Chapter 27
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Celen, the Shrimp Caught in the Eliad Whale
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Ruena was still trembling as she stared at her father.
Clutching my hand with all her strength.
For some reason, I could feel a desperate earnestness in her grip, as if she would never let go, no matter what.
But—.
I was utterly baffled.
The Grand Duke had personally sent me an invitation,
yet here his daughter was, shaking like a leaf at the thought that I might get chased away.
The Grand Duke drew steadily closer.
With every step, Ruena's anxiety and trembling grew more pronounced.
Clinging to my hand desperately, as if it were her one lifeline.
Even as I stood there dumbfounded,
I squeezed her hand back to reassure her for now.
'Wait. Didn't I... tell her that I received the Grand Duke's invitation and came here?'
Trapped between the awkward standoff of the Eliad father and daughter, I racked my brain for memories of recent events.
A few days ago—.
The day I revisited the Eliad mansion after such a long time.
Perhaps due to the aftermath of stealing all her emotions,
Ruena hadn't even noticed my arrival and was sitting blankly in a chair.
So—.
Worried about her state,
I approached her side, shook her shoulder, and called out to her….
"Hey, Ruena."
"……."
"Stop spacing out and look here. I came to see you."
"……?"
Fortunately, she slowly lifted her head and stared at me vacantly for a long while before finally murmuring my name….
"……Celen?"
"Yeah, it's me. Why aren't you responding even though you're awake?"
"…Celen?"
"Right. I came."
She seemed a bit off,
but I felt relieved that she at least recognized me—.
"…Huh?"
"……You're here."
Suddenly, Ruena, who had been sitting in the chair, pulled me into a tight embrace.
It was,
completely out of nowhere.
'…W-what? What's gotten into her all of a sudden?!'
At that moment, my mind short-circuited,
and I was too busy trying to figure out what was going on to think straight.
But I am a Noir.
A family where thick skin is essential to survival.
I couldn't afford to show any fluster, so I hurriedly pulled myself together.
"…Ah, yeah. Long time no see, Ruena."
"……Yeah."
I patted her back in what anyone could see was an awkward manner.
Looking back, it was truly fortunate that no one else was around then.
…My face must have been a complete mess.
But Ruena was in no better shape.
Her face,
unlike usual, was twisted as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Celen…."
"Yeah."
Ruena called my name but said nothing more for a long time.
More precisely—.
She just kept repeating my name like a mantra.
"Celen, Celen…."
"Yeah, Ruena."
"……Celen."
Like a lost child desperately calling for their mom or dad,
she repeated only my name in a voice and expression full of urgency.
Not knowing how to handle her,
I met her eyes and responded each time she called my name.
Only after a long while of this did other words finally slip from Ruena's lips.
"…I missed you."
"……."
Ruena hugged me tightly again.
Her arms around my back trembling with the force she put into them.
Dazed, I patted her back once more.
As I did, I glanced down at the magic tool containing her emotions.
It was firmly sealed shut.
Which meant that even without her emotions, Ruena had still missed me upon seeing me.
'Ah….'
But—.
There was no time to feel moved by that.
Because Ruena started acting like she might break into tears again.
At that point, moved or not, stabilizing Ruena came first.
To let her emotions seep in subtly,
I slightly unsealed the magic tool and slowly patted her back.
"I missed you too…."
"……Yeah."
"Oh, right. Ruena. Happy birthday, even if it's late."
"…Birthday?"
At the birthday wish, Ruena's breathing began to steady bit by bit.
The moment I noticed,
I thought, 'This is it,' and hurriedly pulled a cupcake from my bag.
"Since your birthday's already passed, a whole cake felt like too much… So I made cupcakes instead. Topped with plenty of your favorite fruits."
"……Cup…cake?"
"Yeah. And I prepared a gift too. …Will you accept it?"
Ruena nodded with teary eyes.
……Yeah.
It was true that I was thrilled by the invitation sent directly by the Grand Duke,
and that I rushed to the Eliad mansion right after receiving it—.
But I hadn't breathed a word of it to Ruena herself.
'Ah… That's why it's gotten this bad….'
Only now did it finally click,
explaining all the inexplicable behavior up until now.
