26.
“Did you find that girl? When? No way, how did you find her? Don’t tell me you were really in cahoots with that Nyx guy?”
Kano asked urgently, lowering his voice. I just shook my head without saying a word.
“Then was that girl also trapped in the same place? What happened?”
“It’s not that you lack the ability, so you don’t have to be so shocked. Let me explain on the way. We don’t have much time.”
I tried to comfort Kano, who was in shock. Even if it was Kano, he wouldn’t have been able to find Ophelia, as Nicholas Diazi had deliberately concealed her.
“No matter how much you fly and crawl, this world tends to favor those two people in the end, Kano.”
I sneered inwardly, and Kano looked at me with a desolate expression, like someone who had lost all their possessions to a swindler. I understand that feeling too well.
“Oh, and…”
As I paused, Kano gave me a look as if to ask, “What other story are you going to tell now?”
“I gained new abilities. Well, I had them before.”
“…”
Kano remained silent for a moment, looking as if he couldn’t understand what I said at once. Already frowning, he further furrowed his brows and slowly scanned me from top to bottom, as if trying to gauge something.
I was about to say something about his absurd behavior, but I held back. Heaving a light sigh, he opened his mouth with disappointment.
“…Right. You can’t tell a decent joke.”
“Is this really a situation to joke around?”
Feeling slightly annoyed, I rolled my eyes and retorted.
“Oh, Aisa. Is it true? Can such a thing happen? What on earth happened?”
“Shh. Watch your words.”
“Right, Lord. No, is it Lord that’s the problem now? Is this also related to that woman?”
“Yes. It’s a top-secret matter, so keep your voice down. It’s not something to discuss here.”
I gestured towards the closed door.
“Lord… You’re really going insane. So, I mean…”
Kano swept his complicated expression away with his hand, mumbling to himself. His red hair smoothly fell over his wide forehead.
“Hey! Someone, come in here.”
Kano seemed like he had more to say, but I interrupted him, feeling a sense of urgency.
In response to my fierce tone, the door opened immediately, and a familiar servant rushed in. He was probably one of the secretaries of Aisa.
“Prepare the fastest and best carriage to go to the ecliptic. We will set off as soon as we are ready.”
“Yes, Lord!”
I was satisfied with the prompt response. However, the servant hesitated for a moment before leaving.
I allowed him to ask additional questions and gestured with my chin. Finally, after hesitating for a while, the servant spoke.
“Um, Lord. About, the Mrs. Stang—”
“No need for a send-off. Tell her to take care of the top matters, and I’ll leave a letter. Bring me some paper and a pen.”
“Well, then…”
“What now?”
I wasn’t annoyed; it was just my usual way of speaking, but the servant slightly flinched.
“What about Dir Diazi? Should I proceed with the original plan and arrange the guards to escort him in two days?”
“….”
“…Sir Diazi, you mean. The one I know?”
The servant’s desperate and brave questioning somehow made him look courageous. I remained silent, and Kano rolled his eyes and asked me.
Kano disliked the hypocrisy and pretentiousness of the imperial nobles, especially those at the peak, like Diazi. He had once said that just looking at Diazi made him feel like he was getting hives, partly because Diazi was quite unique.
I pondered Kano’s question. The reason for my awkwardness was probably just because I felt embarrassed, so I slowly opened my mouth.
“…We’ll proceed with the original plan. When the Third Knights Division arrives in Katam, arrange for them to escort him to wherever he wants to go. As a show of respect, I’ll do it personally when we return to the territory.”
“If we bring him right now, you could have time to say farewell before leaving. Shall we bring him?”
The servant was quite proactive with a sweet tone, waving his hands.
“Forget it. I have to leave right away, and there’s no time for farewells. Let him be.”
As I waved my hand to dismiss the matter, the servant put on a disappointed face and replied, “Yes, Lord,” before leaving.
“Lord? Did you say Sir Diazi?Who are you talking about? It can’t be Nicholas Diazi.”
‘..Just drop it.’
In the midst of it, Kano asked persistently, but I completely ignored him and left the reception room just as it was. I felt like I was running away.
It was only natural for Kano not to recall the name “Norma Diazi.” Nicholas Diaziwas known as “Lord Diazi,” and the previous head of the Diazi family, Miland Diazi, who unexpectedly retired a few years ago, was usually referred to as “Lord Diazi.”
Except for Nicholas, “Norma Diazi” were considered dead to everyone. Even his father, Miland, would have been presumed dead.
Thump, thump, thump.
My heart was restless.
‘This is uncomfortable.’
This was undoubtedly because of the childish promise we failed to keep, to watch the doomed fireworks together.
* * *
“Our Lord really hates not being understood at once!”
Ektra exclaimed as she signed the paper without even looking at it. Norma nodded as she watched Ektra signing precisely without shifting her gaze elsewhere.
From this, it was clear that there were at least twenty things Aisa disliked according to Ektra.
“And she hates hesitating even more.”
…Now there were twenty-one things. Ektra emphasized, clenching her index finger.
“Also, Lord really dislikes riding on horses or any sort of transportation. I should say, she dislikes them so much… But since she has to travel around so much, Lord’s carriage was specially customized with great care by the craftsmen. I’m sure she must have missed it on the way here.”
