Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 44

Chapter 44

"The garden has become very beautiful."

"Hasn't it? I think the garden is almost finished now."

"The newly hired gardener seems to have done his part."

"Yes. It's all thanks to you, Marquis, and Sir Silmare."

"Speaking of which, where is Silmare? Hasn't he returned since then?"

"No. The last time I saw him was at dawn before you came last time. Since then, he's only sent letters."

That reminded her—she hadn't asked whether anything had happened in the Celesta territory or if he'd been hurt.

Gripping the hem of her dress, Agnes spoke with a troubled expression.

"I was very worried after you left last time."

"About me? I told you I was fine—you didn't believe me."

Cesenor replied with a faint smile, but Agnes shook her head.

"No. If you were truly fine, you wouldn't have taken so long."

"As you can see, I'm unharmed."

"But Ascer seemed so urgent when she left—I could tell she was worried about the territory."

"Ascer said that?"

"Yes. I heard there was a Crack, and word was that it was unusually large. I also heard there were more injuries than expected, so I thought that might be why you were delayed."

"Oh dear, so you were curious about the territory, not me."

"Of course not! I was curious about both."

Cesenor laughed and spread his arms wide again, as if inviting her to check for herself.

It seemed to prove that he was truly fine, and Agnes let out a sigh and laughed softly.

Soon, Cesenor began a more serious conversation.

"Actually, I was delayed because I had to report to the Imperial Palace about that."

A year ago.

Cracks had erupted simultaneously across the continent.

People were terrified by the strange events of that day, but fortunately, after that, Cracks only occurred in the northern lands near the Ice Mountains—the territory of monsters.

That was at least some relief for ordinary people.

There, five Magic Towers had established a powerful defensive line to counter the monsters.

Thanks to that, even if monsters emerged from the Cracks, they could be repelled as they always had been.

But soon a problem arose.

The Cracks, which had only occurred in the north, gradually began moving south.

Not only that, the number and offensive power of the monsters crossing over were increasing.

This particular Crack was of an unprecedented scale.

"That's not to say it was overwhelming. In the past, we could hold them off with ease; this time, it was more of a concern."

"But what if it exceeds the limit someday?"

"Then the Imperial Capital will have to step in. The people are already growing anxious and migrating south, and I wonder what the Imperial Capital is even doing."

It was clearly a criticism of the royal family, and Agnes could only smile in response.

But she understood what he meant.

The Crown Prince, who currently ruled the empire in place of the ailing Emperor, was said to be quite capable, but also had a violent and oppressive side.

"Thanks to that, I was able to get an excuse to stay here, but honestly, I was worried that the Imperial Palace kept suspecting me."

"Ah, because someone like you, Marquis, has been staying too long in a rural place like ours?"

"In a sense, yes. But I can't exactly go around telling people about the World Tree."

True. It would look suspicious to anyone.

The Marquis of Celesta, along with other races, gathering in a small rural territory.

It was extremely rare for someone to cross the border in violation of the non-aggression pact without prior notice.

Cesenor quietly gazed into Agnes's eyes, as if gauging her reaction, and gave a low clearing of his throat.

"Actually... I used Lady Amy as an excuse."

"Pardon?"

"She's the first survivor to escape from a Crack."

He had explained that the reason the other races crossed the border was to investigate the Cracks and confirm the survivor's identity.

With the unprecedented Crack occurring, it provided a plausible reason to stay in the Laverose territory without arousing suspicion from the Imperial family.

"I've informed the Imperial Palace that we're all waiting for Lady Amy's return. Research on the Cracks is a pressing issue for everyone living on the continent."

"Would that put Amy in danger?"

As Agnes's expression darkened, Cesenor smiled reassuringly.

"Look who's here. I'm the Master of the Celestial Tower, Silmare is a prince of the elves. I don't know Ignitan well since we haven't spoken, but he's certainly no ordinary person either."

Listening quietly, Agnes suddenly looked up in surprise.

As if she'd just heard something unbelievable, she stammered, finally letting out a breath.

