MHHC Chapter 36

Nothing Much

Had she been frowning? She touched her brow carefully. Her mood had sunk, true enough, but she'd tried to smile deliberately to hide it—apparently to no avail.

Come to think of it, it had always been this way. Valentin seemed to possess superhuman perception when it came to anything related to her.

"I'm..."

Adelheid had meant to say she was fine, that nothing was wrong, that she appreciated his concern. But the words wouldn't come as easily as she'd intended. And a 'dragon' was hardly the right audience for confessing such petty human insecurities.

Adelheid chewed her lip, wrestling with herself, but in the end could only manage another smile.

"It was nothing much."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes. But there's something I need to discuss with you privately. Could we move somewhere else for a moment?"

"All right. Someone's coming soon to... make clothes for you, so we could go to your room if you'd like."

Valentin raised his right eyebrow in clear displeasure. Yet his smile and tone remained as gentle as ever.

"Let's go."

He took the lead, climbing the stairs with firm, measured strides. Thanks to the past few days spent moving about the training grounds among the knights, the subtle unnaturalness that had marked his movements had now vanished completely.

When they entered the room, the servants were in the midst of decorating for the new year, which was fast approaching. Adelheid gave gentle instructions to the maids who were placing yew branches heavy with red berries into every vase.

"Could you give us a moment?"

"Of course, Your Grace. Oh, the seamstress should be arriving soon—what should we do?"

"It won't take long. Send her straight in when she arrives."

"As you wish."

The maids curtsied politely and disappeared, closing the parlor door behind them. Adelheid immediately turned to face Valentin. He leaned against the door at a slightly crooked angle, his back pressed to the wood. She noticed he was sulking.

Pretending not to notice his mood, Adelheid quickly got to her point.

"I know the gold coins you gave me weren't spoils of war."

"......"

"It was thoughtful of you to pack them in the chest that arrived with your coffin, but some people may have noticed that this war's spoils are excessive for the scale of the conflict."

"......"

"We managed to get by this time, but you can't do this again. If we start using amounts of money that don't match our station too frequently, it will definitely cause problems."

Valentin's smile deepened slightly.

"Who would... notice?"

"Pardon?"

"What human would... dare do... anything about it?"

His golden eyes gleamed ominously. The moment Valentin blinked his lashes languidly, the sound of metal cascading rang out behind her—clink, clink, clink. Adelheid whirled around urgently.

The vase that had been on the table had vanished completely, replaced by a mountain of glittering gold coins piled high. The surreal sight left Adelheid's mouth hanging open.

"You can't do this!"

Adelheid barely regained her senses and grabbed Valentin's arm. Her lips trembled with the fear that someone might discover them.

"Why?"

"Why...?"

"Summoning this... much gold is... easier for me than... breathing."

Valentin wrapped his right arm around Adelheid's waist. Gripping her firmly, he lifted her slightly. Adelheid gasped as her feet left the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck. Valentin turned, pressing her back against the door where he'd been leaning.

Adelheid blinked, frozen by the suddenly reversed positions. She managed to speak.

"That's not the problem."

"Then what?"

Still wearing that cold expression, he leaned closer. Shadow fell across her head. His hand—large enough to cover her face—pressed against the door beside her shoulder with something almost like grief.

"Am I..."

Valentin's eyes twisted slightly.

"Not... trustworthy... enough?"

"What—"

"Not someone you can... share your... worries with?"

"That's not it."

She maintained her composure as she answered. Whenever he made that expression—like an abandoned beast—it was hard to suppress the urge to embrace him. Even knowing he was actually a terrifying monster...

No, in truth, these past few days Adelheid hadn't properly felt the reality that he was a monster at all.

Even knowing intellectually that he wore stolen human warmth like a veil, whenever he extended his large, warm hand to cup her cheek, everything became uncertain. Instinct made her judge him as human and act accordingly.

"I can tell just from... your expression, Adele."

"......"

