OFGBL 26

Chapter 26

The medicine that noblemen forced upon their mistresses could hardly be good for a woman’s body.

And yet, are you unwilling to leave anything behind between us, even if it means putting yourself through that?

Seirn felt as though his heart had plunged into the depths of a freezing abyss.

But that was not the only thing tormenting him.

“If this kind of purification continues, then I suppose we should prepare for the possibility.”

She spoke of the possibility of what had happened the previous night happening again in the most matter-of-fact voice.

Seirn, meanwhile, was already overwhelmed simply by recalling it.

Erenia spoke as dryly as though she were discussing plans for supplies for the coming season.

Yet Seirn did not know that even Erenia was desperately pretending to be calm.

“Are you saying you wouldn’t mind if something like that happened again?”

Seirn’s voice sank lower and lower.

“As I said, it is part of our contract. Why would there be any difficulty?”

Fulfillment of a contractual provision.

Erenia was right.

And Seirn himself had been the one who had written that very clause into their contract in the first place.

So there was absolutely no reason for him to be displeased by her concise answer.

And yet—

Why?

Why did a hollow emptiness spread through one corner of his chest, as though something had been carved out of it?

“You don’t need to take that medicine.”

Only after a brief silence did Seirn speak in a low voice.

“Those medicines will harm your body. If that happens, it may interfere with your ability to control my magic.”

“But we need to be careful about the possibility of having a child—”

“I’ll take care of contraception myself.”

Seirn cut her off, deliberately adopting a businesslike tone.

“I have no intention of having children anyway. So it would be better for me to handle it. There are methods for men as well.”

At his words that he had no intention of having children, Erenia’s gaze fell.

…As I thought. You never wanted children.

Once again, Erenia became convinced that Seirn’s offer to take responsibility had merely been the words of a gentleman reluctantly saying something he had no desire to do.

Yes. This is what he truly feels.

There was no reason for her to feel disappointed or regretful.

If anything, a contract was easier to deal with when its terms were clear.

And yet—

Why did she feel a painful tingling beneath the pit of her stomach?

Erenia barely managed to ignore the inexplicable sensation.

She had no intention of giving that feeling a name.

Let’s just think about the contract.

“Thank you for your consideration, Your Grace. Then, I have something urgent to take care of for a moment.”

“Are you saying you wouldn’t mind if something like that happened again?”

That deep, quiet voice continued to echo in her ears.

She only had to answer that she would not mind.

Why had her heart pounded so violently before she could utter that simple answer?

And why had she found it so difficult to answer?

It’s because I’ve been unusually tired lately.

Erenia quietly gazed at her reflection in the window as heavy snow continued to fall outside.

Fortunately, her expression remained as composed as ever.

That was a relief.

At least her emotions had not shown on the surface.

Meanwhile, Seirn remained alone in his office, quietly staring at the firmly closed door after Erenia had left.

Whenever he was alone with her, he had to suppress the desire that came surging over him at the most unexpected moments.

Seirn knew how to control his emotions when that happened.

“Did you summon me, Your Grace?”

Countess Hailey entered the office after being summoned by Seirn.

“The perfumed oil used in yesterday’s ritual.”

Without even looking at Countess Hailey, who stood respectfully before him, Seirn got straight to the point in a dry voice.

“From the moment it was first refined until it was placed upon the altar. Investigate everyone who came into contact with that oil—or rather, that lamp. Compare all of their movements and whereabouts from that day until now.”

“……”

At Seirn’s command, Countess Hailey’s expression turned cold.

Over the years, assisting with the preparations for the ritual had been one of Countess Hailey’s responsibilities. On the day of the ritual, it was customary for her to oversee the preparations in place of the busy Grand Duchess.

And yet, there had been an attempt to tamper with it.

For Countess Hailey, who took great pride in having performed every duty entrusted to her perfectly throughout her life, the possibility was deeply shameful.

