Chapter 10

Grand Duke of the North

Varas’s mood as he returned to the inner castle was terrible.

No, terrible wasn’t even enough to describe it.

He was in such a disastrous state that words could hardly express it.

Zart, following behind him, felt as though he were dying as well.

Just when it had seemed that a gentle spring breeze had finally begun to stir in his lord’s heart, a freezing northern blizzard had swept in instead.

The violence simmering beneath Varas was useful on a battlefield.

Here, however, it was nothing but a bomb waiting to explode.

There were no enemy prisoners in the castle.

No way to satisfy the murderous aura that possessed his lord.

Following him into the bedroom, Zart quietly stationed himself near the door.

The only person capable of stopping his master if he suddenly lost control was himself.

From this moment on, he intended to keep a close watch.

Varas looked calmer now, his expression having returned to its usual state.

But Zart did not relax.

His lord was a man born with a murderous nature so overwhelming that, had he not found his place on the battlefield, he might have become one of history’s greatest killers.

He could appear perfectly fine one moment—

and then lose his mind the next.

There would be no stopping him.

“Zart.”

The moment his master called his name, Zart answered cautiously.

“Yes, my lord.”

The corner of Varas’s mouth curled upward.

A good idea had just occurred to him.

“Release that bastard into the inner castle.”

Zart quietly stepped into the corridor and headed underground.

Robin, was it?

If letting that man loose could ease even a fraction of Varas’s rage, he felt like offering prayers of gratitude to the heavens.

Fortunately, he ran into Anna just before reaching the stairs.

He earnestly asked her to keep watch outside his lord’s room for a while before hurrying below.

Once underground, Zart deliberately left several doors unlocked.

In about an hour, when Robin recovered from the effects of the drug, he would naturally attempt to escape.

The opened doors would guide him along a specific route.

That route led to a small room beside the inner castle corridor.

***

If that fool wasn’t strong enough to resist Abelanon’s effects, then they truly had loved each other.

A man Sellen had loved.

Or perhaps still loved.

Maybe they had promised to reunite one day and fulfill their love.

Though she had been sold away like livestock by a father who hardly deserved the title, perhaps they had vowed never to forget each other.

Good.

Then he would cut that possibility off at the root.

He would shatter every fragment of hope until there was nowhere left for her heart to return.

That was exactly what he intended to do.

Thinking through his plans, Varas rose and slowly approached the window.

He thought he had just heard Sellen’s laughter coming from the central courtyard.

Perhaps she had enjoyed eating in the corridor.

Recently, she often came outside to bask in the sunlight and smile like that.

Varas stood at the window for several minutes, silently watching the quiet scene below.

No amount of time spent looking at her ever bored him.

Even simply watching the back of her head while she sat still was enough to make hours pass unnoticed.

***

While gazing across the barren courtyard and stone walls, Sellen spotted a butterfly.

It was small and white.

The occasional breeze pushed it this way and that as it fluttered through the air.

There were no flowers here.

To find them, it would have to somehow fly over the towering castle walls.

For some reason, Sellen couldn’t take her eyes off it.

The butterfly reminded her of herself.

Since birth, through childhood, and now even as an adult, she had constantly been thrown into unfamiliar environments against her will.

The little white butterfly struggled against the wind but continued climbing higher.

When it finally disappeared beyond the castle wall, Sellen clenched her fist.

It felt as though the fate that had brought her here was whispering to her.

“You, too, will eventually find happiness.”

Turning away from the wall the butterfly had crossed, she looked toward the window of Varas’s bedroom.

A faint silhouette seemed visible there.

Perhaps he was standing by the window.

He was probably wearing that same stoic expression as always.

She still didn’t know why she had been thrown into this world.

But somehow, she felt she could find happiness here.

Just like that small white butterfly that would eventually fly beyond the walls, discover flowers, and gather nectar.

After staring at something in the courtyard for a long time as though enchanted, she suddenly turned her head.

Toward him.

Toward his window.

The distance between them wasn’t short.

Yet once again, Varas found himself foolishly believing that she had been searching for him.

Searching for his eyes.

Then he remembered her age.

Twenty.

If she had grown up among nobles, she could easily have already married and even had children by now.

She was old enough to know love.

Had she whispered words of love with that same bright smile?

Had she shyly blushed, her neck and ears turning red as she murmured sweet confessions into that man’s ear?

Unable to imagine even in his dreams what thoughts filled her mind as she gazed at his shadow, Varas focused entirely on suppressing the anger rising within him.

No matter how steadily he breathed, he could not calm himself.

