Chapter 26 – Anything About Me

TL: Kay (kkrivulet)

“By the way, are you learning well from Gazeff?”

“Oh, yes. Sir Gazeff teaches me very well.”

“It’s good to work hard, but don’t overdo it. It’s only been a while since you’ve got out of bed, so your body won’t be in the best shape. You need to focus on recovering.”

“But I’m worried.”

“We’ve got plenty of time, so take your time. I’m satisfied with you just learning the basics properly.”

Cabellenus repeatedly said that there was plenty of time, but it did not reach Alicia.

Alicia smiled to match the mood but lowered her head.

She tried not to care about it, but she could not help but get depressed every time that topic came up.

It had already been about half a year since Cabellenus and his entourage stayed in Neinstein.

Everyone knew that the time for their departure was approaching.

‘What will happen to me after he leaves?’ 

Alicia let out a short sigh.

When she first saw Cabellenus, he was a fearful being, but now it was different.

It was not that he was not scary at all, but rather his existence was now familiar.

Sleeping in the same bed, waking up and confirming his presence… all of this was now a daily routine.

‘I’m going to be more lonely than I thought…….’ 

The more she thought about her daily life, the more depressed she became. She realised how deeply Cabellenus’s existence had penetrated her life.

“What on earth are you thinking about that makes your expression change so often?”

“Pardon, yes?”

“I guess you’ve become comfortable enough to think about something else while in front of me.”

Maybe it was because of the mood, but the voice seemed to sound grumpy.

Alicia finally came to her senses and shook her head quickly to express her denial.

“No, that’s impossible.”

“I guess I’m wrong. There’s no need to stiffen up like that.”

“I think Your Grace is a special person.”

“Special? What do you mean by special?”

Cabellenus titled his head to the side and stared at Alicia.

The content of the evaluation was not significant.

To make an evaluation, one had to think about the other person again.

He quite liked that.

“Well, you’re the Duke of Schwarhan.”

“Is that all?”

“You’re also the ruler of the Blanche Empire.”

“What else is there? Tell me something more appropriate, not the obvious facts that everyone knows.”

Cabellenus’s gaze was fixed persistently on Alicia’s face.

In the scorching gaze, Alicia’s eyes darted around nervously as she tried to come up with an answer that would satisfy Cabellenus.

“……I think you’re kind.”

“Kind? Me?”

Cabellenus reflexively spat out a laugh.

“Of course, it’s a little different from the kindness that the public talk about, but it’s still how I feel.”

Alicia also knew that kindness did not match his image as the wolf of Schwarhan.

No, to confess more honestly, she did not exactly know what kindness was.

But once in a while, Alicia thought, if she had to define the way Cabellenus looked at her, it would be kindness.

Otherwise, she could not explain the man’s behaviour which seemed indifferent but frowned, if even one scratch was on her.

“Honestly, I don’t really like the sound of being kind.”

“Oh, then–”

“However, it’s not as bad as I thought.”

Kindness was a weakness, so he did not like it very much, but the evaluation Alicia gave did not sound unpleasant.

No, her existence itself was like that from the start, so it was only natural.

[T/N: The author is saying that Cabellenus felt that Alicia’s existence never was unpleasant.]

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Do you have any other comments?”

Cabellenus moved his head with an indifferent expression.

However, his gaze on Alicia was subtly softer than before.

“Well, not yet…….”

“Okay, then I’ll ask you next time, so think about it some more.”

“What do you want me to think about?”

“If it’s about me, whatever is fine.”

Cabellenus’s lips curved up into a smile.

* * *

Cabellenus sat in the Oval Office, reading the documents on his desk.

[T/N: The Oval Office is the formal, working office space for a president, so in this case, it’s for the highest power which is Cabellenus.]

No, to be precise, reading was just an outward appearance.

His attention was directed towards the man and woman sitting on one side of the office.

“Maliuna.”

“No. It should read as Mariana. Please try it again.”

“Mariou?”

