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Chapter 126
A Long and Happy Marriage
Ferda took Valdrova's hand and moved.
The only word that came to mind was "quiet place."
Ferda was heading toward that quiet place.
The place they arrived at was the castle garden.
That place, beautifully illuminated by the moonlit night, was suitable for enjoying a secret rendezvous.
Ẇ еbň о v́ е̃ l̊ Еňü ḿ а
Perhaps because people were heating up at the ball, there was no one in the garden.
A spring breeze without humidity touched his skin.
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His forehead was cold.
Cold sweat was beading up.
Valdrova carefully let go of Ferda's hand and walked forward.
After walking about four steps, she crouched down right there and buried her face in her knees.
W е̄ b̃_n о v̄el̃ En̊um̊â
Like a young noblewoman weeping bitterly.
"......Suup."
The sound of sniffling wet the silence.
The Shadow Circle was moving at that sound.
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The separated regret was moving in Ferda's chest.
Ferda wanted to look away from that sad sight, but he forced himself to watch.
Ѐ ń ůmа́ .і̄ d
Just as this woman faced her situation, I too must not avoid it.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for making you sad.
Those words didn't come out strangely.
Sniffling sound. The sound of swallowing past his throat only strangled his own throat.
"Ferda-ssii......."
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The one who spoke first was Valdrova.
"Please speak."
"......Did you hear?"
"What do you mean?"
"The voices."
She rubbed her eyes with both wrists.
Е̃ǹǔm.а̄
"The voices whispering while looking at me."
Whispering voices?
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Ferda hadn't heard them.
"Calling me a murderer, whispering insults...... you couldn't hear those sounds?"
Ferda clenched his fist.
Valdrova's hearing was far superior to a human's.
Е ǹuḿ а̀_
To her, who could vividly hear even the tiny wingbeats of a gnat, such murmuring would be audible.
Anger wrapped around his whole body.
How dare they make a sound when they've merely set foot on the Duke King's land?
Just which bastard?
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It doesn't matter which family you're from.
If I find out, I'll kill you with my own hands.
W̊е̊b̂ n̈_о̂v̄ е l̀ Е́ num а
-Don't hesitate.
-They insulted your woman.
A voice rang in Ferda's ear.
The Shadow Circle wasn't moving, but it was egging on Ferda's actions.
Which meant it would lead to regret.
'Is this a dangerous thought?'
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Ferda forcibly cooled his head.
If captured by emotion, it leads to mistakes, and mistakes snowball like a snowball rolling down from the peak.
Briefly observing himself from afar, he regained his reason.
'Even if those bastards are immature, they're not idiots.'
It'd be fortunate if the host's backbiting only ended with their throats being cut, but it could lead to the territory's ruin.
If they were young lords and ladies who couldn't tell shit from Shinola, they wouldn't have been brought to a gathering of all nobles.
Ẅ e̊ b́ n̈о̄ v̀ е̄ l Èñu m̀ӓ.
Let alone a dragon.
A dragon they'd never have a chance to see in their entire lives; an evil dragon known for ferocity.
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There was no way they'd have the guts to make such sounds.
So he answered like this.
"I didn't hear."
Valdrova was wiping her chest in relief.
En̆ ů m̆ а̀ .ì d̊
"Thank goodness. As expected, I must have been hearing things again."
"As expected......?"
"That is...... I always hear voices when I go where people are. Cursing me as a murderer, a slaughterer...... screaming."
She took a deep breath.
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"Still...... I thought it would get a little better than before."
Ferda doesn't know, but Valdrova was helping with the village construction.
Е ñ_ü mа̊
Back then, there were no problems.
Because it wasn't Valdrova, but a single armor knight wearing ordinary armor and wielding monstrous strength.
They respected and admired the armor knight like a knight from a story.
"But it wasn't so."
The armor knight and Valdrova couldn't be the same.
The past labels attached to her could be felt in others' gazes.
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Murderer, slaughterer, flames that burn everything.
Evil dragon, evil dragon, evil dragon.......
"That's not true. People don't insult Your Highness. That matter is far too old for humans."
A full 150 years ago.
Unless they're a high mage like Erdes, extremely few people who lived through that era survive.
"I know. I know those people can't say such things to my face. But...... what if......."
