IITYVA 38

Chapter 38 – 

“Mm, mmgh.”

I asked Hisha to enter through the window I had just pointed at.

Then, trying not to be conscious of Akes behind me, I deliberately recalled the recent private audience we had with the emperor.

The audience, which turned into a four-way discussion, mainly revolved around two issues:

“How to resolve Akes’ curse” and “What to do with Grand Duke Baharman.”

Of course, the ultimate purpose of forming this party was to overthrow the noble faction of Belzesty.

But since urgent matters had to be dealt with first, the focus naturally shifted to the immediate problems.

First, how to break Akes’ curse.

To completely dispel the curse on Akes, the cooperation of the caster, Dante, was necessary.

Specifically, the curse could be undone if the caster died, or if part of the caster’s body—like a strand of hair—was used in a counter-ritual.

‘But there’s no way Dante would willingly help us break the curse.’

If he were going to help, he wouldn’t have cursed Akes in the first place or kept trying to kill him.

It was safe to assume that Dante was fully aligned with Grand Duke Baharman.

‘Then the key now is Grand Duke Baharman’s next move.’

The cleanest solution would be to eliminate Dante along with Grand Duke Baharman, since Dante was his subordinate.

According to the emperor, Grand Duke Baharman was constantly coveting the throne.

That’s why he kidnapped Akes and cursed him.

There wasn’t a single noble in Elberk who didn’t know Akes was the emperor’s right-hand man.

But because revealing Akes’ regression into a child would expose a major weakness, they couldn’t use the curse as leverage against the grand duke.

Still, it wasn’t like there were no options.

Unlike the Belzesty nobles, Grand Duke Baharman wasn’t particularly good at hiding his weaknesses.

There was a reason he was considered a petty villain!

But since any hunt required caution, the final decision was to monitor the grand duke’s household while preparing to play the cards they had gathered.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

A soft voice suddenly called from behind.

Before I could react, strong arms wrapped around me and gently lifted me up.

“You didn’t even notice we arrived.”

Thud.

Still holding me, Akes lightly jumped down with Hisha’s help.

I blinked in a daze while in his arms, and only after he set me down did I snap out of it.

“A-Ah, we’re here already? Haha…”

The warmth that had enveloped my body still lingered, making the room spin slightly.

I quickly sent Hisha away and stiffly looked around the room like a wooden puppet.

We had entered a bedroom through the window.

Though no one was inside, the softly lit room felt as if someone had just left—it was a clean and elegant room with a white base.

I was briefly entranced by the décor.

While I stood admiring the room absentmindedly, I snapped back to myself when I noticed Akes watching me with a pleased expression.

Ah, now that I think about it—Akes had used a nullification spell to return to his adult form.

The fact that Akes had been cursed was a tightly kept secret, known only to a few inside the grand duke’s estate, including the head butler and chief steward.

If Akes remained hidden for too long, uninformed servants might start spreading unnecessary rumors.

Returning to his original form was meant to prevent that.

“Do you like the room?”

Akes asked with a smile.

With my heart pounding, I awkwardly nodded.

“Yeah, I like it. It’s pretty.”

“I’m glad you like my room. You’ll be staying here from now on too, Einra.”

“…Huh?”

Did I just hear something crazy?

I stiffly looked up at him, and he tilted his head with a puzzled look.

“Einra, you said you’d let me sleep here.”

“…”

“To sleep together, we obviously have to use the same room, right?”

“…Ugh.”

I mean, technically yes… but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been tricked.

Didn’t he say there were plenty of guest rooms in the mansion?

That was the reason I thought staying at the estate might be okay!

Just as I started to think more deeply, Akes added with a troubled expression.

“Also, Einra staying at the estate is top secret, remember?”

“…Right. That’s true.”

“If food is delivered or the bath is prepared in a guest room when no one’s supposed to be there, it could cause suspicion. So please understand, even if it’s a bit inconvenient. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

That made too much sense for me to argue, so I nodded.

As soon as I did, Akes beamed like sunshine.

“Thank you, Einra.”

He reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear.

“I’ll make sure you don’t regret this—I’ll do my very best.”

His whisper sounded like something one would say after a marriage proposal…

“…”

My face flushed instantly.

It burned like fire.

You’re insane, Einra!

Daydreaming is fine, but in front of Akes, really?!

“Um, well, I think I need to wash up!”

Not because my heart was impure or anything—just that I’d worked hard today and was sweaty!

For a moment, Akes paused at my sudden outburst.

Then he smiled even more kindly.

“Do as you wish, Einra. There’s nothing you can’t do here.”

“I’ll summon the head steward to assist you,” he added as he left the room.

I stared blankly at his retreating back and scratched my cheek.

“This feels backwards…”

Kicking out the host from his own room—what kind of guest does that?

It made me feel weirdly guilty.

After hesitating, I slowly walked into the attached bathroom.

By the time I finished bathing with the steward’s help, dusk was starting to fall.

“The Grand Duke is currently in his office. Please feel free to rest comfortably here, young lady.”

The head steward, Madam Semelda, said politely.

Still receiving the same courteous treatment from five years ago, I smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“Okay, thank you.”

No matter how often I experience this kind of formal treatment, I never get used to it…

With a soft click, the door closed.

I was alone in the room.

Taking a deep breath, I used my elemental power to summon Eliayé.

An immense amount of affinity with nature drained from me, leaving me breathless.

That energy soon condensed into a blue glow in mid-air, pulling moisture from the atmosphere and gradually forming the tall figure of a handsome man.

When he finally opened his eyes, Eliayé looked down at me.

“Einra, is something wrong…”

“Eliayé!”

I leapt up and threw myself into his arms.

Strictly speaking, it hadn’t been that long since I last saw him, but I was still overwhelmed with emotion.

Is this what it feels like to see your parents again after something terrible happens?

As I hugged him and rubbed my cheek against his, Eliayé looked baffled at first, then let out a chuckle.

“You’re not a child anymore… what is this…”

His drowsy voice suddenly cut off.

It was only then that he seemed to take in his surroundings, and his sea-colored eyes slowly scanned the bedroom.

The more he looked, the colder his gaze grew.

“Don’t tell me… that shady bastard did something to you?”

“…Huh?”

I blinked, not understanding what he meant.

But judging from my reaction, Eliayé immediately concluded the worst and clenched his lips tightly.

“Hah. I knew it. That damn bastard—tearing him to pieces wouldn’t be enough…”

A terrifying murderous aura surged from him, flooding the entire room.

Streams of water violently churned around him as if ready to destroy everything.

I didn’t know why he was suddenly so angry, but it was clear that if I didn’t stop him, something terrible was going to happen.

Panicking, I grabbed his arm and shouted.

“I don’t know why you’re angry, but it’s not what you think! Really, it’s not!”

“Silence. Don’t try to stop me. I’ll just erase that wretched bastard from existence.”

He raised one hand high.

Left with no choice, I played my trump card.

“I-I was almost kidnapped!”

It worked like a charm.