Chapter 4

The party from the Evrard Margrave family arrived at a small town five hours after leaving the church school.

The inn they had arranged was small, and the only advantage seemed to be that it was made of brick, resembling a renovated civilian house. The room allocated to Alain, the son, was so narrow that if he stretched out his arms and took two steps, his hands would immediately touch the walls.

The meal was simple, consisting of grilled processed meat, vegetable soup, and hard bread.

Still, the party from the margrave family did not find it a problem, as they came from a knightly lineage that valued simplicity and robustness.

Alain, accustomed to Spartan meals and field training since childhood, did not complain. The attendants did not even ask if the food should be changed, taking it for granted.

After the meal, Alain walked outside the inn with an attendant of about the same age.

There was plenty to talk about, as they had not seen each other in a long time.

With one guard accompanying them, the two walked on, chatting amicably.

However, if someone had overheard their conversation, they would have found it rather peculiar.

"To be honest, sitting quietly in the carriage is suffocating."

"I know, me too. Even if my legs get a bit tired, it feels better to ride a horse."

"Still, we can't ride anything other than the carriage."

"You could ride behind Wentworth."

"No way. I can't ride with a guy when I'm fifteen."

"Since we don't have enough horses, that's the only option, right?"

Alain, who looked displeased, and the attendant boy, who chuckled, seemed to be on equal footing in their conversation.

After exchanging a few more jests, the attendant boy stopped near the stables where the carriages were parked.

"Is something wrong, Regis?"

"Alain, listen carefully."

Prompted by Regis, who closed his blue eyes, Alain fell silent and focused his ears. Soon, Alain also heard what Regis had detected.

"...Sausage... cream... can't eat anymore..."

A faint voice.

The source of the sound was inside one of the carriages parked next to the stables. The only party that had carriages parked there was Alain's group.

Alain's expression stiffened.

The voice belonged to a girl, but he couldn't let his guard down. After all, someone had sneaked into the margrave family's carriage. They could be an assassin or a thief.

"Is it just sleep-talking? If they're a thief or an assassin, we need to pull them out now."

Unlike Alain, who called for the guard, Regis tilted his head.

"But, would someone trying to assassinate or steal really fall asleep in the carriage? There are guards and inn staff around, so they'd be found quickly if they slept too long."

"You're too relaxed, Regis."

Though Alain was exasperated, Regis seemed to agree that they should investigate the source of the sleep-talking.

Alain gave the approaching guard an order.

"Someone seems to be in the carriage."

"I'll check. Please stand back."

The tall knight, without changing his expression, signaled to the other knights who had been following discreetly to join them, and they entered the inn.

Upon confirming the source of the sound, it turned out that the person hiding was not in the carriage they had been riding but in the covered wagon carrying their luggage.

The knight who climbed into the wagon, unable to reach the back due to his large size, was trying to move some boxes.

"Wait, Wentworth."

Seeing this, Regis slipped over.

"Hey, Regis!"

Unable to call out loudly, Alain tried to hold him back in a low voice, but Regis had already climbed into the wagon from the front.

Wentworth, who was at the back, hurried to stop him, but it was too late. Everyone sighed in relief when Regis reappeared from the front of the wagon, pushing aside the cover.

"Hey, Regis. Don't act on your own. Think about your position, you idiot."

"It's fine. ...Look."

Regis, who had emerged from the wagon, was holding a girl with brown hair and a familiar black uniform. She looked younger than they were.

"She was sleeping inside."

Regis smiled.

"Besides, since she's wearing the uniform from Alain's school, she's probably a student, right?"

Although Regis said she didn't seem dangerous, Alain still warned him sternly.

"Anyone could have borrowed someone else's uniform. ...But, you're right, she doesn't look like a commoner. Still, how can she sleep so deeply even when being carried?"

"She didn't wake up even when I lifted her out of the box."

It was unusual.

Normally, even a child would wake up if they were being carried while sleeping deeply.

"Master Regis, please hand over the girl. We need to investigate."

At Wentworth's request, Regis handed over the girl in his arms.

Wentworth carried the girl back to their room in the inn, and Alain followed.

Once inside the room, they laid the girl on the bed.

She still didn't wake up, and in the light of the room, she looked even more like a noble lady.

Her light brown hair, though slightly disheveled, was clearly well-maintained. Her skin was fair, not overly exposed to the sun. Her hands and fingers showed no signs of manual labor. The boots they had taken off fit her perfectly, suggesting they were made for her.

Even Wentworth seemed to think it was likely that she was a noble lady who had sneaked in.

"If she is indeed a person of known identity, I will ask Lord Alain to apologize."

As he said this, he searched the pockets of her clothes.

In the pocket, he found a soft cotton handkerchief and a wallet. The wallet contained a fair amount of money, further dispelling any doubts about her being a commoner.

He also found a white letter in the lining of her coat.

"A letter?"

"It seems she was a student at the school. Please take a look."

Wentworth handed the letter to Alain. As Alain read the short message, Regis peered over his shoulder.

The sender was the Countess Patricielle. She seemed to be the girl's mother.

The content, however, was rather harsh, like an order to a servant. It mentioned that a marriage partner had been decided, and she was to be fetched for an urgent wedding.

"Moreover, to the Viscount Credias..."

"That's quite unfortunate."

Even if the age difference was only that of a parent and child, the rumors of his lecherous nature and numerous mistresses were well-known to Alain and his party. Moreover, she looked younger than they were. The situation was truly pitiful.

This meant that the girl, named Kiara, had likely fled to avoid marriage.

Still, she hadn't woken up.

She should have been startled awake when her clothes were searched. Puzzled, Alain stood next to Regis, who sniffed something and said,

"Ah, this is the cause, Alain."

"What is?"

"The letter. The paper is coated with a sleeping drug."

"Wh-What!?"

Alain almost dropped the letter. Regis picked it up with his index and middle fingers.

"The smell suggests it's designed to take effect as you read it, absorbing the drug while you inhale. The effect has probably weakened over time, but when the letter was first taken out of the envelope, the drug hadn't fully dispersed. This girl must have inhaled a considerable amount."

Regis looked down at the girl, Kiara, with a serious expression.

"The countess must have intended to keep her asleep to prevent her from escaping and then take her away."

"Isn't that a bit harsh for her own daughter?"

Alain felt his expression turn grim.

Using a sleeping drug to force a political marriage was a serious matter.

Even the usually expressionless Wentworth looked sympathetic.

"The countess must have assumed she would resist and planned to present her with a fait accompli once she woke up, making it impossible for her to escape the marriage."

Regis calmly deduced what would have happened to her.

"In any case, it seems she's not an assassin targeting us."

Change: Attendant → Attendant