Chapter 395: Bread and Dagger (93)
Chapter 395: Bread and Dagger (93)
It had been a while since I last saw Senior Delphine, and she was as beautiful as ever.
There was no need to summon elaborate descriptions to portray her beauty. As always, the alluring and seductive scent of a woman paralyzed my senses.
It felt as if I were becoming intoxicated.
The line between reason and desire blurred. Moreover, was she not the female I had already held in my arms twice before?
My instincts as a male were fiercely rattling my mind.
However, I had more important business to attend to today.
I deliberately cleared my throat, letting out a dry cough to keep a grip on my sanity. Regardless of my struggle, Senior Delphine merely watched me with a faint, playful curve to her eyes.
Her gaze was poignant.
It was a look brimming with affection. Grateful yet embarrassed by that heart of hers, I slightly averted my eyes.
Of course, it didn't help that the undergarments clinging to Senior Delphine’s body were quite provocative.
A hidden valley peeked through her loosened collar. I found myself reflexively imagining the sight beyond that thin fabric, and I had to make a conscious effort to erase the image from my mind.
Right, now was not the time.
There would be plenty of time for indulgence after we had finished our conversation.
“Senior Delphine, have you been well?”
“No.”
Senior Delphine replied with a mischievous smile.
She crossed her arms and leaned her upper body against the back of the chair in a rather defenseless posture. Perhaps it was because her breasts were resting atop her arms, but their shape seemed even more emphasized.
I might not have noticed in the past, but now I couldn't help but know.
The fact that Senior Delphine was currently seducing me.
She really was a woman who loved her jests.
“My husband collapsed; how could a wife possibly be well? I’ve spent every single day doing nothing but worrying about you.”
“You don’t exactly look haggard, though.”
“It wouldn’t do to look gaunt. I’m a woman, too—wouldn’t I want to look pretty for you?”
I let out a short, dry laugh and shook my head.
There was likely a half-truth mixed into her words. Given the nature of our relationship, she must have been worried.
However, her confession that she had done nothing but worry about me all day was a bit of an exaggeration.
My injuries weren't that severe.
Actually, they technically qualified as serious, but compared to the past when my internal organs were crushed and my entire body was riddled with puncture wounds, these were shallow. At most, they were just fractures and bruises sustained while fighting Leoric.
That was why I was able to get back on my feet relatively quickly.
Even comparing it to the recent battle with the Corpse Giant, the difference was clear.
Back then, I had to stay bedridden for weeks. Considering that precedent, the wounds I received from Leoric were almost laughable.
Serious, yes, but not life-threatening.
They weren't the kind of fatal injuries that would warrant Senior Delphine’s level of worry.
As proof, hadn't I escaped after listening to the Saintess nag me for only two hours? It meant my injuries were truly minor compared to before.
The Saintess tended to become much stricter the more seriously I was hurt.
In fact, that wasn't limited to the Saintess. Most of the women around me were like that, and because of them, I had been subjected to an endless stream of nagging until just a few minutes ago.
At least I was lucky Seria wasn't here.
I heard she was currently at the frontlines, settling the remaining issues.
She was supposed to arrive today or tomorrow, and she would likely send word as soon as she did. That would be the start of another earful.
How did I end up in a position where I'm constantly being handled like this?
I sighed deeply inward, but I had a different, more genuine reason to sigh right now.
Blunt words flowed from my lips.
“I heard you left the treatment of the Yurdina family to me.”
It was then that a crack appeared in Senior Delphine’s composed attitude.
Her flirtatious playfulness vanished.
After stiffening for a moment, she slightly furrowed her brows. Then, as if troubled, she straightened her posture and tapped her index finger on the table several times.
Senior Delphine didn't bother to ask who the subject of my confession was.
There were only two people in the Empire who could decide the fate of the Yurdina family.
One was Senior Delphine.
The other was obvious.
A faint groan escaped Senior Delphine’s lips.
“So, what did you decide to do?”
“I don’t know.”
That was my honest feeling.
As if she had expected that, Senior Delphine let out a short chuckle and leaned back against the chair again.
Her blood-red eyes were turned slightly to the side. It was a habit she had when lost in thought.
A capable leader does not delay a decision.
