Chapter 55
Chapter 55
As I kept my gaze fixed on the book, Alpheus laughed awkwardly, as if embarrassed.
"I'm making slow progress, right? Every time I read a few pages, I get sleepy. Honestly, it's because I'm not interested in animals."
I took a slow breath.
The feeling was strange.
It was strange that someone...... had made an effort for me. And that they had done it by matching my interests, no less.
Only after a brief silence settled did I raise an eyebrow and offer some advice.
"If you want to fill your life with boring things, go join a monastery. Why on earth would you read something you have no interest in?"
At that, Alpheus answered hesitantly.
"Leaving everything to you like this would be too irresponsible of me as your guardian, and also, if I want to get along better with you, it's good to have something in common......."
"Weren't we already getting along? This much is peaceful, isn't it?"
I meant it.
Given the circumstances, I was a little self-righteous, but I never crossed the line.
There was no particular conflict between us. It had stayed peaceful.
But Alpheus slowly shook his head.
"I don't want peace, Brisa."
"Then you want discord? You should have said so earlier. That's actually much easier than peace."
"No, peace or discord aside...... I just want us to become a real family."
"......."
"I'm just trying to make that happen. So that your heart opens up to me a little faster."
He roughly ruffled his own hair and sighed.
"Ah, if I'd known it would be like this, I would have read more diligently....... I'm still only on volume one, so it's really embarrassing. Actually, I started reading it as soon as I got back......."
I couldn't figure out what to say in response.
So for now, I said the most necessary thing.
"......Really? Then if you can't sleep tonight either, you can finish reading it. Good night."
The feeling was odd. The door closed behind me.
* * *
Leopold waited for Brisa with his arms crossed.
The storehouse in the iris garden.
Honestly, it was a place he truly didn't want to visit. He also hated having to summon Brisa here.
Nevertheless, he had no choice. This was the only place in the Nozen Grand Duke's Residence where he could avoid Hilbury's eyes and ears. Because this storehouse was where he confined himself when transformed.
Naturally, he had strictly forbidden the servants from entering as well, since it would be disastrous if anyone heard something and realized the truth.
So paradoxically, this place had reliable security.
'Anything said in the Nozen Grand Duke's Residence would inevitably reach Grandfather's ears.'
To avoid eavesdropping, he would have to call her to his room, but a man and woman meeting alone in a room was forbidden no matter how young they were.
So there was no choice about this location.
Whatever else happened, he did not want Hilbury to learn about 'El.'
Hilbury was already enduring a difficult old age.
Even if they found 'El,' the possibility of breaking the curse was very small. So he didn't want to disappoint him for nothing before securing some definite clue.
There was also one more reason he needed to find a place where security was absolutely maintained.
'Brisa is certainly going to ask about the black mages.'
The black mages were targeting her life. He had promised to interrogate them and tell her the circumstances.
But Leopold had found out nothing. Except for the guess that it was likely instigated by the Sebon royal family.......
'But in the end, it's only a guess. Brisa could think of that much herself.'
So he decided to simply promise once more.
He would find out why even if he had to mobilize every informant in the west. He just needed some time.
He had already sent his informant to the Kingdom of Sebon. And he could not tell Alpheus any of this.
Leopold still did not trust Alpheus.
Of course, Leopold was not the type to look down on someone just because they had commoner blood.
It wasn't that kind of issue; it was simply an objective judgment.
Brisa, too, would not trust a half-brother she had only recently met. That was only natural.
'They seem to get along quite well, but even so, there's no way Brisa has let her guard down.'
That was when it happened. Far off in the distance, he saw a small figure approaching with quick, short steps.
The girl with flowing platinum-blond hair entered without difficulty through the door Leopold had left open.
Leopold did not bother to call out to her.
He didn't mind spending this time looking at the girl's clear cheeks and round nose in the moonlight.
Brisa stopped and looked around, then soon spotted Leopold sitting on a bench behind the storehouse.
She approached as if gliding and spoke.
"I'm late. Did you wait long?"
"You're not late. I came early."
Leopold took a handkerchief from inside his coat and spread it beside himself. Then he said leisurely.
"You can sit here."
He had been bothered by the bench, which was untidy because it had not been tended by the servants.
Brisa raised an eyebrow and sat down elegantly.
"I didn't expect such manners from you."
"I had no choice. If it got out that you got dust on your hem while meeting me, your maid would probably slap my cheek."
"What exactly do you think my maid is?"
Brisa scolded him.
"A mere slap on the cheek? You should be prepared for an assassination."
Seated beside him, she looked around. Then she furrowed her brow and asked.
"By the way, do you keep some kind of forbidden animal here?"
"......Huh?"
"No, it's strange. It's surrounded by such high walls...... there's no one around...... and once you come inside the walls, there are more walls. And on top of that, such a large empty storehouse."
Leopold originally never asked direct questions of anyone. But in front of Brisa, he simply couldn't help himself.
He raised an eyebrow and asked.
"How do you know it's empty without even going inside the storehouse?"
"The door over there was open. I saw it on my way here."
It was an anticlimactic answer.
Leopold let out a groan.
"Don't be disappointed. There are other reasons too. Think about it—what on earth would you store in a place with such poor accessibility?"
Brisa shrugged.
"And look at this Weeblauskiot grass. It's definitely weeded only once every two months. That means the maintenance is sloppy too. But the storehouse walls are incredibly thick and there are no windows. Isn't it closer to a prison than a storehouse?"
"Wee, Weeb...... what?"
"Weeblauskiot grass. It's easy to maintain, so it's used a lot in mansion landscaping. It's expensive, though. Not that that would be a problem for you people."
Brisa spoke clearly and precisely.
Leopold answered with a soft smile.
"You never know about that. Two months ago, I saw black mages eating southern wheat. Doesn't that mean western wheat's competitiveness has dropped that much?"
Brisa shrugged once. Then she asked as nonchalantly as possible.
"Is the black mage interrogation over? Why on earth do they want to kill me?"
Leopold quietly gazed at her composed face.
Even though she had become the target of a massive criminal organization, she showed no sign of fear.
But there was no way she wasn't anxious. She simply wasn't used to showing it.
On the day of the engagement ceremony, Brisa must have been anxious the whole time. As far as he knew, the previous Marchioness had shown her face at an official social event for the first time in years at that engagement ceremony.
She must have been tense the entire time, not knowing when or how the madness would manifest. But she had maintained a composed expression throughout.
Afterward, even when her mother really did start talking nonsense, she had only worn a panicked face and had not cried.
Leopold had never been able to forget that face, rippling with guilt and helplessness.