Chapter 29
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 29
—It's truly... frustrating.
'What on earth is that supposed to mean?'
Grace, who had been dozing off moments before, suddenly heard Lucas Black's voice and rubbed her drowsy eyes open.
I lifted my heavy head and glanced around in all directions, but Lucas Black was nowhere to be found.
"Did I mishear again?"
I straightened my head and surveyed my surroundings before shaking it. The constant phantom voices made me feel unsettled, as though I were haunted by a ghost.
"But that was definitely His Excellency's voice..."
I gazed down at the back of my hand, where the gore mark gleamed brilliantly. No matter how much I thought about it, my body had begun acting strangely ever since this mark was inscribed.
Something ominous had clearly transpired, yet there was no one to explain it to me.
They kept saying it was related to family secrets, so I hadn't been able to properly interrogate them about it. Since it involved the Black Family, I couldn't exactly corner Haem or Gabriel and demand answers.
The only person who could provide answers was nowhere to be found.
I lifted my head and surveyed the unfamiliar garden. It was filled with flowers of every hue, maintained far more beautifully than anything the Oellin Family possessed. The floral fragrance carried on the breeze was sweet, and the pleasantly warm air was cozy, yet my heart remained unsettled.
I absently kicked at the sand beneath my feet and muttered under my breath.
"Saying he'd give me all the love I never received, this and that...... Stirring up my heart with such words...... Telling me to stay and then vanishing. What kind of person does that?"
Without realizing it, a petulant tone spilled from my lips. Since no one was around, it hardly mattered, but I felt my face flush at the thought of sounding needy toward him.
'What am I even saying?'
I shook my head sharply as if to regain my senses. I had no reason to rely on or expect anything from that terrifying man, so I couldn't fathom why such words had escaped me.
Just as I was about to turn back toward my room, thinking I was simply overthinking things in my idleness, an unbelievable voice resonated through my mind once more.
—...Is that what you mean by feeling hurt?
"...!"
Startled, I jerked my head up and frantically scanned my surroundings.
"What, what is this? I heard it again just now."
This time, I heard it clearly. It was unmistakably Lucas Black's voice.
With trembling eyes, I searched my surroundings earnestly before carefully opening my mouth.
"Your Excellency...? Are you nearby?"
—Grace, can you hear me?
It was truly Lucas Black's voice. I widened my eyes and held my breath. The voice transmitted directly into my mind rather than through my ears made his presence feel far more vivid than before.
"What is happening? Are you really... Your Excellency?"
—It's me, Grace. You sound quite startled.
He spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world. With trembling eyes, I glanced around unnecessarily before collapsing onto the spot where I had been standing. As I placed my hand over my racing heart, I felt it pounding fiercely beneath my ribs.
"How is this even possible?"
—I'm not entirely sure myself. I don't have a detailed explanation to offer yet. Can you hear my voice clearly?
"Yes, it's coming through so distinctly it's almost overwhelming."
Flabbergasted, I blurted out the words without thinking, and I could sense him smiling.
—I see. Actually... I heard your words just moments ago with perfect clarity. Was I what you wished to see, Grace?
Oh heavens, what am I to do!
He had heard everything—"Saying he'd give me all the love I never received, this and that...... Stirring up my heart with such words...... Telling me to stay and then vanishing. What kind of person does that?"
I felt as though I might die of embarrassment. Flustered, I added sharply:
"It's improper to eavesdrop on a lady's words, Your Excellency."
-My apologies. I didn't intend to listen, but I couldn't help but turn my attention toward your voice when it reached my ears.
"...Does my voice sound as though I'm speaking right beside you, Your Excellency?"
-It does. Soft as a whisper against my ear.
He spoke in a gentle, murmuring tone as if to demonstrate exactly how I sounded to him.
Nothing had touched my earlobe, yet somehow a tingling sensation spread from the tips of my ears to the soles of my feet. I steadied my breathing and quickly composed my voice.
"Where exactly are you? Did Haem tell you about my situation? Strange markings have appeared on the back of my hand."
-I heard every detail, so please don't worry. In truth... this is my first time experiencing something like this, so I'm still investigating the matter.
"About that mark—what exactly is it?"
-To explain the mark, I would need to reveal the family secrets that have been passed down through this household.... I apologize. I don't think I can speak of it just yet. I'll tell you once I've confirmed everything. I'm truly sorry for causing you such unease.
His voice, transmitted directly into my mind, was extraordinarily courteous. Though I couldn't see him, I could feel the sincerity of his apology.
Grace steadied her breathing and asked in a calmer voice.
"How long will it take?"
-At the shortest, three or four days. At the longest, no more than ten days.
Grace hesitated before asking carefully.
