Chapter 88
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
Chapter 88
No amount of tapping from different angles would restore it to its original state.
"Ugh!"
Thud!
The moment I rammed my body against it, the wall rotated back to its ordinary appearance.
"Do I really have to go this far?!"
"Enya?"
Knock, knock.
I heard Dale's voice calling for me from outside the door.
"...Is that you, Enya?"
"Huh?! Yes, yes! Yes, that's right, I'm... just doing something? Come in! Dale!"
I spoke in a bright, natural voice.
Dale stood in the doorway with a startled expression before breaking into a radiant smile like sunlight.
In that moment, my mind went blank.
I approached Dale and pulled him into an embrace.
"How have you been?"
"...!"
The same fragrance I'd detected from the chair emanated from him. A scent beyond words—utterly wonderful.
A crisp, refreshing aroma like clear oxygen enveloping a forest drifted from his body.
"Where did you go? I was so startled not knowing where Dale had disappeared to."
"..."
"Dale?"
When I looked up because I heard no response, my eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
Dale had turned into a human tomato.
"D-Dale? Why are you like this? Are you hurt somewhere?"
"...I'm fine."
Dale, who had been hesitating, gazed down at me.
Ah! Did he dislike being embraced?
I'd hugged him without thinking, simply happy to see him after so long.
"I'm sorry. I..."
"I missed you."
Then Dale slowly wrapped his arms around me.
His warm embrace enveloped me like a cozy blanket, broad and encompassing. The arms that had held me so carefully began to tighten with increasing strength.
Dale's face and neck were already crimson, and now even his ears had flushed red.
I could hear a heartbeat pounding loudly—was it mine? Or Dale's? Could he be happy too?
I tilted my head and placed my hand on Dale's back. I felt him flinch at the touch.
'Ah, what a lovely scent.'
I nuzzled my face into Dale's embrace. The more I fidgeted, the more his body trembled.
"Dale must be happy to see me after so long, right?"
"...."
"Dale?"
Dale was already gazing at me with eyes glistening as though he might cry.
"D-Dale? What's wrong? Did someone bother you while I was away?"
Thump.
Then Dale buried his face in my shoulder and leaned his massive frame against me. When I stumbled and couldn't stand properly, he pulled my waist closer, supporting me with his own strength.
My feet dangled helplessly in the air as he lifted me.
He nuzzled against me like a large puppy—it was flustering yet delightful—but why was Dale acting this way? Fan service? What was this?
I took the opportunity to enjoy the moment, shamelessly caressing the muscles of his back.
"I thought you would never return."
"...Me? Why would you think that?"
"It had been so long since I heard from you. I was only waiting for letters from you, Enya."
"You didn't receive my letters?"
"Did you send them?"
"Yes! I sent them whenever I had time. But they didn't arrive?"
Then where did all those letters go?
"...Could it have been my parents! I'm sorry. It seems my parents must have intercepted the letters."
Anger surged through me in that instant.
"It's all right. I'm simply glad that you've returned, Enya."
"Still, that's too much."
"Now that I know you wrote to me, Enya, it's fine."
My heart ached at the sight of Dale's gentle smile.
I caressed Dale's (genuinely handsome) face.
"Why are you so kind?"
The expression in Dale's eyes as he looked at me was so joyful it couldn't possibly be false.
My heart raced as though I could mistake myself for the person Dale loved.
I stared intently at Dale's lips, now at eye level with mine.
"...."
"...."
Dale, too, seemed to realize how close we were, his expression flustered.
"Dale, you see—"
Click.
Then Dale set me down with perfect stability.
"...Thank you. I was just wanting to put you down anyway."
Watching Dale's back as he turned away, I scratched my head with a vague sense of disappointment. Oh, that's right!
"Dale! Today I came dressed as a duke's daughter. Don't I look pretty?"
As I twirled around, Dale, who had been staring intently, extended his hand toward me.
"Huh?"
Spin—
Dale spun me around once more while holding my hand, his smile radiant.
"You look absolutely stunning."
Dale whispered as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
"Is there anything better than looking good?"
"You're as beautiful as a princess."
"Really?"
I beamed and nestled against Dale.
