#4
Count Lebel's townhouse was often empty. Kirion's father. Count Lebel had been governor of Addis in the eastern continent for decades, so he had little use for it. Even Kirion looked around from the moment he entered, wondering if he wasn't used to it, but he was also an aristocrat. He knew the first thing to do in this situation.
"Forget everything you saw today. I'm sure you know what I mean."
"But, Master. If you have anything for me..."
"Get out."
He sent out the caretaker who was hovering over him. He doesn't have any ill feelings toward people who are not familiar with their face, but the more he does, the more careful he should be. After thinking about it for a moment, Kirion immediately took out his wallet from his arms and handed him the gold coin.
"Please go out now and send a talented doctor from the neighborhood home."
"Where are you hurt?"
"Shh..."
Kirion looked back at Evangeline as she lay on the couch in the parlor and pressed a finger to his lips. She said she would rest in the carriage for a while, but she fell asleep. Even though it was quite a long distance to get here, she must have been really tired if she didn't wake up even once during the trip. He hurriedly threw the caretaker away and slowly approached the sofa.
"...Eva."
He slumped down on the carpet under the sofa and looked at her with mixed feelings. It felt like the small face was about to disappear. Her fresh, rosy cheeks were pale, and he couldn't believe she was alive.
"What the hell happened?"
He muttered lamentably.
Evangeline was not very healthy even when she was young. Once she caught a cold, she would lie down for a whole week, making the count feel anxious. It was he who visited her every day and stood by her side.
"Thank you so much, Kirion. I've been waiting for you to come back."
Little Evangeline was sick, and even the moment she lay down was silent. It was so different from the girls he knew, but it was so strange. He was tired of everything, but when he was with her, he didn't know how time passed. It was a naive time when he never thought they would break up.
"...We're just going to get along like this."
He was so angry that he couldn't say anything. If she had gone away like that, he would have been fine. While he resented her, if she had been doing well, he wouldn't have felt at ease either.
Kirion stared at her, and as if drawn by something, he raised his hand to the disheveled silver hair on the sofa. At first, he just wanted to remove her hair, but once a part of her was on his fingertips, it became difficult to remove it easily.
Rattle.
Kirion's hand tried to reach the white cheek beneath her hair, but the sound outside the door shook. He seemed surprised at what he was about to do. He pulled his hand away in a panic and stood up at the sound of the door getting louder and louder. He told him to send a doctor, so there were no other visitors to look forward to.
"The patient is sleeping right now, so can you lower your voice..."
"Who's sleeping?"
"...Your Excellency, the Duke of Theses."
Kirion's face turned white as he opened the door without thinking. It's the first time he's seen him officially, but he can't help but know who he is. Even though the Duke was soaked from head to toe, he was momentarily overwhelmed by the presence that did not die at all.
"Someone asked you who's sleeping."
"...Your Excellency"
Kirion, who had been overwhelmed by him, belatedly stood up. Even if he was a Theses work, he was not in such a position to be so confident.
"How did you come here?"
"Does it matter?"
"Your Excellency, this is my house. It's not the right time to receive guests. I know you will have that kind of example as the president of the Senate Council."
"Then what is my fiancée, who is asleep in your house, if she is not a guest?"
"That's it..."
"No matter how you look at it. It seems like you, not me, who should be polite."
His gray eyes shone coldly through his black hair. He didn't hide his characteristic arrogant gaze that was getting more and more annoying.
"If you don't want to do anything more here, choose one or the other. Either you get out of the way, or you guide me."
"You're rude, sir."
Kirion did not retreat easily. He still feels sick to his stomach thinking about how she was at the cemetery today. Now, he has to protect Evangeline when no one is around.
"This doesn't make sense. No matter how much you say you are the president of the Senate Council, can you give such an arbitrary order in my house?"
"Ahh... really?"
"..."
The Duke's pitiful laugh made Kirion's fists tighten. It might have been more humane to get angry. Kirion was swept away by the Duke's tired expression, as if it was so funny, as if there could be anything else so funny
"How so? If you are so confident, you can solve it with the law. Nowhere in Imperial law is it forbidden for the master to give way to a man who comes to visit without permission!"
"That only works for good imperial citizens."
"...Your Excellency."
"Captain Kirion Lebel. It seems that you are in the navy and don't even know your superiors."
The Duke's tone made Kirion understand what he meant, and he took a breath. The Duke of Theses was the president of the Senate and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Although it was a nominal position and he did not come forward directly, he could not deny it.
"You don't know how the military law rules for disobeying your superiors."
"Your Excellency! I am..."
"If you can take it off here, do whatever you want, because such a weak soldier is not needed in the Empire."
"...Hah."
Kirion's arms drooped downward. The Duke, who took this as a signal and went inside without permission, was not very relaxed.
The faint scent of Evangeline wafting through the house made his throat stir strongly. Kirion shook his head at his cold profile as he glanced up at the second floor, where his bedroom would be.
"That's not the case. Eva is not in the bedroom, but in the reception room."
"I know."
The Duke cut short and went straight to the parlor. Evangeline's quiet face, which had no idea of the commotion outside, was extremely peaceful. The Duke picked her up without hesitation, still unable to unfurl his fists, sneering at the trembling Kirion.
"If she were in the bedroom, you'd be dead already."
***
Addis, where Evangeline lived, was the busiest and most prosperous port city in the Eastern Continent. It was always bustling with boats that came and went, and she was able to see mysterious animals that she had never seen in books. It was then that she realized that she, who was not very active, had a knack for taming animals.
Just because his daughter was smiling so brightly, her father set up a base there for five years. It is said that he is always bound to wander due to the nature of merchants, but he always returned to Addis in the end. Perfumes and colorful silks.
As she entered the harbor and felt the muggy air, she realized she was finally home. Her face and neck immediately became red.
"Hmm."
Did she really come home?
Evangeline squinted her closed eyes. She was sure that her breath was warm like this, and she felt a strange sense of anticipation even in her frustration. She didn't want to think about the hazy memories that made her head throb. She just wanted to go back to the moment that was the most enjoyable for her.
Her father holding her hand from the deck, Kirion waving at her in the harbor...
"Did it happen?"
"Oh..."
Her eyes lit up at the sound of a man's voice that could not exist in her memory. Her vision gradually began to become clearer. However, as she saw the objects around her, Evangeline's eyes became more confused.
"Why am I in the Duke's room?"
"You can't get up yet."
Deccarno, who was sitting on a chair in front of the fireplace, crossed his legs at an angle. Judging from the dishevelled documents in front of him, he didn't seem to be working, but otherwise he wouldn't be so relaxed.
"Lie down a little longer. The doctor's words were too much."
"...Duke."
"You'd better stay here for a while. I didn't know the annex was so windy."
His tone was too plain, and Evangeline closed her eyes in a daze. Seeing it like this, she felt peaceful, as if nothing had happened.
He works, and she lies down a little more and falls asleep.
If time goes by like this, it might be great. It was the peace she had hoped for so much while she was suffering from the fever, but now she knew it herself.
This kind of thing won't last long.
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