Published: August 1, 2025
“A lifelong blunder! I wish I could crawl into a hole and disappear!”
Lord Cyrus covered his face on the bed and screamed.
I was unpacking beside him and gently nodded, “There’s no hole here, so please relax in bed.”
“If there isn’t any, I’ll dig one. I feel so sorry to you, Marie...!”
“This room is on the fourth floor of the hotel, you know? You’d break through to the room below. Don’t worry about me.”
“But I had such a rare chance to show you around Ips City...!”
“Well, you’re feeling unwell, so it can’t be helped.”
I said that, but Lord Cyrus was not convinced.
“It’s not something that can’t be helped...”
Oh dear, he’s really upset. Lord Cyrus isn’t arrogant; if anything, he’s confident and positive. It’s rare to see him so bothered.
I don’t know what a hangover feels like, but is it really that painful to cause such worry?
I approached him and rubbed his back.
“You seem much better than this morning, so it’ll be okay soon.”
“…Marie was really looking forward to sightseeing in Ips.”
Lord Cyrus buried his head in his hands.
“There were so many places I wanted to take you to. The bazaar, of course, the neighboring town’s old book market, chai spice and Baklava specialty shops, the most beautiful mosque in the world, the old dynasty’s palace... and the cat gathering in the fountain square...”
“Isn’t it impossible to see all that in just one day anyway?”
“In that case, after the wedding, let’s stay a while. A week, no, maybe a month.”
“Aren’t you planning some business talks and greetings to local nobles at a few port towns on the way back?”
“…We should all just gather in Ips… and discuss everything here…”
“Please don’t say such desperate things.”
I lightly tapped his back with the hand I was stroking, comforting him like a child.
What should I do… After thinking for a moment, I spoke brightly.
“If that’s the case, shall I go out alone? I met someone earlier who offered to show me around Ips during the day. After dinner, if any places are still open—”
That suggestion was just to cheer him up. I didn’t seriously mean it, and I thought Lord Cyrus would oppose it.
But in the next moment, Lord Cyrus firmly grabbed my wrist. He held on surprisingly tightly, almost painfully restraining me.
“No.”
He said it shortly.
…The low voice made me flinch. Noticing my fear, Lord Cyrus immediately loosened his grip. Still, he didn’t let go completely. Faced with such unprecedented outright refusal, I was genuinely puzzled and asked,
“Why? What’s so wrong with that?”
“It’s dangerous. Ipsandros… isn’t safer than Dilz. Don’t wander around casually when I’m not there. Especially at night, it’s far too dangerous. Even having a guard isn’t enough.”
I held my breath. Ipsandros is where Lord Cyrus’s mother was born and raised, and his heart lies in Ips rather than his homeland, Dilz. He had been fully supportive of my curiosity on this trip. Now that he clearly said it’s “dangerous,” I didn’t argue and simply nodded. Seeing that, Lord Cyrus finally let go of my hand.
“I’m really sorry. If it’s a daytime tourist spot, me, who looks like an Ips person, being nearby is fine… but please endure it at night.”
“Of course. Please don’t apologize. I spoke lightly. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“…I feel like I’m only showing you my uncool side, Marie.”
Half-buried in the pillow, Lord Cyrus groaned resentfully.
“At Granado Castle, my attendants take care of you… but on this voyage alone, my cross-cultural journeys, and as a merchant, I can guide you more kindly and carefully than anyone else. I wanted to be relied on and make you fall for me all over again—”
“Uh, is it okay for me to hear that?”
I asked worriedly, but Lord Cyrus seemed half delirious. He made incoherent sounds like “Ah” and “Uu.” I gently kept patting his back.
“It’s okay. You’re not pathetic. You’re not uncool.”
“………But—”