Roxana
Chapter 87
Was it just my imagination?
For some reason, the way she looked at Cassis was unusual.
She hadn’t touched her food for a while now, barely participating in the conversation, stealing glance after glance at Cassis…
No matter how I looked at it, she definitely had feelings for him.
Did the real Pandora not have feelings for Ryuzak?
So much had already diverged from the novel that it wouldn’t be strange even if that were the case.
But why?
As I thought about it, my mood soured slightly.
Of course, I had no reason to feel that way.
It was likely because I had shared vision with the poison butterfly for quite a long time after so long, leaving me with a headache.
After watching the four seated around the grand dining table for a moment, I severed the connection with the poison butterfly.
Then I opened the terrace doors and stepped outside.
Where I was now was Cassis’s room.
Since I had nothing to do anyway, I intended to just wait here until he returned.
The night garden had its own quiet charm.
Leaning against the terrace railing, I took in the scenery outside.
Then, carried on the garden’s faint fragrance, a low whisper I had heard not long ago drifted into my ears.
“That night, when we left Agriche…”
“Even if the person who reached out their hand wasn’t me, you wouldn’t have cared.”
“But for me, it had to be you.”
I exhaled slowly.
…Maybe following him here really had been a mistake.
Things I hadn’t considered much back then weighed down on my heart slowly, belatedly.
As I spent time with Cassis, it felt as though footprints were being etched into me, one by one.
I found myself thinking that I shouldn’t have followed Cassis that day.
I rested my arms on the railing and leaned my face against them.
The hair cascading down my back slid softly past my shoulders.
The red ribbon Sylvia had tied for me seemed to have come loose in the meantime.
A soft rustle.
Suddenly undone from my hair, the ribbon was carried away by a gust of wind.
Ah. Sylvia gave that to me; I shouldn’t lose it.
Sylvia’s beaming face as she braided my hair and tied the ribbon flashed through my mind.
Just as I straightened up from the railing with that thought, a rustling sound came from below.
“What’s this? Where did a ribbon suddenly fly from…?”
Emerging from the shadow of the trees with the red ribbon in hand was a beautiful man with light blue hair.
He was unmistakably Orca Hyperion.
Before I could even wonder why Orca was here, our eyes met.
In the next instant, his eyes widened dramatically.
He froze stiff as if forgetting even to breathe, staring up at me.
Utter astonishment filled those wide, frozen silver-gray eyes.
“…A monster?”
When that faint whisper slipped from Orca’s lips, my brow twitched in annoyance.
“A monster…? A newly evolved humanoid monster?”
With a dazed expression, Orca continued to babble such nonsense.
“No, I’ve never heard of such a thing existing…”
“Orca Hyperion.”
At that moment, a voice as cold as ice crashed down heavily over his melodic murmur.
The one who appeared this time was Cassis. Frost practically drifted from his face.
“Prowling around Pedelian without permission—it seems you failed to understand my warning.”
From the looks of it, Orca had somehow skillfully slipped out of the banquet hall.
And Cassis, having noticed, had pursued him immediately.
Yet Orca merely looked at Cassis with a stunned expression.
“Wait… Young Lord of Blue, can you see that right now too? No matter how I look at it, that doesn’t seem human…”
At his words, Cassis lifted his gaze.
His eyes met mine for a brief moment before dropping back down to Orca.
“What, can only I see it? Then is it a spirit after all?”
“It seems you preferred where you were staying until yesterday. I shall grant your wish, then.”
How Orca interpreted Cassis’s cold silence, he gasped in astonishment with his mouth agape.
“Take him away.”
Ignoring him, Cassis coldly commanded the subordinates following behind him.
Following Cassis’s command, they seized Orca by both arms.
Yet Orca could only stare up at me with a bewildered expression, unable to make sense of anything.
In the end, utterly dazed, he was dragged away by Cassis’s subordinates.
“Why are you out here?”
Cassis’s demeanor toward me was distinctly different from when he faced Orca.
The chill in the voice directed at me had noticeably softened.
The subordinates still lingering behind him withdrew quietly.
I caught sight of what still lingered in Cassis’s eyes—like remnants of freezing glass shards.
Somehow, I felt I knew what he was thinking.
Though his emotion was not directed at me, knowing I was part of its cause made me want to soothe him.
So I spoke.
“I was waiting for you.”
At that, Cassis fell silent and looked up at me.
“Are you done for the night?”
“…Yes.”
“You really did come early, just as promised.”
Lifting my hands from the terrace railing, I added:
“Then come up. I’ll be in your room.”
Cassis gazed at me without answering, then finally took a step.
Only then did I leave the terrace and step back into the room.
Afterward, we shared a late dinner in Cassis’s room.
Having already eaten his fill at the banquet, Cassis did not eat properly, mostly just watching me eat from across the table.
Neither Cassis nor I said a word about Orca, whom we had seen moments ago.
Thus, another day passed.
And the next day, the master and mistress of Pedelian, who had been away, returned.
Just as Cassis had said, the master and mistress of Pedelian had indeed been away from the estate.
Putting an end to their nearly ten-day absence, they returned to Pedelian.
At Richel’s summons, I set foot in Pedelian’s main residence for the first time.
Contrary to my earlier expectations, he sought to meet me as soon as he returned to the estate.
Thus, where I was guided was what appeared to be Richel’s office. It was unexpected that he would bring me into such a private space.
Perhaps it was a sign of how grave the conversation ahead would be.
Knock, knock.
“Lady Roxana Agriche has arrived.”
Standing before the door, the person who had guided me knocked and announced my visit.
After enough time had passed to take a slow, deep breath, a response came from within.
“Enter.”
A moment later, I sat facing Richel.
Richel’s office was impeccably neat. On the table between him and me sat teacups with white steam rising from them.
Richel did not immediately open the conversation, instead offering me tea.
Following his invitation, I lifted my teacup.
I had thought he might cut straight to business without offering so much as a glass of cold water, as though every passing second were a waste.
Fitting for the head of Pedelian, renowned for his noble character, Richel was treating me with ample courtesy.
As our cups were nearly emptied, no further words passed between Richel and me.
Yet the silence was not uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because Richel carried an aura that was far less intimidating than I had expected.
Or perhaps it was because, from the very beginning, I had expected nothing from him.
“I don’t believe we need long words.”
So when Richel finally opened his mouth and began with those words, I could wait calmly for what would follow.
Yet the words that struck my ears next held an unexpected message.
“Stay as comfortably as you wish, for as long as you desire.”