“I actually sent Sasha to Belvo to look into that.”

“All the way to Belvo? There’s a temple in Norhart’s main city, too. Nobility records are automatically linked to any temple’s archive, so—ah.”

“Right. Because he might not be a noble.”

At Cedrion’s words, I nodded.

“It would be most accurate to just ask him directly, but… that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

Angie didn’t seem eager to talk about it in detail. At least, not outwardly.

Still, it was clear that she hadn’t let go of her longing for Sir Albert. From trying to glimpse his life from the Celestial Realm, to swearing off political marriages in this life by bringing up her first love, to being startled at the sight of that boy yesterday—everything pointed to that.

‘But I doubt she actually wants to go searching for him.’

Somehow, I felt like I could understand that ambivalence.

‘Besides, if he was the one she pushed away… wouldn’t there be as much guilt as longing?’

If I were to presume upon a sentiment that’s been buried for centuries.

“Then what made you want to look into it? Loyalty? Affection for your legal daughter?”

“Affection?”

When I teasingly asked, wrapping my arm around his waist, Cedrion let out a small chuckle above my head.

As I tilted my head upward at the now-close distance between us, he looked down at me softly. His golden eyes glowed warmly, like the setting sun.

“I’m not particularly talented at reading others’ hearts, but I thought about what I would’ve done.”

“If it were you?”

“I poured everything I had into a cause. And now, that cause is fulfilled, and all that’s left is to enjoy peace… but to do that, I can no longer be with you.”

The golden light in his eyes wavered faintly.

“That would be… a terribly sad thing, don’t you think?”

At some point, Cedrion’s strong fingers traced the edge of my forehead, brushing behind my ear.

“She spoke as though it was the obvious choice, but was it really such an easy decision?”

“…Probably not.”

Exactly, Cedrion seemed to murmur internally as he slowly lowered his face.

A careful, searing kiss landed on my forehead.

It told me clearly how painful even imagining letting me go had been for him.

To draw him out of that imagined sorrow, I deliberately spoke with cheer.

“Margaret and Ian would love this story.”

As I leaned against his chest and mentioned the head maid and butler of Norhart’s Grand Duke’s castle, Cedrion let out a low, disgruntled hum.

“Why them?”

“They’re always going on about how you were such a kind and thoughtful young lord.”

“They still treat me like a kid…”

“Well, I kind of like remembering young Cedrion too.”

When I said that brightly, lifting my head a bit, a faint smile spread across Cedrion’s lips. His large hand slowly ran over my head.

As that repetitive motion began to slow—

“And more than anything…”

The hand that had been hovering behind my head slid to support the nape of my neck, gently pulling me in. My head tilted back naturally.

“You were sad.”

“…”

“You were heartbroken listening to Angie’s story.”

“Well… I can’t help but empathize with her.”

“Whatever the reason.”

Cedrion’s face inched closer.

“You were sad. That’s all there is to it.”

And then our lips met, leaving no room for any further reply.

***

Sasha returned that night.

“Sir Albert wandered all his life as a knight errant and died that way…”

“Yes. He remained in contact with his younger brother, and the descendants kept Sir Albert’s letters.”

“To think they held onto a 300-year-old ancestor’s belongings. They must be well off—enough not to move often.”

“Yes. Though he left the family when he became a knight, he was originally from the Barony of Malreni.”

“Barony of Malreni…?”

“In the southwestern region of the kingdom—so, a vassal family under the Count of Ranba, whose territory lies south of Norhart. Ranba has ruled that region since before the founding of Arcadia, so Malreni’s history likely goes back just as far.”

As always, Cedrion promptly answered my questions.

Even with Odelia’s memories returned, I couldn’t match Cedrion’s swift judgment after over a decade of serving as Grand Duke.

“Sir Albert’s younger brother, Lord Lorenzo, inherited the family title, and the current head of the Malreni house is his thirteenth-generation descendant.”

“Then… what about Sir Albert’s own descendants?”

“It’s said he remained celibate all his life.”

Sasha’s firm statement made my chest tighten.

