IDMSTV 71 🔐

Chapter 71. The Oddly Tangled Love Line (6)

Viscount Fran was groveling and pouring out some sort of excuse, while that man looked down on him with a cold face.

Black suit, black hair tied back neatly, glasses perched on his nose—he was clearly someone harboring improper thoughts toward her lord.

Well, anyone with proper eyes would be unable to resist falling for her lord.

“If only His Highness hadn’t drawn a line, even that young Duke Aurenbach would’ve been unable to escape from falling for him.”

Once again today, Lina’s warped sense of loyalty toward her master intensified.

“Still, what’s Fran doing tangled up with Albinus again?”

Lina quickly retraced the web of noble faction relationships in her mind.

Her lord had said that Fran followed Lady Rosebury out of infatuation. But from Lina’s perspective, the truth was completely different.

Fran was acting as Albinus’ fixer, weaving schemes—and Lady Rosebury simply kept getting caught up in them by coincidence.

“Well, if you believe in Southern Continent ‘threads of fate,’ I guess they do have one.”

With a small scoff, Lina alternated her gaze between Lucifeus inside the mansion and Amelie, who was still stranded outside the gates.

Amelie had already been pressing the doorbell and waiting for a response for fifteen minutes.

“Even if the Fran family has declined, do they really not have a single servant left?”

Even with a guest inside, treating visitors so rudely was a bit much.

Judging by the shabby state of the house, there seemed to be no butler or footman either…

Just then—

Clang.

A woman who looked like a housekeeper finally stepped out from the entrance, moving with cautious steps.

“So, only a single housekeeper, huh? If things are this dire, I wonder if Lady Rosebury will even be able to recover her debt.”

Lady Rosebury wanted repayment in the same amount loaned decades ago—without adjusting for inflation. Yet, ironically, all the debtor families were in such ruin that even that much seemed impossible.

“At least last time, Count Mark still had gambling money. Lucky for Lady Rosebury that His Highness bought up the promissory notes for her.”

Watching the pink-haired lady, who so far had gained nothing except finding her mother’s old acquaintances, Lina felt deep pity.

Even as she worshipped her master’s grand design.

Led into the courtyard by the housekeeper, Amelie once again had to wait in front of the door.

“Told to wait until the guest leaves? There’s no way a tiny mansion like this has two parlors.”

Lina pitied Lady Rosebury, who looked destined to wait endlessly on her feet. But just then, Lina shifted her gaze to the parlor.

“Oh? They’re already done?”

The parlor was empty.

“Good, he’ll be stepping out soon.”

With a faintly eager expression, Lina waited for the events to unfold in the yard.

A moment later—

The door opened. A man stepped out, once again dressed impeccably in black, as though the suit was part of him.

His gloved hand carried a shining cane.

“Pretending he doesn’t use magic in public… How sly. Suspicious as ever.”

Lina infused her eyes with holy power to examine them more clearly.

“Oh, Lady Rosebury—bravely speaking clearly despite being frightened. What’s with that old man, scolding her like he’s in the right?”

Lina watched with excitement as the quarrel escalated—their voices rising.

And Lucifeus? He merely stood, watching quietly.

“Yeah. Nothing normal about this.”

Fran even cast furtive glances at Lucifeus, as though gauging his reaction.

Eventually, when Fran called for his servants to drag Amelie out by force—

“Oh no, miss, watch out…!”

Amelie, resisting desperately, ended up crashing to the ground with a thud.

Watching, Lina let out a dry laugh.

“And they call that romance? Really, Your Highness.”

The one her lord had pointed to as harboring feelings for Lady Rosebury—Lucifeus—merely bent slightly at the waist in feigned concern, without even attempting to help Amelie up.

Both his hands clutched his cane, as though that explained why he couldn’t move.

When the servants once again reached for Amelie’s arms—

“Guess I’ll step in myself.”

Holy power surged into Lina’s fist, her knuckle guard glowing faintly blue.

Boom!

Lina leapt down from the tree, the courtyard trembling with impact.

But her fist stopped short.

A translucent barrier had sprung up around Lucifeus.

“Tch. Without even a chant.”

Lina glared at him.

His gaze was mechanical—looking at Amelie or at her made no difference.

“Come on then!”

She slammed her glowing fist against the shield again and again, but it didn’t so much as tremble.

“Damn, impressive.”

Grinning crookedly, Lina lowered her voice to a teasing whisper, loud enough for only Lucifeus to hear.

“If you’re going to play the part of her protector, you’ll need to act more convincingly. As a judge, I’d give that performance… maybe a 5 out of 100.”

Of course, 100 being the perfect score.

Even at her nonsense provocation, Lucifeus showed no lapse in composure. His attention was elsewhere.

“This knight… I’ve seen her before. At Irgent.”

The moment Lina had entered the courtyard, he had sensed her presence.

When she infused her knuckle with holy power, he could have ended her right there.