"Then...will I not be able to see you during that time?"
Lucas fell silent for a moment. When his voice returned, it was noticeably softer than before.
-Why? Do you wish to see me?
His tone carried both a hint of teasing and surprise.
Though no one was watching, Grace shook her head vigorously as she answered.
"No! That's not what I meant. It's just...staying in a mansion without its master feels strange, and with something like this happening, your absence makes me anxious.... Besides, even if I asked you to appear right now, you couldn't, could you?"
Even to her own ears, her words tumbled out awkwardly and incoherently. Grace clenched her teeth and fought the urge to sigh. After listening to her rambling explanation, Lucas let out a low chuckle.
-I might be able to appear, or I might not. If you're truly curious, try saying it, Grace.
"Saying what?"
-That you wish to see me. Say it aloud.
How could I possibly say such a thing....
Grace's cheeks flushed crimson as she clamped her mouth shut.
Part of me wanted to respond with something clever, but the words simply wouldn't come.
"You're quite mischievous, aren't you?"
-This much? If I truly became mischievous, I might knock you unconscious again.
At his playful words, my mind grew muddled.
How could someone be so mischievous as to make another person lose consciousness?
"That's...frightening, Your Excellency."
-Don't worry, Grace. I'll only be as mischievous as you can handle.
'...What does that even mean?'
What, how much, and in what way did he intend to be mischievous with such a statement?
Grace started to ask further, but then held her tongue, fearing she might hear something she couldn't possibly handle.
The sunlight was so warm that my face grew hot.
I fanned myself briefly with my hand and gazed out at the Garden, maintaining my silence.
-Grace?
"Yes? Yes, I'm here."
-I grew worried when you suddenly fell silent.
"It's just... a bit warm. Ahem. More importantly, it's true that I won't be seeing you for a while, isn't it? Please give me a genuine answer, not a jest."
-Perhaps. I apologize. I invited you, yet I cannot be at your side.
"No, there must be circumstances beyond your control. Still, hearing your voice like this... I suppose I should count myself fortunate."
At her words, delivered with a small, relieved laugh, Lucas fell silent once more.
As I waited for him to speak, he cleared his throat and asked.
-That is fortunate. Are you not bored?
"No, I'm fine."
-You seemed to be dozing off...
Oh no. How did he know that?
Grace's eyes widened in embarrassment as she buried her face in her hands, muttering sheepishly.
"...It was just because the sunlight was so pleasant. It wasn't because I was bored."
-That is fortunate.
At the sound of his laughter, Grace's cheeks flushed crimson.
Chapter 3
Black's Dark Horse
Though I claimed not to be bored, my days at Lucas Black's Estate were hardly bustling with activity.
All I could do was eat the meals prepared for me, run through the sunlit Garden, and share brief tea times with Julie or Gabriel.
For someone like me, whose frail body had confined me to the Estate, this was a familiar routine—yet that did not make it any less tedious.
When I gazed blankly out the window, I often felt the passing hours were a waste.
Perhaps he had read my heart?
As I walked along the Garden Path, he posed a question.
-Have you ever ridden a horse, Grace?
A horse, all of a sudden?
I looked around with a puzzled expression, wondering if I had unconsciously been thinking about horses.
-Horseback riding, that is.
"I know the basics and can ride a little, but I'm not very skilled."
-Do you enjoy riding horses?
"I'm not sure. I've only ridden a pony a few times, so it's hard to say I enjoy it."
-I see.
He made a thoughtful sound.
Why did he react that way? Was he disappointed that I didn't enjoy riding?
Come to think of it, I had once heard that the Black Family excelled at horsemanship.
Was that the reason?
-Are you not afraid of riding horses?
"I'm not afraid. In fact, I've never ridden fast enough to be afraid."
-That is fortunate.
What does he mean by fortunate?
Before I could tilt my head in confusion, Lucas asked again.
-Would you like to try riding this swift horse?
"...What?"
As she repeated his words in confusion, the sound of hoofbeats grew louder in the distance.
The heavy thuds of hooves striking earth felt strangely familiar. Grace turned her head toward the sound with a sense of foreboding.
A massive shadow fell across her as a terrifying black stallion approached, and she instinctively stumbled backward.
'You want me to ride... that?'
It was the same horse she'd seen in the Central Lobby before.
With fur that gleamed like satin and muscles rippling beneath, it was unmistakably a premium breed. Those eyes, shining more brilliantly than the blue sky itself, were almost beautiful.
"You're asking me to ride this creature right now?"
-He is a one-of-a-kind magnificent steed. Gentle, docile, and remarkably strong. There's nothing to fear.
Certainly, he was describing an exceptional horse. But....
