Chapter 49
‘I’ve already decided to stay close to him, but…’
It wouldn’t hurt to find out whether there had been similar cases before, or what kind of reason could explain this effect.
If she could understand the cause clearly, then even if her wife found it strange later, she could use it as a small excuse.
Lost in thought, Yuri came to the conclusion that investigating it wouldn’t be a bad idea after all.
Noah made a face as if to ask what kind of fairy tale nonsense that was, but soon nodded.
It was pointless to draw lines between reality and fantasy when the curse they were already burdened with belonged to an incomprehensible realm to begin with.
‘If I meet the Duchess again after this transformation, I should be able to confirm it more clearly.’
She’d probably come again. Up until now, she had never missed a single month of visiting him.
Thinking of Cecilia—who became far more honest and bright only in Berry’s presence—Yuri broke into a grin.
For the first time in his life, he found himself looking forward to the transformation period.
I’ll be going to see Berry again this month, right?
Cecilia waited eagerly for the day she could go into the forest, her mood slightly lifted.
It was regrettable to be separated from her husband, but just as much anticipation swelled at the thought of meeting Berry.
After all, it was like meeting a friend she could honestly confide in.
‘And keeping secrets is a bonus.’
Berry was the perfect listener for talking about how she felt about her husband, and how her perspective on him kept changing.
If that bear truly understood human speech completely, he might recoil in horror at an endless stream of romantic 고민—but—
‘That’s not the case.’
Wouldn’t he make the best counselor imaginable?
Imagining the bear resting his head on his forepaws, pretending to half-listen to her story, Cecilia let out a soft laugh.
In her good mood, she decided to be extra thoughtful this month about the food she would bring for Berry.
Every time, she felt a bit guilty pretending it was her own lunch while packing, but this time, even if questions came up, she planned to brush them off casually and bring everything she wanted him to eat.
‘…Will Ellie feel hurt again?’
Perhaps because she’d been leaving Ellie behind more often lately, Cecilia felt faintly apologetic.
If there was a silver lining, it was that Ellie seemed to wander around just fine even without her.
Recalling vaguely how Ellie had been sticking close to Noah recently, Cecilia tilted her head.
It was an unexpected connection, but as long as they were getting along, there was no harm in it. In fact, it felt oddly reassuring that two people she trusted had grown that close.
If Ellie insisted on coming along again this time, Cecilia pouted as she formed a slightly mischievous plan to look for Noah.
‘No, wait.’
Lately, she’d often gone out to the city alone. If she changed clothes as if she were heading into town again, Ellie might not follow her this time either.
‘It’ll be much easier to walk through the forest, too.’
Besides, that would give her a reasonable explanation for the suspiciously large amount of food she was packing.
She could just say she was sharing it with someone else.
‘Not a person, but a bear—but still.’
With such a plausible excuse in place, her heart felt lighter.
Cecilia absentmindedly scribbled with her pen.
A large, round circle appeared on the paper. She added two smaller circles on top and a pair of shiny eyes, then suddenly paused.
As she drew and thought of her friend, her mind naturally lingered on those eyes.
Dark brown eyes. The color of softly melted chocolate…
‘Aren’t they almost the same as my husband’s?’
She’d thought they were similar before, but perhaps because she’d recently had occasion to look closely into her husband’s eyes—
That resemblance bothered her more than usual.
Ink pooled thickly where the pen had stopped, but Cecilia didn’t notice, lost in her thoughts.
‘That’s strange.’
Could they really look that alike?
And yet, her husband was human, and Berry was a bear. It could only be coincidence—so why did it trouble her so much?
She mindlessly drew circles while spinning theories in her head about the connection between the bear and her husband, then swallowed a sigh.
The pen clattered onto the desk.
Perhaps her body had been feeling better lately thanks to the treatments at the temple. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be wasting so much time caught up in such strange imaginings.
Snorting at the thoughts she’d been chewing on just moments ago, Cecilia tidied up the pen and paper.
It was ridiculous. There was no reason to obsess over something as trivial as eye color.
So it was best to shake off this unpleasant feeling as quickly as possible.
Cecilia squeezed her eyes shut, deliberately ignoring the oddly heavy emotion that lingered like a pool of ink.
There were far more important matters ahead than this.
She rubbed hard at the ink stain on her fingertips with a handkerchief and stood up, willfully ignoring the fact that the stain hadn’t come off—and that the thought itself had settled darkly in one corner of her mind.
It was shortly after that—before she could even finish preparing her planned gift—that news of the Grand Duke’s schedule arrived.
And finally, the morning Yuri was to head toward the borderlands.
“…The Duchess doesn’t seem to be here today.”
Still dragging out his preparations, Yuri glanced sideways.
The lineup of knights and servants looked no different from last month—except for the empty space where the Duchess should have been.
When he hadn’t realized how precious it was, she’d shown up faithfully every time. Now that he’d begun to feel the absence, she had vanished without a trace. It was irritating.
He adjusted the reins again with a reluctant hand and was just about to mount his horse when—
“—Darling, wait!”
A hurried call grabbed his ankle.
It was the voice he’d been waiting for.
Suppressing a grin, Yuri hurriedly forced his lips into a sullen line and slowly turned around.
Her hair looked hastily brushed, her outer robe thrown on carelessly—clear signs of how urgently she’d rushed out.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“How could I not? I even prepared something.”
Ah—this was bad. Managing his expression just got twice as hard.
As Yuri subtly twitched his lips, Cecilia continued explaining.
“Even if seasoned knights are guarding the border, you’re still heading into a dangerous battlefield.”
She rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a small handkerchief, carefully tying it around his wrist.
“It’s a little late, but… I embroidered it while wishing you good luck.”
When he twisted his wrist, he saw a small clover stitched into one corner.
It reminded him unmistakably of the bracelet they once shared.
When Cecilia gave him a sly wink from an angle others couldn’t see, it seemed that was exactly her intention.
“I’m not particularly good at embroidery, but I still wanted to make something with my own hands. I’m just glad I finished it in time.”
Smiling brightly, Cecilia stepped back.
Despite her modest words, the embroidery was quite delicate and lovely.
It felt as if flower petals were fluttering softly inside his chest, ticklish and warm.
Unconsciously clenching his fist, the corners of Yuri’s mouth curved into a gentle smile.
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
The words were brief, but they were enough.
Yuri tightened the knot of the handkerchief around his wrist.
Behind him, Noah wore a thoroughly displeased expression—but Yuri didn’t notice at all.
Though his schedule had been moved up for reasons that weren’t particularly good, somehow, it felt like something good was bound to happen.
