Chapter 128

Chapter 128:  Star Lecturer (3)

The distance from Riddle Village to Nord was just over a day's journey.

Before leaving, I had asked the woman who gave me the gold coins to arrange Sir Tom's carriage as well.

Based on the timing, he’d probably arrive in Nord around midday tomorrow.

Before that, I had departed with Helena early in the morning.

"Hmm..."

Contrary to appearances, Helena was not a morning person.

Wrapped in a blanket, she kept dozing off.

I still didn’t understand why she had followed me all the way to the North, even leaving her perfectly good car behind.

"……."

I quietly looked down at her sleeping face.

I’d realized while riding in the carriage with her—Helena looked almost the same even without any makeup.

Sometimes, seeing the maids with their makeup on, the transformation was so drastic that I’d wonder if they were different people.

But with Echina, and now Helena, their faces were nearly unchanged.

I had never seen the Saint’s bare face, but she was so naturally beautiful that I imagined she would look the same too.

Lately, these kinds of random thoughts occasionally popped into my head.

Maybe it was because I’d returned to being just twenty years old, and a bit of interest in the opposite sex had begun to stir again.

‘This isn’t the time for that.’

I scolded myself, thinking I was being unprofessional, and closed my eyes.

But then.

As if she had noticed my thoughts and wanted to tease me, Helena’s light head gently leaned against my shoulder.

"……."

Her pleasant scent drew even closer.

I had expected a dizzying and expensive perfume typical of a noble lady.

But surprisingly, she didn’t seem to wear any perfume at all.

Instead, a soft and pleasant soap fragrance wafted up from her.

‘Echina was the same. I guess not all nobles wear perfume.’

With that thought, I quietly lent my shoulder to the Western Grand Duke’s daughter.

Afterward, I silently stared at the "Nord" sign passing by outside the carriage window.

‘We’re almost there.’

My hometown, where I had returned after about a month of travel.

The place where I had died.

To the Empire's North.

――――――.

"Sir, we’ve arrived in Nord. Where shall we stop?"

"The Luton estate... no, take us to the Erian Hotel."

Out of old habit from my past life, I nearly told him to go straight to the Grand Duke’s residence.

But in this life, there would be no such thing.

"Understood. Old Luton might be a bit congested, so you should try to get some rest."

"It’s fine. It'll only take about thirty minutes anyway."

I began to consider whether I should wake Helena.

Just as I lifted my hand to gently tap her shoulder—

"Mmm..."

Her soft cheek slid off my shoulder and settled lightly on my thigh.

"……."

Maybe she was tired after riding in the carriage for two straight days.

I turned my head back to the window.

‘We’ll be there in twenty minutes anyway. This much should be fine.’

As I was lost in thought, watching the streetlights pass by—

I suddenly noticed some familiar faces on the posters hanging from one of the lampposts.

"Full Bloom of the Black Swan — Gehenna Solo Exhibition."

"Bennet Tolkien, Special Lecture: The Reason I Didn’t Collapse."

Every event bore the Luton family’s crest.

Echina must have been the one leading it.

It seemed she had been working well with Yuria, the hotel manager, while I was briefly away.

I looked on in quiet satisfaction, waiting for the carriage to reach its destination.

‘But… was Helena’s body always this warm?’

I was sure she had felt cold the last time I checked.

Perhaps being indoors had raised her body temperature a little.

"Mmm..."

――――――.

Before long, the carriage stopped in a familiar part of town.

Soon after, familiar faces came to greet us.

Bright-eyed young men in sharp uniforms opened the carriage door.

"We’re honored to welcome you, sir. This is Erian."

They opened the doors and stepped back to either side in unison.

Then, at the voice that came from within, they all flinched.

"Are you really welcoming him with sincerity?"

"S-Sir...?!"

Because the one who stepped out of the carriage—now once again regal, hiding any trace of her tousled appearance—was Helena.

"It’s been a while, everyone. About a month, I think?"

"Why did you only come now!!"

Their expressions were full of joy, like younger brothers reunited with their eldest sibling returning from war.

"The work ended up taking a bit longer than expected. Everyone’s inside, I presume?"

