Chapter 405: Gold and Silver (10)
Chapter 405: Gold and Silver (10)
Before I could meet Senior Delphine, I had to wait patiently for several days.
In my heart, I wanted to see her immediately.
I was the one the Emperor had entrusted with the disposition of the Yurdina family. Naturally, I needed to hear the family's side of the story first.
And who would know those circumstances better than Senior Delphine?
Moreover, having just heard about Seria’s feelings for me, my mind was a tangled mess.
Either way, I desperately needed Senior Delphine’s advice.
Yet, she was the one refusing to see me.
The reason was simple.
“The Emperor’s trust is a precious asset. As a woman, I can’t go ruining my husband’s work.”
She meant she wouldn't give the Imperial Intelligence Agency even the slightest pretext to use against me.
And it was soon proven that her choice was the right one.
The proof came from none other than Senior Neris.
“Sir Ian, your contact with the next head of the Yurdina family has decreased significantly of late.”
It was a casual remark, but the intent was clear.
It meant the Imperial Intelligence Agency was keeping a close eye on the relationship between Senior Delphine and me.
It was less a warning and more a piece of advice.
She was intentionally letting me know that it was better to keep my distance from Senior Delphine for the time being.
I asked with a bitter smile.
“Is it alright for you to tell me that?”
A brief flicker of agitation crossed the eyes of Senior Neris, who stood in her usual polite posture.
As far as I knew, Senior Neris didn't particularly like me.
I would have felt the same if I were in her shoes. Who could like a superior who swings an axe first and asks questions later?
Nevertheless, Senior Neris was passing me necessary information.
Unless it was an order from above, this had to be seen as purely her own goodwill.
In response to my question, the woman merely hesitated for a long while.
After a significant silence.
As if she had finally made up her mind, Senior Neris tilted her head up slightly and asked a question of her own.
“Why did you save me?”
It was a question with many missing pieces.
So, I waited without saying a word. Before long, Senior Neris added in a poignant tone.
“On the night of the elven night raid, there was no reason for you to go out of your way to save me. In fact, from a strategic standpoint, it would have been the correct decision for you to abandon me and escape on your own. So why…!”
It must have been a question she had kept buried for a long time.
Her voice, which grew more heated as she spoke, came to an abrupt halt at the very end.
Her dark green eyes were staring straight at me.
Realizing this, Senior Neris’s face turned pale. She quickly lowered her head and began to stammer out excuses.
“I-I did not mean to question your decision, Sir Ian. Yes… I-if it seemed that way, I apologize….”
“Because I wanted to save you.”
At my blunt answer, Senior Neris’s lips pressed firmly together.
She seemed to be trying not to show her fluster, though she couldn't hide the trembling in her eyes.
Watching her, I let out a soft laugh.
“And looking at you now, I’m glad I did.”
There was no clear basis for those words.
To me, it was just a simple observation, but it seemed Senior Neris took it a bit differently.
The woman’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Just as they did whenever she received praise.
But today, the hue coloring Senior Neris’s ears was somehow different.
If before it felt like she was flustered and didn't know what to do, today…
Yes, she looked truly embarrassed.
Only then did I realize that Senior Neris was a woman too.
Aside from her, there were many people I had to meet.
Fortunately, the Princess’s desperate persuasion seemed to be working reasonably well. I could tell just by how she brightened up every time she saw me.
If there was one thing that made me uneasy, it was only one thing.
The Princess’s catastrophic lack of situational awareness.
Could it be that she was laboring under the delusion that things were going well even though the negotiations were at a standstill?
I could only pray that such a result wouldn't come to pass.
The move Reto had suggested was quite persuasive in its own right, after all.
Still, unable to shake that lingering shred of anxiety, I decided to go see someone who had come to mind.
A person completely removed from any political influence, a woman like a spring of mystery that healed my heart.
My friend, Emma.
When I met her after a long time, she had grown quite thin.
Anyone could see she was drained of energy. She even had a lingering cough; she might as well have been a patient.
As soon as I saw Emma’s pitiful state, I jumped in surprise.
“Emma, are you okay?!”
“Hi, Ian…. Cough, sorry. I’m not feeling very well…….”
“If you’re sick, you should have said so!”
I was about to call a servant immediately to ask them to nurse her, but I stopped.
There must have been a reason Emma hadn't called for an attendant until she reached this state.
I was afraid I might inadvertently hurt her feelings by being insensitive.
Instead, I took Emma into my arms as if supporting her and led her to the bed.
Stoking the fireplace with firewood and boiling water also became my job.
