It was three days from today that the servants of Duke Leopold of the capital would leave for the duchy.
At that time, I would like to send Sir Eren and Sir Aldor as well, but what should I say?
I was particularly worried about how to persuade Sir Aldor, but no good method came to mind, no matter how much I thought about it.
But let's bring up the topic anyway.
I took the opportunity to speak casually.
“I don’t think I’ll need an escort since I’ll be staying at the palace for the time being, and I think I’ve been working Sir Aldor too hard, so I’d like to give you a vacation. What do you think?”
"It's okay."
Sir Aldor refused without a moment's hesitation.
That's right. It was the expected result, but it was so decisive that I was taken aback.
If that's the case, there's only one way left.
“This is not a recommendation, but an order from your lord.”
To subdue Sir Aldor in rank and title.
“Return to the Duchy of Leopold with .y servants.”
Sir Aldor's expression darkened slightly as if he was reluctant to follow my orders.
I too was reluctant to give orders like this to Sir Aldor, but I had no choice.
This way, I can protect him and everyone else.
I didn't want to see any more people I cared about get hurt because of me.
“Miss, I...”
“Oh, and from now on, let’s call me Your Excellency the Duke or Commander instead of Miss. You are the Vice-Captain in name only, so you should be a role model for the other knights.”
If I showed signs of wavering, Sir Aldor would try to exploit the gap, so I had no choice but to correct my title
“Of course. Count Martina is also a noble of the Northern Territory.”
“That’s true, but...”
“Please, Count Martina.”
I got up from my seat, held Count Martina's hands tightly, and pleaded with him.
“For the sake of your connection with my father, please help me just this once.”
Count Martina's expression became solemn.
He looked down at the table, not at me, thought for a moment, then nodded.
“I will do that.”
“Thank you very much, Count Martina!”
As I laughed with joy all over my body, Count Martina also smiled as if he was happy.
“But where should I call the nobles of the Northern Territory? If I want to make it seem like Your Excellency the Duke has nothing to do with this matter, I can’t call them to the Duke’s residence. Should I call them to my mansion?”
“No, that would be noticeable too.”
Count Martina's mansion is also located on White Rive Street, where nobles' mansions are gathered.
“Then where should I call them?”
“Just a moment.”
There is a place where all of that has been thought through.
I brought out the map of the capital that I had prepared in advance and spread it out on the table.
"Here."
And I pointed to the outskirts of the capital, an area where logistics warehouses are densely packed.
“If you go here, there are logistics warehouses owned by the upper level of Tesis. You can enter the warehouse with the red ribbon tied around it.”
“Did you recruit Count Tesis in advance?”
“That’s not it.”
“Yes? But how about the logistics warehouse owned by the Tesis Top...”
“I’ll explain that part later.”
Count Martina smiled awkwardly at my answer and scratched his cheek.
“Oh, really. You say everything I ask is a secret, so I can’t ask you anything.”
“I’m sorry, Count Martina. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I think fewer people should know a secret, so please understand that I have no choice but to keep it a secret.”
“Of course I understand. I also believe that you will explain everything to me one day.”
"Of course..."
Suddenly, I felt a presence outside the door. I swallowed what I was about to say and turned to look at the door.
“Why is that, Your Excellency?”
"Shhh."
I put my index finger to my lips and made a gesture for silence, then quietly approached the door, trying to make as few noises as possible.
I had ordered all the servants of the mansion not to approach the drawing room until I called them, as no one was to overhear my conversation with Count Martina.
But who is disobeying my orders and loitering around the reception room?
Whoever it was, I swore that I would not take it lightly, even if it was a mistake, and opened the door wide.
"...No?"
I clearly felt someone's presence, but there was no one there.
This was confusing in its own way, but I had an ominous feeling.
I have a very ominous feeling that there might be rats planted here by the Emperor.
At that time, I would like to send Sir Eren and Sir Aldor as well, but what should I say?
