“Why are you so surprised?”

Seeing my startled reaction, Ilion smirked and went to the window to draw the curtains. Then he extinguished the lights illuminating the room one by one.

As the lights disappeared one by one, the room quickly became dark. And my mind seemed to darken as well, as if someone had turned off the lights in my head.

“Um, Duke. We’re not even married yet, you know? I’ve been diligently attending etiquette classes lately.”

“I’m glad to hear you’ve been attending your classes diligently.”

“O-Of course. So… things like this should be after marriage…”

“Lift your head for a moment.”

At his words, I raised my gaze from the floor where I had been staring while stammering. Suddenly, a blue shimmer of light floated past my eyes.

Following that light, I widened my view to see a scene unfolding in the room that looked like the universe had been brought inside. I was speechless at the mystical and dreamlike sight.

After silently observing for a while, I finally spoke.

“What is this?”

In response to my question, Ilion handed me a marble-sized sphere that he had been holding.

The round metal ball, beautifully engraved, emitted a starlight-like glow along with a soft melody.

Although I couldn’t understand the lyrics as they weren’t in the Empire’s language, the voice was soft and beautiful, like singing a lullaby.

Is this an artifact? Can such a thing be created with magic?

While I stood there dumbfounded, examining the sphere handed to me, Ilion lit the lamp beside the bed.

It was a small, dim light that wouldn’t disrupt the room’s atmosphere.

A subtle fragrance spread through the room.

“It smells nice…”

“It’s a scented candle with raph flower petals. It helps with sleep.”

“Sleep?”

“Yes. It seems you haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“……”

Even Lily didn’t know I was having trouble sleeping at night… It felt like a secret I had been hiding was discovered.

“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but nothing bad will happen. Just sleep here tonight.”

“W-Who said I was worried about anything.”

Feeling embarrassed for causing a fuss on my own, I fanned myself repeatedly.

I lay quietly on the bed, looking up at the ceiling that seemed to be embroidered with stars. With the soft lullaby and the fragrant scent of the candle, I felt my tension starting to ease without realizing it.

“Duke, how did you know I wasn’t sleeping well?”

“I see your face every day.”

Ilion answered while looking at documents, sitting at a desk a little away from the bed.

I turned my face towards Ilion, but it was too dark to see his face clearly.

Does he mean my face looks more swollen than usual because I’m not sleeping? If that’s the case, it might be better not to ask further.

“Duke.”

“What?”

“Where did this sphere come from?”

My eyelids were fluttering, trying to close, but I spoke to Ilion, attempting to stay awake a little longer.

“It’s something I’ve had since I was young.”

“Who gave it to you?”

“I don’t remember. I’ve had it since I came to this mansion.”

Today, Ilion answered my questions without showing any signs of annoyance. His low voice mixed with the gentle melody.

“Tell me about when you were young.”

“There’s probably nothing interesting.”

“If it’s boring, I’ll fall asleep listening.”

When I spoke in a nonchalant tone, I heard a low chuckle.

“You probably know from the rumors, but I was brought to the Celestine family by my grandfather. I came to the mansion when I was about 5 years old… but I hardly remember anything from that time.”

“Then, what about your mother and father…?”

“I don’t know about my parents either.”

While I was fumbling for words, Ilion answered as if he knew what I wanted to ask.

“What about your grandfather and grandmother?”

“My grandfather was a stern man, and my grandmother didn’t like me much. She never acknowledged me as her grandson.”

“……”

Somehow, it felt like every step I took was a landmine… I should have just kept my mouth shut and gone to sleep.

“Well, I suppose they recognized that I wasn’t suitable as an heir. In fact, everyone says the family’s fortunes have declined since I took over.”

His voice as he said this was calm, as if he were talking about someone else.

Ilion had taken over the family at twenty and had held on as the head of this family for seven years amidst hyenas eager to devour him.

How much effort must he have made during that time? Can one even dare to imagine?

It would be impossible to easily dismiss someone who has done so much, saying they’re not suitable for the position.

“They don’t know anything. Who else could be as suitable as you, Duke?”

“You seem quite confident.”

“Of course. Where else could we find someone as workaholic as you, Duke? By the way, this is coming from someone with experience working under you, so you can trust it.”

“Is that… a compliment?”

“Of course it is.”

At my words, Ilion let out a small laugh.

“Anyway, most people who say such things will criticize you whether you do well or not. That’s how it is with evaluations from people who dislike and envy you. In that sense, if you’re still hearing such criticism behind your back, it’s proof that you’ve lived quite a successful life, so be confident.”

