Chapter 73
Could Berry’s existence really be accepted by other people?
No matter how gentle the bear might be, to those who had never witnessed his behavior themselves, he would ultimately look no different from a vicious beast.
What if, by revealing Berry’s existence to others, she ended up losing her friends?
At best, they would just try to stop me. But if the worst were to happen…
The future she imagined was horrifying.
Cecilia frowned and lightly tapped the tabletop with her fingertips.
On top of that, there was also the question of whether she even had the right to introduce her husband’s bear (allegedly) at her own discretion.
I haven’t even told my husband that I know Berry.
But if she revealed it now, it would be easier to ask for help someday should Berry face a greater danger.
And surely, sharing a secret was better than sneaking out alone and risking a catastrophe.
The scales in her heart, which had been tipping back and forth without rest, finally settled to one side.
Cecilia sent Ellie to fetch a book from the shelves, then summoned the knights guarding her into the room.
Dylan and Marcus stood before her with bewildered expressions.
Taking a deep breath, Cecilia whispered seriously.
“First, let me ask you something. Have either of you ever entered the Besborun Forest?”
“Only when heading toward the borderlands. Otherwise, no.”
“I’ve been there a few times. I’m a fairly devout man, you see.”
Marcus grumbled as he half-rose and clasped his hands together in a mock prayer. He flinched the moment Dylan glanced at him and quickly corrected his posture.
“Have you ever seen anything strange in the forest? Wild animals, for example…”
Cecilia trailed off, her lips parting slightly.
“…A bear, perhaps.”
Silence fell the moment she finished speaking. Their eyes, however, darted busily about. After exchanging brief glances, Marcus was the first to speak.
“Well… no, I haven’t seen one myself. Sir Ayer doesn’t seem to have either.”
At Marcus’s gesture toward where Dylan stood, his eyebrows twitched upward.
“I haven’t even heard any rumors.”
“I see.”
“If there were a bear, it wouldn’t be this quiet. Wouldn’t an entry ban have been issued until it was dealt with?”
“It’s not that dangerous.”
“…Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Cecilia shook her head lightly, brushing off Marcus’s curiosity, and turned her gaze toward the window.
Because of the falling snow, there were few people moving about outside.
I suppose I owe my husband an apology.
She planned to ask for his understanding—and forgiveness—once he returned, though she wasn’t confident he would grant it.
In any case, she had reached a conclusion.
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
Since her mind was made up—
“I want you to come to the forest with me.”
It was time to put her decision into action.
For men who were clearly perplexed, the knights obeyed her words surprisingly readily.
“Must you really go into the forest in this weather?”
No—perhaps “readily” wasn’t quite the right word.
Thinking so, Cecilia glanced sideways at Marcus.
“Today is the right moment. I’m sorry to spring such unpleasant work on you.”
“Oh, no, no! It’s not that I’m complaining!”
Panicking, Marcus even blurted out that she could think of him as no more than a mindless sword-wielding doll. He scratched his head roughly.
“You collapsed just the other day, didn’t you? If you end up bedridden again, I—ugh.”
Marcus shuddered as though the thought alone terrified him.
Yellow and blue mist swirled one after another over his chest.
Seeing that made Cecilia feel a little guilty, but now that they had come this far, she at least wanted to introduce Berry’s existence to the knights.
But I don’t know if Berry will show himself.
The weather was poor, and there was always the chance he would be wary of strangers and refuse to approach.
Even the timing was slightly off from her usual visits.
There were variables everywhere.
With a worried expression, Cecilia removed the hood of her cloak and looked around.
They had at least reached the spot where Berry usually appeared, so she planned to wait for a while.
If he doesn’t appear, I’ll have to explain everything in words.
Just as Cecilia was about to ask the knights to wait a moment—
—Grrrr…
A low rumble vibrated through the air. From between the trees, a bear emerged from the shadows.
The bear and the knights locked eyes.
—…
“……”
“……”
“Wait! Just wait!”
Cecilia cried out urgently, failing to notice the strange tension and silence.
She hurried forward and placed herself between the bear and the knights. Turning her back to the bear and facing the knights, she saw a deep navy mist ripple like the sea.
“Your Grace, this bear is—”
“I can explain. Please, just wait a moment.”
—Krrwoong!
“Berry, behave yourself.”
When she turned back and fixed him with a stern look, Berry flinched and snapped his open jaws shut.
If anything, that was fortunate. Without any complicated explanation, she had demonstrated that the bear was gentle enough to obey her.
“…Did you just call it Berry?”
“You must be surprised. Anyone would be.”
The fact that Marcus’s expression looked suspiciously like he was holding back laughter escaped Cecilia’s notice. Her heart was far too rushed to catch such subtleties.
“But as you can see, he’s not dangerous. At least, Berry isn’t.”
“Berry…”
—Krrwoong!
Dylan let out a long sigh. Watching him, the bear let out another short cry, as if protesting.
“Tsk.”
The moment Cecilia shot him a warning look, he quieted down again.
“…He listens to me well, too.”
Cecilia forced a light tone and tugged the corners of her lips upward.
The brief silence from the knights felt like an eternity.
She couldn’t tell whether their hesitation was a good sign or a bad one.
I just hope this can be resolved in a good way.
Still, if Dylan and Marcus viewed Berry as a dangerous creature, she was prepared to tell them even about the time she had nearly been attacked by monsters.
Determination filled Cecilia’s pale green eyes.
Dylan, who had been wearing a rigid expression, finally spoke in a heavy voice.
“May I ask, Your Grace, why you chose to introduce… Berry… to us?”
That was easy to answer.
“Since you’re responsible for my protection, you’ll likely be greeting him from time to time.”
“…With this bear?”
“Yes.”
Dylan sighed once more. Whether it stemmed from understanding or something else, she couldn’t tell.
Seeing his reaction, Cecilia suddenly felt a little embarrassed by how seriously she was introducing the bear. Her explanations grew longer as a result.
“I wanted to keep it hidden if possible, but since there’s been trouble even in the borderlands… for the sake of safety, I thought it was right to at least tell you.”
“I would like to say that was a wise decision, but this is…”
“I know. I know it sounds ridiculous to talk about safety when it comes to meeting a bear.”
—Kuuung…
Behind her, Berry—who had been quietly listening—nudged her with his nose.
That eased her embarrassment somewhat. Cecilia pressed her lips together, swallowed her shame, and continued slowly.
“You might think my judgment is flawed, but I’m completely sane. I know it’s hard to believe, but if you spend time together, you’ll see for yourselves that this bear is safe.”
“Your Grace.”
Dylan seemed about to say something more, then firmly closed his mouth.
Cecilia took that silence as hesitation born of concern.
Good heavens… naming a bear Berry, of all things…
The knights’ silence, however, had nothing to do with that at all.
