Chapter 9
Fritz headed straight to the lord’s office the moment he was released from prison.
“This is truly outrageous! How could you lock a talented person like me in prison for three whole days?!”
He stood right in front of the desk, shouting loudly.
Ash’s attitude, keeping his eyes fixed on the documents without even acknowledging him, spoke volumes. It was utterly ridiculous.
“If you throw me in jail every time I open my mouth, how can I possibly offer you proper, honest advice without fear?”
“So, is this a protest?”
“Yes!”
*He’s probably cursing me in his head, calling me all talk,* Fritz thought. But today, he wasn’t in the mood to back down.
“Let me tell you again, a maid who learned etiquette and dance ‘over the shoulder’ like that is not common!”
“I suppose not.”
“And I saw her dance myself!”
Although it was from a distance.
“Then I assume you brought her directly before me.”
“But why didn’t you?!”
*Tap-!*
The pen signing the document was thrust into the inkwell.
Finally, Ash looked up, crossing his arms and tilting his chin sideways.
A wave of unease washed over Fritz.
“D-Do you doubt my judgment?”
“Yes.”
Whenever his lord struck this pose, Fritz’s eloquence always failed him.
But today, he was determined not to lose.
“Did you even look at that maid’s wrists and ankles before bringing her here?”
“Why would I look at her perfectly fine wrists and ank…!”
Fritz, who was about to launch into a passionate speech, stopped mid-sentence.
The image of the maid elegantly demonstrating her etiquette surfaced vividly in his mind.
The sleeves she used to slightly lift her skirt were roomy.
“Huh?”
In fact, they weren’t just roomy, they seemed almost baggy.
What about the woman he saw under the magnolia tree?
“Huh? Huh?”
She was petite compared to other maids of similar height. So much so that he feared she might topple over if lightly touched.
No, it was a wonder she wasn’t blown away by the wind.
Why was he only realizing this now?
The reason was simple. Blood had rushed to his head, clouding his judgment. He had believed so fervently that she was the only solution that he failed to notice anything else.
As Fritz tugged at his hair in frustration, Ash held out a piece of paper.
“What is this?”
“A letter from Granny Vianu.”
Vianu was the pharmacist of Canis Castle. She was currently on a sabbatical, resting in her hometown.
Why was a letter from Granny Vianu appearing here now?
Since his lord wasn’t one to act without reason, Fritz promptly took the letter.
*It’s Vianu.*
*I’ll cut to the chase with a word of advice.*
*Lacey needs to rest.*
*Even if I say this, I know you’ll probably use her as labor somewhere in the castle.*
*If that’s the case, then at least give her light work.*
*Something that will cause her less physical strain.*
*That child ingested Chromo grass. How much must she have suffered in a distant land to have consumed such a wretched poisonous weed?*
*Please show her mercy, as she’s someone who has narrowly escaped death.*
*Of course, I administered an antidote. But it will take a long time for her body to recover completely.*
*Frankly, I’m more worried about the aftereffects of the poisoning.*
After reading the entire contents, Fritz dropped the letter.
“W-was Miss Lacey’s physical condition that bad?”
He didn’t know. He truly had no idea.
Ash had kept his mouth shut no matter how much Fritz asked for the reason not to hire her as a dance instructor, so how could he have known?
“According to Granny Vianu’s opinion, it seems so.”
If only he had been told earlier, he wouldn’t have made such a fuss, even at the cost of his dignity.
He felt a pang of guilt for no reason.
“In that case, she should focus on recovering for the time being. Cleaning duties are the easiest work anyway, so we can just leave her assigned there……”
He muttered dejectedly as he picked up the letter and placed it on the desk.
“Where’s the back page?”
“Never mind that.”
For some reason, it felt like something he’d received had been snatched back.
“By the way, why did you bring Miss Lacey from Euphorian? I thought you detested outsiders?”
Basically, the people of Canis were wary of outsiders. It was a habit ingrained in them, as deep-rooted as their long history.
There were occasions when outsiders were accepted out of necessity or circumstance.
In such cases, they underwent a test.
A screening test called ‘Judgment.’
Especially, it took considerable time to enter Canis Castle. Seven years on average, wasn’t it?
But Lacey Thiel passed in just three years.
Whether she had some hidden special ability, or those were the contract terms, Fritz had no way of knowing.
The only thing he could infer was…
“Perhaps you deliberately placed her somewhere you could see her, to torment her…?”
“Instead of wasting time with pointless conjectures, go keep a proper eye on the shark pup.”
