Chapter 78

However, that was only for a moment. Count Vain returned with a smile as if he had never shown a strange expression, and patted Altear's shoulder affectionately. Although Altear was much taller, and Vain had to stretch his arm, making his posture quite awkward, he didn't seem to mind much.

"Of course. They are your in-laws, so you should pay your respects. I'll guide you right away."

The count started leading Altear as if he meant what he said. At the same time, he didn't forget to give a signal to the servant who was following, instructing him to tidy up the gravesite while they were away.

'I don't know if he understood, but...'

The count watched the servant quietly leave after receiving his gaze, then laid the groundwork for Altear.

"When you see the gravesite, you'll understand, but it's in a bit of a disarray. I hope you won't be too surprised."

"The family graves are managed by the family caretaker. Why is it in disarray?"

"Well, you see."

The count sighed deeply, as if embarrassed to speak, glanced at the servants, and whispered to Altear.

"The late count, my elder brother, almost ruined the family. No one in this family is unaware of that... so everyone's treatment has become harsh. It's hard to say, being his blood brother, but that's the truth."

He was trying to shift the blame for the neglected gravesite to the previous generation.

"Now that you're part of the family, there's no need to hide it. My elder brother and his wife invested in absurd businesses and were obsessed with gambling... I barely managed to straighten things out after inheriting the title."

Although he spoke calmly, the count was actually in a difficult and awkward situation, sweating profusely. He didn't know what Nadia had done, but after arriving at the mansion, the viscount had been circling around Nadia. Moreover, every action of the viscount hit a nerve, making it hard for him to keep his composure. Nadia, whom he thought would be too timid to say a word to her husband, might have told the viscount everything about her treatment here... If that were the case, all of the count's grand plans would be in vain. He needed to make Nadia look like a wicked woman and pull the viscount to his side to take over his wealth. However, Altear's reaction was very light-hearted, much to the count's surprise.

"Yes. Nadia told me about it."

"R-really? Nadia told you?"

'Just how much did this guy hear?'

The count's heart sank, but fortunately, Altear's gaze held no hostility.

"I'm grateful that you took good care of my nephew despite the difficult situation. Thanks to you, I was able to marry Nadia."

"Y-yes... that's right..."

It was a completely different reaction from what he expected. Not only was there no hostility, but there was even a sense of goodwill. The count nodded awkwardly, then his eyes widened at Altear's next words.

"That's why I want to say this: I've always felt guilty for not giving a proper dowry when I got married. I haven't told Nadia yet, but I'm thinking of transferring the orchard I recently acquired to you."

"An orchard? You mean the one that grows the fruits presented to the emperor...?"

"Ah, you know about it."

Of course, he knew.

'What a valuable piece of land!'

The count's face, which had been showing a kind uncle's smile, lit up with greed before he quickly composed himself.

"Cough! No, no, there's no need for that... but if it makes you feel better..."

The count, unable to hide his eager smile, made Kain look at Altear in disbelief. He couldn't understand why Altear would give such valuable land to this strange count.

'Well... when has he ever made sense?'

Altear's instructions were always vague, and Kain often moved around without understanding the full picture. However, following his instructions always led to beneficial outcomes. So, Kain silently watched Altear, maintaining a similar smile.

"If you accept, we can discuss the procedures after we pay our respects at the gravesite."

"Sure, sure! Let's pay our respects first!"

The count, who had been hesitating, quickened his pace. Seeing a slight smile on Altear's face as he followed the count, Kain shook his head in exasperation.

'Our lord is devious, anyway.'

But that's why he's trustworthy. Kain, following Altear with a similar smile, moved quickly but not hurriedly.

***

'What is this...'

I blinked and glanced at Prince Orca walking beside me. His behavior was so natural that even a stranger would think we had planned to meet. His overly confident attitude made Mari and Anna, who were accompanying me, naturally fall back and whisper awkwardly, and the people accompanying Prince Orca...

'Wait?'

My thoughts, which had been flowing naturally, suddenly stopped. No matter how I looked around, I couldn't see anyone accompanying Prince Orca. Even if his attendants were absent, it was strange for a prince to wander around without any guards.

Noticing my obvious search, Prince Orca asked suddenly.

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't see your guards or attendants."

