IACGD 17

 Chapter 17

Clémen hadn’t stopped in many cities on her way to the North. Still, just from what could be seen on the surface, the North gave the strong impression of being completely frozen.

“The supplies seem a bit scarce. But no one looked like they were starving.”

“I see.”

“The food they eat looks pretty similar to this.”

“The merchant caravan will arrive soon. Things will become a little easier then.”

“It sounds like the caravan brings a lot of food.”

“That’s right. Which means there’s a lot to prepare.”

They had to clear the road the caravan would travel on.
If heavy snow fell, the people of the territory would have to continue endless labor, so supplies had to be prepared carefully as well.

And above all—food.

That was what caused Zephyrus the greatest headache.

He had no idea what they would use to pay for such a massive amount of food.

This year as well, the merchant guild had sent a carrier pigeon saying they intended to lower the price of monster corpses.

In simpler terms, they were trying to cheat them.
For the North, which sold monster carcasses to buy food, it was an unfavorable situation.

Should I tell them to hunt more monsters?

But the weather was growing colder and harsher every day, while he himself only issued orders from inside his room.

Since he didn’t know exactly how difficult things were outside, it was hard for him to speak carelessly.

Zephyrus paused halfway through scooping his soup, lost in thought.

“Hmm, Master, ah.”

“Ah.”

Zephyrus opened his mouth reflexively.

His eyes widened in shock.

A large piece of bread was suddenly stuffed into his mouth.

Clémen had dipped the bread in soup and shoved it into his mouth the moment he opened it.

Zephyrus frowned as if asking what on earth she was doing.

Then she placed a piece of meat in his mouth as well.

“Eat while you think. We live to eat, after all.”

Zephyrus quickly chewed and swallowed before replying sarcastically.

“Do we live to eat? Isn’t it the other way around—eating to live?”

“Eating is such a happy thing.”

Zephyrus shook his head, clearly having a lot to say but choosing not to.

“The busier and more exhausted you are, the more you need to eat properly.”

“I’ll handle it myself.”

“If you really don’t have time, I can feed you.”

“I don’t need that!”

Clémen giggled, then suddenly stretched her neck forward.

“What is it?”

“Oh, I think the gift has arrived.”

“Bring it in.”

He wasn’t expecting much.

There was a limit to what Clémen could obtain, and it wasn’t exactly a time to worry about gifts.

Still… I should at least thank her for the thought.

Even while Clémen went to the door telling him to look forward to it, he was still thinking about whether there was anything else they could sell besides monster carcasses.

“Child.”

That was why—

He didn’t react immediately when the voice came from outside.

*

How should they give the gift?

Clémen and the Grand Duchess had discussed it in considerable depth.

The most important thing was being able to see each other’s faces.

But opening the door was still too early.

Then let’s put glass in the door.

That was the conclusion they reached after a heated discussion.

Replacing the door while Zephyrus was sleeping had been the hardest part, but judging by his reaction, it had been worth it.

“Zephyrus, can you hear me?”

Only then did Zephyrus snap back to his senses.

Like a window opening, a wooden panel slid aside, revealing transparent glass in the center of the door.

“What—?!”

He quickly turned his head toward Clémen.

She nodded and smiled mischievously, as if telling him to hurry and receive his gift.

One step. Two steps.

He raised his hand toward the Grand Duchess’s hand on the other side of the glass—

Then hesitated.

Standing awkwardly, Zephyrus couldn’t take his eyes off the woman whose eyes now held faint wrinkles.

“Mother…?”

“Yes. It’s nice to see your face and hear your voice again after so long.”

“Mother! Mother, are you alright? Is it okay for you to come out like this?”

“What do you think?”

“…You look healthy.”

And it was true.

She didn’t look sick.

She was a little thinner, but her face was full of life.

“What happened? I was only told you were improving.”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to give you a surprise, so I influenced the reports a little.”

“No! No, Mother… please don’t apologize.”

The mother and son stared at each other with deep affection.