I was particularly worried about how to persuade Sir Aldor, but no good method came to mind, no matter how much I thought about it.
But let's bring up the topic anyway.
I took the opportunity to speak casually.
“I don’t think I’ll need an escort since I’ll be staying at the palace for the time being, and I think I’ve been working Sir Aldor too hard, so I’d like to give you a vacation. What do you think?”
"It's okay."
Sir Aldor refused without a moment's hesitation.
That's right. It was the expected result, but it was so decisive that I was taken aback.
If that's the case, there's only one way left.
“This is not a recommendation, but an order from your lord.”
To subdue Sir Aldor in rank and title.
“Return to the Duchy of Leopold with .y servants.”
Sir Aldor's expression darkened slightly as if he was reluctant to follow my orders.
I too was reluctant to give orders like this to Sir Aldor, but I had no choice.
This way, I can protect him and everyone else.
I didn't want to see any more people I cared about get hurt because of me.
“Miss, I...”
“Oh, and from now on, let’s call me Your Excellency the Duke or Commander instead of Miss. You are the Vice-Captain in name only, so you should be a role model for the other knights.”
If I showed signs of wavering, Sir Aldor would try to exploit the gap, so I had no choice but to correct my title
Then, Sir Aldor's face darkened even more.
It was a rather wounded face.
Ugh. My heart wavers when you make that kind of expression.
“If you have nothing more to say, you may leave now, Sir Aldor.”
“...”
He looked at me with eyes that seemed to have so much to say, but he quietly withdrew without saying a word.
“Welcome, Countess Martina.”
That afternoon, Countess Martina visited Duke Leopold's home.
Of course, I called it.
Count Martina smiled her characteristically good-natured smile and held out the box she had brought.
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Excellency the Duke. This is a gift of appreciation.”
“You can come empty-handed.”
“Haha, Your Excellency the Duke personally invited me, so how could I come empty-handed?”
The box Count Martina gave contained a bracelet densely packed with yellow topaz.
Looking at the bracelet reminded me of a brooch I had received a long time ago with a wiretapping spell.
Currently, the brooch is locked in an underground storage room with a magic-blocking barrier.
“I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“I like it very much. Thank you, Count Martina.”
Count Martina wasn't the kind of person who would do something like that, but you never know.
I might have been fooled like Count Tesis, so I handed the box containing the bracelet to the butler and told him to put it in the storage room in a voice too low for Count Martina to hear.
“The living room is this way.”
And I took Count Martina and headed to the drawing room.
While I was greeting Count Martina, the maid who had been setting the tea table in the drawing room quietly stepped aside.
“Nothing has changed here.”
Count Martina looked around the drawing room with moist eyes as if reminiscing.
“I thought this place would have changed since the hall and corridors have changed, but it’s the same as when His Excellency the Duke was here.”
I answered, sitting on the sofa and holding my teacup.
“I felt it was a shame to erase all of my father’s traces, so I left a few places on purpose.”
“You made a good choice.”
I didn't mean to be complimented, but it felt good to receive it.
Count Martina looked around the drawing room again and sat down across from me with a lingering expression on his face.
“Did my father visit this place often when he was alive?”
I asked, nudging the teacup towards him.
Count Martina smiled and nodded.
“It wasn’t often, but I always stopped by whenever he came to the capital. And I had a drink with His Excellency.”
“I heard that my father couldn’t drink.”
“That’s not true. His Excellency is very good at drinking. He even won several times when we made drinking bets.”
“Really? I guess I was mistaken.”
I answered like that, but inside I thought that it couldn't be true.
That's because on my coming-of-age day when I was acting all giddy about having only a few drinks, my father laughed and said this.
[You can't drink because you take after me. If you took after your mother, you would have done well. It's a shame.]
But how many times have he defeated Count Martina, who was known among the nobles as a drunkard?
If I didn't know anything, I would have just thought I was wrong and moved on, but as I learned more, I couldn't do that.
Father. What kind of person were you?
