<CHAPTER 112>
“Ah!”
An employee carrying food stumbled toward me.
Red stew steaming hot soaked my dress and shoes.
“My la—! Hey!”
“Jena!”
A startled Greta and Aizen rushed over in a panic to check on me.
Thankfully, my shoes were sturdy boots that covered up to the middle of my calves, and only the hem of my dress was wet, so I was not burned.
“I’m fine, sis.”
“You too, calm down.”
“I-I’m so sorry!”
“I’m really, really sorry!”
The employee, his face drained of color, bowed so deeply it looked like a folding phone snapping shut as he apologized.
He looked about my age, and the way he did not know what to do made him seem like someone new to society, which made me feel a little sorry for him.
The owner, who had brought over a dry towel, put her hands on her hips and snapped at the employee.
“Honestly!”
“What is wrong with you, can’t you do a single thing right?”
“You caused this mess, so pay for the clothes and medical bills out of your own pocket!”
“Y-Yes…….”
The employee’s shoulders drooped weakly.
As I wiped my dress and boots with the towel, I glanced at him.
No matter how much of a mistake it was, pushing all the responsibility onto the employee felt a bit harsh.
She was a pretty cold owner.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Um, how much compensation should I give you…….”
“No, it’s fine.”
“The clothes can be washed, and I’m not hurt anywhere.”
“It’s really okay.”
I waved my hand at him as he stood there completely intimidated.
Even though I meant it sincerely, the employee kept fidgeting anxiously.
“B-But……”
“Hey, I said it’s really fine.”
“We should get going now.”
To ease his burden, I quickly said goodbye and tugged on Greta’s and Aizen’s arms.
Sir Schmidt followed along on his own.
“Are you really sure you’re okay?”
“Of course.”
“If I were hurt, I wouldn’t be walking this fast.”
To reassure Aizen, who still could not stop worrying about me, I exaggeratedly moved my legs as a joke.
Then a voice called out to us from behind.
“E-Excuse me!”
“Please wait!”
The employee ran over, waving his hand for us to stop.
“Huff, huff, huff…….”
“What is it?”
“You really don’t need to give compensation.”
“I won’t report it later either.”
“Th-That’s not it.”
“Hoo…….”
“There’s something I wanted to tell you.”
“I’ve seen guests with bluish skin before.”
“What?”
“Is that really true?!”
The employee nodded.
I was worried we might not find any witnesses at all.
This is great.
Overjoyed, I almost grabbed his hand, but Aizen stopped me.
“Unnecessary contact with unrelated men is prohibited.”
“Yes, sir.”
Huh, was that jealousy.
That’s cute.
Grinning, I held onto Aizen’s hand and listened closely to the employee’s account.
“Around summer, three people stayed here quietly and then left.”
“What stood out was that they often went out at dawn or late at night, when there were hardly any people.”
“Do you know where they went?”
“I don’t know the details.”
“But the cemetery caretaker behind the mountain said he saw them passing near the cemetery.”
The employee pointed toward a small mountain located on the outskirts of the territory.
Oh.
That’s pretty suspicious.
After exchanging glances with Aizen, I smiled gently at the employee.
“I’m glad it was helpful.”
“Thank you.”
With an embarrassed face, he scratched the back of his head and bowed, telling us to be careful on our way.
We headed straight for the mountain behind.
Thanks to the signposts, we were able to reach the hillside cemetery without much difficulty.
When we met the caretaker and asked about what we had heard from the employee.
“Ah, those people?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“I saw them turn right and head straight up.”
“There’s nothing up there, so I don’t know why they went.”
We diligently followed the direction he indicated.
The terrain grew increasingly rough, and as if to prove that people rarely came this way, the trail became fainter and fainter.
After pushing through the dense trees for a while, we finally stopped.
A fork in the road had appeared.
“What should we do?”
“Which way should we go?”
As I hesitated, Aizen gave a clear answer.
“Let’s split up into pairs.”
“Oh, sounds good!”
“We’ll go together, so you two take the other path.”
Aizen quickly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and nodded toward Sir Schmidt and Greta.
Greta, clearly displeased, left down the right path with Sir Schmidt.
I stepped onto the left path with Aizen.
After walking for a while.
Aizen, who had been checking my stamina periodically, noticed my breathing growing rough and made a suggestion.
“Are you tired?”
“If your legs hurt, I can carry you.”
It was tempting, but I could not use such a chance already.
“What, for something like this?”
“I’m still full of energy!”
