Chapter: 8
“Your Highness—Princess! Princess! Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
The voice calling for Lynette anxiously while knocking on the door sounded familiar.
“Hm? That sounds like Jasper. Wasn’t he out supporting the training today?”
Emma nodded.
“Yes, he was… but it seems all the knights who went out on support duty have already returned.”
“Ahh.”
No wonder it had been quiet despite all the commotion.
“So it was quiet only because Jasper wasn’t here.”
At Lynette’s words, the maid Emma gave an awkward smile.
Jasper Harbor.
Former aide to Derbel Christian. Current—and fervent—devotee of Lynette Ygraine.
Originally, he had been left behind as a watchdog, under the pretext of assisting Lynette while Derbel Christian was away subjugating monsters.
But over the two years he spent working by Lynette’s side, he had changed completely.
‘I will always be by your side.’
At first, those words had meant he would keep an eye on everything Lynette did.
‘Wherever Her Highness goes, Jasper will be there!’
Later, he had gone so far as to cling to her in tears, declaring he would scatter flowers along every step she took.
There was no one in the ducal household who didn’t know that Jasper had become a near-fanatic in his devotion to Lynette.
“It’s good that he wasn’t here. Really.”
Thinking how much noisier it would have been if Jasper had been present, Lynette shuddered without realizing it.
“Shall I tell him to come in?” Emma asked, never pausing her embroidery.
“…No. I don’t want to see anyone right now. Especially not someone from the duke’s side.”
“Sir Jasper would be hurt if he heard that. He’s always saying he can’t live without you, Your Highness.”
“That’s too much.”
Lynette shook her head.
No matter how much Jasper praised and followed her, he was still the duke’s man.
Keeping a certain distance was better for both of them.
“Then shall I tell him to leave?”
“Yes. Say I’ve fallen asleep.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Carrying out Lynette’s order, Emma approached the door where the commotion was coming from.
“Sir Jasper, Her Highness is asleep at the moment. She was hurt by the duke’s coldness and cried herself to sleep, so please keep your voice down.”
“Gasp!”
A sharp intake of breath came from outside. Then, in a much lower voice, he whispered,
“She’s not ill, is she? Our princess has such a weak constitution…”
Hearing the concern in his now-deflated voice made Lynette’s chest ache a little.
“No, she’s not sick. She’s simply exhausted after everything today. So later—”
“Her Highness is exhausted?!”
Before Emma could finish, Jasper’s shocked cry burst out.
“She’s overworked herself! Ah, after devoting that fragile body to the Christian ducal house, it’s finally come to this…! I’ll go to the temple at once and bring back healing medicine! I’ll fetch it immediately and give it to Her Highness—”
“Sir Jasper, that won’t be neces—”
That was when it happened.
“Ugh!”
Thud!
Along with a dull impact came a short scream from outside.
Lynette and Emma looked at each other. What just happened?
As they hesitated, wondering whether to go out or not—
“Lady Emma.”
A deep, unfamiliar voice spoke. It was Olof Henrik.
“Sir Olof?”
“By the duke’s order, I have dealt with the disturbance. Please tell Her Highness to rest peacefully.”
“I understand. Thank you, sir.”
“……”
There was the sound of silent movement, followed by something being dragged away.
“Looks like Sir Olof took Jasper with him.”
Lynette said it with a hint of laughter in her voice.
“It seems so.”
“Phew.”
The situation was resolved in an instant. It was a relief, given how awkward things had become.
An unnatural silence settled outside, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Still, the duke being back does have its uses.”
“It does.”
For Lynette, who had always found Jasper’s fervent devotion troublesome, this was one welcome benefit.
At the very least, Jasper wouldn’t be able to openly gaze at her with adoration while worrying about the duke’s eyes.
So… what now?
Lynette looked at the baby pig lying on the bed.
Having finished her apple, Françoise seemed satisfied and was dozing peacefully.
“So cute.”
“I see why you picked her up without hesitation, Your Highness.”
At Emma’s words, Lynette smiled awkwardly.
