MHHC Chapter 22

First Realization

The one who emerged from the depths of the rear garden was Padre. Behind him, attending priests followed like a curtain of attendants. Adelheid looked at him with slightly surprised eyes.

She had arranged to cross paths with him briefly today at this time, but she hadn't expected him to appear so openly.

The priests all held scriptures and thorn-wood staffs—the symbol of Morig—in their hands. Whether they'd received some instruction, their faces were uniformly resolute and inscrutable.

Pretending not to notice Adelheid's bewilderment, Padre offered a gentle greeting.

"I see His Grace the Grand Duke is here as well."

Valentin still seemed absorbed only in Adelheid's face, appearing oblivious to someone approaching him. Perhaps it was closer to simply not caring.

Adelheid, who had been anxiously reading the room, finally managed to smile at Padre.

"High Priest, Father Padre. Meeting you here. You're experiencing no discomfort, I hope?"

"Of course not."

Only then, as if annoyed by Adelheid's smile, did Valentin cast an irritated glance at Padre. His pupils, narrowed against the light, looked almost arrogant.

Valentin scanned Padre from head to toe and regained some composure. He seemed to judge that Adelheid wouldn't possibly smile with affection at something like this.

"Who...?"

"Do you recall when I mentioned that Greta was ill? Recently Greta's health has worsened, so I requested help from a priest acquaintance. To oversee repairs to Morig's Veil as well."

"I... see."

"He's also my godfather, and we frequently exchanged visits when I lived on the island. You've probably greeted him before, Your Grace. He presided over our marriage vows."

"I greet you again after so long, Grand Duke. I am Padre, servant of Morig."

"Ah."

He answered indifferently as if uninterested, then turned his affectionate gaze back to Adelheid. Padre cleared his throat and continued.

"So the rumors of Your Grace's recovered health were true. I'm pleased to see you looking so robust again. I must convey this joyful news to His Imperial Majesty as soon as I return to the island."

He seemed to regard Morig's priests as little more than bothersome flies. No wonder—the priests were staring at Valentin's face with almost rude intensity.

Was the shock of witnessing the Grand Duke's rumored return with their own eyes that great?

'At this rate they'll start sprinkling holy water.'

Adelheid thought anxiously. She wished they wouldn't behave so rudely.

But Valentin appeared completely unconcerned about whatever they might do to him. Casting an indifferent glance over the priests' heads, he gently pulled Adelheid's hand, which had stopped moving.

"Adelheid. Let's... just... take a walk."

Padre inserted himself between them.

"Are you going for a walk? How fortuitous. I had matters to discuss urgently... Might I propose to accompany Your Graces?"

"Of course, Padre. Naturally that's fine..."

"No."

Valentin answered with a rare firm tone, intertwining his thick fingers between Adelheid's small ones.

"Later. Now... no."

"Your Grace?"

Valentin gripped Adelheid's hand tightly and quickly descended to the walking path. While people looked on in puzzlement, he burst through them.

He waved away the knights and priests who crowded after them, quickening his stride with long steps.

He had a slender build with long legs, and to keep up with his pace, Adelheid practically had to run. Having to wear the already uncomfortable dress made her tire quickly before she'd run far.

"Your Grace, just... a moment. I... can't breathe..."

Adelheid clung to his arm, gasping for breath. Only then did he turn to look at her, his eyes widening. He looked surprised, as if he'd never dreamed she would struggle this much.

"Sorry."

Valentin immediately supported her waist and the backs of her thighs, lifting her up. At the sensation of both legs floating into the air, Adelheid startled and tightly embraced his neck.

"Y-Your Grace!"

At Adelheid's shrill cry, several servants tending the livestock startled and glanced over, then upon confirming it was the Grand Ducal couple, wiped beneath their noses and averted their eyes.

Every one of them looked sheepish, like people who had inadvertently stolen a glimpse of someone else's sweet days.

Adelheid's round green eyes filled with difficulty.

"Um, please put me down. I was just startled earlier, but I can walk now."

"Almost... there."

The way he readjusted his hold on her like comforting a child carried a strange sense of security. Confirming that she gripped his shoulder firmly, he quickened his pace again.

It resembled not so much a walk as a plunder. Except that what he plundered was his wife to begin with.

"......"