Senior Delphine was no different. She abruptly stood up, her pale hands searching through the cupboard. It didn't take long for a bottle of high-quality wine to make its appearance.
Naturally, two glasses were placed on the table.
I didn't mind, but the timing was poor. I couldn't be drinking at such a critical juncture.
A small sigh escaped me.
“Senior Delphine, did you not hear me? The fate of your family is at stake. We should be putting our heads together right now…”
“No.”
Her tone was plain yet firm.
My mouth shut tight, unable to penetrate her thoughts. Senior Delphine was already tilting the bottle.
Glug, glug. The ruby-colored liquid filled the two glasses in turn.
The fragrant aroma of the wine tickled the tip of my nose. It was the same development as always.
The only difference was that Senior Delphine wore a somewhat weary expression.
This, too, was very much like her. Until our duel that night, she had always maintained this attitude.
Weary and bored.
It was a face that looked sick and tired of everything in the world.
“Since Father is in custody, I am now the head of Yurdina. Even if they don't monitor my bedroom, my entire schedule will be under surveillance. What if it looks like my husband and I are plotting something?”
I didn't need to ask what would follow.
Losing the Emperor's trust.
It was a conclusion that would be good for neither me nor the Yurdina family.
Even so, I couldn't let go of my lingering regret.
“But…”
“I don’t want to lose anything.”
Sinking back into her seat, Senior Delphine leaned forward as if hugging her own legs. It wasn't her usual disciplined and dignified appearance.
I was likely the only person in the world who could witness Senior Delphine in such a vulnerable state.
Her slender voice continued.
“Whether it’s you or the family… I don’t want to lose either.”
It was a weak statement, unlike her.
One could even call it a child's tantrum. Wanting to lose neither was nothing more than a personal wish.
What if a moment came when she had to choose one?
Senior Delphine would have to make a decision. Even though she must have known this, she was being stubborn with me.
Saying she didn't want to lose either me or her family.
At the same time, it meant that my importance in Senior Delphine’s heart had soared that much.
Enough to be weighed against her family.
I said with a bitter smile, “That’s all the more reason for us to put our heads together, isn't it?”
“No, because I can’t make an objective judgment. And the more we are seen together, the worse the impact will be.”
That meant I had to refrain from meeting Senior Delphine for a while.
At the very least, we wouldn't be able to have secret conversations like this.
Feeling regretful, I smacked my lips and fell back into thought.
Did this mean I had to solve this hurdle all on my own?
I could come up with a brief conclusion today, but a clumsy agreement was more likely to act as a poison.
Senior Delphine watched me as I sat in silent contemplation.
She might have been bored, but instead, she wore a faint smile as if she found it amusing. The wine swirled inside her glass as she rotated it.
In the end, it was Senior Delphine who broke the silence.
“You can just get a strategist, can't you?”
“...?”
My eyes, filled with questioning, turned toward her.
She continued her advice as if it were nothing special.
“There are plenty of smart people in the world besides me. Surely there’s at least one around you?”
“Ah,” I let out an involuntary exclamation.
Come to think of it, there was.
A talent who was my most trusted friend and possessed a brilliant mind.
Reto Einstein.
I breathed a sigh of relief at the name that immediately struck my mind.
Unlike Senior Delphine, there was no reason for the Imperial Intelligence Bureau to stop me from sharing my concerns with Reto, who was my close friend. And with Reto’s brain, he would surely come up with a plan that would satisfy me.
When my expression brightened, Senior Delphine burst into a short laugh.
“Were you that worried about me?”
“Well, of course… No, I mean. Wouldn't anyone be?”
I cleared my throat, trying to maintain my composure.
Was I worried about Senior Delphine?
It was a question that already had an answer.
Was there a man who wouldn't worry about a woman he had crossed the line of death with countless times, and with whom he had shared a bed twice?
If such a man existed, I would doubt if he could even be called 'human.'
Senior Delphine leisurely raised her glass and said, “Fufu, you look like you have so much on your mind already. You could at least forget about it for tonight… It’s a happy day, isn't it?”
“No, I can’t do that. I’m also grateful that you guaranteed the livelihood of the elves…”
“Because one of those elves saved the North.”
My mouth, which had been speaking, closed on its own.
I had heard.
About Old Man Pope’s sacrifice.
