Chapter 63
“Ah, n-no! I’ve never had such a request…”
The timid young lady, who took even the smallest joke seriously, blushed so deeply it was almost pitiable.
As her voice filled the entire salon, a calm voice contrasting Olivia’s came from the doorway.
“Ah, my apologies. I didn’t realize the ladies were gathered here.”
“J-Julian?”
Julian, who had returned home after spending the night with Ober torturing Solsiang, offered a brief apology to the ladies.
He had completely forgotten that today was the tea party.
At Julian’s appearance, Olivia froze as if her breath had been taken away.
Of all times, Julian had to appear now.
She only wanted to show her best self to the person she secretly admired…
Although all the young ladies in the salon were looking at Julian, Olivia’s face was the one that caught his gaze.
She was the only daughter of the Marquess of Orentia and had admired him for a very long time.
Julian also knew about Olivia’s feelings.
How could he not notice, when her face would flush like a red apple whenever she saw him?
“It’s been a while, Miss Olivia.”
But even knowing her feelings, Julian felt no interest.
He stared at Olivia expressionlessly for a moment before giving a soft smile.
She was just the daughter of his superior, the Minister of the Interior. That was all.
Oblivious to Julian’s true thoughts, Olivia lowered her head in delight at receiving his greeting.
“…Y-yes.”
Cecilia smiled gently and asked Julian,
“Brother Julian, did you stay up all night at the office again? Your clothes are exactly the same.”
“Had no choice, too busy. Do I smell?”
“Not at all.”
After exchanging such trivial words, Julian prepared to leave for his room.
He turned once more toward the salon, though, drawn by Hera sitting at the center of the tea table.
“Emilia.”
When her name was called, Hera met Julian’s gaze.
Seeing him after a few days, his face looked tired.
Since Hera was the cause of the city guard being on his tail with all that work, she couldn’t bring herself to look directly at him.
“I heard the Duke of Laurent came to visit.”
“Yes.”
Julian seemed like he was about to bring up the palace ball as well.
Hera, who had been interrogated on this topic by the young ladies for hours, was ready to respond skillfully no matter what question he asked.
“Are you happy?”
Julian’s question was far from what Hera had expected.
Moreover, his voice was rough and broken, not at all matching the word “happy.”
She couldn’t lie even with a simple “yes.”
“Oh my, what kind of question is that, Julian? Sounds like something an old lover with lingering feelings would ask.”
The young ladies, noticing the peculiarity of Julian’s question, began teasing him openly.
“Be careful, Julian. Your eyes are naturally misleading, inviting women’s misunderstandings.”
The young ladies laughed joyfully at his sly remark.
Among them, only Hera, Cecilia, and Olivia could not join in the laughter.
“You’re all so mischievous.”
Julian, arms crossed, bowed slightly while giving a mild response to their teasing.
“With this tired body and mind, I’m hardly capable of keeping up with you ladies. I’ll be heading upstairs.”
“Bye-bye~.”
Once Julian disappeared from view, the young ladies each blushed lightly on their cheeks.
They smiled satisfied, as if having enjoyed a delightful spectacle.
Julian’s composed and disciplined demeanor never failed to stir their hearts.
“He’s always so polite and dignified, no matter when you see him.”
“Indeed.”
“When Julian announces his engagement, many in the Central social circle will weep.”
“Of course.”
For a while after, Julian remained a frequent topic among the young ladies’ conversation.
As the meaningless chatter continued, Hera turned her gaze out the window.
Julian, whom she thought had gone upstairs, was pacing in the garden.
“Julian.”
Hera quietly stepped into the garden, away from the eyes of the other young ladies, and called to him from behind.
Julian turned his head slightly toward the sound, frowning lightly.
He didn’t look annoyed so much as simply too exhausted to make any other expression.
“Why are you out here?”
“Because I was worried.”
“About me?”
“Your complexion doesn’t look well…”
If he had just looked tired, Hera wouldn’t have been this concerned.
Julian’s face displayed complex emotions, mostly negative.
“You didn’t answer the question I asked earlier.”
Julian brushed his cheek with his hand and asked in a rough, husky voice, as coarse as his skin,
“Are you happy? Emilia?”
Why was he asking this question?
Curious about his true feelings, Hera studied the side of his face.
But other than being tired, he just looked as gloomy as usual.
“Not really… I don’t think so.”
Hera gave a negative answer.
There were ways to phrase it convincingly without lying, but she didn’t want to lie to Julian.
She had already told him too many lies.
She didn’t want to add the weight of guilt on top of that.
“That’s a rare thing to hear.”
“Excuse me?”
Julian murmured to himself.
Hera, sensing the significance behind his words, couldn’t help but ask again.
But Julian remained silent, giving no reply.
His gaze stayed fixed straight ahead.
The Toringa garden in spring was among the most beautiful of Central noble estates.
But Julian sometimes found this pristine beauty stifling.
Harsh, ugly things suited them better.
“Curiosity, pity, or some half-hearted affection—stop it all.”
Julian looked at Hera and spoke.
His words carried a warning, bluntly confronting even the buried feelings Hera had for Merriot.
“Merriot Laurent is our enemy.”
Hera recalled her conversation with Merriot at the Under Bridge.
To him, Toringa was also an enemy.
The world was telling Hera to abandon all feelings beyond enmity.
“Captain.”
A member of the city guard, in uniform, approached the silent Julian and Hera.
He stood before Julian, hands behind his back, reporting with perfect posture.
“There’s been a report of something unusual found in Paul Chelsning’s room. It seems you should inspect it personally.”
Julian told Hera to stay inside the mansion first and took the guard into the inner garden.
Once at a safe distance, Julian instructed the guard to continue his report.
The guard presented a small-sized dress to Julian.
“This?”
“As you know, Captain, Count Chelsning has three sons but no daughters. This isn’t a maid’s uniform, nor is it adult-sized clothing.”
The guard smoothed the front of the dress with his hands.
“And this… anyone can tell it’s blood.”
Indeed, the dark brown stains were blood.
A young girl’s dress stained with blood left Julian seriously concerned.
This was no minor injury or nosebleed; the irregular smears indicated a major wound.
“The owner of this dress must have been seriously hurt.”
“This came from Paul’s room. It was hidden deep in a drawer. None of the servants had a child who could wear this dress.”
Julian didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but having dealt with many violent crimes as part of the city guard, he felt certain.
Paul Chelsning must have harmed this girl.
Julian frowned deeply.
The Chelsning family was politically untouchable, a household difficult to confront.
The safest option was to leave it alone.
Moreover, he had already angered Count Chelsning with the obsidian incident.
As Julian’s thoughts grew tangled, another item caught his eye in the guard’s hands.
“What’s that you’re holding?”
“Oh, a handkerchief that came with it. Presumably the owner’s. The girl’s name is written on it.”
“Let me see.”
Julian took the handkerchief.
It was white, embroidered richly with green ivy, and at the bottom was a name.
“Rina… Baker?”
Julian already knew the name.
A poor girl who had been living in this house for about a month.
A girl personally cared for by Emilia.
