Chapter 62
After the head butler, wreathed in a mysteriously warm-colored haze, withdrew—
Cecilia walked lightly alongside Noah toward her husband’s office.
“He said he stepped out for a bit, right?”
“Yes. But he should be back sometime this afternoon.”
“Hmm, good. Since we’re at it, shall we play hooky together? If my husband complains later, just say it was my idea.”
“Thank you very much.”
Noah, a man who never refused outright, immediately bowed his head.
Letting out a short laugh at the sight, Cecilia looked around her husband’s office with fresh eyes.
It was a room as unadorned as its owner.
Kindly put, it was neat. Bluntly speaking, it was stark.
On a bookshelf tucked into one corner sat a handful of books, all of varying thickness.
Judging his reading habits by sheer volume would be… questionable.
Cecilia’s attention lingered less on the number of books and more on how worn they were.
‘They’ve been handled a lot.’
It seemed he had brought over a few frequently read volumes from the archive to keep close at hand.
Running her fingernail slowly along a book spine, Cecilia pulled one out after spotting an unexpected title.
The Gods and Myths of Sideoli.
Huh. She wouldn’t have thought he’d be interested in works of pure imagination like this.
With a faintly surprised thought, she flipped through the pages—and then froze.
Several lines, written in neat, upright handwriting, were scrawled in a small hand.
She’d assumed it was part of the printed text, but it seemed her husband had written something himself.
‘Morvena and Veles… and a curse.’
Tilting her head after quickly skimming the notable words, Cecilia pondered.
Had he been trying to learn something about the curse that hung over Rotreven?
Especially since she herself had just heard related information at the temple, her thoughts naturally drifted that way.
‘Nothing about a calamity… it seems.’
He appeared to have only researched mentions of gods bestowing curses.
She knew it was unrealistic to expect an easy solution—but still, she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
Perhaps she’d allowed herself to hope, even in that brief moment.
Letting out a soft sigh, Cecilia returned the book neatly to its place.
As if he’d been waiting, Noah spoke up.
“Would it be better to have some tea brought in?”
“Shall we? I’m not sure when my husband will return.”
Sharing tea and light refreshments while waiting would make the time pass more quickly—and allow for a more relaxed conversation with Noah.
She had many things she wanted to ask him. After all, he’d been by the Grand Duke’s side since childhood; he was bound to know a great deal about her husband.
While Noah instructed another servant to prepare some drinks, Cecilia continued surveying the office.
On a wall-sized map of Rotreven, numerous unfamiliar markings were scattered about.
As she examined one particularly ominous black mark, a voice sounded behind her.
“They indicate the border zones—specifically, locations where the ‘Gates’ are.”
Standing straight with his hands clasped behind his back, Noah continued his explanation.
“Access is restricted, so you’ll need to be careful… though you likely won’t have any reason to go near the borderlands anyway.”
“The restricted area seems rather extensive.”
“We can’t risk civilians wandering in and getting hurt. Usually only the defense forces are stationed there.”
“But you haven’t sealed off all of Besborun. What if someone gets lost?”
“There are separate boundary markers in place, so it should be fine.”
Answering each question earnestly, Noah suddenly let out a short exclamation.
“Ah—earlier, you mentioned taking walks through the forest, didn’t you?”
“Only as far as the sanctuary. I was told that much was safe.”
“Yes. The path to the sanctuary doesn’t usually have dangerous wild animals, so… it should be fine.”
He trailed off slightly at the end, then quickly composed himself and finished calmly.
Cecilia, however, was already lost in her own thoughts and failed to notice the hesitation.
For example—
‘He doesn’t seem to know about Berry. Is it really safe to relax?’
No dangerous wild animals? A bear was dangerous enough, wasn’t it?
‘Well… Berry is fine, at least.’
He was strong enough to protect people even against monsters, so it should be… fine? Probably.
