CH 58

After a low sigh, Logan’s gaze passed through Elusiana and turned to Aster next to her. If someone didn’t know why his face became red, they must be thinking that he got a fever and was sick.

Logan was offended for no reason, so he spat it out, “…You mean the water bottle?”

“Yes, please.”

Seeing Elusiana apologetic, Logan suddenly had nothing to say. The pitiful situation of that young lady who knew nothing seemed extremely pitiful.

“There is no reason for Lady to be sorry.”

His master was a bad guy who pretended to be sick. Logan swallowed back his words, took out the water bottle from the basket, and handed it to his master.

“Here…”

“Keheuug.”

Logan laughed softly at his sudden groan. A person who cut down and burned whatever he could get his hands on, whether it was human or a monster, pretending to be a sickly patient.

Ha Really. I can’t watch it anymore because my eyes hurt. Logan watched his master’s head digging into the lady’s arms and tried to swallow the curse words that rose to his throat.

“Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

“Thank you, Sir Logan.”

Logan quickly took a couple of steps back at the end of the sentence.

On the other hand, Elusiana thought that Logan was having a hard time with the grand duke. Is His Excellency being rejected even by his escort knight?

She heard that Aster, an illegitimate child, pushed out the legitimate heir and took the place of the head of the grand duchy. In the process, there was an armed conflict between him with the former grand duke and the legitimate heir. As a result, his body was in a state of disrepair due to the side effects of using excessive force, explained by the butler. Therefore, there must be a group of knights belonging to the grand duke who won’t obey him. Maybe the majority of the knights were like that.

If it’s not a mistake that’s revealed on the surface, you can’t be punished by keeping a distance, just like now.

Eluciana suddenly felt sorry for the poor grand duke. Born as an illegitimate child, he was abandoned, then later found his family but wasn’t recognized. Up until now, this man had lived alone and endured that bitter sadness.

How sad it must be to live sickly plus lonely. Elusiana saw the grand duke’s sickly figure swallowing water with difficulty and involuntarily brought tears to her eyes.

A poor person. I have to take good care of him from now on. Elusiana looked at the grand duke’s smiling face as if he was feeling better, then she strengthened her determination.

* * *

Aster, who went on a picnic in the forest with a selfish heart, had no choice but to return to the mansion with Elusiana’s strong persuasion. He went straight to his bedroom as soon as he returned and had to pretend to be asleep at Elusiana’s suggestion that he needed to rest.

“You have to rest today, Your Excellency. Okay?”

“But…”

“Shh— We can go on a picnic next time, right? I will follow you whenever you want, so take care of your aching body for now.”

Elusiana, who had given him her promise several times, left his room only after confirming that he had fallen asleep.

A while after she left, Aster opened his eyes. His eyes, which had sunken, turned to the room’s entrance. He could hear her voice whispering about what to say,  with Logan waiting in front of the door. 

“…Please take care of him, Sir Logan.”

“Hahaha, don’t worry. I will take responsibility and protect this place.”

“Thank you. I will count on you.”

“Yes, you can count on me. Even if I look like this—”

Count on him? Aster’s eyebrows wriggled briefly. Soon, a low voice came out of his mouth as if he was reciting to himself. “What makes you so happy?… Logan.”

At that moment, Logan’s voice, who was talking outside the door, was suddenly cut off.

“Sir Logan, what’s wrong? You look a little pale too. Are you okay?”

“Haha, I-I’m okay. Leave this place to me, and go quickly, Lady.”

“But.”

“I-it’s because I’m hungry, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Ah, did you skip lunch?”

Elusiana, who smiled and said goodbye, left the hallway. When her presence was completely gone, Logan opened the door with a stiff face.

“M-my Lord.”

Aster rose and twisted his lips.

“Even if you don’t intervene unnecessarily, I was able to coax her in moderation.”

Riding a horse under the pretext of going on a picnic, putting her behind him and speeding up, then jumping down, making her lose her balance— All of it was planned by him. He was going to spend a leisurely time sitting by the sparkling lake with a smiling face and eating delicious snacks. Lying down on her legs or lying side by side under the pretext of admiring the blue sky was also part of the well-planned plan.

