When The Count’s Illegitimate Daughter Gets Married

2. Laritte and welcoming winter in the heart of the mountain

As the end of dawn drew near, small cotton-like balls began to fall from the sky. By morning, a thought came to Larittes mind when she looked out the window.

I wont be able to plant the seeds I bought.

She let the words flow straight out from her mind.

She bought roots that were tenacious so she could plant them at this time of the year, but it all went to waste as soon as the snow began. She thought of bringing the dirt inside as she moved to the kitchen.

Milk was boiling in the pot she had prepared beforehand and was now emitting steam; she was going to make milk tea.

Foam was floating on top of the milk. Laritte carefully poured the milk into a cup before placing it next to the breakfast shed prepared in advance.

A gentle aroma filled the warm air. And with that, her milk tea the colour of caramel was easily prepared.

Hm.

She silently watched the foam on the tea float around in a counterclockwise direction. Suddenly, she remembered something.

Ah!

Laritte opened the drawer. Amongst the various different spices shed bought, some coloured sugar was hidden. She used a small spoon to get some of the sugar and added it to the milk tea.

Finally, to finish everything off, she took out a teacup. Nobles of the Iasa Empire drank tea as if it were water. Commoners who saw them do it proceeded to follow in their footsteps. However, Laritte had never made tea before. Wouldnt she be quite full with this?

Laritte wasnt able to afford it. The only reason why she prepared all of this was because of the Duke.

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Laritte opened the door of the first room to the left of the entrance. The large door to the entrance made a loud sound, proving how old it was.Creaaaak.

Ian let out restless breaths as he laid ill on the old and shabby bed, the morning sun shining upon him. The bed used to be moldy, although Laritte had managed to restore it quite nicely. That was because she found suitable mattresses and piled them up neatly.

He looked at her with cloudy eyes. She asked him,

Hows your fever?

I think I feel a bit better.

Laritte placed the tea that she brought on the table and rested her hand on his forehead. It felt burning hot.

What do you mean you feel a bit better? Are you just bluffing or is this a special characteristic of the Duke?

Despite his painful headache, Ian released a small smile. Of course a noble would give such an answer. It was in their nature to act gracefully without any worries.

Let alone the fact that this was the first time theyd met. Laritte hadnt been aware of it either. Though now she just thought of it as a useless lie. Why would someone who was sick and breathing heavily act according to those rules?

I brought you some milk tea. I happened to stumble upon some leaves in the marketplace. I thought itd be good for you to drink the tea with milk as well. I dont think youre in good enough condition to just drink tea on its own.

The original use for the milk she bought was to produce a sauce for dipping bread into. But, she had used all her milk for the milk tea. If she wished to make her fondue shed have to walk a few hours to get to the village.

Ian struggled to get up and to drink the milk tea. Thanks to the sugar, the drink was easily swallowed. It made him feel much better. It was only later that he realized he had already drank half of it.

Although, the fact that there was milk here was amazing enough. Milk. No matter how chilly the weather was these days, there were still items that would easily spoil. Since the villa was in the middle of nowhere on a mountain and far from a farm, milk was precious.

..Thank you.

He said as he handed Laritte the empty teacup. She helped him rest and covered him with a blanket. In other peoples eyes, Larittes face remained calm and unreadable.

Besides, before she started living in the mountains in this villa, Laritte had always had a tendency to live the way she wanted, which was widely considered to be odd. Someone with no awareness might even say something like Have you seen that person with no passion? They mustve been hurt in the past, or something of that sort

Thinking about it, the way she cared for him was generous. Furthermore, she must have known he was a traitor, but she was sensible enough to let that pass. With his whole heart, Ian felt grateful towards her.

Ill have to open the window for a bit; it may feel cold.

The body is inclined to become weak after a lack of air for a long time. Ian felt fresh air on his cheeks when Laritte opened the window and ventilated the area. He bit his dry lips.

Is it raining?

No, its snowing. Though its still late fall, the weather has been getting colder these days.

Snow.

Do you not like snow?

No, I like it.

Especially because the snow seen here by the villa was special to him. Ever since he was young, hed visited this place often. Even if it wasnt close to the capital, he came to play here every spring. The wild flowers grown here were breathtaking and it had also been his mothers favourite spot.

By the time his height had reached half of an adult mans, Ian stayed at the villa for a long time. The reason was because this was where Selena, his mother and the former Duchess, stayed before she passed away. Selena Reinhardt had a rare disease.

A few weeks before her death, Selena needed to lay down for at least the majority of the day. Even so, she and Ian watched the sky from the front entrance of the home. It was an unforgettable memory.

For Ian, it was when he lay in Selenas arms as she rested on the rocking chair, watching the snow. Ever since her death, Ian had stopped visiting the villa. It was because every time he went, he was reminded of her empty seat.

The villa stopped being cleaned regularly; they hoped that time would eventually take care of it and left it to rot. It was just a coincidence that he came here.

You shouldnt have become an enemy of the Imperial family.

His subordinate, Bartolt, had said when he stabbed him in the vicinity of the Western sea. Ian removed the sword from his wound, feeling both the pain of betrayal and the wound.

However, what can you even do with a wound like that?

Bartolt!

He was a swordmaster strong enough to take down elite troops, but he wasnt able to fight back against his subordinate whilst bearing a painful stab wound that would eventually kill him.

Contrary to what the public seems to believe, he wasnt murdered by a prisoner of war. Instead, hed found a chance to escape and had run away. He hopped onto a wagon and escaped to the next town over. Finally, he arrived at a village nearby after a long while of hiding and running.

Many of his wounds had healed over time, but he couldnt afford to stop now. According to what Bartolt had said, the people pulling the strings behind his assassination were the Imperial family. They were most definitely searching for him, so he had to find a place to hide. Remembering the existence of the villa, Ian had climbed all the way up here.

The peasants said that the house was vacant and that the Duke wouldnt come here.

Even with the light of a lamp, the area was dark. The nearest village was at least half a days walk, so not even the small children would come here out of curiosity was what they thought.

Even if he had to bear the pain of the stab wound whilst climbing up the mountain, it was worth the risk. In the end, there was someone in the villa. And that very person claimed to be his wife.

Ians eyes landed on Laritte. The largest room in the villa was his bedroom. The second was the room containing the fireplace. Laritte was cleaning up the ashes in the fireplace and loading more wood to prevent them from getting cold.

Originally, that was the maids job. Ian wondered. The Brumayer family mustnt have been sad to send their only daughter out here since theyd left her here alone.

She must have gone down to the village to get the things they needed. But theyd been together for a large part of the day. Maybe she secretly reported him it wasnt like he was going to be able to doubt that fact anyways.

..Look.

His throat felt parched and his voice was scratchy.

He thought he could tell her the fact that he was being framed. He wanted to tell her the truth too.

Yes?

The moment Laritte turned her head

Ian lifted his upper body but his vision started becoming blurry and foggy. He pressed his hand against his forehead, trying to stay conscious. But his body refused to comply with his orders and tilted to the side

He closed his eyes, and the last thing he saw was Laritte running towards him.