MSPD 25

Chapter 25

As the duke departed, the countess closed the window.

Thud. The thick glass and sturdy frame fit together without a gap, and the children’s laughter seemed to belong to another world, growing distant.

And the silence of the office pressed heavily on her chest.

How strange.

Had silence always felt this stifling?

Ah, perhaps it was because the air wasn’t circulating.

Fiddling with the doorknob, she eventually cracked open the tightly shut door just a little.

A thin crack opened between the tightly closed glass and frame.

“Kyahaha! Look at this, everyone!”

“Heeheehee!”

The sound of the children’s laughter seeping through the thread-like gap filled her chest with a comforting, life-filled air.

Their pure laughter spread through the oddly heavy silence of the office.

Like fearless little fish darting through water, it swam into every corner of the room.

Their fragile fins brushed against the ancient stones supporting Calypso, against the sturdy foundation pillars,

and even began to tickle the earlobes of Calterion, the old oak.

Unabashedly.

Just as the innocent children of Calypso had done in some long-ago, radiant past.

“I’ll have them quiet, Your Excellency.”

A moment later, Edwin, unaware of these feelings, stepped forward.

The ever-silent Count Rodric gently stopped him.

“Didn’t you play there the same way when you were a child?”

The old count looked at Edwin, who seemed like a grandson, with wrinkled eyes, speaking gently.

“Duke, you played there too, with Hector.”

Count Rodric listened to the laughter swimming through the office.

Perhaps because he spoke of the past, memories long forgotten surfaced.

Yes, this castle was always filled with such laughter.

The huge beech trees of the inner courtyard and backyard spread wide like protective guardians, embracing the children.

The vast hills and forests served as endless playgrounds.

He, his dead son, and his only grandson left by his son—all had laughed and played here.

Thinking this way, the first thing to hide in the castle’s quiet darkness was the most fragile laughter.

So delicate and unnoticeable that he hadn’t even realized it was lost.

“Kyahahaha!”

He finally realized just how long he had been missing these moments.

“The duchess has arrived—”

Before the knight could finish, Belladis strode into the office with such authority it seemed she had seized the doorway.

In truth, the old count had never given much thought to Belladis.

He never voiced an opinion about her.

It wasn’t his place.

After all, she was the grand duke’s granddaughter-in-law and Theodore’s wife.

Whether sane or not, she was not someone to question.

That was Filitas Rodric’s duty.

And so, it was only today that the old count truly saw Belladis—indeed, the first time since she had come to the castle.

Something had clearly changed.

The Belladis he knew always hid half her face behind long hair and stood hunched over, curling in on herself.

She had never dared to enter the duke’s office so boldly, let alone meet his gaze.

Yet now, her eyes met the duke’s with a presence and intensity he had never seen before.

To his knowledge, no one with such a gaze had ever lost their mind.

He suddenly noticed the humble basket tucked under her arm.

“What have you brought, Duchess?”

It was the first time Count Rodric had spoken to her since her arrival at the castle.

Both Countess Filmore and Calterion observed him, intrigued.

Peering inside the basket, the old count’s face slowly broke into his characteristic warm smile.

Countess Filmore’s eyes reflected the same curiosity.

What could be inside to make Count Rodric smile so?

The old count examined the basket.

It was so modest, almost sparse. Inside, a white cloth was neatly laid out,

and upon it, scraggly blades of grass were arranged with care.

“Grandfather, I picked a four-leaf clover for you!”

Had age softened him? Even memories of his grandson came flooding back.

Or had he simply missed those lost days?

“Oh, isn’t this a four-leaf clover, Hector? Hard to find… How did you manage to get it? You brought it for your grandfather?”

The small basket revived fond memories for the old count, and the simple blades of grass brought a wrinkled smile to his face for a long while.

Filitas Rodric’s face brimmed with delight.

“Isn’t this a four-leaf clover? They’re hard to find! How did you get so many? Surely you can give one to this old man as a gift?”

Belladis, quietly observing the old count, pulled the basket closer to herself.

For meaningful effect, one must focus on a single target.

Count Rodric, seeing her wary gaze, laughed again, tugging at his beard.

“Really, you won’t give even one?”

When he asked for just one, Belladis walked quickly past him.

She hurriedly placed the basket of luck on Calterion’s desk.

“Of course, it’s right to give this to Your Excellency, but still, with so many, surely one could be spared for this old man?”

Looking at the old count smiling warmly, Edwin and Belladis thought the same thing for the first time:

Why is he like that?

As Belladis remained wary of the old count after repeated requests,

the duke suddenly asked a question, making her turn her head.

The old count was now staring at her directly.

“Did you have the children pick this in exchange for playing with Cerberus?”

Belladis answered confidently.

“Yes.”

“Then how can you just leave it here?”

“I will give it. I heard good things happen if you keep it.”

Calterion, staring into Belladis’ deep, unreadable eyes, glanced at the basket she had brought.

So, this child had brought me a gift.

In truth, what he had wanted from her, what he had hoped to gain, was something else entirely—

something like purification stones.

Yet what his granddaughter-in-law brought was

merely grass.

“Wow! Mom! Kero, I—hey, look what I found!”

“Kyahaha!”

Through the narrow opening of the door, the children’s laughter sounded vivid and real.

Belladis carefully watched his expression and finally spoke.

“You don’t like it? Then what kind—”

But her words faded the moment Calterion took the basket.

He paused for a moment with the humble basket, then set it down beside the inkpot.

“Anyway, I’ll take it.”

Though his voice remained emotionless, Belladis’ lips twitched slightly in response.

She sensed this attempt was far more successful than the first.

“Your Excellency, please give me just one. I could use a little luck lately.”

Belladis, slightly annoyed at the count’s lingering gaze on her gift, said generously:

“I’ll pick a new one for you, Count.”

“?”

The old count looked up at her in surprise, and Calterion lifted his head as well.

“The grounds are vast, and the valley still has wolves. Plus, there’s a herd of large deer in the forest—it’s dangerous for the children to go alone. Don’t have them pick these things.”

Belladis quietly nodded, absorbing Calterion’s words.

“Yes.”

As she turned to leave, the old count hurriedly called after her:

“Don’t worry, Duchess, I won’t covet Your Excellency’s four-leaf clover.”

Belladis simply waved her hand in acknowledgment and walked away.

As the breeze she created gradually settled, the office’s air—already cooler than usual—grew stifling once more.

“Shall we let in a little more air?”

Countess Filmore stepped forward and fully opened the window. Warm autumn sunlight and the children’s laughter rushed in even more strongly.