Chapter 57
I’ve caused plenty of trouble in my life, but not all of it ended as mere mischief.
As I pondered over a plan, I spread out a large papyrus and began scribbling notes all over it.
“I can’t count on Lord Gaju’s help…”
There’s no official reason to stop the marriage. Lord Gaju wouldn’t intervene in another household’s matters just out of personal feelings.
“I could maybe dissuade them with a lot of money, but I can’t spend the family fortune at will.”
I decided to change my approach.
There’s no need to stop the marriage entirely.
All I had done was prevent Iolante from running away before, so I just needed to help her escape again.
“It must have been thrilling for someone so remarkable to take her away, right?”
I could use that anticipation to my advantage.
With my resolve firm, I walked to a corner of the library stacked with old foreign books that no one ever read. I pulled out an unusually thick dictionary and took out dozens of letters wedged between the pages.
I had stumbled upon them years ago while rummaging through the library.
“Gonbu, right?”
When I was a little kid who couldn’t even speak properly, I had opened this dictionary without knowing better—and it hid a very, very big secret.
“Hmm, what’s this?”
A note I opened casually turned out to be a letter written by one of my ancestors.
[Dearest Aurelia,
Not a day passes without seeing your face that doesn’t feel like an eternity.
I am alone in a dark room, where only silence and solitude swirl around me.
When I imagined your face…]
The ancestor whose name I didn’t know didn’t stop at imagining.
I slammed the dictionary shut as if I had committed a crime and left the library with a bright red face.
I have no talent for expressing feelings in writing.
“So I’ll just borrow the wholesome parts, ancestor.”
The next day, a letter arrived at a mansion on the far edge of the Solis district.
“A letter with no recipient, my lord.”
“Where could it have come from? There’s nowhere it should come from.”
“Perhaps a letter from home? Let’s open it.”
As the couple unfolded the parchment, a small flame appeared and disappeared into the air.
It was the seal of the Ignitus family’s power.
“Th-this…!”
“It must be from the young master we visited back then!”
[From a young Ignitus whose name I cannot reveal,
Please forgive my rudeness.
Three days ago, near the Forum, I met the one destined for me.
Her hair held the freshness of new sprouts, and her round, sparkling eyes—
Seeing a girl lost and wandering, my heart beat in a way it never had before.
I forgot my duties and exchanged a few words with her, and in that moment, I resolved to make her my wife.
But yesterday, a respected relative who returned home told me unbelievable news.
The girl has returned home and is about to be married.
I am in unbearable agony.
If she finds a good husband and a happy home, I will wish for her happiness. There is nothing more precious to me than her happiness!
But I am on the brink of death from despair.
If only, just once, I could see her face again!
I beg you shamelessly to help me, even just once.
Tonight, I wish to see her under the Temple of Vesta.
I will offer a sacred prayer for her and vanish from her life forever.
P.S. Please keep all of this a secret. Otherwise, I will exact terrible vengeance. You all know how cruel a wounded man can be.]
“D-dear…”
“Oh my goodness…”
The couple couldn’t close their mouths after reading the letter.
A great noble wants their daughter!
They took a deep breath and began calculating.
Ignitus vs. a former inspector. There’s no comparison by family alone.
But if the marriage falls through and they incur the inspector’s wrath, the future could be grim.
“I wish we had another daughter!” the woman sighed.
“What a remarkable skill, hiding such talent until now…”
The couple couldn’t easily reach a conclusion, but one thing was certain: tonight, their daughter had to go to the Temple of Vesta.
I wondered if the letter I poured my heart into had arrived safely.
It was the first time I had written a letter so diligently.
I used every flourish and expression I knew.
“Her… happiness is the most precious thing to me… hmm, is that romantic enough?”
I would have to thank the unknown woman who once admired Ankus separately later.
I sent it in the family mailbox, which included all the servants’ letters, so there would be no suspicion.
By then, the sun was setting.
I entered the temple stealthily, face hidden behind a veil.
“Miss?”
“….”
The young priest immediately recognized me.
Well, that defeats the purpose of my disguise.
“What brings you here?”
“I… have someone I need to meet.”
“Hmm…”
The kind priest stared at me suspiciously.
“I-I’ll be quick! Just a brief talk. Could you prevent anyone from entering the entrance?”
“Understood, Miss.”
Fortunately, the priest stepped aside obediently.
I walked to the front of the temple, which I rarely used.
The Temple of Vesta, atop Mount Ardeo, had a back path connected to our mansion, while the front was open to the kingdom’s citizens.
So Iolante would come up the front stairs.
I held my breath and waited.
As the moon reached its zenith, someone began ascending the marble stairs.
I tested my voice.
“Ah-ah—”
The echo bounced off the wide temple walls, making it a low sound that could have been either a girl’s or a boy’s.
‘I should give her a hint to run away.’
Finally, Iolante reached the temple.
Seeing no one waiting, she looked around in confusion.
“Someone’s been waiting.”
A sudden loud voice made Iolante search for me between the pillars.
But it was too dark inside to see anything, so she tried to converse with the empty air.
“Ah, so this is what you meant by helping me.”
“Yes. I… am here to help you—”
“No!”
Iolante shouted suddenly.
“I’m fine. I came to say this. Marriage can’t save me from another marriage.”
“…Huh?”
Wait, I think she’s seriously misunderstanding.
“If resisting fate is impossible, I will relinquish my destiny to escape this suffering.”
She spoke calmly, turning her body.
Right before her was the edge of the steep marble steps.
“Please convey my regards to the kind lady. I will remember this favor forever.”
‘What kind of reaction is this…?’
Only then did I realize the letter I sent could easily be misinterpreted.
“Nooo!”
I dashed forward and grabbed Iolante’s waist just as she was about to lose balance.
She toppled with me onto the cold marble floor.
“Aahh…”
“Miss?”
Recognizing me, Iolante spoke.
“I wrote that letter!”
“Whhaaa?”
I brushed myself off, straightened my back, and said:
“I said I’d save you. Come on, follow me, and I’ll show you the way down.”
“I-I…”
“If you do just this, you can live on your own, right? You’ve run away once before anyway.”
Finally understanding the situation, Iolante took my hand.
“Alright, Miss.”
I escorted Iolante to the platform and handed her the descent scroll.
She bid farewell to me with teary eyes.
“Go far away, alright? The inspector will soon find another girl, so don’t worry too much. That’s just how men like him are.”
I waved at Iolante descending the platform.
“Goodbye! Maybe our paths will cross again someday!”
