On the slightly faded paper was written in tiny letters like grains of rice:
[I hope you will check to see if my mother has received my letter, Young Lady Adele Leopold.]
The content itself was nothing special, except that my name was mentioned.
Rather, I wondered why I had to check this.
...Yes. That was until I confirmed that the owner of this handwriting was Chernosser.
Is this really Chernosser's handwriting?
I checked several times to see if I had seen it wrong, but it was correct.
However, I couldn't be sure that Chernosser had written this note.
Because you can copy as many handwritings as you want.
If there was even a seal, I wouldn't know, but there wasn't even that.
Besides, Chernosser was dead, so one could only doubt whether it was really him who sent it.
“Your expression doesn’t look very good.”
As I was looking at the note carefully, Perdes asked.
“Is there anything bad written on the note?”
“Here it is.”
I thought it would be better to show it to him rather than explain it in words, so I showed the note to Perdes.
Perdes tilted his head after checking the contents of the note.
“What is this? Who played this prank?”
“His Highness the Second Prince.”
"...What?"
Perdes' expression suddenly became serious.
The same was true for Sir Aldor, who had been listening to the story without leaving.
“Why is that kid writing to you, Adele?”
“Why did His Highness the Second Prince send a note to you, young lady?”
The words came out simultaneously, without anyone knowing who said it first.
Then they looked at each other in surprise.
“Why have you been calling Adele ‘young lady’ all this time?”
“Why do you call Young Lady by her name?”
This time the words came out at the same time.
At this, they frowned as if they were displeased, shut their mouths tightly, and looked at each other as if they were having a staring contest.
This time, Perdes spoke first.
“You answer first.”
“...The young lady said that she felt more comfortable if I called her ‘young lady’ than ‘Duke’, so I could continue to call her ‘young lady’.”
“Your reasons are the same as mine.”
Perdes frowned as if he didn't like that.
The same was true for Sir Aldor.
“Both of you, stop it.”
I stopped them because I thought they would start a pointless fight if they continued like this.
“I’m sorry, Miss.”
“...”
Sir Aldor bowed his head to me in apology, but Perdes quickly turned his head away.
Then he checked the contents of the note again and asked me.
“No matter how I look at it, there’s no trace that the Second Prince sent it, so how did you know that bastard sent it?”
“It’s his handwriting.”
“I didn’t know you knew that kid’s handwriting.”
“I just happened to find out.”
Not only did I know it, but I was also able to follow along and write it down.
It was because, in my first life, I had a habit of writing invitations and letters here and there on Chernosser's behalf.
“Then is the mother written here the Empress?”
“If what the Second Prince wrote is true, then yes, that is true.”
“Well, you can copy handwriting as much as you want.”
Perdes fiddled with the paper, muttering, 'Should I get my handwriting checked?... '
“First of all, the paper is high quality. It’s not the kind of paper that commoners would use. The color is a bit faded, so it looks old.”
He added, sharing the same sentiment as I did:
“If the kid wrote this note before he died, and someone else had it and is now giving it to you, then it makes sense that the paper would be a little faded...”
“Then the person who kept it wouldn’t be a noble. If he were a noble, he wouldn’t have let the color of the note the Prince asked him to deliver fade away.”
“And I can’t possibly tell you after three months.”
The handwriting was Chernosser's, but it was doubtful whether it was really him who sent it.
Since there was no way to ask the person in question whether it was really him who sent this note, there was only one way left.
“Where is the person who brought this note now?”
All I can do is meet the person who brought the note and ask them about this and that.
“He’ll be waiting in the hall.”
“Bring him to the living room.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After Sor Aldor left, Perdes and I headed to the reception room.
We arrived at the reception room first and were having another heated discussion about the note when Sor Aldor brought the man in.
“Oh, hello, Miss.”
He was a young boy who looked like he hadn't even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.
I guess he'd have to be around 17 to get there.
“It is a great honor to meet you, young lady!”
The boy greeted me trembling, unable to look me in the eye.
Using the title of Miss, not Duke.
That was a problem, but the bigger problem was that he didn't say hello to Perdes at all.
If it wasn't intentional, then he wouldn't have recognized him...
“What is your name?”
“Yes, my name is Jean. I don’t have a last name.”
