Chapter 66

* * *

Duchy.

I went to the adjutant's office to meet Conrad.

'I keep worrying about Blizen’s matter.'

While deeply lost in thought, I was looking down at the ground when I heard a commotion up ahead.

A head towered above the maids.

'Conrad?'

He was carrying a lot of things.

His smile was incredibly awkward.

"Thank you..."

The maids blushed shyly and clasped their cheeks, saying, "Haa...," while one of them, admiring Conrad’s biceps, said, "We are the ones who should be grateful..."

'Huh?'

A very familiar face suddenly appeared in the crowd.

"Greta?"

Greta’s shoulders jumped in surprise at the sound of my voice.

Greta stiffened and turned her head to look at me like a robot.

"A, a, a, a, a, g, g, g, sir."

Huh?

It was as if she had been caught in the act.

Greta looked at me with trembling eyes as if an earthquake had struck.

Then she burst out and began to speak desperately.

"I absolutely did not look elsewhere. I definitely bought something for you too. But Lady’s Day is still far away... And Lord Conrad is very considerate of the maids. I have been very grateful to him. I really, really care the most about you. I know these words mean nothing, but, Miss, I... I’m sorry─!!"

"..."

Greta left with a teary expression, saying she loved both of them.

"Love is a sin~!"

Sin~!

Sin~!

Greta’s voice echoed through the duchy.

...I suddenly feel tired.

I shook my head as I watched Greta walk away.

Conrad, carrying a mountain of gifts and wearing an awkward smile, approached me step by step.

"Miss."

With the stack of gifts towering over his face, Conrad barely peeked out from the side of the box and spoke.

"What’s all that?"

"Ah, the day after four days is Gentleman’s Day... I’m going to be out of town from tomorrow, so I gave them today."

Ah, Gentleman’s Day?

It’s already four days from now.

A day to give gifts to the gentleman you like.

'Like Valentine’s Day.'

The stack of gifts in Conrad’s arms looked precarious and wobbly.

"First, put that down. I have something to ask. I’ll wait here. The weather is nice today."

I took a deep breath of the breeze, which filled my nose with the scent of grass.

"Yes, Miss."

Conrad hurriedly put the gifts in the adjutant's office and came over to ask.

"What is it?"

"You’re monitoring the second-generation in the main castle, right?"

Conrad said with a troubled expression.

"They call it protection."

"Whatever. Is Uncle Noah Rijen included in that?"

"Yes. He is Lord Blizen’s father, after all. But it’s much less intense compared to the other second-generation."

Even a little is better than nothing.

I clasped Conrad’s hands and said with sparkling eyes.

"I want to see those records."

Conrad looked around and lowered his voice.

"I’ll transcribe them and send them to your jurisdiction."

"Okay!"

I nodded quickly and smiled broadly.

'As expected.'

The effort I put in at the age of three wasn’t in vain.

I had placed suitable people in various positions.

'Thanks to that, I can get the information I need so easily.'

I’m glad I worked hard at the age of three.

I waved goodbye to Conrad, who was heading back to the office, with a satisfied look on my face.

Goodbye, Conrad!

My walking duchy information guild!

In the carriage on the way home.

I was sitting in a sprawled-out pose in the carriage.

It takes at least two hours to move from place to place, and it’s exhausting.

Even with the blessing stone of <Speed> installed, it’s still so tiring.

'I envy Blizen’s blessing.'

He has two blessings.

One is an offensive blessing.

The other is the blessing of <Movement>.

With a powerful offensive blessing, he uses it while moving around.

'Isn’t he a complete cheat character?'

Even the twins couldn’t beat Blizen in actual matches.

Most of the time, the matches didn’t even happen.

Joshua, who has the area-of-effect skill <Compression>, usually trains outside the castle because there’s a risk of the castle being destroyed during matches.

Balzac, who has the blessing of <Enhancement>, also has a power similar to an area-of-effect skill when he manifests his aura.

