Chapter 55
“We’ll have to find that out starting now. Whether something like this has happened before, and if it has, how much the cycle shortened—we need to check all of that.”
Yuri pressed hard against his brow as if he had a headache. After letting out a sigh, his dark brown eyes fixed on the two knights standing before him.
“But that’s not what I called you here for.”
Even by his own assessment, Yuri wasn’t particularly talented at gathering information.
Then why did you summon us?
Swallowing nervously, Dylan tensed. A monster subjugation? Closing off the forest? Whatever it was, she would carry it out without fail.
Just as Yuri wet his dry lips with his tongue—
“Stay by the Grand Duchess’s side and guard her closely.”
“…Pardon?”
The unexpected order slipped from his lips.
It was far milder than anything she had imagined.
“I can’t always be by her side. Especially when I head out to the borderlands.”
With his arms crossed, Yuri’s fingers tapped restlessly against his forearm. For a moment, he almost looked frightened.
There was no doubt this incident had left him extremely on edge.
Considering his wife had nearly met a tragic end, that was only natural.
…Were Their Highnesses always this close?
It was an unfamiliar sight.
Tilting her head in confusion, Dylan soon folded away the lingering doubt and bowed her head to accept the order.
She had no authority beyond that.
And surely the same went for the loafer standing beside her.
“You and the Grand Duchess seem awfully close these days. You’re even giving orders like this.”
“Sir Nodin.”
The moment that cheerful question escaped him, Dylan shot him a warning glare as she called his name.
Marcus hurriedly smacked his arm with a loud thwack and was about to stammer out an apology when—
“I think I’m starting to understand… what it means for something to be precious.”
As if acting on impulse, Yuri clenched his hand tightly once before releasing it, murmuring in a calm voice.
He stared blankly at his now-empty palm for a moment, then withdrew his hand and returned to his usual surly expression, as though nothing had happened.
“So pay close attention.”
He finished lightly, but a faint blush had already crept onto his cheeks.
Neither Dylan nor Marcus dared to comment.
The expression that had briefly crossed his face had been far too tender.
Yuri glared sharply at the knights who stood there gaping at him, mouths hanging open.
“What are you staring at?”
“Ah—yes. Uh. Right.”
Marcus finally snapped his mouth shut and awkwardly changed the subject, though the shock hadn’t completely faded from his face.
“So we’re only responsible for guarding the Grand Duchess?”
“Yeah. But if she tries to go somewhere alone, don’t block her path. Pretend you didn’t notice and follow her quietly.”
The mission just became twice as difficult.
Groaning as he rubbed his chin, Marcus snapped his fingers.
“And if she tries to go into the forest?”
“My first instinct is to tell you to stop her.”
Yuri sighed heavily, his displeasure clear.
But outright stopping her wasn’t ideal either—he still hadn’t finished investigating why the curse seemed to weaken when he was near his wife.
Since there had clearly been a change in the curse, it would be better to observe what happened when he stayed close to her in his bear form.
…That’s just an excuse, though.
A small—very small—part of him also wanted to enjoy being doted on by his wife a little longer.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Yuri gave a short nod.
“Even if she enters the forest, don’t stop her. But if it looks like she’s met me, judge the situation and withdraw if needed.”
“Got it. And we should pretend we don’t know about the bear?”
“For now.”
“Should we keep this from the other knights as well?”
“Do that.”
Marcus, his expression now more serious, bowed his head.
Dylan followed suit, biting her lip.
For something he treasured so dearly, there were far too many secrets surrounding it…
Her blue eyes filled with concern as she squeezed them shut.
Still, this wasn’t a matter she had any right to advise on.
Three days had passed since the Grand Duke returned to the castle.
Short as the time was, Cecilia’s daily life had changed slightly.
“Good morning, Your Grace. I’m here instead of Sir Ayer today~”
First, she had been assigned a dedicated escort.
“Good morning, Sir Nodin. Your nose looks a bit red—must be cold outside.”
“Ah, Rotleben’s always like this. You’re the one who should dress warmly, Your Grace!”
Perhaps because they’d seen each other a few times over the past months, the atmosphere wasn’t as stiff or tense as she’d expected.
After exchanging friendly greetings, Cecilia smiled faintly.
She felt a twinge of guilt upon hearing she’d been assigned extra guards, but it didn’t seem like what she experienced in the forest had been discovered.
They just said some strange activity was observed near the border.
From the way it was mentioned in passing, it didn’t seem serious enough to warrant an evacuation yet. Still, assigning guards meant it wasn’t something she could ignore.
Keeping a calm expression, Cecilia lowered her gaze to the desk.
And then there was the second change: whenever she thought of the borderlands, the image of that monster surfaced alongside it.
Under the desk, Cecilia pressed her fingertips together, trying to suppress the tremble.
It might get better with time, but for now, the sudden waves of fear were difficult to endure.
Closing her eyes briefly to steady her breathing, she shook off the thoughts and picked up the documents again.
Forcing herself to focus on the dense lines of text helped, at least a little.
She reviewed the applicants who had volunteered to come north, filtering out those with questionable backgrounds, and issued residence permits.
Soon, people from all over Terrasilon would be heading to Rotleben.
Preparing housing for them and repairing the roads was more than enough to keep her busy.
She didn’t have time to sink into idle thoughts.
All that’s left is to review this with my husband.
Since the day she’d been attacked by the monster, she’d buried herself in paperwork, and thankfully, progress had been swift.
As she set aside the documents meant for the Grand Duke, Cecilia grimaced as phlegm suddenly clogged her throat.
“Cough—khm!”
“Oh dear, you really should dress more warmly. Shall I have some tea brought in?”
Ignoring Ellie’s glare that clearly said don’t steal my job, Marcus tilted his brows in concern.
Covering her mouth, Cecilia shook her head slightly and cleared her throat.
She’d thought her condition had improved lately.
But perhaps the shock had weakened both her mind and body—illness had crept in quickly.
Swallowing back another cough, Cecilia’s gaze drifted to the side of her desk.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she checked the date once more, organized her papers, and stood up.
“No need for tea. Sir Nodin, if you don’t have any other duties, there’s somewhere I’d like you to accompany me.”
“My only job is protecting you, Your Grace.”
Marcus replied smoothly, then lowered his voice slightly.
“But where exactly would that be…?”
