Chapter 64
Chapter 64
***
Minerva quietly watched the silently weeping girl. Next time, I should teach her how to cry out loud.
She recalled the girl dropping to her knees the moment she saw her. It was still shocking.
How could they… Minerva frowned and sighed. Her son had thrown a fit, forbidding any contact, gifts, or news from the Count’s family. In hindsight, it was a remarkably wise decision.
He was so excited about seizing the Count’s mine soon. And he had planned to torment them by taking away everything piece by piece, hadn’t he? He had said it wouldn’t be fun to destroy them all at once.
At the time, she had only thought her son was mad, but seeing the girl now, that wasn’t enough.
She began to formulate plans to make the rest of their lives even more miserable. Then Minerva paused, deciding to think about it later. There were more pressing matters at hand.
When she gets off the boat, I’ll give her some tea, and plenty of delicious food since she must be exhausted from crying. She’d have to call someone to take care of her skin and give her a massage, just in case she’d gotten sunburned. There was much to do.
***
And so, Ailee now lay on Minerva’s bed, receiving a facial massage. Minerva was receiving one as well, on a separate massage bed beside her.
With the addition of calming aromatherapy, Minerva’s room felt more peaceful and comfortable than ever.
After rehydrating with grapefruit ade, and receiving a soothing mask and massage, Ailee’s skin was glowing. It was hard to believe she had been crying just moments ago.
“So, dear, I grabbed the bear by the scruff of its neck, shook it, and then slammed it into the ground.”
Ailee felt her mind drift as she listened to Minerva’s story.
After crying, she had been embarrassed and tried to flee, but Minerva had anticipated her escape route. She had been ushered along, plied with ade and pastries, and now found herself lying here, getting a massage.
Everything had happened so quickly since her embarrassing display that Ailee still hadn’t fully processed the situation.
Why am I here? Despite her dazed state, she focused on Minerva’s story.
Minerva was more of a warrior than a scholar, and she was more likely to draw words out of others than to speak at length herself. But looking at Ailee’s innocent, bewildered eyes, she found herself talking freely. It felt like telling tall tales to a granddaughter, though there was also a daughter-like affection.
“My husband wailed that even if it was a bear, I shouldn’t just suplex it. I told him that the world is a cruel place, governed by survival of the fittest, and since the bear wasn’t strong enough to hunt me, it was only natural that it got suplexed.”
A wistful smile touched Minerva’s lips as she reminisced.
The story was from when Minerva and her husband, Dale, had gone on a picnic in the mountains during their academy days.
As a child, Minerva had been exceptionally disobedient and prone to mischief, while Dale had been busy trying to dissuade her, often tearfully. His pleas never worked, and he usually ended up getting punished alongside her. He resented being punished for her actions, but he always stuck by her side, trying to stop her.
The encounter with the bear had also stemmed from Minerva’s restlessness. She had declared a simple picnic boring, unsuitable for their age, and had plotted to ditch their teachers. Spotting an interesting-looking cave, she had decided to explore it.
Dale had pleaded with her not to go, calling it dangerous, but she had dismissed him as a coward and waved him away. He had refused to be left alone, insisting it would be even more frightening, and followed her closely. Even inside the cave, he had continued to warn her of the dangers, urging her to turn back.
But in the end, just like this incident and countless others that followed, Dale had never succeeded in stopping Minerva.
Sometimes, it seemed Dale was angrier at himself for failing to stop her dangerous antics than at being punished. How foolish.
“My husband sulked for a week and refused to speak to me. I had such a hard time making it up to him.”
Unlike Minerva, who had many friends, Dale, despite being the only son of the Grand Duke, had none. He had endured the constant threat of Minerva’s unpredictable nature and had been treated like a ticking time bomb. Yet, he had stubbornly refused to speak to her, keeping to himself. She had thought him rather peculiar.
Well, he was peculiar. Few from the Blashur Dukedom attended the academy.
A week later, Minerva had finally declared that she would no longer do anything dangerous, that she would listen to him, and that she would respect life. Only then had Dale finally met her gaze.
“Of course, that declaration didn’t last a day.” Minerva chuckled softly, remembering the incident.
“Since we’re talking about my husband, I was thinking of visiting him tomorrow. I’d like you to come with me.”
Ailee’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Minerva. Catching her gaze, Minerva smiled warmly.
“…Alright.”
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