CHAPTER~44
He let out a faint chuckle and carefully wiped the pie smeared on her cheek.
“……”
Seeing Frezen Decart up close again, it almost felt pointless to say it out loud, but he was breathtakingly handsome.
His eyelashes were thick and long enough to rival a woman’s, and his high nose bridge went without saying.
Of course, he had always been good-looking, both in the past and now, but perhaps because his atmosphere had changed so much from before, her eyes kept drifting back to him.
In the past, he mostly wore a frown and rarely smiled, so even though he was handsome, he gave off an intimidating impression.
Unlike then, he smiled often now, and perhaps because time had softened his gaze, it felt warmer.
Definitely…….
“……Madam, do you have something you want to say to me?”
“Huh, what?”
“You’ve been staring at me this whole time.”
The voice slipping between her thoughts snapped her back to her senses, and she hurriedly turned her gaze away.
Without realizing it, she had been absentmindedly admiring his face.
Even as time passed, that habit of hers really never went away.
“It’s nothing, really. I just had something on my mind. And thank you.”
“If that’s the case, then that’s a relief.”
Frezen Decart didn’t press further and simply shrugged.
When an awkward silence followed, she cleared her throat once and continued the conversation.
“Anyway, I’m glad you like it. I actually thought about it a lot. I wasn’t sure if Andra fruit would go well with pie.”
“It’s fine. It tastes good, and the texture is unique, so it’s fun to eat. Were you thinking of something like this when you said the merchant guild wanted to distribute Andra fruit?”
“Well, yes. If Andra fruit can be made edible, its value becomes limitless. So, Duke, isn’t the Decart family banquet coming up soon? What was it called again?”
“Are you talking about ‘Family Night’? The event hosted directly by the Council of Elders.”
“Ah, yes! That’s it. I was thinking it might be good to present dishes using Andra fruit there. What do you think?”
The Decart family held a family banquet once every quarter.
Despite the name, it was never a casual affair.
The elders took turns hosting it, and only those who received invitations could attend.
Without an invitation, even direct family members were barred from entry.
Not even the Duke himself was an exception.
It sounded absurd, but it was proof of how strong the elders’ influence was.
Collateral families or vassal houses that failed to attend would gradually be sidelined and lose their standing.
“It would be like a tasting event before正式 sales.”
She planned to present desserts made with Andra fruit at Family Night and gauge the reaction.
“It doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Andra fruit only grows in the North, so it’s rare, but since it’s inedible, it has no value.”
“But if we turn it into desserts, it’ll become a precious specialty of the North, which doesn’t really have one right now. The North doesn’t have tourist attractions due to its climate, and its position is kind of awkward as it is.”
On top of that, if the curse continued and the seasons stayed the same, there would be no way to develop other resources.
It’d be nice if there were something else we could make use of…….
Come to think of it, aren’t there a lot of mines in the Noscal Mountains?
I don’t know why, but mining operations in the North are currently suspended.
Obtaining Argenta from nearby mines might be the best option for now.
Should I ask the Duke about it?
She gathered her thoughts and spoke to Frezen Decart.
“Duke, um.”
“……”
“……Why are you smiling all of a sudden? It’s kind of weird.”
Frezen Decart’s face was filled with an inexplicable smile as he looked at her.
There was nothing funny in what she’d said, so why was he smiling?
Then, at his next words, she was left completely stunned.
“Because I can see you trying so hard. I wanted to say thank you.”
It seemed that, in his eyes, she looked like someone striving to save the North.
Well, to anyone else, it probably looked that way too.
Of course, her actions were entirely for her own benefit.
Still, being seen that way wasn’t bad.
If anything, it was good for her reputation.
“But now that I think about it, you’re calling me ‘Madam’ these days. You used to call me by my name.”
She wasn’t sure when it started, but recently, he’d been calling her Madam or ‘you’ far more often.
It felt so natural that she almost let it slide.
