TVIMN 61

Chapter 61

“For a successful monster subjugation campaign!”

“For victory!”

Laughter and cheers burst out all around. The night before they were to depart for the Mabel mountain range, a modest departure ceremony was held at the Grand Duke’s residence.

It was a knight order composed entirely of commoners. Though invitations had been sent, not a single noble accepted the invitation to attend. They all gave plausible excuses—illness, prior engagements—but in truth, it was a polite way of saying they wanted nothing to do with the Grant Duchy.

Even with the prestige of House Winchester behind it, the dark shadow over House Grant was not easily erased.
Still, Elaina refused to bow to that stigma.

Instead of the absent nobles, she invited the families of the commoner knights to the duchy.

The commoners, invited for the first time to something resembling a ball, entered the grand gates of the ducal mansion in awe. The garden, brightly lit and carefully prepared by Elaina herself, was breathtakingly beautiful.

Everyone ate and drank their fill, singing cheerful songs. Eventually, even the servants of the duchy joined in the festivities.

When the butler sighed and suggested they leave the cleaning for tomorrow, everyone cheered and threw off their aprons.

“Hey! Don’t touch the flowers!”

Elaina turned her head toward the commotion. A mother, startled, snatched a flower crown out of her child’s hands. The flowers the child had picked were Oxypetalum, a rare and expensive variety.

The young mother, clutching the sky-blue crown her child had made, met Elaina’s gaze—and immediately froze.

But Elaina only gestured for her to come closer. The woman, trembling, urged her child in a whisper.

“Hurry and apologize!”

“I’m sorry… I just thought the Duchess would look really pretty wearing a flower crown…”

The child, holding his mother’s hand, mumbled shyly as they approached. Elaina smiled and took the crown from the woman’s hands, then bent down to the child’s eye level.

“Here. Why don’t you put it on yourself, and we’ll see how pretty it looks?”

The child’s face lit up. He carefully placed the small crown on Elaina’s head. Elaina cupped her face in her hands playfully and asked,

“How do I look?”

“You’re really pretty! The prettiest in the whole world!”

Elaina laughed brightly. She asked her maid, Sarah, to remove the jeweled diamond pin from her hair and wore the simple flower crown instead—for the rest of the ceremony.

Later, when the guests had finally gone, the night grew quiet. The send-off had ended early enough for the knights to spend time with their families before departing.

Still, everyone had drunk their fill, and the staff, a bit tipsy themselves, postponed the cleaning until morning and went off to bed early.

Everyone, that is—except Elaina.

“Phew…”

She walked slowly through the moonlit garden.

It had been a joyful night full of laughter and warmth. Yet, for some reason, she felt an ache in her heart.

As she strolled, she realized the cause.

It was Lyle.

Ever since their marriage, they had—quite unintentionally—shared the same room.
But tomorrow, he would be gone.
The thought of not returning to a room with him in it left her strangely restless.

She couldn’t bring herself to go back to that room now, knowing it would soon be empty.

As she looked up at the night sky, something warm and soft draped over her shoulders.

Startled, she turned around—and there was Lyle.

Caught off guard, she blinked in surprise, unable to speak for a moment.

“I thought you were asleep.”

It was all she could manage after steadying her racing heart. Lyle, however, looked completely calm.

“I should be. But I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not sure.”

He tilted his head back and gazed up at the same sky. For a moment, silence fell between them—until Lyle spoke again.

“Perhaps because you weren’t there.”

“…What?”

Elaina was certain she had misheard him. But then, his steady voice came again, leaving no room for doubt.

“I think I can’t sleep without the person who used to be beside me.”

“Wait—are you sure you’re the same Duke I know? Did someone replace you?”

She gave him a look of mock horror.

“Why?”

Lyle, completely unfazed, seemed not to realize what he had just said. Elaina only shrugged. She’d heard him say strange things before—usually without any deeper meaning.

Maybe he was just being sentimental, knowing they wouldn’t see each other for a while.

“You should write letters.”

The suggestion burst out of her suddenly.

“Nox will miss you. You won’t be able to see him for a while, so send letters often, alright?”

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

“And take care of yourself. You tend to get too focused on one thing, so try to keep your life balanced. There won’t be a butler or me to look after you.”

Her words turned into a long string of nagging. She couldn’t help but worry he might neglect his health during the campaign.

“And don’t go anywhere too dangerous, alright? I heard from Leo that the area’s really dangerous.”

The Mabel mountains were said to be home to highly intelligent monsters—so much so that other knight orders had avoided the region entirely.

“Are you worried about me?”

A quiet chuckle escaped him, carried off by the cool spring breeze.

“If you don’t plan to dump all the responsibility of reviving the Grant family on Nox, you’d better stay alive and well.”

Elaina narrowed her eyes at him. Lyle only smiled faintly, bowing his head.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just—you’re smiling a lot tonight.”

The man who was usually expressionless, stoic to a fault, was oddly gentle this evening. Agreeable. Almost warm.

“Maybe it’s the alcohol,” he said. “I drank quite a bit.”

He rarely got drunk, but tonight was different.

“The men joining the campaign… they’re the same ones who once had my back on the battlefield. They’re my brothers, in their own way.”

His voice was low and steady as they walked.

“I’m grateful to you.”

The battlefield had been hell itself. To survive, one had to discard every shred of humanity—compassion was the first thing to die there.

Seeing his old comrades with their families tonight had meant a great deal to him. Each one had someone—just as he had Nox.

An ailing mother, a wife, siblings, little sons and daughters.

He turned to look at Elaina.

“When I first met you, I thought you were strange.”

That night at the ball, when she’d come because of a deal with Marquis Redwood, hiding Diane behind her and glaring straight at him without fear.

“Hah, well, I thought the same about you.”

He’d dismissed her back then as a naïve woman—one who clung to soft, sentimental things like love and friendship.

He hadn’t known then how much those “soft” things would change his life.

“I’m truly grateful to you,” he said again, sincerity in his eyes.

It wasn’t just about House Winchester’s support. Elaina had changed the duchy. Changed him. Changed the people around him—quietly but profoundly.

“Let’s head back,” she said suddenly, her voice louder than usual, pretending she hadn’t heard his last words.
Her ears, however, had turned bright red.

“Then… good night,” he said as they reached her door.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she frowned.

“I’m leaving early tomorrow. I’ll likely wake you, so it’s better if I sleep separately tonight.”

The walk had taken longer than expected, and it was late. Lyle didn’t want to disturb her rest before his departure.

“What nonsense is that? Stop talking strange and get inside.”

She pushed at his back impatiently.

“You’re the one who said you can’t sleep without someone beside you. Do you think I’ll be any different? I’m tired—I don’t want to toss and turn all night. Now get in.”

Her small hands pressed against his back, barely moving him—but the soft insistence of her touch left faint impressions, like little stamps, against his muscles.

Finally, Lyle gave in and stepped inside the room.
He thought, fleetingly, that he wouldn’t see her for a long time—and didn’t want to leave her with any reason to feel hurt, not even over something as small as this.