4. When Things Are Unusually Quiet, It Means Something Is Happening (part 2)
The sound of hooves pounding the earth reached Marcella’s ears as her pace slowed from breathlessness.
When Marcella turned around, startled, Arthur Digory was chasing her with a terrifying momentum.
Marcella let out an involuntary scream. He looked more horrible than a demon.
“Why are you chasing me!”
“Because you’re running away, my lady!”
“Don’t come near me!”
“My lady!”
Marcella ran with all her might. But the distance between her and Arthur, whose eyes were blazing as he pursued her, only continued to shrink.
“My lady!”
Arthur lunged and grabbed Marcella’s legs. With her legs caught, Marcella fell forward.
Still, she quickly lifted her head. Though her legs felt heavy, Marcella reached forward and grabbed the dirt ground to move ahead.
“You cannot go. You cannot!”
“Let me go, Sir Digory!”
“I absolutely cannot let you go until you promise not to return home!”
“Why are you doing this to me!”
Marcella shouted at the top of her voice.
She couldn’t understand why this was happening. Why keep her in the imperial palace, suddenly ask her to become empress, and now grab her legs like this!
“I’ll explain everything, so please promise you won’t go home.”
Marcella’s dress was a mess, rolled around on the dirt ground. And Arthur Digory was in the same state. That fine fabric…
Marcella frowned and glared at Arthur.
“A promise not to go home—when exactly are you planning to let me go? The fever hasn’t gone down yet, you have a cough. You said those things, so what’s your real intention?”
“Intention, my lady? I was genuinely concerned about your health.”
“Lies!”
Would someone who was genuinely concerned about health knock a person down like this? Ridiculous.
Marcella crawled forward little by little. She didn’t know if this direction was actually the way out of the imperial palace.
“You’re right. It is a lie. I know you’re already healthy.”
Arthur Digory suddenly changed his attitude.
He pressed his lips together with a serious face, but when Marcella’s brow furrowed, he spoke again with difficulty.
“I, as his aide, only helped His Majesty a little because he wants to stay with you somehow but is too embarrassed to say so.”
Marcella’s eyes widened.
Arthur Digory, as the emperor’s proud aide, looked at Marcella—no, at the person the emperor had proposed to.
When Nell suddenly announced he would take Marcella as empress, Arthur thought, ‘What is he talking about all of a sudden?’ When he went to propose to Marcella and she rejected him, it felt hopeless.
But when Arthur caught Marcella, he realized this wasn’t a crisis. The fact that Nell had said with his own mouth that he wanted to take someone as empress wasn’t a troublesome matter.
Moreover, the person in question wasn’t from a difficult family like Manister, but Morris! After the count’s death, her husband was barely managing as acting count!
This was an opportunity.
Marcella felt a strange light settling in Arthur’s expression. Nell wanted to stay with her more? The person who said become empress because his divine beast was lonely? And could the emperor’s aide really have such a pleased expression right after the emperor was rejected in his proposal?
“Do you think I’ll fall for it just because you say it confidently?”
Tsk. Arthur clicked his tongue quietly. When Marcella’s brow furrowed, he smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
“You’re upset about the sudden proposal, aren’t you? I understand. I didn’t expect that either. His Majesty was carried away by his feelings. How much must he like Lady Marcella to do that?”
When Marcella’s lips parted slightly, Arthur thought it was an opportunity.
“Please forgive him for being a bit rough and unnatural in his expression. Someone who has never held anyone in his heart until that age suddenly realized love—ah, how overwhelming his heart must be!”
Arthur raised one hand high and let out a trembling breath. Arthur thought his acting was perfect. What young lady could hear that she was the emperor’s first love and not be moved?
“Sir Digory.”
Marcella Morris did exactly that. She looked at Arthur with unwavering, confident eyes.
Marcella knew he was lying from beginning to end. About Nell sending shoes, about Nell wanting to apologize, about Nell loving her.
It was all brazen lies.
“Let me go.”
Arthur believed without doubt that Marcella’s heart must be shaken, even if just a little.
When he released Marcella’s legs, which he had been holding tightly to prevent her escape, as expected, Marcella didn’t run away but stood up and brushed the dirt from her dress. Arthur also felt relieved and brushed off his clothes.
“Is that the end of the explanation you promised? If there’s nothing more, I’ll really go home now.”
Arthur’s movements as he brushed his clothes stopped. When Marcella bowed and tried to leave, Arthur spread both arms to block her path.
When Marcella glared at him, Arthur glared back.
“Lady Marcella, I didn’t want to go this far.”
Marcella was startled by Arthur’s low voice. He could be saying he’d resort to force since words weren’t working. Actually, grabbing her legs was already using force. But what did he mean by not wanting to go this far—what was he planning to do?
“If you want to go! If you want to go, you’ll have to step over me!”
Arthur lay spread-eagle in front of Marcella.