Web̂ ǹоv̆e l̇ Еn.ùḿ a
Voice trembling with humidity and passion.
"If someone really said those things to me...... I would......."
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Swallowing her rising emotion, unable to finish her words, she hesitated.
Swallowing and swallowing the choking sound, she spoke.
"So I tried to just watch from afar."
Ferda vividly pictured it before his eyes.
Е̃n̂ ümӑ
Her figure watching from outside the window, unseen, from far away.
At the seat he wanted to make for her, she had become a stranger.
"I just wanted to see Ferda-ssi standing at the banquet...... but then I happened to see. That person named Olivia...... asking for a dance."
As expected.
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That was the trigger.
"The Arken Princess is nothing to me. Asking for that dance was merely my duty as host."
W̄ е b nоv̄êl Ѐn ū ṁ a
Ferda said firmly.
He wished this sincerity would reach her, but it wasn't enough to soothe her sadness.
"But still, you looked so good together with Ferda-ssi."
"Olivia Arken is nothing to me compared to you."
"No!"
Valdrova flared up and raised her voice.
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"The Imperial Princess is smart, elegant, noble, smiles well, she's the kind of woman everyone admires!"
"......."
"Look! Look at this fool who barely mustered courage! Wearing a mask like this...... unable to show her face to people...... not even to her fiancé...... getting jealous in such a vulgar way...... and then......"
Valdrova covering her eyes with her hands.
"Just crying like this......."
"......."
Ẅ е̊b̄ ñ о̀ v е̊ l̆ Е nūm̆ à
"Dancing like a fool, stepping on Ferda-ssi's feet over and over......"
The reason she's this sad wasn't because Ferda betrayed her or anything like that.
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It was self-loathing that blamed everything on herself.
Ferda's scandal with Olivia was also her fault for being pathetic.
Not being able to dance was also her fault.
Her self-esteem, which had hit rock bottom while isolated in a cut-off world, grew larger with each mistake.
Ӗ ǹu m̌à .ïd̆
Ferda knows she has pain.
Embracing that pain was Ferda's job.
'A place where even taking a single step is hard.......'
Ferda had dragged her out.
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Saying he'd prevent useless rumors, he'd placed a terrible emotional burden on this woman who knew nothing.
I'm the worst fiancé.
Е ń ŭ m а̌
"Iorga's words were right. I'm a kid who ruins everything I do."
"That's not true. It's not true that Your Highness ruins everything."
"You don't have to say things you don't mean."
"I'm saying it from the heart."
Ferda took a step forward.
"Your Highness said it. You didn't know what would happen if you let go of this hand."
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"......."
"I didn't let go. Your Highness didn't let go either. So what happened?"
"......."
"Your Highness didn't run away, didn't scream unsightly."
"......."
"You didn't ruin anything. As a great dragon, as the Duke King, you protected your dignity."
E n̄ ùm̌ ă.і̃ d
Those words seemed to comfort her.
The sniffling gradually stopped.
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"Still, the dance might have been truly foolish."
"Uueu......."
"But at least there wouldn't have been anyone who thought Your Highness was a fool."
"......Why?"
Ѐn ūmâ.і d̆
Ferda answered nonchalantly.
"Because I was flapping around like a chicken in a burning poultry farm."
"Puhup......!"
Laughter bursting from a voice mixed with tears.
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After falling silent as if breathless, Valdrova turned her head.
All that was visible was a white mask, but he knew there was no more sadness inside.
Е̃ñũma .ĩ d
"Both of us must have been foolish."
"That's right."
"A fool and a fool."
"Yes."
The crying disappeared, and before he knew it, laughter flowed.
The gloomy atmosphere vanished.
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Valdrova stood up from her seat, and Ferda quietly approached her side.
"Ferda-ssi......."
Ferda turned his head.
She was looking up at him with her small frame.
"My face...... do you want to see it?"
Desperately.
Е.ň ů m̀ ă
"There's only us two here...... and Ferda-ssi always wants to see my face...... so I think it'd be okay to show you today......."
She shyly moved her hands to remove the mask.
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Beyond that was Valdrova's face, which Ferda had only imagined.
Her appearance visible to the naked eye, not imagination.
"You can't."
Ferda reflexively caught her hand trying to remove the mask.
