Chapter 64

As time passed, it seemed that Paleord’s early words were not false.

The moment my consciousness returned, I realized that I had returned to where I was supposed to be, not to some strange place I didn’t know.

Paleord, which I had been holding tightly just moments ago, had vanished from my hand.

After about a month, I had become so familiar with the serene ceiling that even its stillness felt comforting.

Sip-sip—

I could only see Asulin’s blue hair, which was sending warmth to me as she squirmed in my arms, breathing steadily.

At first, her presence was foreign to me, having no experience of sleeping next to someone else. But now, the tenderness that made me feel empty without her welcomed me like I had woken from a nap.

There was such quiet that it felt almost natural.

‘… Is it still too early?’

Feeling awkward due to this silence, I carefully turned my head towards the window to check if it was still too early for the sun to rise, and the dimness outside the window through the curtains confirmed it.

Considering how much time seemed to have passed since I was dragged to a strange place by Paleord, I thought it would already be midday. Yet, it was still this early morning.

It could be that my perception of time and space had been twisted, or maybe what I experienced just now was merely a dream.

Since this vivid experience couldn’t be a dream, I gently exhaled to clear my thoughts and relaxed my tense body after just waking up.

Perhaps because I realized I could sleep a bit more, as the tension from meeting Paleord faded, I felt my body becoming pleasantly drowsy.

In the past, I would force myself out of bed, starting the day with nightmares, but now…

‘I can sleep a little more.’

Without any nightmares troubling me, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to fall back asleep.

Asulin, who was wriggling in my arms, provided just the right amount of warmth, helping me fall back asleep.

Thinking that if I continued to sleep here, I wouldn’t have any nightmares again, my consciousness began to fade.

And how long had it been?

When I opened my eyes at the moist, soft sensation on my forehead.

“…”

I could observe Asulin’s frozen expression, pressed closely against me, as if caught doing something bad.

“What’s wrong? Why is Asulin so embarrassed just because our eyes met?”

Her stiffened expression wasn’t very appealing, so I tried to break the silence by greeting her in the morning.

“Good morni—”

“No… Nothing happened!!”

“…? Did you do anything to me?”

“No… No. That is to say… Um… Nothing happened! Good morning!”

All I could hear was Asulin’s overly forceful voice for a morning greeting.

“… What?”

“I… I have to deal with something urgent today, so I’ll get up earlier. You must be tired from moving around too much yesterday, so take a good rest!”

Asulin’s voice, though strong, sounded disjointed, and she hurriedly left the bedroom. Even after quite some time, I still couldn’t understand the mysterious sensation on my forehead.

Actually, I had a vague idea, but I couldn’t be sure enough to conclude it was what I thought it was.

Hmm, I never imagined receiving kindness could be so heavy.

Even though I was scared, feeling this weight of kindness also made my heart inexplicably warm. This made my feelings incredibly complex.

This complexity was simply due to my inability to accept someone’s pure kindness as it was, given my unique circumstances.

No matter how hard I tried to distance myself, I couldn’t, and getting closer wasn’t straightforward either. How could this situation ever be resolved?

“Huff…”

I let out a long sigh toward the bedroom door, trying to calm my complex emotions.

The joy I felt from successfully inheriting Paleord normally wouldn’t last long, and there was no room for a bitter smile.

“W-wouldn’t it be nice if we went together to the bustling district under the Duke’s Residence?”

Asulin, who had left the room under the pretense of an urgent matter, soon returned and suggested we visit the bustling district of Dragoon City, one of the major cities in the Caladborg Duchy. Realizing I needed to compose my expression quickly, I responded.

—

Asulin Blatt Caladborg.

She was the heir of the Caladborg Duchy, the only duchy second only to the imperial family in the grand empire that unified a vast continent in a single generation under the leadership of the legendary hero.

Though she was known as a genius whose opponents were nonexistent when wielding a sword, she found each day recently enjoyable.

What was the point of saying more? Recently, the presence of someone who wasn’t distant from her brought her joy.

Every day felt new. Unlike before, when she always carried the heavy responsibility of being the successor of the Caladborg family, striving to set an example in every way possible, now…

Compared to the days when she barely managed to take a few steps, struggling to suppress her weak voice, the mere presence of a man who lightened her burden was precious.