"Yes, they’re all waiting inside!!"

The hotel staff seemed even more lively than usual, and even the gentlemen and ladies passing by outside glanced over at me.

I gave a sheepish smile under their stares and stepped onto the red carpet.

"The hotel feels livelier than before. Looks like there are way more guests too."

The Grand Duke’s daughter pointed to the red carpet, which was beginning to look a little worn.

Like the successful businesswoman she was, she noticed right away how well the hotel was doing.

"With this much activity, you must be making a fortune. Probably not a single vacant room left."

"That must mean the hotel kept running well while I was gone."

Walking side by side, we entered the hotel lobby together.

There, greeting us, was a charming elephant statue in an Eastern style that always made me feel at home.

"Manager—!!"

The staff hurried toward the counter.

They called out to the woman who, despite being second only to me in rank, was still always stationed at the main desk.

"President Roger has returned!!"

"……!"

The petite woman with red hair.

When she heard the word "President"—

Her face, always so composed, suddenly lit up like a mountain squirrel’s—simple and earnest.

"Boss!!"

Her bright shout reached all the way to the lounge bar.

There, a blond young man and a middle-aged gentleman who had been sipping tea stood up from their seats.

"‘Boss,’ you say… Roger?"

"Looks like he’s finally returned."

Yuria put down the manual she was holding and rushed over to me in a single step.

So did Mansachs and Sir Bennet Tolkien.

They surrounded us, greeting me with delight after a month apart.

"Do you have any idea how hard it’s been without you, boss?!"

"You bastard, what the hell have you been doing all the way at the Imperial Palace?!"

While the young man and woman ranted at me with fiery tempers—

Only Lord Bennet let out a chuckle, looking at me fondly.

"I’ve been really busy. I’ve set a new goal lately."

I tried to say it casually, but it was no use.

Like a squirrel and a golden retriever on either side of me, they clung to each of my arms and shook me excitedly.

"You’re not abandoning the hotel, right?! You saved this place, so you have to take responsibility!!"

"Yeah, man!! You’ve gotta make me president of our newspaper too!!"

Honestly, those two could probably do just fine without my help now.

But the fact that they still sought me out like this...

It seemed that, in this life, I wasn’t doing too bad for myself.

"You’re both more than capable on your own. Still, thanks for holding things down while I was gone."

With the same gentle smile I used to wear back when I was Chief Secretary, I patted both of them on the shoulder.

Maybe it was all the noise we were making—

――――――.

From the circular staircase on the first floor of the hotel came the sound of military boots descending.

A graceful and dignified gait.

"……."

With each step, more of her came into view.

White, glossy slacks wrapped around her long, elegant legs.

A perfectly toned silhouette, honed through tireless training, with not an ounce of excess.

"Roger...?"

Golden eyes shimmered from within her cascading black hair, bathed in the noonday sun.

"Lady Echina, Grand Duke’s daughter."

I placed my fist over my heart.

And just as I was about to bow my head in a formal greeting—

Her pace quickened.

When the sound of her boots reached right in front of me—

Her gloveless hand gently touched my face.

"You really came back...?"

Just like that scene from my past life,

The one who had stayed by my side when no one else did.

"Of course. I’ve come back with lots of good news."

"……."

Echina didn’t look all that interested in hearing about my news.

To her, the best news was already standing right in front of her.

"That doesn’t matter."

The 21-year-old woman with black hair stared blankly at me for a moment.

Then, as if realizing she'd been caught with a dazed expression, she straightened her face again.

"It’s just that..."

Though not the eldest daughter, she was still called the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter.

She kept a blank expression, but I could tell.

"You were far too late."

That the look in her eyes, when she saw me, had softened just a little from before.

"My apologies. But I’ve wrapped everything up cleanly before returning."

"Good. Then you won’t be heading back down again, right?"

"I probably will for the time being."

Echina seemed satisfied with the answer, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.

In that moment, she looked like someone showing kindness to someone she lived with under the same roof.

However—

Her expression suddenly turned ice-cold, as if she had encountered a natural enemy within her own territory.

"What a beautiful reunion."

Behind me stood Helena, who had tidied up her previously tousled appearance.

