When The Count’s Illegitimate Daughter Gets Married

Chapter 10

If it becomes known that the Duchess attended the banquet, it would surely draw a great deal of attention.

But if the Duke would go alone without his wife, it would definitely bring up suspicion.

Ian was well aware of that fact.

In embarrassment, he started fiddling with his thigh.

“If you go by yourself and fail, then you’ll be in a tough position.”

But if she goes with him, even if Ian fails, Larrite could easily lie about losing the invitation and the situation would blow over.

Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly, that one couldn’t even notice.

‘It’s not that hard.’

‘Just ask me to come with you.’

But she didn’t offer a helping hand first.

She could have just said, “I will help you.”

But she couldn’t bring herself to do so for so many reasons.

Being the daughter of the ‘Count’ Brumayer, an invitation will naturally be sent to her. And, Rose would surely go and be present during the National Foundation Day Banquet as well.

Rose wouldn’t be Rose if she missed out on a party.

If that’s the case, they might even run into each other.

And if…Ian’s position is returned to him, then the person standing next to him can’t be Laritte.

It would be Rose as she was supposed to be the original Duchess after all.

No matter how much Laritte helps Ian, in the end it would only benefit Rose.

It’s true that Larrite decided to stop caring about people’s opinions, but that is a completely separate matter.

For the nobles, illegitimate children were more formidable than simple commoners.

Those who would even dare pretend that they were noble will be stomped and trampled on.

That was how she was brainwashed for 17 years.

Larrite couldn’t help but compare herself to Rose.

Even though it seemed that Ian did not know what Rose looked like, she couldn’t help it and that’s why she tried her best to avoid revealing anything about her identity when Ian asked anything.

She, in return, avoided asking questions about Ian, making her seem like a strange woman to him.

But that wasn’t the case, she was actually very curious about Ian.

“…..Okay. Then I’ll be heading back in the kitchen and you can sit here.”

Laritte stood up with a bowl in her hand. She turned her back before Ian could say anything.

“Hey.”

He bewilderingly called after Laritte.

But Laritte had already disappeared into the kitchen.

Ian’s face stiffened. Her face was definitely expressionless but it somehow looked as though she was depressed.

‘Was it an illusion?’

Anyway, if he succeeded in the plan, she would be the true Duchess. No one could help but envy her.

He thought she would be happy after he informed her of his plan, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“……”

Ian’s gaze was fixated on the chair where Laritte had been sitting on a while ago.

***

There were a lot of things to be done in the villa.

As she busied herself with work, all the trivial thoughts left her mind.

First of all , she had to make sure that not too much of the snow would accumulate on the roof, even though the roof was strongly built and would not collapse, one still had to take precautions.

The villa, after all, was old and had not been maintained for a long time.

Secondly, the path leading to the front door had become frozen, making it very slippery and dangerous, especially when she goes to the storage to retrieve food.

On top of that, there are many other things to do but…

“I’m going to get some water for the bath.”

Early in the morning, Larttie stepped out of the villa wrapping herself in clothes made of fur.

Using both hands, she lifted the old wooden bucket. The sound of water dripping from the bottom of the bucket could be heard.

She would have to climb a mountain and look for a valley where water would be flowing so hard that it wouldn’t be frozen.

The distance was close, but since the bucket was small, she would have to go back and forth several times just to collect enough water to draw up a bath.

She could use the snow around the house instead, but it had a mixture of impurities.

Ian followed her.

“Let me do it this time.”

“I’m not letting a sick person go…”

“I can do things like this now.”

Truly, Ian’s health had improved impressively.

Once his body’s temperature came back to normal, he stopped having a fever and things like walking were not much of a problem to him anymore.

Laritte’s opinion, however, was different from Ian’s.

The bucket itself would be so heavy with the water that she thought he wouldn’t be able to carry it.

“……”

Laritte glared sharply at Ian’s abdominal region, but before she could say anything, Ian spoke.

“There is no use glaring at me like that.”

He wouldn’t back down even if she went ahead and poked his wound to make him rest because now he can easily either block or prevent her from doing so.

“….But it will soon be cold. The jacket you had turned into rags, so I threw it.”

“I’m a Swordmaster so it doesn’t matter.”

But of course, having a body that excels and feeling cold are two different things.

“……”

But, Laritte did not know that fact.

Having nothing else to say, she turned her head around, walked out of the villa, and slammed the door shut.

Ian did not know where the valley was, and it seemed as if she wanted to leave fast so that he wouldn’t be able to follow her.

“Huh? Hold on for a moment….!”

Ian chased after her in a hurry.

(It was winter but it was not snowing at that time. Each breath released produced a white cloud that flew towards the sky. )

Breathlessly, reaching for the old doorknob, he opened the door and looked for Laritte.

Once he found her, he couldn’t help but scoff.

Larrite was of course trying her best to run, however, since snow had covered the pathway, ‘running’ wasn’t exactly possible.

With every step she took, her feet sank deeper into the snow, one could easily tell just how much snow piled up yesterday night while watching her.

Thanks to that, her speed was similar to that of a turtle.

Ian followed her.

