~Chapter 65~
“Spending has gone up a lot.”
“Everything else was cut back, but only this item has increased.”
The conversation with Yak ended after she brought six more cups of cocoa. It wasn’t very useful information.
It was about the method Lovelace had tried last time — transferring Larvihan’s mana into her body.
Still, she had received one important hint: spirit power doesn’t respond to simple will alone. Yak said it required sincerity.
‘Sincerity? I’m always sincere.’
“Countess?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
Lovelace jerked her head up.
“It’s the expenses. Only this item increased.”
“What is it?”
Lovelace pulled the paper Judith had handed her closer. In the circled area was written: Sweetstone.
Sweet stone? What is that?
“It’s something that makes sweetness — used instead of honey.”
“Sugar? You get sugar from a stone?”
Wasn’t sugar made from sugarcane?
Lovelace briefly worried that the knowledge she had been taught was incorrect. Even if she had dozed through many lessons, she was pretty sure sugar came from sugarcane.
“Really? You forgot that too?”
Judith looked at Lovelace with pity. Lovelace scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed.
Memory loss can be a handy weapon, but when people look at you like that it just makes you feel guilty.
“I’ll explain. Sweetness used to only come from honey. But about fifty years ago, Sweetstone was discovered in caves. Only in certain regions. It’s much sweeter than honey, cleaner-tasting, and scentless, so people started seeking Sweetstone.”
You mine sugar in caves?
It sounded odd, but you could quarry salt from mountains, so it wasn’t impossible.
‘It’s from a novel, sure — but if it’s a setting, that’s that.’
Lovelace waved for Judith to continue.
“Nobles love sweets, you know. So the price shot through the roof.”
“I guess I’ll have to stop eating it…”
“You can’t completely stop. You might be able to, Countess, but Master Paulo…”
‘Ah, my brother! I can’t take his one pleasure — cocoa — away from him.’
“Cut it in half, and find a substitute.”
“I’ve heard somewhere that they feed plants instead of Sweetstone…”
“What? Where did you hear that?”
Lovelace had a strong hunch it was sugarcane.
“Um, from someone I met at the mercenary company a long time ago…
Startled by Lovelace’s intense interest, Judith accidentally let slip part of her past she’d been trying to hide. Lovelace blinked slowly and asked,
“Mercenary company?”
“No, from a friend who used to work at a mercenary company, not me.”
Judith quickly covered herself, but Lovelace’s suspicion didn’t die easily.
“Can you find out what that plant is?”
Judith deftly changed the topic — she knew what mattered.
“Gather information, please.”
At Lovelace’s command, Judith moved like she’d been given wings. Lovelace’s eyes shone.
“Our estate’s finances aren’t in good shape. You’ve heard?”
Lady Melissa whispered, looking around nervously.
“Don’t worry about talk like that. Didn’t you see how resolute the Count is? He’ll sort things out. By the way, has Mrs. Yohan — I mean Mrs. Yellogreen — agreed to come?”
asked Lady Quairton. Lady Melissa nodded.
“Everyone’s here, then? Why are you sitting in the corner? It’s not as if we’ve done anything wrong.”
Beatrice strode in with a hearty laugh.
“You even invited Miss Beatrice? Nobody said anything about that.”
Lady Melissa asked Quairton sharply, and Beatrice fanned herself, scattering attention with a flourish.
“Isn’t it better to have one more person? Especially if it helps keep Mrs. Yohan away from the Count.”
“That’s not it!”
“Oh my, that wasn’t what you meant? I imagined a childish scene like, ‘I shall protect our dear Count! That lowly commoner Mrs. Yohan is bad for him, keep away!’”
Both Quairton and Melissa’s faces reddened at the misunderstanding; they were ashamed to have been thought so petty.
“You’re loud enough to be heard outside.”
The small door opened and Mrs. Yohan entered. Quairton and Melissa stood to greet her. The ceremony was too elaborate for a commoner, but considering she had been their teacher, it was almost too little.
“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Yohan.”
Quairton indicated a seat for her. Mrs. Yohan sat.
