༺ Marghetta’s Woes ༻
Lately, I’ve been feeling off. No, to be precise, I simultaneously felt happy and a bit disappointed.
“Mar, I’m going to head back now.”
Carl’s visits to the Vice President’s office have beco noticeably shorter. It wasn’t just my imagination; it was a fact.
This was the ti of day I looked forward to the most. Of course I appreciate his daily visits, but I wish he could stay a bit longer.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes, I have things I need to do.”
So I cautiously spoke up, but Carl responded with a smile.
I felt tempted to cling to him and ask him not to go, but I couldn’t do that. He said he had things to do, and I couldn’t interfere with that.
Yet, I couldn’t let him go just like that.
“Carl.”
After calling his na, I opened my arms wide. As I looked at him silently, Carl chuckled and then hugged .
Yes, this makes everything better. My heart felt more at ease.
‘I wish we could stay like this forever.’
I wish he wouldn’t go anywhere and just keep holding .
As if he knew what I was thinking, Carl whispered in my ear.
“I’m sorry, Mar. I’d love to stay with you longer, but I can’t.”
‘My body, please stop shaking while we’re hugging. It’s embarrassing if he notices.’
“It’s okay. There must be a good reason for it. I understand.”
I managed to say, trying to calm my shaking body and heart. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t disappointed.
But Carl had always been committed to our ti together. If he suddenly had to leave, I’m sure there must be a significant reason. I’m not sure why he’s been so preoccupied lately, though.
I didn’t press him on where he was going or what he was doing. Showing this much trust might touch him deeply, after all.
— It’s your duty as a wife to take care of your husband, but you can’t be too controlling. Being obsessive can cool his affection for you.
That was what my fourth sister advised during a recent call.
‘She’s probably right.’
My sister had a happy marriage and many children, so she couldn’t be wrong.
So, I let him go. We had plenty of ti ahead of us; I couldn’t start showing signs of a controlling and oppressive wife now.
“Being with you feels suffocating. Can’t you just trust ?”
I shuddered as I imagined Carl saying that with a cold expression on his face.
No, that can’t happen. I can’t bear the thought of Carl hating .
“See you tomorrow, Carl.”
I waved him off with the brightest smile I could muster.
I couldn’t bear to be disliked by Carl, but I trusted him. If he wasn’t telling sothing, then it was probably because I didn’t ask rather than because it was sothing needed to be hidden. I had to believe that.
Yes, that must be it. I trust Carl.
***
“I’ll be going now. I had a great ti today.”
The next day, Carl left early again.
But it’s okay since I trust him more than anyone else.
***
“Ah, it’s ti to go.”
He left his seat the next day as well.
It’s okay. I love and trust Carl more than anyone in this world.
***
“I’m sorry, but I think I need to leave first.”
…I trust him…
I bit my nails as soon as Carl left the Vice President’s office.
‘Why…?’
For a few days, I understood. Carl had to be busy with work or personal matters.
But as it stretched beyond a week and was reaching the end of the second week, I couldn’t help but feel anxious. What was going on? It can’t be normal for him to be this busy, right?
And we promised to always talk to each other and to share the truth without hiding anything. If was sothing this significant, then surely he would have ntioned it by now.
‘Is it an issue he can’t discuss with ?’
At that mont, my mind went blank. If he had matters he had to hide from , things he shouldn’t tell …
— Being devoted to him is important. However, if you pour out your heart too one-sidedly, the other party might grow tired of it.
Again, I recalled the advice given by my fourth sister. She said that while showing affection was important, the other person might take it for granted and beco indifferent if it was too one-sided.
‘Is it true?’
I felt a chilling dread. Had Carl really grown tired of ? Could his heart have wandered to soone else?
No. Our relationship isn’t one-sided. Carl definitely loves too. We’re in a reciprocal and not a unilateral relationship.
‘…Are we really?’
It was hard to stop the train of negative thoughts once they started.
Carl always said he would be honest with . He said there would be no more secrets. And since then, we’ve shared monts of laughter and togetherness.
But strictly speaking, we had never formally committed to being together. There had been no talk of engagent or marriage.
Maybe I was the only one who was happy to be with him. Maybe Carl was only with out of guilt. Maybe he harbored feelings for soone else—these terrifying thoughts lined up one after another.
‘No.’
I clenched my fists tightly.
***
Though it was unbefitting for a lady of my status, I followed Carl. I needed to see with my own eyes what was happening to ease this growing anxiety.
Still, I avoided tailing him directly. Carl’s knack for sensing soone’s presence ant I’d be easily caught if I attempted to follow too closely.
‘Just like father.’
Whenever I tried to sneak up behind my father as a child, he would suddenly turn around and startle . Do all warriors have such keen senses?
