I went down to the dining hall and took a quick look around.
It seemed to be still early, as the maids were setting up the dining table.
Rail, who had been giving instructions to the maids, approached me with a pleased expression.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Where is Duke Mipedian?”
“He should be coming down soon…”
As Rail slightly raised his bowed head, he looked across from me and smiled contentedly.
“Ah, there he is.”
Following Rail’s gaze, I saw Edmund entering the dining hall. Tale was right behind him. Ever since Tale had come to the capital, they seemed to be together more often. Even at the Saint Vineyard, they were inseparable. I suppose Edmund was treating him like an extension of himself.
I was watching Edmund when, by chance, our eyes met. The sharpness in his gaze softened instantly.
Instinctively, I looked away.
It felt strange and ticklish to realize that someone so detached—sometimes even cold—toward others would smile only for me, someone he had opened his heart to.
“Count, you’re up early today.”
“…I woke up earlier than usual.”
“Are you not tired?”
“Not at all.”
I smiled awkwardly and shook my head.
I wanted to say, “I was exhausted after our meeting, but your portrait gift gave me energy.” However, I felt too embarrassed to say it out loud.
The more sincere my feelings were, the harder they became to express in words. Saying “It’s the best gift” was the strongest expression I could manage.
‘I really need to fix this inability to be straightforward.’
At times like this, I envied Lilien.
Edmund studied my face and then let out a quiet chuckle.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
With a natural motion, Edmund pulled out the chair at my usual spot. His eyes, silently inviting me to sit, were so deep and mesmerizing that I nearly moved forward as if enchanted—before realizing what I was doing.
‘This isn’t why I came here.’
When I stepped back, he placed his hand on the chair’s backrest and faced me directly.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to have breakfast with you today.”
“Is something urgent?”
“I have to visit the Grand Temple. It’s something I must do today.”
Even as I spoke, I couldn’t hide my disappointment about missing breakfast together, so I smiled bitterly.
But really, I would only see him for a short while during breakfast.
Submitting the purification stone and handling the necessary paperwork would take at least an hour or two. It wasn’t exactly a short wait to ask him to endure.
I couldn’t keep him from his daily duties at the estate.
Then, I suddenly realized I was feeling upset about not being able to spend time with him. The realization startled me.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
Clearing my throat, I raised my hand to cover my mouth—but instead, I ended up lifting the hand that held the purification stone wrapped in a handkerchief. Edmund’s gaze immediately dropped to the stone.
“What is that?”
“Ah, this is…”
Well, it wouldn’t hurt to tell him.
I glanced around the dining hall. Rail and Tale, who had been nearby, had already moved away discreetly. Standing on my tiptoes, I lowered my head slightly to whisper near Edmund’s ear.
“Actually, in the cave—”
Before I could finish, he abruptly pulled back, covering his ears with his hands. His usually composed eyes flickered with shock.
“What’s wrong?”
“My ear…”
His lips parted slightly, but then he turned his head away.
“Never mind.”
He rubbed his palm roughly against his ear. That’s when I noticed the tips of his ears were bright red.
Realizing the meaning behind his reaction, I bit my lip and stepped back.
‘So… my breath tickled him.’
It felt like my entire body, not just a part, was tingling in response.
An awkward air settled between us. I felt like we were being watched.
Then, I heard a hushed murmur.
“The master is really something… Flirting at work? Seriously?”
“Hey, keep your voice down!”
Tale nonchalantly picked at his ear while Rail shot him a sharp glare.
Hey, you guys—I can hear everything.
Before they could misunderstand further, it was best to leave this space.
“Brother-in-law, shall we continue our conversation in the office?”
“Let’s do that.”
Edmund, who had been glaring at Tale with murderous eyes, promptly agreed. Tale, sensing the danger, tried to hide behind Rail—but since he was taller, his head still stuck out.
I followed Edmund out of the dining hall, grinning at Rail.
“Rail, take care of your little brother.”
Rail beamed, while Tale froze in shock.
Amused by their contrasting reactions, I let out a small chuckle and trailed after Edmund to his office.
Once we were seated across from each other, I placed the purification stone on the table.
As I unwrapped the handkerchief layer by layer, Edmund’s brows furrowed.
