Cold Treatment (1)

3. Cold Treatment (1)

The young man, gasping for breath, furrowed his brow.

‘…This is completely different.’

At the violent movement, Miraine writhed, letting out a pained groan through his lips. He was swallowing his bewilderment.

‘Why does it feel good?’

His short, light brown curly hair, barely covering his nape, clung messily to his sweat-soaked white forehead. His gentle face was flushed like a crimson rose. A shadow fell over the young man. The Grand Duke’s long, sleek black hair draped over him like a curtain.

Once again, Miraine twisted his hips against the thing that split him open and pierced him. Ah! He let out a moan, desperately grasping and twisting the pristine white bedsheet. Tears welled in his thick brown eyelashes, and his face was a mess.

‘My head is spinning.’

When the man covering his body leaned in and their sweat-soaked chests met, a moan escaped his parted lips.

“Hng!”

With desperate hands, he fumbled at the man’s shoulder blades and scratched the solid flesh where no nails could dig. A frantic breath flowed from Miraine’s lips.

Panting, Miraine squeezed the hand gripping the thick body. The pale moonlight shattered across the man’s back, covered in scratch marks. Red lines streaked his white skin. The man’s lips, not hidden by his mask, parted slightly, letting out a low groan.

“Ah, it hurts.”

Then the man whispered.

“Put your arms around my neck.”

Miraine obeyed without hesitation.

“Lean your body against me.”

The Grand Duke whispered, pressing his nose to Miraine’s wet hair.

“Miraine.”

He didn’t know why. The moment he heard his name escape the man’s lips, he couldn’t help but laugh. Miraine let out an involuntary laugh. Looking up at the Grand Duke above him, a faint smile graced his lips.

“Your Highness.”

The Grand Duke’s face beneath the mask froze at that moment.

* * *

Chirp chirp chirp.

The noisy sound of birds. Warm sunlight squeezed through the half-open curtains. Light fell on the naked body sprawled on the bed. White light streaked across Miraine’s body, barely covered by a single blanket.

His thick, light brown eyelashes slowly opened. Mmm. A low groan escaped his lips. Warm emerald eyes, like lush greenery, revealed themselves from beneath the curtains.

A moan escaped.

His eyes seemed clouded with white mist. Even after waking, Miraine lay in bed for a long while, blinking, unable to move. The lingering sensations tickling his mind made it hard to gather his thoughts.

Only when the events of last night flickered in his blurry eyes did the fog in Miraine’s mind clear. After a long silence, his face flushed like a red apple.

“Ah.”

His voice was hoarse.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Miraine Laster curled up like a shrimp.

“Damn it.”

It was only after quite some time that Miraine managed to come to his senses.

Letting out a sigh, he rubbed his face dry and got up from the bed.

Swallowing his embarrassment, he thought to himself.

‘What’s done is done.’

Yet somehow, a bitterness lingered.

A look of bewilderment crossed his face.

He was recalling last night’s memory.

‘What’s done is done.’

A sigh escaped Miraine’s lips.

Burying the difficult memory, he looked for the man who had given him such a great shock last night.

Scanning his surroundings, Miraine realized the Grand Duke had left the spot early. The place, devoid of warmth, was tidy with no sign of crumpled sheets.

After a moment’s hesitation, Miraine got out of bed and walked to the window. Opening the curtain, he squinted at the harsh sunlight and gauged the time.

He thought it was morning, but from the sun’s position, it seemed close to noon.

“I overslept.”

Muttering quietly, Miraine surveyed the room. The Grand Duke seemed to have tidied up before leaving. The scattered clothes and towels were nowhere to be seen; it was immaculate.

After a brief consideration, Miraine dressed and stepped out of the room.

‘I need to see the Grand Duke.’

Miraine instinctively sought the Grand Duke.

When he opened the door and stepped into the corridor, unlike before the wedding, people did not block him. Their reaction made Miraine realize that he had finally, albeit in a very small part, been acknowledged as the new master of Wicker.

He realized the emphasis on “a very small part” when he went to the Grand Duke’s office.

Miraine did not meet the Grand Duke.

* * *

“His orders are to let no one in.”

“Hm?”

“You cannot enter. The Grand Duke commanded that no one be allowed inside.”

Miraine stared intently at the servant’s resolute face. Then he turned and glanced at the oak door.

He spoke.

“Am I ‘no one’?”

Even as the Son of Silence, he had come to Wicker as the Grand Duke’s spouse. He had sacrificed much for that. Although he had been treated coldly by the Grand Duke upon arriving at Wicker, that was before the wedding. Miraine knew that after last night, he had truly become the master of Wicker Castle.

But the closed door did not open.

The servant frowned slightly and muttered.

“This puts me in a difficult position.”

But the golden handle still showed no sign of moving.

After waiting, Miraine spoke in a curt voice.

“I am your spouse, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

* * *

‘So it’s one mountain after another.’

Unable to hide his fatigue, Miraine pressed his temples.

