<16>
“Master, there’s a guest in the annex…”
Edwin shot a annoyed glance at Theo, who had been trailing him since lunch, babbling incoherently. Theo’s eyes flickered nervously, betraying some kind of unease.
For Edwin, already swamped with pressing matters, Theo’s fussing was unbearably irritating.
“A guest?”
“Well…”
“No, never mind. We’ll talk later. I’m not in the mood, and I don’t want to entertain you right now, Theo.”
Theo had been about to mention Delsia’s name but was immediately cut off, leaving him staring blankly. Edwin was more irritable than usual today. Understandably so—he had been forced into a series of ridiculous situations after receiving repeated messages from Count Anto.
He had been dragged to strange places in broad daylight, shown one rare object after another. It had all been extremely unpleasant. Frowning, Edwin sat at his desk in the study and drew a slow breath. A large pile of paperwork lay before him.
These were matters he had been unable to handle while at the battlefield. Even though he had spent several days diligently working through them, the end still wasn’t in sight. He rifled through the urgent stack of documents and pulled one out to read carefully.
Soon, the only sound in the study was the scratch of his pen on paper. Edwin’s frowning hand, processing the tall stack of documents, suddenly froze.
“Theo, I’ll ask you just this one thing.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Why did you allow a guest into my annex without permission?”
“You had approved it before you lost your memory…”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Theo answered while keeping an eye on Edwin’s suspicious expression. He swallowed Delsia’s name, which was on the tip of his tongue. He could vividly picture Delsia alone in the annex, prepared for his master’s arrival.
Delsia was pretending to be fine, but she was clearly not. Theo realized this the moment he saw her—she looked like someone who hadn’t slept or eaten properly since hearing that Edwin had lost his memory.
Her cheeks were hollow, her once-slender wrists even thinner, and even speaking was a struggle. Theo felt a pang of guilt; if he had whispered her name more actively into Edwin’s ear, might things have turned out differently?
He regretted turning away to avoid Edwin’s anger. Taking a deep breath, Theo tried to act casual.
“Master, by the way… are you not going to see Count Ferdo anymore?”
“…Count Ferdo?”
“It seems you haven’t been seeking him out lately…”
“You weren’t exactly close to him anyway.”
“…Excuse me?”
When Theo asked in confusion, Edwin merely shook his head.
“Never mind. You’re tired, so go on.”
“You still have so much to do, Master. You shouldn’t be tired already.”
“It’s hard to focus with you chattering by my side.”
“You always have an excuse,” Theo muttered.
Grumbling, Theo left the study without accomplishing his aim of mentioning Delsia’s name. Alone, Edwin continued to work through the paperwork, his expression dark.
“Just thinking about Count Ferdo’s face puts me in a bad mood…”
Muttering under his breath, Edwin glanced at the sacred sword Pasio behind him. Normally, Pasio would comment at times like this. Edwin remembered how unbearable Pasio’s chatter had been on the battlefield. Lately, though, it had been quiet—calling it yielded no response.
“Is it sulking at me?”
Was there a reason for it to sulk?
Shrugging, Edwin returned to the paperwork.
The next day, Edwin left the mansion early, claiming he had somewhere to go, leaving only Theo pacing anxiously. He couldn’t stop thinking about how pitiful Delsia’s face had looked that morning.
The weight of guilt pressing on Theo grew heavier by the minute. Resolute, he gathered a stack of documents and headed to the annex.
The servants he passed looked at him curiously, but Theo brushed them off, claiming he was busy, and pressed on.
Entering the annex, he placed the stack of documents in the small study attached to it. Soon, Edwin would return, and Theo planned to use the excuse that some work needed to be done in the annex.
If Edwin and Delsia were to “coincidentally” meet, perhaps the situation would improve slightly. A proud smile crept onto Theo’s face.
Sneaking out of the annex, Theo cleared all the documents from the main study and left a small note on the desk. He wrote carefully, whistled, and left, even taking the pen Edwin used for his work.
