Die Melusine - Chapter 71

The Grand Duke appeared in the office just as the sun dipped far beyond Mount Laphiro.

Count Luthern, who had been waiting since morning, shot to his feet as soon as his superior entered the room.

Kieron waved his hand, signaling Ian to sit back down.

“Your Grace, about that…”

“I heard.”

Barely a month had passed since his return from the Imperial Palace. Suddenly, the Hesnal Marquisate sent attendants.

“Ah, yes. I… I was waiting to inform you of that as well.”

Ian, more so than usual, cautiously replied, watching Kieron’s expression.

“So. The Marquis is requesting to set a wedding date?”

Kieron pulled back the office curtains and stood before them. The bright sunlight struck him head-on, making the man’s eyes gleam with a distinct golden hue.

“Yes… He initially intended to postpone it until after the grand event, but now he’s making various excuses, seemingly eager to move it forward.”

A faint smirk tugged at the Grand Duke’s lips. It wasn’t the bitter, sardonic smile he sometimes wore.

This was hardly a laughing matter… His gaze, directed somewhere beyond the window, held a surprisingly gentle warmth. Sensing something amiss, Ian subtly moved closer behind the Grand Duke.

Ah. Looking where he was looking, Melusine was entering the small greenhouse next to the main castle with Anne. It was foolish of him to need visual confirmation of something so obvious.

“Ultimately, he intends to expedite both the wedding and the plan to usurp the throne, I presume.”

“Correct. There are also rumors that the Hesnal heiress is instigating her father.”

Whether he hadn’t heard his subordinate’s words or simply deemed them insignificant, Kieron offered no response. As Ian wanted to emphasize that point, he subtly added once more,

“They also mentioned visiting the Grand Ducal Estate again during the Marquis’s visit, to decorate the interior. They said Your Grace had already granted permission.”

“Permission?”

Kieron’s focus, which had been solely on the view outside, finally returned.

Permission. Yes, he had reluctantly agreed. If that woman hadn’t been the daughter of the Hesnal Marquis, he wouldn’t have allowed her to live this long, simply for leaving Melusine by Edvard’s side.

“So… Your Grace. If I may be so bold.”

Normally, this subordinate wouldn’t even broach a topic that might displease the Grand Duke. Kieron, sensing Ian’s unusually cautious demeanor, pressed his temples as if weary. He already knew what he was about to say.

“Would it be possible to move that room back to the Annex for the time being? It doesn’t seem beneficial for either the Hesnal Marquis’s daughter or Melu… ahem, those two to keep encountering each other.”

“Hmm. Melusine doesn’t seem to mind much, though.”

And the Hesnal Marquis’s daughter’s circumstances were even less of his concern.

“That’s true, but…”

Ian was well aware. Melusine followed the Grand Duke with a blind devotion, her eyes reflecting the same adoration a pet shows its owner.

“I know.”

Ian looked up at his superior, half with relief and half with suspicion. Of course, he didn’t truly believe he was unaware. He was, after all, the quickest to grasp situations and calculate outcomes.

It simply seemed that he didn’t care. That was what truly worried Ian about his nature. If he chose to disregard everything, no one could stop him. Wasn’t he the man who had disregarded even the legends everyone else feared?

“They’re arriving the day after tomorrow, you said?”

“Yes.”

The Hesnal Marquis was a great schemer, but he was just as, if not more, weak to his daughter.

Both the Grand Duke and the Count easily guessed why the Marquis’s daughter, who valued her pride above all else, would suddenly want to rush the wedding.

“Then inform the head maid. Haa… Prepare the room next to mine.”

Kieron muttered, sounding annoyed.

“Ah, understood.”

The room connected to the Grand Duke’s bedroom would be used as the Grand Duchess’s room in the future. The enormous bedroom, never used in Triton, was filled with nothing but dust.

“We need to hold onto the Hesnal Marquis and his daughter until they’re needed.”

To properly complete the work we’ve planned.

“Yes! I will proceed accordingly, Your Grace.”

Leaving the office, Ian let out a deep sigh.

He was uneasy about the Grand Duke’s decision.

If he moved Melusine’s room to the Annex as he had advised, there would be no problem where the Marquis’s daughter’s room was located in the main castle.

So, this wasn’t a consideration for the Marquis’s daughter.

Rather, it was a strong expression of his will not to move Melusine’s room, even if he gave up his adjacent bedroom.

At this rate, the grand event seemed likely to proceed sooner than expected.

