It was a strange thing to say.
“That dangerous place? That makes no sense. There must be a lot of people there who have negative feelings toward Mrs. Henton.”
“It’s just a guess. I think it’s the only place. But if she’s definitely gone to Klinefelter mansion, then there’s nothing to worry about. There’ll be Fermos.”
“Madam, she's been working there for a long time... so she might have left something behind.”
"Maybe."
“...”
She had to come, but she hadn't said anything until now. That meant there was still a secret left.
“I’ll go too.”
Liene was worried that it was still a scar from the past. Mrs. Henton was barely overcoming her grief. What if it happened again?
“I don’t think you should do that. Riding a horse will hurt your back more.”
“It’s not that painful.”
Liene shook her head at Black, who raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
“If something happens to Mrs. Henton, I need to know too.”
“...Promise me, then. When we get back, you’ll joke around a lot.”
“That sounds a bit strange... Who wasn’t listening to the joke just now?”
“That’s what I’m saying. So that I don’t do the same thing again.”
Mada. Flambard had not been present just a moment ago, but she could hear what they were saying.
“I will take responsibility and make sure the Princess doesn’t overwork herself. So, let’s go for now.”
So, Madame Flambard was led to Kleinfelter Madam. Inside and outside the castle, guards began to search for Mrs. Henton.
“Ugh... Didn’t we already say that you weren’t going to come?”
The time difference wasn't that big. Black and Liene arrived just as Fermos, who had set off first, had just succeeded in breaking down the main gate of the Kleinfelter family.
“That’s it. Is there any resistance?”
“Yes. I don’t know why, but they won’t open the door. Things could get worse.”
“That means there’s something hidden inside the house.”
Neither Liene nor Madame Flambard could hide her worries.
“Have you seen Mrs. Henton?”
“Hmm? What did you say, Princess? Mrs. Henton?”
“So you’re saying you didn’t see it? Then either she wasn’t here or it came secretly.”
Mrs. Henton might be somewhere in that mansion, with all the doors and windows shut tight.
“Hmm... If that’s true, things are going to get a bit more complicated. Those guys might take her hostage... Oh, is that why they're holding out and not opening the door?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. It might not necessarily be Mrs. Henton they’re trying to hide. It’s a corner of the house where they had a lot of things.”
“That’s true. First, we need to open the door. If they’re holding Mrs. Henton hostage, they’ll probably try to use that fact first. Then we can respond.”
As she was talking to that point, Klima came running from over there in a panic.
“Oh, ny mother is in there? Oh, why?”
He, too, seemed completely unaware that Mrs. Henton had disappeared.
“It’s not certain. The guards are also separately looking for her whereabouts. Don’t worry too much.”
“Ah, but still... inside there... why is my mother..."
Klima stomped his feet, which was not befitting of his large size. He had been so skinny and stooped that he had not noticed, but he was on the tall side. His face, free of gloom, now showed its original kindness. In an instant, Klima had become a different person. For someone like his to live such a life... It was truly an unbearable act.
So, Randall and the three mercenaries entered Kleinfelter's mansion under the guidance of Klima. What they found was an empty silence with all the doors closed. Mrs. Henton was found stabbed in a room in the annex.
“Madam, madam? Are you awake? Mrs. Henton!”
"... Princess?"
Mrs. Henton came to her senses half a day after moving into the castle.
“Haa... That’s a relief.”
Seeing Mrs. Henton safely open her eyes, Liene collapsed on the floor as if she was exhausted. On the other side, Klima held her mother's hand and shed tears silently.
“Oh my, Princess!”
Madam Flambard, who happened to be bringing a new water jug, ran over to Liene when she saw her collapse. In a very Madam Flambard-like way, she did not spill a single drop of water on the floor.
“Oh my god! She's awake now!”
Madam Flambard, who was trying to wake up Liene, ended up spilling the water from the jug when she found Mrs. Henton who had already woken up.
“Oh my, what should I do with this!”
Water poured down on the floor, soaking the hems of both their skirts. The woman, who would normally have handled the situation skillfully, was now floundering as if she had a breakdown.
“Oh my god, oh my god...”
“Don’t do that. Hold the water bottle properly. I’m not dead.”
Mrs. Henton, who had come back from the dead, seemed to be in better shape than the other two. Only then did Liene and Madam Flambard come to their senses, and they hurriedly cleaned up the floor and called the doctor. It wasn't a doctor, it was Fermos. He said that he knew much more about stab wounds than most doctors.
“Hey, let go of my hand.”
Fermos, who was examining Mrs. Henton's wounds, noticed Klima, who was crying in the same posture as the statue.
“...”
