Chapter 45 - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The fact that Sierra and I had been attacked in Galantea quickly reached Ruwellinundefineds ears.

His loyal knight must have naturally reported it. With a feeling that something troublesome was about to happen, I sighed deeply.

"Rosnia!"

Sure enough, Ruwellin burst into my room.

undefinedI knew this would happen.undefined

I thought indifferently and put down the experimental tools I had been holding.

I had started analyzing the black sand as soon as I returned to the ducal castle, but it seemed it would take half a day for the results to come out.

"Rosnia, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Iundefinedm fine. More importantly……."

After barely calming down the fussing Ruwellin, I told him in detail about the assailants who had attacked us.

Surely, my account as a mage would be more detailed than what the knight had reported.

"I see, test subjects of forbidden magic……."

Ruwellin muttered, holding me tightly. He was sitting on the sofa, and I was on his lap. At some point while talking, we had ended up like this.

At this point, I was getting used to sitting on his thighs. They were firm and had a nice elasticity. I barely restrained my hand from wandering there.

I cleared my throat unnecessarily and spoke.

"Itundefineds not certain yet. I need to properly identify the components of that black sand. Itundefinedll probably take about half a day."

"Is that so? For now…… Iundefinedll strengthen the security of the ducal castle and Galantea. Please let me know when you have the results."

"Of course."

I smiled and stroked Ruwellinundefineds cheek, when suddenly the door burst open.

Frozen like a statue, I only moved my head to look that way, and there stood Adrian Hyll, his red eyes flashing, with a terrifying aura.

"Get away."

Not wanting to argue with Adrian Hyll, I quickly got off Ruwellinundefineds lap. Ruwellin looked somewhat disappointed, which was cute.

Glancing at Ruwellin, Adrian Hyll asked me.

"Rosnia, do you have any idea who the bastards that attacked you are?"

"……."

I had to repeat what I had already explained to Ruwellin like a parrot. Well, Adrian Hyll needed to know too.

But when Father next barged into the room, I got tired of explaining again. So I left it to Adrian Hyll.

"They turned into sand all of a sudden……?"

Father muttered with a blank expression after hearing the whole story. Fatherundefineds eyes took on a quite serious look, making me nervous for no reason.

Father seemed to ponder something for a while, then spoke to me after a moment.

"Rosnia, I need to see that black sand for a moment."

"Yes, please do."

Answering readily, I guided Father to the desk where I had placed the black sand.

The analysis magic I had spread out on the desk was spinning with a blue light.

Father added some ancient letters and numbers to the formula and rearranged the shape. Then the analysis speed increased like crazy.

undefinedI didnundefinedt know there was a method like that!undefined

Adrian Hyll was also called a genius, but Father was a true genius. I stared with my mouth agape as Father examined the analysis results.

Father, with jet-black hair and eyes, was said to be famous in his youth as undefinedthe head of the terrifying Hyll family, but very handsome.undefined

Perhaps because he was handsome in his youth, his looks were still remarkable even now. I remembered Mother often saying, "I like your fatherundefineds face the most." That seemed to have been sincere. Hmm.

"……I canundefinedt believe this."

The ominous words that flowed from Fatherundefineds mouth swept away my hazy feelings and thoughts.

I snapped to attention and looked at Father nervously.

Fatherundefineds eyes, looking at the analysis results as he parted his lips, were filled with shock.

"……This is human bone powder."

"……Pardon?"

I asked back reflexively, blinking blankly. I had thought it might be possible, but…… for it to really be human bone powder.

That meant someone was conducting experiments on people.

On dead people, at that.

"Who on earth is doing something like this? Father, do you have any idea?"

I hurriedly approached Father and asked. He broke the analysis magic and put the bottle containing the black sand on the desk.

Then, with a troubled expression, he looked at me hesitantly before answering.

"Well, Iundefinedm not sure if I should tell you this."

"Just say it. I need to know too."

When I urged him, Fatherundefineds gaze briefly brushed over Ruwellin before resting on Adrian Hyll.

And I realized. There was another secret the two of them had hidden from me.

Feeling upset again, I glared at Father and Adrian Hyll, and Father sighed and carefully took my hand.

"Rosnia, the reason I hid it from you is not because I disregard you. Itundefineds because you are so precious."

