Chapter 75
“Sometimes I come out of the imperial palace like this for a walk.”
“Without any escort knights?”
“I came out secretly.”
“…What?”
Aileen made a blank expression, wondering if she had heard correctly.
On the other hand, Ludwig spoke as if it were no big deal.
“I dislike having people follow me, so I come out secretly like this today, wearing a hood.”
“Still, that sounds dangerous…”
When Aileen voiced her concern, Ludwig made a strange expression.
As she tilted her head, wondering what that was about, Cain came closer and whispered,
“His Highness the Third Prince’s swordsmanship is quite formidable.”
“Ah…”
Only then did she realize how pointless her worry had been.
If a knight like Cain said so, then his skills must indeed be excellent.
Feeling embarrassed, Aileen apologized.
“I’m sorry for failing to recognize Your Highness’s abilities.”
“It’s all right. Rather, I like it.”
“Yes?”
“It’s been a long time since anyone worried about me.”
At the unexpected words, Aileen’s eyes widened.
Now that she thought about it, Ludwig resembled Richard.
In the sense that he had had to fight and endure alone within the imperial palace.
That fact made Aileen’s heart ache for no reason.
Then Ludwig looked at her and said,
“Actually, I’m the one who should apologize. I didn’t think I would look suspicious, and I ended up following you, madam.”
“I was a little startled.”
Aileen laughed awkwardly. Ludwig parted his lips, and after a long hesitation, spoke in a small voice.
“I was just… happy to see you without realizing it.”
“…What?”
She was slightly flustered. Had there ever been something between her and Ludwig that would make him feel glad to see her?
‘Well, there was something embarrassing.’
She remembered crying without knowing Ludwig was there. No matter how hard it had been, thinking about it again made her cheeks flush slightly.
At that moment, a noisy sound came from outside. The soundproofing magic blocked noises from inside, but it seemed that sounds from outside could still come in.
Ludwig, who had been staring in the direction of the noise, muttered,
“It seems business is going well.”
“Yes. Thankfully. Many people congratulated us when we opened, so maybe that’s why.”
Aileen smiled contentedly, recalling the wreaths that had decorated the front of the shop. But Ludwig’s expression looked oddly subtle.
“Perhaps…”
“Yes?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
“Please say it. Is there something you need?”
“It’s not that…”
Ludwig hesitated unusually, as if unsure what to say.
When Aileen took on a listening posture, he finally spoke.
“Was there, by any chance, a wreath without a sender’s name?”
“Oh, right. There was one like that. I was wondering who sent it—”
Aileen stopped mid-sentence.
How did Ludwig know about that?
Thinking of one possibility, she made a strange face.
“Could it be…?”
“I’m glad it arrived safely.”
Ludwig said that and took a sip of tea. A trace of pride he couldn’t quite hide showed on his face.
Aileen stared at him blankly, then came to her senses.
“Why didn’t you write your name…?”
“I was worried something unpleasant might happen if it were linked to me. It wasn’t for my older brother, but for his wife.”
When she heard it, it made sense. But there was one more thing Aileen had to ask.
“Then why did you go so far as to send me a wreath?”
Ludwig’s hand, which had been fiddling with the teacup handle, paused. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered.
“When I met you at the imperial palace last time, even though it was a short while, I felt at ease for the first time in a long time.”
Remembering that moment, Ludwig chuckled softly.
“So I just wanted to congratulate you.”
Though faint, it was a smile she had never seen before, and Aileen blinked. By then, Ludwig had finished his tea and slowly stood up.
“Then I should be on my way now.”
“Already? You can stay longer.”
“No. If I stay any longer, I think I’ll interfere with your work.”
Ludwig pulled his hood back over his head and went outside. Aileen followed him to see him off.
The moment he opened the door, it rang with a bell, and a black-haired child came in.
Recognizing the child’s face, Ludwig quickly turned his head away. Because of their difference in height, he was worried the child might recognize his face hidden under the hood.
Likewise recognizing the child, Aileen lightly pointed toward Ludwig and asked,
“Sets? What brings you here?”
Her gaze moved around the child, but no matter how much she looked, the person who should have been there was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Adrian? Weren’t you two supposed to go out together?”
“Adrian didn’t come here either?”
Instead, Sets asked back with a darkened expression.
Feeling uneasy, Aileen’s face stiffened slightly.
“What do you mean by that? Explain properly.”
“Well…”
Flustered, Sets couldn’t continue. Then his escort knight, Chels, explained instead.
“While young master stepped away for a moment, young master Adrian disappeared. So we thought perhaps he had come here and searched for him, but…”
“What about the escort knight? Adrian should have had an escort knight with him—Sir Toms, I believe?”
Aileen asked, but Chels shook his head with a grim face.
“Not only Sir Toms, but the other escort knight has also disappeared.”
“The other escort knight?”
As far as she knew, Adrian’s escort knight was only Toms. She had never heard of another.
When Aileen voiced her doubt, Chels instead looked puzzled.
“I heard he was a trainee knight. He said he came out to escort young master Adrian together with Sir Toms to gain experience. His name was definitely…”
Chels thought for a moment, then exclaimed,
“Dino.”
“Dino?”
It was not an unfamiliar name. Searching her memory for where she had heard it, Aileen soon recalled a face.
