IRBSGHC 09

Episode 09

Even after that, Jeremy seemed constantly busy fleeing whenever they happened to meet.

Sometimes it was in the dining hall, sometimes in the indoor garden, and other times in the library.

Each time, the child would startle as if struck by lightning and dash away like a lizard flicking its tail.

It was cute, yes—but it had been a week already. Not a single strand of hair had brushed between Felix, Jeremy, and me.

‘He says he’s busy, but Jeremy…’

Elia’s thoughts drifted as she walked down the corridor, and then she noticed a small figure.

Short limbs, a shock of curling pink hair—Jeremy.

Without thinking, she slipped behind a corner, hiding herself.

‘Was I always like this?’

The scars she carried from the marquis’s household had made her timid, overly cautious, and hesitant to approach anyone.

‘But I’ve decided to change.’

She found herself somewhat amused by this realization. Sixteen years had passed in idleness, but she would never live a life of regret again.

Before she realized it, Jeremy had come to stand right beside her. His steps were unusually heavy for a child.

“Hello, Jeremy.”

Elia stepped forward abruptly.

“Eek!”

Startled, Jeremy stumbled backward and tumbled to the floor.

Elia reached out instinctively to catch him, but her own body hadn’t fully recovered. They both collapsed together, and she felt a sharp pain in her wrist.

“Ouch…”

The child trembled slightly, head down, small body shaking.

“Jeremy, are you alright?”

She gently checked him all over, concerned he might have been hurt.

“Why do you keep doing this?!”

Jeremy shoved her hands away.

His green eyes burned into her with unspoken fury.

“Hmph! I know exactly why you’re doing this!”

“What… what do you mean?”

“Don’t talk to me!”

Even after shouting, his small shoulders continued to rise and fall with tension.

“Ah… so there’s a reason you avoid me. Can you tell me?”

Elia’s gaze softened, taking in his trembling form.

“No.”

“I see… you don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“……”

“Then, Jeremy… maybe someday, when you’re ready, you could tell me why? I’m very good at waiting.”

The nape of the child’s white neck flushed slightly pink.

“Hmph!”

He sprang up and brushed past her, leaving Elia seated, watching his retreating back.

‘Could it be the wounds from his stepmother that make him push me away?’

Elia’s thoughts wandered back to something Jeremy had said about his second mother in the past:

“The second Duchess my father took in was truly the worst.”

She realized she needed to understand what had happened between the former Duchess and Jeremy.

“Why are you sitting in this cold corridor? Are you staging a protest?”

A shadow fell over her thoughts.

It was Felix. He wore a white chiffon shirt and black trousers.

Seeing the muscles revealed beneath his clothes, Elia felt an odd familiarity.

‘Why does this feel so familiar?’

“So now, after drinking and teasing, you’re staging a protest?”

His lips twisted slightly, betraying a hint of dissatisfaction.

Hearing the mention of alcohol, Elia tilted her head, recalling her first night in the north.

“Excuse me? Did I… make a mistake that night…? Ah!”

She still had no memory.

Attempting to rise, she found herself sinking again as her wrist throbbed, swollen from the fall.

“Hah… what a fuss.”

“So… this is…!”

The heavy skirt made it nearly impossible to stand without bracing herself. Felix watched silently, then spoke again in a tone that held no patience.

“Are you planning to stay here all day?”

At his mildly scolding words, Elia opened her mouth to retort—but suddenly, she felt herself lifted off the ground.

“Wait, Your Grace!”

“Hah, so now you complain…?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“Never mind if you didn’t hear it. Can’t help it.”

Elia could only stare, bewildered, as Felix carried her briskly down the corridor.

‘What… is happening?’

She exhaled deeply, biting her lower lip. Her long, golden hair swayed like liquid waves with every stride he took.

Elia’s slender wrist was wrapped tightly in bandages. The physician had instructed her to avoid using it for the time being, then left the room.

Once the staff had departed, only Felix and Elia remained, the silence stretching between them.

“I—”

“You—”

They spoke simultaneously.

“You go first.”

“No, you speak first.”

Elia exhaled a short sigh and lifted her chin.

“When you moved me… could you give me a little warning next time?”

“Do I need to warn you about everything? Even when I’m helping, it’s a problem?”

Felix laughed, incredulous.

“I know your gesture is considerate, but I can walk just fine on my own.”

“With legs that might break from a light nudge?”

He glanced at her delicate legs, and she instinctively drew them closer beneath her skirt.

‘Was he always this way? I thought he was a little more refined.’

Elia knew she had changed from sixteen years ago, but Felix’s personality seemed different, too.

‘He used to be quieter, less… twisted…’

Whether he noticed her thoughts or not, he continued to watch her intently.

“Do you not remember when you drank?”

“No… I don’t. Did I… make some mistake?”

“Hmm. I can’t tell if you truly don’t remember or are pretending.”

Elia clenched her small hands tightly.

“Could you… explain what you mean?”

Felix’s doubt made her chest simmer with unease.

“…Enough. Let’s leave it.”

“Huh? Leaving it just like that?”

Elia frowned, perplexed.

“By the way… why are you looking for Jeremy so much?”

“Of course, I want to be close to him. The boy is just too lovely.”

Her lips curved unconsciously into a smile as she remembered the chubby, fluffy cheeks of the little boy.

“No ulterior motives?”

Felix’s dry, emotionless gaze met hers.

“I simply find the child adorable. Where’s the trick in that?”

“I suppose I can’t read your heart.”

“I’m just saying what I feel about what’s lovable.”

“……”

“If you don’t speak, no one will know how you feel.”

“……”

His brows furrowed slightly.

“And at least here, if I say how I feel, someone understands me.”

Perhaps she was too eager. Felix’s suspicious expression made her a little upset.

This is the place I’ve felt a sense of belonging… the North of Artizen. I might be too excited, too thrilled to be home.

“I’ve thought since the first time I saw you… you’re very direct. You say exactly what you mean.”

A brief silence hung, then he exhaled sharply and continued:

“No child can fully adapt to a constantly changing environment.”

“That’s true.”

“Especially since you came as the third Duchess.”

“…Did something happen between Jeremy and the previous Duchess?”

Felix paused, as if considering whether to answer.

“I’m not sure what good telling you would do.”

Her face fell with disappointment.

“But Your Grace, I—”

Knock. Knock.

A knock interrupted her words.

“Your Grace, it’s time for sword practice, but Jeremy has vanished again.”

“Jeremy?”

A steward had entered to deliver the news. Felix sprang to his feet, following Andrew out of the room.

Their footsteps echoed swiftly down the corridor.

He used to run away from sword practice before… and that hasn’t changed.

Elia immediately pictured the overgrown brush. That must be where he had gone.

But thinking now, Jeremy wasn’t mentally weak at all.

“Why does he dislike sword practice so much?”

Tilting her head, Elia stepped out to find him, heading toward the thorny thickets where only stubborn twigs remained.