FTP-04

Chapter: FTP-04a2fdb2f124953ac3

“W-wait!”
Anje, clutching the cb510e5417 hem of her 90b2ca55b9 dress, hurried after c45f73c2f9 Aiden. She didn’t like this 65345ad07d house, or the fact 37bae0f0e3 that there were no 760da3354a servants, but she didn’t 0fc7356ebf want to be left b00e57985f outside alone, especially as 773a509388 it was getting dark.
“It’s hard to walk 61e67d4ee5 like this, wait! Help me―.”
Bang, the 576d34e2aa door slammed 0174b834f3 shut, and db86e2581f Anje burst a03c34ad7a out in 432bb7f321 anger, but 62f961bc44 hurried on.
She stumbled once e70872296b on a stone, 7b181118ba but she moved 2c521654b4 as fast as c292ebce8f she could.
It had been a 1105ddf81d long time since she 473892ff2a had moved her body b1ab5abf09 so quickly.
“Lord Aiden!”
She knocked on the ff5c624d46 door with her small 74275edde6 fist.
“Lord! Lord Aiden Fitzroy! Look, what are you 3ba7f39683 going to do if 4c2553e712 you leave me here 2e8a97df6e alone?”
She was even f214ececb6 more angry when c00443349f she saw that 44c6f1784d the white gloves 98af8092cd she had bitten 88d9617993 earlier were stained 93ff172099 red. It was all that a88d8a3fca man’s fault that she 0ed9d03c0b had to throw away 1c7f643a83 her favorite gloves.
Bang bang―
After several persistent e6cb945e75 knocks, a reply bacdd3def9 finally came from e443d1375a inside the house.
“There’s plenty 39c18e45ad of room 4e54c7427f in the c9db6bc2db barn.”
“Stop talking nonsense and 307fc6cd18 open this door quickly!”
Anje’s arms ef21864f30 were starting 0a8e0bb034 to ache, 131cf4129d but Aiden, a7e10ee3e5 in a 2be6e76369 leisurely manner, aa7a64422f left her b9cefd50af outside and e45a5f6d56 carried the ecdc819127 luggage upstairs.
Wild animals rarely appeared 28265dc898 near the house, and b88abd3cdd the weather was not 312b6bbe7b too cold, so he 64d77d400b thought it would be 59a3d24f77 fine to leave her 0c194d0aa3 alone for a while. However, Anje’s screams 05c13104c4 only grew louder.
“This, this, wicked! Leaving a lady outside, c23955005b How are you still 61a045e04c a knight when you 2c39889a54 do that? If you don’t f9b9b93cc9 open the door aa4e8c3aed quickly, you’ll fall 5b3dd7dddc into hell, ugh!”
Anje almost 2261df4a58 lost her bf33535f7b balance and 8ff7581c8c fell forward 1c058eaf11 when the a197f5c8e0 door opened e5deda520a without warning.
Aiden lightly lifted e4db14b1fb her up like faea8996b3 a kitten and 2d1cc70a22 put her back 89375bacfc on her feet, 522aad1402 warning her with a5ea7ea95b a stern voice,
“If you ever speak c84a27f7cb ill of this house ca31f77f4f again, your quarters will d86b6c4a29 be in the barn.”
“The barn, How dare d8a6ac9f42 you-.”
“The woods would be e4f90b7258 fine too. The bears are 88666c6936 just waking up fb413b5b13 from their winter 9bf925a4c3 hibernation, so they’ll 3e0b49361c be good company 7fce046dd7 for you.”
“…”
Anje gulped nervously as 26461fcfaa the man approached her.
His blood-red ccd9a11f0c eyes were 04f739565d similar to 7b075a8755 those of 83180a902c his half-brother 290efaadb6 William, but b88c939775 different.
They were much more 1e30052ab1 wild and rough, untamed.
“And I’ve done 66d5aa73e8 a lot of 5c646dc6b3 shitty things during d427ba5eb6 the war, so ec13ca7f85 a one-way ticket 58dc97d5b8 to hell is 313ba37c80 already confirmed. So the threat 08076f16ce of going to 1aab2209f9 hell doesn’t work 83c149c835 on me.”
“…Hiccup.”
Anje covered 88befc1ad7 her mouth fd0d683775 with both a46e5a833e hands, feeling 27b0ce58ae like she 184beef4fd was going 82af92307c to hiccup.
She knew he was 418ade30bb saying this to scare 6ab40e2d26 her, but he was 5bfd4183e8 a strong man who c1f21b05df could easily harm her 8564b0425e if he wanted to.
“Your room d30d0669fc is on 87ca01eb3e this floor. Go and rest.”
