Chapter 39
“What?!”
I asked loudly, making sure I had heard correctly.
“Did something happen?”
Flustered, I looked at Adel helplessly. He avoided my gaze.
“I did meet a member of the Lucretia family yesterday, but he was overtly cautious and didn’t allow for a proper conversation. There’s too little information, so I’d like to inform you once things become clearer. Would that be alright? I don’t want to make you anxious based on vague assumptions.”
It was him again. Reilly Lucretia apparently wasn’t satisfied with just ignoring me.
I couldn’t hide my frown.
“I’ll trust your judgment. But do you have any idea why Reilly would act like that?”
I swallowed the surge of anger rising in me, planning to hear if there was any reasonable excuse. Yet Adel’s voice remained calm, without any change in tone, which only made me more frustrated.
“Perhaps he saw a future similar to Anastasia’s. He seems utterly convinced that I will commit a gruesome murder soon.”
If that was his excuse, there was nothing more to hear.
To treat someone like a murderer over something that hasn’t even happened yet—Reilly Lucretia was far more pathetic than I imagined.
And who said the future shown by a sacred relic has to come true? It’s not certain at all!
I gently coaxed Adel, who still avoided my eyes.
“Adel, look at me.”
But Adel hesitated.
Damn it. I cupped his face with both hands, raising it to my eye level. Our eyes were very close now.
“I trust you based on careful thought and experience. Trust is different from affection. No matter what future Reilly Lucretia saw through that sarcophagus, it won’t come true. You’re striving not to be perfect but to improve, right? I’ll make sure your efforts never go to waste.”
The sky swelled white, the sunlight was warm, and Adel finally started showing a glimpse of his true feelings.
It was a small but significant step forward.
“I’ll repay him many times over.”
Adel stared at me with a face that seemed to hold his breath, then broke into a very, very beautiful smile.
“Anastasia, I’m glad I met you.”
I wanted to say the same, but Adel whispered in a sweet, captivating tone, almost like a delicate flower.
“I didn’t kill him because I wanted to appear good to you.”
“Uh… yes. Good job.”
Wait… is that something I’m supposed to praise?
No one would be happy to be treated like a murderer and despised out of the blue, but if Adel said that much, he must have been deeply upset.
I awkwardly withdrew my hands after giving Adel an unintended compliment. He looked satisfied and spoke slowly.
“And one more thing, Anastasia—I actually want to ask your understanding.”
“Huh?”
“My father is unwell right now. Could we postpone our meeting to next week?”
I widened my eyes in surprise.
“The Duke? What’s wrong?”
Adel looked away, this time with a slightly different meaning than before.
“The physician says it’s a mild flu… but since His Majesty visits every day to apologize, there might be another reason. Oh, he also asked me to tell you not to visit him, as the illness might be contagious. I recommend you don’t come to the Duke’s residence for now either. A pyramid made of lapis lazuli is being built. Elephants roam his private grounds, and the pond has long been a sturgeon haven.”
I immediately understood. Ah, just an extravagant tantrum because of frustration…
The emperor of the Laniakea Empire was indecisive and exasperating. He constantly suffered from heart problems and was timid, relying heavily on the Duke.
The Duke hadn’t gone into exile purely because this was the homeland of Penelope Magnus, and because my father, William Sinclair, was here.
“I hope he recovers soon.”
The lapis pyramid was probably just the beginning.
Previously, the Duke had gathered all the mages and turned his private grounds into a snowfield for the entire summer just because he was annoyed by the heat. And the empire’s summers weren’t particularly hot.
In the original story, he transformed the garden into a tropical rainforest with palm trees and created a small river through his estate so he could travel by boat.
Fishing in the river would yield magically animated gemstone fish.
Because the Magnus estate had been altered to look like a foreign land across the sea, passersby were often left astonished.
Truly insane wealth…
As I recalled the story of how, near the end of the original work, Marquis Cloud boldly raided the Magnus estate, checked the total assets, and renounced all personal desires, I suddenly realized something odd.
“Wait a minute, why are you telling me this after I already took the tonic?”
I had taken the tonic so I could run around freely when I went out with him, but if the meeting is postponed, it’s useless!
Adel smiled harmlessly without an ounce of malice.
“I didn’t tell you beforehand because I thought you wouldn’t take it.”
Is that even a reason? I felt a surge of indignation.
