Chapter 49
The storage room was filled with a biting chill. By now, even the kidnappers must have realized the situation.
The ringleader—Husky—who had been gripping my shoulder, was the first to speak.
“It’s not like that! They—”
The Duke didn’t bother to listen to any more empty excuses. At just a glance from him, Husky’s tongue froze solid.
“Mmmph, mmhhmmm!”
His now-heavy tongue dropped against his lips. He tried to warm it up, but it was useless.
When he finally tried to tear it free from his frozen lips, blood trickled down. Yikes—just watching it made me hurt.
But there was no time to close my eyes. Because the next target was—
“Father, wait a second!”
I wriggled free of the loose ropes and rushed to stand in front of the kidnappers.
The loud commotion startled both the Duke and the kidnappers.
“Sol?”
“Hey, miss! You okay?”
“That’s not important! Father, these people aren’t kidnappers!”
“…What?”
One of the kidnappers let out a stupid sound. You’re not the one who should be surprised!
I stepped back and stomped on his foot. Please, just keep quiet right now!
Of course, the Duke looked like he didn’t believe a word I said. Still, I had the floor.
“Father, while inspecting the people’s livelihood, I happened to be talking to these men about the lives of laborers!”
“…Go on.”
He had that Let’s see how long you can keep this nonsense going before I believe it look.
Ugh—well, I’ve got nothing to lose by trying!
“Until now, whenever I inspected Count Flogel’s territory, I always accompanied you. And of course, everyone was deferential in front of you.”
“Naturally.”
“So I thought, to see the real state of the territory, I had to come alone!”
“…Was that really necessary?”
“Because there will be people who hide the truth in front of you. As a member of the ducal family—”
“That’s enough.”
Someone cut me off. Not the Duke, but one of the miners.
“You don’t need to make excuses for us anymore.”
“Mister?”
“D-Duke, your daughter is not at fault.”
The miner was trembling but still refused to step aside from in front of me.
“We’re the workers from Mine No. 7. The opal mine on the brink of closure.”
“I know. I ordered it to be redeveloped in June.”
“We heard. But we couldn’t survive the two months of closure, so… we… used the powerless young lady…”
Hey! You could mention how the ringleader distorted the mining news and how you were planning to let me go!
If you really say it was a kidnapping, you might lose your head—like that count who raided the orphanage!
Just as the miner’s shaky voice was about to continue—
“Silence.”
The miner’s eyes went wide. The Duke continued.
“My daughter hasn’t finished speaking yet.”
“Ah…”
“If she wishes to look into the people’s livelihood, how could I refuse? Therefore, the judgment for these people will be rendered by Sol Schlaeger.”
His blue eyes turned to me.
“As Border Marquis of Flogel, Latiger Ult Schlaeger hereby delegates the authority to decide the fate of these subjects to Sol Schlaeger.”
“Father…!”
“Tell me. What happened here, and who is guilty?”
“Yes, of course!”
I pointed at the ringleader. He panicked and started rubbing his frozen tongue with his hands, but it was too late.
“I sentence the deputy manager of Mine No. 7 for spreading false information, conspiring to kidnap, and attempting to slander the Border Marquis!”
“…Oh? Slander?”
One corner of the Duke’s mouth lifted.
“Shall we take our time and hear exactly what sort of slander you had in mind?”
“Hiiiik!”
At the same time, ice clung to the ringleader’s eyelashes. The Duke smiled.
“Close your eyes and relax. It’s a long walk down to our basement.”
If only everyone had just gone home after that. But soon enough, in front of the arriving investigators and soldiers, the miners admitted—albeit reluctantly—that they had kidnapped me.
Well, at least they had enough conscience left for that. That’s why I wanted to help them in the first place.
The Duke’s judgment was simple.
“Is that so? Then until Mine No. 7 reopens, you’ll be given other work.”
The secretary, who arrived late, was tasked with finding suitable jobs. That meant the miners would have work again.
Their wrists were tied with ropes, but as they were led away, their expressions weren’t entirely dark.
“Thank you, my lady.”
“And… truly, we’re sorry.”
I held my head high.
“Of course you should be sorry! Even if you were going to release me soon, you can’t involve a child in a crime!”
“…The lady is right.”
“So personally, I’d like to give you a punishment.”
“…”
Their faces stiffened, but they didn’t seem surprised—more like they were bracing for it.
Naturally, I had only one thing to say:
“From now on, if you see a lost child, you must help them.”