“No, it’s Mariana.”

Gazeff pointed out Alicia’s pronunciation without a single change in expression.

Alicia bowed her head as her cheeks flushed red.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“You’re working so hard to teach me, but I can’t keep up.”

Alicia’s shoulders sank weakly.

“No. It’s originally a confusing pronunciation. Rather, you’re doing well the first time.”

“……Really?”

Alicia’s shoulders, which had been drooping, rose slightly.

“Yes, you are doing well.”

There was a faint smile on Gazeff’s mouth.

At first, he was embarrassed by his lord’s order to teach Princess Neinstein the manners of Blanche, but it was not too bad.

Alicia was lacking in many ways.

Even for Neinstein’s culture, she was more ignorant than Gazeff.

Nevertheless, the reason that teaching her felt good was because she was a hard worker.

When he taught Alicia for the first time, she was so tense she could not even ask questions, but he did not neglect her efforts.

Gazeff knew that from Alicia’s pronunciation today, it would be perfect sooner or later.

“If you don’t mind, may I try it again?”

“Of course. No matter what language you learn, it’s better to pronounce it a lot.”

With Gazeff’s permission, Alicia repeated the pronunciation one after another.

The pronunciation was still clumsy, but after pronouncing it a few times, it seemed much better than before.

“You’re good at it. I think you’ll get used to it sooner or later.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“No, I’m just saying what is true. You are talented.”

“I’m too inexperienced to be called talented.”

“The best talent for learning is hard work, so you are talented enough.”

With the series of praise, Alicia’s cheeks became more flushed, and Gazeff’s smile deepened.

Although Gazeff was not a fan of praise, he always showered Alicia with praise.

Gazeff was a man of talent who would have become an academy professor if he had not been Cabellenus’s lieutenant.

He was accustomed to education and knew how to maximise other people’s talent. Alicia needed praise.

“Sir Gazeff is kind.”

“I was the best groomsman in Schwarhan.”

“Yes, I’m sure you were.”

“It might be hard to believe, but it’s really true. I’ll show you later in Schwarhan.”

Gazeff deliberately joked around and turned the page.

Frequent compliments and light jokes were an effective way to relieve the mood.

Alicia, who, in the beginning, could not even ask a question because she was intimidated, had grown to the point where she now confidently asked Gazeff what she did not know.

For Alicia, Gazeff was a great teacher.

However, the great teacher overlooked the gaze of a man who had observed them from start to finish.

“Gazeff.”

“Yes, Your Grace. You called for me?”

“The content in this memorandum is strange.”

[T/N: A memorandum is a document recording the terms of a contract or other legal details. It can also be a written message in business or diplomacy.]

 

“I’m sorry. It looks like there was a mistake.”

Gazeff hurriedly rose from his seat.

If Cabellenus frowned like that, it meant that it was a big problem. It made no sense to delay it.

“Go check it yourself and report it back to me.”

“Yes, I see. Then the lady–”

“I’ll be watching. If you have any questions, ask me.”

Cabellenus quickly interrupted Gazeff’s words. He had an indifferent face and did not take his gaze off the documents in front of him.

“No. I’ll just… I’ll take care of it on my own. I’ve almost completed everything I had to learn today, so I only need to review it.”

“…….”

Alicia smiled shyly and touched the book she had to read.

It was a pleasure to just study.

She had no intentions of doing anything that would bother Cabellenus.

‘Besides…….’ 

Alicia smiled sheepishly as she recalled the past.

In fact, the first teacher to teach Alicia was Cabellenus.

However, he had no talent for teaching.

He was not an appropriate teacher for Alicia, who did not even know how to read. Even if he knew the answer immediately, he could not explain the problem and solution clearly.

It was not until Cabellenus glared at the book and Alicia looked at it uneasily that Gazeff then became Alicia’s teacher, and they were finally able to proceed smoothly.

So naturally, if she asked Cabellenus, she would not get a proper answer.

“You seem to really like studying with Gazeff.”

