Chapter 6

Two days passed, then three, four, five, and still, Ian kept his bedroom door tightly shut, remaining cold and unresponsive. Yet Elcia always came at the same time, to the same spot, tirelessly chattering away for five minutes each time.

—Count, did you sleep well? Today, Haden baked fig cookies, and they were really delicious. Did you try them?

—If you walk a little from here, there’s a village that will hold the harvest festival next week. Sir Seiran said he’d buy some empty potpourri when he goes out! I want to put lavender in mine, but which scent do you like, Count?

—Hello, Count. The butler said that hummingbirds fly to this area! Next spring, when we have time, we’ll hang bottles of juice for the hummingbirds. Count, let’s watch them together, okay?

“Um……”

“Hm? If you have something to say, could you wait just a bit? I’ll be done soon.”

It was the second Friday Ian hadn’t opened the door. Just as Elcia was about to speak, Haden cautiously spoke up.

“Miss Elcia……”

“Count, today……”

As always, Elcia smiled brightly and began her greeting.

“Oh, he’s not here!”

Haden almost screamed, his voice trembling.

“What?”

“……He’s not inside, Miss. Lunch is brought in, but after two o’clock, he leaves here and goes somewhere else……. So, no matter what you say here, it’s pointless.”

The young boy, on the verge of tears, confessed Ian’s absence—a painful admission, as if all of Elcia’s efforts had been cruelly mocked. Her expression hardened for a moment, then returned to normal.

Elcia nodded gently, wearing her usual soft smile.

“I see.”

“So, please stop making yourself suffer for nothing. No one’s listening, there’s no need to do such a hard thing, Miss Elcia.”

Haden, who had grown attached, struggled to reveal the secret, but Elcia turned her gaze back to the bedroom door. Both Haden and Elcia were simply doing their best at what they could. That was all. She began her daily story again, her face bright.

“……Hello, Count. The last grapes of the year have arrived at the castle. There aren’t many fresh ones, so most are being preserved, but I want to help. Actually, I really love grapes.”

Elcia talked nonstop about her favorite grapes for five minutes, then quietly returned to her room and stayed there until six in the evening. After that, she continued to keep her promise every day.

* * *

Another two weeks passed. Her efforts to make up for her initial mistake had filled nearly a month, yet she behaved exactly as she had at the start. The only change was that she had reassured Haden, who kept watching her anxiously, that he didn’t need to keep an eye on her anymore.

At three in the afternoon, she came to Ian’s bedroom door as always and began to speak. Today, she had a special dimple in her cheek—a little extra effort to make her face as cheerful as possible for Ian.

“Hello, Count? Actually, I was saving this story for later. Someone offered to send me special walnuts…….”

“Persistent.”

“Ah……!”

Ian’s sarcastic voice came not from inside the room, but from down the hallway. Startled, Elcia looked over with wide eyes.

Ian, with his uniquely intimidating blue gaze, leaned against the hallway wall, rattling walnuts in his hand.

“You’re stubborn, Puppeteer. You ignore the lord’s words and keep telling useless stories every day, even though no one’s inside? I’ve never seen a woman as stubborn as you.”

As expected, she was disliked.

She didn’t know how much Ian remembered from the day he collapsed, but surely he knew she had touched his precious picture frame. How angry must he have been then?

Elcia apologized, feeling somewhat down.

“I’m truly sorry for touching your things without permission, Count…….”

“That’s enough. Stop talking about it.”

Just thinking of Ian trying to hold onto the frame in the rain made her heart ache. Digging up someone else’s buried wounds was a terrible thing to do, something she shouldn’t have done. More than that, Elcia was worried she might be expelled from the castle, so she brought up something that had been weighing on her mind.

“Please don’t blame Haden. Even after he told me you weren’t inside, I kept coming here and greeting you on my own.”

“……You.”

Ian didn’t seem moved by Elcia’s belated excuse. Instead, he stared intently at her innocent face.

“Yes?”

She was glad she hadn’t tied her hair today. The ribbon had disappeared into the bed sheets, and she’d spent over an hour searching for it before giving up. So, even when Ian looked at her so openly, she could hide her blushing ears behind her cream-colored hair.

He was truly an attractive man, even in uncomfortable situations.

Elcia thought she was pathetic for not being able to keep business and personal feelings separate.

“Are you quite familiar with His Highness the Crown Prince? These walnuts were harvested from imperial land, and they’re not given out as gifts to just anyone. I’m surprised.”

The two large walnuts in Ian’s hand made a hard clacking sound as they bumped together. Elcia, relieved after her tension, quickly nodded.

“A little. When I was only with Udis, His Highness especially supported my research, so I was able to develop White Bunny. About half a year ago, with his help, I was able to go up to the capital.”

“Hm.”

Seeing an expression of interest on Ian’s face that she’d never seen before, Elcia seized the moment.

“If you’re curious about anything, please ask me.”

“How cunning. You see my interest and try to earn the right to stay here with just a few words?”

Even after the harsh comment, Elcia didn’t lose heart and smiled softly.

