TRST 25

Chapter 25

Ains was only able to return to his normal routine the next day. However, strangely enough, he couldn’t find any motivation.

After finishing his work at the estate, Ains paused on his way to the Graham Merchant Company and stared off into the distance. His gaze was directed toward the Marves Viscount’s residence, which wasn’t too far away.

As if by coincidence, he could make out a figure by a third-floor window of the Marves estate. Though the distance made it impossible to clearly identify who it was with the naked eye, he felt certain it was Cecilia.

There was no way it wasn’t her. There were very few people in the Marves family with platinum-blonde hair, and more than anything, the figure seemed to have noticed Ains among the crowd and was watching him.

With a complicated heart, he stood there for quite some time, staring at the figure by the window.

Everything Cecilia had said was true—from the fact that she had been ill to the aftereffects she was suffering after taking the medicine.

He had already heard it from Doctor Watt, but he had also confirmed again that the most recent buyer of the Tieria flower at the Replene Auction House was Viscount Marves.

He had ordered Jackson to investigate Cecilia’s past, something he had never cared about before. Since Cecilia had lost her parents at a young age and had lived in the Graham ducal estate ever since, it wasn’t difficult to uncover information about her.

And there was someone within the Graham household who could speak about her in the greatest detail.

Rachel Lorette, the head maid who had attended to Cecilia for a long time. From her, he was able to hear Cecilia’s story in depth.

Cecilia had first become aware of her illness about half a year ago. Even before that, she had felt discomfort due to her body not moving properly, but the decisive moment came when she suddenly stiffened while going down the stairs and fell badly.

After that, Cecilia searched in every possible way for a treatment, eventually learning that she needed to obtain the Tieria flower.

So she had asked Ains to increase her allowance in order to participate in the auction—but Ains, who knew nothing at the time, refused her request.

Afterward, Cecilia sought a temporary solution: absorbing mana stones.

The Mage Tower was a major client of the Graham Merchant Company, and through it, she had been purchasing high-grade mana stones using her allowance.

Originally, mana stones from the Mage Tower were rarely released externally, but thanks to the trust between them and the Graham Company, the Tower had made a special exception.

After hearing the full truth, Ains wondered to himself—if he had known everything back then, would he have gotten the medicine for Cecilia?

In his current state, he could easily say yes. But whether he would have done the same before their divorce… he couldn’t confidently answer.

Perhaps, out of pettiness, he might have demanded a divorce instead of getting her the medicine.

Both now and in the past, Cecilia had been nothing more than the shadow of his grandfather to Ains.

It was around the time he reached that thought that the figure at the window—who had been watching him the whole time—drew the curtains and disappeared.

Even then, Ains couldn’t bring himself to leave.

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

Jackson asked with concern. Only then did Ains slowly nod and turn his gaze away from the Marves estate.

“Let’s go. I’ve delayed us too long.”

As Ains urged his horse forward, Jackson and the attendants followed behind him.

Even while handling work at the merchant company, Ains frequently fell into deep thought. Most of his thoughts were about his past with Cecilia.

When Cecilia first entered the Graham ducal household with Daymond Graham after losing her parents, their relationship hadn’t been bad.

In fact, it had been good.

Ains, who had lost his mother to illness, and Cecilia, who had lost her parents in an accident—sharing similar pain, they became the only ones who could comfort and understand each other.

Ains, who managed to stay bright thanks to his father, had tried his best to make Cecilia—who was drowning in despair—smile again.

He picked flowers for her, showed her secret places in the estate that only he knew, and even learned how to quietly stay by her side so she could speak freely.

After some time passed and Cecilia began to open her heart, an incident occurred.

Ains’s grandfather, Daymond Graham, pressured Ains’s father, Alex Graham, to join a monster subjugation force.

Ains had begged his father not to go, but Alex volunteered anyway—and ultimately returned as a corpse.

That was when everything changed.

That was when a deep crack formed between Ains and Cecilia.

As Ains began to hate Daymond Graham, he also came to resent Cecilia, whom Daymond had brought into the household.

Their marriage had been proposed by Daymond, but Ains had accepted it purely to gain the ducal title and control of the Graham Merchant Company.

He did feel some guilt toward Cecilia, who became part of a loveless marriage, but since Daymond stood behind her, he couldn’t show it.

First, he needed to take everything from his grandfather and become independent—both mentally and materially.

And in the end, he got everything he wanted: the title, the company, and the position as head of the family.

But the emptiness remained.

Losing his mother, then his father—no title or authority could ever make up for that.

Cecilia tried to comfort him, but because Daymond stood behind her, Ains couldn’t fully accept her sincerity.

As their cold marriage continued, Cecilia grew darker and quieter.

Ains remembered the bright Cecilia from their childhood, and he couldn’t bear to watch her lose her vitality while being caught between him and Daymond. So he pushed her away even more harshly, ignored her, and repeatedly demanded a divorce.

He had thought it was for her sake—but in the end, it might have been the wrong choice.

As these thoughts kept surfacing, he couldn’t focus on his work. Eventually, he pushed aside the documents that had piled up since yesterday.

Running his hands over his face, Ains stood up. He decided it would be better to go see Cecilia again.

As he stepped outside, Jackson and Jacob looked at him in confusion, rising from their seats. Like him, they had been reviewing documents in the office.

“Where are you going?”

Sensing that this wasn’t just a casual outing, Jacob asked.

“You don’t need to follow. I’ll go alone.”

“But—”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Faced with Ains’s firm tone, the two reluctantly watched him leave.

After leaving the Graham Merchant Company building, Ains rode toward the Marves estate. Today, the road felt unusually long.

Without stopping, he finally arrived.

Just as he was about to head toward the main gate, he suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation of mana nearby—as if someone had deliberately condensed mana in the surroundings.

If it had been at the Mage Tower or a knight training ground, it wouldn’t have been unusual. But unfortunately, the source was the rear garden of the Marves estate.

Dismounting, Ains walked toward the source of the mana.

Before long, he reached the area near the garden. Through the low fence and sparse trees, he could see inside.

At the center of the mana were two people—both familiar to him.

Cecilia Marves, and the Master of the Mage Tower, Master Cesare.

Cesare had his hand extended toward Cecilia, gathering mana, while Cecilia stood among the condensed mana with her eyes closed.

At a glance, Ains understood what they were doing.

It was one of the training methods used by high-level mages and knights to help others better sense and control mana.

From what he could tell, Cecilia had likely sought Cesare’s help to overcome the aftereffects of Trintz disease. Since she had already been receiving mana stones from the Tower, it wasn’t strange that she would turn to him.

But watching them, Ains felt an inexplicable discomfort.

It was something he could have done for her.

Ains had inherited his father’s swordsmanship and was highly skilled in both combat and mana control.

People even praised him, saying he might surpass his father—Alex, the Empire’s sword. And indeed, he had built a strong reputation as a knight.

Helping Cecilia sense mana would have been nothing to him.

Was it because someone else had done something he could have done?

Unable to contain the emotions boiling inside him, Ains clenched his teeth.

He had felt something similar before—when Cecilia had been with Viscount Moldovan.

But today was different.

This feeling was far stronger, far more intense.

At that moment, Master Cesare sensed something unusual and turned his head.

Their eyes met.

Despite Ains glaring at him fiercely, Cesare didn’t look away. Instead, he simply stared back, puzzled as to why Ains was looking at him like that.

Then, as if realizing something, Cesare glanced at Cecilia.

Understanding the situation, he suppressed a smile and looked back toward where Ains had been standing.

But Ains was no longer there.