I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 208



208 – Intruder

It took two days for Beatria to awaken from her unconsciousness.

In the meantime, all kinds of doctors rushed to find out what was wrong with her, but there was no solution.

In the first place, it was the effect of a curse, not a disease, and the curse Albrich placed on the Helvenir family was more powerful and precise than the one he used on Kelagh.

“Mom, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Everyone is in a particularly difficult situation. Look, you’re fine, right?”

“But…”

Chloe tried to add to what she said, but as Beatria said, she seemed really fine on the outside so it was hard to refute it.

She had such a good complexion that it was hard to believe that she was a person who had collapsed just a moment ago.

“As you get older, days like this happen sometimes. “Stop worrying about unnecessary things.”

“… I will believe it because it is what my mother says. Still, it would be a good idea to get a further examination first.”

“I have to do this for my children. “I’ll try it this evening.”

Beatria nodded her head at Robert’s words, but for some reason her complexity was dark.

She seems like someone who still has something stored up in her heart.

“Where is your father?”

“That is…” …”

“You are probably meeting someone because you have a prior commitment. Any business… ?”

Robert answered quickly, interrupting Chloe who was looking at him for a moment.

In fact, he had kicked out Bartheus, who had come to the room a little while ago, but he could not tell the truth.

“Ugh, no. If you happen to meet me, please tell me that your mother wants to see you.”

Robert gritted his teeth inwardly at Beatria’s request.

Why on earth is she looking for such a cold-blooded person who left her place even when she fell, saying he had to do something for her?

I wanted to expose every single thing he said and did, but if I did that, my mother would have tears like chicken poop in her eyes. I just didn’t want to see that.

Therefore, she forced a smile and agreed to her request.

He felt so helpless that there was nothing he could do as his son, and his fists clenched.

“I will. How about a meal instead? You must be hungry after lying down for two days…”

“I haven’t thought about it yet. Later, when I get really hungry, I’ll call someone and get some food.”

“That’s right, brother. “I will protect your mother, so don’t worry.”

When Chloe clenched her fists and expressed her confidence, Beatria reprimanded her by gently pinching her cheek.

“This guy. Even though this mother is getting older, she is not yet old enough to worry about you.”

“Chloe is right. Please know that Chloe and I will take turns being by your side for the time being.”

“Wow, you must have had a hard time because of your children who worry so much.”

As she listened to her sister’s words and even Robert added, a faint smile appeared on Beatria’s lips hers.

Even though I say that, I really didn’t feel bad, and if you ask me which way, I was definitely proud.

Still, these two people were the biggest and most precious fruits of her life, and it felt like they were shining more and more.

“Your Highness the Prince, Your Highness the Princess.” It is said that Prince Damian of the Clemore family has come to visit.”

While the two were making threats as if they would never leave Beatria’s side her, a court lady who heard the news from someone outside opened her mouth.

The story was that the heir of a family who was close to the two people was looking for them.

“Hmm? “You mean now?”

“Brother, we promised something during our trip. Isn’t that why you came?”

When Robert, who remembered that he had not made any special appointments, expressed doubt, Chloe next to him tapped his arm and reminded him of his memory.

“Oh, I forgot. But today…”

Even though it was a prior promise, he still felt a sense of duty to stay by his mother’s side, so he couldn’t take the step easily.

Beatria smiled brightly at that and patted her son’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, so let’s go. Or did this mother tell you that it’s okay to break a promise to someone?”

“Well, is that possible? Just mother…”

“I was planning on taking a breather anyway, so having someone around would only make a fuss. Come on.”

Her eyes were too bright for her to sleep any longer, but Robert couldn’t resist.

Because I knew that this was just her consideration to ensure that the two of them could leave the place with peace of mind.

“Or how about this? My brother is gone and I am here with my mother…”

“Use it.”

“… Hmph.”

On the way, Chloe tried to raise a different opinion without notice, but was suppressed with a look from Beatria.

Just as no parent can win over a child, no child can win over a parent.

“All right. Instead, if anything happens, please call us right away, Mother. “Please stay still and recover until at least tomorrow.”

“You guys heard it too, right? If your mother is not feeling well, be sure to tell us first. Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere.”

“I will keep this in mind, Her Highness.”

After giving one request to everyone present, the two people left the room, forcing themselves to take steady steps.

Beatria watched as her presence completely disappeared beyond the door and carefully left her bed.

“Woe, Her Majesty! Where are you going?”

At this, her two women hurriedly approached her and stopped her.

If she needed water or food, she would have called people, so leaving her bed was the same as leaving her room.

“Let’s go for a walk for a while. “I feel sick after lying down for two days.”

“Oh, no!”

“That’s right! There is a strict order given by His Highness the Prince and His Highness the Princess, and if you break it right away, what kind of face will we have to deal with the two of you…”＜ Br＞

The two were also desperate in their own way.

What if the empress goes out like this and collapses again, or if this news reaches the ears of the prince and princess?

I couldn’t help but feel terrible just imagining it.

“If the two of you talk at the same time, I will stop you. “Wouldn’t that be enough?”