“His Highness the Crown Prince chose to send me here because he believed I could succeed, right?”

“……I still don’t like you.”

His words were cold, but Elcia saw it clearly. When Ian’s arm, which had been crooked, lowered, a small smile spread from the corner of his mouth, hidden by his sleeve. Seeing this change in Ian, she was so thrilled she couldn’t move, her cheeks turning red.

Ian stopped rattling the walnuts and gazed quietly at this interesting woman. Elcia Bennett, was it? Of all the people the Crown Prince had sent, she had the most expressive face.

He couldn’t say for sure that she had sparked his interest, driving him to escape here, worn out by people. But he wanted to see the expression she’d make when he said the one thing she most wanted to hear. That was all. He would never admit that he’d decided to seek treatment because of one interesting woman.

‘It’s time for me to give up my stubbornness, too.’

He glanced at his damaged hand. More bitter than its twisted, ugly shape was the heart of the flawed Ian Kypris.

The day he swore to live upright for life at the knighting ceremony.

The day he became commander of the Tyr Church’s Holy Knight Order, bearing heavy responsibility on his shoulders and praying before the statue of the Lord.

And the day he disappointed everyone and fled the world, though no one but himself had done wrong.

Now, it was time for him to untangle the knots of the past and ask for forgiveness himself.

“Count?”

Elcia called Ian, who had been lost in serious thought. Hearing her sweet voice, he couldn’t help but smile a little.

“How about it? Thanks to your walnuts, I had a simple dessert prepared. Would you like to join me?”

She showed an even brighter smile than he’d expected.

“Yes, I’d love to.”

Having scored a small victory, Elcia enjoyed a tea time with walnut pie as the main treat, conversing with Ian. She realized that her daily greetings at three o’clock had not been in vain after all. Contrary to what Haden said, Ian knew some of the things Elcia had chattered about at the door.

He told Elcia she could stay at Usley Castle until November, and could begin treating his hand anytime she wished. However, he warned her not to expect him to return to the capital, saying she should give up on that idea early.

It was already the end of September. With October approaching, Elcia worried she might be expelled soon, so she asked cautiously,

“Can I stay at least until White Bunny completely heals your hand, Count?”

“How could I allow that without knowing when it’ll be? More importantly, Puppeteer…… Elcia, was it? Winter here is harsh, and Usley Castle has been neglected for a long time, so it needs a lot of repairs. You seem frail, and if you spend the whole winter here, you might get seriously ill. If the treatment isn’t finished by autumn, go back to the capital and return in spring.”

She’d already heard from Seiran and other soldiers about the problems with the castle walls.

“We can fix the castle, can’t we?” 

Elcia shrugged, but Ian looked unconvinced.

“Are you planning to use those puppets of yours?”

“Yes. Udis will be enough!”

She spoke confidently, but Ian didn’t even twitch an eyebrow as he countered.

“This place was built for military use, so it uses much stronger materials than ordinary bricks. If your wooden puppet tries to carry stones and breaks its foot, it’ll be a headache. That creaky puppet didn’t even clean well, so I doubt it can carry stones. Just leave it.”

He seemed to know everything Elcia had done, even though he pretended not to watch.

“Ah…… But……!”

“Stop being stubborn. Don’t expect me to yield any further. That’s not your concern.”

Drawing a clear line, Ian released the handle of his teacup. Thinking he might stand up alone as he did the first time they met, Elcia quickly put down her fork, which held a large piece of pie. But the man, looking at the half-eaten walnut pie on the dessert plate, said,

“Eat more. Why not?”

“If you’re going back to your room, I should at least go out and say goodbye……”

“I’ll wait until you finish eating, so don’t worry about me and take your time.”

His offhand remark made Elcia feel oddly embarrassed.

She was naturally cheerful and patient, but maybe because she was from the countryside, she loved delicious food like a child. Since coming to Usley Castle, her habit had become checking what dessert was being served every morning. It was all because the chef was so talented, really.

As expected, Ian saw her fingers fidgeting near the fork and chuckled.

“You come to see me, but all you do is talk about how much you like cherries, and how you want a lollipop every day, always going on about food. If you leave that much walnut pie just to see me off, you’ll regret it at night and won’t be able to sleep, right?”

“N-no! It’s not like that!”

“Hahaha, alright. I won’t tease you anymore, so relax and eat.”

After seeing Elcia’s strong denial, Ian laughed heartily and fetched a book from a small bookshelf. It was a relief to be able to finish the pie without meeting his gaze. Even with his eyes gone, Elcia kept sneaking glances at Ian.

It was strange.

She should be savoring the melt-in-your-mouth pie, but…… Ian’s pleasant laughter kept ringing in her ears. She couldn’t even tell if she was chewing on crisp tart crust, rich walnuts, or sweet caramel syrup. So unlike her usual gourmet self.

‘Why am I like this?’

If she couldn’t properly enjoy this wonderful walnut pie and just gulped it down, that would be a shame. Thinking that, Elcia kept glancing at Ian’s face as he focused on his book, barely eating as she stood up.