Tamed Monster - Chapter 21
Lancart fell silent as she wished. Sometimes he behaved obediently like a well-trained dog, and at other times, like a fierce fighting dog ready to charge anyone in the middle of a brawl—Sylvia found her husband so overwhelming that it nearly brought her to tears.
Composing herself with a troubled expression, she spoke.
“Lancart… let’s move over there and talk.”
“Hmm, alright.”
“Sorry to startle you, Reynolds. My husband seems a bit tipsy, so I’ll take my leave for now. We’ll talk again when there’s another chance.”
Sylvia had only exchanged light, meaningless words with Reynolds at these occasional banquets, never feeling any romantic interest toward him. She greeted him plainly and then slipped away.
Sometimes, you find someone you just click with when talking. Reynolds was such a person—someone Sylvia genuinely liked but wasn’t particularly close to.
Her husband, trailing closely behind, clearly misunderstood the nature of their relationship.
“Is he your secret lover?”
“Are you crazy?! Reynolds is only seventeen. He hasn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.”
Her sharp retort made the Duke pause for a moment before he launched into another outrageous question.
“Are you planning to make him your lover after his coming-of-age?”
At that point, Sylvia gave up explaining to her husband. Let him misunderstand as he pleases. After all, they weren’t lovers anyway, so she couldn’t understand why he insisted on provoking trouble with such jealous questions—what did he hope to gain?
“Think whatever you want.”
“Hmm…”
“Did you have a good talk with the Count? You didn’t say anything strange, did you?”
Even when bringing up important matters, he looked contemplative—about Reynolds and Sylvia’s relationship.
Sylvia felt a strong desire to keep her husband locked safely inside the house. It was the first time she’d felt such a wish toward him. She was embarrassed by him.
“I only said about ten words each time.”
“Well done…”
“If you two aren’t involved, then why does that guy still keep staring at you?”
His attention suddenly came back to Reynolds again. Sylvia felt the urge to slap her husband.
Maybe he had gotten too comfortable in the past two weeks, because now she wasn’t even afraid to have such destructive thoughts.
To avoid prying eyes, she led him to a quiet balcony draped with thick curtains.
“There. No one’s watching now, right?”
“Well, since we sneaked out, yes. But once we go back, all eyes will be on us immediately.”
This man truly lacked subtlety. It was Lancart, her husband, that people were staring at—not her.
In this important social gathering filled with prominent nobles, he was firmly establishing the image of someone utterly out of place. She regretted heeding Rossa’s advice.
“It’s not me, Lancart. It’s you people are staring at.”
“Hmm. Really…?”
“Your mother was too hasty. You weren’t well enough to attend events yet. You should have focused only on healing until you showed improvement.”
After a fortnight with no sign of recovery, Sylvia felt just as frustrated as Rossa.
Unlike Sylvia, who wanted to keep Lancart inside no matter how long it took, Rossa seemed to have drawn the opposite conclusion. Since he wasn’t going to get better anyway, might as well throw him out there.
There would be many more chances to attend the Count’s banquets next year and beyond. Lancart was a Duke of noble blood close to royal lineage. Though not yet titled Grand Duke, he was already treated with great honor among nobles. Besides, he was a war hero.
“Do I still look that foolish?”
“Not foolish exactly…”
“Then how do I look? Like I’m not even human?”
Kuinan, having unknowingly given away a big hint, suddenly realized it. Sylvia barely acknowledged his question, her face filled with trivial worries.
Feeling reassured, Kuinan leaned forward.
The trembling woman’s eyelashes were a light brown, just like her hair color. Yet beneath them, her eyes were a deep dark blue, an unusual combination that created a mysterious harmony.