Though Emma’s face turned beet red the moment I lightly wrapped my arm around her shoulders.
“I-I’m fine! I’m not that sick! Look, look! I’m standing just fine!”
“Still, rest is important when you’re sick. Just wait, I’ll bring you some warm tea.”
A situation was created where I, the guest, was serving Emma, the host, but I didn't care.
Emma was more important than that.
In the end, Emma had to endure my fussing while sitting on the edge of the bed, her face a deep crimson.
It was while I was in the middle of my overprotective streak.
“……You’re still the same.”
That faintly uttered voice scattered like a breath of mist.
My gaze flickered toward my back. I had just been contemplating what to do next.
There sat Emma, wearing a bitter smile.
The flickering lights, the fire shadows from the hearth, and the fever from her illness.
No, perhaps her face, flushed by some emotion, gave off a somewhat dreamlike feeling.
Was it the magic of the night on the snowfield?
Emma looked exceptionally pretty today.
She was always pretty, but even more so now.
“I heard you’ve been busy lately. People from the Yurdina family are walking on eggshells around you.”
“It’s nothing much, really…….”
I snorted and replied.
In truth, it was a grave matter, but I didn't want to share my burden with Emma.
Decisions must always be made in solitude.
It was a noble’s duty that had been drummed into my ears since childhood.
I had no intention of whining to Emma.
But she was a woman far more perceptive than I was.
“There’s no way it’s nothing… The great Yurdina family is watching your every move, you know?”
“I do tend to draw eyes. Because I’m handsome.”
“Yeah, you are.”
It was the answer to my joke.
Even though I thought she was joking back, I couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
Emma just feigned ignorance, tapping her lips with her index finger.
She had the face of an alchemist who had encountered a difficult problem.
“For me, I’m still dazed. I ended up here somehow, but it’s strange having people like me waiting on me. And having a fireplace I can light without worrying about firewood, and not having to worry about every meal.”
I started to part my lips but stopped.
I realized it now.
Why Emma hadn't called for the servants.
It was because the servants were unfamiliar and uncomfortable to her. She probably didn't want to create extra things to worry about when she was already feeling sick.
So, I chose to remain silent.
If it had been a while ago, I might have forced her to call a servant.
Because that was my common sense.
But not anymore.
Sometimes, listening in silence is the most correct answer.
“But do you know what’s most unfamiliar to me? It’s you.”
I couldn't help but let out a short laugh at those words.
“Didn't you just say I was still the same?”
“Yeah, that’s why it’s more confusing. You treat me so well, even though I’m just a commoner girl… but the truth is different.”
As she said this, the corners of Emma’s eyes curved into a sorrowful arc.
The woman’s confession continued.
“Why didn't I realize it? Even this bedroom feels like another world to me, but you’re someone that even people with hundreds of rooms like this are wary of.”
“Emma…….”
Even as I made a pained sound, Emma didn't stop.
Perhaps this was the difficult problem that had been tormenting her all along.
The limit of social status that she couldn't erase, no matter how much she wanted to.
In truth, I had known for a long time.
“Mhm, I know. You’re amazing. Unlike me… you’ve already saved the world several times.”
“I couldn't have done it alone.”
“And I heard. I don't know the details, but you received an important mission from His Majesty the Emperor? And the Sword Duke himself came to visit you… Yeah, I’m glad things went well…….”
My two hands landed firmly on Emma’s shoulders.
Startled by the sudden contact, Emma held her breath and looked into my eyes.
Before I knew it, I had turned around and was kneeling before her.
The reason was simple.
To hold Emma’s hands and meet her at eye level.
I confessed with a bitter smile.
“Emma, I’m actually not as amazing a person as you think. I wouldn't have been able to come up with any solution for the problems I’m facing now without my friends.”
And then, braving the shame, I poured out all sorts of stories.
The story of how I lacked talent and had to cut back on sleep to train.
The story of how I overcame crises thanks to Reto.
The story of how I happened to get lucky and my skills improved, and how in exchange, I had to throw my life into battle even while being terrified.
Finally, I even confessed my recent circumstances.
Various things about Senior Delphine, Seria, and the Yurdina family.
It was a testimony possible only because I trusted Emma that much.
But Emma’s reaction far exceeded my expectations.
“……Ian.”
It was around the time I finished the story about Seria.
Emma, who had been wearing a sullen face until then, suddenly closed the distance between us.
Her sweet breath tickled the tip of my nose.
Her light green eyes were reflecting my own.
“I like you.”
It was the third confession I had heard in my life.