Chapter 06
After waking up in the morning and eating the meal delivered to my room, I would have my pleasant study session with Lamela.
Once the lesson ended, I would eat lunch, have tea time with Selena, and then enjoy free time for the rest of the day.
This was the daily schedule I had followed during the week I’d been staying in the duke’s mansion.
And right now, I was having the most uncomfortable part of that schedule—tea time with Selena.
“How was your studying today?” she asked.
“Mmm… it was fun.”
That wasn’t a lie.
The Imperial language I was learning these days felt like writing in cursive, and I actually enjoyed the feeling of writing it.
“That’s good to hear. When I was your age, Iris, I couldn’t even write properly. In that sense, you’re really amazing.”
Children my age were usually around six or seven.
If they were from noble families, they would have already mastered the language by then.
The reason Selena hadn’t learned to write was simple—she had been an uncontrollable tomboy when she was young.
She used to run around everywhere and even tried to escape from her family home frequently.
Then she eventually matured, met the duke, and married him at first sight.
“Sewena is amazing too.”
I wasn’t just saying that.
She had managed to melt that insane, cold fortress of a man.
But Selena seemed to interpret my words differently.
She smiled gently and softly stroked my head.
“How can you say such sweet things all the time…? I wish the duke were even half as kind as you, Iris.”
As she said that, she casually pointed toward the window.
“Hm…?”
Was there more snacks outside?
Without thinking twice, I turned my head.
“….”
What the heck?
Why was that man standing on the terrace outside the window staring at us?
And fully armored, at that.
The true master of this place—Silas—stood outside the window wearing black armor and a cloak.
Selena had definitely said that on purpose, knowing he was there.
She just openly mocked him like that.
No wonder she managed to marry Silas.
Realizing once again how impressive she was, I quickly turned my gaze back to her.
“Th-the duke is here… I’ll be going now…”
I had to escape quickly.
Who knew what might happen if I got involved with him?
I bowed deeply to Selena and tried to leave.
“Iris, before you go, try this chocolate snack. It’s really delicious.”
A clear refusal was impossible.
As the lowest-ranking person here, I had no choice but to sit back down with tears in my eyes.
“Th-thank you…”
Once again defeated by authority, I pitifully accepted the chocolate snack.
It was delicious.
Why were chocolate snacks always so good…?
I hated myself for enjoying it while eating it.
Still—
Chocolate was always right.
As countless thoughts swirled through my mind—
“You two seemed to be having quite an interesting conversation.”
Before I knew it, he had walked right up beside me.
He looked at Selena and me in turn as he spoke.
I desperately wanted to escape this place and had no confidence to answer him.
So I glanced at Selena.
She doesn’t look like she’s going to help…
She was simply smiling.
So I had no choice but to respond myself.
“H-hello—hic!!”
Of all times, I got hiccups now.
Embarrassed beyond belief, I tried again.
“H-hello… hic! Hel—hic!”
What did I do to deserve this?!
The duke’s expression darkened even more.
Or maybe that twitch at the corner of his mouth meant he was about to swallow me whole.
But what could I do if hiccups kept coming out?
It wasn’t my fault.
Knowing he wouldn’t understand that, I turned to the only person who could save me.
Selena.
She was pressing her red lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.
Right.
She was a member of the Arpote family too.
“Your Grace, don’t be like that. Please accept Iris’s greeting. You’re making the child feel embarrassed.”
Fortunately, she didn’t push me any further into danger.
Or maybe she had already thrown me off the cliff.
Or locked me inside a lion’s cage.
“Hic!”
I glared at my own hiccups and looked up at the duke.
He continued staring down at me with cold eyes.
What did he want to say?
Was he about to cut my head off?
I couldn’t tell at all.
Why had he ignored me for two weeks only to appear now and torment me like this?
Cursing him internally, I watched his mouth.
After a moment, his lips finally parted.
“Have you been well?”
Just to say that single sentence, how long had he been preparing?
I felt ridiculous for worrying so much.
Though I was still completely intimidated.
That was only in my thoughts, of course.
“Yes… hic! I’ve been well.”
“I know.”
“…?”
What do you mean you know?
His response completely killed the flow of the conversation.
I stared blankly at him.
He also just stared back.
“Hic!”
“….”
A meaningless standoff began.
I was too flustered to speak, and the duke said nothing either.
Every time we met, things seemed to turn out like this.
Maybe it would be better if we never met again.
The long silence was finally broken by Selena.
“Actually, the duke often asked about Iris. I told you that before, didn’t I?”