His life had been steeped in hatred for a long time. Hating and resenting someone causes even one's own heart to wither.
Yet, in his final moment, he chose to throw himself away for the sake of the humanity he hated so much.
Old Man Pope had once told me.
Bread must be repaid with bread.
Is that why he gave his life? Because I had thrown myself into danger to save the elves of the village.
I could only remain silent as my chest felt tight with emotion.
“Yurdina does not forget the price of blood. Whether it is the blood we shed, or the blood shed for us… his sacrifice will receive its due reward.”
“...Thank you.”
I tried to act as if it were nothing, but a faint moisture was bleeding into my voice.
I had incurred another debt.
I lost Ned, and I lost Old Man Pope.
And it would likely continue to be so.
My path was built upon lives. It was impossible to move forward without trampling over someone's sacrifice.
But today, I renewed my resolve.
Even if the world forgets, I alone will remember them.
Senior Delphine was an understanding woman.
She waited for me to compose myself, and even spent the night drinking with me.
And after that, well.
Before I knew it, Senior Delphine was beneath me. Her disheveled clothes and the sweet scent of her feminine body enveloped my nose thickly.
With a slightly flushed face, the woman gave a faint, knowing smile.
As if she were trying to squeeze the very heart out of the man above her.
“It ends up like this again today, doesn't it, Husband?”
I reflexively tried to deny those words, but then I let out a bitter smile.
It was just as she said.
Seria was in a good mood.
She felt as if her heart had turned into downy feathers, fluttering in the air. Her overflowing heart became a wild thumping that hurried her footsteps.
The desperate crisis that had faced the North was resolved.
And the one who had solved that problem was the senior Seria loved so dearly.
Seria was so happy she could cry from that fact alone.
Since the monster that might have covered the North was gone, her beloved sister’s heart must have found peace as well.
Furthermore, Senior Ian’s reputation, having defeated the agents of the Evil God one after another, would surely rise even higher.
It was a stroke of good fortune for both her family and her love. There was no reason for Seria not to be happy.
Now, only one worry remained.
It was Ian’s well-being.
Although his life was not in danger, anxiety burrows into even the smallest possibility and coils itself in the heart. While Seria was proud of Ian, she had to bite her nails many times every night in her nervousness.
But now, it was goodbye to those nights of agony.
It was because she had heard the news that Ian had regained consciousness.
As soon as she heard the story, Seria set out for home. It was such a sudden decision that word likely hadn't even reached the main house properly.
But it didn't matter.
Seria was the sister Delphine trusted most. There was no place in the family she couldn't go, including the most private areas.
Leaving the startled gatekeeper behind, Seria hurried up the stairs.
No matter how much she wanted to see Ian, order had to be maintained.
Seria was a vassal of Yurdina, and upon arriving at the main house, she naturally had to report to the head of the family first.
It was already late at night.
Delphine would be in her bedroom, not her office. Perhaps she had already gone to sleep, unable to overcome her fatigue.
That was actually better.
Then she could skip even that short time spent reporting to her sister.
Of course, it didn't take long for Seria’s expectations to be betrayed.
A soft light was still leaking from Delphine’s bedroom. Seria reflexively sighed at that warmth, but soon steeled her heart.
Delphine was also someone Seria respected as much as Ian.
But the moment she took another step.
“It ends up like this again today, doesn't it, Husband?”
At the coquettish tone she was hearing for the first time in her life, Seria’s body froze as if she had been electrocuted.
It was Delphine’s voice.
Seria had lived her life with only Delphine as her goal since childhood. She couldn't possibly fail to distinguish her sister’s voice from anyone else's.
Even so, Seria couldn't bring herself to erase a shred of doubt.
It was because Delphine’s tone was so unfamiliar.
A voice that seemed to be acting cute, craving the other person's affection.
Seria reflexively held her breath and lowered her posture. Then, crawling like an insect, she crouched outside the door where the faint light was leaking.
Only then could she feel the presence inside the room.
There were two.
And they were so familiar.
Her blue eyes flew wide, filled with disbelief.
Immediately after, a man’s faint laughter tumbled into the girl’s eardrums.
“...I suppose it does.”
Seria had to cover her mouth with both hands.
There was no mistake.
It was Ian’s voice.