139. A Tearful Family Reunion
—or so I thought, but it turned into a thriller.
Marquis Balton was leaving the Empress’s palace after his audience with Her Majesty when he happened to run into Countess Garcia in the corridor.
She had once been the Empress’s closest confidante, but now she served as Lady Shiloh’s head maid.
Rumors had already been circulating that she still came and went from the Empress’s palace even after changing masters. Nothing good could come of such talk.
The Countess tried to quickly avoid him, but the Marquis was faster.
“Countess, what a coincidence meeting you here. My daughter owes you much.”
At his polite greeting, the Countess stopped and turned back.
“What brings you here, my lord?”
“Why, to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress, of course.”
“What business could you possibly have with Her Majesty?”
Even at her sharp tone, the Marquis only chuckled.
“And you, Countess—you’re no longer a maid of the Empress, so why are you so interested in my business?”
“……”
“Ah. Unless you intend to relay it to Lady Shiloh? Acting as her little spy?”
The Marquis sneered.
The Countess’s face flushed bright red at once.
Even if it had been the Emperor’s command, the fact remained that she had abandoned her position as the Empress’s maid and defected to Shiloh’s side. The brand of “traitor” followed her everywhere.
Her breeding, conduct, and character had all been spotless—making her even more sensitive to her reputation.
The Marquis knew this, and he deliberately needled her.
“Well, I suppose it makes sense. You were closest to the Empress, so you would have witnessed her downfall most clearly. And at just the right moment, you changed allegiance to a new power. Your judgment is most… admirable.”
“…I’ll be on my way.”
Thoroughly offended, she turned sharply on her heel, but the Marquis called after her.
“Countess.”
“Have you not said enough? I believe I’ve heard plenty of your mockery.”
“You misunderstand me. My point is: examine your own faults first, before pointing out those of others.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Not long ago, he had learned that the Countess had reported his daughter’s mistake to Lady Shiloh.
He also knew she was unusually strict with Evelyn.
No father welcomes the sight of his daughter being reprimanded, no matter how foolish the girl may be.
“Is it not a virtue of those above to know how to cover the faults of their subordinates?”
Only then did the Countess realize what had soured his mood.
“No, my lord. It is far more generous for those above to grant an opportunity to correct mistakes than to simply cover them up.”
“However great my daughter’s mistake may have been, it is lighter than the crime of betraying one’s lord.”
“……”
“I suggest you take a hard look at yourself first, Countess.”
With that, the Marquis strode briskly down the hall.
The next day.
I decided to use the “Original Work Search” function to gather as much information as possible.
‘Let’s start with this one.’
【SYSTEM: Would you like to use the “Original Work Search” function?】
[▶ Yes (75 Luck Points deducted)]
[▶ No]
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Immediately, the search window appeared.
“Search for information on Viscount Blaine.”
【SYSTEM: Loading background information on ‘Viscount Blaine’!】
[Viscount Blaine]
-
Father of the heroine, Seraphine.
-
Long missing, officially presumed dead.
“Mm, just as I thought.”
The entry was laughably brief, as if to match his minor role in the original story.
“Seventy-five points for just two lines? Unbelievable. Shouldn’t the point cost match the amount of information given?”
[(;´・`)]
[Excuse you.]
[The fact that you can search the story at all is already generous!]
The Administrator’s grumbling voice buzzed in my head.
He had skipped his morning shift and was now just staring at me blankly.
“But why are you talking through telepathy?”
[I want to use emojis, but since you’re still possessing a character, I can’t open a message window.]
[So this’ll have to do.]
[(๑^⩊^๑)]
[Hehe.]
“…I can understand the emojis, but why the actual conversation through telepathy?”
[I’m getting tired of talking out loud.]
[(๑^⩊^๑)]
“?”
[Breathing is annoying.]
[Blinking is annoying.]
[How do humans live such bothersome lives?]
[Ah, humans. So lovely, yet so exasperating.]
