Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 22

Chapter 22

After the door closed, Cesenor offered Agnes some tea.

"Let's talk after you've had a sip."

"Yes. I was out in the garden, so I was actually getting a little hungry and wanted to have some dessert."

"Were you with Silmare just now?"

Though it was a normal question, for some reason, she couldn't answer easily.

'Why?'

Hesitating, Agnes slowly nodded.

"...Yes, that's right. He was showing me how to plant marigold seedlings."

Watching Agnes raise her teacup as if to hide her expression, Cesenor asked in a calm tone.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting the two of you."

At that moment, Agnes's teacup shook violently, nearly spilling the tea.

Startled, Agnes quickly set the cup down and strongly protested.

"Of course not!"

At that, Cesenor's eyes widened with a smile. It was a knowing sort of smile.

"Well, even if you were, I wouldn't let you leave. I'd be very disappointed if you left so soon."

"Please don't tease me like that, Marquis."

Annoyed that he was mischievously teasing her, her voice came out sharper than usual.

It sounded just like she was pouting, and Cesenor couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Consider it a down payment. So please give me a little more of your time."

"I see you every day. Besides, considering all the help you've given me, I might not be able to repay you even with a fortune."

"Unfortunately, thanks to Lady Amy, I've also earned a great deal. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to spend it all."

"To be honest, I feel the same way."

She said, smiling playfully as if to return the sly remark.

It was always like this lately.

Whenever she threw a light tease, a quick response always came back.

'Perhaps it's because it's a comfortable space.'

Thanks to that, talking with Agnes had become somewhat enjoyable lately.

Now that she'd left Waldemar, where she always seemed to be suppressing something, Agnes had bloomed like a flower.

The dress that used to be perpetually wrinkled under her hands was now crisp and neat.

'Above all, it's quiet and peaceful.'

That was why he strangely liked the Laverose estate.

Even though there was construction noise every day, he was rather grateful for the moderate bustle.

Because without it, there would only be the sound of birds and the wind.

It was completely different from where Cesenor had always lived.

The castle of the Celesta territory, with so many people coming and going, was always noisy, and his laboratory in the Celestial Tower was magically soundproofed, deathly silent.

More than anything, the Celesta territory was barren, and even in spring, it was cold.

The sharp, prickly senses he always felt there seemed to have melted into a mess here.

'Is it because this is the south?'

When he sat by the window, the sunlight made him feel languid, and he would find himself staring blankly outside.

It was the most foolish thing Cesenor had ever done.

And in front of him sat a fresh, innocent young lady from the south.

He'd never had any interest in perfume, but when he sat facing her like this, a faint, soft floral scent wafted tantalizingly beyond his sharp senses.

It was fragrant enough to make him want to ask what perfume she wore.

Agnes was still cooling her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand.

In the meantime, Cesenor cut the cake into bite-sized pieces.

"Ah! Thank you, Marquis."

"You should eat more, Lady Agnes. I won't be having any, so please have it all."

"Pardon? Do you not like cake?"

"No, I do like it. But I prefer watching you eat it."

"You sound just like Sir Silmare."

"...Did he say something like that?"

Agnes just laughed softly, as if it were nothing, but to Cesenor, it wasn't something he could easily let slide.

That's why his voice came out cold and sharp.

Looking up at him with a flustered expression, Cesenor leaned back in his chair, putting some distance between them.

Then Agnes began to make a clumsy excuse.

"Actually, I said something strange."

"What did you say?"

"I asked if it was alright to clear the garden, knowing that grass and insects would die in the process..."

Even as she said it, she seemed to think it sounded childish, and her cheeks reddened again.

Cesenor's gaze briefly lingered on her flushed cheeks.

He vividly remembered the first time he saw Agnes.

Gaunt and pale.

But now, unlike then, she was full of life. She was still thin, but at least there was no trace of melancholy.

That was why he'd said he liked watching her eat.

