CHAPTER 85……………………………..
Adele’s face was heavy with gloom as she strolled through the garden.
She ought to return to her room—there was a mountain of work waiting—but even if she sat at her desk, it didn’t feel like anything would get done.
There were always three or four urgent matters piled up at any given time, but right now, they all felt like faraway stories from another land.
“Miss, where are you going?”
“Jacqueline.”
“The Count has gone inside as well. Lord Xerox is waiting for you—you must hurry and attend to business.”
Jacqueline urged her mistress to go back inside.
Though she was called a maid, she was more like a secretary; she knew all too well how important the work Adele had before her was.
“The bidding is soon. With the Captain away, what about security? Should I prepare the private soldiers?”
“No. What’s the point when Caden is here?”
When it came to protection, there was no one like her younger brother.
Of course, “protection” often meant someone else would end up dead, but that only meant no one dared to make a reckless move against her.
The reason Adele, despite being a woman, had been able to sweep across the southern territories was largely because of Caden’s presence.
Touch Adele, and you die a dog’s death. That was practically an unspoken rule among the southern powers.
“Go tell Caden. We’ll leave tomorrow morning—he should be ready.”
“Yes, but… the Count put restraints on him…”
“Does he think he’s a dog?”
Her father—honestly!
Annoyed, Adele sent Jacqueline away, saying she’d take care of it.
Even if it was to prevent accidents, Caden wasn’t someone who harmed others without reason. He wasn’t the irredeemable social menace her father seemed to think.
“….”
Hmm… come to think of it, didn’t what she just said sound exactly like, ‘Our dog doesn’t bite!’
Adele’s expression turned solemn. She lifted her gaze, ready to head back, and found herself standing before the glass conservatory.
When had she come this far?
Even so, her hand moved of its own accord, pushing the garden door open.
“So you were all here.”
A white squirrel perked up its tail and scampered onto Adele’s shoulder.
She thought she had been wandering aimlessly, but perhaps she had unconsciously been headed here from the start.
This was, after all, the place where Killian’s presence lingered most strongly.
“I thought you might like this, Adele.”
A man whose very voice was magnificent.
Back then, he had taken out a squirrel from his arms—so unlike him—and it had blinked at her just like now.
She had been so startled she forgot all dignity and burst into giggles.
But no matter how surprising the gift, it hadn’t been like that every time.
“Did you not like squirrels?”
“Th-that’s not it, I did.”
When it was just one or two, at least.
Every dawn, Killian would catch a squirrel during their walks. She never knew what to say, her lips tingling with the words left unsaid.
Was he like Caden, perhaps?
Well, there was one big difference—Killian brought them back alive, while Caden… not so much. But Killian had never once returned empty-handed.
“I thought you would like them…”
“Yes. I do like them.”
“….”
“The squirrels, I mean.”
She couldn’t bring herself to look away from the hopeful blue eyes fixed on her.
The more she returned his gaze, the deeper Killian’s eyes grew. Ironically, that only made Adele smile.
This time, it wasn’t a burst of laughter but a quiet smile tugging at her lips.
Her cheeks ached from smiling at the thought of him.
Squeak.
“Ah, Balrog.”
At her feet, Balrog flicked his tail against her leg.
When she picked him up, he was noticeably heavier than before.
“You’re quite the jealous one, aren’t you?”
As she stroked his head, a cool sensation spread beneath her fingers.
Even amidst the whirlwind of her engagement and marriage, she had visited him every day to pet him at least once.
Even when her father scolded her for bringing home such a strange thing instead of a proper gift, Adele had defended Balrog.
“You’re my lucky mascot!”
And I’m a businesswoman.
Having shared in her life’s greatest gamble, her affection for Balrog had only grown.
Though his reddish, unplaceable appearance baffled others, he was affectionate and perceptive.
Balrog gazed at Adele’s troubled face before licking her hand.
“What’s this? Are you trying to comfort me?”
Squeak.
“Do you think that means I won’t eat you?”
Playfully growling, Adele lifted him up so their eyes met—his two pairs of crimson eyes staring into hers.
Her stomach churned. She had blamed it on carriage-sickness before, but now she knew better.
“Hmm…”
Could he be a beast?
His body was growing at an unnatural pace.
But Killian had insisted he wasn’t a monster.
She recalled Killian’s words last night, spoken while gazing at Balrog:
“Behave yourself.”
His voice and eyes had been heavy with unease.
When she asked why, he brushed it off with a smile. He had warned her not to keep Balrog too close, but even then, it seemed he knew she wouldn’t listen.
