“Isn’t it a bit late to claim that Miss Gillette is still young?”
Viscount Merdi’s face turned crimson.
“Please… I beg of you….”
Gillette could not believe what she was seeing—her own father kneeling before Rishi, begging for mercy.
*Who does that woman think she is?* she thought. *She only holds the status of ‘House Green’ because she caught a good husband.*
*Living a debauched life, yet she ends up with a good husband, and now she’s putting me through this.*
However, Gillette could not move a muscle. She knew that any attempt to act out now would only worsen the situation.
Besides, Viscountess Merdi, who had barely managed to regain her composure, was gripping Gillette’s wrist so hard it felt like it might snap.
Only then did Gillette realize what she had done.
There were families in this world that one simply must not provoke.
The House Green, blessed by the Holy Kingdom, was one of them. It was a family that not even the Emperor dared to provoke lightly.
Gillette had known this fact, too.
She simply had not been able to accept that the moment Rishi married Kay, she had become a member of the House Green.
Gillette squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. She hated it intensely, but she had no choice.
At this moment, Rishi’s goal was clear.
Gillette’s apology.
Gillette’s submission.
As Gillette moved to walk toward Rishi, the Viscountess glared at her, warning her not to do anything unnecessary.
Gillette whispered, “It’s fine,” and headed toward Rishi.
All eyes followed her.
Finally, standing before Rishi, Gillette calmly knelt beside Viscount Merdi.
“I was the one who spread the false rumors.”
In truth, it was Alford who had brought up the story. However, Alford would never admit to that, and the maids present would not speak the truth either.
“I was wrong, Countess Green. I have committed a grave sin. Please, punish me.”
Now, everyone’s eyes turned to Rishi’s lips.
The crime of fabricating a scandal for a noblewoman and spreading it to other countries was severe. Especially since it wasn’t just any noblewoman, but a lady of the House Green and the daughter of the Duke of Witlow. Everyone watched with curiosity, wondering what terrifying punishment Rishi would inflict.
*‘She’ll be exiled at the very least.’*
But Rishi said something that defied everyone’s expectations.
“There will be no punishment.”
Rishi said it plainly.
“Since you have spoken honestly and apologized, I will forgive you. This matter ends here.”
Most of the commoners and nobles present thought:
*‘She’s so broad-minded. They call her the flower of the ducal house, but is she just naive because she was raised so sheltered?’*
However, some of the more perceptive nobles thought:
*‘I thought she’d be naive because they call her the flower of the ducal house, but that wasn’t the case. I must be careful.’*
Rishi had forgiven Gillette, and the reporters present would write articles about this and spread the news far and wide.
The broad-minded Countess Green, who forgave the Viscount’s daughter for fabricating and spreading a scandal.
But some present knew that this was not true forgiveness. If she had truly intended to forgive, she would not have uncovered the truth in a place like this. She would have investigated quietly behind the scenes, spoken to her privately, and settled it there.
Now that everything had been revealed in public, neither Gillette nor the House of Viscount Merdi could escape the fact that they had tried to tarnish the name of the House Green with false rumors.
The House of Merdi would become an outcast among the nobles; wherever they went, they would be pointed at and become a laughingstock. This incident would surely follow every business venture the House of Merdi undertook, and before long, any business conducted in their name would undoubtedly collapse.
Yet, since Rishi had forgiven Gillette, whatever treatment the House of Merdi received from here on out had nothing to do with her.
No one would dare to say that Rishi had been too harsh.
Wittingk, the reporter from Ellerbo, also realized why Rishi had forgiven Gillette.
Under normal circumstances, Wittingk would have written the opening of his article as, “There were sharp thorns on the flower of the House of Witlow.” But this time, he had no such intention.
*‘Countess Green. She’s an interesting person.’*
The priest who had come to find Kay was also watching the entire scene.
As events unfolded, the priest’s face grew paler and paler.
When Gillette finally knelt before Rishi, the priest felt like he was the one who wanted to kneel.
*‘Oh, God. What am I to do?’*
+++
Rishi was soaking in a bathtub filled with warm, fragrant water, reading the newspaper.
The morning edition of the Ellerbo newspaper.
The front page carried a story about Rishi.
The piece, written by Wittingk, was favorable toward her.
‘If it’s Wittingk, he must have realized why I forgave Gillette. But he didn’t mention that part.’
That meant Wittingk felt a sense of favor toward Rishi.
In this era, where the power of the nobility was no longer as absolute as it once was, winning the favor of a journalist was a significant matter.
‘However…….’
[The flower of the Witlow Duchy still possessed bright, radiant petals.]
Rishi glared at the last part of the article.
The flower of the Witlow Duchy.
It was a title that always followed her whenever she was described.
Rishi wanted to escape from it.
‘It won’t be easy.’
In her past life, that title had followed her until the day she died.
*Click.*
As the bathroom door opened, she turned her head to see Kay entering with a tray.
Rishi looked down reflexively.
Bright red rose petals floated across the surface of the bathtub.
Rishi’s white skin was glimpsed here and there between the countless petals.
It was embarrassing to show this side of herself to Kay, but she didn’t want him to know that such things embarrassed her.
Iris, who was relaxed and unflustered by any situation.
That was the kind of woman Rishi wanted to be in this life.
