“Once the task I’ve been asked to do settles down somewhat, from then on I’m going to start investigating things about the Dragon Tribe in earnest.”
Ray nodded.
“About my memories too?”
“Yeah. Since it came up, Ray, you’re not upset that I’m trying to find your memories, are you?”
He was aware he was asking late. Before coming to the capital, Naro had hidden everything and tried to come to the capital alone to investigate, but Ray had seen through all of it. That’s why he had no choice but to honestly reveal a certain portion.
Ray had said that before. That he didn’t particularly want to find his kin, and his lost memories would return when the time came, so he wasn’t concerned about it right now. When the person in question thought that way, Naro had worried in his own way whether he, a third party, was unnecessarily interfering.
“You said so yourself, Naro. That in order for us to be together, we might need my memories or information about me. I agree with that.”
“Hm?”
“Memories… maybe it would be better to have them.”
After coming out of the egg, Ray met eyes with the man who was first captured in his vision. The man reflected in the eyes he struggled to open while feeling burning pain. While being wary, he didn’t give up and tried with all his strength to keep him alive.
That’s why he thought having only Naro was enough. Even when he heard from Naro asking if he didn’t want to find his kin, even when he realized through the voice that rang in his head that this life wasn’t his first—it didn’t particularly matter.
But experience was quite frightening. From the time he stayed together with Naro, unfortunate things happened to Naro, he had caused him to be injured several times, and had even almost lost him forever.
He couldn’t say it out loud because Naro seemed to dislike those words, but he still thought his existence could have a bad influence on Naro.
A small fragment of memory that flashed through his mind when Naro was hovering between life and death because of the poisonous herb. The cold warmth of someone dying in his arms.
Ray knew. That it wasn’t a fantasy. It was something that had actually happened, and it was his memory. And there was no law saying it wouldn’t be Naro.
“……”
“Ray?”
At the voice heard from in front, Ray slowly raised his head. Eyes that seemed worried moved busily as they looked him over.
“You stopped talking mid-sentence. Are you very tired?”
“No. I’m okay.”
To protect Naro, he might need to find his memories. Since recalling that fragment of memory, Ray had faintly felt it. That the incomplete memory fragments were pulling at him.
Just then, the carriage stopped. The coachman who got out first opened the carriage door.
“Then I’ll come pick you up again on the appointed date.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The carriage that dropped the two off near the inn slowly departed.
“We missed lunch. Should we just eat something on the first floor of the inn?”
“Okay.”
The two entered the inn side by side. Befitting a high-class inn, a cafeteria for guests was set up on the first floor.
Naro and Ray received simple food and sat at a table.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time Ray has bought and eaten food outside like this, right?”
In Rodelus Village, Naro always cooked meals for Ray, and occasionally being invited to eat at Garnet’s was all there was.
“How is it?”
“What you make is more delicious.”
But the way he took a big bite of the sandwich was quite different from his words. Naro swallowed a small laugh and pushed a cup of water toward Ray.
“Wow, this hyung-ssi has an incredibly large build.”
Just then, a guest eating at a nearby table looked at Ray and expressed admiration. He was surprised at being suddenly addressed, but there wasn’t particularly any mocking air about it. He seemed purely amazed at Ray’s physique.
“Are you a mercenary somewhere? Or perhaps part of a knight order?”
“Nothing like that.”
Ray shook his head. At the word knight order, Naro felt inwardly guilty all by himself.
“Ah, now that I look, you seem to be travelers.”
It seemed the guest who spoke to them was quite friendly. He smiled brightly and kept talking.
“Then what’s the relationship between this well-built hyung-ssi and that pretty-looking hyung-ssi over there? Friends?”
Naro hesitated. He habitually tried to stop Ray, worried that he might say embarrassing things that could cause misunderstandings with others, like last time.
“We’re cousins.”
But Ray unexpectedly gave a normal answer. It had always been his role to make excuses about their relationship.
“Family? Hmm, you cousins get along really well. Even going on trips together. Oh, want to eat this too? I ordered a lot of food and it looks like there’ll be leftovers. I haven’t even touched it.”
