Chapter 103

Translator: Yonnee

Ill go out for a walk with Maxwell for a little while.

After returning to the barracks, I said this to Alicia.

Huh? Oh, let me come with you, Sister.

No, Alicia. You stay here. Your complexion is a bit pale and you look tired, so just stay here and rest. Ill be right back.

Alicia was about to stand up from the sofa she was sitting on when she offered to come with me, but I lightly pressed her shoulder to stop her.

I knew that Alicia would sulk, but there was no choice.

Of course, I wasnt just going out for a walk.

She hesitated for a moment, but she eventually leaned back on the sofa again, nodding.

Truthfully, it wasnt a lie when I said that her complexion wasnt very good.

Perhaps because she was still not used to crowded places, but Alicias complexion was paler than usual.

Diana.

After gently patting Alicias shoulder to make her lean back on the sofa, I called Diana, who was standing behind that sofa.

Yes, Milady.

Diana escorted Evelyn to the carriage earlier but had now returned. She politely bowed to me.

Take care of Alicia. You can do that, right?

Yes, of course. Please dont worry while youre on your walk.

On the outside, the conversation between us sounded normal, but the gazes we exchanged at that moment were sharp.

Then, Ill leave it to you.

While nodding, I reiterated again.

And as if saying that I had nothing to worry about, Diana smiled back.

Yeah. Im sure everything will be okay until I return.

Diana would protect Alicia.

Turning my gaze downwards once more, I looked at Alicia as she was sitting on the sofa.

Her round eyes were half-lidded now, as if she was right about to drift off into sleep.

When Alicia made eye contact with me, she raised one hand weakly and waved.

Come back soon, Sister.

It was adorable how she did her best to smile even though she was already so sleepy.

Yeah, Ill be right back.

And after the short goodbye, I nodded to Ca.s.sion.

At the brief signal, Ca.s.sion followed behind me.

We left the barracks like that.

I was wearing a cloak of my own now so that we wouldnt draw any attention.

As we moved, we gradually headed away from any crowded places.

It was good that no particular gazes followed our cloaks.

Walking in silence, it was only when there was no sign of other people around that we talked again.

Didnt it seem strange earlier?

Yes. He was trying to probe.

I asked an ambiguous question, but the answer that came back was astute.

Even if I didnt mention that person, there was just one man in both our minds right now.

A scorching red gaze flashed through my thoughts.

Did he recognize me?

This time, Ca.s.sion was the one who asked.

A slight hint of concern could be heard from his voice, and he seemed to be worried that his ident.i.ty had been found out.

I answered with a shrug.

It doesnt matter. Itll be a little troublesome if he catches on, but Thats all.

Again, regardless of whether Leo was suspecting Maxwell, he wouldnt act hastily.

Leo was also tied up by his familys affairs.

Its true that he was set to be the next duke, but he was still just the successor known as young duke that had yet to come of age.

As the young duke, would he be able to attack the escort knight of an esteemed dukes daughter?

Doing so was tantamount to eliciting a spark of war.

He would not be able to forcefully take this mask off, or force myself to spit out the truth.

Besides, hed be more cautious since the funeral just happened.

Suspecting that Maxwell was Ca.s.sion would just encourage the possibility of Ca.s.sions survival.

He wouldnt dare to do so fearlessly. After all, he hurriedly held a funeral for his older brother despite the lack of a corpse.

In the novel, he was a rational man.

A cunning man.

His mother was no different, so the d.u.c.h.ess would surely block Leo from doing anything forward.

In the first place, we came here today with some resolve to draw suspicion.

Well, thats right.

Additionally, this suspicion was already part of the plan for today.

In the incident that would take place a few hours later, Ca.s.sion was scheduled to perform a spell.

At first glance, it would look like aura, but both d.u.c.h.ess Carter and Leo wouldnt mistake mana for aura.

Its to let them know that the suspicious escort knight of Rosetta Valentine knows how to wield magic.

Maxwells eye and hair color would be distinctly different from Ca.s.sion, but any suspicion thats raised once wouldnt be easy to erase.

Those two were Ca.s.sions persistent tormentors. And ironically, those two knew Ca.s.sion more than anyone else.

Still, well.

The result would be the same.

They would keep their mouths shut, and they would approach ever so cautiously.

Thinking to myself so far, I stopped walking. The man walking beside me also stopped.

A questioning glance turned to me.

The eyes behind that mask were very dark.

So dark that they looked clear.

I looked him in the eye and nodded.

The coming-of-age ball is fast approaching anyway. Its alright as long as you arent caught by then. So until that time, cant I

Cant I just be the one wholl protect you?

