THJDM 69

chapter 69

Fred was busier than ever preparing to return to the north, yet he couldn’t stop humming.

The thought of finally setting foot on his homeland kept him in high spirits all day.

Even today, as he moved about cheerfully, humming, Head Butler Scott and Chief Maid Jocelyn came to see him.

“You look cheerful, Fred.”
“Of course! Soon, I’ll be returning to my long-dreamed-of homeland!”
“Long-dreamed-of homeland? With monster hunts, all sorts of construction, the long, harsh winter… the north is nothing but hardships.”

Scott shook his head and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

But Fred wasn’t about to be swayed by that.

“Oh, don’t say that, Head Butler. Monster hunting is thrilling! In the capital, it’s so dull I can hardly stand it. Hunting monsters keeps me active, hones my swordsmanship, earns me some rewards from monster byproducts, and I even get the gratitude of the locals. Isn’t that great?!”

After praising monster hunting, Fred immediately moved on to extolling the virtues of the long, cold winter.

Scott, who had only been humoring him politely, cut him off as soon as Fred paused to catch his breath, bringing up the reason for their visit.

“So, what about Miss Rubiana? Why hasn’t the engagement ceremony been scheduled yet?”
“I’d love to skip the engagement and go straight to the wedding, then head north together. But the nobles who value protocol surely think differently, right?”

Jocelyn chimed in quickly.

Fred quietly shook his head as he looked between the two of them, then spoke firmly.

“That won’t happen.”

Scott and Jocelyn’s eyes widened in shock.

Why? Why? What happened? They seemed full of questions.

Fred let out a shallow sigh and spoke again.

“It’s already decided. Matters of love are deeply personal, so I don’t know the details. I only know that the two of them will soon be breaking off their engagement.”

“Good heavens…!”
“That’s impossible…!”

Scott and Jocelyn were dumbfounded.

They couldn’t believe it.

What happened during the trip? But… the two of them seemed inseparable during the journey.

They didn’t seem to have fought, even until the last day.

So what happened after returning to the capital? They hardly met since coming back, right?

Rubiana had visited the Grand Duke’s mansion yesterday, which had been a joy, but she left abruptly in the morning, leaving them disappointed.

Fred, guessing at the confusion in their minds, spoke again with a sympathetic expression.

“Don’t try to guess their circumstances. How could anyone dare guess the intricacies of a love story?”
“True…”
“Even so…”

Scott and Jocelyn’s faces darkened rapidly.

It seemed impossible for them to accept the news that Elion and Rubiana would soon break off their engagement.

Rubiana headed toward her father’s study.

It was time to speak up. With no engagement ceremony yet scheduled, now was the right moment.

She didn’t want to hear Elion urging her again. She didn’t want to face his cold gaze as she spoke of breaking the engagement.

Standing in front of the study door, she raised her hand to knock.

But she hesitated, unable to bring herself to knock immediately.

‘I was going to do this anyway. It’s actually lucky I can break the engagement before the ceremony is scheduled!’

Rubiana finally knocked on the door.

Count Linden Payson met her with a slightly pouty expression.

“Rubiana, even though you’re in a relationship, you haven’t even gotten engaged yet. Shouldn’t you refrain from spending the night at the Grand Duke’s residence?”
“….”
“Of course, I understand the feeling of not wanting to part when you care so much. I had my youth once, after all. But still—”
“I want to break off the engagement, Father.”

Rubiana closed her eyes tightly and dropped a bombshell.

Linden, caught off guard, didn’t immediately grasp her meaning and looked puzzled.

Rubiana spoke again, clearly and firmly.

“I want my engagement to Grand Duke Klitzman to be nullified.”
“Rubiana… is that really what you want?”
“Yes. We’re no longer together. We’ve broken up. I don’t like him. So I want to end the engagement. Could you submit the application for me to His Majesty the Emperor, Father?”

Having said everything she had prepared, she was out of breath.

As Rubiana caught her breath, Linden, looking somber, handed her a handkerchief.

“Why the handkerchief…? Ah…”

Realizing belatedly that she was crying, Rubiana quickly took the handkerchief and wiped her tears.

“Good grief… why do I keep…?”
“Rubiana, it’s okay. You can cry as much as you need.”
“No, Father. I don’t want to cry. It’s not that I’m sad… there’s no reason to cry… but why…?”

Even as she said this, tears continued to flow.

Soon, Linden’s eyes were damp as well.

He moved closer and wrapped his arm around Rubiana’s shoulders.

“I said it’s okay to cry. Once you cry like this, it’ll be easier to let it go. That’s just how it is.”
“…Yes.”

Encouraged by her father’s comfort, Rubiana finally let herself cry freely.

Her father’s gentle hands patting her back were warm and soothing.

Her father had been right.

Though it had been awkward, crying freely in front of him felt relieving.

For the first time, she felt she could close the chapter on her contractual relationship with Elion.

Rubiana pulled her hat down over her swollen eyes and headed to the forest.

It was time to practice her bond with Karsea.

Although Rubiana had joined the Royal Knights, she had not yet received formal training or missions.

This was because her bond with Karsea was still incomplete.

A spirit mage’s role was to cooperate with a spirit in battle.

How much of the spirit’s abilities a mage could draw out depended entirely on the mage’s talent.

Without a spirit that had secured its material form, participation in battle was impossible.

Thus, until Karsea had secured its form, Rubiana was to focus on personal training instead of attending the Knights’ duties.

As she slowly walked into the forest, she recalled the advice Stephanie had given her yesterday.

“There should be no secrets between a spirit and its mage. Of course, there are things that pass without words, thanks to the spirit’s mysterious powers. But even so, there’s a clear difference between when the mage speaks first and when they do not.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Yes. Always remember, don’t just assume the spirit knows without speaking. Even if it understands, when the mage communicates directly, the bond strengthens.”

Finally reaching the forest, Rubiana called the spirit’s name into the air.

“Karsea!”

At once, the spirit revealed its massive form.

“Not a question mark today.”
“I did well, right?”
“Yes. Well done.”

Rubiana slowly brushed over Karsea’s still semi-transparent body.

Though nothing could be physically felt, only the refreshing, tingling air.

“I… have something to tell you.”
“….”

Looking up at Karsea floating in midair, Rubiana began speaking slowly.

It was time to reveal the deepest secret.

“I’m not the original owner of this body.”
“….”

Karsea remained silent, focusing solely on Rubiana’s words.

“I possessed this body two months ago. At first, the possession wasn’t perfect due to the gap between body and soul. But two weeks ago, it became complete, and that’s when I met you.”
“….”

Though difficult to start, the words flowed smoothly once begun.

“But you weren’t the spirit I expected. I thought the spirit meant to contract with the original owner of this body would be the Phoenix Spirit.”
“Were you disappointed?”
“No. Not disappointed—just puzzled. I suspected something was amiss.”
“Ah, so that’s why you always called my name with a question mark.”
“…Yes.”

Karsea’s large, slowly blinking eyes stared straight at Rubiana.

“You knew I had possessed this body, didn’t you, Karsea?”
“Yes.”
“As I thought.”
“I’m still glad to hear it from you directly.”

Rubiana nodded and smiled.

Stephanie’s advice had indeed been helpful.

“May I say one thing?”
“Of course.”
“You are no one’s substitute.”
“Ah…”

Not being anyone’s substitute… Karsea’s words hit her like a bolt of lightning.