Klima tried to let go of his mother's hand. Klima was the only apprentice knight of the Arsak Guardians. He said that she wanted to become someone who protects others since he had killed people. There was friction because that someone was Arsak, but he eventually found his place in Tiwakan. Tiwakan, which welcomed its first apprentice, was excited. They were too enthusiastic about teaching him a knighthood, which was a problem. Because of that, Klima was busy and had no idea what was going on with his mother. That must have made him feel even more uncomfortable.
“Let me look at the wound, ma’am. Was it here?”
Fermos untied the bandage that had been wrapped more skillfully than the doctor and examined the wound. The stab wound was between the left ribs, and if the position had been even slightly wrong, life would have been in jeopardy.
“The wound is deep but clean, so it must have been a well-sharpened knife. He was a private, not a Kleinfelter employee, right?”
“...”
Mrs. Henton had a complicated expression on her face. It was the kind of face where she wanted to open her mouth but couldn't quite open it.
“I know you’re asking, so you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Anyway, you were lucky enough to get stabbed and get it disinfected well, so all that’s left is to take medicine and be lazy. If you take care of yourself for a month or so, you’ll be completely fine.”
That was fortunate. After confirming that the wound had not become aggravated, Fermos applied some medicine and bandaged it neatly again.
“I applied the medicine generously, so you can apply it again in two days. Then I’ll check the degree of healing again. To prevent it from opening up again, you should not laugh loudly and should lie flat on your back and sleep. Do you understand?”
“...There... is there.”
Mrs. Henton opened her mouth slowly.
“Madam? What did you say?”
“The room where I was stabbed, that was that guy's room.”
“That guy...? Who is that guy?”
The woman suddenly raised her head. The wounds that had not yet fully healed were gleaming in her eyes.
“That... Ternan Kleinfelter.”
“That dangerous place? That makes no sense. There must be a lot of people there who have negative feelings toward Mrs. Henton.”
“It’s just a guess. I think it’s the only place. But if she’s definitely gone to Klinefelter mansion, then there’s nothing to worry about. There’ll be Fermos.”
“Madam, she's been working there for a long time... so she might have left something behind.”
"Maybe."
“...”
She had to come, but she hadn't said anything until now. That meant there was still a secret left.
“I’ll go too.”
Liene was worried that it was still a scar from the past. Mrs. Henton was barely overcoming her grief. What if it happened again?
“I don’t think you should do that. Riding a horse will hurt your back more.”
“It’s not that painful.”
Liene shook her head at Black, who raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
“If something happens to Mrs. Henton, I need to know too.”
“...Promise me, then. When we get back, you’ll joke around a lot.”
“That sounds a bit strange... Who wasn’t listening to the joke just now?”
“That’s what I’m saying. So that I don’t do the same thing again.”
Mada. Flambard had not been present just a moment ago, but she could hear what they were saying.
“I will take responsibility and make sure the Princess doesn’t overwork herself. So, let’s go for now.”
So, Madame Flambard was led to Kleinfelter Madam. Inside and outside the castle, guards began to search for Mrs. Henton.
***
“Ugh... Didn’t we already say that you weren’t going to come?”
The time difference wasn't that big. Black and Liene arrived just as Fermos, who had set off first, had just succeeded in breaking down the main gate of the Kleinfelter family.
“That’s it. Is there any resistance?”
“Yes. I don’t know why, but they won’t open the door. Things could get worse.”
“That means there’s something hidden inside the house.”
Neither Liene nor Madame Flambard could hide her worries.
“Have you seen Mrs. Henton?”
“Hmm? What did you say, Princess? Mrs. Henton?”
“So you’re saying you didn’t see it? Then either she wasn’t here or it came secretly.”
Mrs. Henton might be somewhere in that mansion, with all the doors and windows shut tight.
“Hmm... If that’s true, things are going to get a bit more complicated. Those guys might take her hostage... Oh, is that why they're holding out and not opening the door?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. It might not necessarily be Mrs. Henton they’re trying to hide. It’s a corner of the house where they had a lot of things.”
“That’s true. First, we need to open the door. If they’re holding Mrs. Henton hostage, they’ll probably try to use that fact first. Then we can respond.”
As she was talking to that point, Klima came running from over there in a panic.
“Oh, ny mother is in there? Oh, why?”
He, too, seemed completely unaware that Mrs. Henton had disappeared.
“It’s not certain. The guards are also separately looking for her whereabouts. Don’t worry too much.”
“Ah, but still... inside there... why is my mother..."
Klima stomped his feet, which was not befitting of his large size. He had been so skinny and stooped that he had not noticed, but he was on the tall side. His face, free of gloom, now showed its original kindness. In an instant, Klima had become a different person. For someone like his to live such a life... It was truly an unbearable act.
Her heart ached again for the past events. Liene patted Klima’s arm.
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen. It has to be that way.”
The past will never invade the present again. She won't let it.
