Chapter 105: Chapter 105

“You have a wound on your face. Are you okay elsewhere? I heard that you weren’t hurt much compared to the seriousness of the accident… Do you still hurt?”

“I’m okay. I have no major injuries, and the wounds are almost healed now. How are you, Daddy? You’re not injured, right? I haven’t seen you for only ten days, but you look so haggard. Didn’t you tell me intentionally you were not sick? Was there a threat or assassination?”

Marianne hurriedly asked a barrage of questions and then swallowed dry saliva. She lowered her voice when she spoke her last words.

Duke Kling smiled graciously and shook his head.

“No. I’m in very good shape. Iric was faithfully by my side, so there was nothing bad. I just want to appreciate your considerations for my safety.”

He gave her a gentle answer, and she felt relieved. Now she began to look for that familiar person that her father mentioned.

“By the way, where is Iric?”

Duke Kling moved a step back and glanced at Iric who was standing on guard nearby.

Marianne approached the black Astolf cape standing alone among the cloaks of the white Eluang Knights.

“Iric.”

“… Lady!” Iric barely opened his mouth.

Although he answered her call, he couldn’t bring up any other topic. He was in a mess, afflicted with a mix of guilt and joy, despair, and responsibility. He felt he wasn’t even qualified to apologize before her.

He carried the sword only for the purpose of defending her, but she was injured.

His hand holding the hilt shook faintly because it could not overcome his grip.

“Thank you, Iric.”

Marianne laughed as if she appreciated his loyalty. Her white hand grasped Iric’s tense arm gently. The cold metal armor that wrapped the joints froze her palm. But the warmth of her hands was hotter and stronger. Soon, her warm body temperature was transferred to his cool body armor.

“Were you surprised very much? I’m fine. Seriously. Didn’t you hear the news brought by the messenger bird? His Majesty was injured more than me. See, I’m walking like this and laughing. Don’t you still believe me? But I’m serious…”

While trying to make eye contact with him, she kept babbling.

Irick looked at her hand instead of making eye contact with her. Something red was reflected in her affectionate hands.

It was a thin, sleek ring made of pure gold.

“Safely…” Iric took a deep breath.

“I’m so glad you have come back safely…”

But he couldn’t finish his words. His filthy and ugly feelings blocked his throat. He felt he could be satisfied with the fact that she was alive, but his cowardly greed turned it upside down in a moment.

Fortunately, Marianne seemed to understand his silence from a slightly different angle.

“Oh, I am happy that you welcomed me safely with my father. I’ve got so many stories to tell you, so let me talk to you when I take a walk with you later. Huh? Got it?”

Iric barely nodded his head. Marianne took her hand off his arm and looked around.

Meanwhile, Duchess Lamont and Marquise Chester, Beatrice, got out of the carriage and were received as warmly as Marianne.

At that moment, Eckart was standing with Colin and Jed, along with their families. He smiled faintly at Jed whose face turned red as he was trying to hold back tears, and Colin kept wiping his tears.

Among them was also Mrs. Renault who regained consciousness after Marianne left Milan.

‘I have to apologize to the countess… ‘

As soon as Marianne left Iric at the right time, a man dressed in black stood in her way.

“…Sir.”

Ober seemed to make a twisted smile at her. His ash-grey eyes looked down at Marianne.

As he put his hands close enough to touch her cheeks, she stepped back unconsciously.

Iric, who had been quietly holding his position, politely supported her and stepped back.

“The wound doesn’t befit your beautiful face.”

Having said that, he dropped his hand. He showed clear displeasure as if he was annoyed her attitude or the wound on her face.

“I was waiting for you to come back safely with the emperor.”

Then he immediately changed his face with a smile and began to say something nice.

It was a white lie that he said he waited for her to come back safely. Maybe it was true in her case because he could think he could still use her to his benefit, but he couldn’t really have hoped for the safe return of the emperor.

