Chapter 136
“Seems like she tried, but the results didn’t quite follow.”
“…”
“Personality wise? I can’t really say, since we weren’t close.”
“Let’s take her with us for now.”
If she was easygoing, they could ask nicely; if not, they could just restrain her. But before Eugenie could turn away from Elaine, she pricked up her ears at the sound of flowing water.
The underground water here still ran.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t that tree pervert do something with this water 100 years ago?’
Turning the Sabnac family into mana stones, then liquid, and pouring it into the water again…
‘That sounds very interesting.’
Eugenie didn’t know exactly what was so amusing, but it was always good to gather as many clues as possible.
After finishing their exploration of the abandoned mine, they began to head back up to the surface.
* * *
The group ascended without major trouble. Magnus and Alfred, who had been waiting outside, felt the aftershocks of the quake and were about to enter when they met the others, so there was no wasted time.
Elaine Sabnac was safely brought back to the duke’s castle. Though the castle doctors said “no serious issues”, she showed no sign of waking even as evening fell.
Eugenie paced anxiously in the room where Elaine was cared for.
“Even after sleeping for a hundred years, this is… Maybe I should wake her with magic?”
“Let’s wait a little longer, Eugenie.”
Carter gently held back Eugenie’s hand as she reached out again.
“You’re still weak yourself, and this is her energy level. Once the nutrition issue is resolved, she’ll wake up on her own. So let’s wait a bit more.”
“Alright… I understand.”
Eugenie agreed, unusually rolling her eyes.
She’d been worried about Carter’s sour mood earlier in the mine, but now he seemed better, which was a relief. She always shrinks a bit when he’s upset—probably because of mistakes from their childhood.
‘But that needs to change too, right?’
Didn’t Percival say something like that in her memories?
“There should be no guilt in relationships.”
That phrase stuck in her mind because she wanted to believe it. Carter was the person she felt most guilty towards.
‘After Mother, at least.’
Eugenie Morgan Norton wasn’t exactly skilled at emotional talk, but beginnings are always difficult.
Just as she was about to gather courage to speak, Carter waved a hand at her.
“Carter—”
“I’ll keep watch here, so you go get some rest. You’ve been through a lot since morning.”
“Ah… okay, thank you.”
In the end, Eugenie scratched her head and left the room.
‘Let me deal with Elaine first, then I’ll bring it up.’
She wasn’t running away—just lacking courage at the moment.
When she stepped outside, someone unexpected was waiting in the hallway.
“Lady.”
“Cassius? Is your ankle still hurting?”
“No way.”
Cassius’s ankle had been fully healed thanks to the magic Eugenie had charged.
“Then why? What’s going on?”
“Honestly… don’t you think you should at least thank me for what happened underground?”
“…Huh?”
Eugenie tilted her head, puzzled by the odd choice of words.
Thank him? The husband who was physically younger? Objectively, what had he done in that cave?
She asked seriously,
“For just existing?”
“For stepping in for Duke Troys, and for not telling anyone what I saw in my memories.”
“Ah…!”
“You don’t want others to know.”
Cassius smiled awkwardly. Since Eugenie Norton already knew everything, there was no point pretending not to.
“I don’t want to remember being dragged around like that.”
“…”
“I don’t want that day’s story to be gossip either.”
Eugenie Norton continued uncovering things based on what she saw in his memories—but never revealed that the source was his memories.
‘Maybe Eugenie Norton didn’t think much of it.’
But for him—who’d survived on pride since Theodora Norton saved him—that meant a lot.
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