It wasn’t as cold as the last time I came, so the slightly warm wind felt a bit strange.
It seems like it was always cold when I came to the North in this life.
This is why I’m reminded of the past. As I reached my hand out of the carriage, I felt the wind hitting my hand.
We’re almost there. I think Adele is probably waiting, but thankfully I won’t be late this time like last time.
If I’m late again, she’ll definitely say something.
Seeing that I needed to go a bit faster, I urged the wolf, and soon I felt a sharper wind.
After passing some time, when the white snow piled up outside began to thicken, I heard the familiar howl of a wolf.
Wolf howls are quite diverse, but the howl of the wolf that Adele raises was even more so.
A roar that seemed to tear through the air, cold and ruthless, made it easy to recognize who its master was.
“Get down here.”
Tap. The wolf stopped, and as it slowly set its feet toward the ground, I saw a woman running toward me.
I thought she would have her usual expressionless face, but today she looked bright and it made me laugh.
She seemed to be unaware of it herself.
Not realizing that she was smiling, I quietly chuckled at her occasionally awkwardly moving lips.
“…Hmm, is there something good enough to make you smile as soon as you see me?”
“It’s been a while. It’s quite a good thing.”
“You’re still good with words. I guess life hasn’t been too bad.”
At the same time, her gaze traced my body.
It seemed she was checking for any injuries, but honestly, now that I’ve gained the position of head of the family, I don’t have many opportunities to use force.
As the magic power that lightly touched my body faded, Adele glanced at me for a moment before turning her back and speaking.
“So you didn’t just recklessly fight with your body. Did Yuria do anything unnecessary?”
“I subdued her before she could. It’s not like I would let myself get hurt.”
Adele’s expression when talking about Yuria wasn’t very good.
It seemed that the negative feelings stemming from the memories she recalled before were still lingering.
After all, how many people would think positively of Yuria?
It was a natural reaction for someone who has regained their memories.
It still felt a bit strange for me, but seeing such reactions made me realize that I wasn’t the only one recalling memories from the previous cycle.
Someday I should talk to Adrian about how I feel Miragen’s memories are likely to resurface.
It would be better to think together about how to deal with it afterward, so I shook off those thoughts and walked up next to Adele.
Even though I had dismounted from the wolf, I strangely realized that her lieutenants were nowhere around.
To be precise, they seemed to be coming this way, but they appeared to be deliberately approaching slowly.
He seems to be coming this way, but it looks like he’s intentionally moving slowly.
Realizing their intentions, I couldn’t help but chuckle, which made Adele tilt her head.
“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”
“Oh, it’s just that I think you have good lieutenants.”
They probably think that my relationship with Adele is a bit suspicious.
They’re not wrong, but I have no idea how they plan to handle it if they get caught.
As Lothos and I made eye contact, he nodded his head slightly.
Though he didn’t look too happy about it, Ilona, who pressed down on Lothos’s head, waved at me gently.
…This time it didn’t seem like Lothos was leading the charge.
Maybe he chose to stay quiet this time instead of causing a ruckus like last time.
That’s not bad. If he had been acting like Lothos, I would have been the one uncomfortable.
Adele is so oblivious to that stuff, she probably wouldn’t catch on anyway, but I had been anxious during my last visit, worried she might notice something.
It seems Ilona stopped Lothos this time.
She has always been quick on the uptake regarding these matters, so I figured she’d handle it well.
As I stared at the lieutenants quietly, I heard Adele’s voice in my ear.
Turning my head, I saw her gaze fixed on me.
She looked slightly annoyed, her blue eyes narrowing just a little.
“Why are you staring like that? We were talking.”
“I was just looking around for a moment. Don’t mind me.”
“Your attitude is off, having not contacted me even once. Pay a little more attention to me. Don’t look elsewhere.”
Smirking slightly at her blunt words, Adele frowned as if to say she meant it seriously.
I had no idea what happened while I was away. She wouldn’t normally be this forward.
Surprised for a moment by the closer distance between us compared to before, I let out a sigh as Adele slowly brushed her forehead.
“Worrying about someone yet not contacting them even once. Do you enjoy making people anxious?”
“I had no intention of doing that. Honestly.”
“Yeah, you probably didn’t mean to. If you had just sent a letter, I wouldn’t be saying this. I wouldn’t even have called you.”
Even if she hadn’t called, I would have come looking, but Adele seemed quite unhappy with my attitude and began to vent her frustrations.
When she mentioned having lost sleep, it was evident that her eyes were a bit tired.
After all, it had been almost a month since we last contacted each other, so she had every right to feel upset.
However, I had intentionally chosen not to reach out because I intended to visit her directly.
