Chapter 38

When Rohana went down for breakfast, she heard that Kaiden had already left. Isn’t the Duke usually at home unless something important comes up?

She felt uneasy as she recalled their uncomfortable conversation from the previous day.

What he was going through wasn’t just simple abuse.

Who could be responsible, and why?

As Rohana half-heartedly nibbled on an apple, a familiar face appeared at the door.

“Jody!”

Jody, dressed in her Nopthal maid uniform, hurried over.

“How are you feeling? Are you better today?”

She had inhaled more smoke than anyone else, yet here she was, cheerful as ever. Rohana reminded herself that she needed to stay active to keep things under control.

“I suppose I should start calling you ‘Her Grace’ now?”

Jody said with a spirited tone, her cheerfulness intact despite everything she had endured.

“Oh, Jody, do you know where the library is?”

At the unfamiliar mention of the library, Jody blinked in slight surprise but then nodded.

“Could you find out if I can visit today?”

Just then, a familiar voice spoke up behind her.

“Lady Delcliff.”

Heath appeared, his handsome face lit up with a smile.

“Heath.”

Rohana recalled that Kaiden had said Heath would be looking after her during the day.

Kaiden had been meticulous in his actions since the fire incident. This made Nopthal a difficult place for Rohana, who felt uneasy with all the attention.

“Did the Duke send you?”

“Think of it as me coming here of my own will.”

It was strange that his usual hint of hostility was absent. Rohana was well aware that everyone seemed to dislike her, judging by how even the maid who poured her tea would barely let the water touch her cup before quickly removing the teapot.

“Why are you going to the library?”

“I just don’t know much about this area…”

Heath smiled, raising one corner of his mouth in amusement.

“Are you trying to study about Nopthal?”

“Study might be too strong a word… I’m just bored.”

Rohana marveled at her own ignorance once again. She didn’t know about magic, the animosity towards the Hanover family, or even the existence of the organization R.D.

‘Who even wrote the original story?’

As she pondered whether this was some sort of parallel world, a soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

“I’ll take you there. Sirirul is always in his study, so you can meet him.”

Heath said smoothly.

“Sirirul?”

“He’s the librarian. But before that, you should finish your meal.”

Heath noted her barely touched plate.

“Oh…”

Heath pointed to the bread with his eyes.

When Rohana reluctantly started eating properly, Heath smiled in satisfaction, resting his chin on his hand.

‘There’s something different about popular people.’

Rohana found herself smiling at the thought.

***

“Your Grace, you’re not tired, are you?”

It was only evening, but Rohana just smiled in response. Sirirul, with his silver hair messily tied up, was beaming at her.

“Do I need to leave so you can rest, Sirirul?”

“Oh, no! That’s not it at all.”

Meanwhile, Heath was sitting at the door, reading a book. Rohana felt bad for keeping him in such a boring place.

“Heath, should we go back now?”

They had been here for quite some time. As Rohana closed her book and asked, Heath stood up, flashing his usual gentle smile.

“Please, don’t be so formal, My Lady.”

“That’s right, My Lady, you’re quite unique,” Sirirul added cheerfully.

Compared to the capital, people here were generally more straightforward and blunt. As a result, most of the staff had no qualms about expressing their displeasure towards Rohana.

Fortunately, Sirirul hadn’t shown such hostility from the start.

“It’s always been hard for me to be formal unless it’s someone I already know.”

Rohana said as she stroked the cover of the book she’d been reading. She hadn’t found anything other than the history books she had always known.

How could she find more accurate information? How much of her curiosity could she safely reveal, and to whom?

Lost in these thoughts, Rohana moved to return the book.

The spot where the book needed to go was slightly out of reach, making it awkward to climb the ladder, yet too high to simply place the book on the shelf.

It wasn’t worth bringing over the ladder. Annoyed, she stood on her tiptoes, trying to reach just a little higher when she sensed someone behind her. Heath was suddenly there, placing the book on the shelf above her.

“Let me…”
Heath smiled as he placed the book on the shelf, standing close behind her. Though they had been spending a lot of time together, being this close felt strange.
Who is this person?

He wasn’t in the original story. How did he become so close to Kaiden?

As she unconsciously furrowed her brow at the question that had been bothering her for so long, Heath widened his eyes as if to ask what was wrong.

“Heath.”