W еbn̆ö v̊ е̂l É n̆ŭm̃а
Valdrova was flustered.
"Why?"
Why, indeed?
Ferda's body had moved first, so he didn't properly know the reason either.
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He thought about the answer to that question.
The answer came out.
Е n ûmа̃ . і d̈
"Aren't there still tears left?"
"Probably......?"
"Then you can't."
Their first meeting was her shedding tears.
Ferda didn't want to fill the face he'd see again with a crying expression.
"As expected, my crying face looks unsightly, right?"
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The atmosphere becoming dejected.
That's not it.
If it was because her crying face was unsightly, he would have beaten himself to death.
Ferda racked his brain.
Wondering if there was a proper excuse, he suddenly remembered what Jed had said.
"My knight said, if you saw the first face as a crying face, you must see the second face as a smiling face. Weren't you crying at our first meeting?"
Ѐ ǹ ǔm̀ а̄ .і́d
"Ah...... yes, that's right?"
"Then this time it must be a smiling face."
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"Th-that's right."
Hearing those words, Valdrova stopped trying to remove the mask too.
Perhaps because Ferda's figure was so desperate, she thought so be it.
Still, the reason was too curious.
W е́b̂ n_о̊ v̊ ӗ l̀ Еn ũ m̂ а
"Then what happens if you see a smiling face?"
Ferda answered.
"They say you grow old together for a hundred years."
He expected her to be happy or shy, but what came from her lips was disappointment.
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"Only a hundred years......?"
"Huh?"
W̄ѐ ḃnоv ѐl̊ E n̈ùm̂ ӑ
"If love only lasts a hundred years...... that seems too sad......"
What kind of foolish nonsense is this.......
He thought, but then remembered he'd forgotten Valdrova's sense of time was different.
To humans, a hundred years is practically a lifetime, but to her, it's probably similar to just one year.
So to Valdrova, it sounded like "let's only be together for one year."
Thinking this won't do, she asked in a suddenly serious voice.
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"Then, you know."
"Yes."
"If I smile more brightly, could it last longer than a hundred years?"
Ferda momentarily forgot what to say.
Valdrova continued asking in an innocent voice.
"Would a thousand years be possible?"
W̌ е̂ bnо v̆ е̇l̊ Ė n um ā
Shaking her head rapidly.
"No, a thousand years is too little too. It feels like it should be about ten thousand years."
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"......It'll be possible."
Ferda answered, having lost his soul.
But Valdrova felt like she was brightening up.
"Then I'll prepare so I can smile really brightly. Because...... I want to spend ten thousand years together with Ferda-ssi."
Е nǔ m̆ а̂..іd
A woman who, if you point at the moon, only stares at your finger.
Even in such impossibly dense appearance, Ferda found her unbearably lovely.
The Shadow Circle no longer moved.
Instead, the Red Circle was spinning wildly on its own.
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Ferda had to suppress it as much as possible so this heart wouldn't run wild on its own and ruin the atmosphere.
It's painful.
W e b̆ n оv̊ e l̀ Е n̂ū ḿ á
It's so painful because I'm happy.
Ferda never imagined he'd feel this kind of emotion.
As if that heart reached her, the laughing girl suddenly turned her head and looked up at the sky.
"The moon...... is beautiful."
"They say today is the day the moon is largest."
"I-is that so?"
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Awkward for no reason.
It didn't seem like she intended to have this kind of talk.
He must have caught the fool disease from her, no doubt.
"Moonlight Step......."
"Yes."
"They say it's most beautiful when danced on a moonlit night......."
W̆ е b ňоv е l Еn̆ umа
"Is th......at so?"
This was something even a fool could understand.
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Valdrova's fidgeting hand.
Ferda's hand placed beside hers kept moving too.
Neither could easily bring up the subject.
Proposing a dance was naturally Ferda's role.
Е ñu m̌ а
But there was a reason he couldn't rashly propose a dance.
Ferda was bad at dancing.
Olivia was skilled enough to dance while humming a tune, but he wasn't.
For Ferda to dance under this moonlit night, he needed music at the very least.
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Just as she seemed to wish for another chance,
Ferda too didn't want to mess up the chance he'd grasped.
Ё n u.m̄ á . іd̈
That was when.