Not having a surname meant he was a commoner.
I was wondering if he was calling me Miss or if he didn't recognize Perdes, but he turned out to be a commoner.
I was easily recognized by most people because of my striking red hair, but Perdes had no royal characteristics other than his eyes, so people who saw him for the first time often did not recognize him.
I glanced at Perdes out of the corner of my eye.
I was worried that he might be upset by this, but it was for nothing.
“...”
He was just looking at the boy, Jean, with calm eyes.
It was also an exploratory gaze.
“Come here and sit down.”
Jean sat down on the sofa I pointed to, hesitant.
When the tea and cookies came out, he didn't know what to eat and was flustered, but he watched what we were eating and ate them.
Of course, the manners were poor, with tea being sipped and cookie crumbs falling.
Of course, since he is a commoner, his manners are poor...
“You are a commoner, yes.”
Perdes spoke in a voice that only I, sitting next to him, could hear as if he was blurting it out.
I agreed with his opinion and put down my teacup.
I suspected that maybe he was just pretending to be a commoner, but that didn't seem to be the case.
“Yeah. You’re the one who brought this note?”
When I asked, handing him the note in question, Jean nodded vigorously.
“Yes, that’s right!”
“Where did you get this note? Who gave it to you?”
“No. It was floating down in a glass bottle.”
“Can you explain in more detail?”
“That is...”
Jean stuttered slightly as he explained in detail how he came across the note.
“...That’s all.”
“Hmm.”
He said that while he was drawing water, he happened to pick up a note containing a glass bottle.
It may sound like a novel, but it wasn't impossible.
Moreover, the place where Jean went to draw water was the Lambaya River, and if you went up that river, you would reach the Poema River that flows through Leopold's territory.
Of course, other rivers join in the middle, so we can't say that this glass bottle came from the Poema River, but it's quite possible.
It is possible that Chernosser dropped a glass bottle containing this note into the Poema River before he died!
“Did you tell anyone else about this note?”
“No! I didn’t tell anyone! I can’t tell you what the note said anyway...”
“You don’t know what the note says?”
“Yes. I can’t read.”
“Then how did you know that this note was addressed to me and brought it with you?”
If you picked it up in the river, who would have told you?
“I brought it just in case because the word Leopold was written on the note! I don’t know the words, but I know a little about noble families because the guests who come to the inn tell me about them.”
"I see."
It was a bit unusual, but it wasn't completely non-existent.
“Then you didn’t tell anyone that you came to see me?”
“Yes. I just took a vacation.”
“I see. How long is your vacation?”
“I got one week, so now I have four days left!”
It took about two days to travel from Montesol, where Jean lived, to the capital, so it meant that he had found the note and left the next day.
“Then I’ll take you to Montesol, so you can rest here today.”
"Yes, yes?"
At my words, Jean was startled and waved his hands.
“Oh, no. How could I, as a subject, dare to stay in such a nice mansion!”
“It’s okay. You're an important person who brought me a note, so I should do this much for you.”
“Then, then I won’t reject it.”
Here, it would be more correct to say that you are not accepting the offer, rather than rejecting it.
You said you couldn't read, and even your choice of words was strange.
“I... but, Miss.”
“Don’t be shy, just say whatever you want to say.”
“That is...”
As if it was difficult to say, Jean wiggled his fingers and looked at me carefully before asking.
“Look, is that all the compensation is?”
“Pft.”
Perdes burst into laughter at the bold, yet frightened, request.
I also found it funny, so I laughed and answered.
“Of course. I’ll pack it for you when I get back tomorrow, so don’t worry, and just go and get some rest.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you, Miss! Thank you so much!”
Jean bowed deeply enough for his head to touch the ground as a greeting, then followed the maid out of the reception room.
As soon as Jean left, I called Sir Aldor, who was waiting outside, and gave him an order.
“Keep an eye on the boy, Sir Aldor. If you see any sign of him making contact with anyone, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“And tomorrow, Sir Aldor, please take the boy to Montesol yourself and examine him in detail, both regarding his whereabouts and the circumstances under which he picked up the note.”
“...”
Unlike before, this time there was no reply.
“What is it, Sir Aldor?”
When I asked curiously, Sir Aldor asked me back with a slightly clouded expression.
