“The robe is closer to Erne!”
“But I guess Miss Harrington, who has been so kind to me, might want to repay the favor in some way.”
Erne pursed his lips and gave a leisurely smile to me, who was glaring at him.
“Thank you so much for coming.”
My cheeks flushed red as if I was drunk. It wasn't that I was drunk again. I was just angry.
Erne teased me endlessly from the side. The trouble started when I got drunk and expressed my sincere gratitude yesterday.
'Oh, I should have just said thank you. No, I should have bought you a bottle of alcohol.'
Why did I say thank you with such a hazy expression, holding the corner? I was embarrassed for no reason and my ears turned red. The problem was that I was embarrassed about my face turning red.
If my face hadn't turned red, I would have made an excuse that I was drunk and said something random, but since my face turned red, doesn't it seem like I was being too sincere?
I swore to myself last night that if I ever met him I would hit him in the head.
“Thank you. Thank you. Can you hurry up and get ready to go out?”
I eventually picked up the robe, which was closer to Erne than I was, and flung it at him.
Erne, who had been successfully catching the robe that was fluttering in the wind, muttered to himself so that everyone could hear, asking why I would throw a robe at someone I was grateful to.
“You said thank you, but you threw clothes at the person you were thinking. Tsk tsk. You should have held it up politely with both hands.”
I, really, am so dumbfounded. I muttered to myself loudly, pouting.
“Even you, you were worried about me so you didn’t even question Roam.”
“So, I'm a benefactor, a benefactor.”
“Tch, if that’s enough to be a benefactor, then everyone in the world must be a benefactor.”
I never looked at Erne, but instead tied my hair together and muttered to myself in the mirror.
“Then what am I, who saved the life of a person who was still a corpse that did not decay? I am a savior.”
Erne, who was wearing a robe, clicked his tongue while listening to my question and answer.
“Wasn’t it all Henry’s fault for finding my body, bringing in a psychic, and paying money? I don’t know what the other one did to deserve my life.”
“I guess you don’t know that I gave you a bath with a towel because I was worried you would go to heaven looking dirty.”
“I wonder if that’s just selfishness.”
I and Erne never looked at each other and continued our conversation in the guise of talking to ourselves.
When Tan, who had come to fetch me, said that the carriage was ready, he knocked on the door, opened it, and asked Erne when he had come here.
“...Come out now, you two. That was really childish of you just now.”
Tan shook his head as he looked at the two people.
“Have you found the Marchioness of Ferney?”
“Not yet. I’m cautious, but I suspect that she may not have been able to escape the flames yet.”
Cain Mosley shook his head.
“There is testimony from a servant that they brought her out. How many of them were there? They may have left the capital. Did you check the checkpoint?”
“Yes, but there is no record of the Marchioness Ferney ever escaping.”
Although the security checks on the way out of the capital weren't strict, they still checked ID.
“They say that only one noble carriage went out that day.”
“Really? Who is she and from what family?”
“This is the Countess of Rhineland.”
"who?"
Countess of Rhineland? The current Count of Rhineland is Erne, so Countess of Rhineland is...
Cain, who had thought up to that point, went through the stages of thought in the order of “No way,” “Maybe,” and “Oh, that must have been so,” and bit his lip.
'Even though the Countess was friendly with the Marchioness of Ferney, received much help from her, and sold a lot of candles, there's no way she would have helped her escape. She went to the port to send the Marchioness of Ferney back to the Kingdom of Penco, and that's why Erne followed her to the port. He even told me not to send my men, but that's not true.'
What the heck, that's not true!
Cain wanted to scream, but he barely held onto his sanity.
'In the circumstances, the Marchioness of Ferney is innocent. Treason is punishable by association, but it could strain relations with the Kingdom of Penco.'
The Loprey upper class was also very into a foreign land and was punished for an unjust act, no kingdom would remain silent.
Even if it didn't lead to a real diplomatic conflict, they definitely showed their regrets outwardly. The kingdom also has its own pride and face to protect.
'Your Majesty will soon celebrate the first anniversary of your enthronement. You will hold a formal state wedding then, but if the Kingdom of Penco does not send a delegation, that will be a bigger problem.'
