27.

 

In a hurry, Ektra returned to the inn and touched her forehead with the hand holding the fan. The assistant quickly supported her as she staggered.

 

It was long after Aisa’s carriage had already departed. However, while leaving, Aisa had left a letter each for Ektra and Norma.

 

Ektra turned to Norma, standing next to her, with an expression that seemed like he had just swallowed a bitter pill. From the moment Ektra said, “The Lord has left, Sir Diazi! Let’s go back!” Norma had been wearing an inscrutable expression.

 

Norma glanced at the neatly folded letter offered by the servant for a moment before accepting it with a slightly slower movement than usual.

 

The small creature in his embrace fluttered nervously against his chest. After hugging Norma at the wall, the little creature somehow ended up being brought to the inn. It turned out to be a kitten. The kitten seemed to have no intention of letting go, clinging tightly to Norma’s chest.

 

Norma didn’t bother going to his room and calmly tore open the letter right there. Ektra, along with the other servants around, unintentionally held their breath, observing his reaction. Norma’s face showed no change as he read the letter.

 

Soon, Norma deftly folded the letter back up and put it back in his pocket. The onlookers threw glances of “Has he already…?” and followed after Norma.

 

“Madam, may I excuse myself first and go upstairs?”

 

“Yes, yes! You must be tired, so please go up and rest, Sir.”

 

Norma politely asked, and no one dared to hold him back to inquire about the content of the letter or his feelings. In their minds, their master and the knight were already like the protagonists in a romance novel.

 

The servants were now becoming adept at reading the ambiguous love between the two. They all watched Norma carefully. With gentle faces, they simply followed the knight as he climbed the stairs, holding the kitten and the letter to his chest, until he disappeared from view.

 

Had the lord known all of this, they would have been scolded and chased away for their fantasies, but that’s what they thought.

 

Time continued to flow without stopping. Before he knew it, the sun had set, and colorful lanterns began to illuminate the Katam streets. Norma stood by the window, dressed casually. The colorful lights reflected in his eyes, giving his golden irises a multi-hued sparkle.

 

In his unmoving hand lay a letter left by Lord McFoy.

 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. The McFoy Third Division will escort you wherever you go, and afterward, I’ll express my gratitude through the Diazi family. ―Compensation from the owner of McFoy.”

 

It was short, and he couldn’t help but think it was very much like her.

 

Norma closed his eyes, listening to the distant sounds of music and the bustling noise. Since returning to the inn from the carriage, he had been in a constant daze, unsure of how to define this feeling.

 

It was a completely different feeling than the nervousness he had had the whole time ahead of his reunion with Nicholas. What is certain is that Norma himself was greatly disappointed.

 

‘If I’m disappointed, does that mean I had expectations?’

 

He pondered, ‘What did I expect and why?’

 

She was the Lord McFoy, not a child, and she hadn’t kept a simple promise to watch the fireworks together. Instead of even saying goodbye, she had left like that.

 

Norma knew very well how busy and dangerous her circumstances were; he had observed her closely for more than ten days, closer than anyone else. In such a situation like an exhibition, such a sudden farewell might have been inevitable.

 

‘Because Lord Aisa McFoy and Sir Norma Diazi have nothing to do with each other.’

 

Even though he knew that, Norma couldn’t help feeling a deep sorrow in his heart. His grip on the letter tightened, and the paper crinkled in his fingertips.

 

From afar, the cheers of people rushed in through the window. Norma gently opened his eyes, and it seemed the fireworks had begun. It started with white light, followed by bright blue that illuminated the Katam sky before the white completely faded away.

 

Leaning his head against the window frame, Norma quietly gazed at the dimly lit indigo sky occasionally brightened by the lights. The inn and the festival street were quite a distance away, so he couldn’t directly see the fireworks. All he could see were the traces of light.

 

Even though he was looking out at the scenery, he didn’t register the view outside the window. Feeling his heart slightly agitated, he closed his eyes once again.

 

Nicholas, Igor, and Caliphesse.

 

In Norma’s crowded mind, Lord McFoy appeared again. He couldn’t tell exactly when it started.

 

‘Lord McFoy keeps coming to my mind.’

 

It was strange.

 

Was it because she was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes? Or was it because he saw her every day when he woke up?

 

Did her voice wake him up? Did her occasional angry words snap him out of his thoughts?

 

Was it because she disappeared without a word that he felt this way? Now, his mind was filled with Aisa, only Aisa.

 

Then, a pitch-black cat moved around the room like a shadow. The cat quietly jumped onto the windowsill, and let out a soft cry, as if telling him to look over there. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his gaze in the direction of the sound.

 

Bang―.

 

The festive explosion resounded, and the sky was now filled with even more splendid colors than before. The colorful lights danced on his silver-gray hair, golden eyes, and fair skin.

 

Thanks to his enhanced vision, he could now clearly see the small creature sitting next to him. Its small size, black fur, and pointed ears were just like…

 

‘It resembles her, no matter how you look at it.’

 

It was an impolite thought, but he couldn’t help but be reminded of her face, making his mind even more complicated.

 

‘If I say this cat looks like her, Lady Aisa will probably dissect me again.’

 

But she left.

 

With that thought, Norma closed his eyes again.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Aisa did after heading straight to the imperial capital was to pay her respects to the emperor.

 

Aisa, who arrived unannounced at the McFoy estate in the imperial capital, only changed her clothes and went to see the emperor.

 

Even in the era when the imperial power was at its lowest, the emperor was still inviolable. Nevertheless, the emperor personally expressed his condolences and regret about the events that occurred during the founding of the empire. He gladly congratulated the return of Lord McFoy.