“You’re a good human.”
“Haha! That’s nice to hear. I feel great! Eat this too!”
While Ray became friendly with the guest, Naro poked at bread with his fork for no reason. He was the one who set their public relationship as cousins, and today too, if Ray hadn’t said that, he would have explained it directly himself.
But why did those words coming straight from Ray’s mouth feel so disappointing?
An unknown emotion swirled inside Naro’s heart.
Ray received the plate the guest shared and put it on the table. But somehow Naro seemed a bit strange. Naro was poking at the innocent bread with his fork.
“Naro, don’t bully the bread.”
“Ah…”
At Ray’s voice, Naro finally came to his senses and smiled awkwardly.
“Look at this. That human gave it to me. You eat too, Naro.”
“Mm, looks delicious.”
Naro forced a smile and received the plate Ray handed over. Right, now wasn’t the time to be struggling with emotions he couldn’t understand. To restore Ray’s memories, he needed to collect information, and to investigate stably, there was also the Princess’s matter right before his eyes.
Naro pulled himself together again and fired up his determination. Having come all the way to this distant capital, he wanted to accomplish all his goals.
* * *
But as soon as he made that resolution, Naro found himself blocked by a huge wall from the start.
“She… locked the door?”
Naro asked in surprise. Hayla nodded with a somewhat heavy expression.
Today was the second visit to the ducal residence. Today was the day he arranged another appointment after telling Bern he would do this job. Naro prepared as best he could while riding in the carriage to the ducal residence with Ray.
He had experienced the Princess’s sensitivity last time, and since she wouldn’t welcome him, he resolved not to be shaken no matter what words or actions occurred, and to approach her.
But making his resolve meaningless, what was actually waiting for Naro was a firmly locked door.
According to Hayla, the Princess’s room door normally wasn’t locked. Since her body was quite weak, servants had to come and go frequently, and in case something happened.
But Mellian locked the door precisely on the day Naro was scheduled to come. What that meant was just one thing.
“She doesn’t want to see me, I suppose.”
Coincidentally, Bern had an external schedule today and was away from the residence. When making the appointment, he remembered Bern’s worried face asking if it would be okay since he wouldn’t be there that day.
He had answered confidently, telling him not to worry, that he would somehow manage it.
“I don’t think she dislikes you, Naro-nim. The Princess is averse to most people the Duke brings.”
It seemed quite a number of doctors and herbal medicine specialists had been called to this residence by Bern until now. But no matter how skilled the specialists were, they either failed to cure the Princess’s constitution or couldn’t endure the Princess’s personality and quit.
“I have the key to the Princess’s room.”
“But would it be okay to just unlock the door and go in?”
“If you wish, I’ll do so. When the Duke is away from the residence, I was told to leave matters concerning the Princess entirely to you, Naro-nim.”
“What?”
Naro’s mouth fell wide open in surprise. What on earth did he believe in to give such authority? To him, a mere herbalist.
“What will you do?”
Naro fell into thought for a moment. To blend and prepare herbs, he first needed to know Mellian’s condition. For that, conversation was essential. As Hayla said, it wouldn’t be difficult to unlock the door with the key she had.
“I won’t use that key.”
But Naro didn’t want to do that.
“Could you just convey a message to the Princess? That I’ll be waiting downstairs.”
Hayla hesitated as if surprised, then nodded.
“That human female is stubborn too.”
“Ray. Only say things like that when I’m around.”
Naro and Ray were guided to the drawing room. Servants came in and prepared tea and dessert. Ray, who had said last time’s tea didn’t suit his taste, sipped this one little by little, so perhaps this one was okay.
“But this drawing room is really big. It’s the size of our house.”
The size of the space for entertaining guests was exactly the same as Naro’s house. There must be countless such spaces inside this residence, so just how big was this house?
Naro bit into a cookie on the table while trying to gauge the scale of the ducal residence.
“What would it feel like to live in a house like this?”
Ray, who had been listening to Naro’s chattering voice, slowly reached his hand toward him. Then he removed the crumbs around his mouth and brought them to his own mouth.
