Drinking the finest tea that calms the mind and body must be the reason.
I could definitely feel my tension easing.
It wasn’t just my imagination; Lady Titania also seemed to be gradually relaxing.
“Count Laward, you said you were at Delphi Academy six years ago, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then you weren’t there when my father was the Chancellor at Delphi Academy. He last stood on the stage fifteen years ago.”
That’s true. Fifteen years ago was even before I enrolled.
“I have a thought. If you had enrolled when my father was there, wouldn’t you have been a steward or advisor in our Squaret Territory, rather than the Helpion Domain?”
“Haha, you flatter me.”
“No, it’s true. Even though it was a short time, the talent you showed was remarkable. My father had a great desire for capable people. He personally scouted excellent students or often introduced them to important positions in the Kingdom. You must have stood out too.”
“Thank you.”
“By the way, you came here to recover your health, and I’m sorry this incident has involved you like this.”
Indeed.
Hearing Lady Titania’s words made me suddenly realize something.
I came to the Squaret Territory to rest a body that could burst at any moment.
Did Duke Helpion send me here knowing I’d be buried in work and die?
Just to earn some favor with Lady Titania.
As I was entertaining such useless thoughts, Lady Titania pondered something and then spoke as if struck by a good idea.
“Do you like books?”
“Hmm?”
Her question came out of nowhere.
I couldn’t understand what she meant.
“I mean reading. Our territory boasts my father’s study. It’s probably bigger than most territory libraries. Ah, of course, it won’t compare to Delphi Academy where Count Laward graduated.”
Only then did I begin to understand her words.
“Still, you’ll be able to see numerous old and rare books collected by my father. It’s a space that scholars who visit the family greatly enjoy, so I’m sure Count Laward will like it as well.”
Oh, books.
In the Helpion Domain, where only sword-wielding monsters live, such a pleasure was unimaginable.
Come to think of it, it’s already been a year since I left the Akashic Record and last read a proper book.
To think she still considers me in such a situation—truly a tiger’s daughter is a tiger indeed.
She’s on a different level.
“Sounds good!”
“Hehe, that’s a relief.”
Knock, knock.
While we were happily talking about books, there came a knock at the door.
“Miss, Brunello is here.”
Knight Commander Brunello entered the room, his face flushed red, looking very angry.
“I found out there’s someone trying to sow discord between you and Young Master.”
Sowing discord about a sibling relationship?
I recalled the two glaring at each other like they wanted to kill from the front gate.
That kind of relationship doesn’t come from just one or two acts of mischief.
“I’ve heard rumors spreading among the people. Since you’ll be marrying into the Helpion Domain anyway, you’ll naturally be sidelined in the family’s succession.”
“If that rumor were true, wouldn’t there be no reason for your relationship to worsen?”
“The problem is that you’ve been training in swordsmanship and showing remarkable talent. You are a disciple of that Land Master, aren’t you? Knights who admire your skill and charisma naturally follow you, and in the end, the Squaret Territory will be left with only powerless nobodies…”
Bang!
Lady Titania slammed her fist hard on the table, clearly furious.
“That can’t be true!”
“The problem is that quite a few knights believe those words. Many even asked me if they could follow you to the Helpion Domain to receive the Duke’s training. Among the servants in the mansion, there are many who show signs of discomfort, as if opposing the knights.”
“Could it be that even Terron has been swayed by such absurd words?”
“Young Master Terron is setting an example as a ruler with strong power and decisiveness, saying he must reduce your influence…”
“Lumpen Hound… that bastard must be behind all of this.”
Lady Titania was now trembling with anger.
Is this how it is? After drinking tea and chatting, all this happens?
“Miss.”
I called Lady Titania and calmly met her gaze.
Her eyes were bloodshot with rage, trembling.
I simply stared into her eyes without a word.
Slowly, her breathing steadied, and the fury in her eyes began to fade.
“Remember what we talked about?”
“Yes. Simply worrying doesn’t solve anything, so stop all those thoughts, right?”
“And they say walking around helps the brain more than sitting in a room like this.”
It’s true.
I read that in the Akashic Record.
“Understood. I’ll have the maid prepare a guest room for you. Rest well and see you tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to our territory then.”
“Understood. See you tomorrow.”
The long journey had probably accumulated fatigue without me realizing it.
After arriving at my room and wondering what to do next, I quickly fell asleep.
Thanks to that, I was able to meet Lady Titania and Knight Commander Brunello with a refreshed face.
“Please enjoy your recuperation.”
Lady Titania spoke with a determined look.
Was it really necessary to say it so strongly?
“Our family isn’t so helpless as to depend on a guest for protection. Of course… if you help, I won’t refuse.”
“So you mean I should act independently.”
“I’m glad you’re quick to understand.”
Lady Titania smiled.
“And if I’m to move freely, you’ll remove the surveillance, right?”
“Exactly. From today, Lumpen Hound will be guarding me together with Knight Commander Brunello.”
So they’re keeping the enemy close.
Dangerous, but the best option.
Lumpen Hound himself claimed to be on our side, and if anything dangerous happens, Knight Commander Brunello can buy some time.
“I’ve already informed the family’s steward thoroughly. There’s a library I mentioned yesterday, as well as a garden and a hunting ground, so please enjoy your recuperation.”
