If I Don’t Get Married I’ll Die - Chapter 44

As I exited the Kerr after I was done preparing for our departure, I found Kalius and the others waiting for me.

 

Kalius, who was in the middle of the crowd, immediately caught my eye.

 

He was neither the tallest nor the biggest among the crowd, and yet strangely, I could only see Kalius.

 

He smiled at me.

 

‘Yesterday was like a dream’

 

It was as if I had gone to a warm dream together with Kalius.

 

I smiled at him, feeling that we have gotten much closer.

 

“I can’t see Lhasa.”

 

I whispered to Kalius as he approached.

 

I’ve been searching for Lhasa since this morning, but despite having looked around diligently, I couldn’t catch even a glimpse of her shadow.

 

Kalius explained with regret.

 

“They said she was exhausted from praying and is not accepting guests.”

 

“Oh my…….”

 

Though I was concerned for Lhasa’s well-being, I was disappointed that I was not able to satisfy my curiosity. Kalius comforted me.

 

“Lhasa’s prophecy can be difficult for anyone. Even I find her words completely incomprehensible. However, looking back on my experience, her words always made sense when the time was right.”

 

“But what if I’m too st*p*d to realize it when the time is right?”

 

“Then you will meet Lhasa again. Just as we met the Uttars this time.”

 

In a confident voice, Kalius declared to me who was not convinced.

 

“A chance encounter with Lhasa is no mere coincidence. You need not fret.”

 

Hearing him say that, I gave in.

 

I nodded and he softly whispered.

 

“Besides, Chloe is not st*p*d.”

 

“Th-Thank you for saying that.”

 

With those words from Kalius, the moment Lhasa had told me to trust in myself flashed through my mind.

 

‘Trusting myself truly isn’t easy.’

 

I felt like I was given a great task where I constantly had to work hard.

 

We exchanged farewells with the Uttars.

 

The Uttar chieftain’s wife gave me a necklace made of a small pebble she said she had picked up in a lake.

 

It was quite the lovely blue pebble necklace.

 

The bright blue color of the stone was so enchanting that it was as exquisite as any other jewel.

 

“It’s a wedding gift. My skills are quite embarrassing but I made it while praying that God would protect Miss bride.”

 

She couldn’t bear to use the expression Marchioness, and called me ‘bride’ instead.

 

“It’s beautiful! You have talented hands!”

 

She whispered shyly to my compliments.

 

“I wanted to give it as a gift because it resembles the color of Miss bride’s eyes.”

 

It was such a meaningful gift. I was genuinely happy.

 

She seemed to want to put the necklace around my neck, but it looked like she didn’t want to be rude. Seeing this, I bowed my head to her.

 

“Would you like to put it on me yourself?”

 

“Oh, yes!”

 

Seeing me bowing my head in front of her, she panicked and hastily placed the necklace around my neck.

 

I was so delighted by the heartfelt gift that she had made with her own hands while praying for me that I ended up embracing her tightly.

 

“I really like it! I will cherish it. Thanks to you, I received something so precious.”

 

She shyly bowed to me several times and hid behind the chieftain.

 

After a night’s rest, our group climbed our horses again.

 

The children of the Uttar tribe, around 6 years of age, who said they could ride a horse alone, watched with amusement as I climbed the horse whilst cradled in Kalius’ arms.

 

For the first time, I felt ashamed for not being able to do something that everyone else could.

 

There were so many things I experienced and felt for the first time during my short time with the Uttar people.

 

All of those became my determination and realization.

 

‘I’ll have to learn horseback riding when I get to Lonheim.’

 

The goat Vihar gave as a gift was very smart.

 

We navigated the dangers and obstacles concealed in the snow with ease, following only the trail trodden by the goat.

 

After continuously running for a long time, we finally arrived at Lonheim Castle at dawn when a snowstorm hit.

 

* * *

 

When we got off the exhausted horses, the servants of Lonheim Castle greeted us with lamps.

.

 

It must have been annoying to meet us because it was so late, but no one showed any signs of tiredness.

 

It’s been a long time since Kalius returned so they couldn’t contain the ecstatic look on their faces..

 

‘Everyone is holding a candle lamp.’

 

That part was the first thing that caught my eye.

 

In fact, that was the only reason the castle looked so dark.

 

‘Why aren’t they using a magic lamp? Is there a reason?’

 

In Arental, magic lamps were used and candles were rarely lit unless there was an urgent or temporary need.

