Edited.

35.

“Lord Diazi. It’s Von Bains.”

“Lord Bains. Come in.”

As Von entered the room, Norma closed the book he had been reading with a loud thud.

“You’re reading a book again today. What on earth are you reading every day?”

Von boasted excellent peripheral vision as a knight. Norma swiftly pushed the book aside, but Von had seen it.

‘―What is Lang?’

I didn’t see the first two letters, but apparently the title was like that. Von groaned inwardly.

What is Lang? With?

TL/N: <It was Like this in the raws Okay>

Could it be love?

‘Are you reading a romantic novel…?’

Thinking so, Von handed a basket toward Norma, wondering if she was that free.

As if waiting, something popped out of the basket. Norma reached out with a hearty laugh.

“You’ve gotten healthier.”

“If you touch it with your hand, you’ll start sneezing again, Lord Diazi.”

Norma embraced the black cat that had eagerly run to him.

It was the cat they met in Katam. Unable to find its mother and not wanting to part from Norma, it ended up being brought to Diazi.

The unexpected separation happened when Norma started coughing for no apparent reason, and the doctor, citing something like a celestial force, suggested that it might be because of the cat’s fur.

The doctor took the cat away, claiming that there was an injury to the cat’s tail and that its condition worsened during a long journey. Thus, the two arrived in Diazi, separated from each other.

Finally, after the tail fracture treatment was completed and Von brought it back, Norma reunited with the cat after almost two months.

Despite the long absence, the cat curled up affectionately, seemingly remembering Norma. Seeing the baby cat digging into his lap after two months of not seeing it, Norma felt a pang in his chest.

“Intelligent little thing.”

Pride was evident in Norma’s voice.

“Lord Diazi. By the way, about the cat. Ah, does the cat have a name?”

“During the separation, I named her. Antoinette.”

“…Ah, yes. A wonderful name.”

Von thought the unexpectedly grand name seemed more like a human name, but he didn’t care.

“Anyway, according to the specialist, the cat… No, Antoinette seems to be something other than a cat.”

“Not a cat? But she’s so tiny.”

Norma, who lifted Antoinette, examined her while asking.

“Well… Actually, even if you ask for my opinion, it seems she’s not a cat. Have you ever seen Antoinette’s fangs?”

Antoinette had never revealed her teeth to Norma. It was a sign of extreme displeasure. Antoinette, guarding against everyone except Norma, showed her fangs and claws when she felt threatened, and they looked like those of a wild beast.

Norma, who received Antoinette from the doctor and the servants, was puzzled. However, due to the ongoing quarrels between his stubborn father and brother, Norma, cut off from the outside due to the dispute over money, was unaware of the commotion.

“The doctor asked if there really was no mother around. A large wild beast, like a leopard, rather than an adult male.”

Norma widened his eyes and looked down at Antoinette. Was it really true? His gaze questioned, but Antoinette just buried herself in Norma’s arms, innocent and guileless.

“Is Antoinette a black-marked lynx? Before leaving Katam, I tried several times to find her mother. I didn’t find the mother cat, but no matter how you put it, I’ve never seen such a large animal… near Katam, in the middle of the empire, and especially in a large city like Katam, a large beast like a black-marked lynx has never been recorded in history. So the doctor seems skeptical. Whether it’s a mutation or not, it doesn’t grow much either.”

“…”

“Anyway, that’s what the doctor said. He said he’ll come to see her soon. Are you really going to keep her? Even if she’s small, she’s a wild beast. Lord Diazi, you even sneeze because of Antoinette’s fur.”

“Since she has no mother and hasn’t grown for two months, returning Antoinette to the wild seems unreasonable.”

Von nodded in agreement with Norma’s words. Even though she appeared to be a wild beast, Antoinette seemed too small in his eyes. If she really was a sudden mutation that wouldn’t grow any further, it would be challenging for her to survive in the wild.

“Antoinette follows me well, and I find her extremely cute, so maybe my sneezing is worth it.”

Norma said while looking into Antoinette’s eyes. Antoinette had dense blue eyes against her jet-black fur, and oddly, when touched by sunlight, her blue eyes would momentarily appear violet.

Norma’s smile brightened at this sight.

‘As I thought, she resembles her.’

Norma, who chuckled inwardly, quickly fell silent. Memories of the day when Antoinette first nestled into his arms flashed back. That day had been shocking for Norma in various ways. He returned to the inn with Antoinette, leaving only a letter and disappearing.

And then, he remembered the shocking words he heard that morning, one after another. Realizing his emotions, he momentarily forgot that crucial fact until he saw Antoinette.

‘On that morning, she definitely mentioned having a precious fiancé.’

Norma had heard her say that she had a “precious fiancé.” At the time, the younger Norma couldn’t understand why his heart had fluttered so much when she said that.

“…”

Von, holding the baby wild beast, was unable to follow the handsome man with a suddenly forlorn expression.

Wondering why Norma was acting like that, Von glanced at him and instantly saw a determined expression on Norma’s face. Von was already uneasy.

In Norma’s current state of mind, his thoughts were filled with Iris. It was like a field of flowers, specifically limited to Iris. His emotions dominated him more than reason did. Only a super positive circuit was working, and moral reasoning didn’t apply.

