“Your Excellency!”
“…Why? Did something happen?”
Rudnine looked up, guessing that there was trouble because Ant's voice was so urgent.
Ant spoke to him with sparkling eyes.
"The work is going smoothly. I think it'll be over in about three hours, and the warlock doesn't seem to be showing up here. The artifacts scattered throughout are being destroyed simultaneously, so unless they're very serious, they won't show up here."
"So?"
"Oh, my. So, since you're no longer needed, Duke, you should go quickly. Before you become even more hated, to where the fairy is. Clear up any misunderstandings, and if you've done anything wrong, please quickly apologize!"
Ant clenched his fists and gave Rudnine some dating advice, but Rudnine looked like he had found a savior.
Ant smiled brightly.
"You can hand over command here to me. I can handle that much. It's almost finished. It's unlikely, but if an emergency arises, I'll contact you via the last moon."
“Why are you so cooperative?”
"Catch the fairy. Quickly! Consider yourself lucky to have such a capable subordinate as me."
Rudnine took a step forward in a daze as the adjutant directly pushed his back.
Rudnine burst out laughing as he watched Ant shouting "Fighting" again.
And just in case, he went around the area himself to assess the current state of work.
Now that he had decided that he could safely ignore his presence, he jumped onto his black horse without any further hesitation.
"Let's go."
Rudnine's jet-black hair blew fiercely in the night wind as he ran towards her.
“…Why? Did something happen?”
Rudnine looked up, guessing that there was trouble because Ant's voice was so urgent.
Ant spoke to him with sparkling eyes.
"The work is going smoothly. I think it'll be over in about three hours, and the warlock doesn't seem to be showing up here. The artifacts scattered throughout are being destroyed simultaneously, so unless they're very serious, they won't show up here."
"So?"
"Oh, my. So, since you're no longer needed, Duke, you should go quickly. Before you become even more hated, to where the fairy is. Clear up any misunderstandings, and if you've done anything wrong, please quickly apologize!"
Ant clenched his fists and gave Rudnine some dating advice, but Rudnine looked like he had found a savior.
Ant smiled brightly.
"You can hand over command here to me. I can handle that much. It's almost finished. It's unlikely, but if an emergency arises, I'll contact you via the last moon."
“Why are you so cooperative?”
"Catch the fairy. Quickly! Consider yourself lucky to have such a capable subordinate as me."
Rudnine took a step forward in a daze as the adjutant directly pushed his back.
Rudnine burst out laughing as he watched Ant shouting "Fighting" again.
And just in case, he went around the area himself to assess the current state of work.
Now that he had decided that he could safely ignore his presence, he jumped onto his black horse without any further hesitation.
"Let's go."
Rudnine's jet-black hair blew fiercely in the night wind as he ran towards her.
He had to suppress my complicated thoughts and go to her first.
Early morning.
I was very dissatisfied.
Tweet, tweet, tweet.
Birds are sitting on tree branches and singing beautifully.
The soft sunlight, the tranquil atmosphere, and even the fragrant smell of bread baking in the oven...
“Why is it so peaceful?!”
I had high expectations for the night, but nothing happened at Baron Rudican's villa.
I was sitting at a table and chair outside in the garden of the spacious villa of Baron Rudican when I suddenly jumped up from my seat.
“This can’t be happening!”
"Wow. These cookies are really delicious. You're the best, ma'am. Yvonne, try them too!"
Pembe, who was sitting at the table and munching on cookies, praised Mrs. Elise's cooking skills and was impressed again.
I know that too. I was so touched at dinner last night that I ate quite a bit.
I wanted to eat more, but I stopped there to be a little polite.
Watching Pembe devour cookies from the morning made me feel a bit lethargic.
“There really wasn’t anything suspicious?”
"Oh my. How many times do I have to tell you this? No matter how much I looked, there was no smell of blood, and no weapons. I looked around just in case, but there wasn't even a hint of dark magic. It's just a really ordinary house."
“Really?”
I stared at the smoke rising from the chimney with suspicion, but eventually decided to give up on being an investigator.
“I doubted them for nothing, didn’t I? Hehe.”
As I scratched my head, I felt sorry for Rosie, Elise, and Gressel, who had been so kind to me.
I decided to take a walk before preparing breakfast, so I put Pembe in my pocket and left the villa, starting to walk along the village road.
It was a useless misunderstanding that only wasted time.
Rosie, Elise, and Gressel, who were assumed to be criminals or con artists looking to make a killing, were actually very kind and ordinary residents.
The dinner was delicious and wonderful, and the room they gave me was large and comfortable.
That made me even more suspicious, so I deliberately left my money bag on the table and slept, but there was no sound of footsteps near my room.
