Chapter 83

That moment.

Nine ran faster and more desperately than he had ever run at full strength since becoming a Swordmaster.

His heart thumped anxiously, pounding on its own accord, driving him toward her.

Nine covered the distance to Chacha in a single stride, wrapped his aura around his hand, and embraced her.

Kaa-ang!

The aura and the training sword clashed, creating a loud noise. It was the training sword that flew up into the air.

A momentary silence descended on the training ground.

Nine did not look at the training sword soaring into the air, nor did he look at the other people.

His gaze was focused solely on the person in his arms.

“Are you okay?!”

Nine was inwardly flustered by the words that had escaped him unintentionally.

Just as his body had moved on its own the moment he saw the sword flying towards her, now, too, he had involuntarily asked the young lady a question.

‘What is this?’

But his confusion was not only due to the words that had burst out of him.

It was the emotion he had just felt.

It was a dizzying sensation, as if he were about to lose something precious.

He would not have felt this desperate even if the tip of that sword had been aimed at himself.

Nine was bewildered.

‘Why…’

At that moment, the Countess looked up at Nine in his arms, her eyes wide with surprise.

Her large eyes welled up with moisture, and transparent tears rolled down her cheeks.

Thinking she was simply startled and scared by the sudden situation, Nine initially released her from his embrace.

More precisely, he tried to release her.

But for some reason, this time, too, his hand stretched out toward her tears of its own accord.

As if he were intoxicated, or perhaps bewitched.

Not only his hand, but his arm also refused to move, contrary to his will to let her go.

‘To be this out of control.’

Nine, who had never failed to control his body since becoming a Swordmaster, was taken aback.

“Chacha! Are you alright?!”

“Lady Chacha!”

At that, not only the maids but also the knights rushed over with astonished faces.

Only then did Nine’s arm relax.

“Lady Chacha, you’re not hurt, are you? Let me see!”

“I’m fine.”

Nine looked down at the Countess, who was surrounded by people.

‘I thought it wouldn’t be a big problem even if my memory of the past year was gone.’

But he was wrong.

Everyone had changed—from the servants to the vassals, the close associates he had personally brought in, and even his own family.

‘Could the cause really be Lady Blueberry?’

Northerners were typically cautious and exclusive toward outsiders.

Yet, they not only accepted this Countess, who had only been here for less than a year, as their mistress but also genuinely adored her.

The situation was incomprehensible.

Even Nine himself, who had instinctively protected her, could not understand.

Unable to overcome his confusion, Nine immediately fled the scene.

Just like the Countess, who always vanished as if running away from him.

***

His family, who seemed like different people, ate together as they always had.

Nine had eaten with them for the first week after his return, despite the unfamiliarity, but today, he had lunch alone in his room.

‘I feel like I’ll get indigestion.’

The confusion had not subsided, and his stomach still churned.

Although the Countess wouldn’t come to the dining room as long as he was there, Nine felt that even seeing his changed family would be too unsettling.

He took a moment to calm himself and then headed to the drawing room to proceed with his afternoon schedule.

On the empty tea table in the drawing room lay a teacup, some refreshments, and a pile of documents that didn’t quite fit the setting.

Nine sat down and slowly scanned the contents of the documents.

[Iris. Commoner from the East. …….]

The documents concerned the woman who was currently staying as a guest in the Eclipse Duchy.

Since she had been rescued from a monster attack, the possibility of her deliberately approaching Nine was low, but one could never be too careful.

He couldn’t keep a person of unknown identity in the ducal estate for long, so Nine had ordered an investigation into her.

He turned the first page, which contained no special information other than her being from the East. Unlike the first, the second page was packed with details.

Nine’s eyes darkened.

[There is a record of contact with the former Count Bailes Laurel, who was heading to the Magic Tower the year before last. Bailes Laurel died a few months later.]

[She was involved in multiple unsavory incidents after Bailes Laurel’s death.]

