Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Marie was in Kentrail’s office, eating a snack from Ellie’s win.

“Whoa, I don’t know who Ellie resembles.”

He was watching her with cute eyes while worrying about Ellie as Marie ate the sandwich to the point where her cheeks popped out. Her legs were crossed, and her one arm rested against it. But, she couldn’t feel his gaze as she was eating well. He even handed her what he had brought for him.

“Thank you.”

Instead of rejecting it, she accepted it. It was because it suited her taste well.

“The knights were also very excited, thanks to the children.”

“Then, I’m glad. I didn’t know she’d win against the knights.”

It must have been purely because of tricks that she defeated the knights who were reputed to have good arm strength. The knights were new to this game, and Ellie had played it many times. Still, when her younger sister defeated the knights, it felt quite great.

Giving her the milk laid in front of him while listening to Marie expressing her love for her sister, he carried the cup to her lips as if feeding a child.

“You want me to drink like this?”

When he laughed, she drank the milk in that state. Just looking at him, he seemed to like to take care of her like this.

“Isn’t it good that I taught Ellie to use the sword as a self-defense technique?”

Nevertheless, Ellie occasionally learned swordsmanship from him. It was something that had been going on since she almost got into trouble in the past.

“That’s right.”

Answering so, Marie took another big bite of the sandwich, and a laugh burst out of his mouth.

“Did I eat too much?”

Kentrail reached over to her mouth and wiped the sauce. Then, he took it to his mouth.

“No, it’s pretty to eat like that.”

At that, Marie’s face turned red. It was lovely again, and he laughed.

“What are you ashamed of for something like this?”

“I don’t know!”

She lifted the cushion next to her and covered her face. Still, her ears were not covered, and his laughter echoed through the place once more.

“Show me your face.”

“No.”

“Really?”

Kentrail asked, putting his face near her ear. Marie had to put the cushion on her lap and bury her face.

“Don’t bully me.”

“When did I bully you? You’re bullying me now that you don’t show your face.”

At his words, she quietly turned her face towards him. He was looking at her.

‘My heart is beating too fast…’

She had to bury her face in the cushion again. If she didn’t, she thought she wouldn’t be able to calm down. The next moment, he lifted his finger and nudged her.

Marie quickly opened the distance, and Kentrail quickly filled the distance.

“Don’t follow me.”

However, she did not leave the sofa. It was because she liked the warmth of the person next to her. He held her in his arms.

“What… what is it?”

“I like it.”

She was worried that her own face would be burned to the ground in front of Kentrail’s outspoken expression.

“Me, too.”

And, she secretly expressed her own heart.

“Then, show me your face. Hurry up.”

At Kentrail’s constant scrutiny, she finally lifted her face. In an instant, his large hand grabbed her face. Marie had to hold her lips to him for a while.

* * *

A letter flew into the mansion.

Taylor hurriedly ran into the mansion. He cut off the sweet air in an instant and came in, and he stood in front of Kentrail with a heavy expression. Because of that, Marie tried to get out of the office as she felt she was going to have to leave, anyway.

“You can sit down. That’s something you should know.”

Kentrail, who recognized the signs while reading the letter, stopped her.

“….”

Silence settled in the office room as he read the letter.

“He found Brielle’s aunt.”

Taylor and Marie’s eyes widened.

“It looks like she’s married and living with her husband.”

“Are you going to catch her yourself?”

Taylor, who had been listening to the master, asked, “No, Derek wants me to leave it to him. It seems like he wants to find out if they are really related to this case.”

Kentrail then sighed and continued.

“That’s a better way. Considering those caught so far, even bringing Brielle’s aunt here would make her less likely to open her mouth.

A completely opposite atmosphere from before settled down in the office room.

“What is she doing there?”

Taylor asked, in anger, what she was doing there after doing such a thing.

“It looks like she’s sick.”

“What…?”

“He said she found it hard to move around…. That they barely survive on what her husband hunted.”

“You mean her husband is a hunter? She’s married to a commoner?”

“Yes. Maybe, that’s why Brielle’s maternal family cut off correspondence at some point. This may be the reason why the vassals can’t find her.”

It was not easily expected that a noble daughter would marry a commoner and lead such a life. Marie, who had been listening to all this from the side, felt bad.

“I’ll write a letter, so send it to Derek.”

“Yes, Master.”