"Well, it’s been about a month, hasn’t it?"

"What are you doing here?"

All the vitality in Echina’s golden eyes vanished instantly.

In its place, a murderous glare rose, like she was staring at a sworn enemy.

"What do you mean, ‘what am I doing here’? We came back together from the West. Isn’t that obvious?"

Helena shrugged.

Then, perhaps feeling stiff, she lightly tapped one arm.

"Must be from riding the same carriage. My body’s aching all over."

She then pointed to one of her cheeks, now flushed red.

The spot that had been pressed against my thigh for quite some time.

"Roger’s bigger than I thought, so we ended up squished together the whole way."

"……!"

Echina instinctively understood.

She knew exactly why the Western Grand Duke’s daughter was pointing at her smushed cheek.

"Now that I think about it... even at the capital's academy festival..."

She mumbled softly to herself, glancing my way.

Like someone who’d just seen their runaway pet fox return home caked in dirt.

"You really went out of your way to do everything I’d disapprove of, didn’t you?"

Her golden eyes gleamed with the look of someone wanting to scrub away everything and leave only the scent of her own home behind.

But I failed to notice Echina’s stare.

I was too focused on the gathering staff around us.

"I’m glad you’re all here to welcome me, but there’s something we need to prepare first."

A man who would arrive tomorrow.

From today until then, we needed to give him an unforgettable experience.

"A guest is arriving tomorrow. We need to show him that our foundation has real vision."

"What kind of guest?"

Yuria, our hotel manager, immediately picked up on the weight of the task.

"A retired instructor."

"Bringing someone out of retirement... so your aim is to convince him to return to active duty?"

Our manager had become even sharper in my absence.

"Exactly. I want him to see that our foundation gives its all for the talents it nurtures, and that we prioritize personal goals and lives over sacrifice."

It might not be an easy task.

It sounded good in words, but crafting an experience that truly conveyed that feeling wasn’t simple.

And yet, the response from the staff and my colleagues was far from ordinary.

"Alright then, in that case, we can start by showing him the projects we’ve planned with our up-and-coming artists."

"Perfect timing. I’ve got a lecture tomorrow in the 9th-floor hall."

As if they’d been waiting for a new mission all along, they moved into action with practiced ease.

"We’ll send some of our culture journalists too. With media coverage, it’ll come across as more legitimate."

"Oh, President Roger. While we’re at it, why don’t you stand up and say a few words during my lecture? You’re something of a public figure now, aren’t you?"

I stared blankly at the group busily bouncing ideas off each other.

In the past, I’d agonized alone over how to build this hotel.

But now, here they were—everyone in front of me actively sharing good ideas together.

It reminded me of the staff who had once loyally followed me when I was Chief Secretary, and it stirred a gentle fondness inside me.

"……."

I wasn’t the only one feeling good.

Echina, who had been staring at my back with a slightly sulky expression just moments ago—

After seeing that I focused solely on work from the moment I arrived, rather than on any woman—

She let out a short, almost relieved sigh.

Then, the Grand Duke’s daughter of the North turned her gaze back to Helena.

The two Grand Duke’s daughters locked eyes, trading steely glances like queens of rival nations.

"Well, judging by Roger’s reaction, it doesn’t look like anything serious happened."

Echina returned to a calm expression, as if confident she understood Roger’s personality better than anyone else.

Helena, clearly annoyed by that composure, narrowed her sharp eyes even further.

"Do you really think so?"

At her cryptic question, the black-haired Grand Duke’s daughter cast a sidelong glance at her.

Helena lightly rubbed her thumb across her lower lip, like a golden lioness toying with her fangs.

"I feel like I’ve already got his permission—more or less."

"Permission...?"

Echina furrowed her snowy-white brow at the loaded word.

And in the next moment—when she realized exactly what kind of “permission” Helena was referring to—

"How despicable, Helena."

The expression of the black-haired lioness, who had until now maintained her noble poise, twisted entirely.

Because it felt like Helena was a step ahead—already winning over the Grand Duke of the North, something Echina herself had yet to do.

She began to grow visibly anxious.

"I don’t need that kind of permission to..."

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