~Chapter 44~
“Ouch.”
I flinched from the stinging pain. Cedric frowned deeply and held my hand to inspect it.
“Please, be more careful.”
Cedric lowered his head and buried his face into my shoulder.
“I’m fine. Really, it doesn’t hurt at a—”
I couldn’t finish the sentence. Even the lightest touch still stung.
“Your Grace, if you hold her hand that tightly, it’ll hurt the Duchess.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Cedric let go of my hand. I looked at him with a pout and said,
“Duke, can we talk for a moment?”
“…Of course.”
Cedric dismissed the others. I sat on the sofa and quietly stared at him. His black hair fell over his eyes, so I could barely see his downcast gaze.
I suddenly stood up and lifted his chin.
“You said it yourself, Duke. When someone talks, you should look them in the eye.”
Finally making eye contact with him, I smiled brightly and continued.
“Serena Adel—she has healing powers. She was born in the North, so she’s not officially certified like the ones in the capital, but her healing ability should be just as strong.”
He looked surprised, as if wondering how I knew that. He opened his mouth but then closed it again.
“I’ve been interested in abilities like that, so I did some research. I can’t stay in the capital forever, right?”
“It must’ve been hard to get that kind of information in the capital. Do you have a source?”
“I have a friend. They listen to people’s stories and pass them on to me. I ask them for help when I need something.”
That seemed to make sense to Cedric, and he nodded.
If he hadn’t seen my own power with his own eyes, he probably wouldn’t have believed me. But now, he seemed to trust me.
“We need to keep the shipbuilders, too. When people start leaving the capital, they’ll start looking to other regions.”
It wasn’t hard to find people in the capital. If it was the Emperor’s order, they’d find them by any means.
“We can’t let Father take people from the North.”
I held Cedric’s hand and spoke with urgency.
“Understood. I’ll have them sign a contract.”
“I don’t think people of the North would ever betray you, even without a contract. I believe in their loyalty.”
“I know you’re suggesting contracts because of His Majesty.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
It was a relief that he understood my intentions.
The reason people stayed here in the North instead of going to the capital must be because they truly cared for this place.
‘Well, Cedric treating his people well probably helps too.’
Compared to the capital, taxes here were lower, and mana stones were distributed fairly.
Of course, the skilled workers still had to travel for their jobs, but I couldn’t help worrying.
That’s why we needed contracts.
In the Empire, any document with the royal seal or signature held undeniable power.
And we had Isabel. If she signed it, even my father wouldn’t be able to touch it.
‘The only problem is whether Isabel will help or not.’
If she didn’t, that would be a different story—but I didn’t think she was that cold-hearted.
“As soon as Isabel wakes up, I’ll get her signature.”
After all, I did save her life—she owed me that much. I smiled with determination.
I meant to go see Isabel, so why was I sitting at the dining table?
Cedric said we’d go check on the princess’s condition, but instead, he brought me to the dining room.
The table was filled with food I hadn’t seen being prepared. Any dish that went untouched was quickly replaced.
“D-Duke, I can eat on my own.”
I blinked at the piece of meat held up to my mouth.
“Your hand’s injured.”
“…I can still manage this much.”
“That’s not possible.”
Even though I said I could, Cedric didn’t budge. He rested his chin on his hand, watching me as if he’d hold it there until I took a bite.
“Say ‘ah.’”
“…I—”
“We’re married. What’s the big deal?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“And we even have a baby now.”
“…That’s also true.”
His blue eyes sparkled with stubbornness. His hand didn’t move an inch, clearly determined to feed me.
“Doesn’t your arm hurt?”
“It’s trained from swordsmanship. I’m fine.”
Tap.
He touched my lips with the meat and smiled. But only his mouth smiled—his eyes didn’t. The expression was oddly intense.
He looked at me as if to say, How long are you going to keep your mouth shut?
“You’re so stubborn, Madam. I’ll have to feed you myself.”
“…Feed me yourself?”
Isn’t that what he’s doing now?
