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Chapter 15
He looked angry, yet also sad. It even seemed as if he had made some kind of decision.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Running away while leaving someone behind is a sin. The one who is left behind has every right to blame them.”
“Clémen.”
“There might have been a reason. But the person left behind…”
Her voice sounded like someone reading a dry book. Zephyrus couldn’t tell what emotions were contained in it.
Not knowing how to respond, his eyelids merely trembled.
Then Clémen suddenly smiled brightly.
“And besides, we made a promise!”
“A promise?”
“Yes! I promised I would help you!”
“…Was that really a promise?”
“Of course it was.”
Zephyrus stared at Clémen as she puffed out a little breath.
As if her previous expression had been a mirage, she was smiling again with a completely bright face, without a trace of shadow.
‘…That’s a relief.’
He didn’t want to see that kind of expression on Clémen’s face. He didn’t want to hear that cold voice either.
It was selfish. Even someone like him, who had only read books, knew that such things were difficult to avoid since she was human.
‘Still…’
He gazed into Clémen’s warm, clear eyes.
“Clémen.”
“Yes?”
“Could you promise me once more?”
“Promise what?”
In his world, the closest person to him would only ever be Clémen.
Even if he stepped outside with her help.
Even if he faced others and spoke with them.
Even if more people began eating with him.
Clémen would always be the first.
“Clémen.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Holding her hand like this.
“Promise that you will never leave me.”
The only person he could lean his forehead against was Clémen.
“Even if I can never go outside, you must remain by my side.”
It was an instinct.
A sad instinct that told him that if Clémen left, he would never feel human warmth again.
Because of that, Zephyrus had no intention of letting Clémen go.
Nor would he stand by and watch her lose that warmth.
‘I will remove anything that tries to make you like that.’
As he made that vow, Clémen called out to him.
“Master.”
“Yes.”
His voice was so cold it seemed devoid of emotion, yet Zephyrus’s face was burning hotter than anything.
Clémen grabbed his shoulders and made him sit properly before asking gently,
“Master… are you a child?”
Clémen had a rough idea why Zephyrus was acting this way.
It was because she had shown something she shouldn’t have.
The word “running away,” and his statement that running away wasn’t something to be blamed for, had stirred memories from her childhood. She had failed to control her emotions.
Back then, she had only overheard thoughtless children talking, but their words must have shocked her more than she realized.
“Her mom ran away and left her child behind!”
“My mom said mothers who abandon their children are worse than vermin.”
“But if she gave birth to a monster, maybe she couldn’t raise it?”
“Still, she ran away and abandoned her child!”
“She ran away, she ran away! Her moooom’s a bug!”
She had made those who mocked her pay the price.
But those voices, those emotions, were still vivid.
Zephyrus had spoken without knowing anything.
But for someone like her—who had been left behind and abandoned without understanding why—those were words she never wanted to hear.
Not even for a moment had she wished for the parents who abandoned her to live happily.
She wanted them to regret it.
She would live well enough that they would regret abandoning her.
‘Right now, the best way for me to live well is this.’
First: raise the fragile master of the North sitting before her and become his best friend!
Second: study his curse and her own unusual constitution to aim for a comfortable life!
To do that, she had to change Zephyrus’s mindset.
“Master, are you a child?”
“…What?”
“Why are you saying such weak things? Even if you can’t go outside? Are you saying that in front of your teacher? I’m a little disappointed.”
Zephyrus stared blankly, mouth slightly open.
“I told you I’ll definitely make it possible for you to go outside.”
Her firm tone made Zephyrus lower his gaze slightly and fidget with his fingers.
Somehow something felt wrong.
He didn’t know what exactly was wrong, but something was.
Only then did he slowly realize the meaning behind Clémen’s words.
Last time she had said she wasn’t certain.
But now—
“…You’re sure?”
“I wasn’t before. But now I am. It’s possible. You’ve already gotten much better, haven’t you?”
Zephyrus shook his head slightly.
“Don’t worry. I can do it. And you can too, Master.”
