Translator and Editor: Effe and Lili
ââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââââ
Chapter 56
I looked at the Baron standing pitifully and reached out to Procyon.
âSir Procyon, please escort me.â
âPlease leave it to me!â
Procyon, who was the most active in the Murder Robson Paisley Group, quickly changed his face and smiled wide.
But the Baron didnât let Procyonâs laughter last long.
âYour Grace, can I ask for an explanation? Did I make you uncomfortable? If so, why donât you tell me so I can fix it?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The Baronâs face trembled in a new reddish shade.
âThe capital and this place are different. Your Grace is no longer a lady of the Capital. Please keep that in mind.â
Wow, the North is really worth living in. You may not be used to being ignored as a baron.
Uh, I just heard the sound of the sword being pulled.
âTo raise your voice to the Grand Duchess is to rebel against the Kallakis family-â
Pollux muttered solemnly behind my back, making up his resolve.
No, even though Iâm the Grand Duchess, how can we be on the same boat?
And is Castor forgiven if he washes his hands well?
I spoke with a very loud voice.
âOh my God? What do you mean, Baron?â
I hope his words were buried by my voice.
âI donât know why youâre so angry with this natural fact. Did you mean to take us to the inside of the forest? No, it canât be. It doesnât make sense to push us into the wild forest too even if you feel like the Grand Duchess is bad.â
Fortunately, the Baron focused only on me.
âI didnât mean it with such impure intentions. I just wanted to see the surrounding scenery for a whileâ¦..â
âOf course, I understand the Baronâs hard work. Iâm sure you want to please me with all of your passion and might.â
The Baronâs eyes wrinkled, perhaps there was something he didnât like.
âIâm not the kind of person who makes fun of the Grand Duchess.â
I laughed wildly.
âOh, of course, I know. Do you keep grunting because youâre upset? I donât know what it is, but I hope you donât keep it in your mind for long. Iâm tender-hearted, as the Baron already knows.â
I approached the Baron and patted him on the shoulder.
There wasnât much difference in height, so I didnât even have to lift my heels.
âSo letâs solve the misunderstanding. Huh?â
Well, Iâll be throwing these gloves away.
âReallyâ¦.how thoughtful of youâ¦.â
The Baron said while clenching his teeth.
I was a little thoughtful.
Anyway, right now, you were protected from the knights, right?
I donât think heâll be able to keep his place as a Baron.
When it comes to these guys, thereâs usually a lot of corruption.
***
When I returned to the Baronâs VIP room, Aedis greeted me in a comfortable manner as if he had never gone out.
âThere is a beast in the forest.â
âThank you for telling me what you found out right away. I had a good trip.â
There was a smile in Aedisâs eyes.
He didnât know what I had talked about in the woods with the Baron.
Maybe heâs been busy with something else, or he deliberately didnât want to listen.
Probably the latter.
Aedis tried his best to pretend he didnât know when Sarah and I were talking in the room next door.
âItâs not in good condition. Even if it doesnât move, it wonât be able to last a few days and will die.â
A few days.
I shook my head.
âIâll take care of it tonight.â
âCan I ask why you are in a hurry?â
âThe people of the territory are trembling with fear. Some people have gone missing.â
I stretched out my eyes hoping to look as nice as I could.
Aedis stared at me.
âWhatâs on my face?â
âSince you say youâre going out in pure good faith, I wonder if my wife is really alright.â
ââ¦.Look in my eyes. Arenât they tightly packed with goodness?â
âNo?â
Aedis smiled refreshingly and denied.
Iâm glad he didnât dig deeper thoughâ¦
***
The sky fell into darkness. It was good for the sun to set quickly today.
Whether my hair was messy or not, Aedis pressed down a furry hat and asked a question.
âThe blood from the contract. How much do you have left?â
âWell, I only used it twice, so thereâs quite a bit left?â
I wore fur gloves and fur boots as well.
