Chapter 53
‘Come to think of it, I didn’t even tell him the important part.’
She’d been so happy, she had completely forgotten her actual purpose for coming.
She considered waiting until nightfall, but remembering how worried Mary had looked, Dalia decided to visit his office again.
When she explained the situation, Khalid readily agreed to help with the matter concerning Latrice.
“Are you sure it’s all right?” she asked.
“Of course. It works out perfectly. I happen to know the commander in that region.”
“You know him?”
Startled, Dalia blinked. Khalid smiled, nodding as if recalling an old acquaintance with genuine fondness.
“Coincidentally, yes. For a human, he was rather sturdy. It wasn’t too long ago, so if nothing’s happened to him, he should still be alive. There’s no need to trouble the king with this—I’ll just send him a letter directly.”
He summoned paper and a quill with a flick of his hand, the magic flowing effortlessly. The way he smiled as he wrote suggested that meeting that man had been a pleasant memory for him.
Dalia watched him curiously, fascinated by how easily he began writing.
‘That’s strange. I’ve only ever seen Khalid act cold toward humans.’
It was still hard for her to picture him getting along cheerfully with anyone else—especially another human.
‘I wonder what kind of story that was. I want to hear about it.’
When she asked him to tell her more, Khalid gave her an apologetic look.
“Ah, I’ve already told you that story.”
“What? Oh—wait, you mean…”
Realization dawned on her.
“The young lady who insisted on kissing your cheek?”
“Hmm…”
He hesitated. That was the one.
But as soon as the memory resurfaced, Khalid remembered how Dalia hadn’t seemed happy when he told her that story before.
And at the same time, he recalled how he had felt whenever Dalia was with another man—even Roy. Jealous. Irrationally, uncomfortably jealous.
He quickly shut his mouth.
“……”
A brief but heavy silence passed before Dalia spoke again, her tone light and cheerful.
“It’s all right.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Thanks to that connection, it’ll be much easier to rescue my brother, won’t it?”
‘Even if I didn’t have that connection…’
In truth, bringing her brother back from the frontier wouldn’t have been difficult at all. But Khalid wisely swallowed those words. His instincts told him this was not the time to say such things.
If Aaron had been here to see Khalid’s growing humanity, he probably would’ve applauded enthusiastically.
“Then I’ll leave it to you,” Dalia said. “I’ll return to the library now—finish up your work well.”
With her calm farewell, she stepped out of the office.
As soon as she disappeared from view, Khalid closed his eyes and tried to return to the task he had been doing before she came in.
“……”
He focused, trying to trace the faint currents of demonic energy that might be seeping from somewhere. But he couldn’t find his composure. He opened his eyes abruptly and stood up.
‘What’s wrong with me? If Aaron were here, I could’ve asked him what this feeling is… though he’d probably just say something annoying again.’
Aaron was off in the capital, happily indulging in his “mission”—decorating the grand mansion.
‘It’s a relief that Dalia didn’t take offense and let it go easily. Then why don’t I feel purely relieved? Why does it feel… disappointing?’
He began pacing in circles around his office, as had become his habit ever since Dalia moved into the Ahmad estate.
“Maybe… I am a little disappointed,” he muttered.
‘But why?’
If she didn’t get upset when he interacted with other women—if she didn’t withdraw her affection—then logically, that was a good thing. No reason for fights, no unnecessary misunderstandings.
Their relationship would only benefit.
So why did it feel unsatisfying?
“……”
That was as far as he got. Unable to untangle his own emotions, Khalid forced the strange feeling aside and tried to focus again.
‘After all, Dalia did thank me on behalf of all humankind—with a kiss on the cheek.’
He recalled the moment her breath had brushed against his skin. That alone was enough to restore his concentration.
‘If I handle her brother’s matter well, maybe she’ll reward me again.’
And maybe she’d smile brightly at him again.
Just imagining it brought a contented smile to his lips.
As for the noblewoman who had once done something similar to Dalia—he couldn’t even remember her name anymore.
Dalia was… different.
“Goodness, my lady!”
Mary’s eyes had never gone so wide before. As soon as Dalia finished talking with Khalid, she rushed to find Mary and share the good news so the poor girl wouldn’t have to keep worrying.