“…Pardon?”
“Too young to be alone, dressed out of season, or looking hurt—help them.”
“I-Is that really a punishment?”
“Yes. It might seem easy, but it’s a hassle. Still, promise me you’ll do it.”
I gripped their hands firmly for emphasis before turning away.
Even if people called it a naive punishment, I didn’t care.
If my naivety could stir their remaining conscience and lead them to help someone, it was worth it.
From behind me came their voices.
“Y-Yes! We promise, my lady!”
“We’re truly sorry! Next time we meet, we’ll have good news to share!”
Their voices grew fainter. Soon, the Duke was at my side, offering his hand like an escort.
“I expected you to give a more… interesting sentence.”
“Like what? Lock them in the dungeon?”
“Nothing so cliché. Hm… perhaps make them work unpaid in an illegal private weapons factory.”
“What kind of person do you think I am?!”
“My daughter.”
“…What?”
The nonsense between us came to an abrupt halt. I froze, rolling that word around in my mind.
My daughter.
The Duke’s expression was hard to read.
“Is that so surprising? I thought it was obvious from the start.”
“Ah… N-No, I’m not surprised, Father.”
“You are.”
Well… yes. I was. I didn’t expect him to just blurt it out like that.
He quickened his pace, so I couldn’t see his face, but there seemed to be a trace of a smile in his voice.
We soon emerged from the alley into a street leading to the main square. A block away, the sounds of the festival buzzed in the night.
Thank goodness—the Duke hadn’t shut down the festivities to look for me.
Music played, and bits of paper fireworks rolled across the white stone road. White petals floated up into the air.
Under the glow of a gas lamp, the Duke finally turned to me.
“Are you all right, Sol?”
“Huh? …Oh.”
Keeping his eyes on me, he smoothed down my hair with his fingers—still messy from the sack they’d thrown over my head.
Then he brushed it back, checking my face for injuries, before kneeling on one knee to meet my gaze.
“Did you get hurt while being taken? Any bruises or scrapes?”
“Ah, I’m fine. Even when they tied me up, it didn’t—”
“…”
“…”
The moment I said it, a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
Uh-oh. Probably shouldn’t have reminded him.
“The man I sent to the dungeon will be taught firsthand how many different materials a person can be bound with.”
“I don’t care if you teach him—just don’t teach me.”
“Of course.”
After checking that there were no rope marks on my ankles, he took my hand.
“Any scary things should be my burden to bear.”
“…”
“Seems you’re unhurt. But were you frightened? Should we head inside and rest?”
Where had he learned this gentle father act?
…Honestly, I wanted to just cling to him and cry. Complain about how scary it was.
Ask him to make me hot cocoa, to pat my head before bed, to leave the light on and stay until I fell asleep.
And right now, he looked like he’d do it all if I asked.
But the sounds of distant fireworks and laughter spilled into the alley, and in the end, my racing heart won out.
“I don’t want to go in! The festival’s still going on!”
“…True. It won’t end for a while.”
“Yes! I still want to see the straw burning!”
I still had so much to do—like find out who won the ball-toss game.
By now, my eyes must have been sparkling with the night sky. And when the Duke looked down at me, his eyes were the same.
When he seemed assured that I was truly well, he carefully took my hand in both of his.
“I’m glad you’re well, my lady. Now, will you grant me the honor of sharing the finale with you?”
“…Huh?”
“You haven’t forgotten, have you? We promised to dance together.”
“Of course I haven’t! But… aren’t you busy with work?”
He already had plenty to do, and after the hunting ground incident, even more had piled up.
Even earlier, the investigators and secretaries who came with him had seemed busy with other matters.
But—
“Of course I’m busy. But the reason I work so hard is so I won’t miss the moments I truly want.”
“Ah… Then, what you want now is—”
“To keep my promise with my daughter.”
I looked at him. He must have spent the day inspecting the hunting grounds himself—there were traces of dirt on his trouser hems.
After that, he would have been searching for me. Stray threads hung where a button had been torn from his sleeve.
There was only one answer I could give him.
“Yes, Father. I’ve been waiting.”
“…”
“Let’s go.”
I gripped his hand tightly. The Duke flinched as if burned, then slowly returned my grip and rose to his feet.
Step by step, we walked toward the square together.
Under the witness of the round moon alone, the Duke looked down at me and said—
“…Yes. I’ve been waiting for this day, too.”
