Chapter 5
She woke with a start, as if someone had thrown cold water over her. Selena bolted upright.
“When did you arrive?” “A long while ago.”
Why had he just stood there watching her?
As Selena blinked in confusion, Calix spoke in a low voice. “Don’t tell me you thought I was going to pounce on you while you were sleeping? I may be a scoundrel, but I’m not that kind of scoundrel.” “……Then why did you take me as your wife?”
What kind of man was her father? Gambling, all sorts of luxuries……. Weren’t his debts piled as high as a mountain? Since Calix had paid off every single one of those debts, he must have bought her for an astronomical sum. Yet, was she truly worth that much? If he wasn’t even going to touch her, then why……?
“My wife is certainly full of questions. Or perhaps you haven’t yet realized that you were sold.”
His voice was ice-cold. Just as he said, it was true that she had been sold. But…… why did his words leave a hollow, aching feeling in her chest? As she lowered her head, a deep sigh accompanied his low voice right beside her ear.
“Let’s be honest. Deep down, you find me terrifying, just like everyone else. But there’s no use regretting it now; the fact that you’ve become my wife won’t change.” “I’ve never thought of you that way.” “…….” “I know very well that Your Grace doesn’t trust me.”
Even if she had lived confined away from the world, how could she fail to recognize the emotion in the eyes looking at her? She wasn’t that foolish. That was precisely why she had felt drawn to him from the very first moment. She liked the eyes that couldn’t trust her, eyes so dry they bordered on freezing. For within those clear eyes, there lurked no malicious intent, nor any evil heart.
“It doesn’t matter what Your Grace thinks of me. But I wish you wouldn’t distort my feelings at will. I have never thought poorly of you.”
Selena uttered each word with a trembling voice. Where on earth had she found the courage to say such a thing? Once she finished speaking, a delayed wave of embarrassment washed over her.
“…….”
Making a mockery of the courage she had summoned, Calix gave no reply. He silently looked down at her for a moment, then turned and left the bedchamber just as he had on the first day.
“I’ve never thought of you that way.”
Absurd nonsense. A mirthless chuckle forced its way past his clenched teeth.
With that, Calix strode over and grabbed his sword. Strapping the weapon to his side—a blade that felt as though it were part of his own body—seemed to soothe his irritation just a fraction. Climbing the spiral stairs for what felt like ages, he emerged onto the wide terrace. A harsh wind, characteristic of the North, whipped sharply across Calix’s cheeks. Beyond the terrace railing, his vast domain stretched far into the distance.
Only nine years ago, it had been a barren wasteland of absolute nothingness, but now it possessed the genuine warmth of human life. Because harsh winters repeated themselves all year round, it was a barren land where not even crops could grow properly. At the time, poor vagrants wandering without homes had traveled all the way to this distant North to carve out a settlement.
Thus, the very first thing Calix did upon receiving this territory was to supply a greenhouse to every single household for their sake, distributing seeds for farming and food to eat immediately. However, the response he received in return was far from welcoming.
“It’s a monster! Aahh!”
How could he ever forget? Those who had pointed fingers at him, calling him a monster when he stepped out onto the streets to inspect his territory. The feeling of facing a young child, his face stained with tears and his trousers soaked in urine…….
“I, I, I am deeply sorry, Your, Your Grace. Th-the child knew nothing and committed a foolish mistake. P-Please grant your forgiveness…….”
The child’s mother, too, had spoken thus, trembling violently with terror. Ever since then, Calix never stepped foot outside the castle unless he was departing on a military campaign. Instead, in the dead of night, whenever the bright moon hung high just as it did now, he would quietly look down upon his domain from the terrace atop his keep.
Without a word, Calix drew his sword from its scabbard and quietly stared at his own reflection mirrored in the steel. The eye exposed on one side, and the scars scattered across his face. Lips pressed tightly shut, as if they had forgotten how to smile.
At that moment, the demonic sword hummed, speaking to him from within.
—Do you regret it, Calix? Accepting my proposal. “No.” —You look conflicted. Is it because of that woman?
Calix let out a dry scoff. “As if.” —Do not regret it. I went to great lengths to make your fine face hideous, so do not say you wish to return to the way you were. And…….
