I Unintentionally Cured the Grand Duke’s Insomnia - Chapter 86

43. — Facing A Mistake (2)

“Okay. Then don’t push yourself too hard today and rest at home.”

“…Are you leaving already?”

Seeing him getting up from his seat, I found myself following him without realizing it. The corner of Cain’s mouth lifted mischievously as he gazed at me.

“Are you disappointed?”

“N-No, I’m not!”

I quickly denied it, feeling as if my true intentions had been found out, but it was only later that I noticed his expression. His face had become so stern, almost expressionless, that I wondered if I had made another mistake this time.

Stuttering, I tried to speak as I fumbled through his gaze.

“I, I’m not a child, so I shouldn’t be disappointed. I can handle it!”

Cain’s head tilted at the words I uttered as I clenched my fists. As I rolled my eyes in an inexplicable tension, he chuckled and opened his mouth with a sly grin.

“I thought the Young Lady had no conscience, but now I see you have neither common sense nor a conscience.”

Seriously, this guy.

As I puffed out my cheeks at his teasing comment, the door that had been firmly shut suddenly swung open with a creaking sound.

Noya’s figure peeked through the door, which had opened without a knock.

“Noya?”

「 Lia! 」

Noya, who had transformed into a human form, rushed across the room. Embracing my waist, he carefully studied my face and asked.

「 Are you feeling better now? 」

“Yeah, I’m fine. Were you worried?”

In response to my question, he nodded his head vigorously. I looked at Noya, who drooped the corners of his eyes, and stroked his hair.

“I’m sorry. I won’t worry you anymore.”

「 Yeah, I’ll trust you. But… 」

Noya, who had been relaxed by my hand stroking his hair, stopped speaking. His gaze returned to me as if he was worried about Cain staring at me with his eyebrows narrowed.

I spoke cautiously, still mindful of Noya, who was only seven years old and might not be able to handle Cain’s intense gaze.

“Your Highness, please soften your gaze a bit…”

At that moment, Cain reached his hand towards Noya’s shoulder, who was clinging to my waist. Startled by the sudden approach, he flinched and tilted his head when Cain moved a strand of hair from his shoulder.

I tilted my head as I watched Cain closely examining the white hair.

“Your Highness?”

Without saying a word, he lifted the strand of hair that he had removed from Noya’s shoulder and held it up to the window. Under the pouring sunlight, his head, which had been scrutinizing the hair for quite some time, turned back to Noya again.

“Where have you been today?”

「 ….? 」

“I asked where you went today.”

His gaze was solely fixed on Noya. With a serious expression and no hint of playfulness, Cain directed his question at Noya, who clung tightly to my waist.

Hugging Noya’s back, I gently asked him.

“It’s alright. Tell me, Noya.”

「 …I went to the square. 」

“The square? Which square?”

「 I went to central park with the fountain. I also went to a bakery, a fruit store, and a flower shop. Oh, I also went to food street, where there are many restaurants lining up, and I went to Centiel, where the market is. 」

“…All of that?”

Seeing Noya nodding, it was only then that I finally understood what Lily said about Noya leaving the house at dawn. I realized that he must have left the house early in the morning to venture to all those places.

I wondered if his legs weren’t hurting and looked at him, but Noya, who rolled his eyes for a moment, continued cautiously.

「 And also the jerky store, the publishing house where Adelia published your book, and the bookstore… 」

I raised my hand as if to stop his words. Then, I turned to Cain, who had been waiting for my words silently, and spoke.

“It seems like he explored every corner of the square. Maybe it would be quicker to ask where he didn’t go…”

“….”

“…I think there probably isn’t any.”

Despite my firm response, Cain’s stiff face didn’t soften. He was silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before finally raising his head.

“…I see. Since it’s already late, let’s leave it at that for today.”

His response felt somewhat awkward.

It was strange how he suddenly questioned Noya about where he went and how he stared at the strand of hair on Noya’s shoulder under the sunlight for a long time.

There were a lot of strange things about his behavior today.

I looked at him suspiciously and suddenly had a thought, so I urgently grabbed his wrist as he tried to leave the room.

“…Is there something going on?”

“No, nothing.”

As I asked, concealing my anxiety, Cain immediately denied anything was wrong. My suspicions were heightened seeing him return without hesitation.

The door slammed shut behind him as he quickly left the room.

I looked at the firmly closed door and was gripped by an ominous sense of foreboding.

White hair.

If that hair didn’t belong to Noya, there was only one thing it could mean in this book.

I pursed my lips in nervousness and noticed my father’s letter lying on the corner of the table. It was a letter from my father, Warren Blaise, which had arrived on the same day as the letter sent by Million, who had revealed that he was Milcell three days earlier.

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