Chapter 67
Striking When You Let Your Guard Down (1)
Aster followed Eluciana and Simon from behind, but he could hardly suppress the surge of murderous intent rising within him.
At this distance, he could have turned back, but the eldest son of Marquis Klaus stubbornly remained, his gaze never leaving her.
At first, he had only planned to watch briefly and then leave. He had been disappointed when he had sent her away early after meeting Marquis Milan, due to the lingering scent of blood on her body.
But the moment he saw her with that man, everything froze.
Had he not noticed a wandering knight from the Eragost family nearby, he might have thrown an ice spear straight at that smirking man’s face.
Or when the man, walking as if chasing a mother bird, suddenly knelt and extended his hand.
Or when Lucy shyly placed her hand on his.
Aster sincerely wanted to smash that smiling man’s head.
“You mustn’t recklessly kill something alive, Aster.”
Had Lucy not been in front of that fluttering creature, he would have surely crossed the line.
At that moment, Lucy’s chattering words became, undeniably, a blessing for him.
Even this delicate situation, where her companionship had been thwarted by Simon’s sudden appearance.
After confirming that the presence behind him had disappeared, Aster quietly followed the two women.
About ten minutes had passed since they began walking while talking with Simon.
“…Hm?”
Eluciana suddenly stopped in front of the house, feeling uneasy, and glanced around.
Along the side of the main gate, a tree had grown untended, casting a deep shadow beneath it.
Eluciana stared at the area in silence. Tilting her head in puzzlement, Simon stopped walking beside her and asked,
“Why do you pause?”
“…Nothing. Just…”
It felt like someone was there.
At that moment, a light breeze blew, and it seemed as if a pale light shimmered within the darkness. And that light—
“Silver hair?”
Eluciana’s eyes widened as if they had become lanterns.
“Could it be… His Highness the Archduke?”
It was only for a brief moment, so certainty was difficult, but in her eyes it appeared clearly:
Silver hair with a bluish tint… and crimson eyes ringed with gold.
“Lucy, let’s go inside quickly.”
“Ah, yes, Father.”
Perhaps because she had seen something unbelievable, Eluciana rubbed her eyes several times. But when she looked again, there was nothing.
“Did I see it wrong?”
Even while walking with Simon, Eluciana glanced back several times.
A short while after she entered the mansion, a deep shadow appeared under the tree swaying in the wind.
Draped in a black robe, Aster licked his lips, curved faintly in satisfaction, and quietly observed the Wyres family residence.
Then, a voice rang out—one that shouldn’t be heard, yet was intimately familiar to Aster.
“I thought it might be you.”
“…?”
“It really is His Highness the Archduke.”
A subtle crack spread across Aster’s previously pleasant smile, like a virus.
Eluciana stared at Aster, deeply hooded in his black robe, unable to believe her eyes.
“How did you come here?”
“…I was walking. That’s how it happened.”
Eluciana let out a bitter laugh, incredulous.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Even while walking alongside him through the night streets of the manor, she could not easily accept that explanation.
“The Wyres residence is near the center, but… just walking here is a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Aster lowered his gaze shyly at her firm reply, causing him to flinch slightly.
Seeing him like that stirred a momentary pang of guilt within her.
“I feel like I’m troubling the innocent Archduke.”
Suppressing a sigh, Eluciana asked with feigned concern,
“Is it safe for you to be out like this?”
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t be?”
“Well, I thought you should be careful. You never know when your illness might flare up.”
Since inheriting the title of Archduke, Aster had never once left the mansion. Naturally, it was because of his frail health.
Bringing out a body that might collapse at any moment was effectively a form of self-destruction.
Every head of a family had a reason to conceal their frailty.
Being unwell could mean putting the fate of the family at risk.
“…I should be careful, yes.”
Eluciana narrowed her eyes, sensing worry.
“Did I hear right? Did he hesitate for a moment? And why are his shoulders drooping again?”
