I cleared my schedule.
That means I have a lot more to do right now, but once this is over, I’ll drop by the North for a bit.
It might be my job to somehow spend time waiting for a break of my own.
If I go to the North this time, I think it will be quite busy.
Visiting this time might actually be one of the few moments I can rest comfortably.
Anyway, I was already planning to meet, but it feels a bit sooner than I expected.
Still, the reason I cleared my schedule was that a reason to go to the North came up.
“A masked person has appeared in the North.”
“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it looks certain.”
There was no accurate information on the identity of these masked individuals.
All I knew was that they were following the Crown Prince and involved with something related to the Dead Dragon.
Arwen mentioned she had a hunch and would investigate, so I thought it might be necessary to look into that if I head North this time.
Still, the main goal is to soothe Adele.
I never thought she would sulk just because I delayed contacting her a little.
I was more surprised than anything; I was contemplating what to say when I see Adele in person.
If today’s schedule wraps up, I’ll head to the North tomorrow.
After stretching for a moment, I picked up Adele’s letter slowly while organizing the documents on my desk.
I always think about this, but I’m not particularly good at handwriting.
My hurried personality shows through in my rough writing; it would feel like I have a bad character if one weren’t a close acquaintance.
Given that she’s a Grand Duke, she might have people to receive such letters, but I figured I’d need to correct it a bit later.
It was slightly surprising that Kaitel hadn’t made any moves toward Adele yet.
I’ll have to keep an eye on what might trigger him.
So, I plan to check for potential dangers in the North this time.
If there are any, I’ll eliminate them; if not, I’ll ensure they never come to exist in the first place.
Maybe for Adele it’s not an issue, but if I give Lothos a heads-up, I believe he would handle it well on his own.
Anyway, what I’m focused on now is investigating the incidents in the outer regions.
There has been an unusual amount of trouble lately, and I was looking into the cause.
This trouble is not simple. If the change of the Head of the Family was the cause, it would have calmed down quickly.
It seems like someone is intentionally escalating it.
Finding the source is the primary goal. Once I find the source, the next objective is to figure out what caused the unrest in the first place.
For now, there’s no rush to find it.
If I leave it to Renold or Arwen, they can certainly find the reason.
However, this particular matter is something I alone must finish here at the Ducal Residence.
Click, click, the sound of shoes echoed coldly down the quiet corridor.
The remodeled hallway had completely disappeared, and the path to the basement was starkly laid bare with not a sound to be heard.
Only the faint sound of a fragile breath could occasionally be heard.
As I moved my steps toward that colorful noise, a familiar face came into view.
The still-living Yuria hadn’t spoken a single word since that day.
Even if I said something, nothing would change, but I found myself gazing at the woman who always sat there with her head down. Finally, I quietly spoke.
“You haven’t eaten again today. I did mention you won’t die from it.”
Yuria’s days were always filled with hallucinations.
The special drug made by Arwen triggered her nightmares and reset her emotions with each familiarity with fear, delivering even more intense horror.
Occasionally, drool trickled from her trembling lips.
The once noble woman had completely vanished, leaving only the ugly figure trembling in fear.
Even if she tried to speak again, I thought she wouldn’t be able to form proper words.
If there was a chance left, I would ensure she couldn’t convey any message through speech.
Given her current state, it didn’t seem necessary anyway.
The reason I came all this way was simple.
To check Yuria’s condition and keep her consciousness intact enough to not completely break.
As I released the divine power housed within me, her hazy gaze cleared up a bit.
For a brief moment, her eyes faced me before her head drooped again, drool trailing down to the floor.
“It’s not bad. You still seem to be doing okay, which is a relief.”
I hoped she’d live as long as possible.
Healthy, perhaps even until I died would be nice.
Of course, she shouldn’t be happy.
How could I allow her to rest easy after everything she’s done?
I had no intention of letting her go as easily as Teresa did, and Yuria still had a hefty price to pay.
While I was away in the North, Arwen would manage this place.
I figured she wouldn’t see sunlight for quite some time.
I hoped she wouldn’t lose her mind during that period.
By the time hope dulled to exhaustion, I wanted her to end up as a puppet with severed strings.
When I told Yuria about the things I did as the head of the family, a strange feeling washed over me.
If our positions were reversed, I wondered what kind of thoughts I would have had.
Would I still wish for reincarnation, or would my heart crumble?
Yet, thankfully, reality had shone a light on me. I intended to bind Yuria to avoid any more dangerous situations.
What would Yuria look like after my return from the North?
Thinking about that, I quietly stepped back.
Soon after, I faded from the basement, leaving behind nothing but the faint sound of solitary breaths in the empty room.
It would likely be a sound that persisted eternally.
The news that Robert Taylor was heading north spread quickly.
It was only natural for Adele, who had triggered it, but the subordinates who thought more specially about the relationship between Adele and Robert had even more intense reactions.
