Chapter 40
It was a face he had never expected to see on the Grand Duchess.
She can make an expression like that?
He had assumed she would brazenly play along instead.
Was it because she was being overly shy? In contrast, the turbulent emotions inside him settled down.
“Goodness! Look at her getting embarrassed just because someone teased her groom!”
…Perhaps it was also thanks to Karen’s raucous laughter.
Cackling loudly, Karen patted Cecilia on the shoulder.
“You newlyweds or something? Enjoy it while it lasts, huh?”
The real problem was that her voice drew the attention of the people around them.
Amid the murmurs, the alias Cecilia had mentioned could be heard here and there.
So many people were acquainted with the Grand Duchess.
How interesting.
How had she managed to build such a wide network in such a short time? The people of Lothleben weren’t particularly kind to outsiders, much less to the point of resembling him.
“Please stop teasing us. My husband is embarrassed too…”
Using him as an excuse, Cecilia tugged on his sleeve and put some distance between herself and Karen.
Pretending not to hear the teasing pouring in from all sides, she quickly bought the bread she’d come for, then swiftly pushed through the crowd and escaped the area.
During all this, Yuri could only stare down at the round crown of the Grand Duchess’s head.
Perhaps because her long hair was hidden beneath a hat, the tips of her ears—reddened—stood out all the more.
“Karen is a good person, but really, she’s far too playful…”
Murmuring to herself, Cecilia hugged the bag of bread to her chest with one arm and fanned herself with her free hand.
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Yuri spoke in a teasing tone.
“You know, this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t made that excuse in the first place.”
“I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t think of any suitable excuse for my ‘husband who never shows himself.’”
Cecilia pouted briefly as she complained, then closed her mouth. After letting out a small sigh, she apologized in an awkward voice.
“Still, I’m sorry for putting you in a difficult spot.”
“A rare occasion. The day I get an apology from you has finally come.”
“I don’t think I’m stingy with apologies.”
“But it’s rare to get one over something like this.”
At his reply, Cecilia’s lips pressed tightly together.
Truly rare was this very moment—when the Grand Duchess was left speechless, keeping silent with that expression.
Amused by the contrast to her usual self, Yuri teased her leisurely.
“If you’re planning to put me in trouble again in the future, I’d appreciate a heads-up. I’d like to at least prepare myself mentally.”
“…That won’t happen.”
As if telling him to stop teasing, Cecilia lightly tapped his arm and shot him a glare.
The corners of Yuri’s mouth curved upward. Shaking her head with an expression that clearly said annoying, Cecilia pulled a piece of bread from the bag and stuffed it straight into his mouth.
“Honestly. I was planning to sit at the tables in front of the shop and gather rumors.”
Letting out a long sigh, she glanced regretfully back toward the bakery, then clicked her tongue.
After pondering something for a moment, she tugged him along and started walking somewhere else.
They soon arrived at a small plaza. A dry fountain, no longer running with water, looked desolate.
Gesturing for him to come closer, she sat down first on the edge of the fountain.
“Still, it’s the place with the most people after Krona, so we might be able to achieve our goal.”
Spreading her palm, Cecilia patted the empty spot beside her and looked up at him.
Yuri hesitated, then sat down with a bit of distance between them.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
As she tore off a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth, she looked at him as if telling him to go on.
“Who is this ‘Sara’ person supposed to be? Is there anything I should know?”
“Hmm.”
Letting out a brief hum, Cecilia chewed on the bread, lost in thought. After swallowing, she replied.
“She originally lived in the south, but came north to recuperate in the clean air—that’s the setup. I didn’t mention having a husband.”
She added briefly, though that got revealed today, and tore off another piece of bread, holding it out to Yuri.
After hesitating for a moment, he took it with his hand instead of his mouth and nodded, signaling her to continue.
“Rather than making up lots of lies, I thought it would be easier to describe myself in a way close to the truth. That’s how I’ve introduced ‘Sara’ to others too. So if you ever have to explain who ‘Sara’ is, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
He wasn’t so sure about that. He didn’t know that much about her.
Of course, he knew she was from the south and that she had a weak constitution.
But as for her personality… well.
She smiles easily, is surprisingly playful. She seems calm most of the time, but sometimes she snaps or gets flustered.
Wait. Didn’t he know more than he thought?
As Yuri listed the traits he knew about her one by one, his expression grew serious.
Meanwhile, Cecilia folded the bread bag neatly and turned her gaze toward a certain spot.
“Wait, look over there.”
It was a large bulletin board plastered with recruitment notices.
Since it was close to the fountain, it was easy to observe what was happening.
The person Cecilia was watching was a young man standing in front of it.
“Looks like he’s reading the notice from the ducal castle.”
Her whisper brimmed with anticipation.
Leaning closer to him, Cecilia lightly tapped his arm as if telling him to focus. Startled by even that small touch, Yuri glanced sideways at her.
Her attention had already shifted away from him.
Even so, he found himself rubbing the spot she’d touched, while staring at Cecilia instead of the young man.
Her pale green eyes sparkled with expectation. She watched the youth carefully, then smiled with satisfaction when he pulled out a small notebook and began copying down information.
“Will he contact the workshop? I hope he’ll work diligently.”
Muttering like a seasoned employer, Cecilia turned to him.
Their eyes met unintentionally.
He couldn’t turn away quickly, nor could he shamelessly pretend nothing was happening.
Yuri froze, staring straight into Cecilia’s eyes.
Pale sunlight seeped into her transparent, sprout-green irises.
Those eyes that tickled something deep inside him, her chattering voice—but more than anything else, that smile.
That smile, as if she were genuinely happy…
“…Yeah.”
It was so striking it made his breath catch.
Feeling as though his throat were dry, Yuri murmured blankly.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
He wanted to see her smile more.
To be honest—yes.
There had been signs.
The moment Yuri returned to the castle, he shut himself up in his room and began to agonize.
He knew full well that he wasn’t in a position to feel things like love.
He knew it all too well.
And yet.
I want to see her happy expression more.
He understood painfully clearly that such soft emotions could ruin everything.
He still didn’t know how he’d come to like someone he had tried so hard to view with hostility.
Burying his face in a pillow, he turned his head gloomily.
Well, if human hearts truly moved as one wished, then his once-cold mother wouldn’t have made such an irrational choice and left so early.
And on top of that, there was an even bigger problem.
I don’t know how the Grand Duchess feels.
Thinking back on how curt and prickly he’d been toward her, it seemed almost miraculous to hope that she might come to like him.
And beyond that—
…She still doesn’t know that I turn into a bear.
That the bear she found so adorable was actually a huge man.
Even if the shocked Grand Duchess were to slap his cheek, he wouldn’t have a word of complaint.