She lifted her chin slightly with confidence, though she couldn’t stop her body from sliding deeper into the tub.
“What is the matter?”
“I wanted to attend to my wife’s bath. And I wanted to have a celebratory drink, while I’m at it.”
On the tray Kay brought were fresh green grapes, cheese, wine, and glasses.
Kay set the tray on the table beside the tub and sat on the edge of the bath.
He dragged his fingertips in a long line through the water.
A few red rose petals stuck to his beautiful fingers.
Rishi watched blankly as he languidly plucked the petals one by one and dropped them back into the water.
He moved like an actor on a stage, with an intensity that made it impossible for her to look away.
Having cleared the petals, he pushed his hair back with his wet hands and smiled at Rishi.
“You’re going to burn a hole in my face, Rishi.”
“Ah…….”
Rishi flushed and shifted her eyes toward the wine bottle.
“You were acting like an actor, so I thought you wanted to be watched.”
“I haven’t been acting, but I am delighted to know that I appeared that way in your eyes.”
“Not really…….”
“Shh.”
His index finger pressed softly against Rishi’s lips.
The wet touch against her skin was searing.
He stared at Rishi with his blue-gray eyes and said, “Stop talking, Rishi. Even if it’s a delusion, let me be a little happier.”
As Rishi nodded, he pulled his finger away.
Kay skillfully poured the wine and handed a glass to Rishi.
As she lifted her arm, which had been submerged in the water, to take the glass, the water splashed, creating ripples.
The rose petals that had been covering Rishi’s upper body scattered, only to drift back into place.
His gaze lingered for a brief moment on her exposed skin before turning away.
Rishi wanted to sink her face deep into the bathtub instead of worrying about the wine, but she took the glass elegantly.
“What shall we toast to?”
Rishi asked, swirling the glass gently to catch the scent of the wine.
“The clearing of your false accusations. Our wedding, which will be incomparable in splendor. Winning the favor of the journalist Wittingk from Ellerbo. Which one would you like?”
Kay was sharp, as expected.
He, too, had realized that Wittingk was showing favor to Rishi just by reading the article printed in Ellerbo.
“All three.”
As Rishi replied and held out her glass, Kay lightly clinked his against hers.
*Clink.*
A delicate sound spread through the bathroom.
Rishi enjoyed the scent of the wine spreading sweetly in her mouth.
The warm bath, the fragrance of roses filling the air, and the wine delighting her palate—she felt as if she had already achieved everything.
Kay picked up a small piece of cheese from the plate and popped it into Rishi’s mouth.
“Have you ever been to a wedding, Rishi?”
In her past life, she had been a few times, but not in this life, so she shook her head.
Kay plucked a grape and fed it to her as he spoke.
“It will be tiring. Both the attendees and the hosts, they are all very exhausted.”
“I guess you don’t like parties.”
“Extremely. I could find holy relics or subdue barbarians in that time; it would be much more beneficial.”
“I wanted to attend parties often with you.”
“Then I suppose I shall have to start liking parties from now on.”
Kay replied calmly and fed her another grape.
Rishi, who had been eating without much thought, suddenly realized that this was the first time someone had ever fed her like this.
Is this what it feels like to be loved?
This man doesn’t love me.
Regardless of Kay’s true feelings, it was clear that he treated her as someone precious.
‘It was the same… in my past life, too. Even if it was for a very short while.’
Rishi gazed at him quietly, recalling her short encounter with Kay in her previous life.
Feeling her gaze, he narrowed his eyes, leaned forward, and overlapped his lips with hers.
Rishi’s lips parted naturally, accepting him.
His hand wove through her hair, and his breath dyed her hot.
His lips were so searing that the warm water felt cold in comparison.
“I don’t know what to do when you look at me like that, Rishi.”
He whispered in a low voice, his lips still pressed against hers.
“You seem to be doing just fine for someone who doesn’t know.”
He chuckled.
“You taste like grapes.”
“You do, too.”
“Did you know, Rishi? Among the noblewomen these days…”
He brought the wine bottle over and tipped it over the tub.
Expensive wine poured down, turning the bathwater red.
“…they say bathing in wine is in fashion.”
The wine splattered, falling like blood onto Rishi’s neck and collarbone.
Was it because of the rich aroma of the wine?
Or was it because of those blue-gray eyes, fixed steadily on Rishi without wavering?
Rishi felt intoxicated and dazed.
She lifted her head to accept his approaching lips again, but he moved past her face and buried it in the crook of her neck.
His lips moved along the line of her skin.
He climbed up to the nape of her neck and overlapped with Rishi’s lips once more.
This time, Rishi tasted the grapes from him as well.
Thinking that she was sharing the same taste as him made her feel dizzy.
Her reason drifted far away, and the desire to dissolve into him and be wrapped in him filled the void.
His hand traced down the line of her neck and gripped her rounded shoulder.
Suddenly, his hand tightened.
Kay gripped her shoulder firmly, then let out a low groan and pulled away.
Rishi looked up at him with wet eyes.
He lightly brushed the corners of her eyes with his thumb and said.
“The invitations are out, Rishi.”
Was it just her imagination?
To Rishi’s ears, Kay’s voice sounded as if it were trembling slightly.
Even though Kay Brant Green, the King of Beastmen and Guardian of the Holy Relics, could not possibly tremble.