So, the matches between the twins and Blizen often happened once or twice a year as special events.

Of course, the twins sometimes won.

'But Blizen’s win rate is higher.'

That’s why he never lost his ranking.

'Anyway, I really envy the movement blessing...'

Imagine not having to take a carriage to the shopping district or the duchy.

Every time I go out, I feel like I’m taking a high-speed bus to the capital.

'Two hours is almost like going to the capital.'

Today, I was almost dead tired, having spent more time in the carriage than outside.

* * *

Daimond Jurisdiction.

By the time I arrived at the castle, it was almost evening.

I was so tired that I didn’t even change my clothes and flopped onto the bed.

While I was lying there without eating, Heidi and Betty gently consoled me.

"Relax in warm, fragrant water with rose salt."

"We’ll wash you with soft foam and wash your hair too."

Heidi and Betty leaned over my bed and said.

"While you’re in the water, we’ll give you a sweet and sour lemonade."

"When you come out feeling refreshed, we’ll have delicious toast ready for you."

"We’ll top the lightly toasted bread with avocado, crispy bacon, and a moist sunny-side-up egg. It will be very delicious, won’t it?"

Betty tucked my hair, buried in the blanket, behind my ear and whispered.

"Grinding the milk tea into a fine powder..."

I lifted my head from the bed.

'I get it, I get it.'

I answered with half-closed eyes.

"I’ll do it..."

After seven years, they’ve become very skilled at coaxing me.

'The toast sounds delicious.'

The thought of toast made my mouth water. I could almost smell the butter on the toast.

A warm bath with rose salt is my favorite.

The scent of roses in the warm water washes away the day’s fatigue.

The maids washed me with the fluffy foam in the bathtub.

After the bath, I sat in a bathrobe, and the maids dried my hair with towels.

When I extended my hand, the maids trimmed my long nails.

'Ah, refreshing.'

I sat with a blissful expression.

Dipping the toast into the runny yolk and eating it was like heaven.

After finishing the meal and patting my stomach, Betty brought me milk tea ice cream with a pleased smile.

My favorite bath, meal, and sweet dessert.

'Ah, the true taste of money, power, and affection.'

I was so happy that my eyes were wide open.

Heidi and Betty chuckled at me.

"Of course, it was a good idea to bathe and eat, right?"

"Uh-huh..."

While holding the dessert spoon in my mouth, Han Ji-hyuk entered the room.

It seems the documents Conrad asked for in the morning had arrived.

"You looked like you were about to die from exhaustion earlier, but now you’re fine... Miss?"

Han Ji-hyuk was about to speak informally out of habit but quickly switched to formal speech when he saw Heidi’s glare.

I smiled and said.

"I’m happy."

Han Ji-hyuk looked at me with a wry smile.

'He always seems annoyed when I’m happy.'

"I was pulling weeds in the scorching sun, and you’re drinking lemonade in a cool room?"

"If you don’t like it, I can arrange a position outside."

"If I go out, I might be caught by the scammers! Give me a butler like Michelan!"

"Total butlers in noble families are graduates of the academy. Do you want to go to the academy now?"

"Whether here or there, it’s a damned meritocracy..."

Or,

"I was shoveling snow for four hours in the freezing cold, and you were peeling sweet potatoes in a warm room?"

"I’ve already told you ten times that I can arrange a position outside."

"Send me to the duchy. I need to be a duchy adjutant like Conrad Martial."

"Conrad works overtime 300 days out of 365. Is that okay?"

"I’ll report it to the labor department. Damn it."

Or,

"I almost had my skin peeled off in Moscow, and you’re taking a foam bath?"

"I’ve already told you a hundred times that I can arrange a position outside."

"Give me a noble lady like you."

"Moscow! Moscow─!!"

Such incidents were frequent.

After the maids and Han Ji-hyuk left, I lay on my stomach on the bed and took out the documents.

'Let’s see.'

I flipped through the documents.

Indeed, the information was much more limited compared to the other second-generation.