Uncharacteristically, the demonic sword trailed off. When Calix looked down at it with a questioning gaze, the demonic sword whispered softly.
—Well, no normal human being could possibly love a monster.
Who could look at this appearance and not call him a monster? “Indeed. Just as you say.”
Calix laughed self-deprecatingly. The monster mirrored in the demonic sword was smiling grotesquely right along with him.
Three whole months had passed since Selena arrived at the Grand Duke’s castle.
Even until then, Calix did not share a bedchamber with her. Even when they occasionally dined together, he was always the first to rise from the table. Just like right now.
“Ha, have you finished your meal already?” “I have no appetite.” “……Are you heading straight to the training grounds?” “Yes.”
With that brief reply, he left without even looking back. Selena’s face darkened as she watched her husband’s retreating back.
At that moment, Jerome’s voice—now quite familiar to her—sounded from nearby. “Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”
Selena lifted her head to look at Jerome. As their eyes met, Jerome’s eyes crinkled into a refreshing, pleasant smile. “How would you say to stepping outside with me today for a change of pace?”
At Jerome’s gesture of a slight bow with one hand extended, Selena’s gloomy expression vanished as if it had never been there. “Yes, I’d love to.”
Wrapped snugly from head to toe in a warm sheepskin robe, Selena stepped outside the castle gates under Jerome’s escort. “The path is quite slippery, so please take my arm.”
Perhaps because it was such a cold region, snow fell frequently in the North. The snow that had fallen continuously throughout the previous night showed no signs of melting even now that the next day had arrived.
Hesitating for a moment, Selena cautiously grasped Jerome’s arm. The well-conditioned forearm, honed by years of battlefield life, could be felt right through her fingertips. ‘His Grace’s arms were a bit more…… solid than this.’
Thinking back to the first day she met her husband, Selena’s snow-white cheeks dyed a deep red in an instant.
Calix never turned back to look at her, but he didn’t push her away either. Moreover, whenever she asked a question, he would reply, even if briefly. No matter how much others called her husband a monster, he didn’t look that way to Selena at all. Whenever she secretly watched her husband personally drill the knights in the training grounds, one corner of her cheek would naturally soften into a smile.
“The barbarians used to give us a headache by invading the North at every opportunity, but ever since the Commander arrived, those incidents vanished completely. The seeds of those barbarians were utterly wiped out.”
Jerome praised Calix, his turquoise eyes shining brightly. Watching his profile, deeply steeped in fierce loyalty, Selena smiled gently and looked around her surroundings.
It was a vibrant street. Though the weather was cold, the people on the street all wore bright expressions, and the sound of children laughing echoed endlessly from every home.
“I don’t understand why everyone calls such a remarkable person a monster.” Shouldn’t they be grateful instead?
To Selena’s softly murmured words, Jerome offered a faint smile. After pausing to choose his words, Jerome cast his gaze far into the distance. “People judge by what they see.” “…….” “If someone looks like a monster in their eyes, they call them a monster—all while failing to see the monster lurking within themselves.”
Jerome’s gaze sank heavily. Then, as if trying to lift the heavy atmosphere, he pointed toward a stall selling various accessories. “Would you care to take a look?”
Lately, Jerome had taken to slacking off more often, using the excuse of guarding Selena. ‘He’s a guy who has never once missed a training session.’
No matter if it was to keep an eye on his master’s wife. The two of them practically stuck together almost the entire time.
Noticing this, a few servants began to whisper among themselves. “Jerome is certainly handsome. And not just that, right? He’s from a prestigious marquess family. The tears shed by capital maidens when he joined the knight order would be enough to fill the imperial palace fountain.”
Calix let out an incredulous laugh. ‘Anyone listening would think I dragged him here by force. He was the one who insisted on joining my knight order on his own accord.’
At that moment, the servants added: “Hey, hey, did you know the Grand Duchess was sold off?” “I heard that rumor too. I mean, who would want to marry the monster Grand Duke? Even I was shocked when I saw his face on my first day working here. If it weren’t for the wages, I wouldn’t be working in this place.”
The monster Grand Duke. Did those people have any awareness that the one paying their wages was that very monster Grand Duke? ‘Humans who judge solely by appearances have no business staying in my castle.’