They had missed each other terribly.

How had he grown?

Was she healthy?

How beautiful had she become?

Was she still as graceful as before?

One held back tears of joy, seeing him grown far better than she had imagined.

The other swallowed tears of regret, seeing her more wrinkled and thinner than he had imagined.

But their conclusion was the same.

Thank goodness we can see each other like this.

From now on, if we want to, we can see each other’s faces.

“I’m so relieved. I didn’t know it was an illness that could be cured so quickly…”

“That’s all thanks to Clémen.”

Indeed, without her, they might have lost the Grand Duchess without even knowing the illness or its cause.

“Yes. It’s fortunate Clémen knew the name of the disease.”

“That too. And she even cultivated the herb herself. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

“Cultivated…?”

Cultivated?

Zephyrus turned toward Clémen.

She looked startled.

“H-hey! We agreed not to talk about that!”

“Oh my, Clémen, you were there?”

Even though Clémen was standing in plain sight, the Grand Duchess smiled innocently and ignored her protest.

Seeing his mother’s bright smile and Clémen’s eyes darting around nervously, Zephyrus’s surprise gradually faded.

“Thanks to you, Mother, I’m finally hearing the story Clémen tried to hide.”

She had acted like she would explain why she disappeared without a word—only to suddenly pretend nothing happened.

Watching Zephyrus complain like a child telling on someone, the Grand Duchess looked at him fondly.

“She is someone precious and kind. Don’t pressure her too much.”

“I’ll follow your advice, Mother.”

Seeing Clémen turn as red as flames, Zephyrus thought that hearing such embarrassing praise once in a while wasn’t so bad.

“Whew… Even though Clémen keeps me warm, it’s still difficult.”

“Yes, please go inside. And next time… let’s open the door and talk, Mother.”

“Better yet, let’s take a walk together.”

“Yes.”

I’ll try.
He swallowed the words internally and waited until the sound of his mother’s footsteps disappeared.

Only after it became quiet did he approach the door and carefully place his fingers on the glass that still seemed to hold her warmth.

After standing there for a long time, Zephyrus called out.

“Clémen.”

“What? I’m not telling you.”

Clémen replied bluntly, though her ears had turned even redder than her hair.

“Thank you.”

“Ah—well… it was nothing.”

Now he understood.

Why Clémen had looked so tired.

Why she had disappeared without a word.

It had all been because she was cultivating the herb.

“Even if you don’t tell me, I can find out if I want to. So I won’t ask about that. But…”

What he really wanted to know was why.

It had been that way from the beginning.

Without hesitation, she had arrived and stirred up the quiet Northern territory.

“Why did you go that far?”

There was nothing between them.

They hadn’t known each other long.

Clémen owed him nothing.

There was absolutely no reason for her to push herself that much.

“I was taught that when someone is in danger, you help them. That way, I can live well too.”

“So you would have helped anyone?”

Clémen groaned while thinking about her answer.

Then she trudged over, placed a hand on Zephyrus’s shoulder, bent down, and brought her lips close to his ear.

“I did it for myself. I didn’t want to see someone die from the same illness again.”

Even when she said that, Gwen and the Grand Duchess had simply reacted with, Oh dear, is that so? —as if they had decided to accept that explanation.

Since no one believed her even when she told the truth, Clémen wondered if she should say the same thing to Zephyrus.

“And I didn’t push myself that much. I just increased my firepower for the first time in a while and slept less, so I was a little sleepy.”

“…Did you have to say that right next to my ear?”

“Did my sincerity reach you?”

“Yes. It only strengthened my decision.”

“What decision?”

Ever since the night Clémen had disappeared without a word, Zephyrus had been thinking about something.

The night she returned on her own.

He had been thinking about it ever since.

He couldn’t lock her up somewhere.

But he wanted to keep Clémen by his side for as long as possible.

And the best way to do that was—

“You… become my personal maid.”

He wanted Clémen to become his personal maid.