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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The same goes for the investigation of the Violet family.
It is true that Theresa Violet was briefly away from her position, but whether she had contact with someone still requires further investigation-
“Phew.”
Supporting himself with one hand he slowly lowered himself to the ground.
His sweat flowed down and drenched his body while dripping down.
The muscles supporting his body weight swelled, and rising from the ground like that he completed one repetition.
It had already been three days since the bandages were removed.
His body’s balance and stamina had roughly returned, and now he could do this exercise without difficulty.
The letter he had read was what Renold had sent yesterday.
Although he hadn’t read it and just kept it in his mind, he thought he should think about Theresa’s absence in various ways.
If it was Theresa who had informed Temuzin of Miragen’s location… he had no intention of letting her go cleanly like before.
It could be said that it was his own way of consideration to end his relationship with Theresa, not the Violet family.
He didn’t think much of the Violet family, and didn’t he think Theresa alone could ruin them splendidly?
However, this matter was different.
Not only could she not avoid responsibility for touching the princess, but it also stirred up his personal feelings.
His mind became cold every time his arms bent.
There wasn’t much time left for him to stay in the North.
There were things he had to tell Adele during that time.
The rebellion, a time when her life would be in danger was gradually approaching, and only he knew that.
Around the time the sweat falling towards the floor increased, his thoughts were dispersed by a voice that suddenly came from beside him.
“Wow…”
However, Miragen’s gaze blankly staring at him was quite burdensome.
When he told her not to mind and kept going, didn’t she keep staring at him?
He couldn’t ignore it like this.
He knew she would probably return to the imperial palace soon.
How long was she planning to stay in the North?
When he relaxed his posture and came down, Miragen approached and held out a towel to him.
He wiped away his sweat and brushed back his hair.
While wiping his body, he thought, was it really okay for Miragen to be here?
I’m not wearing anything on top.
Doesn’t she mind at all?
“You must exercise like that regularly. Seeing how familiar your movements are.”
“My stamina hasn’t fully returned yet. I’ll have to see when I wield a sword.”
“So this was you when not fully recovered.”
Miragen, who nodded her head with a rather serious expression, then seemed to remember something and lightly clapped her palms together.
“Come to think of it, the Grand Duchess called for you. I came to tell you that, but I forgot for a moment.”
“… You’re telling me that so quickly.”
It had been 30 minutes since she came to find me.
If Adele got angry, it wouldn’t be strange for her to come right away.
What was she thinking, telling me that now?
If Adele got angry, she would take it out on me.
When I stared at Miragen, she smiled awkwardly and muttered as if making an excuse.
“I forgot because the first thing I saw when I came in was this. Shouldn’t you go now, even if it’s late?”
“No, I don’t think that will be necessary. She’ll probably come here anyway.”
Bang-
As soon as he said that, the door opened.
It was only for a moment that his eyes met Adele’s, who was staring at him and Miragen with an ominous expression.
Adele’s eyes narrowed when she saw me not wearing anything.
After a brief silence of mutual embarrassment, a blunt voice followed, as if displeased.
“I called for you a while ago, but you still haven’t come. I wondered what was going on, but it seems you were having fun.”
“I just heard about it. Her Highness had momentarily forgotten.”
“… Is that so?”
When Adele’s gaze turned to her, Miragen, who had flinched for a moment, nodded her head with difficulty.
Adele let out a deep sigh and pressed her forehead.
If there was one thing Adele had overlooked, it was Miragen’s memory.
Since she tended to forget various things unexpectedly, it was better to write them down for her.
“It’s my fault. I asked Her Highness the Princess to do it when she said she was leaving, but I should have gone myself.”
“So, sorry?”
“Then can you please step away from Robert now? If you stick so close to a man who isn’t even properly dressed, it might cause a scandal.”
When Miragen distanced herself at those words, Adele, who had walked over with big strides, grabbed my wrist and pulled me.
I was still not wearing anything, but Adele draped the cloak she was wearing over my body and tried to head outside like that.
It was then that Miragen, who had been hesitating, opened her mouth.
“Wa, wait a moment. Shouldn’t the Grand Duchess be careful too?”
I thought it wasn’t wrong.
When I looked at her with an expression asking if it wasn’t right since she was also a Grand Duchess, she smiled slightly and tapped the medal on her chest.
“This is the North. Your Highness, isn’t the Grand Duchess who rules here me?”
“That’s right…?”
“I’m fine even like this.”
If false rumors spread, I can just find the person who started them.
Adele, who added that, headed forward again.
She grabbed my wrist, in an attitude of not accepting any more objections.
When Miragen couldn’t say anything, Adele proceeded without hesitation.
Wasn’t she going to ask for my opinion in the meantime?
Sighing and removing my wrist, Adele, who had been walking, turned her head towards me.
It was the middle of the corridor, and our distance from Miragen had already widened considerably.
“What is it?”
“I need to get dressed too, don’t I? Besides, I haven’t washed up, so I smell.”
“Ah…”
It was such an obvious fact, but Adele seemed to have just remembered it and bit her lips slightly.
It was a habit she showed when she was flustered.
What was she so distracted by that she forgot I hadn’t washed up?
Adele, who felt my gaze, let out a small fake cough.
Perhaps she was embarrassed even thinking about it herself, and a small voice was heard from her moving lips.
“Then wash up and come. I have something to tell you.”
“Are you uncomfortable with me being with Her Highness the Princess?”
It seemed that what Adele was concerned about was probably in that direction.
