The first place Rosenta headed for was the bedroom.
Since it was his room, he didn’t have to worry about the thoughts of others. He flung open the door.
Then someone inside screamed.
"Ah! Oh! Huh?"
It was Anna who was cleaning the bedroom.
When he recognized this fact, he cycled through many facial expressions in a short time.
"Duke!"
In the end, it was Anna who ran to him with a happy expression.
He hugged Anna, who was small and fit in his arms.
"You're finally here!"
He was grateful for Anna, who so openly expressed her happiness. If it were normal circumstances, they would have talked about various things for a while.
But there was something more urgent.
Rosenta felt sorry, but he suddenly asked Anna about the location of the items.
"What about the items?"
Anna wasn't upset with him for this. She grinned as if she was expecting this.
Then she pointed to the closet and kindly told him, "Ah. I put the items there, at the back of the closet, just as the duke ordered."
"Thank you."
He opened the closet.
He fumbled around in the back where he had hidden his robe and some magical tools.
He felt something like a square box on his fingertips. It was the first time he’d felt it.
‘Here they are.’
He quickly took it out.
It was kept well, with a pure white seal with a wolf engraved on it.
Then he saw Anna approaching with curious eyes.
"I left it because they told me not to open it, but...…. What is it that you are looking for?"
"Ice crystals."
Eleph Snow really kept his promise. He sent this as soon as he returned to his territory.
There was no way to hide his smile. The corners of his mouth twitched up.
Rosenta could feel Anna's gaze staring at him.
It didn't matter how she looked at him.
There were more important things.
"I've finally collected everything.”
All the ingredients had fallen into Rosenta’s hands.
Now, to figure out whether this was the compulsion of the original story or a curse...….
"All I have to do is finish."
It felt like he was being rewarded for his hard journey up until now.
Now that the last thing had arrived, he opened the box with a trembling heart to confirm it.
"Oh, it's very beautiful."
"Yes. It's beautiful…….”
It really was beautiful.
It contained a crystal with a transparent light in the shape of a snowflake.
He gently lifted the crystal with two trembling hands. Strangely, a cold sensation could be felt.
"Duke."
He heard Anna calling him. He barely managed to take his eyes off the crystal that had stolen his gaze.
Anna was looking at him with a significant expression.
It was as if she could see right through him.
"What are you going to do with that? From me...… You're hiding something, right?”
It was natural for Anna to react like this.
Since they’d been together for so long, she’d known everything there was to know about him for a long time.
"Let me help you."
For a moment, he was torn about whether he should just tell Anna, but his heart was unsure.
He made up his mind quickly.
Aside from being Emma's granddaughter, Anna was another close friend of his.
She was a maid who knew his secrets and took care of the work related to them on her own.
"Nothing’s going on. Nothing."
“……Really?"
"Yes."
But there was something he couldn’t tell, even Anna.
The future as he knew it, and how he knew how to change it.
‘I can't tell anyone about this...….’
Ah. There was one person.
"Duke? What's wrong?"
Perhaps because of Rosenta’s suddenly changed expression, Anna touched his forehead as though she was worried, he wasn’t feeling well.
He shook his head.
And with the box at his side, he stood up.
"I just thought of something…….”
Enoch.
Originally, he appeared as a shadowy character in the original work.
But now, he was walking on a completely different path from the original.
Currently he is the butler of the Duke of Estella, and the one who knows the most secrets.
And...….
‘A person who listens to any of my requests without hesitation if I ask him to.’
"I must go."
"What? Where are you going?"
"Anna."
He stretched out one hand just in case.
He was firmly conveying that Anna shouldn’t follow him.
That wasn't all.
He even gave her useless orders.
"I think the bedding is a little dirty. Please clean it more thoroughly before I return."
***
First, he decided to bring the materials in his possession, including the box, to the top floor.
Of course, he had to use the code to enter. But it was quite difficult to say the name.
His mouth didn't open easily, as if the tip of his tongue had twisted.
He wasn’t feeling like his usual self.
"It's uncomfortable. It's very uncomfortable."
This was exactly how he felt when he didn’t resolve a fight with a friend, but he didn’t want to admit it.
The other party was Enoch.
‘Yeah. I've only just started to organize my thoughts about Enoch.’
So...… Meeting Enoch would make his thoughts clearer.
He exhaled loudly.
"Sigh."
And called the name.
"Enoch."
‘Oh. What is this?’
Something was off. The wall cracked and the door had to open. But there was no passage at all.
Did he not say his name properly?
"Enoch."
Again, it didn't open.
"Enoch."
He shouted the code again with the intention of this being the last time.
"Enoch."
Even though he kept spouting his name, nothing happened.
‘Was it Enoch?’
Had he gotten rid of all the enchantments in this place in this short time?
Although it was different from his initial plan, solving this was not his first priority.
It didn’t matter if the order of his plans changed. He went down the stairs holding the box tightly.
Towards where Enoch might be.
The places that Aphra, who came as a guest, would be introduced to were obvious.
He would be in the places where he could find food, clothing, and shelter, or the room that Aphra would be staying in.