Having crossed the great mountain of the first night, now the Grand Duke was giving him the cold shoulder. Miraine, who had intended to ask for a change of room this morning, was instead struck with a feeling of being hit on the back of the head. His mood was very low.

He had been relieved by the Grand Duke’s seemingly gentle demeanor, only to be blindsided like this.

‘After all, he is the Son of Silence.’

Sitting with a darkened face for a long while, Miraine began to eat as the table filled with dishes.

He was having a late breakfast combined with lunch.

“I heard that in the capital, they use a lot of spices in their cooking. But at Wicker, there are many dishes that bring out the flavor of the ingredients.”

Laisa kindly explained the dishes.

She said that the Kyrgyz Mountains are so rugged that merchants rarely venture in, making it hard to obtain spices. Instead, the region is famous for fruit wines, so many dishes are simmered with wine.

The head steward of Wicker continued her explanation in a warm and gentle voice.

Listening quietly to her amiable voice, Miraine let out a dry laugh.

‘Somehow, I can’t bring myself to dislike this old woman.’

Miraine felt a liking for Laisa’s soft and elegant demeanor. Even though this wasn’t the time to grow attached, he couldn’t understand why he felt drawn to her, and he often found himself showing a weak attitude toward her.

After a moment of choosing his words, Miraine replied in a calm voice.

“I wonder if I’ll be allowed to use that emblem.”

His gaze rested on the chimera emblem in the window.

“Pardon?”

“It seems the Grand Duke is not pleased with me.”

Miraine’s face was clouded with complexity as he spoke. A look of embarrassment crossed Laisa’s face.

Miraine continued in a weak voice.

“I knew well that we couldn’t have a good relationship… But still, it’s a bit of a shock. I thought it would be fine somehow.”

Laisa let out a shallow sigh and replied.

“The Grand Duke is a man with many wounds.”

Miraine glanced at her.

Laisa’s words carried a very deep, profound sigh.

“I have lived many years and once traveled across the continent. And among the countless nobles I have met, the Grand Duke is one of the finest. I hope that you, as his spouse, can soothe his deep wounds.”

The old woman sighed and muttered.

“This is the irreparable mistake of a hasty witch.”

For a moment, a glint appeared in Miraine’s light green eyes. He looked at Laisa with an enigmatic expression. She was lost in thought with a shadowed face. At that moment, Miraine could guess.

This woman, the head of the household, knew the deep secrets of the former Grand Duke and his wife. She knew the truth of the rumors that shook the continent.

‘This woman might be in a more important position than I thought.’

Miraine spoke calmly.

“I appreciate the good advice. But any sympathy beyond that is problematic for both the Grand Duke and me.”

A firm statement. Even at such a potentially hurtful remark, Laisa immediately acquiesced with a bow.

“I am old and spoke out of turn.”

“I also said things I shouldn’t have. Let’s forget today’s conversation.”

“Of course.”

Laisa added.

“You are certainly allowed to use the Grand Duke’s emblem. You are a member of the Grand Ducal house. No one would dare to point out that you use the chimera slayer’s crest.”

At that, Miraine turned his gaze to the tapestry on the wall. He let out a small laugh and replied.

“It’s an honor. To be able to use the most honorable crest as a knight…”

It wasn’t an empty word.

Killing the chimera was the Grand Duke’s greatest achievement.

* * *

Receiving the Grand Duke’s favor was a matter of survival.

Now, Miraine felt precarious due to the Grand Duke’s cold treatment.

The meal continued in silence.

Wicker Castle, befitting the spacious northern lands, was large and grand, but there weren’t many people inside. The employees lined up in the dining hall maintained their decorum without making even small noises, not even a breath.

‘It’s just like the Terratium, the capital’s cemetery.’

Miraine had such a thought.

In truth, the stern northern atmosphere didn’t suit him well.

The dish of chicken simmered in wine from Wicker suited Miraine’s taste, but he couldn’t leave any comment on the flavorful dish.

Miraine’s mind was entirely occupied by the image of the steward who had blocked him from the Grand Duke’s room.

After finishing his meal in silence, Miraine washed his hands in a basin and left his seat.

‘Being released from confinement and being allowed to use the emblem means he acknowledges my status.’

He could at least take comfort in that fact.

‘The public opinion in Wicker wasn’t favorable, so they didn’t even send knights. As the Grand Duke, he probably can’t help but think about the secrets related to the former Grand Duke.’

He wasn’t a suitable marriage partner of equal rank, and given the large disparity in status, wasn’t it already a blessing that he was acknowledged as the spouse?

‘Considering the rumors I’ve heard and the political background, it’s only natural for him to be wary. Let’s not be impatient. It’s fortunate that the Grand Duke is not the violent person the rumors say… In time, a chance to meet will be arranged somehow. Then I can get to know him better… Yes, let’s not rush.’

However, it wasn’t long before Miraine realized his thoughts were wrong.

The Grand Duke had restricted his movements.