Chapter 5 – Adaptation (Part 9)

Walking arm in arm with the Duke back to the mansion was quite uncomfortable for Elysia. She was especially concerned about whether the Duke had seen her sleeping. If he hadn’t offered his hand, she could have walked behind him, but walking side by side meant she had to manage her expression, making it even more uncomfortable.

As she kept glancing at Cassius’s profile, she couldn’t take her eyes off his sculpted face, which alternated between shadow and light as the street trees cast their shadows.

“That garden was arranged by my late mother.”

Startled by Cassius’s sudden words, Elysia struggled to calm her racing heart.

“The former Duchess had similar tastes to mine. Even though it hasn’t been tended to for a long time, I could feel the beauty of the garden.”

At those words, Cassius fell silent, looking at Elysia. Somehow, the chill in his gaze made Elysia avert her eyes.

‘…Is this not right?’

Elysia felt a chill run down her spine, worried she might have led the conversation in a bad direction.

“My father didn’t particularly like that garden.”

Cassius’s voice was stiff. Elysia barely managed to keep her body from stiffening as much as his voice.

‘It’s a landmine. I’ve stepped on a landmine.’

It was a well-known fact throughout the Kingdom that the late Duke and Duchess did not have a good relationship. Elysia felt as if her tongue was drying up.

***

As the two entered the mansion, it began to drizzle as if it had been waiting. Just like the rain, dinner was also a subdued affair.

Elysia tried her best to engage in conversation, but Cassius kept getting lost in thought, causing the conversation to break off repeatedly. After finishing another uncomfortable meal with the Duke, Elysia finally returned to her room. Millie’s voice, helping her master with her waist decorations, was cheerful.

“Madam, seeing you return from a walk with the Duke today was delightful, like a pair of friendly crows. I’ll speak to the chief butler about adjusting the Duke’s schedule so he can walk with you every afternoon.”

Elysia, who was responding positively while being absent-minded to Millie’s words, was startled by the last part and exclaimed,

“That won’t do!”

Millie was also startled. Elysia quickly regained her composure and returned to her elegant demeanor as if she hadn’t just shouted.

“That would be difficult, Millie.”

“Why? Didn’t you enjoy the walk with the Duke?”

‘How can a walk where anything could happen be enjoyable?’

“Of course, the walk was pleasant. But the Duke is a very busy man. Wouldn’t it be a burden if he had to take time out to walk with me every day?”

Millie was moved by her mistress’s thoughtfulness in considering her future husband’s busy schedule.

“But the only time you spend together is during dinner; wouldn’t a short walk before that be okay?”

‘Why is she so persistent?’

“Millie, you want the Duke and me to get along well, right?”

“Yes, Madam! Not just me, but all the staff at the Ducal residence are doing their utmost sincerely!”

“Millie, you might not know this because you’re young, but if the Duke and I are truly to become closer, things like walks should be spontaneous and unexpected, just like today, not every day.”

Millie tilted her head in confusion.

“Um… According to Ronan Hass, being physically close helps people become emotionally closer.”

‘What nonsense has that notorious playboy been telling the child?’

“But Ronan isn’t married yet, and the woman by his side is always changing. If it’s just a temporary relationship, getting closer that way might be fine, but the Duke and I need to build a relationship based on deeper trust, don’t we?”

Millie nodded vigorously.

“In that case, it’s more effective to approach each other slowly when circumstances allow, rather than being together all the time like a duty. We have to live as lifelong partners.”

Millie nodded as if she had heard a revelation. But this wasn’t enough. Elysia called Millie, who was about to leave after finishing her duties.

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask of me, Madam?”

“From now on, ignore all of Ronan Hass’s advice. Ronan is specialized only in temporarily charming women.”

“Yes! I’ll remember that!”

Millie replied energetically and left the room. The rain outside was pouring down more heavily, and lightning occasionally flashed in the distance. A moment later, thunder rumbled. Elysia sighed like the thunder. She felt as if she had overcome another hurdle.

***

Cassius lay in bed, staring at the black ceiling. As usual, sleep didn’t come easily. The sound of rain outside was loud. Occasionally, the flashing lightning lit up the room, illuminating his face.

“…”

Out of habit, Cassius began organizing his thoughts about what he needed to do and instruct the next day. As he reached the garden management item, he naturally recalled Elysia’s appearance in the garden during the day. His expression unknowingly softened as he remembered her looking relaxed and peaceful.

