Chapter 24

“Could there be a sleeping habit? Covered with a blanket up to the neck, he might be sleeping in a straight posture without even realizing it. As I recalled that appearance, my lips involuntarily stretched wide open. Whether he felt that gaze or not, Raygrain, who was still looking at documents, calmly asked, 

‘If you have something to say, say it.’

Scheuer quickly straightened her waist and removed the needle from her embroidery. 

‘What’s the matter?’

‘It seems like there’s something on your mind judging by your expression.’

Afraid of being perpetually rejected, I worried that if I spoke thoughtlessly, I might not even be allowed into his bedroom. Scheuer lightly pushed the table placed vertically next to his desk with both hands. Playfully leaning back in her chair, she replied, 

‘You seem busy.’

‘Surely you seem busier than I am.’

Only then did Raygrain’s gaze fall on the empty table. It was her exclusive table that she had moved to the study with his permission as soon as he returned. It offered the perfect angle to see Raygrain’s side profile with just a lift of the head. Of course, she didn’t move the table just for that reason.

Thunk! Putting the chair legs back in place, she moved closer to Raygrain, leaning in with a question. 

‘Your Grace, do you know where I can find historical materials about the North or Blenga?’

Taking advantage of his absence, Scheuer had been searching for information on the North and Blenga. There were a few books that dealt with them relatively lightly, but none had the information she wanted. Despite being a historically rich land, the scarcity of information was quite perplexing. She would have liked to ask Peyton, but summarizing the main points was not a very good method. Above all, Scheuer had less than a year left. Considering the time it took to travel to the North and the time he spent on expeditions, it was quite time-consuming. Among those other than Peyton, he was the one who knew the most about the North and Blenga and had a high probability of having the information Scheuer wanted. Who else but Raygrain? Finally, his gaze turned to her at her question.

‘Why suddenly?’

‘To get to know Your Grace better?’

‘What’s written in the books is about the past. There won’t be anything about me.’

‘Even if you’re going to become a family with Your Grace and continue to stay in the North, you should know at least that much!’

Scheuer pulled the chair closer and leaned on the table.”

Raygraine’s sharp, searching eyes met hers clearly. Scheuer, who had been silently locking eyes with him, tilted her head slightly while resting her chin on her hand.

“Why? Do you feel weird just by looking at me?”

“…No.”

“Tsk. I thought you wanted to draw a portrait together, or give a portrait, or give a childhood portrait every year. I thought you knew that.”

“There’s no such thing as a portrait every year.”

Scheuer sighed softly in disappointment. She couldn’t turn back the years, and now she couldn’t even see them in paintings. It seemed that the people of Blenga were definitely lacking in artistic appreciation. Once Raygraine was sent out into the world, it seemed only natural to do such things.

Around the time she was contemplating asking Peyton again, he spoke.

“There should be more detailed information about the North in the central library.”

Scheuer blinked in confusion.

“Central? But it’s about the North?”

She still wasn’t sure how long it had been since the North and the Central regions were separated. Thinking about the isolated North, one would assume that there should be more information there. In response to her question, Raygraine casually replied,

“Originally, Blenga was in the central region. We gained independence through an agreement because most people lived in the North due to expeditions.”

“So, are there no proper books in Blenga?”

“History in Blenga is probably shorter than what’s in the central library. Whether it’s the marriage registry or because of the central library, nothing has changed in having to go to the central region.”

Despite Scheuer’s uneasy feelings, the next day, a carriage was prepared for the journey to the central region.

***

“If I come back, will the statue be here?”

“Don’t worry; I’ll be standing guard to make sure no one touches it. Go and take care of your business.”

As of today, she had to leave the North for about a month and spend time in the central region. Despite having ordered the statue as soon as Raygrain gave his permission, it was unfortunate that she couldn’t receive it in person while she was still there. Moreover, the journey to the central region was already uneasy. Scheuer, who was hesitant to leave, was comforted by Celly, Peyton, and Josephina.

“Scheuer, look over there. It seems like the sculptor has already finished preparing.”

Celly pointed outside. As the door opened and she stepped out, Raygrain, dressed in a neat conquest outfit, was waiting at the door.

“Take it.”

He reached out his hand. Still wearing a stoic expression, but different from the emptiness after the expedition, there seemed to be some accumulated emotion.

The person who hesitated just moments ago was now someone else entirely. Scheuer quickly extended her arm to shake hands with him.

However, unexpectedly, Raygrain confidently grasped her hand. There was a sharp look in his eyes, as if he knew her actions very well.

“I don’t fall for the same trick twice.”

“You don’t have to know about these things, but you catch on quickly.”

In the end, she had no choice but to accept a proper escort. When they boarded the carriage, Lieilda revealed himself. He had returned to his innocent, childlike appearance.

With simple curiosity, Scheuer leaned against the carriage window and asked him, 

“Leilda, why do you look like that?”

“To comply with child labor laws.”

It seemed unlikely that those labor laws only applied when the appearance was that of a young child. Seeing her puzzled, Raygrain casually explained, 

“It just means he wants to do less work. It’s a scheme to make it difficult for others to take advantage of her by appearing young.”

“Does it work?”

Lielda, with determination in his watery eyes, replied to Scheuer’s question.

“No. I don’t even have a pitiful feeling for that guy. He dares to call me over at every opportunity.”

“If Lord Chetron Marquis had a weak heart, it would be difficult to blame me.”

At Raygrain’s firm words, Lielda clicked his tongue briefly. The carriage finished its preparations only after Jess, who had mounted the carriage, arrived.

With his large robe flipped over his arm, Lielda waved and said, 

“Ah, go on. You’ve been eating and playing in Blenga for a while.”

“Alright.”

As he came out to see her off and exchanged a brief farewell, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Thunk.

The carriage started moving. Leaving the bustling Duke’s residence, they were now alone.

Scheheuer looked at Raygrain sitting across from her. In contrast, Raygrain was gazing at the passing scenery beyond the carriage window.

For a while, Scheuer carefully examined his sharp jawline and cool, sculpted impression. Even so, Raygrain’s eyes were perfect in her eyes, sharp and flawless.

Could there be a more perfect person than him? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand why Erina chose the Crown Prince in the original work. She hadn’t seen the Crown Prince in person yet, but was personal preference really that frightening?

Of course, now she hoped Erina wouldn’t waver for no reason when facing Raygrain.

“If only she would dislike him, I hope she’d hate even meeting him. Without catching the Duke’s eye.”

This time, she was staying quiet. He, who had been absentmindedly looking out the window, spoke without changing his gaze.

“Smile Love”