Chapter: 16
Gaston let out a sigh, exasperated by the way Claude spoke of an unimaginable situation as if it were someone else’s problem.
“That was terrible acting. If I were the director of a theater troupe, I would’ve sent you a rejection notice.”
“Really?”
Claude shrugged and muttered, “Then I suppose I need more practice.”
He brushed it off like a joke, yet his expression suggested absolute confidence that things would unfold exactly according to his script.
Seeing that look, Gaston couldn’t take it as mere banter.
“You seem dissatisfied.”
“My liege is risking his life on an operation and didn’t even consult me beforehand. There’s no way I’d be pleased.”
“Even if I had, you would’ve opposed it.”
“Of course I would.”
Just the fact that Claude had planned an assassination-bait operation was enough to give him a headache. At this point, even getting angry felt exhausting.
Just then, a light flickered from the round mirror on the desk. At a glance, it looked like an ordinary mirror, but it was actually a communication device capable of connecting with someone far away.
When he rotated the mirror once, figures clad in pitch-black robes appeared on its shimmering surface.
They were Ombre, the Grand Duke’s personal intelligence unit, separate from the Laurent Knights.
“The target?”
– We’ve captured him.
“Good work. Zero, bring him to the Grand Duchy immediately. Make sure he stays alive.”
– Yes.
At the chilling order, a shiver ran down Gaston’s spine.
“Sank, Drayze—keep the count under surveillance. Capture him alive once I give the next command.”
– Yes.
“Sets and Diswit, tail the assassins as soon as you locate them. Report once they cross the Grand Duchy’s border.”
– Understood.
As the black silhouettes dissolved like mist, the mirror returned to its ordinary appearance.
Gaston loosened his tightly knotted tie and took a deep breath.
“So the count really did something to both of them… But there were clear traces of a monster attack…”
“That, too, we’ll find out once we interrogate him.”
“Still, Your Grace—how long have you been investigating this? Without even my knowing…”
After the previous Grand Duke and Duchess passed away, Claude had repeatedly insisted that none of it was a coincidence.
Yet for over half a year, no evidence or witnesses had emerged to support his intuition. Gaston had assumed it would end as nothing more than Claude’s misconception.
Until yesterday.
Just before Claude returned from the forest, testimonies from the territory’s residents and recorded crystal footage suddenly arrived. Then, moments ago, reports of someone being captured flew past through the communication device—things Gaston hadn’t even been aware of.
“Trade secret.”
From orchestrating an execution trap to issuing commands to Ombre—
The Claude Gaston knew was not someone who made such cold-blooded decisions.
For the first time in his life, the man he had served felt unfamiliar.
Bathed in dazzling morning sunlight, Jeanne stretched her arms wide. When she first woke up in this room, the view had felt like being on vacation. After several days, however, she was starting to grow numb to it.
“They say when something starts to feel familiar, that’s when it’s time to leave.”
For the past five days, she had enjoyed luxuries far beyond what a commoner deserved.
Just as Claude had promised, she’d been provided with a comfortable bedroom, three meals a day, and a dedicated maid who handled all the cleaning and laundry. Thanks to that, Jeanne had been able to focus solely on preparing for the entrance exam.
And today was the day of the test.
She carefully packed away the belongings she’d scattered around during her stay. The scene looked almost as if she were returning to Brienne after a vacation.
Not that I’m going back.
The thought that she wouldn’t have to see Alexis again made her hum unconsciously.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as she was nearly done packing, someone knocked on the door. Jeanne answered casually, and the door opened.
“Good morning, Lady Jeanne.”
“Morning, Amélie. And since today’s the last day, I don’t have to hear ‘Lady Jeanne’ anymore, right?”
“It’ll be ‘Sir’ instead of ‘Lady.’”
“I told you to just call me normally. Besides, I’m not even in the knights yet.”
“You didn’t go sightseeing even once after arriving here—you trained all day, every day. You worked so hard. I’m sure you’ll get into the order.”
Amélie replied with a soft laugh. With her light brown hair and drooping eyes, she looked calm and gentle, but contrary to her appearance, she was sharp, capable, and friendly.
