Chapter 74
He strode swiftly past the rear garden and then broke into a fierce run. Though the trace of Sia’s scent beginning to reach his nose steadied his heart a little, he still couldn’t shake the unease completely. He had to see with his own eyes that she was safe.
Pushing deeper into the mountains, he finally spotted Sia in the distance. Nox leapt nimbly, stepping across tree trunks and rocks, and landed right in front of her in a single bound.
“Kyaah!”
Startled by Nox’s sudden appearance, Sia flailed her arms and nearly toppled backward. He immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her in.
“Ack!”
Whoosh—
Light as a paper doll, Sia was pulled into him and couldn’t fight the momentum. Her nose bumped hard against his chest. It was so solid her nose tingled from the shock.
“Are you alright?”
“…Sometimes Lord Nox, you’re too rough.”
Not that she truly hated that roughness, but Sia rubbed her nose and shot him a half-hearted glare. Looking down at her intently, Nox broke into a bright smile and hugged her tight.
“Sorry. I just missed you too much…”
“…If that’s the reason, I’ll forgive you this once.”
“Thank you, Sia.”
The handsome young man answered with such a dazzling smile that Sia instinctively narrowed her eyes, afraid she might faint from the sheer beauty.
At first he’d only been frightening and expressionless, but now when he smiled so openly, like a boy, the impact was overwhelming.
Sia stole a glance at him and said in a small voice,
“…I’m sorry for sneaking out.”
“It’s alright.”
“Really?”
“Now that the guest has left, you can roam freely as you wish. Within the Blois territory, there’s nowhere you cannot go. Of course, if you go beyond the estate, you’ll go with me.”
Wow. Not just the mansion, the entire territory.
She knew he was a Duke, but never had she felt his power so tangibly as now. Thinking, as expected of a Duke, she noticed sweat on his forehead.
“How hard did you run? You’re sweating.”
“Hm?”
Running just this distance wouldn’t make him sweat. Likely he’d broken into a nervous sweat when the Crown Prince had mentioned her.
Flustered by her comment, Nox started to wipe his brow with the back of his hand, but Sia was quicker. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed his forehead.
“…Thank you.”
“You must have run to find me. I’m the one who should apologize. But it was so stifling. Being locked in that room for four days… I don’t ever want to do that again.”
“There will be no such thing from now on. Unless it’s His Majesty the Emperor or His Highness the Crown Prince, no one can intrude on the Duke’s household.”
“…That’s a relief.”
It sounded almost like, unless royalty themselves came, no one could touch the House of Blois. Seeing him in this light, Sia couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Until she turned at the sound of Marie approaching.
“Master, I apologize immensely.”
“Lord Nox, you know Marie isn’t at fault, right? I’m the one who insisted on going out.”
“Haha…”
He had never planned to blame Marie. Even if Sia’s kindness had started it, Marie was the only one who genuinely served the black-haired Sia from the heart.
“I don’t intend to blame anyone. Come here.”
Nox wrapped an arm around Sia’s waist just as she tried to step away from him. Holding her firmly with one arm, he asked with a smile,
“Since you’re out, shall we take a proper look around?”
Sia’s eyes lit up. She’d wanted to see more of the gorgeous autumn colors.
“Where to? How far does this mountain stretch?”
“This range runs to the lands of the Wolf Clan and the Serpent Clan. Go farther up and it connects to the vast Snowy Mountains.”
“Wow.”
“Then, put your arms around my neck.”
“…Like this?”
Even after sharing his bed, she still felt shy simply holding onto him, maybe because they were outdoors, not indoors.
Fwoosh.
The moment she wrapped her arms around him, Nox leapt upward as if taking flight. Bounding lightly from tree to tree, he moved with incredible agility. In his arms, Sia felt sheer terror.
“Waaah!”
Clinging to him felt like riding a wild horse. She remembered her first arrival at the ducal estate, but this was far scarier. She was experiencing firsthand that even if he looked human, a werebeast could leap terrifyingly high.
Her grip tightened until she clung to him with her whole body. Nox held her securely and landed on a massive, thick tree branch as wide as a commoner’s house.
“Scared? We’re here now, you can stop being afraid.”
Sia lifted her head from where she’d buried it against his chest.
“Wow…”
Before her eyes spread a breathtaking mountain view at sunset. Autumn maples flamed in layered colors, and above them an even deeper crimson dusk slowly faded. The sky and earth glowed entirely red. She couldn’t look away.
“It’s a small repayment for the trouble you’ve endured these past days, but I hope you like it.”
At Nox’s words, Sia looked up at him. The soft smile on his face, bathed in gentle red sunlight, was like a painting.
“…I love it.”
Both the scene before her, and Nox, who cherished her so dearly.
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