“The Count’s family is here?”
While Rishi was changing her clothes, Krisina informed her of Jen’s visit.
Rishi’s heart sank.
Her husband’s family.
In her past life, her relationship with the Viscount Huchis family had been horrendous. She didn’t have a single good memory of her parents-in-law. She felt more comfortable at the Wittlow Duchy than she ever did with them.
They seemed to believe that Rishi, being beneath their status, had seduced their amazing, distinguished son into marriage.
Alford’s older sister, Julianne, was married to Count Walter, and she was a woman whose behavior was completely different on the inside compared to the outside. On the outside, she was a noble and gentle Countess, but on the inside, she was temperamental and cruel.
Whenever Julianne visited Alford’s mansion, she would inspect the state of the house. While Julianne poked around every corner, Rishi had to follow behind her, quiet as a maid.
Even though cleaning the mansion wasn’t Rishi’s job, if even a speck of dust was found on a window frame, it was blamed on her.
—As the lady of the house, you do nothing and can’t even manage something as simple as this? Did you learn nothing but how to be a ‘flower’ at the Wittlow Duchy? You lack the basics, the absolute basics.
Then, she would tell a maid to bring a cane.
—If you’ve done wrong, you must be punished.
The stinging pain of the thin cane striking her calves—*thwack, thwack*—was remembered as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.
Red lines would form on her delicate white skin, and sometimes, they would bleed.
The blood trickling down her calves.
Seeing that, instead of being flustered, Julianne would offer a faint smile. As if that was exactly what she had hoped for.
Even when Alford saw Rishi’s bruised calves, he took Julianne’s side.
—My sister values etiquette. You haven’t learned much, have you? You’re just a ‘flower of the Wittlow family’ in name only… If I had known you were treated like that in your home, I wouldn’t have married you. Be grateful that I didn’t discard someone like you and kept you by my side.
Her parents-in-law were even worse, if anything.
Rishi closed her eyes and steadied her ragged breathing.
*‘It’s all in the past. This time, nothing like that will happen.’*
She hadn’t even considered that Kay had a family, too.
Just as Count Cavebrandt Green, the Guardian of the Relic, was famous, so was his family.
The previous Count, Wyvern Green, and his wife, Heraina.
Eldheart, the second son of the Green family and the vice-captain of the Holy Kingdom’s Knights.
And the youngest, Jeresien.
As far as Rishi knew, Jeresien rarely attended social gatherings, but she was a person everyone wanted to be close to.
*‘Jeresien…’*
In her past life, Rishi had seen Jeresien a couple of times while attending parties.
But she had only seen her from a distance; she had never held a conversation with her.
*‘She gave off a cold impression…’*
Even though it was a ‘past life,’ to Rishi, it had only been a month ago.
Having been beaten by Julianne just before her death for the issue of not bearing a child, the trauma regarding ‘a husband’s family’ remained raw and vivid.
Although she didn’t show it on the outside, her heart was pounding so hard she could even feel it in her temples.
“Iris, are you alright? You look very pale…”
Rishi stared blankly at Krisina’s face as if waking from a dream, then pulled herself together.
*‘That’s right. I am not Iris Witlo, nor am I Iris Huchis. I am Iris Green.’*
Iris Witlo and Iris Huchis would endure the unfair beatings in silence, but Iris Green was different.
“I must be feeling unwell from the fatigue of the journey. Shall I call for a physician?”
Krisina’s eyes were filled with worry.
Over Krisina’s shoulder, Rishi saw Gillette curling her lip. The expression clearly said, ‘A physician? What a joke. Acting so weak.’
Erwel was glaring at Gillette as if thinking, ‘Should I just kill her?’, but Rishi decided to believe she had misunderstood.
Surely a young lady of the famous Ruteck family wouldn’t have such sinister thoughts.
“I’m fine. It’s just a bit hot today.”
“It would be best not to overexert yourself, Iris. You will be having dinner with Jeresien this evening… and Jeresien is a bit…”
Krisina trailed off before adding, “The Count’s guards tremble in front of Jeresien.”
Erwel nodded fervently, as if in agreement.
Rishi wanted to avoid it if she could.
But she couldn’t spend her whole life avoiding Kay’s family.
*‘Besides…’*
When she was drifting through death, Rishi saw the sight of Kay’s family dying.
Neither Kay’s parents, nor his younger brother, nor his younger sister had lived out their lives in peace.
*‘I don’t know the exact timing, but…’*
If the scene she saw in death was a future that would truly come to pass, she had to change what she could.
*‘First.’*
Rishi cast aside her fear and regained her composure.
*‘I will judge them for myself.’*
+++
Kay also knew that marriage wasn’t something one could just rush into on a whim.
Even if love marriages were in fashion, he was well aware that it was still an important matter between families.
However.
“I completely forgot.”
Kay answered firmly to Jamie, who asked if he hadn’t informed the old Count and his wife about the marriage.
Jamie looked at Kay, stunned and speechless, before saying,
“If the Captain is that absent-minded, won’t my life get even harder?”
“Sorry, sorry. But really… I completely forgot.”
“How could you?”
“I know, right…”
How could he have forgotten? Even Kay didn’t know.
From the day Rishi had come to him with her hood pulled up, his mind had been filled with thoughts of her.
What was Rishi’s true identity?
Why did she feel so mysteriously strange?
Even while showing such an arrogant and strong appearance, why did she sometimes look as fragile as if she might shatter?
