Chapter 39
The welcomed guests arrived one after another. The summoner had come riding the carriage that Roilet had sent via the teleportation magic office.
“Greetings, I am Summoner Walter.”
“Welcome, Sir Walter. Thank you for coming all this way.”
Roilet went out to the mansion to greet him.
Summoners were now given the title of “Sir.” As each summoner began to contribute significantly to the military, the honorific, which had previously been reserved for knights, was also extended to them.
At first, some knights objected, but over time, as summoners naturally joined the battlefield when war broke out, the resistance faded. Now, giving summoners the title of “Sir” had become customary.
“I’ve heard a rough outline from Countess Quinter. How is Countess Karzel doing?”
“She fell asleep again just a little while ago. She hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
Roilet knew that Diana wasn’t actually asleep, but he said this to avoid troubling her further. He would handle the guest reception himself—it was enough.
“I’ll pay her my respects later. I hope she recovers quickly.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall we get to work, then?”
Sir Walter seemed impatient; the moment he sat on the parlor sofa, he immediately got up again. Roilet, thinking, I should at least offer him some tea…, still rose promptly.
At that moment,
“Lady Roilet, Baron Bern has arrived. It seems urgent.”
Venner approached quickly and whispered in Roilet’s ear.
Of all times…
Baron Bern was someone the family trusted with major tasks. If someone like him came personally for an urgent matter, it seemed Roilet should meet him.
Seeing Roilet frown, Sir Walter quickly spoke up.
“If you allow me, I can investigate the mansion alone.”
“Lady Roilet, I’ll guide Sir Walter.”
Venner stepped forward, thinking it would be inappropriate to let Sir Walter roam the mansion unattended.
“Very well. Sir Walter, my apologies for causing trouble despite asking for your help.”
Roilet gave Sir Walter an apologetic glance.
“No problem. I’ll head out first, since you’re busy.”
Sir Walter smiled warmly and followed Venner out of the parlor.
A moment later, Baron Bern entered the parlor.
Meanwhile, Ellen had spent much time in Diana’s bedroom.
Since Diana had always managed the Karzel household so well, the house didn’t fall into disarray just because she lay in bed for a day or two. Still, the inevitable gaps had to be filled by Ember.
For matters Diana herself had to handle, she occasionally checked them when she could gather her thoughts. The rest were handled by Ember and the butler after approval from Roilet. Meanwhile, Roilet was constantly busy investigating incidents, managing family affairs, overseeing the estate, and handling border operations.
Meanwhile, Ellen unintentionally received hands-on training in both household and estate management by staying close to Diana.
“Aunt, regarding the request for payment for the bridge repair, wasn’t there a record from last year? So either this is false, or they did such a sloppy job that it needs repairs again after just a year, right?”
“Aunt, the ice storage preservation magic has one year left on its effect. If we want to reapply it next year, we should submit the application to the magic tower this year, shouldn’t we? Should I prepare the form?”
“Aunt, a maid on maternity leave reportedly had a miscarriage. We should pay 20 silver coins as consolation and grant a leave of absence, correct?”
“…Aunt, Roilet says the investigation of the Karzel household staff has concluded.”
While sifting through the documents and reporting matters to Diana, Ellen’s eyes stopped at a newly arrived document.
Diana, leaning against the bed with her eyes closed, paused her responses to Ellen.
“Set that document aside separately.”
“Yes.”
Ellen placed the document aside to avoid mixing it with the others.
“Ember, summon Venner.”
Diana instructed Ember, who had been examining papers at a nearby table. Ember immediately set the papers down and rose.
Initially, Ellen had thought Ember was merely a maid attending Diana closely, but she turned out to be a competent assistant. Seeing her handle documents efficiently beside Diana had left Ellen briefly surprised. Observing Ember deliver the documents, Ellen admired her speed and precision.
“Ellen, you should return to your room and rest. You’ve worked hard.”
“Alright, I’ll leave once Ember comes back.”
Ellen moved a stack of papers aside.
“No, stay for a while. I can be alone now. I’ve mostly recovered and need some time to think.”
“Understood. Don’t overexert yourself.”
Acknowledging Diana’s need for thought, Ellen left for her room.
“Miss, Roilet is in the room.”
“Roilet?”
