The Grimoires began rubbing their hands together nervously, begging desperately.
“Please, I beg you. We truly were wrong.”
“Yes, please let us see our child, our Luke’s face.”
They clung to their daughter, unwilling to let go.
“There will be no mercy.”
Iris’s mouth curled downward as she spoke. Two Leontheim knights seized the couple and dragged them away.
The Grimoires turned pale as if their throats had been cut, trembling violently.
Now, their future held only prison and execution.
Criminals receive punishment according to their crimes; all things unfold by the Dao.
“Ahhh—No! No!”
Behind Iris, the woman’s wailing and the man’s gasping breaths echoed.
Within the Felsis Empire, laws concerning children carried immense power.
There was no chance they would leave prison alive.
Yet the terrible nightmares etched into Luke’s heart would haunt the girl for life.
Even that punishment was not enough for them.
By midday, after the morning’s uproar, the servants learned of Luke’s abuse.
The one who grieved most deeply was the sub-steward who had worked longest with her.
She cradled Luke in her arms and wept aloud.
“Oh, you poor child… why did you hide this all this time?”
Surrounded by tears, Luke herself began to weep, her sorrow from the previous day still fresh and unhealed.
Seeing this, Iris quietly prepared to leave.
She entrusted Luke’s care to Vincent, who planned to formally hire the girl as a regular servant of Leontheim.
“My part here is done.”
But then someone rushed forward and grasped the hem of her robe.
“Grand Duchess!”
It was Luke.
Her tear-streaked face lifted to Iris.
“I heard you’ve been trying to help me. I don’t fully understand yet, but… I don’t think I’ll be afraid of tomorrow anymore.”
Though the child could have resented Iris, she did not.
Though confused, her face was much calmer now.
It almost seemed as if she saw Iris as a shining princess from some faraway kingdom.
“I will become a worthy person. I’ll work hard so I can stay by your side.”
She believed that only by becoming capable could she stand there next to Iris.
Luke’s dream was to become someone strong enough to repay Iris’s kindness.
“A worthy person, huh.”
How should Iris handle this mature child? She gently stroked Luke’s hair.
“It’s alright if you’re not perfect. Even I’m not.”
What Iris had done was the duty of an elder.
And she could not abandon this young soul whom only she could save.
This was not because Iris was exceptional.
“But when you listen to others from now on, be sure to listen to your heart as well. Somewhere inside, little Luke will surely be speaking.”
Smiling warmly at the wide-eyed girl, Iris finally took her leave.
The servants who watched her departure were struck dumb by the overwhelming emotion.
“Was there really someone like that?”
Perhaps somewhere, there was someone as kind and noble as her.
But among all the nobles they had met in their lives, none were like this.
No one cared so attentively for the vulnerable as she did—except Duke Sedric of Leontheim himself.
“She is truly…”
A Grand Duchess worthy of this very castle.
Thus, Iris—an outsider from distant lands—had completely won the hearts of the retainers of the Leontheim estate.
Before the day's cultivation duties resumed, Iris took a brief walk through the garden. Amidst the tall grasses, she spotted Vincent rummaging about as though searching for something.
“Vincent. What are you looking for?”
“Ah, my lady! Forgive this unsightly display. I was simply wondering… by any chance, have you seen the young master?”
“No… I can’t say I have.”
“I see. He has a cultivation council meeting soon.”
Vincent was smiling, but a faint red had crept up his face.
He was clearly suppressing his anger.
“Truly now! Where could our young master have wandered off to, leaving this old one to suffer so? In any case, I’ll take my leave!”
“Very well. Thank you for your efforts.”
Iris blinked in mild confusion and watched him hurry off, then slowly seated herself on the nearby grass.
‘This is the first time I’ve ever sat on grass…’
Cedric had once told her, when her thoughts were clouded, to sit in nature for a while. That it would help settle her inner energy.
‘He was right.’
She could hear the birdsong and feel the breeze dancing through the blades of grass—gentle like spiritual currents in meditation.