Father spoke in a gentle voice, as if he had read my mind.

But my sullen mood didnundefinedt easily lift. If I was precious to him, shouldnundefinedt he tell me everything without hiding anything?

undefinedIundefinedm not a hothouse flower.undefined

I had never rebelled against Father, so even at this moment, I hesitated to speak harshly.

I couldnundefinedt help it, because my father was always kind and gentle.

Father was so gentle that I wondered how a son like Adrian Hyll could have come from him.

When such a father held my hand tightly and looked at me with soft eyes, I couldnundefinedt bring myself to be angry.

"But, well…… youundefinedre all grown up now, and you even have someone to marry, so itundefineds better to tell you without hiding it. And Duke of Rashiane, this is a story you need to hear as well."

Father pointed to Ruwellin as he spoke, and Ruwellin nodded with a serious expression. He seemed to have sensed that a significant story was about to be exchanged.

"Then…… letundefineds sit down first. Adrian Hyll, you come and sit too."

We gathered on the sofas. Adrian Hyll sat next to Father, and Ruwellin and I sat side by side across from them.

Adrian Hyll looked at the two of us clinging together as if we were an eyesore, but I ignored him easily.

Father poured water from the pitcher on the table, drank a cup, and then slowly began to speak.

"On the day my wife, Illunia, went missing…… it wasnundefinedt made public, but there is one fact that only Illunia and I knew. I only told Adrian Hyll that fact later."

Both Ruwellin and I listened silently. Adrian Hyll was quietly glaring at Ruwellin, as if trying not to miss any of his reactions.

I thought that was strange, and at the same time, an inexplicable unease slowly filled my heart like smoke.

What on earth was the fact that Father and Adrian Hyll had hidden?

"Before I speak, as the head of the Rashiane family, I want to let you know that you must take this matter seriously. It could potentially shake the foundations of your family."

"I will keep that in mind. Please speak."

Despite Fatherundefineds warning, Ruwellin answered politely in an unwavering voice.

Seeming quite pleased with that, Fatherundefineds lips momentarily twitched into a smile, but soon returned to a dark expression.

Whenever he talked about Mother, Father always made that face.

"The day before Illunia disappeared, an urgent message arrived for her from the Robitz family. I didnundefinedt hear the details of what it said, but I could tell it was something serious. Because Illuniaundefineds expression was unusual."

"……."

"Illunia said she needed to go to the Robitz estate for a while and left the Magic Tower, and she vanished without a trace. That was 15 years ago."

"……."

"So…… Iundefinedm not jumping to conclusions, but I suspect the Robitz family might be involved in Illuniaundefineds disappearance. And……."

Father paused for a moment, sighed, and then spoke again.

"The Castell family, a collateral branch of the Rashianes, might also be involved."

"……Pardon?"

Ruwellin asked back, flustered, blinking blankly.

Father nodded his chin with an expression of understanding.

"This must be a bewildering story. You must be sincere with Rosnia."

"My feelings are sincere. And they will never change. I would rather die than betray Rose."

Ruwellin said urgently. Seeing him spout extreme words again, Father smiled awkwardly. When Ruwellin is like that, he looks a bit insane. Yes, I understand that too.

undefinedMore importantly, the Castell family……?undefined

Castell. I had heard that name before. But it was a family that didnundefinedt appear in the original story…….

undefinedMoreover, I was surprised. That the Robitz family might be connected to Motherundefineds disappearance…….undefined

Of course, it was just a suspicion, but…… the Robitz family had wanted to hide Motherundefineds existence so badly that it wouldnundefinedt be strange if they had done something to her.

undefinedSo thatundefineds why Adrian Hyll clashed with Enrique. With Adrian Hyllundefineds personality, he wouldnundefinedt have been able to hold back when he saw Enrique.undefined

……For Father and Adrian Hyll to tell me such an important fact only now.

If I had known this fact, would my relationship with Ruwellin have been much different from now?

Perhaps I would have pushed him away even more desperately and been wary of him. Our relationship might not have developed this far…….

undefinedFather and Adrian Hyll hid the truth in the name of protecting me, but that event ultimately led Ruwellin and me to have a deep relationship.undefined

Life is truly unpredictable.

"Now that youundefinedve heard Fatherundefineds story, you should understand why I find you and your family so distasteful."

