013. Something Subtle
“Are you saying you really bought all the land?”
“Yes, we have purchased all the forest land south of Erndorf, including the house where Miss Emilia Bern lives. We will soon meet with a builder to begin surveying. It seems that the young master wants to build a large-scale lodging facility, which is currently popular in Feathers.”
Caitlyn nodded slowly.
She looked as peaceful as a painting, holding a cup of tea by a sunny window, but Grosjean knew better. Caitlyn Meyer must have a storm raging inside her.
“Did you hear what exactly Hardius talked about with that girl?”
Grojean put down his notebook and looked troubled for a moment.
“I was only in the carriage that day. The coachman was the same. He told me not to do anything that could arouse suspicion, so I didn’t go near him or Miss Bern. I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s okay. You did well. Don’t dig too deep. Do you know what kind of kid Hardius is? He’ll notice if you do anything, even a little strange. He’ll know right away that you're my ‘eyes’. Besides, you’re my only spy now. I can’t risk it. You absolutely mustn’t get caught.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Phew, a long sigh followed.
“Yes, I can’t figure out what’s really going on just by keeping one eye open. I have to step forward myself...”
She muttered and tapped the end of the armrest impatiently.
“Let me ask you one last question. What do you think? Just tell me how you feel. About that kid.”
"... Yes?"
“It didn’t seem like that to you at all, but you never know. Maybe she has feelings for the Duchess, or maybe she has some kind of attachment to Hardius. Who knows?”
“If you ask me how I feel... Miss Bern was very wary of the young master. She even seemed angry. Of course, this is just my feeling. I only observed from afar, and did not directly hear their conversation up close.”
“Yeah, I think so too...”
Caitlyn, who had been nodding, suddenly frowned again.
“What about Hardius? Grojean, what do you think he thinks of the girl?”
Grosjean couldn't hide his embarrassment, because the question was one she hadn't asked since their engagement ceremony a long time ago.
“For some problems, feelings or intuition are more accurate. So, feel free to tell me.”
“...If I were to just say what I feel, honestly, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? What exactly does it mean?”
“That means I have not found any words or actions that could be considered emotional. At least not within my field of observation. When he deal with Miss Bern, there is not a single thing that could be considered emotional.”
"Yes."
Caitlyn rubbed her chin and stared out the window in silence.
It had been quite some time since the tea had cooled down.
“Yes, enough of that story. Let’s move on. What happened after the Hailston Bazaar?”
Grojean cleared his throat and turned the page.
“On the 16th, the Lord Chancellor attended Sir Maximilian’s speech and met with the Royalist MPs. He spoke with them in the smoking-room about the Rochester Bill. At noon, he stopped at the Fabran and met with Lord Wurchen, the Foreign Secretary...”
Reports on Hardius's activities continued. Most of them were about where he had met and who he had met. Caitlyn, who had been listening with an unusually indifferent attitude, suddenly snapped her fingers and straightened her back.
“Should we stop here?”
Grosjean, who had closed his notebook, received a jacket and hat from the maid.
“Don’t forget, Grojean. From now on, just do as you have been doing. Just watch from a distance that won’t arouse suspicion. But if you see anything strange about Hardius, be sure to contact me.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“By the way, don’t forget to see the Duke before you go.”
"Yes."
After leaving the study, Grojean headed straight to Duke Meyer’s bedside as Caitlyn had instructed. He greeted the sleeping Lord Meyer and stood there for a long time, holding his bony hand as if it were his real son.
For a long time, Hardius has been using him as a substitute for visiting the sick.
It was Caitlyn who suggested such a strange act. She did not want her successor, who was undergoing rigorous training at the school, to worry and fret over his father's illness.
Anyway, Van Drake Meyer wouldn't be able to tell whether the man holding his hand was his son or his servant.
Caitlyn, left alone, stared out the window, lost in thought.
Why is it? Since when did she start to feel scared of the successor whose mind she couldn't read?
It couldn't be more ironic. Wasn't it she who had trained him not to let anyone read his mind?
To Caitlyn, Hardius Meyer is a successor before he is a son. He is the head of the Meyer family, and he must be trained and educated to perfection.
Fortunately, Hardius was born with a temperance, coolness, and self-control that most men cannot find even if they look hard enough. He always put his family's business above his personal feelings, and he never once disappointed his family.
He has identified himself with his family. Hardius is Meyer.
But why is she so anxious? Caitlyn found herself biting her fingernails without realizing it.
It was a realm of intuition and feeling that could not be explained by logic.
Every time the annual banquet was held, Caitlyn would be overcome by a very strange feeling.
She often felt her heart sink as she watched her son chasing after a small country girl.
In fact, it is a groundless speculation.
