Chapter 126
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126.
When I opened my eyes that morning.
'I've done it again....'
The familiar bed of my lodgings greeted me with a sorrow so profound it had become routine.
I squinted at the dim light of early dawn filtering through the window.
This was the karmic consequence of spending time reading the diary instead of listening to Cassian Artez.
"Did you sleep well?"
As I felt the bitterness of reality settle upon me, Cassian Artez—who had been flipping through documents on the sofa—noticed I had awakened and approached me slowly.
There was a certain embarrassment about yesterday's events, but—to be honest, I couldn't determine which was worse: falling asleep again or his confession—so I nodded naturally.
I was the one who said I would think about it, and so....
I didn't want to act stiffly and torment him for no reason.
The more I dwelled on it, the more he would inevitably remember it as well.
In moments like this, there was only one answer.
'Work.'
At my resolute expression, Cassian Artez smiled as if reading my mind out of habit and handed me a cup of tea.
"I chose a blend I knew Roselita would prefer, not coffee."
"Thank you."
"I received the correspondence from the Manager yesterday and reviewed it."
"Did you get some sleep yourself?"
"Of course."
Cassian Artez nodded with a gentle gaze.
And meeting his eyes directly, I felt my heart stir.
Because I had finally understood.
How much Cassian Artez had been suppressing his feelings toward me all this time.
Why I could never help but be confused.
He acted as he pleased—and I was beginning to doubt even that—yet why did he hide his gaze, making me seem like the only oblivious one?
"...Should I go back to being reserved?"
And then he acted as if he would be considerate instead.
"Please don't."
"I don't want Roselita to suffer."
"I hate running away more."
At some point, I had grown more afraid of complacently seeking only my own comfort.
Because I was human too, and I feared that if I remained in this state any longer, I would simply accept it.
So I didn't want to rob Cassian Artez of his freedom of expression.
Besides, even if he expressed himself freely, it would only be I who would find it difficult and feel embarrassed.
Given that we were formally betrothed in the eyes of society, there would be no one who would find it strange if Cassian Artez displayed his feelings openly.
"...It might end up being more troublesome than I expected."
Yet Cassian Artez spoke as though to dissuade me.
His true feelings were entirely different.
Reading his heart, I pinched his cheek lightly and spoke.
"I'd like to consider that as part of the equation."
I needed to see just how much more troublesome it might become, and whether it fell within my capacity to bear.
At my words, he grew bashful.
Though slightly flustered, I could feel his affection, and my fingertips where they touched him grew warmer.
*
We spent the remainder of our time in Reardon Capital moving in and out of the Salice Manor's vault, organizing various documents.
Thanks to Parker's thorough discretion, our identities never came to light until the very end.
Thus we departed the Capital, heading toward Clupea Borderland to conclude this journey.
"I wish I could have seen Maribel a bit more."
While we came and went from the vault, we shared various thoughts, but never ventured into the past.
I knew we had obtained all the information we needed from the Liardan Duchy, yet I felt a lingering regret.
"You were never going to see her anyway, Roselita."
To my grumbling, Cassian Artez responded with mature reassurance.
"Still."
But I remained unconvinced.
If I was entrusted with this task, shouldn't I at least receive that much as a bonus?
Did the calculation only make sense after clearing it?
My expression must have grown absurd with such frivolous thoughts, for Cassian Artez chuckled softly.
Since he watched me so intently, he might have simply noticed.
"By the way, Roselita."
"Yes?"
"You can just ask if you're curious about something."
At his slightly flushed words, I suppressed the question that had risen to my throat.
That seemed rather cowardly.
'Like when you started liking me that way, or what you found appealing about me....'
To ask only what I was curious about without properly answering him?
I wasn't that shameless.
"It might appeal to you, after all."
"That's exactly why I won't. If I ask now, Ian won't speak honestly."
There was this reason as well.
I had told him not to apologize, yet he seemed unable to completely release that burden from his heart.
If I, the one responsible, was fine with it, then what did it matter?
He surely knew that if I disliked it, I would refuse regardless of his circumstances.