[The Magic Tower Master, who was close to Bailes Laurel, showed movements to protect the subject of the investigation.]

[Evidence was found of her riding a carriage sent by the current Count Laurel the day before her rescue.]

[…….]

The contents were quite suspicious and grave.

‘She was riding in Count Laurel’s carriage when she was attacked by a monster?’

Nine gathered the documents he had finished reading, organizing the information in his mind.

It seemed like information that required further investigation. With a strange, lingering feeling, Nine naturally looked out the window.

The drawing room was located where the greenhouse was visible.

Through the transparent glass, the Countess, Adel, and Roana were enjoying refreshments, having spread a mat on the floor.

It was a peaceful scene.

‘What is so amusing?’

Nine tried to tear his eyes away from his harmonious family, which was so incongruous with his memories.

But this time, too, contrary to his reason, his eyes kept chasing the Countess.

Even when he turned his head or closed his eyes, his gaze would drift toward her if he didn’t consciously prevent it.

She was like the fairy of spring he had once thought of.

A long-forgotten fairy tale that even Kate wouldn’t remember now came to mind along with the image.

Was it merely her appearance that drew his eyes…

Or was it because she was wearing a smiling face he had never seen before?

Knock. Knock.

A knock at the door broke Nine’s train of thought.

As if he hadn’t been thinking at all, Nine spoke to the person outside the door in his usual emotionless voice.

“Come in.”

The person who opened the drawing room door and peeked their head in was Iris, the woman Nine had rescued not long ago.

“Oh, did I come a little late?”

Iris greeted Nine with a bright smile on her face.

It was a greeting adhering to aristocratic etiquette, perhaps something she had recently learned, but it looked awkward.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes.”

When Nine offered her a seat, Iris sat across from him and looked at the refreshments on the table, her eyes sparkling.

She could have simply eaten, but instead, she looked at Nine with sparkling eyes, as if seeking permission, and said, “The refreshments look incredibly delicious! And the tea smells truly wonderful!”

Not feeling inclined to give a thorough reply, Nine merely nodded. Iris, seemingly understanding the answer perfectly from that single gesture, happily picked up a refreshment.

She took a bite of a cookie and a sip of tea, then smiled even more brightly with her already cheerful face and chattered happily.

“Wow! They looked delicious, but they taste even better! I suppose the people who work in the Duke’s kitchen are truly boasting extraordinary skills, right?”

“…”

“And this tea, too! I don’t know much about tea, but this is peppermint, isn’t it? The kind sold in the market didn’t smell this good, but this one is different!”

Nine hadn’t uttered a single word since offering her a seat, but Iris didn’t seem bothered or self-conscious by the silence.

She prattled on and on endlessly.

He had heard in the report that her pleasant nature garnered her favor with many people, but seeing it directly, he understood what they meant.

However, it was only a mental comprehension. Nine felt no particular impression toward her.

Nine, who had been letting Iris’s chatter go in one ear and out the other, finally raised a hand to cut her off.

He was never the type to indulge the chatter of an acquaintance he wasn’t close to.

“You said you had something to tell me.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Iris press her chattering lips together and scratch her head in embarrassment.

She seemed to have just realized she had talked too much about useless things.

“Um, that’s right. But before I tell you, I have a favor to ask.”

“Speak.”

“Please dismiss the attendants first.”

Nine’s eyebrows slightly rose at the audacious request.

However, he readily granted her request.

“Everyone, step out.”

“Yes, Duke.”

When Nine lightly motioned, the servants who were pouring tea nearby immediately bowed and left the drawing room.

“Thank you.”

Iris thanked him and took a small, deep breath.

She didn’t touch the teacup, from which the scent of peppermint steamed, nor the cookie.

“Duke Nine Eclipse.”

She looked directly into Nine’s eyes.

“Please help me avenge my parents! My name is Iris Laurel, the daughter of the former Count Bailes Laurel.”