I used to be confident that I knew my father better than anyone else, but my confidence gradually faded as time passed.
“But why did you call me...”
Count Martina's cautious question brought me back to reality from my thoughts.
Yes, let's solve this problem first.
“Actually, I have a favor to ask of Count Martina, so I called you here.”
As expected, he nodded calmly.
“Please speak.”
“Five days later, please gather all the nobles who have settled in the northern territory of the empire together.”
This time, Count Martina opened his eyes wide in surprise and asked back.
“Are you talking about all of them?
“Yes. I have something important to tell them.”
“If so, it would be better for Your Excellency the Duke to do it yourself.”
“I want to do that too, but I feel like it would be too noticeable.”
There were that many eyes watching me.
The most representative figure was the Emperor, and the Duke of Lucien was also looking at me with suspicion, so I had to be careful in many ways.
“So, please call a meeting in the name of Count Martina. I don’t care if other nobles know about this, but only the nobles of the Northland are present, and no one is to know that I am involved.”
“Hmm, may I ask why you are summoning the nobles of the Northern Territory?”
“I can’t say right now.”
“You’re telling me to summon them, for some reason I don’t even know?”
As I nodded, Count Martina groaned and put his hand on his head.
“I swear I have no intention of doing anything detrimental to the nobles of the North, including Count Martina. So don’t worry and just summon them.”
“...Including me?”
It was a rather wounded face.
Ugh. My heart wavers when you make that kind of expression.
“If you have nothing more to say, you may leave now, Sir Aldor.”
“...”
He looked at me with eyes that seemed to have so much to say, but he quietly withdrew without saying a word.
***
“Welcome, Countess Martina.”
That afternoon, Countess Martina visited Duke Leopold's home.
Of course, I called it.
Count Martina smiled her characteristically good-natured smile and held out the box she had brought.
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Excellency the Duke. This is a gift of appreciation.”
“You can come empty-handed.”
“Haha, Your Excellency the Duke personally invited me, so how could I come empty-handed?”
The box Count Martina gave contained a bracelet densely packed with yellow topaz.
Looking at the bracelet reminded me of a brooch I had received a long time ago with a wiretapping spell.
Currently, the brooch is locked in an underground storage room with a magic-blocking barrier.
“I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“I like it very much. Thank you, Count Martina.”
Count Martina wasn't the kind of person who would do something like that, but you never know.
I might have been fooled like Count Tesis, so I handed the box containing the bracelet to the butler and told him to put it in the storage room in a voice too low for Count Martina to hear.
“The living room is this way.”
And I took Count Martina and headed to the drawing room.
While I was greeting Count Martina, the maid who had been setting the tea table in the drawing room quietly stepped aside.
“Nothing has changed here.”
Count Martina looked around the drawing room with moist eyes as if reminiscing.
“I thought this place would have changed since the hall and corridors have changed, but it’s the same as when His Excellency the Duke was here.”
I answered, sitting on the sofa and holding my teacup.
“I felt it was a shame to erase all of my father’s traces, so I left a few places on purpose.”
“You made a good choice.”
I didn't mean to be complimented, but it felt good to receive it.
Count Martina looked around the drawing room again and sat down across from me with a lingering expression on his face.
“Did my father visit this place often when he was alive?”
I asked, nudging the teacup towards him.
Count Martina smiled and nodded.
“It wasn’t often, but I always stopped by whenever he came to the capital. And I had a drink with His Excellency.”
“I heard that my father couldn’t drink.”
“That’s not true. His Excellency is very good at drinking. He even won several times when we made drinking bets.”
“Really? I guess I was mistaken.”
I answered like that, but inside I thought that it couldn't be true.
That's because on my coming-of-age day when I was acting all giddy about having only a few drinks, my father laughed and said this.
[You can't drink because you take after me. If you took after your mother, you would have done well. It's a shame.]
But how many times have he defeated Count Martina, who was known among the nobles as a drunkard?
