POTC - Chapter 45

Presepe, sitting on the bed, paused briefly and opened her eyes wide.

"...Grand Duke?"

It was because of Fenrir, who was sitting opposite her and staring at her silently.

"Oh. How long have you been there?"

"It hasn't been long."

Fenrir slowly rose from the chair and said.

"I heard a rough outline of what happened yesterday. Hannah said that Lady Presepe seemed quite surprised."

She was surprised.

"I took the liberty of coming over just to see if you were alright. I was also worried."

I had a nightmare, to begin with. Did I perhaps act unsightly and make it obvious even while asleep? Was that why the Grand Duke hadn't left his seat and was still watching me? Feeling embarrassed belatedly, Presepe glanced at him cautiously.

"You were sleeping soundly. That's a relief."

"...?"

"Yes. You were sleeping very quietly."

Still, it seems it wasn't a disgraceful sight. She didn't want to show that side of herself to anyone.

Well, that was a relief. Presepe breathed a sigh of relief, unbeknownst to Fenrir.

"I was waiting because I thought you would wake up soon. I am truly sorry if you were startled."

Well, she understood that much. After all, if it weren't for Fenrir, she would still be suffering her ass in the Imperial Palace right now.

"No! It's fine."

So Presepe answered with a slight smile.

"It is my fault. I should have been more careful to ensure that suspicious individuals could not enter the mansion at any time."

"It is entirely the Archmage's fault. The knights and the maids tried to stop him. But how could they have stopped the Archmage?"

Presepe shook her head and said

"And he deliberately used a trick to lure the Grand Duke into the Imperial Palace only to storm in. Besides, no matter how much the subordinates tried to stop him, it wouldn't have been any use. The Archmage's personality is basically that of a total piece of trash..."

"..."

"Uh... anyway, it's a relief that it passed without any major incidents."

Fenrir stared intently at Presepe, who was smiling unnaturally.

"That’s why I was even more worried."

Then, he answered with a small chuckle.

"I was worried that the Archmage, whose personality is absolute trash, might have done something to Lady Presepe."

"Rather than calling it a deed..."

"But you should know."

What suddenly flashed through her mind was the words Ivan had spat out yesterday the moment they exchanged greetings. 

"...The fact that the reason I intended to have a private audience like this was out of consideration for Lady Presepe."

She doesn't believe everything, but according to Ivan's story...

My father. You mean Presepe's father might not be human?

If Grand Duke Fenrir finds out about that... would it be good for me...?

Presepe thought for a moment, then decided to cut out the part that bothered her and speak.

"He said he could help me."

"..."

"He said he would be much more helpful than Grand Duke Fenrir..."

This much should be fine, right? Besides, since Ivan has a set of assigned values anyway, it was obvious that he would obsess over her.

However...

There was no response back.

Only then did Presepe lift her head and look at Fenrir.

...Fenrir had an extremely cold expression on his face.

Much more so than when he was cunningly manipulating Dietrich like a snake.

"Um... Grand Duke...?"

At Fenrir's unexpected reaction, Presepe stared at him with a look of bewilderment.

And it happened in a split second. Fenrir, who had been wearing an expression dripping with coldness, met her gaze while flashing his characteristic faint smile, the kind he only wears in front of Presepe.

"From now on, we will tighten security even more. To ensure that what happened yesterday does not happen again."

...It’s probably just because he's worried about me.

Presepe nodded as if she understood, without realizing a single thing about what he was thinking.

'I really should have killed him back then.'

Fenrir's mind, his red eyes flickering, was filled with nothing but brief regret. It was the regret that he should have killed him yesterday instead.

Prince Attar, Noah DeVern.

And the remaining Dietrich, Siegfried, and Ivan.

...Fenrir had definitely decided who among the three he would eliminate first.

"Anyway, don't pay attention to what the Archmage says..."

"Look, even if, by any chance, the Archmage's personality wasn't like trash."

Presepe hesitated and began to speak.

"I would have said I would stay at this mansion."

"... Lady Presepe?”

"Because Grand Duke Fenrir and Hannah are here."

Fenrir paused at the completely unexpected words.

"I don't know what you'll think, but I like this place."

"..."

"I have never once felt this at ease as I do now."

