Chapter 48
“Wow, this is cute.”
Her steps slowed.
Cecilia’s gaze drifted toward a small roadside stall, and Yuri’s eyes followed hers.
Roughly polished, colorful stones threaded together into bracelets were scattered across a shabby wooden mat.
“I made them myself!”
A small boy grinned widely, his upper lip streaked with dried snot.
His sharp eyes darted back and forth between Yuri and Cecilia, unwilling to miss a potential customer. Sniffling once, he quickly crouched beside the stall.
“This one’s shaped like the North Star, and this one’s a snowflake! And this one is…”
His fingers rummaged through the bracelets before pulling one out.
“This one’s a four-leaf clover bracelet! It’s a symbol of good luck!”
To be honest, it didn’t look like that at all.
But Yuri had no intention of crushing a child’s innocent imagination, so he chose silence instead.
“You’re very talented. May I try one on?”
Unlike him, Cecilia—who had a better eye, was kinder to children, and far more skilled at polite flattery—squatted down in front of the boy and raised her finger.
“This one’s a flower, right? And this looks kind of like a heart.”
“Wow! You’re the first person who’s ever recognized them!”
Apparently, the people of Rotleben were far more honest than Yuri had expected.
Clapping enthusiastically, the boy studied Cecilia’s eyes before subtly pushing the so-called clover bracelet toward her.
“Now that I look closely, I think it’d really suit your eyes. Don’t you want to buy one?”
Yuri shot him a ‘Well, look at you’ glare, but the young merchant stood his ground.
“Ah… the color’s so pretty. Ah… you’re not going to buy it? Ah…”
“How much are you asking?”
“If you buy it, big sis, I’ll give it to you for just one silver coin!”
Seizing the opportunity the moment she showed interest, the boy answered eagerly.
“One silver coin—mmph!”
“Since you put in the effort to bargain, I’ll buy it. But can you find one that would suit this gentleman too?”
Cecilia quickly covered Yuri’s mouth before he could scold the boy. After pouting and thinking hard, the boy suddenly held one up.
“This one! He looks really strong—and fast, like lightning!”
It was a bracelet with a long, sharply cut gemstone.
Judging by the boy’s words, it was probably meant to be lightning-shaped.
…Probably.
“Then how about one silver coin and five copper coins for both?”
“Eight copper coins.”
“Six.”
“…Deal! Six!”
The boy hesitated for a moment, glanced at Yuri’s expression, and then quickly accepted Cecilia’s offer.
To Yuri, even six copper coins seemed generous, but Cecilia smiled brightly as if she’d made a wise purchase.
She held out the lightning—whatever—it-was bracelet, eyes sparkling.
“Here. They say it looks like you.”
“……”
It was strange.
The teasing intent was obvious, and the design wasn’t exactly to his taste.
Yet just because Cecilia was offering it, his irritation softened.
Pretending indifference, Yuri carefully accepted the bracelet.
The boy, watching closely, made another suggestion in a sly voice.
“How about wearing them for each other? Like rings.”
That way, he whispered, you’d always be together no matter where you were.
He’d seemed naïve at first.
Was he actually a born merchant?
With that kind of tongue, he could easily succeed the Orto Trading Company’s master.
The truly surprising thing was that Cecilia seemed to be considering it.
Holding a bracelet in each hand, she pondered briefly before smiling and offering the pale green one.
“You’ll take good care of it, right?”
“Hey, big sis! You’re supposed to put it on him yourself!”
Elbowing Cecilia playfully, the boy grabbed Yuri’s wrist and pulled it forward.
Laughing brightly, Cecilia gently took Yuri’s wrist and fastened the bracelet for him. Then, without missing a beat, she thrust her own wrist toward him.
“Now you. Your turn.”
“Ah… um. Okay.”
Fumbling at first, Yuri soon focused intently as he carefully fastened the bracelet around her wrist.
He’d thought the same thing earlier when he held her wrist.
…It’s too thin.
His throat bobbed as he stared at her pale, slender hand—so delicate it seemed like it might break if he gripped it too tightly.
She’s always been frail.
The image of Cecilia’s wrist snapping made his hands tremble.
Unaware that she was watching him with amusement, he finally managed to tie the knot.
“…There. Done.”
“Normally, I charge to fix broken strings, but for you, big sis, I’ll do it for free!”
The boy jumped around, waving happily—clearly proud of his successful sale.
Watching him, Yuri and Cecilia exchanged glances and smiled.
“If I want to enjoy that privilege, I guess I’ll have to wear it often.”
The bracelet squeezed tightly around Yuri’s thick wrist—it would probably break before long.
But he swallowed those thoughts and smiled softly.
It was something he’d never done before, yet the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.
* * *
As soon as he returned to the castle, Yuri asked for the jewelry box.
The servants, startled by their lord’s unfamiliar request, quickly presented the item.
It had belonged to the previous Grand Duke.
Yuri placed the clover bracelet carefully atop the other jewelry, closed the lid, and hid it somewhere deep where no one would find it.
Exactly five minutes later, he took it back out and slipped the bracelet onto his arm.
His clumsy fingers couldn’t tie it as securely as Cecilia had.
He worried that tightening it too much might snap the string or damage the bracelet.
The boy had said he’d fix it, but Yuri wanted to preserve it properly.
With a sigh, he returned it to the box and forced himself to look away.
If I keep looking, I’ll only grow more attached.
That resolve came as a bonus.
Ten minutes later, the jewelry box was back in his hands.
Opening it, he groaned softly at the sight of the pale green stone and lifted the bracelet carefully.
Because of the boy’s comment about her eye color, Cecilia’s eyes kept flashing through his mind.
And the phrase symbol of good luck bothered him more than he cared to admit.
Would it be better if I had it made into a necklace instead?
It’d be less likely to break—and easier to hide under clothing.
As he examined the bracelet closely—
Knock, knock.
A neat knock echoed through the room.
Startled, he quickly put the bracelet away and closed the box.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Noah stuck his foot inside—then froze.
“What?”
“…I just had this overwhelming feeling of incredibly bad luck.”
“You really have a way with words. Want me to remind you of discipline?”
“No, sir.”
Bowing obediently, Noah raised the papers in his hand.
“Let’s start with the report.”
At Yuri’s nod, Noah stepped closer and slid the document over.
“This is the deployment plan for when you’re away during the ‘mutation’ period. The Grand Duchess asked me to review it. I didn’t find any issues, so if you approve, I’ll pass it on.”
Ah, right. The end of the month was approaching already.
Yuri skimmed the document, his expression cooling. He didn’t see any problems either.
“And we’ve received a report from the borderlands. The appearance of mid-level monsters has increased by one or two cases compared to last month.”
“Hm.”
It was rare, but not unheard of. Noah didn’t look particularly alarmed.
Nodding, Yuri pushed the document back.
“Tell them I’ll head to the border earlier this month if possible. And there’s one more thing I want you to investigate.”
He tapped the table thoughtfully.
“Find out whether there can be someone whose mere presence weakens curses.”
Even as the mutation period approached, his mind was unnervingly clear.
Just as it had been ever since his wife came here.
