HRNGDS 14

~Chapter 14~

Delfina sometimes recalled the times when she had overturned the food her teacher brought her.

“I will stay with you until you regain your strength.”

Thinking back to those moments, Delfina couldn’t help but admire her teacher’s patience.

‘Could I do the same as my teacher?’

But Delfina didn’t give up.

From what she had experienced, the system never presented a quest that involved something impossible.

<All system quests are solvable.>

Tip: To win someone’s heart, you must get close to them.

In response to her thoughts, the system appeared.

‘Wow, I didn’t know there was this feature.’

Delfina wasn’t sure why the system was appearing, but she was relieved to receive a clear answer.

‘There’s a way to protect the Grand Duchess.’

Cooking, they said, was about the heart. And to win someone’s heart, some degree of intimacy was needed.

Delfina’s eyes began to blaze with passion. She quickly moved her hands, chopping the vegetables.

‘Grandmother and my teacher were right. The most important thing is the heart.’

Delfina had learned this from her grandmother and her teacher.

Cooking was about the heart. She now believed that the way to convince someone who refused to eat lay in that very heart.

‘I have to try.’

Just like how her grandmother had made porridge for her all morning to get her to eat, or how her teacher had been patient with a child who had suffered loss.

Delfina finished preparing the vegetables and immediately went to find Elkaian.

“You’re still small.”

“Pardon?”

“Did you not eat properly? Perhaps you should take better care of yourself before worrying about others.”

Elkaian said this as soon as he saw Delfina, and she bristled at his remark.

“This is plenty big, you know?”

“You didn’t skip a meal, did you?”

“I think it’s you who skipped lunch, wasn’t it? Did you only have a sandwich?”

Elkaian replied in a curt tone.

“I don’t really enjoy eating.”

Delfina squinted her eyes and stared at Elkaian.

Having visited the kitchen for several days, she knew. Elkaian often settled for sandwiches.

‘Once the Grand Duchess is taken care of, I’ll make sure the Grand Duke eats well too.’

If Walton had said that the Duke wasn’t eating well, he would have stepped aside. But she could have shared a meal with him since she was his fiancée.

‘After all, I am his fiancée.’

With this thought, her resolve grew stronger.

“Please allow me to visit the Grand Duchess.”

Elkaian’s face turned troubled. The Grand Duchess was a knight from the North.

Even among the formidable women of the North, many feared her.

Recently, she had even sent away the maids who had been serving her harshly, stating that she wanted to be alone.

“It’s fine to visit her. But I must advise against it. My mother is in a very delicate state right now.”

“I’m fine. I came here because I thought I needed permission from the Grand Duke. The Grand Duchess might not be happy with my frequent visits.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to feed the Grand Duchess, but I don’t know much about her. I thought I should spend time with her and build a connection.”

“Lady, I believe you should reconsider.”

“As the Grand Duke said, the Grand Duchess may not like me. I know that, which is why I came to you.”

Elkaian looked at Delfina seriously.

“Handling my mother’s temper is difficult, even for the physically trained knights. It’s no surprise that the maids who tried to serve her have left.”

“I’m fine. Please, just give me a chance.”

Elkaian stared at Delfina intently. Her eyes were clear. She wasn’t trembling in fear.

The delicate Delfina he had known now seemed almost unrecognizable before him.

The same courage that the knights of the North showed could be felt in the woman before him. Elkaian finally nodded.

‘The choice is hers to make.’

“I heard Walton acknowledged you. So, if Lady Lycaeon wishes to see my mother, go ahead.”

Delfina responded with a bright smile.

“Thank you, Grand Duke.”

Her smile was the brightest it had been since coming to the North.

Elkaian was momentarily captivated by her face. Delfina, bowing her head, disappeared from his sight.

Elkaian stared for a long time at the spot where Delfina had left.

Captain Karen, who had been observing, turned to Elkaian and asked.

“What do you think Lady Lycaeon is planning? She wants to visit the Grand Duchess?”

Karen still couldn’t trust Delfina.

All the people he had met from the Lycaeon family were cruel and greedy by nature.

Elkaian casually answered in response to Karen’s cautious tone.

“I don’t know, honestly.”

“Does she really think she can find a way to meet the Grand Duchess’s tastes?”

Karen knew the Grand Duchess well.

Her personality was tough enough that even the North’s knights were hesitant to face her. That hadn’t changed, even after her illness.

The people of the North both feared and deeply respected the Grand Duchess.

If Elkaian was the ruler of the North, the Grand Duchess was like the sturdy wall that supported it.

‘To think the Grand Duchess is ill…’

The harsh northern winter ahead began to feel more daunting.

Karen didn’t expect much. He thought Delfina would soon run away from the Grand Duchess’s fierce nature.

Elkaian replied with a dark expression.

“Since Walton has acknowledged her, there’s nothing for us to dispute, Karen. Besides, there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“Has there been no contact from the temple?”

“It’s hard to say that there’s no divine power to heal my mother’s illness. If this doesn’t work, I’ll go to the capital and meet with the substitute bishop.”

The substitute bishop could only be met by direct request from Elkaian.

“I see. If you’re seeking permission for the engagement from the royal family, it makes sense that you should go to the capital.”

“The engagement approval will probably happen during the autumn festival, at which time the substitute bishop will surely be in the capital.”

Elkaian let out a faint sigh.

“The real issue is whether my mother can last until then.”

He looked seriously toward the door through which Delfina had left. While Delfina focused on getting the Grand Duchess to eat, Elkaian was looking for various ways to counter the monster poison.

But everything had to wait until the Grand Duchess regained her strength.

Even though he knew it was a futile effort, Elkaian couldn’t help but find himself quietly rooting for Delfina.

Karen spoke with a grave expression.

“I’m worried that the Grand Duchess might hurt Lady Lycaeon. If she decides to go back to the South, it will cause us trouble.”

Elkaian shared this concern.

‘Could such a small and fragile person face my mother?’

A fragile person might, at any moment, decide to return to the South.

‘What if she wants to return to the South…?’

Elkaian immediately shook his head.

He spoke coldly to Karen.

“It would be nice if she could persuade my mother, but that’s unlikely. Even if she decides to go back to the South after being hurt, we don’t need to worry about it right now.”

The person who decided to meet the Grand Duchess was Delfina. It was her choice, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Yet, in his mind, he couldn’t help but recall the exhausted, sleeping face of Delfina from earlier.

‘If she wants to return to the Lycaeon family, we can send her back. It’s just going back to the way things were.’

He shook his head vigorously, as if to dispel his thoughts about Delfina.