Chapter 65

Chapter 65

“Huh?”

Rose blinked, startled, and glanced around the room again.

But it was far too… girlish to have been a little boy’s bedroom.

Lace, frills, embroidered bedding and curtains—those could be changed easily enough. But the heavy furniture, the carpet on the floor, the wallpaper? You couldn’t swap those out in a few hours.

“It was my mother’s taste.”

“Ah. Your mother… I see.”

James didn’t need to explain further. He clearly understood exactly what had given her pause.

If I remember right… James’s mother passed away a few years ago.

He’d never spoken to Rose about her directly, but she wasn’t completely unaware.

Even if his mother’s face was unfamiliar to the public, there wasn’t anyone in Endore—or the neighboring kingdoms—who hadn’t at least heard of James Dautryche. And along with his name, his family story was tabloid fodder.

How could it not be?

It wasn’t just the childhood kidnapping that had fascinated the press.

He’d grown up and all but snatched his father’s company away in an aggressive takeover, then expanded it in just a few years into the kingdom’s top corporation.

His father, stripped of his power, had retreated to the provinces in self-imposed exile and never showed his face. His mother’s quiet death barely warranted a tiny mention in the newspaper obituaries, with no one knowing the details.

A business genius who inspired both envy and admiration—and a family history that made for delicious gossip.

Great fun for newspaper readers. Far less pleasant for James himself.

“Of course, I did change some things for your visit. Don’t worry. The bed itself is the same, but at least the bedding isn’t what I used. Ah—the curtains are new to me too.”

He must have noticed her awkwardness, because he went on in that deliberately casual, almost indifferent tone of his.

“This is the best room in the house at the moment. But if it bothers you to sleep in my old room, I’ll tell them to prepare another one.”

“No, no! It’s fine! Really!”

She waved her hands frantically.

Sure, it felt a little strange to think this had once been his room—and with the man himself standing right there it made her self-conscious. But there wasn’t anything to complain about. It was a genuinely lovely room.

“If this is where I’m staying, then… which room will you use?”

“The one directly across the hall. It doesn’t have a view of the garden, but it’s plenty big and comfortable.”

She looked past the open door and saw another elegant door directly opposite hers.

“Bathwater will be brought to the room. If I’d known you’d be coming here with me, I’d have had an extra bathroom added last year. A shame, really.”

“James. We’ve only known each other for three months. How were you supposed to predict any of this and add a bathroom in advance?”

“Let’s be precise. We met last year. It’s only been three months since we first spent the night together.”

How can anyone say something like that without even blinking?

“You know you’re twisting my words on purpose, right?”

“Rose. You’re the one who got picky about my phrasing first.”

“Picky? I was just correcting you!”

He ignored her indignant sputtering, instead checking his pocket watch.

“In any case, lunch won’t be ready for a while. Care to take a little tour of Tride Mansion in the meantime?”

“Don’t try to change the subject! I could always ask the steward to show me around later.”

“But secret rooms and hidden passages? Only the owner can show those off.”

“…Hidden rooms?”

“Places even the steward doesn’t know about.”

He has to say something that intriguing right now?

How unfair was it to dangle that in front of her like bait?

Frustrated but unable to resist, Rose finally gave in and took the hand he offered.

Arthur Granfield’s mood was utterly foul.

There were plenty of reasons for his irritation.

Part of it stemmed from Griselda, his friend and right hand, who clearly looked down on him.

What? She offered to help him regain Rose’s trust and love?

Ridiculous as that was, such arrogance could be forgiven with generous tolerance.

But Arthur’s stress was not caused by Griselda’s recklessness alone.

“Damn it! That half-baked Revis bastard!”

His shout echoed off the granite walls and floor, ringing sharply through the room.

Though it was summer, cold moisture clung to the granite surfaces, creeping slowly up his skin like a chill.

Thanks to magical illumination, the chamber was not dark, but far from bright daylight. Tension hung thick in the air.

“We’ve started tracking him from every temple around the railway line. His whereabouts should be identified soon,” a mysterious man bowed repeatedly to Arthur, his face hidden beneath a black hood.

“Damn it. That bastard dares…”

Arthur ground his lips to suppress the fury rising inside him.

That slimy man who acted as if Rose belonged to him made Arthur sick.

He was just a lucky man who had briefly crossed paths with Rose, a twist of fate.

No matter how many factories he owned, how many department stores spanned the continent, or even the railway connecting north and south, it would soon all mean nothing.

Arthur had controlled his emotions so far, but this time it was different.

While he let his guard down, Rose had vanished from Romberton with that Revis bastard.

To make matters worse, several magic seals planted in the Royal Supernatural Investigation Agency’s headquarters had been broken.

What a disgrace.

Arthur roughly washed his face, forcing down the frustration boiling inside.

“…How’s the progress on the laboratory’s crystal work?”

“It took a long time to dismantle and reassemble what was built over the last ten years, so the initial stage took a while, but since then, it’s been proceeding smoothly. We expect to complete it well before ‘that day.’”

It was the only report he had heard recently that brought him some peace of mind.

Yes. If the work at the lab went as planned, there would be no need to worry about that hateful Revis anymore.

Arthur finally exhaled deeply and motioned for the hooded man to leave.

Once alone, he opened the lid of a splendid silver jewelry box on the table inside the room.

Inside lay a metal bracelet and a small paper flower.

“The right to be her soulmate isn’t just for that half-baked Revis—it belongs to you too.”

Griselda’s urging voice seemed to echo again in his ears.

“Yes. The right belongs to me as well.”

He took the bracelet in hand, staring at it intently.

The magic-lit light reflected off its surface, sparkling so sharply it dazzled his eyes.

“Rose. Let’s set everything right. Revis to the dust, and you back by my side. Where you belong.”

Arthur smiled chillingly as he slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist.

He traced the engraved pattern with his fingertip, murmuring,

“Will you remember now? I hope you will.”

Squeeeak.

The ornately carved wooden wall swung open like a door.

Rose nearly shouted out loud in excitement when she saw the secret door hidden inside the study.

“They purposely made the woodwork so fancy. That way, the button to open the secret door can be disguised as part of the decoration.”

Covering her mouth with both hands to hold back her cheer, Rose grabbed James’s hand and stepped into the hidden space.

Inside stood a spiral staircase, long unused and thick with layers of dust.

“It’s a bit steep, but you want to go up, right?”

“Of course!”

James chuckled softly, grabbed the handrail, and started climbing first.

“Hold onto the railing tight, and don’t look down.”

Rose nodded carefully and placed her foot on the stairs with caution.

This is really big…

Watching James’s back as he climbed ahead, she found herself admiring him anew.

Tall stature, straight long legs, broad shoulders, perfect posture.

Wearing a suit tailored perfectly to his toned, lean body, he looked annoyingly handsome even from behind.

“Almost there.”

Following his voice, she lifted her head and saw the top of the staircase already in sight.