When the Emperor first ascended the throne, the country was in chaos due to traitors, so he could not hold a formal state wedding. At the time, the Empress was also pregnant and was not in a state to hold such a grand event as a state wedding.
So, the imperial family planned to invite delegations from other kingdoms and hold a grand banquet and state wedding to celebrate the first anniversary of the Emperor's accession to the throne two months later.
If Caroline Loughrey were incarcerated at this point, there would be no way the celebration could be properly celebrated.
“For now, the Marchioness Ferney will be listed as missing.”
"Yes."
As Cain signed and handed over the report, another subordinate barged into Cain's office without knocking.
“We’re in trouble, Marquis.”
“What now?”
“The red wine medium has committed suicide.”
"What?"
“I am truly ashamed, Your Grace.”
Cain buried his face in his palms as he watched his subordinate bow his head.
“How can he... when he's gagged?”
“He muttered that he was coming soon, then vomited blood and died. It seemed like he had poison in his mouth. He was showing signs of dehydration, so they only gave him a little water...”
The subordinate trailed off. Cain let out a long sigh. Before he could properly interrogate them, the most important person had died.
'What if Erne hears this?'
I'm dying. This time for real.
Cain wanted to stop being bothered by Erne. He jumped up from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“To Sir Roam.”
He has to save him at least. He has to save him no matter what.
“Your honorific title is too much for a traitor who has been stripped of his knighthood, Your Grace.”
“I think so too, but from now on I will treat him like a knight.”
“Are you planning to use a persuasion tactic?”
“That’s right. He was a knight commander. He would never open his mouth if he was in a lot of pain. But we have to make him open his mouth, do you understand? Treat him like a knight, treat him like a knight commander, or whatever!”
Caroline didn't know Erne very well. She seemed to remember hearing about his reputation, but that was it. Caroline was just glad that a skilled knight was traveling with her.
After leaving the luxury inn, they had to spend another night at the next estate before they could arrive at the port city.
Caroline, who was looking at the ship through the window inside the carriage, suddenly opened the carriage door and came out.
“That’s the ship, our upper ship!”
Caroline pointed to a large merchant ship with a mermaid statue on its stern.
“It says Loprey.”
Illuor, who had checked the side of the ship, nodded happily.
Judith and her group got off the carriage and stood at the dock where the ship was docked, waiting for people to get off. Finally, the ship's entrance opened and people began to get off.
Caroline jumped and waved as a red-haired man carrying a briefcase came into view.
“Denver!”
“Sister?”
Denver Loprey.
He was the successor to the Loprey family and Caroline's younger brother. In the kingdom of Penco, the two siblings were famous for their close friendship.
“Albert Ferney, that bastard just...”
Denver was outraged when he heard what happened to Caroline.
“Somehow I felt something was strange. I told my sister that I was going to the Empire, but you didn’t respond.”
So, as soon as Denver arrived in the empire, he planned to go straight to the Marquis' residence in the capital.
“Anyway, thank you for helping my sister.”
Denver bowed and thanked her politely. Judith waved her hands in embarrassment.
“And I heard about the case money from my older sister.”
Caroline collapsed in relief the moment she saw Denver. She was resting in her bedroom, attended to by familiar maids who had come from the Lofrey mansion to attend to Denver.
Denver pulled a fancy envelope with gold hardware from his jacket and held it out.
“This is a certificate of deposit from the Imperial Bank.”
Judith swallowed dryly and opened the envelope. One, ten, one hundred, one thousand... three thousand. Judith’s eyes widened.
“Excuse me, Lord Denver, the amount I was promised by Madam is two thousand gold.”
As a person with a flexible conscience, Judith was not the type to correct each and every amount that was wrongly given to her.
In fact, if she had been given 30 gold instead of the 20 gold she was supposed to receive, Judith would have kept her mouth shut.
But it wasn't three hundred gold, it was three thousand gold. The amount was so enormous that she was afraid to keep her mouth shut.
Judith realized for the first time that even the most conscientious acts can be done with a modest amount of money.
“I know. I added a little more because I was grateful.”
Is this a little? If a thousand gold is a little, how much is a lot to you?
