CH 59

The sight of it confused me. I wondered if I was doing something good. For example, this was basically euthanasia, which was an issue that has not yet been defined by the moral conceptions of the world I lived in before.

But it was Enoch who put an end to my confusion. “The lifespan of that bird ended long ago.”

“Then?”

“It was a forcibly extended. The bird was alive, but all I can say is it was in an indefinite state.”

Enoch put the bird down on the grass in the corner of the garden. The bird then quickly corroded and penetrated the ground. I turned my eyes away from the astonishing and horrifying sight.

“Why…” Confused, I looked at Enoch, but he raised his index finger and motioned for me to keep quiet.

He had noticed the person approaching behind him without looking back.

Perhaps because of his lineage, he had a far superior sense to others. I noticed a beat behind Enoch, even though I was looking in that direction.

Perhaps because he was an excellent knight, Rupert’s footsteps were barely audible. I have a lot of questions, but why are you showing up now!

What an unhelpful man. 

Whether or not I should be angry, Rupert came closer without taking his eyes off me.

He glanced at Enoch and said, “It’s late. What have you been doing here?”

The question was obviously for Enoch, but he looked at me as he said it. 

Despite that strange gaze, Enoch answered kindly, “As you see, I was out for a night walk.”

“You mean… just the two of you.”

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Rupert’s voice grew more hoarse. Again, he seemed to be misunderstanding things for no reason. Well, it’s not quite a misunderstanding, but it wasn’t what Enoch and I intended.

“No, that–” I tried to explain quickly, but Rupert glared at me like he was going to eat me.

“Are you insane? Walking around in the middle of the night… You’re aware you’re the hostess of this castle, aren’t you?”

So he’s just angry?

I tried to move on moderately because I was in front of Enoch, but I lost my temper and got angry for a moment.

But I didn’t shout because it didn’t suit my style. I kept my tone as even as possible and spoke softly, “Shut up, Rupert. You are so noisy.”

“…What?”

“Really, I don’t know where you left your senses. I don’t think I’ve ever interfered with you this way.”

As I spoke, I glanced at Enoch before Rupert. If he was displeased, I would have stopped at once. But Enoch smiled brightly, but he didn’t say anything or criticize me.

Well, then.

“Even after your lover had a secret meeting here, I was willing to pretend I didn’t know. Can’t you just turn a blind eye? Young Lord Rupert Clifford.”

“…Erin, are you really going to act like this?”

When his voice grew louder, mine did, too.

“What did I do? Rupert, that’s enough.”

“Erin…!”

Even in the dark, I could clearly see Rupert’s face. But, as he seemed too agitated, Enoch eventually mediated. 

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“Rupert, calm down. Your voice is too loud.”

Rupert whipped his head around to look at Enoch, and their eyes met. Just by looking at Rupert’s eyes, it looked like he was ready to hit Enoch.

This seems like something I’ve seen a lot somewhere. Was it at the ball? At such an awkward moment, Rupert lowered his gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

He apologized first with a sharp voice. I thought his action was unexpected, but at least he seemed to have calmed down. Without realizing it, I sighed in relief. 

Erin glanced back and looked at Enoch as if a little anxious. He nodded once, and Erin walked back in peace.

Rupert continued to stare at her as she entered. And it was Enoch, not himself, who held her hand.

“F*ck.”

It was only when Enoch was completely gone that Rupert swore. D*mn this blood oath; He couldn’t properly say a word in front of him.

When he looked into the eyes of the Prince and his infinitely relaxed eyes, he couldn’t think of anything.

He felt helpless to carry out any orders from the Prince. It felt as if he had become a child standing in front of an adult.

Rupert hated that feeling.

‘I would have rather stayed unaware.’

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It would have been better if the oath was strong enough to destroy even one’s own self-consciousness and feelings. It was ridiculous that he had to separate his emotions and loyalty. 

So Rupert tried to find a way to loosen the oath in his own way, but it was all in vain.

