Chapter 28

‘Adel. I need Adel! My only sanctuary! My healing!’

As soon as I left the office, my feet headed for Adel’s room. It was almost lunchtime, so I planned to eat with him.

“Hello, Lady Chacha!”

When I reached Adel’s room, Adel’s close attendant, who was standing in front of it, smiled brightly and greeted me. I smiled back and returned the greeting, and just then, the door to Adel’s room burst open.

“Oh? Chacha!”

A bright smile bloomed on Adel’s face. The child immediately came to me, took my hand, and led me into the room.

Thud.

And as soon as the door closed, he hugged me tightly.

‘Cute! Yes, this is it!’

I finally felt like I could breathe.

I hugged Adel’s body tightly and stroked his head. The child’s face turned a little red.

“Do you like your tutor?”

Adel had a new tutor recently.

I had deliberated for days, searching for the right person, as I couldn’t just bring anyone. A person who wouldn’t be too strict with a child who was just starting to get interested in studying. And a person with excellent teaching skills, enough to be a tutor for the Duke’s family without any problems.

The person I had brought after so much consideration was Adel’s current tutor. It wasn’t difficult to ask her, as she was someone I had known since I was a child.

But she was so popular among nobles because she loved children and had excellent teaching skills.

‘So I didn’t think she’d actually come.’

She must have received offers from many places because of her popularity, but she had kindly come all the way to the North at my request.

Fortunately, it seemed she and Adel got along well, as Adel answered with a lot of energy.

“Yes! I like her!”

It seemed like Adel had a good time in class.

Just at my question of whether his tutor was okay, the child started to chatter about what he had learned today.

“And unlike other adults, she doesn’t scold me even if I say I don’t know.”

“Because you’re learning because you don’t know. Right?”

“Right! And also, both you and the teacher graduated from Dragonia Academy, didn’t you? Then I’m going there too!”

“Haha. Then you have to study really hard.”

“It’s okay because the teacher and Chacha will teach me if I don’t know!”

Adel was now showing a lot of reliance on adults.

I couldn’t hide my proud smile and stroked Adel’s head.

“You’re amazing. Then, since you studied so much today, let’s ask for some sweet desserts at lunchtime.”

“Really? Can I have three?”

“If you eat all your food without leaving any!”

Seeing the child’s face brighten, I took Adel’s hand and headed to my room, where the meal was ready.

Throughout the conversation with Adel, my resolve was firming up.

‘After all, to protect Adel’s and my happy life, I have to deal with the Roana problem!’

***

With that resolve, I called Van, just as I had with Adel.

“You called, Lady Chacha.”

Van’s eyes, unlike the first time, were filled with trust.

Contrary to everyone’s worries, I had managed the internal affairs of the castle without any problems. Most of all, Van also knew that Adel had changed because of me.

Thanks to that, we were able to have a conversation directly without any need for roundabout words.

“Was the reason Lady Roana changed like that because of that incident?”

“Yes. She must have been shocked by the sudden loss of her father, former Duke Milo, right in front of her eyes, but I think the pain of losing her right arm as a knight was the greatest.”

Van continued, gazing into the distance as if recalling the past.

“She was a genius in swordsmanship, even more so than Lord Nine.”

I was subtly surprised and looked at Van.

Nine alone was famous for his outstanding swordsmanship at Dragonia Academy, to the point where there was no one who could stand against him, and he was one of the figures vying for the top spot in the Empire.

What more could be said about a person who had already made a mark in the Empire’s history as the youngest Swordmaster?

But if Roana had a talent superior to Nine’s, her sense of loss might have been greater than I thought.

“Lady Roana was a knight who was officially knighted at the youngest age purely by her own ability, and she joined the Silver Wolf Knights. She was also the youngest Aura user.”

The sadness that Van couldn’t erase was audible in his voice.

“Perhaps, if the accident hadn’t happened, the youngest Swordmaster would have been Lady Roana, not Lord Nine. Everyone was certain that Lady Roana would become the youngest Swordmaster.”

A bitter smile was on Van’s face as he said that.

I could feel it now from his expression and words.

How much Roana was recognized within the family and the knight order at that time.

And how many people thought of her as a proud and honorable knight.

‘She must have felt like she had lost everything.’

The sword must have had a profound meaning in her life.

After hearing Van’s story, I understood Roana’s situation.

