IMBSM 11

Chapter: 11

Only then, as if he had finally remembered the original topic, Guillermo abruptly straightened his posture. The answer that followed was just as difficult to interpret.

“Ever since I was captured and brought here, that man has always been depressed.”

When Ivenia gave him a look demanding clarification, Guillermo added in a frustrated tone,

“I mean he wasn’t in any state to free a slave just because he was in a good mood.”

So Sir Max wasn’t the only one who wanted to leave this place.

No wonder his attitude toward his master had always been insolent—he’d been harboring a long-standing rebellion in his heart.

Now she could somewhat understand why Guillermo had dismissed Sir Max from sight, calling him noisy.

He himself had endured here for two hundred years, yet a mere successor who had lived only three years was crying and begging to be released. How irritating that must have looked.

“I know a thing or two about humans. I’ve watched plenty of plays that condense the whole of human life. I’ve also read more books than most people. Because of that, I understand well that love is a feeling that shakes a human to their very roots. Just look at the master—he’s been suffering for hundreds of years because he can’t forget his first love.”

“…So you’re saying you’ll find Lord Ram a new love?”

As if finally speaking with someone who understood him, Guillermo snapped his fingers loudly.

Ivenia, meanwhile, was finding him harder and harder to comprehend.

It seemed Guillermo held the exact opposite opinion from hers when it came to Agram.

Calmly, she objected.

“But Lord Ram has no intention of being with any woman other than his former wife.”

“How do you know that?”

“Pardon?”

“He’s been holed up in this worn-out castle for over four hundred years, barely seeing people except from three hundred meters in the air, sleeping alone. How exactly would he get a lover? He doesn’t even meet anyone.”

As if a dialect had burst out of him, Guillermo fired back without taking a breath.

Ivenia found herself speechless.

Unexpectedly, his argument had logic.

For new love to bloom, one first needed someone to meet.

And Agram seemed so accustomed to his reclusive life that he had once spent ten years doing nothing but lying in bed.

Living in such harsh surroundings, few would visit unless they had ulterior motives like Sir Max.

And if one limited the criteria to women, the number would be even smaller.

But…

“Even so, Guillermo, if you’ve watched many plays, you should know that in stories like this, the proper ending is usually for separated lovers to reunite and live happily.”

“I know that too. But plays and reality are different.”

So he knew that himself?

He had proposed love as a solution as if intoxicated by romance, yet now he drew a firm line between ideal and reality.

She couldn’t tell whether he was realistic or not.

In an uncharacteristically pessimistic tone, Guillermo continued,

“Isn’t that right? There are so many women in this world, yet he insists on looking at only one for his entire life. Why do something so foolish? Even if he meets her again, she won’t live a hundred years before dying once more. She’ll never even know who the master met while she was gone.”

Guillermo fumed as though he truly couldn’t understand.

He seemed thoroughly fed up with his master’s tiresome devotion.

Objectively speaking, his argument was quite realistic.

Enduring eternity for the sake of a single fleeting moment was hardly rational.

Ivenia slowly stepped toward the window.

Standing a pace away from Guillermo, she gently placed her hand over the lingering image he had created.

In the meantime, the small Ram who had returned to the mansion had crawled back into bed, leaving behind Guillermo, who was clutching a rag and crying.

Rubbing the bulging mound of blankets with her fingertips, Ivenia spoke.

“Who knows? Maybe it’s because that kind of thing is real. Someone precious doesn’t change so easily. And if a heart can be easily replaced, then it was never precious to begin with.”

A low murmur slipped from Guillermo’s lips.

No rebuttal followed.

Though he had brought Ivenia here in desperation, it didn’t seem he had placed any great expectations on the surrogate bride.

For her to make Ram forget the woman he had loved all his life—

There was no way a fake like her could accomplish something so great.

Ivenia bowed her head politely.

“Guillermo, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can help with your plan. I don’t believe Lord Ram will ever love someone other than my sister.”

“Try, at least!”

“Love isn’t something you can achieve through effort.”

At her firm reply, Guillermo muttered a quiet curse.

Ivenia watched as he slid down the wall and sank to the floor.

She hadn’t realized before, since she had always looked up at him, but even the crown of his head was beautiful.

She didn’t know why he wore a mask, but even from the faint lines visible, she could tell an extraordinary beauty was hidden beneath.

Had he been this beautiful even before putting on a human form?

The day Ram’s mood became “good enough to free a slave” would likely come soon.

If she simply revealed the truth, both Ram and Guillermo could achieve the dream they had long desired.

The problem was how Ichi would accept the additional months of labor.

It would be troublesome if he thought I had deceived him.

After a moment’s consideration, Ivenia bent her knees and crouched beside Guillermo. Meeting his eyes, she spoke gently.

“Instead, while I’m here, I’ll teach you the etiquette of true nobles. So that when the real bride comes, you’ll be able to serve her properly. Enough that Lord Ram will be so moved by your sincerity that he declares your pardon.”

“…Was there something wrong with my etiquette?”

“It’s alright. You only learned human customs by watching from the sidelines. You’re not even truly human, yet you’ve done quite well already.”

They say you can’t spit on a smiling face.

If she supported him in every way, surely he wouldn’t stab her in the back.

That thought suddenly reminded her of a similar experience, but Ivenia simply smiled without showing it.

“So if you learn properly, you’ll definitely do even better.”

Instead of immediately accepting the offer, Guillermo stared intently at her face for a moment.

Then he suddenly said,

“My master is truly strange.”

“How so?”

“To ignore a woman like you and cling to some rotten bones instead—I really don’t understand.”

“…”