As she stared into the open sky, Iris murmured softly:
“…He called me a noble soul. Cedric did.”
“Who did?”
“Ah!”
Startled by the voice from above, Iris looked up with a yelp.
Cedric was reclining lazily on a branch, peering down at her with his usual detached expression.
‘W-What… There was no one here a moment ago!’
She was too flustered to realize he must have hidden even higher among the branches and climbed down silently.
And to be clear—she hadn’t meant for him to hear that last part.
So she quickly tried to steer the topic elsewhere.
“Vincent… he was just looking for you.”
“I know.”
“He said you have a cultivation meeting soon…”
“I know that too.”
“…Then why haven’t you gone?”
At her question, Cedric propped his chin on his hand with a bored air.
Lying languidly above her, with the shadows dancing across his face, he resembled a black panther lazily flicking its tail in the treetops.
“Because I’m busy admiring my wife.”
You were saying something amusing while I was gone.
Iris blinked awkwardly, nervously picking at her fingernails.
“Y-You heard that, didn’t you?”
“If you’d prefer, I can pretend I didn’t.”
So he definitely heard.
It was embarrassing to be overheard, but truthfully, it hadn’t been something so shameful it had to be hidden. She just couldn’t bring herself to accept that kind of praise.
“That’s… all right.”
“I’m relieved. Because if I had to pretend I didn’t hear, I was planning to say it myself anyway—that my wife is indeed a noble soul.”
So he had no intention of letting it slide after all.
At first, Cedric’s freer demeanor in this life had thrown Iris off, compared to the previous timeline. But now, she was gradually getting used to it.
After all, his true nature had not changed.
“Master! Please, come out already!”
In the distance, Vincent’s voice carried on the wind.
Above Iris, Cedric let out a long sigh—so audible that had Vincent heard it, he surely would’ve cried, “How dare you sigh when
you’re
the one making things difficult!” and thrown a fit.
“Vincent is looking for you. Come down quickly.”
“Ah—well...”
Instead of climbing down the tree, Cedric reached out his hand to Iris.
“How about you climb up here instead?”
“Me?”
Iris looked up at the tree where Cedric was seated.
The thick, sprawling branches stretched wide, and once summer’s leaves blossomed, the sight would be truly majestic.
It was certainly as ancient as the Grand Ducal Castle itself.
Though it wouldn’t break with just two climbing it...
“I’ve never climbed a tree before.”
For Iris, who had lived her whole life as the daughter of a noble house, climbing trees was as foreign as mastering a new form of cultivation technique beyond swordsmanship.
Seeing her hesitation, Cedric smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
“You never know. This experience might change how you see the world.”
“Master! I heard a voice!”
Vincent’s call came clearly again, perhaps having returned this way.
“Quickly.”
Cedric urgently extended his hand further.
Iris, nervous and looking around, finally squeezed her eyes shut.
“I don’t know.”
When she grabbed Cedric’s hand, he pulled her up with powerful strength in one swift motion.
“Hold on tight.”
Cedric wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her close, then stepped firmly on a branch and leapt upwards.
The branch flexed beneath them, shaking her whole body—she had no choice but to clutch Cedric’s neck tightly as he advised.
“It’s cold.”
The fierce rush of wind brushing past was fierce enough to make her squint, almost unable to open her eyes properly.
“It’s okay now.”
At those words, Iris cautiously blinked.
After a few blinks, the blurry view sharpened.
“My goodness.”
The Grand Ducal Castle was located in one of the highest regions of Leontheim.
And this tree’s top was the highest point in the entire castle grounds.
She could see everything—the carriage she rode to the wedding, Crystal Mountain that Cedric had guided her to, and even citizens in the distance whose faces were too small to make out.
All of Leontheim spread beneath her eyes.
“I see what you meant by your world looking different now.”
Cedric’s words finally made sense.
It would be hard to ever forget such a breathtaking scene in one’s life.
Crack—
Drawn from the view, Iris turned at the strange sound.
Cedric was pulling a shiny ornament from his clothing.
“W-what are you doing—?”
