Chapter 30. Grand Duke Karenrose

Yuelina was so surprised that she didn’t even think to sit up, and slowly opened her mouth.

“Theo?”

“Ah.”

Theo was the same.

It took quite some time for him to realize that Yuelina had opened her eyes and was looking at him.

“Are you awake?”

He asked in a nonchalant tone, lowering his gaze as if nothing had happened.

“I must have fallen asleep.”

“It seems so.”

“Did you wait long?”

“I just got here.”

Yuelina tilted her head slightly to look at the window.

But Theo moved his body along with Yuelina.

Theo’s body perfectly blocked the window.

“Did you sleep well?”

“…I had a dream.”

“What kind?”

“I was playing in the sea, and a whale appeared.”

“A whale…”

The dream was still vivid to her.

The black whale revealed itself above the blue sea to breathe.

“But every time the whale went below the surface, there was a strange sound.”

“A sound?”

“Yes. Not splash, splash… but thump, thump.”

“……”

Theo looked down at his innocent thigh.

“By the way, what time is it now?”

“Well. Judging by how dark the room still is, it doesn’t seem like much time has passed.”

Yuelina had fallen asleep while waiting for Theo.

Fortunately, it seemed she had woken up quickly.

“Shall we drink then?”

“That sounds good.”

Yuelina, now fully awake, had an excited expression.

Her body felt refreshed and invigorated. It seemed she had a good sleep despite it being short.

“Your Highness, it’s Maelyn. I’m coming in!”

It was just as Theo picked up the wine basket he had put under the bed.

The attic room was dark anyway, with its small window providing the same level of light as night.

So Theo had rationalized that they could drink as if it were night.

“Good morning……”

Maelyn couldn’t continue her words.

The Grand Duchess was sitting on the bed, and the Grand Duke in front of the bed.

Moreover, both were in their nightwear.

“I-I’m sorry!”

Maelyn turned around and went back out, opening the door again.

Yuelina and Theo who were left in the room awkwardly looked at each other.

“…Theo. It seems to be morning.”

“It does.”

“But didn’t you say you just arrived?”

Theo’s gaze wavered aimlessly at Yuelina’s innocent question.

“I went to find some alcohol, and must have fallen asleep.”

“Ah……”

“The wine cellar is really spacious, you know.”

“It must be very spacious.”

“We’ll have the drink another time, then.”

Embarrassed, he headed towards the opposite door from where Maelyn had entered, still holding the wine basket.

“Theo.”

Yuelina called out to Theo then.

“Shall we have dinner together tonight?”

“That sounds good.”

“Let’s drink wine together then.”

Yuelina smiled brightly.

At that smile, even Theo, who had stayed up all night, felt like he had a sweet dream.

* * *

Maelyn visited Yuelina’s room again.

Yuelina had just finished tidying up her bedding and changing into her usual simple dress.

“I should have helped you……”

“It’s okay. I can do this much on my own.”

In fact, Yuelina couldn’t understand why someone needed to help her dress.

But the reason she just let it be was because she liked Maelyn and Raye.

The two were very kind to Yuelina.

Moreover, Yuelina wanted to get along well with the two, who were around her age, like friends.

“From now on, I’ll knock and if you don’t answer, I’ll withdraw.”

“Huh?”

“Otherwise, I think His Highness the Grand Duke might dislike me.”

Maelyn awkwardly smiled as she brushed Yuelina’s hair.

“Shall we look at the lower floors of the White Tower today? We should call the servants.”

“The White Tower……”

Yuelina recalled Theo’s voice.

The low voice that spoke briefly about his mother’s death with an impassive expression.

“What kind of person was the Grand Duke’s mother?”

“Grand Duke Karenrose?”

Karenrose Phaenyx.

The former Grand Duke and Theo’s mother.

Maelyn didn’t remember Karenrose. She had only seen her from afar when she was very young.

But there were many people who commemorated and missed Karenrose.

Because she met an honorable death for the principality.

“Grand Duke Karenrose was an admirable person. She went to the Eye of the Storm for the principality.”

“The Eye of the Storm?”

