Chapter 45
‘A hand?’
Since when had that kind of intimate contact become familiar?
At first, she hadn’t even thought of being escorted, and the husband who had once kept entirely to himself was now extending his hand quite naturally. Seeing that, she must have felt pleased without even realizing it.
‘Is it because he listens so well?’
Though he always grumbled and wore a fierce scowl, the Grand Duke was surprisingly bad at refusing requests.
As she kept thinking, ‘Will he listen to this too? Will he allow even this much?’ and gradually raising her expectations, she seemed to have unconsciously begun testing even fairly private boundaries.
Cecilia blinked slowly, brushing away both her embarrassment and her expectations.
Perhaps because she focused straight ahead and organized her thoughts, by the time they entered the city streets, her composure had returned.
By the time she turned her head back toward the Grand Duke again, she had even managed to put on her usual indifferent, calm smile.
That composure, however, evaporated completely the moment her eyes met Yuri’s.
“…There’s something I’d like to ask.”
No—strictly speaking, it wasn’t even his eyes.
“Are you, perhaps, researching some kind of character you’d like to dress up as, like ‘Sara’?”
“No.”
Then why did he look like that?
Cecilia examined Yuri with an awkward gaze.
His coat had somehow come loose, hanging open and revealing what was underneath.
No—if only it were just the coat, that would’ve been one thing.
‘What’s wrong with his shirt?’
Hadn’t it been properly buttoned up until they got out of the carriage?
She had no idea when he’d ended up looking so disheveled.
‘I thought he might be trying on the guise of a ruffian or something.’
Forcing a troubled smile, Cecilia raised her hand and carefully fastened Yuri’s coat.
After meticulously buttoning up even the extra shirt buttons he’d deliberately left undone, she added a gentle admonition.
“It’s cold, so please dress warmly. You were coughing earlier too.”
“……”
Yuri quietly fiddled with the collar she’d just touched.
‘…Was this not it?’
Since she’d seemed to avoid him for no reason right after getting out of the carriage, he’d thought he’d draw her gaze a bit more.
‘Wasn’t she glancing at my chest from time to time?’
Remembering how she often stared more intently at his chest than his face, he’d casually loosened his front, but—
He hadn’t expected such an unenthusiastic reaction.
Before his mood could sink any further as he mulled over the situation, Cecilia spoke again, her voice warm.
“It may be summer now, but in Rotleben, seasons don’t really mean much.”
Her face looked calm, as if she were genuinely only worried about his health.
Yuri, who hadn’t noticed that Cecilia had barely managed to suppress her flustered feelings, finally felt his heart ease a little.
Frowning slightly, he grumbled,
“Hmph. You should pay more attention to how you dress.”
Granted, she was wrapped up in a scarf, gloves, and even a cloak—but still. Why did she look like that wasn’t enough?
Maybe it was because her cheeks were red and scratched.
Narrowing his eyes as he examined her face, Yuri suddenly grabbed the end of her sleeve.
After glancing around, he chose a destination and strode forward.
Still not understanding what was going on, Cecilia hurried along as he tugged her sleeve.
Yuri stopped in front of a general goods store.
“Shopkeeper! Do you have earmuffs or something like that?”
He rapped loudly on the counter as he called out.
After some rustling sounds from inside, a hunched old man shuffled out.
“You’ve got change, right?”
“Of course.”
Answering Cecilia’s whispered question with confidence, Yuri turned back to the owner and clearly repeated his request in a loud voice.
Meanwhile, Cecilia peeked around the inside of the shop. She didn’t plan on buying anything, but the cluttered assortment of knickknacks made it fun just to look around.
Just as she picked up a small wooden duck figurine—
“Here. Put these on.”
Fluffy earmuffs wrapped snugly around her ears.
Blinking as she tried to grasp the situation, Cecilia quickly turned around.
“What is this, all of a sudden?”
“Didn’t you say to stay warm?”
Yuri replied slowly, his expression stiff.
“You look colder than I do.”
“I’m wearing a scarf and gloves, you know.”
She said that, but she felt quite pleased. Cecilia set the toy down and touched the earmuffs covering her ears.
‘So that’s why he was looking for earmuffs.’
She’d thought he was buying them for himself. She never imagined he’d put them on her.
The Grand Duke’s expression was still stern. But Cecilia had already noticed the faint orange haze hovering over his chest.
A gentle curve formed on her lips.
“Still, thank you. I’ll use them well.”
“Kh—khm!”
Hearing her thanks, the Grand Duke hurriedly raised a hand to cover his mouth. He coughed and turned his head away, but it was hard to forget the fleeting smile that had passed across his face like an afterimage.
Furrowing his brow and pretending nothing was wrong, Yuri shifted the topic in a slightly husky voice.
“Anyway, let’s go. To that place where it’s easy to hear those rumors.”
“Krona?”
“Yes. There.”
Nodding, he strode ahead again.
Still, whenever the distance between them grew too wide, he’d pause and glance back from time to time.
Watching him, Cecilia deliberately slowed her pace a little. As expected, Yuri turned back to her again.
“…Why are you smiling like that?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m just in a good mood, since I came out with you.”
At some point, even her form of address had changed, just like during their previous outing.
Back then, he’d gone to great lengths to avoid the Grand Duchess. Now, in the short span of time between, he found himself feeling the exact opposite—and that realization made him awkwardly shy.
What she’d said was more than enough to make him feel buoyant.
Being with him made her feel good. With just that, the purpose of this outing was practically fulfilled.
‘She might’ve just said it to be polite, though.’
Well, if he felt good, there was no reason to deliberately ruin it.
Having come to that conclusion, Yuri followed the same route as before to buy bread, then headed toward the familiar fountain with Cecilia. He spoke up casually.
“About how you address me.”
“Oh, since we’re out right now, I thought I’d do that. Please bear with it for a bit, even if it’s uncomfortable.”
“No, not that. I was thinking we should keep using more casual forms even after we go back.”
Cecilia, who had been tearing off a piece of bread, raised an eyebrow.
“All of a sudden?”
“It’s something I’ve always thought. Haven’t we been overly formal all this time? It’s uncomfortable for the person hearing it too.”
“You didn’t say anything for four months.”
“…I didn’t say it, but I always thought it.”
“Hm.”
As he added an awkward, clumsy excuse, Cecilia let out a small hum and nodded.
“Then ‘you’?”
“That’s fine too.”
As Yuri naturally accepted the bread she offered and lowered his head to take a bite, his shoulders twitched.
‘Did I seem too comfortable with that?’
Last time, hadn’t he taken it with his hand instead?
But he couldn’t exactly spit out what was already in his mouth.
Chewing awkwardly, he rolled his eyes upward, only to see the Grand Duchess looking at him with a suspicious expression.
“……”
Without a word, Yuri raised his arm, grasped the remaining piece in her hand, and straightened his bent back.
“That’s interesting.”
“……”
“And thank you for accepting my goodwill.”
The bread in his mouth began to feel dry and sponge-like.
After chewing hard and finally swallowing it, Yuri sharply turned his head away from Cecilia and tried to change the subject in a stiff tone.
“Ahem, cough! It’s quieter than I expected.”
“It’s because this is when people are learning their trades. Around lunchtime, it gets pretty crowded here.”
Just then, a languid voice naturally slipped into their conversation.
An old woman with deeply wrinkled eyes and mouth was looking at them.
Wearing a red hood like a roly-poly doll, she smiled warmly.
“You don’t look like outsiders. Is this your first time in Tiesher?”