Although he wasn’t running, he was easily able to catch up to Laritte with his long legs.

Without realising, Ian let out a light laugh.

He was walking in such a relaxed manner, making sure to stay 5 steps behind Larrite.

Stepping on snow made a unique sound.

So, when Larrite heard the sound of footprints other than her own, her expression became stiff.

Looking behind, she glared at Ian and picked up her pace.

“If you fall over, you’ll get hurt.”

“It’s cold… so don’t…follow me! You…”

“I told you, I’m not cold.”

The sound of the water flowing through the valley began to grow louder.

Their distance remained the same while Laritte was looking for the source of water.

Her face scrunched and she came to a stop, Ian, noticing this, came and stood by her side.

When he saw her frowning, he asked.

“…….You are not angry, are you?”

“Why would I be?”

Ian didn’t have anything to say back to her when she cut him off like that.

‘Because I followed you and was joking around.’

He couldn’t be that bashful and say such a thing.

Seeing Ian standing there not knowing what to do, Larrite let out a sigh.

“….I will just hang the bucket.”

The water in the lake was clean, but only the water flowing near the rock was good enough to drink from.

In order to get that clean water, she had to hang the bucket on a branch nearby.

Actually, the hardest thing about this was heading back to the villa with the bucket full of water, so compared to that, this wasn’t a hard thing to do.

Looking at the bucket, Ian intended to steal the bucket from her and carry it home instead.

While looking at her back, and then at the water, he noticed something that stood out.

Laritte had placed her feet in the ice cold water and reached for the tree branch.

After checking if the branch was strong and sturdy, she hung the bucket then jumped back onto the solid ground.

‘All that is left to do is to wait for the bucket to be filled….’

Splash!

A sound of something entering the water rang clearly, grabbing Laritte’s attention. As she turned her eyes to where the sound came from, a thought popped into her head.

‘Don’t tell me he fell into the lake?’

‘After I told him so many times not to come when he’s sick like that!’

But when their eyes met, she noticed him standing there with a fish in each hand.

“……”

“……”

A long silence hovered over them.

The fish he caught were smaller than carp fish but bigger than the pomfret fish.

Laritte was barely able to say something.

“You…”

“……”

Did he think he was some kind of bear?

His skin being a darker shade made him resemble the brown bears Larrite had only seen in books. She tried her best to swallow the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

He murmured awkwardly.

“Ah, it just caught my eye.”

“Well done….I guess?”

“Why did it end with a question mark?”

Laritte lowered her head and looked at the fish, no matter how she looked at it, the fish were smaller than her pinky finger.

‘How was he able to find such tiny fish? Is it because he’s a Swordmaster?

Ian knew he looked funny carrying two tiny fish like that.

It was actually the first time ever that he had caught fish using his own bare hands.

Still….he wanted to provide something both Larrite and him can eat.

Since she wasn’t eating enough because she was sharing her portions with him.

‘Just ask me to come with you.’

But she didn't offer a helping hand first.

She could have just said, "I will help you."

But she couldn’t bring herself to do so for so many reasons.

Being the daughter of the ‘Count’ Brumayer, an invitation will naturally be sent to her. And, Rose would surely go and be present during the National Foundation Day Banquet as well.

Rose wouldn’t be Rose if she missed out on a party.

If that’s the case, they might even run into each other.

And if...Ian’s position is returned to him, then the person standing next to him can’t be Laritte.

It would be Rose as she was supposed to be the original Duchess after all.

No matter how much Laritte helps Ian, in the end it would only benefit Rose.

It’s true that Larrite decided to stop caring about people’s opinions, but that is a completely separate matter.

For the nobles, illegitimate children were more formidable than simple commoners.

Those who would even dare pretend that they were noble will be stomped and trampled on.

That was how she was brainwashed for 17 years.

Larrite couldn't help but compare herself to Rose.

Even though it seemed that Ian did not know what Rose looked like, she couldn't help it and that's why she tried her best to avoid revealing anything about her identity when Ian asked anything.

She, in return, avoided asking questions about Ian, making her seem like a strange woman to him.

But that wasn’t the case, she was actually very curious about Ian.

".....Okay. Then I'll be heading back in the kitchen and you can sit here."

Laritte stood up with a bowl in her hand. She turned her back before Ian could say anything.

"Hey."

He bewilderingly called after Laritte.

But Laritte had already disappeared into the kitchen.

Ian’s face stiffened. Her face was definitely expressionless but it somehow looked as though she was depressed.

'Was it an illusion?'

Anyway, if he succeeded in the plan, she would be the true Duchess. No one could help but envy her.

He thought she would be happy after he informed her of his plan, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

"......"

Ian’s gaze was fixated on the chair where Laritte had been sitting on a while ago.

***

There were a lot of things to be done in the villa.

As she busied herself with work, all the trivial thoughts left her mind.

First of all , she had to make sure that not too much of the snow would accumulate on the roof, even though the roof was strongly built and would not collapse, one still had to take precautions.

The villa, after all, was old and had not been maintained for a long time.

Secondly, the path leading to the front door had become frozen, making it very slippery and dangerous, especially when she goes to the storage to retrieve food.

