Chapter 12. Changing story (11)
After dinner, the two met in the hallway on their way to fulfill their respective schedules.
In the meantime, Emilia’s outfit caught Ludwig’s eye.
Even though he had a personality that emphasized etiquette in Amman, the atmosphere was quite modest to say that he was dressed for secret conversations among women at night.
To put it bluntly, it feels like wearing too much clothes.
“I put too much effort into the clothes. Emilia.”
“Does it look like that too?”
“I don’t mean it’s bad. I was just wondering if it would be okay to dress a little lighter.”
A light point that came out of the mouth of Ludwig, who was always popular about her outfit.
Emilia looked around at her clothes with her lips slightly pursed.
It was not wrong. Rather, if you look at it from the third person’s point of view, you will consider his words as the right theory.
She seemed to be worried for a while, but she didn’t say that she would change clothes.
Rather, he held his jacket with both hands and showed an uneasy expression.
“Will Princess Adriene find it uncomfortable?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t look like that. I just said what I thought.”
“Is that right?”
It might be impatient to make a conclusion based on only the side of Adriene I’ve seen so far, but I thought that she wouldn’t be the type to feel uncomfortable seeing other people’s clothes that weren’t rude.
In the end, Emilia, who had decided not to change clothes, nodded firmly.
What is this serious look? Ludwig, who looked cute in that figure, inadvertently put his hand over her head and stroked it gently.
“I feel good because Emilia seems to have more friends. The same goes for Scarlett and Princess Adrine the other day.”
“Yeah? ah… that, yes I’m happy too.”
Her reaction was uncharacteristically slow, about a beat.
Maybe he had some tension at the thought of facing Princess Adrienne alone.
Ludwig, intending to loosen up Emilia’s stiff body, carefully placed his hand on her stiff shoulder and lightly massaged it as if giving a massage.
“If you share an interesting story, I want to hear it tomorrow too. Have a good day, Emilia.”
“Yeah. I’ll make sure I don’t miss a single word and come back.”
You don’t have to do that.
As Emilia resolutely resolutely fought like a brave warrior on the battlefield, Ludwig broke out in a sweat and laughed awkwardly.
It was said to relieve tension, but I never thought it would add to the pressure. That’s why it doesn’t seem like he’s doing anything wrong.
‘I should go now too.’
Ludwig turned around after seeing her off with a smile.
As he moved his steps to use the stairs, he could see an old man standing upright hesitantly at the end of his gaze.
Even when he encountered a wandering customer at midnight, he greeted him without a hint of embarrassment, holding an oil lantern in his left hand.
Through a series of actions, Ludwig was able to vaguely understand why he was here.
“I will guide you.”
“It must be time to go to bed, but you seem to be working hard because of me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m getting older, so I’ve lost a lot of sleep.”
He was Fendrick’s right-hand man whom he had glimpsed at the dinner table.
I hear, jokingly, that Fendrick won’t let go, even though he’s past the age of retirement long ago.
Looking at the good impression reflected in the moonlight, it was Ludwig who could understand why.
“I don’t know if you had a good day today.”
“I didn’t know what to do with the generous hospitality. It feels like home.”
“If the head of the household hears it, he will be happy.”
As a server, isn’t the owner’s joy the same as one’s own?
Naturally, the wrinkles that decorated the mouth around the mouth became thicker according to the drawing of the arc of the mouth of the old man.
After moving up the stairs like that, the two of them arrived in front of a large door shortly after.
The man knocked on the door, and permission was granted without a word from the inside.
Perhaps it was because Fendrick had guessed that they would come.
“Then I hope you have a peaceful night.”
“Yes, have a good night.”
He guided Ludwig inside, greeted him through a door, and quickly disappeared.
Entering the room, Ludwig noticed that the inside was quite warm compared to the dining room or drawing room.
It was probably thanks to that magic tool that was emitting a faint light on the table in the center.
“I don’t know if the room is too hot. My hands and feet are cold, so I usually wear this.”
Fendrick knocked the magic tool repeatedly with a laugh.
Even though it must have been quite expensive, the touch did not hold back.
A magic tool like that isn’t even a valuable item. Ludwig stopped laughing.
“Fine. But, for what reason… … ?”
“I told you. Let’s play a game of chess.”
“You are sincere.”
I really didn’t think they called me because I wanted to play chess.
Well, there might be a point of contact between the families, but to Fendrick, a man named Ludwig is just a minor from another family he has never met before.
It would be more unnatural to assume that there is something to be said secretly.
“I’m not good at playing chess, so I don’t know if it will be okay.”
“I’m not bragging, but you can roughly guess how good your skills are after playing just one game. If there’s a big difference, I’ll keep it in my hands, so don’t worry.”
“Listening to what you said makes me more concerned.”
How talented are you?
Ludwig also played chess quite a bit in the past, and it was one of his hobbies, but it was not at the level of digging deep.
