"I apologize, but do we really have to use that as medicine?"
"Uh, uh, Grand Duke"
To think he had to hear something like that, she could feel her face flushing red with embarrassment.
"How long have you been there?"
You didn't happen to hear anything about the strategy or anything, did you?
“Starting with dog poop.”
I see. It's just that the image got a bit strange. In fact, it was a relief.
As Presepe let out a sigh of relief, Fenrir stomped into the room.
"..."
Presepe, sitting on the edge of the bed, stared blankly at Fenrir as he took off his coat.
Kevin said that today he would hear a report on the current status of the Forbidden Forest, and starting tomorrow, he would begin the investigation in earnest. Perhaps that is why he was not wearing armor.
But why is your hair wet?
"I came here after washing.”
As if he had peered into Presepe's heart, Fenrir looked at her and spoke.
“Already?”
"It would be unpleasant if it smelled of sweat."
"The Grand Duke doesn't smell like that at all."
There was one fact she hadn't realized while staying at the townhouse, but which she came to understand throughout the journey to the Forbidden Forest with him.
He had been running for days without even being able to wash properly, so one would expect him to smell, but there wasn't the slightest trace of such an odor coming from Fenrir. On the contrary...
"It just smells nice."
All she could feel was a distinctive body odor.
Like the scent of wood etched in the village, or perhaps the scent of the wind, or maybe the two are subtly blended together.
Fenrir snickered instead of answering.
"How about Lady Presepe?"
"Ah. I rested well and took a bath earlier. Malea prepared warm water for me. There was some left over, but at least there was a bathtub..."
Presepe paused mid-sentence.
Doesn't the atmosphere of this conversation feel a bit off right now?
"..."
No one had told her to run, but her clear cheeks flushed for no reason. Presepe turned her head slightly and tried hard to avoid his gaze.
"I apologize, but I will be sleeping here. The circumstances are simply not favorable."
Fenrir said as he spread the duvet on the floor next to the bed.
"If you are uncomfortable, shall we go sleep somewhere else?"
"No, it's okay! I'm the one who should be sorry for taking your bed."
"Whether it's a bed or the floor, it's the same for me—I can't sleep properly—so wouldn't it naturally be better for you, Lady Presepe, to get a good night's sleep?"
Fenrir laughed briefly and slowly lay down. This, too, seemed like consideration. A consideration to get him to bed early because of her, who was feeling unnecessarily embarrassed.
"By the way, Grand Duke, was everything alright?"
Presepe, lying down and gazing at Fenrir, carefully parted her lips.
"To be honest, I'm not sure. I heard the frequency of monster appearances has dropped significantly, so I don't know what they are trying to investigate."
"Well, it seems Siegfried intends to take this opportunity to thoroughly examine all the areas he hasn't been able to look around yet."
Anyway, that madman Siegfried should have just stayed quiet and killed some time before leaving. Why bother stepping in and stirring up trouble? Stirring it up?
Presepe reflexively made an annoyed face.
"It seems you think there is something special about it. Like a legend."
At Fenrir's words, something suddenly flashed through her mind. It was a legend she had seen in books and heard the Archbishop tell her.
[From a very long time ago, an ominous being lived to the west of Ateloia. Long before we lived and breathed on this land.]
No way...
Is Siegfried planning to find that Demon King?
But there’s no way such a being actually exists. Isn’t that going too far? Even if he’s crazy, that’s a bit much.
To be honest, she was more concerned about Siegfried's true intentions than that preposterous Demon King.
It would have been a relief if Dietrich had sent Fenrir into the Forbidden Forest merely to get rid of him and take her away, but she suspected that he might be planning to have Siegfried carry out a dangerous task.
Because Dietrich was the kind of person who would do such a thing.
"It may sound ridiculous for me to say this to the Grand Duke, but I really wish you would move together with the soldiers."
Presepe hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips in a very cautious voice.
"Even if the frequency of their appearances has decreased, the Forbidden Forest is still a place teeming with monsters. Besides, Siegfried is the person His Majesty trusts the most, so it would be better to be cautious..."
She was chattering away to her heart's content, but there was no reaction in return. Feeling belatedly embarrassed that she had gone too far, Presepe finally closed her mouth slightly and looked at Fenrir.
However, Fenrir was laughing heartily and asking a strange question.
