BDPVF 6

Chapter 6

Wake up in the morning, eat the meals delivered to my room, enjoy studying with Lamela, have lunch after class, then tea time with Selena followed by free time for the rest of the day.

That was the routine I’d followed during the two weeks I’d spent at the ducal estate.

And right now, I was enduring the most uncomfortable part of the day—tea time with Selena.

“How were your studies today?”

“Mhm… it was fun.”

I wasn’t lying.

The Imperial language I’d been learning lately felt almost like writing in cursive, and I quite enjoyed the act of writing itself.

“That’s good. At your age, I couldn’t even write properly. Compared to me, Iris is amazing.”

Children my age were usually around six or seven.

If they were nobles, they’d probably have already mastered the language by then.

The reason Selena couldn’t write when she was young was simple—she’d apparently been an uncontrollable troublemaker.

She constantly ran around everywhere and even tried escaping her family estate.

Then she matured, met the duke, and fell in love at first sight before marrying him.

“Selena is amazin’ too.”

I truly meant it.

After all, she’d melted the heart of that cold, insane man.

But Selena seemed to take my words differently.

Smiling softly, she gently stroked my head.

“How do you always say such lovely things… I wish the duke would resemble even half of Iris.”

As she said that, Selena subtly gestured toward the window.

Hm…?

Was there more dessert over there?

Without suspecting anything, I turned my head.

“……”

What the heck was that guy doing?

Why was he standing out on the terrace staring at us?

And why was he fully armed?!

The true master of this estate, Silas, stood outside the window in black armor and a flowing cloak.

Selena had obviously said that on purpose because she noticed him there.

To openly mock someone like that…

No wonder she managed to marry Silas.

Once again realizing just how incredible she was, I quickly turned my gaze back to Selena.

“Th-the duke is here… I should get going…”

I needed to escape quickly.

Who knew what would happen if I got tangled up with him?

I gave Selena a polite bow and hurriedly tried to leave.

“Iris, don’t go yet. Try this chocolate snack too. It’s really delicious.”

A clear refusal was impossible.

As the lowest-ranking person here, I had no choice but to sit back down tearfully.

“Th-thank you…”

Once again bowing before the power of authority, I pitifully accepted the chocolate snack.

It was delicious.

Why were chocolate snacks always so good…?

I hated myself for enjoying it!

I despised myself.

Still, chocolate was justice.

As countless thoughts drifted through my mind—

“You two seemed to be having quite an enjoyable conversation.”

Before I realized it, Silas had already approached us and was glancing between Selena and me.

I desperately wanted to flee this cursed place, and I didn’t even have the confidence to answer him.

So I glanced toward Selena.

She doesn’t look like she plans to help…

She was merely smiling.

In the end, I had no choice but to respond myself.

“H-hello, hic!!”

Of course I got hiccups at a moment like this.

Trying desperately not to die of embarrassment, I spoke again.

“H-hello, hic! Hel-hic!”

What did I ever do to deserve this?!

I could see the duke’s expression growing darker.

No—maybe the twitching at the corner of his mouth meant he was about to swallow me whole with that huge mouth of his.

But what was I supposed to do if the hiccups wouldn’t stop?

It was unfair.

Still, he wasn’t the type to understand that.

In the end, I turned toward the only person who could save me from this situation.

Selena.

She was pursing her bright red lips, clearly suppressing laughter.

That’s right.

She was also a member of the Arpote family.

“Duke, don’t be like that. At least return Iris’s greeting. You’re embarrassing the child.”

Thankfully, she stopped pushing me toward death any further.

Or maybe she’d already thrown me off the cliff.

Perhaps she’d simply tossed me into a lion’s den instead.

“Hic!”

Cursing my hiccups internally, I looked back at the duke.

He was still staring down at me with cold eyes.

I had no idea what he wanted to say.

Was he planning to cut off my head right now?

I couldn’t tell at all.

Why had he ignored me for two whole weeks only to suddenly come torment me now?

Mentally cursing the duke, I stared at his mouth.

A moment later, his tightly shut lips finally opened.

“Have you been well?”

To think he took that long just to say one short sentence.

I felt stupid for having been so nervous.

Though that didn’t mean I wasn’t still terrified.

Of course, all of this was only inside my head.

“Y-yes, hic! I’ve been well.”

“I know.”

“…?”

Know what?

Caught completely off guard by his abrupt response that killed the conversation instantly, I could only stare blankly at him.

He, too, simply looked back at me without saying anything further.

“Hic!”

“……”

Thus began our meaningless standoff.

I was too flustered to speak, and the duke, for whatever reason, remained silent as well.

Every time we met, things always ended up like this.

Maybe it would truly be best for both of us if we never met again.

The one who finally broke the long silence was Selena.

“The truth is, the duke often asked about you, Iris. Remember what I told you before?”

He’s very interested in you.

She mouthed the words silently.

Interested in me?

For someone who hadn’t met me even once over the past two weeks, he sure seemed interested.