“But I guess Miss Harrington, who has been so kind to me, might want to repay the favor in some way.”
Erne pursed his lips and gave a leisurely smile to me, who was glaring at him.
“Thank you so much for coming.”
My cheeks flushed red as if I was drunk. It wasn't that I was drunk again. I was just angry.
Erne teased me endlessly from the side. The trouble started when I got drunk and expressed my sincere gratitude yesterday.
'Oh, I should have just said thank you. No, I should have bought you a bottle of alcohol.'
Why did I say thank you with such a hazy expression, holding the corner? I was embarrassed for no reason and my ears turned red. The problem was that I was embarrassed about my face turning red.
If my face hadn't turned red, I would have made an excuse that I was drunk and said something random, but since my face turned red, doesn't it seem like I was being too sincere?
I swore to myself last night that if I ever met him I would hit him in the head.
“Thank you. Thank you. Can you hurry up and get ready to go out?”
I eventually picked up the robe, which was closer to Erne than I was, and flung it at him.
Erne, who had been successfully catching the robe that was fluttering in the wind, muttered to himself so that everyone could hear, asking why I would throw a robe at someone I was grateful to.
“You said thank you, but you threw clothes at the person you were thinking. Tsk tsk. You should have held it up politely with both hands.”
I, really, am so dumbfounded. I muttered to myself loudly, pouting.
“Even you, you were worried about me so you didn’t even question Roam.”
“So, I'm a benefactor, a benefactor.”
“Tch, if that’s enough to be a benefactor, then everyone in the world must be a benefactor.”
I never looked at Erne, but instead tied my hair together and muttered to myself in the mirror.
“Then what am I, who saved the life of a person who was still a corpse that did not decay? I am a savior.”
Erne, who was wearing a robe, clicked his tongue while listening to my question and answer.
“Wasn’t it all Henry’s fault for finding my body, bringing in a psychic, and paying money? I don’t know what the other one did to deserve my life.”
“I guess you don’t know that I gave you a bath with a towel because I was worried you would go to heaven looking dirty.”
“I wonder if that’s just selfishness.”
I and Erne never looked at each other and continued our conversation in the guise of talking to ourselves.
When Tan, who had come to fetch me, said that the carriage was ready, he knocked on the door, opened it, and asked Erne when he had come here.
“...Come out now, you two. That was really childish of you just now.”
Tan shook his head as he looked at the two people.
***
“Have you found the Marchioness of Ferney?”
“Not yet. I’m cautious, but I suspect that she may not have been able to escape the flames yet.”
Cain Mosley shook his head.
“There is testimony from a servant that they brought her out. How many of them were there? They may have left the capital. Did you check the checkpoint?”
“Yes, but there is no record of the Marchioness Ferney ever escaping.”
Although the security checks on the way out of the capital weren't strict, they still checked ID.
“They say that only one noble carriage went out that day.”
“Really? Who is she and from what family?”
“This is the Countess of Rhineland.”
"who?"
Countess of Rhineland? The current Count of Rhineland is Erne, so Countess of Rhineland is...
Cain, who had thought up to that point, went through the stages of thought in the order of “No way,” “Maybe,” and “Oh, that must have been so,” and bit his lip.
'Even though the Countess was friendly with the Marchioness of Ferney, received much help from her, and sold a lot of candles, there's no way she would have helped her escape. She went to the port to send the Marchioness of Ferney back to the Kingdom of Penco, and that's why Erne followed her to the port. He even told me not to send my men, but that's not true.'
What the heck, that's not true!
Cain wanted to scream, but he barely held onto his sanity.
'In the circumstances, the Marchioness of Ferney is innocent. Treason is punishable by association, but it could strain relations with the Kingdom of Penco.'
The Loprey upper class was also very into a foreign land and was punished for an unjust act, no kingdom would remain silent.
Even if it didn't lead to a real diplomatic conflict, they definitely showed their regrets outwardly. The kingdom also has its own pride and face to protect.
'Your Majesty will soon celebrate the first anniversary of your enthronement. You will hold a formal state wedding then, but if the Kingdom of Penco does not send a delegation, that will be a bigger problem.'
