting ready and come down around lunchtime. That’s fine, right?”

As unpleasant as it was to see Count Axios’s face, she had to discuss the upcoming territory war and as the lady of the castle, she had to show the courtesy of greeting him. So, she added that, albeit reluctantly.

Zester’s face lit up.

“Yes! That’s perfect!”

He looked so happy, smiling ear to ear, like a carefree fool that Cassia couldn’t help but smile back.  A small laugh escaped her lips.

***

From her room on the second floor, Cassia could clearly see Zester welcoming Axios’s grand procession.

Count Bertol Axios arrived with a massive entourage that seemed utterly out of place in the humble Greze. He didn’t look much different from when she met him in Viche. No, he didn’t look any different from before her return in time. Nothing had changed about him, but to the eyes of Cassia, who had lived 28 years, she could finally see it.

The inhuman coldness and ambition in his somewhat chilly gaze.

People with eyes like that usually didn’t care about the means to an end, as long as they achieved their goal. A close example was her own father, Count Ruberno. Though he, at least, wasn’t completely devoid of humanity.

‘My father might be the better of the two.’

This was a man who, in her past life, had not only boldly propositioned her to be his mistress.  And now, with hindsight, she realized he had undoubtedly thought of Zester as nothing more than a chess piece. And foolish Zester treated him like a comrade-in-arms, more important than his own life.

For him to send a letter saying he would personally visit this unremarkable territory, and then to show up as if his feet were on fire the moment he got a reply, he must be scheming something this time, too.

‘Maybe he thinks Greze seems to be doing better with an army and all, and wants to solidify the relationship?’

But to go to the trouble of coming ‘personally’ to Greze… Cassia, having judged Count Axios as a man who moved purely for profit, was trying hard to gauge his true intentions.

“Ah.”

Just then, Bertol, who had finished greeting Zester and was about to enter the castle, lifted his head.

Just then, as he finished greeting Zester and turned toward the castle, Bertol lifted his head. And as if by design, his eyes locked with Cassia’s. Perhaps it was her imagination, but the corner of his mouth seemed to curve into a smirk.

Their eyes met for only an instant. It was impossible to tell if he had looked her way on purpose or if it was just a coincidence.

But for some reason, the locked gaze felt incredibly heavy. Bertol soon tore his eyes away and followed Zester into the castle. Cassia’s gaze, following him, was sharp.

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