"Sir Silmare... is a p-prince of the elves?"

"Oh, you didn't know?"

"No! This is the first I'm hearing of it!"

Searching her memory, she realized he'd never actually mentioned it.

"It's not my place to talk about others' affairs, but that's how I understand it."

"Good heavens..."

She'd thought he looked like a prince because of his stunning appearance, but he really was a prince.

'What on earth did I ask such a person to do...?'

He was even out there right now, tracking down a single prisoner.

Regardless of Agnes's shock, Cesenor continued calmly.

"In any case, you needn't worry about Lady Amy. Not only us, but Rupert is with her as well."

"Rupert?"

She echoed blankly at the unexpected name, and Cesenor nodded with a subtle smile.

"You haven't forgotten, have you? Rupert and I defeated a dragon together. A legendary creature whose very existence was uncertain—the king of monsters."

"Oh..."

Even though it was something she already knew, the pieces just drifted in her mind like scattered puzzle pieces.

To Agnes, Rupert was a childhood friend she'd grown up with, like an older brother who was always by her side, helping her.

All she could picture was his skinny, tall frame—pitifully unimpressive.

The fact that Rupert had defeated a mythical being felt utterly unreal.

"Above all, I'll only feed the Imperial Palace a little bit of our research data at a time. So even when Lady Amy returns, you can go about your life as usual."

"Can that really be done? I was actually quite worried."

"Did something happen?"

"Yes. Rumors have spread that we amassed a fortune from the Crack, and I've heard there are people saying they'll jump into a Crack themselves if one appears."

"They're insane."

Seeing him click his tongue in disbelief, Agnes finally let out the anxiety that had been pressing on her heart.

"I'm worried that when Amy returns, greedy people will come and threaten us, demanding to know how it's done."

"If that happens, we can just leave for a while until their interest fades."

"Leave for where?"

"Would you like to visit the Celestial Tower? Lady Amy has already broken in once, so it wouldn't be unfamiliar to her."

Agnes immediately understood that his teasing proposal was his own form of consideration.

It was a promise to give her a safe haven when she was consumed by vague anxiety.

So Agnes smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. If you invite me, I'd love to come. I'd also like to see Ascer again."

"Ascer?"

He seemed surprised at the unexpected name.

"Yes! Is Ascer doing well?"

When she asked about her, Cesenor slowly stroked his firm, smooth jaw and changed the subject.

"You seem quite close with Ascer. Did she do the work I assigned her properly?"

"Yes! She was very kind and taught me so much."

"...Ascer did?"

"Yes, of course! But there was one thing she said that was a bit difficult..."

Agnes recalled when Ascer had confessed her troubles with Cesenor.

It reminded her of facing the Countess.

It wasn't a difficult thing to say, but oddly, the words wouldn't come easily in front of the Countess.

'To Ascer, the Marquis is her superior...'

More than anything, she didn't want to harbor any unpleasant suspicions about Cesenor, who was practically her benefactor.

"I want to make it clear that this is entirely my own judgment and has nothing to do with Ascer's reputation."

Her posture was straight, her gaze firm.

Whatever she was about to say, she bit her lip hard.

To anyone watching, she looked like someone accusing another of plotting to kill Cesenor.

'What on earth is she about to say...?'

Even Cesenor tensed, his lips parting.

The moment Agnes fell silent felt like an eternity. Finally, she spoke, each word heavy and deliberate.

"Actually, Ascer confided in me."

"Confided?"

"She said you treated her violently."

"Violently toward whom?"

"Toward Ascer."

"Me?"

Cesenor asked back in disbelief.

'That's not it?'

Naturally, Agnes was flustered.

It was as if he were asking—

'Isn't it the other way around?'

Agnes asked back blankly.

"Isn't it?"

"Haa..."

Seeing Cesenor sigh and press his forehead, Agnes knew she'd made a mistake.

Just as she was about to apologize quickly, Cesenor tilted his head and smiled.

"You've gotten quite close with Ascer."

Back   Next