[Fassone POV]
He had returned after being away from the kingdom for several years. I had always found him annoying, but never doubted for a moment that he would return. I watched him from afar. When I met him a few years ago he was still a boy, but now, although his features were still slim, he had grown into a beautiful young man. Eucharlouch BraveLord. The tenth prince of the Kingdom of Braidea.
However, I disliked him and his mother, who were of inferior bloodline. In addition, he was at the very bottom of the family and could not even take part in the race to succeed the throne, although he had publicly declared that he had renounced his right to the throne, as long as he existed, the possibility would never be zero. To my husband, who was first in the pecking order, he may have been no more than a pebble on the side of the road, but an obstacle is still an obstacle. My husband didn't pay him any attention, but there was no way I wouldn't find him an eyesore.
Also, although he was a low-ranking prince and not given any special treatment, I felt that the king looked at him with warmer eyes than the other princes. For these reasons, I particularly hated him. A beautiful, yet annoying presence. That was what Eucharlouch was to me.
Since the death of my husband, I don't know whether I hate him or love him. Still, not a day goes by that I don't think of him. Then, one day, I ran into him. I rarely see him in the castle normally, but it seemed he had come for some reason. I couldn't ignore him, so we drew closer as if drawn to each other. It seemed the same was true for him. Seeing him up close, he was even more attractive than the last time I met him.
He had grown a lot, and perhaps because his maternal bloodline was stronger, he was exceptionally androgynous among the men of the hero's bloodline, but there was no denying that he was handsome. I was captivated by his beauty. However, I didn't show any sign of it, and pretended to have a resolute attitude. As for his attitude towards me...
Most of the men's eyes were glued to the open chest of my dress, but he showed no sign of it and gazed at me with a calm expression. I couldn't tell if he was a true gentleman, or if he was quite used to women. Maybe it was both. Well, I suppose that's something I'll find out over time.
"Thank you for your hard work last night."
I said as a polite gesture. "No, I was just doing what was natural for the prosperity of the kingdom." He replied as a polite gesture, with a cool voice and a gentle smile. "You're a great breeding horse, you were able to tame Iona Cucorose, who is famous for hating men." I said sarcastically. To be honest, I'm jealous.
Not of him. I'm talking about Iona Cucorose, the female knight who was allowed to offer her virginity to this beautiful young man, even though it was a matter of official duties.
I couldn't hide my surprise that she, a famous man-hater, had given herself to him. I don't know how, but it's not hard to imagine that they must have had an exchange that melted even that stubborn girl's heart. Even though they were not husband and wife, much less lovers. I couldn't help but feel envious, as I have no memory of ever having a heart-to-heart with my husband.
After giving birth to the first prince, Neal, my husband had lost interest in having children, and although he would whimsically demand that I serve him, he never desired my body itself. My husband treated me as if I existed only to satisfy his sexual needs. I won't say that it didn't feel good at all. I can't deny that I felt a certain pleasure from it. But at the same time, I wasn't allowed to release my own desires, which made me more and more frustrated. I couldn't help but take out my frustration on him. I knew at the time that it was not a good thing. He was not to blame in any way. But still, I couldn't help but take out my frustration on him.
"I don't remember taming her. We were both swordmen, and we found something in common when we crossed swords, that's all." He replied like this. A sword? I've never practiced swordsmanship, so I don't know, but what can you understand about the relationship between a man and a woman just by crossing swords? Scoffing at his immature words, I said sarcastically again. "You have a nice mouth. You must have devoured that fresh body so many times." A man and a woman devouring each other's fresh, young bodies. Just thinking about it made me jealous, I couldn't help it. "Because that's my duty." Once again, he replied with a cool face.
My provocations were not enough to make this beautiful young man's expression change. All I wanted was to see him struggling to respond and looking embarrassingly flustered, befitting his age, that's all. His cool attitude, which didn't go along with my plan, made me even more irritated.
After that, I tried to shake him by mentioning the throne many times, but he didn't even show any signs of being shaken. Was he really not interested in the throne, or was he just good at not showing it even though he was interested? Although he was a young man, the age difference between us was as great as a parent and child, it seemed that he was not someone I could see through with my level of observation. This exchange continued, and my annoyance reached its peak.
"Being born from the womb of such a lowly woman. There's no way to imagine what kind of ambition you have."
I know that his mother died a few years ago.
And that he adored her from the bottom of his heart.
Even knowing that, I couldn't help but speak those words, which were like a lump of malice. He didn't change his expression even when I said those words. In fact, he even smiled. But that thought was fleeting. "I will never forgive any insult to my mother, who gave up her own life to give birth to me." He glared. This was not a metaphor, but his gaze really spoke as much as words. His expression changed, like a beast baring its fangs. "...?!" Though I was scared, I felt like I had finally revealed his true feelings. This was the first time he had been so hostile towards me. It seemed that to him, having his late mother insulted was like touching a dragon's wrath.
"A-anyway! Just do the job you've been assigned! Don't be ambitious beyond your means! Thanks in advance!" Foolishly, I had never imagined that I'd receive such a severe backlash, and instead ended up exposing myself to him in a shameful, flustered state that was inappropriate for my age. I literally had no choice but to disappear from his sight.
Chapter length 3092 characters.
Note: I assume this side story was supposed to cover more incidents between the two and maybe even cover the first night the two shared together from Fassone's perspective.
However, the author wrote these two chapters the same year he started the novel in 2016 and never added more, so I am throwing these in after Iona's side stories after volume one.
No comments:
Post a Comment