Chapter 16

“Well… Count.”

The officer called Kentrail, who was sitting at his desk and looking at the papers.

“Help him settle in the Capital.”

It was about giving Derek a house in the corner of the Capital.

“Alright…”

Kentrail told the officer to go and picked something from the drawer. It was his brother’s diary, which always filled him up with happiness.

[ Today, Brielle was born. What can I say other than how grateful I am to heaven, to my wife for giving birth to such a pretty child, and also love to the family who prayed for Brielle. ]

On the day Brielle was born, his brother’s feelings were written intact in the diary.

He wondered how Kranteil felt when he closed his eyes, leaving the young son behind. Two couples died side by side.

Kentrail couldn’t calm down, so he got up from his seat and looked out the window. There, Brielle and the nanny were walking closely together, with a big smile on their faces.

Perhaps, he should take a walk after lunch.

He covered the diary he was looking at and quickly stepped toward the direction they were in.

“Uncle!”

Brielle found the Count. It has been a long time since he visited during the day like this, so he caught a smile on Brielle’s face.

For his older brother, Brielle should have come first before work. Suddenly, feelings of guilt came over Kentrail.

“Aren’t you wearing too thin?”

Marie asked as she saw what he wore when hurrying out, only a thin coat was placed on his top in the middle of winter.

“It’s all right.”

Even in his words, she had an unbelieving face.

Marie, who had been contemplating for a long time, eventually removed her shawl and wrapped it around the neck of the Count.

“It’s okay. You’re cold, too. Just keep it.”

“It’s fine because I wear thick clothes. Whom someone gave to me because it’s really warm.”

It was the coat that the Count made the butler brought to her room.

She felt it was too much, so she wanted to refuse, but Marie reluctantly accepted with the thought that she needed at least one of these clothes to go out with the young master.

When she gave Kentrail her shawl, he thought about how it would somehow smell her scent, causing his heart to flutter and his ears heating up.

‘I guess it’s because he’s cold.’

Marie looked at the Count’s red ears and didn’t think too much about it. Then, she checked Brielle’s clothes again.

The three went round the garden side by side. In the meantime, Brielle’s smile didn’t disappear from his face.

“I want to hold hands with Marie and uncle.”

When Brielle held their hands in the middle, it felt like the three were connected.

At the store where he followed Marie, Brielle was staring at the family members who were walking around holding hands, and he was so happy that he was able to do it as well.

If Marie had known what was in Brielle’s heart, her face would have blushed.

***

Brielle was terrified because he was sitting on high ground.

It was just that, the horse riding class began.

“Ma~rie…”

Brielle, who called her in tears, was stiff as a stone, not knowing what to do. He was scared of the horses that were much bigger than him, and it was challenging to balance.

It was obvious that the child was terrified, but he didn’t know why the nanny’s mouth had a smile.

“Young master, fighting!”

Marie shook her head, looking at the Count, who deliberately brought the big horse first.

Therefore, Brielle will be less scared when he rides a little horse. It seemed to be his idea of shock therapy. The knights next to him said it would be better to ride small horses, but it seemed inaudible to the Count.

“Uncle! Drop me off!”

The problem was that he cried with his arms and feet hardened. Eventually, the Count sighed and climbed behind his nephew. Only then Brielle was relieved and released his strength and leaned on him.

“Now, let’s go around.”

Kentrail left the stables with the child hoping that Brielle will get to know the horse better and adjust to the height.

“Wow!”

As the cool air passed through him, Brielle began to get excited. He waved his hand at Marie and even had the courage to look back.

Kentrail sighed when he saw it.

‘I know it’s better to ride small horses, but…’ However, since his brother did this when teaching him, he acted in the spirit of wanting to share his memories with his brother to Brielle.

And, fortunately, Brielle seemed to have adapted well.

***

Marie watched the two of them happily, and she looked at her side, surprised by the sudden sensation.

A horse was snorting and sniffing, sticking its face right next to her.

“This…this.”

Then, the stablekeeper said with a smile.

“Oh, I guess this guy likes the nanny. It’s a kid who doesn’t like getting ridden by humans.”

Marie looked into the eyes of the white horse.

‘It’s pretty. It reminds me of the first time I met the young master’s eyes.’ Unknowingly, she raised her hand and stroked the mane of the horse. Marie felt the texture of the mane was excellent and different from what she thought.

“If you know how to ride a horse, try riding it.”

She was taken aback at the horse, but, unfortunately, she had never ridden a horse. ‘I haven’t ridden one in Jeju Island once.’ The schedule of riding horses was canceled due to rain during her only trip to Jeju Island.

[ T/N: Jeju Island is an island popular for holiday destination in Korea. ]

“Oh… I’ve never learned horse riding.”

