Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 71

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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(71) Beyond the Veil

It happened that night.
“Are you familiar with House of Matia?”
Rowan greeted Alexis as he returned late, her question posed with studied casualness.
“The Marquis of Matia?”
Alexis, freshly bathed and toweling his hair dry, froze mid-motion. He turned to face her.
“Why?”
“The Marchioness Matia sent an invitation.”
Rowan gave the card in her hand a subtle flourish.
“I’m thinking of attending.”
A brief silence fell between them.
“….”
Alexis’s eyes narrowed.
“House of Matia, you say….”
He spoke slowly, deliberately.
“They’re a family with deep ties to the Royal Court.”
“Are they?”
“The Marchioness’s family is distantly related to the Royal Court itself.”
More influential than I expected, Rowan thought to herself.
“They’re an ancient, storied house—and their political influence is far from negligible.”
His tone was measured, yet threaded with caution.
“What sudden change of heart prompted you to accept their invitation?”
It was not a simple question. Alexis studied her face intently.
“Well, that’s….”
Rowan hesitated briefly.
“Could it be….”
Alexis stepped closer, cradling her cheek in his hand.
“Is it because of that matter?”
By “that matter,” he meant the situation with Maribel and Lionel. Though Alexis abstained from social engagements and devoted himself entirely to his duties as a Holy Knight, he could not ignore the whispers that reached him. Countess Glister had finally drawn Maribel into High Society, parading Lionel as the descendant of a Holy Knight—a move that ensured people could never dismiss the mother and son. Moreover, if House of Glister claimed to have taken in the bloodline Alexis had abandoned and raised him as their own, the public’s fascination would only deepen. Rowan, who had been considering his question, finally shrugged.
Countess Glister deliberately drew Maribel into High Society. After all, if they put Lionel forward as a descendant of the Holy Knight Order, people could never ignore the mother and child. Moreover, if it were known that House of Glister had taken in and raised the bloodline that Alexis had abandoned, they could also gain public attention. Rowan, who had been pondering Alexis’s question for a moment, soon shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s because of Leonius.”
Rowan said.
“No matter what excuses I make, when I think of Leonius, I can’t keep living in seclusion like this forever.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
Alexis spoke with firm resolve. Rowan responded with a gentle smile and a soft shake of her head.
“I have my own position to consider. I can’t hide away forever. I need to step out into the world.”
“….”
Alexis’s eyes trembled ever so slightly.
“What’s wrong with me tending a vegetable garden? How is that different from enjoying needlework or painting? I don’t want to shrink back unnecessarily and miss the chance to meet a good person.”
“You’re going to insist on this?”
Still, Alexis seemed displeased. Rowan placed her hand over his, which rested against her cheek. Warmth radiated through her palm. She could feel the extent of his emotional turmoil, the magical energy flowing from his hand.
“I understand.”
Rowan smiled.
“You’re saying it’s fine….”
“….”
“But I can’t do this because of Leonius.”
She tilted her head.
“What am I lacking that I should hide from people? I’m Leonius’s mother. I bore your son. So I need to be more confident.”
A brief silence fell. Alexis stared at her intently. Meeting his violet-blue eyes—eyes that seemed capable of burning away anything—Rowan’s heart trembled.
“Will you be alright?”
Alexis’s voice was low, tinged with concern. Rowan gazed back at him steadily, then smiled softly.
“Of course.”
“….”
“If it truly doesn’t work out, I’ll simply never leave the castle again.”
She laughed playfully.
“I tend the vegetable garden well and raise Leonius—what else could I possibly fail at?”
“….”
“Besides, I’m even friends with the High Priest.”
A moment of silence. Then Alexis’s lips curved up ever so slightly.
“That seems like a different matter entirely.”
“Is it?”
Well, the High Priest only comes here to dote on Leonius anyway, Rowan thought.
“It all seems similar to me.”
Rowan spoke matter-of-factly.
“Watering, showing interest, maintaining proper distance.”