Why Roana couldn’t take care of her family and was always drunk.

How could a person who chose to rely on alcohol because she couldn’t even take care of herself look out for others?

‘…And Nine.’

I also had some idea of Nine’s feelings and circumstances for leaving his broken sister alone like that.

As if he had read my mind, Van put down his teacup and said,

“At that time, Lord Nine was also in a daze after suddenly inheriting the title of Duke.”

“And then he must have thought it was too late to go back.”

“Yes.”

He sadly and quietly stroked the handle of the teacup with his thumb.

I also gripped my teacup, unable to take my eyes off the tea.

The more I learned about Nine’s family history, the more my heart ached.

‘They say the person who loves more loses.’

Even in this situation, it was absurd that I was worrying about Nine first.

But what could I do? Falling for Nine wasn’t a choice I made because I wanted to.

“Alright. Thank you for your time. You must be busy, so you can go now.”

Van tidied up the table and got up. However, what he said to me before he left was unexpected.

“Please don’t overdo it.”

Unlike with Adel, he didn’t ask me to take good care of Roana.

He seemed to be worried about me, as if to say that I, too, was a precious member of Duke Eclipse’s family.

I felt the warm feeling I had with Adel welling up again.

Now, I wanted to try even harder for him, who was sadly reminiscing about the past.

“Okay.”

When I smiled and nodded, Van bowed with perfect etiquette and left the room.

As he left, Annie, who had been waiting outside, came in and naturally began to serve me.

I sat quietly and mulled over the original story for the first time in a while.

‘In the original story, Nine was said to live happily ever after with the female protagonist after they got married.’

It was a very concise ending.

The story concluded with a sentence that seemed to promise a future of eternal happiness.

But…

“Was he really happy?”

“Yes?”

Annie answered my inadvertent muttering.

“It’s nothing.”

I gave a vague answer, changed into my pajamas, and sent Annie out.

The room quickly became quiet.

Even if I lay down right away, I didn’t think I would fall asleep easily.

I headed to the balcony to clear my complicated mind.

It had been a long time since I had come out to the balcony after the day I had intentionally overworked myself.

Unlike last time, I wore a shawl tightly because it would be a problem if I got sick in various ways.

As the cold wind brushed against my warm cheeks, my head gradually cooled down and my thoughts became clear.

I looked at the white steam coming out of my mouth and suddenly turned my head at a thought that had come to me.

‘Now that I think about it, I met Nine then.’

I turned to see if he was on the balcony of the next room again, but unfortunately, it was empty.

At the time, I was too preoccupied to pay attention, but as I was in charge of internal management, I naturally learned about that room.

That room was the one that former Duke Milo used.

It was a room that hadn’t been used for a long time, but Nine had come out of it.

‘Did he come to his father’s room whenever he was having a hard time?’

Seeing that it was empty now, I wondered if he hadn’t been able to come since the day he ran into me.

But I quickly shook off the slight feeling of guilt.

‘After all, it must have been Nine who assigned me to this room.’

Of course, it might not have been.

But still, since it was the Duchess’s residence, Nine’s intentions must have been reflected.

I stared at the empty balcony for a moment and then turned my head away.

In the cold wind that ruffled my bangs and stroked my forehead, I neatly organized my thoughts.

‘Nine will have a happy ending with the female protagonist.’

But in the current situation, it didn’t seem like the happy days would last long.

Could Nine really spend happy days with the female protagonist alone when he had family members who were still in pain and sadness and couldn’t even take care of themselves?

The problems I was trying to solve now didn’t appear in the original story, so maybe they were the family matters the female protagonist would have to face after the ending.

Thinking that made me feel foolish and a little unfair.

But…

“Even if I’m foolish, what can I do? I like him. So I hope he can be happy.”

The shorter the pain, the better.

If a wound is left alone, it can heal on its own, but it can also leave a scar, and if it’s not handled well, it can fester.

It’s possible that the wound will get worse and worse, and a situation that can’t be reversed will occur.

I hoped that even if he wasn’t with the female protagonist, he would quickly find his own happiness.

Even if he didn’t know how I felt.

‘Then, maybe Nine will be even happier.’

Whoosh.

A sudden gust of wind blew, and my pink hair fluttered greatly.

At that moment, a familiar scent passed through the wind.

I was startled and looked at the balcony of the next room again, but as if the scent I had smelled was an illusion, no one was still standing there.