Chapter 55
“Yes! That’s why Lady finally opened her heart, and she even cried, you know? She treasures that gift so much… She takes it out once in a while to look at it and then carefully tucks it back in the drawer.”
“I can’t imagine Young Master being like that…”
Su wasn’t entirely fond of Barun, even though he was her superior.
Whenever he faced Belia, she always sensed a strange atmosphere.
If before it had only been one-sided, these days even Belia seemed to feel uneasy around Barun—or so Su thought to herself.
“Anyway, it’s a good thing for family members to grow closer. My lady worked so hard to make sure Young Master Barun wouldn’t feel left out.”
“I’m glad to hear she was happy.”
“Of course! Between the young lady’s matters and everything else, only good things have been happening in the marquis’s estate lately—”
“Hey, did you hear that?!”
The sudden exclamation made Roni and Su glance at each other and fall silent.
Following the voices coming from around the corner, they slowly approached.
“Who?”
“You know! The knight who collapsed during the young lady’s sparring match with her guard.”
“Ah, I remember now. We tried to secretly watch and got caught by the head maid—we were scolded so badly.”
“Anyway, that knight apparently admires the young lady!”
“Well, that’s not exactly surprising, is it?”
“But it’s not admiration as a master—it’s as a woman…”
“You insolent brats!!!”
At the booming shout, the maids trembled.
“H-Head maid…?”
As they turned in fear, Roni glared at them and let loose her fury.
“How dare you put the young lady in such disrespectful rumors!!”
“W-we’re sorry!”
“Anne! How many times have I told you to watch your tongue in this estate?!”
“I-I’m sorry, head maid! Please, just forgive me this once!”
“This month, your pay will be docked! And you’ll help with stable duties for the time being.”
“Head maid!”
Anne’s face went pale, while the other maids bowed deeply.
“No matter what rumors you hear in this estate, it is blasphemous to gossip about your masters! If I catch anyone again, I’ll have them flogged! Now get back to your work!”
“We’re sorry!”
At her words, the maids quickly scattered.
“Ugh, these girls really…”
“Miss Roni, what rumor were they talking about?”
Curious about anything related to Belia, Su tugged on Roni’s sleeve.
“Ah, nothing you need to worry about.”
“But I’m the young lady’s personal maid. If she asks, I need to know so I can answer.”
Seeing her eyes filled only with loyalty to her mistress, Roni let out a sigh.
“It’s nothing serious. There’s a knight in the order named Ludran—Sir Lud. Apparently, he admires the young lady. Ah, right—he’s now Young Master Barun’s guard knight.”
“Sir Lud?”
The name rang a faint bell in Su’s memory.
Roni continued.
“From what I know, he’s not the kind of man to be the subject of such lowly rumors. Likely, it was jealous tongues upset that someone of lower birth became a young master’s guard. Still, the rumor is oddly detailed. They say he’s so distracted by the young lady he neglects his duties, and so on.”
“Ah, I remember now!”
“You startled me! Remember what?”
“N-no, it’s something the young lady asked of me!”
“Good grief, you scared me. Anyway, Su, this isn’t your concern. And the young lady must not hear of it at all.”
“Yes, understood. Roni, let’s hurry!”
As she quickened her pace, Su recalled the knight she had seen the other day.
“Now that I think about it… isn’t he the one the young lady gave that sandwich to?!”
“Hmm, even the air feels different here.”
Karin set down her luggage and took a deep breath.
“So this is your house? Wow, as expected of the imperial crown prince—your scale is something else!”
“There’s no benefit in drawing attention. Let’s just go inside.”
“Oh, come on. We’re not going to stand out—we’re wrapped in these dark robes anyway. People will be too busy gawking at this beautiful mansion to even notice us.”
Karin spread her arms wide and twirled around.
“The city air! The smell of people living their lives! The scent of civilization you can’t find in the forest!”
She ran her hand along the beam of the entrance hall.
“This shine! Definitely top-quality marble! Oh, and this pattern—that’s the symbol of the early imperial emperors! This must be a proper villa.”
“It was given out of courtesy by Alendo, so don’t break anything.”
“Of course! What do you take me for? I won’t break anything—but I’ll have a good look around.”