“Yes, that’s right. Sir Gazeff is very kind and smart, and he teaches me well.”

“Kind?”

Cabellenus’s smooth forehead was creased slightly.

He, too, often regarded Gazeff as a competent lieutenant, but he could not agree at all that he was kind.

Gazeff was both Cabellenus’s lieutenant and aide.

Gazeff was always with him when conceiving a tactic that was considered heinous.

Besides…….

“I think you’re kind.”

Alicia had said the same to him.

The lines on his forehead deepened.

“Yes, very much. If he hadn’t joined the military, he said that he might have become a professor, but I think that would have suited him well.”

“Being a professor is not a big deal.”

“I heard it was said to be the best academy in the empire. Besides, if Sir Gazeff became a professor, he would be the youngest in the academy…….”

Alicia, who was chattering like a lark, abruptly trailed off as she noticed Cabellenus’s expression.

Cabellenus was no longer looking at the documents.

Instead, he just stared at Alicia with his chin tilted.

“I told you to study. I don’t think I told you to chat.”

Anxiety hovered over Alicia’s face.

She knew it thanks to observing Cabellenus countless times. He was now in a very bad mood.

“I completed my study without any problems. But…..”

“But?”

“Sir Gazeff tells me things from time to time, saying that it’ll ease my tension. It’s so fun that I keep pestering him for more without knowing it.”

Cabellenus raised one eyebrow as he watched Alicia’s cheeks redden.

It was foul play to laugh like that while saying another man’s name.

“You didn’t want anything from me.”

“Pardon?”

“No. You told me from the beginning.”

[T/N: Cabellenus is referring to her original request for him to kill her.]

A breath close to a sigh flowed from Cabellenus’s teeth.

He knew that Alicia was gradually changing in a positive direction.

If someone started to do every small thing one by one, they would naturally gain confidence.

It was remarkable to see Alicia absorbing knowledge like a sponge.

[T/N: The author likens Alicia’s learning ability to a sponge absorbing water.]

Now he could hardly see the shadow of death.

But again, that face was annoying.

What did Gazeff do to make her follow him like a newborn baby bird? They did not even exchange any words at all before her lessons started.

“Do you like Gazeff?”

As soon as Cabellenus spouted those words, he became ashamed of himself and touched his forehead.

But he did not cancel the question.

When he asked that time, apparently, Alicia said there was no man she liked.

However, the human heart changed much easier than replacing a reed.

[T/N: A reed is a thin strip of material that is attached to the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument. It depends on how frequently you play the instrument, but if you practice frequently, you will need to change the reed every 2-4 weeks as it breaks over time.]

“Sir Gazeff is a good person.”

“No, rather as a man.”

“A man? That means…….”

Alicia hid her clenched fist under the table.

Cabellenus still did not hold her and stopped showering her with countless gifts.

All he did was keep Gazeff close to her in the name of studying.

Maybe Cabellenus was thinking of handing over his ownership to Gazeff.

Slaves were possessions, and it was common for superiors to give their slaves to their subordinates.

When she thought about that, goosebumps sprung up all over her body.

“Gazeff won’t do.”

Cabellenus growled in a low voice.

He had no intentions of passing Alicia to Gazeff.

If he were going to do such a stupid thing, he would not have gone this far in the first place.

“……No?”

“Now that the situation has come to this, I’m only temporarily entrusting the education to Gazeff, but after leaving for Schwarhan, it’ll be hard to say.”

“Yes. Of course, I understand.”

One word from Cabellenus sent her back and forth between heaven and hell.

Alicia strengthened her fists even more.

“You seem fine with it”

The reaction was too small.

Cabellenus narrowed his eyes at Alicia’s calm expression.

“I’m already fully prepared.”

“Prepared?”

“Your Grace will have to return to Schwarhan someday. So, it’s right for me to prepare for the moment when you’re gone.”

“……The moment when I’m gone? What does that mean?”

Cabellenus’s eyes were distorted.