Chapter 37

The Beauty and the Troublemaker (2)

“Such a thing will not happen.”

Aaron’s sharp reply made Gissley feel an ominous foreboding. Human affairs are prone to pitfalls the moment one gains certainty. He had seen many instances where certainty was twisted and things went wrong through such pitfalls.

Still, it’s Aaron, so he’ll manage… right?

Though his opponent’s noble status was a concern, Gissley decided to trust Aaron for now. He was a fox disguised as a bear, so even if problems arose, he would surely resolve them himself. Gissley decided to trust his brother and returned to his room.

The next morning, Aaron, having finished his morning exercise as usual and returned to his room, was met by Duke Vestein, who had been away from the mansion. No trace of fatigue could be found in his brightly shining blue eyes, no matter when he had returned.

“When did you arrive?”

“Dawn.”

“And Mother?”

“There.”

“Your return is earlier than usual.”

“Rumors.”

“It’s nothing much.”

“Worry.”

“I apologize for causing Mother worry.”

“Letter.”

“Yes. I will write and send a letter today.”

“Meal.”

“I will eat.”

“Good.”

If Gissley was long-winded and Aaron was brief, Duke Vestein’s speech was extremely condensed. How he managed to succeed in a love marriage with the Duchess using such a speaking style remained one of the most prominent mysteries in the Ellias Empire’s high society.

After washing off the sweat and changing into clean clothes, Aaron headed to the dining room for a long-awaited breakfast with the three men of the family. Gissley, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, had already arrived and greeted him.

“Gissley, Egil.”

“Uncle said he had business with the Imperial Guard and left at dawn.”

“Worry.”

“Although Uncle is still somewhat immature, he isn’t one to cause major accidents, so why don’t you relax?”

“Impossible.”

“Indeed, he only avoids major accidents; he always creates minor ones.”

If they weren’t people from the Vestein Ducal House, one would wonder how this conversation was even continuing. A young attendant, standing behind them to serve, was concentrating on their conversation with a serious face, as if he had encountered the riddle of a lifetime.

“Aaron, border.”

“I plan to return with Uncle after my coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Birthday.”

“Her Highness Legina’s birthday is also around then.”

Aaron’s birthday was at the beginning of autumn, and Legina’s was a little later in autumn. In terms of days, there would be about a two-week interval. Aaron said he would leave for the eastern border after his coming-of-age ceremony, but considering his contract with Legina, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to move until winter, at the earliest.

I don’t need to stir up trouble, so this much information should be enough.

He hadn’t spoken the complete truth, but he hadn’t lied either, so he hadn’t violated Duke Vestein’s teaching to avoid falsehoods. Aaron chewed on a fresh vegetable salad, which felt somewhat heavy for a morning meal instead of meat, and ignored his father’s gaze.

After finishing their meal, Duke Vestein and Gissley headed to the study for overdue paperwork, and Aaron, left alone, went to the training ground and took up his sword again. Recently, his time for swordsmanship had decreased due to his association with Legina, so he had to diligently practice whenever he had the chance. And after sweating profusely, he showered and changed clothes again. Aaron, seeing the sun high in the sky, confirmed it was time for lunch, which he often shared with Legina these days, and got into a carriage. It had been a monotonous routine for the past few days.

“My lord! Over here!”

Is it yellow today? Aaron approached Legina, who was waving at him in a light-looking yellow dress, and politely bowed in greeting. Though it was a contract relationship, Legina was doing all the fawning and clinging, so he didn’t need to worry about acting for others.

“You are beautiful today as well, my lord.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Come to think of it, the Imperial Princess couldn’t look him directly in the face. An ordinary person might not have noticed, but Aaron could already feel Legina’s gaze: moving from his cheekbones to the bridge of his nose, then up to his forehead, and finally settling slightly lower on his brow. Yet, he didn’t feel any discomfort from her gaze. Rather, should he feel proud? Others would either look away, unable to even think of looking him directly in the eye, or stare blankly as if mesmerized. But Legina was different. She was diligently trying to find a way to look at his face calmly and soberly.

“My lord, are you very hungry, by any chance? I’d like to walk a bit today.”

“I am fine.”

“Good. Then let’s walk together.”