The mansion, built from pure white marble, had long been an imperial guesthouse where important visitors rested when visiting the capital.
“Why not stay in the palace itself?”
“Living in the palace only adds restrictions. We’ll stay here for now. Even though it’s on the outskirts, there are plenty of people passing by, so don’t draw attention to yourself.”
“Got it, got it. Man, money really is nice. Carlton, can you carry my bag over there?”
“Carry it yourself.”
“Hey, I picked so many herbs before we came—my arms are killing me! You think I did it just for myself? Come on, help out.”
Carlton frowned but carried the bags anyway.
“Inside is even better!”
Karin squealed in delight as she admired each antique piece of furniture.
“You’re too loud.”
“Isn’t there anyone to help us here? Am I supposed to cook and do laundry myself?”
Alendo placed down the last bag in the foyer and snapped his fingers.
“Magic really is convenient. If I had talent for it, I’d have done the same as you.”
“You know the basics. I dismissed all staff on purpose. Using magic inside the estate is fine, but be careful not to use it outside.”
“Understood.”
Karin shrugged and sat on the sofa.
“So, are you going to introduce me while we’re here?”
“Introduce you? To Alendo?”
“Well, the crown prince would be amazing, but I mean that young lady—Bel… something?”
“Belia.”
“Right, that one. The young lady said to bear traces of Vain. Doesn’t she go to the Forest of Mists?”
“The forest is too dangerous.”
“I know, but still—it might not be a bad idea to take her along…”
“She’s a noble lady. It’s not some one-day errand—it’s a week-long mission. Impossible.”
Karin pouted.
“What a shame. Still, you must’ve gotten closer?”
“What?”
“I mean, you say her name so naturally—Belia.”
At her words, Carlton recalled the night of the banquet.
“Can I call you Carlton?”
“Ugh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“What was that look just now?”
Karin shook her head, but Carlton pressed on seriously.
“That smile—you looked like you were in love!”
“What?”
“You just smiled!”
“I didn’t.”
“You did! You’ve got something going on with that lady!”
“There’s nothing.”
“You’d better be careful. Don’t you realize how suspicious it is that an imperial young lady bears traces of Vain?”
Carlton turned his head away.
“Whether it’s visions or voices, how can you be sure they’re your memories and not some cursed illusion Vain left behind? She could even be one of his pawns.”
“If that were the case, I’d know.”
“And how can you be so sure?”
“Walk about five minutes out of the estate—you’ll find the market street. Here.”
Carlton pulled a pouch from his cloak and tossed it to Karin.
Clang.
It hit the marble floor with a heavy sound.
“Money?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to shop in the capital? Go enjoy yourself, and buy anything you think we’ll need for the Forest of Mists.”
“You’re bribing me with money now?”
Karin snatched up the pouch.
“We’ll talk later. I’m going.”
“Hey! Carlton! I’m not done talking! Why do you keep cutting me off—hey!”
But Carlton ignored her shouting and walked out of the mansion.
“Brother!”
“Belia?”
“Good day, my lady.”
Bedol, who had been speaking with the knight commander, froze.
“What is it? Ah—then let’s settle the summer training like that. We’ll discuss the afternoon drills later. You may go.”
“Yes, Young Master. My lady, I’ll take my leave.”
“Yes, thank you for your work!”
As soon as the knight commander left, Belia linked her arm with Bedol’s.
“What’s this about?”
Though he didn’t pull away, Bedol gave her a look like she’d eaten something strange.
“What do you mean, ‘what’s this’? We’re family.”
“Ha. You must want something. You’d never come find me otherwise.”
“What are you talking about? I just wanted to have lunch with you!”
“Lunch?”
Glancing at the clock on the central hall table, Bedol paused.
“Ah, it’s lunchtime already.”
“Let’s eat together. You don’t have any lunch plans, right? I already had the banquet hall prepare beef—your favorite.”
“Really?”
Having just finished morning training, Bedol was indeed hungry, so he followed her.
“But seriously—what do you want? You definitely have a favor to ask.”
“Heh… you’re right. But it’s…”
“About lunch, then?”
At that moment, a rough voice cut in between them.
