Chapter 35. Farewell

Rapellian’s departure for the capital was sudden, but the people at the ducal residence showed no particular surprise.

He was about to come of age, and when Michaela first inherited the title of duchess, she had attached the condition “only until Rapellian comes of age,” so everyone simply accepted it.

What interested the ducal household members, who considered this an inevitable development, was not his departure for the capital but whether Rapellian would actually inherit the title of duke.

“I will not accept the title of duke.”

“Why?”

“Why?”

Michaela and Ian asked with identical expressions.

Though they would deny it, such small behaviors revealed they were lovers who had been close for a long time.

“What do you mean, why?”

Rapellian narrowed his brows as if he couldn’t understand their reaction.

“I told you before. I would hold the title of duke only until you came of age. I’m someone whose dream is to farm in the countryside.”

Before Rapellian could respond to Michaela’s statement, Ian countered.

“Your dream was to be a farmer?”

“You didn’t know?”

“You never told me.”

“Then why did you think I attached such a condition?”

“I thought you wanted to become Empress.”

“……”

Michaela and Ian just stared at each other blankly.

Rapellian had an ominous feeling that his statement might escalate into an argument between those two.

He took a step back unnecessarily.

“You stay right there.”

“Yes.”

“So you really won’t accept it?”

“Sister is still in good health, so there’s no reason to rush.”

“But……”

Rapellian, who had been looking at Michaela, turned his gaze to Ian as he was about to add something and continued.

“And Sister being a duchess is no reason she cannot marry Your Majesty. Just give me any title that’s lying around the family.”

In some places, siblings fought to the death to become heirs, but this family was somehow different. Ian opened his mouth in disbelief.

“Wow, that was a bit annoying just now.”

“Anyway, please handle it that way.”

“If that’s what you want, fine. I’ll find something suitable.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Rapellian bowed his head deeply and left Michaela’s office.

As the door closed with a thud, Michaela let out a long “Huuuu” sigh and collapsed her rigidly straight back.

Slumping down limply, she looked at Ian while loosening her stiff shoulders with shrugging movements.

“Ian.”

“Yes.”

“The child seems to be feeling a bit better, don’t you think? He looks less like death compared to yesterday.”

At Michaela’s question, Ian made a sound like “Hmm,” which could have been either a groan or a sigh, then brought his face closer to hers and said:

“He does seem a bit more relaxed…… But you, you’ll need to improve my mood now.”

“Huh?”

“Are you really not going to marry me? Are you going to become a farmer?”

“Ah……”

Michaela sighed briefly as if troubled and straightened her languidly slumped body once more. She had to.

⁕⁕⁕

As soon as he left Michaela’s office, Rapellian’s expression, which had softened slightly, hardened again.

As he walked away from the office with an uncomfortable look, he encountered the butler, Irina.

“It’s better not to go in right now.”

“Did something happen?”

“Isn’t this what people call a lovers’ quarrel?”

“Ah……”

Irina nodded as if understanding and stepped to the side of the corridor, saying:

“The preparations to move Miss are complete.”

“I see…… I’ll go.”

“Yes.”

They had decided to move Rasiel’s quarters to the annex as a precaution.

According to Ian’s judgment, Rasiel didn’t seem to affect other Mosteros family members, but there was no harm in taking precautions.

Rapellian called to Irina as he took steps to personally move Rasiel, who still hadn’t regained consciousness.

“Irina.”

“Yes.”

Irina responded as she followed behind him.

“Send Calyx often.”

“Just when I thought I was finally free, it would be troublesome if you send him often.”

This was neither playful nor joking.

Irina’s gaze was so serious that Rapellian felt embarrassed.

“Don’t worry. That boy already became an adult five years ago. He’s grown up, so I should consider him out of my hands.”

“I understand what you mean. But I’ll still send him.”

“I can only thank you for looking after my inadequate son and taking him with you.”

Irina smiled brightly without showing any sign of feeling hurt.

He hadn’t thought they looked particularly alike before, but her smiling eyes resembled Calyx’s.

Along with her neatly tied wheat-colored hair.

“I’m the one who should thank you.”

Rapellian nodded his head lightly to her in gratitude.

“That boy seems quite happy to be playing in deeper waters. Please let him demonstrate his abilities to the fullest.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After finishing his brief conversation with Irina, Rapellian opened the door to Rasiel’s room.

He couldn’t enter right away and hesitated at the entrance, only approaching the bed after controlling his pheromones several times.

“Young Master.”

Jane, who had gone into the dressing room to check if anything was missing, bowed her head to him as she came out into the bedroom.

“We’re moving her now?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take her myself.”

Rapellian lifted Rasiel into his arms.

There was no faint grasping of his collar or clinging to avoid falling that he had grown accustomed to.

Her delicate and cautious movements had been pitiful and touching, and as time passed and she gradually gained confidence, they had sometimes been cute.

But this limp state in his arms was truly awful.

Rapellian deliberately held Rasiel more firmly as he stepped toward the annex.

Jane quickly brought a blanket to cover Rasiel and followed him.

