Chapter 114
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114.
A laugh escaped me at his tone—so earnest yet tinged with petulance.
I felt the tension that had been strangling my heart finally begin to ease.
"What reward would you like, Ian?"
Even as I spoke, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close.
He often indulged in this sort of childish behavior, after all.
An inevitable emotional deprivation, one might say.
"While we're in the Liardan Duchy, take me with you wherever you go."
Cassian Artez lifted his head from my shoulder and gazed at me cautiously, as if testing the waters.
His eyes, which always gleamed with mischief before others, now resembled those of a docile puppy—and somehow that irritated me.
"Am I truly such a burden to you?"
"You're always being bothersome, so why the hesitation now?"
At my reproachful remark, color bloomed across his face.
As though my trivial words had made him genuinely happy.
"Thank you for taking me in, Roselita."
"That's actually terrifying to hear."
Taking him in? What are you implying? Honestly.
When I tapped his back lightly, he burst into laughter.
The vibration transmitted through our pressed bodies felt strangely comforting.
Because I truly felt I could afford to be at ease now.
*
"The Capital City is just beginning to enter the heat of summer."
I stepped down from the carriage into a breeze tinged with coolness, stretching my stiff body with a long, satisfying arch.
Cassian Artez waited a moment, then draped a thin outer robe across my shoulders.
"You're right—it's definitely northern land."
"It's so refreshing, it actually feels like I'm on vacation, even though I'm here on business."
As I spoke, revealing my conflicted feelings, Cassian Artez raised his arm as if to escort me.
I naturally placed my hand on his arm and continued speaking.
"Don't you think it's rather presumptuous of me to believe he cares for us that much?"
"I suppose."
"You don't think so?"
"I really don't want to admit it."
Cassian Artez instructed the coachman to move our luggage to the Inn where we'd be staying tonight, then slowly walked toward the Village shopping district.
"His Majesty."
Cassian Artez lowered his voice.
As if he'd noticed that I'd deliberately referred to the Emperor by a different title.
"The fact that he favors you is true."
"...I'm really realizing now that I worked too hard at this."
Once Cassian Artez confirmed it, I found myself naturally reflecting on my own actions.
I hadn't wanted to be recognized so clearly by His Imperial Majesty in the first place.
How on earth did it come to this?
I simply wanted to pay off my family's debts and live comfortably.
As I wore a complicated expression, Cassian Artez tapped my hand and laughed.
"So for now, just relax a little, Roselita."
"...."
Looking at that unchangingly reassuring face, I acknowledged one more honest feeling within myself.
I wanted to keep watching over the path to his happiness as well.
Especially after meeting Original Cassian, this infuriating superior felt even more dependable than usual.
If I didn't cherish him, that would be a lie.
"And Ian too."
I've saved him twice—it would be strange not to feel this way.
Cassian Artez laughed softly at my answer.
"Still don't understand, Roselita?"
"Understand what?"
"I can only relax when you do."
Really.
Why does this person always have to speak in such a way?
I simply leaned my body against his and walked on, unable to express the turbulent feelings in my chest.
Thanks to the cool northern air, the atmosphere was refreshing, and though the streets showed signs of needed maintenance, they possessed a quaint beauty.
Even though House of Jamoti had occupied this land for over a decade, they couldn't quite erase the long years that Liarden Duke House had carefully managed.
"I like beautiful things, so I should be able to manage that."
I felt his gaze settle upon me from above.
Without turning to look, I could sense exactly what expression he wore.
It would surely be warm and satisfied.
*
"Did you enjoy your time browsing the Shopping District? I suppose we should be grateful for the opportunity to travel at a time like this."
As Cassian Artez and I returned to the Inn where we'd left our luggage after exploring the Shopping District, the proprietor greeted us with hearty cheer.
Regardless of the Emperor's true intentions, an investigation was an investigation, so we'd changed both our carriage and attire midway through our journey.
To any observer, we would appear to be a young merchant couple on their honeymoon.
Perhaps because this wasn't a destination outsiders typically chose for travel, or perhaps because my superior's exceptional appearance was the problem, we drew considerable attention.
This was true despite the illusion magic we'd cast to obscure our features.
The result was the innkeeper's excessively delighted expression.
"There's been talk that our duchy's master will change. That's probably why everyone came asking questions the moment you arrived."
"Asking what?"
"Whether you're the new masters coming to survey the Territory."
The innkeeper's eyes held a subtle sharpness as they darted between us.
"Surely not, though?"
I didn't think an inspector would confirm such a thing.
Before I could say anything, Cassian Artez pulled me close by the waist and responded smoothly.
