Chapter 122
Jenny’s incessant chatter suddenly came to an abrupt stop.
“…….”
“Jenny.”
“I-I told you. I mean, I was in charge of managing the safe, so maybe the person who handled it back then is still registered as me……”
When I just stared at her silently, Jenny swallowed hard and continued, belatedly.
“……So. Maybe that’s it? Hahaha.”
“You know, Jenny. I…”
Hurok—
I savored the taste of the tea, which somehow felt much smoother than before, and then stood up.
“I think everyone has their own reasons. Really.”
“Ah, Iris.”
“So you don’t have to share the reasons you don’t want to. That’s fine, really…”
Even if she didn’t say it, her identity was painfully obvious.
The magic on the safe wasn’t just simple biometrics—it was sophisticated enough to recognize the user even the moment the safe was opened.
And then, a magic safe that teleports you the instant it’s opened?
‘That says it all.’
Above all, the familiar emblem I had seen just before the white light vanished.
It was definitely the emblem that Grand Mage Lulu engraved on her magical tools.
Essentially, a Lulu-branded magical tool.
A mark that only those who knew would recognize.
“Lulu’s discontinued transformation set. That’s all I need.”
“W-What? I-I, I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”
Geez, why is she trembling like that?
‘This makes me feel like the villain.’
Still, we’ve built a month of friendship.
I smiled gently, a little warmer than before, and approached Jenny, linking arms with her.
“I see. If you don’t understand, how about we walk a bit while we talk?”
Outside the window, the sun, which was slowly setting, trembled as if it were about to disappear completely.
Tap, tap.
A hand with graceful fingers plucked fresh herb leaves one by one with care.
‘The days have grown quite long already.’
Outside the window, beneath the elongated sunset, I could see Iris walking from the servant quarters toward the main building.
She looked truly happy, smiling and linking arms warmly with a fellow maid.
‘I should try growing peppermint soon.’
It seems many people prefer refreshing teas during the summer.
Edwin, having pocketed the appropriately plucked herbs, opened his mouth without changing his stance by the window.
“Come in.”
Rrreuk.
The nearby window opened as if it had been waiting.
“Wow… Next time, just tell me to go poop instead. I can’t play with the kids anyway.”
Benjamin jumped over the window sill, shaking his head with a look of exasperation.
“Kids? Ah, you were playing ball. So you came back from playing.”
“Not ball, I was seeing the hellspawn!”
“Such a loud voice for no reason.”
Just as Edwin’s expression turned cold, Benjamin ghosted over a letter he had brought and handed it to him.
“I’m just too happy, that’s why I’m like this. Here, the news you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.”
“…What?”
“What’s with that reaction? This is the information you asked me to check, isn’t it?”
Benjamin leaned over the papers he had placed and scanned them once more.
Edwin, a little late, picked up the document as well.
‘…Ah, that’s right.’
He had forgotten, unusually for him.
No, at some point he hadn’t even thought about it at all.
“The recommendation letter is real, you know? When I saw her handle that witch lady last time, I knew she wasn’t ordinary.”
Which family the recommendation letter Iris had brought belonged to…
Even though he had ordered her to get all the potentially shady information, at this point it didn’t matter much.
‘Since they said they were working hard to recruit, Vincenzo must have gotten it.’
Vincenzo denied knowing anything, but Edwin already had a pretty good idea.
“Ah, and it seems the northern route that had been blocked for a while has loosened up again recently, right?”
He had a hunch about this too.
He had met Edward in the casino, who was clearly in a sulk.
The information he held tight was suddenly loosened.
To Edwin, this was like a signal to return to the Grand Duchy.
“After all that effort to get it, why don’t you even look at it? Huh?”
Benjamin, seeing that the papers wouldn’t turn past the first page, carefully spread them out on the desk.
“The thing that surprised me most is this. The branch family that wrote the recommendation.”
“…Liroche?”
“Yes, that one. There’s absolutely no info about them. Their mansion is huge, with many servants…”
Benjamin passionately pointed at certain parts of the papers, but none of it registered.
‘Liroche. Hah.’
A sigh mixed with a laugh escaped him.
“Are you listening? It seems like a very powerful branch family, though there’s absolutely no information besides that.”
“Of course.”
“That’s right… Strange, isn’t it?”
It made sense that there was no proper information.
Liroche. A branch family almost unheard of, yet possessing wealth and power surpassing most vassal families.
“It’s basically a secret organization created directly by Grand Duke Ferrante.”
“…Whaaaat?”
A secret organization named after his mother’s family name, ‘Liroche.’
In reality, calling it an organization was a bit grandiose.
It was simply a family Olivia had created in case Raymond caused trouble.
Edwin only knew of its existence and naturally had no idea what their seal looked like.
So at first, he didn’t recognize the recommendation letter immediately.
“W-Why are you telling me this? I don’t want to die later for knowing!”
“You’re rude to react like that to valuable information.”
“Aaah! Why would I stay here for riches and glory!”
Benjamin tore his hair out in a mock panic.
But Edwin’s feelings were equally complicated.
A recommendation from Liroche was essentially a recommendation from Ferrante.
‘Father… why?’
It didn’t add up if it was just for recruiting Lete.
Raymond wouldn’t have written a recommendation using Liroche’s name just to bring in one person.
‘Vincenzo is hiding something.’
And most likely, Raymond was behind it.
Why?
What kind of relationship did Raymond have with Iris?
It was then.
“Oh, and this. This came from an informant I’ve never seen before…”
Benjamin pulled a black envelope from his chest and handed it to him.
The faint magic emanating from it was incredibly familiar.
“To be honest, I hesitated to give this since the sender seems shady. What if it explodes when opened… Eek! You’re opening it right away?”
Benjamin flinched as if ready to run, but Edwin silently opened the envelope.
[You are invited to Ferrante’s banquet, which celebrates the latest spring in the Empire. If you do not attend, we may come after you, so consider carefully.]
The first letter looked like it was directly written by Edward, Edwin’s older brother.
And…
[There’s a girl Father has hidden and raised for a very long time. What will you do if you suddenly have a half-brother and a half-sister, dear brother?]
A second note contained a question, followed by teasing remarks.
Come see for yourself if you’re curious.
Come if you’re angry.
Or even just to tell me to stop.
It was all Edward’s playful thinking made clear.
But from start to finish, only one thought entered Edwin’s mind:
Raymond had hidden and raised—
A girl who might even use the same Ferrante surname—
‘…A sister?’
Crunch.
The invitation in Edwin’s hand was mercilessly crumpled.
‘No way.’
Far outside the window, Iris walked and chattered with Jenny.
Along the stretched sunset, her clear smile and peach-colored cheeks sparkled.
Even in an ordinary garden with nothing particularly joyful happening, her chatter shone brightly.
The girl Raymond had protected, even writing Liroche’s recommendation to guarantee her status.
The girl Vincenzo had managed to deceive even him.
‘…No way, really.’