Ask anyone passing by and they'll laugh at her. Hardy Meyer only cares about taking over the family business. He has no interest in women, especially his fiancée.
But what if...
What if, by any chance, Hardius was thinking something else?
The country girl was quite pretty, and from what she had observed over the past five years, she was also quite intelligent. Every year at the banquet, she was aware of the many men's gazes directed at her.
Since Hardius is such an unpredictable child, he might try to secretly bring her into the government. After all, he is a 'boy' too.
No, not just any man, but half of his father's blood is from Bandreich Meyer. He pretends not to care, but in reality, if it's a woman, whether she's a prostitute or a commoner, he might pant like a dog in heat.
“Fuck...”
Perhaps Caitlyn would have even allowed the government to take her in. Thinking of her husband, who was swayed by his cheap mistress and illegitimate child and was willing to give up his family, the mere mention of the word 'government' makes her shiver...
There's no way around it. For noblemen, government is as natural as tea time for noblewomen.
The problem is not his feelings, but the Leichnen family.
Hannes had already made a threat. He had no intention of interfering in the private life of his future son-in-law, but he had to clean up his ex-fiancée. It was not wrong, so Caitlyn accepted it.
But, something has been subtly changing since a few days ago. She can’t really put her finger on it...
When Grosjean left Kramwitz Villa, the sun that had been hanging over the ridge had already risen high above his head. Behind him, walking hurriedly, two sturdy men emerged from somewhere and followed closely behind. Grosjean had to swallow dry saliva in front of the long shadows hanging over his head. His trembling hands searched for a handkerchief in his pocket and wiped away the sweat.
“This way.”
The man was pointing not to a straight, tree-lined road, but toward a dark, bushy area. The strange men led Grojean toward a low hill beyond the villa, as if they were controlling him from behind.
A carriage stopped beyond the thicket of thornbush. One of the men knocked cautiously on the carriage door.
“Come in.”
The owner's voice was always flat. Nevertheless, Grojean had to hold back his trembling hands just before opening the door. The moment he moved his trembling legs and barely managed to get into the carriage, the men slammed the door shut.
The carriage set off.
Hardius Meyer was reading a newspaper with his legs crossed. His face was as calm and composed as a forest on a leisurely afternoon, but Grosjean's heart was beginning to beat anxiously.
“...I reported... as you instructed.”
"Yes."
How can you say 'yes' so indifferently?
Suddenly, he remembered the day that man barged into his house without warning.
It must have been Christmas Eve. His wife was baking bread in the oven, and his children were fighting over who would place the star on top of the tree.
In the middle of this picturesquely harmonious household, Hardius Meyer suddenly appeared, accompanied by two sturdy men.
He introduced his wife and children and gave them a bunch of presents. Thanks to this, his wife and children still remember Hardy Meyer as a 'wonderful Santa Claus'.
'Your father is a great man. He is my assistant and also helps my mother with her work. I benefit a lot from him.'
Hardius took off his gloves and said just that.
But at that moment, Grosjean was shocked as if he had been hit in the head with a blunt object.
He already knew that the attendant who had been assisting him for over ten years was actually a spy set up by his own mother to spy on her son...
The children, who knew nothing about it, cheered as they opened the gift wrap, and the wife served tea, which she only served to special guests.
“What do you think? What will Mrs. Meyer do now?”
"Yes?"
“You have to concentrate, Grojean. Think of your wife and children.”
Hardius turned his head, putting down the newspaper. His delicate facial features, like a sculpture, still had a youthful look. People were easily fooled by his gentle youth and gentlemanly smile. Grojean was like that at first.
“Given Mrs. Meyer’s personality, she will surely go and see Miss Bern within a short time. She is a person who does not trust anyone. Not even her son, the master.”
“I guess so.”
Hardius muttered calmly.
At this point, the two were different. Caitlyn was always anxious and unsure. But Hardius was confident and relaxed.
It was a much more desperate situation, and the reason for that was probably because of those shadows, the secretly hired mercenaries and assassins. The four years at the military academy were probably the decisive factor in bringing such a dark entity close to someone of noble bloodline like the Crown Prince.
The young man, who is only twenty years old, has been using those shadows to spy on Grosjean and his family, and he will plan and execute many things in the future.
The carriage ran diligently in a suffocating silence. It passed through dense forests and small rural villages and finally arrived at Nowak, where a large square was visible.
Throughout his run, Hardy Meyer never let go of his work, from newspaper to paper to newspaper again.
It was just as he arrived at the main gate of Basilion House that he, who had been working like a machine, suddenly stopped as if he had broken down.
He saw someone approaching through the window.
Emilia Bern is holding a luxuriously wrapped box that looks like a 'gift' to anyone.