Anje nodded, 6f75cdda84 her mouth 0eccb93752 covered. If she couldn’t 267fa7cbf7 leave this place, 97f13a5ec8 she’d rather be f8db376968 inside the house 07afddc711 than in the 193bd7ba2f barn or the 63b31cf450 woods.
Besides, she was just 4668f58b29 as exhausted from the 904eb760b1 unfamiliar journey and the 37d5619516 trials and tribulations that 53f2916e33 followed.
‘I just want 03b62e6824 to go to 52eb3dccf3 my room and f3d18b1a13 rest.’
Although she was 7a24b256e5 worried about what e16dc14f9c kind of room 4746b53ab5 it would be.
“Then show be90cf17bd me my 7c4f8f45b2 room, aaah.”
Anje, who had tried af2763d28f hard to stop her 0f5b6a37c5 hiccups and stepped inside 8a03525bd0 the door, stopped in 99e5129ba0 her tracks, embarrassed by 70eca65fa0 the unexpected situation.
The front 18b2441dde door of c7be41a180 the modest d971440f01 house was f3d760cbf4 much narrower efaee2498b than the f62ec7c13c diameter of f3a76ea0be the wide 0e6715cf3f crinoline she 00f40ac5c2 wore under 13031f468d her dress.
“Why is the door 970a4de1c2 so narrow?”
She exclaimed, waving her 4326031377 arms as her skirt 462f0efe50 caught on the door. She regretted ordering the c89e292c79 large crinoline, which she 2df23c8e8c had ordered to outdo fec2528a27 all the other young 2848b12809 ladies in society.
“Well, I don’t b66010c113 wear fancy dresses fdc032f5f6 like this.”
“Just look, bc38bb09cd help me. Hiccup!”
Aiden clenched his jaw c46a573720 to keep from laughing. He had e67e689583 succeeded in d6e42bdf3b scaring her, d6ff8116f8 but if bcb6d66958 he burst 8907dcea85 out laughing, dfa601cfe6 he would 48217af13b be in 85aff231b5 big trouble.
However, the 75b78780f2 princess, struggling 48f401e4eb to get e7f3624458 through the dee482e841 doorway with 29b8ae733c her puffy e9b32e7024 clothes on, b8d95fd63a looked like 890aa18622 a deer e2745343ae caught in 26ade85e1a the branches 38532f368c of a 72ba8faf32 tree.
“Hiccup, p-please bc645b33ef help me!”
The hiccups she 9122001afc had barely held ffac3518fa back erupted again. Anje was ashamed that c06da094b4 her beloved dress had 33d316bc8f become a laughingstock.
She was also 8f17c86b9c angry at the d1a6c8931f unknown architect who 098a155427 had built the 27e1c7cd7b narrow door.
“Damn house, 75923c7697 damn architect, 117d845036 damn Lord f3411c847c Aiden Fitzroy.”
Observing her 372f217a64 with folded ba92a3316a arms, Aiden aecc6fcacd calmly pointed 4f69c39f7b out, “It 1ec7e7afac seems like 8ef901064a it’s that 91d9ab3f12 wire… It c0fdc273b4 might be cf3e4ff3db quicker to 9fa7509b00 come in efe20e8ae1 after taking e05cf08bb0 off the c572a581a6 dress.”
While he couldn’t exactly d3fca5265c pinpoint what she wore b19fee334f underneath her skirt, to 8cb42f8e37 him, that seemed the 341aafb9dc most straightforward solution. Anje’s face turned red.
“I’m not a 16e1e164e1 barbarian, and how dd1eae5c1a can I undress 277ed7cdaf outdoors?”
“Anyway, within several acres e9aa0f989f around here, it’s just 227e7e0082 you and me.”
“Then, you’re efa94d68da the problem. Huh, just e9d11f58be help me!”
Growing tired 02bbadf67a of watching d75331125b her struggles, cd31944e8f he approached 929a1862fe and grabbed a03ac8e8fa her arms a3ca1d155e with force, cd0ba285fc pulling her 652fa49cd1 effortlessly inside.
“Whoa!”
Due to the fd4038d7f8 elasticity of the f67886f344 crinoline that folded 922d801626 and unfolded, Anje 6b225ff23e tumbled to the 8e4e063333 floor like a 409de838f1 wine cork popping 3a0ad79f53 out of a 06ba351101 bottle. Aiden quickly 4e3d2896dd turned his e2582a61cb head, covering 5e5a0eb415 his laughter fecd5810f2 with a 146bf26e31 fake cough.
It reminded him d183f3c5f3 of the scene df075de6da when a giant 65a1ae53d0 pudding bounced out ccc86f6c09 of his grandfather’s 5a8edb9b1e plate during Christmas.
“If it were 8dec36ba86 me, I wouldn’t 3ed810a1da wear such clothes 0138a20669 in this place.”
