Chapter 92

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: An Uncomfortable Question
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It was only for a moment, to take his hand as he escorted me from the carriage. It was a customary act of courtesy, one with no special meaning.
But the moment Lucio squeezed her hand, the atmosphere turned strange. Aileen looked at Lucio in surprise.
The senior, who usually had a friendly impression, wore an unfamiliar expression. It felt as if his actions were laden with some emotion. Having once heard Lucio confess his past feelings for her, this thought felt even more pronounced.
For some reason, a slight fear crept in. Before her mind could fully comprehend the emotion her instincts had perceived, Aileen unconsciously glanced back at Cesare.
Cesare, who had been staring at her captured hand, slowly raised his gaze to meet hers. The moment she saw his red eyes, the anxiety she had just felt vanished.
His face was as expressionless as usual. His vivid red eyes were also as tranquil as ever. After a moment of quiet staring, Cesare twisted his lips into a smirk.
As the short laugh escaped, Lucio flinched and released her hand. Aileen clenched and unclenched her slightly tingling hand.
The professors who had gotten out of the carriage were also looking this way with surprised eyes. Aileen watched Cesare, trying to gauge his reaction.
*‘Does he think that was rude?’*
He wouldn't be jealous of Lucio, but he might consider it a rude act toward the Grand Duchess. If he had a mind to, Cesare could be crueler than necessary.
In the past, he had shot a thief who stole oranges, to ensure no one would ever covet the orange tree at the brick house again. This time, he might make an example of Lucio, forcing him to kneel in the square before shooting him.
Aileen fretted inwardly, but Cesare didn't even glance at Lucio. He looked only at Aileen and called her name.
“Aileen.”
Without a backward glance, Aileen scurried over to Cesare. He waited patiently until she was right in front of him. And only when she had fully arrived did he open his arms. Aileen hesitated for a moment, but soon nestled into Cesare's embrace.
He held her loosely in his arms. It was to ensure she wouldn't be hurt by the medals on his uniform.
In the security of his broad embrace, Aileen forgot her surroundings and the complicated thoughts that had been cluttering her mind until just moments before. She simply savored the happiness welling up from deep within.
“I didn't know you'd be home already.”
Had she known, she would have returned home sooner. As she spoke with a hint of regret, Cesare, instead of answering, placed a light kiss on her forehead.
Only after gently stroking her cheek did he turn his gaze to their guests. Aileen, who had been engrossed by Cesare's early return, belatedly introduced them.
“Ah, these are from Palerchia University...”
“I know.”
Still holding Aileen by the waist, Cesare looked at Glenda and Elio. Finding themselves face-to-face with His Excellency, the Grand Duke of Erzet, they looked completely stunned.
The moment they met his red eyes, which held a faint trace of a smile, the poor professors froze solid. Cesare spoke their names in a leisurely voice.
“Glenda of the Pharmacology Department, and Elio of the Botany Department, was it?”
They were well past middle age. Calling them by their first names, without their title of ‘Professor,’ was easily considered a breach of etiquette.
But Cesare was the Grand Duke. For the professors, the fact that Cesare even knew their names was an honor. They were in no position to quibble over etiquette.
Of course, they had no mental space to think of such things anyway. The professors had, until now, lived the peaceful and tranquil lives of scholars.
They had almost never encountered a soldier in their lives, yet coming face-to-face with Cesare, they trembled like mice before a lion. An unconcealed fear was clearly etched on Glenda and Elio's faces.
Aileen knew well that while she was quite used to soldiers, others were not.
*‘And especially Lord Cesare...’*
There were few in the Traon Empire who would not grow tense under his red-eyed stare.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency.”
Glenda and Elio bowed, their bodies trembling slightly. They showed their respects politely and, though belatedly, offered their congratulations on his victory.
“Congratulations on your victory. Because Your Excellency has protected the empire, all citizens of the Traon Empire can now enjoy peace.”
“As a citizen of the Traon Empire, I offer my sincerest thanks.”
In their eyes, respect was mingled with fear. As the Sword of the Empire, Cesare, who had led an impossible war to victory, was a hero who would go down in history for the citizens of the empire.
Watching the professors—who just a short while ago had been chatting cheerfully with her at a tea house—now express their admiration and praise for Cesare, Aileen felt a strange mix of emotions.
Even though she already knew, it was a fresh reminder of just what kind of person Cesare was. Ordinarily, Aileen would have been standing behind Glenda and Elio, not in Cesare's arms.
*‘No, we probably never would have met in the first place...’*
Aileen suppressed the bitterness that was slowly creeping up again. Meanwhile, Cesare addressed the professors with a faint smile.
“Please make yourselves comfortable during your stay at the grand ducal estate. I will see to it that you want for nothing.”
Then, Cesare naturally pulled Aileen along and entered the mansion first. As soon as the main doors closed, he casually lifted Aileen into his arms and started up the stairs.
“Lord Cesare...”
Her face grew hot at the thought that the professors or Lucio might see her being carried like a child. Aileen kept glancing at the door, subtly indicating that she wanted to be put down, but Cesare had no intention of doing so. He asked her a question as he ascended the stairs.
“How was your outing today?”
As soon as he asked, Aileen forgot her embarrassment for a moment and the words came tumbling out. It was because there was so much she had wanted to tell Cesare.
“It was fun. I was lucky enough to find a book at the bookstore that's out of print. Oh, it's not a book about plants. As you know, Lord Cesare, I don't *only* read books about plants. And I looked at some lab equipment, but I didn't buy any. I already have everything in my lab. In fact, the equipment in my lab is even better! Still, it felt a little strange to not buy anything, so I just bought a simple glass beaker.”
She spoke in a rush of excitement, and before she knew it, they had reached the top of the stairs. But Cesare didn't put her down, and Aileen forgot to ask him to.
“...And it turns out the professors were looking for me. They showed me the medicine I'd sold, the headache remedy, and I was so surprised. They said they wanted to meet the pharmacist who made it, and I was in such a bind, wondering what to do, that I just ended up telling them the truth.”
At this point, she paused and studied Cesare's expression. He had said it was fine before, which was why she told them, but if he was displeased now about her revealing she was a pharmacist, she was ready to stop immediately.
Fortunately, far from being displeased, Cesare seemed rather amused. Relieved, Aileen eagerly continued.
“So, they found out I'm a pharmacist. And they said they want to commercialize the headache remedy I made. They praised it a lot, saying it's a medicine that will benefit the people of the empire, and while I'm not so sure about that... if you'll allow it, Lord Cesare, I was thinking maybe it would be okay...”
The professors had showered her with so much praise that she had gained a bit of confidence. But speaking of her own achievements in front of Cesare made them feel incredibly insignificant. After all, he was hailed as the hero who saved the empire.
Aileen's voice, which had started out confidently talking about the headache remedy, grew quieter and quieter. Her words trailed off completely until, at the end, they faded away.
Having fallen silent, Aileen belatedly realized they had entered the bedroom. Cesare casually continued the conversation as he began unfastening the buttons on her dress.
“A wife should be allowed to do whatever she wants.”
Her delicate collarbones were soon exposed. Aileen shivered as the air touched her skin. Cesare asked in a calm tone.
“So, what did you talk about with your senior?”