Lost in such idle thoughts, Cecilia snapped back to reality only when she heard Noah clear his throat.
“In any case, things are usually fine—but for the time being, it might be best to avoid visiting the sanctuary as well.”
“Because of unusual monster activity?”
“Yes. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but that’s precisely why the consensus is to be extra cautious.”
“I understand. I’ll be careful.”
After bowing in thanks, Noah guided her to a small table set in the corner once the refreshments arrived. The area looked hastily cleared and rather messy.
Noticing where her gaze landed, he muttered awkwardly,
“We don’t often receive guests, so there may be some shortcomings.”
“It’s fine. I’m not exactly an outsider, am I?”
“Well… that’s true.”
A small smile bloomed on Noah’s face, as if the thought pleased him.
Cecilia looked at him with mild surprise.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, nothing. I just didn’t expect you to be this happy about it.”
Her lips curved into a playful smile.
“Are you really that pleased that I’ve become a part of Rotreven?”
“That goes without saying.”
As Cecilia took a sip of tea, Noah continued in the same even tone.
“If it weren’t for you, Your Grace, Rotreven would never have become this lively. I’m always grateful.”
His blue eyes narrowed gently, disappearing into a soft smile.
“His Grace truly made a match far above his station.”
“I see you’re having quite a good time while I’m gone.”
The warm atmosphere shattered the instant Yuri barged in.
He looked rushed, his hair in disarray.
“Oh my, you didn’t need to come in such a hurry.”
“How could I not?!”
After receiving a report that she was chatting cozily alone with Noah, how could he possibly take his time?
About to snap back, Yuri clamped his mouth shut with a low groan.
He had no intention of giving Noah material to tease him with.
“…I heard the head butler and my aide were summoned for some sort of secret plotting. I got worried.”
Grumbling, Yuri scanned the room. Fortunately, nothing seemed amiss. The tea in the cups was barely touched.
Dragging a chair to sit between Cecilia and Noah, Yuri plopped down and gestured for her to continue.
“So? What’s this about?”
“Well, it’s not really anything urgent enough to warrant rushing over.”
With an apologetic smile, Cecilia slid a sheet of paper toward him.
“It’s a little embarrassing, actually… but could you read it first?”
Yuri slowly scanned the contents. A banquet.
It truly didn’t suit Rotreven.
Whenever he visited Terrasilon, he was occasionally forced to attend banquets—but he always left as quickly as possible, never paying attention to how the hall was decorated or what people did there.
As he slowly rubbed his thumb over the paper, a troubled look crossed his eyes.
“Of course, it’ll be a casual gathering with only people from the North. I’d also like the children to participate in the preparations. So we won’t be too strict about formality.”
“The children?”
The servants’ children?
As if reading his thoughts, Cecilia nodded.
“Yes. I think it’ll be a valuable experience for them.”
“…But the Terrasilon lot won’t like it.”
“So what? This is Rotreven. If they’re in Rotreven, they should follow Rotreven’s rules.”
Putting on a mock stern expression, Cecilia raised her brows slyly.
At that, a laugh escaped him before he could stop it.
Coughing hurriedly to regain composure, Yuri nodded as if unfazed.
“Fine. Do as you like.”
“Thank you. If anything else comes up that I need to report, I’ll let you know.”
She gathered the papers briskly, clearly intending to leave.
He hadn’t even gotten a proper look at her face yet. Feeling oddly reluctant, Yuri parted his lips.
“…Is there anything I can help with?”
It was a rather embarrassing thing to say, but it was the only excuse he could think of to keep her there.
Deliberately stiffening his expression, he asked with quiet anticipation.
‘Last time, she wanted me to visit the workshop with her—she’s had plenty of requests before.’
This time, no matter what it was, he’d agree.
While mentally rearranging his schedule, Yuri waited for her answer.
“Hmm… no. Nothing comes to mind.”
That reply—
Was something he truly, truly had not expected at all.