Looking in the mirror, I looked like the strong head of a family that had generations and generations of hunters.
All I needed was a bow and quiver and it wouldâve been perfect.
I donât care about fashion in the face of a cold night!
Though itâs a bit too tight to move around inâ¦
Aedis asked while I was seriously considering whether or not to take off my fur vest.
âIs it possible to shake off all the blood from your body?â
âHe said he gave me only enough to be accepted.â
I canât decide. Aedis is also going with me, so I just want to wear it.
If something unexpected happens, I can throw it off later.
I enjoyed the warmth satisfactorily, my body had become about 1.5 times bigger.
As my expression softened, Aedis also drew a smile on his lips for a moment.
âEve, you look like a polar bear cub.â
Not just a polar bear, but a polar bear cubâ¦.
Is this a compliment?
Is it a compliment in the sense that Iâm overflowing with combat power?
As I started feeling nervous, I leaned back and forth.
Aedisâs slightly reddened face coughed in a vain effort to return to the topic.
ââ¦Anyway, the ability of an ordinary person wouldnât be that big. Isnât that beast misjudged?â
First, I listened to Aedisâs doubts and tried to clarify them.
âYou said you checked it?â
Aedis frowned.
âWell, Eve, you know that even an eight-year-old would think it was suspicious, right?â
âIt wouldnât have been a lie.â
âWhy are you sure?â
âIâm not used to making up words.â
ââ¦.â
Aedis opened his mouth and then shut it up.
It was a face convinced that I was possessed by an insane beast.
Um.
I recalled the feelings I had at the time.
It was the first time I ever met a beast so I was very alert.
Beasts were the last remaining threats in this peaceful era.
However, even though they had a special ability, their range of action was narrow, so it was rare for them to leave their habitat.
Their population was steadily decreasing.
There were three major places on the continent that the beasts used as their habitat.
The northernmost tip beyond the Crystal Gate, the quarry I bought, and Tolka.
Andâ¦perhaps the Red Desert.
In the very desert where Gilbert and Regen were discovered eight years ago was another desert, which was called the Red Desert.
The strange space was unknown as it was only talked about in a legend that beasts lived there.
However, the beast that I signed with was wandering out of the habitat.
When asked where he came from, he didnât tell me. He just laughed, curling up the top of his lips.
There was no other word suitable for expressing the beast except for elegant, as well as evil.
I am sure that even if other people saw it, they would have thought of it as they did me.
âI know what Iâm saying sounds weird. But I donât know how to express it, I was convinced that he wouldnât cheat me for anything unreasonable. In fact, I would have thought differently if he hadnât identified himself as a beast-â
âWife was manipulated.â
Aedis concluded without leaving any room for negotiation.
âBeasts that dazzle people are rare, but they do exist. Did he have a unique scent? Or did he keep repeating certain words or actions over and over again?â
I fumbled my hands in the fur gloves, stuttering about my memories.
âWellâ¦ah, he kept calling me a lovely girl.â
ââ¦..â
âBecause I first met him when I was 13 years old.â
ââ¦..â
âI thought I was so cute back thenâ¦.â
âLetâs take care of the beast stuck in the forest.â
At best, I smiled pretty well, but Aedis cut my words with a single stroke.
I carried a light.
I had to have gained a lot of weight by wearing these clothes that just barely allowed me to move, but Aedis picked me up casually.
When I looked closely, his ears seemed to be slightly red.
I took my luck hoping it wasnât because he was angry.
âI have a portrait from my childhood. Would you like me to show it to you when we get back?â
ââ¦.â
âDonât want to?â
Aedis remained silent for a few seconds, then asked.
ââ¦.Are there other portraits too?â
âOf course. There are more at the main family house. Ones from when I was short-haired, when I went to the beach, and when I started horseback riding for the first timeâ¦..â
Even when Aedis pretended not to hear it, I could tell he was listening.
Iâm glad he doesnât seem very angry.