“Are you saying you really bought all the land?”
“Yes, we have purchased all the forest land south of Erndorf, including the house where Miss Emilia Bern lives. We will soon meet with a builder to begin surveying. It seems that the young master wants to build a large-scale lodging facility, which is currently popular in Feathers.”
Caitlyn nodded slowly.
She looked as peaceful as a painting, holding a cup of tea by a sunny window, but Grosjean knew better. Caitlyn Meyer must have a storm raging inside her.
“Did you hear what exactly Hardius talked about with that girl?”
Grojean put down his notebook and looked troubled for a moment.
“I was only in the carriage that day. The coachman was the same. He told me not to do anything that could arouse suspicion, so I didn’t go near him or Miss Bern. I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s okay. You did well. Don’t dig too deep. Do you know what kind of kid Hardius is? He’ll notice if you do anything, even a little strange. He’ll know right away that you're my ‘eyes’. Besides, you’re my only spy now. I can’t risk it. You absolutely mustn’t get caught.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Phew, a long sigh followed.
“Yes, I can’t figure out what’s really going on just by keeping one eye open. I have to step forward myself...”
She muttered and tapped the end of the armrest impatiently.
“Let me ask you one last question. What do you think? Just tell me how you feel. About that kid.”
"... Yes?"
“It didn’t seem like that to you at all, but you never know. Maybe she has feelings for the Duchess, or maybe she has some kind of attachment to Hardius. Who knows?”
“If you ask me how I feel... Miss Bern was very wary of the young master. She even seemed angry. Of course, this is just my feeling. I only observed from afar, and did not directly hear their conversation up close.”
“Yeah, I think so too...”
Caitlyn, who had been nodding, suddenly frowned again.
“What about Hardius? Grojean, what do you think he thinks of the girl?”
Grosjean couldn't hide his embarrassment, because the question was one she hadn't asked since their engagement ceremony a long time ago.
“For some problems, feelings or intuition are more accurate. So, feel free to tell me.”
“...If I were to just say what I feel, honestly, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? What exactly does it mean?”
“That means I have not found any words or actions that could be considered emotional. At least not within my field of observation. When he deal with Miss Bern, there is not a single thing that could be considered emotional.”
"Yes."
Caitlyn rubbed her chin and stared out the window in silence.
It had been quite some time since the tea had cooled down.
“Yes, enough of that story. Let’s move on. What happened after the Hailston Bazaar?”
Grojean cleared his throat and turned the page.
“On the 16th, the Lord Chancellor attended Sir Maximilian’s speech and met with the Royalist MPs. He spoke with them in the smoking-room about the Rochester Bill. At noon, he stopped at the Fabran and met with Lord Wurchen, the Foreign Secretary...”
Reports on Hardius's activities continued. Most of them were about where he had met and who he had met. Caitlyn, who had been listening with an unusually indifferent attitude, suddenly snapped her fingers and straightened her back.
“Should we stop here?”
Grosjean, who had closed his notebook, received a jacket and hat from the maid.
“Don’t forget, Grojean. From now on, just do as you have been doing. Just watch from a distance that won’t arouse suspicion. But if you see anything strange about Hardius, be sure to contact me.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“By the way, don’t forget to see the Duke before you go.”
"Yes."
After leaving the study, Grojean headed straight to Duke Meyer’s bedside as Caitlyn had instructed. He greeted the sleeping Lord Meyer and stood there for a long time, holding his bony hand as if it were his real son.
For a long time, Hardius has been using him as a substitute for visiting the sick.
It was Caitlyn who suggested such a strange act. She did not want her successor, who was undergoing rigorous training at the school, to worry and fret over his father's illness.
Anyway, Van Drake Meyer wouldn't be able to tell whether the man holding his hand was his son or his servant.
Caitlyn, left alone, stared out the window, lost in thought.
Why is it? Since when did she start to feel scared of the successor whose mind she couldn't read?
It couldn't be more ironic. Wasn't it she who had trained him not to let anyone read his mind?
To Caitlyn, Hardius Meyer is a successor before he is a son. He is the head of the Meyer family, and he must be trained and educated to perfection.
Fortunately, Hardius was born with a temperance, coolness, and self-control that most men cannot find even if they look hard enough. He always put his family's business above his personal feelings, and he never once disappointed his family.
He has identified himself with his family. Hardius is Meyer.
But why is she so anxious? Caitlyn found herself biting her fingernails without realizing it.
It was a realm of intuition and feeling that could not be explained by logic.
Every time the annual banquet was held, Caitlyn would be overcome by a very strange feeling.
She often felt her heart sink as she watched her son chasing after a small country girl.
In fact, it is a groundless speculation.