"Do I need guards or attendants?"

"Not that you need them, but..."

Isn't it just natural to have them? I tilted my head in confusion, and Orca chuckled, looking around.

"See? No one pays attention to me. Unlike my brothers, who cause a commotion every time they go out, I have the privilege of being an unknown royal."

An unknown royal. A royal who doesn't get attention. He laughed as if it were a funny story, but it felt strangely self-deprecating.

'But I...'

"I really envy you."

To enjoy the privileges of being a royal while being free from everyone's attention and enjoying freedom!

'Of course, it wouldn't satisfy an ambitious person like Prince Orca.'

Prince Orca, who seemed to not understand my reaction, opened his eyes wide. His eyes, usually hidden by his smiling face, were clearly focused on me.

"Really? You envy it?"

"Yes. You know, many people dream of being incredibly rich but unknown."

I'm one of those people, of course.

"To enjoy the comfort of power while avoiding the attention that comes with it, I guess."

"I've never thought about it that way."

Prince Orca tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.

'No wonder.'

"You're always so diligent, Your Highness. It's hard for you to understand a state of just being comfortable."

Villains are usually diligent, aren't they? They work hard to plot and realize their grand dreams, so they can't understand the lazy wish of being incredibly rich but unknown.

'Besides, Orca isn't just any villain.'

He's a passionate villain who aims to overturn the entire empire. Looking at him with this understanding, he seemed to have an even more peculiar expression. Thinking I might have made a mistake, I tilted my head, and his lips curved slightly.

"Calling someone who's always on a health retreat 'diligent'... doesn't quite fit, does it?"

'Oh.'

Now that I think about it, that's true. No one knows how busy he is plotting behind the scenes! Prince Orca's natural and relaxed approach made me let my guard down, and I ended up saying something unnecessary. I quickly searched for an excuse, rolling my eyes.

"From a fan's perspective, you seem to be working hard at everything! Even traveling for health is a great effort to recover, right? Ha ha ha..."

While pretending to be a passionate fan, tears streamed down my face inside. Prince Orca laughed, and his usual expression returned.

"Having such a solid fan is a stroke of luck. In return, I'll properly escort you today. I can guess what the viscountess is trying to do. She wants to imprint the name of Eilsford on the capital, right?"

Prince Orca, accurately stating my goal, extended his hand. I was about to refuse, but...

"If you're going to do that, it's best to find the most gossipy merchant in the capital. You don't need to go to multiple places. They're perfect for spreading rumors."

'You don't need to go to multiple places?!'

It was a tempting offer for someone as timid as me.

***

Altear walked down the corridor with a blank expression after finishing his conversation with the count.

'I can probably get what I want, but...'

He had exhausted a lot of energy trying to make the count feel at ease and praising him insincerely. Altear, who was confident in his physical strength, found this emotional drain to be a different level of problem. But he could relax when he returned to his room and saw Nadia. Thinking about being able to shed his fake smile with someone he was comfortable with, he felt a bit relieved. However, the room was empty when he entered. Frowning, he recalled that Nadia had said, "I'm going to the market! Shopping!" early in the morning.

'But it's already...'

Looking out the window, he saw the sun was already setting.

'It's too late.'

With a mix of dissatisfaction and worry, he entered the room and saw a small bird perched by the window. Noticing a note tied to its leg, he realized it was a messenger bird. Opening the window and removing the note, he saw the secret emblem used by Eilsford's knights. It seemed the knights Kain had assigned to Nadia had sent the bird.

'Why would they send a messenger bird if they were just following someone shopping?'

If the situation was something the knights could handle, they wouldn't have sent a messenger bird. Altear's mind was filled with worry as he hastily unrolled the note. His face crumpled as he read the content. [Prince Orca. Approached Lady. Moved together. Suspicious shop. Entered. Hard to follow.] At the end of the short, listed information was the address of the suspicious shop.

'Nadia is with that suspicious guy...'

As his thoughts continued, Altear, without realizing it, crumpled the note and started moving.

"Ah!"

The servants screamed in shock as Altear, instead of walking out the door, jumped out the window and landed on the ground. Ignoring their cries, he was already plotting the fastest route to his destination in his mind. The destination, of course, was the address on the note.