“This is…”
“I found this purification stone in a cave right before a monster appeared in the Buell territory.”
“Now that you mention it, you did mention a purification stone back then. I found it strange, but…”
“You couldn’t ask because the monster appeared right away.”
He met my eyes briefly, as if to confirm I was right.
“Has the cause of the monster’s appearance been identified?”
I shook my head. Edmund’s expression hardened.
It was understandable. He had said it before—monsters rarely appeared without an identifiable cause.
Most appearances could be explained.
Unstable gates, monsters with biological instincts overriding their need to remain dormant, or entire colonies trying to settle in human territory—like in the Zeder Forest.
But this time, the cause was unknown. Even though Buell had the Lebron Mine and was exceptionally well-prepared for monster attacks.
How had a monster bypassed the defenses of a territory protected by Lebron?
‘For the safety of the people, I should request another investigation from the Mage Tower.’
Edmund narrowed his eyes, staring at the purification stone. His gaze was unsettling.
“Did you say the cause is completely unknown?”
“Yes.”
He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
“What’s wrong?”
“It was the same.”
“What was?”
Edmund hesitated before meeting my gaze with an intense expression.
“Are you aware of the tragedy that occurred in the Mipedian Duchy?”
“Ah…”
I couldn’t help but let out a quiet gasp. He smiled bitterly, as if he had expected me to know.
“During the trial against the duchy’s security commander, a Mage Tower representative testified that the cause of the monster attack was unknown.”
“The incident in the duchy was also unexplained?”
“Yes.”
Edmund’s expression darkened, as if he had tasted something bitter.
“At that time, I was foolish, naïve, and emotional. I didn’t truly realize that the warm nest I had was gone.”
As he lowered his head slightly, his shining silver hair swayed.
“I should have known that even family can betray you.”
“Your younger brother…”
I had heard before that at the imperial subjugation banquet, he was accused of insanity by a branch family.
Edmund tried to hide his face stained with guilt, but I had already seen it. On the way to the Buell territory, when he admitted his scars were his flaws, I had caught a glimpse of that painful feeling.
How miserable and unjust it must have been. How much sorrow he must have swallowed, harshly blaming his own helplessness.
My pain was barely soothed through revenge, but he still…
His feelings spread like fire and made my chest ache.
“Well, thanks to that, I came to my senses,” he said.
He glanced at me and gave a faint smile, as if telling me not to make that kind of face. But the joke only made me feel sad. It felt like I had seen the moment a boy suddenly became a man.
You’re the one who needs comfort, not me…
For a moment, with his chin slightly lowered, he looked like a large puppy soaked in rain. It tugged at my heart.
On impulse, I reached out to his head. I couldn’t bring myself to stroke it, so I only brushed the tips of his hair.
His sunken eyes widened.
“Thank you for telling me. Everything that happened was bound to happen. It was the law of the world and the will of the gods. It was too much for a young boy to bear.”
Then, just as I was about to pull my hand away, Edmund grabbed it like a hook. It felt like I was burned, and I quickly tried to pull away, but he gently brought my hand to his cheek. His silver lashes lowered like a fan.
“You feel like magic.”
“Magic?”
He smiled softly with his eyes still closed.
“When you speak, it really feels like everything will be okay.”
He slowly opened his sleepy eyes. The deep gaze that met mine seemed to burn with emotion.
“You make me feel whole.”
His decadent, almost consuming gaze made it hard to breathe. I even felt the urge to run away from this place.
Ah. I don’t know whether the sigh that slipped out came from me or from him.
I quickly looked away and twisted my hand out of his grasp.
With my hand still warm from his touch, I awkwardly ran it through my hair. Then I cleared my throat, trying to steady my shaky voice.
“…Ahem, I’m going to reapply at the Magic Tower. It’s been a while, but maybe you should try too?”
Edmund glanced at my hand with a regretful look and straightened his upper body, which had leaned toward me.
“It’s no use. I don’t have a purification stone.”
“Why are you suddenly bringing up the purification stone?”
“If my guess is right, the monster you and I saw broke the seal of the purification stone on its own.”
The monster did it on its own? That was unbelievable.
Sealing a monster in a magic stone, or even destroying one, could only be done with the Saintess’s power of “purification.” A monster breaking its own seal—such a thing wasn’t even found in history.
