TVRC 17

Chapter 17

“‘Erkis hasn’t done anything wrong…’”

What could the child in front of her have possibly done wrong? If anything was amiss, it was her own feelings—still lingering in the past, unable to move forward.

On the first day after returning, before falling asleep, Leblanc had made countless resolutions: to be satisfied that Erkis was alive, to be grateful that she could see him again. Yet, as she spent time with him, she couldn’t help but recall memories of the past.

Originally, meeting Erkis shouldn’t have happened until six years later. Escaping the terrifying Arnetio, advancing her marriage with Erkis—everything was her choice.

She had no way of knowing what had happened to him during those six years, or how he had changed. Yet, unknowingly, Leblanc found herself treating the young Erkis before her as though he were the husband of her past.

She missed those days terribly, but she could never go back to that moment. She knew she had to move on from the past.

The Erkis she had loved and the Erkis standing before her were the same person, yet also different. To love the boy in front of her fully, she had to let go of the one from her memories.

After her thoughts, a bitter smile spread across Leblanc’s lips. But she quickly lifted the corners of her mouth, putting on a composed expression, and spoke to him softly.

“Too much? These aren’t custom-made, just ready-made clothes. Besides, I haven’t been able to give you a proper gift since we married, so think of this as a token from me. No need to feel burdened. I just thought they’d look good on you, and I wanted to see you wear them, so I bought them on my own.”

Erkis’s expression seemed to relax a little, though he still looked uncomfortable as he muttered hesitantly.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I… I don’t have the ability to give the Count such things… I’m sorry, Count.”

“What? Why would you think that? Of course you can. You’re still young, Erkis. Don’t worry about returning favors—just accept them. Do you think I’m incapable of giving you a gift this small?”

“No? No, that can’t be!”

Leblanc, having regained her composure, propped her chin on her hand and asked. Flustered, Erkis shook his head vigorously in denial, and her lips curved into a playful smile at his unexpectedly strong reaction.

“Still can’t imagine what kind of woman you married? You should be a little bold if you married the only daughter of the Arnetio family.”

Erkis’s face flushed at her teasing, as though she were speaking to a child. After a brief hesitation, he slowly nodded and picked up one of the garments before him. Carefully inspecting it, he looked at Leblanc and said:

“Thank you, Count. I’ll cherish it.”

“No, of course you will. I won’t change. I’ll keep showing you how much I care for you.”

Leblanc smiled brightly and gently brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. The warmth of her touch and the subtle scent of Isaac Ferrer roses brushed his nose.

Staring blankly at her for a moment, Erkis suddenly jumped up in surprise, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

“I… I’ll go put these away now. Th-thank you.”

“Huh? I could have asked the servants to put them away…”

Before she could finish, he bundled up the clothes and hurriedly left. Leblanc watched him go, tilting her head in confusion.

“Did he like the clothes more than I thought?”

Regardless, Leblanc decided that as long as he was happy, that was enough. If he took slow, steady steps toward her, surely one day he would open his heart completely.

A few days later, at the Perronto mansion’s training yard, Leblanc, her face set with determination, hid behind a tree and watched. As Corden had said, Erkis was swinging his sword in the yard. It seemed the effort to rush here after hearing about him was worthwhile.

When Erkis finished training and lowered his sword, wiping sweat from his forehead with one hand, Leblanc dashed forward and called out his name.

“Erkis…!”

But he had already vanished like a streak of light.

For several days now, Erkis had been avoiding her like this. Leblanc, growing increasingly frustrated, bit her lip.

The day she gave him the clothes, the atmosphere had been fine. His response had been lukewarm, but ultimately he had said thank you and taken the clothes to his room.

Leblanc had expected their relationship to develop after that, but instead, their distance had only grown.

“Ugh… I’ll never understand him.”

She brushed her hair back with one hand, slowly biting her lip.

In the past, Erkis had been like a little puppy, following her everywhere, his feelings evident in his expressions, as if his tail were wagging.

Now, dealing with a sixteen-year-old boy with a blank expression, she was at a complete loss.

Perhaps due to his nature or just shyness, young Erkis rarely showed emotion, making it hard to read him.

She wanted to ask why he avoided her, but couldn’t confront him face-to-face. If she had Felin or Lily call him, he would dodge, claiming to be ill. If she went herself, he seemed to sense her presence and fled, just as now.

“Ah, Count, what are you doing here?”

“Ah, you startled me! What are you doing up there?”

At that moment, Shiesha suddenly appeared from a tree. Having stayed at the mansion for a few days, Shiesha had gained some weight and seemed to be thriving.

He landed lightly, brushing off leaves from his clothes.

“I was resting. But why the face? Did you step in something?”

“…No, it’s nothing. I came to see Erkis but couldn’t find him.”

She didn’t want to mention to anyone that Erkis was avoiding her.

He wasn’t particularly prominent in the mansion, and she didn’t need to reveal any discord between them. Also, saying it to Shiesha directly would bruise her pride.

“I see… He was just here. Should I go help you find him? I’m fast.”

“Hmm…”

Leblanc hesitated. She could have used Corden or Shiesha to catch him, but that might only push him further away.

“No, I’ll go myself.”

“Alright. But you two don’t seem very close.”

Leblanc froze like stone at Shiesha’s words. Shocked, she blinked several times, staring at him.

“Don’t… Erkis and I aren’t close?”

“No, not exactly. I just mean, seeing him now, it doesn’t look like you’re that close compared to how you imagined.”

“….”

“But it’s an arranged marriage, right? Usually, that’s how it is. You married without even seeing each other. Erkis seems shy, and you’re an older, capable partner. But that’s just my opinion! Don’t worry too much!”

Leblanc’s expression darkened further. Shiesha’s words barely registered as she pondered seriously.

“Shiesha has a point. I knew Erkis before, so I could treat him casually. But from his perspective, I’m someone he met only a month ago. And from the Arnetio family, the enemy of his house… Oh, that’s why the first day we met, he drew the line with me…”

Recalling the moment, her face darkened further.

“What did I say then? That he would love me someday… Did he look confused? And when I taught him swordsmanship, he seemed uncomfortable when I got close… and when I gave him clothes, he said they were too much…”

Suddenly realizing, Leblanc covered her mouth with both hands.

From the boy’s perspective, suddenly being married to an older man who claimed he would love her, clinging to him to teach swordsmanship, and suddenly giving gifts—it must have been overwhelming.

And now he was following her day and night. She murmured in a small voice, pale:

“I was… too much for him…”