Clémen lifted Zephyrus’s restless little finger.
“And I think I said this before. I like being beside you because it’s cool and comfortable. Do you know how precious that is to me? Probably not. That’s why you thought about things like running away.”
Pouting a little as she grumbled, she hooked her little finger with his.
“I said we’re friends. Until you can properly control it, I’m not going anywhere.”
“And once I can control it?”
“Hmm. I’ve made a really, really close friend here now. Maybe I’ll make other friends too—or even a lover. You should think about it too, Master. Things you want to do once you go outside.”
Clémen smiled proudly while shaking their tightly hooked little fingers.
‘…That’s not what I wanted to know.’
If he eventually learned to control himself like Clémen and live a normal life…
Then would she leave him freely?
Zephyrus stared at their joined hands before changing the subject.
“So… what happened today?”
“Oh, right! I was really surprised too.”
The distant future didn’t matter.
Right now, this time spent talking together was precious.
As Clémen began explaining her confusing experience in detail, Zephyrus suddenly interrupted.
“Come to think of it.”
“Yes?”
“Before we talk properly, let’s get something to eat.”
“You didn’t eat?”
“No one brought me anything.”
Clémen covered her mouth in shock and jumped to her feet.
“I’ll bring something right away! Wait here!”
Zephyrus chuckled while looking at the closed door.
Then he realized he was still sitting on the carpet.
Acting as if it were nothing, he stood up and returned to his desk.
“Heh. Ah.”
He noticed that even though Clémen had left, he was still bare-handed without gloves.
Yet he felt stable.
He wasn’t cold.
He wasn’t anxious.
It felt as though all his instability had disappeared with just one promise from Clémen.
‘Was it really… this simple?’
He clenched his fist tightly, hoping the warmth left in his hand wouldn’t fade.
But in the end, Clémen was unable to return to Zephyrus.
“Clémen! Hurry! There’s somewhere you need to go!”
Because Ruby dragged her away just as she was asking the kitchen for food to take to the Grand Duke.
“H-Huh? Wait a moment! Please tell my master that I was dragged away!”
“W-What?! How am I supposed to do that?!”
While a kitchen maid called after Clémen helplessly, waving her arms, the two had already left the kitchen quickly.
As they walked, Ruby briefly explained the situation.
Sie had been looking for Clémen.
When they couldn’t find her anywhere, chaos had broken out.
“Haha… there was a bit of a reason for that.”
“Yes. I was waiting so you could talk with His Highness first… but the Grand Duchess’s condition suddenly worsened.”
Because the mansion had grown colder.
Clémen’s expression hardened.
“I know where her room is. I’ll go ahead first.”
Gathering the hem of her dress so it wouldn’t get in the way, Clémen sped up.
It didn’t take long to reach the Grand Duchess’s room.
After catching her breath, she knocked.
The door opened immediately as if they had been waiting.
Sie clung to her with a pale face.
“Clémen! Please save the Grand Duchess!”
“What should I do?”
Clémen asked calmly.
The doctor answered.
“The Grand Duchess must be warmed.”
“Don’t worry.”
Clémen took the Grand Duchess’s hand.
It was colder than when she had first touched it before.
“Grand Duchess, Master—Grand Duke Zephyrus—is working very hard right now. He keeps saying he wants to see your face and talk with you.”
She gradually increased the warmth.
If it was done too suddenly, even something possible could fail.
“It hasn’t been long, but he can already remove the covering on his face. I wondered who he resembled to be so handsome… but now that I see you, it’s obvious he takes after you.”
Clémen chatted steadily in a calm voice.
Behind her, Sie and the doctor silently watched while wiping sweat from their faces.
‘It’s hot.’
When had it become this warm?
The doctor checked the Grand Duchess’s condition.
“That’s enough now. Her body temperature has returned.”
“Whew!”
Letting out a sigh of relief, Clémen gently arranged the Grand Duchess’s disheveled hair.
“What suddenly happened? She seemed fine just yesterday.”
