âOf course! According to what Iâve found out, you donât have a good reputation in the capital city. Iâll use this opportunity to inform the Grand Duchy of each and every detailâ¦.euhk.â
Aedis grabbed the Baronâs chin. Anyway, his jawbone wasnât shattered so, by Aedisâs standards, it could be said that his grip on him was really light.
âKeuh, ugghhâ¦..â
Aedis slowly opened his mouth.
âSuch a light mouth.â
âKghhâ¦.â
âWould it matter if it disappears from your body?â
As Aedis began to speak, his hidden momentum was revealed.
Blood flowed from the Baronâs eyes, nose, and mouth. Sein had long fainted.
âExcuse me, Aedis?â
Aedis released the Baron at my call.
âThe officials you mentioned, theyâre all coming here.â
It was a quick move, to say the least. Was it through a familiar?
The Baron lay sprawled and couldnât get up again or take care of his bloody face.
Procyon and Polluxâ¦
The eyes that looked at Aedis were shining. Even Thuban seemed to be in awe.
Haa. I regretfully lowered my eyes.
âWhy do I not have relationships like this with the barons? It would be fun if a guy with the rank of a count comes at meâ¦well, there was Count Elliot.â
As I turned my back, ignoring the Baron who was crumbling in prayer, Agena, who returned with the Baron, smiled lightly.
âIt may be hard to believe, but no matter what, the Count will not renounce his loyalty to the Grand Duchess. Just as he wouldnât the Grand Duke.â
âOh, youâre calling him Count? You arenât calling him brother?â
âI wonât.â
ââ¦.â
âNever.â
You donât need to emphasize it that much.
* * *
I returned to the mansion and took a breather. Sarah, who recognized what I asked for, spoke.
âThe missing person you were looking for, they said he returned this morning. He had indeed gotten lost after entering the forest, but he said he didnât even see the beast. He was exhausted, but he said there wasnât any danger to his life. Was it luck?â
âIt could beâ¦Sarah, Iâm so sleepy.â
âYou have to eat dinner and sleep.â
I shook my head.
âA cup of tea is enough. What about the Baron?â
âHeâs being treated.â
The Baron had approved the demolition of the building to try and somehow stay alive.
He brought his cousinâs nephew, the owner of the building, and knelt down and apologized.
Of course, nothing changed.
The officials of the Grand Duchy, who will arrive at the Rosa estate tomorrow, were already ready to uproot the Baron.
Aedis could bury him in the ground as it is, but this way is better, right?
Officials were excited to say that it was the first time that the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess had called them directly.
In particular, Tolyman Elliott and Rita, an Academy colleague, were the most enthusiastic.
In an additional report sheâd made through Aedisâs familiar, Rita said that she had been eagerly awaiting the coming of the day to set the Baron up.
Rita worked as an administrator, but as much time sheâd spent wrestling with paperwork, sheâd also spent on her feet.
And it was because the Baron was always late to report.
Rita couldnât stand it, so many times she visited Rosaâs estate and demanded improvement, but the Baron responded with the door.
[T/N: So, it made more sense in the KR raw, this term actually means to kick a visitor out of the door without appreciation.]
Eventually, Tolyman Elliott came out to solve it, but it seemed to have hurt Ritaâs pride.
She fulfilled her ambitions, saying that she would never disappoint the Grand Duchess, who gave her such an opportunity.
Sarah left the tea and I asked Aedis about the situation in Cyclamen Castle.
Aedis said Regen had put off his homework from his tutor, but that he was doing well.
By the way, I wonder if Gilbert is on the verge of hiding away in the bathroom because of Count Elliot, who follows him everywhere.
I didnât forget to ask about the wolf-shaped beast that had slipped into Aedisâs shadow.
âAedis, whatâs our wolf doing now?â
âItâs been sleeping.â
âAre you going to make it your familiar?â
âItâs a beast that my wife is interested in, I should treat it better than that.â
I tilted my head at that.