He was truly remarkable.

For Asulin, who always perceived herself as special compared to others, except for a few close ones, he appeared unexpectedly and showed himself to be on equal footing with her.

The swordsmanship she excelled in, where victory was expected, sometimes allowed her to lose, and his insightful assistance in business was equally impressive.

But most importantly, his humility despite possessing admirable abilities won her heart.

At first, it wasn’t like that.

During the initial stages of the Succession War, she had initially maintained neutrality but later developed a prejudice against him due to his association with the Failord Count family, who betrayed their allies.

Even when they first met on the battlefield, this prejudice did not dissipate.

His calculated approach to lure her in and his repeated attempts to attack and assassinate her made him seem despicable.

However, her negative feelings gradually dissipated as she interacted with him on the battlefield and witnessed his human side.

When he hesitated to kill, considering it a waste, despite the coldness of his initial stance to stop the meaningless civil war with minimal bloodshed, it was hard not to change her perspective.

Especially during the sudden attacks by demons on the battlefield, where he extended a helping hand to save fellow soldiers despite not being directly harmed, she forgave his father’s treacherous betrayal and the resentment it caused.

With him, she saw only positive traits, especially when he risked his life to protect others on the battlefield.

Seeing him admit his mistakes and apologize cleanly, she recognized him as Andymion, a prince-like figure from a fairy tale.

Right after the civil war ended, during a conversation with her friend, now the Emperor, she inadvertently declared her responsibility for him. This led to the current relationship, and she realized that her experiences with him had positively influenced her.

Realizing this, Asulin wished to maintain a more positive relationship with him.

Initially, it wasn’t easy to narrow the distance with Andymion, given her regrettable methods, but as she tried, she found it rewarding and incredibly joyful.

Everything was like that.

She particularly cherished waking up every morning to see his face.

Although she felt embarrassed showing him her disheveled appearance, his warm greeting and acceptance of her messy state were endearing.

As she pondered how to leave a better impression, she unconsciously found herself seeking comfort in his embrace, making a habit of it over the course of a month.

…While it was somewhat disappointing that she couldn’t enjoy drinking alcohol, her friend’s nagging felt precious.

Given Asulin’s lack of experience in worrying about others, Andymion’s nagging was welcome.

Indeed, she drank significantly less liquor than usual.

Living with Andymion, despite the seemingly trivial reasons, infused Asulin with unprecedented vitality.

However, Asulin’s life wasn’t all joy.

“… It’s difficult.”

The difficulty arose from her struggle to further close the distance with Andymion after some progress.

Tap-tap—

Asulin lightly tapped the desk in the study, where she sat uncharacteristically, her expression composed.

Given the situation, she pondered deeply how to further bridge the gap with Andymion, her thoughts evident in her demeanor.

Compared to the concerns of being the young master of the Caladborg family, this was a minor worry, yet it held a serious gravity that overshadowed any other experience she had.

Tap-tap-tap—

Asulin’s tapping with her right index finger became increasingly frequent.

Usually, even when deep in thought, tapping the table a couple of times would suffice.

Tap-tap-tap

This time, the problem seemed too complex for Asulin to solve easily; her finger was the only thing working diligently.

“Ugh…”

The longer she pondered, the more her sighs matched the frequency of her taps.

Just as she considered postponing the solution, thinking it hopeless,

Creak!

“Excuse me,”

Katrina burst into the study without knocking.

“Why don’t we go sightseeing in the bustling district together? There’s nothing urgent to do today.”

Her direct suggestion,

“Ah, that’s it!”

cleared the fog in Asulin’s mind.

Yes, regardless of age or gender, spending time together is crucial for improving relationships.

Whether in official matters or personal ones, spending time together would surely help reduce the stagnation between her and Andymion!

With a swift shift in perspective, Asulin sprang from her seat and exited the study, the door closing with a noticeable sound.

Creak!

If it were usual, the door would close silently without a sound.

“…Are you that happy?”

Katrina muttered softly, surprised by the unusual behavior of her long-time charge and friend, smiling faintly.

Seeing her mistress’s relieved expression, Katrina hoped the day would be a good one.