The Military Doctor Excels at Being a Contracted Duchess - Chapter 89

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

【Chapter 89】

The king during the Hunting Festival is rougher than usual.

Knowing this, Minuette had no confidence she could handle Nicholas.

Right after their marriage, Nicholas enjoyed coming to her whenever she was miserable and laying her down on any bed or sofa without discrimination.

Then, after receiving advice that even the kindest and most obedient person would find such treatment hard to endure, she slapped that scoundrel’s cheek with all her might, and he stopped trying to do such things.

Instead, as if seeking revenge, he kept taking away Minuette’s servants.

Petty and childish.

“…Take her away. And don’t bring her back.”

“Oh, alright. Good work.”

Seeing the servant being dragged away smirk, Minuette grabbed whatever was within reach and threw it.

One of the objects hit the servant’s back, but Nicholas didn’t care at all and just giggled.

This wretched state was exactly the level of the House of Richter.

“Get out. Everyone get out! I can’t stand the sight of you!”

Finally driving away even the remaining servants, Minuette thought herself truly pitiful and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Since you told everyone to leave, I wondered for a moment if I should too.”

It was when even the surroundings had become quiet.

The tent fabric swayed, and a leisurely voice flowed out.

A space made with double-layered fabric that no one would think someone could be hiding in.

A man who emerged from there began whistling and gently comforting Minuette.

“You seemed to be crying.”

“Leo…”

The voice calling his name mixed irritation and relief.

The man called Leo leaned one shoulder against a tent pole and smiled leisurely. His curly hair swayed slightly as he surveyed the objects scattered on the floor.

“It must feel truly unfair. If I were Your Majesty the Queen. But to endure it so composedly. It’s admirable.”

Admirable? Me?

Intrigued by the appealing words, Minuette wiped her eyes and looked at the man she had taken as a lover for the sole reason that his atmosphere resembled Victor’s.

When the man opened his arms to her wavering gaze, Minuette quickly ran over and hugged him, pursing her lips and chattering.

“My situation is truly pitiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I don’t understand how he could treat someone like Your Majesty that way. It upsets me too.”

Leo, a commoner without a surname.

A surveyor, he was Minuette’s secret lover.

They met when he was making royal maps, and despite his handsome face that was even alluring, he was unfortunately a eunuch.

Paradoxically, that very point led to Minuette’s choice of him.

After all, what Minuette needed wasn’t physical comfort but emotional comfort, and Leo with his caring nature was quite a satisfactory lover.

“I brought you here secretly because I cherish you, but you must be careful. I know you’re making it with good intentions, but if you’re caught drawing a map of the Royal Forest, it won’t just be overlooked.”

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Grand Duke’s tent.

Victor was explaining while spreading out a map showing the rough shape of the forest.

“As you know, the Queen is a potential threat. I’ve prepared as much as possible since we don’t know what might happen.”

“Yes.”

“Originally, the Royal Forest is a forbidden zone where maps shouldn’t be made, so I couldn’t create it in great detail, but please remember the location of the safety caves.”

Though he acted as if he enjoyed the Hunting Festival more than anyone, that was actually to lower the enemy’s guard.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have a playful desire to tease Ebel, but that was the essence of it anyway.

“I’ve already stationed subordinates near these safety caves. Even if something happens, if you head in this direction, there will be someone to help.”

Victor’s men were positioned in all directions: east, west, south, and north.

Though the forest was quite dense and vast, if you kept going in one direction, you could receive someone’s help.

Of course, it would be best if such a situation didn’t arise.

“So Victor. What exactly do you hunt in this Hunting Festival?”

“Basically deer. For entertainment, we also release wild boars and bears.”

Deer are 1 point. Wild boars are 5 points.

Bears are 10 points.

Wolves must be caught in pairs to count and are worth 7 points.

“The scores are totaled, and whoever catches the most beasts wins.”

“…How cruel.”

Killing not for food but just for play. Even bringing animals that don’t originally live here and releasing them.

“I have no intention of winning the hunt itself. I’ll spend time appropriately and return as quickly as possible, Ebel.”

Ebel nodded and hesitated briefly before embracing him.

Victor in his disheveled state had an atmosphere that stirred people’s deep desires.

If Ebel had been just a little bolder in that direction, they probably would have been doing something other than hugging.

Fortunately, Ebel was wearing riding clothes instead of a skirt today, Victor was a man with discretion, and the two had never done anything beyond kissing.

They had intentions of progressing, but it didn’t need to be outdoors with so many people around.

…Just as she thought that, sweet sounds came from somewhere.

“It seems to have started.”

As she turned her head sharply to glare at the back of the tent, Victor spoke in a peculiar tone.

“We plan to return before nightfall.”

Then he covered Ebel’s ears with his large hands.

Reading his lips, it seemed to mean ‘It’ll be over in 3 minutes anyway,’ so she stayed still.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Whether it really was only 3 minutes of stamina, after a time that made one wonder why they even started.

Victor rolled up a palm-sized map and tucked it into her jacket’s inner pocket, whispering.

“If the Queen is excessively rude, you don’t need to accommodate her. Ignore her.”

“Do you think I’m a child? To give such advice.”

When Ebel smiled slightly and replied gently, Victor also spoke as if joking.

“Well, it’s my first time liking someone, so I’m clumsy.”

At his sincere and straightforward expression of feelings, Ebel’s ears turned red.

“Don’t worry. The Queen isn’t much of a threat.”

Of course, that Queen had sent an Indian archer… but just in case, Ebel had also brought her medical bag.

In case poison was put in her tea, she wanted to detoxify it immediately.

Then, the horn announcing the start of the hunt sounded grandly. For the women, it was the sound announcing the start of tea time.

“Take care, Victor.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“Goodness! It’s only a few hours. You should act more mature.”

Ebel, who had been pushing against his firm chest, suddenly seemed to see the muscles she had glimpsed earlier and quickly pulled her hands away.

As she hid her burning palms behind her back as if burned by fire, Victor made a sly expression.

He didn’t say anything as if being considerate, but…

‘How annoyingly smug.’

That aside.

Watching Victor’s back as he mounted his horse with the gentlemen, Ebel suddenly realized something.

His protection, which she knew was necessary but could feel suffocating at times.

That was another name for control.

‘And behind control, anxiety always follows.’

Humans constantly try to control the future, but that very attempt creates new anxieties. (*Schopenhauer’s maxim.)

‘Ah, I have become Victor’s anxiety.’

The moment she realized this fact, strangely, laughter came.

The way a person becomes precious to someone wasn’t always gentle.

Sometimes, like this, one becomes an existence that disturbs that person’s order.

‘To me, Victor is the order that makes up the world. But to him, I’m an existence that disturbs his perfect world.’

If one had to choose, the latter would be more painful than the former. It would be unfamiliar.

When Victor pulled the reins, the horse raised its head and lightly scraped the dirt with its hooves.

Having finished talking with the gentlemen, he turned his head toward Ebel for a moment. It was truly an instant, but she could tell.

Even in the moments when Victor aimed his gun barrel in that forest, even in the moments when he chased his prey, he would be thinking only of her.

Being the place where someone’s heart was directed and cherished turned out to be a happier thing than she had thought.

‘Huh?’

But that was when it happened.

Crack, crackle!

While she was watching Victor’s retreating figure, her vision began to sway wildly and all the colors became completely mixed up.

At the same time, words and scenes overlapped, and everything felt like it was going backward, backward.

Happiness, heart, prey, an instant, the horse lowering its head, anxiety control, subordinates. Victor taking away the flower crown he had placed on her again…

‘No, stop!’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————