Chapter 162

NMRJKM Side Story Chapter 3

After finishing the hunting festival, the night banquet that followed. Contrary to his intention to mingle moderately, he became the winner of the hunting festival.

“I didn’t know the nobles were this bad at hunting.”

For the record, he was also a noble. After all, how could someone who survived the battlefield compare to a noble leisurely catching rabbits in the capital?

His plan to return to the mansion immediately after the hunting festival was also dashed due to the Emperor’s special request for the winner to remain.

His head throbbed.

“Hello, Duke. I…”

He passed by the lady who bravely approached without even glancing at her. Her friends offered words of comfort to the woman who had mustered the courage to speak. The glares directed at Carlothian stung.

But he stood near the wall of the party venue, completely indifferent. He didn’t want to be part of such an occasion.

He could constantly hear whispers about himself. With his sensitive hearing, the murmurs of many people sounded like the devil’s voice.

“So, the number of people he killed in that war…”

“People are dying in his mansion due to his madness…”

“Still, the Duke’s family…”

Stories that constantly weighed on his reputation and family. They likely didn’t know he could hear them, but everything was so irritating that he felt like dying. Carlothian turned his head away from where he had been staring.

If they saw him as a murderer, then it would be right for him to act accordingly.

Just as he was about to approach the nobles whispering about him, someone blocked his path. He saw the back of a small woman.

“That’s rude.”

The woman spoke in a calm yet firm tone, and Carlothian recognized her well.

“W-Well, Saintess…!”

Yes, Dorothea. The one and only saintess of the temple. Her beautiful appearance and devout heart made her name renowned. The woman closest to the gods.

“He is a remarkable man who fought for the Empire and returned.”

“Y-Yes, of course. We know that well…”

“Then why did you speak such words?”

Carlothian stared blankly at the small figure defending him. Though smaller than him, her straight posture and squared shoulders looked dignified.

“Duke Carlothian.”

She turned to face Carlothian. He gazed down at her for a moment before responding, a beat late.

Was it just his imagination that his throbbing head felt a bit lighter?

“Would you be willing to accept their apology?”

Dorothea’s eyes sparkled. Carlothian looked into her eyes for a moment and nodded. As he expressed his intent, the nobles who had been carelessly gossiping about him hurriedly apologized.

“We are truly sorry, Duke.”

“I-I will never speak carelessly again.”

Carlothian briefly shifted his gaze from Dorothea to them. They had been chattering away behind him, but now they looked like small animals hiding their heads, wary of him.

“……This time, I’ll let it slide for the saint’s sake.”

The nobles sighed in relief.

“But.”

His cold gaze swept over them.

“There will be no next time.”

As he growled, they turned pale and hurriedly left their seats. Carlothian sighed in exhaustion.

Then, Dorothea, who had still been at her place, looked up at him and smiled.

“You really look like you want to go home.”

“…No, I don’t.”

Dorothea didn’t press further. She simply cast her gaze into the distance. It was clear she was looking at someone.

There stood the Crown Prince, Luciano. Saintess Dorothea gazed at him gently, as if looking at something more precious than anything else.

For a moment, Carlothian felt spellbound by that gaze, his body stiffening. Even he, who was dulled to affection, could tell that her eyes were filled with passionate love for someone.

“…Ah, I’m sorry. Just a moment.”

“It’s fine.”

Dorothea looked up at him, seemingly awkward.

“Y-You must find the atmosphere even stranger since you just returned from the war.”

“Well…”

Seeing Carlothian’s vague response, Dorothea replied.

“Some will envy and slander you, but surely, there will be those who come to love you.”

Her eyes sparkled like starlight.

“You are neither a murderer nor a war fanatic. You are simply Duke Carlothian Denaves. Just you.”

“…”

Why did her simple advice hit him so hard? If someone truly knew how to love, then even these common words of comfort would be sincere.

“…Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

Dorothea smiled softly and then greeted him. She disappeared into the crowd of the hall. Carlothian struggled to calm the strange turmoil in his stomach.

‘Dorothea, Saintess Dorothea.’

Her name lingered vividly in his mind that day.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

“Oh my, did she really say that?”

Ariadeline awkwardly laughed. Dorothea responded as if it was truly strange.

“I’m telling you!”

Carlothian stood by the wall, hidden from the terrace, and recalled the past. When he stopped and didn’t move, the maid discreetly hid behind the wall as well.

‘What were my feelings for Dorothea?’

It was certainly a different emotion than his love for Ariadeline. When he thought he loved Dorothea, he wasn’t this happy.

Ariadeline, thanks to her, he realized what it felt like to love someone so much that he wanted to kill.

At that moment, Dorothea’s words interrupted his thoughts.

“How should I put it? He used me as a benchmark.”

“A benchmark?”

He heard Ariadeline’s puzzled voice.

“I was passionately in love with Luciano at that time. Ah, and I still am.”

Dorothea’s laughter echoed. Carlothian realized, hearing her voice from behind the wall.

The benchmark of love.

It was Dorothea who set that for him. Could he love like that? Could he receive such a gaze? In his empty life, unable to do anything, those eyes… those eyes…

“People really get swept up in such nonsense, you know.”

“…Uh, um. Didn’t you know about that rumor?”

“Right? I have eyes and ears too. But I told you.”

Dorothea was firm.

“He didn’t love me. Don’t you know that by now, Ariadeline?”

There was an oddly confident tone in Dorothea’s laughter.

“I could tell because I loved someone. He didn’t love me.”

Carlothian reflected on the past. And her words were correct. The feelings he thought were love were utterly shallow.

Compared to the emotion he felt for Ariadeline, where he could only see her until his last breath, it was nothing more than a scrap of paper. Carlothian bit his lip for a moment.

He hated himself for being swept away by such feelings and turning away from the past Ariadeline. He lowered his head and stared at the floor.

Silence ensued. He couldn’t even tell Ariadeline that he had come. After a few seconds, a shadow fell over the floor he was staring at. Carlothian lifted his head.

“Peek-a-boo!”

Ariadeline had somehow poked her head out from behind the wall and was looking at him.

“When did you get here? I wouldn’t have known if the maid hadn’t told me!”

Ariadeline said brightly. When Carlothian looked at the maid, she merely laughed and turned her head away.

It seemed she didn’t think the sight of him digging into the ground was very pleasant.

“Come here. Aren’t you hungry? Shall we have some snacks?”

“Oh, Carlothian!”

Dorothea also welcomed him warmly. Carlothian sat down as Ariadeline led him.

“…What were we talking about?”

“Wow, you really can’t lie at all.”

“Carlothian, don’t go lying anywhere.”

Lies didn’t work on the two of them. Dorothea asked him with a playful expression.

“From where did you hear about it?”

Carlothian momentarily covered his eyes with a troubled look.

“…It started with some lady saying that I liked you.”

“Oh my, you heard everything from the beginning.”

Ariadeline said, bringing her hand to her mouth.

“My husband has a subtly dark side, you know.”

Ariadeline linked her arm with Carlothian’s and leaned on his shoulder. Carlothian quietly looked down at her small head. Her lovely blonde hair was shimmering.

As he gazed down at her crown for a while, Ariadeline soon lifted her head to meet his round, blue eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“……”

Because you’re lovely. Carlothian couldn’t muster the words to say it. Seeing this, Dorothea quietly sipped her tea and smiled softly.

“Carlothian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Seeing your face reminds me of when I started to love Luciano.”

Carlothian paused for a moment at her words.

So, I had eyes that loved someone like that. Just like the first time I saw Dorothea’s eyes.