When the Emperor first ascended the throne, the country was in chaos due to traitors, so he could not hold a formal state wedding. At the time, the Empress was also pregnant and was not in a state to hold such a grand event as a state wedding.
So, the imperial family planned to invite delegations from other kingdoms and hold a grand banquet and state wedding to celebrate the first anniversary of the Emperor's accession to the throne two months later.
If Caroline Loughrey were incarcerated at this point, there would be no way the celebration could be properly celebrated.
“For now, the Marchioness Ferney will be listed as missing.”
"Yes."
As Cain signed and handed over the report, another subordinate barged into Cain's office without knocking.
“We’re in trouble, Marquis.”
“What now?”
“The red wine medium has committed suicide.”
"What?"
“I am truly ashamed, Your Grace.”
Cain buried his face in his palms as he watched his subordinate bow his head.
“How can he... when he's gagged?”
“He muttered that he was coming soon, then vomited blood and died. It seemed like he had poison in his mouth. He was showing signs of dehydration, so they only gave him a little water...”
The subordinate trailed off. Cain let out a long sigh. Before he could properly interrogate them, the most important person had died.
'What if Erne hears this?'
I'm dying. This time for real.
Cain wanted to stop being bothered by Erne. He jumped up from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“To Sir Roam.”
He has to save him at least. He has to save him no matter what.
“Your honorific title is too much for a traitor who has been stripped of his knighthood, Your Grace.”
“I think so too, but from now on I will treat him like a knight.”
“Are you planning to use a persuasion tactic?”
“That’s right. He was a knight commander. He would never open his mouth if he was in a lot of pain. But we have to make him open his mouth, do you understand? Treat him like a knight, treat him like a knight commander, or whatever!”
***
Caroline didn't know Erne very well. She seemed to remember hearing about his reputation, but that was it. Caroline was just glad that a skilled knight was traveling with her.
After leaving the luxury inn, they had to spend another night at the next estate before they could arrive at the port city.
Caroline, who was looking at the ship through the window inside the carriage, suddenly opened the carriage door and came out.
“That’s the ship, our upper ship!”
Caroline pointed to a large merchant ship with a mermaid statue on its stern.
“It says Loprey.”
Illuor, who had checked the side of the ship, nodded happily.
Judith and her group got off the carriage and stood at the dock where the ship was docked, waiting for people to get off. Finally, the ship's entrance opened and people began to get off.
Caroline jumped and waved as a red-haired man carrying a briefcase came into view.
“Denver!”
“Sister?”
***
Denver Loprey.
He was the successor to the Loprey family and Caroline's younger brother. In the kingdom of Penco, the two siblings were famous for their close friendship.
“Albert Ferney, that bastard just...”
Denver was outraged when he heard what happened to Caroline.
“Somehow I felt something was strange. I told my sister that I was going to the Empire, but you didn’t respond.”
So, as soon as Denver arrived in the empire, he planned to go straight to the Marquis' residence in the capital.
“Anyway, thank you for helping my sister.”
Denver bowed and thanked her politely. Judith waved her hands in embarrassment.
“And I heard about the case money from my older sister.”
Caroline collapsed in relief the moment she saw Denver. She was resting in her bedroom, attended to by familiar maids who had come from the Lofrey mansion to attend to Denver.
Denver pulled a fancy envelope with gold hardware from his jacket and held it out.
“This is a certificate of deposit from the Imperial Bank.”
Judith swallowed dryly and opened the envelope. One, ten, one hundred, one thousand... three thousand. Judith’s eyes widened.
“Excuse me, Lord Denver, the amount I was promised by Madam is two thousand gold.”
As a person with a flexible conscience, Judith was not the type to correct each and every amount that was wrongly given to her.
In fact, if she had been given 30 gold instead of the 20 gold she was supposed to receive, Judith would have kept her mouth shut.
But it wasn't three hundred gold, it was three thousand gold. The amount was so enormous that she was afraid to keep her mouth shut.
Judith realized for the first time that even the most conscientious acts can be done with a modest amount of money.
“I know. I added a little more because I was grateful.”
Is this a little? If a thousand gold is a little, how much is a lot to you?
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