MTEF 35

Chapter 35

Ronin chose a sunny spot within the castle grounds to sit.

It was a pleasant place, warmed by the sunlight, but it also happened to be where servants constantly bustled back and forth, making Pam grumble the entire time they were setting everything up.

“Honestly, I don’t understand why we’re resting here. There are plenty of other places, aren’t there? With people coming and going all the time, it’s hard to relax properly.”

Ronin agreed with her, yet had no intention of changing his mind.

Right now, he wanted to be among people.

More than anything, he wanted to be surrounded by those living through another lively day.

That way… maybe I’ll be able to forget that Father will be arriving in the North soon.

After helping Pam finish preparing everything, Ronin slowly savored a warm cup of tea along with a few tea snacks.

This was the sunniest place in the castle, and with the fox-fur coat Callion had given him, he didn’t feel cold in the slightest.

“Your Highness. You’re already up? The weather is wonderful today, isn’t it?”

As people passed by, they casually greeted him.

It was kindness he never could have imagined receiving when he had first come here.

Ronin could feel his mood gradually improving.

Even Pam, who had been complaining earlier, had quietly settled down to enjoy the tea snacks.

With a faint smile, Ronin gently ran his fingers over the cover of the book in his hands.

He could clearly feel the embossed title beneath his fingertips.

The Story of the Black Wolf.

True to its simple, straightforward title, the book was a story about a black wolf.

It was a children’s fairy tale he had impulsively borrowed from the library during his last visit.

Ronin slowly began reading again from the very beginning.

At the edge of the forest, beneath the trees veiled in mist,

the black wolf lived all alone.

The villagers feared him.

He was too quiet,

and his eyes were far too large.

Whenever the moon grew full,

he disappeared silently into the depths of the forest.

The villagers would always say,

“When the moon is full, the monster awakens.”

But one little child knew the truth.

The wolf wasn’t a monster.

He was simply a lonely friend

who wished to avoid the moonlight.

Then one day,

on a night when the moon vanished,

the wolf lay quietly beside the child.

His eyes were warm,

yet somehow filled with loneliness.

He had just finished reading the final line when someone with an outgoing personality approached him.

“Oh my, where did you find that book?”

Judging by the several wooden boxes in her arms, she appeared to be one of the servants working in the kitchen.

She was probably on her way back after finishing an errand when she spotted Ronin.

After everything that had happened, most of the servants in Leofric Castle had grown fond of Ronin.

Among them, those working in the kitchens were especially open about it.

Apparently, they were delighted to finally have access to fresh, varied ingredients.

Ronin couldn’t fully understand their enthusiasm, but he was grateful nonetheless.

Returning her smile, he answered,

“Ah, I borrowed it from the library. Do you know this book?”

“Of course! Every child in the North reads it at least once while growing up. Even Lord Leofric loved it…”

Caught off guard, Ronin blinked.

“Lord Leofric?”

The woman nodded vigorously.

“Yes! When he was little. The late Lady used to read it to him all the time. Those really were peaceful days…”

Her eyes were filled with affection as she reminisced.

Although times were difficult now, the people of the territory still held absolute love and admiration for Callion Leofric.

Suppressing the bitterness rising inside him, Ronin spoke calmly.

“That’s… rather unexpected. I can picture him training much more easily than reading books. Ah, I don’t mean anything bad by that.”

“Haha, of course. I know exactly what you mean. He’s grown into such a healthy man now. But he wasn’t always like that.”

This answer surprised Ronin even more.

His eyes widened instinctively.

The woman who had spoken, as well as those around her, suddenly fell silent.

Lord Leofric… wasn’t healthy when he was younger? I’ve never heard that before.

Ronin carefully maintained a composed expression.

Inside, however, his mind raced as he searched for a natural way to ask more.

Maybe… I might learn something that could help Father.

Fortunately, the situation unfolded in his favor.

The servant who had first spoken simply shrugged at the hesitant looks from those around her.

“So what? It’s not like I’m making anything up. Lord Leofric really was frail when he was young. Especially during winter… Yes, around this very season, he’d always fall seriously ill. Every year about this time, he’d quietly stay in the detached residence.”

“The detached residence? You mean the one behind the main castle?”

“Oh! Your Highness knew about it too? Yes, that’s the one. Since he’d lived there from childhood, I suppose it felt the most comfortable to him.”

“Mmm. It’s small, but it has everything someone would need. Even now, he still seems to visit it from time to time.”

Before long, more people had joined the conversation.

Even those who had been reluctant to speak began chatting freely among themselves once they saw that Ronin wasn’t upset.

It was proof that Ronin had gradually become one of them.

Smiling quietly, Ronin simply listened.

The servants continued talking comfortably.

“Ah, that’s right. Especially on nights with a full moon, he almost always goes there. Come to think of it, he used to do that even back then…”

“That’s true. I remember it clearly. Around that time, Lord Leofric’s condition would always get worse. Whenever that happened, the late Lady would hold young Lord Leofric in her arms and say, ‘When the moon shines too brightly, the wolf must hide beneath the forest’s shade.’ Her voice was so warm… I still remember it.”

“I remember too. That’s from the fairy tale, isn’t it? I’ve been reading it to my child lately, and it reminded me. My little one always asks the same question at that part—why the wolf has to hide.”

The more Ronin listened, the stranger he felt.

For some reason, the wolf from the fairy tale and Callion seemed to overlap in his mind.

He remembered how reading this story had somehow brought him an inexplicable sense of peace.

Perhaps that was why…

“…It really does sound like something straight out of a fairy tale.”

The words slipped out before he realized it.

Startled that he had unintentionally interrupted the conversation, Ronin quickly closed his mouth.

Fortunately, the servants found nothing strange about it.

Instead, the servant who had first approached him laughed cheerfully.

“Well, of course! It is a fairy tale!”

At those words, Ronin’s gaze naturally fell back to the book.

The illustration of the black wolf hiding alone in the depths of the forest beneath a bright moon immediately caught his eye.

The wolf had its head lowered, wearing an expression that looked as though it were enduring something painful.

How could I compare someone like Lord Leofric… to such a pitiful-looking wolf?

An inexplicable sense of guilt washed over him.

No one could possibly see inside his thoughts, yet he felt as though he had been caught.

Comparing Lord Leofric to such a vulnerable wolf…

Being the very person causing Lord Leofric trouble…

And the reality that, despite knowing all of this, he still couldn’t stop…

Every bit of it weighed heavily on his heart.

Quietly, he lifted his teacup and drank the rest.

The tea had already cooled quickly in the winter air, but it was still better than leaving it untouched.

Without another word, Ronin closed the fairy tale.

Sensing the subdued atmosphere, the servants tactfully excused themselves.

Even after he closed the book, the sunlight remained just as warm.

Ronin quietly enjoyed that warmth and peaceful moment for a little while longer.

Yet deep down, he already knew.

This warmth…

This peace…

Would soon disappear.

“Your Highness! A visitor has arrived!”

That was why, when someone suddenly called his name, Ronin wasn’t startled.

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Lady Wyndham hurrying toward him.

If something had made even Lady Wyndham rush like that…

There could only be one reason.

Without hesitation, Ronin rose to his feet.

The moment she reached him, Lady Wyndham merely lowered her head without saying another word.

As Ronin walked down the corridor leading toward the front gate, he casually straightened the sleeve of his coat.

It wasn’t anything important, yet he found himself instinctively composing his appearance.

No one had said who the visitor was.

But everyone already knew.

The Marquis has arrived!

Even the young maid following closely behind Ronin knew it.