In the rapidly approaching situation, Ian was honestly a little worried about the Grand Duke’s recent behavior, which was very different from usual.

But he remembered that his superior’s judgment had been perfect in every environment, even on the battlefield for a long time. He had doubted him at times, but the Grand Duke had always made the best choice.

Therefore, as a vassal, Ian would continue to trust his commander completely and utterly.

***

Unlike the Annex, which had only a small backyard, the main castle was surrounded by several magnificent gardens and a large greenhouse.

On this day, too, Melusine left her bed around noon, had a late lunch with Kieron, and, taking advantage of his absence while he was at work, visited the greenhouse with Anne.

Perhaps it was due to the mild yet not overly humid interior, but it was filled with flowers and small fruit-bearing trees that she had not seen in the Annex’s backyard.

The sweet scent of colorful fruits tickled her nose pleasantly.

Then, a small, round, vermilion fruit the size of her fist caught her eye.

“Anne, what’s this?”

“It’s an orange, Lady Mermaid. The peel is a bit hard and tough, but the flesh inside is refreshing. It’s also very juicy and cool. Would you like to try it?”

Anne had been trying to change Melusine’s eating habits to be a little more human-like, but none of her attempts had been successful. No matter how many different foods she introduced, she wouldn’t touch anything cooked, and she would chew on sweet desserts and fruits for a bit before spitting them out.

“Yes, I want to try this so much.”

It was the first time Melusine had expressed a desire to try a new food on her own.

She liked the color and the sweet and sour scent. When she imagined eating it, she felt her mouth watering.

Excited, Anne picked a beautifully ripe, round orange from the tree and wiped it on her skirt before handing it to her.

“Thank you, Anne.”

Anne slowly watched Melusine take a bite and carefully move her mouth.

“How… is it?”

Would she barely eat a few bites again and spit it out without swallowing?

But contrary to Anne’s worries, a fragrant smile, as if she had squeezed the juice out of the fruit, began to spread across Melusine’s face.

“Wow, it’s delicious!”

One more bite, and another. Melusine kept biting into the orange in her hand and exclaimed.

The thin but tough peel was sour as she chewed, making her mouth water, but it was just the right amount. Moreover, the flesh inside burst with sweet juice, filling her mouth.

Even after swallowing, the sour scent that remained on her hands and mouth resembled the sunlight she saw while splashing around with her sisters on a summer day.

She couldn’t resist and begged Anne for a few more oranges. Her fingertips turned yellow, and juice dripped down her neck and chest as she ate in excitement.

“Goodness… even the way she eats is.”

Beastly.

A subtly sarcastic voice that she recognized came from somewhere.

Melusine turned her head, still holding the half-eaten orange in her hand.

“Estelle…?”

Estelle, who had been there for some time, was watching her, fanning herself with a lace fan. Her furrowed brow, filled with disdain, twitched with each wave of the fan.

“When did you get here…”

Had she eaten too much of a fruit she was trying for the first time?

As soon as she met Estelle’s eyes, Melusine’s stomach churned.

“Why are you so flustered? I’ve only come to a place that will soon be my home.”

Estelle gestured to the maids behind her, and one of them came forward and took out a handkerchief.

“I heard you were at the main castle these days. I was going to call you to give you something special, but I heard you were here, so I thought I’d stop by and take a look…”

Estelle’s gaze swept over Melusine’s mouth, stained with orange juice, her slender neck with the necklace, and the chest of her dress, stained vermilion in places. She also glared at Anne, who was standing behind her with her head bowed.

“Here. Wipe yourself. I know you’re not human, but it’s a bit… embarrassing for someone who is supposed to be the Grand Duke’s woman to act like this, isn’t it?”

Melusine stared blankly at the pure white cloth held out in front of her.

It was really strange. Her tone was gentle, her expression always smiling, and she seemed to be trying to help her, but… strangely, Melusine kept feeling upset.

Ever since she met Estelle, her heart felt like a crumpled leaf, crushed and rustling on the ground. She didn’t know why, and it was even more difficult because it was the first time she had such thoughts about someone.

The sweetness of the fruit she had eaten a moment ago turned bitter on her tongue, making her mouth feel rough.

“No, it’s okay.”

Melusine refused with more force than necessary. She also gently pushed away Estelle’s hand that was offered to her.

Then, Melusine dropped the orange she was holding. The fruit, which she had barely taken a bite of, fell to the dirt floor and rolled away, bouncing.