‘Rael? I said I missed Rael? But I never mentioned Rael to him, and there’s no way he could know who Rael is…?’
Zester averted his gaze, cheeks flushed, as if embarrassed by his jealousy.
Cassia, staring blankly at him and finally managed to open her trembling lips to ask.
“How, How do you know Rael?”
Seeing the shaken look on her face, Zester waved his hands, suddenly feeling guilty.
“I’m not blaming you or anything. Whoever you knew in the past—.”
“How do you know Rael!”
“I don’t! I only know the name! You said it 28 times in your sleep!”
“…What?”
Cassia blinked, startled.
So she must have had a dream about Rael and unconsciously said his name aloud. Of course, Zester couldn’t possibly know Rael when Rael wasn’t even born yet. She had briefly wondered if he might somehow know the truth about her going back in time, but her hopes deflated with a long sigh.
“I’ll try harder.”
“…What?”
“I mean I’ll treat you so well you won’t even think about that guy anymore!”
Zester shouted, red in the face. Cassia looked at him, utterly dumbfounded.
He clearly thought Rael was an old lover of hers. So, what could she say here? He is our son in the future?
She doubted he’d believe that, so she just shrugged.
“Well, I’ve never met anyone as charming and wonderful as Rael.”
“W-What?”
“He was so amazing I couldn’t believe someone like him existed.”
Cassia’s eyes softened as she slipped into fond memories of raising Rael.
Her firstborn had grown up mature beyond his years, even without strict discipline. In fact, she sometimes wished he’d been more childish. If he’d taken after his father, he’d have been reserved to the point of frustration, but he wasn’t.
Every day, Rael would come running, saying, ‘Mummy, I love you,’ with a bright smile.
“He could always tell when I was upset. On those days, he’d stick by my side all day, chattering away. It made me so happy. I’ve always been someone who feels loneliness deeply.”
“…”
“And he was so handsome too. He looked just like his father. Though the boy’s father had his issues…”
Cassia gave Zester a once-over, then shrugged.
“He was good-looking. Thank goodness Rael only inherited his face.”
“That’s enough…”
Zester being jealous. It felt so absurd. Cassia couldn’t help but be surprised at how his face twisted more with every word she said about Rael.
“But why are you so concerned about me, Baron?”
“…What?”
“I mean, you didn’t like me coming into the castle out of nowhere as the lady of the house, right? I thought I was a burden or untrustworthy.”
“Who said that?”
You did. In the past.
Cassia swallowed the words and shrugged again.
Just because ten years had been rewound didn’t mean a person could change. Zester was still Zester. Though lately he’d been acting strangely different, it was hard for Cassia, who had suffered a decade, to suddenly let her guard down.
“I just assumed that’s how you felt. If not, then that’s fine. Honestly, I’m glad I talked in my sleep. It made you decide to be kind to me.”
“I was planning to treat you well regardless!”
“So you say…”
“I’m serious!”
“Okay.”
“You don’t believe me.”
“I do.”
“What do I have to do, then? Um… if you’re ever feeling lonely or down, just tell me, alright? I’m not great with words, so I might not be able to chatter away like Rael, but I could… take you out for fresh air or something. Not that there’s much to see in the territory, but…”
As he lowered his head in embarrassment, Cassia was suddenly reminded of Rael.
Whenever someone asked who he loved most in the world, he’d shyly mumble ‘Mother’. When he made silly mistakes while studying, he’d blush just like this, lowering his eyes in shame. Even the way his eyes darted around, unsure of what to do, so much like now, was adorably familiar.
My goodness. He really is his father’s son.
Cassia’s heart tightened with emotion.
“I’m not good at noticing your moods. I might not know when you’re upset or happy. I’ll try, but if I fall short, please just tell me, alright?”
His voice was soft, barely audible from embarrassment, but compared to the man from her past life, who never said what needed to be said, this was a monumental improvement. Cassia blinked in surprise.
‘Something is really off. He didn’t… come back in time with me, did he?’
But if he was faking it, he was too thorough. She shook her head slightly.
“The territory is beautiful. The air is clean, and the people are kind. And you, Baron, you shouldn’t feel so insecure about it. If the lord himself speaks poorly of the territory, how can the people be proud of it? There’s nothing wrong with this place. Don’t act so small when you talk about it.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes.”
Cassia didn’t know why she was being so considerate of his feelings during this conversation. She sighed and added.