“Do I really... have to... go?”
[I hope you will check to see if my mother has received my letter, Young Lady Adele Leopold.]
The content itself was nothing special, except that my name was mentioned.
Rather, I wondered why I had to check this.
...Yes. That was until I confirmed that the owner of this handwriting was Chernosser.
Is this really Chernosser's handwriting?
I checked several times to see if I had seen it wrong, but it was correct.
However, I couldn't be sure that Chernosser had written this note.
Because you can copy as many handwritings as you want.
If there was even a seal, I wouldn't know, but there wasn't even that.
Besides, Chernosser was dead, so one could only doubt whether it was really him who sent it.
“Your expression doesn’t look very good.”
As I was looking at the note carefully, Perdes asked.
“Is there anything bad written on the note?”
“Here it is.”
I thought it would be better to show it to him rather than explain it in words, so I showed the note to Perdes.
Perdes tilted his head after checking the contents of the note.
“What is this? Who played this prank?”
“His Highness the Second Prince.”
"...What?"
Perdes' expression suddenly became serious.
The same was true for Sir Aldor, who had been listening to the story without leaving.
“Why is that kid writing to you, Adele?”
“Why did His Highness the Second Prince send a note to you, young lady?”
The words came out simultaneously, without anyone knowing who said it first.
Then they looked at each other in surprise.
“Why have you been calling Adele ‘young lady’ all this time?”
“Why do you call Young Lady by her name?”
This time the words came out at the same time.
At this, they frowned as if they were displeased, shut their mouths tightly, and looked at each other as if they were having a staring contest.
This time, Perdes spoke first.
“You answer first.”
“...The young lady said that she felt more comfortable if I called her ‘young lady’ than ‘Duke’, so I could continue to call her ‘young lady’.”
“Your reasons are the same as mine.”
Perdes frowned as if he didn't like that.
The same was true for Sir Aldor.
“Both of you, stop it.”
I stopped them because I thought they would start a pointless fight if they continued like this.
“I’m sorry, Miss.”
“...”
Sir Aldor bowed his head to me in apology, but Perdes quickly turned his head away.
Then he checked the contents of the note again and asked me.
“No matter how I look at it, there’s no trace that the Second Prince sent it, so how did you know that bastard sent it?”
“It’s his handwriting.”
“I didn’t know you knew that kid’s handwriting.”
“I just happened to find out.”
Not only did I know it, but I was also able to follow along and write it down.
It was because, in my first life, I had a habit of writing invitations and letters here and there on Chernosser's behalf.
“Then is the mother written here the Empress?”
“If what the Second Prince wrote is true, then yes, that is true.”
“Well, you can copy handwriting as much as you want.”
Perdes fiddled with the paper, muttering, 'Should I get my handwriting checked?... '
“First of all, the paper is high quality. It’s not the kind of paper that commoners would use. The color is a bit faded, so it looks old.”
He added, sharing the same sentiment as I did:
“If the kid wrote this note before he died, and someone else had it and is now giving it to you, then it makes sense that the paper would be a little faded...”
“Then the person who kept it wouldn’t be a noble. If he were a noble, he wouldn’t have let the color of the note the Prince asked him to deliver fade away.”
“And I can’t possibly tell you after three months.”
The handwriting was Chernosser's, but it was doubtful whether it was really him who sent it.
Since there was no way to ask the person in question whether it was really him who sent this note, there was only one way left.
“Where is the person who brought this note now?”
All I can do is meet the person who brought the note and ask them about this and that.
“He’ll be waiting in the hall.”
“Bring him to the living room.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After Sor Aldor left, Perdes and I headed to the reception room.
We arrived at the reception room first and were having another heated discussion about the note when Sor Aldor brought the man in.
“Oh, hello, Miss.”
He was a young boy who looked like he hadn't even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet.
I guess he'd have to be around 17 to get there.
“It is a great honor to meet you, young lady!”
The boy greeted me trembling, unable to look me in the eye.
Using the title of Miss, not Duke.
That was a problem, but the bigger problem was that he didn't say hello to Perdes at all.
If it wasn't intentional, then he wouldn't have recognized him...
“What is your name?”
“Yes, my name is Jean. I don’t have a last name.”
Not having a surname meant he was a commoner.
