Chapter 16
Cassius returned home late at night.
Lately, incidents of snow creatures crossing the borders and invading civilian homes have become more frequent. Their breeding season typically occurs in the dead of winter, not summer. While it wasn’t unusual for them to raid villages for food during their breeding season, but such events in the summer were rare.
Cassius had been out investigating the cause, venturing beyond the border, and was exhausted upon his return.
“It feels like I’m close to finding a clue, but I can’t grasp it.”
He rubbed his eyes firmly as he opened the door to his room.
“…Theo?”
“Brother!”
A small head popped up from the bed. Theo dashed over and threw himself into Cassius’s arms. Even now, Cassius couldn’t believe this moment was real. It was a moment he had desperately wished for but never thought would come true.
The child’s warmth wriggled in his embrace.
Cassius clenched his teeth.
The child, whom he once thought might never survive, was now awake, speaking, and walking. Coming back home, the reality of it hit him all over again. He lifted Theo, who was barely the size of a six-year-old.
So light.
“What brings you here? Have you eaten?”
“I had dinner! Um, but I couldn’t sleep…”
“And your nanny?”
“Dunno.”
Theo shook his head vigorously. Cassius set him down on the sofa, removing his outerwear and loosening his shirt buttons while sneaking glances at the boy. Theo was bursting with excitement, clearly eager to tell him everything he’d done today.
Cassius couldn’t help but smile.
“But the nanny’s left him alone again.”
He had been receiving regular reports about the nanny. Luna, in particular, often criticized her with sharp words. It was clear that Luna’s hostility toward Charlotte had shifted to the nanny.
The nanny frequently overstepped her boundaries, disrespected Charlotte, and neglected her duties. Though Cassius had been holding off on making a move to avoid confusing the recently awakened Theo, but he didn’t plan to let things continue as they were.
Setting those thoughts aside for now, Cassius turned his attention back to Theo.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
“These days, that witch keeps going to the garden every day.”
“She’s not a witch—she’s your sister-in-law.”
Theo pouted. As expected, his brother had completely fallen under the witch’s spell. That’s what the nanny had said—that the Duke had married the Duchess because he was bewitched.
The nanny had told Theo it was his duty to break the spell. If he didn’t, the witch would ruin Irtesia.
That was why Theo had spent the past few days following Charlotte around and keeping an eye on her.
“I’ve been watching witc—um, sister-in-law.”
“I see.”
So he’s been following her.
Cassius narrowed his eyes. Fortunately, Theo didn’t appear to have suffered any injuries—other than a scraped knee from falling down, at least.
He was still wary of Charlotte.
“I specifically told them not to leave Theo alone.”
Click.
Cassius clicked his tongue in irritation. It seemed the nanny was still avoiding her duties. Meanwhile, Theo, oblivious to Cassius’s inner frustration, continued speaking.
“She made me something weird!”
Cassius turned his gaze to Theo, who pulled out a bottle of bubble solution from the table. Charlotte had told him not to play with it indoors, but right now, showing his brother this magical thing was far more important.
Theo dipped a wand into the soap solution, just as Charlotte had shown him, and blew on it with a soft hoo. Round soap bubbles floated into the air.
“Isn’t it amazing, Brother?”
“…She made this for you?”
“Yes! She said I had to take my medicine if I wanted her to make me two of them.”
“Medicine?”
Cassius’s voice dropped. Medicine?
Anything was possible. In the North, there were many unexplored areas, and there were many mysterious plants. If Charlotte had used any of those mysterious plants, the medicine might not even be curable if it were poison.
Cassius gently grasped Theo’s shoulders.
“Do you remember what kind of medicine it was?”
“Yes! She said it was a supplement. It would help me grow taller, get smarter, and gain weight.”
“…A supplement?”
Now that he thought about it—was it the day before yesterday? He vaguely recalled a report he had received after coming back from patrol, exhausted. It had mentioned that Charlotte had gone into town to buy a supplement suitable for Theo.
The next day, their physician, Miller, had thoroughly examined its ingredients and confirmed there was no need to worry.
The tension drained from Cassius’s body.
“Yes, it was a supplement. But it tasted awful. Sister-in-law said that medicine is supposed to taste bad—that’s how you know it’s good for you and will make you healthy.”
“…And what else?”
“Oh.”
Theo pointed at his scraped knee, which was shiny with ointment.
“She said I had to apply medicine to my knee too if I wanted to play with the soap bubbles. So Sister-in-law put it on for me.”
Before continuing, Theo’s expression turned serious.
“Tomorrow, she’s going to read me a book and teach me how to write letters.”
“…That’s everything?”
“Hmm.” Theo tilted his head.
‘Was there more?’
“Oh! Right!”
“It’s definitely because she’s a witch, Brother. How else could she make something like this? Sister-in-law called it ‘soap bubbles,’ but you need to be careful!”
Theo clutched the bubble solution like it was evidence of Charlotte’s witchcraft, his small face filled with conviction.
Cassius, on the other hand, could only sigh. No matter how he looked at it, it was nothing more than a poorly made toy for children. He ran a hand through his hair.
So that was really all there was to it.
Cassius furrowed his brow.
He had no choice but to admit it now—Charlotte had completely changed. Whatever had caused her to change, it was undeniably for the better.
Cassius pressed his hand down on Theo’s head, ruffling his hair.
“She’s not a witch; she’s your sister-in-law. Did you remember to say thank you?”
“Uh…”
“Make sure you do it tomorrow. Understood?”
Theo pouted but nodded reluctantly.
Cassius leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. He would need to speak with Charlotte soon.
This morning, I had expected to eat breakfast alone again.
However, when I came downstairs to the dining room, Cassius was already seated in his usual spot. He briefly checked the time before speaking.
“An early breakfast today?”
He handed the newspaper he’d been reading to the head butler.
Why on earth is he here…?
I froze mid-step, unsure what to do, when he spoke again.
“Take a seat. I need to head out soon, so let’s eat quickly.”
Come to think of it, Cassius had been so busy lately that it was almost impossible to catch a glimpse of him. It was hard to believe we lived under the same roof.
Awkwardly, I sat down. Soon, the food was brought out, and we began to eat in a tense atmosphere. I was barely picking at my food when he broke the silence.
“I heard you made Theo a toy.”
“Oh… I thought he’d like it.”
“You also treated his scraped knee.”
“Well, he fell while running away from me. He shouldn’t be running around so much yet. I think I startled him.”
“I also heard you’re planning to read him a book and help him study today.”
“Um… I was bored, and Theo seemed bored too.”
“Bored?”
Cassius raised his head and fixed his gaze on me. His sharp, handsome brows furrowed slightly, as if displeased.
Why…? What else am I supposed to do here?
I couldn’t exactly go out freely, not with Cassius watching my every move. And I couldn’t leave completely either—not yet. Theo still needed me.
On top of that, if I wanted to survive, I needed to learn something useful. But I hadn’t even met the head chef yet, let alone started learning anything in the kitchen.
Theo was one of the few people here I could communicate with.
Even though he called me a witch, at least he didn’t completely ignore or avoid me like I was a ghost.
