TFIU 23

Chapter 23

Who on earth was that man? And that power…

Xenos recalled those bright yellow pupils that had narrowed vertically in an instant.

It had been a bizarre sight, yet strangely, he hadn’t felt afraid.

It wasn’t fear, but something different—an overwhelming sensation.

As if entrusting everything to him was only natural, something close to submission…

The fact that it didn’t feel dangerous made it all the more dangerous.

Xenos was a man who was always on guard.

Suspicion and wariness had accompanied him throughout his life.

Rene Blanche said it wasn’t him, but judging by her reaction, it must have been a lie. Still, it doesn’t seem like the affectionate relationship Katarina Hugo suggested…

Everything about it was unpredictable.

Xenos retraced his memories once more.

That day of the festival, it truly felt as though he had been bewitched.

Meeting that strange man, being swept up in the atmosphere, pretending to be a happily married couple…

Even releasing lanterns together, genuinely looking like a loving pair…

Even after returning to the Grand Duke’s castle, Xenos had remained dazed for quite some time.

As though he were slightly drunk.

Though he didn’t know on what.

That night, for the first time in a long while, he slept deeply.

Hah… This should bring some peace for a while. Temporary, but still.

For someone like Xenos, who could count the days he slept well on one hand, it was astonishing.

For several days after the festival, everything was remarkably calm.

Everything.

He thought perhaps he was finally escaping that cursed madness.

But—

“Where… am I?”

As expected, once the dreamlike peace ended, the madness worsened even further.

The next morning, believing he had slept soundly, Xenos awoke in the middle of a thicket, despair washing over him.

His sleepwalking had previously been limited to wandering within the castle grounds.

But now…

His bare feet were covered in scratches from branches, as though he had roamed outside for a long time.

I’ll come soon. Hold on until then.

That man had given him such pathetic hope, only to snatch it away completely.

There was only one guess Xenos could make about his identity.

But… I’m still not certain. Nothing is.

The man he met at the festival vanished after speaking incomprehensible words.

He said he would return, but as if in backlash, the madness deepened, making Xenos increasingly anxious.

In the end, the only person holding the clue was…

Rene Blanche.

Again, it was that woman.

With an uneasy heart, Xenos sought her out immediately.

But an unexpected answer came back.

“Your Grace, I apologize. The Duchess has come down with a severe cold. Her fever is very high.”

The maid assigned to her stopped him outside the cabin, forcing him to turn back.

In Xenos’s mind, the image of Rene shivering by the river that night was vivid.

Even though he had wrapped his coat around her, she must have caught a cold anyway.

Because of their height difference, the cloak had dragged messily along the ground…

Is her body really that weak?

He also remembered seeing Rene in the farthest room of the western tower.

Was that why she jumped around every morning claiming she was building stamina?

Seeing her living quarters with his own eyes left him with an odd feeling.

The old cabin looked worn and cramped.

And yet she smiled happily, as if perfectly satisfied living in such a place.

“….”

It seemed so foolish.

That indifference irritated him.

And yet, strangely, the thought crossed his mind—perhaps he should offer her a room in the main estate.

Was it guilt? Or pity?

But pitying a woman of the Blanche family was absurd.

More than anything, if he made such an offer, Rene would surely respond—

No. Why would I?

…rejecting him without hesitation.

After clashing with her, he had gained some sense of what kind of person she was.

Still, it would be ridiculous to overturn his evaluation of Rene Blanche so easily.

As though walking through dense fog, Xenos’s chest felt unbearably heavy.

That was when—

Knock knock.

“Your Grace, it is Carl.”

“Yes. Come in.”

The old butler Carl entered the study with a formal greeting.

“It seems Her Grace the Duchess has visited the main library. She believes she came without anyone noticing, but… I instructed the servants to pretend not to know and to stay away from the area.”

“….”

Xenos listened silently, then set down the pen he had been holding and stood.

Evidence of his deep thoughts lay on the paper—only ink stains instead of words.

“Shall I prepare tea?”

The perceptive Carl asked, likely assuming he should arrange a tea time with Rene.

But Xenos shook his head lightly.

“No. Instead, until I come out, make sure not even an ant wanders near the library.”

His heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor.

His mind filled with thoughts of only one woman.

…Why did she come here?

Though he muttered as if scolding himself, when he came to his senses, he was already standing before the library.

Carefully, he grasped the bronze doorknob and turned it.

They had recently done a deep cleaning—perhaps even oiled the handle, because the door opened silently.

And then he saw her.

“….”

A graveyard of ancient books, where even time seemed frozen.

In the center sat Rene Blanche, soundlessly.

So immersed in her book that she hadn’t noticed his arrival at all.

Even now, pages fluttered softly as she turned them.

Sunlight filtered through stained glass, scattering colorful hues around her face.

The shimmering light slid slowly, so slowly, along her silver hair.

Like threads spun from moonlight, her hair flowed in waves down to her waist.

Annoyed by the strands falling forward as she bent her head, Rene casually tucked them behind her ear.

And her face came fully into view.

“…!”

The claim that she was ill seemed true.

She looked slightly thinner than a few days ago, yet her beauty remained unchanged.

Her long, thick eyelashes lowered.

And within them, her vivid red eyes shone brilliantly, enough to capture anyone’s gaze.

In Rembrandt’s noble society, there was an old superstition:

A bastard child with red eyes would bring misfortune upon the family.

Anyone who saw Rene Blanche’s eyes could vaguely guess what that “misfortune” meant.

She… enchants people.

They were like pure rubies, or freshly bloomed roses.

Once your gaze was stolen by her eyes, it was difficult to escape.

Was that why the Blanche family had hidden Rene so carefully?

But that was no reason to hate her.

Rene was far too thin and small.

Her pale skin was almost white, smooth like marble, cold-looking.

But Xenos had touched her warmth before.

That night.

The small hand he had grasped unintentionally—

Exaggerating only slightly, it had been barely half the size of his.

Now those hands busily turned the pages.

As he recalled their unexpected warmth, Xenos shuddered without realizing.

Just then, Rene lifted her head.

Their eyes met.

“Ah.”

A small gasp escaped Rene’s lips.

Xenos stared at her in silence.

What… are you?

What kind of existence…

That you affect me so much…

* * *

What the hell?

My cheek felt strangely itchy, so I lifted my head—

And there he was, the Grand Duke, standing boldly at the door.

I think our eyes even met.

Damn it. Was I seeing things? Please tell me I was.

I narrowed my eyes and tried to focus.

No use.

That face, that build—there was only one man like that in this entire castle.

He’s going to yell at me again for using this place without permission.

From what I’d experienced, the Grand Duke might have a broad chest, but his personality was as narrow as a clam.

If something displeased him, he would definitely pick a fight over it.

So avoiding him was the best option.

It’s not that I’m scared of shit. It’s just disgusting. Tch.

Cursing internally, I sprang to my feet.

I had to strike first before he could.

“I-I’m sorry! I heard no one uses this place… Still, I should’ve asked permission. I’m sorry for coming in without approval. I’ll leave right now.”

I was pressing down my wildly pounding heart when the Grand Duke unexpectedly stopped me with his words—