I Unintentionally Cured the Grand Duke’s Insomnia - Chapter 106

53. — A Miracle Created by a Fairy Tale Book (2)

He seemed quite confused upon learning that he might be a member of the Grand Ducal of Destro. She let out a shallow breath as she remembered his face, which had seemed to be lost in thought throughout the journey back to the capital.

“Saintess, is there something troubling you?”

“N, no. It’s nothing.”

Cus shrugged his shoulder at the response before he hummed and stirred the soup in the pot with a ladle. He gained weight again in a few days and seemed quite satisfied with the current situation.

Irene, who sat next to him for a moment and looked at the bubbling soup, cautiously asked him.

“Um, Mr. Cus.”

“Yes?”

“Is Michael really a member of the Destro family?”

Cus looked at her for a moment as if he was unsure of the meaning of the cautious question. He eventually opened his mouth again while stirring the soup with the ladle.

“Nothing is certain since Abel’s memory hasn’t returned. Still, I think it’s the case.”

“….”

“His face and atmosphere are exactly the same as His Highness the Grand Duke.”

“But if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be possible for them to just look alike?”

In response to her next question., Cus grimaced for a moment. Feeling as if her inner thoughts had been exposed, Irene found herself looking away unknowingly.

After silently observing her for a moment, he shrugged and replied.

“I’ve already given an answer to that question before. I think both of you would know better than I do.”

Irene pursed her lips at his continued words.

Cus was right.

Five years ago, during the height of the war with the Repli Empire, she found Michael collapsed by the riverbank. It was a river not far from Vandro Gorge, where Grand Duke Destro was said to have led the vanguard. When she first heard from Cus that Michael may be the only younger brother of the Grand Duke who went missing during the Battle of Vandro Gorge, she locked eyes with Michael for a moment.

Of course, Michael quickly averted his gaze.

“By the way, it seems like the soup is ready, but I wonder where Abel has gone…”

As Cus tasted the simmering soup to check its flavor, Irene glanced in the direction where Michael had disappeared and then stood up.

“I’ll go look for him.”

“Well, I’ll stay here just in case the soup gets burnt.”

Irene awkwardly smiled at Cus, who remained motionless with the ladle in hand.

“Yes. If you’re hungry, please go ahead and eat first.”

“Oh no. Let’s wait and eat together.”

Irene said so, but she turned away from Cus without looking at him again. She glanced at Cus, whose mouth was watering even as he said so. Then, she hastily moved her steps in the direction Michael had disappeared.

“…He probably wouldn’t have gone far.”

In fact, while living with Michael, there were many times when she thought that his status might be high. The way he spoke and his behavior subtly hinted at it. In addition, his swordsmanship shone at moments when danger loomed.

Irene let out a shallow sigh as she made her way through the increasingly dense thicket.

She worried about his whereabouts, which seemed elusive.

“How far did he go?”

Even during their five years together, he would occasionally disappear when his thoughts became overwhelming. She was constantly troubled by the sight of him disappearing somewhere whenever he was worried and then coming back when his thoughts were organized. She felt so sad and sorry for him that he had to endure it alone like that.

As she made her way through the thick bushes, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure’s back. Just as she approached him cautiously, he was the first to speak.

“It seems like it’s difficult for our saint to be away from me even for a moment.”

“….”

“I thought I told you I’d be back soon.”

“…I thought you might be crying because you were surprised to hear that you might be a member of the Destro family.”

He burst into laughter as if he was amazed at her as she responded without losing to her words. Then, Irene, who had been staring silently at the riverbank he was looking at, asked in a calm voice.

“Are you worried?”

“….”

“Are you worried that His Highness the GrandDuke might not welcome you?”

He stared at her with a slightly surprised expression at her cautious question. Watching Irene, who hadn’t taken her gaze away from the riverbank, he asked in a playful tone.

“Are you worried about me?”

“What?”

“Don’t worry. Even if I were truly that man’s brother, I wouldn’t pretend not to know our saintess.”

His playful words made her feel as if her true feelings were revealed. As Irene quickly turned her head to hide her blushing face, he pretended not to notice and stood up from his seat.

“Let’s go back.”

“….”

“If we’re any later, that pot-bellied guy will eat all the soup by himself.”

“…I told you not to say that.”

As he shrugged at her words and began to walk ahead, Irene, who had been sitting in her seat, soon followed him from behind.

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