Anyway, I asked passing students to track down Carl’s destination and arrived at a building housing the teachers’ labs.
‘What is this?’
The location caught off guard. While it would be surprising to find Carl anywhere, the teachers’ lab were peculiarly intriguing.
I cautiously moved forward, peering into each research lab. Through the windows, I saw teachers engaged in discussions with their assistants or those left alone, possibly because the teacher was in class.
After so ti, I finally spotted a familiar figure.
‘It’s Carl.’
I crouched down as soon as I spotted him, fearing he might see through the window.
Lifting my head slightly, I saw a sign reading ‘History Teacher Gerhardt.’ History… I still couldn’t see the connection to Carl.
‘The swordsmanship departnt would be more believable.’
That would have made more sense. After all, that was where Young Lord Erich belonged.
“—way, —much—?”
“—you—!”
As I pondered the link between Carl and history, voices ca from inside the research lab. Naturally, I couldn’t make out the details.
I tried to calm my pounding heart and slowly stood up.
‘Ah.’
Then, I saw a woman with navy blue hair, laughing and talking with Carl.
***
Gerhardt had an urgent matter and had to leave his post. Usually, this would leave the room engulfed in silence—
“No way, have you already written this much?”
“It’s all thanks to the Prosecutor. Thank you so much!”
I’ve made an effort to engage Christina in conversation since I found out that she was the Minister’s niece.
She was a bit reserved at first, but ti proved to be the answer. Now, we get along quite well even without Gerhardt.
‘If only I hadn’t known.’
Knowing her relationship with the Minister and then treating her poorly or indifferently could cause trouble. So, I made sure to be as kind as possible.
“Udesr Zairug was known to fire multiple arrows at once without missing a single shot.”
“That’s fascinating.”
“He was also a part of the Eight War Machines, a group of exceptional individuals.”
Still, the conversation didn’t stray from its original purpose of imparting knowledge.
***
Familiar spaces could sotis feel strangely unfamiliar. This was one of those tis.
‘What’s going on?’
An inexplicable sense of pressure seed to weigh on my shoulders as I entered the Vice President’s office. Everything was fine until yesterday, wasn’t it?
I glanced over and saw that Marghetta was quietly signing docunts.
“Carl.”
After finishing her signature, she spoke softly.
Though she was smiling, it felt unusually forced. Even her eyes were strangely red.
“Am I not enough for you?”
“…Sorry?”
She dropped an unexpected bombshell.
What did she an, not enough? What was that supposed to an?
It took a mont to gather my thoughts amidst the ensuing confusion.
“Carl, have you been keeping secrets from … or seeing another lady…?”
Marghetta tried to speak calmly, but her voice trembled uncontrollably.
And even if her voice had been steady, her face would have been a dead giveaway.
‘I ssed up.’
It was only after listening to Marghetta that I realized my foolish mistake.
I hadn’t ntioned what I’ve been up to lately. It wasn’t intentional; I simply thought that it was enough to just say that I was busy with work without going into details. Of course, I would have explained if she asked—
No, I should have told her without being asked.
‘Experience does matter.’
I almost sighed at my mistake.
Thinking back, I’ve never had a normal relationship before my possession and certainly not after. Hecate and I navigated the challenges of the North and shared our living quarters, so we easily understood everything without having to talk.
It was the only relationship I had ever had, so I used it as a benchmark. But that was far from normal; it was abnormal.
“Mar.”
I took Marghetta’s hands as her gaze fell. No matter how I frad it, this was my fault.
Having soone leave earlier than usual without a proper explanation would have made anyone anxious.
I assud too much, thinking that Marghetta would imdiately understand even if I didn’t say anything. I was even unaware of the turmoil she was holding inside.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been too thoughtless.”
Then, I gave her a detailed explanation of how I ended up advising Gerhardt about the North, and how I was trying to be as polite as possible as Christina was the Minister’s niece.
Of course, I kept adding my apologies.
“So that’s it. I’m sorry. I had a strange misunderstanding.”
Marghetta’s face reddened for a different reason as I hurriedly tried to correct the misunderstanding.
But why was she apologizing? It was my fault that I didn’t give her any hints and made her anxious.
‘If only there had been trust from the start.’
A minor misunderstanding like this could have been easily laughed off if we had a strong enough foundation of trust.
“Um, Mar?”
Then, wasn’t it my responsibility to build that trust?
“After the New Year’s Ball next year…”
But now was not the ti. At least, not until after the New Year’s Ball, when we would finally have so ti.
“…Would it be alright if we go visit His Grace, the Iron-blooded Duke?”
“What?”
Marghetta’s eyes widened in surprise at my suggestion.
You can rate/review this series here.
Reviews
All reviews (0)