Seeing that her expression darkened like that, he let Taylor go and hugged her.

“The Young Master will know it someday.”

“I should tell him when he’s a little bigger. I used to look at the constellations and ask who the real murderer of my brother and his wife was.”

She was already worried about how hurt Brielle would be in the future.

* * *

Marie eventually found Brielle.

“Marie!”

Just like that, she came to see the child, who didn’t know her feelings.

“What were you doing?”

At her affectionate question, the child showed her what he was doing.

“It’s a handwriting practice.”

“Yes. I want to write coolly like my uncle.”

Brielle, who recently wrote a letter to Marie and didn’t like his own handwriting, was practicing these days.

“I also like Young Master’s handwriting.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it is a round, cute, and really lovely font.”

Immediately, the child’s face brightened at her praise before he covered what he was doing.

“Then, I don’t have to practice, right?”

“Of course.”

She thought that it was best for a child to be a child, and Marie was in favor of him not forcing himself to practice.

“By the way, Marie, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Why?”

Her heart was pounding. She wondered if Brielle knew anything about his aunt.

“Marie’s eyes look sad. It’s drooping here.”

Pointing to the corner of her eye, he also gave a sad expression and asked again, “Who made Marie sad? Shall I scold them?”

Hearing his words, she hugged Brielle, who seemed to want to run away immediately.

“I think it’s better for the Young Master to hug me like this.”

“Then, I’ll give you a hug and scold them. Who is it? Uncle?”

“I don’t know why the culprit becomes your uncle.”

Marie uttered, laughing.

“I don’t know. That’s a feeling.”

“Would the Count be sad if he heard it?”

“Hehe, that’s right. Well, it’s a secret between the two of us.”

Brielle, who whispered in a small whisper, was cute and she kissed him on the cheek.

“I’ll do it, too.”

Then, Brielle returned the kiss to Marie.

“Hey, you two.”

At this warm scene, Ellie intervened with wide eyes.

“Huh? Ellie.”

“Do you know what you’re stepping on?!”

Eventually, they found the paper underneath them. They looked at it and saw that it was a picture Ellie had drawn.

“My work…!”

The two had to apologize five times that they were sorry to the child who rushed in. In return, Marie served hot cocoa to relieve Ellie’s anger.

‘She still loves cocoa so much…’

She still kissed Ellie’s cheek, who was like a three or four-year-old in her eyes. At that, the child’s cheek rose pleasantly.

* * *

Derek sighed.

He did not know how he had come to this position. Today, he had been chopping firewood at Gideon’s house since morning.

“I’m sorry. I hurt my back.”

He met a wild boar while hunting together. Everyone else escaped safely, though Gideon slipped and injured his back. If Derek hadn’t taken care of the wild boar that were rushing, it would have been a disaster.

Derek was worried about him, so he came to me as soon as he woke up and found that he was sleeping in the cold room as the firewood had run out. In addition, even Brielle’s aunt was sickly, so he couldn’t just ignore it. Because of that, he even chopped firewood.

“It’s okay.”

Derek answered bluntly and cut down the firewood. A bang echoed through the forest.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that for the past few days.”

Despite Gideon’s complaints, he persevered and did what he had to do. Once again, there was a bang in the forest.

“I wonder if the dragon god sent you.”

“That’s a really nonsense idea.”

Derek replied cynically. In the northern part of this place, they believe in the dragon god. It is said that people sometimes saw dragons, so they thought dragons existed. However, he did not believe in the dragon god.

‘If there were a dragon god, there would be no way that I would have been born with these eyes. No, since he was little, he prayed to be the same as everyone else, it should have been granted.’

“Do you not believe in the dragon god?”

Gideon asked Derek’s reaction.

“Yes.”

“I see. But, there is a dragon god… Dragon god grants your earnest wish.”

Derek lifted his head to glance at Gideon in a resolute voice that was not like him. For a moment, a zealot-like gaze flashed in his eyes. However, while he blinked once, those eyes disappeared, and Gideon stood there with only an impressive smile.

“Do you have a wish to make?”

Derek, who had guessed in his heart that maybe his wish was to cure his wife’s illness, asked as he started working again.

“No. None.”

From the mouth of a person who believed in dragon god, it was strange for a person who would have an earnest wish to say that he had no wish, but he thought that Gideon would not want to tell other people, who thought lightly of it, continued his firewood chopping.