Chapter 35
Cordelia was startled by her father’s next words.
“What—really?!”
“Yes. It’s dangerous work, but His Majesty does make sure the rewards are appropriate… Still, ever since I retired, it’s true I’ve been drawing less attention.”
“But why would His Majesty even ask something like that of you?”
When she asked again, unable to understand, Isaac slowly stroked his chin.
“Well… if I had to guess, perhaps it’s because His Majesty is the sort of man who likes to keep his enemies close.”
“But isn’t that dangerous?”
Even if it was in a remote region at the edge of the kingdom, this decision was essentially allowing some degree of influence from a foreign power.
“It means he’s willing to accept that much risk.”
His answer was baffling, and Cordelia leaned back against the sofa with a murmur.
“Sometimes I just don’t understand him at all. He’s nothing like Noah.”
Since he was her sister’s husband, she had met him a few times privately. His looks were dazzling enough to make one’s eyes widen… but her impression of him was that he was blunt and rigidly proper.
When he’d been crown prince, he’d seemed to have a sly side, but somehow she thought the man he was now suited him better.
“Of course not. A hothouse flower and a wild-grown poisonous mushroom could never be the same.”
“…Poisonous mushroom?”
“The more poisonous something is, the more beautiful it tends to be. The king I know is that kind of man.”
As magnificent as his appearance was, he was just as ruthless and merciless in action. The bloody purge that had swept the palace the moment he ascended the throne was still spoken of among the nobility to this day.
“Well, he didn’t seem like a bad person to me.”
Perhaps because she was absorbed in the conversation, Cordelia didn’t notice the faint discord in Isaac’s words. He pursed his lips and spoke with a trace of personal feeling.
“He is, after all, an excellent ruler for the kingdom.”
There was no denying that under his reign, the country had begun running far more smoothly. Some said that was thanks to her sister, the queen. Cordelia agreed—her sister’s policies since becoming queen had brought significant change to the people’s lives. But she didn’t think poorly of the king either. Above all, her sister genuinely loved him.
If he hadn’t been a man worthy of it, Cordelia was certain she wouldn’t have given her heart to someone she’d married for political reasons.
“…Yes, that’s true.”
Though she glanced at Isaac’s faintly bitter expression in puzzlement, she didn’t ask anything further. She’d learned by now that there were some things one was better off pretending not to know.
“Anyway, I’ll be staying here for a while.”
“How long?”
“At least three weeks. That should be enough time to wrap things up.”
“Wrap things up?”
Feeling an ominous twinge as he met her steady gaze, Isaac watched her smile sweetly.
“There’s something I’d like your help with.”
“There you are.”
Seated on a garden bench, absentmindedly moving his pen over paper, Noah turned at the voice. Isaac stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling pleasantly at him. Noah hurried to his feet, but Isaac waved a hand as if to tell him not to bother.
“Noah, was it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Are you drawing?”
“I have a little talent, though it’s nothing special.”
Hearing the modest answer, Isaac cleared his throat softly.
“This may be an impertinent question, but…”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Well, I can’t help wondering—what exactly is your relationship with our Codi?”
Looking embarrassed, Isaac rubbed the back of his head. Noah understood the sentiment perfectly. From his clothing alone, he hardly seemed of noble status, so what possible connection could he have with Cordelia?
If a grown daughter had a man by her side whom her father had never seen before, it would be strange not to be suspicious.
“I’m indebted to Lady Cordelia.”
“Oh?”
“Other than that, there’s nothing between us. You have nothing to worry about.”
He spoke preemptively, but Isaac still didn’t take his eyes off him. Even with his eyes partially hidden, his high, straight nose, well-shaped lips, and solid build couldn’t be concealed.
“Well, if you say so.”
The same easygoing air, unusual for the head of a powerful family, was still there. Thinking of a corner of memories that could never return, Noah smiled faintly.
“My lord.”
Though Noah was now tall enough to look down on him, standing before Isaac still made him feel like the child he’d once been.
“Thank you for your hospitality. I know it must be uncomfortable for you.”
Through the fringe of hair falling over his brow, his blue eyes shone like a clear sky. The steady gaze, as if it saw through everything, left Isaac momentarily at a loss for words.