She silently mouthed the words:
He’s very interested in you.
Interested in me?
He hadn’t even seen me once in two weeks.
What interest?
He was probably just monitoring me.
I forced my face not to frown.
Showing displeasure here wouldn’t end well.
“Selena.”
Fortunately, Silas was looking at Selena instead of me.
“Anyway… what brings you here?” she asked.
Some sort of exchange seemed to pass between them, but I couldn’t understand it.
“I was inspecting the territory and felt your presences nearby.”
“I see. We were just having tea. Since you’re here, why don’t you talk with Iris for a bit? I’ll step out for a moment.”
“….”
“Hic! Sewena…?”
Just listening quietly, and suddenly the problem was thrown onto me.
I looked at her with wide rabbit-like eyes.
But it was useless.
She laughed softly and left the room.
“….”
Another uncomfortable silence.
“Hic!”
I carefully watched his reaction while trying to suppress my hiccups.
Of course, that didn’t work.
“Hic!”
“…Can you do something about that sound?”
“Hic! I want… hic! to stop too…”
Hiccups didn’t stop just because you wanted them to.
Drinking water might help…
But I didn’t dare reach across the table.
“Hic!”
“…Ha. It’s so ridiculous I can’t even laugh.”
Yet the corner of his mouth tilted upward.
A clear smirk.
“Drink.”
Scrrrk.
He pushed a glass of water toward me.
For some reason, he also nudged the snack plate closer.
Maybe it was some elaborate murder method—choking me with snacks.
“Hic!”
But I might die from doing 100 hiccups first, so I quickly drank the water.
I didn’t believe superstitions, but I had never seen anyone hiccup a hundred times.
And in this fantasy world, maybe that curse actually existed.
Silas’s glare also seemed to say drink or die.
“Thank you…”
The liquid wasn’t plain water.
Was it tea?
It had a sweet taste.
Better than expected.
“I hear your studies are going well.”
“Yes…”
“When will you be able to enter the academy?”
Was he threatening a six-year-old to go to school?
The academy was the place where the Saint and the protagonist would meet and fall in love in the story.
I must avoid the academy no matter what.
I absolutely couldn’t get caught up there.
Being stuck between Selena and Silas was already more than enough.
“I… don’t know.”
I frowned like a confused child.
Anyone would think a small child was afraid of the academy.
I worried it might not work.
But fortunately, Silas’s eyebrow twitched.
“You should hurry. Students enroll at eight.”
I’m six, you know?
Did he seriously not even know my age?
“I’m… six…”
I rolled my eyes nervously and lowered my head.
* * *
Six years old.
Silas was surprisingly flustered.
Because of her excellent grades, he had assumed she was at least eight.
But she was only six.
That was a problem.
The child lowered her head, clearly hurt that he didn’t know her age.
They said a woman’s tears were a weapon.
Silas had never agreed with that saying.
But right now, he understood it.
His usually decisive hand hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure where to go.
His face grew even more rigid.
It’s happening again.
That strange feeling that tickled his heart.
It had started appearing ever since he met that child.
It keeps pushing Lagrasha aside.
The memories he had buried deep in his heart were beginning to crumble.
That couldn’t happen.
How could he forget Lagrasha—the child he lost because of his own mistake—and become happy?
I must carry this burden forever.
Until he finds Lagrasha.
“I apologize for the mistake. I’m busy, so I’ll be leaving now.”
The cold north hadn’t frozen his heart.
He himself had frozen it.
Silas looked at Iris—who seemed slightly disappointed—before standing up.
Iris jumped up from her chair as well.
She seemed to be trying to say goodbye.
“Goo—”
She bowed her head.
But the farewell never finished.
She grabbed her head and staggered.
“Iris.”
The child was sick.
The realization stabbed into Silas’s chest.
Or maybe she was just startled.
“Are you alright?”
He quickly approached and touched her forehead.
“…!”
His eyes widened.
It wasn’t that she had a fever.
Her head felt normal.
In fact—
It was getting colder.
As if her vitality were being drained away.
But Silas didn’t notice.
His attention was fixed on the blue-glowing ring.
“I feel… dizzy…”
Her voice trembled like a candle about to go out.
Silas snapped back to his senses and lifted her into his arms.
“Hold on a little longer.”
He hurried down the corridor.
The place he was heading—
The infirmary.
As he walked, Silas touched the child’s head again.
Her head had become as cold as the northern wind.
When he glanced at the ring,
its blue light was fading as well.
