Chapter 15: Misunderstandings Only Spiral and Grow
ㅤI, Wendel Blood, am the eldest son of the Blood Ducal House. Our ancestors made great achievements in the Great War about 500 years ago and were bestowed the title of Duke.
ㅤThe territory’s dungeon suddenly appeared about 100 years ago. Records remain of the great chaos at the time, ‘as expected,’ and the loss of many soldiers and citizens. The records of that time, overflowing with my great-great-grandfather’s lamentation, sorrow, and helplessness, have become a tradition for the heir of our family to read without fail.
ㅤThanks to the struggles of my great-grandfather, grandmother, and father, by the time it became my generation, the Blood Territory had become famous as a dungeon town.
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ㅤ”All that’s left is for you to get married and have an heir……”
ㅤ”The Blood family already has an heir.”
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ㅤI always answered this question from the public like that.
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ㅤI have a half-brother 12 years older than me, named Clark. He was the child my father had with a female servant. I heard the servants whispering that my father strongly desired to marry the woman, but it was not permitted. My brother was intelligent and had no ambition, so from a young age, he worked at the mansion in the territory as my father’s assistant.
ㅤMy mother hated the territory, calling it smelly, and never left the Royal Capital. My father also spent his days going back and forth between the Royal Capital and the territory. As a young child, I spent my days hiding the loneliness in my small chest.
ㅤMy brother doted on me as much as he could and continued to watch over me warmly, like family, even after he got married.
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ㅤ”Onii-sama, I want to be an adventurer!”
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ㅤThe Adventurer Town, where I frequently went with my father and brother, always made me excited, and before going to bed at night, I always imagined myself as a brave adventurer.
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ㅤ”Wendel-sama…… it’s a little problematic to call me ‘Onii-san’…… and you have your duties as the Lord. Being an adventurer might be quite difficult.”
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ㅤIt wasn’t just once or twice that I saw my brother smiling troubledly.
ㅤ”Then, while I’m out adventuring, you can act as the Lord’s proxy, Onii-sama!”
ㅤ”You’re saying that again…… someday you’ll marry a beautiful wife and become a splendid Lord.”
ㅤ”It’ll be a political marriage anyway. I want to marry someone I like, just like you, Onii-sama.”
ㅤ”If it’s Wendel-sama, I’m sure a wonderful person will come to your side.”
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ㅤI knew from a young age that my brother was more suitable to be the Lord than me. He loved this territory, and he read difficult books in his spare time. He was kind, gentle, and loved by everyone despite his status as an illegitimate child, and above all, he cherished me.
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ㅤ”Then, let’s improve the Adventurer Town so that it’s easier for Wendel-sama to go on adventures.”
ㅤ”That’s a good idea! Let’s make this place even more famous as an adventurer’s town!”
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ㅤI understood that my brother was avoiding the topic of my marriage, but since the topic he diverted to was related to adventurers, I readily accepted it.
ㅤI knew that it was difficult for me to marry someone I loved or become an adventurer. That’s why I was happy with my brother’s consideration, which was to work as a Lord who could at least interact with adventurers.
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ㅤThat brother died with my father. Leaving behind his newborn son. They were attacked by monsters on their way to the Royal Capital. It was an abrupt end.
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ㅤ’The last time Okaa-sama came to this territory was for the funeral at that time.’
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ㅤMy brother’s child was driven away, along with his mother, to a distant place. I still remember my mother ranting with a terrifying expression, saying that she couldn’t tolerate them claiming to be the heir.
ㅤAnd so, I became the Duke of Blood at a young age.
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ㅤ”Onii-sama should have been the Lord……”
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ㅤI can’t forget the funeral on that rainy day.
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ㅤ”(……Was it a dream from the past?)”
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ㅤI was dozing off at my desk. Even though it was a dream, I’m happy to have seen my brother after so long, but at the same time, loneliness wells up inside me. If he were still alive, he would have helped me to somehow deal with the difficult problems that keep coming one after another.
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ㅤDocuments were piled up on the desk in my office. I thought things would get complicated with the sudden visitor, but there were no major public troubles, and she returned to the Royal Capital. It was undoubtedly thanks to my wife.
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ㅤ”(Why did she go so far to help?)”
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ㅤJust before that, my wife was frightened after being subjected to terrible harassment. In order to prevent Christina-sama’s dignity from falling any further, she let her vent her feelings in a separate room and even encouraged her.
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ㅤEven Victor, who vehemently opposed the marriage, started to make remarks that acknowledged my wife. It’s a natural assessment, considering that no one could stand up to the fierce Christina-sama.
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ㅤ”Lord Duke, a letter has arrived from Daniel-sama.”
ㅤ”Ah.”
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ㅤI had been supporting my nephew Daniel so that he wouldn’t have any trouble living. My brother’s wife passed away after that, following her husband. I felt like I had lost another family member.
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ㅤ’Family……’
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ㅤThe daughter of the Witwish Marquis House, whom I married to escape from Christina-sama…… when I learned that my new family had become unhappy because of me, I felt like I had been struck by lightning.
ㅤOn that wedding day, on my way to greet the bride in the waiting room, I heard loud voices coming from the room.
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ㅤ”How dare you deceive me!?”
ㅤ”Ojou-sama! You’re being stubborn!”
ㅤ”You’re being persistent!”