'There’s only the movement record and holidays.'

Duchy.

Jurisdiction.

Shopping district.

Jurisdiction...

'Huh?'

Noah Rijen hadn’t left the manor for half a year.

'What, then how did he meet Count Talos?'

Michelan clearly said Noah Rijen and Talos met.

'That meticulous person wouldn’t tell me without confirming it, right?'

What’s going on here?

I took out the communication stone from the bedside table and immediately connected to Michelan.

[Yes, Miss.]

"When did Count Talos and Noah Rijen meet exactly?"

The sound of flipping pages came from the communication stone.

[Last month on the 4th, 11th, 18th. This month on the 5th, 12th.]

I quickly took out a pen and checked the dates on the document.

"Are you sure?"

[Yes.]

"Got it, thanks."

I finished the call.

'What, really?'

I put the communication stone back on the bedside table and reviewed the documents Conrad gave me again.

Indeed, all the dates Michelan mentioned were marked as holidays.

However, there was no record of him leaving the manor.

'Did Blizen transport him? Hmm... That’s unlikely.'

Blizen was on a mission until the 20th of last month and wasn’t at the manor.

'Maybe he used the <Movement> blessing stone?'

No, that’s impossible. That kind of blessing stone hasn’t been discovered yet.

If a <Movement> blessing stone existed, it would have caused a sensation.

Nobles would have clamored to buy it, carrying their treasures.

I understand.

Riding in a carriage is too tiring...

'Anyway, I won’t make any progress without talking to Blizen.'

I called the maids outside and wrote a letter to Blizen.

[Blizen, would you like to be invited to Aisa’s jurisdiction?]

* * *

Blizen’s reply came.

[Sorry, but I have some things to do, so I can’t be invited.]

I was a bit taken aback.

[I haven’t even mentioned a date yet.]

[It won’t be possible for a while.]

[Then can you tell me when it’s possible?]

[It won’t be possible for a while.]

[I want to go when your ‘for a while’ is over!]

[It won’t be possible for a while.]

[Did you write the same letter multiple times?]

The letters went back and forth several times.

But the winner is me!

I finally received a reluctant permission.

[For a short while.]

'Yes!'

After receiving the reply, I quickly finished my preparations and left the room.

I hurriedly got into the carriage and set off for Aisa’s jurisdiction.

Thinking about the <Movement> blessing stone I briefly considered yesterday...

'I hope it exists.'

Riding in a carriage is so tiring.

While thinking about this, I turned my gaze to the window.

"Wow..."

The road to the jurisdiction was filled with purple, yellow, and white wildflowers in full bloom.

'I remember Aunt Aisa loved wildflowers.'

I couldn’t take my eyes off the beautiful scenery outside the window.

In front of Aisa’s jurisdiction.

Seeing the unfamiliar carriage with the Astra emblem, a maid ran up from a distance.

After confirming it was me getting out of the carriage, she was surprised and said.

"Miss Erylot, what brings you here...!"

Looking around the new Aisa jurisdiction, I said.

"I received a letter from Blizen saying I could come to the jurisdiction."

"We haven’t heard anything about this... When did you receive the letter?"

I answered confidently.

"An hour ago."

"..."

The servants who ran out all looked at each other in confusion.

Since the master invited me, they had no choice but to reluctantly lead me into the jurisdiction.

The maids, with pale faces, quickly opened the gates of the jurisdiction.

"This way, please."

Following the maid’s guidance into the jurisdiction, I met a man walking down the corridor.

A handsome man with a classic look, his wavy gray hair tied in a ponytail and hanging to the side.

Uncle Noah Rijen.

Administrators were following him, sweating profusely.

"That day is not possible."

"But the moneylender insists on this time─"

"Whatever, that day is not possible. How many times do I have to say it?"

Blizen’s tone is exactly like his father’s.

Walking with a nervous tone, Uncle Noah Rijen glared at the administrator.

He was completely different from the Uncle Noah Rijen I knew.