After explaining that, she assigned a maid to me.
“This is Mary.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Mary was a young maid with yellow hair and freckles.
She looked about sixteen or seventeen at most.
Her cheeks were still chubby, giving her face a cute, serious look.
“She’s meticulous and trustworthy. She’ll assist the steward well.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
I said this to Lady Titania and then left the room with Mary.
As I stepped out, I met Lumpen Hound who had arrived for guard duty.
He was still radiating a threatening aura.
And he didn’t seem to have any intention of tempering it.
Considering this is the Squaret Duchy, it’s truly arrogant to the extreme.
He looked at me silently, baring his teeth with a grin, then entered Lady Titania’s room.
For Lady Titania, who volunteered to mark such a dangerous figure exclusively, I had to do whatever I could to help.
“Count, where shall I take you?”
Mary’s words brought back the thoughts I’d organized last night.
Lumpen Hound’s presence was pushing the siblings’ conflict and the situation in the Squaret Territory into a dead end.
Then there was only one answer.
“Where is Young Master Terron now?”
“He’s under house arrest in the annex by your order.”
“Take me there.”
I needed to overturn the situation and reorganize it.
Following Mary’s guidance, I went to find Terron, one of the two pillars of this incident.
Upon arriving at the annex, I informed a passing servant of my arrival.
Soon, the annex’s front door opened, and a knight came out to greet me.
“Young Master is waiting inside.”
How unusual.
Not a maid or servant, but a knight came out to meet me directly.
Could it be that because he is under house arrest, knights were assigned as guards?
“Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
But seeing how respectfully they treated each other, that didn’t seem to be the case.
The knights must be quite loyal to Young Master Terron.
“You are Count Laward Gordem, right? The steward of the Helpion Domain. I saw you at the front gate with your sister.”
“That’s right. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you… though I’m not exactly in a state to be greeted so cheerfully. What brings you here?”
He was indeed a man befitting a minor lord, as I saw at the gate of my estate.
Despite being under house arrest, he sat upright in his chair across the table, composed.
He was eighteen this year, wasn’t he?
I could feel his sharp eyes scanning me.
Though he had some naïveté, compared to his age, his gaze was very mature and deep.
Well then, how should I engage in a battle of wits with this man?
Since I came to overturn the situation, I might as well be honest.
“Actually, I came today to ask you some questions.”
“Questions?”
“Is Lumpen Hound here because of you?”
“Yes.”
I see, Lumpen Hound’s presence here is the work of Young Master Terron… what?
Terron showed no sign of agitation.
He sat as before, staring at me.
No, he even had a subtle smile, as if mocking me slightly.
Is he really admitting it that easily?
“Lumpen Hound is a master too powerful to handle in the Squaret Duchy, and a shadowy fixer responsible for the Empire’s ugly conspiracies. You brought such a man here?”
“If he had come for the Empire’s conspiracies, that would be true. But he came for a completely different reason.”
“And that reason is?”
“He’s here chasing a criminal of the Empire.”
“There’s a criminal hiding in the Delphi Kingdom, in the Squaret Territory?”
“Well, that’s what he claims. He also brought credible evidence and a contract stating he won’t harm the territory, so we have to trust him.”
Terron’s story felt suspicious in many ways.
Even so, bringing in a fixer from a foreign, almost hostile nation indiscriminately?
It’s hard to dismiss it as Young Master Terron’s foolishness alone.
His gaze looked as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Surely, there’s something I don’t know.
Then Terron chuckled and spoke first.
“I know the rumors going around outside. That’s why I’m confined in this lonely room. Let me clear one misunderstanding first. The claim that loyal vassals’ territories were crushed due to the Empire’s scheming is false.”
“But the scars on the Desemal Territory couldn’t have been made by anyone but the Sword Master.”
“That’s not what I mean. Those scars were indeed made by Lord Moere. But that event is separate from the bad rumors about you and the knights.”
“How can you separate those things?”
“Lord Moere crossed the border two weeks ago. Unless he crossed secretly alone, it’s impossible to control the mercenaries who followed him.”
Mercenaries.
So those soldiers I met near Desemal Territory were mercenaries brought by Moere.
“The rumors about you and the knights have been spreading for over two months now. This isn’t someone’s conspiracy, but rotten talk from inside.”
“Couldn’t Moere have prepared the groundwork before crossing into the Empire?”
“You seem intent on blaming me. But at least when I investigated, there was no trace of that. The feud between the two Counts was triggered by decades-old resentment. The mine was just the trigger.”
Terron chuckled and stood up.
He seemed unwilling to continue, speaking in a tone to close the topic.
“So keeping me here won’t get you anywhere. Perhaps you yourself are behind all this conspiracy.”
He seemed to harbor bad feelings toward Lady Titania.
“Perhaps you, who is about to marry, are using military force to compensate for your declining influence in the Duchy. You worked in Strategic Planning, so wouldn’t you be skilled in such schemes?”
His twisted mind was laid bare in his words.
And Terron didn’t seem to like me either.
“Count Laward… You’ve received your rank? Don’t think everything is easy just because you came here or because you’re close with Duke Helpion.”
That was the last thing he said before I was forced out of the annex.
I felt as if my thoughts on how to investigate this incident had become somewhat clearer.
Young Master probably thought he was restraining me and giving minimal information, but still…