PBGS 50

Ananta finished his sentence with a sigh.

“But that’s all it is—a curse. I’ve never once thought there was something inside me.”

“Yes, yes. I didn’t really suspect anything or think it was strange.”

He seemed worried that Rinka wouldn’t believe him, but the part that puzzled her was something else.

“Actually, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Yeah?”

“So the curse didn’t exist from the start—it appeared after you learned how to use magic, right?”

He had said that one of his ancestors had inherited the power by chance.
In other words, it was just an accident. It wasn’t as if this curse had always belonged exclusively to the Belzert family.

Of course, there might be many reasons for that.

Ananta tilted his head slightly, as if the thought had never occurred to him, then shook it.

“I don’t know. But it’s worth looking into again.”

“One more thing. Can you also find out who it was that said a person born with silver hair and blue eyes—someone like you—must be named Ananta?”

It seemed that he had no memory of what “he” had shown Rinka.
And the one drowning in anger and betrayal also seemed completely unaware.

‘Their names are the same.’

The sea monster that waited in the western waters to devour the half-mermaid—
That enormous serpent had, in truth, loved the mermaid so deeply that it offered up its reverse scale, lost its immortality, and died.

And now, the man who carried on that creature’s curse and was said to be the last of its line bore the very same name as the monster.
That could not be a coincidence.

“Aren’t you curious about your own name?”

The words he had tossed out so casually suddenly echoed in her mind.

Your name.

He had seemed certain that she was the same as that half-mermaid.

…And though it was undeniable that they looked identical!

Still, that couldn’t be the only reason.
Surely he wasn’t mistaking her for that mermaid simply because their faces were the same.

If she could find out the truth, maybe she’d uncover a clue.

“Well, we can finish digging into that later. For now, we should talk about something more important, right?”

Rinka brushed her hand over his confused yet beautiful face, then dumped a pile of invitations and documents she’d received from the butler onto the table.

“Shall we deal with these?”

Morning at the duke’s mansion was as quiet as a fog-covered sea.

The early sunlight filtered gently through the large windows.

“Please pack some light clothes and the duke’s pain medicine separately. Oh, and we finished reviewing all the urgent documents yesterday.”

Since Ananta still hadn’t come out of the bedroom, Rinka gave instructions to the servants in his stead.

“To confirm what you mentioned, we’ll need to return to the ducal estate. But leaving you here alone…”

“This time, it’s better if we go together. Everyone already knows we went to the territory anyway. If we travel quietly, it won’t cause much gossip.”

They had decided to go to the estate on the island to look into the curse.
That was why they were preparing to leave early that morning, packing light.

“Oh, and these are the invitations we declined because the dates weren’t set. It’d be good to send replies once we’re back.”

“Understood, my lady.”

“And you can all take some time off while we’re away.”

Ananta finally came out, leaning casually against the wall as he watched Rinka.

His long hair brushed over his shoulders, and his loose smile made him look far more…

“…Why is he staring at me like that?”

Far more handsome than usual.
If it were any other day, Rinka would’ve looked away from that face, but this time she met his eyes, suspicion flickering there—almost as if trying to confirm who he really was.

“You really look like the lady of the Belzert house now, Rinka.”

“Right? They say the position makes the person.”

“Seems like it’d be fine for us to actually get married now. You really don’t want to?”

“Nope.”

Thankfully, since he’d called her Rinka, it did seem to be the real Ananta—but of course, he had to start saying ridiculous things the moment he opened his mouth.
Maybe confessing everything about his hidden curse had put him so much at ease that he could even joke like this now.

Ananta muttered dramatically about being wounded by her rejection, then wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

He seemed so used to physical affection now that Rinka didn’t push him away, merely continued checking the papers and luggage being moved by the servants.

“Don’t be so cold.”

“I don’t have time to be warm. If you’re up, hurry and get dressed—we’re leaving before the sun’s fully up.”

Her scolding tone was one he’d grown used to hearing on the ship.
Murmuring something about how peaceful life felt now, Ananta left to change and soon returned dressed neatly.

He wore an outfit that looked more like a wealthy merchant’s than a noble’s—elegant but with minimal decoration and subdued colors.
Since they couldn’t use the family’s official carriage and the port wasn’t far, he’d chosen something that wouldn’t attract attention.

Rinka covered his neatly braided hair with his outer coat so it wouldn’t show, put on a simple hat herself, and climbed into the plain carriage.

“It seems something important has happened again, if you’re heading to the estate,” said the butler.

“Rinka was curious,” Ananta replied with a faint smile, walking slowly.

“Kayley.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You were the butler even during my father’s time, weren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

Because the heads of House Belzert never lived long, the servants had always served multiple masters.
Kayley was one of them—he’d been there when Ananta was a boy, and even after the previous duke had secluded himself at the estate.

“Could you check if there’s anything my mother left behind at the estate?”

“…Something left by the duchess?”

“Yes. There are several reasons, but I don’t have time to explain now. Please look into it.”

“Understood, my lord.”

“If things go well this time, I might never have to go out to sea again.”

Kayley blinked in mild surprise as his master stepped into the carriage.

“Butler, I like the sea. It’s a relief, really. The territory’s by the ocean, and staying here too long makes me sick—if I’d hated the sea on top of that, life would’ve been unbearable.”

The boy’s words from long ago resurfaced in his mind.
Now, the man’s face as he said he might never go back to the sea looked both relieved and wistful.

“I hope you mean that in a good way…”

Kayley let out a long sigh and locked the mansion gates once more.

Then, he thought of the guest with the golden hair and beautiful face.

The woman who had brought light back to the silent, lifeless mansion—and to Ananta himself.

Until now, he had treated her as just a guest, but after seeing her help handle the urgent invitations and stay up all night caring for Ananta after he collapsed, Kayley’s view had changed.

Rinka didn’t need long explanations; she quickly understood every situation.
He’d half-expected her to ask why Ananta’s condition had to be kept secret, but instead, she quietly helped the servants and stayed by his side through the night.

A woman so devoted and thoughtful—something Ananta, who’d grown up without his mother and ignored by his father, had never once known.

And now, seeing that he was taking her with him to the estate, Kayley couldn’t help but hope that perhaps, when they returned, there would be good news.

Even entertaining such a possibility—a thought he’d never dared before—was already a tremendous change.