As I whispered the rest, beyond the lower half of the mask, his lips burst into a smile.

He was so stiff with tension just now, but he soon relaxed once more.

He smiled in silence, then he nodded slowly.

Yes. I was worried for nothing.

Mm-hmm. So put aside those futile worries. Lets just go and see what kind of pet animal Leo had released.

Right, that guy was being suspicious right now, but worrying about him wouldnt make a difference.

We just had to stick to what were meant to do right now.

Thats why we came here under the guise of a walk.

To go and see Leos pet.

No, rather, to hunt.

You mentioned a white-yellow deer, right?

When I mentioned the pet animal, Ca.s.sion asked back.

Yeah. The pet that Young Duke Carter had been raising ever since he was a cute child.

After answering, I briefly recalled the description of the white-yellow deer in the novel.

It was five times the size of a regular deer, with horns that were as upright and as hard as a tree.

It couldnt care less about any boulder as it could pierce anything with its antlers

Well, rather than calling it a pet animal, it might be better to call it a pet monster.

Calling that thing an animal would make real animals feel heartbroken.

And the moment monster was mentioned, Ca.s.sions expression grew serious.

I never thought that Leo was keeping one.

He spoke grimly. Then, he immediately murmured to himself with a small laugh.

Meanwhile, I couldnt even protect my own self.

It was a slightly self-deprecating, bitter voice.

With his head dropping as he looked at the ground, his dark blue hair shook slightly.

Like a drooping willow branch.

I stared at Ca.s.sion like this, but in a flash, I swung my hand.

I aimed straight for his neck, but he quickly grabbed my wrist.

Averting his eyes from the ground, he suddenly turned to me.

Beneath that mask, his surprised face was apparent.

Suddenly, what?

Instead of answering the question he asked in surprise, I just shrugged.

Then when his grip loosened on my wrist, I opened my lips to speak.

I mean, you looked discouraged, so.

If this is your way of cheering me up, isnt it a little too rough?

Really? I consider this to be my gentle method though.

I hummed as I answered, but no reply came back.

As if he was absolutely at a loss for words.

With a smile now, I continued.

Well, whatever the past held, you eventually survived and got to know more along the way. Leo wouldnt even be able to imagine that you now know about his pet, right?

How about it? Right now, it feels a little fairer, yes?

There was a brief stretch of silence between them.

Questions were asked but no answers were given, so the silence was inevitable.

However, the silence was not empty. His gaze was clear.

I wonder if its just fair.

Soon, a small, belated reply came back.

Then? I asked.

Even when youre next to me, it sometimes feels like youre so far ahead.

Ca.s.sion grinned.

Not bad, that confidence he had in me.

No, it was more than satisfactory.

Nodding once, I then turned away and glanced towards the steep slope in front of us. It was the base of the mountain.

This was the mountain range surrounding the hunting grounds.

However, the designated hunting ground was mainly just the forest, which had a relatively shallow slope. No one would come this way.

Considering that they were just meant to remain in the peaceful forest, theres no one who would wander into the wild mountains.

This much is fine with you, right?

I asked, glancing sideways at Ca.s.sion.

He nodded slightly.

As he turned swiftly to the side, I watched his form. Even his ankle looked relaxed.

Youve grown a lot, havent you.

I felt like a proud guardian watching her newly grown-up child.

It was only a few months ago when I found him getting beaten up by gangsters on the street.

But he could catch my wrist like this now, and he wasnt even nervous about the rugged mountain path ahead.

Whats wrong?

Hm? Oh, nothing. Its just, gosh, youre all grown up.

What are you

Now then, lets go.

Without being able to ask me further, Ca.s.sion just nodded perplexedly.

As my eyes curved into arcs, I could almost see that the forehead beneath his mask had gotten wrinkled.

I was the first to take a step forward.

Ha. And with a short sigh, Ca.s.sion followed.

In no time, we set foot into the mountains green terrain.

Dense trees and bushes soon obscured our figures.

And so, there was something that I didnt notice either.

There were people observing us.

Kururuk.

The small birds eyes rolled around.

The world that those spinning black eyes could see was round.

Even as it looked at the thicket under which Rosetta and Ca.s.sion hid.

Flapping its stiff wings, the blue bird soared across the sky.

Ku Kuruk

Along with its strange squawking, it repeatedly tilted in the air.

Soon, after a few more lopsided attempts, it began to flap its wings like an ordinary bird.

Kururuk.

Its black eyes spun once more.

And at the end of that gaze, it continued to observe the base of the mountain.