Translator: yAmi
The end of Summer.
A carriage with Linus inside was now racing through the streets of the royal capital, Broussonne. After completing his duties in his territory, he left behind the knights who were officially stationed there and returned to the royal capital in a hurry.
Yes, he returned to the capital.
From his birth to now, his experience waking up in Volden was the first time he experienced an uncomfortable feeling, as though he did not belong in the home of a stranger. The strange interior of his room, subordinates he met for the first time, the unfamiliar climate, and the hostility he felt from everyone he met. All of those things made him feel out of place. After two months in Volden, he decided he was done with the country life.
In the end, he could only be in the capital, Linus thought. The latest fashion, music, and the buzz of the city gave him a sense of familiarity. There was no place outside the city that was fit for him. He could no longer laugh at the people of the centralist faction who clung onto the capital like parasites. Linus felt a tinge of melancholy mixed with his homesickness.
......After all that, he could not muster the strength to call for Tullius again.
It's about time... today is the day... or how about tomorrow…
He was stuck in a constant loop of procrastination. Whenever he made up his mind to finally do it, he was reminded of the sickening face of the man he was supposed to summon and hesitated. Before he knew it, countless days had passed.
(That old man is going to make a fuss again......)
Even though what he was supposed to do was hinted at indirectly, Linus failed to follow Lavallee's instructions. It's not impossible for him to argue that it wasn't clear instructions, but he would then lose favour with the kingdom’s top political power holder.
What should he do about it…He immediately stopped his train of thoughts.
A heavy exhaustion weighted on his shoulders. He had no energy left for this.
It was fundamentally impossible to expect him to deal with Tullius while performing his duties at his estate. He had to deal with the problems that piled up in his absence, and also had to meet with the influential people of the land. A local lord has numerous other tasks than one might imagine.
The fatigue from all the nerve-wracking work and the long journey he had to endure made Linus too tired to think further. He wanted to go back to his mansion. He wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for the entire day. For a serious person like him, it was rare for him to feel so lazy.
And the woman.
During the stay at Volden, Simone started to openly refuse to share a bed with him. At first, she declared she was ill and thus, had to use a separate bedroom. But somehow, even after she recovered, she refused to return to their bedroom. She was faking her illness. When Linus discovered it, he was so furious that he pinned Simone down. She did not resist. But the person underneath him stared at him with cold eyes, as if she was looking down on him. He lost his strength from that.
He had no choice but to select a few of the maids. Of course he felt guilty at the infidelity, but Linus was a young man. He was not so impotent that he could endure sleeping alone. Especially so when the fruits would fall at his beck and call. One of the reasons for having beautiful maidens serving as servants was because they were expected to play such a role. The aristocracy tolerated such behaviour. Of course, it would ruin the honour of the wife and the matchmaker if they gave birth to children before the wife. Though if he could, Linus would gladly smash Simone's and Lavallee's faces with his own fists.
However, he could not be satisfied. He could certainly finish the act without a hitch. He was freed from the days when he couldn't sleep until early morning because his body and mind were unnaturally excited every night. However, there was no fulfillment in satisfying himself like that. It was just tasteless lovemaking where he simply spat out what he was holding in. It was like fulfilling one’s hunger with cheap sweets. Linus wondered if he had chosen the wrong woman, and tried switching women several times, but the end result was the same.
(As expected, the woman needs to be her.)
He tried to remember the face of the slave who was waiting for him in the royal capital.
She was dull, unpretentious, and had no outstanding features. But she was a woman who devoted herself to him. She did not reject him like Simone, nor did she show greed like the other maids. She was a slave who lived only to satisfy him.
Submissive eyes that silently accepted any kind of punishment. Lips that only leaked obedience. A body that desperately tried to quell his rage. No matter how many other women he met during this journey, he always found himself comparing them to her. Linus almost let out a sigh.
The desire for her skin that had been away from his fingers for so long might just be what it is to be in love.
(...... It might not be a bad idea to change things up for tonight.)
On a whim, he wondered. What if he held her gently for once? What if he praised her for waiting patiently at home, and chose not hit her or curse at her?
Would she be happy? Or would she be confused? Would she think something is amiss? Would she find it insufficient?
After all, they were the kind of people who show satisfaction when they were being treated roughly. Perhaps, they deliberately misbehave at times so they could be punished.
Ah, the thought of it brought a smile to his face.
"Hehe..."
As he let out an unconscious laugh, there was the sound of a thud.
It was Simone. She seemed to have misunderstood Linus's laugh and made a recoil. This woman has been acting like that for a while now. If he pushed her down, she looked back at him with contempt, but if he didn't, she reacted as if she was frightened by his every move. She was like a hedgehog, so to speak. If he touched her, she would stab him in return, but in reality, she was just a timid little animal that was afraid to even come near him.
He turned away from the charmless person and looked out the window, facing the view of the royal capital. The reconstruction due to the great fire had progressed well, and from the main streets, there were no obvious remains of the tragedy a year ago. Though, if he looked around the slums, there were some residential areas that remained burnt and the impoverished population seemed to have expanded greatly. However, this should only last for a few more years. With the reconstruction and urban planning, the once-burned city would regain its strength and beauty.
Linus drove all the seeds of depression out of his brain and indulged himself at the sight of his beloved city and the thought of the woman who was waiting for him.
When they arrived at the residence in the royal capital at dusk, they were greeted by silence.
Both tired of waiting and suspicious of what was happening, Linus got off the carriage. Even if he brought some of his servants with him when he went to Volden, there were some servants left behind in the capital. When the head of the family returned home, they should be at the gate to greet him.
However, the only response to the neighing of the horses when they stopped was silence. The main residence of the Oubeniel family was as quiet as if nobody lived in the mansion.
"What is the meaning of this?"
When Linus stared at the butler with an obvious grimace, he stiffened and looked back at Linus with a bewildered expression.
"I-I don't know. I had informed them in advance with a letter of the date of our return......"
"You're sure about that, aren't you?"
"A-Absolutely, yes. I've definitely sent the schedule."
The butler who had accompanied him throughout the journey answered, his face drenched in sweat.
If so, then what was the reason for the quietness of the house? Could it be that all the people looking after the mansion had escaped in the night? Linus couldn't help but imagine such a ridiculous scenario.
"......Have they finally run out of patience?"
Simone said in a haughty voice. It's been a long time since she had used sarcasm, but of course Linus could not be elated about it.
"Don't be ridiculous."
He was fed up with his wife, who had become so stubborn to the point of being gloomy. He was also annoyed by the fact that she was always like this with him, her husband, but regained her old cheerfulness when she spoke to Elisha.