When she looked displeased whenever I was with Miragen, I deliberately asked her directly, and Adele’s brow furrowed.
Even with a moment of silence, I kept looking at her without caring. Waiting for an answer like that for a long time.
When a little more time passed, Adele shook her head and answered.
“… I’m not uncomfortable.”
“Then-”
“I’m just irritated.”
Adele, with a rather complicated expression, sighed.
It was a heavy and thick sigh unlike her usual self, so I just waited for what she would say next without answering.
Her answer that she was irritated was quite strange.
It didn’t sound like it was simply about me being with Miragen, but rather like irritation towards herself.
“I’ll take the rest of your questions when you come back. I’ll go ahead first.”
As if she didn’t want to say any more, Adele turned her back and moved her feet.
However, those steps were not as light as before.
Although I didn’t know if it was concern about something, it was probably certain that she had something on her mind.
And I wasn’t stupid enough not to know that her concern was about me.
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This wasn’t the first time Adele and I met.
To be precise, we had met in the previous rounds.
It wasn’t like this time when I came with the name of the Taylor’s behind me, but perhaps the process of our meeting was similar.
Coming to the North, meeting Adele, becoming her deputy, and subjugating the tribes.
After that, I was with her until Adele died, so in a way, it could be said to be a little deeper than our current relationship.
Adele Igrit was a free woman.
She always moved as her heart desired and moved only towards where her will aligned, like the wind.
Perhaps the reason I particularly liked the North was because of that.
Adele’s North was special, so being here, I could enjoy a special freedom away from my family.
Even if I made a mistake, they would laugh it off, and we would consider and respect each other.
Those who remembered me as Robert, not as a Taylor.
That’s why Adele was special to me, despite our few encounters.
She made me forget the name Taylor and was the first person to consider me simply as Robert.
If Miragen’s death was my first regret, Adele became my second.
“Rebellion.”
The fate that bound me, it wasn’t limited to just me.
It wasn’t only me who died from the rebellion.
An unnamed representative also died from the rebellion, and Adele also died from the rebellion.
I already knew well that she had no interest in rebellion.
Adele’s territory was the North, wasn’t this snowy field the only land she cherished?
Even if she was told to become the emperess in the capital, she would remain here.
That was Adele, and that was the meaning of the name Igrit.
Igrit, the name of the highest mountain range in the North and the god called the guardian deity of the North.
How could such a woman think of rebellion?
I, who had watched over her for a long time, could deny it.
However, I couldn’t do it.
I put on a shirt and draped Adele’s cloak over it.
It always felt like her warmth was seeping into me as she wore it.
It was a warmth that didn’t suit this cold snowy field.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I then opened them and moved my feet.
The main purpose of my trip to the North was to solidify my support base and warn Adele about the Crown Prince.
I had achieved the first to some extent through the subjugation of the tribes, but I hadn’t warned her about the Crown Prince.
I needed to carefully consider the timing to bring up such a topic.
I thought I might be able to tell her just before leaving, but whether she would believe me was also unknown.
Knock knock-
“Come in.”
When I cautiously knocked on the door, I heard Adele’s voice.
Unlike her low voice from earlier, it was the same as usual, so I could enter with a little relief.
Adele was alone in the room.
I thought there would be other deputies, but there was no one, so it felt quite unusual.
As I looked around blankly like that, Adele opened her mouth while looking at me.
“Didn’t I say I had something to tell you? I’m not planning to do another subjugation or anything, so why would I call all the deputies and have them stand here?”
“If it’s what you have to say…”
“Sit down first. It’s not something to talk about while standing.”
I approached Adele and took a seat.
I tried to guess what she wanted to talk about by looking at Adele’s expression, but it wasn’t easy to think of something she wanted to discuss alone at this time.
Around the time I was pondering like that for a while, Adele, who had been examining my complexion, slowly opened her mouth.
“Thanks to your help, the subjugation that was originally planned ended quickly. As a result, the schedule itself has been brought forward quite a bit, so I can start various things a little faster.”
“Is that so?”
“There was something I had been thinking about continuously after the subjugation ended, and I was able to find it out in my own way. Also about the name Theresa you had told me before.”
My eyes narrowed at the name Theresa.
As if Adele had also anticipated my reaction, she placed something on the table and continued.
What was placed on the table was a familiar emblem.
“It’s the Violet family’s emblem.”
“Yes, it must be what the woman who was your fiancée had. If the woman named Theresa you mentioned was really involved in this matter. It’s probably the case.”
“Did the tribes have it?”
“It’s something the guy commanding the tribes gave me during the subjugation.”
It was the moment when the thought I had only as a guess became a certainty.
Theresa Violet, the moment when her name that had been divided into two was combined.
To me, who was staring at the emblem with a coldly stiffened face, Adele moved her lips again.
“The woman who gave them this emblem and left said for them to go to the south and find her. And I think you will probably head to the south. Am I wrong?”
“… You’re right.”
I had been thinking of it as a task to be solved in addition to going with Adriana.
To find out how Theresa knew the princess’s location, how she escaped from the capital and contacted Temuzin.
To solve that question, I had to head to the south.
Adele nodded her head as if she had expected that, then continued with a rather serious face.
“I knew you and the woman named Theresa had been engaged. And that your relationship had become strained after breaking off the engagement, this is my guess, but I had somewhat guessed that this matter wasn’t unrelated to you. So now I need to know too.”
Her gaze turned to me as she said that.
Through her cold gaze, a faint heat rose, and her face seemed to be asking me for an answer.
“… Can you tell me what happened between you and Theresa?”
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