Chapter 5

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reunion
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The tall man appeared slender at first glance, but a closer look revealed his body was solid muscle. His ears were cluttered with an array of piercings, and his fingers and arms were laden with rings and bracelets. A large black tattoo was visible on his forearm where his sleeve was rolled up.
Aileen had hesitated at first, given his civilian clothes and jewelry, but after seeing the tattoo, there was no mistaking him. She stared at the man in disbelief before cautiously calling out his name.
“…Sir Diego?”
The man, who had been smoking a cigarette, glanced over at Aileen, his eyes widening.
“Gods!”
He hastily threw the cigarette from his mouth to the ground and stamped it out with his foot.
“What in the world are you doing here, my lady! And what’s with your clothes!”
“It really is you, Sir Diego…”
It was Diego, the Grand Duke's knight who had brought her a stuffed rabbit as a gift.
“Yes, it’s me. My lady, why… were you, by any chance, dragged here?”
Diego's eyes blazed as if he were about to pull a gun from his coat. Instead of answering, Aileen’s gaze shifted to check the sign of the shop Diego had been leaning against.
It was a place that sold nights along with its liquor.
“…”
When she looked back up at Diego without a word, he followed her gaze to the sign and practically jumped out of his skin. Looking utterly wronged, Diego pleaded with Aileen.
“It’s not what you think. Absolutely not. My lady, I was on duty.”
“Here…?”
“No, ah, fuck, this is driving me crazy.”
Having let the curse slip, he slapped a hand over his own mouth.
“My apologies, my lady. It just slipped out.”
“It’s all right…”
Diego groaned and tore at his hair. He offered Aileen his arm, his tone dejected.
“Allow me to escort you. Let’s head to the main street first and talk there.”
“But you said you were on duty.”
“What duty could be more important than you, my lady?”
He offered his arm again, but Aileen shook her head. She spoke frankly before he could try to drag her away.
“I… I came looking for my father. Do you happen to know where he is?”
Diego’s expression became complicated. With his fiery temper, he wasn't adept at controlling his emotions. The anger plain on his face confirmed it for Aileen.
“You do know.”
“Hah.”
Diego let out a sharp sigh. He gestured toward the back of the alley. A man in shabby clothes promptly appeared.
“Inform them that the young lady has arrived.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the man disappeared into the shop, Diego gently took Aileen’s sleeve and tugged.
“This way, please. If anything happens to you while we're standing on this godforsaken street, I’m a dead man.”
He led Aileen to the shop he had just been leaning against. The nature of the place was frightening, but she trusted that Diego would never harm her, so she followed.
Unlike its garish exterior, the inside of the shop was perfectly respectable. It had the feel of an ordinary inn and tavern. There were only a couple of tables occupied, and all the patrons seemed to be the Grand Duke’s soldiers. This was because they had all jumped to their feet and saluted the moment they saw Diego.
“At ease, at ease.”
Diego gave a casual wave of his hand, then pulled out a chair and sat Aileen down.
“Would you like some hot chocolate? Or perhaps some warm milk with honey?”
“…I’ll have a beer.”
“B-Beer?”
Diego was startled by the word ‘beer’. He muttered to himself as he walked away.
“The young lady’s all grown up… Drinking beer and everything…”
Even so, he dutifully returned with a large mug of beer and some fruit. Feeling agitated, Aileen gulped down the beer. She set down the half-empty mug and spoke again.
“You know, don’t you? Why won’t you tell me?”
But the answer didn’t come from Diego.
“Because Diego isn’t allowed to say.”
Creak. The sound of a wooden staircase groaning. A man with his shirt unbuttoned and hair disheveled slowly descended the stairs. Beneath vivid red eyes, his well-shaped lips parted as he spoke, as if placating a child.
“You should be angry with me, Aileen.”
Aileen, who had frozen with her hand on the beer mug, finally found her voice.
“…Your Excellency, the Grand Duke.”
The victory celebration was tomorrow. This morning’s paper had dedicated several pages to articles about the Grand Duke’s victory celebration. They said he would be leading a triumphal march through the capital, yet here was the man of the hour.
