We're Married, After All - Chapter 35
Back then, in the world shared by Petios and me, it truly felt like we were the only two who existed.
Even when the Veloce household was thrown into turmoil because of Danel, it didn’t feel real. The chaos that ensued, with the Countess fainting and me having to personally bring a female doctor on horseback, all seemed like events unfolding in another realm—at least to me.
“…Hah.”
Yes, that summer was also when Danel left for the monastery.
One day, without warning, Danel announced his decision to join the monastery.
It wasn’t unusual for a second son, who would not inherit the title, to become a monk. This was often a strategic move to ensure the safety of the firstborn heir by removing the younger brother closest in age. But such calculations didn’t apply to the Veloce household. Danel and Petios were eight years apart, far too great a gap for Danel to pose any threat.
Besides, Danel was far too young to challenge Petios in any way. Everyone had expected that the devout boy would eventually join a monastery, but no one imagined that it would happen the summer after his thirteenth birthday.
When Danel made his announcement, the Countess collapsed in shock. Danel, the second son she had given birth to after repeated miscarriages despite her frail health, had always been her precious child. She likely would have fainted even if Danel had said he wanted to become a monk at the age of twenty-three, let alone thirteen.
Of course, if he had been twenty-three, she might have consoled herself with the thought, “Let him make his own decisions at this age.” That might have been enough to steady her emotions.
In the chaos of the maids wailing like banshees, the Count sought me out first. The Countess found it humiliating to be treated by a male doctor, and there was only one female doctor in the entire Veloce estate. To fetch her, someone would either have to prepare a carriage or, taking the risk of impropriety, ride out on horseback to bring her back.
Neither option was ideal. A carriage would be too slow, and sending a knight to bring her on horseback might embarrass the doctor to the point where she’d refuse to treat the Countess.
Thankfully, I was there.
In a moment when his thirteen-year-old son had declared he was leaving for the monastery, and his wife had fainted, the Count remembered his daughter-in-law-to-be—a girl who loved riding horses. He also knew that I could ride as swiftly as most knights. This composure would later serve him well when his son fled just before our wedding.
I mounted the best horse and rode to the village. I don’t recall exactly what I was thinking during the ride, but I imagine it wasn’t much. At that time in my life, I often behaved as though I were floating on clouds, detached from reality. That day was likely no different.
Perhaps, somewhere deep down, I felt a bit sad that Danel was leaving for the monastery. At the time, I saw him far more often and felt closer to him than I do now.
What I do know for certain is that as I galloped through the dusk, explained the situation to the doctor, and rode back with her sharing the saddle, I wasn’t wondering why Danel had made such a decision at that particular moment.
Even before our formal engagement, I had stayed at the Veloce estate periodically. Back then, Danel was always locked in his room. As he grew older, he would obsessively recite prayers and read the scriptures with a fervent intensity.
So I thought it suited him to enter the monastery at a younger age than most.
Even when he didn’t leave his room after that day, I didn’t think much of it.
Petios, on the other hand, was deeply affected. He was so heartbroken over his brother’s departure that he became ill. Comforting him became part of my daily routine.
“He’s probably avoiding attending the dinner banquet because he’s afraid indulging in luxurious food might waver his resolve. Don’t worry, all we need to do is send him off properly on the day he leaves. What’s that? You’re asking if I could say goodbye on your behalf? Hmm… Well, I’m not close enough to him to visit his bedroom and say goodbye in person…”
But Danel left the estate abruptly, the moment he finished his preparations.
When I heard the news, I felt a pang of regret. I had come all the way to the Count’s estate—at the very least, I could have said goodbye. After all, if not now, we would eventually become family one day.
But what if he didn’t leave because I happened to be at the estate? What if he left because I was there?
Opening the upper drawer took much longer than before. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling, and my focus had completely worn thin.
Even so, I managed to unlock the drawer before the candle burned down completely.
Inside the shallow, wide drawer was a stack of sealed envelopes, each sealed with black wax. It seemed the envelopes had been resealed to prevent anyone from prying into the letters.
I skimmed the drawer’s contents indifferently. Letters…? The contents were surprisingly ordinary—nothing like what I had imagined. Most drawers with locks probably held similar things. After all, the world is full of secrets that need to be documented, and most are preserved this way to await the day they are eventually revealed.
But everything changed the moment I spotted a single postcard nestled among the pile of letters.