As she replied with a lingering voice with regret, Taylor, Brielle’s sword teacher, who was listening to the conversation between the two, spoke to her.

Originally, he was supposed to teach Briel’s horseback riding, but the Count came to observe his nephew’s horseback riding class. Though, he picked up Brielle and went away.

“Then, can I give you a ride?”

“Yes?”

“Actually, the name of this horse is Den, but I haven’t been able to ride it once because it didn’t want to be ridden by people. Although seeing that it likes the nanny so much, I might have a chance to ride this guy if you ride it with me as well…”

Den is a good-lineage horse, so all the knights hope to ride it at least once. Taylor was also looking for a chance to get a ride, too.

Marie looked into Den’s eyes once again and said with determination.

“If it’s okay for me to ride this horse, I would like to.”

She thought it would be nice to run along with Brielle in the distance.

“Then… excuse me.”

Taylor, who had been wondering for a moment how to put her on the horse, put his hand on Marie’s waist and tried to seat her carefully.

From far away, the Count and Brielle were running.

“What are you two doing!”

Especially with Brielle yelling at them, Kentrail was looking with a grim expression.

***

Brielle was excited. The sense of speed he felt for the first time was making the child thrilled.

“Uncle, faster~”

Kentrail hugged him tightly as he speeded up, worrying the child would fall.

“Hehe…”

The smile didn’t leave Brielle’s face.

“I love uncle.”

Until he sees that scene.

“It would be nice if Marie could ride together.”

At the child’s words, Kentrail thought it would be nice to teach horseback riding to the nanny as well.

He was strengthening the security of the mansion just in case and was secretly investigating his brother’s death, but apart from him, if the nanny knew how to ride a horse, it would be helpful in any unexpected situation.

After thinking so, he turned the horse’s head and tried to go to the place where Marie was. ‘By the way… What are they doing now…’

He knew for the first time there was such a flame in his heart. It was a feeling that was erupting without him knowing what it was himself.

“What are you two doing!”

Before he opened his mouth, Brielle’s voice was heard first.

***

“Young master.”

Marie was startled by the sudden loud voice. It was the same with Taylor as he hurriedly took his hand off her waist. The two were confused and looked at each other.

Kentrail stopped his horse and held his nephew down.

“I’m trying to ride a horse.”

She spontaneously noticed the two men. She didn’t do anything wrong, but she didn’t know why she had to explain herself like this.

“But why are you doing this with Taylor?”

“What?”

Brielle’s sword teacher opened his mouth to the absurdity.

“The horse was too high to get on, so I was trying to help her.”

“Still!”

Brielle’s white, plump cheeks swelled as though it was about to burst. He had something to say, though it seemed like he didn’t know exactly what to say.

Marie skillfully diverted Brielle’s attention.

“You should give the horse a snack as a thank you for the ride.”

“Snack?”

His curious eyes turned to her. Marie poked the child’s swollen cheek.

“Yes.”

Brielle, whose cheeks defeated by the poke, walked along with Marie.

And before following them, Kentrail looked at Taylor’s hand with a cool glance. In that gaze, Taylor quickly pulled his hand back. He doesn’t know why, but he thought he should.

***

“Kentrail.”

In the hallway of the Royal Palace, the Count looked back at the sound of someone calling his name.

The queen was standing there. She wore a heavenly dress, though it wasn’t cold though to wear thick layer.

“Queen.”

“It’s been a long time.”

Kentrail frowned at her remarks and asked her to be careful.

“Oh my. There’s no one here who doesn’t know us.”

She was his relative, though they weren’t that close because they only see each other once a year. There was no resemblance. Unlike him, who was tall, the queen was on the smaller side. She was dwarfed compared to Kentrail, who had broad shoulders and a large physique.

“How’s Brielle doing?”

She remembered the child she had seen only once and asked his regards.

“Yes, he’s growing up.”

“I haven’t heard of the child yet…”

“You’ll hear good news soon.”

“Yes…That must be so. By the way, when are you going to tell me? Marriage. Somehow, there is no social scandal.”

The queen shook her head and secretly talked to her friends, wondering if they would like to be introduced to him.

“My successor is Brielle.”

Therefore, it meant for her not to make him tired by introducing useless people. At least, no one around the queen would be satisfied with the condition of acknowledging Brielle, the nephew, as the successor, rather than the child they would give birth to.

“Seriously… Anyway…Your brother’s friendship was unusual.”

Reminiscent of their childhood, she briefly immersed in her recollections, tapped once on the Count’s shoulder, and walked away.

Kentrail followed her footsteps with fierce eyes, as though a lion preying at an enemy who invaded his territory.

And the queen’s expression walking ahead of him was also cold.