A fiancé? Not even a husband. What does that even mean? Precious? It could mean a different kind of preciousness.

If Norma were truly crazy, one could say he was intoxicated by the emotion of liking someone for the first time. Sometime in the past, when Iris urged him to break free from the old imperial laws and restrictions and live freely, it had played a significant role.

“I heard that, as a gesture of gratitude for Romdak and as a return favor, your father will personally go to Macfoy this time.”

Norma said with a refreshed expression.

“Is that the journey he’s talking about that’s starting in a week? Yes. A month later, the tournament will be held in Capital, so Lord Diazi will visit Macfoy first and then proceed to attend the tournament directly. Since the lord needs to focus on Nix’s sealing for a while.”

One month later, there is a tournament held at the end of the year. It was undoubtedly the most important meeting during the noble assembly, a large-scale conference that determined the benefits of territories, confirming significant budgets. As such, influential aristocrats, who held sway over the territories, attended without exception.

With all the imperial aristocrats gathering in capital, it could be considered the most splendid social season in capital, following the National Foundation Festival.

“Hmm… I don’t think I can wait until next week. Can it be moved forward?”

Norma murmured while stroking Antoinette.

“Why is that?”

Can’t wait for what? Is this really Lord Norma Diazi, the epitome of moderation? Von’s pupils shook.

“Lord Bains. I need to see my father.”

Norma said with a sweet voice, carefully cradling the baby leopard. It was the kind of voice that could captivate anyone unnecessarily, and Von, unable to control his expression, eventually furrowed his brow slightly.

Norma felt somewhat relaxed, thinking that Antoinette had probably gotten better and that he would go to meet Lady Iris. However, he ended up sneezing due to Antoinette’s fur, spoiling the mood.

* * *

Knock, knock.

“Archie. Archie, won’t you show yourself to your aunt once? Archie?”

Because Archie didn’t come down to the restaurant again today, I called for Archie eagerly in front of the door.

“Baby, your aunt is sorry. Even so, you’re not eating with your aunt.”

Knock, knock again.

However, there was no response. I wasn’t particularly patient, and at that moment, I got annoyed again.

“Oh, really! Hey! You stubborn little brat! Do you think your aunt won’t see you? Are you really going to live without seeing me? Huh? Is that what you’re going to do? Who asked you to sit in a corner and eat? Oh, forget it! I’m done, you little one!”

Soon, the door creaked open with a protesting sound. Through the slightly opened door, the pitiful expression on Mrs. Seymour’s face appeared.

Mrs. Seymour shook her head apologetically and suggested that I should just go. There was a condescending look in her eyes that seemed to say, ‘Oh, it’s two kids,’ and it made me flinch.

Seeing Archie’s stubborn back through the small gap, it seemed inevitable that I had to retreat again today. Eventually, I went back to my room quietly and, true to my temper, randomly threw a cushion somewhere.

“Who do you take after to be so stubborn and willful?”

Then, I lay on the bed. As Mrs. Seymour suggested, Archie’s anger was indeed remarkable.

“After all, even if my aunt really dies, I’ll only find out a year later! Am I stupid for making a fuss? I’m not a fool. I’m not a coward! Why treat me like a child only now?”

“….”

“Why aren’t you saying anything!”

“It’s not that—”

“How terrifying I must have been! My aunt! Really! You’re such a fool! Bad personality!”

I couldn’t say anything for a moment due to the extraordinary eloquence of the little one.

Well, maybe I was worried for no reason. I was trying to protect you. I thought it was the best thing to do.

“….”

However, I couldn’t speak in front of Archie. In the end, it was an excuse.

I felt incredibly tired for some reason. I curled up under the blanket and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Maybe it was because I was shattered by Mrs. Seymour for the first time in a long time. Or maybe the cold war with Archie had dragged on longer than I thought.

For the first time in a very long time, I had a dream about the past.

The past.

When I said the past in my 25 years of life, Ophelia could not be omitted. I had always been with Ophelia from the moment I started reading and writing. From some point I couldn’t remember, I was always with that child.

‘Ugh, why is she showing up again? Annoying.’

In the dream, I saw myself and Ophelia having a conversation inside a carriage.

Ophelia and I looked about fifteen. Of course, I only knew the child’s face up to the age of fifteen.

For some reason, on that day, I was furious, complaining to Ophelia, and the child was laughing at something funny. For some reason, while I was watching my past as a third party, I soon realized what day it was.

‘No.’

I thought so, and the carriage overturned.

That day, Ophelia and I experienced the carriage accident that we had only heard about. Unluckily, I rolled out of the carriage and Ophelia, wanting to become a corpse, started to descend a relatively low cliff to find me. Useless knights were in disarray.

‘No. Ophelia, you stupid! Don’t go!’

In the dream, I shouted like crazy towards Ophelia, who was approaching me.

Of course, it was impossible to reach her.

Unable to move with my legs completely broken after bouncing off the low cliff, I was slowly losing consciousness after hitting my head.

At that time, someone unexpectedly appeared from the forest and approached me, lying down.

‘No. Get lost. Don’t come near us! Ophelia!’

I shouted towards the thin man who approached me while I was lying down. Naturally, he didn’t reach me.

At the moment I fell into a slump and woke up from the dream. The nightmare was clear.