Chapter 28
Cerulean bit his lower lip lightly.
What on earth had they done to the wedding dress?
It’s obvious they’re trying to humiliate her during the ceremony…
He didn’t even possess the emotion of hatred, so he couldn’t quite grasp Vanerin’s true intention.
She forced the situation so the dress must be worn—so there must be a reason for that.
He wanted to study the dress carefully and analyze the intent behind it, but since the summons had already been issued, he couldn’t follow Edel.
I’ll have to rely on Kalima to figure it out.
Kalima had a good sense for that sort of thing, sharp and perceptive. She’d be better at it than him anyway.
Right now, I need to focus on this.
Cerulean shook his head to drive away the distractions and straightened his uniform, which somehow felt uncomfortable after only a few days of not wearing it.
The location that had requested support was already sealed off by the knights of the Special Division. They had blocked off the streets and were preventing civilians from entering.
One of the scouts who was already there waved lazily at Cerulean.
“Oh-ho, isn’t this Sir Cerulean? Haven’t seen that face in a while.”
“It’s been some time. What’s the situation?”
“Straight to the point as always, huh? Still as cold-hearted as ever.”
Cerulean didn’t reply to the grumbling. The scout, used to the fact that most lore hunters—Cerulean included—rarely talked much, just smirked and answered.
“Sir Potentia is in charge here. By the way, he’s in a terrible mood, so tread carefully.”
“…”
Of all people… Potentia.
Potentia came from an old family of lore hunters, much like the Duke of Luke.
And he hated the Duke—hated him with a passion that could rival his disgust for cockroaches.
When Cerulean entered the restricted zone, he spotted Potentia wiping his sword, having just finished a hunt. The man turned toward Cerulean and spoke in a voice as cold as his expression.
“Cerulean Luke.”
“Good day, sir.”
“Good day? Hardly, thanks to you.”
Cerulean stood upright, facing him squarely. Potentia’s expression was also devoid of emotion, making the air between them icy.
“You of all people should have a sense of duty when it comes to hunting lores. At this rate, your reputation as the finest lore hunter will be nothing but empty words.”
Potentia’s soft but barbed rebuke earned a reply from Cerulean in a tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.
“I was busy with wedding preparations.”
“What?”
The words were light, but the meaning was anything but. A knight nearby, who had been preparing himself to stuff cotton in his ears against the impending emotionless argument, suddenly perked up.
“Wait, hold on! Sir Cerulean! Are you saying the rumor is true—that you fell in love with a beautiful commoner lady, wooed her passionately, and are now getting married?”
Cerulean wasn’t surprised. The news had already appeared in two papers, so gossip was inevitable. What bothered him was the way the man phrased it.
“What do you mean, rumor?”
“Well, anyone who’s actually met you would assume it’s false! You don’t exactly strike people as the type to sing love serenades!”
“…”
He had no rebuttal to that.
If I remember correctly, the article only mentioned that I’d personally given her a family heirloom as a gift.
A serenade? He had never sung in his life. How had such a ridiculous story spread? Correcting it felt pointless, so Cerulean just gave a flat retort.
“Focus on your mission.”
“How am I supposed to focus after hearing that?!”
Cerulean, still indifferent, said nothing, while the knight flushed red and clapped his hands together in excitement.
“Wow, congratulations! Is she really as stunning as the rumors say? Or maybe she’s rich enough to buy the moon itself?”
“Neither.”
“Stop giving one-word answers and tell us more! Come on, I’m dying of curiosity!”
Cerulean turned his head away as if he hadn’t heard. The knight jumped in place and twirled around.
“I’m going to spread the word!”
Meanwhile, Sir Potentia, who had unwittingly sparked the conversation, offered no congratulations. Instead, he scolded Cerulean endlessly.
“Come when you’re called immediately.”
“The Duke of Luke is garbage.”
“Never let him out.”
“I’m not saying this because I’m petty.”
After repeating his hatred for the Duke several times, Potentia left one last remark.
“Return Kalima to me while I’m asking nicely.”
“…”
That wasn’t his jurisdiction, so Cerulean didn’t reply.
Potentia left, and Cerulean did one last sweep of the scene. Apart from the man’s pathological dislike for the Duke, the veteran lore hunter’s work was flawless—the site was spotless.
I shouldn’t have come.
He sighed through his nose.
I should’ve just taken Edel home.
It was… regret. A faint trace of emotion—one he hadn’t felt since long ago, before his emotional numbness set in.
As that strange feeling stirred, Cerulean closed his eyes to examine it.
“Leo! Did you hear? Sir Cerulean is getting married!”
Leo.
The familiar name caught his ear. Cerulean turned his head. A group of scouts, unaware that he was still nearby, were chatting noisily.