Lothos let out a longer sigh than usual, Bunta was busy sharpening his weapon at the thought of fighting again, and the other lieutenants began to bolster their resolve.
“Don’t you think this is a bit weirdly energizing?”
At Lothos’s words, the lieutenants looked at each other.
In fact, the one putting the most thought into this visit was Lothos. After all, he was the one who set up the room where Duke Taylor would stay.
Feeling his comrades’ strange expressions, Lothos cleared his throat and then sighed again, nibbling on his lips.
“…This isn’t normal. I can’t be the only one thinking this. Right?”
“We don’t need to worry about it. After all, it’s gonna be the Grand Duke’s business.”
Bunta nodded at Ilona’s words, the only female present.
Lothos had always shown great interest in Adele’s relationships.
At first, one might think he had a crush, but considering the age difference, that would be a crime.
Maybe he just wanted to play the role of Adele’s father.
If Adele knew, she might actually try to kill him.
Bunta understood Lothos’s intentions that way.
“You sometimes do unnecessary things.”
“Bunta, that’s just because you’re clueless. Have you ever seen the Grand Duke’s expression when she looks at that guy? It’s different from usual!”
“He’s handsome. He’s a great fighter. How many people do you think the Grand Duke has met like that? I think this is the first time.”
Both of them are around the same age and have similar tastes.
Ilona had never seen anyone move so naturally with Adele.
She had known Adele since she led the mercenary group, but those who were just handsome usually ended up crushed by Adele’s own hand.
She thought this current encounter wasn’t bad at all.
If anyone wasn’t fussing around, it would have been even more natural.
For a moment, Ilona smiled bitterly, causing Lothos to flinch his shoulders.
“If we just leave them be, they’ll figure it out themselves. I think we don’t need to worry.”
The people who remembered Adele’s childhood kept telling the same story: it was about the loneliness a girl who hadn’t yet become an adult felt.
A girl who lost her father at a young age, and when she finally had everything, received the news of her father’s death.
She rarely smiled and preferred being alone.
Many felt pity for the girl who became obsessively fixated on anything that caught her interest.
Now that girl smiles well and feels jealousy at times.
Regardless of whether Robert Taylor is a good person or not, those who had seen Adele smile like that a handful of times couldn’t help but view this relationship positively.
There was no need for all this fuss.
It was simply a matter of meeting the partner that should have been there long ago.
However, it was frustrating that neither of them showed emotions to each other.
But there’s no need to force that, is there?
I thought that when the time comes, it would naturally happen one day.
When Bunta looked at Lothos, Lothos, snapped out of his daze from the imposing gaze and gave a bitter smile.
“Alright, this time I’ll just stay still. But you won’t say anything to us while I’m being still, right?”
“You’re the only one who got hit for causing a fuss last time.”
“I found out later why you tried to drop me during the festival. I never imagined it was to make us be alone.”
With a sigh that seemed incredulous, Bunta let out a breath while Ilona smiled faintly.
I really don’t understand why. If you just leave them be, they’ll surely meet, and if there’s destiny, that’s how it is.
Just like one day the Grand Duke met without any promise and became interested, Robert coming to see me like this is also a part of that destiny.
“Anyway, it seems like I have to go now. It’s about time to arrive.”
“Yeah, then let’s go slowly.”
As Ilona stood up, Bunta, who stood up with her, led Lothos outside.
There was no need to call Adele separately.
Before they knew it, Adele was already outside waiting, having finished all her preparations and quite far away.
I hope this time we won’t be late like last time. Ilona chuckled at the memory of Adele’s expression when Robert came.
That anxious look was the first time I had seen it. Who would have thought that the Grand Duke would be so anxious about a single man?
I realized that the emotions Adele held were beyond just simple interest, but if it was like that again, it probably wouldn’t end well.
How long had they waited like that? Adele quietly moved her body as a pack of wolves kicked up dust, approaching from afar.
Ilona quietly stopped Lothos, who was about to move after her, and extended her finger to her lips.
There was no need to interrupt this meeting.
Just watching and observing the Grand Duke’s distinctly changed appearance compared to the past would be enough.
Adele’s lips were adorned with a smile that faced forward quicker than anyone else.
She seemed to be trying hard not to smile, but when she made eye contact with Robert, the twitching corners of her mouth were a sight everyone could see.
“Ah, as expected.”
“Right? You shouldn’t interrupt.”
Seeing a man and woman laughing while facing each other was a rare sight in the North, especially if it’s the always-serious Grand Duke.
There was something to realize in this special scene. The wind was surprisingly warm, unlike usual.
The north wind, which always blows, had disappeared, replaced by the warm southern wind blowing from afar, tickling their cheeks.
A season that felt out of place here, sometimes I wished it would just disappear.
However, there was no other season that lived up to its name as much as today, and Ilona quietly muttered while watching it.
“Spring has come.”
Spring comes to the North too. It was a moment where one could feel that fact, even just a little.
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