Chapter 28

‘Have you lost your way?’

There had been a time when she got lost and wandered in the Imperial Palace, a place she had gone to for the first time in her life because of her debut ball. At that time, there had been a Knight who said he would help her and found the way for her. And Kina had fallen in love at first sight with that handsome and kind Knight.

Did he know that the first hand she had ever held, apart from those of her family, had been his? That all the while she had wished the road would go on just as it was, and that she had kept stealing glances at his profile so she would not forget his face.

He would not know.

Because she was the only one who watched him in regret as he turned away after escorting her to the hall where the debut ball was being held.

“Do you need more?”

Raon asked Kina, who was standing there looking at him. He thought that the gaze directed at him meant she wanted him to pull out more books.

“No…….”

Realizing that she had been staring at him absentmindedly because she had fallen into old memories, Kina quickly turned her head away.

“Are you going back to your room?”

Watching her swiftly turn her head, then even her whole body with it, Raon stepped closer.

“Yes.”

Raon nodded as if he understood, then walked to match Kina’s pace. As a result, the two of them walked side by side toward the library door.

“Do the servants know?”

“Know what?”

“Why we married.”

When Raon stopped walking, Kina too stopped with him. She had stopped one step ahead of him and turned back to look at him.

Since there were rumors already spreading, the servants likely had a rough idea. But seeing how they showed no sign of it whatsoever, Kina thought Raon must have strictly warned them to keep their mouths shut.

“No. I did not tell them.”

“Why?”

That question contained her doubt: since it was a marriage with a set end, and a true Duchess would eventually enter in her place, why had he not said so? Of course, he likely knew that too.

Unlike Kina, Raon did not understand what she meant, so he delayed answering for a moment and studied her. But however much he looked, he did not know her well enough to understand her intention from that alone.

“Whatever the reason, it is still a marriage, is it not?”

His answer, spoken in a natural tone as though it were nothing special, sounded to Kina as if he were speaking of an endless, eternal marriage, and for a moment her chest swelled. She had to force down that feeling, which had risen all the way to her throat, by tightening her jaw.

“Is there any reason I should tell them?”

Not every noble married for love. So Raon found something strange in Kina’s question, yet he did not ask further. He concluded that she still had not yet adjusted to the marriage.

“……No.”

If that was how he had decided it, then Kina had no choice but to follow. That was their agreement. Yet as Kina gave a small shake of her head, a tiny smile she could not hide appeared on her face. It was surely the natural course of action, and better in the long run that fewer people knew, but she still could not stop herself from feeling happy.

Because her face looked different from how it had until now, Raon too gave a small laugh in response.

“Do you have any food that you like?”

Stepping into Kina’s room, Raon set the books down on the nearest table and asked.

“I’ll tell them to prepare it for dinner later.”

“Ah…… yes.”

Even after her reply, Raon did not leave.

“Ah, I’ll tell them later.”

“I can pass on the word on my way.”

Judging from today, when they had shared a short but the deepest conversation so far, if things continued like this, the food she liked would not appear at dinner. If his guess was right, there was a strong chance she would simply let it pass without saying anything.

A small silent standoff took place between Raon, who stood firm as though he would not leave until he heard, and Kina, who still did not speak. Of course, that was only Raon’s interpretation. Kina was merely trying to understand the situation.

“……Trout.”

As she looked at him standing there quietly, she answered cautiously. Wondering whether this was the right response.

“I’ll tell them to prepare that.”

The moment he answered and cleanly stepped back, telling her to rest, she knew that had been the correct answer.

Only Kina remained standing where he had left. Alternating her gaze between the place where Raon had stood and the door he had gone out through, she slowly sat down in a chair. Even seated, her dazed gaze remained unchanged. Her heart pounded as though telling her that the married life she had tried to think was nothing much had become difficult only three days after his return.

“Gerard. Have trout prepared for dinner today.”

“Yes, understood.”

After giving the short order, Raon looked for a moment toward the room he had just left, then went back into the library.

* * *

“What kind of necklace is that?”

Ribor asked when he saw the necklace hanging around Dave’s neck. Instead of answering, Dave smiled like an adolescent boy. The way the corners of his eyes curved so prettily made it plain to anyone that he was happy.

“That woman gave it to you, didn’t she?”

Ribor also knew about the woman Dave liked. Seeing that they were already at the stage of exchanging necklaces, it seemed that the woman did not dislike Dave all that much either.

“I gave her a matching one.”

“You did?”

Dave nodded at the startled Ribor.

“You brat. Learn one thing and you understand ten, huh?”

When Ribor ruffled Dave’s hair, it became mussed up. Ignoring Dave’s protests for him to stop, Ribor teasingly pulled him into a headlock. Then, in Ribor’s sight, he noticed a single flower resting on Dave’s desk.

“You’re going to give her this too?”

“Yeah. She looked like she was in a bad mood.”

It was the flower he had promised long ago to be the first to give her whenever she was feeling down. When Dave cupped the flower in both hands and then opened them, it immediately shone.

“Wow. I can’t believe I’m seeing a glowing flower in real life.”

The faint light spreading from within the flower was beautiful enough to be enchanting. Pleased by Ribor’s reaction, Dave was just about to cup another flower when—

“But you know you can’t give this to that woman, right?”

“Why?”

The look in Dave’s eyes when he asked made it clear that he truly did not know, and Ribor let out a small sigh.

“You said that woman doesn’t know who you really are.”

The core of the rebels was magic. Magic that allowed them to move freely and escape. If anyone saw a glowing flower, they would certainly find it strange. And besides, it was a matter tied to their own safety as well.

“So?”

Dave truly did not understand that fact at all.

Then again, he used magic only for the things he wanted to do. The reason he was here was because of his deep contempt toward the Imperial Family and the nobles. No one here could make Dave stay if he did not want to.

“That woman could be put in danger too.”

Of all of them, Ribor was the one closest to Dave and the one who knew best how to handle him.

“Ah…….”

Soon Dave’s shoulders drooped sadly.

“You can just practice a lot in the meantime.”

Ribor patted his shoulder as though consoling him.

He knew well enough that the safety of the others was not important to Dave. He also knew that, to Dave, she ranked higher than all of them.

* * *

As usual, Kina had been reading in her room, but her heart was stirred by the clear sky visible through the wide window, and she came out for a walk alone. It was her first time properly looking around the ducal residence of Graize.

Before Raon returned, her range of movement within the ducal residence had been extremely limited. That was because she had behaved quietly, intending to leave no impression and quietly vacate her place when the time came.

It was not as though anything would wear away or disappear just because she looked at it, so perhaps taking a walk around the ducal residence was not such a bad thing. Of course, even that was possible only because Raon had said that, since this too was a marriage, she could go anywhere she wished.