Ask anyone passing by and they'll laugh at her. Hardy Meyer only cares about taking over the family business. He has no interest in women, especially his fiancée.
But what if...
What if, by any chance, Hardius was thinking something else?
The country girl was quite pretty, and from what she had observed over the past five years, she was also quite intelligent. Every year at the banquet, she was aware of the many men's gazes directed at her.
Since Hardius is such an unpredictable child, he might try to secretly bring her into the government. After all, he is a 'boy' too.
No, not just any man, but half of his father's blood is from Bandreich Meyer. He pretends not to care, but in reality, if it's a woman, whether she's a prostitute or a commoner, he might pant like a dog in heat.
“Fuck...”
Perhaps Caitlyn would have even allowed the government to take her in. Thinking of her husband, who was swayed by his cheap mistress and illegitimate child and was willing to give up his family, the mere mention of the word 'government' makes her shiver...
There's no way around it. For noblemen, government is as natural as tea time for noblewomen.
The problem is not his feelings, but the Leichnen family.
Hannes had already made a threat. He had no intention of interfering in the private life of his future son-in-law, but he had to clean up his ex-fiancée. It was not wrong, so Caitlyn accepted it.
But, something has been subtly changing since a few days ago. She can’t really put her finger on it...
When Grosjean left Kramwitz Villa, the sun that had been hanging over the ridge had already risen high above his head. Behind him, walking hurriedly, two sturdy men emerged from somewhere and followed closely behind. Grosjean had to swallow dry saliva in front of the long shadows hanging over his head. His trembling hands searched for a handkerchief in his pocket and wiped away the sweat.
“This way.”
The man was pointing not to a straight, tree-lined road, but toward a dark, bushy area. The strange men led Grojean toward a low hill beyond the villa, as if they were controlling him from behind.
A carriage stopped beyond the thicket of thornbush. One of the men knocked cautiously on the carriage door.
“Come in.”
The owner's voice was always flat. Nevertheless, Grojean had to hold back his trembling hands just before opening the door. The moment he moved his trembling legs and barely managed to get into the carriage, the men slammed the door shut.
The carriage set off.
Hardius Meyer was reading a newspaper with his legs crossed. His face was as calm and composed as a forest on a leisurely afternoon, but Grosjean's heart was beginning to beat anxiously.
“...I reported... as you instructed.”
"Yes."
How can you say 'yes' so indifferently?
Suddenly, he remembered the day that man barged into his house without warning.
It must have been Christmas Eve. His wife was baking bread in the oven, and his children were fighting over who would place the star on top of the tree.
In the middle of this picturesquely harmonious household, Hardius Meyer suddenly appeared, accompanied by two sturdy men.
He introduced his wife and children and gave them a bunch of presents. Thanks to this, his wife and children still remember Hardy Meyer as a 'wonderful Santa Claus'.
'Your father is a great man. He is my assistant and also helps my mother with her work. I benefit a lot from him.'
Hardius took off his gloves and said just that.
But at that moment, Grosjean was shocked as if he had been hit in the head with a blunt object.
He already knew that the attendant who had been assisting him for over ten years was actually a spy set up by his own mother to spy on her son...
The children, who knew nothing about it, cheered as they opened the gift wrap, and the wife served tea, which she only served to special guests.
“What do you think? What will Mrs. Meyer do now?”
"Yes?"
“You have to concentrate, Grojean. Think of your wife and children.”
Hardius turned his head, putting down the newspaper. His delicate facial features, like a sculpture, still had a youthful look. People were easily fooled by his gentle youth and gentlemanly smile. Grojean was like that at first.
“Given Mrs. Meyer’s personality, she will surely go and see Miss Bern within a short time. She is a person who does not trust anyone. Not even her son, the master.”
“I guess so.”
Hardius muttered calmly.
At this point, the two were different. Caitlyn was always anxious and unsure. But Hardius was confident and relaxed.
It was a much more desperate situation, and the reason for that was probably because of those shadows, the secretly hired mercenaries and assassins. The four years at the military academy were probably the decisive factor in bringing such a dark entity close to someone of noble bloodline like the Crown Prince.
The young man, who is only twenty years old, has been using those shadows to spy on Grosjean and his family, and he will plan and execute many things in the future.
The carriage ran diligently in a suffocating silence. It passed through dense forests and small rural villages and finally arrived at Nowak, where a large square was visible.
Throughout his run, Hardy Meyer never let go of his work, from newspaper to paper to newspaper again.
It was just as he arrived at the main gate of Basilion House that he, who had been working like a machine, suddenly stopped as if he had broken down.
He saw someone approaching through the window.
Emilia Bern is holding a luxuriously wrapped box that looks like a 'gift' to anyone.
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