âIsnât it a pretty good treat to be your familiar? There wonât be a problem with the supply of magic, and because itâs a beast, youâre not going to roll badly even if other wizards deal with it.â
ââ¦..â
âAedis?â
Suddenly, he began to concentrate on the sound heâd heard from somewhere in the mansion.
âOh, the Baron wants to send his son to the Lydia Estate.â
âHey, donât change the topic.â
My husband, who is presumed to be working hard with the familiars, avoided my gaze awkwardly.
âHe wants to get the most sympathy he can out of Viscountess Ella and Aria Ella.â
It was good information, so it was even more difficult to move on.
âThank you for the real-time broadcast. How much do you usually overwork the familiars? Did you ever ask them to go to the other side of the continent and get water because you were thirsty?â
âI didnât tell them to go to the other side of the continent.â
â¦â¦Is it possible that his familiars are waiting for the most important moment to then strike as a group?
I stared at Aedis with my triangular eyes.
He was coughing in vain.
âIâll try to control myself from now on. Like in roughly 15 days.â
âWhy wait until after 15 days?â
âBecause I have something to investigate, there is a familiar that I sent a little far away. I will inform my wife as soon as it is over.â
What kind of investigation are you doing?
I searched my memory for a moment. One thing came to mind.
I once asked Aedis for the name of a blue and white flower at Cyclamen Castle.
The beautiful flowers, which I couldnât see in the capital, were nice because they had a soft scent, and I was naturally interested because each vase was filled with them.
-Aedis, whatâs the name of this flower?
-Iâll study it.
But Aedis couldnât answer my question then.
And it was a solemn promise.
âAh, maybeâ¦!â
Aedis, who noticed what I was thinking, affirmed.
âYes, thatâs it.â
âYou donât have to overdo itâ¦â¦â
My conscience was stinging.
In fact, I had already found out the name of the flower, albeit a bit late. But it wasnât intentional!
Aedis bent his eyes and smiled beautifully. Even in the middle of the night, he had a dazzling and bright face.
âIf itâs for my wife, what canât I do.â
Ugh, my conscienceâ¦
I turned around with a cold sweat.
âAlright, but the Baron is still talking about hosting a ball?â
âYes.â
I didnât ask for a relay. Itâs so obviousâ¦
Does the Baron really think Viscountess Ella is going to fall for a sympathy ploy?
âEve, you have to sleep. Your eyelids keep drooping down.â
He lifted my body and laid me on the bed and covered me with a blanket.
I asked Aedis, who was lying next to me.
âIs it your turn to sing a lullaby?â
âI wish I could. I donât know any songs.â
ââ¦..â
Is there really something like this?!
I was getting more and more afraid to know about Aedisâs past.
I had only obtained a few fragmentary hints yet, but each one was incredibly strange.
Will I be able to listen to the end without getting angryâ¦.?
âIâll teach you. Iâm good at singing.â
I said that first and watched him.
It seems that when I last sang a song, Charlie became contemplative and Monica covered her earsâ¦.
Aedisâs fingers swept slowly over my cheek.
âNot today.â
His touch didnât even reach the inside of my body, but it felt like a corner of my heart was being sweetly scratched.
* * *
The next day, we left the Rosa Estate as scheduled and set out for the Lydia Estate.
I heard that homelessness is inescapable to get to the Lydia Estate.
You can sleep in a carriage with warming magic, but itâs probably not as comfortable as a bedroom.
So, I was in the middle of preparing myself mentally.
âThe speed is amazing. I feel like Iâm flying.â
âHopefully, I donât think I have to be homeless?â
Agena and Pollux were impressed, and I had seen it a while ago during a brief break.
The horsesâ feet werenât touching the ground at all.
ââ¦..â
Even now, the horses were only pretending to run.
Even so, the number of stomps had noticeably decreased compared to a few minutes ago.
Loud murmuring sounds were coming from the coachman.
Then how is the carriage moving?
Aedis, who caught my gaze, blinked.
âAre you hungry?â
No!
However, Aedis was already taking out a round, sugary candy.