Ektra handed over the ledger to her secretary as she muttered.
“Oh, and it’s not just that she’s sensitive about it. She’s been riding horses and living a nomadic lifestyle since she was young, so she doesn’t mind sleeping on the ground either.”
She defended Aisa again, making gestures to avoid any misunderstandings. Norma recalled Ektra’s words and easily sympathized, thinking about how she used to sleep on the ground.
The two of them arrived at the next store.
“Isn’t the Macfoy family’s symbolic color purple? Even Lord’s eye color is like that. She always wears an amethyst ring on her left hand, so I embroidered it with amethyst, even though it’s not as precious.”
While counting the bags of grain inside the store, Ektra pointed to the Romdak flag. The amethyst ring she mentioned was something Norma had seen before.
“That’s probably why Lord dislikes purple accessories and clothes. She must be fed up with them. Even though they suit her fair complexion…”
Ektra, her voice trailing off, gave a sharp fan flick to the back of the porter who was counting the sacks incorrectly.
“And she always tightly ties her hair upward and to the side, right?”
Fully engrossed in Ektra’s stories, Norma nodded with a gentle smile. As they headed towards the warehouse section of the store, Norma found himelf escorting her.
In response to Ektra’s query, Norma recalled Aisa’s curly black hair and nodded once again.
“No, Derek! The numbers don’t match here! Sir Diazi, please wait a moment.”
At that moment, Ektra shouted sharply at the man standing in the back line. She kept chattering all the while, yet she sharply caught minor mistakes others couldn’t find. Impressed by her amazing multitasking, Norma couldn’t help but admire her briefly.
And on to the next store.
“How far did we go?”
Ektra, sounding a bit tired, asked while fanning herself rapidly.
“I mentioned that Lord has a severe case of curly hair, ma’am.”
“Oh! Curly hair, right. Yes, especially in the summer, the curls become more pronounced, and she dislikes them touching her face. That’s why she tightly ties it and styles it to the side. For the same reason, she dislikes chunky accessories and clothing. Honestly, she insists on dressing simply most of the time.”
Ektra spoke as if complaining about that point.
“Food, she doesn’t really eat sweet things like that.”
Ektra pointed her fan towards the sugar-coated grape-like treats being sold by a street vendor at the festival. Indeed, Norma had rarely seen Aisa eat anything sweet during their meals together.
Yesterday, Ektra had bought a variety of colorful sugar snacks for Norma to try at the festival. It wasn’t an odd food, so Norma had taken one and put it in his mouth. The sugar snacks were very sweet.
Norma couldn’t help but notice her mouth twitching as she opened her mouth.
“But, ma’am…”
“Yes, yes! If you have any questions about Lord, feel free to ask!”
Ektra cheerfully exclaimed in a loud voice.
“Then, what does Lord like?”
Ah…
“….”
Ektra finally realized that she had only mentioned the things Aisa disliked. She searched her memory with a serious expression.
Right. What did Lord like? Although there were thousands and tens of thousands of things she disliked, it was not certain what she actually liked.
Lord Archie? Macfoy? Romdak? Met? Money? No, besides those, was there something more ordinary?
“Just wait a moment, sir Diazi. Let me try to recall.”
Ektra groaned and began wringing her hair. Meanwhile, Norma looked around carefully.
Then, something caught Norma’s eye. It was something he had also seen yesterday. To be precise, it was something like Aisa. It was only for a brief moment, but he was sure that it was like Aisa’s gaze lingered there longer than usual.
As if enchanted, Norma walked towards it. Ektra was so deeply absorbed in her contemplation that she didn’t even notice Norma leaving her side.
“Madame Stang.”
The steward approached with a very perplexed expression, but Ektra couldn’t stop her contemplation.
“Madame, urgent news has arrived from the inn.”
The steward didn’t step back and briefly relayed the news to Ektra’s ear.
“What? Mr Kano? When? Why are you telling me this now!”
The effect was tremendous. Ektra, who had seemed immersed in her own world, suddenly jumped up with a start.
In an instant, she turned her shocked face towards the place where Norma had been standing. However, Norma was no longer there.
“Lord Diazi?”
“Madame, the knight is over there.”
Sensing Ektra’s momentary confusion, the steward pointed in a certain direction.
It wasn’t difficult to find the man with the head that was one size bigger than others. Norma found himself facing an inadequately constructed wall made of piled stones, away from the crowded street market.
In Ektra’s eyes, it seemed like Norma was reaching towards the wall.
“Oh no, what should I do… He has already arrived. I never expected Mr. Kano to come in person, and now I’ve ended up breaking the bridge I was trying to build by my own hands!”
Ektra deeply regretted her actions. She cursed herself inwardly for persuading Norma to go out to the festival street earlier.
“Let’s go back to the inn immediately. We might still be able to meet Lord. Even though she said there’s no need for a farewell, we should still greet her since she’s here. Go fetch the carriage right away.”
“Yes, Madame Stang.”
Romdak’s upper ranks immediately began to tidy up the surroundings. It was then when a small, black creature nestled into Norma’s outstretched hand.