If I didn't know anything, I would have just thought I was wrong and moved on, but as I learned more, I couldn't do that.
Father. What kind of person were you?
I used to be confident that I knew my father better than anyone else, but my confidence gradually faded as time passed.
“But why did you call me...”
Count Martina's cautious question brought me back to reality from my thoughts.
Yes, let's solve this problem first.
“Actually, I have a favor to ask of Count Martina, so I called you here.”
As expected, he nodded calmly.
“Please speak.”
“Five days later, please gather all the nobles who have settled in the northern territory of the empire together.”
This time, Count Martina opened his eyes wide in surprise and asked back.
“Are you talking about all of them?
“Yes. I have something important to tell them.”
“If so, it would be better for Your Excellency the Duke to do it yourself.”
“I want to do that too, but I feel like it would be too noticeable.”
There were that many eyes watching me.
The most representative figure was the Emperor, and the Duke of Lucien was also looking at me with suspicion, so I had to be careful in many ways.
“So, please call a meeting in the name of Count Martina. I don’t care if other nobles know about this, but only the nobles of the Northland are present, and no one is to know that I am involved.”
“Hmm, may I ask why you are summoning the nobles of the Northern Territory?”
“I can’t say right now.”
“You’re telling me to summon them, for some reason I don’t even know?”
As I nodded, Count Martina groaned and put his hand on his head.
“I swear I have no intention of doing anything detrimental to the nobles of the North, including Count Martina. So don’t worry and just summon them.”
“...Including me?”
“Of course. Count Martina is also a noble of the Northern Territory.”
“That’s true, but...”
“Please, Count Martina.”
I got up from my seat, held Count Martina's hands tightly, and pleaded with him.
“For the sake of your connection with my father, please help me just this once.”
Count Martina's expression became solemn.
He looked down at the table, not at me, thought for a moment, then nodded.
“I will do that.”
“Thank you very much, Count Martina!”
As I laughed with joy all over my body, Count Martina also smiled as if he was happy.
“But where should I call the nobles of the Northern Territory? If I want to make it seem like Your Excellency the Duke has nothing to do with this matter, I can’t call them to the Duke’s residence. Should I call them to my mansion?”
“No, that would be noticeable too.”
Count Martina's mansion is also located on White Rive Street, where nobles' mansions are gathered.
“Then where should I call them?”
“Just a moment.”
There is a place where all of that has been thought through.
I brought out the map of the capital that I had prepared in advance and spread it out on the table.
"Here."
And I pointed to the outskirts of the capital, an area where logistics warehouses are densely packed.
“If you go here, there are logistics warehouses owned by the upper level of Tesis. You can enter the warehouse with the red ribbon tied around it.”
“Did you recruit Count Tesis in advance?”
“That’s not it.”
“Yes? But how about the logistics warehouse owned by the Tesis Top...”
“I’ll explain that part later.”
Count Martina smiled awkwardly at my answer and scratched his cheek.
“Oh, really. You say everything I ask is a secret, so I can’t ask you anything.”
“I’m sorry, Count Martina. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I think fewer people should know a secret, so please understand that I have no choice but to keep it a secret.”
“Of course I understand. I also believe that you will explain everything to me one day.”
"Of course..."
Suddenly, I felt a presence outside the door. I swallowed what I was about to say and turned to look at the door.
“Why is that, Your Excellency?”
"Shhh."
I put my index finger to my lips and made a gesture for silence, then quietly approached the door, trying to make as few noises as possible.
I had ordered all the servants of the mansion not to approach the drawing room until I called them, as no one was to overhear my conversation with Count Martina.
But who is disobeying my orders and loitering around the reception room?
Whoever it was, I swore that I would not take it lightly, even if it was a mistake, and opened the door wide.
"...No?"
I clearly felt someone's presence, but there was no one there.
This was confusing in its own way, but I had an ominous feeling.
I have a very ominous feeling that there might be rats planted here by the Emperor.
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