“I could even run to that greenhouse over there—”
“Huh?”
“A greenhouse?”
I pointed at a greenhouse that entered my view without thinking, then my eyes widened.
A greenhouse in this remote mountain area.
“I’m not the only one who finds this suspicious, right?”
“It looks extremely strange to me as well.”
“I think we found the real destination of the Como Trading Company people!”
Excited, I quickened my pace, but Aizen suddenly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.
“……?!”
At the same time, a spear narrowly grazed past my eyes.
Clink clink clink clink.
Bells hidden among the leaves let out sharp cries all at once.
“W-What is that?”
“It looks like someone set traps around here.”
“So they can tell when outsiders approach.”
“Wow, this just keeps getting more suspicious!”
At that moment, people wearing black masks emerged one by one from the bushes.
All of them were holding weapons.
After calmly scanning them, Aizen stepped in front of me and sent me back.
“It’s dangerous, so watch from a little farther away.”
He drew the sword hanging at his waist and raised an eyebrow.
“Just count to one hundred.”
“I’ll clean this up neatly in no time.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Ariana Granger, who had become the new acting head of Granger Pharmaceuticals, went to the trading company building every day without fail.
She worked hard to reorganize the inefficient structure of the organization and analyze past performance to make up for its shortcomings.
For someone who had grown up like a flower in a greenhouse, none of this was easy.
It was difficult, exhausting, and full of things that did not go as planned, leaving her feeling despair at times.
With no Jena to ask for help, and with extra responsibilities placed on her during her absence, it was even more grueling.
Still, Ariana did not give up and continued to put in the effort.
She treated the employees with an open attitude and learned whatever there was to learn from them.
By choosing not to avoid obstacles and instead face them head-on again and again, she gradually grew accustomed to the work, and the employees began actively helping her as well.
She did not have the overwhelming charisma typical of most heads of a trading company, but she possessed a gentle and considerate leadership that embraced those around her.
“Acting Head, aren’t you going home?”
“I’ll finish organizing this and leave soon.”
“Don’t worry and go on ahead.”
She recalled the past, when she had tried to become a suitable bride under her father’s pressure.
Compared to then, her current life, unstable and imperfect as it was, felt far more fulfilling and enjoyable.
Maybe this work really suits me.
Realizing that only now, she felt as though she had taken a long detour.
It’s okay.
I have so much more time ahead of me.
However, that brave and positive thought did not last long.
As soon as she returned home, she was summoned by the Count and headed to the dining hall.
“Ariana, you wretch!”
“Why are you so late?!”
“Do you know how long His Highness the Crown Prince has been waiting for you?!”
“It’s fine, Count.”
“It seems my adorable fiancée was just busy.”
She was met with Lionel, who wore a sly smile and sat shamelessly in the seat of honor.
Ariana’s expression hardened instantly.
Why was he here.
She had not heard a word about him coming.
The Count, who had arranged this meeting without giving his daughter any notice, pressed her harshly as she froze.
“What are you standing there for?”
“Sit down already!”
“Tsk, you lacking thing.”
“You meet His Highness and can’t even offer a proper greeting.”
“It’s fine, come and sit, Ariana.”
“If you want, I can escort you.”
Looking back and forth between the two men, who seemed to be in agreement without her, Ariana gently bit her lower lip.
Reluctantly, she sat across from the Count, diagonally to Lionel’s right.
Despite the table being filled with appetizing food, her appetite vanished.
Lionel watched her pick at her meal and spoke with feigned concern.
“Why aren’t you eating, Ariana?”
“You look like you’ve put on some weight compared to before.”
“Are you managing yourself?”
“I—”
“Good thinking.”
“I absolutely despise women with too much flesh.”
“Make sure you always maintain a beautiful appearance and inner self.”
With a gentlemanly smile, he reached out and lightly tapped the back of Ariana’s hand.
A chill ran up the inside of her arms, and she could not properly control her expression.
She had gained a little weight recently, but both before and now, she had always been slender.
There was no reason for her to endure such rudeness.
Whether he failed to notice her darkened expression or not, Lionel continued speaking calmly.
“By the way, I don’t see the Granger young lady.”
“Where did she go?”
At the mention of Jena, Ariana tensed slightly.
The Count did not know that his eldest daughter had gone down to the county lands.
He merely thought she was busy spending time with Aizen.
If she misspoke here, Lionel, who was far sharper than her father, might sense something amiss, so she needed to answer carefully.
