Time Healer Ceres
Chapter 31
Chapter 31
<031>
Chapter 9. A Walk
“Hey, did you attend the last Imperial meeting?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you must have seen the Grand Duke of Pershia?”
“…I did.”
“And? How was it?”
“Don’t even bring it up. I don’t even want to think about it.”
The face of the mercenary, who was spooning stew into his mouth, crumpled instantly.
As if the mere memory of the Imperial meeting he had attended alongside his Guild Master made him shudder, he quietly set his spoon down on the table.
“Why?”
“It was the first time in my life I actually felt sorry for the nobles.”
“What?”
‘Your Majesty, that is far too unreasonable a demand…!’
Thud!
‘Gasp!’
‘Sorry. My foot slipped. Carry on.’
‘Th-that….’
‘I said carry on. Don’t waste any more time. The meeting is already twenty minutes longer than the first day, but surely you have things that must be said. Don’t you?’
‘…No. I have nothing more to say.’
“He looked like he could kill a man with a single glance.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Our Guild Master couldn’t even get a single word out.”
“Well, your Guild Master doesn’t usually say much at meetings anyway. He’s always busy reading the room with the other nobles.”
“Shut the hell up….”
“So? What does he look like? I heard he’s incredibly handsome.”
“I don’t know. He looked all gaunt and bony.”
“Is his hair really white? Rumor has it that just getting close to him makes your whole body freeze solid—is that true? They say the North is so cold because of the magic the Grand Duke wields.”
“I don’t know. But his hair was definitely white.”
Tinkle.
“There wasn’t a trace of any other color. His eyes were strange too—were they silver? Ah, he looked exactly like—?”
The mercenary, who had been recalling the face of the Grand Duke of Pershia he’d seen that day, suddenly snapped his fingers as he spotted someone entering the entrance.
It was because someone who looked exactly like the Grand Duke of Pershia was approaching their direction.
“Huh?”
…What? Isn’t that a bit too similar?
That white hair and everything….
The mercenary’s mouth hung agape as the figure drew closer.
Step.
“Uh… uh…? H-heeeek!”
As his eyes grew wider and wider, a horrified scream finally burst from the mercenary’s mouth.
That’s not just a lookalike—it’s the actual Grand Duke of Pershia!
“Pfft!”
“Ack! Cough, cough!”
The others who spotted him reacted much the same way.
‘What?’
‘Why is that man here?’
Gazes mixed with shock and wonder converged on him.
It was the same for those lined up outside the shop.
Without even thinking of stopping him as he cut the line to enter, they were all busy pressing themselves against the windows to get a look at the Grand Duke of Pershia.
“…….”
The man’s gaze, which had been slowly scanning the surroundings as if looking for an empty seat, stopped dead on the spot where the mercenary who first spotted him was sitting.
‘W-what?’
Why is he looking at me?
Under the piercing gaze of the Grand Duke of Pershia, Kainel, the mercenary swallowed hard.
Does he perhaps remember me from the last Imperial meeting?
But I didn’t do anything particularly eye-catching that day?
“Ahem.”
“Cough, cough!”
Contrary to their expectations that he would soon look away, Kainel remained motionless with his arms crossed, forcing the two mercenaries to eventually put down their spoons.
“H-here! The bill!”
“W-we’re all done!”
The two mercenaries, practically throwing their money down, stood up and fled the table, leaving behind a third of their stew—a rare occurrence.
Slide.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Kainel naturally took the seat and sat down.
“…….”
Sitting with his legs crossed in a relaxed posture, as if he had just stepped into his private office, he lightly scanned his surroundings.
“H-here, the check!”
“Me too!”
“Oh boy, I completely forgot I had an urgent appointment.”
“That appointment! I’m supposed to go too, right? Let’s go together, together!”
The moment anyone made eye contact with him, they scrambled to get up and bolted outside, regardless of who went first.
“Hey, why are we running away?”
“Shut up! Do you really think you could swallow food in the same room as that terrifying man?”
“Damn it… I haven’t even finished half of it!”
“They say that man’s personality is like sh—t. Word is he’ll take your head off the moment he gets annoyed. Just shut up and run.”
