Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Avis being in the Celis Kingdom at all was just another one of his superior’s peculiar whims.

Originally, Ciel was supposed to dock in the kingdom with all his subordinates today. However, Ciel had abandoned both his Silverion Family butler and his subordinates. Instead, he took only Avis and secretly entered the Celis Kingdom a few days earlier. When Avis resentfully asked why it had to be him, Ciel von Silverion, the young duke, smiled brightly and replied.

Because you’re the easiest target.

Thanks to that, the piled-up work and luggage became the responsibility of the subordinates left in the empire. Avis had even received a telegram saying their arrival would likely be delayed by a few days. That meant he would have to suffer miserably with Ciel for a few more days.

“What has she been doing all this time?”

“Huh?”

“Not you.”

Ciel had no mind to consider his subordinate’s exasperation. He was still staring solely at Eris Blane.

She stood near a shabby street vendor. She handed money to a grimy child and smiled. The moment he realized the kind face that once held his hand and taught him swordsmanship was still there, a strange, ticklish feeling rippled through Ciel’s heart.

She was always so earnest, even about little things like that.

To be smiling so sweetly over such a trivial snack.

Ciel’s stomach uncomfortably churned. He bit his lower lip. He ignored Avis’s gaze, unsure if it was watching him or Eris. Ciel tried to maintain his expression.

“I see the Terbanne trade ship.”

Avis’s words came, and a massive shadow soon enveloped the harbor.

“The ship’s here! Everyone, let’s move!”

The harbor, which had been dormant in a profound silence, also awoke. Amidst the bustling shouts of the people gathered in the harbor, Ciel slowly pushed himself up from the wall he was leaning against.

“It’s about time to move.”

“…Right.”

Ciel replied briefly and shed his robe.

Immediately, a white uniform appeared, intimidatingly revealing his broad shoulders and sculpted torso. Gold buttons, embossed with the Silverion Family crest, caught the warm sunlight and shimmered even more brilliantly. A black leather belt at his waist cinched tightly around his firm midsection.

The pure white uniform seemed custom-made for his body, elevating his noble aura.

“Avis, you move stealthily on your own.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t let that bodyguard see you for a while.”

Amidst the large crowd, Ciel stared fixedly in one direction, avoiding even blinking, so he wouldn’t lose sight of Eris.

“Until when?”

Avis asked again, sounding anxious. Ciel answered indifferently.

“Until the others arrive.”

“What? So where am I supposed to eat and sleep?”

Avis, utterly flustered, ended up asking the most basic question. In contrast to his subordinate’s dazed expression, Ciel remained perfectly calm.

“Are you a ten-year-old child? Sort out your own food and lodging.”

Ciel shoved the robe he held in one hand into Avis’s chest. Avis stumbled back. He took the robe and wore an uneasy expression. He had no idea what kind of mischievous whim his troublesome superior was indulging in now.

“If it was going to be like this, why did you even bring me, just to make my colleagues resent me…”

Avis didn’t have the courage to properly retort. He muttered in a voice as thin as a crawling worm.

Ciel, the one who had assigned the troublesome task, raised an eyebrow. He stared at Avis for a moment but didn’t retract his words. He turned gracefully.

Would she remember?

Ciel slipped into the harbor’s bustle like a ghost. He had been walking slowly, weaving through the crowd. His steps quickened as he drew closer to her.

It wouldn’t matter even if she didn’t remember.

Despite the unexpected situation, Ciel’s most important task was still to find The Trace of Black Blood.

If the forbidden book’s contents were leaked, even if magic or demons weren’t revived, there would inevitably be those who worshipped it. Just as there were groups in the empire even now, eagerly awaiting the revival of magic.

To prevent chaos in the world, the forbidden book absolutely had to be recovered. This was because The Trace of Black Blood was the book containing the most cruel contents among all forbidden books.

The shallow memories of the past would subtly twist his emotions, providing a brief amusement. But that would be all. Eris Blane was merely a fleeting first love from childhood, like a fever that had passed. Nothing more, nothing less.

It had to be that way.

“Excuse me.”

A melodiously crafted voice soon reached Eris’s back.

