DSB 79

“Just seeing him smile at me and holding him like I did today already helps a lot…”

Yutis whispered. Mahan pretended not to hear and only skimmed through the pile of documents. Before he knew it, Lebel had become the driving force behind Yutis’s movements.

He probably meant it when he said he wanted to help. But it was only half the answer.

He didn’t seem aware of it himself, but whenever Yutis asked difficult questions, he answered after a short pause but didn’t reveal his full intentions.

The reason wasn’t something Yutis failed to understand. He knew Lebel always checked his expression as if he was trying to read his mind.

He had insisted on keeping Yutis at his side. If he kept Yutis beside him in that way, then he should keep him beside him from now on too. Yutis could see how disappointed he looked when they couldn’t be together, yet Lebel didn’t reach out to hold him.

Setting aside every other circumstance, Yutis wanted him to at least follow his own desires. But his wife, despite seeming to be indifferent to others, upheld his duty.

On the other hand, he, who has always kept his sense of duty, felt the urge to throw everything away when it comes to his wife. had

Even now, he ridiculously thought that if he just burned this entire stack of documents, he could go straight to his wife.

And that night, Bron returned.

***

Lebel looked at Bron, who was standing beside him armed like a guard knight.

He had suspected something ever since Yutis ordered Bron to stop him from meeting Norman, but he didn’t expect Yutis to dislike the meeting so much that he’d stick a guard to his side. He even recalled the man from his expedition.

“Don’t worry, Young Madam. I’m right next to you!”

Bron thumped his chest, telling him to trust only him.

“I said I don’t need it.”

“The other person is a mage. I shouldn’t say this, but mages have a shady side. Young Madam also uses mental magic, so you know. Some spells are curses, so you need to be careful.”

Does he think I’ll get cursed?

Lebel snorted, but Bron was serious. Lebel sighed and asked:

“Did you leave all the others behind?”

All of Yutis’s subordinates had gone on expedition with Edmund to track the movements of the demonic beasts.

“Yes. I was called back alone. I wanted to bring everyone with me, but we discovered the nearby beasts all moving south at the same time. We also found traces of demonic beasts that lived in the north, so we need to investigate fast.”

Lebel’s eyes brightened when he heard Bron’s words.

The demonic beasts were finally starting to move properly. He’d hear good news soon. Lebel smiled with and drank his tea.

“The others are probably digging through the snow covered mountains right now, trying to figure out the beasts’ routes. Thinking about that, I’m pretty lucky.”

Bron shook his head, just imagining it made him exhausted.

“How did you know about the situation at the castle when you were that busy?”

“I received a messenger pigeon.”

Just as demons could speak directly to someone far away using mind transmission, humans had their own methods of sending messages.

The reason Yutis forced Bron to return was obvious.

Could a human like Bron even recognise demonic power? If Yutis wanted him to detect traces of Norman’s spell, he’d need to focus only on that and wouldn’t have time to guard Lebel.

He should’ve left Mahan by his side instead, but Mahan wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Since Mahan also assisted Yutis, he seemed to be as busy as Yutis. In his place, Bron stuck to him every moment.

It was troublesome to have someone hovering beside him.

Lebel expected Norman to approach again. There were things they hadn’t finished discussing, and Norman had acted suspiciously during their last talk.

Norman probably thought Lebel and Yutis weren’t as close as people said.

Lebel had married Yutis because the Empire ordered it, and during the rut he had helped Yutis while speaking like it was only his duty.

Was Norman touring the territory right now?

Karon had used mind transmission to report that Norman was heading into the territory and digging for information about the demonic beasts.

And because Norman was staying in the main castle, Lebel knew Yutis was busy dealing with the envoys. He also heard that those humans were so troublesome that Yutis couldn’t hide his irritation and walked around with a grim face.

Lebel rested his chin on his hand and recalled their last conversation.

Norman acted like Lebel was still missing something. What did He do wrong?

Lebel tapped the table quietly.

He wanted to ask Yutis, but he never had time. It also felt like Yutis was strangely avoiding him. It was probably because he was busy, but…

“Young Madam?”