"Hmm. The dining room here looks unusual. Unlike Silva, it feels cold.”
"Is that so?"
"Oh. But that doesn't mean it's not good. It's very pretty. Especially these ornaments."
As Rosenta had expected, he could see them looking around the dining room.
Before he entered, he stopped a butler who was passing by.
"Wait. Follow me."
"Ah...…. Yes!"
He strode toward them.
There was no way they couldn't have seen him approaching them.
They looked at him, stopping the conversation.
"Duke! You're here!"
Aphra welcomed him.
But he didn't respond to Aphra's welcome.
He grabbed Enoch's arm first.
"Aphra, Iza will guide you. I have need of Enoch, so please excuse us first."
He actually brought Enoch out while holding his arm, but as soon as he left the dining room, he let go.
He gave him an apology.
"I didn't mean to drag you out like this...….”
‘Maybe I was rude because I was in a hurry. It only seems right to apologize to Enoch first.’
But before he could speak properly, Enoch spoke in a dazed voice.
Rubbing his arm that had been grabbed by Rosenta.
"I like it. You holding my arm, leading me. All of it."
‘How am I supposed to react to that?’
Enoch was the only person he knew with this type of personality. It was quite embarrassing to hear something like that.
After much thought, the answer Rosenta chose was very concise.
"That...… That's a relief.”
Enoch had been cold not long ago.
Now, however, he was blushing, as if Rosenta’s gesture was one of reconciliation.
It was as if he had received a confession, or as if he had received an unexpected gift, and the corners of his mouth were raised in a wide smile.
"Bringing me out like this means you have something to say."
He no longer looked at Rosenta with indifferent eyes. He looked down at him with anticipation.
He seemed ready to do whatever he was told to the point of running to do it.
'The entrance to the top floor won't open.'
Rosenta needed to spit this out.
However, the words, which had been at the tip of his tongue, were swallowed.
However, his thoughts about Enoch were still swirling in his head and felt like a dam about to burst.
He felt like bringing up something different from what he originally wanted to say.
"Enoch."
"Yes."
He liked the sound of Enoch answering his call.
‘That doesn’t mean I have any special feelings for him. It’s similar to when Vivian or Theodore answers my call...….’
‘It’s like that, isn’t it?’
It had been a long time since he’d grown used to Enoch. He had come to take his presence for granted.
Being by his side and doing the things he told him to do without a word. All of that.
But it wasn't a given.
Enoch was not originally meant to be Rosenta’s, but he came to his side on his own.
It may have been a bad start, but it was clear that Rosenta had come to accept him without realizing it.
‘You must have realized it by now.’
Once he started to organize these thoughts, it wasn’t difficult to spit out the words that had been floating around in his mouth.
"Sorry."
All formalities were dropped.
Rosenta simply and plainly handed him an apology saying, "Sorry."
“……Ah."
Rosenta’s amethyst eyes were dimly reflected in Enoch’s light green eyes.
Enoch opened his mouth slightly, and soon the corners of his mouth were twitching.
Like he couldn’t hide his feelings.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Yes.”
"Why all of a sudden?"
‘Because I thought I couldn't tell you if I didn’t say it now.’
Rosenta didn’t need to be so verbose. Just one word was conveyed to Enoch.
"Because."
"I see. It's just because...….”
The shadow that had subtly been hanging over Enoch's face was now all cleared away.
Was it because he’d finally come to terms with something he’d be unconsciously denying?
Rosenta’s mind was calmer, too.
"Duke."
"Why did you call for me?"
"Ah...….”
It wasn’t really an answer, but Enoch's cheekbones went up to their highest point.
He often raised the corners of his mouth in mockery, but it was not common for him to smile so brightly.
Enoch even covered Rosenta’s eyes with one hand. Like he was too embarrassed to let him see.
He called Rosenta again.
"Duke."
"Yes.”
"Duke."
Rosenta didn't answer this time.
Rosenta put his hand on Enoch's hand, covering his eyes.
Then he took his hand off his face. Without any resistance, Enoch’s hand slipped away.
A pink blush tinged his white skin the color of flower petals.
This time, while facing each other, Enoch called him again.
"Duke."
"Yes.”
As Rosenta began to develop a new perspective on Enoch, his enlightenment grew.
Enoch was a madman.
However, he was also like a child, a blank sheet of paper who finally learned emotions.
Rosenta felt a sense of responsibility that he previously hadn’t.
‘I hope Enoch learns a lot of positive emotions…….’
"Duke."
‘Oh, my.’
No matter how much responsibility he felt, being bothered was annoying.
No more answers were given. He just covered Enoch's mouth.
"That's enough."
And he was also concerned about those who couldn't come out of the dining room because they were wary of them.
Aphra was watching them through the door of the dining room.
He wasn’t sure if he thought he was being inconspicuous, but Rosenta could clearly see his orange hair sticking out very clearly.
He winked at Enoch.
"I need you to go there with me."
"Yes, to that place...….”
It was obvious that he was doing that on purpose.
Enoch emphasized the word 'there'. Then he stared at the dining room door.
The orange hair that stuck out was shaking non-stop as if showing Aphra’s emotions.