*He wouldn’t even accept a joke made in jest.* Fritz’s lips jutted out in a pout.
“I deployed the soldiers on my way here.”
Then again. Now wasn’t the time to relax.
Although Lacey Thiel was now a person of Canis.
“No matter how nimble the merchant guild leader is, he won’t be able to wander around the castle avoiding all those soldiers.”
Blake Tower was an external element that required vigilance.
***
*Bang! Bang!*
“Lord Blake Tower.”
A soldier’s hardened voice came through the door.
“We need to check something. Please open the door.”
“N-Not now! I’m busy, come back later!”
“If you refuse to open it, we will break the door down.”
*How utterly unreasonable.*
Thinking it was a case of ‘like master, like man,’ it made a twisted sort of sense.
“W-wait a moment! I’m coming! I said I’m coming!”
Blake, who had been crouching, scrambled up and opened the door.
“What in the world is going on?”
The soldiers, who were about to rush in, halted at the entrance.
Piles of clothes stacked like mountains, broken furnishings… Their tongues clucked involuntarily at the state of the mess.
It was utterly impossible to find a place to step, forcing them to stop their advance.
“We’re looking for an intruder.”
“An… intruder?”
“Have you perhaps seen any suspicious individuals?”
“N-no, I haven’t? I’ve only been in my room.”
His tone was unbearably awkward.
*How did someone so bad at acting manage negotiations with business partners?*
*Phew—*
Anyway, that was close.
***
*”Hide, we need to hide for now!”*
*”Where?”*
*”The wardrobe or the bed… Sorry. There’s nowhere to hide.”*
They didn’t dare venture further inside. Hiding crouched behind the door might have been better.
*”Hide here!”*
Blake managed to exert enough force to shift the pile of clothes occupying the floor.
They barely managed to hide their bodies.
But it felt like they might be crushed to death by the clothing pile. The weight was one thing, but something was pressing tightly across their chest and stomach.
*What is this?*
They felt around with their fingertips. Beneath the thick fabric, they felt something lumpy. It felt like a picture frame. There was even a smell of old paint…
*Good grief.*
Did he throw a picture frame on the floor just to find a single handkerchief?
“Did a dangerous person break in or something?”
“Hard to say. We won’t know until we catch them. If you notice anything strange, please inform us immediately. Well then…”
“O-oh? Yeah. Good work.”
*Slam!*
The heavy footsteps of the soldiers faded away.
“You can come out now.”
Only after the pile of clothes was lifted did they regain their freedom.
“Thank you for hiding me.”
“It’s only right I help you, since this happened because of me.”
Blake and I pressed our ears to the door, listening for any activity outside.
They seemed to have left, but the soldiers were talking amongst themselves. The content was hard to make out.
“Feels like it might take a while.”
“I think so too.”
Blake shook his head repeatedly.
“Since you’re already here, shall I repay the favor?”
“Sure.”
There was no other option. We had to kill time until things calmed down outside.
Blake pushed some luggage aside and moved further inside.
Unlike the living room, the inner sitting room was intact. If they had hidden here in the first place, they wouldn’t have been buried under men’s clothes.
“……”
“Huh? Is there something on my face?”
“……It’s nothing.”
*It’s infuriating that I can’t detect any ulterior motive from that harmless expression.*
“Here, here. Sit here. This spot is the most plush! It’s a cushion made from Euphorian-produced wool!”
Even so, seeing him consider me, a Euphorian native, showed he probably meant no harm.
“I wish I could offer you tea too, but…”
He might even be favorably disposed. I smiled brightly and said.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Let’s just score some points for now.
Who knows what might happen later.
“So, what story would you like to hear?”
Only after sitting down could we get to the main point.
But there were so many things I was curious about.
After all, I had lost consciousness and woken up to find over three years and several months had flown by.
“That autumn, four years ago. You managed to migrate to Canis during such a tumultuous time, huh?”
Although he spoke indirectly, it was clear he was referring to the incident of my father’s death.
I nodded and continued.
“I’m curious about what happened to Euphorian after that.”
Blake crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and made a face.
His already sharp features instantly took on an intimidating aura.
I swallowed a gulp without realizing it.
“I don’t intend to take up too much of your time. Even just the major events would be fine…”
“No. I can’t disappoint my benefactor.”
Even as he said that, Blake’s expression remained heavy.
Even after taking a long, deep breath, the sharp tension in the air didn’t dissipate.
“That winter… if it’s about that time, then it would probably be about Princess Lacey…”
