~Chapter 40~
“Brother Vincent still hasn’t returned?”
I widened my eyes at Ramon’s report.
Ever since the thanksgiving banquet at the monastery, Vincent had disappeared. No one in Lombard had seen him since.
But no matter how I thought about it, he just wasn’t the type to vanish without notice, so I’d quietly asked Ramon to look into it.
“Are you sure? Did you check with the diocese?”
“Of course. I told them it was on your orders, so I was able to meet Sister Godellina, the Archbishop’s assistant. But…”
Even she was at a loss over how Vincent, who’d just been posted from the capital, could suddenly vanish. They were making their own inquiries, but hadn’t made any progress.
A strange sense of unease crept over me.
“Where could he have gone? No way he was eaten by a wild animal, right? …No, surely not.”
It was thanks to Vincent’s knowledge of canon law that we’d managed to finish the cathedral project without issue.
With the Inquisitor’s visit looming, I’d wanted to properly reward Brother Vincent for providing such a solid plan—ideally by making him one of my own people.
He was a little too timid by nature, but all the more reason to keep such a capable man close.
“Should I send a search party into the mountains?”
“I doubt it’s come to that… but just in case, it might be wise. However, we’d need the Lord’s permission to mobilize the guards.”
Even Ramon, always such a competent administrator, sounded less certain than usual.
It didn’t help that the timing of Vincent’s disappearance was… awkward.
According to people at the monastery, Brother Vincent left the dining hall not long after the Duke and I went upstairs.
It was the middle of the night—he’d been told to wait until morning, but he just smiled and said it was fine.
And apparently, he was very calm about it.
Maybe, being from the capital, Brother Vincent simply didn’t realize how dangerous it is to travel at night out here…
Lombard is ringed by mountains, with ridges snaking between every village. Wild animals come down into the settlements all the time.
For someone from the Mediterranean, peaceful capital, the danger probably wouldn’t even occur to him.
“Do we really need the Duke’s permission? It’s only a portion of the guards.”
“The Lombard garrison is tasked with defending the North Wall. Unlike other territories, only the Lord can command them directly. Not even you, ma’am.”
“I know, I know. Just thought I’d ask.”
No one knew Lombard’s military code better than me.
It was the reason I’d been forced to accept Edwin’s betrayal in the past. The ones who came to arrest me were none other than Lombard soldiers.
Even the Emperor couldn’t command them.
They answered to the Lord, and the Lord alone.
“I’ll ask His Grace myself.”
It had already been several days since Brother Vincent disappeared.
All I could do was pray that timid priest was still in one piece as I hurried toward the guest hall.
We were in the middle of entertaining guests.
Normally, leaving in the middle of a banquet would have been unthinkable, but Ramon’s face was so grim I had no choice.
I knocked lightly on the guestroom door.
“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long?”
“Not at all, my lady. Even a brief wait was a delight.”
The Duke, sitting at the head of the table, greeted me with a gentle smile as I entered.
Judging by his expression, it wasn’t just polite words—he truly seemed to be enjoying himself. His smile was suspiciously bright.
But I didn’t care about the Duke right now; my gaze swung to the other side of the room.
And I stopped, startled.
“Count Alnor? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Ah, ha ha! Not at all, not at all.”
The star of tonight’s banquet, Count Alnor, answered in a rush.
But no matter what he said, he didn’t look fine. In fact, his complexion was downright pale.
When he’d first arrived in Lombard—no, even just a moment ago—he’d been nearly rude, brimming with arrogance.
Now, though, he was sweating bullets and wouldn’t even look me in the eye.
Anyone could see he was absolutely not okay.
“My personal physician is very skilled, would you like to see him?”
“N-no! I couldn’t possibly trouble you over something so minor—”
“What do you think, Your Grace?”
I ignored his protest and turned to the Duke.
Apparently concerned as well, the Duke’s face was icy serious, but then he suddenly tilted his head in mock confusion.
“Do we really need the physician? Any village doctor inside the walls could handle it. Or even a vet.”
“You’re really not cut out for jokes, Your Grace.”
“It’s not a joke, he really seems fine. If you don’t believe me, why not ask the Count himself?”
With that, the Duke fixed Count Alnor with an unwavering gaze.
“Ah, ha ha! I’m perfectly fine. I’ve never had such luxurious food before, perhaps my stomach’s just surprised. Ha ha!”
“You see? He says he’s fine.”
The Duke’s smile only deepened.
Count Alnor nodded furiously, as if his life depended on it.
What’s gotten into them all of a sudden?
To be honest, when I first met Count Alnor, there were plenty of things that rubbed me the wrong way.
It’s not that I don’t understand why he’d resent me—he’d been making easy money off sweetheart deals thanks to his cousin, until I abruptly put a stop to it.
But even so, I’m the Lady of Lombard. And yet here he was, not so much as glancing in my direction, bowing and scraping only to the Duke.
Even his retainers were clearly going out of their way to ignore me, which had me reconsidering my plans to give the Count a hard time.
Now, though, something had changed. He was the picture of politeness.
Even his vassal…
Was staring at me with bright, almost worshipful eyes, like I was his savior.
Both lord and servant seemed a bit out of their minds.
“Well, let’s resume dinner.”
At my signal, the banquet continued.
This was meant to break the ice before negotiations started in earnest.
Normally, talks like this could last anywhere from days to months—but the Duke clearly wanted to wrap things up quickly.
He’d summoned the Count as soon as he learned about the lawsuit, after all.
I didn’t know what the envoy the Duke sent had said, but Count Alnor had traveled a journey that should’ve taken at least four days in just two.
Meaning, our window to prepare had been cut in half.
No wonder the officials were glaring daggers at me for all the overtime, but I didn’t so much as bat an eyelash.
It’s not like I’m the one stuck doing the paperwork—I just take the bonus and walk away.
Anyway, I ignored the weirdos and focused on dinner.
Once the banquet ended, I planned to ask the Duke for help searching for Brother Vincent during the break, so I ate even faster than usual to keep on schedule.
Is it just me, or have there been a lot of home-cooked meals lately? Anyway, it’s good.
I dunked rye bread in chickpea soup and nodded contentedly.
Meanwhile, I had no idea what the Duke was up to over my head.
After the banquet, during the break before negotiations began in earnest—
Count Alnor, shown to the lounge, collapsed onto the sofa as soon as the Duke’s servants left the room.
His legs gave out; there was no dignity left.
“Huff, huff… What is going on?”
The Count’s reaction was especially dramatic, but his vassals weren’t much different.
When they’d first met the Duke, he’d seemed as calm and impassive as the rumors claimed.
The fact that he was so polite to his wife was unexpected, but all nobles wear masks. So, the Count and his men stuck to the plan.
They’d deliberately ignored the Lady, flattering only the Duke in hopes of gaining his favor.
The Duke’s expression had been gentle all through dinner, so they were sure things were going well.
Then, opportunity struck.
The Lady left the table for some reason, stepping out in the middle of the meal.
The Count casually seized the opening.
‘Your Grace, you have my sympathies. Must be tough.’
‘Hm?’
‘For the Lady to leave the banquet mid-meal… Did she never learn proper manners in the capital? To leave your guests, what an insult.’
‘Guest? Who?’
In Imperial noble society, marriage was decided for family prestige and interests. Most couples were distant, so it was common small talk to lightly criticize a spouse for leaving the table.
But the Duke’s demeanor abruptly shifted.
The mask of civility fell away, his eyes turning ice-cold in an instant.
He looked down at the Count as if regarding a bothersome insect.