"...If I'm happy about something like this, will Roselita look at me strangely again?"
At his blunt words, I looked at him as if he were a truly peculiar person.
He could simply choose not to speak.
His insistence on teasing me was absolutely insufferable.
Cassian Artez truly had a terrible personality.
Regardless of whether he had confessed or not.
*
I was not granted the fortune of returning to the past, but my other conjecture proved accurate.
That the safe possessed a nature similar to the Lair.
When I opened the Lair Scroll, a single sentence appeared as if waiting, then vanished in a flutter.
Moreover, a seal was engraved upon the safe key I had received from Parker.
It was the same seal that had appeared when I received a gift from Gaia.
'Has the ownership of the safe perhaps transferred?'
I asked Cassian Artez if it might be so, given the similarity to the Lair, but he shook his head.
'I cannot say precisely what it is, but the purity of the aura feels somewhat heightened.'
I couldn't fathom what it felt like, lacking both aura and mana as I was.
Still, I felt certain that Gaia wouldn't have given us anything harmful.
Even though she'd said this would be the last time we could speak, I could see she'd made an effort to satisfy our curiosity however she could.
'Perhaps this truly is her final meddling....'
Thanks to Gaia's gift, I could sense it naturally.
That her power could no longer reach this world.
Yet it didn't feel as though our connection had been completely severed, which brought me peace.
They say that once children grow to a certain age, they must become independent, but it's still reassuring when they're watched over.
So Cassian Artez and I, after extracting what we could from the vault and Parker's records, moved toward the Clupeae region without hesitation.
The 'child' Gaia mentioned was likely referring to the Flare Dragon, after all.
'He seemed to have departed without lingering.'
Perhaps that's why he didn't bombard me with questions.
Unlike Gaia, I could feel his power.
It was clear that he could still interfere with this world.
Truth be told, after receiving the scroll sent by the Pot Stirrer Slave and a cascade of incidents erupted, I'd somewhat regretted not asking the Flare Dragon various things.
'Now, I think it was actually the right call.'
At that time, I wouldn't have been able to ask proper questions.
I vaguely knew I had to endure seven trials, but I didn't know about the worlds merging or the complex circumstances surrounding the Imperial Family and various noble houses.
Of course, I harbored some suspicion about how conveniently well-timed the Emperor's decision to give us time to oversee Liarden and Clupeae was.
'He must have known the secrets of Liarden.'
Both his conjectures about the dragon and the characteristics of the Liardon Family.
Probably far more than what Parker knew.
For that reason, I was all the more determined to seize this opportunity the Emperor had casually thrown my way.
The landscape outside our carriage had gradually turned pristine white.
"In the height of summer, yet this scenery is truly remarkable."
"It's not even that far north compared to Reardon Territory, is it?"
About ten months ago, the place we'd come to with the army displayed its massive, pristine form unchanged from then.
*
This was my first visit to my territory since receiving the title.
Of course, a proper inspection was necessary, but given how vast the Liardan Duchy was in comparison, there was little need to spend much time here.
At best, it was merely a large county, barely stretching to the size of a marquessate.
"There were two villages formed in the Clupea Borderland, weren't there?"
"Now there are three. After the Lair began full-scale operations, people came seeking employment and settled here."
Most of the land was sparsely populated, so there weren't many places worth visiting.
Each village was roughly comparable in size to the smallest settlements in the Liardan Duchy.
So even with my inspection tour, it didn't take an extraordinarily long time to reach the village near the Lair.
"Welcome, Marquis!"
"We've been expecting you. The ledgers you mentioned beforehand are right here."
Even after arriving, the review didn't require much time.
Though I hadn't managed to visit the Borderland in person, I had made sure to appoint a capable representative to handle matters in my stead.
"Roselita, come here."
"Good grief, how long do you think it takes to get here from Count Theodima's Territory?!"
My mother, the Theodima Family's reliable steward, and my childhood friend Paul.
And perched calmly upon Paul's shoulder as he rushed out clutching a bundle of ledgers was a small lizard with a crimson glow.
It fluttered its tiny wings—if one could even call them that—with an endearing delicacy.
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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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