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Chapter 39
‘I have a bad feeling.’
Since then, he hadn’t been able to meet Piana.
He had sent Asha, so he could be at ease knowing she could handle whatever happened, but even so, his heart was uneasy.
Fortunately, today’s schedule wasn’t too tight. Since the tasks were outside the office, he could temporarily divert his attention.
What is Piana doing right now?
Lost in thought, Russell stopped walking.
“Your Highness?”
Prater, quietly following behind, called out suspiciously.
Russell turned his gaze out the window. The northern sky was never clear.
Will it snow again?
Unlike the north, in Jedo it was always clear unless it rained or snowed.
He had never once in his life longed for the sky of Jedo, yet now there was someone he worried about facing a raging blizzard.
“Prater.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“What do you think of Piana?”
At the unexpected question, Prater paused before answering.
“Would you like me to be honest?”
Russell nodded silently. Knowing no one was around, Prater spoke earnestly.
“She’s like a cat.”
“…A cat?”
Taken aback by the odd comparison, Russell repeated as if he’d misheard. Prater, as if anticipating this, continued smoothly.
“She’s perceptive and wise, like a cat. However, judging by her actions and behavior, it seems something is holding her back.”
“Trauma, I suppose.”
Prater was right. Piana, weighed down by trauma, couldn’t fully display her abilities, yet she was a wise woman.
He, too, was not without trauma. Who in this world was free from scars? He, too, carried long-standing wounds in his heart.
He just never showed them.
He knew there was no way to truly heal those scars.
Russell smiled bitterly at the sudden memory of the past. The method he had chosen for Piana was somewhat selfish.
‘I thought it would be better if Piana didn’t have to handle it herself.’
Everyone has their own way of overcoming wounds.
For him, confronting trauma was excruciating. That was why, for Piana’s sake, he chose a selfish method.
He had never thought of it as ignoring her wishes. He had thought it would make her feel more at ease.
Yet, in the end, his actions were akin to forcibly dragging a fearful cat, cowering in terror, out into the open.
“Prater.”
“Yes.”
“Why was the reaction so bad when I drove away the sister who caused her trauma?”
“Your Highness, if I may, allow me one minute to put aside etiquette.”
“No. That would have too severe consequences.”
Prater fell silent, looking regretful.
Russell, frustrated by the silence, asked again.
“I made sure she’ll never see her sister again. So why is she angry with me?”
“Did you act without confirming the young lady’s wishes?”
Caught off guard, Russell fell silent. Prater, seeing this, sighed inwardly, thinking, ‘Of course.’
Having witnessed all the hardships Russell endured as a child, Prater knew he was not sensitive in such matters.
“I warned you… This time, you went too far. Lady Piana is not a pet.”
“I never thought that.”
“Really?”
Russell lowered his gaze at Prater’s question.
He had never once thought of Piana as an animal to be tamed.
“Blood ties can’t easily be broken. Even if there’s no affection, I wanted to handle it with my own hands.”
The imperial family was ruthless. The current emperor favored those with abilities, and the same applied to the royal family.
Even though his life could be at risk, the emperor made him compete with the crown princess. While he was assigned to the north, it was essentially the royal family keeping his abilities in check.
When he realized the value of the blood flowing in his veins, the emotions he felt were not joy or happiness.
“Honestly, that’s not all. I also had the impure intention of wanting to gauge Lady Piana’s abilities.”
He had no excuse for that. He had completely ignored Piana’s wishes.
“That was going too far. No matter what, apologize.”
“Face to face?”
“Of course… You don’t not know how to apologize, do you?”
“Who exactly are you talking about?”
“Ah, Your Highness, you’re here.”
Russell turned toward the voice and saw a servant assisting Piana with her appearance.
Prater stepped back, and Russell gestured for her to speak. The maid, in a polite tone, requested:
“Lady Piana wishes to see Your Highness.”
Glacies Castle had a greenhouse made of transparent glass domes.
Installed by magicians during the castle’s construction, it contained herbs and flowers that could not normally grow in the north.
Russell opened the greenhouse door with ease. The plants, rare in the north, were ones he had planted based on his experiences in Jedo.
In the center of the glasshouse, Piana stood with her long hair flowing down her back, showing only her silhouette.
Russell’s eyes widened.
A sight he had never even dreamed of appeared vividly before him.
“Pff—”
No. What am I saying?
Perhaps due to lack of sleep, he was seeing things.
Rubbing his temple, Russell pondered how to make his presence known.
Should he tap her shoulder, or make his footsteps loud? Tapping might be unwelcome, and footsteps might go unnoticed if she were focused on the flowers.
Ultimately, he tapped the nearby tea table to signal his presence.
Knock, knock.
“Piana, it’s me.”
“I knew you were here.”
When she turned without hesitation, Russell asked:
“Did you do that on purpose?”
“Yes. Because I’m angry.”
Her voice was firm and strict, as if to prove her anger.
Russell felt awkward but quickly composed himself.
“Sit down. It’ll be better that way.”
Clack.
The stick hit the floor. Russell turned toward Piana.
“Russell, I… I went to that forest.”
“I’m curious. Why did you go?”
Piana looked surprised at his question.
“I thought you’d be angry, but you’re not.”
“Prater advised me to have a serious conversation with you.”
Piana considered carefully, then gripped her stick with both hands and replied:
“I think the Kingdom of Cassus used a duke.”
“Why do you think so?”
The Piana Russell knew required rational evidence before she could be certain. As he and Asha suspected, the bear that attacked her was unlikely to be a coincidence.
“The child I kept by my side was from the slums. I heard that when they were young, the Kingdom of Cassus collected information covertly.”
“…From the slums?”
“Is that troubling to you?”
It was a past he thought would never cross paths with him again, yet here it was connecting.
Russell calmly replied:
“Nothing. Continue.”
Piana nodded.
“Bears are intelligent. They know they’re predators, so they don’t have to hunt recklessly. Someone must have awakened the bear to attack me.”
That meant the Kingdom of Cassus was aware of Piana’s existence. Russell tapped his fingers on the tea table.
‘The current king is seeking diplomacy with the empire. Why?’
The question was quickly answered when he recalled the prince of Cassus he had seen only once.
‘The crown prince is the type to do just that.’
Piana inhaled deeply and exhaled. Hearing Russell’s even breath, she gathered courage.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yes. I sensed from my stick that the forest is filled with flowers that interfere with magic.”
Russell glanced at her stick. The fact that she could use the scan function meant Asha had removed the flowers nearby.
“That gravestone… what is it?”
It wasn’t meant for that purpose, yet it had been used differently.
Russell narrowed his eyes.
The Scarecrow Duchess.
Initially, the role he requested from Piana was meant to stop there.
‘It seems that won’t be the case.’
He smiled bitterly.
