Chapter 68
“Really?”
Cecilia’s voice jumped up in surprise.
All the anxious thoughts she had carried alone—second-guessing everything like plucking petals from a flower—scattered like dust in an instant.
For now, the simple fact that he had accepted her suggestion was enough to make her happy.
Seeing her face bloom brightly like a flower in full bloom, Yuri stiffened with a guilty look.
He knew all too well how many times he had refused her before, and that knowledge made his conscience sting even more when he saw her so delighted.
“Well, um… things have been going a bit more smoothly at work lately.”
“That’s a relief. Then I’ll let Noah know as well.”
“No, I’ll tell him later.”
Yuri let out a small laugh as he stopped his wife, who looked ready to charge ahead and take care of everything like a bull.
Seeing her happy lifted his own spirits too.
Yes—at least for the time being, the borderlands wouldn’t need his help.
In that case, it wouldn’t be so bad to take a little extra time before returning.
A single day wouldn’t be enough to make up for all the disappointment his wife had felt until now.
He resolved to ask Noah to clear at least three days from his schedule.
With that thought, their conversation came to a warm and gentle close.
And then, early the next morning, Yuri woke up, looked down at his fluffy forepaws—
and froze on the spot.
* * *
“…What on earth is going on?”
—Grrrwoof!
“T-This… haah… just a moment. A doctor—no, a priest—no…”
Still half-asleep, Noah rubbed his face roughly.
Was this a dream? It felt like one.
‘No—please let it be.’
A nightmare that wouldn’t end even when he pinched his cheek—how cruel could a dream be?
‘I shouldn’t have woken up.’
He’d wondered who could be knocking at the door at dawn as if they were about to break it down.
Well… maybe a bear couldn’t control its strength.
Desperate to escape reality, his thoughts kept drifting in useless directions. It wasn’t helping solve the situation at all.
First, Noah went back into his room and drank a glass of water, forcing himself to calm down. As the cold water slid down his throat, his mind gradually cleared.
He let out a long breath and turned back toward the doorway.
“With all due respect—have you lost your mind? Why are you in my room?”
—Grrr!
The bear let out a short growl in protest, then belatedly tilted its head down the corridor, as if worried someone might hear.
Watching the bear’s behavior, Noah felt a chill crawl up the back of his neck.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the flood of thoughts rushing in.
Then he realized something crucial.
‘We need to keep others from seeing this madness.’
Letting the bear wander out when everyone was awake would only make things worse.
If the Grand Duchess happened to see this, the situation would become utterly disastrous.
‘She did say people found out he turns into a bear…’
But letting a bear roam the castle grounds was a whole different issue.
Just imagining the conversations that might occur between servants who knew about the curse and a Grand Duchess who didn’t made him shudder.
‘Terrifying.’
Trembling, Noah gestured with his hand.
“We’ll escort you to the forest for now. Let’s use the back door.”
—Grrnn…
The bear let out a dejected whine and trudged forward.
Grabbing an outer coat, Noah quickly changed into boots and spoke again.
“But how did this happen? You didn’t mention anything unusual yesterday.”
—Grr!
“Ah… right. You can’t talk.”
—Grrrwoof!
The bear shot him an exasperated look. That irritating flash of white in its eyes felt oddly familiar.
More composed now, Noah scanned their surroundings as they moved quietly.
“You mentioned last month that the ‘transformation’ happened earlier than usual.”
—Grr.
“I searched through the Berserk family records, but there was nothing like this…”
—Grrnn.
By the time their exchange of words and growls ended, they had reached the edge of the forest.
Thankfully, they hadn’t been seen by anyone on the way.
The sun hadn’t risen yet—thank the heavens.
“Ha… I’ll do my best to erase your footprints on the way back.”
—Grr!
“Please stay hidden. I’ll tell the castle that His Grace departed early for the borderlands.”
The bear nodded—then suddenly froze.
A chill ran down Noah’s spine.
“W-What is it? There’s nothing wrong, is there?”
Swallowing his unease, Noah narrowed his eyes.
The bear hesitated, then turned its head toward the castle.
Its damp eyes gazed fixedly at one of the upper floors.
If there was someone the Grand Duke would look at with such sorrow…
“Is there something you want me to tell Her Grace, the Grand Duchess?”
—Grr!
Noah knew well how much effort the Grand Duchess had been putting in.
While Yuri was away, the people she spoke with most were Ellie and Noah himself.
He knew how invested she was in this matter—and how disappointed she felt that the Grand Duke couldn’t be there with her.
If Yuri felt this guilty, then he must have promised her just the day before that they would go to Toden together.
Strictly speaking, this wasn’t the Grand Duke’s fault.
No one could have predicted the curse would manifest this early.
But still…
‘Her Grace will see it differently.’
With little information, misunderstandings were bound to pile up.
It wouldn’t be easy to understand a husband who had made a bold promise, only to leave suddenly for the borderlands.
Even if Cecilia was more accommodating than most, love wasn’t something that followed rules or bent neatly to reason.
Though the two hadn’t spoken properly, even a third party could easily tell there was affection in their eyes when they looked at each other.
‘I just hope she doesn’t take it too hard.’
His mouth went dry. All he could do was help with excuses, and that made it sting even more.
“…I’ll explain things as best I can, so please don’t worry.”
—Grr…
The bear lowered its head, clearly disheartened.
Only after they had gone deep enough into the forest to be unseen from the castle did they stop.
“Will you head straight for the borderlands?”
The bear nodded calmly.
“Yes… it might be better than lingering near the castle. I’ll handle things here, so please go.”
—Grr!
The bear gave a short, grateful growl and trudged onward.
Noah watched the unusually weary-looking back for a moment before turning toward the castle himself.
The sun was rising in the distance.
He paused briefly, letting the spear-like rays of light pierce through the pointed trees, then began walking again.
It was the beginning of a particularly long day.
* * *
“…He left suddenly?”
After breakfast, Cecilia’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.
Standing before her was Noah, wearing the expression of someone utterly miserable.
Seeing how guilty he looked, she felt she should say something—anything—to reassure him.
But it was as if something were stuck in her throat.
“He asked me to convey his deepest apologies. The borderlands sent an urgent message, and it’s directly tied to the security of Rotleben…”
“I know. I understand.”
Cecilia cut him off with a short reply and offered a faint smile.
“It couldn’t be helped. Foreigners will be arriving soon, so it makes sense to tighten security.”
Despite the turmoil in her chest, the words came out calmly.
She finished with what she decided was a fortunate conclusion.
“I think I was holding onto someone who needs to leave for Hilder a bit too tightly. You’ve delivered the report, so you may go now. You’ll be busy preparing anyway.”
“…I’m sorry.”
There was no reason for Noah to apologize.
Shaking her head to refuse it, Cecilia turned away.
She told Ellie to fetch a bag and began pretending to pack for Toden.
Only then did she hear Noah hesitate before leaving the room.
“Um… My lady. Are you really all right?”
Ellie, who was assisting her, asked cautiously.
Cecilia gathered a couple of books, then turned to her maid with a habitual smile.
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
She was fine.
This was something she should understand.
She had to be fine.