Adrian Hyll glared at Ruwellin and spoke in a cold voice. Ruwellin couldnundefinedt offer any refutation, just looking down at his own hands with a serious expression.

"Even though you made the undefinedOath of the Heart,undefined I still donundefinedt trust you. If you want to be acknowledged, prove it. Send someone to investigate the Castell family immediately. Thatundefineds what you need to do."

* * *

Ruwellin immediately began investigating the Castell family and shared the entire process with Father, Adrian Hyll, and me.

The Castell family had hidden the truth so thoroughly that even Father and Adrian Hyll had struggled to investigate so far. But as the head of the Rashiane family, Ruwellin surely had different channels.

If the direct head of the family ordered it, even the Castell family would find it hard to refuse. Of course, investigating discreetly would be best, but…….

undefinedBecause Father and Adrian Hyllundefineds discreet investigations turned up nothing.undefined

I heard that the Castell Marquessate placed great importance on noble bloodlines and was very closed off.

The late Marquis of Castell was said to have even made the absurd claim that undefinedthe Castell family is closer to the direct Rashiane bloodline, and therefore I should be the Duke of Rashiane,undefined but he died of illness before realizing that ambition.

If the late Marquis of Castell had been alive, he would have interfered greatly in the Rashiane familyundefineds internal affairs from the time Ruwellin became an orphan. And he would have been constantly looking for an opportunity to usurp the ducal seat.

undefinedItundefineds not nice to think this, but itundefineds a good thing he died.undefined

Some people are more useful to the world dead…….

undefinedAnyway, I need to do my part too.undefined

I couldnundefinedt just sit still while Ruwellin worked hard. I would also do my best at what I could do. Though not as much as Father or Adrian Hyll, I was also an excellent mage.

undefinedI need to trace who the owner of this bone powder was in life.undefined

If I could find out who, where, and how they died, I might find an important clue. It would be a very complex spell, but trying was much better than doing nothing.

Father seemed to think that the mastermind behind this attack might be the Robitz family, or the Castell family, which is closely connected to the Robitz family.

……If so, that was a big problem. Because a family serving the Rashianes and a collateral branch of the Rashianes had attacked me, who was about to be engaged to Ruwellin.

That meant the two families did not acknowledge me, and that even after marrying Ruwellin, attacks like this might continue to occur.

undefinedOf course, Iundefinedm not the type to just sit back and take it.undefined

Come to think of it, it was ironic. The Robitz family, who so despised mages, were conducting magical experiments using the corpses of the dead?

The assailants who attacked me were a kind of puppet created by forbidden magic. Corpses that had lost all their memories and emotions from life, only following their masterundefineds commands.

Creating such ominous beings, if this was truly the work of the Robitz family, they wouldnundefinedt be able to avoid public criticism. The same would go for the Castell family.

undefined……Good, now all I have to do is infuse magic…….undefined

I carefully placed my hand on the completed magic circle. A spell to trace the owner of the bone powder. In principle, it went against time, so it was a somewhat dangerous and complex spell.

But I was a genius second only to Adrian Hyll, so I could handle this much, right? ……I hoped so, please.

Oh God, please let me succeed. So I can catch those bad guys who are playing with the dead. I called out to a god I only seek when Iundefinedm struggling and desperate, and infused the magic circle with my power.

Whoosh—.

The magic circle began to operate, emitting a blue light. Spinning shapes, and numbers and ancient letters densely written within them.

Soon, the radiance spreading from the magic circle filled the space, creating a small universe within this room.

A landscape like a planetarium. Among the countless sparkling stars, one blue star that rose the largest began to spin rapidly.

The copied world of the fake universe I created was going against time. Soon, the location where the owner of the bone powder had lived would appear on that star.

undefinedSoon…….undefined

The starundefineds rotation finally stopped. And on it, the coordinates of a certain place appeared.

That location was where the owner of the bone powder had lived.

I carefully memorized the coordinates and then broke the spell. The starry night sky that had spread before my eyes disappeared, and the scenery of the ordinary room came back into view.

undefinedGood, perfect.undefined

I could guarantee the coordinates were accurate. I hadnundefinedt made a single mistake.

I was amazing after all. Adrian Hyll should have seen that spell!