On top of that, there are many other things to do but…

“I’m going to get some water for the bath.”

Early in the morning, Larttie stepped out of the villa wrapping herself in clothes made of fur.

Using both hands, she lifted the old wooden bucket. The sound of water dripping from the bottom of the bucket could be heard.

She would have to climb a mountain and look for a valley where water would be flowing so hard that it wouldn’t be frozen.

The distance was close, but since the bucket was small, she would have to go back and forth several times just to collect enough water to draw up a bath.

She could use the snow around the house instead, but it had a mixture of impurities.

Ian followed her.

"Let me do it this time."

“I’m not letting a sick person go...”

“I can do things like this now.”

Truly, Ian’s health had improved impressively.

Once his body’s temperature came back to normal, he stopped having a fever and things like walking were not much of a problem to him anymore.

Laritte's opinion, however, was different from Ian's.

The bucket itself would be so heavy with the water that she thought he wouldn't be able to carry it.

"......"

Laritte glared sharply at Ian’s abdominal region, but before she could say anything, Ian spoke.

“There is no use glaring at me like that.”

He wouldn’t back down even if she went ahead and poked his wound to make him rest because now he can easily either block or prevent her from doing so.

“....But it will soon be cold. The jacket you had turned into rags, so I threw it.”

“I’m a Swordmaster so it doesn’t matter.”

But of course, having a body that excels and feeling cold are two different things.

"......"

But, Laritte did not know that fact.

Having nothing else to say, she turned her head around, walked out of the villa, and slammed the door shut.

Ian did not know where the valley was, and it seemed as if she wanted to leave fast so that he wouldn’t be able to follow her.

“Huh? Hold on for a moment….!”

Ian chased after her in a hurry.

(It was winter but it was not snowing at that time. Each breath released produced a white cloud that flew towards the sky. )

Breathlessly, reaching for the old doorknob, he opened the door and looked for Laritte.

Once he found her, he couldn’t help but scoff.

Larrite was of course trying her best to run, however, since snow had covered the pathway, ‘running’ wasn’t exactly possible.

With every step she took, her feet sank deeper into the snow, one could easily tell just how much snow piled up yesterday night while watching her.

Thanks to that, her speed was similar to that of a turtle.

Ian followed her.

Although he wasn’t running, he was easily able to catch up to Laritte with his long legs.

Without realising, Ian let out a light laugh.

He was walking in such a relaxed manner, making sure to stay 5 steps behind Larrite.

Stepping on snow made a unique sound.

So, when Larrite heard the sound of footprints other than her own, her expression became stiff.

Looking behind, she glared at Ian and picked up her pace.

"If you fall over, you'll get hurt."

"It's cold… so don't…follow me! You…"

“I told you, I’m not cold.”

The sound of the water flowing through the valley began to grow louder.

Their distance remained the same while Laritte was looking for the source of water.

Her face scrunched and she came to a stop, Ian, noticing this, came and stood by her side.

When he saw her frowning, he asked.

".......You are not angry, are you?"

"Why would I be?"

Ian didn't have anything to say back to her when she cut him off like that.

‘Because I followed you and was joking around.’

He couldn’t be that bashful and say such a thing.

Seeing Ian standing there not knowing what to do, Larrite let out a sigh.

"....I will just hang the bucket."

The water in the lake was clean, but only the water flowing near the rock was good enough to drink from.

In order to get that clean water, she had to hang the bucket on a branch nearby.

Actually, the hardest thing about this was heading back to the villa with the bucket full of water, so compared to that, this wasn’t a hard thing to do.

Looking at the bucket, Ian intended to steal the bucket from her and carry it home instead.

While looking at her back, and then at the water, he noticed something that stood out.

Laritte had placed her feet in the ice cold water and reached for the tree branch.

After checking if the branch was strong and sturdy, she hung the bucket then jumped back onto the solid ground.

‘All that is left to do is to wait for the bucket to be filled….’

Splash!

A sound of something entering the water rang clearly, grabbing Laritte’s attention. As she turned her eyes to where the sound came from, a thought popped into her head.

‘Don’t tell me he fell into the lake?’

‘After I told him so many times not to come when he’s sick like that!’

But when their eyes met, she noticed him standing there with a fish in each hand.

"......"

"......"

A long silence hovered over them.

The fish he caught were smaller than carp fish but bigger than the pomfret fish.

Laritte was barely able to say something.

"You..."

"......"

Did he think he was some kind of bear?

His skin being a darker shade made him resemble the brown bears Larrite had only seen in books. She tried her best to swallow the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

He murmured awkwardly.

"Ah, it just caught my eye."

"Well done….I guess?"

"Why did it end with a question mark?"

Laritte lowered her head and looked at the fish, no matter how she looked at it, the fish were smaller than her pinky finger.

‘How was he able to find such tiny fish? Is it because he’s a Swordmaster?

Ian knew he looked funny carrying two tiny fish like that.

It was actually the first time ever that he had caught fish using his own bare hands.

Still….he wanted to provide something both Larrite and him can eat.

Since she wasn’t eating enough because she was sharing her portions with him.