“Why does everyone act like this? He’s adorable.”
Squeak.
Before she grew too dizzy, Adele set Balrog on her lap.
Perhaps her unusual upbringing had skewed her tastes.
To her, things that horrified others—Caden, Balrog—were genuinely adorable.
“Isn’t that right, my lovely little emergency ration?”
Squeak-squeak.
He even understood her words!
Adele, who loved rare and peculiar things, found Balrog the perfect pet.
Of course, if she investigated his identity, she might discover he was a forbidden beast, which would mean he’d be taken from her.
“That won’t do!”
Squeak?
“Even if it’s stifling, you’ll stay here. Soon I’ll build you a greenhouse even bigger than this. There’s nothing worthwhile outside—you know that.”
Hooray for wealth.
Money could bend the rules, even for animals.
Yes, the wild might suit him better, but it would also expose him to hunters. With such striking looks, he’d be targeted instantly.
“People don’t know what they’re talking about.”
When you met something frightening in the mountains, it wasn’t monsters you had to fear—it was humans.
Merchants were the cruelest of all, skinning anything valuable on sight. Adele knew this better than anyone.
No matter if keeping Balrog was illegal, she could never let him go.
Wait—that meant Jasmine’s tiger was illegal too, wasn’t it?
Until Balrog could fend for himself, someone had to protect him. And Adele was confident she could keep both him and others safe.
“…You understand me, don’t you?”
She stroked what she assumed was his nose.
She remembered when she had first decided to take Caden in. Everyone opposed her—her relatives wanted her to just hand him money and send him away.
But she couldn’t.
“Hello, I’m Adele, your big sister. I don’t have a name for you yet, but if I ever do, I’ll tell you. Just so you know, I hate money and merchant guilds, and I’ll always hate them, so don’t kill me.”
She could still see him then—eyes swollen from beatings, pretending to be brave.
She had already taken in the story’s greatest villainess; why not him too?
If anyone was to blame, it was her father, who hadn’t even known his own child existed.
But she couldn’t resent him either; he had given her much to inherit—his wealth, his legacy.
So she had taken Caden in, vowing to take responsibility.
Even if he hadn’t grown in the way she hoped, at least she didn’t have to worry about him being weak. Quite the opposite.
“….”
Seeing Caden grown made her feel bittersweet.
Perhaps it really is time to let him go.
She knew why Caden distrusted Killian. And because she understood, she knew it was time to let him stand on his own.
Feeling lonely already, Adele stroked Balrog’s head to soothe her empty heart.
“You mustn’t hurt anyone. You must be a kind beast.”
Squeak!
“Good. That way you’ll stay by my side forever.”
Purr.
As she rubbed his paw, Balrog rumbled happily. But when Adele noticed his gaze fixed on her shoulder, her expression hardened.
“No squirrels!”
She knew who had given them.
At her stern words, Balrog rolled onto his back, exposing his belly.
Was he asking for a belly rub?
She indulged him, thinking how much like a cat he acted.
“…At least you make me smile.”
When would this week ever end?
She slumped onto the floor, propriety forgotten.
She had barely seen him since their wedding night, and his absence felt enormous.
If their parting words had lasted a little longer, she might have climbed onto his black steed.
“Ridiculous.”
To think of such things when the bidding was imminent—she laughed bitterly at herself.
She had long awaited this day, so why was her heart clinging to someone who wasn’t here?
This was why she hated giving her heart away.
She couldn’t bring herself to return to Killian’s empty room.
Just then—
“Miss! Miss!”
“…What is it, Jacqueline?”
“You must return to the main house—quickly!”
The glasshouse door banged open, and Jacqueline stumbled in, panting heavily.
Adele scolded her for barging in so rudely while she cradled the sleeping Balrog.
“I said I’d stay longer. The work is already taken care of—just needs checking. I’ll get to it later…”
“That’s not it!”
“Then what?”
Jacqueline’s face was pale as paper—something serious had happened.
“What is it this time?”
“Haa… haa… Y-your brother, Young Master Caden—”
“The Captain has left. He wouldn’t run into Caden. What could it be?”
The worst she could imagine was only that.
If Caden hadn’t met Killian, what could possibly make Jacqueline so frantic?
“Go back. If it’s Caden causing trouble, that’s nothing new. Unless the Captain has returned, it can’t be—”
“Young Master Caden stabbed Lady Noella!”
“….”
What did you just say?
Adele’s face drained of blood.
As she gasped for breath, Jacqueline, near tears, grabbed her hand.
“He drove a hole straight through Lady Noella’s palm!”