“Ugh, my hangover hasn’t even cleared yet! I need to eat that to fully recover….”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! If you don’t want to freeze to death, just run!”
It was the same for those outside the shop.
Even though seats had opened up inside, almost no one dared to enter.
Everyone was busy hurrying away, claiming they suddenly had other business to attend to. At the very least, they wanted to eat their meal in a comfortable atmosphere.
“Huh…?”
Looking at the hollow shop now filled only with half-eaten bowls, Jay, the maid of the Drow Barony, couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
What is this situation all of a sudden? Why is everyone acting like that?
“Order.”
At that moment, a clear yet low voice reached her.
“Ah, yes!”
Jay hurried over to Kainel, who was the only one left sitting.
“One stew.”
“Understood. Please wait just a moment.”
Though she didn’t understand the situation, Jay took the order with her usual sweet smile.
“Jay? What’s going on….”
Jay wasn’t the only one who noticed the anomaly.
Sensing the suddenly quiet atmosphere of the shop, Ceres came out of the kitchen and tilted her head in confusion at the empty room.
Where did everyone go?
“Ah….”
Then, her eyes went wide as she spotted a single person sitting nonchalantly in the center of the shop.
‘It’s… Kai.’
It’s really… Kai?
‘Wow….’
How long has it been since I last saw him?
To her, it felt like she had only recently died, but in reality, hadn’t three hundred long years passed?
Ceres almost broke into a glad smile before she caught herself.
The step she was about to take toward him stopped short.
‘…He won’t recognize me, right?’
Wouldn’t it be weirder if he did?
Ceres barely swallowed the long sigh that threatened to escape her.
How have you been living all this time?
Why were you cooped up inside the Grand Duchy for all those years?
Just what happened to you?
There were so many things she wanted to ask, but now she couldn’t ask a single personal thing, could she?
‘Even though it’s him of all people….’
Even though Kai was right there in front of her.
‘Why has he lost so much weight?’
Is he not eating properly again?
Recalling how he had been a notoriously picky eater since they were young, Ceres lightly shook her head.
‘Anyway, why is he here?’
It was strange yet oddly fitting to see Kainel sitting in such a haughty manner inside this shabby shop.
“…….”
Did he feel Ceres’s gaze? His indifferent eyes, which had been slowly surveying the shop, turned toward where she stood.
Those silver eyes were still sparkling beautifully.
‘Kai, if you die first later, can I have your eyes?’
‘Because my eyes are pretty?’
‘Yeah! Give me your eyeballs.’
‘Sure. I’ll give you both.’
‘…Hey, you two, please stop saying things like that so casually!’
‘Alti, should I take your eyeballs too later?’
‘Aaagh! No! I don’t need that! Don’t covet my eyes!’
‘Alti was absolutely horrified.’
It was just a joke with a hint of sincerity, but she hadn’t expected him to be so repulsed.
A faint smile touched the corners of Ceres’s mouth as she recalled their childhood.
At the same time, she realized one fact.
‘Ah.’
He’s in a bad mood right now.
As if he didn’t like Ceres snickering to herself, one of Kainel’s eyebrows twitched upward before settling back into place.
Realizing the reason, she quickly wiped the smile from her face.
His prickly personality is the same as ever.
“Ceres-nim, the customers….”
“Yeah.”
Having roughly grasped the situation, Ceres nodded toward the approaching Jay, whose expression was troubled, as if to say there was no need for further explanation.
‘Everyone has pretty good instincts.’
The mercenaries, she meant. Mercenaries who had survived all sorts of hardships had an instinctive habit of fleeing from danger as much as possible.
They simply didn’t want to eat in a place where a man who felt like an apex predator was sitting.
“Is that… I mean, that customer?”
“He wants the stew.”
“I see.”
Ceres couldn’t help but look at Kainel once more.
It was true that he used to love the stew she made.
‘How did he find out about this place?’
It was curious. Did he come here after hearing the rumors?
‘But he’s not the type to go out of his way to eat food from a shop like this….’
“Do you have something to say?”
Kainel spoke, his lips curving into a slight, mocking smile.
But Ceres knew very well that the smile was anything but friendly.
That bastard always smiled like that when he was in a truly foul mood.
It was clear he didn’t appreciate her staring at him in silence.
