Chapter 229
As the morning sunlight streamed through the curtains, I woke up. Just thinking about the rumors that would swirl after last night made me want to shut my eyes again, but I reluctantly got out of bed.
It felt a bit strange sleeping on the sofa—it had been a while. Since the Academy dispatch, I had definitely been sleeping more comfortably.
“Are you awake?”
I turned my gaze towards the voice and saw Marcilio perched on the edge of the bed. For a moment, I worried he might be the type to say something like, “Dukes don’t sleep on such shabby beds,” but thankfully, he hadn’t made a fuss at all.
And then I noticed the shirt he was draped with like a cloak.
‘Not a lizard or anything.’
The memory of last night made me stifle a laugh. Marcilio had pretended to sleep while tightly clinging to me. No matter how much I shook him, he held his ground, so I had flung off his shirt and made a run for it. If I played coward, I had to be cowardly back.
Even though Marcilio had been awake when I tossed off the shirt, he still didn’t grab me back, perhaps out of a final shred of dignity. If he had suddenly opened his eyes, it would’ve been too embarrassing.
Still, I could feel his burning gaze on my back as I made my way toward the sofa.
“Yes, Your Grace. Good morning.”
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had such a refreshing morning.”
Seeing Marcilio smile faintly brought me relief. The weeping figure of Marcilio from yesterday was long gone, and the Marcilio I knew had returned.
“Baby?”
“Yes, what is it?”
As I was putting on my coat, Marcilio, who was still sitting on the bed, spoke up shyly.
“I’m having trouble using magic right now, so could you comb my hair for me?”
At those words, I unintentionally scanned Marcilio from head to toe. He looked neat and tidy, even right after waking up. In fact, he seemed cleaner than when I had wiped him down.
But amidst all that tidiness was a particularly messy nest atop his head, the result of someone who had clearly tussled their hair intentionally.
“Is that… not possible?”
Such an obvious lie! I could tell even from an objective viewpoint, and his ears were visibly trembling, confirming that it was a blatant falsehood.
But what could I do? Considering the trouble Marcilio had gone through yesterday, combing his hair was a minuscule task for me to fulfill. Such a simple request was something I could easily accommodate.
“No problem at all. Of course, I’ll do it.”
As I nodded cheerfully, Marcilio’s smile brightened even more, and he handed me the brush.
“Your Grace, you really should get rid of the shirt—”
“Just do it like this.”
“Yes, understood.”
…Right, getting his shirt taken was really no big deal. I’d had my outer coat stolen by Marghetta before.
Having a guest in the house after such a long time, especially one that spent the night, I offered breakfast, but Marcilio shook his head after a moment’s thought. He needed to hurry off due to business at the Magic Tower.
The Magic Tower was probably chaos itself right now. Their top executive had just gone AWOL, causing all sorts of rumors and not even returning before dark. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Vice Tower Chief collapsed from hypertension.
“Let’s go together.”
“Uh, okay?”
I extended my hand for escort, and Marcilio appeared taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected this level of service.
But this was right. It was safer than having him wander back alone at night. After all, rumors about a crying Marcilio drifting around would surely make quite the scene the next day.
Of course, him going with me would mean overkill, but it was better to spread good news than bad.
“Thank you.”
After a brief hesitation, Marcilio took my hand, smiling brightly, just like when I had seen him earlier.
It felt a bit strange. Yesterday, I had seen Marcilio sobbing at the main gate, and today I was watching him beam, both at the entrance and in the room.
‘Whoever knows what tomorrow brings.’
Indeed, one rarely knows what lies ahead. Could I have imagined such a transformation in just a day?
But it was a positive change, so it was all good. It was better than crying again after laughing till yesterday.
“Well then, I’ll guide you.”
Marcilio responded with his usual radiant smile.
*
My heart raced. Had it ever thumped this fast before?
The reason was simple. The warmth of Marcilio’s hand intertwined with mine was overwhelming. Walking hand-in-hand with Marcilio made me genuinely happy.
Feeling joy over something this trivial was a bit embarrassing, but what could I do?
“It’ll probably be quite noisy for a while.”
As joy made my head swim, Marcilio whispered softly, causing me to turn my attention to our surroundings.
Eyes turning our way from various directions, whispers, people dashing to catch a glimpse of us.
“Yes, I suppose so.”
I smirked at the sight. Yes, for a time, there would probably be a stir not just in the territory but across the Empire’s social scene. No one else but me could cause such a ruckus.
I had shown such an ugly side of myself, but it was unavoidable. How could I remain calm when I was nearly about to lose Marcilio forever?
“Still, today’s rumors will probably spread faster than yesterday’s.”
Marcilio’s voice mixed with a laugh. Hearing that only made my heart race even more.
‘He was being considerate.’