Perhaps I had been thinking too much from my own perspective.
When I gazed at Adele for a moment, she sighed and shook her head, sensing my gaze.
She sighed and shook her head as she felt my gaze on her.
Although I couldn’t really say anything, I was being cautious, and then Adele quietly spoke up.
“Honestly, if you weren’t feeling a bit hurt, that would be strange.”
“…I think so too. I didn’t expect you to worry like this, yes. To be honest, I didn’t think about it.”
“If it were up to me, I would have wanted to hit you… but I can’t do that.”
She let out a small sigh and rubbed her cheek as she continued.
“It’s strange. I definitely meant to do that, but I’m already over it.”
“What?”
“I’m saying I’ve calmed down after seeing you. I can’t get angry at you. I guess I’ll have to have a word with Lothos later. For disturbing people’s hearts.”
For a moment, I stared blankly, not understanding her words, and then I chuckled as I realized what she meant.
Adele, who chuckled softly, pulled at my wrist.
Her touch was particularly warm on my arm, and I didn’t bother to reject it.
Just for a moment should be fine. That much time, without any thoughts, would be enough for this playful moment.
#
“My room is always splendid, isn’t it? It was like this last time too.”
“I have no idea how you’re doing in the center. Since Lothos didn’t handle it like last time, I took care of it myself.”
“You mean you did it personally?”
It was strange that Lothos looked surprised at this room, and I couldn’t help but be shocked when she said she took care of it.
Last time I had come, it hadn’t changed much.
Maybe she tried to keep it similar to the previous look, but there was one difference.
“The bed is different.”
The arrangement of the bed was unlike before, but if I had to point out a difference, it was that it resembled Adele’s room. Adele casually replied that she only decorated it the same way because it was comfortable for her.
I wondered if that was her true intention, but I didn’t ask further.
She must have done a good job on her own. There was no benefit to asking too many questions.
This visit was meant to match Adele’s mood, so I just shrugged my shoulders and said it’s nice.
When I said I was okay with it, Adele lightly nodded, seemingly satisfied.
Since we wouldn’t stay in the room for long anyway, when I said I would unpack, the lieutenants quietly headed outside.
“I didn’t expect you to have a sense for this kind of place.”
“You don’t need to give unnecessary compliments. You know very well that I have no sense for this, right?”
“Still, it’s good to be familiar with it. We have shared a bed before.”
Saying that as a joke, Adele frowned and cleared her throat.
We did share a bed once, although it was because we were drunk. Well… it really was just her sleeping.
“It was a long time. I was drunk at the time. Well… I really just did it for myself.
Adele also seemed to recall that memory, slightly blushing and turning her gaze away.
It was a different reaction than when she teased Miragen or Adrian.
Was she shy but trying to hide it?
I found it so adorable that I wanted to do it a few more times, but then shook my head and opened my mouth again.
“I’m about to change my clothes. Are you going to stay here? You can watch if you want.”
“If that’s the case, I should probably leave. I have no interest in seeing someone else’s body.”
I chuckled a bit at how hurriedly she stood up.
Her unusually flustered expression when it came to seeing my body was somewhat amusing.
Normally, she was someone so far from being flustered, so the fact that she showed this side only to me made this reaction not bad at all.
In fact, it might be right to say it’s quite nice.
Just as Adele was about to step out to change clothes, the door creaked open slightly again.
When I stared blankly at the door, Adele peeked her head out, lips twitching without looking at me.
“Once I change into my clothes, come to my room.”
“To your room?”
I had thought we would all gather since it was a long time since we last met, but do we need to go to a room instead of the banquet?
When I asked, Adele hesitated a bit before quietly answering.
“…Since it’s been a while, it’s better for just the two of us to meet. I’ve prepared some drinks, so come over. If you don’t, I’ll drag you there whether you like it or not, so keep that in mind.”
As those words fell, I dumbly stared at the door as it slammed shut.
Glancing at the gradually darkening view outside the window, I realized that it was getting close to nighttime.
Drinking alone in the room, not the banquet hall. Isn’t that a rather bold suggestion from Adele?
The words “since it’s been a while” lingered in my mind.
Considering the time we had met in the south and separated, I thought it had just been a little over two months.
I didn’t know what kind of changes might have taken place in her heart during that time, but it was clear that the gap between us had narrowed without either of us realizing it.
Alcohol, night, and a man and woman.
If these elements were to blend together, it seemed I should be a lot more careful.
Just in case anything happens, it would be troublesome.
I gazed at the spot where Adele had disappeared with her abrupt notice, then smiled bitterly and finished changing my clothes.
I was curious about what she would say.
If it were me, I would probably say I missed her.”
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