Before closing the bag, it must have been flashing so brightly that he saw it up to that point. Since it seemed he had seen it anyway, I confessed everything honestly.
“Uh… it’s a communication magic tool. Marquis Pavel gave it to me.”
As expected, Rastan’s brow creased faintly. The change in expression wasn’t large, but it was clearly a sign of displeasure.
Still, he asked in a polite tone.
“Is it an item precious to you?”
“It doesn’t have any particular significance, but…”
“If that is the case, I would prefer that you do not bring an item given by that man into my home.”
The wording was gentle, but his voice was firm. He was telling me to throw it away and go.
Since it was something I had received as a gift, and a very valuable item at that, I honestly hesitated. But seeing how he, who always respected my wishes with a gentle attitude, was uncharacteristically firm in opposing just this one thing, I made up my mind.
‘Still, I’ll be staying at Rastan’s estate for the time being, so I should follow his wishes. They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do.’
While receiving such a great favor, secretly bringing the communication tool in and deceiving him would be an act of betrayal.
“Alright.”
After briefly considering what to do, I called for Ris and handed the magic tool to her.
“Put this into the pocket of one of those assailants collapsed outside.”
“Yes!”
That way, if Ifrit happened to connect to it later, we might be able to find out their identities or their base, so I thought it would be killing two birds with one stone.
‘If he feels upset about it, I can just tell him it was stolen.’
Only then did Rastan extend his hand to me, his expression looking a little more relieved.
“Let us go down. I have had a carriage waiting at the back door.”
What preparedness, to have a carriage brought over first even without knowing whether I would go with him or not.
Once again impressed, I took the offered hand and stood up. Rastan lightly jerked his chin toward the window and gave Ris an instruction.
“Ris, take care of things here and follow afterward.”
“Understood!”
After briefly saying goodbye to Ris, I went out through the back door and boarded the carriage alone with Rastan.
***
The assailants lying in the yard numbered eight in total.
All of them had bones broken here and there across their bodies, from arms and legs to fingers and ankles, twisted into grotesque shapes.
They seemed to have lost consciousness, but they all appeared to be in a condition where they could recover if given proper treatment.
But from somewhere, a faint, thin black smoke began to drift softly.
Strangely, the smoke didn’t scatter into the air but moved flexibly this way and that, as if it were a living creature with its own will, and gently wrapped itself around the men’s faces.
After a short while, the heads of the men who had been breathing faintly dropped to the side one by one, thud, thud.
And a few minutes later, Evelyn came down to the first floor holding Rastan’s hand.
However, since she left through the back door, she didn’t see what happened to those men.
Some time after the two of them left in the carriage, Ris came down into the yard.
After carefully pushing the communication device deep into the inside pocket of one of the assailants’ pants, she tried to pick up one of them.
They had decided to take those in better condition away for interrogation. But something about the way the body lifted felt very wrong.
“Uh…!”
Startled by the assailant’s body, which had stiffened rigidly contrary to her expectations, Ris reflexively lost her grip on the man she was holding.
She stared blankly as the heavy corpse fell to the ground and rolled.
Evelyn, riding in the carriage, was dozing off repeatedly while sitting upright. It was the longest night of her life, so it was only natural.
She had left the Lansval estate, come to the rented house on the outskirts, fallen asleep, and then been attacked by assailants.
She had nearly been dragged away by strangers, then, unable to sleep again in that room, gathered her belongings and set off as she was.
‘She must be very tired.’
Looking at her with pity, Rastan gently pressed her head, which had begun to sway from side to side, to the side.
Then Evelyn’s head and upper body quickly tilted that way. He caught her falling head and shoulders with his hand and carefully laid her down on his lap.
Imagining the surprised expression she would make when she woke up later like last time, a thin smile was already slipping out. Laughing whenever he looked at her seemed to be a habit that had continued from long ago.
After a short while like that, once Rastan had checked several times that Evelyn was deeply asleep, he opened the window.
As if it had been waiting, a crow that had been flying along outside the carriage entered through the window.
Looking at the crow with purple eyes, Rastan spoke in a low voice.