“It’s a mountain where eternal snow has settled. A place where huge snow storms rage and it snows endlessly.”

Maelyn started tying Yuelina’s hair into two parts with ribbons.

“The principality was able to develop because Grand Duke Karenrose went to the Eye of the Storm.”

“Really?”

“Yes. After that, the Bios Empire lifted the restriction on magic stones.”

Phaenyx, under the Bios Empire, had restrictions on the quantity of magic stones.

But it was impossible for everyone to live warmly in the coldest north with limited magic stones.

The Empire said they would lift the magic stone restriction on the condition of investigating the ‘Eye of the Storm’.

In other words, it was like a threat that they wouldn’t lift it.

However, Karenrose headed to the ‘Eye of the Storm’. Later, she never returned.

“I heard from my brother that His Highness the Grand Duke tried hard to find Grand Duke Karenrose’s body.”

“……”

It was when the Empire declared Karenrose’s death and appointed Theo as the next Grand Duke.

On the day of his appointment ceremony, Theo headed alone to the ‘Eye of the Storm’ to find Karenrose’s body.

“There was an uproar in the principality then. They wondered what would happen to the principality if something happened to His Highness the Grand Duke too.”

When the Knight Order learned of this, they belatedly headed to the ‘Eye of the Storm’ to find Theo.

Theo was found collapsed in front of the entrance to the mountain range. He was fighting for his life with a raging fever.

“After returning to the principality then, he kept going to war.”

“……”

“People say that His Highness the Grand Duke was possessed by the Murderer in the Eye of the Storm… Oh, I’m sorry. This is just a rumor.”

Maelyn looked at Yuelina and smiled awkwardly.

“Even I would dislike snow if I were him.”

Yuelina felt increasingly sorry for him.

She thought that as a married couple, they could get to know each other slowly…

But that very attitude had hurt him.

What did he have to give up to find his mother’s body at such a young age?

He always seemed so composed about people’s cold gazes and his mother’s death.

Did he ever have the luxury to grieve fully, to hate fully?

Yuelina wished he would cry without holding back, to express himself.

If he kept suppressing it inside, the wound would fester and rot.

I should treat him better.

Just as Theo had taken good care of her, comforted her, Yuelina wanted to be a source of strength for him too.

* * *

Theo sat at the table in the second-floor reception room, waiting for Yuelina.

He also didn’t forget to bring the wine he had picked from the cellar.

It would have been better if they could drink alone in the room, but…

It was also good to share a drink with Yuelina here for the first time.

“Theo.”

Just then, Yuelina entered.

Yuelina, wearing a green evening dress, had several small ribbons in her hair.

The crow-tit must have gotten some flower pollen on it somewhere.

Theo stood up to pull out Yuelina’s chair.

But Yuelina passed her seat and stood next to Theo.

“Can I sit next to you?”

Theo barely held onto his dazed mind and pulled out the chair next to him.

So, she’s not asking to change seats because she likes this seat, right?

She means she wants to sit next to me, right?

Fortunately, it seemed to be correct.

Yuelina didn’t say anything even when Theo sat down next to her.

Theo started to become acutely aware of Yuelina sitting next to him.

“Are you… hungry?”

“A little.”

Theo reached out and moved Yuelina’s plate from across the table.

Then he naturally tore a piece of bread and put it on Yuelina’s plate.

Yuelina also started tearing a piece of bread into small pieces. She placed the bread on Theo’s plate.

It didn’t end there.

When Theo picked up some meat to eat, Yuelina cut the remaining meat into small pieces, and when he ate some salad, she pulled the salad plate forward.

Theo’s eating pace gradually slowed down.

If it were the usual Yuelina, her gaze would have been fixed on the elaborate food, her small mouth busily chewing.

But now she seemed busy taking care of him.

“Aren’t you eating? The soup is getting cold.”

“Do you want to eat mine too?”

“No, that’s not what I……”

Theo shook his head and scooped up a spoonful of soup from in front of him.

But Yuelina’s gaze followed his spoon closely.

She stared at his opening mouth.

So, she was looking at his lips.

Theo’s hand trembled slightly, and soup spilled on the corner of his mouth.