“Hello. This is the third time already.”
Beatrice smiled brightly and offered her hand. Mrs. Yohan took it to avoid embarrassing Beatrice.
“I can’t be away from home long, so if you could say what you need quickly, ladies, I’d appreciate it.”
Mrs. Yohan explained. She had slipped out while Sirius was passed out drunk; if he woke and found her gone he would throw a tantrum, so she wanted to return before that happened.
“I heard Count Lovelace is in trouble — the bill he introduced. You know about it too, don’t you, Mrs. Yohan?”
Quairton glanced at Mrs. Yohan. Instead of answering she gave a gentle smile.
“What bill?”
Beatrice feigned ignorance. Quairton then relayed what she’d heard from her husband about Lovelace’s proposed amendment.
“You really are doing something impressive, our Count.”
Her tone was ambiguous — was she mocking or admiring?
Quairton glared at Beatrice. Beatrice, sensing the moment was not for jokes, raised her hand in apology. Obviously she hadn’t meant sarcasm.
Quairton turned and began to speak.
“I thought a lot about it at home. What if I hadn’t married Baron Quairton? Everything I enjoy now would have felt like a dream.”
Quairton had been the daughter of a merchant who became noble by marrying the baron. Was she now allowed to separate commoners and nobles and point fingers?
“Do the ladies despise me?”
Lady Melissa shook her head.
“You are more noble than any of us.”
“You’re better than me.”
Beatrice replied.
“So I want to help Count Lovelace. He’s busy, so why don’t we do something among ourselves?”
Lady Quairton proposed. The other three exchanged looks and nodded. Thus the Harmelda Ladies’ Circle was organized. While Lovelace busied herself, the seeds she had sown were taking root.
“I brought what you asked me to find out.”
Maxmuel handed over the papers. Larvihan took them and skimmed them casually.
“They only stole food?”
Larvihan seemed to grasp the important points with a single glance.
“Yes, on the surface it appears so.”
“Injuries?”
“They didn’t engage in full-scale combat. Seems the mercenary captain used appropriate tactics.”
That mercenary was the one Larvihan had quietly recommended to Judith. He was paid by Lovelace but also by Larvihan.
“He’s earning his money.”
“More like he’s competent because he’s scared. He knows Your Excellency’s nature.”
Larvihan had seen him beheading hundreds on a battlefield…
“Well, you do pay well. The man likes money.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Larvihan set his foot down on the desk and rose, dropping the papers. Maxmuel hung a robe from the wall over him.
“Will you come with me?”
“What’s the point of coming along for something small?”
Maxmuel stepped back a pace.
Larvihan muttered a spell. His body was wrapped in light. The great glow shrank. At the same time Larvihan’s body began to fade.
In a moment, he stood at the Danger border. One foot in the Empire, one in the Kingdom, he surveyed the ruined land and snorted with a grin.
‘Damn land-grabbing.’
If you go mad here you won’t die a normal death.
Larvihan smoothed his rough lips. A memory of Lovelace begging for a kiss made them tingle.
“Lend me your power.”
Why didn’t she just ask for money instead? Larvihan had barely forced himself to pull away from her lips.
He hadn’t been able to grant her request — or rather, he couldn’t — but he couldn’t pretend not to know of her predicament.
‘Would she be angry if she knew I helped?’
Then I’ll just not let her know.
Larvihan glanced at Danger territory, then easily crossed over into the Kingdom.
‘Why are they leaving the border so exposed?’
Even if they weren’t directly confronting them, shouldn’t they have set up posts nearby? Even if the Danger knights were too weak, it was suspicious that Kingdom troops brazenly raided and stole supplies and yet left the land unattended.
‘It was strange from the start that Arwen granted them that fief.’
This looks like something Arwen’s been scheming about.
Once this is done, I’ll go see Arwen. Larvihan drew his sword from its scabbard and, as usual, threw the scabbard to the ground.
“Rey, I won’t kill them. Don’t die, you sword.”
He kissed his blade, which the sunset had stained reddish, then sprinted into Kingdom territory.