There really wasn't anything missing...
'They were good people, weren't they?'
Feeling sorry for doubting them, I decided to leave them some extra money before I left, and continued my walk at a slow pace.
It was early morning, but the villagers were bustling about. The quiet village was paved with pale ivory stone. According to Rosie, all the villages in the Iels territory were like that.
'That's amazing.'
I walked along the lonely ivory stone path that reminded me of Rudnine, and I managed to calm my strangely fluttering heart.
A peaceful, lively town.
But they said that this peace was created through hard work.
To prevent the monsters that occasionally appear in the north from invading the village, a special barrier has been installed, and elite guards trained at Iels Castle patrol the area periodically.
So, people here can live and work with peace of mind.
It's an area close to the northern gate where monsters appear periodically, but if you pay this much attention, even I would want to stay in my hometown and continue living there.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to stop a passing villager and interview him about his thoughts on the lord.
Because I was sure that hearing his praise would make me happy and proud.
But I decided to hold back now because I thought I would miss him more if I continued like that.
"Ha."
I took a deep breath and decided to sit down on a bench in the town square and rest for a while.
As I was watching the children running around the square, laughing brightly, I saw a familiar face approaching me from afar and smiled brightly.
“Carol!”
"Miss!"
This is Carol Demirant.
As I expected, Carol found out I was in Seider Village, not Lirvel Village, and came to see me early in the morning.
Carol, perhaps conscious of her surroundings, changed her title to "Miss" instead of "Princess" as usual.
I apologized first to her as she rushed towards me.
“Sorry. I was just running and passed the meeting place.”
"No. I expected you might even make it to Seider, not Lirvel. You have such great stamina."
"...You really know everything about me, don’t you?”
"Of course?"
Her eyes were more serious than ever as she answered straight away without the slightest hesitation.
'No way.'
I felt uneasy because the oath she made to give her life to me did not feel light.
So I thought quickly in my head.
If I ever find myself in a situation where I have to become a warlock, I'll do whatever it takes to get Carol out of the Argenthoz Mansion before then.
“Miss? What are you thinking?”
“Huh? I didn’t think much of it.”
I smiled at Carol, then turned back to the children running around the town square.
And now, I gazed at the children's faces, bright as the morning sunlight, and continued to think.
Carol should naturally return to the Demirant Information Guild. In fact, that's where she should have been.
I plan to keep Liana and Eudela in the Agenthoz mansion.
Not only Eudela, but especially Liana, who is so capable, if I recommend her as Barden's secretary, Barden will naturally accept it.
Then, I can leave.
'I hope that doesn't happen.'
Carol asked as I sighed softly and stretched.
"Miss, you stayed at Baron Rudican's villa. Did you have a nice stay?"
“Oh, I see. You already knew?”
“Yes, of course. Did Duke Iels ask you to stay there?”
When Carol suddenly mentioned Rudnine, the back of my head felt numb as if I had been hit with a hammer.
“Oh, no...? That can’t be right. What are you talking about, Carol?”
"Yes?"
Instead, Carol, who was questioning me, looked at me as if she found it even stranger.
I let out a chuckle.
"I came here on purpose without telling the Duke. So he doesn't even know I'm here."
“So, you didn’t say anything, and you don’t know about Duke Iels either?”
"Yes."
I smiled bitterly and nodded.
But Carol still looked uneasy.
“Then why did you stay at the villa of Baron Rudican, the ‘adjutant of the Duke of Iels’?”
“Hmm. It’s a coincidence. So...”
I quickly explained to Carol what had happened last night.
The atmosphere was so similar to when I had to explain to a strict principal in my past life why I had stayed out overnight without permission that I broke out in a cold sweat.
Throughout the explanation, Carol's face became strangely distorted, and at the end, she finally let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha, Miss?”
“Yes? Why?”
Carol blinked slowly, looking back and forth between Baron Rudican's villa and my face.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I rubbed my cheek and asked Carol dissatisfiedly.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
“Oh my God. What should we do, my dear?”
"What?"
“...Haha, no. But why didn’t you tell Duke Iels? I heard you two were dating.”
As expected, meeting openly in the square in front of the opera house on the day of the date and sticking with Rudnine was the cause of the trouble.
'Oh my god!'
“How on earth did the rumor spread in the capital?”
Unlike me, who asked in shock, Carol answered calmly with a blank expression.
“The rumor that you two are about to get engaged has become the biggest gossip these days.”
“...I’m crazy.”
I cursed softly and touched my forehead.
Damn it. Rumors of an engagement are spreading right now, when I have to distance myself from Rudnine?
I groaned and gave a brief explanation of why I had come here without telling Rudnine.