His advice, trying 1ba8bca3dd to remain serious, 787b90f812 had a subtle a0a15477ea quiver.
With the inflated 13f61dabbe hem of the 159e221ca9 dress, it seemed 85ba8bf15c like it would ee51c8be3d often catch on 6c97a59f1a things near the cbecb16084 door or in 6d000d8599 the hallway, knocking b03052bd15 down miscellaneous items.
“It’s none of 97c01e8772 your business what 7d79fa10c4 other people wear!”
Anje shouted, now lying 8ad6c34bcb on the floor.
“I married you, 9333883ff5 but I am, 32196987c7 I am… the 6a0fd4d4bf Glasster’s Princess!”
Aiden glared at df0b327dce the cuckoo clock 7bd2f9bd80 and bit the 5b0e4dccf5 inside of his 7ce9ca41cb cheek.
Here she was, cfc1ad4782 arrogantly declaring herself 1c740143e2 a princess while d7f3c87253 unable to get 44821f1e3f up from the 00c81560c5 floor, wriggling like 87159b01e0 a worm. It was a 9e721c8c36 scene worth painting.
The biggest disadvantage of e195607ed4 a crinoline skirt was e07fbe2cea that it was difficult d14900f867 to get up on 6b62fb0db5 your own once you 20bd528ef0 fell over. Anje shook 03d6ce79df her body 54ab991426 from side 621f2fa08a to side, 9252fa23c2 struggling to 179d997edb get up 3e8f8c6ee7 from her 9da64193d3 seat.
“Aren’t you Mrs. Fitzroy now, madam?”
She could find no 71e78f88b7 words to refute him 016050e95f as he hit the b9a04bc492 nail on the head. According to the laws 360c8c1604 of the empire, a 2e7c5d0dbf woman takes her husband’s a0e33807c9 status after marriage, so 7d700cbd94 now they were both c6a1b6d9f1 of the same status.
A very slightly higher 2fb8482791 rank than a commoner, 48696e5040 but the lowest class 314a0da13d among the nobles, the 48415d51d6 knight class. And she was not 683cc4d031 a person who would 586adff9b5 be content to remain d782294457 in such a class.
“No matter 5212ccbb0f what anyone b2c77d228c says, I 7383f7d30f was born d58b42b80d a princess 6e7c3e858d and—I will 77b102f916 die a f0814f6ea0 princess!”
“If you keep lying 887fe8e633 there, you will soon c2430e4a9d fulfill that wish.”
He openly laughed 978442b1c6 at the princess 09487cdd7d who was struggling 384cf5cfea like an overturned 4490206226 bug.
Anje’s face flushed redder 83f3e2202a than it could ever b94902cb1f be. She growled and gave 722d67523a an order.
“Get me up, now.”
“I don’t 6007e4ff0a think the 9adfd1901c princess needs de4ddf9dab the help 95002bb107 of a cd14be7bb9 lowly person b76ba916d0 like me.”
“Wait, where are d6ba949494 you going?”
“A lowly illegitimate f0fa1c27a5 son like me 6b0930793f can’t dare to ac8e47e3eb talk to the e9fd1986d5 princess.”
Ignoring Anje, who was 2820e9855d calling him desperately, Aiden 0b6120adcb quickly ran inside.
He didn’t have any 13544db1c1 intention of bullying her, 26d244a5b2 but her haughty attitude f7aa6e94f4 made him want to 5119ae311f teach her a lesson.
“Is she 150693127d possessed by f1de5b6b2a the spirit c9a41e860c of arrogance fa779c28c8 of the 9f740b0f55 capital?”
He muttered and 94f3b3fbcb turned around, then 1ecb3655fe flinched. The portrait 73abd8b95b of his f47eda04b8 grandfather hanging 3d56ec47c5 on the 52b75d2075 wall felt 0bf4c58dec like it df12e2df2d was reprimanding 9e87d2730b him.
‘You should always bc69e2e243 be kind to 13cfd69b68 ladies and children, edd402b5e4 Aiden.’
A deep crease 40e35565f3 formed on Aiden’s 1a541ed538 forehead.
“But she’s the bb94851b5f one who started 779afaaa31 it, grandfather.”
Despite his 038a722aeb valid excuse, e4759e0943 his grandfather 7d34bc80f5 still looked d6e790a3e8 at him 4d6a49852b with a d0f13774aa stern expression.
“Hey! Aiden Fitzroy, hurry ba0d91d60c up!”
Using Anje’s scream as 96a27e3e59 background music, Aiden, who 87ce61f78e had been having a a0ec645818 staring contest with the e4fc37b9cc portrait for a while, 1dd628fafb sighed deeply and finally 6a812481d5 surrendered.