Noah smiled with a faint wistfulness—the look of someone who had already resigned himself to many things.
“You don’t need to worry about anything. I don’t want Lady Cordelia to be harmed in any way, either.”
“Well, it’s just that—”
“I have my reasons for staying with her for now, but it won’t be for long.”
As Noah asked for his understanding until then, Isaac stared silently at him.
Even after so long, nothing about him had changed from the days Isaac had known him. Facing the man from his past, now fully grown, Isaac finally spoke quietly.
“Your Highness.”
“Please don’t call me that. I’m no longer of the royal family.”
He spoke firmly, then softened his tone.
“Just call me Noah. That’s enough.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s the name my mother gave me. Either way, it’s not without value.”
Gathering up his pen, paper, and ink, Noah offered sincere words.
“I’m glad to see you again. It’s a relief you’re still in good health.”
He had worried when he’d heard Isaac had retired due to ill health, but he seemed fine now. Noah didn’t want to lose yet another person who remembered him.
Holding back the ache in his heart, Noah bowed before Isaac could say more.
“I’ll head in now.”
Isaac watched his broad back retreat, blankly, until Noah had gone far enough, then roughly ran his fingers through his hair, leaving the once-neat brown strands a mess like grass after a storm.
“Good grief…”
He let out a long sigh, rubbing his face.
“How did I get caught up in something this complicated?”
He thought of the letter he’d received a few days ago. The royal crest on the envelope had already filled him with foreboding, and the contents had been even more outrageous.
It was bad enough to learn that his precious youngest daughter was moving about with Prince Ian, but His Majesty’s instructions had been enough to make even the usually composed Isaac grab at his own collar in exasperation.
Though phrased in polite terms, the meaning had been obvious. Isaac had set the letter down with a mutter.
So, even he—someone who doesn’t seem that way—can be soft when it comes to his own people…
Still, at least this gave him an excuse to treat the young man well.
Political complications aside, and despite not having gotten along with the late marquis, there were few in the palace as kind and unambitious as Prince Ian. It didn’t feel right to treat such a person coldly.
The only concern was that, in Isaac’s memory, the prince had been a very handsome boy. With the looks of his mother, the queen—praised as lily-like—it was inevitable he’d grow into a man as striking as the king himself.
Isaac’s expression grew serious. Adjusting the thick frames resting on his nose, he muttered with genuine worry,
…What if he’s Codi’s type?
That would be trouble. Especially since the man’s personality was gentle and respectable. Honestly, if it weren’t for his background and circumstances, he’d be perfect son-in-law material—no, that wasn’t the point!
Isaac’s mental alarm bells rang loudly. Above all, if Rick found out, there would be utter chaos. His son had no flexibility whatsoever—how had he ended up that way?
No helping it. Time for the last resort.
Isaac quickly pulled out paper from his desk drawer, dipped a quill into the inkwell, and wrote a letter to Sebastian, who would be working at the ducal residence in the capital.
By the time he finished, the sky outside was lit with sunset. Even a scene he normally would have enjoyed only deepened his unease.
He hadn’t stepped back from public life to watch his children squabble in his twilight years.
His Majesty, he grumbled, was the sort of ruler who worked even his retired vassals to the bone.
“I don’t know whether to call this a blessing or not…”
Stroking the stubble on his chin, Isaac wandered through the garden. Beneath his slow steps, flower petals swayed in the breeze, forlorn.
“…What’s this?”
Meanwhile, in his room, Noah had been changing clothes when he happened to glance over his shoulder—and froze.
In the large mirror, he saw his broad back. Across his left shoulder blade stretched a dark mark, its curved line almost forming a circle but breaking off just below the nape of his neck and near his side. Inside the shape, mottled purplish bruises stood out, ugly and uneven.
A wound?
He reached back and pressed his hand to it. The slightly rough skin gave no pain, no matter how firmly he pressed.
Then what was it?
He had his suspicions, but instead of voicing them, Noah simply pulled his shirt back over his head. The white fabric, woven of linen for good ventilation, hid the blemished skin.
He lowered his gaze to the back of his right hand. Where once there had been more, now only four lines remained. Lifting his head again, he met his own eyes in the mirror and murmured as if making a vow,
“I’m still… fine.”
For now.