“It’s not a matter of us being severely punished!”

“You’re right! Please bear with me for just one day… !”

The two court ladies begged and prayed for her hands to become feet due to the sudden fall of the blue sky.

She didn’t know why she, who usually listened to people under her, was being so stubborn today.

I tried to get permission to accompany him at least, but he was busy dismissing it by saying no, so there was no room for compromise.

‘I have something to ask him.’

From noble mtl dot come

Meanwhile, Beatria was equally frustrated.

The deathly words she heard from her husband just before she lost consciousness.

Because it was still haunting her and constantly tormented her.

I wanted to get someone to come here, but somehow this place felt uneasy.

I wanted a place to talk to him alone without worrying about what people around me were thinking, so I tried to move, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

‘Why did Marquis Bertus mention his name?’

For now, I think I’ll have to keep this question in my head for a while and look forward to tomorrow.

Because it was out of character for her to cause trouble to her subordinates.

Thinking that she could endure it for at least a day, she pretended not to be able to overcome the two people’s attempts to dissuade her and returned to her bed.

So night came soon.

*

There was news that her wife had woken up, but unfortunately Bartheus could not go to see her.

That’s because there was nothing to be ashamed of.

The reason she got to this point was his fault her her, and yet, rather than visiting her often when she was sick, Bartheus kept away from her, making various excuses.

Because of her guilt, I couldn’t face her, so I kept repeating her ugly excuse.

‘The moon is strangely bright.’

Bartheus, who stepped out onto the balcony, smiled bitterly at the moon that rose particularly brilliantly today.

He once heard from his wife that the moon has the ability to illuminate a person’s heart. He also believed in this superstition quite a bit.

But today seems to be an exception.

Even though my heart was so heavy, I saw that the moon lighting up the sky was unprecedentedly bright.

In desperation, Bartheus opened the bottle of wine he had placed on his table.

In the past, he didn’t like alcohol that much, but due to the guilt that got deeper day by day, recently it was difficult for him to fall asleep without soothing his mind with alcohol.

Mulberry.

As the cork opened with a cute sound, the faint scent of wine tickled the corner of his nose.

Still, I felt at ease when I was drinking alone, which was much better than drinking with other people where I had to pay attention to formality and courtesy.

“I need to visit at least tomorrow.”

He muttered bitterly to himself and poured wine into his empty glass.

Perhaps thanks to the moonlight, the sparkling red wine shined particularly beautifully like a ruby today.

‘You really don’t know how people feel.’

When that scene contrasted with his empty heart, he smiled bitterly.

I think that if I had been really excited, I might have broken this wine glass right away.

Finally, he sat down and nodded his head in satisfaction as he looked at the small drinking party he had completed.

If you think about it, these pieces of cheese in front of you were also a snack that suited her wife Beatria’s tastes.

‘It’s just amazing.’

Perhaps it was because he felt sorry for her, but whenever Bartheus saw something special about her, he would often think of his wife’s face of her.

When I go for a walk in the garden with a quiet mind, when I look at the food served at the dinner party, or at the very least, I look up at a cloud in the sky without even thinking about it over the balcony. There was nothing in her world that was not hers.

If I think about it, the days since I met her have been marked by her regrets.

Putting her guilt aside, I wondered what it would have been like if I had expressed my love to her even more.

If she finds out about this in the future, she will resent him anyway.

In that case, shouldn’t he have made his life full of happiness before he had any resentment?

It’s too old a story to worry about now, but humans are creatures that do it nevertheless.

So, he was soaked in alcohol and lost in thought, recalling the past day as usual today, and then he quietly got up from his seat and headed towards the railing.

Since I couldn’t even get enough of the cheese slices, which I usually enjoyed for their quite nutty taste, I was planning on emptying the remaining alcohol as a snack that month.

Whirik.

“… !?”

At that moment, a black spirit appeared above his head, not under the railing, and landed on the balcony.

Before he could even scream, the other person, who had quickly overpowered him and covered his mouth, carefully dropped something at the feet between the two and opened his mouth a beat later.

“… I am not here to harm Your Majesty. Please answer both questions by nodding or shaking your head from side to side. Then I will let you go.”

“!”

Nod.

Bartheus hurriedly nodded, knowing that it would be useless to resist in this situation anyway.

Regardless of whether the other person was truly or not hostile, it was definitely a situation where his life his could be taken with a single sword.

‘More than that, I feel like I’ve heard this voice somewhere.’

And even in this urgent situation, what confused his mind was the voice of the other person, presumed to be a man.

It sounds a bit slurred because the mouth is covered, but it definitely sounds like something you’ve heard before somewhere.

It was not a voice he heard as often as his closest associates, such as his family or acquaintances, but it was thought to have been heard in the near future.

When he looked out of the corner of his eye at the figure of the man standing behind him, wondering if there might be any clues, there was…

‘What is that?’

Very thin red hair was visible sticking out through the gap covered by the hood.

“… !”

At that moment, something cold passed through Bartheus’s spine.

I felt like I could somehow guess the identity of this man.