The moment he saw her shoulders flinch and stiffen at the sight of him, a pleasant sense of triumph settled on Ciel’s lips.

She does remember… Master.

Knowing she remembered him, a mischievous urge suddenly flared within him.

“My apologies if I startled you. But… have we met before?”

Unlike his initial plan to treat her coldly and maintain distance, his voice was exceptionally gentle. Ciel then tilted his head slightly. He gazed at her with the most innocent eyes in the world.

Seeing Eris’s green eyes, flustered and at a loss, he felt certain he had made the right choice. Considering her inner thoughts were probably clinging to a faint hope that he wouldn’t recognize her, he felt a strange sense of exhilaration.

“I’m really looking forward to my travels in the Celis Kingdom.”

Somehow, his upcoming journey didn’t seem like it would be boring.

–

“Miss Eris, aren’t you eating?”

Eris, who had been absently tapping her foot, looked up. Ciel was staring intently at her, smiling brightly. His face was truly as innocent as summer foliage. That innocent expression had made her toss and turn even more last night.

‘How could he have forgotten me?’

She was so anxious about when he might realize, even the bed she usually fell asleep on the moment her head touched the pillow felt unusually uncomfortable.

He must have lost his memory after hitting his head during one of his brothers’ excessive beatings.

She felt she needed to know, one way or another, why he didn’t remember her, just to feel at ease.

Eight years ago, Ciel had been a snot-nosed kid still attending the academy. Even though Eris had used the pseudonym ‘Lucy Ilias’, she thought her appearance would still be enough for him to recognize her. Yet, even after a day had passed at the mansion, Ciel still didn’t remember her.

‘Have I changed as much as he has?’

Eris tentatively touched her own cheek. In fact, if she hadn’t heard Ciel’s family name and given name, Eris might have simply dismissed him as someone who merely bore a strong resemblance to Ciel.

After all, his frail and slender physique had become burly, and even his personality was completely different from before. A sudden question arose in her mind: Had she, too, changed so much as to be unrecognizable?

“Miss Eris?”

The milk was already spilled, though what good would it do now?

A dull tapping sound on the wooden table brought Eris back to her senses.

“Yes?”

Ciel tilted his head at her reflexive answer.

“Miss Eris, you have a bad habit.”

“H-huh…?”

“Can you really stare at someone’s face like that, so openly, even when they’re not your type? You get so lost you don’t even hear when someone speaks to you.”

Only then did Eris realize she had been admiring Ciel. Startled, Eris straightened her back and lowered her gaze to her plate.

“No, it’s just that I’m tired. I dozed off with my eyes open. My apologies.”

Half of it was true, but Ciel let out a faint chuckle, as if he didn’t believe her.

“Focus only on me, Miss Eris. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

Eris, who had unconsciously nodded, frowned slightly.

“I didn’t come here to be your conversational partner, Lord Ciel…”

“Are you that tired?”

Ciel deftly cut off Eris’s retort and asked gently. His demeanor suggested he wanted Eris to stop arguing. Eris raised an eyebrow, then swept back a stray lock of hair.

“Yes. I am tired.”

Eris even let out a deliberate, loud yawn, as if to emphasize her sincerity.

“It seems you suffer from insomnia. Or perhaps, you couldn’t sleep because you were thinking of me?”

She had no idea what part of this situation he found so amusing, but he narrowed his eyes and even chuckled. His tone was clearly playful, yet a hint of persistence seemed to mix in his blue pupils.

“Yes… it’s probably because someone came alone, so my workload increased.”

Eris replied to his mischievous joke without batting an eye. She shifted her gaze to her plate. The appetizingly baked bread was surely crispy and savory, but she had no appetite.

‘I’m already tired…’

She wished there were someone to relieve her, but thanks to the naive young duke who had proudly come to a foreign country alone, she would have to continue this exhausting life for a few more days.

Suddenly, considering the poor working conditions: no break time, and even having to play “house” which wasn’t in the special provisions… she concluded that she should add a few more zeros to the bonus amount she would charge Prince Rakan.

“Please keep watching over me and thinking of me in the future, Miss Eris. Thanks to you, I slept very well.”

“…Yes, you certainly seem to have.”