In this situation, if he even swore his loyalty, he would be the Prince’s dog. So he put it off as much as he could, but because he didn’t do it, he still wasn’t the Duke. 

‘It’s not long now, though.’

Rupert clenched his fists and looked out the window on the third floor, where the current Duke slept.

Rupert admired and hated the Duke of Clifford the most.

‘And that Crown Prince.’

When Rupert desperately rejected his instinctive attachment to the Crown Prince, the Duke suspected and hated him.

The Duke would even be open about his suspicions that Rupert might not be his real son. Rupert would never forget that.

“But don’t blame me, Father. You’re the one who didn’t clean up the house.”

Rupert hated complicated things. The reason he agreed with Chloe wasn’t just because she whispered sweetly.

Enoch kindly escorted me to the front of my door.

“I still have a lot of questions.”

“I’m sure you do. I still have a lot to say, too.”

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“Then… Would you like to come in?” I hesitated a bit this time because I wasn’t entering his room. He was entering mine.

It wasn’t like this when Rupert burst into the room, but the thought of Enoch going inside made me feel strange. 

Enoch leaned against the wall next to the door, smiling vaguely without answering.

“Shall we finish what we talked about earlier?”

His voice was very low, but it wasn’t difficult to hear because he spoke clearly. 

“Yeah, so. Do I have any bad energy?” I didn’t know what to say first, so I asked what immediately came to mind. 

Enoch seemed to smile a little. “Are you talking about the dead bird?”

“Yes. I touched the bird, and it died. A bird that was fine… No, he didn’t look fine.”

“Technically, it wasn’t a living bird. It was forced to take lives.”

“That’s… What?”

Enoch paused for a moment at my next question.

“There is no need for the Count to feel guilty. You don’t even have to worry about having any bad energy.”

This person still hasn’t answered me directly. Thanks to you, I used all my imagination. Does such a thing exist in this world?

“Was it some kind of zombie? The bird.”

“Zombie? Similar, but not quite. Should I say it’s undead? It means forcing the soul into the body and controlling it gradually as you brainwash it.”

Fortunately, I was aware of what a zombie was. But the explanation that followed made things more serious. If the bird’s life was controlled by extending it, was the Duke possibly in the same situation?

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“Then why did I touch him…? Will the undead be released?”

In response to this question, Enoch leaned against the wall and stared intently at me. Then, out of nowhere, he said something else.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard the Count speak to Rupert like that.”

“Like that? Ah.”

He was talking about speaking informally.

I was just angry and reacted, but when I listened to Enoch’s words, it seemed that Rupert and I talked informally to each other when we were young. Were we close? Since I didn’t know Erin’s childhood, I had no choice but to stay quiet.

“I was so envious of it back then, but I feel pretty good that you got back at him.”

“That’s… you were envious?”

Enoch nodded his head softly. I tilted my head and asked, “Do you want me to speak informally now?”

“That…” He looked at me with a slightly blank expression on his face, and his lips twitched.

“Yes? What is it?”

But soon, I could see the anticipation in his eyes. I looked around involuntarily and whispered in a low voice, “Enoch, are you really not going in[1]?”

Enoch’s eyes widened. 

What, didn’t you ask me to do it? Why are you so surprised? 

He suddenly opened the door and slowly pushed my back, ushering me into the door.

“For now, please go in.”

“…Your Highness?[2]“

“Later, no, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“Wait a minute, I still… !”

I quickly turned around, but Enoch shut the door. So I opened it again and tried to chase him but eventually stopped. 

The back of his neck was red. I slowly rubbed my neck and walked to bed. 

“What the heck, we didn’t talk.”

But it was also true that I got a huge hint. As I put together the story I heard today in my head, I picked up the hand mirror by the bedside.

My face in the reflection was as red as Enoch’s nape a while ago. As soon as I saw myself, I pulled the blanket over my head.

[1] Erin’s tone became more casual than before. 

[2] She shifted back to formal speak