“As you can see, I am taking Evelyn to the ducal estate. Go ahead quickly and inform the head butler and all the servants.”
And then, to the crow, he murmured the messages it was to deliver in a quiet voice, being careful in case Evelyn might hear.
***
“We have arrived.”
If it hadn’t been for Rastan gently telling her so, she would surely have slept soundly all night lying on his lap.
‘Wow, at this rate I should be paying lodging fees for the carriage.’
Pretending nothing was wrong, I hurriedly straightened my body and roughly tidied my hair and face.
When I stepped out of the carriage, a large number of servants were standing in front of the magnificent manor, led by the head butler and head maid.
‘It’s still dawn and the sun hasn’t even fully risen yet. What kind of discipline is this…’
Seeing that sight, the power and prestige of House Blake truly sank in anew.
Rastan told me to call him by his name and always treated me so comfortably that I kept forgetting. That he was a true high-ranking noble living in a world different from mine.
‘It’s almost embarrassing to even call us both nobles.’
Once we had completely gotten down from the carriage, the familiar-looking head butler stepped forward and bowed.
“Welcome home, Your Grace. Welcome, Lady Krone. I am the head butler of House Blake. Please call me Jeff.”
He was the very head butler who, at Rastan’s birthday banquet before, had pressed down the nose of the rampaging Gerald.
The head maid stepped forward as well, bowing with a warm expression.
“I am the head maid, Joanne. It is truly a pleasure to see you again, Lady Krone.”
She too was a familiar face. She was the very person who had once come to the Lansval estate disguised as a dress shop employee and taken me out.
“I am glad to see you too. I never expected we would meet again like this.”
“Please do not be so formal, my Lady.”
Joanne bowed with a gentle face.
At that moment, Rastan came over, wrapped one arm around my shoulders, and gave Joanne an instruction.
“The Lady must be very tired today, so take her to her room first.”
Then Jeff spoke up with a troubled expression.
“Um, there is something I must ask your understanding about first, my Lady.”
“She’s tired, so quickly.”
“Yes, yes.”
Jeff really did explain quickly.
“Originally, we were going to prepare a guest room in the annex according to your instructions, Your Grace, but I completely forgot that repair work started there today. As a result, the annex is difficult to use at the moment.”
“T-then…”
I was so sleepy that my head felt a little foggy, but at those words, I woke up at once. Surely they weren’t going to send me out at this hour because there was nowhere suitable for me to stay.
Fortunately, Jeff proposed with an exceedingly kind smile.
“Instead, there is exactly one vacant room left in the main building. How about staying there? We tidied it up in advance after receiving word that you were coming.”
I had come all this way; this was no time to be picky.
‘No, strictly speaking, the main building is the better option.’
That there was exactly one vacant room left in such a vast manor, and the slight awkwardness in Jeff’s smile as he said it, did catch my attention. But in my current state of extreme exhaustion, I had no energy to worry about that.
“I am fine with anything. As long as there is somewhere to lie down.”
“Thank you. Then, I will guide you.”
I followed Jeff into the main building. Since the head of the household’s room was naturally in the main building, Rastan entered together with me.
But instead of parting ways after walking together for a bit, he kept walking alongside me the whole way. I watched his expression for a moment, then asked cautiously.
“Um, is Your Grace’s room also this way…?”
In front of the servants, I couldn’t casually call the Master of the place by his name, so here I made sure to use a title.
That question was a roundabout way of saying, ‘Why are you following me this far? Jeff is here, so you do not need to see me off yourself.’ But his answer was unexpected.
“Yes.”
“Pardon?”
Just then, Jeff politely spoke as he opened the door to a room.
“This is the room where you will be staying, my Lady.”
“Ah, yes…”
Wondering if Rastan might follow me inside, I glanced over that way.
But with a perfectly calm expression, he walked a few more meters ahead and opened the door to a room there.
And before entering that room, he smiled and offered me a greeting.
“It’s late, but rest well.”
Was Rastan’s room really right next to mine?
‘What kind of guest room is right next to the Head of the household’s room?’
