Chapter 48
“To another room?”
“Yes. The room next to the Grand Duke’s.”
Starting the very next day, changes took place immediately. My room, which had been a guest room on the second floor, was moved to the room next to Chase’s on the third floor. I didn’t know why it had to be right next to his, but since a mage held an important position, I accepted it as reasonable.
Holding only a single ointment in my hand, I stepped inside, and the moment I saw the new room, my eyes widened. Unlike the guest room I had stayed in until now, it was extremely luxurious and spacious.
“Long-sleeved dresses and even winter outerwear have been prepared. The rest of the clothes will be properly arranged according to the season when it changes.”
“Thank you, Sir Anthony.”
“It’s nothing.”
The wardrobe was filled not only with clothes but also shoes and small accessories.
“But… there’s so much?”
“There are many places to purify this winter. It’s a sign that we’re counting on you, so we prepared thoroughly.”
“I’ll of course do the purification, but… these clothes look very expensive. When did all this…”
I had only gone to sleep and woken up, yet so many changes had happened in such a short time that I felt dazed.
Anthony simply smiled.
“May I try them on?”
“Yes. Of course. They all belong to you. Please use them freely.”
“Thank you.”
After Anthony left, I picked out an outfit and put it on, then looked outside from the new room. The view was slightly higher than before. Maybe because of that, it felt like my existence had been properly acknowledged.
No, it had been acknowledged.
I was allowed to stay here. I had become the mage of Grand Duke Heinrich. Finally, I was escaping the brink of death. It wasn’t complete yet since Michael was still alive, but still.
Michael would begin his activities in spring. In the original story, the events began after I became his test subject. Back then, he conducted experiments where he drew my blood, mixed it with mana, and fed it to people to turn them into monsters… but now, I hadn’t been captured by him. So there was no way for him to carry out those experiments.
Still, with his intelligence and persistence, and with his life goal of creating monsters that retained reason, he wouldn’t give up on me easily.
I knew the location of Michael’s castle from the original story. But right now, he wasn’t there. He only moved there after starting his forced monster-creation activities. The fact that this was before the original story began was a hindrance in many ways.
Haah.
As I let out a small sigh, I saw Chase entering outside the window. Riding a jet-black horse, his hair flowing, he was coming into the castle. Behind him, Logan and two other subordinates followed.
I hurried down to the first floor.
“Chase!”
As I opened the front door, Chase was just getting off his horse. After spotting me, he handed the reins to an attendant and walked over.
“How’s your condition?”
At this point, it felt like he asked that every time he saw me.
“I’m fine. More importantly, thank you for the clothes.”
I smiled brightly at him. Chase looked down at me quietly, then lowered himself and whispered by my ear.
“From now on, whenever you go out to purify on rainy days, wear dark-colored clothes.”
Come to think of it, I had forgotten. Yesterday, th-th-that…
Stammering like a fool, I asked him with a flushed face,
“So… you saw it?”
“Be grateful. I was the only one who saw.”
‘Th-that’s… really a relief.‘
I fanned my reddening cheeks with my hand, trying to calm them, when Chase tilted his head slightly. It was a gesture telling me to go inside the lobby.
Before going in, I glanced back at Logan and gave a small wave. Logan smiled and bowed his head in return. Then, as I stepped inside, Chase’s expression had hardened.
“I told you not to take interest in my subordinates.”
“I can’t even greet them? I want to get along with other people too.”
“Who said you couldn’t greet them?”
“Then?”
“Go ahead. But..”
Chase, who had started up the stairs first, suddenly turned back toward me.
“Do it with a stiff expression.”
…What does that even mean? If I have to greet people with a stiff expression, it’d be better not to greet them at all.
Thinking that Chase was acting strangely today, I followed him into his office. As usual, a citrus scent lingered, and the fireplace was burning with a comfortable warmth.
“Sit.”
After having me sit first, Chase signaled to the attendant who had followed. Shortly after, attendants placed a large box on the table and left.
Chase, who had taken off his cloak and jacket and set them on the console by the fireplace, came over and sat beside me. Setting everything else aside, I was curious about what was inside the pretty box that didn’t quite suit him, and as I looked at it, he pushed the box, tightly wrapped with a pretty ribbon, toward me.
“Open it. It’s yours.”
Then, as if something occurred to him belatedly, he looked at my hand and furrowed his brows.
“When exactly is that hand going to heal?”
“The bandage will come off next week. What is this?”
A gift? The clothes alone were already more than enough.
Without answering my question, Chase opened the box. As the ribbon tied with a golden string came undone and the large box opened, my eyes widened.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.