When would she finally open her heart to him?
What would Rishi look like when she was heated?
What would she look like in bed?
What would their first night be like?
His thoughts were so jumbled and preoccupied that the idea of informing his family of the marriage hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“It’s not just Jen… Do you think the old Count and Countess will stay quiet once they find out about this?”
“Hmm. That’s a dilemma.”
“A dilemma? It’ll be much worse than that, won’t it?”
Jamie said with a smile, his teeth gritted as if he were growling.
“I’ll have to talk to Jen first.”
Knowing how fierce his younger sister’s personality was, Kay intended to soothe Jen first.
“It’s useless, so just sit down, Captain.”
Jamie said, pointing his index finger at a chair.
“Sometimes I get confused about whether you’re the Captain or I am. What did Jen say?”
“‘I don’t even want to look at an older brother who carries his head around just for decoration, so only call me when it’s time for dinner!’”
“…”
“…is what she said.”
“She’s old enough now, why is her tone…”
“Can you blame her?”
Kay shut his mouth.
He didn’t need to see it to know how much Jen had been hounding the shadows while he was away.
He had no excuses.
“Until it’s time for dinner, write a letter to the old Count, Captain. You’d be a good son if you at least told them about the marriage now, wouldn’t you?”
+++
“I’m sorry for making you have dinner with my sister without any notice, Iris. Oh, that dress. It suits you well.”
Before the banquet, Kay, who had come to fetch Rishi, said.
Rishi was wearing a deep wine-colored dress that wasn’t flashy but gave off an elegant vibe.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t know either.”
Rishi hooked her hand slightly onto Kay’s arm as they walked down the hallway.
“Um… there’s something I should tell you in advance.”
“Go ahead.”
“I have two younger siblings, and the one who came today is my younger sister, the youngest in our house.”
“I see.”
“So, she’s a bit childish… and her personality is very, well… how should I put it…”
“Batshit crazy.”
That response came from behind them.
Nathan was following them, though it wasn’t clear when he had arrived.
Every time Rishi saw Nathan, she mistook him for a woman.
His stature similar to Rishi’s, his white and pretty face, and his slightly long, pale blonde hair.
He added, brushing his hair back with one hand as if he were annoyed.
“I’ll join you for dinner, Captain. Who knows what that crazy girl might say to Sister-in-law.”
Even though Nathan called his own sister a “crazy girl,” Kay didn’t point it out.
It occurred to Rishi that the relationship between Kay and his shadows was not that of a typical noble and their knight.
As far as Rishi knew, Kay’s shadows were like his own family.
“That sounds good.”
Kay nodded.
The unease that Rishi had barely shaken off began to well up again.
What kind of personality did Jeresien have that everyone was so worried about the rudeness she might commit?
“Sister-in-law.”
Nathan quickly moved to Rishi’s side and said, “Whatever Jeresien says, just let it go in one ear and out the other. It won’t be anything worth listening to.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. She’s really… a girl who doesn’t know how to sugarcoat what’s on her mind.”
When Rishi gave a faint smile, Nathan tilted his head.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because it seems like you’re the same, Nathan.”
Nathan flashed a smile, revealing his even teeth.
“You’re not so easy yourself, Sister-in-law.”
Nathan looked even more feminine when he smiled.
“Anyway, Sister-in-law, just let the stuff you don’t want to hear slide by, and only pay attention to the nice things. Jen is the same way, so she won’t have anything to say if you do the same. If she does, I’ll kick her.”
“Kick her… and she’s a lady, too.”
“A lady? Jeresien?”
Nathan’s eyes widened, and he looked at Kay as if to say, ‘Look at what our Sister-in-law is saying.’
Kay spoke up.
“Rishi, Jeresien is less of a lady and more of… a man of action.”
+++
Jen was already waiting in the dining room where they were to have their evening banquet.
Jen, who had been occupying one of the spots on the long side of the long table, turned her head at the sound of the door opening.
Rishi walked into the dining room slowly, her hand hooked into Kay’s arm.
Nathan was at Rishi’s left side.
Jen didn’t seem to mind at all, even seeing that Nathan had come along.
Kay headed for the head of the table, and Rishi stopped across from Jen.
Jen stared at Rishi quietly for a moment before turning back to Kay.
“Shall we switch seats?”
“What?”
“What makes you so special that you get the head seat, Brother? Isn’t your wife the guest of honor today?”
Rishi’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.
Kay was the same.
“Ah, I see.”
Kay answered obediently and switched seats with Rishi.
Rishi had never sat at the head of a table before, so she felt awkward as she moved toward it.
As Rishi stood before the chair, Jen rose from her seat.
“This person is…”
Kay tried to make the introductions, but Jen raised her index finger to cut him off.
“Not you, Brother. I want to hear your wife’s voice.”
Rishi was flustered.
What did Jen want?
Was this some new form of harassment?
Jen raised an eyebrow at Rishi, as if telling her to introduce herself already.
Rishi figured she had nothing to lose, so she decided to give her what she wanted.
“Nice to meet you. I am Iris Green. I recently filed for marriage with your brother, Cavebrandt Green. Before this, I was Iris Witlo.”
“I am Jeresien Green. You can call me Jen, comfortably.”
Jen said, expressionless.
Then she added, “Can I call you Sister-in-law?”
This time, expression appeared on Jen’s face.
The sister-in-law, who was older than Rishi, wore an expression like a puppy waiting for someone to throw a ball.