"When you're happy, your eyes... sparkle like... summer... leaves. When you're sad, your inner... eyebrows... tremble... slightly. When you're worried, you... bite your... lip. Until it's... ragged... without knowing... when to stop."

"......"

"This is how I... watch you. I only... watch you."

Having spoken so fluently, his face turned sullen again as he lowered his head further.

"But if I'm... lacking, I'll... try... harder."

His voice lost confidence and sank. It was approaching that terribly difficult-to-understand mumbling from the beginning. Adelheid hesitated, then lightly touched her fingertips to his cheek. Valentin's perfect almond-shaped eyes widened slightly with surprise and hope.

She withdrew her fingers again, startled by his dramatic change in expression.

"I, I..."

She chose her words carefully.

"You may not believe me, but I didn't tell you because I thought you were lacking."

"......"

"First, the gold coin issue is unnatural no matter who looks at it. If the amount of money circulating in the castle suddenly increases, rumors will definitely spread."

"...Just for... this much gold?"

"You say 'this much,' but the amount of gold coins you've given far exceeds half the annual budget that normally goes into Ansgar Castle. If you keep giving this much, people might think we've discovered a gold mine."

At those words, Valentin's lips curved crookedly. He seemed to think the expression about discovering a gold mine wasn't far from the truth.

"Then just... let them... think that."

"If money concentrates here, forces that covet the castle will naturally emerge."

Adelheid continued firmly.

"The biggest problem then would be insufficient personnel to defend the castle. Having just finished a war, the skilled knights are exhausted, and even if we recruit new squires, I understand the training period is long before they can be used as troops."

"Do you think I... can't protect... one... measly castle?"

"You have the power to do so, and you could certainly defend it. But ordinary people also live in the castle. If they're caught up in inexplicable events, the damage to the territory's people would be incalculable. Perhaps..."

Valentin tilted his head as if inviting her to continue. Adelheid proceeded cautiously.

"Trade routes might be blocked. If no one will do business with us, the coming winters will be harsh."

She'd said 'inexplicable events' euphemistically, but the moment Valentin used his power to stop intruders, only one rumor would spread throughout Denburg. That Ansgar used the power of monsters... Of course, once such rumors began, the situation would deteriorate beyond control.

To the point where 'cutting off trade' would seem like nothing.

Perhaps Morig's church might even issue an extermination order against Ansgar. Seeming to vaguely grasp this, Valentin's face emptied of expression. Now the man looking down at her appeared pale to the point of gauntness.

"...How did you... remember..."

Adelheid realized he was far more shocked than she'd intended. He raised his right hand and roughly rubbed his face.

"I was... reckless."

Adelheid blinked in surprise. He wore an expression almost like self-loathing. Apparently deciding he had no way to hide his expression, he slowly pulled Adelheid into his embrace. Crossing his arms at the hollow of her waist, he held her tightly without gaps.

Only then did he finally release the breath he'd been holding.

"I'm sorry."

Adelheid realized that Valentin, holding her so tightly, was trembling. He seemed pitiable, like someone who'd committed an irreversible mistake. Adelheid raised her hand to stroke his back, then lowered it again at an awkward position.

The hope in his gaze from just her initiating contact earlier now painfully stimulated her guilt.

But apologizing sincerely, even for small things, required more courage than anything. Adelheid knew he wouldn't make the same mistake twice, and to acknowledge that, she summoned her own courage.

Adelheid raised both arms and carefully embraced his back.

"Thank you for understanding."

Though it was only that much, Valentin stiffened for a moment, breathing shallowly. The way he slowly buried his face in the crook of her neck held a strange emotion and trembling.

Adelheid smiled at the ticklish breath scattered across her skin and continued speaking.

"And about my earlier worry..."

"......"

"I felt too insignificant."

Adelheid hoped her words wouldn't sound too dramatic to him. Embarrassed, she laughed softly and pushed him away. Valentin obediently relaxed his arms and stepped back several paces.

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with an awkward smile.

"Really, I told you it was nothing much."