"But he's so enormous."
-That's precisely what makes him ideal.
"What do you mean, ideal?"
-...Well, in several ways?
What exactly were these "several ways" he was referring to?
Grace shook her head in alarm, but the stallion approached her with an elegant gait. His eyes, fixed upon her, held a steadiness that seemed to command her trust.
No matter how magnificent a horse might be, it couldn't possibly understand human emotion the way another person could.
-Don't worry, Grace. Think of me as being with you. Just like now.
"But you're not here, you liar!"
He laughed at her desperate cry.
The horse, having drawn closer, nudged its head forward as if urging her to stroke it.
Well, what fault could an animal possibly bear....
She gazed at the black stallion, its gentle face staring intently at her. Those blue eyes, as if declaring themselves harmless, gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
-I'm not forcing you. If you're frightened, you needn't ride. Though I assure you, there's truly nothing to fear.
"I honestly can't tell if you're saying I should be afraid or not."
At her exasperated remark, he let out a dignified laugh. The echo of his laughter resonated through her mind, sending a tingling sensation cascading through her entire body.
How strange this was.
Without facing him directly, conversing only in her mind, he no longer felt as vaguely terrifying as before.
-You can do this, Grace. You're capable of anything if you set your mind to it.
Rather, his courteous and gentle voice only served to lower her defenses further, kindling an inexplicable sense of anticipation.
'If I set my mind to it, I can do anything.'
Lucas's dignified voice quietly knocked upon her heart.
She felt a hairline fracture forming in the wall she'd secretly erected between them and him. Invisible in its minuteness, yet devastatingly destructive....
Grace moistened her dry lips and took a short, deep breath.
"...Phew."
Unable to hide her nervousness, Grace gently stroked the stallion's soft mane as she spoke.
"You can't throw me off, understand? Promise me."
Whinnying—
As if understanding her words, the black stallion tossed its head powerfully, then gently pressed its cheek against hers.
That ticklish sensation drew a small laugh from Grace.
* * *
"Kyaaaaa!!! Ahhh!"
A sharp wind whipped across her soft cheeks.
Her neatly pinned hair had come undone and flew wildly about her face, while the skirt Julie had carefully arranged fluttered beyond her control.
'I've lost my mind!'
Grace gripped the reins so tightly her knuckles turned white. The speed was absolutely insane.
Even with her teeth clenched, when the wind whistled past her ears, sounds she'd never made before tore from her throat unbidden.
"Ugh, uhhhhh! Eek!"
With each bound of the black horse, her body swayed and jolted. It wasn't unbearable, but the tremendous power thrumming through her legs made her entire frame tremble with exhilaration.
Perhaps because of this, even though she wasn't the one running, her heart pounded as though it might burst from her chest.
-You're all right, Grace. Trust me and open your eyes.
Whether from her racing heart or the screams tearing from her lips, her breath came in gasps.
It was frightening, yet strangely, the fear felt distant. Grace, who had been clenching her teeth, slowly lifted her tightly shut eyes.
The wind striking her face made it difficult to open them, but she didn't close them again.
"It's too, huff, too fast!"
-Lower your body and try to breathe through your nose, Grace.
He corrected her posture as though he could see her. Grace lowered her body as Lucas instructed, tensed her legs, and lifted her head.
"...!"
An endless expanse of plains swept across her vision. The verdant grassland rippled like a river, filling her sight. Her small eyes widened progressively, and her lips, which had been screaming, curved into a radiant smile.
Like a dam breaking, uncontrolled laughter burst forth.
"...This can't be real. This can't be real! This can't be real!!"
She didn't stop to think what was impossible. She simply couldn't believe this moment, this feeling.
The thought of danger, the fear of terror—all had been swept away by the wind long ago. What remained was only that strange, liberating sensation of freedom, like a bird in flight.
Her breath came in waves, and inexplicable emotion crashed relentlessly into her heart.
-See? I told you that you could do it. That there was nothing to fear.
"There's plenty to fear! But it's exhilarating!"
Gripping the reins, she rode with all her strength.
At this pace, her chest surely would burst. And yet she wanted to ride on like this, beyond that distant horizon, endlessly. Powerfully, as if she might never return.
-Scream, Grace. In this place where no one will reproach you for your voice.
"Kyaaaaa! Waaaaa!"
Grace cried out with all her might, like an obedient student.
A well-bred noblewoman shouldn't behave this way, but in this moment, she wanted to cast aside all nobility and propriety.
As he said, no one was listening, and no one would criticize her here.
-You're doing well. Very well.
He praised her like a seasoned adult. She laughed and urged the horse faster still.
The horse, as if it had merely been holding back until now, galloped with even greater power.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org