“Hmm, what is the Marquis of Ferney’s current job in the imperial household?”
“Supplies. The merchants that used to supply the imperial family were swept away by the rebellion. There were no merchants that could bring in goods that were up to the imperial standard, other than the Ferney family merchants supported by the Marchioness’s maternal family, the Lopree merchants.”
“It’s perfect for stirring up trouble in the palace. It’s also good for hiding people in a cart and taking them out.”
Marquis Mosley reluctantly agreed to Erne's words.
“They said they were very thorough in their verification. They made him say words that would be banned, but he was fine. Her Majesty the Empress also said that he didn’t seem to be banned.”
So the Marquis of Ferney was excluded from the list of suspects.
“The southern forest has already been searched, but since Madam said he was suspicious, we will check again.”
Erne and Cain headed straight for the summer residence of the Marquis of Ferney.
As expected, there was everything Caroline and Judith had suspected: the Marquis of Ferney's lover and his illegitimate child, and the Roam gang.
When the Marquis of Mosley and the Royal Knights searched the southern forest, it is said that the Marquis of Ferney's lover, a man, and three babies pretended to be family and escaped the investigation.
Erne, returning to the Rhineland mansion, shook the mud off his robe and shoes before going inside and speaking to Judith.
“It seems the Imperial Knights just let it slide since he was a villa keeper hired by the Marquis of Ferney. I heard he checked with the Marquis of Ferney, so of course he said the same thing.”
“That’s right. Those people are on the same side as the Marquis of Ferney.”
Judith answered, brushing the mud off Gold's side.
“There was a basement in the villa. It seemed to have been built to be used as a wine cellar. When the search began, Roam must have been hiding there.”
“But how could the Imperial Knights not have known? Roam was walking around the capital square and even going to bars. Isn’t you being too sloppy in your search for traitors?”
“That’s because we’re trying to do it secretly without conducting a large-scale investigation.”
Erne showed his displeasure by roughly shaking the hem of his robe.
Even if they put up wanted posters, offered a bounty, and conducted surprise checks three or four times a day, they had no idea whether they would catch the guy who was determined to escape.
But the current Emperor secretly ordered the Marquis of Mosley to track them down. In the large and crowded capital, finding a traitor who everyone thought was dead was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
However, the current Emperor will never turn to a public investigation. The most important thing to the Emperor is the happiness and safety of the Empress.
Erne didn't quite understand that.
“Does it make sense to leave the seeds of rebellion because of the Empress?”
“That’s right. Wouldn’t it be better to just get rid of it all?”
Judith also could not understand the Emperor. He left behind those who might be a danger to the empire in the future, out of fear of hurting the Empress.
At the moment when Erne and Judith, who had been in agreement for a long time, were about to start seriously badmouthing the Emperor,
“It’s love.”
A young voice intervened.
"What?"
“Love, you say. His Majesty the Emperor loves Her Majesty the Empress. That’s why He doesn’t want Her Majesty the Empress to be hurt at all.”
A girl with reddish scars here and there on her face was suddenly looking at Judith and Erne.
The child's name is Kaya.
She is one of the children brought by the godmothers. In the godmothers' group, even children had to do their part, and Kaya was in charge of providing food and water to Gold.
When they heard the sound of Gold returning, they saw Kaya and Judith interrupting the conversation between Erne and me.
Judith and Erne snickered as they watched the ten-year-old Kaya boldly proclaiming love. Kaya, who was so young that she could sense that someone was making fun of her, got angry.
“He said love is the most important thing in the world.”
“There’s nothing a child can’t say. And you, don’t just butt in when adults are talking.”
Judith clicked her tongue internally and looked at Erne. Do you want to change from being a mad dog to a cur?
“Erne, why are you doing that to her?”
Judith, who had said a word to Erne, spoke to Kaya, level with her.
“Kaya, listen carefully. I don’t know who said that love is the most important thing in the world, but that’s not true.”
“Then what’s important?”
Curiosity filled her bright amber eyes.
“Money. Money is the most important thing. Think about it, Kaya. Does love feed you? No. Money feeds you, buys you clothes, and buys you a house.”
