Chapter 70
I looked at Arbel carefully.
Tall enough to rival most knights, with a lean yet sturdy build.
I had assumed he might be around our age…
“Really… seventeen?” I asked.
“Yes! I’ll come of age next year!”
He smiled proudly.
At that moment, a dry cough came from beside me.
Turning my gaze, Denoc’s expression seemed unusually tense.
He had been silent for a while, then spoke quietly:
“So, he’s still a minor, then.”
A strange stillness hung across the table.
So you also thought of him as an adult, like I did.
I raised my glass to lightly cover my mouth.
And just like that, the meal ended somewhat awkwardly.
Arbel left, patting his satisfied stomach, and returned home safely after recovering his energy.
After preparing myself, I rested my head on the bed and reflected on the earlier events.
“I was surprised. Melissa and he are only two years apart.”
“…….”
“I could sense that Your Highness was surprised as well.”
“……Yes.”
“Oh, come to think of it, you seemed uneasy throughout the meal… was something wrong?”
“……Nothing.”
Oddly, his response today felt slower than usual.
When I looked at him with suspicion, Denoc tilted his head slightly.
Was it something difficult to say? I shrugged and changed the subject.
“Anyway, it’s amazing that he developed this technique at such a young age.”
Denoc quietly nodded in response.
“Perhaps… there are many who would covet it and try to lure him. Since he’s an orphan, someone could suddenly appear claiming to be family.”
Now that I thought about it, even in the original story, he had hidden his identity while working. That was why it was hard to imagine he could be so young.
I replied firmly:
“Yes. We need strength for ourselves too, to protect him and the Markana alliance. Strength to make sure no one leaves.”
“Strength, huh…”
A short silence followed, then a soft chuckle.
Denoc was smiling, his expression lighter.
He brought up an unexpected topic.
“You received help from your wife again this time, didn’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
“If you hadn’t visited the workshop street in person, it’s likely Arbel’s research would still be considered impractical, and you wouldn’t have supported him.”
“……That’s true.”
“You also wouldn’t have personally assisted others’ research, I imagine.”
He looked at me and said:
“You always give me new experiences, my wife. Not just Arbel, you are essential to this territory as well.”
For a moment, I pressed my lips together and looked away.
There was another truth I hadn’t revealed yet: the reason I wanted to keep Arbel close.
Partly, it was so he could gain the strength to escape his father’s control.
And to bring the heroine of the original story here, I need fame and money.
I needed power to reach out to a saint like her.
But Denoc, unaware of this, stared at me for a long while before lowering his head.
His soft lips lightly touched mine and pulled away.
He would know it needed to be stronger for magic control, yet…
While my gaze wavered, his low voice brushed against my ear.
“Yes. To protect something, one needs strength. I will grow the power of the Duchy.”
Night had deepened.
The moon, finally showing its full self after a long time, slowly pushed away clouds with a gentle breath.
When the clouds cleared and moonlight spilled across the sky, Denoc opened his eyes slowly.
Edith slept soundly beside him.
He rose quietly and left the room.
Passing down the dark, silent corridor, he reached the Marquis’ room.
The door, tightly sealed with magic, had remained untouched for years—a place that existed only in old memories.
Any outsider opening it would be burned instantly.
Yet Denoc reached out without hesitation.
Magic would never fail to recognize its master.
At his fingertips, a faint glow appeared.
The large circular magic circle unfolded.
The magic radiating from it swiftly coursed through Denoc’s body, soft blue lines rotating gently as the door clicked open.
Pushing it carefully, a long-accumulated scent of dust hit his senses.
A space never entered since Denoc became Duke.
His father’s graceful smile seemed to greet him.
He hadn’t taken down his father’s portrait.
“…….”
He approached the central pedestal, staring blankly at his father.
On it lay a pair of rings.
Each had a refined magical gem embedded in a smooth curve, a deep blue almost navy in color.
They were the family’s vow rings, passed down through generations of the Luciano family.
The only inheritance left intact amid the ashes of that day.
“Someday, when Denoc finds someone he truly loves, someone he wishes to spend his life with, give them this.”
The Luciano family had always possessed immense magical power.
When emotions surged, they could unconsciously harm those around them.
Hence, this ring was made so that a single person—their partner—would be safe from any danger.
A wearer of the ring would be shielded from the Duke’s magic.
Thus, giving the ring was always a serious decision.
Even though Denoc had become Duke, some had reached the rank of Duchess without ever receiving the ring.
But Denoc did not hesitate.
He drew a small dagger from his pocket and pricked his thumb.
Blood dripped onto the ring but did not spread; it was absorbed by the magical gem.
The deep navy color briefly shifted to a dark blue-black before stabilizing again.
“……So my magic never harms her.”
He didn’t know if she would be by his side for a year or a lifetime.
But he wished that at no moment would she be harmed because of him.
“…….”
‘No, might as well be a little more honest.’
Denoc raised the corners of his mouth in a wry smile.
Since he was alone here, no one could judge him for revealing the desires stirring in his heart.
After composing himself, he lifted the ring and pressed a deep kiss to it, reaffirming his vow for a long moment.
His violet eyes burned with possessive intensity.
He intended to make that moment last a lifetime.
The next day.
“About the banquet?”
I was surprised by the topic while having tea with Denoc.
Looking up at him, he set down his teacup and nodded.
“I thought about how to restore the power of the Duchy yesterday.”
I listened intently to his words.
“Recovering our past reputation for magical prominence seems best. To do so, we should present advanced techniques to them.”
“You plan to showcase them at the banquet, then.”
His fingertip tapped the teacup.
Vibrations spread from the wall, shaking the crimson tea inside, eventually reaching the center.
“Our technology should not remain confined to a single isolated territory. It must be shared widely, so both the territory and we can reclaim our position.”
It was not just a simple banquet.
It was the first stage for our future, and the moment the Duchy’s power would be clearly visible.
“But…”
His voice grew heavy for a moment.
“If we hold the banquet, Duke Sertia will come as well. Your father, that is.”
I inhaled quietly.