Since they called me willingly from the other side, at least I should show off my skills enough to soothe my boredom.
“Then let’s get ready. Oh, are you the type to show off your skills only with alcohol? If so, I will prepare it right away.”
“It seems that there is such a category. Fortunately, that’s not the case.”
“I was worried for nothing. Surprisingly, one of my acquaintances actually exists.”
I don’t know if alcohol will make my head roll properly, but since it was actually the case, Ludwig decided to move on.
While Fendrick got up from his seat and brought the chessboard and pieces, Ludwig put his overcoat on the chair.
I wondered if it would be rude, but fortunately Fendrick didn’t seem to care.
“I heard the story. Did you talk to your wife today?”
When the two faced each other after arranging their pieces on the chess board, Fendrick threw the hwadu, conceding the first attack.
This relieved Ludwig’s worries.
It was the moment when I was worried that we would just play chess in silence without a single conversation going on.
“I don’t know if that expression is appropriate. It’s like your wife talked to me while I was bored.”
Rather, it was Ludwig who benefited.
Thanks to that, I was able to pick up some backstories that I hadn’t heard, and I was able to look around the mansion without getting bored.
However, Fendrick assumed this answer was humility and only smiled happily.
I was intrigued by rumors that he was the man who captured the rumored princess of Bayemurn, but when I saw him in person, he was a really neat and simple man.
“Even if you look like that, you’re a girl who doesn’t carelessly praise others. Even so, you have been well received.”
“I’m just grateful that you liked it.”
“yes. ‘Even if I was 20 years younger… ’ and even said something that I don’t know if it was a joke.”
Pooh!
Ludwig, who was taking a sip of warm water from a glass, was attacked unexpectedly.
In the meantime, it was fortunate that Fendrick, who was sitting across from him, was lightly passed over, with no misfortune to be heard.
“Coke! Coke! That, Lady Gladia, is joking too much.”
“hahahaha, sorry. If I had known you would be so surprised, you would have given me a word in advance.”
I was so surprised that I almost fainted, but I couldn’t tell the truth.
Ludwig forced a smile, rolled up a layer of wet sleeves, and turned his gaze back to the chess board.
The knight controlled by Fendrick suddenly jumped out of the chess piece and started a full-fledged movement.
Aggressive movement in contrast to the calm tone of speech.
Ludwig responded with a knight as well, waiting for Fendrick’s mouth to open.
“Did you hear the story from your daughter?”
“… It’s not a definitive answer, but I vaguely heard it.”
“Right.”
Apparently, he inferred the conversation he had with Adrine through Gladia.
Gladia was the one who advised Adrine herself to listen, so maybe it was natural.
“A lot of time has passed. I don’t even know if I sent him away.”
“May I ask how you went through such an ordeal?”
“Sick. The other day, I went to a province with my family, and it was a kind of contagious disease.”
If it was a simple contagious disease, he would have mobilized all the power of the Wistenbach family to find the right medicine and medicine.
It would be more correct to say that he was unable to do so and sent Christian away, which was a serious illness.
For an instant, Ludwig’s eyes sank.
“It looks like the treatment was difficult.”
“I invited famous names from all over the place and tried all kinds of medicines, but it was of no use.”
“It seems that Princess Adrine still misses her sister.”
“… right. Maybe that child was more heartbroken than we were.”
It was also the influence of that time that the glossy black hair that Adrine called herself proud of became pure white.
He seems to cherish his hair now, thinking that it was a gift left by his beloved brother, but at first he cut his hair every day to deny his brother’s death.
Over the years since then, the pain has gradually blunted and I am fortunate to have met someone who can fill that empty space and become the bright Adrienne I am today.
“At first, I also resented God. But as I went through life, I realized that I would not be able to bear it if I always complained.”
That’s what life is.
Sometimes you run into unexpected situations, and there comes a time when you realize that the world is different from what you thought, but you have to endure it.
Ironically, the small realizations that a man named Fendrick had learned throughout his life were nothing but insignificant things.
“Have you never been like that?”
“I don’t know yet.”
At the sudden question, Ludwig shook his head low.
There were many unexpected things in this world he was thrown into one day, but none of them came as a nightmare like Fendrick.
The meeting with Emilia, the fact that he became a lover, and the fact that he became friends with the man he thought would be a villain were only positive things for him.
“It wouldn’t be so bad to find out the world wasn’t the one I knew. If it’s not a tragedy like mine, you can grow from that kind of realization.”
“I will listen.”
widely.
A sound much louder than before reverberated throughout the room, and Ludwig’s bishop pierced the center of the chess board.
“this. I don’t think there’s any need to hold hands.”
“It is an overestimation.”
Fendrick joked that he was pretending to be weak, so Ludwig laughed and denied it.
Fortunately, it seemed to be enough to appease Fendrick’s boredom.
It can’t be compared to the warm hospitality I received during the day, but I felt like I paid off my debt a little bit with this.