The Barschuen Scandal

The Archduke, seemingly unfazed, looked completely fine except for the sweat on his forehead.

He closed his eyes and let out a rough breath.

Soon, his eyelids opened, revealing his navy blue eyes. The primal heat that had filled them earlier had disappeared.

Only his usual indifference remained.

For a moment, Ertia’s heart sank.

She subconsciously held her breath, looking at him.

Instead of lying beside her, the Archduke got up from the bed and picked up a towel from the bedside table.

He began to neatly wipe down his genitals, the bed, and Ertia’s body.

It was a sight she never got to see because she always fell asleep right after climax.

His touch was incredibly gentle, but unwanted thoughts crept in.

It would be nice if he could hold her longer afterward.

Was it going to be another endless night? He would clean up and erase all traces before leaving.

Then she would be left alone, waiting for his return, not knowing when he would come back.

She hated it. An emotion like a thorn suddenly pricked her heart.

She could bear the frustration and depression. Even though her heart screamed that it was at its limit, she could endure a bit more.

But she couldn’t stand not seeing the Archduke anymore. At least as a married couple, she wanted to spend enough time together.

She couldn’t do anything without him, so even more so. Ertia pouted her lips.

Ignoring the throbbing sensation that rose with the intense fatigue, Ertia forced herself to sit up.

Her dense, ivory eyelashes trembled. Ertia grabbed the edge of the Archduke’s robe, which he had just draped over himself.

“Archduke.”

“Ertia?”

The Archduke turned to look at her.

She wasn’t very sad, but maybe she was?

As she met her husband’s gaze, she felt a tear that had remained at the corner of her eye roll down her cheek.

“Take me with you. I want to be with you.”

Her voice came out as a whine without her realizing it, making her flinch, but she decided not to say more. It was a grievance that had piled up.

The Archduke’s indifferent navy blue eyes turned to her.

She was a bit scared, wondering if she would be rejected again, remembering the times she had been turned down before, but Ertia tightly held onto the edge of the Archduke’s robe.

If she was rejected again, she would pack her things and follow him to the capital by herself. She felt like she was going crazy, being unable to see him here.

And at that moment,

“I was going to suggest it anyway. How about coming with me this time?”

Her blue eyes trembled and widened.

* * *

The royal castle of Anquetria, not particularly splendid but bearing the dignified marks of time, was engulfed in red flames.

Fire ravaged various parts.

Men and women alike, those who wanted to protect the castle, fought bravely against the rebels.

“How could you do this!!!”

“For Anquetria!”

The rebels, backed by the ducal family, one of the kingdom’s pillars, were strong.

“Run, Ertia!”

“Live. Live happily, even for our sake.”

In the end, Ertia had to throw down her sword and flee. Her maids and knights, who had been like friends, blocked her way to protect her but fell.

Those wielding firearms, which were still rare in the kingdom, were too powerful.

The kingdom’s stark limitations, having only recently acquired pistols but not fully adopting modern weapons, were evident.

The sharp clash of swords and the sound of gunfire echoed violently.

The people she had laughed and talked with just yesterday were dead.

She was about to burst into tears, but Ertia held it back and ran. She couldn’t let their sacrifices be in vain.

“We found the princess!!!”

However, before she could escape the castle, Ertia was caught.

A man kicked her wrist, making her drop her sword, and smiled wickedly as he raised his gun.

I’m going to die.

Sensing this, Ertia tightly closed her eyes.

A cool scent brushed past her nose along with the smell of gunpowder.

Bang!!

At the sound of a gunshot, Ertia opened her eyes. The soldier who had tried to kill her was already a cold corpse.

“Are you the princess?”

There stood a man, more beautiful than anyone she had ever seen, aiming a musket. It was her first meeting with the Archduke, her savior and first love, in the midst of war filled with screams and death.

Only then did Ertia realize it was a dream.

As soon as she did, the scene of the battlefield vanished.

The scene quickly shifted.

She was now surrounded by the exact opposite of chaos: tranquility.

“Maintain your dignity.”

“How vulgar for a woman to be so uncouth.”

Her mother-in-law lectured her.

Abandoning swords, guns, and everything of Anquetria, she continuously pricked her fingers on the embroidery needle, following the imperial ideal of a woman.

“Lady Melmubor!”

Then appeared a beautiful lady.

Far away, the Archduke and her mother-in-law embraced her.

They turned their heads, chatting and laughing with someone, ignoring Ertia.

Lady Melmubor’s beautiful laughter and sweet perfume wafted through the air.

Darkness soon engulfed her.

Clatter!

The compartment jolted as if it hit a stone.

Ertia slowly opened her eyes.

A drop of cold sweat on her forehead rolled down.

The cozy train compartment jolted.

Bright sunlight streamed in through the window.

Was it a nightmare? Ertia lifted her head, breathing heavily.

Across from her sat the Archduke, legs crossed and arms folded. He was more beautiful than any sculpture crafted with a master’s touch.

It had been two days since they left the Archduchy, but Ertia still felt unreal, dazed by the unfamiliar scene.

-Take me with you. I want to be with you.

-I was going to suggest it anyway. How about coming with me this time?

She hadn’t expected a positive answer to her own question.

-Do you not like the idea?

-Ah, no! I’ll go, I’ll go.

When she was in a daze, doubting her ears, the Archduke’s words made Ertia stutter, afraid he might change his mind.

And they really left.

-Whom are you bringing along?

-Oh, Grand Lady, it’s been a while. How many years has it been? Are you going with Ferdi?

Lady Melmubor, who called her husband by his pet name with a bright smile when they met the Grand Lady, didn’t even register in her mind.

Leaving the mansion, boarding the carriage, arriving at the station, and getting on the train, the feelings of frustration and depression were momentarily forgotten.

It felt like a sudden miracle.

Would she now be able to stay with the Archduke continuously?

Looking out at the rapidly passing scenery with reddened cheeks, Ertia felt the Archduke’s gaze and turned her head.

The Archduke, who had opened his eyes at some point, was looking at her.

“Why did you suddenly agree?”

Ertia asked impulsively. A small hope peeked out from her heart.

Did he also want to stay together, or did he notice how frustrated and troubled she was?

Seeing his navy blue eyes in the daylight, which she wasn’t used to, made her heart beat erratically. Love was indeed like an illness. Ertia hurriedly looked down.

“You always wanted to come.”

He noticed. As Ertia lifted her head with a flushed face,

“There will be a ball. His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see you.”

“Oh.”

The previous words were just formalities, the latter carrying more weight.

“Then, can we… stay together? Do I have to go back?”

Hiding her disappointment, Ertia asked weakly. Her once fluffy ivory hair drooped.

“The townhouse might be uncomfortable for you. It’s not big.”

It sounded like a vague refusal.

The blue eyes trembled and sank.

She thought she could finally be together, that at least she could say goodbye to life in the Archduchy.

She thought he brought her here, considering her, but… he hadn’t.

Beeep.

A headache pressed down on her. Ertia slumped dejectedly in the train compartment.

“…I see.”

Puuu!

With a loud noise, the train slowly came to a stop. A crowd of people gathered at the station.

The sign read “Capital Aichen” in an old-fashioned script.

Although she had longed to come to the capital, Ertia didn’t feel very happy.