“Teach the child good things.”
Erne clicked his tongue loudly so that Judith could hear.
“It’s about teaching her how to live in the world.”
“What kind of world is that, Miss Harrington? It’s just destroying her innocence.”
“You should study economics from a young age. That’s how you develop a sense of money. You should know that money, not love, can buy you a sword.”
Judith looked at the four scabbards hanging from Gold's side. Erne, who had clearly gone to the blacksmith shop to sharpen one sword, had come back with four swords.
Although it was called a spare sword, there were already plenty of spare swords in the mansion. Of course, it was a sword he had bought with his own pocket money, but Judith didn't understand why he kept buying and buying things that already existed.
“Oh, you were talking to me, not her. To develop a sense of money.”
“I didn’t say anything like that, but I guess you were hurt.”
“Oh, I feel so bad. I feel so bad for Miss Harrington that I’m going to sleep alone tonight.”
Even though the Marchioness Ferney burned the wooden doll, the damp steam inside Judith did not disappear. It seemed that Tan's guess that the witchcraft had changed was correct.
So Judith had to sleep with Erne for a few more days.
“Really lethal. Be more generous, Erne. Do you think holding hands will wear you out? Do you think that will wear you out?”
“Worn out. And my hand is very expensive. So from now on, every time you hold my hand, you have to pay a fee.”
“You’re being too showy when you just hold my hand.”
Sparks flew between Judith and Erne. Judith and Erne, who were refusing to back down from each other, didn't see it.
Kaya is looking at the two of them with eyes that say, 'I feel bad for the adults who don't know love.'
“I have a question.”
Kaya, who had been looking at the two adults with pity for a moment, raised her hand.
“Okay, go ahead and ask your question.”
Judith looked at Kaya, her expression and tone of voice fixed.
“Can making a lot of money make you happy?”
"Of course."
“Even if you don’t have anyone you love?”
Uh, um, Judith couldn't answer and just rolled her eyes. Judith loved money. So she thought she would be happy with money.
But what if you don't have anyone you love?
She never thought about that. Judith looked at Erne as if asking for help.
“Why are you looking at me? I don’t know.”
It was also a topic that Erne had never thought about. He had never wanted to make a lot of money, never wanted to live with someone he loved, and never imagined such a future.
As both Judith and Erne were speechless, Gold licked Kaya's cheek. Kaya laughed and stroked the bridge of Gold's nose.
The child was completely absorbed in the words. And the two adults, who couldn't even answer, quietly stepped back.
Kaya was much smaller than her peers of ten years old. She also suffered from skin disease due to living in humid places. The pharmacist Beichi tried to cure Kaya's skin disease, but the disease only got worse.
However, after coming to live at the Count's residence in Rhineland, Kaya's skin condition improved noticeably. The problem was the damp and dirty space.
Although it wasn't abundant, she still ate three proper meals a day, which helped her immunity.
'The environment is important.'
There were several other children, but I was particularly fond of Kaya. Naturally, Kaya was trained as a medium, as she was gifted with psychic powers.
However, I had seen Kaya secretly sighing, unwilling to receive mediumship training.
“You don’t want to be a psychic?”
“Yes, but I will become a great medium. Then I can cure my godmother’s eyesight and help other family members.”
The sight of her desperately trying to help out in some way in the household reminded me of my own childhood.
“Kaya is just like me when I was little.”
I ran to Erne's room to avoid Kaya's difficult questions and lay on the bed muttering while he changed into comfortable clothes.
“What kind of bad words are you saying to the child?”
“That’s not a bad remark. It’s a compliment for being smart.”
“I saw her earlier and she seemed like a romantic kid.”
Kaya said that love was the most important thing in the world. At that time, the word love was a luxury to me.
“But I guess that’s because Kaya has so many people who take care of her with sincerity.”
If you look closely, Tan was a good older brother to his younger siblings, even though he had cheated others. Although Beichi was poor, he bought books and taught the children how to read.
A family, people who are poor but care for and look after each other. Young Judith didn't have that.