“...”
Klima, who had been looking at Liene for a moment with his mouth open as if he was very surprised, said:
“If my mother were there... if that were true, she would probably take that path.”
“Yes? Is there a separate road?”
“Yes. The road I used to take... when I was running errands. My mother knows too.”
"Ah..."
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen. It has to be that way.”
The past will never invade the present again. She won't let it.
“...”
Klima, who had been looking at Liene for a moment with his mouth open as if he was very surprised, said:
“If my mother were there... if that were true, she would probably take that path.”
“Yes? Is there a separate road?”
“Yes. The road I used to take... when I was running errands. My mother knows too.”
"Ah..."
“But it’s narrow. We have to go one at a time... and we have to bow our heads a lot...”
Fermos was delighted.
“What? If there was something like that, you should have told me a long time ago!”
“No one asked..."
“Ah, I didn’t ask because I didn’t know! Oh, anyway, I guess we can just go in that way. Keep opening the door in front of her to attract attention. Would you like to go in yourself, my lord?”
“No. Send Randall.”
Fermos shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d say you’d go, of course... Oh, no. The Princess is here. Yes.”
Liene grabbed Black's sleeve.
“I’ll go with you. If it means finding your wife faster.”
Black became serious.
“I said I would stay because I thought that might happen. It’s impossible.”
“It won’t be dangerous, since you’re with me.”
"Still..."
Fermos, who had been listening to Black and Liene's argument for a moment, shook his head, and Madame Flambard nodded as if she understood.
“I’ll send Randall. You two, don’t argue unnecessarily. It was my fault for asking in the first place.”
Fermos was delighted.
“What? If there was something like that, you should have told me a long time ago!”
“No one asked..."
“Ah, I didn’t ask because I didn’t know! Oh, anyway, I guess we can just go in that way. Keep opening the door in front of her to attract attention. Would you like to go in yourself, my lord?”
“No. Send Randall.”
Fermos shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d say you’d go, of course... Oh, no. The Princess is here. Yes.”
Liene grabbed Black's sleeve.
“I’ll go with you. If it means finding your wife faster.”
Black became serious.
“I said I would stay because I thought that might happen. It’s impossible.”
“It won’t be dangerous, since you’re with me.”
“There shouldn't be ten of me. As long as I don't know anything about what's going on in there.”
Fermos, who had been listening to Black and Liene's argument for a moment, shook his head, and Madame Flambard nodded as if she understood.
“I’ll send Randall. You two, don’t argue unnecessarily. It was my fault for asking in the first place.”
So, Randall and the three mercenaries entered Kleinfelter's mansion under the guidance of Klima. What they found was an empty silence with all the doors closed. Mrs. Henton was found stabbed in a room in the annex.
***
“Madam, madam? Are you awake? Mrs. Henton!”
"... Princess?"
Mrs. Henton came to her senses half a day after moving into the castle.
“Haa... That’s a relief.”
Seeing Mrs. Henton safely open her eyes, Liene collapsed on the floor as if she was exhausted. On the other side, Klima held her mother's hand and shed tears silently.
“Oh my, Princess!”
Madam Flambard, who happened to be bringing a new water jug, ran over to Liene when she saw her collapse. In a very Madam Flambard-like way, she did not spill a single drop of water on the floor.
“Oh my god! She's awake now!”
Madam Flambard, who was trying to wake up Liene, ended up spilling the water from the jug when she found Mrs. Henton who had already woken up.
“Oh my, what should I do with this!”
Water poured down on the floor, soaking the hems of both their skirts. The woman, who would normally have handled the situation skillfully, was now floundering as if she had a breakdown.
“Oh my god, oh my god...”
“Don’t do that. Hold the water bottle properly. I’m not dead.”
Mrs. Henton, who had come back from the dead, seemed to be in better shape than the other two. Only then did Liene and Madam Flambard come to their senses, and they hurriedly cleaned up the floor and called the doctor. It wasn't a doctor, it was Fermos. He said that he knew much more about stab wounds than most doctors.
“Hey, let go of my hand.”
Fermos, who was examining Mrs. Henton's wounds, noticed Klima, who was crying in the same posture as the statue.
“I told you she wasn't going to die. She's not going to be able to do anything because there's a big guy stuck to her.”
Klima tried to let go of his mother's hand. Klima was the only apprentice knight of the Arsak Guardians. He said that she wanted to become someone who protects others since he had killed people. There was friction because that someone was Arsak, but he eventually found his place in Tiwakan. Tiwakan, which welcomed its first apprentice, was excited. They were too enthusiastic about teaching him a knighthood, which was a problem. Because of that, Klima was busy and had no idea what was going on with his mother. That must have made him feel even more uncomfortable.
“Let me look at the wound, ma’am. Was it here?”