The wagon accident at Roshan was an attempt to kill and hurt everybody regardless of title or knightship. More accurately, it was an attempt to murder the emperor by disguising it as an accident, not preplanned treason. Accordingly, what Ober really wanted to tell Marianne was like this: “I was waiting for you to come back safely with the dead emperor.”

Mariane slightly raised her hem, feeling goosebumps. She did not forget to smile at him.

“Thank you for expressing concern about me.”

“As I couldn’t leave the capital because I had to handle foreign affairs, I couldn’t pay as much attention to you as I wanted. As you are fortunately back in Milan, you will see how faithfully I have waited for you.”

Ober reached out again with a gentle smile. His hands were close enough to snatch her wrist. Instead, his attitude was very rude and provocative, given that she had just gotten back from the engagement ceremony as the emperor’s fiancee.

In the end, Iric ran out of his patience while watching him from only one step behind.

At the same time, Ober reached out, a long and dark shadow stood between them.

“You did it at the ball, and again today…”

He grabbed Ober’s wrist and squeezed it with his hand.

As if it was the hand of a civilian official who had held a pen for a long time, it was white, and its bulging knuckles and veins proved that this man was accustomed to weapons.

Marianne was familiar with the hand. She also recognized with his elegant but cold voice.

Above all, she was familiar with the fragrance of his collar that had the scent of the air in the cool winter forest.

“You are always thinking of her safety first.”

She didn’t know when the man, who was meeting other people over there, came over to her. He was none other than Eckart.

Eckart let go of Ober’s hand only after he stood halfway in front of Marianne.

His blue eyes bumped into Ober’s dark sparkling dark eyes.

“I’m surprised you are so faithful in supporting the future empress of Aslan. The joy of the empress who will have a loyal servant is also my joy. Indeed, your loyalty is very deep.”

Ober’s eyes became more ferocious as he clearly knew there was no sincerity at all in Eckart’s praise of him.

“So, how can I not praise you?”

“… I just did what I had to do, so I don’t want any rewards.”

But Ober quickly smiled back. There was sarcasm in the tone of his reply as if he didn’t want to hide displeasure completely.

Eckart correctly read the subtle contempt in his words.

“The modesty of a talented person like you is always pleasant. But this time you owe a lot to me. How long are you going to make me suffer from your debts?”

“… ”

And Ober clearly felt strange confidence in Eckart’s remarks, which had a mix of cheerfulness and instinctive pressure.

“Just stop by my study tomorrow around noon. Don’t refuse my order.”

“… Yes, I’ll do so.”

Ober shook his head, feeling very uncomfortable.

Eckart naturally turned around and looked at Marianne. Her green eyes glistened under the chin. He silently wrapped her arm and tightened his grip gently so it would not hurt in order to convey his message that he was asking for her agreement.

“Marianne, you must be tired as it’s been a long journey. Go back to the mansion and take a rest. I can meet you tomorrow and discuss the reception.”

What she said next was kind of a hint for him. She quickly made an embarrassed look on purpose.

“Oh, I can do without the reception…”

There was an awkward smile on her face.

She intentionally twisted her body slightly. Her dark green eyes quickly gazed at Ober, who was looking at her over his back, hidden by Eckart.

“He doesn’t seem to be stupid enough to reject Your Majesty’s considerations…” she said.

Then she looked up at Ecart again. If anybody who didn’t know her well saw her, she would be seen explaining to the emperor she was in a difficult position at the moment.

Eckart held back the urge to burst into laughter. Trying to keep his face as best he could, Eckart let go of his arm slowly.

Eckart’s palm was empty and warm during that short moment as if his body temperature was transmitted.

“Escort Lady Marianne.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Iric, who stood like a wooden statue behind Marianne, politely replied.

Escorted by Iric, she left for the place where the carriages were lined up.

While she was walking away, she didn’t forget to turn and look at Ober as if she missed him, which was not true, of course.