 

They were easy to use because there was little risk of accidents and they did not go out even when the wind blew.

 

But everyone here was holding candle-lit lamps.

 

‘The wind is so strong.’

 

Sure enough, many people’s fires were extinguished and new ones were lit.

 

‘It’s so strange.’

 

I only found out the reason later, but how fortunate was I to not have spoken of my ignorant curiosity at the time.

 

Back then, I couldn’t imagine that Lonheim was so poor that even the castle couldn’t afford to buy and use expensive magic lamps.

 

The lanterns of the employees kept going out, so we quickly entered the castle.

 

Just before we reached Lonheim Castle, Kalius sent Brentian first to let them know that I was coming, so the castle’s servants didn’t make the mistake of calling Kalius ‘King’ like Vihar did.

 

“You’ve worked hard, my lord. I’m glad you have safely returned back.”

 

The butler said, overjoyed at Kalius’ arrival.

He had a huge scar running diagonally across his face which I found unusual.

 

The Arental Imperial Palace did not hire people with large scars that could not be hidden by clothing, hence it was strange that the butler, a high-ranking employee here, had such a large scar on his face.

 

Kalius vigorously shook hands with the butler.

.

“Did anything else happen while I was gone?”

 

“There is nothing big to report right now.”

 

“That’s a relief. You’ve done well protecting the castle, Mainz.”

 

“I just did my duty.”

 

Then, with a warm smile, Kalius introduced me to the servants.

 

“This is the princess of the Idelian family, Imperial Princess Chloe Idelian, who will be called Marchioness Rodrian from now on.”

 

The employees all bowed their heads to me.

 

“Please take good care of me in the future.”

 

I sighed inwardly as I watched their faces harden with tension.

 

‘It’s alright. It will gradually get better.’

 

Kalius looked around the employees one by one and asked Mainz.

 

“The maids are nowhere to be seen. Where are they? I want to entrust the Marchioness…”

 

“That’s, my lord…….”

 

Mainz hesitated, looking troubled, then whispered to Kalius.

 

Looking at him, it seemed like he was saying something I shouldn’t hear.

 

Kalius frowned as he listened to Mainz.

 

“Baseless assumptions. Go and get me Granada.”

 

The head maid’s name must be Granada.

 

“But…….”

 

“Quickly.”

 

Conflicted, Mainz glanced at me, then smiled awkwardly as his eyes met with mine.

 

Just then, someone from afar with a mighty voice resounding in the castle started walking towards us.

 

“There is no need for that, my lord. I have come myself.”

 

She was a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her 60s. She seemed to be the head maid called Granada.

 

The woman had a very loud and hoarse voice.

 

I inadvertently looked at her feet, noticing that it made a clicking sound every time she walked—like a tree hitting a stone floor.

 

I thought it was the sound of her cane at first.

 

Then underneath the fluttering hem of her skirt, I soon saw a wooden prosthetic leg in place of one of her feet and realized that it was the sound of her footsteps.

 

Though a little unsteady, her gait was imposing, relying on a wooden prosthetic leg designed solely for standing balance, rather than being shaped like a foot.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. This is Granada Vileno. Please call me Granada.”

 

She bowed her head and greeted me politely. It was a surprisingly disciplined gesture.

 

With a cold, expressionless countenance, she lifted the hem of her skirt a little and showed her own uncomfortable leg.

 

“As you can see, our butler hid me, saying that I’m not in good shape and that Your Highness would be upset if you saw me. I was a little late breaking down the door. I apologize.”

 

Mainz stopped her from spilling any more.

 

“Granada, please don’t…….”

 

But Granada didn’t bat an eye and shook off Mainz with a single gesture of her hand.

 

Then, before anyone could say anything, she turned completely towards me with her characteristic controlled movements and said:

 

“I will be serving the mistress in Lonheim Castle from now on. Does my inconvenient body sour the Madam’s mood? The butler said that in Arental, disabled people are unpleasant, but I’m not sure if that’s a rumor or a fact, so I’m asking.”

 

I was so overwhelmed by the pressure from her that I couldn’t get a word out and only pursed my lips.

 

Granada had a terrifying gaze as if she would swallow me in one bite.

 

‘I-I’m scared…….’

 

I felt like I was about to shamefully burst into tears.

 

But all the employees’ eyes were fixed on me, filled with curiosity about my reaction, so I strained my eyes and suppressed the tears.

 

Even Mainz, who had stopped Granada, was holding his breath and waited for my answer.