“R-Really? How could that happen so quickly?”
“Yes. It turns out he fought in the same border war, so the commander is willing to make an exception.”
“Oh…! Then your fiancé must have achieved great military merit, right?”
Mary’s eyes sparkled with hope.
“No matter how noble you are, it’s nearly impossible to pull a soldier out of a battlefield without a solid reason. He must have accomplished something remarkable!”
Her tone brimmed with curiosity and admiration.
Now that she was reassured about her beloved’s safety, her interest in Dalia’s partner was overflowing.
‘Well… if you think about it, he did make the greatest contribution of all. Without him, the Kingdom of Aster would’ve been destroyed by monsters long ago.’
Dalia tried to estimate the scale of Khalid’s achievements, then gave up.
Without revealing that he was a dragon, anything she said would sound unbelievable to an ordinary person.
She’d have to choose her words very carefully just to make partial sense.
“So, we just wait for the letter to arrive now?” Mary asked.
Grateful for the subject change, Dalia nodded.
“Yes. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“Then shall we talk about something else? You must be curious about how the estate’s been doing! Let’s see—where should I start?”
Mary furrowed her brow, clearly struggling to decide. She had witnessed so many things that it was hard to know where to begin.
That cute expression made Dalia chuckle softly. She reached out and smoothed the wrinkles on Mary’s brow with her finger.
“There’s no rush. We have plenty of time. Just tell me one thing at a time. My father’s letters were so bland they barely said anything useful.”
Mary laughed brightly.
“Haha, well, that sounds just like the baron!”
In truth, the baron had been tricked into sending Mary here. He had no idea that by doing so, he’d effectively delivered her straight into Dalia’s service.
Technically, Mary was still the baron’s maid—but she didn’t seem to care. Her loyalty and affection were wholly for Dalia now.
‘Compared to that, Elzenon…’
The name crossed Dalia’s mind, and she frowned. She quickly erased the thought of the man she had once, foolishly, thought might be on her side.
After a short pause, she added quietly,
“By the way… if you know anything about Shirei, could you tell me?”
Thanks to the pocket watch and Khalid, she had escaped his grasp unharmed—but it didn’t feel like that was truly the end. Something about him still bothered her.
Mary replied casually that Shirei hadn’t stopped sending funds to the Baron of Bourbon.
“But… wasn’t your engagement with him already over? Why is he still doing that?”
“Oh… Father wrote that since I’d met someone of much higher standing, I shouldn’t bother with Shirei anymore. But it seems he doesn’t share that opinion.”
“What?” Mary exclaimed in disbelief.
After hesitating, Dalia explained the kidnapping incident at Zephyros Boutique, and how the one behind it had been Shirei himself.
“My lady…! You went through such a terrible ordeal. Are you sure you’ve recovered completely?”
Mary’s voice trembled as she tried to comfort her, her eyebrows drooping in distress.
Dalia shook her head gently, smiling. “I’m fine now. Thankfully, I wasn’t seriously hurt.”
“Still… I thought it was strange that he kept sponsoring the baron when you were gone. And the tone of the baron’s letters about you—and about Shirei—well, that man—was completely different. I’ll stop calling him ‘sir.’ A person like that doesn’t deserve respect.”
At that, she fell silent, looking anxious.
After all, the baron was still Dalia’s father.
And the Dalia Mary remembered had always been an obedient daughter—one who tried hard never to upset him.
In the past, she would have been anxious, asking what her father meant by every word.
“Mm, I see,” Dalia replied simply.
Mary blinked, startled.
Dalia didn’t seem to care what her father said anymore.
‘Does she really not care… or is she just pretending not to?’ Mary wondered.
Seeing the concern in her maid’s face, Dalia gave a faint, wry smile.
No, it wasn’t an act. She truly didn’t worry about her father anymore.
‘Khalid and the beastkin give me strength. And I have my own plans now.’
But most importantly, she had changed inside.
If her heart hadn’t, none of that strength or planning would have mattered.
Even if she had gained great wealth or power, the old Dalia would have spent it all trying to please her family—to create harmony and earn their love.
‘That’s what I wanted for my whole life. But maybe that’s why… there’s no regret left now.’
