CHAPTER62………………………………………….
“Her condition has been unusually strange lately, though.”
From about a year before the end of their contract, the Countess’s behavior had become peculiar.
She had started giving small gifts and even requested to go out first.
There was no need to worry about other people’s gazes, either!
“I see….”
At that point, it still sounded like nothing more than a love consultation.
Laseil was seriously wondering whether he could actually solve this problem.
“Just a few days ago, she even asked if she could stay a little longer at the Count’s mansion!”
Count Gielea, seemingly unable to control his emotions, suddenly shouted.
“Does that even make sense?”
“It actually does make sense.”
It was something that could easily happen. After all, there were precedents with other couples.
But the Count’s thinking seemed a bit different.
“It doesn’t make sense. Someone must have interfered.”
“Who do you think interfered?”
“Isn’t it because of that recently popular curse?”
“A curse is… popular?”
Laseil fell silent for a moment at the absurdity of that statement.
What was truly ridiculous was that this was actually happening.
“…Do you really think the Countess is cursed?”
“Isn’t that obvious? Or perhaps she’s possessed by a spirit.”
“When did nobles start believing in spirits so easily?”
Laseil thought. Until recently, before coming to this territory, spirits had been nothing more than stories.
Something must have happened in the capital because now everyone seemed to firmly believe in ghosts.
“It probably has something to do with the curse being popular.”
Laseil let out a long sigh silently and looked at the Count.
“So, what exactly do you want me to do?”
“I want to confirm whether a spirit has possessed my wife.”
“…And if she hasn’t been possessed?”
Laseil finally asked the question he had wanted to ask from the start.
From what he could see, it seemed far more likely that the Countess was genuinely in love.
“That’s impossible. Something must have happened.”
“…….”
Laseil muttered to himself, wondering why all the nobles who came to this territory were like this.
“So, what I’ll be doing is confirming the possession and performing an exorcism on the Countess, right?”
“Yes. Bring her over once you’re ready.”
The Count stood up first.
Laseil spent a little more time in thought before heading outside.
‘I wish there was someone I could ask about the Count and Countess.’
He had heard stories from Yujire, but that wasn’t the latest information.
If there was anyone who had recently been to the capital, he could get more updated information.
But first, he needed to check if there was anything strange in the territory itself.
“Hello, Sir Knight!”
“Hello, Roni. Where’s Lodi?”
“He’s inside. Nothing unusual today.”
“Hi, Ensi. Is the shop okay?”
“It’s fine. No more stains appearing now!”
“Good to hear.”
“Hi, Ajien. Any weird gems?”
“Nothing from yesterday’s batch!”
“Elrut and Risena… where did they go?”
Laseil’s steps halted in front of the pawnshop.
At this hour, the people who were supposed to be there were gone.
‘Did they go to pick something up?’
It probably wasn’t about money.
They likely went to retrieve something they had left behind.
Strangely enough, in this territory, many people would forget to pick up items even after paying.
“Sir Zaen? Is something wrong?”
While lost in thought, he turned toward the voice.
As expected, he immediately recognized the familiar face.
“Lady Siren. Just taking a quick look around the territory.”
‘Coming back from the forest, perhaps?’
Unlike usual, Irene’s scent carried the strong smell of grass.
She must have spent quite some time in the forest.
‘I didn’t know she liked places like that.’
Come to think of it, she had previously shown interest in local legends.
Perhaps she had a strong interest in this type of story.
‘Or maybe she went to check if something was wrong.’
If there was a place in the territory with the densest traces of black magic, it would naturally be the forest.
“Sir Zaen, do you always patrol the territory at this time?”
Irene asked after a moment of hesitation.
“Yes. I need to make sure nothing’s wrong.”
If it was something minor, Laseil could handle it.
If it required Yujire to step in, it was better to relay the message through Laseil, as emotions could run high among the locals, making direct communication difficult.
“…Is there something troubling you?”
Irene asked again, observing Laseil’s face.
“You seemed deep in thought.”
“Was it that obvious?”
Laseil had thought he was keeping his expression in check, but apparently not.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, he quietly looked away.
“If something happened…”
‘Come to think of it, Lady Siren recently visited the capital, didn’t she?’
She might have some information.
Laseil quickly made a decision and asked Irene.
“Lady Siren, how was the capital?”
“The capital?”
Irene blinked. She hadn’t yet understood the intent of the question.
“Yes. I haven’t attended social gatherings in a while, so I don’t have much information.”
“Did someone come again this time?”
Perhaps because of the precedent with Marquess Karen’s family, Irene quickly understood the implication.
“Yes. Count Gielea shared something strange.”
The Count had never requested that this be kept secret.
It was safe to assume he had tacitly agreed to let the story spread.
‘He wasn’t that careless.’
The Count had set numerous conditions when sending letters and arranging meetings: the date by which the issue had to be resolved, the hypothetical situation if it wasn’t resolved, and so on.
It didn’t make sense that he would completely forget to ask for silence.
“Do you mean Count Gielea and his wife? When I last saw them, they seemed the same as usual.”
Irene added another comment as she replied.
“Now that I think about it, there were rumors that the Countess hasn’t been feeling well.”
“What exactly did they say?”
“I heard she’s been spending unusually long days at the mansion recently.”
The Countess had been one of the most active figures in social circles.
Especially during the current social season, she never missed a tea party, ball, or gathering.
“They say she’s already missed five balls.”
“That… could be serious, then.”
However, the information wasn’t exactly what Laseil wanted.
It only suggested that she was unwell, not that she had fallen in love.
“I’m not sure if that’s the cause… but other rumors have started as well.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“That she only goes out to spend time alone with the Count.”
This clearly needed a closer look.
“When did these rumors start?”
“Around a month ago. Lady Gielea was very worried.”
‘A month ago.’
That coincided with the period the Count had mentioned: one year before the contract ended.
“But Lady Gielea…”
It was an inappropriate title for a Countess who was already married.
Laseil, puzzled, soon realized who it referred to.
“Do you mean the Count’s younger sister?”
“Yes. I heard she’s also close to the Countess.”
Count Gielea’s younger sister, Alisa Gielea.
She had been sickly since childhood and always stayed at home.
Even after the Count married, she hadn’t been able to become independent from the Gielea household.
“Did you hear this directly from Lady Gielea?”
“Riella is friends with Lady Gielea.”
Both were unlikely to lie.
It was probably safe to assume this story was true.
The possession-related matter still remained unclear, though.
‘By the way, why did the young lady assign this task to me?’
He was determined to resolve it once tasked, but the question came to mind.
‘Because it’s related to spirits?’
That seemed the most likely reason.
After expressing thanks to Irene, Laseil headed straight back to the lord’s castle.
He then began gathering all sorts of information on the Gielea Count household.