“You must’ve seen Yutis.”

“Huh? Ah, I saw him when I returned to the castle. It’s a relief that Lord Yutis stayed in the castle. Who would’ve expected them to bring a delegation right now of all times, when the family head is gone.”

“Right.”

“But Yutis will handle it well. People who try to take advantage of the head’s absence show up from time to time. He handled those things well even when he was young.”

“When he was young…?”

“Ah…”

Bron avoided his eyes.

“It means Lord Yutis handled things whenever the family head wasn’t here.”

He was obviously trying to change the subject.

“…If you want to see Lord Yutis, should I call him?”

Bron grinned as he spoke, and Lebel frowned. Why was he smiling like he was pleased?

“Just give the order. I’m someone who puts the Young Madam’s orders first above anything else.”

He looked ready to ran out and bring Yutis back at any moment. Lebel shook his head.

“No. Why would I call a busy man?”

“If he hears that the Young Madam called for him, he’ll drop everything and come.”

“…Yutis will?”

“Huh? Why don’t you believe it? Did something happen between you two?”

Bron had already noticed the subtle tension between them. The letter had asked him to check for magical traces, yet when he arrived, Yutis seemed to care more about protecting Lebel.

Watching Lebel’s every move, Bron felt there was something missing. What was missing was Yutis himself.

No matter how busy he was, it was strange that he never even showed his face to Lebel. And when Lebel talked about him, something felt off.

“Did you two fight?”

“I fought with him?”

Lebel asked back in surprise.

“If not, that’s a relief.”

They hadn’t fought. That wasn’t it, but…

“We didn’t fight, but I think I made a mistake.”

Lebel remembered the time Bron said he hoped Lebel would tell Yutis if he was hiding something from him.

“Huh? You, Young Madam?”

Lebel lowered his gaze. He still didn’t understand why Yutis acted like that that day. Yutis’s behavior that he couldn’t figure out was frustrating.

But afterward Yutis had said he wanted to support him, so…

“Yutis probably thinks I don’t rely on him. Do you think so too?”

“Hmm… Young Madam still thinks you don’t need me, right? Maybe it’s because of that attitude.”

“I only said I didn’t need you because I didn’t need you. That shouldn’t lead to the conclusion that I don’t rely on him.”

Lebel felt he relied on Yutis quite a lot. Yutis let him live comfortably in the castle and took care of his daily needs. He listened to Yutis’s nagging and worries, answered him, and didn’t avoided it even when Yutis touched him. It was because he was sure Yutis wouldn’t hurt him.

That was the proof he relied on him. Lebel never kept someone near him unless he trusted them.

“Has the Young Madam ever asked Lord Yutis for anything?”

“Asked?”

“Yes. Even something small.”

Lebel had never asked anyone for anything. Even when he did, it was closer to an order. Like when he told Karon to watch Norman because there was no one else he could entrust with the task.

He said it because he was sure Caron would obey.

“…Nothing comes to mind.”

Yutis always prepared everything before he even needed to ask. If he had to think of something he had asked for, it was only during his heat.

But humans tended to be careful when talking about heats, so he skipped that.

“You didn’t ask Lord Yutis for help even when a suspicious mage was approaching you. That’s the problem. Can you imagine how anxious Lord Yutis must’ve been when he found out later?”

Lebel didn’t understand. What exactly was he supposed to ask for help with? Why would Yutis be anxious?

“Yes. That expression. That expression is the problem.”

Bron pointed at him. Lebel had been wearing a confused, indifferent expression since earlier, clearly not understanding anything Bron was saying. When Bron pointed it out, Lebel tilted his head, and Bron sighed.

Understanding a human’s heart is hard.

“I understand. So Yutis is sulking.”

“Huh…? No, that’s not exactly what I meant…”

“Then he’s angry at me?”

“That’s even less true.”

“Then I’m right.”

Lebel nodded as if he finally understood. Bron scratched his cheek.

If he had to put it precisely, Yutis was probably angry at himself.

It was a little different, but close enough.