That peculiar escape drew attention everywhere they went. No matter how Adelheid pleaded, Valentin remained stubborn, and eventually the embarrassed Adelheid pressed her forehead against his shoulder and bowed her head. Valentin only stopped when the hand clutching his collar began trembling finely.

Even that seemed motivated by concern for her condition, as if he intended to check on her.

"Are you... alright? Not... dizzy?"

"I'm fine, so please put me down now."

Adelheid kept her head lowered and lightly pushed his chin away. If only it were a place where no one could see. Her hands practically burned with heat.

He carefully set Adelheid down on the ground. Adelheid hurriedly escaped his embrace and straightened her rumpled clothing. Then she looked at Valentin with a deliberately stern face.

"You mustn't do this again. It was improper."

"Your face... is pale."

"Ah. My waist was pressed a bit, that's probably why."

Adelheid coughed weakly several times. Though Valentin was the one who exerted himself, she looked utterly exhausted. It was because she'd been so tense and rigid the entire time.

"Sorry."

Valentin lowered his elegant eyes slightly, looking dejected.

"Just... didn't want... interruptions."

"......"

"We're. First time, and. Adelheid, with me. This walk."

"......"

"So. Wanted to... show you. This."

With those words, a cool breeze brushed her cheek. Only after Valentin stepped aside did Adelheid finally confirm where she stood. They'd already passed through the rear garden to the northern clearing of the castle.

Normally used as the knights' training ground, it occasionally hosted equestrian tournaments when the Grand Duke resided at the castle, and festivals were held there in summer.

That vast clearing was packed densely with white wildflowers. Though it wasn't even the right season...

"This is."

Beyond, bare tree branches remained wintry, and the sky was still covered with the gloomy clouds typical of winter.

The grass and wildflowers that had mistaken the season and grown wild made the entire scene surreal.

'His Grace seems to have gone out to check the walking location several times beforehand.'

'It's the clearing that's rarely used in winter, but what he's preparing... He gave strict orders not to set foot in that direction.'

'Perhaps he wanted to show it to the Grand Duchess for the first time.'

The words the maids had dropped while helping her dress now made perfect sense. The wind touching her cheek was gentle. As if the cutting wind that had howled noisily inside the castle were a lie, as if a modest spring had come only to where they stood.

"......"

Adelheid stepped forward, engulfed in an indescribable feeling. Was it all a hallucination? Or some wicked sorcery? Yet the fragrant smell of grass reaching her nose was real. Adelheid bent down and gently cupped the overgrown flowers in both hands.

White flowers piled softly like snow, filling her hands.

"Ah."

At the damp warmth on the back of her hand, Adelheid lowered her gaze slightly. Before she knew it, a shabby dog she sometimes fed had approached and was gently licking the back of her hand.

She looked at the dog with surprised eyes. Behind it, puppies tumbled about, holding their mother's tail. Adelheid's pale green eyes widened.

She was surprised that the dog, which always stayed wary even when fed, had approached this close, but she was also surprised that it showed no fear.

'Even though Valentin is nearby.'

Suddenly turning around, she saw Valentin watching her from several paces away, as if entranced.

"Adelheid."

When their eyes met, his golden eyes, which had narrowed as if dazzled, curved beautifully. The moment she saw that smile, her heart pounded for the first time as if it might shatter beneath her thin ribs.

"The power... won't last... long. Sorry."

Our first walk, he wanted to show this to her. Sorry that he couldn't sustain the power for long.

At that gentle voice, Adelheid suddenly felt sorrowful. No one had ever looked at her so ardently. She'd never been called by name so tenderly, never received affection remotely like this, and was simply overwhelmed.

"...Ah."

Now, nothing else seemed to matter. As long as there was no falsehood in those eyes looking at her.

Even if the one giving such blind affection were a monster, not a human.

Somehow she felt like she might cry.

"So that happened."

"It must have been Morig's providence. White wildflowers symbolize Morig."

"...I did hear the servants whispering. They said the flowers bloomed for about an hour then wilted in an instant."

"I'm trying not to doubt him anymore. That he was returned to me was clearly Morig's will."

"Adelheid."

Even at Father Padre's call, Adelheid stubbornly continued.

"I heard the priests found no particular suspicions about him either. In fact..."