Maybe sensing my confusion, Cedric tapped his own lips with his finger.
“Directly.”
Chomp.
I quickly ate the meat he offered. Finally, he smiled for real and picked up another piece.
I shook my head, signaling that I didn’t want more. But Cedric just smiled even more brightly.
“Madam, if you don’t eat all this, I will feed you every bite.”
So I had no choice but to eat the next piece he offered too.
‘Isn’t this a little too luxurious for me?’
Bahala looked at us with teary eyes, clearly moved by Cedric’s tenderness.
Later…
“Woowoo!” (Master! Come out here quickly!)
I rubbed my eyes and sat up. It was already dark outside.
“You should’ve woken me.”
“Grrr…” (I did. You didn’t wake up.)
“…What’s going on?”
“Woowoo! Woof! Woof woof!” (We found the tree! The leopard really pulled it off and looks so proud!)
“Really?!”
I rushed to open the window. The leopard had climbed up the tree and was holding a branch in its mouth.
“Grrr.” (Praise me.)
“Grrrr.” (I was the one who gave you the location.)
“Gasp!” (It was useless because of the landslide!)
“Well done. Come here.”
I reached out my hand. The leopard came to the tip of the branch and handed me the stick.
“You found the cluster.”
I received the branch with both hands, handed it to Zeno, and gently patted the leopard’s face with the back of my hand.
“You did a good job.”
The leopard purred happily and rubbed its face against me. I kept petting it until my arm almost cramped from how much I was doting on it.
“I should go tell His Grace the Duke.”
Zeno followed behind me with the branch in his mouth.
As I stood in front of the office, I ran into Caven, who had come to report.
“Your Grace the Duchess?”
“Sir Caven! You must be really busy these days. With all the hunting missions and increased training…”
“It’s alright. I’ll do anything for House Monteroz.”
Sir Caven replied with a firm tone. He was standing like a perfectly disciplined soldier.
“You’re here to see His Grace, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then let’s go in together. I’d like you to hear this too.”
He nodded. When the attendant announced Caven’s presence, the door opened right away.
Before Caven and I could enter, Zeno walked in first and dropped the branch onto the table.
“Still a long way to go to tame him.”
Cedric lightly tapped Zeno’s snout while staring at the glowing branch.
“Grrrrr!” (You complain even when I bring exactly what you need.)
“Zeno, come here.”
He always picks fights, even when he never wins.
“Your Grace, my friends found a cluster of sacred trees.”
“…Is that true?”
I nodded. Who would’ve thought there’d be a sacred tree cluster in the North?
“So, Sir Caven, I want you to go to the cluster with the knights and bring back all the sacred trees.”
“…All of them?”
“Yes, every single one. I plan to plant them in the garden.”
If we planted them inside the Duke’s estate garden and controlled access, it would be safe. Only authorized people could enter, and the area was protected by magic stones.
As Cedric listened, he asked me,
“What if the Emperor finds out?”
“He won’t. He won’t even be able to get close. And he won’t be able to claim the North’s property as his.”
“The Emperor would do anything to take it.”
“That’s only if he finds out the cluster exists. But he doesn’t know, does he?”
So as long as just one tree was planted outside the North, it would be fine. He wouldn’t suspect that so many trees even existed.
“I’ll follow your plan. But it seems Sir Caven has something to report.”
“Ah! We’ve received word that something unusual is happening in the capital.”
“We’ll have to act quickly.”
Cedric furrowed his brows. I also became anxious after hearing that. Since the snow had stopped, my father would push even harder to find Isabel.
“The Emperor’s patience seems to be reaching its limit.”
“Well, that’s good news in a way.”
“Sir Caven, please work with my friends to transport the trees. It looks like everything’s ready.”
A sparrow flapped its wings outside the window to signal me.
When I opened the window and looked down, I was left speechless at the sight of animals surrounding the Duke’s estate.
“…Quite a few friends have shown up.”
Cedric rubbed his forehead with his thumb as he looked at the quietly gathered animals.