“Oh, just a hobby.”
She’d always thought him a bit eccentric, but this answer was stranger than ever.
Vincent, who had cried so much because of Cedric today, would likely cry again later because of this too.
Unfazed by the height, Cedric stood and reached behind Iris.
What’s back there?
Only after looking over her shoulder did Iris realize.
A round nest made of bark, filled with glittering trinkets piled inside.
Cedric added the newly taken golden ornament to the collection.
“It’s my hobby.”
“Is that… hiding treasure…?”
To think… my husband was embezzling funds as a hobby.
Technically, one could argue it was his personal wealth. But the truth was, the robes he had purchased had clearly been paid for using the spirit stones from the Leontheim Clan's treasury.
“Was he siphoning clan resources like this all along?”
Iris was taken aback, but she quickly calmed her qi and stilled her heart.
“I can persuade him.”
There were ways to gather resources—legitimately—even if not through the most orthodox methods.
As Iris pondered this, Cedric tilted his head curiously, then suddenly pressed a fist to his lips and stifled a laugh—a light, impish
pfft
that was unlike his usual composed demeanor.
“Heh… heavens. So this could’ve become my personal stash?”
From within the nest, Cedric retrieved a shimmering object—
“…A shard of glass?”
Confused, Iris peered into the nest. Now that she looked closely, she noticed black feathers tucked into the corner.
A crow’s nest.
She bit her lip in frustration. How had she missed such an obvious detail? She must have been so shocked at the idea of Cedric committing spiritual crimes that her meridians practically froze.
“You really scared me… I thought you were hiding away spirit treasures.”
She leaned over and peeked into the nest again. The crow was clever—it had stashed the gifts Cedric brought all the way to one side.
“How did this even start?”
“It wasn’t much. I gave it something shiny, and it seemed to like it. I figured… maybe it thinks of them as special gifts, now and then.”
A simple reason.
But even such a lighthearted act of kindness… felt very Cedric-like.
Iris smiled to herself.
He really is incredible.
The way Lou had spoken about wanting to stay by someone’s side forever—maybe that was how Iris felt when she looked at Cedric.
“If only I were worthy.”
She would’ve done anything.
Iris may have believed she was hiding her overflowing feelings well. But Cedric saw through her.
That look—like she was going to take her feelings, swallow them whole, and disappear alone again.
And sometimes, Cedric thought, she misunderstood something fundamental.
“I’m not that noble a person.”
Before meeting Iris, Cedric had lived with a philosophy of moderation. Life was something to navigate with efficiency—what must be done, what was enjoyable, and what should be avoided. Three categories. He simply chose between them as needed.
“This gentle smile of mine…”
It wasn’t given lightly. It was reserved for one person.
He rested his chin on a bent knee, gazing at Iris. That smile of hers—so unaware, so sincere—it was beautiful, as always. And yet, it made his chest tighten.
Perhaps that’s why…
“If I keep doing this, won’t the crow start thinking only of me?”
Today, he wanted to make himself known—just a little.
“It might wonder,
‘Who is this person who keeps bringing these treasures?’
”
Iris tilted her head, clearly confused.
“So I gave you one too, my lady.”
“…Pardon?”
“A gift. The kind that comes only once in a while—something special.”
Iris blinked, her breath catching.
That’s right. She
had
received gifts.
She used to wonder if the heavens were being too generous—those unexpected, precious moments that seemed to find her once a day.
Even today… was no exception.
“Then… should I like it like a crow does?”
“No, Madam, since you’re human, you must offer a proper return.”
“A return?”
“Yes. For now…”
Cedric pondered briefly before speaking nonchalantly.
“Shall we start with realizing there’s no man like me anywhere in the world?”
Iris’s eyes widened.
Indeed, there was no one like Cedric anywhere else. He was the protagonist of this world—
a secret only she knew.
“No, I already know that.”
Leaning toward Cedric with unwavering faith, Iris’s gaze sparkled as if containing all the light in the world.
Her pure belief made Cedric’s face flush with warmth.
My man.
Chapter 27