“……”
[That wasn’t your inner thought, you know. I heard every word of that backbiting through telepathy.]
[(￣_￣^)]
“Sorry. I meant to keep that in my head…”
[(-`ε ´-)]
[Is this what they call a noble lady’s manner of speech?]
The Administrator turned away primly.
“Yes, yes. My apologies.”
I replied halfheartedly and turned my gaze back to the search window.
“Show me Viscount Blaine’s current location.”
If the system wouldn’t provide it, I was ready to track him down myself and speak directly.
But then—
【SYSTEM: Loading location information for ‘Viscount Blaine’!】
“What? That place?”
He was somewhere wholly unexpected.
The system pointed to an abandoned building on the outskirts of the capital.
According to Seraphine, he had never once returned home since that day.
‘Does he just not want to be indebted to his daughter?’
As a fugitive, perhaps he was hiding there.
‘What should I do…’
After some thought, I told Seraphine the news as well.
She had said she could never forgive her father, but her feelings weren’t only hatred.
[My father abandoned me and my mother, yet I can’t bring myself to abandon him. That’s why I feel so resentful and angry.]
That tangled mess of love and hate—
‘No matter how terrible a father, cutting ties of blood is never easy.’
The choice had to be hers.
I disliked meddling in other people’s family affairs, but at the very least, I could give her a chance to face the father she had longed for.
And sure enough, upon hearing the news, Seraphine insisted on coming along.
‘Strange. I thought the Administrator would jump at this, but…’
I expected him to rush in and insist on joining us, but surprisingly, he said he’d stay behind at the ducal mansion.
‘A shame. He’d have made a handy bodyguard if things got dangerous.’
Disappointed, I set out with Seraphine the next morning for the outskirts of the capital.
After crossing a low hill, several warehouses came into view, spread across a wide clearing.
“This place gives me the chills. It doesn’t look like anyone could actually live here.”
The peeling paint and broken bricks scattered along the road lent the warehouses a grim air.
“Indeed. And it’s so remote that if two or three people vanished here, no one would notice…”
“D-don’t scare me like that!”
Seraphine shrank closer to me, trembling.
The knights who came with us chuckled.
“The apprentice is far too timid.”
“Quite so. Have you forgotten that bravery is one of a knight’s foremost virtues? We’ve never trained apprentices to be cowards.”
“But the atmosphere is like a ghost could appear any second.”
“An apprentice of ours could easily strike down a ghost.”
“Indeed. The ghost would likely be the one running away in fear.”
They teased her mercilessly—until—
Thud. Thud.
“……!”
A heavy noise echoed from one of the warehouses.
“D-did you hear that?”
Seraphine shook like a leaf.
The knights instantly dropped their playful grins.
“There’s something inside. My ladies, stand back.”
Crash!
The knights kicked down the wooden doors.
Through the splintered frame, a dark silhouette appeared.
Seraphine’s face went pale as she rushed forward.
“F-Father?”
“……”
Inside sat Viscount Blaine, bound tightly with rope.
The heavy sound from earlier must have been his doing—blood streamed down his forehead, staining his face a dark red.
He sat slumped in the chair, struggling to breathe.
Meanwhile, at that very moment—
The Administrator slipped quietly out of the ducal estate.
There was something he wanted to check while Roselia was away.
‘As I thought. Someone is following me.’
He had sensed the odd presence tailing him since earlier.
Even when Roselia was with him, a stranger’s presence had lurked nearby, and at first he thought she was the target.
But even now, in her absence, they continued to shadow him. It was him they were after.
‘Hmph.’
What to do?
If he had his own body, he could have identified them at once.
But while possessing a character, the information available to him was limited.
He deliberately steered away from the estate and onto a deserted road.
‘Should I kill them?’
His fingers toyed with the dagger hidden in his clothes.
If they were a threat, eliminating them would be simple.
But then—
‘Or… should I let myself be killed?’
His situation, after all, was a little unusual.