Ilion burst into laughter at my words.

“Sometimes when I talk to you, the worries that clutter my mind seem like nothing.”

“Because I’m your biggest worry?”

Expecting him to mock me with some remark, I asked grumpily. But Ilion replied with a voice still tinged with laughter.

“You’re not wrong. Right now, you are my biggest worry.”

How considerate of you. I hope you’ll throw away that worry soon, rather than holding onto it.

“But Duke, can you see in this darkness?”

I asked, noticing he was still reading documents without any light.

“I’ve enchanted my glasses.”

“Ah, I see.”

So even the glasses he’s wearing are artifacts.

“You can see well, I guess.”

“Yes, very well.”

“Don’t stay up too late reading, though. You might hurt your eyes.”

With those words, I slowly closed my eyes, feeling my eyelids grow heavier.

***

Not long after Ravenne fell asleep, there was a knock on the door.

Thinking it might be Sebastian, he went out to find an unexpected visitor standing there.

“I came because I have something to say.”

“Something to say to me? That’s unusual. If you’re planning to leave…”

“Have you finished investigating me?”

Spinel asked, cutting off Ilion’s words.

Ilion briefly checked on Ravenne’s condition before closing the door.

“This doesn’t seem like a conversation to have here. Let’s go to the office.”

Upon arriving at the office, Spinel plopped down on the sofa before Ilion could offer her a seat.

Her behavior, devoid of any manners, irritated Ilion.

Of course, Spinel didn’t care about such things at all.

“How did you know I was investigating you?”

“For the past few days, someone has been following me. They hid well, but not well enough. Your person, I assume?”

“You’re sharper than you look.”

“I just don’t trust you. I didn’t think you’d be so welcoming to a guest when you clearly disliked me from the start.”

Spinel had been wary of Ilion from the beginning. More precisely, she was wary of Ilion’s identity, which was hard to define.

“Well, did you find out anything?”

Spinel leaned back on the sofa as she spoke.

In truth, Ilion didn’t have much to say. By this time, he should have completed investigations into her background and relationships.

However, what Ilion had discovered were only a few fragmented facts.

“Only that you’re the witch who burned down the Selvas region.”

“You haven’t found out much, considering all your effort.”

It was a scathing criticism, but it was true.

“Fine. I’ll take pity on your efforts and allow you to ask questions directly, instead of sneaking around behind my back.”

“You’re quite haughty.”

Spinel’s attitude had been consistent since she first met Ilion.

At first, he thought it was simply because she was ignorant of social norms, but that wasn’t the case.

She clearly distinguished between commoners and nobles. Yet, Spinel looked down on all humans, including Ilion.

Moreover, she distinguished herself from the rest of humanity. As if she didn’t belong to the category of humans.

“What exactly are you?”

“Isn’t that question too broad?”

“Then let me narrow it down. Are you not human?”

“What are you talking about?”

Spinel asked back as if Ilion was spouting nonsense.

“Of course not.”

Spinel denied Ilion’s question too simply.

“I’m a dragon.”

“……”

Ilion looked at Spinel with an expression of disbelief.

“What? You didn’t know?”

“A dragon… you say?”

“Yes.”

Ilion had thought at best she might be one of the races living across the continent. But a dragon…

“Why does a dragon take human form?”

“Because if I were in dragon form, the house would collapse.”

Spinel answered like it was obvious.

It would have been more accurate to say that she couldn’t transform into a dragon because her mana hadn’t fully returned, but Spinel hid this fact.

Ilion sighed at Spinel’s answer. Whenever he conversed with her, he felt like a child himself.

“…Does Ravenne know you’re a dragon?”

“…Probably?”

Spinel rolled her eyes in thought, then nodded.

“She should know.”

She wasn’t sure, but she had shown her wings and her dragon form, so it would be strange if Ravenne didn’t know. This was just Spinel’s guess, though.

“Did Ravenne perhaps ask you to run away together?”

Ilion asked, recalling how close the two seemed.

“No. Ravenne… doesn’t seem to want to leave this place.”

“Then?”

“Well, I don’t know what that child is thinking either. She just told me she still has things to do here.”

“Then why are you staying here?”

“Because I like that child. So I just hope she doesn’t follow the same path as Ceras.”

“Ceras?”

“Yes. Isn’t one Eline enough to make a wife a widow?”

Ilion doubted his ears at the sudden mention of his father’s name.

“How do you know my father’s name…?”

“I remembered when I saw the portrait on the wall. The face of that damned human, Eline. And I realized you’re Eline’s son.”