CH 63.1

“…….”

Zen stared blankly at me. The longer his silence grew, the more my anxiety grew. Come to think of it, he had no reason to hide me.

He was kind to me, but I don’t know if he’s still like that. Besides, as a member of a noble household, it was clear that he would take this kind of escape in a bad light. He might stop me and turn me over to Theodore.

I bit my lower lip nervously. Waiting for Zen’s answer felt like forever. Did he notice? That I’m on the run? What should I do now?

Breaking the heavy silence, Zen finally answered.

“…All right, I understand.”

“……?”

“I will definitely keep it a secret. I am on the Duchess’s side. Don’t worry!”

…I couldn’t understand a single word he said. Was he going to keep it a secret? Was he on my side? What did that mean?

Did he realize that I was on the run?

But he didn’t give me time to understand. He was very quick with his actions.

“Then, with the power of my elemental, I will move Your Grace and your companions to the mountain cabin. It’s not dangerous at all, so don’t worry.”

As the group freaked out and flinched at the rushing golden wind, Zen added with a laugh. I was conflicted about whether I should reject Zen’s offer and just run away.

However, the wind spirit, ‘Ventus’ moved us to another place in an instant.

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It was Zen Delacroix’s cabin.

* * *

“The bear skins that appear around here are quite strong and I like them… Sometimes I come to hunt.”

“…….”

“Like before, I stop by this place periodically to wipe out criminals… Also, uhm, I just like the scenery of this mountain, so I often come here to play.”

Zen eagerly explained why he built a cabin in a place like this.

I nodded in response, and he seemed embarrassed and laughed, “Ha ha…”

I’m sorry Zen, but I didn’t know what to say. That’s too…

This is because the cabin is built on the edge of a cliff.

‘It’s not the castle of some demon king…’

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I didn’t know that Zen Delacroix had such bizarre tastes… In any case, since I had received his help, I wanted to say something even if it’s empty, so I opened my mouth.

“Your taste is unique… Well, better than normal.”

Then, Zen asked with a twinkling gaze.

“Do you really think so?”

“…Yes well…”

I averted my gaze, burdened by his starlit eyes. What is this man… Right, I think he looks exactly like a golden retriever.

“I like being free. Now that I’m the heir to the household, I’m still relatively free, but after inheriting the Duchy, I’ll be bound to the family. I hated that. So before that, I thought I should travel as much as possible, take in the sights of good places, and then build a bunch of refuges where I can fly away when I get tired of life.”

Was he chosen by the wind spirit because he has a free soul? I silently nodded and listened to him. Maybe he was excited because there was someone listening to him, so Zen started talking even more… He really does resemble a golden retriever.

“My sister, on the other hand, doesn’t like to go out very much. Although she has a sociable personality. She prefers to play at home… You know what I mean right? Rosé is that kind of kid.”

Rosé is the nickname of Rozenne Delacroix. Zen’s younger sister, Ducal Lady Delacroix. She is a person who lives without hesitation without even paying attention to others… And in a similar sense to Zen, there is a part of her that tends to make people somewhat tired.

What can I say, these siblings… were like strong midday sunlight?

“How about you, Duchess? Do you like to travel?”

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“…Well.”

If I say things like ‘I’ve never traveled before, so I don’t know’ or ‘I can’t travel in a long time because I’m not in good health’, the atmosphere will be gloomy. So I responded in a positive person’s way, which was rare for me.

“I think I can find out when I travel. I wonder if I like to travel or not…”

Then, as I smiled faintly, Zen Delacroix looked at me for a long time with blank eyes for some reason. Without responding at all.