Chapter 26

As the ink pen moved across the paper….

A knock sounded from beyond the office door. Raphael relaxed his grip on the pen and allowed entry.

The aide crossed the threshold and bowed his head. Having watched Raphael bury himself in work, the aide had come to understand his master to some extent in less than a year.

Knowing Raphael would be in the office from morning, the aide naturally brought the file folder, but Raphael didn’t even glance at it.

The aide carefully brought up his business.

“The former Duke purchased a forest forty-six years ago, and it seems that gold dust was found in the river flowing through it. We’ll need to investigate further to confirm, but if it’s really gold dust, there might be a vein nearby. It’s an untouched area, and a passing traveler discovered it by chance. I think it would be best to start managing it immediately.”

Owning a gold mine now, when the price of gold had soared, meant one could instantly sit atop a mountain of wealth, but Raphael’s expression remained indifferent upon hearing the news.

The aide’s suggestion was to arrange a trip within days to visit the forest where gold dust had been found, and Raphael agreed to anything as long as it could push away the thoughts that surfaced in his mind.

He would have agreed even if it meant being dragged to a battlefield that risked death. In fact, he might have welcomed it even more….

Once Raphael gave his consent, the aide promised to schedule the trip soon and left the office.

As the pen tip once again elegantly danced across the paper, leaving its final line,

Unexpectedly, the pen tip broke.

He frowned and looked at the ink-smudged writing. Memories of Estelle, which he did not wish to recall, suddenly flashed through his mind.

He remembered Estelle spilling an ink bottle while writing a letter and trying to clean up her mistake alone…. And then, how she had eventually asked him for help, unable to remove the stain.

As those memories resurfaced, the hand holding the pen trembled violently. At that moment, Raphael desperately wanted to see Estelle. As time passed, his longing turned into thirst, and that thirst began to bind his mind.

He slammed his forehead against the desk several times, trying to drive away his thoughts.

The scar on his forehead from being struck by a crystal ashtray five years ago had only recently faded, but he didn’t care if he received even worse wounds.

He hoped that his overwhelming longing would not drive him to take his own life.

***

To carry out the schedule arranged by the aide, Raphael mounted his horse early in the morning. He was heading to the western territory to inspect the river where gold dust was being collected.

Because he had to cross three borders, it was a journey that would take two months round-trip—a schedule far from short. He had to finish as much paperwork as possible before leaving, since he wouldn’t be able to handle any business during the trip.

So, departing from the ducal main residence, he spent four nights on the road and crossed the first border. It would take ten days to traverse the small principality without rest, so they spent two nights at an inn for a break.

But even during those breaks, Raphael used the time for work, and the more grueling the journey, the more he pushed himself.

After leaving the inn and crossing the second border, they arrived in the small principality, where the aide cautiously approached Raphael. Two members of the party had collapsed from heatstroke, unable to keep up with the schedule.

He didn’t want to be held back, but with two people down, he couldn’t rush any further. The trip had been hastily arranged, and they hadn’t considered the sweltering weather. Fortunately, their condition wasn’t serious, but the rest of the group was also starting to show signs of fatigue.

In the end, their plan to spend a night in the principality and then cross a high mountain heading west was changed. The aide’s suggestion to follow the coastal route for a while was actively accepted.

Raphael couldn’t understand why they were exhausted when they weren’t even walking, just using carriages and horses, but he agreed. In truth, he wasn’t really interested.

As long as he couldn’t meet Estelle, the passing days meant nothing to him.

After spending a few nights in the principality, the group left their lodgings and resumed their journey. The party from the Dukedom seemed much brighter than before.

Originally, they had planned to shorten the trip by three days by crossing the high mountain…, but now, having chosen a gentler path, they were secretly rejoicing.

Raphael felt nothing about their joy and simply gripped the reins, taking the lead. The rougher the road, the more his body would tire, allowing him to drive away distracting thoughts, but as he rode along the smooth coastline, peace settled in.

That peace gave countless stray thoughts room to creep in and scramble his mind. It was what he hated most.

After crossing the third border, the party wanted to rest again. Raphael gazed out over the vast coastline and suddenly felt breathless.

The silence that gnawed at his mind made him want to escape from this place.

So, without warning the aide or the Dukedom’s party, he abruptly spurred his horse forward.

The aide, startled by Raphael’s sudden dash, shouted ‘Your Grace!’ at the top of his lungs, but Raphael did not look back.

His party faded into dots behind him.

Driving his horse at full speed, Raphael soon drew close to the coast. The horse’s hooves sank deep into the sand, slowing it down, but Raphael never loosened his grip on the reins and whipped it onward.

Finally, the horse, unable to fulfill its master’s demands any longer, let out a cry. It lifted its front legs, trying to throw Raphael from the saddle, but he was too skilled for that.

When the horse surrendered and collapsed on the spot, Raphael was dumbfounded.

No matter how unreasonable the demand, a horse that refused its master was useless; he considered, perhaps cruelly, whether it should soon be slaughtered.

“Wow!”

A shout of excitement came from nearby. Raphael dismounted and turned toward the sound. A small child was repeatedly exclaiming in awe.

Raphael looked around belatedly and saw a low hill beyond the sandy beach opposite the coastline. There was a small village there.

A child with red hair and blue eyes approached him confidently. The child watched Raphael closely, but seemed determined to get close to the horse.

Since his separation from Estelle, Raphael’s temperament had become extremely sensitive—even toward children. Bearing Estelle in his heart was already a struggle, and when others hovered near him, he felt an urge to lash out, even if they were innocent. Only the last remnants of reason kept his instincts from unnecessary violence.

He could have lost control at any moment.

But….

“Is that horse yours, Mister?”

‘Mister’…. In noble society, a commoner would never dare address a noble so casually, yet here was a child using that term without hesitation.

Raphael could have immediately pointed out the child’s rudeness and issued punishment, but he did not. More precisely, he felt as if he were under some spell and didn’t want to.

The child’s bright eyes sparkled, as if they had never seen a horse up close before. Those blue eyes, reminiscent of coral reefs, seemed strangely familiar—almost as if they resembled his own.

To meet a child who felt familiar in such a remote place….

Raphael nodded in response to the child’s question. The child’s eyes shone even brighter.

The boy, wary of strangers but bold, was full of curiosity. He asked another question.

“Can I touch it once?”

The child pointed to the horse with his fingertip. The horse, sitting in the sand, let out a hot breath. Raphael had been considering whether to sl*ughter it for jerky, but oddly, he felt a desire to grant anything to this child he’d never met before.

Since Estelle had left his side, the only impulses left in him were the urge for self-destruction and deep resentment.

Why did Raphael want to do anything for this child he had never seen before? He wondered if he had finally lost his mind because of this unfamiliar feeling.

Even so, Raphael nodded again, stepped forward, and grabbed the reins. At his master’s touch, the horse reluctantly stood.