Glancing at the hour, Kiers raised an eyebrow. There was more than a handful of men lurking behind the trees for the sake of one tiny child.
“Hmm, where is it?”
Every time Rose took a step, they all flinched in unison and darted from trunk to trunk—a truly pitiful spectacle. It was like watching a troop of monkeys.
A deep sigh escaped Kiers’s chest, carrying with it the suppressed edge of his aura.
“Huh?”
Standing squarely in the center of the path, Rose tilted her head and turned around. Since Kiers had neither hidden nor intended to hide from the start, she spotted him in an instant.
Thud! Startled, Rose dropped her basket and blinked.
“Nnngh.”
“…”
Staring silently down at Rose, Kiers stroked his chin. It was not a hunt; there was no reason to stand there sizing her up forever. He stepped forward, lightly shaking out both wrists to shake off the lingering tension.
“…Y-Your Grace!”
“You mustn’t! She is only a young lady!”
“…”
The moment he took a stride, the knights concealed behind the trees poured out all at once. Kiers set his jaw; there were far more of them than he had counted.
“You lot.”
“Eek!”
Yet the one most startled was Rose. Having spent the afternoon humming peacefully to herself, the sudden wall of knights rushing to block her path sent her tumbling onto her backside.
“Waaah! Sissy!”
“My lady!”
“Are you all right!”
The brothers Devon and Aiden were the first to reach for her. Having stationed themselves behind the frontmost tree, they bent down as if waiting for this very moment. But no matter how quick they were, they were no match for Kiers.
“Move.”
“…Y-Your Grace. We were merely—”
“I said move.”
He did not draw his sword; a mere flick of his chin in their direction was enough.
His men obeyed his command and stepped back at once, though their faces practically overflowed with lingering reluctance and anxiety. In the end, Sir Lear, acting as their representative, gritted his teeth and bowed low.
“Your Grace!”
“…What now.”
“The young lady seems terribly frightened. Please, compose yourself.”
“…”
What had he even done? Kiers’s left hand lingered near his brow over the mask. Instead of being rattled, however, he issued a firmer order.
“Get back to your posts.”
“Your Grace!”
“Do I have any need for knights who are late for training?”
When his crimson gaze threatened them sharper than a blade, further words became meaningless.
Casting worried glances back at Rose, the knights had no choice but to turn away. As the clanking silver armor hastily vanished into the distance, Rose remained pale as a sheet, her tiny chest heaving.
“…Hic.”
“…”
Damn it.
Belated regret pricking him, Kiers looked down at her. He should have just sent them away without fuss, but in his exasperation he had glared too hard and let his aura flare.
…She was probably about to cry.
Sitting on the ground, Rose blinked up at him, and he braced for the burst of tears. Not that he wanted her to cry, but Kiers shook his head with a faint chuckle. Rather than trying to force her to her feet, he sank down onto one knee to meet her at eye level.
“…What is the lady doing out here?”
“Mmh.”
“Your sister is probably frantic looking for you.”
“S-Sissy!”
At the mention of her sister, Rose’s eyes went as round as saucers. Only then did she scramble to stand, stamping her little feet, and Kiers reached out instinctively.
“Your Grace! St— Ah, there you are!”
“…”
“Ah, and Lady Rose is here as well.”
Hearing the panicked shout from behind, Kiers froze mid-reach and turned his head. Watching Count Hellas barrel toward them with his hair entirely disheveled, the corners of Kiers’s mouth twisted into a wry smirk.
“What brings the count all the way out here?”
“Yes, well, it is just that—”
“Did those fools run straight to you? Begging you to save this girl before I tear her apart?”
“Y-Your Grace!”
Transparent as glass.
Kiers extended his arms again. The moment his hands found Rose’s tiny frame, he winced at how little she weighed, then lifted her clean into the air.
“…Your Grace! Not like that!”
“Shh. The more you tell me not to, the more I want to.”
“…”
“Besides, she feels hollow.”
Masking his wonder over whether she was truly a living human child, Kiers set Rose back down with great care.