It was truly a situation with both pros and cons.
Thanks to this adorable baby pig, she had escaped the duke and gained some time alone—but it had also led to unnecessary tension, complicating matters.
What was that voice earlier? And why does this child ‘need’ me?
Lost in thought, Lynette suddenly asked,
“Pigs go on walks too, right?”
“If they don’t, won’t they gain weight?”
“That’s true, isn’t it?”
Emma nodded.
“Yes. They’re exactly the ones who absolutely need walks.”
Lynette stood up and stepped down from the bed. Carefully, she lifted the drowsy baby pig into her arms.
“Françoise, shall we go for a walk together?”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t take a single step outside until the duke acknowledges Françoise’s existence?”
“Right. I’m not going out.”
“Then…?”
“I wasn’t going to. But…”
Still holding the baby pig, Lynette smiled brightly at Emma.
“It seems Françoise ran away to the duke’s library.”
“What?”
“I have to go to the library to look for her.”
“The duke’s library… you mean that one?”
“Yes. I heard during the day that the duke’s private library—normally tightly shut—was opened.”
For two years, Lynette had searched every corner of the estate, inside and out, in pursuit of the Star of Fortune.
Using inspections of the territory as an excuse, she had gone everywhere. Claiming repairs, she had even dug into suspicious places.
But—
There were three places I couldn’t enter.
The duke’s library, his office, and his bedroom.
No matter how much authority she had as a proxy, this was still the Christian ducal house. She couldn’t freely enter the private spaces of a duke who had only gotten engaged and then left.
She had snuck into the office a few times, but the door to the library had always been firmly locked.
The bedroom is… a bit much.
Since it was an old noble family’s library, perhaps she could find the materials she was looking for there.
She had to.
Gently stroking Françoise, Lynette murmured to herself,
Please… let me find what I’m looking for.
“Then I’ll leave things to you, Emma.”
Lynette glanced at the bed.
Bulging as if someone were lying there, the bed was the joint handiwork of Lynette and Emma.
At a glance, no one would think it contained dresses and pillows instead of a person.
“You’re really leaving Françoise behind?”
“Yes. It’ll be better to search the library alone. And if Françoise is ‘found’ somewhere else, that would be a problem—so make sure she doesn’t leave the room.”
“Understood. Have a safe trip.”
“Françoise ran away.”
At Lynette’s insistence, a smile spread across Emma’s face.
“Don’t worry. Go with peace of mind.”
“I’ll be back.”
With a resolute expression, Lynette left the room.
Lynette headed toward the annex where the duke’s private library was located.
She didn’t know why the library had been placed in a separate building rather than the main house, but while Derbel was away, it had remained closed.
If he deliberately set the library apart, there must be many important documents inside.
Like a secret treasure vault.
“There has to be information about the Star of Fortune in there.”
No—there must be. Otherwise, coming to the Christian ducal house would have been meaningless.
Steeling herself, Lynette arrived at the annex.
On the tightly closed door was engraved a shield bearing the star that symbolized the Christian family.
A shield with a star.
A star.
The Star of Fortune.
Lynette reached out and traced the star engraved on the door.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but it felt warm—and strangely nostalgic.
Was there another family whose crest was a star and a shield? Wasn’t this proof that the Christian family was connected to the Star of Fortune?
After staring at the star for a long while, Lynette spoke in a steadier voice.
“Yes. It has to be here.”
She gathered her resolve and pushed the door. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be locked.
Creeeak.
Perhaps it hadn’t been oiled, because the sound of it opening echoed loudly.
When the door had opened just wide enough for one person to slip inside—
“Françoise.”
Lynette called the baby pig’s name as she stepped in.
“Where are you, Françoise?”
Like someone searching for a runaway pet.
“Françoise? Where are you? You came in here, didn’t you?”
She moved farther inside, step by step.
When her coral-colored hair had completely disappeared beyond the doorway—
Thud.
The shield engraved with the star swung shut.
Firmly, as if it had never been open at all.