The beautiful tone of a violin rode the night wind and flowed over.
Ferda glanced toward the source of the sound.
There, a tall figure playing the violin was visible.
It was Jed.
He was playing the violin with very skillful technique.
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But that alone wasn't enough to carry the melody.
Soon, a flute sound filled the lack and joined in as a duet.
A woman sitting next to Jed was playing an instrument.
'It's Garnet.'
The music they created in harmony was the waltz music "Moonlight."
The dance derived from that piece was precisely the Moonlight Step.
Е̂ ń_u̇ m̈ a
The timing was uncanny.
We were just talking about the Moonlight Step, and suddenly they're playing Moonlight.
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'They heard everything.'
Come to think of it, wasn't this the place hidden to blackmail the young lords and ladies?
It was only natural they heard Ferda and Valdrova's conversation.
'Well, whatever?'
Е n̄ù ḿā
Rather than feeling bad, he focused on the message Jed was giving.
As a knight, he pushed Ferda's back.
Ferda had to seize that chance.
"Duke King Valdrova, Your Highness."
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A chance to make up for the mistakes they'd each committed.
"Would you honor me with a dance?"
Е ǹ ûm̌ а . і d
And a chance for them to be together.
Valdrova answered brightly like the morning sun.
"Yes......!"
The two people's hands overlapped again.
Excitement settled in.
The sound of heartbeats cheerfully lifted the mood, and his fingertips savored her skin.
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Under the moonlit night, the man and woman danced, entrusting their bodies to the beautiful melody.
Even if the Spring Festival's socializing became a mess,
Even if their clumsy dance was exposed to the world,
In a place no one would know, they were perfect for each other,
So that was enough for the two of them.
As the Moonlight melody concluded, they greeted each other and finished.
Е̇ n̂u m̀а́ .і̇d
They let go of each other's hands, but their gazes lingered on each other regretfully.
"Ferda-ssi."
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"Yes."
"I should...... go now......."
"Is that so?"
Their two hands, gathered and lowered, fidgeted.
Е n ŭ mа̄
"It's not that I don't want to see Ferda-ssi...... but right now, again, I can't control myself......."
Ferda couldn't bear it either.
He just wanted to catch his breath alone and savor the afterglow.
Contrary to that heart, his body didn't move easily.
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Their hands moved awkwardly, and much effort and time were needed until their fingertips completely separated.
"I pray you return carefully."
Е̇ n̊ ǔm̆а̄.і̇d́
"Yes."
She went to the edge of the garden, toward the cliff.
p>Thinking it wasn't proper to watch Valdrova fall, Ferda turned his body.
Now let's move to the social hall again.
"Ferda-ssi!"
Valdrova's voice, carrying courage, stopped him.
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Ferda turned around.
She was standing on the railing, with the moon above her head.
She, prepared to fall at any moment, reached her hand to her own face.
Just like that, she removed her mask.
At that moment, the black and blue light background was instantly filled with color.
Ferda was overwhelmed by this unreal, supernatural moment.
W ӗ bnо̃v̀ e l Ě n̆um̆ â
Ferda tried to choose the appropriate word to match what he saw before his eyes now.
Right.
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It was the sun.
Warm light and heat that melts frozen ground and makes sprouts bloom.
What was hidden in that mask was a beaming smile like the warm sun.
"With this, can we...... spend ten thousand years together?"
Е ǹ ûm̆ a . іd.
"......."
"S-stupid question. Then I'll be going now!"
Embarrassed, she threw her body down below.
Ferda's departed soul didn't think of returning.
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Staring blankly at the spot she'd left, his legs gave out completely.
Ferda lay down right there.
Еñu mа . іd
"Heatstroke......."
Seeing his face turn bright red and his mind growing dizzy, it was certain.
Ferda chuckled.
He blankly looked up at the stars in the empty space.
"......Did you see?"
A question thrown into the void.
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The target was the voice within himself.
The voice he'd ignored for a long time.
For the first time, Ferda spoke to that voice first.
The voice tightly shut its mouth.
It didn't matter.
That silence was nothing less than a sweet victory to Ferda.
Е n̂ ü m а̄
The victor threw mockery at the loser.
"No matter how much you rage, you'll never be able to beat that woman."
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