Chapter 52
“Yes?”
“You once said you wanted to be that child’s knight, that you liked her. Why is that? If it’s success you’re after, remaining my knight would serve you far better. So, what is it about Velia that makes you give up everything?”
“Ah, well…”
Rude scratched the back of his head.
Barun frowned.
“When asked, answer at once.”
Rude hastily chose his words.
“My apologies. It’s… because the young lady once granted me a favor.”
“Is that so? What kind of favor?”
“That I cannot say…”
“I see. You may go.”
“But waiting at the door—”
“As I said, you don’t need to guard me. Whether you go to the training yard or the garden, do as you please.”
“Yes. Then, I’ll take my leave.”
As Rude turned and opened the door, he flinched.
“Tov?”
Tov, too, flinched upon seeing Rude.
“What brings you here…?”
“None of your business.”
“Ah, yes.”
At Barun’s sharp rebuke from behind, Rude gave Tov a stiff nod and quickly left the room.
Clack.
The door closed, and Tov approached Barun, whose face showed clear displeasure.
“I didn’t expect you to summon Rude at this hour.”
The sky outside the window was pitch dark.
“I only had something to ask him. Why?”
“Nothing good can come from meeting him.”
“Everyone in this household already knows you once served as my knight and left. There’s nothing strange about it.”
Barun blinked tiredly.
“Rude says he was once in Velia’s debt. Do you know anything about that?”
“If it’s a debt of gratitude… I’ve heard the rumor, but I don’t know the details.”
“I see. No matter. He’s just a piece to be used and discarded anyway.”
Barun tapped lightly on the desk.
“You’re certain it was only that child absent from the order that night?”
“Yes.”
Barun recalled the scene he’d witnessed the night of the banquet.
“Brazen girl. To sneak a man into her room before even coming of age… tsk tsk.”
“Hmm, the young master is…”
Barun let the young lady’s chatter slip past his ears as he surveyed the garden.
If he wished to become the next family head, he had to hurry and wed, but none of the ladies satisfied him. He endured these empty meetings for appearances’ sake.
‘Perhaps it’s my mother’s influence.’
Having grown up watching an unhappy marriage, Barun resolved to marry only someone whose interests aligned with his own.
He glanced at the young lady beside him, then turned away.
Being heir to a marquisate drew women like moths to a flame, but he didn’t need such people.
She had to be intelligent enough to help with work, and at the very least not appear empty when standing at his side. He couldn’t risk a spouse who might tarnish his perfection.
“Young master, then you must have much interest in jewelry.”
Barun barely suppressed a smirk at such an obvious remark.
“Yes. Ah, young lady, one moment.”
“Yes?”
“You there.”
Barun beckoned a knight waiting in the garden.
“Yes, sir.”
“Escort this young lady back to the banquet hall.”
“…Pardon?”
“Yes, sir.”
As the knight bowed, Barun’s lips curved.
“It’s already quite late.”
“I don’t mind staying…”
“It would be improper to keep a lady out at this hour.”
“But…”
Glancing at the knight, the young lady closed her mouth.
She didn’t dare mention, in front of another, what she and Barun had just done alone in the garden.
“I have pressing matters. Shall we look forward to our next meeting?”
With a reluctant smile, she nodded.
“Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Once she had left with the knight, Barun shrugged off his jacket and leaned against a tree.
Rustle.
“You’re here, my lord.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Barun in disheveled state, Tov scanned the surroundings.
“So the young lady has left.”
“I sent her away. It’s about time I ended things with her anyway. This whole business feels distasteful. Yet if I keep too far from women, strange rumors will spread.”
“Isn’t the lady of Pruslo territory the one you favored? You’ve continued to meet her since the last banquet…”
“Exactly—she’s a convenient excuse. The Pruslo lands are wealthy, and though her rank is lower, they control the western military forces. She may not please me, but she serves well as a substitute. Besides, she’s an excuse to avoid gatherings I don’t care to attend—like Bea’s introduction ceremony.”
“The marquis seems hopeful about her, though.”
“Engagement? I could never marry her. She carries the stain of a broken betrothal from widowhood. She’s in her mid-twenties, too—there could be complications in producing heirs. Hm?”
Barun narrowed his eyes toward the manor.
“What is it?”
Tonight the mansion was more splendidly decorated than usual, in honor of Bea’s introduction. Flowers and lights adorned not only the banquet hall but also the gardens and outer buildings.
From where they stood, they could clearly see parts of the family’s quarters.
“Isn’t that Velia’s room?”
At his words, Tov turned and stiffened.
“She must’ve already returned.”
“Really?”
“…Yes?”
Barun squinted at the figure standing on Velia’s balcony.
“That doesn’t look like Velia.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Look closely. That silhouette is too large to be hers.”
Following his gaze, Tov frowned.
The figure lingered only a moment before vanishing.
“No matter how I look, it wasn’t her. And it wasn’t a dress silhouette either.”
“Surely not… are you saying the young lady brought in a man?”
“What?”
Barun jerked his head toward Tov in surprise.
“What did you say?”
“The only one the young lady ever admits is her maid, Suh. Before coming here, I confirmed Suh was in the banquet hall and would remain there until the end. So whoever stood on that balcony is more likely a guest than a servant. And if it wasn’t a dress, then surely a man.”
Barun stared at the now-empty balcony, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Puhaha!”
“Why are you laughing?”
“As expected, Tov. Yes, this is why I trust you.”
“…Pardon?”
“I hadn’t thought of it. But you’re right. There’s no point if she only hinders the business. It’s better to erase her from this house altogether.”
“What are you saying…?”
“This is it. I nearly gave up too soon. Come, let’s go in.”
With a satisfied grin, Barun slung an arm over Tov’s shoulder.
“Tonight, find anyone absent from their duties. Not necessarily a knight—any servant or guest whose whereabouts are unclear. Track them down.”
“Does Rude often go behind the east garden?”
“Yes. As I told you, that’s where he trains. Because of his low birth, it was deemed unsuitable for him to attend to noble guests at the banquet, so he was excluded from guard duty.”
“Do many in the order know he frequents the east garden?”
Tov shook his head.
“He’s an outsider there. Nobody pays him much attention. But even so, to tie him to the young lady… does that make sense?”
“Why not?”
“Rude is of humble birth. He does like her, but in my view it’s not… in a man’s way.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“What’s certain is… the one on the balcony that night wasn’t Rude.”
“That doesn’t matter either. Rude is just a pawn. Besides, apart from you and me, there are plenty in this house ready to testify they saw someone leave Velia’s balcony. That’s all we need. If it wasn’t Rude, then Velia herself will be forced to reveal who it was.”
“What if it were the Crown Prince or the Tower Lord?”
“Heh.”
Barun shook his head.
“That night, the Crown Prince left with Lady Canaria. The coachman confirmed it. And as for the Tower Lord—even if he stayed, he has no interest in women.”
“He might have shown interest in the young lady…”
“You think she’s some peerless beauty? At best, she’s a marquis’s daughter. Why would the Tower Lord, who roams the continent, bother with Velia? The chance is far too slim.”
“That’s true.”