Feeling a bit regretful, I spread a world map on the center table. I just needed to find the coordinates I had memorized on this map.

Letundefineds see, it was there…….

undefinedAh, found it!undefined

I found it quickly, as expected.

The place the coordinates pointed to, where the owner of the bone powder had lived, was a village in the northeast, not far from here.

……There was one problem, though. That village was located on the border between the Rashiane Duchy and the Robitz County.

undefinedThis only deepens the suspicion…….undefined

I was glaring at the map, deep in thought, when I heard a knock on the door. The owner of the voice that soon followed was none other than Ruwellin.

"Rosnia, itundefineds me. May I come in?"

"Yes, come in."

When I readily accepted, the door immediately opened and Ruwellin entered.

The moment his eyes met mine, he smiled brightly. The pretty shape of his smile looked just like he was showing off. I barely managed to hold back the corners of my mouth from spreading. Honestly, I was falling for him more and more, which was a real problem.

"What were you doing?"

Ruwellin asked as he naturally approached and sat beside me. I brushed back his slightly disheveled hair and answered.

"I used my magic to trace where the owner of this bone powder lived in life. Right here."

When I pointed to the map with my fingertip, Ruwellinundefineds gaze followed. He looked at the map silently, then muttered in a low voice.

"The northeastern part of the empire…… a place on the border between Robitz territory and Rashiane territory."

"Yes. So Iundefinedm a bit…… suspicious. Whether this really is the work of the Robitz family……."

As I spoke, fidgeting with my hands, Ruwellin subtly wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He looked at me from close range and spoke quite seriously.

"Even if this incident, and perhaps Lady Illuniaundefineds incident, are the work of the Robitz family or the Castell family, nothing will change. I will punish them severely. For me, there is only you, and I will not marry anyone but you. If thatundefineds the case, I would rather―."

"Die? How many times are you going to say that?"

I laughed helplessly and shook my head. Looking at me, a faint self-mockery also appeared on Ruwellinundefineds lips.

Ruwellin smiled sadly. The emotions contained in his emerald eyes could not be summarized into one. A green forest so deep its depth couldnundefinedt be gauged, or a very old jade-colored lake. His feelings might be much more profound than I knew.

"But truly, if itundefineds not you, if youundefinedre not by my side, I will want to die."

"……Just how long have you had such terrifying feelings?"

"I donundefinedt know. But emotions are not something I can control. Even though they are mine, they also wield me. They make me a slave. I was defeated by my own emotions, and I acknowledged that. Rosnia."

Ruwellin took my hand and placed it on his left chest, where his heart was. I could feel his heartbeat, thump, thump. That vibration felt as if it would be engraved on my palm. It was beating that strongly.

"The owner of this heart is you."

"……."

"So please, donundefinedt throw it away. Because if not you, it can no longer beat like this."

I looked at him quietly, then brushed his chest. He flinched and immediately blushed.

Why is he so pretty even like this?

Really, a face so handsome that no matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it! I cupped his cheeks in both hands and gave him a peck.

Then he flinched again and suddenly wiped his face with his hands, sighing deeply. Wondering why he was being so shy when it was unlike him, I poked his arm. He grabbed my wrist and then, with force, laid me down on the sofa.

In an instant, the tables had turned. Now it was he, not I, who was doing the tormenting. Ruwellin rained kisses all over my face.

I laughed helplessly from the ticklishness, but soon my voice was stolen by his overlapping lips.

His tongue, parting my lips and pushing inside, quickly found mine and wrapped around it gently. All my nerves focused on that spot, my entire body grew hot, and I lost strength as if melting.

Like a small animal whose nape is bitten by a predatorundefineds fangs, I couldnundefinedt move and let my limbs go limp. Ruwellin, licking my lips as if tasting them, slowly slid down.

A moist, warm breath touched my nape. When he licked my skin, I shuddered, and Ruwellin gently stroked my waist.

The top of my dress was perilously draped over my shoulders, as if it might or might not come off. I grabbed his shirt collar with trembling hands and spoke in a voice as fragile as a butterflyundefineds wing.

"Le, letundefineds go to, the bed……."

He seemed to have understood my wish that I didnundefinedt want to do it on the sofa when there was a perfectly good bed.

Ruwellin grinned and lifted me up.