Cassius eventually forgot about his worries for the next day and found himself continuously thinking about Elysia’s peaceful appearance as if he had returned to the daytime. As he did so, his nerves, which had been on edge due to the sound of the rain, gradually calmed down. Unknowingly, his breathing became as even as Elysia’s when she was napping.

Soon, Cassius’s eyelids gently closed.

***

It was a bright day with dazzling sunlight. The garden was charmingly decorated.

The former Duchess Marquiela was sitting in front of a tea table. Young Cassius ran to his mother, holding a branch with fresh leaves.

“Cassius? What are you holding?”

“I got it from the gardener after he pruned the trees.”

Young Cassius pulled his mother’s hand to sit her under the sunlight and waved the branch in front of her eyes. The light green leaves, basked in the bright sunlight, shone translucently, showing their veins, and the sunlight dazzlingly shone through the branches.

“It’s so pretty.”

The two of them shook the branch and admired the sky visible through it. A gentle breeze blew, and the sound of birds chirping could be heard. Young Cassius discovered a caterpillar, the color of grass, crawling behind the leaves. As he laughed at the caterpillar, a shadow fell over Cassius’s head.

As the surroundings darkened, Cassius took his eyes off the branch and looked to his side, but Marquiella was not there. The garden, unlike before, became silent and made no sound.

“Mother?”

The sunlight hid behind the clouds, and the shadow stretching from the mansion grew longer. At the end of the shadow, a man in black clothes slowly approached Cassius, backlit by the sun. Seeing the man, who seemed to bring the shadow of the Duke’s residence into the garden, Cassius awkwardly stood up and took a few steps back.

The branch he held in his hand was already bare, with all the leaves fallen. The shadowy man, who had come close, slowly raised one hand. Cassius couldn’t move, as if he were nailed to the spot.

“……”

In the Ducal bedroom, Cassius lay asleep, breathing heavily. He was trying to wake up from his sleep apnea, but the dream wouldn’t let him go. In the deep night, the heavy rain and thunder drowned out the sound of breathing, preventing it from escaping the room.

The corridors of the mansion were dimly lit with minimal lighting, and the servants were all asleep in their rooms.

Elysia, disturbed by the thunder, was tossing and turning in her bed, but she didn’t think of leaving her room.

Outside the mansion, everything was submerged in deep night, and the garden, which Elysia had used as a retreat, was enduring the heavy rain alone, without even the sound of insects or moonlight.

Cassius was sinking deeper into the darkness, unable to wake up.

As the night deepened, the dream weighed more heavily on Cassius.

“Ribbit, wink, pop!”

In the room, engulfed in pitch-black darkness, an unusual sound reached Cassius, who couldn’t wake up.

“Ribbit, wink, pop!”

As Cassius slowly emerged from the clutches of sleep, he managed to open his eyes to see a faint pink glow flickering and disappearing in the dark room.

Cassius slowly sat up. As he reached out to turn on the lamp beside the bed, his hand bumped into something.

“Ribbit, wink, pop!”

The frog ornament he had touched was operating. Cassius turned on the lamp on the table and saw the softly glowing green and gold sculpture beneath it. Although the outside was still pitch black, with dawn far away, the rain had thinned compared to earlier.

For the past few months, Cassius had been plagued by nightmares. Once they started, they usually wouldn’t let him go until dawn.

It was a strange habit that had begun shortly after the funeral of the previous Duke. Cassius hid the fact that he was having nightmares, and since no one would visit his bedroom at night unless specifically called, there was no one to wake him from his solitary sleep.

This was the first time he had woken up from a dream this early. There was a scratch on the back of his hand. He must have flailed his arms unknowingly while dreaming and hit the table. It seemed that was how he had also triggered the ornament.

Cassius threw off his sweat-soaked pajamas and flopped back onto the bed. Without turning off the light, he turned his head to gaze blankly at the innocent and comical baby angel and frog.

Time passed like that. Cassius was startled awake by a knock on the door. The rain that had fallen all night had stopped, and it was now a bright morning. Apparently, he had fallen asleep again and slept until morning without realizing it.

“Come in.”

A moment later, a servant entered to attend to the morning routine. Cassius got up from the bed. It was surprising that he hadn’t had a bad dream after falling asleep again. On nights when he woke up from a nightmare, it was difficult to fall back asleep, and even if he did, he would usually just have another nightmare and wake up again.

Cassius wondered if the frog sculpture had some special ability. However, if it had such a function, Ronan Hass would have mentioned it when he sold it.

Perhaps the nightmare hadn’t been able to creep in because he was staring at such an absurd object. After the servant finished attending to him, Cassius went down to the dining room for breakfast in a refreshing mood.