Rohana looked up at him with a complex expression, and Heath returned her gaze with a gentle smile.

“Yes?”

“When did you first meet Kaiden?”

Heath raised an eyebrow, quietly observing her. His eyes, though smiling, seemed layered with complexity.

“Well, that’s…”

It was at that moment that the library door suddenly swung open.

“So this is where you are…”

Still wearing his cloak, Kaiden entered the library and suddenly stopped speaking. His deep-set eyes seemed to waver with confusion.

“Ah…”

Heath, who had been hovering close behind Rohana, took a step back.

“You’re here.”

“In front of Rohana and Sirirul… just speak casually like you always do.”

Kaiden glanced back and forth between Rohana and Heath, then spoke in a cold voice.

“Were you out somewhere?”

When Rohana spoke, Kaiden, without clarifying whether it was a response or not, turned around and walked out exactly the way he came in.

A hollow silence settled in. Sirirul slightly hunched his shoulders and quickly stepped into the laboratory.

“Why…?”

While Rohana was still bewildered, Heath raised his eyebrows in a slightly troubled yet amused expression.

“Sometimes, he still acts like a child, doesn’t he?”

A child? Rohana slightly parted her lips, wondering if Heath was referring to Kaiden, who had just come and gone.

***

“Where have you been?” Rohana broke the awkward silence, addressing Kaiden who sat across the long dining table. The table was filled with luxurious dishes that even she had never seen before, from lamb steaks to rare seafood from Nopthal.

“Yes,” Kaiden replied briefly, cutting his steak and putting it in his mouth. It wasn’t a question meant to be answered so curtly. Rohana sighed inwardly and tried speaking again.

“I was at the library.”

Perhaps because he was still upset about yesterday, she felt uneasy and continued the awkward conversation.

“Yes.”

Rohana let out a small sigh. It seemed he had no intention of saying anything more.

“Kaiden.”

At the sound of his name being called so directly for the first time, he finally paused his knife-cutting and looked up.

“If you were upset because of what happened yesterday, I’m sorry. I just wanted us to be honest with each other.”

Kaiden, who had been gazing intently at her, lowered his head again and resumed cutting his steak.

“Understood. I’ll try to share information as much as possible. Also, I sincerely do not want war.”

“Yes, I know.”

Watching him, Rohana finally understood why Heath had said he seemed like a child. She smiled faintly. Perhaps, to him at this moment, this was his genuine feeling.

“Kaiden?”

“Yes.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“There was.”

“There was…?”

Watching Kaiden put a piece of meat in his mouth, Rohana hesitated. It was too obvious what it might have been. He must have had some business with those people from R. D.

Reading the message in his eyes, Rohana nodded.

“What did you go to the library for?”

For the first time, Kaiden initiated the conversation, and Rohana felt as if she could finally breathe.

“Ah… I feel like I lack common knowledge here…”

“Common knowledge?”

“About R. D., and also about the evaluations of Hanover… Everything is something I’ve never heard of back in the capital.”

Rohana, feeling frustrated, rambled on.

“It seems like you, Your Grace, know a lot more than I do. I should learn more about things outside the capital to be of some use.”

“You said you wanted independence.”

Kaiden asked in a low voice.

“Yes.”

As she answered, lowering her eyes, the sound of the wine glass moving could be heard.

“May I ask why?”

“Why?”

That was something so obvious, yet here it seemed to be viewed as peculiar.

Well, in a world where a woman living alone didn’t even exist, whether due to divorce or widowhood, it was common knowledge that she would either remarry or live with her children.

“I’ve been pushed around for a long time.”

At her words, Kaiden raised one eyebrow and smiled. He must have thought it odd for a woman younger than him to say something like that.

“Anyway… I just don’t want to be pushed around anymore. If I become someone with something to offer, someone with power, maybe I’ll be pushed around less.”

After all, Kaiden was the villain in the original story who would kill her if necessary. It would be better to seem useful.

“If you use me as much as you need and let me become someone of worth, I could be helpful.”

To be honest, even if a rebellion broke out, she couldn’t think of a way to particularly help him, nor did she have any intention to do so… but she wanted to at least say this much.

“And what if it benefits me more to just have you stay by my side?”

His deep-set eyes gazed directly at Rohana with a calm intensity. An inexplicable tension ran down her spine.