Chapter 65
For someone who was simply worried about her situation, this was a bit… Anita’s green eyes blinked rapidly, unable to find a place to rest.
“I don’t love him. I let go of those feelings a long time ago. But why are you asking? If you’re worried I’m suffering, you can rest assured. There are no problems between us.”
*Grind.* If she wasn’t mistaken, it sounded like he was grinding his teeth above her head.
As if to prove it, a voice even rougher than before seized Anita by the nape.
“Anita, listen to me carefully. You’re being deceived. You must not trust Lanslo Edenbahir. He’s just…”
Before he could finish, Anita deliberately spoke louder and reached for Bimareukeu’s eyebrow.
“Oh? What’s this scar? Where did you get it?”
As if she hadn’t heard a word, she chided Bimareukeu with eyes full of pure concern.
“For it to be this clear, it must be recent… You should have been more careful. Who did this? Hmm?”
At her innocent concern, Bimareukeu’s stiff expression slowly began to soften.
He gently took Anita’s hand, which was resting lightly on his eyebrow, and lowered it. Then, with a look that said not to worry, he replied.
“This is an old one, Anita. You said the exact same thing two years ago. Have you already forgotten?”
“It’s been there for two years? I don’t remember at all…”
Afterward, Anita naturally pulled away and let out a deep, internal sigh of relief.
‘Haa. What a relief.’
It seemed Bimareukeu’s excessive worry for her had led him to distrust Lanslo as a person.
It wasn’t unusual for him to be overprotective of Anita like this. It seemed he felt a sense of brotherly responsibility for her, as they had grown up like siblings.
‘Still, it means he cares for me that much, as a sister.’
Anita could only feel grateful and sorry toward Bimareukeu for it.
“Anyone watching would think you were lovers reuniting after a long time.”
While Anita and Bimareukeu were sharing their brief reunion, Sasha, who had come out into the garden at some point, greeted them with a peculiar expression.
“Sasha, you’re up early today?”
“Oh, come on, sis. Do you think I sleep in every day? I told you, it’s just because I’ve been getting used to a new bed these past few days.”
Anita casually walked over to Sasha, lightly pinched her white cheek, and let go.
But Sasha’s expression was not good at all. She seemed to be uncharacteristically gauging the mood, and when Anita turned her head, she saw that Bimareukeu’s face was unnaturally stiff.
“Hmm. Did I misspeak? I was just kidding, Major. Looking at you two now, you really do seem like siblings. Then again, you said you grew up together, right? You even look alike for two people who aren’t related.”
Only after Sasha approached Bimareukeu and gave a light shrug did his expression relax considerably.
“How could we possibly look alike? We don’t share a single drop of blood. On second thought, perhaps my greeting with Anita was too informal.”
“Why are you looking at me for permission, Major? I wouldn’t care if you kissed. Greet each other to your heart’s content. I don’t want to be the kind of awful fiancée who interferes with sibling affection.”
Judging by Bimareukeu’s awkward smile, he didn’t seem to be used to Sasha’s direct way of speaking yet.
‘They really aren’t close.’
Then again, Bimareukeu had joined the military right after graduating from school. The only women he had been close to were his university classmates, whom he treated like friends, and Anita, who was like a younger sister to him…
‘It makes sense that he’d find the prim and cute Sasha difficult to handle.’
The moment she resolved to help their relationship become smoother in the future.
“What? Kissed?”
A voice that, from Anita’s perspective, was not at all welcome, cut in between the three of them.
Rosa Eburk.
The second daughter of the Eburk family, who had so brazenly belittled Anita at the amusement park, was just getting out of a car and approaching them.
“Don’t say such things, even as a joke, Miss Sasha. What will you do if other people start gossiping?”
“Rosa. You’ve arrived early.”
Ignoring Sasha’s reply completely, Rosa planted herself confidently in front of Anita.
She narrowed her eyes and fiddled with an ornament on her wide-brimmed hat as she continued.
“People might not be surprised by the Duchess’s behavior, but it’s different for Lanslo, isn’t it? You shouldn’t tarnish his excellent reputation. Especially not when you’re his wife.”