“Although I wasn’t a romantic child, I was an ambitious child.”
“Supplies. The merchants that used to supply the imperial family were swept away by the rebellion. There were no merchants that could bring in goods that were up to the imperial standard, other than the Ferney family merchants supported by the Marchioness’s maternal family, the Lopree merchants.”
“It’s perfect for stirring up trouble in the palace. It’s also good for hiding people in a cart and taking them out.”
Marquis Mosley reluctantly agreed to Erne's words.
“They said they were very thorough in their verification. They made him say words that would be banned, but he was fine. Her Majesty the Empress also said that he didn’t seem to be banned.”
So the Marquis of Ferney was excluded from the list of suspects.
“The southern forest has already been searched, but since Madam said he was suspicious, we will check again.”
***
Erne and Cain headed straight for the summer residence of the Marquis of Ferney.
As expected, there was everything Caroline and Judith had suspected: the Marquis of Ferney's lover and his illegitimate child, and the Roam gang.
When the Marquis of Mosley and the Royal Knights searched the southern forest, it is said that the Marquis of Ferney's lover, a man, and three babies pretended to be family and escaped the investigation.
Erne, returning to the Rhineland mansion, shook the mud off his robe and shoes before going inside and speaking to Judith.
“It seems the Imperial Knights just let it slide since he was a villa keeper hired by the Marquis of Ferney. I heard he checked with the Marquis of Ferney, so of course he said the same thing.”
“That’s right. Those people are on the same side as the Marquis of Ferney.”
Judith answered, brushing the mud off Gold's side.
“There was a basement in the villa. It seemed to have been built to be used as a wine cellar. When the search began, Roam must have been hiding there.”
“But how could the Imperial Knights not have known? Roam was walking around the capital square and even going to bars. Isn’t you being too sloppy in your search for traitors?”
“That’s because we’re trying to do it secretly without conducting a large-scale investigation.”
Erne showed his displeasure by roughly shaking the hem of his robe.
Even if they put up wanted posters, offered a bounty, and conducted surprise checks three or four times a day, they had no idea whether they would catch the guy who was determined to escape.
But the current Emperor secretly ordered the Marquis of Mosley to track them down. In the large and crowded capital, finding a traitor who everyone thought was dead was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
However, the current Emperor will never turn to a public investigation. The most important thing to the Emperor is the happiness and safety of the Empress.
Erne didn't quite understand that.
“Does it make sense to leave the seeds of rebellion because of the Empress?”
“That’s right. Wouldn’t it be better to just get rid of it all?”
Judith also could not understand the Emperor. He left behind those who might be a danger to the empire in the future, out of fear of hurting the Empress.
At the moment when Erne and Judith, who had been in agreement for a long time, were about to start seriously badmouthing the Emperor,
“It’s love.”
A young voice intervened.
"What?"
“Love, you say. His Majesty the Emperor loves Her Majesty the Empress. That’s why He doesn’t want Her Majesty the Empress to be hurt at all.”
A girl with reddish scars here and there on her face was suddenly looking at Judith and Erne.
The child's name is Kaya.
She is one of the children brought by the godmothers. In the godmothers' group, even children had to do their part, and Kaya was in charge of providing food and water to Gold.
When they heard the sound of Gold returning, they saw Kaya and Judith interrupting the conversation between Erne and me.
Judith and Erne snickered as they watched the ten-year-old Kaya boldly proclaiming love. Kaya, who was so young that she could sense that someone was making fun of her, got angry.
“He said love is the most important thing in the world.”
“There’s nothing a child can’t say. And you, don’t just butt in when adults are talking.”
Judith clicked her tongue internally and looked at Erne. Do you want to change from being a mad dog to a cur?
“Erne, why are you doing that to her?”
Judith, who had said a word to Erne, spoke to Kaya, level with her.
“Kaya, listen carefully. I don’t know who said that love is the most important thing in the world, but that’s not true.”
“Then what’s important?”
Curiosity filled her bright amber eyes.
“Money. Money is the most important thing. Think about it, Kaya. Does love feed you? No. Money feeds you, buys you clothes, and buys you a house.”
