Chapter 7

“Enough.”

After tidying up the room where Zikreon would stay and giving the mansion a final inspection, Audrenette found that night had already fallen. She glanced through the window at the fading colors of the sky and let out a small sigh.

At Hussian’s mansion—in other words, the Kardena Marquisate—the party must have just begun.

Audrenette brushed off the sudden chill in her chest with indifference and hurried to finish her preparations. Just as she was about to leave her bedroom, the echoing sound of the large iron gate creaking open reached her ears.

“Are you here? I was just about to call for you.”

As Audrenette descended the stairs, Madam Heden greeted her. Audrenette smoothed the hem of her ankle-length skirt beside the excited Rox, straightened her back, and at that moment, the front door opened smoothly.

The butler, who had been waiting nearby, rushed with the servants to open the heavy door all the way.

In the deep darkness, a towering man dressed in a black uniform shook off his crimson cloak and strode inside. The cold air that clung to him swept in behind.

“Hey!”

Unable to hide his excitement, Rox dashed out. Audrenette’s gaze followed him, and there stood Zikreon, whom she hadn’t seen in three years. Mud clung to the hem of his trousers, his black hair was tousled and damp with sweat, sticking to his forehead. Seeing the door close right after he entered, it was clear he had come straight here alone as soon as he arrived in the capital.

Audrenette quietly observed him.

He’s gotten taller. Even taller than before.

What more needed to be said? Those two thoughts were more than enough.

Zikreon greeted Rox’s enthusiastic embrace with a stoic face, like someone reuniting with lost family. Then, dropping the mysterious luggage he held, he raised his large hands and patted Rox’s back with heavy thuds.

To a stranger, his expression might seem cold and indifferent, but Audrenette knew better. This was his face when he was genuinely happy. His features were bright with joy; if one looked closely, the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, and his cheeks puffed out more than when he’d first arrived.

The greeting between these men, meeting after so long, was long and tedious. Compliments about how they’d changed, grown taller, exchanged back and forth, until Earl Heden coughed three times to get their attention and the chatter finally subsided.

“Anyway, Earl Berkif. Welcome. You’ve been through a lot.”

Once things had settled, Madam Heden stepped forward to greet Zikreon.

“…Why is that?”

Before she finished, Zikreon stared at her with a tense face. Suddenly, his red eyes grew cold, like the wind he’d brought in.

But Audrenette realized that wasn’t a glare, but eyes saddened by disappointment. She stepped forward gently.

“…Mother, I think calling him by such a formal title makes Zikreon feel left out.”

“That’s right. It’s just us here, after all. Be more casual.”

Rox grinned as if he were Zikreon himself. As if confirming the siblings’ guess, Zikreon nodded quietly.

“No matter what… it’s still a bit awkward to be informal…”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like you’re a stranger.”

After some back-and-forth, when Madam Heden finally agreed, Zikreon’s frozen expression softened.

Then, insisting he’d just accept their goodwill, he stubbornly hugged the Earl and Countess tightly, despite their resistance, and reached out to Audrenette.

Noticing her parents’ pale faces and heavy breathing, Audrenette quickly stepped back and shook her head.

“Alright, alright, let’s save the greetings for later. Let’s move to another room and catch up there, okay?”

Zikreon didn’t look thrilled, but seeing Audrenette leave, he reluctantly followed, ignoring the luggage he’d dropped.

Audrenette wanted to ask what was inside, why he’d tossed it aside so carelessly, but kept the question to herself. If she said anything, Zikreon would surely sit right down and show her everything immediately.

“I’m never going back.”

“Yeah. You’ve been through a lot.”

As soon as the study door closed, Zikreon muttered in a low voice. He looked like he had a lot to say. Audrenette tried to comfort him with a gentle tone. After all, he’d returned after years of hardship; she wanted to be kind if she could.

“Sit down first. Let’s talk while sitting.”

“Wait, before that.”

Seeing his outstretched arm, Audrenette blinked, then realized what he wanted and slowly approached. She tried to ignore it, but now she had no choice but to accept.

