Chapter 56
The man, visibly delighted, proposed to invite us to his home and serve us dinner.
As someone curious about other houses, it was an enticing offer.
“I’d like to go, but since Master said to return immediately, it might be difficult…”
Surprisingly, Ankus seemed to be pondering.
“Where is your residence?”
“It’s at the far end of the Solis district. Please give me a moment; I’ll get a horse and lead the way.”
“Very well. You can make this child happy, can’t you? After all, it wasn’t I who found your child, it was she herself.”
“Of course, Your Grace. I have a daughter as well.”
The man bowed repeatedly even as he hurried along.
“Anku, is this really okay?”
“In my opinion, this is a good experience for you, young lady.”
“What do you mean? Sneaking around without Master knowing?”
“An experience of doing a kind deed and being rewarded for it.”
“That’s just luck.”
“Everything you say is so lovely.”
“Anku, you’re a flirt.”
“…Except for that. The Solis district has many trustworthy neighbors. Since they moved there, it’s unlikely there would be any troublemakers.”
Following Ankus’s suggestion, we went to the man’s home.
He had spoken the truth.
The man took us to a wealthy district where large, clean mansions lined the streets. They weren’t as grand as the Ignitus Mansion, but they were impressive.
“Welcome, Your Grace, young lady.”
The lady of the house and her children, already there, welcomed us with open arms.
“Excuse me, may I ask your name?”
“Ankus Ignitus. This is my cousin.”
“I’m Calidora!”
Everyone present froze in surprise.
“Good heavens… the noble Ignitus family has come to help us?”
They tried to bow again.
“No need to kneel!”
It was becoming slightly burdensome. We had only helped them by chance.
Though it was early, the hosts served a magnificent dinner with exotic spices I had never seen before.
After filling up on the fragrant lamb and sprawling across the long bench, the lady of the house offered me another favor.
“If you wish, you may stay here for a few days. Actually, we’d be delighted if you did. My daughter’s wedding is coming soon, and you’ll get to taste even more delicious food than today.”
“Wedding?”
I asked, puzzled. Strange, I thought I had only seen one shabby child, yet she was already being married off?
“Is it the child you found earlier?”
Ankus, nibbling on dessert, asked.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
That question prompted the householder to begin a long story.
They were lower-ranking nobles from a foreign kingdom, forced to flee when relatives in power were overthrown. While searching for a new home, they had come to our kingdom with the help of an old friend.
Having abandoned their house and property, they were practically destitute, but the inspector had actively assisted them.
“At first, we wondered if our homeland wanted something from us. It was very awkward. We had already been chased out, so there was nothing we could offer in return. But the aide said that the inspector was very fond of our Io! He even offered to take her as a secondary spouse.”
I felt Ankus flinch slightly.
Being the sharpest in the Ignitus family, he couldn’t possibly be indifferent to something that made me uncomfortable.
“That’s truly wonderful. My sincere congratulations.”
Still, he showed no sign of displeasure, instead smiling as he offered congratulations.
“Anku, how old is Inspector Domitius?”
I whispered, and Ankus hesitated before replying indirectly.
“Multiply my age by three…”
Apparently, he thought I couldn’t do multiplication.
“…Sixty-six.”
Is this even allowed? Io is fifteen!
I suddenly felt queasy.
I aimlessly walked around the place.
“Oh my, please show me around!”
The lady of the house called to her maids, but I shook my head.
“I only want to look at the statues here.”
Of course, that was a lie. I wandered the sparsely populated corridors, lost in thought.
“She fell from a cart…?”
There was no way a teenager would accidentally fall; she must have run away. She hadn’t gone to find the guards or even knocked on a neighbor’s door—she must have hidden under the temple’s pillars.
“Calm down. It’s not like I haven’t seen kids like this before!”
By law, children must obey their guardians. So no one would interfere with her marriage.
Even so, I felt uneasy.
Had I not revealed her location, she might have escaped safely and avoided such a marriage. Perhaps she could have lived a new life by now.
The more I thought about it, the heavier my guilt grew.
“Still, I can’t meddle in someone else’s household affairs.”
I forced myself to return to the dining hall.
Then, from a dark corridor across the hall, I heard someone crying.
A clear, sobbing voice—definitely a girl.
“…Could it be…!”
I forgot I was a guest and ran toward the sound.
In a small room deep in the corridor, the girl I had seen earlier was curled up, crying.
She had apparently forgotten to lock the door.
“Iolante?”
When I called her name, she turned toward me in surprise.
She recognized me, breathing heavily with a complex expression, then politely bowed.
“Th-thank you for bringing me home. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Why are you crying?”
Even I was annoyed with myself for asking. Didn’t I know why already?
She seemed resigned and explained her situation to a stranger like me.
“My wedding is the day after tomorrow. In exchange for taking me, the noble will grant citizenship to my parents and brother.”
…As expected.
The couple’s urgency wasn’t out of love—they were worried about the imminent wedding.
“He is much older than me. I don’t want to marry him…”
“I’m sorry… it’s because I found you…”
“Oh, young lady, you did nothing wrong.”
Iolante wiped her tears.
“You did a kind deed. I’m only sad about my own fate. Thanks to you, my family won’t be in trouble.”
“….”
Watching her say that, a mischievous urge stirred in me for the first time in a while.
I walked briskly into the room and approached her.
“Do you want me to save you?”
“…Huh?”
Iolante looked at me in disbelief.
“Tell them you want someone to save you. Then I’ll save you.”
“Ah… young lady…”
“But if you don’t want it, I won’t act. It has to be your decision.”
“….”
Iolante clenched her teeth, then resolutely spoke as if grasping at anything she could hold onto.
“Please save me.”
For some reason, I liked her determination.
“I don’t want to live like this.”
“Good!”
I answered brightly, spun around, and left the room.
“Ah, young lady…”
“Wait a moment. I’ll figure something out!”
Her wedding was in two days. There’s still enough time.
I hurried Ankus and returned to the mansion.
At first, Master seemed slightly upset that we had gone to another home without permission—
“Master, Anku wanted to give me a good experience, so she decided to take me along.”
“If it’s an experience attending dinner, there’s no reason to scold her.”
“No, it’s an experience of being rewarded for doing a good deed.”
“…I see.”
Upon hearing my honesty, he softened.
Besides, visiting the Solis district, one of the kingdom’s safest places, helped ease his concern.
After sunset, I retreated to the mansion study, deep in thought.
Honestly, I didn’t have a concrete plan when I spoke so boldly.
But I was determined—I would find a way, no matter what.