"As you know, I got involved with a warlock. I was worried about his safety later, so I deliberately kept it a secret. I just wanted to handle it on my own and meet him after everything was resolved."
“...Oh, I see.”
Carol nodded, but somehow smiled vaguely.
'That's not all, though.'
I can't bring myself to tell you that I might have to become a warlock.
Silence fell.
Carol shrugged and spoke first.
“I understand. Anyway, both the Duke and the Lady… Really, I can’t stop you.”
“What? Why Duke Eels?”
“Um… Oh my, Miss?! Your hair is sticking out here! Let me touch it.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Carol naturally turned my body around and skillfully combed my hair with her hand brush.
Carol muttered as she sat next to me, tying... my hair back up with a ribbon.
“Ah. You don’t even know that. You’re both fools, His Excellency and the Princess.”
“You call me an idiot?”
“Yes. Very, very stupid.”
“Wow... Our Carol, are you talking nonsense?”
I turned to Carol and glanced at her, but it didn't hit me hard.
Carol's eyes were sparkling.
“Our Princess... Miss. You just called me ‘our Carol’, didn’t you? I could die here, sob sob.”
“Hey... Oh, man. Yes. Let’s go. We don’t have time.”
I grabbed Carol's arm and helped her up, who was holding back tears, and lowered my voice when I noticed the backpack she was carrying.
“By any chance, what’s in your backpack right now? Is that ‘that’ thing I asked for?”
***
Early morning.
I was very dissatisfied.
Tweet, tweet, tweet.
Birds are sitting on tree branches and singing beautifully.
The soft sunlight, the tranquil atmosphere, and even the fragrant smell of bread baking in the oven...
“Why is it so peaceful?!”
I had high expectations for the night, but nothing happened at Baron Rudican's villa.
I was sitting at a table and chair outside in the garden of the spacious villa of Baron Rudican when I suddenly jumped up from my seat.
“This can’t be happening!”
"Wow. These cookies are really delicious. You're the best, ma'am. Yvonne, try them too!"
Pembe, who was sitting at the table and munching on cookies, praised Mrs. Elise's cooking skills and was impressed again.
I know that too. I was so touched at dinner last night that I ate quite a bit.
I wanted to eat more, but I stopped there to be a little polite.
Watching Pembe devour cookies from the morning made me feel a bit lethargic.
“There really wasn’t anything suspicious?”
"Oh my. How many times do I have to tell you this? No matter how much I looked, there was no smell of blood, and no weapons. I looked around just in case, but there wasn't even a hint of dark magic. It's just a really ordinary house."
“Really?”
I stared at the smoke rising from the chimney with suspicion, but eventually decided to give up on being an investigator.
“I doubted them for nothing, didn’t I? Hehe.”
As I scratched my head, I felt sorry for Rosie, Elise, and Gressel, who had been so kind to me.
I decided to take a walk before preparing breakfast, so I put Pembe in my pocket and left the villa, starting to walk along the village road.
It was a useless misunderstanding that only wasted time.
Rosie, Elise, and Gressel, who were assumed to be criminals or con artists looking to make a killing, were actually very kind and ordinary residents.
The dinner was delicious and wonderful, and the room they gave me was large and comfortable.
That made me even more suspicious, so I deliberately left my money bag on the table and slept, but there was no sound of footsteps near my room.
There really wasn't anything missing...
'They were good people, weren't they?'
Feeling sorry for doubting them, I decided to leave them some extra money before I left, and continued my walk at a slow pace.
It was early morning, but the villagers were bustling about. The quiet village was paved with pale ivory stone. According to Rosie, all the villages in the Iels territory were like that.
'That's amazing.'
I walked along the lonely ivory stone path that reminded me of Rudnine, and I managed to calm my strangely fluttering heart.
A peaceful, lively town.
But they said that this peace was created through hard work.
To prevent the monsters that occasionally appear in the north from invading the village, a special barrier has been installed, and elite guards trained at Iels Castle patrol the area periodically.
So, people here can live and work with peace of mind.
It's an area close to the northern gate where monsters appear periodically, but if you pay this much attention, even I would want to stay in my hometown and continue living there.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to stop a passing villager and interview him about his thoughts on the lord.
Because I was sure that hearing his praise would make me happy and proud.
But I decided to hold back now because I thought I would miss him more if I continued like that.
"Ha."
I took a deep breath and decided to sit down on a bench in the town square and rest for a while.
As I was watching the children running around the square, laughing brightly, I saw a familiar face approaching me from afar and smiled brightly.
“Carol!”
"Miss!"
This is Carol Demirant.
As I expected, Carol found out I was in Seider Village, not Lirvel Village, and came to see me early in the morning.
