Chapter 85

Lirika's eyes trembled. She understood what Attil meant. Even though she understood, she still wanted to meet him.

But she couldn't bring herself to say, "I want to go and meet him." Wouldn't Attil, her mother, and everyone else be disappointed?

Why do you want to meet that person?

They might say.

Wouldn't I hurt the people I cherish?

But she didn't want to hurt them; she just wanted to meet him.

To meet him,

even though she didn't know what she would do after meeting him. Fjord nodded at Lirika's words.

"I understand."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. Let's go and meet him. But how do we find out where he is?"

Brynhild said with a smile.

"I know."

Lirika turned her head in surprise. Brynhild smiled.

"Didn't you ask us to look into it? We've been investigating."

"When did you find out?"

"Not long ago. Since His Highness also wanted to know, the timing of our investigations coincided."

"I see..."

Lirika suddenly wondered, "Does Mother know?"

Suddenly, various worries surfaced.

If her biological father is alive, what will happen to Mother?

What will happen to this marriage? Will it be nullified? And what if something terrible happens?

Will His Majesty forgive her?

Even if he forgives her, what will happen afterward? Will she be punished?

Fjord raised his teacup and said,

"You don't need to worry about Her Majesty."

"Huh?"

Lirika's eyes widened in surprise. Fjord continued,

"She's not the type to handle things so carelessly, and neither is His Majesty."

"But still, if she didn't know..."

"Even if she didn't know and proceeded, since your father is presumed dead, there shouldn't be any problem. So don't worry about that."

Hearing Fjord's words, Lirika felt a little lighter. She hesitated and then said,

"Then when should we go to meet him? What if he lives far away? If so, then..."

"It's about a day's journey by carriage."

Hearing Brynhild's words, Lirika took a deep breath. Since Attil said he would take care of it, she wanted to meet him before then.

Noticing Lirika's expression, Brynhild said,

"I'll try to arrange it as soon as possible."

"Okay, thank you."

Lirika said this and let out a long breath.

* * *

The weather was cold.

It was colder than usual for autumn. The colder the air, the clearer it seemed, and Lirika took a deep breath.

The town, about a day's journey by carriage from the capital, was situated along a large river. Boats traveling along the river would dock here and transfer their goods to carriages or carts heading to the capital, making it a bustling city.

As a city of commerce, it felt similar to the capital but had a more frivolous atmosphere.

"I want to walk a bit."

Following Lirika's words, Fjord, Lirika, Raub, and Brynhild got off the carriage and started walking.

Their attire was neat, making them look like the children of wealthy merchants. Brynhild appeared as a lady-in-waiting, and Raub as a bodyguard.

They attracted some attention, but in this city, it wasn't that unusual, and the gazes soon dispersed. Of course, the gazes lingering on Fjord were quite long.

But Lirika was so tense that she barely noticed her surroundings.

Fjord stopped.

They were in front of a fairly large general store. Lirika's heart felt like it was about to drop.

"Here it is."

"It's big..."

"He must have embezzled a lot of money."

Fjord's tone was not as sharp as Attil's, but his voice was soft and factual. Still, Lirika flinched as if hit by a cane.

The store had expensive glass windows in the front, and the wooden panels were meticulously and firmly processed, smooth and shiny.

The golden brass plate, which seemed to be polished daily, read "Erend General Store." Erend was the name of the river.

Beyond the glass windows, there were quite luxurious items on display, and through the display, the interior could be seen. Pretending to admire the display, she peeked inside.

A man, who seemed to be the owner of the store, was enthusiastically serving customers. His hair was brown, but different from hers. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and a friendly face, smiling and talking to the customers.

"Shall we go in?"

At Fjord's suggestion, Lirika shook her head. She didn't know what to say.

"Then shall I go in?"

Lirika hesitated.

If they were going to meet him, shouldn't she be the one to do it? But, but...

Fjord smiled and said, "I'll be back," before entering the store.

Lirika was curious about what Fjord was doing, but she didn't want to see it either.

So she decided to ask Brynhild.

"What's Fjord doing?"

"He's buying something."

"Buying something?"

"Yes, um, maybe wax candles?"

"The owner? How is he?"

"He's being very polite and serving well. Um, now he's wrapping the items. Ah, the young master said something. Oh."

"What? What is it? What is it?"

"He's coming out now."

Fjord came out of the store with items wrapped in yellow paper and string.

Fjord was smiling as usual, but his demeanor was cold.

"What did you talk about?"

Anxiously, Lirika asked. Fjord whispered,

"Let's talk while we walk."

Blending in with the people walking quickly along the street, Fjord said,

"I just asked a question. Do you know Lirika Vance?"

Lirika's lips parted. Fjord took her hand. His hand was large and warm.

Gripping her small hand gently, Fjord said,

"He said he doesn't know such a person."

Lirika bit her lip tightly. Her face turned pale, and Fjord said,

"Shall we take a break?"

Lirika shook her head. She stammered,

"I, I want to go to his house."

"Understood."

Fjord nodded without a word and took a slight detour toward the residential area.

When they were almost near the house, Raub said,

"It seems to be him."

"Huh?"

Surprised, Lirika turned around, and Brynhild said expressionlessly,

"Since the young master probed, he must have been startled and quickly closed the store to come home."

Lirika quickly took out her pendant and whispered a small spell.

"Mana tan (Transparent Shield)"

The group stopped inside the transparent shield. The disadvantage of this magic was that they couldn't move while the shield was up.

Lirika watched the man running toward a small house with a garden, ready for autumn.

It was a house she had dreamed of, a clean and tidy house with a small garden.

A child, about Lirika's age, was playing in the garden.

"Dad! Why are you home so early?"

The child, smiling, ran up and asked if there were no customers.

Something rose in her throat. Her eyes stung with tears.

Lirika dispelled the magic and ran to the front of the house.

The man was surprised by the sudden appearance of the group. Seeing Fjord, he turned pale.

Then he looked at Lirika. The man hid his child behind his back.

"What is this about?"

He asked, and Lirika felt suffocated. A soft hand rested on her shoulder. It was Fjord's hand.

"Do you know Lirika Vance?"

The man flinched as if pierced by a spear. Pale as a ghost, he looked at Lirika as if he had seen a ghost and shouted,

"I don't know her!"

He continued in a hysterical tone,

"I've never heard that name. I really, really don't!"

Behind him, the child looked startled at first, then with a hateful expression, looked at them.

Perhaps he thought they were the ones causing trouble for his father.

At that moment, the front door opened, and a woman peeked out.

"Dear? What's going on?"

"Don't come out! Go inside! Ellie, you too, go inside quickly!"

Lirika tried not to cry. Crying here would mean losing.

I won't cry.

I won't say I hate you or blame you.

I won't show you any fragment of my feelings. I won't give you anything.

"I see."

Lirika nodded.

"I understand."

Saying this, she turned around awkwardly. But there was no other choice.

She walked briskly. Fjord looked at the man.

His face was bewildered, filled with fear and anxiety.

Fjord smiled faintly.

That man would never die in peace.

Fjord quickly followed Lirika. Running almost, Lirika turned the first corner. As soon as she turned, Raub picked her up.

As if waiting for it, Lirika clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder and trembling.

The group moved as quickly as possible, putting Lirika and Fjord in the carriage. Brynhild and Raub got on the driver's seat.

As soon as the carriage door closed, tears started falling from Lirika's eyes.

"Sniff, sniff, sniff—"

Fjord sat next to her and embraced her.

"It's