Marcella swallowed her breath. Arthur Digory was out of his mind.
Marcella, who had been suspicious about what scheme he had for keeping her here, was now afraid. What on earth did he want so badly that he’d do such a disgraceful thing?
“Why are you really doing this! Get up right now!”
“I can’t get up until you take back your words about returning to Morris territory!”
“Sir Digory!”
Though Marcella shouted for him to get up, Arthur squeezed his eyes shut with a determined expression and didn’t budge. Marcella looked down at Arthur and clenched her fists.
“Ugh, my lady…!”
It was her first time stepping over someone.
Does anyone actually step over when told to step over them? Arthur was shocked and momentarily speechless. But he quickly regained his senses and grabbed the leg of Marcella, who was trying to pass over him.
“Sir Digory!”
“You can’t go! Absolutely not!”
“Don’t you have any pride?”
Marcella moved her heavy leg, which Arthur was holding, trying to move forward somehow. Sweat beaded on her forehead from how heavy it was, but she didn’t give up.
Then Arthur used his legs too to hold onto Marcella.
“Haha. My lady, if I had any pride left to maintain, I wouldn’t be called Arthur the Fatherless.”
Arthur had no noble and cumbersome thing like pride left. Arthur smiled meanly with the corners of his mouth raised.
“One month. Just stay at the imperial palace for one more month.”
Arthur looked up at Marcella with pleading eyes and raised his index finger.
“Then I’ll help you leave this place.”
“……”
“My lady, just one month.”
“How can I trust Sir Digory’s words?”
Marcella’s gaze as she looked down at Arthur was cold.
“You said to step over you if I wanted to go, but you’re not letting me go.”
“This time is different. I’ll stake my name on it. Arthur Digory—my name.”
Arthur placed his hand over his chest. Marcella appeared to be considering it.
“Please, my lady.”
Marcella turned her head away from the pleading Arthur.
No matter how much she struggled, everything went according to Arthur Digory’s will. Even though it concerned her own affairs. Marcella clenched her fists.
“Fine, Sir Digory. You clearly said one month.”
“Of course, my lady. Trust me.”
“But I have a condition.”
“…A condition?”
Arthur, who was about to release Marcella’s leg, held onto it just in case.
Marcella took a deep breath.
Marcella thought she had nothing that the emperor or his unreasonable aide would covet. She was even less suited to become empress.
Yet Nell had suddenly proposed, and when she refused, Arthur caught her. Why?
She couldn’t know the reason now, but seeing that he set a specific timeframe of one more month, there was definitely some scheme.
Life here wasn’t unbearable, so she could endure it. And she might be able to discover what Nell and Arthur’s hidden scheme was.
“If you try to hold me back after one month, then…”
But if it was something that required sacrificing and using her, she would absolutely refuse.
Marcella showed her firm resolve. Then Arthur burst into laughter.
“My lady! Would I really do such a thing by force!”
Arthur, laughing as if it was ridiculous, seemed to be mocking her somewhere.
Marcella’s brow furrowed. She found it unlikely too, but couldn’t help being suspicious.
“Are those words coming from someone who’s currently grabbing my leg and forcibly preventing me from leaving?”
“My lady, you’re quite suspicious.”
Arthur laughed loudly again.
Marcella felt uneasy about it all. Though he was treating it as ridiculous, Arthur Digory was an untrustworthy man, so who knew how he might change his words.
“If you’re so confident, please keep your promise. Otherwise, I’ll bite my tongue and die.”
“My lady, biting your tongue to death is more difficult than you’d think.”
Marcella thought she had played a strong hand, but Arthur chuckled.
“Then I’ll hang myself from a tree.”
But when Marcella pointed to a tree standing not far away, he couldn’t laugh anymore.
Perhaps this young lady, who had stepped over someone without hesitation, really might do it. Arthur swallowed dryly and smiled.
“Lady Marcella, would I do such a thing regardless of your wishes? How dare I!”
“Have you already forgotten that you’re currently holding me here regardless of my wishes?”
“I understand, my lady. So let’s have tea first and talk!”
Arthur persuaded Marcella, saying he would specially prepare tea she liked. But Marcella’s expression didn’t soften easily.
“I wouldn’t get tired hanging onto Lady Marcella’s leg like this, but aren’t you getting tired, Lady Marcella?”
Arthur tightened his grip on Marcella’s leg as if squeezing it. The more Marcella’s brow furrowed in pain, the more Arthur’s lips curved upward.
“Then please let go of my leg.”
“I’ll let go if Lady Marcella promises not to go home.”
“You promise first.”
“Hahaha, my lady…”
“Promise me, Sir Digory. Just one month. That you won’t try to use me beyond that.”
“Use you!”
Arthur Digory slowly shook his head.
“I swear on my name. I have never, not even once, tried to use you.”
Arthur Digory. Liar. A man who could change his words as easily as flipping his palm.
Marcella decided never to trust Arthur Digory.