Among them, Cerulean’s eyes fell on a black-haired priest with narrow, sharp eyes.
Leofried Tehrmann.
He ran an orphanage, pretending to be a kindly priest—but in truth, he was a lore scout who hunted the monsters hiding throughout Newcastle.
He was reputed to be quite competent.
So he must be the priest who saved Edel.
An uneasy feeling twisted in Cerulean’s chest. The fierce hostility rising from deep within him startled even himself.
Meanwhile, the conversation continued. Leofried brushed his long hair back and replied indifferently.
“Is it wedding season or something? Everyone seems to be talking about getting married. Just recently, an acquaintance of mine bragged about his upcoming marriage.”
“You don’t have acquaintances.”
Ignoring the teasing, Leofried muttered in a cold tone,
“I only hope Lord Luke’s marriage isn’t a contract one—made with divorce already in mind.”
“Don’t jinx it.”
After that, the group dispersed—the lores had been cleared, and their mission was done.
But Cerulean couldn’t move.
An unfamiliar rage surged up inside him, turning his mind white.
“…”
He calmly examined the feeling. Though unused to emotion and clumsy in handling it, he could still look at himself with reason—as though peering into a mirror.
And then he realized the cause of his anger and discomfort.
‘A contract marriage made with divorce in mind.’
There was only one person who could’ve said something like that.
Edel Azzian.
She must have told Leofried that.
When? When could she have had the chance? The question didn’t matter.
What mattered was that she had gone to him comfortably—trusted him enough to reveal something that important.
That’s what bothered him. That someone else knew something about Edel Azzian that he did not.
What on earth is this…
For Cerulean, who hadn’t felt even the simplest emotions of like or dislike in years, this sharp, jealous heat was overwhelming.
It was the same as when he’d first met her—when her sudden fragrance had made his head spin. He could now distinguish the different notes of her scent, but back then, it had been like a storm—so strong it made him nauseous. He’d barely been able to eat in her presence.
Cerulean staggered. Feeling something like seasickness, he clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Are you all right, sir?”
“…Stand down.”
The fact that someone had noticed his confusion meant he had to leave immediately. As he stumbled away, he failed to notice what was happening behind him—
—how, in the long shadows of the streetlights he’d just passed, a sinister aura began to writhe.
It was a lore.
When I returned home carrying the wedding dress box Vanerin had sent, Kalima greeted me with a bright smile.
“You’re back! But what’s with that box? Why carry it yourself? You should’ve made the strong, healthy captain do it for you.”
“Cerulean didn’t come back with me.”
“What?”
Kalima’s surprised expression made me let out an awkward laugh.
Well, I was a bit surprised too when Cerulean said he couldn’t take me home.
When had I gotten so used to relying on him? I shook my head and set the box down on the dining table.
“He said he had work to do.”
Kalima tilted her head and tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“Was he wearing black gloves, by any chance?”
“He was… Is that some kind of code?”
Now that I thought about it, the butler had handed him the gloves. Kalima just shrugged.
“That means a lore has appeared. He must be busy.”
At that, I couldn’t hold back anymore and slammed my fist on the table.
“That man—honestly!”
Kalima blinked at me in surprise. Maybe it was because I’d grown too comfortable around her, or maybe I was just too frustrated, but my real feelings spilled out.
“I don’t understand why Cerulean hides everything about the lores from me!”
Kalima’s eyes curved in amusement as she smiled.
“Because knowing doesn’t do you any good, my lady. It’s also a state secret.”
“But you tell me sometimes.”
“The things I tell you are trivial. Besides, once you’re married, you’ll naturally find out more. If your husband puts on black gloves every time he goes out and you don’t notice, wouldn’t that make you a fool?”
“Even something that small—Cerulean won’t tell me!”
That was what frustrated me most. I had proposed this contract marriage to him to learn more about the lores, yes. That’s why we set that “15 minutes of daily conversation” rule.
But still—did he have to keep such an impenetrable wall between us?!
I muttered darkly, lips curling in a sardonic smile.
“So he means to make me earn the joy of conquest.”
“Oh my, madam! You just sounded exactly like a queen!”
Kalima clapped her hands cheerfully. My mood deflated at once, and I collapsed onto the table like a jellyfish.
“Ugh, Cerulean is impossible. I keep trying to get close, showing him everything about me, but he never lets me in.”
Even earlier—had he really smiled? His expression had been so pristine and unreadable.
No, it wasn’t him who smiled—it was me. It was my inner voice that smiled.
Thinking nonsense like that, I swam aimlessly through a sea of gloom. Then Kalima, looking utterly amused, said brightly,
“What are you talking about? If you ask me, the captain’s the one who’s completely head over heels for you.”
