The West Wind's Destination - Chapter 29
Before heading out to the evening banquet, Aseph changed his clothes dozens of times. He carefully selected his accessories, making sure they were neither too extravagant nor too plain.
Would it be better to sweep back his hair to give a cool impression? Should he tidy up the back of his hair a bit more neatly?
Fortunately, he was confident in his appearance. Humans threw themselves at him not just for materialistic reasons but also because of his looks. Even though he had purposely neglected his appearance to avoid such attention, he now realized how fortunate he was. He planned to make the most of his physical advantages.
Aseph spent a long time dressing up and only went to fetch Bea when he was satisfied with his appearance.
He had thought Bea might blush a bit at his appearance, but as usual, she was expressionless.
Aseph was a bit… no. Actually, he’s not at all disappointed.
He was instead overwhelmed that she had not refused the banquet and had silently placed her hand on his arm to be escorted.
Like in the old days, Aseph led Bea first and did not touch the food himself, just endlessly gazed at her.
He felt full without eating. It wasn’t like when he was out of his mind due to post-war trauma; seeing Bea again after finding some peace was even better.
As Aseph was deep in thought about how to appease the angry Bea, she, who had been cutting her food into tiny pieces as if checking for poison, asked,
“It wasn’t you who made this?”
“No.”
Aseph firmly denied it.
“A much more skilled chef showed off his talent today. I hope you enjoy it.”
Before the evening banquet, Aseph had strictly instructed the chef not to include boar or even pork, and the same went for mushrooms.
“I see.”
Bea quietly acknowledged and ate her food.
When Aseph had once fed and put the sick Bea to bed, there had been a slight change in her expression, but now there was none.
‘I thought she liked what I made for her back then.’
Bea might seem expressionless, but when she liked something, her eyes and the corners of her mouth would move slightly. He knew because he had seen it up close, being the closest to her.
Usually, such expressions appeared when he served her food he made, or when they… were intimate.
Bea’s expression remained unchanged.
“Bea.”
Trying to break the icy atmosphere, Aseph spoke.
“The child looks a lot like you, so pretty.”
Bea and the child both paused for a moment, looking this way. Their identical gestures were like shadows, making Aseph suppress the fluttering in his heart.
“This cannot resemble me.”
Bea’s indifferent gaze swept over both the child and Aseph carefully.
“It resembles you.”
“Then he resembles both of us, doesn’t he?”
“…”
Aseph deliberately emphasized the word ‘us’. Bea frowned but did not deny it.
Watching her, Aseph felt a surge of regret.
Bea looked thinner than he remembered. He hadn’t noticed in the forest, but in the brightly lit mansion surrounded by many people, she seemed even smaller.
‘Such a small and delicate body.’
It was a herculean task to raise a child, especially a rapidly growing one. Moreover, a child of the Vilkanos family, known for their tumultuous bloodline. The childhood of a Vilkanos male child was almost beastly.
But this child appeared well-raised, almost inconceivably so for an ordinary person.
‘How much she must have struggled.’
Of course, Aseph had tried his best to find Bea but to no avail. It was indeed fortunate that she came to the mansion before it was too late.
He regretted the time they hadn’t spent together. That was something he could start building now.
Aseph grew up hearing endlessly about how to woo a loved one.
The previous guardian would bring a flower more expensive than gold to his mother every night and sing from outside the balcony. He would bring all sorts of fine things, recite love poems, write love letters…
Having grown up hearing such stories and seeing couples who genuinely cared for and loved each other, it was not a difficult task for Aseph Vilkanos.
But it wasn’t just about love. He also had to properly repay her for saving his life before.
And he had to resolve any resentment she might have accumulated during the time they had been out of touch. Even if it took a long time, he was determined to soothe her hurt feelings.
‘Surely, I can change her mind.’
Aseph was lost in thoughts about the long path ahead in many ways.
“You said I needed to solve a problem. What am I required to do?”
“H-Huh?”
Aseph, who had been lost in completely different thoughts, asked in confusion.
“You said you were concerned that secrets might be exposed through me.”
“Ah… Yes.”
After all, mentioning that had made her stay put, so it would naturally be a concern for her.
‘How should I solve this…’
Bea knew about the anti-magic resistance, a secret of the family, and even its weaknesses.
In truth, it was a very simple problem. Though it was a family secret…
‘If she just becomes a member of the family, there wouldn’t be any problem, right?’
But that wasn’t all he wanted. Aseph desired a proper romance and emotional connection with her, not a relationship based on conditions or mere formalities.