Fermos untied the bandage that had been wrapped more skillfully than the doctor and examined the wound. The stab wound was between the left ribs, and if the position had been even slightly wrong, life would have been in jeopardy.
“The wound is deep but clean, so it must have been a well-sharpened knife. He was a private, not a Kleinfelter employee, right?”
“...”
Mrs. Henton had a complicated expression on her face. It was the kind of face where she wanted to open her mouth but couldn't quite open it.
“I know you’re asking, so you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Anyway, you were lucky enough to get stabbed and get it disinfected well, so all that’s left is to take medicine and be lazy. If you take care of yourself for a month or so, you’ll be completely fine.”
That was fortunate. After confirming that the wound had not become aggravated, Fermos applied some medicine and bandaged it neatly again.
“I applied the medicine generously, so you can apply it again in two days. Then I’ll check the degree of healing again. To prevent it from opening up again, you should not laugh loudly and should lie flat on your back and sleep. Do you understand?”
“...There... is there.”
Mrs. Henton opened her mouth slowly.
“Madam? What did you say?”
“The room where I was stabbed, that was that guy's room.”
“That guy...? Who is that guy?”
The woman suddenly raised her head. The wounds that had not yet fully healed were gleaming in her eyes.
“That... Ternan Kleinfelter.”
***
Ternan Kleinfelter was the head of the Kleinfelter family 21 years ago. His death was too sudden. His eldest son and Lafitte's biological father, the next head of the family, also died around the same time. Everything seemed to have been timed to coincide with the rebellion 21 years ago. It was impossible to dismiss this as a coincidence.
“In that house, I was in charge of looking after the human being who was not dead.”
But Ternan Klinefelter didn't die. He just suffered a stroke. The only thing he could move in his body was his eyes.
“It seems that a person of such high status would rather die than be seriously ill.”
Now we call it a disease, but back then, diseases with unknown causes were usually considered curses from God. It was natural to be reluctant to call them curses from God.
“For 20 years, I fed, clothed, and washed a body that was like a corpse.”
Mrs. Henton did not forget that he was her enemy. But there was nothing she could do because of the surveillance. All she had done for a long time was to mix inedible things with the medicine called food or to throw it away secretly.
“It was so tenacious that it lasted for so long. He was still breathing when I left that house. The one I went to today was...”
The woman's face was distorted.
“But I thought I had to finish him with my own hands...”
Ternan Kleinfelter did not cut off Knight Henton's head with his own hands. He did not stab her second son in the heart, nor did he capture her eldest son and her and make them each other's hostages. Still, Mrs. Henton needed someone to blame and curse. That was Ternan Kleinfelter.
“I went to kill him. But... But he was awake. He was leaning on a cane, but he was standing on his own two feet and glaring at me... at me.”
The butler who was supporting Ternan Kleinfelter told the soldier to kill Mrs. Henton. At the moment when she was stabbed and fell, all she could see was Ternan Kleinfelter alive and well. That was so frustrating. To let go of her enemy without doing anything. That's why the mansion was completely empty. When Ternan Kleinfelter was able to move,
“In that house, I was in charge of looking after the human being who was not dead.”
But Ternan Klinefelter didn't die. He just suffered a stroke. The only thing he could move in his body was his eyes.
“It seems that a person of such high status would rather die than be seriously ill.”
Now we call it a disease, but back then, diseases with unknown causes were usually considered curses from God. It was natural to be reluctant to call them curses from God.
“For 20 years, I fed, clothed, and washed a body that was like a corpse.”
Mrs. Henton did not forget that he was her enemy. But there was nothing she could do because of the surveillance. All she had done for a long time was to mix inedible things with the medicine called food or to throw it away secretly.
“It was so tenacious that it lasted for so long. He was still breathing when I left that house. The one I went to today was...”
The woman's face was distorted.
“But I thought I had to finish him with my own hands...”
Ternan Kleinfelter did not cut off Knight Henton's head with his own hands. He did not stab her second son in the heart, nor did he capture her eldest son and her and make them each other's hostages. Still, Mrs. Henton needed someone to blame and curse. That was Ternan Kleinfelter.
“I went to kill him. But... But he was awake. He was leaning on a cane, but he was standing on his own two feet and glaring at me... at me.”
The butler who was supporting Ternan Kleinfelter told the soldier to kill Mrs. Henton. At the moment when she was stabbed and fell, all she could see was Ternan Kleinfelter alive and well. That was so frustrating. To let go of her enemy without doing anything. That's why the mansion was completely empty. When Ternan Kleinfelter was able to move,
he must have hastily packed up his remaining assets and fled somewhere. Just as there were many secret passages in the Nauk Castle, the Kleinfelters were the same. They hid somewhere to avoid Tiwakan's eyes.
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