Chapter 59
Despite her resolve to take the priest’s advice to heart, Cecilia found that she had very little time to spend close to her husband after he returned from the borderlands.
First of all, her husband was simply far too busy.
Yuri was constantly receiving reports, heading out, and then returning again. As the days passed, fatigue piled visibly onto his face, to the point where she felt bad even trying to stop him.
On top of that, Cecilia herself was overwhelmed with preparations to accommodate the outsiders, frantically clearing her schedule. Naturally, the only time the two of them really saw each other was during dinner.
Even then, it was difficult to strike up a long conversation with Yuri, who was so exhausted from his daily work that he barely spoke.
Cecilia took a sip of water and glanced at him.
The hand cutting the meat with a knife looked unusually weak.
She knew it might only look worse because of her concern, but she couldn’t help worrying.
In the end, Cecilia paused her meal and asked him,
“Are you… really okay?”
“…Huh?”
Only after about three seconds did Yuri lift his head in surprise.
It was as if he had only just realized that Cecilia was speaking to him.
“You look like you’re in pretty bad shape. Your complexion, um… doesn’t look very good.”
After letting out a brief hum, Yuri set down his cutlery and lightly rubbed his face.
His skin felt a little rougher than usual, but since he’d never paid much attention to such things, he couldn’t be sure.
“I’m fine. This much isn’t hard at all.”
Knowing that his wife was particularly attentive to other people’s health, he said it to reassure her.
And he genuinely believed it himself.
He had been diligently managing his stamina precisely for times like this. Compared to others, he was confident he was still doing well.
Above all, when he thought of the burdens he carried, he couldn’t afford to collapse here.
As Yuri vaguely recalled the matters occupying his mind these days, he picked up his utensils again.
“Anyway, it’s not something you need to worry about.”
With those words, he firmly cut off Cecilia’s concern and focused on eating.
Seeing his body language clearly signal the end of the conversation, Cecilia bit her lip and lowered her gaze to her plate as well.
Then, as if making a decision, she lifted her head again.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Instead of answering, Yuri continued moving his hands. The clinking of dishes rang uncomfortably.
Eventually, he let out a deep sigh and lowered his hands.
“I told you. It’s nothing serious.”
He tried to stop there, but when he noticed Cecilia’s expression wasn’t good, he hesitantly continued explaining.
“It’s similar to what you’re dealing with. It’s been hundreds of years since Rotleben accepted this many people at once. We’re just preventing possible accidents, checking if anything needs fixing, reinforcing security personnel… that’s all.”
It sounded plausible.
If Yuri hadn’t been summoned so frequently by the defense forces, Cecilia might have believed him.
In the end, she carefully voiced the question she had buried deep in her heart.
“…Did something happen at the borderlands?”
She herself had encountered monsters that seemed to have slipped out from the borderlands, so it wasn’t impossible that others had gotten through the army’s defenses.
Dylan’s recent absence. Marcus’s silence about it. And now Yuri’s vague excuses.
For some reason, her unease kept growing.
It might be needless worry. But she was afraid that if she let it go unchecked, she might regret it later.
Yuri met her gaze with an expressionless face, one that was difficult to read.
Just as Cecilia’s eyes were about to drift lower—
“No. I think you’re worrying too much.”
Yuri replied lightly, letting out a small chuckle.
When she checked the mist’s color afterward, it was perfectly ordinary. It wasn’t flickering, nor was its density changing erratically.
Was she really just being suspicious for no reason?
As Cecilia frowned slightly, she listened closely to his added explanation.
“When I went to inspect the borderlands last month, there was a monster issue. But I took care of it properly this time. Since then, I’ve been receiving regular reports from the defense forces, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Yuri’s dark brown eyes gazed steadily at her.
Meeting his unwavering stare, her anxiety seemed to gradually fade.
After looking into his eyes for a moment, Cecilia nodded and picked up her utensils again.
“…I see. Thank you for explaining.”
“Anytime.”
With a slightly playful tone, Yuri continued his meal, his hands noticeably more energetic than before.
For a moment, Cecilia wondered if she had simply misinterpreted a reaction born of exhaustion.
Did my nerves get sharper after visiting the temple?
Perhaps the shock she’d felt that day had changed how she treated those around her.
I don’t want to make the people around me tired just because I’m not feeling well.
Between focusing on work related to accepting the outsiders and everything else, her body and mind must have been worn down.
She needed rest.
Reflecting a little, Cecilia finished her meal.
All the while, she failed to notice that the mist above Yuri’s chest trembled, ever so slightly, with unease.
Even when she tried to rest, nothing in particular came to mind.
Something I can do while resting…
Cecilia leaned back languidly in a rocking chair, deep in thought.
Reading? Drawing? Sleeping all day?
Normally, those would have worked—but at least the last option couldn’t be considered rest for Cecilia.
Spending her childhood lying in bed all day had been more than enough.
Drawing… she didn’t want to enter the forest for a while, so that was out.
Then maybe going out into the city…
She didn’t even want to wear clothes similar to what she’d worn on the day of the attack.
That left reading as her only real option.
Pouting slightly, Cecilia got to her feet. Since things had come to this, she resolved to spend a day or two immersed in novels she hadn’t had time to read.
Perhaps because summer was approaching and there was less snow, even a short walk lifted her mood considerably.
It was still cold, but simply basking in more sunlight was enough.
Cecilia altered her plan of heading straight to the archive and turned into a different corridor instead.
Even if it meant a detour, she intended to walk longer.
Her footsteps echoed softly through the empty hallway. As she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, she suddenly sensed an unfamiliar sound mixed in with her steps and stopped.
Focusing carefully, she caught faint voices.
“…Then this time I’ll—”
“…Niji! Why do you always—!”
High, light voices, almost like birds chirping.
Children’s voices.
Only then did Cecilia realize she had wandered near the children’s playroom.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she suppressed her presence and moved toward the source of the sound.
The closer she got, the clearer the children’s voices became.
“This time it’s my turn to be the es—escort!”
“It’s escort, not ‘escotten’! You idiot!”
They were boys’ voices.
At their raised, argumentative tones, Cecilia paused slightly. The word they were using didn’t seem like something children would normally say, and her curiosity was piqued.
She peeked her head out.
Two boys were glaring at each other, voices raised, with a girl between them who looked completely flustered.
One of the boys was familiar to Cecilia as well.