“It is my negligence. I shall gladly accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate—”

“I am not blaming you.”

Seirn’s reply was firm.

“We merely need to find whoever tampered with it.”

His crimson eyes were unusually cold.

“Conduct the investigation quietly, without letting it become known publicly. And have the investigation begin with House Valten.”

“I shall obey, Your Grace.”

After Countess Hailey withdrew, Seirn gazed out at the snow-covered landscape beyond the window.

The fact that the nobles who had attended the banquet and their servants were all trapped by the heavy snowfall was, conveniently, an advantage in conducting the detailed investigation he required.

I will make certain they pay the price for daring to speak so carelessly.

He could not tolerate anyone daring to tarnish Erenia’s reputation.

With the ritual as its turning point, winter in the Grand Duchy grew even harsher.

The relentless snowfall showed no sign of stopping, and the roads leading into the Grand Duchy continued to disappear beneath increasingly thick layers of snow.

During those isolated days, Erenia focused solely on managing the internal affairs of the Grand Ducal household.

At least, that was how it appeared from the outside.

She swiftly approved the various documents that required the mistress of the household’s attention, directed the servants, and discussed matters concerning the Grand Duchy with Seirn.

She was nothing short of a perfect Grand Duchess.

Only Erenia knew that beneath that flawless exterior, she was suppressing an incredibly turbulent mess of emotions.

“It’s still not over.”

Even now.

The events of that night, when she had struggled to catch her breath beneath the relentlessly passionate Seirn, kept resurfacing in her mind at the most unexpected moments.

Whenever she had even the slightest amount of free time, the memories and dizzying sensations from that night disrupted her concentration and even began affecting her daily life.

The warmth of their skin where they had touched, the sound of his breathing against her ear, and—

No. Stop thinking about it.

That was why she immersed herself in work so thoroughly that there was hardly any room for other thoughts to intrude.

Of course, she could not completely erase it from her mind even while doing so.

But keeping herself busy was at least somewhat better, since she had no time to dwell on it too deeply.

This is simply the aftereffect of the purification. Nothing more.

Erenia defined the phenomenon that way.

The purification that night had required unusually intense concentration and strength, which was why it had remained such a vivid memory.

Trying to explain those feelings by giving them any other name would be dangerous.

They were nothing more than the sensations left behind by fulfilling an obligation under their contract and performing the purification.

She could not allow herself to cross that line.

After spending several days like that, Erenia began to notice subtle changes in Seirn.

“You barely touched the steak. Is it not to your liking?”

Any food she disliked never appeared on the table again.

The man who had always walked ahead of her began matching his long strides to the pace of Erenia’s steps.

And—

“The air seems a little cold. I’ll have them put more wood into the fireplace.”

Just as he was doing now, whenever he visited Erenia’s office to discuss official matters, he always made sure the room was warm—almost to the point of becoming hot.

He never expressed it directly in words, but it was an extraordinarily thoughtful form of consideration.

And it had the power to shake the resolve Erenia had worked so hard to strengthen.

“I think it would be better to have them bring a warming mana stone as well.”

Though his gaze remained fixed on the documents, there was unmistakable evidence of careful consideration beneath his seemingly indifferent tone.

“That’s all right. I can tolerate this degree of cold.”

It was true that she had been unusually tired lately, but Erenia was not so fragile.

The unfamiliar, almost excessive care made her stomach feel strangely ticklish.

“It would be more efficient to provide such a valuable mana stone to those who need it more than to waste it indoors. The knights training outside in weather like this, for example.”

In an attempt to maintain her composure as her heart continued leaning in an unwanted direction, Erenia deliberately adopted a more businesslike attitude.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. It seems you are particularly sensitive to the cold.”

“…You’ve been paying a great deal of attention to me lately.”

The words slipped out before she could stop herself.

Even Erenia herself was surprised by what she had just said.

At that moment, Seirn’s hand, which had been turning the pages of the documents, came to a complete stop.