Chapter 46
“Thank you for telling us, sir. We haven’t been here very long.”
Cecilia answered quickly, smiling warmly. She spoke before Yuri could even respond.
He, who had just been about to open his mouth, chose silence instead. Leaving the reply to his wife might actually be the better option.
Fully aware that his manner of speaking was far from gentle, he decided to obediently seal his lips.
“You came at just the right time! This area isn’t usually so crowded, you know.”
The elderly man casually took the seat beside Cecilia and clapped his hands. With a shy smile, she continued in a light, humming tone.
“It’s only recently that things have gotten lively here. A lot of shops have opened too.”
She added proudly that there was quite a bit to see these days.
“I heard that tapestry artisans have started taking on apprentices.”
“Quite a few. They even came from other districts. …You really don’t seem to be from Tisher, do you?”
“I’ve only started coming into the city recently. I did hear that the ducal castle made an announcement not long ago.”
“Mm, that’s right. I hear the new Grand Duchess put in a lot of effort. A blessing, really….”
Murmuring that, the old man naturally accepted a piece of bread from Cecilia and began chewing.
Yuri, who had been quietly listening, cleared his throat. A faintly satisfied expression flickered across his face. When Cecilia happened to meet his gaze, she let out a soft laugh.
As Yuri awkwardly twitched his lips, the old man’s calm voice settled over them.
“Everyone complains that the land is barren, but not many people actually want to leave their hometowns. If it were developed properly, there’d be no reason to go. It’s only because that doesn’t happen that people start looking for work elsewhere.”
It was a bitter truth.
Yuri smoothed his expression and stared down at the ground.
The curse he had long ignored crept up and wrapped around his ankle. As if to shake it off, he nudged the dirt with the toe of his boot and muttered bluntly,
“I just hope spring comes soon.”
“Even if winter drags on, there’s nothing to fear as long as you prepare well for the cold.”
Chuckling, the old man brushed himself off and stood.
“Well then, I should be going. Enjoy yourselves. What a lovely couple.”
The words, gentle as a caress to Yuri’s heart, were a bonus.
Cecilia, still playing the role of “Sara,” merely smiled shyly, looking happy. That pleased him all the more.
“Quite hopeful, isn’t it?”
“It’s a bit embarrassing that you give me all the credit.”
“But isn’t it the truth?”
Yuri lifted his brow and turned toward her.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have thought to propose a deal to a major trading company.”
He gently brushed away a breadcrumb from the corner of her mouth with his thumb and let out a short laugh.
Cecilia’s cheeks warmed faintly as she hurriedly touched her lips. Meanwhile, people heading out for lunch gradually began to fill the streets.
The bright midday sun poured warmly over Cecilia and Yuri’s heads.
“It’s late, but I want to properly thank you. As the lord of this land—and as Yuri Berserk, personally.”
There was no arrogance, no irritability, no emotional distance.
Just simple, straightforward goodwill.
It felt surprisingly good.
As she looked at him, a faint warmth spread across Cecilia’s face as well.
“Likewise. Thank you for trusting me. If you hadn’t, this would’ve stayed nothing more than an idea in my head.”
Her pale face bloomed with a smile like a spring flower.
She held out her hand brightly, urging him to take it. After a brief hesitation, Yuri clasped it tightly.
As she tugged his lips upward playfully, his own awkward twitch gradually softened into a gentler expression.
The sharpness in his eyes eased. His distrust and wariness faded away.
‘No.’
They were already gone.
Sometime before yesterday—on a day she hadn’t even noticed. They had disappeared naturally, quietly.
Only now had she realized it.
With a strange feeling, Cecilia sensed the warmth of the hand she was holding.
It was rough, but warm—just like the way Yuri treated her.
Instead of letting go, she chose to grip it a little tighter.
“…What are you doing?”
A short, sharp jolt traveled up his arm. Though her grip wasn’t especially strong, Yuri looked clearly flustered. Soon, he relaxed his hand and let her hold it.
And at that moment—
Just as the sun peeked out again from behind the clouds—
‘Ah.’
A shallow breath of wonder slipped between her lips.
Chocolate-colored eyes reflected the golden sunlight, shining warmly. His well-shaped cheeks were gently flushed.
But more than anything—
That boyish smile drawn by his thin lips.
“Isn’t that a bit much staring?”
That shy voice.
“…This is kind of embarrassing.”
That wandering gaze, searching for somewhere to settle—
Cecilia felt her heart pounding hard enough to echo in her head.
And she suddenly thought—
How arrogant it had been, that verdict declaring she could never love the man before her.
The romance she thought buried had blossomed.
Solely because of the man standing in front of her—leaving her will no room to interfere.
The world remained peaceful. No life-threatening crises, no great calamities crashing into daily life.
Yet realization came to her all the same.
That felt a little strange.
Could it really be this quiet—the moment one realizes they are in love?
In the blink of an eye, her world had turned upside down, yet the ground beneath her feet remained solid, the sky unbroken.
There was no storm of petals, no glow around his face, no sweetened air.
No fierce flames burning through her heart.
Just one simple thought added itself.
‘I guess I liked this man more than I thought.’
Even so, the change it brought was immense.
There was no blazing heat, but she couldn’t deny the name of the feeling either.
Realizing that the way she looked at him had completely changed, Cecilia laughed in disbelief.
Wasn’t this far too sudden?
She hadn’t planned for this. She hadn’t prepared. It wasn’t even a special day—almost absurdly ordinary.
The moment she had imagined for realizing love should have been more beautiful, better prepared. Not something that happened in shabby clothes, amid noisy streets and distraction.
As she mentally listed her current situation, laughter kept bubbling up.
Even the Grand Duke, who looked at her with mild discomfort, added to her amusement.
“…That’s enough. You’re starting to make me uneasy.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Yuri withdrew his hand and spoke. Cecilia briefly clenched and released her fingers, then took a slow breath. Her cheeks were still lifted painfully high.
“Ah, this is fun.”
“What exactly is?”
“Just… everything.”
The Grand Duke shook his head, clearly not understanding. Seeing that, her throat tickled again, but Cecilia held it back.
There was one more thing different from what she had imagined.
‘The color of the fog is different.’
According to the books, the moment you realized love, you were supposed to be certain of the other person’s feelings too—and immediately whisper fervent confessions of love.
But the Grand Duke’s fog didn’t roil violently, nor was it tinged with red.
As for her own unseen fog, all she could do was guess at its color and density.
Even so, she didn’t dislike this humble moment.
In many ways, it was fascinating.
