Chapter 8
The place they arrived at was the most famous restaurant in Lichiano Region, Shar Pia. It wasn’t luxurious enough for nobles to come, but it wasn’t bad for filling their stomachs right away.
Luckily, Caligo wasn’t particularly sensitive to the taste of food.
He had even eaten grass porridge when the food supply was inadequate on the winter battlefield, so a few years on, he just saw anything as valuable.
The streets were bustling. It was understandable, considering the recent news of the death of the local lord and the rich and diverse soil.
“Welcome, how many are you?”
“Two, do you have a table?”
The waiter, who was about to greet Caligo politely with a majestic nod, recognized Helia, who had pulled her wide-brimmed hat down deep, and his eyes widened.
“…No, we don’t.”
The waiter’s voice turned cold, and his eyes turned triangular, then noticeably fierce.
“No tables?”
It didn’t seem like a particularly busy time. People were coming and going, but there shouldn’t have been a shortage of seats given the size of the restaurant.
“Yes, please leave!”
The male waiter’s voice grew louder.
Caligo’s red eyes showed signs of aggression in response to his hostility.
He couldn’t help but feel the open hostility of the waiter, given his sensitivity to the atmosphere.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s no seats.”
“There aren’t any.”
“She reserved a meal today. If there are no seats, we’ll wait for a while, so get ready.”
People’s attention began to focus.
Helia’s shoulders trembled slightly as she lowered her gaze.
“There’s… no place for murderers here.”
Caligo laughed coldly at the hostility. The temperature around him seemed to drop.
“Do you look like I’m asking for a favor right now?”
It was a low, snarling voice.
Due to spending a long time on the battlefield, his temperament was not particularly gentle or quiet.
“My order is simple.”
“Enough.”
“How shameless is that woman! Can’t you see how the estate is right now? People are starving to death every day because there’s no money! It’s all because that woman, without any gratitude, blocked the lord’s funding!”
The waiter yelled, his face turning crimson, even resorting to pounding the counter.
Helia’s brow furrowed.
“No matter how much the class disappears little by little…”
He chuckled softly.
In the blink of an eye, the waiter’s neck was grabbed, and he was hoisted into the air.
“Hey, do you dare to mutter about my wife’s flaws in front of me?”
“What, what’s going on?”
The bewildered waiter’s eyes widened.
Inside the store was already crowded with people who had gathered to watch the commotion.
“Yo… Your Grace…”
“Or would you dare to utter a word about my wife’s flaws in front of me?”
“What, what’s going on?”
The sudden commotion brought guards rushing in.
Seeing the shabby guards, Caligo showed his fatigue.
“It’s a mess.”
“We’ll handle it.”
His face crumpled at the indifferent remark.
The voice murmuring that it wasn’t his business was so infuriating it felt like a stab.
“Go.”
He turned away.
As he lightly tapped where the coachman was, a small window on the carriage opened.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Take me back to the market.”
“Back? Are you sure?”
The coachman tilted his head in incomprehension.
They had come here in a hurry, bringing a small number of servants from the marquisate.
But it had been a long time since he had given them a vacation.
He didn’t want to deal with the marquisate’s servants unnecessarily, especially since he didn’t want to incur Helia’s disapproval.
“What a foolish choice.”
Caligo felt the need to call them back.
Although it was a small estate, he didn’t feel particularly good about calling back those who were enjoying a short vacation at their leisure.
Especially since the reason was something that couldn’t even be put into words.
“Fine. Oh, and Dennis.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know where the others are?”
“Yes, they are staying in the same lodgings.”
“Alright, then go and inform them that their vacation is over because this month’s salary will be doubled.”
“What?!”
Dennis, who was holding the reins and responding calmly, turned his body so abruptly that his jaw seemed to drop, and his freckled cheeks stretched out along with his jaw.
“Haven’t you heard? Go and tell them their vacation is over.”
He repeated again.
“But… barely…”
The coachman, who mumbled something, couldn’t bring himself to say anything more and just nodded vigorously with a distressed look, gripping the reins tightly.
Caligo also knew. It had been barely two days since he gave the servants a vacation.
Even that was only because Dennis had been summoned early this morning and was waiting.
It was as obvious as daylight that they would have spent about half a day relaxing.
But what could he do? Caligo himself had no idea things would turn out like this.
Leaning against the departing carriage, he let out a long sigh.
The first thing he noticed when he returned from the market was the mess inside the house.
All the furniture and utensils were either knocked over or scattered as if there had been a burglary, with mud splattered everywhere, making it seem like there had been a terrorist attack.
“What on earth…”
The mansion was silent.
There was no sign of life amid the silence.
‘No way.’
The ominous shadows began to nibble away at his unease stealthily.
Just as Caligo took another step forward—
“Screaaam!”
A scream of agony echoed.
Despite coming from the second floor, it struck his ears like a thunderbolt.
“Helia…!”
Caligo climbed the stairs in urgency, calling out her name.
As he swiftly walked down the long corridor leading to the second floor, Caligo’s steps came to a sudden halt at the sight before him.
“Screaaam!”
A sharp scream burst through the monotonous silence like a piercing arrow.
As Caligo stared in disbelief, another step forward was taken by Helia’s foot.
“…What on earth are you doing, Helia?”
“When did you come? I thought you wouldn’t come back today because you were angry.”
Her lifeless eyes calmly threw a question at him.
Except for the lifeless pupils, everything about her was the same as usual.
With the same tone, the same nuance, and the same expression, she spoke to Caligo.
“Why do you have to cause a commotion again when Oraibi is dead? Do you have to show such reckless behavior here again?”
Caligo’s voice reflexively raised in response to the smell of blood that became more sensitive to him.
“It’s not a commotion. I’m just giving punishment.”
Saying so, Helia moved her foot to step firmly on the back of the maid’s hand lying flat on the floor.
More precisely, it was a small paper knife stuck perpendicular to the back of the maid’s hand.