As Ellen opened her door, Masha whispered. Indeed, Roilet’s head was visible over the back of the sofa.
“Eli, I thought you’d come soon, so I just waited here.”
Roilet placed his teacup down and stood to greet her.
“Masha, I’ll take care of the tea.”
Ellen sat, lifted the teapot, and checked that plenty of tea remained, then signaled to Masha, who quietly stepped aside.
“You don’t have to send Masha out.”
“Really? Still, both she and I are outsiders. Shouldn’t we keep this from the public as much as possible?”
“Yes, but she’s someone you trust.”
Ellen’s eyes widened before she smiled at Roilet.
“It seems this will probably be concluded as Lilin’s solo act. We’ll need to consult Mother, though.”
Roilet rubbed his tired eyes, and Ellen immediately felt the weight of exhaustion as well.
“So nothing came of it? The summoner found nothing?”
“Yes.”
Ellen sank deep into the sofa, clutching a cushion.
“Which summoner was it?”
“Sir Walter.”
“Oh, Sir Walter. I had hoped he might uncover something.”
Roilet exhaled heavily in agreement.
“Venner says Sir Walter searched the entire mansion with him—from Mother’s dress room to the soldiers’ bathrooms.”
Ellen encouraged him to continue.
“Venner said Sir Walter found few spirits in our house. The undine that had been working at the garden fountain said the sylphs that had been playing inside the mansion moved elsewhere recently. Well, uncontracted spirits do tend to wander.”
“True.”
Thinking Sir Walter had gone through a fruitless effort, Ellen asked curiously,
“But the undine is working at the fountain?”
Since undines are water spirits, it makes sense, but what would a spirit be doing at a fountain?
“She’s removing limescale. She said it’s her hobby.”
“….”
“Venner said when he threatened to call the caretaker to scold her for leaving some limescale, the undine stomped her feet in the air, asking to leave just a little.”
“….”
Amused and bemused, Ellen imagined a tiny fairy-like undine at the fountain—it must be cute.
As the mood lightened, Ellen returned to her main concern.
“Could it really be Lilin?”
“I don’t think so. I see no reason for Lilin to do it. She came to our house as a young maid, was kind, diligent, and smart, and became a full maid. She’s an orphan, so there’s no one to blackmail or bribe her.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I even checked if she held any grievances against our family, but nothing came up.”
Roilet sighed, utterly baffled. Ellen followed suit.
“I’m starting to think maybe we’re focusing too much on Sila and Lilin. Investigation should consider all possibilities, right? But we keep assuming it’s Sila and go in circles. Have we checked all other servants and outsiders?”
Indeed, this jeopardized fairness, though Ellen still suspected Sila.
She reached for her teacup and drank the now lukewarm tea. Roilet refilled it while watching her.
“See, all the evidence points only to Lilin. Even delivery vendors from outside were investigated. This mismatch between circumstantial and physical evidence is unsettling.”
“So Lilin will be punished? Attempted murder of a noble by a commoner carries a severe penalty…”
“First, we’ll consult Mother. She decides family matters.”
Roilet finished the remaining tea and stood.
“I’ll go to Mother. Venner must have already informed her. I need to hear her opinion.”
“Go ahead.”
Ellen rose and said goodbye.
She leapt onto the bed. Seeing Roilet leave, Masha entered, neatly placing Ellen’s slippers by the bed.
“Is the investigation over?”
“Yes. Seems Lilin is… the culprit.”
Ellen trailed off.
Masha sat by the head of the bed, brushing Ellen’s hair. Feeling Masha’s touch, Ellen habitually reached into her pockets. The ones shared with Roilet were empty, while Quinter’s sky-blue box contained documents Ellen was supposed to review that day. Gloria had apparently added more documents in the meantime.
Sighing in exasperation, Ellen sat up on the bed. Did I really offer to help with the family affairs? She wiped her face dry.
When Gloria first sent a note saying, “You don’t have to help with household tasks while at Karzel House,” Ellen had eagerly replied that she would continue helping.
I didn’t expect to assist with Karzel House affairs too.
Yet she couldn’t just watch Diana, still unwell, or her friend Roilet struggle and do nothing.
Ellen slowly took the documents from the box. Masha, noticing, smiled softly.
“I’ll bring something sweet for you, Miss.”
Ellen weakly nodded.