Seeing the Archduke’s hunched shoulders made her heart ache.
For some reason, she felt like she should wrap her arms around him and brush his back.
Shaking her head, Eluciana collected herself and asked,
“Where is your guard?”
“…My guard?”
“Didn’t you come with Sir Logan?”
“I’m alone.”
“Eh? That’s a joke, right?”
“….”
Bathed in moonlight, Aster’s pale face seemed even whiter.
Seeing his stiff face, she realized he truly was alone.
“Is he serious? Really?”
Eluciana’s face registered shock.
“Truly alone?”
“There’s no need for a guard when taking a walk.”
“No! But why here? Why not in the Archduke’s vast garden? What if you suddenly fall ill?”
Eluciana winced instinctively at his innocent, straightforward gaze.
Of course, Louis had spoken of Aster’s magical talent, calling him a genius unmatched in history.
But what use was that if he collapsed before even casting a spell?
“You have an artifact for emergencies, right? The butler gave it to you in case of urgent situations.”
Aster shrugged nonchalantly.
“I believe it’s in the drawer of the nightstand beside my bedroom.”
“What?”
Eluciana glared at him reflexively.
“Why store something you were told to always carry on yourself neatly in a drawer?”
She wondered, for a moment, how Aster’s brain even worked.
“…So, there’s no other way to contact the Archduke’s family?”
“Hm. I don’t think so.”
When he answered so easily, Eluciana began to question whether her original question was even valid.
“Is that a problem?”
“No. No, not at all. It’s not a problem—more like… hmm.”
Meeting his clear crimson eyes, Eluciana felt all her energy drain away.
With all other means of contacting the Sestain Archduke’s family gone, only one solution remained:
She would personally escort this troublesome man.
Swallowing a sigh, she said quietly,
“I will take you there.”
“I see I am troubling you.”
“Yet your expression is smiling. Like this—”
Eluciana stretched her lips with her fingers in a playful smile.
The smile on Aster’s face stiffened abruptly.
“…You must be mistaken.”
Aster replied shortly and led the way. His silver hair partially concealed his ears, which were faintly flushed.
Watching him quietly, Eluciana’s lips twitched slightly.
“Hah, embarrassed, are we?”
Suddenly, Aster turned sharply.
“Why do you keep laughing—ugh.”
“Ah!”
Eluciana, walking closely behind, collided as if falling into his chest.
Startled, she quickly stepped back, apologizing,
“S-sorry! I didn’t see you stop.”
“…It’s fine. I suddenly… turned around. Is your forehead okay, though?”
“Eh? My forehead?”
She absentmindedly touched her forehead, puzzled.
“Is there something on it?”
Aster sighed softly as he looked at the clearly marked area.
“It seems… you’ve gotten a scratch.”
“A scratch? I don’t feel anything.”
“It appears to be from a button.”
“Ah, it must be a slight scrape. It’s fine. A few days of ointment will heal it.”
Eluciana answered lightly, scrunching her nose with a small smile.
Then, something warm settled on her forehead.
Startled, she looked up. Aster’s deeply set crimson eyes were fixed on her.
“Sorry. I am not okay at all.”
His slightly averted gaze focused on her forehead.
A small, fingernail-sized red mark.
Carefully brushing the wound, Aster frowned in apparent discomfort.
“I truly dislike this… Lucy.”
“Lu-Lucy?”
Having previously always called her “Eluciana,” she was quite surprised.
Above all, the tone felt unusually familiar.
“…It’s urgent, so I will treat it first.”
“W-wait! Treat it? What do you mean…?”
“Heal.”
Saaa—
Before she could stop him, a red light shimmered at Aster’s fingertips.
The gentle light enveloped the small scratch and gradually faded.
“…It’s… done?”
“Yes.”
Aster gently smoothed her now-healed forehead, and the corners of his mouth relaxed slightly.