Perhaps because I was emotionally linked to Angie, the sorrow she should have felt lodged itself in my throat.

“After the founding of the Kingdom of Arcadia, as you said, the first Marchioness of Lure married and moved into the newly granted Lure territory. Around that time, Sir Albert went independent. While he didn’t mention his relationship with the Marchioness in his letters…”

“If he wandered as a knight…”

“He traveled through unstable regions, hunting down lingering demonic beasts that hadn’t returned to the Demon Realm.”

It seemed he had spent his life yearning for Lady Angelica and working from the shadows to ensure the stability of Arcadia, the nation she helped build.

It wasn’t hard to infer that untold tale.

For both Cedrion and me.

The sincerity of an ancestor we hadn’t even known existed until recently left a heavy ache in our hearts.

As I fell silent, Cedrion prompted Sasha to continue her report on my behalf.

“Any possible connection between the Padmion Guard Captain and the Malreni family?”

“Yes, if you trace six generations back on Captain Marcel’s maternal side, it’s said there’s a connection to a branch of the Malreni family.”

“Huh, then that boy…”

“So he is a distant relative of Sir Albert…”

He was supposedly a distant descendant of Sir Albert’s younger brother, and yet Angie said he resembled Albert enough to take notice.

“Genetics are wild…”

I forced myself to entertain that lighthearted thought to calm my sinking heart.

“Then, by any chance, is there a grave or tomb of Sir Albert?”

“He spent his final years in the Malreni territory, so he’s said to be buried in the family cemetery of the baron’s house.”

***

“What will you do?”

Late at night, after Sasha had withdrawn, Cedrion gently asked while embracing me from behind as I lay on my side facing the moonlit window.

“…I don’t know.”

“If it were you—don’t you think you’d want to know?”

“I do want to know… but I’m not sure if telling her is the right thing to do.”

“Really?”

“If I put myself in Angie’s shoes… You’re right. Just as you imagined, it must have been incredibly painful for her. So yes, she’d want to know. She even tried to find out in the Celestial Realm. But…”

I bit my lower lip and, after a moment of hesitation, slowly spoke.

“Hearing that he never forgot her his whole life, stayed chaste, wandered as a knight, and then died like that… It would just hurt too much.”

“…That’s true.”

Cedrion’s arms tightened around my shoulders.

Whenever my back touched his solid chest, my heart would always find calm. I could feel the ridges of my shoulders and the line down the back of my neck pressing into his firm embrace.

As I felt his slow, steady heartbeat behind me—so unlike a man easily shaken—all my anxieties and worries began to quiet.

“But still, she’s an adult too.”

His voice, soft and low against my ear, stirred something deep within me.

“That doesn’t mean she can simply brush off pain.”

“…I’ve said it before, but you really do have a tendency to overprotect her.”

“Well, that’s because Angie and I…”

“Yes, I know. Your souls are connected.”

I heard the sound of Cedrion shifting his upper body, and then his breath touched my ear. What began as a playful nibble along the rim of my ear quickly deepened into something more sensual.

A shiver that began at my ear soon ran down my spine.

“That overprotection… How about you give some of it to someone younger than her—like me?”

“Younger, huh?”

I let out a chuckle and turned to face him, only to find his shadow already cast over me. The heat between us, framed fully by his arms, was intense.

Desire, long familiar, crept over us once again that night.

***

“They say all his letters are still preserved by the Malreni family…”

The next day, after breakfast.

In the end, we decided to tell Angie what Sasha had reported the day before.

“They contain things like how he spent the rest of his life, from what I hear.”

“…”

“You said you tried to find out about him even in the Celestial Realm. So we just wanted to make sure you could access the information whenever you wished…”

I tried to explain myself, but Angie’s expression had long since darkened.

We had even chosen to bring it up while she was eating mango sherbet—her favorite—but it seemed to have little effect.

“If you want to go look into it right away… We’re supposed to return to Belvo today, but we can ask for a day’s leave.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Huh?

Angie’s curt response startled both Cedrion and me.