The woman kneeling down, bowing her head, was seeking forgiveness from the one in front of her.
Dust Andreas.
At this moment, not only was Cazerose, the target of her apology, present, but also her older brother, Santana. However, she had no room in her heart to care about such facts right now.
A heavy fear had taken up residence in her heart.
It warned Dust that if she didn’t do this, her very life would be in danger, causing her to surrender to her survival instincts and fully press her head against the ground, pouring out her apologies.
“I… I… I truly did wrong. Foolish and incompetent as I am, I failed to recognize the noble Mr. Cazerose… and did such… such foolish things!”
“…”
With her forehead pressed against the ground, tears streaming down, Dust spoke.
Seeing her like this, Cazerose remained silently composed.
“I’m truly sorry. Please, just once… just once grant me mercy and forgive me… please… show mercy to this foolish and incompetent me!”
Dust’s voice was filled with desperation, bordering on the tragic.
And after a moment…
As she looked at Dust, Cazerose finally broke her silence and spoke calmly.
“…Forgiveness is indeed a good thing, isn’t it? To lift the grudges between us and reconcile… Just as the Lord teaches us to forgive others, I believe it should be a virtue we all hold.”
“Ah…!”
Just listening to her words felt like being blessed by a saint willing to show mercy.
In that instant, Dust lifted her gaze towards Cazerose, her face shining with a deep hope.
But…
“However… many people are under a misconception. The concept of forgiveness that the Lord speaks of is not simply about verbally accepting an apology.”
“…”
Cazerose spoke with a tone that sent a chill through the air.
Dust, unable to say anything, could only stare at her with a face filled with anxiety.
“The Lord has forgiven human sins through atonement. But to receive this forgiveness, one must clearly recognize the sins they have committed and undergo the process of paying the price. In that regard… I too demand a fitting price from you for your forgiveness.”
“!… W-What is it? Just… just tell me! I, Dust, will do anything at Mr. Cazerose’s command!”
“…Understood. Then, you must listen closely to what I am about to say.”
With desperation, Dust pleaded.
Seeing her, Cazerose spoke in a cold voice.
“The sin you have committed against me… threatening me, a princess, by calling me a lowly creature is a serious crime that could very well cost you your life should it become public. However, as much as I would wish to punish you, I don’t actually want to go that far. At that time, I had my reasons for concealing my identity, and more importantly, you, Dust, are the sister of my husband, Mr. Santana. To take the life of someone like that would be an excessively harsh measure.”
“…gulp…”
Though it was just words, Cazerose’s story didn’t sound simple at all.
Considering her authority and background, it was indeed a very possible scenario, and in the worst case, it could spiral out of control even further.
Dust swallowed hard, feeling a shiver run down her spine.
“So, I require this of you.”
Then, looking at her, Cazerose spoke with a slightly softened tone.
“Dust Andreas. As a sign of your apology, I command you to serve me as my subordinate from now on.”
“W-What?”
This was a starkly different kind of request than she imagined.
For a moment, doubt flickered on Dust’s face, but soon she began to understand the implication of Cazerose’s words.
‘She means to employ me… no, to use me as a servant?’
While the circumstances were a bit different than before, it was common for high nobles, like royalty or dukes, to hire the daughters of lesser nobility as maids.
To be precise, such appointed maids were more like secretaries than simple servants, yet hiring this way wasn’t uncommon.
Dust realized that Cazerose expected her to accept this arrangement.
‘To be a princess’s maid… it’s not exactly enticing for someone like me from a noble family…’
However, this kind of maid employment was often used as a stepping stone into central politics for lower nobility.
For Dust, a noblewoman already possessing substantial power, such arrangements wouldn’t assist her.
But now, under the pretext of an apology, becoming a servant was something she had no choice but to accept.
In the worst case scenario, her very life could have been on the line.
Compared to that, Cazerose’s command to serve her as a maid was almost a merciful offer, one she should be grateful for.
Ultimately, Dust had no choice but to bow her head deeply in gratitude towards Cazerose, who had bestowed her with this ‘grace.’
“Thank you for your generous punishment, Mr. Cazerose… From now on, I, Dust Andreas, will devote all my effort to serve you, my Master, Cazerose.”
“Very well. I look forward to your future contributions.”
As Dust declared her obedience, a calm smile gently graced Cazerose’s lips.
A smile reminiscent of a saint, brimming with kindness and mercy…
*
Having concluded her service as Cazerose’s subordinate, Dust exited the room.
Witnessing this, I felt a heavy sense of unease and cautiously turned to my wife.
“…I’m sorry…”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Cazerose responded to my question with a counter-query.
Feeling a genuine sense of remorse, I spoke to her.
“After all, this happened because I failed to manage my sister properly. If I had noticed it sooner, this wouldn’t have happened…”
I realized that, unbeknownst to me, Dust had been continuously insulting Cazerose’s status.
As her older brother, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility, so I apologized to Cazerose.
Yet, as she listened to my words, Cazerose smiled at me with her usual warm and beautiful expression.
“Please don’t say that. This incident occurred because I concealed my status… There’s no need for Mr. Santana to apologize.”
“But… I promised to protect you. For someone like me to have not even noticed my sister’s misbehavior, it’s… it’s unacceptable…”
Though it might sound a bit silly considering her actual status, I had once vowed during my time as a paladin to protect Cazerose.
The gap in that promise weighed heavily on my conscience.
At that moment…
“Well then… if that’s the case, will you take responsibility for me?”
“Pardon?”
Cazerose’s sudden words took me by surprise.
She flashed a smile at me, her expression brightening.
“Honestly, I’ve struggled quite a bit because of Dust. I had to part ways with you, Mr. Santana, because of it, and I even risked going all the way to Sophia. After going through all that trouble, I hope you’ll take responsibility for me. As your… wife.”
“…Ah…”
Cazerose’s slightly flushed face indicated her intentions.
Recognizing what lay beneath her words, I felt my own face growing hot in automatic response.
“Well then… I look forward to your guidance moving forward, dear.”
“I may be lacking, but… I look forward to it as well.”
And so, in this somewhat unusual manner, we began to express our affection for one another once more, sharing small smiles as we did.
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