This girl hasn’t changed a bit since the first time we met.
‘She must have really liked Lanslo.’
Anita knew that feeling.
That was the nature of unrequited love. An emotion that made you jealous of an innocent woman, made you cruel, and ultimately made you make mistakes even in front of the man you loved.
She could understand it all too well, for she too had suffered from love, growing jealous of Vin Eburk, becoming disappointed in herself, and making Lanslo uncomfortable.
‘Hmm, what do I do? Miss Rosa is starting to look a little cute.’
If Anita weren’t the Duchess of Edenbahir, Rosa would probably be less aggressive.
Unaware of Anita’s inner thoughts, which had softened on their own, Bimareukeu rebuked Rosa in a slightly stern voice.
“Miss Rosa Eburk.”
Of course, there was no way his rebuke would get through to Rosa, who was blinded by love and jealousy.
“Why, am I wrong? No one says it out loud, but everyone knows this is a temporary marriage. If you’re going to be an outsider soon, you should be more careful with your conduct… Ah, Lanslo!”
Rosa’s eyes, which had been blinking coldly, suddenly bloomed with radiance.
In the Kingdom of Montevio, there was likely only one person, aside from the King and Queen, who could make her lose all dignity and run like that. Lanslo, having emerged from the mansion, was slowly crossing the garden toward them.
Sasha, who had stuck close to Anita’s side, muttered with a displeased look.
“That insolent wench.”
Bimareukeu stared at Sasha, surprised.
Noticing his gaze, Sasha spoke bluntly.
“What, am I wrong? No one says it out loud, but everyone knows Rosa Eburk is insolent.”
“…Pfft.”
At the way she perfectly mimicked Rosa’s words, Anita covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.
Bimareukeu awkwardly turned his head away. For someone with his personality, handling a girl like Sasha couldn’t be easy.
“It’s been so long, Lanslo! Didn’t you miss me?”
As the distance to Lanslo closed, Rosa stuck to his side and chattered away like a little bird. It was so obvious how thrilled she was to see him that Anita didn’t even feel jealous.
“Why didn’t you come see me in Hixen? You were such a recluse there, it was hard to even get a glimpse of you… Ack!”
But then, someone unceremoniously planted a fist on Rosa’s head.
A tall silhouette with long blonde hair meticulously tied up. A military uniform that suited her as if it were a second skin, as if she’d worn it from birth. A female officer with a slender, strong body and thick eyebrows.
It was Vin Eburk.
“You ill-mannered little brat!”
“Wha-what? Vin? What are you doing here?”
Vin grabbed the nape of a flustered, backpedaling Rosa with one hand.
It was the first time they had ever seen someone so unhesitatingly grab the daughter of a noble house by the scruff of her neck, and not only Anita, but Sasha and Bimareukeu’s eyes went wide.
“Why am I here? I’m here to manage that mouth of yours, which doesn’t show a single speck of the Eburk family’s intelligence! How much must you have run wild like an untamed colt while I was away for Lanslo to invite me? Have you no shame?”
“Wha-what are you… Don’t be ridiculous! Lanslo cares for me deeply!”
“Cares for a terrifying mouth like yours? Are you mad? Even a beggar on the street would run from that personality of yours, and here you are spouting nonsense.”
It was a scolding so refreshingly blunt it made the listeners shrink back.
‘Did she just say Lanslo invited her?’
That letter I found in Lanslo’s room must have been an invitation.
Having stumbled upon the truth, Anita hung her head low in shame.
‘And I, not knowing, misunderstood and treated Lanslo coldly for days…’
You really shouldn’t carelessly judge the contents of a person’s heart, or a letter.
As she was blaming herself and reflecting, a familiar pair of black men’s dress shoes entered Anita’s view, which had been fixed on the ground. The owner of these feet, whose shoes were handsome in their own right, had to be Lanslo.
“Let Rosa Eburk’s barking go in one ear and out the other.”
As always, his blunt but kind comfort soothed her.
0 Comments