“I thought she was just some bold little fly, sent to spy with a bit of holy power. Lucky I left her alive long enough to check her face. So she’s one of her people.”

Ah. So that’s how it was.

A crooked smile touched Lucifeus’ lips.

“Your master seems quite interested in my affairs.”

The smile he wore now was nothing like the polite one he gave Lady Rosebury.

“There it is.”

The words “your master” sounded strangely sweet. Lina’s own lips curved mischievously.

After all, she had once seen him dare to clasp her lord’s hand at Irgent.

“My master is as merciful as he is beautiful. To all who bask in the sun of the Divine, he offers warmth.”

“Is that so.”

Lucifeus’ lips curved faintly, his eyes softening as though remembering something.

“Yes. That’s the look.”

So different from how he looked at either her or Lady Rosebury.

After all, her master could even enchant that young Duke Aurenbach, if he so wished—though he himself had no interest.

Especially if they had ever spent private time together.

“Too kind, perhaps. It seems he’s even gone as far as arranging a match for you.”

Lina cast a sly glance at Amelie, who sat on the ground, staring in shock after recognizing her.

Lucifeus’ lips curved further.

“And so I follow loyally.”

For the first time, a playful spark glimmered in his ever-cold face. Lina caught it immediately.

“Knew it.”

Grinning, she withdrew the holy power from her knuckle. Lucifeus simultaneously lowered his barrier.

Now that he knew she served Cecilia, there was no reason to fight her.

“Our plan was right. If we can turn this man into His Highness’ captive, that’ll be the fastest way to block the noble faction.”

Her lord was more beautiful and wise than anyone. But in some ways, he was endlessly clumsy—his human charm shining all the more because of it.

Meanwhile…

Someone must be badmouthing me. Ever since this afternoon, my ears keep itching.

As the most noble unmarried woman on the continent, I couldn’t exactly dig in my ear, so I tapped it lightly with my pen while reviewing a letter.

“I came across a literary paper that mentioned how regions closer to the Sea of No Return tend to have more oral folktales about red eyes. It was written around Imperial Year 100, but even today it seems reliable.”

It was evening, after work, in my bedroom. Seated at the tea table by the window, I was reading a letter from 3rd Platoon Captain Alex.

“So red eyes really are connected to the Sea of No Return.”

Alex had gone on assignment to the Scholars’ Tower, researching documents on red eyes and their link to that sea—accompanied by Maxim Blauber.

“Since Sir Maxim showed great interest in the Scholars’ Tower, they even allowed access to the restricted archives. It was a great help.”

“So, he really is useful after all.”

Maxim Blauber had once said he would enter the Scholars’ Tower itself if that was what it took to serve me.

I had been uncertain of his worth, but with this sudden cooperation with the Tower, it seemed a good chance to test him.

Though the Blauber family leaned noble faction, they had long since severed ties with the core houses like Gables and Albinus—that had influenced my decision.

“Otherwise, he’d probably cling to me at every banquet. And this year, I’ll be attending so many.”

Maxim believed this investigation to be a study aimed at eradicating discrimination against red eyes—just as I employed talented people of illegitimate birth.

“Alex seems to like him well enough. The tone of this letter is pretty warm. I’ll discuss it with Henriette in the morning.”

Henriette, the only non-warrior in the Shadow Unit, was already struggling with the year’s increase in administrative duties.

I tapped my lips with the pen, still considering Maxim Blauber’s position, when—

Suddenly, a soft glow spilled out from my bedside drawer.

The hand mirror.

The third time now… I was almost used to it.

Still, “Ah! You startled me.”

I thought I heard glass shatter somewhere—like a wine glass.

It was just that thinking of Maxim Blauber and the mirror’s owner at the same time had unsettled me.

“How long has it been?”

The last time he had contacted me through the mirror was when Lina reported back from the Red-Eye village. That was already half a month ago.

“I thought he’d send something the day I ran into him at Irgent.”

I had kept the mirror with me ever since… Yet as I opened it, I froze with an odd sense of wrongness.

“I thought he’d send it…? Expected it?”

Did I… look forward to it?

“Goodness, I need to get a grip.”

I must have been influenced by all the strange talk around me.

Smack, smack—I slapped my own cheeks hard and shook my head vigorously.

Then looked at the mirror again.

As always, elegant handwriting appeared:

“You have sharp-eyed subordinates.”

Sharp-eyed subordinates? What did that mean?

I tilted my head in confusion.

“I didn’t know one of them was so… forceful. I only worried you might get hurt, after all I did to keep you safe.”

…Forceful? Worried I’d get hurt?

Tilting my head again, my face flushed red before I realized it.

“He… saw me smacking my own cheeks…?”

Aagh! A hole to crawl into, please!

Embarrassed, I pushed the mirror a little farther away.

“M-mosquito. There was a mosquito…”

I muttered under my breath, lips jutting.

And then, after a pause—as if someone had stifled a laugh before writing again—the next message appeared on the mirror.