CH 114

It might have been because of the pressure of his white hair, but it was more comfortable to treat him with respect. Regardless of the difference in identity, neither Baharf nor Zagnac specifically pointed it out.

As Azela retorted, Baharf nodded his head with his wry smile.

“You are right. The Master has already told me about it. Then, how about enjoying the new tea?”

She smiled along with his smiling face, which made people feel comfortable. The aroma of the tea was just right, not too sweet. It was her favorite flavor of tea. Azela smelled the scent of tea. She couldn’t help it and soon moved out of the way to let Baharf come in.

He entered the bedroom, moved aside so that she could sit comfortably, and slowly began to make the tea.

“It’s late at night. Why are you not sleeping?”

“Ah. It’s because I can’t sleep.”

“As expected, it’s good that I brought tea.”

The sound of the rattling teacup resonated loudly in her quiet bedroom.

As she listened to the sound, her dizzy mind calmed down. Azela, who closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the rattling teacup, smiled, thinking that it was good that Baharf prepared the tea just as he said.

“Do you have any concerns?”

Asking that, he smiled as he handed her the tea. There was something about him that made people feel at ease, just like the fragrant scent of tea. Azela took a sip, smelling the bitter scent of tea.

As expected, she liked the taste as well as the scent.

“It is delicious.”

“If you have any concerns, I will listen to them.”

Baharf smiled brightly that his eyes could not be seen. Certainly he was right that she couldn’t sleep though there was no way she could confide that thought. Seeing Azela lick her dry lips and lower her head, he continued his words.

“Even if it looks like this, I am the one who is reputed to have the most secretive mouth in Duke Ferial’s residence.”

“Haha.”

“If you think about it by yourself, it will become more difficult. You need somewhere to confide.”

It was not wrong. Agreeing with him, she glanced at him hesitantly and Baharf spoke again.

“The Master seems to be thinking about it.”

“Yes?”

“The secret that you were thinking about.”

“….!”

Her eyes widened at Baharf’s words. And without knowing it, she laughed out loud. He could tell what she was thinking about without her even telling him. Suddenly, she imagined Zagnac consulting with Baharf about liking her, and laughter burst out first.

Seeing her smiling broadly without any worries, Baharf smiled as well.

“So, you should talk as well. You might feel relieved after sharing it unexpectedly.”

“I see.”

Azela, who laughed at Baharf’s words, nodded her head while wiping the tears from her eyes.

Still, she knew. It meant that it was not a worry that would be relieved just by confiding in it. Fundamentally, in order for this concern to be resolved, it was possible only if she emptied her feelings for him.

Azela, who had wiped away all her tears, shrugged her shoulders as she sighed.

“Do you like Master?”

In the end, Baharf opened his mouth first. It was a nosiness that originated from the desire to somehow help his master and Azela.

She nodded her head with a bitter smile.

“I…”

Her opened mouth shut again a moment after. It was difficult for her to bring out emotions she had never poured out on someone in her life. As she thought about it while touching her fingers, Baharf arranged the teacup and waited slowly for Azela to take out her words.

The unquiet bedroom gave Azela a sense of security.

“…Will you keep it a secret?”

When she asked with a mischievous smile, Baharf, who was clearing the teacups, nodded his head strongly twice and said confidently, ‘If you want.’ Even if she didn’t say anything, Azela knew very well that he wasn’t the kind of person who would go out and say something that easily.

“I…”

Even as she opened her mouth, Baharf was still preoccupied with her work, as if he was not in this space. That action made her feel at ease. It was obvious that she would have been burdened if he had taken the posture of listening intently.

“I hope the Duke… Zagnac doesn’t like me.”

Baharf stopped clearing the teacup and turned his head to look at her. Azela, who gently closed her eyes, was smiling.

“I thought you liked the Master.”

“…Well.”

At those words, she raised her knees and hugged them to her chest, curling her body into a circle. She was on the defensive. Responding to that question, Azela’s attitude was always defensive, not offensive.

Leaning her cheek against her lap, she slowly turned her head and closed her eyes.

“It’s confusing. It’s not easy.”

“Nothing is easy in this world. So, this is the taste of living in the world, right? If it’s easy, you’ll get tired of it before you’re my age.”

Bahard said, slicking his own white hair, which was well-combed. It was a comfort she had never felt before.

As Azela smiled at his joke, he continued.

“Are you afraid of the Master’s change of heart?”

“Maybe. It’s confusing… In fact, I don’t want that feeling in Zagnac to change.”

“….”

“However, I don’t want him to cry or be sad when I’m gone. For that to happen, the feelings Zagnac feels now must change.”

Baharf, who could not quite understand what she meant but vaguely understood, nodded his head.

“I hope he made the best choice he can. Rather than me, who will disappear someday, Her Highness would be the right choice for him.”

“Everything is for the Master.”

Azela drew a smile at Baharf’s answer. It had to be. She would disappear someday, and he would have no choice but to remain here alone and bear everything.

“But…”

After arranging all the teacups, Baharf calmly said, arranging Azela’s empty teacup for the last time.

“Miss may not be sad someday when you disappear, but Master, who has to sort out the feelings that have arisen, will be sad in the present.”

“….”

“Besides, Master’s opinion was not reflected in it at all.”

Hearing his words, Azela looked blankly at him.

Baharf, with a smile, put away all the teacups and left the bedroom, nodding goodbye to her. After leaving her bedroom, he pushed the cart past Zagnac’s bedroom, shook his head excitedly, and muttered to himself.

“The Master must be having a hard time.”

The bitter smell of tea lingered in the hallway for quite some time.

* * *

“What is he?”

“Your question is strange. If you want to ask a question, do it properly, Chises.”

“Duke Ferial… did you see? It was not a human gaze.”

Chises, who burst into the Emperor’s office, recalled what had happened earlier. Just thinking about those eyes gave him goosebumps all over his body. Chises rubbed his arms and licked his tongue.

The Emperor, who enjoyed reading at his action, closed the book, stood up, and approached him.

“It is late at night. Go back to your palace and rest.”

“Does father know? Is he really human?”

“Are you trying to say that if he’s not human, he’s a monster? All other races, except for humans, were already extinct before I was born.”

“No, no. I saw. Those eyes are really…”

Chises swallowed dryly and shook his head. It was the gaze of an untamed beast, no, a monster, that he did not want to remember.

“Isn’t that why father wants to kill him, too?”

“Chises.”

As soon as Chises finished speaking, the Emperor reprimanded him with fierce eyes. It was his palace and his office, so no one would be listening on. Even if anyone heard it, no one would be able to oppose the Emperor, but he was careful.

The Emperor frowned and turned his head to look at the night sky before closing the wide-open window and drawing the curtains.

“You have a big mouth. It seems that you haven’t learned how to seal your lips in order to become the Emperor of the Empire.”

“Father…”

“Let’s start learning again tomorrow.”