Chapter 39
Unaware of Sebastian’s inner turmoil, Erika took a sip of her juice.
She seemed to be in a good mood, humming a light tune.
“How was it?”
“Yes! I really enjoyed it. The people were kind, and it’s such a beautiful place. I felt like everyone here is happy and proud to live in this town.”
Erika answered with a shy, bashful smile.
Every word was laced with sincerity.
A faint, soft smile also appeared on Sebastian’s lips.
He wasn’t displeased. In fact, he felt good.
This was his land.
If even Erika, who was practically a foreigner here, could see the people this way—
Then it was as good as receiving a positive report card.
So Sebastian felt as if he had just been acknowledged by Erika.
The atmosphere surrounding the two of them was quite peaceful.
Joanna and Milrod, who had been watching from behind, exchanged meaningful glances.
Making the excuse of checking the carriage, they tactfully gave the two some privacy.
Not that Erika and Sebastian exchanged any particularly special conversation once left alone.
Erika continued to snack while watching the people moving about in the square.
But Sebastian was different.
With a somewhat uneasy expression, the boy silently fidgeted with something in his pocket.
After a while, he finally took a deep breath.
His expression was serious, as if he had made a firm decision.
Clutching the object he’d been toying with, he suddenly pulled it out from his pocket and held it out toward Erika.
“Here. Take this.”
Her pleasant humming came to an abrupt stop.
“What is it?”
Sebastian met Erika’s now-wide eyes.
Her golden irises were full of curiosity as she looked back and forth between his face and what he was holding.
He lightly shook the pouch in his hand, as if urging her to hurry up and take it.
Startled by the gesture, Erika accepted the offered pouch, though she didn’t dare open it right away.
She just looked up at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
“Ahem… Well, it’s nothing special.”
Sebastian awkwardly cleared his throat instead of answering.
As Erika’s curious golden eyes followed his face persistently, he scratched the back of his neck and murmured in a slightly smaller voice,
“It just… reminded me of you, so I bought it.”
“Take a look.”
When he added that softly and gestured with his chin, Erika finally lowered her gaze to the item in her hands.
The small pouch, shaped like a drawstring cooking bag, was tied at the top with a leather cord.
Placing it on her thigh, Erika carefully untied the string using both hands.
After loosening the knot, she tilted the pouch over her palm.
Soon, something slipped out.
“This is…!”
Erika gasped unconsciously.
What Sebastian had given her was a silver thread necklace.
Mouth agape, she turned toward him with astonished eyes.
Sebastian, now red in the ears, looked away and stared off into the distance.
“Lord Duke… What is this, exactly?”
“It’s really not a big deal. I just heard your father sent a ring recently.”
“Ah…”
Erika’s thick lashes fluttered rapidly.
The girl had instantly recognized it as belonging to her birth mother, Julia, but to someone unaware of the situation, it likely seemed like a gift from Jonathan Blanche.
When she first received it, she had burst into tears in Madame Alma’s arms and had kept it close ever since.
So Sebastian probably already knew how much Erika cherished the silver thread ring.
As expected, he brought it up next.
“I happened to see it… The ring looked a bit big for you to wear on your finger.”
Erika instinctively touched the pouch that held the ring.
Sebastian, noticing the gesture, cleared his throat again and continued.
“At first, I thought about resizing it to fit your finger, but… I figured maybe you wouldn’t want that.”
“Oh, no. I like it the way it is.”
Erika held the pouch even tighter.
Sebastian nodded firmly and went on.
“So I bought this. I thought maybe you could wear the ring on the necklace.”
“Ah…”
Her grip on the pouch loosened.
Reaching again for the silver thread necklace lying on her thigh, Erika’s chest stirred with emotion at Sebastian’s thoughtfulness.
“Th-Thank you… I never thought of doing that…”
“It’s really nothing.”
Looking a bit embarrassed, Sebastian reached out his hand.
“Give it here. I’ll do it for you.”
After a slight hesitation, Erika nodded.
She handed over the thread necklace first, then opened the pouch.
Inside lay Julia’s silver ring, resting quietly.
Erika stared at it briefly before pulling it out with a determined look.
“Here you go.”
Afraid she might drop it, she held it with both hands and passed it to Sebastian.
“I’ll borrow it for a moment.”
Sebastian took the ring from her without hesitation.
Opening the clasp of the necklace, he carefully slipped the ring through it.
“There. All done.”
The ring now hung from the thread necklace, swaying gently in front of Erika’s eyes.
She held out her hands to receive it.
But Sebastian didn’t return it right away.
“Why don’t you turn around for a second? I’ll put it on for you.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you.”
Blushing, Erika obediently turned around.
Gathering her thick hair and pulling it forward over one shoulder, she held her breath.
Soon, Sebastian’s large hands reached from behind.
Erika felt a sudden rush of warmth.
“Hmm… Why isn’t it going in right? It was fine earlier…”
His low voice came from much closer than usual.
‘It feels… way too close.’
Erika felt goosebumps rise on her skin.
Lowering her gaze, she could see her lashes trembling.
In her peripheral vision was her mother’s ring.
But strangely, Sebastian’s presence behind her felt far more intense than the ring itself.
Every time he breathed, his hair would brush her skin, tickling her.
Her neck kept flinching, and her lips were drying fast.
Just when she couldn’t bear it any longer, Sebastian stepped back.
“There. Done.”
“Thank you—”
Just as she was turning back to face him with gratitude, Erika froze mid-sentence.
Her body jerked unnaturally.
“What’s wrong?”
Sebastian immediately noticed her odd reaction, placing his hands on his hips and raising an eyebrow.
His gaze turned serious as he examined her closely, his voice naturally dropping a tone.
“L-Lord Duke…”
Erika swallowed dryly, her eyes trembling as she stared at something in the distance.
“What’s over there?”
Sebastian’s gaze quickly followed hers.
The direction she was staring at was densely packed with trees.
More black than green.
Strangely, just as the two of them looked toward it, a flock of birds suddenly flew up from the forest.
‘That place…’
Sebastian didn’t need a map to instantly recognize the location.
He turned back to Erika and replied calmly.
“That’s the northern forest. It used to be a hunting ground but was closed off long ago.”
And one more thing—
It bordered the Holy Kingdom.
“Why do you ask?”
Erika hesitated, pressing both hands against her chest.
“Something feels strange.”
“There?”
She looked at him with trembling eyes, then nodded firmly.
“It feels just like that time.”
“That time…?”
“When we first arrived at the Grand Duchy, right before we encountered ‘that thing’.”
Sebastian’s gaze shifted back to the northern forest.
‘Is she sensing strange animal behavior again?’
He had already seen Erika’s strange ability with his own eyes once before.
‘Should I go check? Even if it turns out to be nothing, this could be a good chance to confirm it.’
Sebastian took a deep breath to steady himself and nodded.
“Alright.”
Erika looked up at him with an anxious face.
Sebastian looked down at her with a cheerful grin.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
He patted her head, as if to ease her fears.
He didn’t want her to feel scared.
‘Just like last time… I’ll protect you again.’
