~Chapter 54~
I quickly skimmed the documents I’d grabbed.
Surprisingly, they were well organized and reasonable. The budget was clearly broken down, showing exactly how much would go where.
It might be a little much, but considering the knights’ morale, there was no real reason to deny it.
After reviewing, I reached out my hand again.
That was the signal for “Give me a pen.”
“My lady, um…”
Stephan, who had been shining with excitement, froze.
Just like the clerk yesterday, he’d come to get my signature—but forgot to bring a pen and ink!
They went through all that trouble to ambush me for my signature and forgot the most important thing?
I was about to seriously lose my temper when suddenly, a quill landed gently in my palm.
It was perfectly dipped in just the right amount of ink, exactly how I like it.
“…”
I made eye contact with Baron Comte, who gave me a sly smile.
It was a sight almost painful for my eyes, but honestly, having a clever aide who could read the room like this made all my anger melt away.
“Where have you been slacking off? From now on, stick close and be useful, understand?”
“Does this mean… my lady, you’re taking me back again?”
“Huh?”
“Sniff! I swear to God! From now on, no matter what happens, I’ll be your loyal servant, your humble doormat!!”
I hadn’t even scolded him that harshly, but the Baron burst into tears and clung to my leg.
No matter how much I tried to shake him off, he stuck like glue.
Meanwhile, the Duke watched this with a rather ominous smirk.
“So that’s your type, after all…”
No, it’s not!
Elicia changed her plans and stayed another day in the barracks to finish the paperwork.
Baron Comte actually stuck by her side, for once.
If she frowned, he quickly shoved sweets into her mouth; if she yawned, he ran to bring a big comfy cushion for her to lean on.
If she didn’t like a document, he scolded the knight who brought it.
Normally, knights would never listen to a scolding from a low-ranked noble like the Baron, but now, with Elicia’s backing, things were different…
“Wait, this isn’t right.”
The Baron smiled contentedly, then shook his head.
It was true that he was happy to be back on the winning team, but this felt totally different from before.
Now, my lady wasn’t just “the best person to side with.”
She was someone who’d forgiven him after he ran away during the lawsuit incident, a true leader, someone worthy of real respect.
“It’s different now.”
The Baron was honestly loyal to Elicia now, and wanted her happiness.
‘Heh.’
He stroked his neatly groomed mustache and looked around.
The front gate of the barracks was packed with knights sending off the Duke and Elicia.
Normally, the Duke liked to move quietly with only a few people.
Clearly, all this fuss was for Elicia’s sake.
Even the rough, wild knights seemed to be falling for my lady’s charm.
…At least, that’s what the Baron thought, until he started wondering:
‘She really is a good person. She has a sharp tongue—a very sharp tongue, actually—but she’s definitely not cold and heartless like the rumors say.’
The knights seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Not just the scribe-knights like Sir Stephan, who clung to Elicia’s skirt begging her to visit again, but even the others looked a little confused.
Is this right? Are those scary rumors really true? She doesn’t seem that way to me.
Everyone was wearing the same puzzled expression.
“My lady, when will you visit again? Tomorrow? The day after? Or should I just come see you instead?”
“I’m not coming! And don’t you dare show up! I’m not a threshing machine—I refuse to get worked to death in this bureaucratic hell ever again!”
“Haha! My lady, I love you!”
The knights who’d finally experienced efficient administration were almost out of their minds with joy.
But honestly, the scariest thing was probably the Duke, whose eyes glittered as he stared at the knight who’d just declared his love for Elicia.
‘Doesn’t seem like those two have a bad relationship after all.’
For some reason, today the Duke and Elicia shared the same carriage.
That pushed the Baron out to the seat next to the coachman, but he didn’t mind.
Old habits die hard.
Even though he’d promised to be loyal without caring about his own interests, his eyes still drifted to the biggest “prize” in the room by instinct.
At that very moment, Nero was busy grooming himself on Elicia’s bed.
“Meow.”
[Stop fussing.]
“Meow-meow!”
The maids had told him that Mom would be home soon.
Nero wanted to look as cute and pretty as possible for Mom, so he licked himself everywhere—even in spots he usually skipped.
His black fur shone like silk.
Elicia loved Nero dearly, and the staff loved him too.
It was the kind of pampered life he never could have imagined when he was a starving stray.
But now, with two souls sharing one body, he couldn’t imagine things any other way.
“Meow…”
[Is grooming hard? That’s because you ate so much, you got chubby.]
“Meow!!”
[Quiet! While you were enjoying all those fancy treats, I was starving. That rotten Lombard Duke always gets in the way whenever I try to get some food…]
No matter how much Morcatus complained, Nero kept grooming.
The only thing that mattered was that Mom would be home soon.
He was a bit sulky about being left at the castle alone, but mostly, he just missed her touch.
He really wanted her to pet him.
[…Wait.]
Suddenly, Morcatus’s pupils narrowed.
His bright violet eyes scanned the air, shining sharply.
[There’s an intruder.]
Nero, about to lick his behind, froze.
Morcatus spoke again.
[Someone just dared to challenge me on my own territory.]
“Meow?”
[Yes, we’ll have to save the teary reunion for later.]
By accepting the demon lord Morcatus’s soul, Nero could share not only his mind, but his senses too.
Someone dangerous was on their land—he couldn’t sense it as clearly as Morcatus, but he still felt the danger.
[Let’s go.]
Nero jumped down from the bed and trotted across the fancy bedroom, his shadow soon vanishing without a trace.
Finally, I was home.
Without waiting for the servants, I marched up the castle stairs and let out a sigh.
“Ugh, I almost died from awkwardness.”
Usually, the Duke looked at me like I was a cow or a chicken, but today, for some reason, he suggested we return together by carriage.
Well, I guess it made sense—we were using a Lombard family carriage.
I almost thought about getting my own, but that costs money, so I gave up.
‘Eli, are you alright?!’
On the way back, the carriage wheel hit a big stone.
I almost flew into the ceiling, but the Duke sitting across from me quickly pulled me into his arms and shielded my head with his hand.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
‘Th-thank you. You saved me.’
‘Are you hurt? I thought I saw you grab your wrist just now.’
‘I’m fine. But what about you, Your Grace…’
‘Master! My lady! Are you alright?!’
Thanks to him, I didn’t get hurt.
But the coachman caught us tangled up together, apologizing frantically.
And I saw Baron Comte grinning at us from outside the window!
‘Good thing the Duke had to leave on business.’
As we were almost home, the Duke suddenly said he’d forgotten something at the barracks and got out of the carriage.
Whether it was true or just an excuse to escape the awkwardness, I didn’t know, but he rode away on horseback.
I’d spent the whole ride burning with embarrassment, but thank goodness it was finally over.
‘Get it together.’
I still have nightmares about the past.
Sometimes I wake up screaming, grabbing a startled Nero, and silently cry.
These days, the Duke feels so different from the Edwin I used to know that sometimes my old hatred wavers—but still…
“My lady! My lady!”
I looked up from my thoughts at the sound of heavy footsteps.
Berry was charging toward me like a bear.
That surprised me, but what really shocked me was the shout that followed.
“Something terrible has happened, my lady! Nero—Nero is missing!!”
