Chapter 55…………………………………………..
I looked up at Terrence in the tree and replied,
“No, I heard you.”
“Then why…”
“Can’t we talk after you come down first?”
I couldn’t see his face, which was frustrating. I had no idea what expression he wore or what emotion he felt toward me.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“…I just want to be alone for a while. I’ll come later, so you should leave first.”
“You’re not in serious pain, are you?”
“I’m fine.”
His voice and tone didn’t sound like a patient’s at all. That was a relief.
“Just… wanting to be alone?”
“Yes.”
Why would he suddenly want to be alone? Since meeting Terrence, this was the first time.
Honestly, I was curious, but it wasn’t my place to pry. Everyone has reasons to be alone sometimes.
Asking about such personal matters would be impolite. Even though we’d grown close recently, we weren’t completely open with each other.
Here, I decided to respect his feelings and step back.
“Alright. I’ll leave you be for now.”
“….”
“Oh, but I’ll report this much. The trial ended as I expected. It’s not the true conclusion, but there’s nothing we can do.”
“….”
“It’s all thanks to Tey for bringing the butler here. Thank you.”
“…Not at all.”
“Finally, you responded. Sorry for disturbing your break earlier. I couldn’t just stand by after hearing the butler said you didn’t look well.”
In the end, it had been unnecessary meddling.
“You… were worried?”
It was a careful question.
“Of course I was. If someone is unwell, especially my comrade…”
He paused, then spoke again.
“You can be surprisingly kind at times. Other times, you’re so cold.”
“Me?”
“That was a slip. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”
No! How could I pretend I didn’t hear that? That word made me extremely nervous.
“Are you angry at me?”
“Of course not.”
“Or did I do something wrong to you, Tey?”
“Never.”
His voice didn’t sound angry either. Not angry… but then what was this uneasy feeling?
I tried to recall. When he first asked why I had come, his voice was calm, low in tone, without malice.
Not anger, but… what was it?
“…Could it be that you’re sulking?”
“Absolutely not.”
His answer was resolutely firm. There’s a saying: a strong denial often implies the opposite.
“Ah, then you are sulking.”
“Absolutely not.”
It’s true that if you ask someone who is sulking if they are sulking, they’ll probably get annoyed. Let’s phrase it differently.
“Hmm, just guessing here… did I ever act cold or inconsiderate, upsetting you in the past?”
“…Never.”
The nuance said otherwise.
‘Did I really? When? Why?’
I racked my brain but couldn’t remember any instance.
Terrence had always been helpful and supportive, whether consciously or unconsciously, so I could hardly have been neglectful.
‘But if there was such a time, I can understand it.’
I remembered one moment when his behavior seemed slightly off. It quickly returned to normal, so I thought it was my imagination.
‘When exactly was that? A few days ago…’
Terrence let out a faint sigh.
“That’s why I said you should leave first. I’m sorry. Forget what I said earlier.”
“Just tell me why you were upset.”
“You really don’t intend to know, do you?”
“I do.”
If he wanted to be alone for personal reasons, I would gladly step aside. But if my actions caused his feelings, I needed to resolve them first.
“I think grudges should be addressed immediately. It’s a lesson I learned from a failed marriage, after my husband repeatedly avoided me.”
Terrence stayed silent for a while.
My neck hurt from looking up at him, so I plopped down, leaning against the tree trunk.
Seeing me settle in as if I wouldn’t leave, Terrence finally broke his silence.
“You really don’t need to worry. I’m usually like this.”
“Like what?”
“…After using my power, I sometimes talk nonsense. Yes, meaningless nonsense.”
“Is it because you’re tired?”
“You could say that.”
In short:
“Could it be that your true feelings just slip out because you can’t hide or cover them?”
“….”
Ouch, did I hit the mark too precisely?
“Haha. Just guessing. If that’s the case, I’m relieved.”
“Relieved? What do you mean?”
“Because now I know your true feelings. If I hadn’t, I’d feel bad for not knowing.”
A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers, cooling the early summer heat. Time had passed even as I’d been absorbed in the divorce. Finally, I had a moment to notice my surroundings.
I still couldn’t read Terrence’s thoughts or expressions, but one thing was clear: we were both feeling the breeze.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
“Oh, I remember now! It was then.”
“When then?”
“When you seemed a bit off. That night, when we had a toast at the terrace.”
“Ah…”
Hearing his hesitant voice confirmed it.
“The next day, I felt some discomfort again. I wondered what it was.”
I slowly recalled the events of that day, as vividly and in detail as possible.
That night, I had been restless after meeting Countess Wallis. Wandering aimlessly in the villa, I found him on the terrace drinking wine alone…
‘Something’s odd.’
Nothing significant had happened. I couldn’t recall saying or doing anything that might upset him… but maybe.
A memory flashed:
“I’m leaving the empire.”
Ah, that was the first time I’d told him about my post-divorce life plans.
It weighed on me because Laura and Sharon had shown disappointment when I told them.
“I’m sorry. My family is here in the empire, so I can’t follow. Of course, the job you introduce will be great, but… I can’t continue with you.”
“Too bad. I wanted us to be more than lawyer and client—maybe even share a drink together.”
For Terrence, this wasn’t simply disappointment. He had been the greatest help in my divorce.
‘Supporting me behind the scenes, giving me a place to stay, financially backing me, volunteering as my guard…’
Yet I had immediately spoken as if I were leaving the country—he must’ve been annoyed.
‘No, I’ll reward him properly!’
If the value of the abandoned mine in Andala became clear, I could repay him several times over and provide the rare jewels freely.
The problem: all of this sounded like an impossible future—he might think I was a scammer. How could I explain?
“Tey, are you listening?”
“I am.”
“Although I seem pathetic now, I will rise one day.”
“Hmm?”
“This isn’t baseless. Actually, I’ll tell you alone—I have a promising investment. Life is one big shot; if this succeeds, it could be a complete turnaround…”
Wait, what am I saying? It sounds like I’m trying to rope him into an investment!
“Anyway! What I want to say is I want to help you however I can.”
I stopped the rambling explanation and simplified my message.
“Tey, you’re an important ally and comrade. Wherever I am, if you need help, contact me anytime!”
I added a few more words hastily.
“You don’t need a reason to reach out. I’ll write often, and when I come to the empire, I’ll visit you personally.”
It was messy, but it was sincere.
“I’m not joking. My investment is in the empire anyway, so I’ll be here. We’ll keep seeing each other, so don’t worry about me running off.”
Even after hearing me, Terrence was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke:
“We’ll keep seeing each other.”
“Exactly.”
“…I see.”
As if he’d learned something new. Had he thought I was just being polite before?
“Ah.”
His voice softened slightly.
“I want to clear a misunderstanding. I don’t think you’d just take help and leave.”
“Oh, you didn’t?”
“Of course not. You even taught me the herbal tea recipe. Without it, I’d have suffered from headaches my whole life.”
“Oh, right. The herbal tea… I forgot.”
“That’s unlike you. You must be tired from the trial.”
“Partly, yes.”
But more importantly:
“I guess I was flustered because you were cold, Tey.”
Suddenly, the conversation halted.
“Not… I didn’t mean you were really cold—just that I felt that way for a moment…”
“It was because of me?”
“I’m not blaming you!”
As I instinctively stood, something dropped into my view from above. I realized it was Terrence, hanging upside down.
Perched on a thick branch, he repeated the same question, eyes wide:
“It was because of me?”
