WBWB | Chapter 15

The lakeshore, the deer habitat, and the forest, all unreachable on foot, were now easily accessible.

Life is truly unpredictable. Last year at this time, I couldn’t have imagined being here. When I received my exile sentence, I just wanted to die. And when I arrived here, I was indeed near death. And until recently, I was drowning in sadness.

But now?

I was starting to like this place. 

Unbelievably. 

Although the autumn weather in Skadi was fickle, changing more than three times a day, there were times when the clouds parted, and a perfectly warm sunlight bathed the land. 

Today was one of those days. 

During the lesson, the weather had been gloomy and overcast, threatening rain, making me feel melancholic. But as soon as the lesson ended, beautiful sunlight suddenly poured over the entire courtyard.

Seeing the sunlight drying the wet grass, I grabbed a book and went outside with Brulee before the weather changed. In Franc, such weather was one I could see every day, and I hadn’t appreciated it. But now, I was overjoyed whenever the sun came out.

Arriving at the hill, I untied Brulee and settled down under the shade of a tree, not caring that the grass was damp. I intended to read a book here for a while.

The book was interesting. However, the warm sunlight brought on drowsiness, and the words began to blur as my head nodded on my own.

‘I might catch a cold if I fall asleep here…’

But the sun was so warm, and the gentle breeze softly caressing the hair on my forehead felt so pleasant. Everything was perfect. It became increasingly difficult to keep my eyes open, and staying awake seemed impossible.

In the end, I leaned against the tree trunk and closed my eyes. At the same time, I felt the book, my index finger marking the page I was reading, slip from my hand, and my consciousness also drifted into the world of unconsciousness.

How much time had passed?

“Gasp!”

I woke up with a start. 

I had slept so soundly that for a moment, I didn’t know where I was. 

Was I in my room? On the hill? Or back in the capital? Perhaps even my exile was a dream? What if everything I had experienced in Skadi was just a figment of my imagination?

I blinked slowly, then rubbed my face with both hands as I looked around. That was when I noticed someone standing beside me, staring intently at me. 

The moment I saw his face, I froze. I was so shocked that I couldn’t even scream.

“…Your Grace?”

How long had he been watching me? Was this a dream too? I quickly got up.

“What is it?”

The Duke, who had been staring at me intently, shrugged his shoulders and raised his head to look up at the sky.

“Clouds are gathering.”

“Clouds?”

‘Clouds?’

I was bewildered by his abrupt statement.

“Rain clouds, carrying moisture from the North Sea. They’ll bring rain soon, so you should take your horse back inside.”

“Oh, yes!”

He seemed to have stumbled upon me during a walk. At that, I quickly got up and looked for Brulee. Fortunately, she was tied to a nearby tree. But had I tied her there?

As soon as I stood up, the Duke said, “At least wear a shawl next time. And something warmer.”

The cold raindrops falling from the sky fell on my face.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

He nodded slightly and whistled. At his call, a black horse approached him. Even at a glance, it was clear that the horse was an exceptional steed—tall, sleek, and well-bred. With ease, he gracefully mounted the fine horse and took the reins. 

The Duke left without a second glance, and I hurriedly untied the leather strap from the tree, mounted Brulee, and followed him.

For a moment, he turned his head to glance at me and then looked away.

And sure enough, the rain suddenly started to pour heavily. By the time we reached the stables, I was drenched through, making the Duke’s warning seem entirely pointless. I left Brulee with the stablehand and trudged back, soaked to the bone, when I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to bring the book I was reading.

‘It’ll be ruined if it gets wet!’

As soon as the thought occurred to me, I immediately borrowed Brulee again and hurried back to the hill. But no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find the book, and I had to return empty-handed.

But how could a book just disappear? It didn’t have legs to walk off on its own.

As I bathed in hot water, I racked my brain, but that didn’t bring the lost book back.

I shouldn’t have taken the book outside. I had carelessly lost a valuable asset of the Duke’s household. What was the difference between me and a maid who stole a silver plate?

‘What should I do?’

I quickly came to a conclusion.

‘I have no choice but to confess.’

The best course of action was to tell Madame Pauline and pay for the lost book. Even though I might lose her trust and have to return the library key.

‘But before that… shouldn’t I look for it a little more?’

Perhaps because I had slept so soundly, I couldn’t even remember clearly if I had really taken the book outside. 

Maybe it was somewhere else? If I had indeed left it on the hill, it should still be there, even if it had been wet and wrinkled by the rain. It was just one book among many. It wouldn’t be discovered immediately, so I decided to look for it first.

But even after searching my room, the study, the hill, and every other possible place for several days, the book was nowhere to be found.

* * * 

Autumn was a busy time. 

After returning from the summer defense campaign, Baldr was greeted by a mountain of postponed work in the territory.

Furthermore, tax collection, the most important task, took place in autumn, the harvest season. And several times a day, minor nobles from within Skadi would visit the mansion, seeking an audience with him for various matters.

For these reasons, Baldr worked tirelessly throughout autumn. His usual daily schedule started at 5 a.m. with military training before lunch, followed by work in his office until almost midnight.

Baldr’s office was located at the front center of the mansion, overlooking the front courtyard, the well-maintained garden, and the forest. When he felt mentally and physically exhausted from work, he would stand by the window overlooking the front courtyard and gaze outside as if admiring a painting.

At those times, the view from his window resembled a painting, almost motionless.

But this year was different. 

This year, a horse and a tutor had suddenly appeared, moving about.

The Duke had recently gifted a horse to his adopted daughter’s tutor. The harsh winter was approaching, making outdoor activities difficult, but another reason was revealed once she started running exercises—an unforeseen problem had arisen. 

He had become increasingly bothered by the soldiers’ lingering gazes on her.

Of course, the tutor only briefly ran on the training grounds before leaving, and the soldiers’ training continued long after. However, Baldr knew. His personal soldiers were young men easily captivated by women.

Although soldiers were strictly forbidden from interacting with the maids inside the mansion, he knew that some of them were secretly involved with each other. You couldn’t expect stallions in heat to abstain from mating. Men being drawn to women, and women to men, was an undeniable law of nature.

Baldr didn’t want any of his soldiers to become romantically involved with the tutor, so he had suggested her to take up horseback riding. 

And from then on, she appeared in the courtyard with a pony. Both she and the pony were small in stature, making her appearance on horseback neither awkward nor ridiculous, and they looked surprisingly well-matched. 

At first, her awkward riding was visible even from afar, and Baldr would unconsciously clench his fists in apprehension.

And soon, she was riding that horse everywhere. 

One day, she rode around the garden. Another day, she was up on the hill. And yet another day, she was by the stream flowing from the forest.

‘I gave her the horse for this purpose, but she’s certainly making good use of it.’

She seemed to enjoy the sun, often sitting in sunny spots, engrossed in reading.

‘That must be one of my books.’

Wasn’t she adapting a little too well?

‘It’s like she’s on vacation, not in exile.’

Although Baldr found her behavior somewhat irritating, he also wanted her to adapt. So, he turned a blind eye to Jeanne using his front courtyard as if it were her own.

And then, one day…