The journey to the annex was filled with silence.

However, their steps were quite fast as they tried to avoid the cold winter season that had settled in, so the stillness didn’t last too long.

“I’m counting on you.”

“I will take good care of her.”

The bedroom, where the fireplace was already lit with a crackling sound, circulated with warm heat.

But Rapellian wasn’t reassured by that alone and covered Rasiel with blankets as if bundling her up completely.

“So that Rasiel won’t be startled when she wakes up, try not to leave your post and stay by her side.”

“Yes. This place will be unfamiliar to her, after all. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jane looked around the bedroom and nodded her head deeply.

No matter how similarly they had decorated it to her original room, the hastily arranged setup was inevitably noticeable.

Rapellian moved away from the bed, hoping that Rasiel would wake up safely before the flowers wilted and return to her original room.

Jane silently bowed at the waist in response to his request and took her place by Rasiel’s side.

⁕⁕⁕

Five days after Rasiel collapsed.

Calyx had already boarded the train to the capital to check on the mansion there, and today was Rapellian’s turn to go to the capital with Ian.

Before boarding the train to the capital, Rapellian finished all preparations early at dawn and visited the annex where Rasiel was staying.

“Oh? Young Master.”

“Shh.”

Rapellian placed his index finger over his lips and tilted his head slightly toward the outside.

Jane quickly closed her mouth and carefully moved out of the room without making any noise.

The pale energy of dawn had seeped into every corner of the bedroom. Perhaps because of this, Rasiel’s complexion looked even more pale.

Rapellian placed the bouquet he had brought from the greenhouse on the bedside table and put his hand on Rasiel’s forehead.

Yesterday, Rasiel had been so feverish that she was delirious.

“No fever.”

The short sentence mixed with a sigh contained relief.

The guilt and debt Rapellian had acquired had temporarily faded since Rasiel’s recovery method was relatively simple. However, just before his departure, her condition had worsened, crushing his insides helplessly again.

Nevertheless, since her fever had subsided and there seemed to be signs of improvement, he felt he could leave with some peace of mind.

“I wish I could say goodbye to you properly.”

Rapellian lowered himself to look at her peaceful face and expressed his regret. His gaze lingered on Rasiel’s firmly closed eyelids as he stared at her.

“I miss you.”

He missed those ruby-colored eyes that had captured his attention.

Though he hadn’t seen them for just a few days, he longed to see those eyes that sparkled transparently and curved prettily when she smiled.

And that wasn’t all.

Despite having spent only a few months together, he missed many things.

The small footsteps that pattered behind him, the cheers on horseback as she galloped vigorously, the face that beamed with joy when she first read a sentence, and the clear tears when she wrote the names of family members by herself.

He missed every single thing without exception.

“I guess I’ve grown more attached to you than I thought.”

Grown attached.

What had started with a sense of responsibility and some curiosity had evolved into an exchange of hearts as they lived together.

It also felt like he had realized that breaking down the walls he built around others wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

But with this outcome, there was no way to ease his upset feelings.

“I’m sorry. Because of me. I was too arrogant to think that our, my intervention would make your life better. Instead, I was the only one who benefited from you.”

He gently stroked her face, which looked as if it might disappear at any moment.

“Goodbye. I hope you recover quickly and fare well.”

After carefully lowering his hand, he left a farewell kiss on her still small and thin hand before rising.

“I hope you like it.”

Rapellian hoped that Rasiel would wake up before the flowers he brought withered. He touched the flower petals, moist with water, and was about to leave the room.

“Young…… Master.”

“Rasiel?”

“It’s the Young Master.”

At the faint voice, Rapellian quickly lowered himself.

Red eyes appeared between flickering eyelids.

“Rasiel, hello.”

“Young Master. Hello……”

A faint smile formed on the lips from which a dull, sunken voice flowed, and Rasiel reached out her hand toward him.

Rapellian quickly responded to the gesture and squeezed her hand.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm…… I slept……”

“Rasiel?”

“Young Master. Next time.”

“Hm?”

“Next time…… please take me with you.”

Like the red eyes that kept trying to hide behind her eyelids, Rasiel’s voice was extremely faint.

Rapellian thought for the first time that he was fortunate to have sharp hearing.

“I’ll take you anywhere. Where shall I take you?”

“Banquet…… the banquet hall. Next time I’ll be…… by Young Master’s side……”

Her flickering eyelids firmly closed again, and her weak voice ultimately failed to continue completely and collapsed.

The gentle grip that had been holding onto him also disappeared.

It felt as if a thread had suddenly snapped.

In that moment, his heart sank with dread, but this was enough.

He had seen her regain consciousness briefly and had a short conversation, so it seemed he could leave with hope for her recovery.

“Yes. Let’s do that. And next time, I’ll properly introduce you.”

Rapellian kissed Rasiel’s pinky finger, making a promise she probably couldn’t hear.

Since she had such a kind nature, even this seemed like Rasiel’s consideration, so he stayed as he was for a moment before turning away reluctantly.

It was soon time to go to the station.

“Goodbye, Rasiel.”