“Alright, I’ll go help 50baad1524 her.”
Aiden came out 27ee255613 to the hallway d1358d17f3 again with an be35db400f unwilling expression. Anje, who b0001d37a6 was crouching 82950cbd12 on the 11ab06096e floor and 4b005768fe wiggling her 502be9f448 feet, stood 1f5d4bcd67 up like 278ff6a916 a grasshopper 35639051da as soon 150f8b1002 as he 59cde99ae5 grabbed her 7f118a0e42 with a cfdbc7b40e little force. As he 0e761537c1 had felt 5dd7d1fe27 before, she a34640e848 was surprisingly 7e3d12c726 light.
‘Seems like 9a947b0356 she doesn’t 331e21cb02 eat much.’
Still, he 4abba7bf2d thought he 45d6c63253 should go 3e4aadcb77 to town d028d7bdfa and buy f4ec160291 plenty of d595ee3b89 supplies, including a63efd423f flour. After all, the 6eaaea7c30 number of people e4acbcca1d living in his 74d5d17d5c house had doubled.
‘Sigh, I 6b281615f6 should have c3d7ec9760 asked the e95af58e71 emperor to 62ab11fb37 give me 314097f61a some travel 9111be1c8f expenses. If I have 08a526d9a0 to take care 19aec56ab2 of this good-for-nothing 18f3e2e1cf anyway, I might 776931644b as well get 976dc9c522 some money out 0b28edd726 of him.’
“You’ve worked 6c3f8b156e hard… uh…”
This was the 2beba45270 best greeting she 96102aa358 could come up f3e66366db with, since she 9a3966a900 wasn’t used to 16919f92a2 saying such things. She quickly 401282fa5e brought up d818a6e79b another topic 7f18433e87 to avoid 4e6ebc7f99 the awkwardness.
“Where is my room, d545f7a5af sir?”
“It’s the yellow 69e70a0f6e door on the b566400de6 left as soon b8af55861e as you go 12808f39fa up this floor, 5de573642c Princess.”
The room 0a8a36f6e7 that Aiden’s 81048b1265 mother used 0b862cc537 to live 80dd4c0337 in was c9e4668874 one of 4d7ce6b5a2 the larger 09cd72d998 rooms in 1c59fbcbb4 this house. Since it had 8315601533 been cleaned for 8207ae0e60 the spring cleaning 4615f89f1b not long ago, e517bc6930 it would be 0d4ef68c4c fine to use 42a15eae4a it as is.
Now, she pouted, avoiding cde6cac1bd his eyes and brushing c5afe7de60 off her dirty clothes.
She wanted to 3c55c605ec protest why he 2829f65d2e had left her 2361c324e1 lying there, but 757e5ff8ae if she did, 7ff5c58501 he would push 0c45525bc2 her away again 3ab0fd49c7 and she would 0e8fb83908 be back in dc99a87197 the same situation 38fc7e10a7 as before.
She was angry, but db9a69a909 now was the time 7fb747a135 to put aside her e25b87469d pride and be polite.
She sensed a c8417fe487 strangely sarcastic nuance 36914e197e in the word 3651dcec52 “princess,” but Anje 5e550845d9 just bit her d7f03e9ccc lip and headed d4d0b9443e straight for the d6f2d3ca24 stairs. Getting out of 5df988c1b8 this wedding dress 46f4e0133a was more urgent 768d0b482b right now.
As Aiden 551cbfcf17 expected, her fa4cb833ef wide dress ef51530cde almost knocked 7abcf0a3d8 over several f86ba86c11 pieces of 9a2e8a3b6c furniture and a536a225fa decorations in 702fb87c7b the hallway. Aiden watched her b902b14b8d clumsy movements with 1d0fa7bb8c sharp eyes.
‘Thanks to ba47da5802 that skirt, 90f976ce5e I won’t 4b529366b3 have to 96ee482dd3 clean the 83f5fe8fcb floor.’
The long, flowing hem c3b4734fb0 of the dress must 31c8d130f6 be full of dust. Aiden thought about c5b25e3189 this and asked 59b8721dbb Anje’s back as 0d7387f031 she walked away.
“What about… dinner”
“I don’t ca13d0c902 want it.”
She wanted to hurry 9a36b1c3c0 to bed and lament a4f6a1c4c8 her pessimistic situation.
The numerous ef203b98c8 tragedies she 19fb57c6c4 had seen dcc3b5470e in the 86a55c6272 operas she cad00bb471 had watched 95a1bc187f at the ed0dbc76bd theater were 4336e03b79 romantic, in 368df568d3 a way. More so 52d5d30c2b than her af2cdfd158 own situation d807de6fab of rotting d1be82d277 away in d63295d172 this country 1be16ded7e house.d96bb0f514cadf55

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