This time, my eyes tinged with happiness instead of sorrow. Suddenly, I understood why Marcilio was confidently walking with me, making sure others could see.
He was trying to cover up the disgrace I had shown yesterday. To wipe away the embarrassing sight that might come down on me in people’s chatter.
Of course, the rumors that had already spread wouldn’t completely vanish. But as today’s events began to unfold, yesterday’s would start to fade into the background.
In fact, the new gossip would center on Marcilio and me showcasing our affections. It felt like the kind of story I would rather spread myself.
“…Thank you.”
“For what? It’s just us walking together.”
Seeing Marcilio reply as though it were nothing brought a smile to my face once more.
I was happy. Being with Marcilio and receiving his understanding made me deeply joyful.
“But, Your Grace.”
“Why?”
Marcilio appeared to remember something and opened his mouth, speaking in a soft voice.
“When are you going to stop calling me ‘Baby’?”
“…Huh?”
That was a question I hadn’t anticipated at all.
“Since you have generously held me in your heart, I assume that someday this relationship will flow into marriage, but calling me ‘Baby’ at that time…”
That statement made me feel a mix of embarrassment and joy. The happiness of knowing Marcilio was genuinely considering our future together.
At the same time, I was bewildered about what to call Marcilio if not “Baby.”
‘It’s a valid point.’
But Marcilio was right. To call one’s precious partner ‘Baby’ indefinitely felt a bit strange.
Marcilio was indeed a precious child who deserved that title, and I wanted to hold onto that through the ages. Still, it felt like an inappropriate term after all.
“What will you do if a real ‘Baby’ is born?”
‘Yikes…!’
That was the killer blow. A genuine baby that would come from between Marcilio and me.
For a moment, I thought I could just call them ‘Big Baby’ and ‘Little Baby,’ but that would imply we needed to create just one fruit from our bond. That wouldn’t do.
“How about calling me ‘My Lord’?”
After much contemplation, I cautiously suggested. ‘My Lord’—that’s a great title. My mother used to refer to my father that way back in the day.
When Marcilio heard ‘My Lord,’ he bit his lip and turned away. It was only a fleeting moment, but I could tell he was trying to hide a smile.
That stung a little.
“Let’s take our time and think it over.”
“…Okay.”
He even tried to brush off hearing the title ‘My Lord.’
I was genuinely hurt.
“Well, what about for you, Baby?”
I pouted, feeling a bit petulant. As if to say, why do you get to call me “Your Grace”?
“I’ll also think it over slowly.”
But my tantrum didn’t last long. I couldn’t rush Marcilio since I hadn’t settled on a term myself.
After chatting about this and that with Marcilio, we soon neared the Magic Tower.
While it was my long-term shelter compared to the castle, today I felt a strange aversion to entering.
“I should head back now. I think I’ll get blamed when I enter the Magic Tower.”
As I casually let go of his hand, Marcilio spoke. Although I felt disappointed, I couldn’t help but agree.
Right, we had already arrived. I was sufficiently happy just to receive this bit of escort.
Just as I was struggling to suppress my regrets, Marcilio drew closer until our faces were almost touching. Then he whispered in my ear.
“I’ll see you next time, Beatrix.”
Hearing that made my brain freeze.
*
Just before parting with Marcilio, I suddenly remembered the advice that Wise Duke had given me.
– Niece. If you feel like you’re being pulled by Marcilio, take the initiative. You’ll have him swooning!
It was advice to take the lead in my relationship with Marcilio for the sake of my future. Originally, I had gone to the Magic Tower to act on that advice when the incident had occurred.
In any case, before I uncovered the truth behind the potion, Wise Duke’s advice was incredibly useful. I had struck out, and Marcilio had simply blushed and been led along. The only way to take the lead against a Duke.
Of course, calling the one who had cried and begged for forgiveness yesterday wasn’t really appropriate. Going forward, I needed to focus on the fact that Marcilio liked me, rather than seizing control.
If Marcilio had put her pride aside to apologize, then I too had to lay my embarrassment aside and express myself.
“I’ll see you next time, Beatrix.”
So I did. Since the subject of titles had come up, I just went for it.
I believed Marcilio would be pleased. After all, just a short while ago, we had been discussing how long I would keep calling him “Your Grace.”
Just calling a Duke by their first name without proper title and respect would just be madness. I wasn’t crazy… yet.
“Beatrix?”
But something felt off. Marcilio seemed to be completely unresponsive to my grand declaration.
I had expected him to either be flustered, blush, retort playfully, or at least get angry, but he didn’t do a thing.
He just stood there, still, without moving or speaking.
“Your Grace?”
“Uh, um…”
With my heart racing in uncertainty, I gently tapped his shoulder, and only then did he finally react.
But his face was flushed, and he was unable to form a clear reply.
‘…Did I mess up?’
In an instant, I’d reached a level of embarrassment I had never felt before.
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