He wasn’t even sure where the fury came from.

He was simply angry.

Angry enough to destroy everything in sight.

There was only one reason he endured it.

Sellen.

The woman looking up toward his bedroom.

Sellen.

Sellen.

Sellen Bellias.

My rain.

How should he kill that man in front of her?

He would kill him so brutally that the word love could never again leave his lips.

And if—

Just if—

there remained even the slightest trace of longing for that man in her heart…

Then he would grind the bastard’s bones to pieces and scatter them as feed for wild beasts.

***

Eventually, Varas’s silhouette disappeared from the window.

Even so, Sellen continued staring for quite some time.

Though she could no longer see him, she imagined the stoic man somewhere inside that room.

A nearby presence finally drew her attention away.

Turning her head, she saw Anna approaching with warm tea and cookies.

Anna’s expression seemed stiffer than usual.

Curious, Sellen called out to her.

“Anna?”

“Yes.”

Anna had always been disciplined and proper.

But today she seemed especially tense.

Then a large shadow appeared behind her.

Varas.

He sat across from Sellen and silently studied her face.

For some reason, she thought he looked the same as always—

yet somehow different.

Anna finished arranging the table and withdrew.

Today, more than ever, Varas’s gaze felt intense.

Sellen found herself unsure where to look.

He simply sat there across from her.

Watching her.

Like a giant stone statue.

From Varas’s perspective, Sellen repeatedly brushed her windblown hair aside.

She held her teacup with both hands and took small sips.

Perhaps because he was sitting there, she kept sneaking glances at him before pretending she wasn’t.

Whenever their eyes met, she smiled awkwardly and quickly returned her attention to her tea.

Hiding her mouth behind the cup, she let out a shy smile.

Then she spoke in her gentle voice.

“I wore those shoes today. Would you like to see?”

With that, she daringly lifted her dress slightly and showed him the shoes.

Seeing her smile so brightly made the dark mood crouching at the edge of his abyss slowly begin to lift.

Honestly, even someone like him who knew nothing about fashion could tell the leather shoes didn’t match the dress at all.

But she clearly didn’t care.

“Are they comfortable?”

Would those shoes make her slow, awkward steps any quicker?

“Yes. Walking is much easier now. They’re pretty too.”

Varas thought to himself:

Being comfortable won’t be enough.

If she wanted to escape this castle, even running at full speed wouldn’t be sufficient.

Then again—

She wouldn’t even make it out of the inner castle.

So perhaps it didn’t matter.

“Would you like to go somewhere with me today?”

The moment she said her feet were comfortable, it had become obvious she wanted to walk somewhere.

The transparency of her thoughts was endearing.

Suppressing a smile, he asked casually,

“Where?”

“Anywhere is fine. I think I’d enjoy going anywhere.”

Sellen meant it sincerely.

Since arriving at Bellias Castle, she had only gone outside twice.

Both times, she’d gone no farther than the fountain.

Varas tilted his head slightly and replied:

“Starting today, I’m closing the inner castle.”

The smile slowly disappeared from Sellen’s eyes.

The sudden announcement clearly caught her off guard.

“I…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Understanding the question she couldn’t bring herself to ask, Varas answered.

“You will stay in the inner castle.”

Now she had lost both her smile and her words.

She simply stared into his eyes.

As though searching for something there.

A reason.

An explanation.

Anything.

Suppressing a sigh, Varas added:

“It’s for some business. The closure won’t last more than a week. After that… how about we go horseback riding together?”

At those words, relief spread across her face.

She smiled faintly and let out a long breath.

“Okay.”

Perhaps today this woman would decide to resent him for the rest of her life.

It didn’t matter.

Not at all.

He had no intention of sharing even a single grain of the sugar rabbit he had crushed in his hand—

let alone the woman herself.

It was fine if her heart felt empty.

Fine if she became sad.

Fine if she became depressed.

But her heart could not turn toward another man.

And the thought of that man remaining alive was utterly unacceptable.

Once she witnessed his death with her own eyes…

Perhaps he would take her somewhere to clear her mind.

The Forest of Lebellaberg, perhaps.

He remembered that she seemed to like the stars.

The night sky above Lebella was famous for being clear and beautiful.

Surely she would like it.

At that moment, the door to the small room beside the corridor slowly opened.

Varas watched Sellen closely as she turned toward the unfamiliar sound.

Soon, her eyes would meet Robin’s.

He carefully studied every detail of her face.

What expression would appear there?

A strange light gleamed in Varas’s eyes.