[Conviction of the Heart]

The freshwater fish dish served at the Sinessé Marquessate was exceptionally ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) delicious.

Even Linna, who had shaken her head saying she’d rather sleep since she had no appetite, widened her eyes in awe.

“White wine...”

She muttered absentmindedly.

“Where’s the white wine? This dish is practically begging for it.”

Surprisingly, the one who stopped her was Abraham.

The dining table was extremely long, and Abraham sat alone at one end. Even from far away, while eating, he sternly addressed Linna.

“According to the Scripture, drinking during the day makes one unable to recognize even their own mother. Please refrain, Lady Linna.”

“It’s been ages since I recognized the mother who gave birth to me, though.”

“......”

The person who quickly salvaged the atmosphere before it fell apart was Ray.

“Haha, you’re living a devout life, I see. I thought you'd grown distant from the Temple, but this is unexpected, Marquess.”

“Sinessé has been a family devoted to the Temple for generations.”

Abraham replied in a curt tone.

“We simply believe ourselves unworthy at the moment and have chosen to embrace hardship.”

Then he turned to me with the faintest smile and asked,

“Do you like the food, Rosie?”

His tone was completely different from how he addressed Ray.

“You look good when you eat well.”

With my cheeks puffed full of food, I nodded. Then, after swallowing, I smiled and replied,

“I’ve never had such delicious fish before.”

It was the highest praise I could give.

“At this rate, does everyone here live off fish? If I’m born as a freshwater fish in my next life, I’m never coming anywhere near the Sinessé territory.”

It must have been excellent praise, as Abraham looked quite proud.

“Then I shall have them prepare another fish dish for dinner. Don’t worry about getting tired of it—there are many different recipes ready.”

“Ah...”

Holding my fork, I gave an awkward laugh.

“I truly appreciate it, but I’m planning to leave soon.”

“Hmm?”

Abraham furrowed his brows, clearly surprised.

“Why don’t you stay longer? You just arrived at the Idra villa yesterday, didn’t you? You don’t look like you’ve recovered from the trip yet...”

“Still, there’s somewhere I need to be.”

I answered gently, but firmly.

I couldn’t explain the details to Abraham, but once I finished this meal, I was planning to head straight to Arhad.

Not even knowing what was happening with Yuta and Zahid right now made me restless. I wanted to be of help, somehow.

I also needed to tell Zahid to stop looking into the ‘awakening of the Divine Beast.’ Even if it was a way to destroy the High Priest in one blow, I hated it if it meant someone’s life would be the cost.

‘Besides, I’ve become the master of three Divine Beasts now... and I know how. So I could become the master of his Divine Beast too.’

Looking at my face, Abraham muttered with a hint of regret.

“But Sinessé has much more delicious food... This meal was prepared too hastily...”

The one who responded to that muttering was Linna.

“Really? Oh, no...”

She looked genuinely devastated.

“If dinner includes fish even better than this with white wine, then what a shame...”

With her bizarre makeup and lightning-struck hairstyle again, Linna slumped her shoulders and added,

“I also want to hurry back to the capital. Before my mother recovers her senses and asks my father for support, I need to seize the household and ruin everything.”

Abraham tried his hardest to put on the expression of ‘That’s someone else’s family business. I must pretend I didn’t hear it.’

“I apologize. I must also escort Rosie, so if she wishes to leave, I must go with her.”

Ray also spoke gently.

“Though it seems the Marquess isn’t particularly interested in my or Linna’s personal situations...”

At least he seemed more perceptive and aware of the situation than Linna.

“Hm.”

Abraham narrowed his eyes and looked at Ray.

“You... are you perhaps in love with Rosie?”

His face clearly showed he knew it was a private question but just couldn’t hold it in.

I answered before Ray could.

“No. I already have someone I love.”

Ray took out his personal water bottle and drank without saying a word.

“Huh?”

Linna’s eyes went wide in surprise at that.

I gave a bashful smile and said,

“Zahid Dyfenril. He’s the Duke of Dyfenril. We broke off our engagement once, but we’re getting engaged again soon.”

Then Linna’s mouth fell open, as if something had finally clicked.

“Oh, right! I totally forgot because I was so wrapped up in my own mess! You were that crazy duke’s ex-fiancée, weren’t you? Sorry, Rosie!”

“No, your family’s such a disaster, it’s totally understandable. I get it. Anyway, despite what happened, we still like each other.”

“...That explains why that lunatic was openly clinging to you on the Entoho. His face looked completely unhinged when he saw you... You really were that ex-fiancée...”

Linna muttered belatedly, her expression dazed from the shock.

“Now everything makes sense... But still, it feels like a waste for you to be with that lunatic.”

At that, Abraham leaned in with a serious face and asked,

“Is the Duke of Dyfenril really that insane? I don’t keep close to the capital, so I don’t know—what kind of man is he?”

Calling a duke a ‘lunatic’ already... that was a bit much, no matter what.

Anyway, with that, our cheerful meal at the Marquessate came to an end.

“Wait! Wait a moment!”

Abraham clung to us till the very end, as if regretful to see us go.

“I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare some snacks for you.”

Since it really was just the three of us traveling with only our bodies, his consideration was appreciated.

“I’ll have the carriage checked too... and prepare emergency medicine.”

Abraham remained at a distance, busily taking care of things for us.

“In truth, it’s been a very long time since the Marquessate had guests.”

A butler whispered to us, who were still somewhat bewildered.

“And now he’s even met a blood relative, so he must be pleased.”

“Ah... Really? I thought he’d hate me for sure... I must have behaved properly and prettily enough to overcome the whole messy bloodline thing.”

“...Ahaha... R-right? In any case, he really does seem lively for the first time in ages. It’s like he wants to give you everything he can, so please accept it happily.”

And so, only after quite some time had passed did we finish all preparations for departure.

Abraham, once again standing at a distance, gave a gentle smile.

“If you ever want fish again, come visit anytime, Rosie.”

His face and posture still looked as stern as yesterday, but somehow, there was a gentleness about him.

“I’ll have something even better than what you had today prepared for you.”

The carriage he’d prepared was clearly the best one in the estate. It looked even better than the one he’d taken to the villa yesterday.

He even assigned a skilled maid to attend to Linna and me. Every detail had been taken into account.

Thanks to that, our departure was quite a bit later than planned, but there was no way to stop him.

“Thank you very much, Marquess.”

Ray smiled gently and offered a parting remark on our behalf.

“The Duke of Water will never forget this kindness. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

“Heh...”

Perhaps exhausted from preparing so much for us, Abraham now stood with a cane, smiling faintly.

“I didn’t do it expecting anything in return, young Duke of Water. This old man merely wanted to show a little heart to some delightful company he hasn’t seen in ages.”

In the end, maybe he was telling us not to live calculating every little thing?

At any rate, he was an old man who could speak in just as refined a manner as Ray.