“Teach the child good things.”
Erne clicked his tongue loudly so that Judith could hear.
“It’s about teaching her how to live in the world.”
“What kind of world is that, Miss Harrington? It’s just destroying her innocence.”
“You should study economics from a young age. That’s how you develop a sense of money. You should know that money, not love, can buy you a sword.”
Judith looked at the four scabbards hanging from Gold's side. Erne, who had clearly gone to the blacksmith shop to sharpen one sword, had come back with four swords.
Although it was called a spare sword, there were already plenty of spare swords in the mansion. Of course, it was a sword he had bought with his own pocket money, but Judith didn't understand why he kept buying and buying things that already existed.
“Oh, you were talking to me, not her. To develop a sense of money.”
“I didn’t say anything like that, but I guess you were hurt.”
“Oh, I feel so bad. I feel so bad for Miss Harrington that I’m going to sleep alone tonight.”
Even though the Marchioness Ferney burned the wooden doll, the damp steam inside Judith did not disappear. It seemed that Tan's guess that the witchcraft had changed was correct.
So Judith had to sleep with Erne for a few more days.
“Really lethal. Be more generous, Erne. Do you think holding hands will wear you out? Do you think that will wear you out?”
“Worn out. And my hand is very expensive. So from now on, every time you hold my hand, you have to pay a fee.”
“You’re being too showy when you just hold my hand.”
Sparks flew between Judith and Erne. Judith and Erne, who were refusing to back down from each other, didn't see it.
Kaya is looking at the two of them with eyes that say, 'I feel bad for the adults who don't know love.'
“I have a question.”
Kaya, who had been looking at the two adults with pity for a moment, raised her hand.
“Okay, go ahead and ask your question.”
Judith looked at Kaya, her expression and tone of voice fixed.
“Can making a lot of money make you happy?”
"Of course."
“Even if you don’t have anyone you love?”
Uh, um, Judith couldn't answer and just rolled her eyes. Judith loved money. So she thought she would be happy with money.
But what if you don't have anyone you love?
She never thought about that. Judith looked at Erne as if asking for help.
“Why are you looking at me? I don’t know.”
It was also a topic that Erne had never thought about. He had never wanted to make a lot of money, never wanted to live with someone he loved, and never imagined such a future.
As both Judith and Erne were speechless, Gold licked Kaya's cheek. Kaya laughed and stroked the bridge of Gold's nose.
The child was completely absorbed in the words. And the two adults, who couldn't even answer, quietly stepped back.
***
Kaya was much smaller than her peers of ten years old. She also suffered from skin disease due to living in humid places. The pharmacist Beichi tried to cure Kaya's skin disease, but the disease only got worse.
However, after coming to live at the Count's residence in Rhineland, Kaya's skin condition improved noticeably. The problem was the damp and dirty space.
Although it wasn't abundant, she still ate three proper meals a day, which helped her immunity.
'The environment is important.'
There were several other children, but I was particularly fond of Kaya. Naturally, Kaya was trained as a medium, as she was gifted with psychic powers.
However, I had seen Kaya secretly sighing, unwilling to receive mediumship training.
“You don’t want to be a psychic?”
“Yes, but I will become a great medium. Then I can cure my godmother’s eyesight and help other family members.”
The sight of her desperately trying to help out in some way in the household reminded me of my own childhood.
“Kaya is just like me when I was little.”
I ran to Erne's room to avoid Kaya's difficult questions and lay on the bed muttering while he changed into comfortable clothes.
“What kind of bad words are you saying to the child?”
“That’s not a bad remark. It’s a compliment for being smart.”
“I saw her earlier and she seemed like a romantic kid.”
Kaya said that love was the most important thing in the world. At that time, the word love was a luxury to me.
“But I guess that’s because Kaya has so many people who take care of her with sincerity.”
If you look closely, Tan was a good older brother to his younger siblings, even though he had cheated others. Although Beichi was poor, he bought books and taught the children how to read.
A family, people who are poor but care for and look after each other. Young Judith didn't have that.
“Although I wasn’t a romantic child, I was an ambitious child.”
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