Chapter 33
When I avoided answering, he fixed his gaze on me and spoke as if pleading.
“Hmm, since you saved me… shall we do that?”
“If I get the chance, I’ll gladly take the credit.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
In the end, I burst out laughing. Come to think of it, it felt very similar to when I saved him in the North back then.
At the time, he was in a far more pitiful state, and compared to that I thought I had been relatively fine. But since I’d been bedridden for three days, maybe I was the unsightly one after all.
Grrrkk.
The moment the sound rang out, I widened my eyes and hurriedly covered my stomach with my hand. And before I knew it, I looked straight at Valery.
…Did he hear that? Why here of all places? It felt like I was putting on a full display of every possible embarrassing moment.
My worry proved pointless when I saw the gentle curve of his lips lifting upward. He had definitely heard it. With my stomach growling so loudly, it was like I was reenacting the exact situation from when I saved him back then.
“This is just—”
“It seems I’ll end up bothering you again.”
Instead, he held his own stomach and spoke weakly. In other words, he was saying he was hungry.
“…Seriously.”
At my response, Valery smiled faintly and tugged on the bell rope.
As if they’d been waiting for the signal, attendants pushed in a cart filled with food.
Once we finished eating, I’d have to return and deal with work again.
Using the spoon he handed me, I stirred the soup in front of me, then deliberately savored it slowly, as if trying to buy time.
And the next day, I left that surprisingly cozy place and returned to reality.
Ian, who had been waiting with the carriage ready at the villa entrance, quietly followed behind the carriage carrying me. The moment I stepped down, he once again attached himself to my side like a familiar shadow.
After several days away, returning home felt strangely unfamiliar.
I stopped just before entering the house, after Valery’s carriage had completely disappeared.
I had tried not to look, but in the end it bothered me, and I checked Ian’s face.
Whether Lord Schwald had punished him or he’d been injured while taking down Iskar’s hounds, there were quite a few wounds on his face.
“Did you get proper treatment?”
I deliberately spoke curtly.
“Yes. You don’t need to worry.”
“…Do you have anything else to say?”
He bowed his head slightly. With my question, both of us fell silent.
After all, it was I who had ordered him to “leave the lower floor empty for a while.”
I hadn’t expected things to blow up that very day, the same day Lord Schwald summoned Ian, but regardless, he was the one who helped loosen security.
I wanted to test the meaning of his words when he said he would do anything for me.
Whether he would truly become my hands and feet, or remain Lord Schwald’s personal property.
And he had kept his word, taking full responsibility for everything.
“I’m glad you returned safely.”
The reply was very Ian-like. It always had been. Neither overly polite nor affectionate, neither stiff nor warm, just dry and even.
Seeing his still-calm expression, I nodded.
“Is Mother inside?”
“She said she’d return after sunset.”
“And Lord Schwald?”
“He’s been inside since morning.”
“That’s good.”
With that, I walked past the door Ian opened and went inside.
Lord Schwald, who had been sitting on the sofa, jumped to his feet.
“Bella, are you alright?”
He rushed over and pulled me into an embrace, then held my shoulders and anxiously checked my face and body for injuries, as if confirming with his own eyes that I’d returned safely. His face was filled with worry, like someone who hadn’t slept for days.
Valery, Lord Schwald, Ian… It seemed none of them had slept while I’d been unconscious.
I’d expected him to simply check briefly and leave, so I was a little surprised. I gave him a faint smile.
Then I noticed a deep scratch on Lord Schwald’s face. Had he been injured while working? Or had something else happened? He probably hadn’t clashed directly with Shale. Until he confirmed the existence of the pocket watch himself, he would act cautiously.
“You must have been very worried. I’m sorry. I let my guard down.”
“What nonsense. I was the careless one.”
It seemed that while I was gone, Lord Schwald had turned Iskar into half a wasteland.