He was probably just monitoring what I was doing.

I hurriedly suppressed the expression threatening to twist across my face.

If I frowned now, it definitely wouldn’t end well.

“Selena.”

Thankfully, Silas was looking at Selena instead of me.

“Anyway… what brings you here?”

Some sort of exchange seemed to pass between the two of them, but I couldn’t understand it at all.

“I was returning after inspecting the territory and sensed your presences.”

“I see. We were having tea time. Since you’re already here, why don’t you talk with Iris for a while? I’ll step out for a moment.”

“……”

“Hic! S-Selena…?”

Out of nowhere, the fire landed on me instead.

I looked at her with startled rabbit eyes, but it was useless.

Laughing softly, she simply left the room.

“……”

Once again, uncomfortable silence filled the room.

“Hic!”

I cautiously watched the duke while trying desperately to suppress my hiccups.

Though obviously that wasn’t working.

“Hic!”

“…Can’t you do something about that sound?”

“Hic! I want it to stop too…”

It wasn’t like hiccups stopped just because you wanted them to.

Drinking water would probably help…

But I didn’t have the courage to reach across the table in front of him.

“Hic!”

“…Ha. This is so absurd I can’t even laugh.”

Yet the corner of his lips tilted upward slightly.

It was clearly mocking laughter.

“Drink.”

Scrrrk.

With a faint sneer still on his face, he slid a glass toward me.

At the same time, he subtly pushed the plate of snacks closer too.

Perhaps this was some sophisticated murder method to choke me to death.

“Hic…!”

Still, I might actually die after a hundred hiccups first, so I hurriedly drank the water.

I didn’t believe superstitions, but I’d also never seen anyone actually hiccup a hundred times.

Besides, in a fantasy world like this, maybe there really was a curse where you died after a hundred hiccups.

It also didn’t help that Silas was glaring at me as if saying drink or die.

“Th-thank you…”

The liquid I sipped wasn’t plain water.

Was this tea?

It had a faint sweetness and tasted surprisingly good.

“I heard your studies have been progressing well lately.”

“Ah, yes…”

“When do you think you’ll be ready to enter the academy?”

Was he seriously pressuring a six-year-old into entering school already?

And the academy was the place where the saintess and the protagonist would fall in love and overcome hardships together.

No matter what happens, I must avoid the academy.

I absolutely couldn’t get involved there.

Being caught between Selena and Silas was already more than enough.

“I… don’t know.”

I frowned as though genuinely uncertain.

To anyone watching, I probably looked like a child frightened of the academy.

I worried it might not work, but thankfully one of Silas’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“You should hurry. Students enter at eight years old.”

I’m six, you know?

Did he really have so little interest in me that he didn’t even know my age?

“I’m… six…”

I lowered my head while nervously darting my eyes around.

* * *

Six years old.

Contrary to appearances, Silas was deeply flustered.

Her academic performance had been so exceptional that he’d assumed she was at least eight years old.

To think she was only six.

This was troublesome.

The child lowered her head deeply, likely hurt that he didn’t even know her age.

They said a woman’s tears were a weapon.

Silas had never agreed with that saying before, but now he understood it.

The hands that had always acted decisively lost their purpose and hovered awkwardly in midair, while his face stiffened further.

It’s happening again.

That strange feeling that tickled at his heart.

Ever since meeting that child, he had constantly been feeling it.

It keeps trying to push Lagrasha away.

The emotions he’d buried deep inside himself were beginning to crumble.

That couldn’t happen.

How could he forget Lagrasha—the child he lost because of his own mistake—and seek happiness?

I must live in suffering with this burden for the rest of my life.

Until he found Lagrasha.

“I apologize for the mistake. And I must leave now due to work.”

It wasn’t the cold northern lands that had frozen his heart.

He himself had frozen it.

Silas stood from his seat while glancing at Iris, who looked strangely disappointed.

Matching his movement, Iris quickly jumped to her feet as well.

She was probably trying to say goodbye.

“G-goodby—ugh…”

Bowing her head politely, Iris suddenly staggered while clutching it.

“Iris.”

The child was sick.

That realization clawed painfully at Silas’s chest.

No—perhaps she was merely startled.

“Are you alright?”

He quickly approached and touched her forehead.

“……!”

His eyes widened in shock.

It wasn’t that she had a fever.

There was nothing wrong with her forehead.

If anything, it was gradually growing colder.

As though her vitality was being drained away.

But Silas failed to notice the truth.

All his attention was fixed on the ring glowing with blue light.

“I feel dizzy…”

Her fragile voice sounded like a candle on the verge of extinguishing.

Snapping back to his senses, Silas immediately lifted her into his arms.

“Hold on a little longer.”

His footsteps quickened.

The place Silas carried Iris toward was the infirmary.

“……”

While hurrying there, Silas placed a hand against Iris’s head again.

Her skin had become as cold as the northern lands.

Glancing at the ring, he noticed its light was also beginning to fade.