Chapter 131:………………………………………………………..
Bait (3)
With a face clearly etched with irritation and anger, Lowell removed his glasses and pressed his eyes tightly, murmuring to himself. A storm of complex emotions raged within him.
The first was emptiness.
The scarecrow hostage he had selected to distract attention turned out to be his own “family”.
And yet, by any measure, this person wasn’t someone he should even be considered part of a family unit with anymore.
“Even though it’s a well-known fact that we don’t really care for each other, they still went and grabbed them…”
Even to outsiders, their family ties were likely insignificant. The thought that such a flimsy bond was so transparent to everyone else made his anger flare needlessly.
“If I had cut it off earlier instead of postponing, none of this would have happened.”
A sense of shame stained his chest, as if his deepest flaw had been exposed. Why had he maintained a connection that could so easily be severed? The feeling of futility was overwhelming.
“All for such treatment…”
The second was helpless rage.
All he wanted was a quiet life, free from confrontation. To live unnoticed, leaving no trace, and vanish quietly.
It wasn’t a difficult thing to achieve, yet the world wouldn’t leave him alone. Even this time, it was the same.
“You shouldn’t just randomly kidnap people to drag me out. Do I look that easy?”
Even excluding the previous Temia incident, there had already been two attempts to use others as excuses to lure him out. Experiencing it twice was more than he wanted to endure. So much so that he even questioned, briefly, whether he himself looked vulnerable.
The third, surprisingly, was guilt.
“I didn’t keep them by my side to put them through this.”
Normally, all these humiliations would have nothing to do with Lady of the House Temia. Yet Temia, simply because she was his assistant, was dragged into everything. On top of that, her friend had even ended up in trouble. He felt a heavy responsibility weigh on him.
He didn’t regret meeting Temia, but he never wanted to see her suffer because of her connection to him.
“I’ve never worried about something like this before.”
He felt weary. Suddenly, that thought struck him. His chest felt heavy and stifling, as if a large stone had lodged inside, blocking his breath.
Unconsciously, he adjusted his glasses, feeling the tightness ease slightly. Yet, just then, Temia gently tugged at his sleeve. When he turned to look, their eyes met—her expression was gloomy, her lips pressed in a thin line beneath downcast eyes.
“Are you disappointed? Because of me?”
But the voice that came from her mouth was unexpectedly gentle. Calm, despite having been restless moments before.
“Those people really are a hassle, aren’t they?”
“…Indeed.”
“Lowell, you haven’t tried the cake made by the chef at the main house, right? The chef there oversees the kitchen, and their skills are truly amazing.”
Temia began chattering about something unfamiliar. Lowell couldn’t even respond, just stared blankly, but she didn’t care and continued speaking.
“The texture of the sponge is so fluffy and soft. Nothing else compares. So we have to eat it together later.”
Even this was an everyday kind of conversation. Lowell, momentarily puzzled, looked at his assistant. She let out a sigh as if suppressing rising anger.
“I just feel like people are too harsh on you. So many calling, so many sending you back and forth.”
Her slightly pouty voice carried genuine concern for him. It made Lowell realize a weight in his chest had been lifted. He found his voice again.
“…Temia, you’re in the same situation too, right? Didn’t you hear what Lery said earlier? It’s not just about me.”
“Actually, if I could have taken someone as a hostage and called only you, I wouldn’t have cared where it was. This time, it just happened that Kylie was at my villa, so that became the location.”
“You really think so?”
“Of course! I am angry about the situation, but compared to the one constantly targeted, it’s nothing. So if this time everything is resolved…”
“…Resolved?”
“We’ll go somewhere no one can call us, and rest without lifting a finger.”
This was not something the usual Temia would say. She had never ignored someone reaching out, nor hesitated to involve herself in other people’s matters.
But this time, she wanted to take him somewhere no one would disturb them and soothe the heart of a weary man. And she wanted to fully enjoy that time herself. Just the two of them.
Perhaps for that reason, Temia whispered as she left the room.
“…This counts as a date request. You said there’s something you wanted to hear from me, right?”
Her tone was full of the mischief of someone whose time with him had repeatedly been interrupted.
Even in this serious situation, Lowell found her attempt to cheer herself up adorable.
He returned to his usual brazen expression. The traces of disdain and fatigue were gone. Feeling more at ease, he followed Temia with Lery perched on his shoulder, busy preening his fur.
The two of them handed over Count Treya to Etvalga’s retainers at Callis Land and hurriedly arranged a carriage to the villa. Though the train station was nearby and would have been easier, Lowell blocked that idea.
“If it’s a place with traffic, they’ll obviously expect us to come there.”
“So… taking a carriage is meant to catch them off guard?”
“Exactly. The road might be rough, but with money and magic, we’ll manage.”
They boarded a sturdy new carriage. The coachman, motivated by the generous pay promised by a wizard, drove even faster.
The distance from Callis Land to the villa was considerable, giving Temia plenty of time to reflect. She thought of Kylie visiting the villa with stories to entertain her, Kylie questioning her relationship with Lowell, plotting to annul her engagement…
Though she couldn’t spend as much time with him now, her heart remained connected. After all, everything had been endured to protect her.
“So, please, stay safe.”
Lost in thought, Temia’s ears caught a sudden voice, pulling her back to reality.
“Why the villa?”
“…?”
“Why did Prometheus call us to Etvalga’s villa?”
Lowell’s gaze remained outside the window, but his voice was clear. Direct, despite staring absentmindedly. Temia answered.
“I suppose… as I said, it just happened that Kylie was there. They wanted to use her as a hostage, and she was conveniently there.”
“If that’s the case, it could become a full-scale war with the Etvalga family. But it wouldn’t make sense for Prometheus to attack the duke first to overthrow the kingdom. For the operation to be valid, the hostage would need to be someone like you.”
“Exactly. I guess it didn’t matter who was the primary target, as long as it worked.”
“I’m not so sure. Messing with Etvalga property is a serious decision. Even if you move cautiously, you can’t guarantee the rebellion will succeed, and yet they linger in front of the duke’s villa? They’re not trying to start a war immediately.”
Lowell said cynically.
“Frankly, playing with Lady LaCroix’s life won’t start a war. So if they went that far, there must be another reason.”
Temia’s face flushed with surprise. She had never considered it that way. She had thought they only wanted to exploit Lowell while moving him back and forth…
But strangely, her heartbeat quickened at his words. Something else must be going on. Feeling uneasy, she frowned, and Lowell asked:
“Does that villa have anything unusual?”
At that moment, Temia felt her heart drop.