Staring in disbelief, Aileen hastily averted her gaze. Otherwise, she felt her face would turn beet red.
An unkempt Cesare exuded a strange aura. The man, dressed in comfortable civilian clothes instead of his uniform, seemed unfamiliar. It felt even more so because his shirt was unbuttoned enough to reveal his collarbones.
He leisurely walked over and took a seat in front of Aileen. Aileen, who had been staring blankly, realized her discourtesy and quickly stood up. Diego and the other soldiers were already standing at attention.
His gaze fell upon the table. Seeing the half-empty beer mug, Cesare let out a soft chuckle.
“Drinking, are we?”
Aileen covered her lips with the back of her hand. How awful, to be having a conversation while reeking of alcohol.
In truth, Aileen didn’t enjoy drinking. She much preferred hot chocolate or milk with honey to beer. She had only asked for beer because she didn’t want Diego to treat her like a child.
Regretting her pointless defiance, she answered as cautiously as possible.
“Yes. Just a little.”
Aileen gently clutched the hem of her dress. She spoke, her grip so tight her knuckles turned white.
“There’s something I wish to ask you.”
“Ask away.”
Permission was granted readily, but Aileen couldn’t bring herself to speak. Cesare leaned toward Aileen.
His shadow completely enveloped her. The difference in their physiques was so stark that Aileen held her breath without realizing it. Unable to look him straight in the eye, she lowered her gaze.
“What’s wrong? Can’t bring yourself to do it?”
If it were just Diego, it would be one thing, but she was reluctant to bring up personal matters in front of unfamiliar soldiers. As Aileen hesitated, Cesare smiled and whispered.
“Shall we talk, just the two of us?”
His teasing voice was sweeter than milk with honey. Feeling her face flush, she answered in a small voice.
“Yes…”
But she immediately regretted her answer. Suddenly, her vision shot upward. Cesare had swept her up into his arms.
“Y-Your Excellency!”
“You said you wanted to talk alone.”
He walked up the stairs, holding the grown woman as effortlessly as if she were a small child. Aileen was horrified and struggled.
“I can walk on my own!”
“The stairs are old, with quite a few broken steps. It’s dangerous, so stay still.”
“But—but—”
Cesare gently pressed down on Aileen’s squirming back to subdue her. The feel of his large hand on her back instantly made Aileen freeze like a stone. He patted the now-still Aileen lightly, as if in praise.
She felt like her face would explode with embarrassment at how he still treated her like a child. What was even more embarrassing was the fact that no one else there seemed to find the situation strange.
Not just Diego, but the other soldiers as well, didn’t even bat an eye. They seemed to think it was perfectly natural for the Grand Duke to carry Aileen upstairs.
It was all Cesare’s fault.
‘He’s always like this, so everyone else coddles me too.’
He set the example every time, and they all followed suit. Of course, she had often been carried around like this without a second thought when she was younger, but Aileen was an adult now. Broken wooden stairs were nothing; she could leap up two or three at a time on her own.
But now that she was in Cesare’s arms, it would be useless to ask him to put her down. Aileen remained helplessly in his arms as he carried her to the top floor.
As they ascended the stairs, Aileen curled herself up as small as possible. Her heart kept pounding at the feel of his hard body against hers. She was afraid he would hear it beating.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, Cesare thankfully set her down right away. Aileen scrambled away from him and followed with stiff, awkward steps.
They arrived at a room decorated like a parlor. Normally, she would have examined her surroundings, but she was too conscious of the presence beside her to do anything.
Aileen, who had only been stealing glances at Cesare, flinched when their eyes met directly. As her shoulders twitched, Cesare’s long eyes crinkled and he let out a small laugh.
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
He had Aileen sit on the sofa, then walked over to a shelf on one side of the parlor.
“Want some sweets? There’s no tea.”
It was pointless to try and act mature in front of him. Aileen meekly replied, “Yes.”
But if it was set up like a parlor, why was there no tea?
She looked around the room, puzzled, but her attention was quickly diverted when Cesare returned with individually wrapped sweets and dropped them into her lap.
He sat across from her, draping an arm over the back of the sofa as he watched her. His red eyes swept over Aileen.