“Huh?”
Frozen stiff while dangling in midair, Rose stomped both feet the second they touched the dirt.
“Whoa!” At her fascinated gasp, not only the count but even Kiers twitched an eyebrow.
“…Now, speak up. What were you doing out here?”
“Um…”
Rose hesitated, clasping her hands together and fidgeting with her fingers. She was certainly not crying; she stared intently at him, her lips parting and closing as if on the verge of speaking.
‘Mmh, Grandpa.’
In the end, she looked up hesitantly at Count Hellas, who quickly hid his beaming smile and bent down to lend an ear.
“Ah, yes… Is that so… Of course, I understand.”
“…Count.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
At Kiers’s low, expectant call, Count Hellas dipped his head apologetically. Naturally, his ear remained tilted toward Rose more intently than ever.
“The young lady says she was looking for the owner of the candies. A basket of them was dropped in front of the garden.”
“…And what prevents her from telling me directly?”
“Just a moment, please. Yes, my lady… Ah, I see. Quite understandable.”
Listening intently to Rose’s whispers, the count nodded along, sharing a moment of deep communion.
A brief glance up at Kiers revealed a kaleidoscope of emotions flitting across the count’s face.
“…The little lady wishes to speak with you, but her older sister told her that she must never speak to His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“…Why.”
“One moment. I shall ask her again.”
“Forget it. Tell her it’s fine to speak to me.”
Stopping him with a wave of his hand, Kiers fixed his gaze on Rose. Looking remarkably like her sister, her face full of curiosity, she tilted her head at him. Overcome by the sheer cuteness, the count took a breath and carefully lowered his voice beside Rose’s ear.
“The Grand Duke says you may speak to him directly.”
“Why?”
“Well, that is…”
“Because I’m going to be your sister’s husband.”
“…”
Kiers cut in himself, bypassing the count entirely. As Rose blinked in bud-like bewilderment, an obvious tension hung between both grown men, unspoken though it was. In particular, Kiers, who had never felt rattled in his life, found his mouth tensing involuntarily.
“Ooh, I see!”
“…Phew.”
When a bright, childish grin bloomed across Rose’s face, Kiers squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. Why was he feeling a tension he had never even known on the battlefield? It was a relief, certainly, but having to handle an excessively innocent creature weighed on him all the same.
“The Grand Duke is Sissy’s husband!”
“…Which makes me your brother-in-law.”
“Rose’s brother-in-law?”
Rose’s mouth fell open, clearly never having considered that far. Whether she thought it good or bad was something only she knew.
“…I know you don’t like me, but.”
“Brother-in-law is?”
“…Yes. Your brother-in-law.”
“Hm-mm.”
Rose spun around, covering her face with both hands and shaking her head. Perhaps out of shyness, her flushed cheeks caused her platinum-blonde hair to sway, along with the battered ribbon pinned within it.
…What on earth was he doing? Realizing he was reaching out toward her again, Kiers collected himself and rose to his feet.
“First, we should take you to your sister. She must be looking for you.”
“Sissy is? But Rose was just trying to find who owns the candy.”
“The owner?”
Following where Rose pointed, Kiers’s expression shifted to understanding.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Everything inside this castle belongs to me anyway.”
“…The candy is Your Grace’s?”
“You called me Brother-in-Law a moment ago.”
“…”
“Well, it’s only a formality, I suppose.”
Kiers shrugged and started forward. Behind him, the count adjusted his spectacles with narrowed eyes, but Kiers pretended not to notice, keeping his gaze down on Rose.
“Regardless, why were you so determined to find the owner?”
“Because losing candy is too sad.”
“…Sad?”
“If Rose lost something this yummy, Rose would cry. At home, when Sissy breaks one into pieces, it has to last five whole nights.”
“…”
Rose chattered away, craning her neck back to look up at him. Because of the vast difference in their heights, it seemed as if she might tip over backward at any moment. He had never known that merely watching someone could feel so precarious.
