“Did you find out anything, General?”
Lapis asked coolly, abandoning his usual tone.
“Please order an investigation. Marco and Jacob, I’ll figure out which one is responsible,”
Nora declared seriously. The other knights looked like they were on the verge of taking revenge into their own hands. The Seed’s hands twitched, barely holding back their questions. Lucerne didn’t answer and walked deliberately. There were no other guests as the entire floor of the hotel room was rented.
“General… … .”
“I tell you, will you all stand still? You’ll go on a rampage and smash through all of them. I know because I made you knights because of that,”
Lucerne noted impassively. Nora knew he was right, but she was also resentful.
“Then I will write my resignation letter. I’m going to take retribution after leaving the knighthood.”
“Is that true?”
Lucerne paused. Having spoken his words, Lapis clenched his teeth and nodded his head. Lucerne looked at him paltrily.
Tuk.
Lucerne took a whip out from his arms and dropped it into the hallway.
“Don’t make trouble. Come along Ian.”
Click. Lucerne entered the room at the far end of the hallway, which had been set aside for office use. Nora picked up the whip as they looked at each other for an answer, rather bewildered. After a moment, she recognized the whip. Elisha’s blood was smeared on the handle.
She had held it like a treasure in an iron grip as she had hobbled out of City Hall.
Still looking at each other, they decided to wait for Ian to come out. They knew Ian, a close aide to Lucerne, was the only person they could turn to for advice.
***
A few days passed, and newspapers had widely reported that Elisha had won the auction by a landslide.
Elisha received an unexpected card while returning home with vigilance and chaperoned by the Seeds.
[Congratulations on your victory. Only the best suits a good woman.]
It was a card from the Duke. And it was accompanied by a hundred aroan roses, the most precious of the queen’s roses.
The rose was called a two-color rose because the color at the edges of the petals and near the center of the bud was different.
“Burn it,”
Lucerne proposed in a tone of absurd disbelief. Elisha thought about whether she should feel good or offended for a few seconds.
‘Carola will go crazy if she finds out.’
Carola would regularly have tantrums when someone other than herself received attention or praise. She thought she should let it slip when she saw Carola next time.
Meanwhile, Elisha felt that Lucerne had been unusual for the past few days. He was still distant and cold towards her and didn’t even caress her or even put her up on his lap with his obscene remarks as usual.
‘Is he irritated because I can’t satisfy his sexual desires because I’m injured?’
She thought about it too… … . Apparently, he was very annoyed by the fact that she was stabbed. As usual, Elisha could only conclude that he was an exceedingly mysterious person whom she could not understand. He should have left her alone and gone far away if he didn’t want to see her. The doctors advised Lucerne that they should sleep in separate rooms since Elisha was ill.
He slept in the bed in the study next door to her, but he persistently walked in and out of her bedroom where she was resting. Elisha felt like she was spending her day looking at her boss, and her supervisor was watching her in turn.
‘As expected, Lucerne is difficult.’
As night fell, he went to the office, and it was quiet.
Elisha put on a thick shawl and went outside. Although she hadn’t received a fatal wound, people were making a fuss because of her status as the general’s wife.
Only her shoulder was injured, but her legs were fine. He even stabbed her left shoulder, so her right hand could write. Then, when she asked the butler for work, he ran away with a shameless, blank visage.
‘Are you worried about me?’
People who grew up receiving love and concern knew how to return the warmth. But since it was so alien to Elisha, the more affectionate people were, the stiffer she grew.
Indeed, I am an unlovable woman, Elisha ridiculed herself with a scoff.
The night wind was quite cold. It was now the middle of winter.
It had been too cold in the attic of Jacob’s mansion. Her whole body trembled at the thought of residing there. It was fortunate that Lucerne’s bedroom was warm and comforting.
She never woke up in the middle of the night because it was cold like she had before. That man had an exceptionally high body temperature after sex.
Elisha gazed at the moon. Then, startled, she suddenly realized that someone was standing next to her. It was Lucerne. A heavy presence was beside her.
“General.”
Elisha looked at him and pursed her lips.
“Were you on a walk?”
“You know I’m not. I have such a nice, clear view of the front yard from my office.”
So, you followed me?
On Elisha’s face, there looked like something resembling a smile.