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ㅤRealizing that it was the voice of the person who was to become my wife, I was rooted to the spot. It was the sound of a quarrel. No matter how I listened, it wasn’t the tone of someone dreaming of or looking forward to marriage. Confusion, irritation, and great anger, that’s what was conveyed.
ㅤThe maids and servants who were dressing her in her wedding attire were scolding and soothing her.
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ㅤ”I want to live freely!!! I’ve been saying all along that I don’t want to get married!”
ㅤ”Your partner is that Lord Duke! It’s a luxurious problem to have.”
ㅤ”He’s so handsome!?”
ㅤ”It’s not about whether he’s handsome or not! It’s about whether I like him or not!!!”
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ㅤI never imagined that there would be a woman who didn’t want to marry me…… I had never thought of such a thing. I had lived a life where I was constantly being pressed by all kinds of women to marry them.
ㅤAnd at the same time, I realized that I truly had no connection with something called 『family』. My wife doesn’t want to become a family with me.
ㅤThat’s why I gave her freedom. It was the least I could do to compensate the woman who was sacrificed so that I could escape from marrying into the royal family.
ㅤWhen I looked at her, I felt like my chest was being crushed with guilt. Even now, I can barely look her in the eye. It reminds me of myself on that rainy day when I realized that the day I would become an adventurer would never come.
ㅤYet, when I heard from her maid that she was lonely, I was surprised, and to be honest, a little happy.
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ㅤ”(That’s right…… in this mansion, her family is only me, isn’t it?)”
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ㅤIt’s natural for her to feel lonely in this land she was brought to against her will.
ㅤ※Tempest is having the most fun time of her life right now.
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ㅤI forced myself to wake up early, no matter how tired I was, so that we could at least have breakfast together. I still can’t look her in the eye because of the guilt, but we’ve become close enough to greet each other.
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ㅤ’If this continues, the day may come when we can act like a family.’
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ㅤShe doesn’t seem to dislike me either, and she even gave me a powerful healing spell when I was tired. Using that much healing must be a burden on her too.
ㅤ※She was inwardly gloating that she didn’t owe him anything for that small amount.
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ㅤMoreover, my wife hardly uses the money I give her every month and donates it to the orphanage. She only buys the bare minimum of dresses and jewels, and even those dresses are the color of my eyes. She’s a modest woman. Perhaps she’s suppressing her feelings for me.
ㅤ※She just doesn’t want to return the money to Danna-sama.
ㅤ※The maid chose it for her.
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ㅤ”(Maybe my wife wants to get along with me too!)”
ㅤI was thinking such things and living a peaceful life with her.
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ㅤ’And yet I……!’
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ㅤI fell in love at first sight with that female adventurer. What a dishonest man I am. Even though I have a kind wife. Guilt wells up inside me like a spring.
ㅤSeeing her strong and confident figure, I felt like my own heart was filled with that confidence. She didn’t look at me like I was just another jewel. Besides, she surely wouldn’t suddenly die. She wouldn’t suddenly disappear from my sight. I felt an intense life force. Her overflowing energy made me feel positive and energized.
ㅤThe strong, lovely, and dignified adventurer Tempest…… I adore her. I couldn’t erase those feelings.
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ㅤ”I want to see Tempest.”
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ㅤThe words involuntarily slipped out of my mouth.
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ㅤ”Your wife is out today as well.”
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ㅤVictor has a troubled look on his face. I had promised her freedom. It’s difficult to restrict her actions.
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ㅤ”My…… wife……?”
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ㅤ”(That’s right! There are two Tempests! What fate!)”
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ㅤBut their appearances are completely different. Adventurer Tempest has unnaturally white hair, while my wife has glossy black hair.
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ㅤTheir personalities are also different. Adventurer Tempest is self-confident, and I felt a challenging and strong will.
ㅤWife Tempest is kind and compassionate. She was a little afraid of the strong-willed Christina-sama, but in the end, she encouraged her, trying to fulfill her role as the Duke’s wife, and smoothly resolved the situation. Now, I feel like she’s a strong ally.
ㅤ※She just wanted to end the evening party quickly.
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ㅤ”(How merciful she is, even though she was subjected to such harsh words from Christina-sama.)”
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ㅤWhenever I spend time with my wife, my heart always feels slightly warm. I feel like our bond has deepened after the recent evening party.
ㅤHer handling of the evening party was perfect. From etiquette to dealing with the guests, and even the trouble. As my partner, who has no choice but to live as the Duke, is there any woman as reliable as her?
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ㅤ”(Am I in love with both Adventurer Tempest and my wife Tempest?)”
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ㅤUntil now, I thought that the reason my wife’s face kept coming to mind when I thought about Adventurer Tempest was because of guilt, but there was a slight discomfort that didn’t quite feel like guilt. I realized that this discomfort was my love for my wife.
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ㅤIf that’s the case, then I’m truly a despicable man. A man worthy of contempt. I couldn’t show my face to my respected brother.
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ㅤTempest, with whom I fell passionately and blazingly in love, and Wife Tempest, who envelops me in a gentle warmth like the spring sunshine.
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ㅤ”Ah! What should I do!?”
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◇◇◇
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ㅤThe amazing thing about Duke Wendel Blood is that he still doesn’t consider the possibility of being rejected. He never doubts that he’s in a position to choose.
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ㅤ”Lord Duke……?”
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ㅤUnaware of Victor’s puzzled expression, Wendel sits at his desk with a loose expression, troubled by his happy dilemma.