Chapter 7

Deciding to take the noble girl, Kiara, who had stowed away, with them.

Although Alan knew that the preparations for departure were already complete, he said, "There are preparations to be made" and took Reggie outside the inn.

"Ah, that girl is really amusing."

Tears were welling up in Reggie's eyes from laughing so much.

"Even though she's an adopted daughter, she lived as a noble lady, right? It was funny enough that a lady would be content to sleep in a box, but she fell out of the bed, and she even said it was fine to treat her like a commoner. She's really out of the ordinary."

While talking, Reggie was on the verge of laughing again, and Alan shrugged.

He thought Reggie was laughing a bit too much, but he didn't try to stop him.

Reggie wasn't usually the type to laugh so much. He always smiled, but often his smiles were to avoid awkward situations and to prevent conflicts.

When he came to visit Alan's territory, he would play around appropriately, but Alan had never seen him laugh so openly in his usual environment.

"Sure, she's definitely the type of person you'd never find around you. That's why she hit the spot so well."

"Yeah, that's true. Honestly, I didn't expect to see something so amusing when I came to pick you up. It was the right decision to come."

"As for me, I was shocked to see you dressed as a servant... Because of your antics, everyone's attention was drawn to you, so they didn't notice her, right?"

When people are focused on something, their attention to other things tends to drop.

Even when the carriage stopped in front of the church school, there was always someone around it. Yet, no one noticed her getting in.

If there was a gap, it must have been when the abbot, who came to see them off, noticed Alan getting out of the carriage, and Reggie followed him.

If the usually calm Reggie unexpectedly went outside and panicked, it's understandable that the knights' attention was drawn to him.

However, not noticing Kiara in the carriage until she started talking in her sleep was a bit too much.

Even when they stopped the carriage several times for breaks, no one, including himself, noticed her.

The covered wagon, which was loaded with so much luggage that it was inconvenient for passengers, was probably considered "safe" and overlooked.

Reggie, who caused the problem, casually said, "Maybe."

"I felt bad, but I wanted to stretch my wings a bit. Your father also agreed, you know."

"That stupid father of mine..."

Hearing that his father had given permission, Alan muttered resentfully.

"But are you really okay with taking her along?"

Alan asked Reggie.

He had brought Reggie out to talk about this.

"Yeah, it's fine."

Reggie answered without any hesitation.

Doubting if he was really thinking it through, Alan pressed further.

"You're giving a casual answer, but bringing along an extra person isn't a good idea, both for security and for keeping secrets."

"I know. But you wouldn't feel good about just leaving her, right? That's why you probably added conditions to ensure that the secret wouldn't be revealed, like not taking her outside the territory. It would be troublesome if she accidentally met the Count of Patricielle, right?"

The Count of Patricielle is on the Queen's side.

Since the Margrave of Evrard is on a different faction, there are many things they don't want to leak and secrets they want to keep.

"But even with conditions, it's not perfect... The Count of Patricielle and the Viscount of Credias. It's too suspicious for someone with strong ties to a neighboring country to take an adopted daughter and strengthen their bond through marriage. I still suspect that the girl might have intentionally sneaked into our carriage."

Seeing Alan's serious expression, Reggie smiled.

"Don't worry. Kiara doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives. From the way she failed without realizing she was drugged, she probably has her head full of trying to escape marriage and would agree to anything to achieve that... I'll keep an eye on her, too."

Alan could agree with what Reggie said.

Kiara didn't seem like the type to be good at scheming. If it was an act, she must be a very skilled performer. Moreover, with no visible muscles, she would likely be caught immediately if she tried to poison someone's food.

"There's one more thing. I only decided to go to your territory a few days ago. I decided to come as a servant at the last minute. It would be impossible for the Count to have anticipated this and sent a letter, for Kiara to pretend to be asleep with a sleeping pill and get into the carriage."

It's not easy to predict Reggie's sudden decisions, which is why he can stay safe in political struggles.

Alan could only nod at Reggie's reasoning.

"Then, did the Flute of the Goddess really sound?"

Kiara had said that.

She thought it was a miracle from the gods and got into the carriage.

"Since she managed to get into the carriage without Wenthworth and the others noticing, it might really be a miracle from the goddess? Besides, keeping her isn't all bad. If we need to avoid something with the Count of Patricielle, we can use her as an excuse."

After all, she's an adopted daughter, even if not a biological one. She might be useful for something.

Hearing this, Alan slumped.

"You're really a scary guy..."

Sighing, he added,

"But it's rare. For you to suggest bringing a stranger to my territory. You must like her, right?"

Reggie smiled ambiguously.

"Yeah, it won't be boring. So it would be great if she could serve in your household for a long time."

From Reggie's expression, it was impossible to read more.

However, for Reggie, who usually just put on a polite act with women and then ended it, to suggest placing someone in a position where they could have a long-term relationship with him, was quite unusual.

However, what to do with her after bringing her to the territory...

If he made her do menial jobs, it might be too harsh for someone who had lived as a noble lady and could cause resentment.

Alan started to worry about what kind of work to ask his father, the count, to assign her.