Chapter 37
Chapter 37. Rising Memories (1)
“By the way, is something going on?”
Meriwood glanced around the building and added that she had worried she might have come to the wrong place, since she hardly saw anyone around.
“The knight order’s founding ceremony is happening right now, so everyone’s gathered in the banquet hall.”
“Ah! So she’s already formed the order.”
Meriwood’s face lit up for a moment. She patted her rounded waist with her hand and remarked that it was good news.
“We should move to the drawing room, my lady.”
Sionne noticed Meriwood was struggling and offered to escort her.
“Shall we, then?”
Meriwood looked at him with satisfaction as he naturally took on the escorting role.
She drank her tea without a sound—elegant and proper.
“……”
Sionne watched her quietly. Being stuck in the drawing room like this was frustrating.
But it would look suspicious if he left Meriwood alone. He had no good excuse to do so.
“Was your journey peaceful?”
Sionne asked her.
Not long ago, Rosalyn had received a letter from Meriwood. It had been a one-sided declaration that she would be coming to Anata.
Sionne, who had been in the study with Rosalyn almost constantly, had been there at the time too.
‘Sionne, did the title of “nanny to the grand duke” become a thing during the seven years I lost my memory?’
The woman had grumbled, but she didn’t seem displeased. If anything, she seemed faintly pleased.
“Oh, I had steeled myself for the worst, but it was much better than I expected.”
Meriwood answered as she set down her teacup.
‘Of course it was.’
Rosalyn had prepared Meriwood’s route in advance. She had contacted the lords of Anata to sweep the roads of bandits and ordered them to maintain the roads properly.
‘Anyone who didn’t know better would’ve thought she was waiting for her to arrive.’
Despite his cynical thoughts, Sionne spoke with courtesy.
“I’m glad you arrived without trouble.”
“Thank you.”
Meriwood smiled in reply.
“You look more at ease than you did at the Imperial Palace, Sir Sionne.”
“Me…?”
“You’ve put on a bit of weight, and you smile more now. It suits you.”
Her words were well-intentioned, but they hit Sionne with a wave of guilt.
‘Enjoying yourself, now that you’re at peace?’
It sounded as if someone were judging him.
‘If your dead comrades saw you now, they’d rise from their graves—furious that they ever served a man like you!’
Words of scorn he had once heard echoed in his mind, rephrased cruelly.
‘You didn’t go for the letter on purpose, did you? Saying you couldn’t leave Meriwood alone was just an excuse, wasn’t it?’
And the pathetic part was that he couldn’t entirely deny those accusations.
“…Sir Sionne?”
Meriwood called his name, noticing the way his expression darkened by the second. She looked at him with concern.
“Are you alright? Did I say something wrong…?”
“N-no. I’m just not feeling well today.”
Sionne shook his head and forced a smile.
“I’m sorry, but would it be alright if I excused myself? I’m feeling rather unwell.”
“Oh, of course. I’ve been keeping you here without realizing.”
Meriwood stood up along with him.
“No, I’m glad we got to speak, even briefly.”
He gave a polite bow and approached the door.
‘Right. Go find some clue about Merilyn and Anna. And then…’
As Sionne opened the door to leave, a woman came into view in the distance, her red cloak billowing as she walked.
‘Kill Rosalyn de Anata.’
“Sionne.”
Her voice overlapped with the one echoing in his head.
A faint headache caused Sionne to squint one eye as he answered,
“…Rosalyn.”
She had already closed the distance in a few strides and reached out to gently touch his face. At some point, that kind of contact had become natural.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Her worried question triggered another warning in his mind.
‘Stay away from the woman.’
Sionne turned his head to avoid her hand.
“Sionne?”
Rosalyn’s confusion was plain. This was the first time he had avoided her touch—he, who had once rubbed his cheek against her hand unprompted.
“Did you come to see Lady Mason? She’s waiting in the drawing room.”
Sionne replied quickly, avoiding her gaze. His tone made it clear he didn’t want to talk anymore.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Just as he tried to pass her—
Thwack. Rosalyn grabbed his wrist.
“I didn’t say you could go.”
“……”
“What is it?”
Rosalyn furrowed her brows, clearly demanding an explanation for his behavior.
“You left before the ceremony was even over.”
It sounded like a scolding… or maybe concern.
“What’s going on?”
Maybe because they’d spent quite a bit of time together, Sionne could read the concern behind her sharp tone.
“…It’s nothing. I just don’t feel well.”
“What exactly feels off?”
Rosalyn stepped closer and asked.
“You’ve been working me hard lately. With all the forced marches, I think I’ve come down with something.”
Sionne responded in his usual voice, but his body betrayed him by taking two steps back.
“……”
There was no way Rosalyn didn’t notice. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the hardened line of his lips.
Come to think of it, their relationship had always followed the same pattern—Sionne approached, and she pushed him away.
Now that he was the one pushing away, she didn’t know how to handle it.
‘Why does this feel so awful?’
It felt like she’d had a slop bucket from the stables dumped over her head.
She wanted to ask him what was going on. She wanted to press him for an answer, even if it took an hour—or two.
But… she didn’t have the time. She still had to meet with Meriwood and attend the founding banquet.
“The banquet?”
So all she managed to ask was that.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can attend. Besides, I’m not really part of Anata, am I?”
She had been asking about dinner, but he gave her a completely different answer.
“…Alright, then.”
Rosalyn let go of his wrist weakly.
Sionne bowed slightly without a hint of regret and turned away. The insolent concubine tried to leave first.
“……”
Rosalyn winced suddenly, as if her insides hurt. She didn’t like the way he acted, as if ready to leave her at any moment.
“Sion.”
On impulse, she called him by his nickname. At the sound of it, Sionne stopped in his tracks.
“…Wait in my room.”
At present, Rosalyn and Sionne were sharing the same room.
Even so, she told him to go to her room—deliberately.
‘Don’t go anywhere.’
The words she really wanted to say stayed locked inside.
“Yes.”
* * *
In Rosalyn’s room, Sionne was rifling through the desk in her office.
He quickly scanned the documents laid out on top, but none of them were the type he was looking for.
He needed to open the small drawers in the desk.
Click, click. He jabbed a thin pick into the keyhole.
But lacking technique, it felt like it would open—and yet didn’t. Frustrated, he shoved in a second pick.
“How should I… Ah!”
He fixed one pick in place and turned the other clockwise. With a crisp sound, the drawer clicked open.
The papers he carefully pulled out from inside the drawer were noticeably smaller than those spread across the desk.
‘So she has someone planted in the imperial palace.’
The first drawer contained nothing but reports on the emperor’s movements.
Lately, it seemed the emperor had been leaving the palace frequently. The reports speculated about where he might be going.
The second drawer was stuffed with notes compiling information on suspected spies.
‘This one…!’
Sionne’s hand stopped on a particular sheet as he flipped through them quickly.
[Unable to speak. Place of origin unknown. Suspected to be from the southern region. Needs to be watched.]
Sionne bit down hard on his lip. Hans, the man sent from Feitan, was already under suspicion.
‘I’ll need to be even more careful.’
He’d already been avoiding contact as much as possible. But now he’d have to exercise even more caution.
As he reached to open the last drawer, Sionne’s hand was trembling.
‘What if it’s not here either…?’
The desire to find it clashed with the fear of what he might discover.
Click.