Frezen Decart smiled faintly and asked in a low voice.
“Why? Does it bother you?”
“It’s not that it bothers me, but…….”
“Then should I call you by your name like before? Evlyen Leella. Like this.”
“……”
“Evlyen Leella.”
His voice, far gentler than before, brushed against her ear.
As he smiled and looked straight at her, her heart began pounding wildly in response.
The two of them simply stared at each other in silence.
They weren’t doing anything, yet strangely, heat rose through her body.
Just as the air sank into an oddly charged stillness, as if something might happen—
“Bang!”
The lounge door flew open like a thunderclap.
“Haha! Greetings, Duchess. I heard you came to the training grounds, so I thought I’d stop by to say hello—”
“Aah!”
Startled out of her wits, she threw the piece of pie she was holding.
The pie landed neatly on someone’s face.
“……Oh? I can’t see, my lady. Duke.”
It was Elbian.
※ New character appeared: Elbian
‘What on earth—! Aah! I think I’ve lost my sense of smell too. It suddenly smells really sweet!’
‘Shut it, Elbian.’
After that, Elbian made a huge fuss, claiming he’d gone blind, until a single remark from Frezen Decart shut him up.
He was then scolded once more for coming to see the lady of the house without even dressing properly.
Ending the chaotic exchange, she went straight to look for Mela at the appointed time.
“Mela, are you in your room?”
Thinking her lessons should be over by now, she went to her room.
But strangely enough, Mela was nowhere to be found.
Night was approaching.
Where had she gone?
Worried that something might have happened, she looked around just as a maid entered.
“Madam! Are you looking for Miss Mela? I was just about to tell you when you came—”
“Yes. Do you know where Mela went? Her lessons shouldn’t still be going on.”
“Well, about that……”
The maid hesitated, repeatedly glancing at her as if choosing her words.
The longer the silence dragged on, the heavier her worry grew.
Just as she was about to urge her on, the maid finally spoke.
And at her next words, she couldn’t help but gape in shock.
“Actually, she just went to Lady Artemene’s estate. She said there was someone she wanted to eat pie with……”
“Welcome, Miss Mela! It must be cold, so please come inside quickly.”
Mela walked confidently to Artemene’s estate all by herself, without even bringing a maid along.
Rina, the maid who had been waiting eagerly for her arrival, hurriedly opened the door and greeted her warmly.
The two had grown quite close after what happened with Reia.
“Thank you for welcoming me, Rina. But, um, did Aunt really ask for me?”
Rina bent down to meet her eye level and whispered softly.
“Of course. I think it’s about Miss Reia. Honestly, I was surprised too. Aunt has never invited anyone else to the estate before.”
Mela’s eyes widened at that.
Her chubby cheeks flushed with pure joy.
“Th-then I’m the first? I’m so nervous. I’m excited!”
Realizing she was the ‘first,’ Mela grew visibly thrilled.
“Hehe. I’m excited too. What’s this? It looks heavy, so I’ll carry it. Please give it to me, Miss.”
Smiling warmly, Rina took the pie box from Mela’s small hands.
“Yeah! It’s a honey pie I brought to eat with Reia. My mom made it especially.”
“Oh my, really? Her Grace must be incredibly skilled with her hands.”
“Right?”
Holding hands, the two walked side by side, chatting happily.
Mela felt cheerful at the thought of seeing Reia again.
That day, Reia had clearly been afraid.
‘Reia is having a really hard time right now after losing her only older brother. So we have to protect her. Okay?’
Afterward, hearing a brief explanation about Reia from Evlyen Leella only made her feel more attached.
Perhaps this time, she’d be able to have the conversation they couldn’t back then.
But things were never destined to go smoothly.
“I’m sure Miss Reia will like it too.”
“I hope so!”
As laughter filled the air and the atmosphere stayed bright—
A shadow appeared, interrupting the two of them.
“Hey, you damn brat. Do you even know where you are?”
It was Lazar and Morris.