The trainee knight who had been thoroughly scolded by Cain that morning. And the same knight who had glared sharply at her.
Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of unease washed over her, and Aileen stood still for a moment. Then Ludwig spoke to her, and she came back to her senses.
“Who is Adrian?”
“He’s my younger brother. The only… family I have left.”
Aileen hid her trembling hand with the other.
Trying to remain calm, she spoke to the Premium employees who were looking at her worriedly.
“I think I should go look for my brother.”
“Did the kid disappear?”
Heinel also asked with a hardened face. Aileen nodded and looked at Annie.
“Annie, could you take care of the shop for the remaining time?”
“Leave it to me! Don’t worry and go quickly!”
Annie spoke with eyes full of determination and concern. Aileen gave her a grateful smile.
“I’ll go with you too. We should have as many people searching as possible.”
“Thank you, Heinel.”
Aileen moved together with the readily volunteering Heinel. Then her eyes met Sets, who was looking up at her restlessly.
“Thank you for telling me, Sets. I’ll look for him, so you can go back now.”
“I want to help too.”
“I appreciate the thought. But if you get back too late, your grandfather will worry.”
By grandfather, she meant the war hero Teslon. Though he looked fierce, he doted terribly on his grandson.
Sets looked conflicted at her words. The one who guided him was his escort knight, Chels.
“Young master, let us return for today.”
“…Okay. Please tell me if Adrian comes back.”
“Of course.”
In the end, Sets returned home with a dejected face.
Aileen watched the carriage of the Duke Eisen family move away, then turned her gaze to Ludwig.
“Your Highness, you should also return now.”
“I will help as well.”
Ludwig offered readily, but Aileen shook her head.
“If you stay away from the palace too long, it will cause trouble.”
Having no argument against that, Ludwig pressed his lips together. After hesitating, he nodded.
“…I hope you find your younger brother.”
“Thank you.”
Aileen said with a faint smile. Worry for her brother was evident in her eyes, but Ludwig eventually returned to the imperial palace.
Only then did Aileen let out a deep sigh.
“Phew…”
“It will be all right, madam.”
Heinel offered rare words of comfort. Aileen nodded, then looked at the people returning home one by one and said,
“Let’s hurry and search.”
❧ ❧ ❧
“Did she go?”
“Yeah. Looks like she did.”
Two men hiding in an alley whispered as they watched Aileen’s back as she moved away from the shop.
When she completely disappeared from sight, they came out onto the roadside.
“Whew… If not for that knight, we would’ve rushed in already.”
The knight they meant was Cain.
Last time, one of their comrades had caused trouble at Premium and had been dragged out by Cain, so this time they had to hide and wait until he was gone.
“Still, it looks like our boss handled things well. Just look at her—she left looking pale as a sheet.”
“Of course she would. Her precious younger brother disappeared.”
The man who had been snickering spoke with gleaming eyes.
“Now then, shall we go do our job?”
“Let’s.”
They had received an order.
To cause a scene so that customers would not come to Premium.
To carry out that order faithfully, the two men boldly entered the shop.
Ding—
“Welcome!”
Annie, a Premium employee, greeted them with a bright smile. She was worried about the boss, but felt that all the more reason to protect the shop well.
Of course, they paid no attention to Annie and glanced at where the customers were. Then they shouted,
“Ah, what kind of shop is this! Everything’s trash!”
“It’s a mess, a total mess.”
They wandered around noisily, clicking their tongues, and the customers frowned. The two men didn’t care and instead glared at them.
When the customers hesitated, Annie finally stepped forward.
“Sir, you can’t do this here.”
“What? A customer can’t evaluate a shop?”
“If you keep this up, I’ll report you for obstructing business.”
Annie spoke firmly without backing down.
Thinking it wouldn’t do, one man grabbed an item and threw it to the floor.
“Damn it! This place is filthy!”
The magic tool that was thrown hit the floor with a thud and shattered. If Heinel had seen it, he would have rushed in without a second thought.
Annie also stared at the broken magic tool with a hardened face. Thinking she was frightened, the two men smiled in satisfaction—when Annie suddenly turned on them with an angry face.
“So words don’t work on you.”
“What if they don’t? Huh? What are you gonna do about it?”
They weren’t intimidated at all and only grew bolder.
After a moment, Annie, who had been staring at them intently, called out,
“Happy!”
Happy?
As confusion crossed their faces, a man came out from the back of the shop.
The large man looked as if his head might touch the ceiling. When he stood before them, a shadow fell over their faces.
Happy, Premium’s security guard, grinned. He thought he was smiling kindly, but to others, he just looked frightening.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but please leave now.”
“D-Don’t be ridiculous! I’m a customer too!”
“Please leave.”
Happy repeated himself, but they didn’t listen. Instead, they swung their fists as if to see who would win.
“So you think just because you’re big—! Urgh!”
But their actions were stopped. Happy pushed both of them with his hands.
That alone sent the two burly men tumbling to the floor. Happy didn’t stop there—he grabbed them by their collars, dragged them, and threw them outside.
Only then did the two men feel fear and run off in a panic. Happy dusted off his hands as he watched them go.
“Happy, you’re the best!”
“Hehe…”
He also smiled shyly at the thumbs-up from Annie and the customers.