“….”
“It’s the same.”
She laughed.
“….”
Alexis said nothing for a moment, simply watching her. Then, after a long pause, he finally spoke.
“Shall I accompany you?”
Rowan’s eyes widened at his words.
“What?”
“I thought it might be better if I went with you.”
Alexis spoke quietly.
“You attend tea parties like that?”
“No, I’m not going to the party at all.”
Aside from the period when he’d been dissolute, Alexis had never set foot in any social gathering since meeting me. He’d completely severed ties with the circles that once suited him, and he refused every invitation that came his way.
“The Marchioness would be shocked if you accompanied me.”
I laughed aloud.
“This time I’ll go alone. I’ll bring Madame Elrose with me, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“….”
“Since it’s a gathering among ladies, just this once I’ll go by myself. But if I ever attend a party, you must accompany me then.”
“Of course.”
Alexis answered promptly, then continued.
“Be careful.”
He caressed my face with such delicate care, as though handling a glass figurine.
“Come back immediately if anything happens.”
“My goodness, it’s just a tea party. Anyone listening would think I’m marching off to war.”
I laughed brightly and tapped his chest once.
“And.”
His gaze deepened.
“Don’t endure any discomfort.”
“….”
I looked at him. Since when had he become so overprotective? Back at the East Annex, I’d thought he was childish, but at some point Alexis had begun hovering around me, anxious that I might be hurt.
‘Was it after his power awakened?’
Now that I thought about it, I’d nearly died that day. Without Alexis’s power, I would have bled out right there. Perhaps that’s when it started—ever since then, he’d been meticulously shielding me from harm, concerned only with my safety and happiness.
‘It seems to have gotten worse since I gave birth to Leonius.’
That too had been a brush with death. Having finished my thoughts, I nodded.
“I understand.”
And I smiled more brightly as I spoke.
“But I think it will be fine.”
Then I nestled into his embrace and looked up at him.
“I have a good feeling about this.”
My eyes sparkled. Alexis held me quietly in return.
***
They say to strike while the iron is hot, and Rowan wasted no time composing her reply to the Marchioness Matia. The response had admittedly come rather late, but the Marchioness Matia’s message had arrived swiftly. She expressed her delight at the prospect of seeing the Countess of Valerion and extended an invitation to a small tea party at Matia Castle, should Rowan find it agreeable.
“Sigh…”
The morning the carriage departed for Matia Castle was unusually quiet. A single, meticulously maintained carriage awaited before Valerian Castle, and though the sunlight was clear, the air carried an unmistakable tension. Rowan paused before it, drawing a deep breath.
“Well then, let us depart.”
Behind her, Lea and Eloze nodded with solemn expressions. Eloze had initially found attendance difficult due to Leonius, but upon learning of her predicament, the High Priest had graciously offered to oversee the child’s care, making her attendance possible. She had always found him rather bothersome, yet in moments like these, he proved remarkably useful.
“Have a pleasant journey. Do not concern yourself about Leonius.”
The High Priest, cradling Leonius in his arms, came to see them off. It was truly a sight one would never witness elsewhere. The three women nodded to the High Priest before turning to depart.
Rowan’s appearance differed markedly from her usual state. The soft ivory silk dress draped elegantly along her form without excessive volume, and delicate silver thread embroidery adorned the waistline with exquisite precision. When caught by sunlight, the embroidery shimmered with a subtle luminescence—restrained yet captivating. A single strand of small pearls graced her neck, and matching pearl earrings adorned her ears. These were her only adornments.
Though her presentation lacked ostentation, this very restraint rendered her all the more striking—a companion worthy of a Holy Knight.
Lea stood beside her, continually suppressing gasps of admiration. This was an entirely different Rowan from the one who typically wandered the gardens with soil upon her hands.
Rowan ascended into the carriage with measured grace. Lea followed eagerly, and Eloze, after casting one final glance about her surroundings, quietly closed the door.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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