Calix deliberately stomped his feet to make his footsteps loud as he approached them. The moment they caught sight of him, the chattering servants flinched and ducked their heads deep in a bow. “You were chattering away just fine until a moment ago. Did you all suddenly turn mute?” “Gr, Gr, Grand…….” “You are all fired as of today. I hired people to do work, not trash.”
At Calix’s dry words, the servants turned deathly pale. “Gr, Grand Duke, Your Grace! I’m sorry! I am truly sorry!” “Get lost out of my sight. If I ever see you in my sight again, I’ll take it to mean you’re asking me to personally rip out those useless tongues of yours.”
Calix curled one corner of his lip into a smirk. That smile was so chilling that they shrieked and scrambled away in a panic. His terrifying face came in quite handy at times like this. Because people were always eager to flee as if they’d truly seen a monster the moment he gave them the slightest scare.
“Ridiculous.”
“I mean, who would want to marry the monster Grand Duke?”
Calix chewed over the words uttered by one of the servants. He knew it himself. That was precisely why he had paid a hefty sum for a wife and had not bothered to treat her as the lady of the house. Since it was practically a state of neglect, it wouldn’t be strange at all if she and Jerome—assigned to watch her—hit it off. ‘Come to think of it, that bastard Jerome is despicable.’
Lately, weren’t Jerome’s eyes practically dripping with honey whenever he looked at his wife? He had assigned him to watch over her, yet Jerome only chattered on about useless things concerning Selena.
“Her Grace the Grand Duchess smiled brightly upon seeing the white flowers in the garden.” “Her Grace the Grand Duchess gets cold easily, so I ordered a few more warm garments.” “Her Grace the Grand Duchess praised the Commander, saying he looked cool when she saw him at the training grounds.”
Wasn’t the guy completely out of his mind? He didn’t care about any of that nonsense. ‘Before that fellow’s head gets any more scrambled, I need to tell him to stop the surveillance as of today.’
Thinking such thoughts, Calix stepped inside the training grounds. It was just past two in the afternoon. Ordinarily, it should have been a time when the clashing of swords and war cries blended together with the smell of sweat…….
For some reason, the training grounds were as silent as the grave. ‘What on earth is going on here?’
As he looked around the deserted surroundings with an absurd expression, he heard a commotion coming from near the wall enclosing the training grounds. Following the sound, he moved closer and was met with the bizarre sight of knights scrambling over one another to look at something beyond the wall. “Hey, move your head a bit. I can’t see properly from here.” “Your height is just short, you idiot.” “Wow, she’s seriously pretty. If she’s that pretty, it’s no wonder the Vice Commander lost his mind.”
Calix muffled his footsteps and approached the backs of the knights. Whatever had stolen their attention, they hadn’t even noticed him approaching within a foot behind them. Watching the clueless the back of their heads made his blood boil. They were collectively out of their minds. “You damned bastards.”
At the cold yet familiar voice, the knights slowly turned their heads. Their Commander stood before them, wearing a face even more terrifying than usual. “Aack! Co, Commander!”
The knights were so startled they even tumbled backward onto the ground. “What on earth are you looking at so intently that you didn’t even notice I was here…….”
Calix belatedly followed the direction of the knights’ gaze. At that instant, Calix’s face froze coldly.
Outside the castle, in front of a street stall, a man and a woman were laughing brightly, looking far too happy. The woman with long blonde hair neatly braided to one side was his wife, and the dark-gray-haired man with a sword strapped to his waist was his adjutant. Walking side by side, they looked precisely like a happy couple.
‘An adjutant, of all people…….’
A sense of betrayal washed over him. It was Jerome who had fled a prestigious marquess family, begging to be accepted into the Elixion Knight Order. And not only that. He had never uttered a single complaint even after grueling training. He was even a strange fellow who had asked for the training grounds to remain open because he wanted to stay behind and train more.
He had tenacity and skill. Valuing those traits, Calix had even bestowed upon him the position of Vice Commander three years ago. And yet, that very guy had fallen head over heels for his wife and lost his mind.
Before the knights could even stop him, Calix, suddenly consumed by fury, smoothly cleared the training ground wall and dashed out toward the two figures. “Co, Commander!”
Even though it was not a time of war, this was the first time in eight years and a fortnight that Calix had stepped outside the castle walls of his own accord.