“And about Rael, he wasn’t my lover or anything like that. He was just a sweet, kind, and wonderful boy… someone I thought I’d like to have as a son.”
A faint sadness passed through her eyes. Zester, who had been watching closely, gave a small nod.
Even though she’d murmured words of love in her sleep, there was something in her voice that made him believe her. It didn’t seem like she was lying. And besides, don’t even close friends say things like ‘I love you’ and ‘I miss you’?
Or maybe… he just wanted to believe it was a simple friendship.
“But Baron.”
Now that they had cleared up the misunderstanding, her mind turned to the matter of his deployment. Cassia furrowed her brows slightly.
“Isn’t your departure a bit rushed? Could you delay it for a week? Viscounty Havelyn is still visiting, and if you leave, I’ll be the only one in the castle…”
Telling Zester to renegotiate the pay was a waste of breath, he was too stubborn. Rather than advising him vaguely, she decided to buy time so she could handle things directly.
As expected, Zester looked thoughtful, then nodded.
“You’re right.”
“I’ll speak with the Viscount and suggest he return before your departure.”
“Would you?”
“Of course.”
Zester, who had disliked how Drian kept trying to spend time with Cassia, nodded brightly.
“Thank you. And, um…”
He hesitated before squeezing his eyes shut and blurting:
“I think it’s more than I deserve that someone like you has become the lady of the Greze Castle! Compared to you, I lack in many ways! So, what I mean is—!”
Without pausing for breath, Zester jumped to his feet, made a solemn declaration, and then darted out of the room in the blink of an eye.
“I’ll do my best for you until the day I die!”
Cassia stared blankly at the door, still catching her breath, watching the glimpse of his reddened earlobe as he left.
***
Cassia had never summoned him before.
So when Paul was told by a maid early in the morning that the lady had requested him, he rushed to her room.
As always, Cassia was sprawled on her bed like melting ice, barely lifting her head to greet him.
“Sit.”
“Yes, Madam.”
She gestured to the seat across from her, and he sat.
“What brings you to summon me? Is there anything that troubles you?”
“No, nothing like that…”
Cassia scratched her cheek, hesitant to begin.
The reason she called Paul was because of the reinforcement request from Viscount Viche. Zester had frustratingly repeated the same line over and over: ‘I’ve always worked with him under those terms’.
It wasn’t concern for Zester’s well-being that made her agitated. It was simple: the money he earned directly affected the castle and territory finances. She had to care.
“I heard there was a request for reinforcements from Viscount Viche’s territory. Zester was supposed to depart today, but since Viscount Havelyn is still visiting, I asked him to postpone for a week…”
“Ah! So it was because of your request that he delayed. Understood.”
“Yes. But it’s not just because of the Viscount, I’m also uneasy about the contract terms.”
“What about them?”
Paul’s eyes sharpened. Was the Madam having the same concerns he had?
“You’ve seen the contract?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Hmm… Don’t you think the compensation is incredibly low? We don’t have a standing knight order on salary. Each deployment requires hiring mercenaries. And the advance Viscount Viche offered doesn’t even cover those costs.”
Exactly! Paul immediately looked like he’d found a kindred spirit.
“You’re absolutely right, Madam. The lord says he doesn’t want to strain relations by haggling over payment, but…”
“Even if they’re close, money must be handled properly. That’s how long relationships are maintained.”
“Exactly, Madam! You speak the truth!”
“Since you agree, why haven’t you said anything to him?”
“Do you think I haven’t tried? He’s firm about this. And he doesn’t like advice when it comes to deployment matters…”
“I see.”
Cassia nodded.
She understood. In her past life too, she had been frustrated with Zester’s poor handling of such matters, but hadn’t dared interfere. He was sensitive about deployments.
He never told her details, only discussed contracts and earnings with Paul. All she could do was estimate how much he made based on the castle’s finances. Even that was enough to realize he was being underpaid.
In short, neither of them had truly involved themselves in each other’s affairs back then.
‘And yet here I am, trying to fix this even after deciding to live selfishly…’
Cassia sighed and asked Paul to prepare writing materials.
“I’ll send a letter directly to Viscount Viche. Please prepare everything.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The way Viche treated Zester like a pushover and ignored the small Greze territory was nothing new. This time, it was time someone put him in his place.
Translator’s Corner:
*Kek. Now that ‘Rael’ is supposedly her former lover’s name, what happens when she wants to name their future son, Rael? Imagining it is already making me laugh.
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