Even though she might have resented serving a fellow commoner, she never complained. Instead, she helped Jeanne every day with a bright smile.
Grateful for that, Jeanne decided she would buy Amélie a small gift with her first paycheck once she joined the knights.
“Then I really have to get in, if only to live up to your expectations.”
As they traded lighthearted remarks, Amélie asked with a hint of disappointment.
“It’s the last day… Are you still not going to let me assist you with your bath?”
“I’m fine with everything else, but that’s a hard no.”
On her first night at the mansion, Amélie had insisted it was her duty and tried every which way to assist Jeanne with bathing. Jeanne had firmly refused—she felt too embarrassed at the thought of someone else touching and washing her body.
“I understand. Then I’ll go downstairs and ask the head chef to prepare breakfast.”
“Thanks.”
After Amélie left, Jeanne bathed in the adjoining bathroom.
While waiting for her to return, Jeanne changed clothes and gathered all her luggage. Soon after, another knock sounded, and Amélie entered.
“Lady Jeanne, His Grace is in the breakfast room right now.”
“Don’t tell me he’s waiting again.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, honestly.”
Jeanne frowned, unable to understand it.
Since arriving in Laurent, Claude had seemed relentlessly busy. From sunrise, the sound of retainers’ carriages echoed through the castle, and she’d often seen Gaston sprinting to the study with stacks of documents half his height. The lights in the office stayed on until late into the night.
In other words, his days were divided down to the second.
And yet, whenever Jeanne went down to the breakfast room, Claude was always there. At first, she’d assumed he had eaten earlier, but it turned out he’d been waiting for her.
[Why are you waiting? If you’re busy, you should eat first and get on with your work.]
[I’ve never eaten alone before.]
[What?]
[I eat lunch and dinner with my retainers, but I can’t exactly summon them first thing in the morning, can I?]
[Hey, how old are you? You can’t eat a meal by yourself?]
[I’ve lived like this my whole life. You’re giving me room and board—this much isn’t too much to ask, is it?]
[You’re not a child… Fine, fine. It’s just one meal together. What time should I come down?]
[Just come down when you’re ready.]
After that, Claude always arrived at the breakfast room first and waited for her. When she offered to adjust to his schedule, he only said there was no need.
It wasn’t hard to understand. He’d always eaten breakfast with his parents, and at school, students naturally gathered around him.
Now, having returned to the past with only half a year since graduation, it made sense that eating alone felt lonely.
But understanding something logically and empathizing with it emotionally were two very different things.
Shaking her head, Jeanne went downstairs, deciding to humor her lonely friend.
“You’re here?”
When the breakfast room door opened, Claude set down the documents in his hand. She didn’t know their contents, but it was obvious he was busy enough to read them right up until mealtime.
I told you not to worry about me.
The words rose to her throat, but she swallowed them back. Saying it would only tire her mouth.
As Jeanne sat across from him, the servants waiting along the wall moved in perfect unison. An empty coffee cup was refilled, and a footman carefully spread jam over freshly baked bread before setting it down.
And that was just the beginning.
An omelet made with eggs laid at dawn, fruits and ham supplied exclusively to the royal family and the Grand Ducal house—dishes a commoner could never hope to taste in an entire lifetime kept arriving without end.
Watching the table fill without her lifting a finger, Jeanne recalled what she’d been doing around this time in her previous life.
She had just joined the Royal Knights. The senior knights had summoned the new recruits, including her, trained them all day, and barely let them eat.
[I hear commoners are used to starving for days. In that case, training until bedtime shouldn’t faze them, right? To repay His Majesty’s grace, you should endure at least this much. Don’t you agree?]
She’d endured it day by day, telling herself it couldn’t be helped because they were rules. Looking back now, there had been no reason to tolerate any of it.
A laugh escaped her at the absurdity.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking I got to live in luxury for a bit, thanks to a friend.”
With a gentle smile, Jeanne took a large bite of bread thickly spread with jam.
Whether it was because the bread was made with the finest butter and her favorite apricot jam, or because she remembered how she’d eventually risen to become captain and silenced those seniors, or simply because she’d vowed never to live like that again—
For whatever reason, the bread tasted exceptionally rich and sweet.
“This might not be the end of it.”