I wanted to see Dale like this—gazing at me with such tenderness, speaking kindly, smiling that gentle smile.
I stared at Dale for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.
"Dale, the truth is I came because my stay in the Capital will be longer than I mentioned before."
"...."
Dale's expression visibly darkened.
"I'm sorry. You must be lonely."
"It's not about loneliness. It's something different."
"Oh, is that so?"
"I want to be with you, Enya."
"...!"
Dale smiled bitterly.
"...Should I return to Grunvalt then?"
"...."
"Or should I take you to the Capital with me?"
"Would that be acceptable?"
"I've come to understand why The Emperor proposed to me. It wasn't because he held me especially dear."
"Then why did he?"
"That is...."
I shook my head and refused to reveal The Emperor's secret any further.
"I have an agreement with The Emperor, so I can't discuss it."
"Will it take a long time?"
I wasn't sure how long it would take. But it seemed unlikely I could resolve everything and return within a month.
"Dale, would you rather come with me on this journey? I don't want to leave you alone."
"...That's fine."
Dale, who had been gazing at me intently, answered that he wouldn't refuse.
"Being closer to you, Enya, is what I prefer."
"Dale...."
I was genuinely moved by his words. My heart raced.
But why was Dale trying so hard?
There's only Dale and me here, yet he continues to treat me like a real husband would.
Could Dale possibly have feelings for me?
That doesn't seem to be the case.
Dale has a woman he's remembered for so long that he even kept an entire floor vacant for her.
Though he claimed it wasn't him.
"...Ah. You're doing this to honor our contract that still binds us together, aren't you?"
I nearly fell into that misunderstanding.
"But Dale, where did you go so early in the day? I came by thinking you'd be here at this hour, but I was surprised to find the House empty."
"The House required repairs, so I went to another area for a time."
"Another area? To purchase materials?"
"Yes."
"What was the issue?"
Dale pointed toward the ceiling.
"It's been raining continuously, and water has been leaking through the ceiling. There appeared to be a problem from the construction phase, so I identified the cause and made the repairs."
"Ah, I see."
"It's not completely finished yet."
I gazed intently at the ceiling and windows.
"I see. You must have worked so hard, Dale."
"I'm making repairs so that you'll be able to live comfortably without any inconvenience when you return, Enya."
"Thank you."
I smiled warmly and embraced Dale. He still carried that pleasant fragrance.
But then....
* * *
"Emma, investigate the weather in Grunvalt for me. Just the past few weeks will do."
As soon as I returned home, I summoned Emma and made the request.
"Understood. But didn't you just meet that handsome husband of yours? You seem to be in a bad mood."
"...Something's off."
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It was spring now. Grunvalt would naturally be spring as well.
"I've never heard of continuous rain falling in Grunvalt."
There was something questionable about what Dale had said.
"Grunvalt gets heavy snow in winter, but spring doesn't have excessive rainfall. It's not a terrain where rain falls continuously."
"Yes, but...?"
"Yet Dale told me he had roof repairs done because of all the rain."
Dale had definitely said that.
"But when I first entered that house, the roof had already been repaired. If it needed repairs again after just a few months because of some rain, the original work must have been shoddy."
"Right?"
"And I inspected the house before I left. I was worried something might happen to Dale. There was nothing wrong with it then."
And my room.
If it had rained as much as Dale claimed, there should have been traces of water in my room.
Yet the window frame was pristine.
There were no marks of muddy water, no moisture on the glass, and the floor wasn't damp.
More than anything, the soil in the Garden wasn't just dry—it was parched and cracked, inside and out.
Before leaving Grunvalt, I said goodbye to Dale and examined the soil.
"Dale is hiding something from me."
And what I saw behind the wardrobe.
No matter how much I thought about it, it was suspicious. Now that I think about it, there were times when Dale's behavior seemed odd.
I thought it was just my imagination, but stepping back, I could feel something was wrong.
"Emma."
"Yes, Miss."
"Remember when I asked you to find out what Dale was doing?"
"Yes, you did."
"Look into it again, more thoroughly. Not just what he's doing, but who he is, where he's been, what he's done, and what he's doing now. In detail."
I had a strong premonition that Dale was hiding something from me. A very strong one.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------