I was wondering if he was calling me Miss or if he didn't recognize Perdes, but he turned out to be a commoner.
I was easily recognized by most people because of my striking red hair, but Perdes had no royal characteristics other than his eyes, so people who saw him for the first time often did not recognize him.
I glanced at Perdes out of the corner of my eye.
I was worried that he might be upset by this, but it was for nothing.
“...”
He was just looking at the boy, Jean, with calm eyes.
It was also an exploratory gaze.
“Come here and sit down.”
Jean sat down on the sofa I pointed to, hesitant.
When the tea and cookies came out, he didn't know what to eat and was flustered, but he watched what we were eating and ate them.
Of course, the manners were poor, with tea being sipped and cookie crumbs falling.
Of course, since he is a commoner, his manners are poor...
“You are a commoner, yes.”
Perdes spoke in a voice that only I, sitting next to him, could hear as if he was blurting it out.
I agreed with his opinion and put down my teacup.
I suspected that maybe he was just pretending to be a commoner, but that didn't seem to be the case.
“Yeah. You’re the one who brought this note?”
When I asked, handing him the note in question, Jean nodded vigorously.
“Yes, that’s right!”
“Where did you get this note? Who gave it to you?”
“No. It was floating down in a glass bottle.”
“Can you explain in more detail?”
“That is...”
Jean stuttered slightly as he explained in detail how he came across the note.
“...That’s all.”
“Hmm.”
He said that while he was drawing water, he happened to pick up a note containing a glass bottle.
It may sound like a novel, but it wasn't impossible.
Moreover, the place where Jean went to draw water was the Lambaya River, and if you went up that river, you would reach the Poema River that flows through Leopold's territory.
Of course, other rivers join in the middle, so we can't say that this glass bottle came from the Poema River, but it's quite possible.
It is possible that Chernosser dropped a glass bottle containing this note into the Poema River before he died!
“Did you tell anyone else about this note?”
“No! I didn’t tell anyone! I can’t tell you what the note said anyway...”
“You don’t know what the note says?”
“Yes. I can’t read.”
“Then how did you know that this note was addressed to me and brought it with you?”
If you picked it up in the river, who would have told you?
“I brought it just in case because the word Leopold was written on the note! I don’t know the words, but I know a little about noble families because the guests who come to the inn tell me about them.”
"I see."
It was a bit unusual, but it wasn't completely non-existent.
“Then you didn’t tell anyone that you came to see me?”
“Yes. I just took a vacation.”
“I see. How long is your vacation?”
“I got one week, so now I have four days left!”
It took about two days to travel from Montesol, where Jean lived, to the capital, so it meant that he had found the note and left the next day.
“Then I’ll take you to Montesol, so you can rest here today.”
"Yes, yes?"
At my words, Jean was startled and waved his hands.
“Oh, no. How could I, as a subject, dare to stay in such a nice mansion!”
“It’s okay. You're an important person who brought me a note, so I should do this much for you.”
“Then, then I won’t reject it.”
Here, it would be more correct to say that you are not accepting the offer, rather than rejecting it.
You said you couldn't read, and even your choice of words was strange.
“I... but, Miss.”
“Don’t be shy, just say whatever you want to say.”
“That is...”
As if it was difficult to say, Jean wiggled his fingers and looked at me carefully before asking.
“Look, is that all the compensation is?”
“Pft.”
Perdes burst into laughter at the bold, yet frightened, request.
I also found it funny, so I laughed and answered.
“Of course. I’ll pack it for you when I get back tomorrow, so don’t worry, and just go and get some rest.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you, Miss! Thank you so much!”
Jean bowed deeply enough for his head to touch the ground as a greeting, then followed the maid out of the reception room.
As soon as Jean left, I called Sir Aldor, who was waiting outside, and gave him an order.
“Keep an eye on the boy, Sir Aldor. If you see any sign of him making contact with anyone, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“And tomorrow, Sir Aldor, please take the boy to Montesol yourself and examine him in detail, both regarding his whereabouts and the circumstances under which he picked up the note.”
“...”
Unlike before, this time there was no reply.
“What is it, Sir Aldor?”
When I asked curiously, Sir Aldor asked me back with a slightly clouded expression.
“Do I really... have to... go?”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment