97.

Von blinked furiously, trying to focus on the face of the man who had pulled him out of the water.

In truth, he didn’t need to blink at all. Even though the world around him blurred, the man’s face stood out with startling clarity.

“…”

A heavy silence hung in the air. It wasn’t just between the two of them; it was as if every living thing in the vicinity had fallen into slumber.

Norma, who had just swum up from the bottom of the pond, sensed the strange atmosphere. He’d assumed that when he emerged and found Von flailing, the knight had merely slipped into the water.

But now he saw it wasn’t just Von in the water. The McFoy knights, soaked to the bone, were staring at him like they’d seen a ghost.

‘It doesn’t seem like they were having fun swimming. They must have been looking for me.’

Norma quickly pieced the situation together.

‘Ah—’

Archie.

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. If the knights were like this, Archie must have been terrified.

Norma immediately dropped Von—literally throwing him back into the water—and looked around for Archie. Von splashed noisily, flailing in the pond again, but Norma paid him no mind as his gaze darted around.

He quickly spotted Archie standing on the bridge, looking down at him.

‘Oh no.’

The moment he saw Archie’s face, Norma felt his heart tighten. The boy’s expression was troubling.

His small brow was furrowed, his face pale, and his tiny hands trembled ever so slightly.

Norma didn’t care anymore about the crushing weight of Igor’s voice he’d heard earlier. He pushed through the water, making his way toward Archie on the bridge.

As he approached, Archie’s expression crumpled further. Though his violet eyes filled with tears, the boy didn’t let them fall.

Holding back tears was an old habit of Archie’s. His proud aunt had always taught him never to cry in front of others.

Norma pulled himself onto the bridge, his movements heavier than usual due to his waterlogged robes. He knelt on one knee to match Archie’s eye level.

“Archie.”

He called softly, his voice gentle.

Biting his lip hard to stop himself from crying, Archie hesitated before stepping closer. He clung to the drenched collar of Norma’s robe with both hands, gripping it tightly as if to say, ‘Don’t go anywhere.’

Norma felt an overwhelming urge to scold himself for falling into the water.

He wanted to comfort Archie by holding him close, but he was too drenched. Hugging the boy would leave him just as soaked.

Yet, when he felt Archie’s small fists trembling against his collar, Norma had no choice. He wrapped his arms around Archie, pulling him close.

Patting Archie’s back softly, Norma closed his eyes. While the gesture was meant to comfort the child, he found himself feeling a sense of relief, as though a heavy weight had lifted from his chest.

Even though he had dismissed Igor’s pitiful voice without hesitation, the lingering effects of it had dragged him down. Now, it felt as if Archie’s small hands were pulling him back up.

In a quiet voice, Norma whispered.

“Thank you for holding on to me.”

“…”

“You were really scared, weren’t you? I’m sorry.”

“Why… why didn’t you come up? You stayed under for so long…”

Archie mumbled, his face buried in Norma’s shoulder.

“Was I under for a long time?”

“I don’t know. You wouldn’t come up no matter how long I waited. I-I was about to send for a messenger—h-heuk—send for help—”

Finally, Archie couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into tears. He sobbed so hard he began gasping for breath. Norma tightened his hold on the boy, silently reassuring him that he didn’t need to say anything more.

“I see. I’m sorry. I thought I came up right away, but I must have taken too long. That’s my fault,” Norma said softly.

“…As long as you know,” Archie sniffled, his tone faintly chiding.

For a brief moment, Norma felt as though he were talking to Aisa. Without realizing it, a small smile crept onto his face.

Norma continued to comfort Archie for a while. When his gaze drifted toward the pond, he frowned slightly, staring at the dark center.

The water. The goddess. The legend.

Somehow, the voice of Igor on the bridge felt different from his usual hallucinations.

‘I don’t sense anything unusual here.’

This area might have been a true holy site during the Empire’s early days, when divine power was said to dwell in everything. But now, there was no trace of such power.

The voice of Igor. The vision of a young Nicholas.

Everything about it felt strangely deliberate, like someone was playing tricks on him.

Still, the sensation he’d experienced in the water—the space between life and death—was something no one could mimic. It wasn’t worth overthinking, he decided.

“Uncle, I thought you weren’t coming back,” Archie’s voice broke through Norma’s thoughts.

“Why would I do that? I plan to see you grow up, get married, and have children,” Norma said, playfully releasing Archie from his embrace to meet his gaze.

Though he was joking, his words carried a note of sincerity.

Archie, who had been staring into Norma’s golden eyes, buried his face against Norma’s shoulder again and gave a small nod. His response suggested he was satisfied with the answer.

Norma, amused by the rare display of childish affection from the boy who loved acting grown-up, gently stroked Archie’s back and whispered in a warm tone.

“I told you to be careful, but I’m the one who fell. Aisa will scold me when we get back.”

“She’ll scold you a lot. A ‘lot’, a lot,” Archie muttered, still clutching Norma tightly.

Norma chuckled softly, feeling the last of his tension fade.

“…Are you laughing?”

Archie’s expression darkened immediately. He pulled back slightly, glaring at Norma.

Though Archie was beginning to relax, he was still upset with his uncle for scaring him. The brief time when Norma had disappeared into the water had been terrifying.

And now, this man had the audacity to laugh?

Archie, thoroughly offended, began to pout.

“Uncle, you’re in so much trouble. I’m going to tell Auntie everything that happened today.”

“…”

“You’ll see. She’s going to scold you properly. You scared me so much, you ‘deserve’ it. My aunt is really scary when she’s angry.”

Norma loosened his hold slightly, studying Archie’s face. Meeting the boy’s tearful violet eyes, Norma abandoned any thoughts of pleading for leniency.

‘This is entirely my fault.’

He sighed and lifted Archie into his arms. The boy, who usually hated being carried, clung to him this time without complaint.

“We’d better head home before we both catch a cold.”

Hearing the word ‘home,’ Archie felt a strange sense of comfort. For the first time, it truly felt like he was part of a family with Norma.

Trying to hide the warm, fuzzy feeling, Archie glanced away, but Norma, ever observant, noticed the subtle shift in his expression.

The ride back was not without a small argument. Archie, still clinging to Norma’s robe like a worried puppy, insisted on riding with his uncle.

“You’ll get cold. You’re already soaked from being near me,” Norma reasoned.

But Archie shook his head stubbornly.

“I don’t care. We’re almost home anyway. I won’t ride with Harry,” Archie declared firmly.

Von tried to stifle a laugh as Harry sighed, looking rather crestfallen. It wasn’t the first time Archie had refused to ride with Harry today. Earlier, he had chosen Von’s horse simply out of curiosity, leaving Harry to mask his disappointment.

In the end, the McFoy family’s short outing concluded with everyone soaked to the bone, much to the astonishment of the entire castle.

* * *

“Are they back?”

When I asked abruptly, Erika’s assistant shook his head in a panic, unable to speak.

“Still not back? What on earth are they doing out there? It’s nearly sunset,” I muttered, grumbling as I lowered my head to focus on the papers again.

But I couldn’t concentrate. The words blurred before my eyes. I didn’t want to see this; I wanted to look at something else.

‘Something else?’

Startled by my wandering thoughts, I tossed the quill aside. Leaning back in my chair, I closed my eyes in frustration.

‘Damn it. Why are they taking so long?’

I had lost count of how many times I had subtly asked Erika’s assistant about Norma and Archie’s whereabouts.

It felt like ages since they had left the castle. By now, I was sure they should have returned. But the assistant’s repeated answer crushed my expectations.

“The two of them have yet to return, my Lord.”

Since then, I had been asking about their whereabouts roughly every ten minutes, leaving Erika’s assistant sweating nervously under my increasingly dark expression. Not that I cared. I made no effort to hide my irritation.

“Young Master Archie didn’t go out alone. Surely they’ll return soon. What are you so worried about?”

Erika, observing my increasingly severe frown, clicked her tongue softly and muttered as if talking to herself.

I had no response. Even I couldn’t understand my behavior. Left with nothing to say, I ignored her snide remark.

At that moment, a soft purring sound drew my attention. Opening my eyes slightly, I saw Antoinette perched confidently on my desk, her small paws pressing against the scattered papers.

Antoinette tilted her head at me. As I absentmindedly stroked the tiny predator’s forehead, I wondered what exactly was causing this unease to fester within me.

‘What is this feeling? Am I really this annoyed about missing teatime? I’m not Archie… Could it be… a sense of exclusion? No, it’s not that. It feels more like—’

The answer felt just out of reach.

Suddenly, Antoinette, who had been curled up quietly, sprang to her feet, breaking my train of thought.