Aaron looked at Legina, who naturally linked her arm with his and drew close, with curiosity. It was a performance to appear as affectionate lovers, but such a chaste touch…! The women who had approached him until now had done so in uncomfortable, sticky, and creepy ways. But Legina’s touch was different. It was almost like a family member? No, more than that…

The careful touch of someone handling precious artwork?

Legina was indeed handling Aaron very carefully. She made him walk on the roadside where carriages didn’t pass, ate her food first to ensure its safety, and constantly nudged him into the shade cast by her parasol, lest the hot summer sun damage Aaron’s skin. Furthermore, she even gifted him the complexion water commonly used by women and Nogmit tea, which was good for the skin, to ensure his beauty didn’t fade easily.

The reasons were simply two. First, although Egil not returning to the border had naturally averted a deadly crisis, and Aaron was also moving away from that death, one never knew how things might change. So, she had to keep him as safe and secure as possible.

I must preserve Vestein’s full strength. Only then can they fight equally against Slyveig.

And second, Aaron’s beauty needed to be protected at a national level, not just individually. This meant that his beauty was something to be protected and nurtured for the sake of Elliasian high society. This was Legina’s deeply personal thought, but she was serious about it.

Truly beautiful things must be protected and cherished. Beauty that can bring comfort just by being seen is not common.

If her brother Theore had heard these thoughts, he would have looked at her as if she were a crazy b*tch. Indeed, whenever she was mesmerized by Aaron’s face during sword lessons, she would feel Theore’s piercing gaze and snap back to reality.

“My lord, are you drinking your tea well?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

“Father and brother are also satisfied.”

“The Duke has returned? When?”

“He arrived this morning at dawn.”

Legina recalled the image of Duke Vestein in her memories. His stylish golden hair, neatly combed and held in place with pomade, his beard enhancing his dignified presence, and his blue eyes, which created the illusion of flickering azure flames. He was a staunch pro-Emperor martial artist, a man known as the unbreakable wall of Ellias. When she heard that such a man had died from a mental illness after successively losing his brother, son, and wife, she had thought it was a terrible joke. His death had been that shocking.

The wall disappeared, and the Empire wavered. The pro-Emperor nobles scattered, and Slyveig seized control of high society.

The Emperor’s authority gradually plummeted, and the nobles’ arrogance soared sky-high. She had hoped Theore would rectify it, but the result was…

“Your Highness? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“No, I just remembered something unpleasant. It’s alright, my lord. It’s all in the past now.”

Aaron lightly nodded, as Legina sometimes made unexpected remarks or expressions. Come to think of it, she was truly a peculiar princess.

“By the way, my lord. Is your sword alright?”

“It chipped, so I left it at the blacksmith’s.”

“I’d like to gift you a new sword…”

“I am fine.”

“Ah! No. I’m in unrequited love with you, so I should have secretly prepared something like this and just given it to you. Could you erase what you just heard from your memory?”

“Yes.”

Though it was an absurd thing to say, Aaron meekly replied and looked at Legina’s brightly smiling face. Sometimes, in her bright smiles, he would find an innocence befitting her age. Every time Legina, who usually wore a mature expression, showed this side of herself, a corner of his chest stirred.

[“If Her Highness Legina were to fall in love with you… what would you do?”]

At that moment, a question his brother had posed last night came to mind. He would never fall in love with Legina, but the opposite… Would it truly not happen?

She said she would stick to the plan, but sometimes I wonder if she really needs to go this far.

He could dismiss her actions, seemingly at odds with her vow to become a troublemaker, as her inherent nature. However, he found it somewhat difficult to understand her actions, such as when she stepped forward to protect him in situations where, logically, he should be protecting her. No matter that it was a mutual contract and a matching concept, did one usually care this much for a man they had no feelings for? Like a mother bird caring for a baby bird? So desperately?

Shallow wrinkles formed on Aaron’s beautiful brow. Come to think of it, he had indeed lost a lot of the distance he had initially vowed to maintain, swayed by Legina. Meeting the Imperial Princess, who secretly left the palace every day, sharing meals and walks with her, made it impossible to maintain distance. Furthermore, Legina would casually insert herself and leave her mark at moments he never imagined.

“My lord, should I buy you a new outfit?”

“What?”

“I’ll buy it for you.”

Just like now.

– Mochinuna.