After all, if Edwin spent the whole time holed up in the annex, he wouldn’t accomplish anything. Theo figured that opening Delsia’s door to find a spare pen might create an opportunity for some progress. Thinking this, the weight of his conscience felt a little lighter.
Soon, Edwin returned to the mansion. Theo excused himself to the library, claiming he had work to do.
Edwin entered his study and was puzzled to find the documents missing. Sitting at his desk, he discovered the note Theo had left. He read it quickly, frowning.
[For a change of pace, handle today’s work in the annex study! – Theo]
“Damn it.”
Doing unnecessary things and making him go on a wild goose chase. Grabbing his sacred sword like a part of himself, Edwin strode swiftly to the annex.
Sighing, he entered the annex study and sat down. A stack of documents waited for him. As he prepared to work, he realized there were no pens in the study and gritted his teeth—he was too lazy to walk back to the main mansion.
Rummaging through the annex, Edwin hoped to find at least one pen. He opened each room, many of which were empty without their owner. He wondered why he had spent so much money decorating the annex in the past.
“…What the hell have you been up to?”
He muttered to himself, unsure if the remark was for his past self or for Theo, who had caused unnecessary trouble. Grinding his teeth, he was about to throw open the last door when—
“Gasp… Master!”
“What is it?”
“Marquis Kellian has arrived.”
“Without any prior notice?”
“Yes. Shall I turn him away?”
Edwin shook his head.
“No, he must have urgent business. Show him to the audience chamber. I’ll be there shortly.”
Watching the servant leave, Edwin relaxed his grip on the doorknob. Gathering the documents, he headed back to the main mansion.
He felt deeply fatigued. How could he feel this tired so soon after returning home? Edwin blamed all of it on that damn Theo as he entered the main building.
He returned the documents to his study and made his way to the audience chamber to meet Marquis Kellian.
“Oh, Duke Adelio.”
“It’s been a while, Marquis Kellian.”
“Haha, I heard you cut down the enemy with your sacred sword on the battlefield! Truly impressive. I knew the Adelio family had strength, but I never imagined you could wield a sacred sword so freely!”
No apology for the sudden visit. Edwin, aware of Kellian’s lack of manners, swallowed his irritation.
“I see.”
“Rather than that, I’d like to see your sacred sword, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. The sacred sword…”
Edwin instinctively touched his waist but froze. He had left the sword in the annex study. Still, he didn’t want to leave his post unattended for a suspicious guest.
Seeing the eager expression on Kellian’s face, Edwin shook his head.
“Ah, I left the sacred sword behind.”
“Haha, that’s fine. There will be another chance to see it, won’t there?”
Edwin frowned at Kellian’s cheeky assumption of a “next time,” but he nodded slightly—curious to see how far the man would overstep.
They began discussing business matters: ongoing projects, investments, and shares.
“Ah, I heard a mine rich in mana stones was discovered.”
“Is that so?”
“They say it’s on sale soon, and the quality is excellent.”
Kellian spoke enthusiastically about the newly discovered southern mine, praising its location and value in terms that made Edwin’s ears twitch. His roundabout phrasing only added to Edwin’s fatigue. With a quiet sigh, Edwin finally asked:
“So, what’s the point?”
“I’d like to know if you’re interested in investing, Duke.”
“Investing?”
“Yes. You recall I mentioned it’s a mine in the territory of Count Ataz, one of the leading southern nobles?”
Edwin nodded vaguely, having heard the name before. Kellian’s eyes sparkled.
“Count Ataz felt he wasn’t capable of managing such a large mine, so he entrusted me with authority to handle it.”
“I see.”
“Technically, it’s just a small authority to suggest a purchase first.”
“That seems like considerable authority.”
“Haha, it’s not that much. I just have a bit of familiarity with him, that’s all. So, Duke, would you consider acquiring this mine?”
“Acquiring…”
“No need to overthink. I assumed this would be your first mine purchase. If there’s anything unclear, I can explain it in detail.”
Kellian smiled, his greed thinly veiled by feigned humility.