Yes, no matter how thoroughly Shale Iskar erased traces, he couldn’t have wiped everything clean. And the very fact that they planned to kidnap me was likely damage Lord Schwald had anticipated.
Even so, I believed I’d given him information valuable enough for him to accept those losses.
Before he could ask, I brought up the kidnapping myself and explained why the Second Prince had come to rescue me.
“But no matter how much I think about it, I don’t understand. Why kidnap me? What would they even gain?”
As I said that, I pressed a hand to my heated forehead.
“I find that questionable as well. I thought they wanted an all-out war, but they claimed it was a misunderstanding.”
Then I met Lord Schwald’s narrow gaze. I couldn’t tell if it was suspicion or contemplation.
“You’re not caught up in a power struggle, are you?”
“I wouldn’t stoop to a power struggle with a greenhorn.”
“Then that’s a relief. You and Mother are safe. Um, Mother is safe too, right?”
Lord Schwald straightened his posture and nodded.
“Of course she is. I’ll handle the Duke Ludwig matter properly as well. I owe you an apology in many ways.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I’ll reselect the guards properly with only trustworthy men, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you for taking care of it. You must already be busy with work.”
“Protecting you is what matters most.”
Despite his words, there was something inscrutable in his gaze that kept me from feeling fully at ease.
“I think we’ll need one or two more maids to attend me. There’s a lot more to do than when we were in Siseta. I was recently invited to a tea party, so I might have to invite them in return.”
“Alright. I’ll arrange it.”
“With reliable girls, please.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
What finally eased the atmosphere was me pretending to be ill. My fever hadn’t gone down, so when I pressed my forehead and brushed my hair back, Lord Schwald soon stood up.
“Ah, you should rest first. I’ll come back in the evening.”
“With Mother?”
“Yes. She was very worried about you.”
“I didn’t want to trouble her… but please tell her that I’ve grown fairly close to the Second Prince this time. Even though it was an accident, it wasn’t a complete loss.”
“……”
Lord Schwald stared at me silently.
“Lord Schwald?”
“Bella.”
“Yes?”
He called my name once more, then fell silent again, just looking at me.
What kind of look was that? It seemed heavy, weighed down by something.
“…It’s nothing. I really should go now.”
“Yes. Please be careful. I’ll see you again this evening.”
“Alright. Get plenty of rest until then.”
Only after Lord Schwald left did I fully sink into the sofa and relax.
“Ian.”
With a few footsteps, I felt him come closer.
“Yes, young lady.”
“…Next time, it won’t end with just punishment. Lord Schwald is that kind of person. Even if he looks kind, what’s inside isn’t. You know that, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
“And yet, your resolve hasn’t changed? I need people on my side, but I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.”
Leaning back on the sofa, I looked at him with only my eyes open. He stepped right in front of me.
Ian bent one knee and knelt, lowering his head as if pledging loyalty.
“It was my choice.”
For a long while, neither of us spoke.
Ian showed no sign of standing, and I kept my eyes closed, maintaining the silence for quite some time.
Debating whether to speak, and whether doing so would poison us both.
With my eyes still closed, I let out a deep sigh.
“Why did you change your name?”
It used to be Jess.
When I opened my eyes and turned my head, I saw Ian’s body sway slightly. He looked genuinely startled, which was rare.
“…You knew?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t recognize someone I saved?”
The blank look on Ian’s face cracked. After blinking a few times, he dropped his head.
“I assumed you wouldn’t remember.”
Then he lifted his head again, and unlike Ian, he was smiling.
The first time I met Ian was when I was eight years old. It had been a cold winter then, too.
If my memory serves me right, I was wearing a thick black fur coat and a black shapka Lord Schwald had bought for me. Clothes that had been delivered fresh that very morning.
Even back then, I really loved dark colors.
As a child, I clung more to Lord Schwald than to my mother, finding him gentler, so whenever I had the chance, I stayed by his side. That day was no exception.