Because she, who had looked so emaciated and unremarkable, was gradually becoming more beautiful.

As if deliberately mocking her, Cesenor glanced sideways.

"So did Silmare say that you were more important than those things dying?"

"...Yes."

"The elf who can supposedly speak to everything in the world? My, he must really want to win your favor."

"Marquis...!"

"What do you think I would say, Lady Agnes."

It was impulsive.

Unlike how he had acted gentlemanly up until now, Cesenor closed the distance in an instant.

He was close enough that their fingertips could touch.

Cesenor gazed at her.

As if frozen, Agnes didn't move.

Her rounded eyes were right in front of him.

Her light grass-colored eyes reflected his own image.

The moment he realized that.

All the sensations he'd felt through his sharp senses vanished.

As if his breathing had stopped.

"......The Marquis wouldn't do that."

Agnes murmured softly, moving her lips.

Her dazed eyes, as if looking at a brilliant jewel, held Cesenor's gaze as well.

Cold as the white snow falling on the Celesta territory.

"The Marquis is a special person, after all."

"Me, you mean?"

"Yes. You prove it every moment. They call it 'Jewel Eyes,' don't they?"

So for a moment, he couldn't respond.

After a brief silence, Cesenor nodded.

Unconsciously, he touched his eyelid.

As if he'd only just remembered that he had those eyes.

"Silmare is... different?"

"Sir Silmare seems to think of me as if I were the World Tree itself. Like the reverence one feels when facing a statue of a god in a temple."

Cesenor slowly distanced himself from her.

Agnes was remarkably composed and calm—so much so that he couldn't recall her earlier embarrassment over such a small thing.

Her steady gaze was uncomfortable.

Agnes continued, unfazed.

"So you probably wouldn't care about someone like me. As the continent's greatest mage and a Marquis of this empire, you must have far more important matters to attend to."

"......Then why do you think I'm here?"

"You're a man who seeks the unknown. And right now, your greatest question lies with me, doesn't it?"

Agnes raised the back of her hand.

There was nothing there, but...

Cesenor reached out and took her hand.

Then, the golden marks rose again on both their hands.

A leaf and a seed.

"So I'm happy to help you with anything. As much as you've helped me, if it's something that can resolve your questions, I'll gladly assist."

Even if that means accepting me as your 'other half'?

He wanted to ask, but Cesenor swallowed the words.

The power that could shake the world.

He was staying by her side to obtain just that, but if he revealed it.

'She'd be burdened, and she would no longer come closer to me.'

He was certain of that.

Agnes had spoken sincerely when she said she wanted to help.

Over the past ten days, Cesenor's help had been immeasurable.

Five years ago.

After her mother passed away, Agnes had taken over the household, but she had never really handled money properly.

She had always only tightened her belt and scrimped.

Naturally, she had never spent money on the territory either.

Taxes came in from the territory every year, but they were all used to pay interest, so she couldn't use them to improve the lives of the villagers.

Alfred, who had helped her father manage the territory, had a general idea of things, but he only knew how to maintain it, not how to rebuild it.

More than anything, she had no experience spending such a large sum of money.

Of course, 'Cesenor, Lord of Celesta,' was an expert in that regard.

'At first, he seemed a little intimidating...'

But the Cesenor she'd come to know was surprisingly kind.

She had so much she wanted to do going forward, and she felt she couldn't do it without him.

"Then I have one more piece of advice. While I'm away, why don't you take a tour of your territory?"

"Surely you're not leaving?"

"No. I'll be back soon, but I've been away from the Celesta castle for too long, so I need to make a brief visit."

"Ah, I see!"

The joy of knowing he'd promised to return made Agnes smile brightly.

But the thought of the 'territory tour' he'd mentioned made her anxious.

Honestly, she lacked confidence.

"Won't the villagers be uncomfortable if I show up?"

"Are you afraid?"

"Yes, a little."

"Didn't you say you used to go out to the village every day as a child, playing like it was a playground?"

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