Carol, perhaps conscious of her surroundings, changed her title to "Miss" instead of "Princess" as usual.
I apologized first to her as she rushed towards me.
“Sorry. I was just running and passed the meeting place.”
"No. I expected you might even make it to Seider, not Lirvel. You have such great stamina."
"...You really know everything about me, don’t you?”
"Of course?"
Her eyes were more serious than ever as she answered straight away without the slightest hesitation.
'No way.'
I felt uneasy because the oath she made to give her life to me did not feel light.
So I thought quickly in my head.
If I ever find myself in a situation where I have to become a warlock, I'll do whatever it takes to get Carol out of the Argenthoz Mansion before then.
“Miss? What are you thinking?”
“Huh? I didn’t think much of it.”
I smiled at Carol, then turned back to the children running around the town square.
And now, I gazed at the children's faces, bright as the morning sunlight, and continued to think.
Carol should naturally return to the Demirant Information Guild. In fact, that's where she should have been.
I plan to keep Liana and Eudela in the Agenthoz mansion.
Not only Eudela, but especially Liana, who is so capable, if I recommend her as Barden's secretary, Barden will naturally accept it.
Then, I can leave.
'I hope that doesn't happen.'
Carol asked as I sighed softly and stretched.
"Miss, you stayed at Baron Rudican's villa. Did you have a nice stay?"
“Oh, I see. You already knew?”
“Yes, of course. Did Duke Iels ask you to stay there?”
When Carol suddenly mentioned Rudnine, the back of my head felt numb as if I had been hit with a hammer.
“Oh, no...? That can’t be right. What are you talking about, Carol?”
"Yes?"
Instead, Carol, who was questioning me, looked at me as if she found it even stranger.
I let out a chuckle.
"I came here on purpose without telling the Duke. So he doesn't even know I'm here."
“So, you didn’t say anything, and you don’t know about Duke Iels either?”
"Yes."
I smiled bitterly and nodded.
But Carol still looked uneasy.
“Then why did you stay at the villa of Baron Rudican, the ‘adjutant of the Duke of Iels’?”
“Hmm. It’s a coincidence. So...”
I quickly explained to Carol what had happened last night.
The atmosphere was so similar to when I had to explain to a strict principal in my past life why I had stayed out overnight without permission that I broke out in a cold sweat.
Throughout the explanation, Carol's face became strangely distorted, and at the end, she finally let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha, Miss?”
“Yes? Why?”
Carol blinked slowly, looking back and forth between Baron Rudican's villa and my face.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I rubbed my cheek and asked Carol dissatisfiedly.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
“Oh my God. What should we do, my dear?”
"What?"
“...Haha, no. But why didn’t you tell Duke Iels? I heard you two were dating.”
As expected, meeting openly in the square in front of the opera house on the day of the date and sticking with Rudnine was the cause of the trouble.
'Oh my god!'
“How on earth did the rumor spread in the capital?”
Unlike me, who asked in shock, Carol answered calmly with a blank expression.
“The rumor that you two are about to get engaged has become the biggest gossip these days.”
“...I’m crazy.”
I cursed softly and touched my forehead.
Damn it. Rumors of an engagement are spreading right now, when I have to distance myself from Rudnine?
I groaned and gave a brief explanation of why I had come here without telling Rudnine.
"As you know, I got involved with a warlock. I was worried about his safety later, so I deliberately kept it a secret. I just wanted to handle it on my own and meet him after everything was resolved."
“...Oh, I see.”
Carol nodded, but somehow smiled vaguely.
'That's not all, though.'
I can't bring myself to tell you that I might have to become a warlock.
Silence fell.
Carol shrugged and spoke first.
“I understand. Anyway, both the Duke and the Lady… Really, I can’t stop you.”
“What? Why Duke Eels?”
“Um… Oh my, Miss?! Your hair is sticking out here! Let me touch it.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Carol naturally turned my body around and skillfully combed my hair with her hand brush.
Carol muttered as she sat next to me, tying... my hair back up with a ribbon.
“Ah. You don’t even know that. You’re both fools, His Excellency and the Princess.”
“You call me an idiot?”
“Yes. Very, very stupid.”
“Wow... Our Carol, are you talking nonsense?”
I turned to Carol and glanced at her, but it didn't hit me hard.
Carol's eyes were sparkling.
“Our Princess... Miss. You just called me ‘our Carol’, didn’t you? I could die here, sob sob.”
“Hey... Oh, man. Yes. Let’s go. We don’t have time.”
I grabbed Carol's arm and helped her up, who was holding back tears, and lowered my voice when I noticed the backpack she was carrying.
“By any chance, what’s in your backpack right now? Is that ‘that’ thing I asked for?”
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