Winter Field Chapter 6

There was much he wanted to say, but Rensley kept his mouth firmly shut and, swept up in the moment, blended in with the other servants and headed for the Archduke’s research room. He was a little uneasy, but since he had been wearing a dark veil the whole time, there was no way the Archduke would recognize his face.

The research room must mean the basement from the day before… Had he become so absorbed in studying black magic that he even skipped meals, and was that why he was cursed with those beastly eyes? As he walked in silence, Rensley recalled the eyes that had flashed gold.

“Your Grace, lunch has been prepared.”

Before he knew it, they had arrived, and the door to the same basement as yesterday opened.

The scene awaiting Rensley was also the same as yesterday. The blazing brazier fire, the basement stained the color of those flames, and all manner of books, plans, drawings, and even maps.

However, the wide desk placed in one part of the room was in greater disarray than the day before. Papers with writing on them and writing instruments were scattered about, and mechanical devices and chemicals that Rensley could not identify were also strewn everywhere.

And the Archduke sat as if buried in a large fur-draped armchair in front of the brazier. Without even glancing back at the servants who had brought the food, he gestured lightly and ordered.

“Leave it and go.”

The Archduke was not alone in the research room. Several weary-looking people were with him. Judging by their attire, they did not appear to be nobles who jointly managed state affairs.

Rensley helped the servants set the food on a wheeled wagon table. As he did so, he caught snatches of the conversation between the Archduke and the others.

“We shall try altering the formula once more.”

“If the technique were wrong, it would not have activated at all. The issue seems to be with the amplification chart.”

“Do not be too disappointed, Your Grace. Still, transmission is reaching as far as the village at the entrance to Tirgavaim. Expanding the radius is only a matter of time.”

He rattled the table as he pushed it over to the armchair where the Archduke sat. As he drew closer, he saw a long scroll laid across the man’s lap.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Rensley craned his neck, pretending to be preparing the meal, and examined the scroll’s contents. Though he had been careful, the Archduke must have sensed his presence, for he slowly raised his head.

When their eyes unexpectedly met, just like the day before, Rensley could do nothing but stiffen rigidly, like a mouse before a cat.

But even as his body froze up, Rensley’s eyes flew wide open. What had happened? Overnight, the Archduke’s eyes had become a subdued amber, not the flashing gold they had been.

‘A twin brother…?’

…He had never heard anything about such a thing.

“Insolent wretch! What are you staring at so blatantly?”

A sharp reprimand fell upon the kitchen hand who was openly gawking at the Archduke’s face without so much as averting his eyes. It was one of the men who had been conversing with the Archduke. Uh-oh. Rensley hastily dropped to his knees and prostrated himself on the floor.

“I have committed a grave sin! Please, forgive me!”

He had lost count of how many times he had apologized since leaving the bedchamber. Rensley Malosen was not usually such a clumsy, tactless person, but as expected, nothing worked in his favor in a sudden life in a foreign land.

However, the Archduke himself showed no change in expression, as if he were not the least bit displeased or angry. The vassal who had scolded him was instead flustered and muttered to himself.

“N-no. What need is there to go that far…”

“Rise.”

The Archduke’s voice was low and impassive again today. It felt not just cold, but outright languid. Rensley slowly straightened up. In contrast to his indifferent tone, the Archduke’s gaze, his amber eyes devoid of their uncanny glow, remained fixed on Rensley.

“Come closer.”

He lifted his gaze, which had been fixed on the floor, and looked at the Archduke. He did not seem particularly angry, so why.

Though he struggled to remain calm, his pulse began to quicken. Firmly clamping down on the corners of his mouth, which threatened to tremble with anxiety, Rensley stepped closer to the Archduke’s chair and stood there. The heat from the crackling brazier quickly flushed his cheeks.

The Archduke’s eyes quietly observed Rensley from right before him. Even though the eerie light had vanished, his gaze was just as deep-set and fierce. Over his amber eyes, reflecting the flames of the brazier, the afterimage of those golden eyes seemed to flicker faintly.

It was impossible to imitate this aura. It was not some imaginary twin brother, but the Archduke himself.

Though it was a reenactment of a similar situation, the day before he had been protected by a veil that hid his face. Now, nothing shielded Rensley. As the Archduke’s gaze slowly traveled from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, as if measuring or gauging something, Rensley felt like a weasel waiting to be skinned before a hunter. Even though he was wearing padded clothes, he felt utterly naked.

The man suddenly extended his arm. Rensley instinctively flinched, swaying slightly, but still kept his feet planted and stood still.

A long, black sleeve slid over the armrest of the chair and draped down heavily. The palm that had served as the paper for Rensley’s finger-written message the night before approached his face.

Rensley, who had been staring blankly at that hand, unable to grasp its intent, nearly screamed the next moment at the sensation of his heart plummeting.

The Archduke was confirming Rensley’s face, which had been hidden, leaving only his eyes visible.

His legs went weak, and a chill ran down his spine. Rensley clenched his teeth. To avoid showing his agitation, he deliberately looked the man in the eye.

“…A face I have never seen before.”

He did not know how long they stayed like that. After a time that felt like an eternity to Rensley alone, the Archduke withdrew his hand and spoke in a low voice. One of the servants answered before Rensley could.

“There are many workers who have entered the castle for the first time to prepare for the wedding ceremony.”

“I have never seen him among the townspeople outside either.”

He looked at Rensley with eyes that demanded an answer. At the Archduke’s words, everyone else focused their attention on Rensley as well. Rensley’s mind spun busily.

‘What is he saying?’

No matter how much Oldenland was a rough frontier land, the population of the capital was not that small. If he was saying he had memorized even the faces of the townspeople outside, let alone the servants within the Archduke’s castle… he must be joking, right?

Rensley rolled his eyes, but no one present treated the statement as bluster or a joke. Unbelievable as it was, he had no choice but to accept it for now. The fleeting thought of slipping out into the commoners’ residential area had become completely pointless.

Rensley clasped his hands tightly together. If his fingers were examined, he might truly be discovered, but fortunately, he was wearing gloves. The Archduke did not seem inclined to tell him to remove them. Rensley bowed his head deeply and began his act.

“I am deeply sorry, Your Grace! I am called Malosen. I am one of the attendants who escorted Princess Yvette here. The others decided to return to Cornia straight away, but I, in truth, was a fellow who could not find decent work in my homeland and drifted from place to place. When I came here, I found that although the weather is cold, there are many places to work and it seems a good place to live, so I considered settling down.”

At that, one man grumbled and added a scolding remark.

“Even if you came for travel or trade, you can’t just do as you please. To immigrate, you need to obtain permission from the government office. Settling down on your own does not mean you will be recognized as a subject of Oldenland.”

“I am aware. I am truly sorry. Even now, I will submit a formal request for permission. Your Grace, honored sirs, please, just this once, look the other way.”

The Archduke nodded calmly.

“It seems to be a common color in the south.”

“Pardon?”

“Go and confirm with those attendants whether a man called Malosen is among their party.”

At that, one of the servants spoke up in a troubled tone.

“Your Grace, the princess’s attendants departed early. As the north grows dark quickly and they said they wished to set out in haste, we prepared a meal for them at the crack of dawn.”

Those men had transported Rensley here knowing full well he was a man. The errand runners of the Cornian royal family would have fled swiftly before getting entangled in troublesome matters.

They must have been desperate to return home as soon as possible, collect a hefty fee for their trouble, and rest well. Though Rensley could never bring himself to think fondly of them, at least for this moment, he wanted to thank them for their swift action.

“Your Grace, I shall inspect this food first.”