The way she stuck to my side,
and how she was terrified of her own father right now,
it was all because she feared I might get chased away and wanted to cling to me no matter what.
I looked at Ruena, who was still trembling at the sight of her father.
'Wait. Is this… my fault?'
Cold sweat began to trickle down in this completely unintended situation.
The Grand Duke Eliad was still approaching us.
With his usual cold and intimidating expression.
The closer he got, the more Ruena shook.
But there was nothing to be done.
His study was beyond the entrance hall where we stood.
Turning in some weird direction now would look too suspicious.
'Wait. Is Grand Duke Eliad okay?'
As I watched Ruena tremble, a fact only I knew suddenly came to mind.
That this cold and intimidating Grand Duke
was actually always thinking of his daughter and wife deep down.
I subtly focused my magic power to check the "cost" accumulated on the Grand Duke.
Indeed—.
The last time I cut ties with the Eliad mansion,
I had stripped away and used up all the cost built up on him, leaving it empty.
To steal Ruena's emotions,
I had manipulated his judgment to get permission to go out.
'The more times I use it, the greater the cost it demands….'
Despite having almost none left, surprisingly, a fair amount had built up.
'Ah, no way….'
Seeing that I had come and made Ruena happy,
the Grand Duke, who cherished her, must have felt grateful for that.
And that gratitude had accumulated as cost each time.
'Perfect.'
No matter how it had built up again,
the important thing was that I could read his inner thoughts once more.
I hurriedly stole the Grand Duke's inner thoughts.
👁️ MIND READ 👁️ "Ruena is trembling as she looks at me. As expected… Have I pushed her too hard? But I had no choice. If she doesn't gain a unique ability, her position will be in jeopardy." As expected, cold on the outside but worried about Ruena on the inside.
👁️ MIND READ 👁️ "What a pathetic father I am, only scaring my one and only daughter. At least the young heir of House Noir came so readily, and Ruena has brightened up a bit…." I nearly shook my head at the ongoing regrets I heard.
But I couldn't let on that I could read minds, so I desperately held back.
On the surface, I kept up a beaming smile and my iron mask,
while inwardly recalling Ruena's inner thoughts I'd read earlier.
👁️ MIND READ 👁️ "No. Scary. I don't want this. Dad's going to stop Celen from coming again. Then I might never see him. No. I don't want this." So, to sum it up—.
The daughter's a scaredy-cat—that's the problem,
the father's gruff—that's the problem,
and I'm stuck knowing everything but having to keep my mouth shut—that's the problem.
'This isn't easy….'
Grand Duke Eliad finally reached us.
His expression remained coldly set,
and his gaze toward Ruena held no emotion whatsoever.
'Isn't that a skill in itself….'
The Grand Duke's eyes slowly scanned me, then shifted to Ruena.
I could see her stiffen visibly.
Seeing that, discomfort flickered in the Grand Duke's eyes, twisting further.
Naturally, that subtle change only made Ruena tremble more.
'What are you even doing….'
Honestly, it wasn't even funny.
Caught between this stuffy father-daughter pair who couldn't open up to each other,
I was the only third party who knew both sides, and sweating bullets for no reason.
But—.
This time, it was partly my responsibility.
I stepped forward with a bright smile toward the Grand Duke.
If I didn't speak first, this awkward silence might never end.
"Um, Grand Duke Eliad."
"……."
"Thank you sincerely for the formal invitation."
"…I see."
As I greeted him politely with a smile, Ruena looked up at me in shock.
"……Invitation?"
It had slipped out before she could stop it.
Ruena fidgeted anxiously and hurriedly covered her mouth.
I smiled and pulled the invitation from my bag.
"Yeah. You sent it personally not long ago, Grand Duke."
"……."
Ruena checked the invitation I handed her.
The longer she looked, the rounder her eyes grew.
Of course.
She'd recognize her father's handwriting anywhere.
'Good. Now if they just talk it out and clear up the misunderstanding—.'
But….
Things in the world rarely go your way.
Grand Duke Eliad simply walked past us into his study.
'What the—?!'
I wanted to pound my chest in frustration.
But in my position, I couldn't show it.
Was I going to have to deal with situations like this the entire time in this mansion?
My head was already starting to throb.