Chapter 82

“Wait.”

Kairos said, raising his hand belatedly.

“You want to go back? Should we go back?”

What should he do?

“Now? His Majesty hasn’t even arrived yet. Noah, your face right now…”

“My face?”

Hazel called his name out of habit, then shook her head as if she had made a mistake.

“No, I mean, can we really go? I mean, I want to go, but…”

She tilted her head and asked. It seemed like she was asking why they were leaving now when they had been told to attend. Feeling suddenly as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff, he pulled her waist closer to him.

As he pressed his lips firmly against Hazel’s temple as though to imprint himself on her, he bared his teeth possessively as if to show her everything. It was cowardice born of anxiety.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll do whatever you want.”

* * *

Why the sudden change of heart?

If I said I wanted to go home, he said he would. Was it a simple change of heart, or was he trying? I had no reason to refuse, so I said I would.

To be honest, I thought he was just saying that, but he really left the banquet without any regrets. Even on the way out, the nobles’ gazes did not seem to waver. I worried that all sorts of rumors would be circulating by tomorrow. I also worried that His Majesty the Emperor would enter the banquet hall and see my dejected face.

Above all, I…

I glanced up at Dylan as he led me out. His hardened expression from earlier bothered me a little. I wondered how I could create an opportunity to talk to Dylan, Lux, and Josh when suddenly his hand touched mine.

It was purely out of surprise.

During the fortnight I had been staying at Mabel, I had trembled with anxiety every night. I was afraid that if he came looking for me, he would really kill me.

Just as my mind was beginning to ease, he came back for me and brought me back to Ferrarium.

Now, I believed to some extent that he wouldn’t hurt me, but the fear didn’t disappear. Throughout my stay at the banquet, he was holding me half-heartedly, so I wasn’t surprised when his hand approached.

Surely, I wasn’t shocked by that.

No way. The great Kairos Hadid. I scoffed at the thought. But Kairos’ hardened expression, once set, did not change as he escorted me to the carriage and returned.

Even in the carriage, it was strange. The hand that he held clasped in his tightened. When I tried to pull my hand away, he tightened his grip even more.

“It hurts.”

When I said it curtly, he let go of my hand. In truth, it didn’t hurt, but I stopped him in advance because it would have hurt if he had continued.

His hands were so big.

“Ah, sorry.”

He apologized sincerely, but he didn’t let go of my clasped hands. No, why was he doing this? He used to be mean all the time, but not like this. He was holding my hand as if it were his life, while his expression was as if he was going to kill someone. It was very strange.

I tried to pull my hand away several times and gave up.

As soon as I sat down on the chair in the dressing room after returning to the mansion, the tension eased, and fatigue washed over me. I guess I was exhausted from wearing fancy makeup twice in one day, something I only did once every few months.

Instead of the maid, who was supposed to bring warm water and a washcloth, Kairos came in with a tray.

“….”

I glanced at Kairos through the mirror. Kairos put the tray down on one side and came towards me. His hand reached for the necklace that hung around my neck. He smoothly untied the necklace and placed it on the dressing table with practiced ease.

As I watched his actions only through the mirror, our eyes met as he bent down.

“….”

He looked me in the eye as if to say, “Don’t worry,” and then pressed his lips to my shoulder. Even then, I just stared at him.

“Don’t worry about it.”

It seemed like he was talking about Dylan at the banquet. It was funny how, after a year of being together, we had developed the ability to understand each other’s words without context.

“Let me handle it. This is something I need to resolve. With His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince and the Princess.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As I turned to get up, he knelt down on one knee and replied submissively, then held out his hand for me to put my foot on.

“I can ask the maid to do it.”

“It’s what I always do.”

“….”

Reluctantly, I extended my foot. As the warm washcloth touched my foot, the tension melted away. I couldn’t refuse any longer. Fortunately, his gaze was directed at my feet, so I didn’t have to avoid him any further.

“I’ll be a little busy until we leave for the territory.”

“His Majesty doesn’t seem like he’ll let go easily.”

“If I don’t guard the North Gate myself, he’ll have to take care of it himself. The other foot.”

As he wiped my feet with a towel, pressing them firmly as if giving them a massage, the thought suddenly occurred to me.

What would Kairos have been like if he had met the princess today?

Originally, they should have been entangled several times, but they never were. No matter how much he chased after me, shouldn’t he have come into contact at least once, either because he had feelings for her or because he needed her?

“Also…”

“Hmm?”

“Princess Lily… have you seen her?”

“Lily?”

He immediately raised his eyebrows as if asking who she was.

“Dayworth. Princess Lily Dayworth.”

“Ah, that woman. I don’t think I’ve ever met her in person. You’re close with her, aren’t you?”

He tilted his head as if trying to recall something, then firmly stated that he had never met her in person. He definitely knew I was close to her.

“You don’t need her?”

“What?”

“No, I mean… no, nothing.”

Yes, what would change if I asked? I decided to be relieved that it wouldn’t get any worse.

“I needed something before, and I missed it because of that woman.”

I, who had been relieved that it was nothing to worry about, quickly turned my head and looked at him.

“Something you needed?”

“It wasn’t worth much money. I was just going to get one or two, but the crown prince snatched it up first. I didn’t need it after that.”

“What is it?”

“It’s just something from the temple.”

He went through all that trouble just for that…?

It would have been better if that were the case. What else comes out of the temple besides the purification stone and holy water? The only rare one was the divine purification stone. He doesn’t seem to need it as a healthy man and a strong immunity to dark magic.

As I pondered with furrowed brows, he looked at me intently and said, “If it’s something that’s bothering you…”

“No! It’s nothing like that. Princess Lily is kind. She’s trying to help me. Please don’t touch her.”

“I won’t do anything you tell me not to do.”

It wasn’t very reassuring, but it was better than not getting an answer at all. I quietly pulled my feet away. He had been holding the wet towel for a long time, even though he had put it down earlier. I guess he didn’t want me to notice his clumsy attempt to put it on my right thigh. I decided to cut him off in advance because he had the eyes of a predator eagerly watching its prey.

As expected, one of his eyebrows went up and then down. He looked disappointed. Huh.

“What would my wife like to eat for dinner?”

“I don’t care. I’ll just…”

“Hmm?”

I closed my mouth and sighed as he tilted his head openly, revealing his handsome face. It was more difficult than using force. It meant that he wouldn’t give in even if the world fell apart.

“…Anything.”

“I’ll prepare something you like.”

“Do as you please.”

“I love you.”

Just before getting up, he whispered as he kissed my knee. I turned my head away as if I didn’t hear it.

* * *

The next day.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I looked for the newspaper. What I was holding was a famous gossip magazine published in the capital.

“….”

The corners of my mouth twitched with a spasm.

[ Duchess Hadid finally reveals herself! ]

[ Key to harmony? Rise in status? ]

[ Rumor has it that she didn’t leave the banquet… It seems she surprised the nobles… ]

[ As if only the two of them were in the space. Love blossoms…]

[ Duchess Hadid’s dress is the talk of the town. Who is the designer? ]

[ Duke Hadid is the very picture of a man in love… ]

Are they crazy? Didn’t they see me trembling with fear? It said all sorts of nonsense like it seemed like there were only two of us in the world, that it was nice to see us talking affectionately, and that a man in love is different.

Fortunately, the other newspapers were more focused on political matters. It seemed like there was a lot of talk about whether the Hadid ducal family, which had been neutral, had finally decided to support the imperial family, or whether it was still too early.

“Whew.”

I guess I stepped on my own foot. I said I would live as a duchess for a year, so…

Let’s deal with Jed and Lily first today.

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