 

But that was because there was no other heir, nor anyone with the potential to succeed him.

 

The promising heir, Caliphesse, died after committing heresy. Despite being a beloved child, they had to quickly bury her death.

 

Instead of Caliphesse, they appointed Prince Villinent, who had some resemblance to her, as the Crown Prince, but unfortunately, Villinent only inherited Caliphesse’s eccentric temperament. He was dim-witted and lacked the qualities necessary to be a ruler, so the nobles were not enthusiastic about the new heir.

 

The aged emperor, whose future looked bleak, could not wield his power in front of the powerful nobles who controlled the empire. Thanks to this, Aisa’s visit to the imperial capital was not long.

 

The emperor promised to provide generous support to Lord McFoy in capturing Nyx and his henchmen.

 

Furthermore, a secret deal was made between Lord McFoy and the emperor on the spot. Lord McFoy kept the secrets of the emperor and empress, and in return, the emperor obtained ownership of a salt mine in the southern Kiso family’s possession.

 

As for Aisa McFoy, she had to uproot the powerful noble family, “Kiso,” which held her distant relative, Oravi Gael.

 

The first thing she did when she ascended to the lord position at a young age was to initiate a massive crackdown to secure her position. The secret to Gael, who had a dirty and foolish nature, surviving the crackdown was entering the Kiso family as their heir.

 

She had been foolish all her life, but she managed to do something clever just once!

 

Not only did eliminating Gael become difficult, but it also didn’t end with just getting rid of Gael.

 

In the noble society, some marital relationships can be particularly tenacious. In Gael’s case, he had long ago sold out McFoy’s identity and chose to become a member of the Kiso family, who gladly accepted him as part of their family.

 

It was hard to believe that any plans to secretly swallow McFoy whole had come from Gael’s foolish mind. It was probably an ambitious idea from the greedy Kiso, so eliminating Kiso was necessary to uproot McFoy.

 

Leaving them be would only lead to an explosion someday. She couldn’t hand over this bomb to Archie.

 

Destroying one noble family by another would cause a significant uproar in society. They could end up becoming enemies of all the nobles. Moreover, meddling with Kiso was not an easy task.

 

That’s why they needed justification, and having the emperor on their side was perfect. The emperor promised “generous support” to McFoy in capturing Nyx and his henchmen and assured them they would be severely punished.

 

The foolish Kiso and Gael quickly moved, thinking that Lord McFoy had died. Truly a foolish act.

 

No place remained untouched. Couldn’t they find even one follower who would believe in Alpo? Turning that follower into “Gael’s devoted disciple” was a simple matter.

 

Kiso joined hands with Nyx, driven by his ambition to swallow McFoy. Kiso committed heresy. It was a plausible story anyone would believe!

 

As for the emperor, he needed new sources of income. He wanted something that wouldn’t be a one-time affair but something that would continuously generate wealth.

 

With no significant achievements and the imperial power on the decline, the emperor, who even failed to establish a successor, felt empty and filled that void with his greed for wealth. Aisa willingly lent a hand to fulfill that greed.

 

The salt mine that Kiso possessed was a treasure trove in the emperor’s eyes. The vast salt mine in the eastern region was incomparable, stable, and incredibly lucrative. Kiso’s background as an influential noble in the southern region was also tied to the salt mine.

 

The emperor was very pleased with Aisa’s promise to investigate the salt mine after expelling Kiso. He decided to turn a blind eye to whatever Aisa McFoy might do in Kiso’s territory.

 

There was no need for persuasion. The two of them made an unbreakable pact right there and then, summoning a priest to witness it. The mutual interests aligned perfectly, making this arrangement possible.

 

Three days before Kiso disappeared from the noble register, this all happened.

 

* * *

 

Lord McFoy took full responsibility for this year’s Foundation Festival. The news of Lord McFoy’s return and the proclamation to the emperor spread rapidly from the capital to the entire empire.

 

During the late stages of the Foundation Festival, most nobles stayed in the capital. Since grand and small parties were held everywhere in the capital every day, the story of Lord McFoy’s return quickly spread, especially among the nobles.

 

The rapid spread of the rumors was also due to Aisa’s machinations through her intelligence network. Both nobles and commoners were eager to share their thoughts about Lord McFoy miraculously returning to life.

 

“That fierce woman from McFoy is alive?”

 

“Unbelievable! I’m sure I saw that woman fall on the day of the Foundation Festival. I thought she was already dead!”

 

“Come on, isn’t it all a big lie? How could she come back from that crazy cult? They were sworn enemies. Maybe McFoy’s lunatics are up to some tricks without their master around?”

 

“Not at all! The emperor personally consoled her and even bestowed wealth upon her. Some say they saw that sinister black carriage at the capital square!”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

So how exactly did Lord McFoy come back to life?

 

“Of course, that woman was a witch!”

 

“Perhaps Lord McFoy also joined the cult, and that’s why they spared her life.”

 

“There were rumors that she was a cultist from the beginning.”

 

“My cousin lives in the west, and there’s a saying that the incident in McFoy ten years ago was caused by that woman working with the cult. She killed my entire family with her own hands.”

 

“Unbelievable! Well, then it makes sense how she survived through that chaos!”

 

“I heard that McFoy and the entire west believe in Alpo. Everyone in the West is a heretic. It’s terrifying.”

 

The provocations continued, fueling the fire.

 

“I heard that Lord McFoy was Nyx’s lover, that heretic.”

 

“Oh my goodness!”

 

“I heard that she suffered terrible things from those cultists!”

 

“How tragic.”

 

“Oh my goodness! Is that true?”

 

The words “Is that true?” spread like wildfire in an instant.