Swan Grave - Chapter 23

At the time, he believed without a doubt that he would never regret it. He had focused only on finding a way to bring Ianna back to his side.

But now that the young woman stood before his eyes, he felt as if he might go mad with regret over what he had let slip away. Though he knew well that being satisfied with the present was the best he could do, he couldn’t endure the sense of deprivation.

The presence of Sehyun only provoked Rothbart’s inferiority further. There was no way Rothbart would simply sit still and watch him.

The corners of Rothbart’s lips rose. A smile spread across his face, one that made Anna unbearably uneasy.

***

Anna becoming the Marquess’s personal maid had turned the mansion upside down, but it still took quite some time for the news to reach Rose, who was not on good terms with the other maids. When Rose finally heard it, she was dumbfounded.

The Marquess’s personal maid?

During all the years she had served him, no such position had ever existed. From the beginning, he wasn’t a man who needed anyone’s attendance.

That she had been forced to step away from the experiment was strange enough, but this was far from the only unusual thing. Rose bit her lower lip nervously.

Then suddenly, a dreadful thought struck her.

‘Unless… the master has found a replacement for me?’

Until now, Rose had thought the Marquess had summoned another dark magician to take her place. But that had been a mistake. If another dark magician were to come, he wouldn’t have suspended the experiment. It meant the experiment to summon the Marchioness had truly come to an end.

‘If what the master found was a replacement for the Marchioness…’

The idea that Rothbart might give up on the Marchioness had never even crossed her mind. The thought itself had been unimaginable. Rose’s body trembled with goosebumps.

“Impossible!”

A shrill scream burst from her lips. Rose shook her head violently. Her golden hair, like spun honey, whipped about in disarray.

‘It can’t be! How could he… after all I’ve devoted to him. I was content even if I were nothing but a tool. Just being at his side was enough… But now he would keep by him a woman he has only just met, who has done nothing at all? Simply because she is from the Eastern Continent?’

Regardless of her unwillingness to believe, the circumstances were undeniable.

The place Anna occupied should rightfully have been Rose’s. Rose had no intention of sitting idly by. She didn’t want to share Rothbart with anyone, and the only one she could accept was the Marchioness. One way or another, she had to do something.

“…I must contact him. He will know how to resolve this.”

Rose murmured under her breath. Her green eyes flickered ominously, like a forest before a storm.

***

Rothbart’s daily routine was fairly regular. After a simple breakfast in the morning, he would deal with pressing matters and then take Anna. But today was different. After finishing his work, instead of laying Anna down on the desk, he rose from his seat.

Anna, flustered and unsure of what to do, watched as Rothbart donned his coat, picked up his cane, and said, “The weather is fine. We will take a walk. Come with me.”

“Yes.”

A peaceful act like walking did not suit a man like Rothbart. Still, the thought that perhaps today he would skip sex gave Anna a small sense of relief. She had been joined with him so often that she felt raw between her legs.

If only she could become pregnant quickly.

But ever since she had fallen into this world, her menstrual cycle had become irregular from the extreme stress. In such a condition, conceiving a child wouldn’t be easy. A sigh slipped from Anna’s dry lips.

Rothbart strode forward without hesitation, heading toward the garden. As he left the room, the servants, startled, bowed their heads hastily.

Anna followed behind him a step late. She too saw the people bowing their heads to him. Feeling awkward for no reason, Anna hardened her expression and quickened her pace.

The servants, their heads bowed, stole glances at Rothbart and Anna. It was the first time they had seen the two together.

Since becoming the Marquess’s personal maid, Anna had spent all her working hours shut away in his chambers. Because what exactly she did there, and how the Marquess treated her, remained shrouded in mystery, rumors spread wildly.

Not even the reason why the Marquess had made her his personal maid had been revealed. As the two of them had no point of contact at all before, people gossiped endlessly.

Anna will become the second Marchioness. No, it’s just the master showing a passing whim. If she truly were to become the second Marchioness, wouldn’t he at least have changed her quarters first? She still sleeps in the attic room with the other maids. Just wait and see. Before long, she’ll be sent back to her original duties, or be cast out entirely…

Unaware that the servants were speculating about her relationship with Rothbart, Anna only hurried to keep up with him. Rothbart didn’t bother to match her stride as he walked ahead, and those who had claimed the Marquess favored Anna smiled bitterly and shook their heads, saying they must have overreacted.

Rothbart’s steps led to the well-kept garden behind the mansion. The gardener, spotting Rothbart’s approach from afar, quickly bowed low. Rothbart glanced at the rose vines climbing the pillar at the entrance and casually spoke to the gardener, whose bowed head was all that could be seen.

“The garden is in good condition.”

“Yes, yes. I’ve kept well to your instructions, master. I’m always vigilant. This year especially, the roses are blooming beautifully.”

“I’ll walk around the garden. Call me when lunch is ready.”

“Yes. You need not worry.”

Overwhelmed by the fact that the Marquess had addressed him, the gardener bent at the waist repeatedly, his face flushed red. He received Rothbart’s arrogant words as if they were a sacred blessing.

Having no more business with him, Rothbart passed by the gardener and entered the garden.

Anna followed Rothbart, glancing around. The air was thick with the fragrance of blooming flowers, damp earth, and fresh grass. The morning sunlight that had not yet reached its peak bathed the garden in brilliance, making it look like a painting.

Anna thought they had come simply for a stroll, but Rothbart examined the flowers more closely than expected. He checked the condition of the leaves, whether the petals were full… Anna, who had never imagined he might like flowers, was a little taken aback.

Anna also liked flowers. She had no choice but to like them. After her father passed away, flowers were all she could offer him. Choosing bouquets to decorate his charnel house was the only expression of love she could show.

And now, the gift she could offer her mother was the same.

Thinking of her parents darkened Anna’s face. She was the only one who could visit their charnel houses. They might be maintained, but… she wanted to return quickly.

“Svanhild asked me to make you his mother.”

Anna, who hadn’t expected him to speak, reflexively asked back at the sudden words.

“Pardon?”

“My son seems to like you. He’s not a child who usually follows others.”

Rothbart continued without pause. The way his hand softly brushed over the flower petals was strangely sensual. Casting a sidelong glance at Anna, who kept her distance, his eyes curved, already damp with desire.

Instinctively, Anna faltered and stepped back. Rothbart, who had just been admiring the flowers, turned his body and began walking toward her. With the rose bushes behind her blocking the way, Anna had nowhere left to run, and it took no effort at all for Rothbart to drive her into his arms.

“Well. Since even my cock makes an exception for you, I suppose it’s not so strange.”

Seeing the bulge rising at the front of his trousers, Anna’s face went deathly pale.