Chapter 17

Jeffrey was very cautious about Elmar's will.

"Uncle is a scholar. If he knew the truth, he would present it to the academic society. Not for fame, but because it is the mission of a scholar to uncover the truth buried in history and make it known to the world. However, if the existence of the hidden document in the will becomes public, it will inevitably lead to the question of who deciphered it. That would be bad."

"Yes."

"Although it would be a shame to Uncle, who has pursued the truth for so long, I would be in trouble if someone traced back to me."

"Yes."

If the content of the will were to become public, it could lead to people tracing back to me, who deciphered it. If that happened, someone might investigate my fabricated background.

I am supposed to be a commoner adopted into the baron's family, but if someone were to investigate my origins in the commoner Anna's hometown, they would find out that such a woman never existed.

Nonna squeezed my hand tightly, probably worried. I squeezed her hand back, meaning "It's okay."

After walking for a while, we arrived at Mr. Bernard's mansion.

"Oh, what's the matter? You're back already? I thought you wouldn't return for two months. Was it really that difficult to reach the crown with just those materials?"

Mr. Bernard said this as soon as he welcomed us. It's no wonder he was mistaken, given that we returned in less than a month. Before I could explain, Nonna quickly took out a stone from her handbag and handed it to Mr. Bernard.

"Here! The souvenir we promised. I picked it up in Sibyl!"

"Hmm, a stone. I won't be going to Sibyl anymore, so I'm glad..."

Mr. Bernard's words trailed off. He widened his eyes, put on and took off his reading glasses, and examined the stone closely several times.

The stone Nonna brought back as a souvenir was about ten centimeters long and six centimeters wide, a long, thin stone. Like the one in Sibyl, it was mixed with gold and had a mottled pattern.

"Isn't it beautiful, Mr. Bernard?"

"Yes, very beautiful, Nonna. Thank you. Victoria, where did you find this?"

"In Sibyl. I'll tell you everything in order, Mr. Bernard. Jeffrey, fill in the gaps where I might be lacking. And Mr. Bernard, what I'm about to tell you might be subject to a government gag order. I wanted to tell you before that happens."

Mr. Bernard, who usually has a serious face and rarely changes his expression, gave a slight smile.

"Victoria, if there's a historical secret that the government wants to hide right in front of me, there's no historian who wouldn't want to hear it. I would love to hear it. No, wait a moment, let me get my tools. Alright, pen, paper, ink, everything is ready. Please, Victoria, go ahead."

I began to tell the story of my journey, starting from my visit to the Sibyl Forestry Cooperative.

Mr. Bernard didn't ask any questions and took notes at a furious pace. He listened without interrupting, nodding, looking surprised, and admiring the story.

When we got to the part about finding Elmar Archibald's new work, Jeffrey took out a pot containing a bundle of parchment from a cloth bag and placed it on the table. Mr. Bernard quickly opened the pot and took out the bundle of parchment. However, he seemed to decide that it wasn't the time to read it, shook his head slightly, put the bundle back on the table, and picked up his pen again.

I told him about finding the crater, the skeleton, the gold ore, and protecting Ory. I omitted the part about the will and finished the long story.

We decided to have tea while Mr. Bernard calmed down, and Nonna and I prepared it. Jeffrey silently watched Mr. Bernard. We drank tea, but Mr. Bernard seemed too preoccupied to drink.

"So, Jeffrey, are you going to report this to the government?"

"No, Clark was asked by my brother to accompany us as a recorder. Clark will submit the official report to the government."

"Clark accompanied you?"

"Yes, my brother requested it in the form of a request from the Records Department."

"Ah, I see. But Victoria, there's something that doesn't sit right with me."

"What is it?"

"Your story doesn't quite add up. Hmm, let me see, ah, I can't quite put it into words yet. I'll sort it out by the time we meet again."

With the arrival of the housemaid who comes to Mr. Bernard's house, we decided to leave. Mr. Bernard was fidgety, eager to read the unpublished work.

"Jeff, if we take a carriage, we'll be home in no time. I want to make a detour."

"Sure, where do you want to go?"

"How about a store with delicious apple pies?"

"Great! I love the apple pie from that store!"

The confectionery in the South District, where we used to visit often when we lived in the annex of Lady Yolana's house, was bustling with customers today. We sat in a corner of the dining area and ordered our favorite cakes. Nonna ordered her usual apple pie, Jeffrey a cheese cake poured into a glass, and I a tart with blueberries and raspberries.

"Delicious. I thought I knew most of the popular stores, but I missed this one."

"Really? I thought the Second Knight Captain knew all the good places."

"This store was recommended by an uncle who loves sweets, Mom."

"Is that so?"

Jeffrey's face seemed to twitch for a fraction of a second.

"Hey, Jeff? That person is the owner of a tavern. We met by chance at the market."

"Is Dad worried because Mom loves him?"

"Nonna, Dad isn't worried at all."

"It's okay, Dad. Mom only shows her spoiled face when she's with you. When she's with that uncle, she looks the same as when she's with Mr. Bernard or Lady Yolana. Mom only shows her spoiled face when she's with you."

Nonna, thank you for the good job.

Jeffrey's face clearly showed happiness. What a cute person.

"Wow, it looks delicious!"

As soon as the apple pie was served, Nonna picked up her fork and started eating. The berry tart I chose was sweet and sour with a rich cream, a taste that made me happy.

"Jeff, I didn't tell Clark about the content of the will, but do you think the government will trace back to me?"

"It would have been much simpler if Clark hadn't accompanied us."

"Why did Clark end up accompanying us?"

"Probably because Uncle told my brother that we were going to search for the lost crown?"

"That might be it, but Jeff, was Sir Edward interested in history before?"

Jeffrey thought for a moment.

"No, I haven't heard of that. Maybe it's because he became the head of the Records Department?"

"Oh, right. And because Clark was there, we were able to help Ory. Everything turned out well, didn't it?"

I smiled, but I was a bit uneasy.

The key to the illustrated cipher I explained to Mr. Bernard was very simple and clear. As long as one didn't fall for the trap of a typo, it was a key that anyone with a hobby in cryptography would know, even if they weren't part of an organization.

I wonder how many commoner women have such a hobby.

(It's okay, it's okay)

I kept telling myself this, but every time I tried to convince myself in the past, it usually didn't turn out well, so I couldn't calm down.