In any case, she meant it. Besides, from Fenrir's perspective, Ivan's behavior was certainly enough to make her feel bad.

So she wanted to tell him this time.

"Just... that's all. Of course, I keep bothering the Grand Duke, though."

Fenrir did not answer. He simply looked at Presepe with briefly wavering eyes, then smiled broadly.

Just as he had always done whenever he saw her.

Then, he continued speaking.

"They say the National Foundation Day will be held the day after tomorrow."

“National Foundation Day?”

Ah. Come to think of it, it was indeed the time for the Founding Festival event. According to the original storyline, that was what started right after the event where she was imprisoned in the ice prison.

As Presepe was thinking about the events taking place at the Founding Festival, Fenrir conveyed Dietrich's words.

"His Majesty is still on his sickbed, but he conveyed a message through his guards. He asked if I intended to attend."

On the route with himself, Dietrich is in a state of confusion after realizing what he did to Presepe, yet he even sends a knight to Fenrir to ask for his thoughts.

It was just yesterday when he went to the Imperial Palace, before he attacked Ivan.

"Just like at the celebratory banquet, many people will gather, so we don't know what might happen again."

"..."

"So, for now, I said I wouldn't attend."

To be honest, there was no way he wanted to let her attend. In fact, he would have stopped her by any means necessary.

But if he acted that way, how was he any different from those who unilaterally violated Presepe?

"National Foundation Day..."

Upon hearing Fenrir's words, Presepe did not answer for a moment.

Unless she was insane, there was no way Presepe would participate in the Founding Festival with a happy heart. If she went there, she was sure to run into those lunatics again.

'But the real male lead... might show up.'

Anyway, the celebration and the founding festival were the biggest fixed events in the game. And they took place early on.

The celebration was chaotic due to completely unexpected events, but this time it will be different.

Furthermore...

'I’d like to go to the West Tower and re-examine the system, especially the Book of Memories.'

In the end, the answer Presepe would give was predetermined.

“I’m going.”

"..."

"Grand Duke Fenrir is coming along, right?"

"I wasn't planning on going, but I ended up going."

"Yes?"

"I intend to go wherever Presepe goes, no matter where it is."

"Ah, if you are going against your will because of me..."

"I never said it was unreasonable."

Fenrir said with a smile.

"I told you that when we went to the festival back then? Now, Lady Presepe is not alone..."

“The Grand Duke..."

"I am?"

"You always seem so warm and kind."

"..."

“Thank you so much.”

Fenrir seemed to be listening quietly to Presepe's words, then slowly took a step. He then approached her closely.

Presepe looked up at Fenrir, who had approached suddenly, feeling a little nervous. Then she suddenly realized something. In her face reflected in those red eyes, she could not find any trace of the confused emotions seen yesterday.

It was because being with this person put her mind at ease. Presepe suddenly realized that obvious fact.

And Fenrir slowly reached out his large hand and gently stroked Presepe's clear cheek.

Presepe was flustered, but Fenrir's hand quickly slipped away, having removed the silver hair that had been clinging to her cheek.

Ah. So that's why.

Presepe felt embarrassed, her cheeks flushed red for no reason.

“Can we make a promise?”

"Hey, a promise?"

"I’ve decided not to say thank you to me anymore."

"..."

"I feel a bit disappointed for some reason."

Come to think of it, saying thank you every time might have felt like drawing a line. Having realized that, Presepe immediately nodded and replied.

"Yes! That is so. But I had absolutely no other intentions! Because I have so much to be grateful to you, Grand Duke."

"Is it so?"

"I will definitely keep my promise from now on!"

"Then, shall we go eat? Hannah said she would prepare some easy-to-digest food."

Fenrir continued speaking.

"And it would be good to go back to the study and read a book. I also have some documents to read there."

"I like it."

In Presepe's gaze staring at him, he could not sense the wariness she had felt while trapped in the tower. So satisfied with this, Fenrir smiled faintly.

Of course, he still didn't like the idea of taking Presepe to the founding festival, though.

'It might turn out to be a good opportunity.'

Just as it was with Prince Attar at the celebration, a chance to defeat Ivan.

"Then you should hurry up and go. Hannah will be waiting!"

Presepe, who had no idea what was going on inside Fenrir's head, smiled as she looked at him, shining brightly in the sunlight.

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