“Of course! Why do you think I took it?! Out of pure selfishness!”
Gasp! I quickly closed my mouth.
“Excuse me?”
“Ah, anyway, continue.”
I raised my hand to make sure my lips were properly sealed.
“I’ve decided to handle the Duke’s affairs on his behalf. I’m used to it since I do it occasionally anyway, but it takes up a lot of time, and unexpected visitors sometimes come. I’ll come to greet him, but long outings will only be possible a few days later.”
For some reason, I had a feeling that visitor would be either the Marquis or Mr. Balthazar of the Cloud family (36 years old, a year younger than the Duke).
When I rolled my eyes, Adel, still smiling but sincerely, apologized.
“I’m sorry for breaking our plan, Anastasia. If you think of any other places you’d like to visit besides what I mentioned, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll go anywhere you want.”
Anywhere?
I pictured a place that was quiet, not crowded, scenic, but with little to do—so we could focus on each other, yet dangerous enough that we could get stranded if not careful.
Oh no… am I sounding perverted?!
“Anastasia?”
Adel looked at me curiously, as if my expression had changed noticeably. I cleared my throat.
Previously, Adel had suggested light horseback riding, which could be done anytime. I wanted something special.
“Did my expression just now look really weird?”
Adel answered calmly.
“It wasn’t much different from usual. I just thought you might be deep in thought, so I wondered if something was troubling you.”
For some reason, the fact that it was “not much different from usual” hurt my heart. I feared the image Adel had of me…
“It’s nothing. Just tell the Duke to get well soon.”
Ugh. I swallowed a groan and looked down.
A fuzzy little bee was flipping and struggling at my feet. It hadn’t dodged the gardener’s watering can in time.
Since I often went outside, the gardener was very enthusiastic about tending the garden.
I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t stopped walking to focus on the conversation.
I carefully picked up the bee with my hands and placed it on a nearby fully bloomed pink flower. At least I made sure it wouldn’t get trampled by people. Adel looked at me, momentarily intrigued.
“Anastasia, you handle insects so casually.”
“If a bug appears in your room, call me. I’ll catch it for you.”
It was meant as a joke, but Adel’s expression stiffened slightly. He seemed horrified at the idea of insects appearing in his sterile room.
He really seems to have germophobia. But his patience is remarkable.
Still, Adel smiled politely.
“Th…thank you. I feel reassured.”
I had a feeling Adel would do a full cleaning as soon as he returned to the mansion.
After a leisurely walk, Adel escorted me to my room and left.
I lay on my bed, reviewing the original story and considering potential date spots.
A date, huh!
“What the heck! Am I the only one thinking of it as a date?!”
I yelled, hitting my poor pillow.
Normally, it would have bounced back to its original shape quickly, but now, under the effects of the tonic coursing through me, it remained squashed.
I was overflowing with energy! I had power, but nowhere to channel it!
After trashing the pillow, I finally focused and started planning again, hugging the pillow I probably could never use again.
“Let’s see… the Love Bridge is too obvious, and the beach would take a whole day… no good…”
I thought of the bridge where a couple leapt in an impossible love, and the pearl town’s beach, known for its abundance of whales.
There was also a city with the largest annual tulip festival, beloved by artists.
Those places were mostly briefly described in the original story, through Ash’s vanity-filled bragging.
Ash enjoyed thrilling escapades with young ladies, whereas the original protagonist couple only had conventional dates: library dates, street dates, ball dates…
No thanks! I wanted something more thrilling!
“Miss, I brought chocolate.”
While deep in thought, Ilina came in and set down a plate full of chocolate in front of me. I was still lost in thought.
“Hmm…”
“Is something troubling you?”
Ilina looked pitifully at the pillow I had ruined. I ignored her.
“I’m thinking of nearby places to go. It’s a bit sad that the only references are places Ash visited… Ah! The Forest of Repentance!”
I suddenly perked up.
The Forest of Repentance, only flawed for touching the Cloud Marquis estate, was known for its fantastic views when silver deer roamed under the moonlight.
But due to eerie rumors surrounding the forest, few visited. Only Ash knew its true charm.
Ilina tilted her head.
“The Forest of Repentance… are you planning to go to Gringriard?”
I started enthusiastically listing the forest’s advantages, then hesitated.
Even though it was just my own thought, since it’s a date, I wanted to make it absolutely certain.