"How could that be? We're merely merchants with no understanding of how nobility lives."
He spoke while deliberately pressing his lips to my temple.
"We came here simply because my beloved wife is sensitive to heat and we sought a cooler place. Work is important, but if it harms the health of the one I love, what good is any of it?"
"Oh my, oh my."
The innkeeper's eyes warmed as Cassian Artez spoke with such fluid eloquence.
"For someone so young, you understand what truly matters! My own husband took far too long to realize that, and now our daughter won't even speak to him—he regrets it terribly."
A brief, stifled cough emerged from the kitchen at her good-natured remark.
Being a city on the outskirts of Liardan Duchy, the Inn was modest in size, and voices carried clearly into the kitchen.
The innkeeper soon realized she'd been keeping us too long and tapped on the kitchen door.
A man with a rough-hewn appearance emerged, muttering quietly as he picked up our luggage from beside the counter.
The innkeeper, accustomed to her husband's manner, deftly managed him and guided us to the second floor.
"We don't have many rooms, so it's embarrassing to boast, but this is truly our finest one."
As the proprietor threw open the windows, the gradually dimming sunset flooded into the room like a cascade of light.
"We deliberately positioned two windows in different directions. The view you can see through them at this hour is another source of pride for our Inn."
Just as the proprietor said, the modest natural landscape and the snugly arranged low-rise houses below created a harmonious beauty.
I smiled without thinking, and the proprietor burst into delighted laughter.
"I'm so glad the lady is pleased, aren't you?"
She directed the words at Cassian Artez, and he simply gazed at me once before nodding.
The proprietor observed this exchange, chuckled warmly, and hastily ushered her husband out of the room with gentle pushes.
"Enjoy your stay!"
Beyond the closed door came the sound of her husband and master playfully bickering, their voices tinged with embarrassment before gradually fading away.
Soon after, Cassian Artez seated me upon a sofa crafted with skillful precision from fine timber.
"This village has a pleasant atmosphere."
"Yes, the Shopping District wasn't bad either. Though it did lack a certain vibrancy."
As I leaned against the window frame from my seat on the sofa, Cassian Artez carefully approached and gazed out at the same view.
People coming to purchase evening provisions, children running about, chimneys already releasing white smoke as dinner preparations began.
Every sight was a leisurely scene rarely witnessed in the Capital City.
"Does that ease your worries?"
I asked him, who had harbored subtle concerns during our journey toward the Liardan Duchy.
Rather than answer immediately, he simply absorbed the view beyond the window into his eyes.
To him, Maribel—his mother—was like a phantom.
All he knew came from the thick diary she had left behind and stories passed down through the nursemaid who had cared for him in childhood.
The only direct encounter he'd had was the brief memories of the past revealed through the scroll, so I felt he would glean far more from observing this village's landscape.
When planning this journey through the Liardan Duchy, consulting Maribel's diary had been intentional on my part.
I had suggested we do so.
Cassian Artez had said the Emperor sent us here to grant me respite, but I believed there was also a clear intention to provide for Cassian Artez.
After remaining silent for some time, he opened his mouth briefly, then closed it again before facing me and speaking.
"Yes."
Within that brief answer, I felt I could read so much meaning.
Relief that the lands once under House of Jamoti remained intact.
Cassian Artez was that kind of person.
Even if he could not reclaim the Liardan Duchy for himself, he simply wished for the people of these lands to be happy.
Though he had changed greatly from the Original Cassian since meeting me, it was precisely because he possessed such a tender heart that I had grown even fonder of him.
As I observed him in contemplation, I watched the sunset gradually tint his golden hair.
Thinking that I could certainly enjoy leisure like this as much as I wished.
*
The investigation of the Liardan Duchy ranked among the three most enjoyable schedules since my arrival in the Capital City.
It was thanks to Maribel, Cassian Artez's mother, having recorded in meticulous detail where was beautiful, where required further development, and which restaurants served delicious food.
Her diary had essentially become a tourist guide and restaurant chronicle.
And today, I was scheduled to visit a place I had grown quite curious about.
Even as Cassian Artez guided me, his expression was subtle.
"I'm not sure whether to be relieved that Roselita and my mother share similar tastes."
"Your Majesty was curious about it too."
I brushed off Cassian Artez's complaint lightly, gripping his hand firmly as we crossed through rough undergrowth.
A cave entrance with a desolate landscape came into view.
It was the entrance to an Abandoned Mine said to have been sealed centuries ago.
Naturally, it was not for the sake of viewing a horror spot.
It was because I had become curious about the topic of "Dragon" among the contents Maribel had written down.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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