“But you ruined it.”

Aster slowly brushed his bluish silver hair and raised his chin. “Isn’t that right, Sir Logan?”

With a dark complexion, Logan kneeled on one knee before he knew it. “M-my Lord.”

“So, what did you enjoy talking about with my Lusi? Moreover, in front of my room.”

Eyes with deep obsession glared at Logan’s top of the head as if to press him down.

* * *

“You must have been very surprised, but you handled it well, Lady.”

“It’s my job to look after the welfare of His Excellency. And—”

Elusiana looked at Heilla, who stood by the butler momentarily, and then continued. “The medicine Heilla gave me worked well. Thank you, Heilla.”

Heilla smiled awkwardly and bowed her head slightly.

“Then, I’ll be back at the same time tomorrow.”

“Yes, Lady. Go home safely.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Greeted by Louis and Heilla, Elusiana exited the Grand Duchy of Sestein in a carriage that was waiting in advance. After ensuring the carriage left, Louis looked back at Heilla.

“Heilla.”

“Yes, Butler.”

“Is there any other medicine for His Excellency to take?”

“That’s…”

Heilla coughed softly and replied. “It’s star candy.”

“Huh?”

Louis asked again with a  solemn look on his face. “Star… candy?”

“That, it’s a star-shaped candy sold on the market, and it’s the most popular among 5 to 7-year-olds… It’s a snack.”

“That, why?”

“His Excellency himself brought it to me. He said… it’s emergency medicine.”

“Cough. I get it.”

“Then, I will go in first.”

Louis smiled dejectedly at Heilla, who seemed to be holding back her laughter for some reason.

“Snacks for 5 to 7-year-olds… Hoho.”

Louis was grateful and sincerely sorry for Elusiana, who was fooled even after seeing such star candy.

* * *

Knock, knock.

Noel, who came out of the shower, shook his head with a towel and said, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Brother.”

“Yeri?”

Noel was a little surprised by Yeriel’s sudden visit. He opened the door, looked at her, and said, “What brings you here?”

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Well, come in.”

Entering the space, Noel moved out of the way, and Yeriel sat on a chair at an empty table.  Noel, who had roughly brushed off his hair, sat opposite her, she said “I heard you started training again.”

“Did you come here out of curiosity? Or do you need someone to spar with?”

“That’s true.”

Noel said as he saw the hesitant look on Yeriel’s face, “Why? What are you taking so long to say?”

“Aren’t you going there now?”

“There? Where?”

“The place you visit every day. In the commoner’s district.”

Noel frowned.

“Was it the Fragrant Garden? The name of the shop.”

“…I have no idea what you are talking about. Why did you bring up the flower shop?”

“I know that Brother is meeting the lady from the flower shop.”

Noel sighed and swept his forehead at Yeriel’s confident answer. So, because she misunderstood his relationship with Lusi, she was asking these questions? What on earth was she pointing at? No, before that, did it make sense to misunderstand their relationship?

Lusi is only a commoner. Noel laughed at the absurdity.

Yeriel tilted her head at Noel’s puzzled expression. “Why do you look like that?”

“Because I felt absurd.”

“… Don’t you think the lady is special to you?”

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, leave immediately, Yeri.”

Yeriel asked again with an incomprehensible look on her face. “Then why did you put an escort near the flower shop?”

“That’s it— Tsk.”

Noel, who clicked his tongue low, frowned slightly. He thought it might be misleading to say it was because Camilla’s hands and feet were attached near there.

Yeriel’s eyes were sharpened by his hesitation. “Didn’t you do that because you were worried about that lady?”

Noel, who hardened his expression, stood opposite Yeriel and pointed at the table. The oblique gaze faced Yeriel’s light purple eyes.

“You’re free to imagine anything— But it was just because I didn’t want to see her hurt because of me. It meant nothing else.”

Noel shrugged his shoulders and sat down in his chair with a sour look on his face. “You know, I’m popular. There is a whole carriage full of young ladies who will fight just to talk with me.”

A strange smile formed on Yeriel’s lips as she looked at him, then disappeared.