As soon as she got close, his strong arms wrapped around her, squeezing her so tight she could hardly breathe. Audrenette knew he was glad to see her, but if this kept up, the gold embroidery on his uniform might leave the same pattern on her cheek.

‘Don’t get angry. At least for today, be kind.’ 

Like dough pressed flat, Audrenette poked his arm and spoke softly.

“Yes, I’m glad to see you too, Zikreon. But can you let go a little? My cheek hurts so much from being squished.”

He didn’t budge.

“…Your arm, please? Hmm?”

She tried not to yell, but finally—

“Arm!”

She shouted.

Only then did he relax his grip. He hugged her tightly once more before finally letting go, satisfied. Audrenette escaped, catching her breath, and smoothed her hair, now fluffed up like down.

“You nearly killed me the moment you arrived. Remember that.”

Unable to hold back, Audrenette snapped.

Only his appearance had changed; inside, he was the same.

Like a squirrel grooming its fur after getting soaked by dew, Audrenette kept brushing her hair and adjusting her dress. Zikreon watched quietly and murmured,

“…Did you shrink a bit?”

His voice was full of genuine concern, and Audrenette replied with a weary tone,

“You just had grown.”

“Ah.”

Zikreon’s brief exclamation showed he’d just realized. It really hit home—he was back.

But she hadn’t wanted to realize it quite like this.

“So, was it bearable?”

It took about ten minutes after arriving in the study before the three could finally sit down. Just thinking it was only the beginning, a wave of exhaustion crashed over Audrenette.

As soon as they sat, Rox threw out a question, and Zikreon answered eagerly. Every sentence included words like ‘boring’, ‘tedious’, ‘never want to go again’.

“I endured with the thought of protecting the Empire’s people… but honestly, it was just too dull.”

How many times had she heard this before? The same story repeated. Rox had already heard all this in letters and lost interest long ago, so Audrenette had to bear Zikreon’s intense gaze and listen to his endless, boring tale.

When Zikreon paused and picked up his teacup, Audrenette asked with a bright face,

“All done?”

“No, not yet. Listen. When I first arrived there…”

It sounded just like the story she’d just heard, but he started over from the beginning.

If she tried to change the subject or ask him to stop, he’d surely be disappointed, and that would only lead to more trouble. In the end, she had no choice but to let him talk as much as he wanted. Audrenette wished she could escape right then.

After enduring for ages, Zikreon finally finished, and Rox raised his hand, insisting he had a question.

“Anyway, you were gone for three years in that far-off place—are you really not getting a welcome ceremony? Is there really none?”

Rox asked, showing an unusual obsession with the welcome ceremony, as if he owed it something. Zikreon clicked his tongue, clearly tired of the topic.

“I don’t want it. Why bother? It would just draw a crowd.”

“Hey, just because you don’t want it, that’s the end? The people who went with you deserve a welcome too.”

“The soldiers prefer rest over a ceremony. When we got to the capital, they were happy just to head off on their own.”

Audrenette was certain again. Rox must have some special story about welcome ceremonies that she didn’t know. Looking back, he’d always been oddly fixated on ceremonies and greetings.

Why? She was curious, but didn’t feel like asking.

After that, the two continued their pointless, unwinnable, and utterly unproductive conversation. Sometimes Audrenette tried to sneak away, but she was always blocked. Even as their mouths kept moving, their eyes stayed sharp.

If the butler hadn’t come to announce dinner was ready, they might have talked until morning. Just imagining it made Audrenette shiver.

She resolved to eat quickly and head straight to her bedroom, watching the backs of the two ahead of her.

“By the way, what’s all that luggage you dumped in the foyer?”

Following behind, Audrenette leaned in, her ears perked. She was also curious about what was inside.

“My stuff from Atia.”

Thinking of the casually tossed luggage, Rox tilted his head. It seemed too little for three years.

“You were there for three years and that’s all?”

“What else should there be? Clothes to wear, journals, letters. I brought everything I needed.”

Zikreon looked genuinely puzzled as he asked.