“Are you worried about me?”
"Of course!"
Presepe retorted as if to say, 'What kind of stupid question is that?'
"I really want to help in any way I can. The problem is, I can't do so."
If Presepe's character in the game had included traits like being good at fighting or skilled with a sword, she would have insisted on going along. However, Presepe was literally the archetype of a passive female protagonist who gets dragged around here and there. And as if to support that characterization, she lacked any abilities.
If there is anything left, well...
You're not just twisting your fate; you're knitting it with your fate?
So, staying out was indeed the more helpful path than needlessly chasing after them and causing them all to meet a pointless death.
Anyway, it was a sincere remark, but Fenrir suddenly burst into laughter.
Of course, he is incompetent enough to show that kind of reaction. But does he really have to laugh so openly?
"Aren't you going too far? Even if I lack ability..."
"No, that is not the reason."
"Then what is it?"
Presepe glared slightly at Fenrir.
"It's just because I like that Lady Presepe worries about me."
"..."
"To be precise, it is the first time someone has worried about me, and I meant that I am even happier that it is you, Lady Presepe."
At the incredibly honest words, Presepe's cheeks flushed subtly.
Anyway, Fenrir was a strange person. He would say things like that so casually, making people feel awkward for no reason.
"In any case, I think it would be best for you to keep it in your heart."
“Yes, I understand.”
The day dawned. Presepe intended to investigate Vanessa further once Fenrir went to the Forbidden Forest.
According to Malea, Vanessa's former home is now being used as a storehouse for her heart, but the belongings she didn't take with her are still there.
Then maybe we can salvage something?
Moreover, Ivan’s claim that her mother was found in the Forbidden Forest just before going to the Imperial Palace to become a concubine was not a lie. She intended to ask Malea to listen to the stories of those who remembered the circumstances of that day.
"...Go to the Forbidden Forest."
Vanessa's last words, which kept lingering in her ears, weighed on her mind.
She really should visit the Forbidden Forest of History at least once...
However, in this situation, she didn't have a clear excuse to go to the Forbidden Forest. She couldn't even think of one.
So Presepe resolved to do what he could right away.
"Kevin told me that he met an old friend of Vanessa's."
Fenrir slowly began to speak.
"Even if it hadn't been for this incident, I might have brought you someday."
"... Yes?"
"Don't you want to know who your father is?"
At Fenrir's sudden words, Presepe paused slightly. No matter how hard she racked her brain, she had no memory of ever bringing up her father to him.
But how?
"We have installed video sensors throughout the townhouses. They are designed to activate when a stranger is detected."
"..."
"Of course, I didn't install it in Lady Presepe's room, so don't worry."
That meant he had heard everything. The entire conversation she had with Ivan that day.
"But why didn't you say you knew?"
But didn't Ivan ask her what he said? Presepe's expression became slightly subtle.
"Because I have a slightly nasty nature."
"What is that...?"
"It seems he wanted to know how much Presepe trusts me."
In the end, it was that he wanted to hear what she would say.
"It is alright if you scold me. It was certainly something that had reason to be offended."
However, it was a good excuse. After all, he had brought her in under the pretext of protection, and the murderer who killed Attar and Noah had not yet been found.
Besides, if it was done solely for the safety of Presepe, it wasn't a wrong action. Presepe knew this better than anyone.
"I simply didn't tell you because I thought it wouldn't be good for the Grand Duke to find out that my father might be a monster."
“I understand.”
"From now on, please just ask me honestly. I trust you quite a bit—no, a lot—more than you think."
She was a little flustered, but she had no intention of showing her displeasure. Especially not to someone who had already been unexpectedly dispatched to the Forbidden Forest because of her.
It was also true that she actually trusted Fenrir a lot, and she felt like she could answer him if he asked her something.
So Presepe looked at Fenrir with the most nonchalant expression she could muster and spoke, but instead of answering her, Fenrir asked something else.
"Then, can you promise me, Lady Presepe, as well?"
“What?”
"You said you wouldn't hide anything from me from now on."
Presepe was just contemplating what to say to Fenrir's words, which felt somewhat subtle.
"Lady Presepe."
"..."
"Don't keep secrets from me."
Fenrir spat out in a voice lower than usual, as if seeking her confirmation once again.
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