Klen, who was still far away, ran toward me.
It wasn’t at a fast speed, as if he were conscious of the eyes around us.
Even so, his ragged breath wasn’t entirely an act.
Perhaps he had truly run when he was out of people’s sight.
“Is something wrong?”
“…….”
Grabbing my shoulders, he looked around.
He wasn’t worried that someone might hear our conversation; his gaze was searching for someone.
For a moment, a word I had pushed to the back of my mind flashed in my head.
But he didn’t answer my question and spoke while looking behind me.
“I will take Adrian. You can go back first.”
“Ah, when you go, open all the windows in the room.”
“……Pardon? I understand.”
With just those words, Vis nodded as if he had realized something.
Unlike him who hurried away, our steps following behind were leisurely.
“Klen. Was there some problem at the meeting?”
Despite having run so urgently, he gave no answer.
He was just staring at me.
“……Are you done with the talk?”
“Mostly.”
“Mostly?”
A light smile played on his lips, but he looked around again as if he were disappointed.
“The knight who arrived late said… my wife was so close to a certain woman that it looked like they were about to share a sweet kiss.”
“What?”
So that’s why he ran here?
[What?! Such a thing never happened while I was watching! Which fellow said such a thing!]
“I asked for my brother’s understanding and left immediately.”
The center of his smile already radiated a coldness so sharp it felt like a snowstorm was blowing.
Hoping to soothe the chilly air even a little, I reached out and smoothed his disheveled hair.
Was that why he was scanning my surroundings earlier?
There was definitely no one passing by nearby.
Who on earth saw us?
“Of course, it’s not that I doubted you. I was just curious who would dare try to seduce my wife.”
“There was no such person.”
[There was no one!]
However, his eyes narrowed instead.
And here he was saying he didn’t doubt me.
I took a wild strawberry cookie from the box in my hand and quickly stuffed it into his mouth.
[Mm?!]
“Miss Madeline was simply giving me cookies.”
“Miss Madeline?”
“Yes. I met her in the garden.”
“…….”
He chewed the cookie nonchalantly.
The coldness stopped flowing from his slightly tilted face, and he didn’t ask what we talked about.
He seemed overtly relieved, as if there was no need to worry if the person I met was her.
‘Hmm.’
Her attitude toward me was visibly favorable, yet he feels relieved.
“Don’t you have to go back?”
“The conversation is almost over, so it’s fine.”
[Hrmmm…….]
While we were talking, a feather kept hitting me.
No, it was closer to tickling than hitting.
From the moment I handed the cookie to Klen, Aren seemed restless, looking for a chance to join the conversation.
I took out a butter cookie and held it out toward my shoulder.
Without a word, the little guy hopped down onto my palm and carefully pecked at the cookie.
Soon, the speed of his beak increased, and he finished the large cookie in an instant.
When I offered another, he began pecking at it just as eagerly.
“……Is it true that Rodney escaped?”
“That is correct. That is also why my brother called for me.”
“Is there no word from Ebony?”
“Not yet.”
It seems Ebony isn’t the type to get in touch frequently.
Perhaps because only a day has passed since the incident, Klen’s attitude is still relaxed.
I lowered my voice and asked carefully.
“The possibility that he was caught by Rodney?”
“That shouldn’t be it. He is skilled at least in erasing his presence.”
I suppose so. He is a former assassin, after all.
“Did you let him escape on purpose?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to catch the accomplices all at once? Doing the work twice is a bother.”
Even if his body had recovered from mana depletion, moving wouldn’t have been easy.
The fact that he vanished so perfectly means he received help from someone.
Putting the “bother” part aside, it is better to catch them all at once.
‘What is Rodney’s goal?’
It would be nice if he were just quietly running away, but… the opposite is more likely.
“Klen. If things get serious, are there knights who follow you?”
It was a sensitive issue, but I asked directly without beating around the bush.
Inferring from the contents of the novel, it seemed that all the knights only followed him after the situation became quite grave.
Since he has played his part a certain way until now, it’s probably unavoidable.
“Ah, well, the knights placed under my command are strangely loyal.”
I thought of the men who gathered by our side during the hunting competition.
Do they recognize his true nature even when he pretends to be incompetent?
If Klen felt that way, then their loyalty must be certain.
“If such a situation occurs, please deploy them all to protect Brother Fabian and Father.”
At that, Klen stopped walking and looked at me.
‘Oops. Did that sound like their lives are more important than yours?!’
My mouth, more flustered than he was, froze and wouldn’t move properly.
I bit my tongue slightly to wake it up and hurriedly continued.
“Don’t you have me by your side?”
The eyes that were staring at me blankly soon curved softly.
“With such a reliable wife, what would I have to fear?”
The voice that sweetly colored my ears wasn’t mocking me; it was sincere.
[Don’t forget that I am here too!]
And Aren shouted that without even shaking off the cookie crumbs stuck to his beak.
If one could defeat enemies with cuteness, this guy would have been the most reliable ally.
When I returned to the room, all the windows were wide open as I had requested.
Thanks to having been out in the fresh air, I could now clearly sense the sweet scent filling the room.
As expected, it was the smell of that scented oil from yesterday.
‘To think I walked around with this scent all over my body.’
If I had known, I would have rested today.
“Adrian wants to eat dessert, so please prepare some.”
“Understood.”
“Make it a lot of different kinds, if possible.”
[Bring a lot~]
Linda, standing across from Klen, was still smiling.
However, a small crack appeared in the peaceful atmosphere, and cold air began to leak through.
“I see. Since you need to eat a lot to get stronger and build your stamina…….”
The small murmur reached me, so it must have reached Klen’s ears clearly as well.
Klen blinked, not knowing the reason for the ominous energy.
“Lord Klen. Do you have a moment?”
“Eh? Me?”
[Hm? Is something happening?]
“No.”
Nothing will happen. He might just hear a bit of a lecture.
Surprisingly, Klen returned after quite a long time with a pale face.
He sat down right next to me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and leaned his body against me as if collapsing.
Only then did he let out a deep breath, his red hair fluttering and tickling my chin.
“……Adrian. What did you say to her when you went out?”
“Pardon?”
“I was lectured and scolded by Linda about many things.”
“I didn’t tell any lies.”
“Sigh.”
Nuzzling deeper into my embrace, he closed his eyes as if more than one thing was weighing on his mind.
But Linda would be bringing the dessert soon, and if she saw him like this, the lecture would only get longer.
I slowly stroked his hair with my hand.
‘I only gave her one excuse when I went out.’
I wonder what that lecture he was showered with was about.
