At my call, Ian stopped and turned around. His expression remained calm and unshaken as always.
“Yes, what is it?”
he asked in his low voice, granting me permission. I glanced around briefly.
“Um… do you have time tomorrow?”
Ian fixed his gaze on me, tilting his head slightly.
“If you need me, I can make time.”
‘You either have time or you don’t, what does “make time” even mean?’
For a moment, I was stunned because it sounded like he was willing to clear his schedule for me. And, as if to confirm my suspicion, Ian added in his usual indifferent tone:
“I’m scheduled to meet with Duke Seraph and Marquis Estevan tomorrow, but I can adjust the date. What is the matter?”
I blinked in surprise at his words. Duke Seraph and Marquis Estevan represented some of the key noble families—wasn’t that a very important meeting?
“Oh, no, it’s fine if you’re busy.”
“I’m not busy.”
“But you just said you have a meeting scheduled….”
“It’s only scheduled, nothing that can’t be adjusted.”
“You don’t have to go that far….”
“I want to go that far.”
Another battle of wits.
‘Didn’t he use to ask about the reason first? Now he’s willing to cancel a set appointment without even asking why?’
Regardless of my reaction, Ian showed no signs of backing down, standing still and gazing at me intently. I realized that he wasn’t going to move until I explained what this was about.
In the end, I sighed, defeated by his persistence.
“It’s nothing serious, I just have to go to Marisen tomorrow for something. It won’t take long, but…”
“Marisen? That’s in the Obel region, isn’t it? It’s quite far from the capital.”
“Yes, exactly. So I was planning to ask Kyle for help. There isn’t much time before we leave for the Nomos Empire, and I can’t afford to spend a whole week going back and forth in a carriage….”
Just the thought of spending a full week inside that cramped carriage sent a shiver down my spine, so I added with a grimace:
“Anyway, I’ll be back the same day, but since it’s quite a distance, I thought it would be better if you… I mean, Ian, came along instead of going alone.”
“I see.”
“But if you’re busy, it’s fine. It’s not that important, so I can just take Kyle and—”
“No, I’ll come with you.”
Before I could finish, Ian cut me off abruptly.
I blinked rapidly.
“…Are you sure? What about your meeting…?”
“As I said, I’ll adjust the schedule.”
It felt strange that someone who usually acted like they’d die if they didn’t operate efficiently was now going out of his way to accompany me. He wasn’t showing any sign of doing me a favor or being generous—just his usual, emotionless expression, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
“Marisen is a popular tourist destination, but it’s not as safe as the capital. More importantly, it’s filled with people of unknown origin. If you must go there tomorrow, it’s safer if I accompany you. Better than taking Kyle.”
Hmm.
It was true that Ian was a bit more reliable than Kyle. I briefly imagined Kyle digging his ear somewhere in the mansion, then stopped. Ian’s reasoning was so sound that I had no further objections.
Since he was offering to go this far, after all….
“I’d appreciate it if you could join me.”
“Then let’s depart together tomorrow. What time would be good for you?”
“Hmm, it’s not a long task, so I think we can leave in the morning and be back by afternoon. How about right after breakfast?”
He nodded obediently at my suggestion.
“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
He gave me a short nod of farewell.
“Until tomorrow.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Ian returned to his office, and I buried myself in the library, reading books about Biblos Academy for over three hours.
Since it was such a renowned institution, there was an abundance of information everywhere. But all of those resources had one common theme: Biblos Academy was dedicated to nurturing talent regardless of social status or background, selecting gifted students and educating them equally. This philosophy followed the founding principles of the first Duke Biblos, a famous scholar of the Nomos Empire.
Buried in my reading, I raised an eyebrow in interest.
‘Oh, this might be the solution.’
With this principle, I could possibly resolve both the speech at the ceremony and the entrance of Marchioness Mary’s son.
I’d need to think it through more, though.
“Well then, since I’ve got a rough idea, I should prepare for the trip to Marisen tomorrow.”
Stretching, I reached for the ruby ring I used to call Kyle, which I kept in my desk drawer, only to stop midway.
“Oh, right. This isn’t my office.”
Since I usually left the ring in my office when I was home, this kind of thing happened often. Giving up quickly, I pulled the bell cord. Within less than a minute, Vivi, who had been waiting nearby, came running.
“Madam, do you need something?”
“Yes, Vivi. Could you call Kyle? Ask him to come to the library right away.”
Vivi, who had been standing straight, flinched at my words.
“Uh… Kyle?”
Her freckled, round face turned bright red at once. I paused mid-stretch, blinking as I looked at her.
‘Oh?’
She was clearly trying to keep her lips pressed shut, but it was obvious that she didn’t know where to look.
‘She was like this before too… Could it be…? Oh-ho.’
Narrowing my eyes in curiosity, I smiled with amusement. It might be summer outside, but clearly, it was spring for someone here.
Normally, Vivi would comment on how radiant my smile was, but this time, she seemed too preoccupied with the mention of Kyle, fiddling nervously with her hands.
“Um, but… it might take some time to find Kyle. You know how he’s always vanishing without a trace. Sometimes he’s at the estate, and then he’s not….”
“I know.”
I nodded casually at Vivi’s concerned explanation. Given that Ian constantly had Kyle running errands, it wasn’t unusual for him to not be around the estate much.
Stretching my arms again, I replied, “But he’s at the estate right now. Check his office or the Duke’s office.”
“Both offices?”
“Yeah, he should be at one of them.”
Vivi blinked in confusion, then, without further questions, nodded and answered.
“Understood, I’ll go check right away.”
“Take your time. I’ll be here.”
With a quick nod, Vivi darted out of the library and softly closed the door behind her. Watching the door for a moment, I rolled my shoulders before picking up my book again.
‘By now, Ian has probably summoned Kyle for the Marisen matter.’
From what I’ve seen, Ian always called on Kyle whenever something came up, and Kyle, the penny-pincher, would grumble that it was unreasonable but still come running. They were a perfect pair, in that sense.
So, Kyle was either venting in Ian’s office or checking over his magic formulas in preparation for tomorrow in his own office. And sure enough, my prediction was confirmed when, less than five minutes after Vivi left, there was a knock at the door.
“Your Grace, it’s me.”
“Come in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Kyle entered the library without looking like he’d rushed over, as if he had used a magic circle to get here. He was as neat as ever. I waved lightly from my seat, chin resting on my hand, and Kyle let out an exaggerated sigh.
“As expected, the two of you really are starting to resemble each other, given how often you summon me. I just got back from being called to His Grace’s office. And somehow, your maid knew exactly where I was. Honestly….”
I knew it.
Watching Kyle’s grumbling with amusement, I closed my book with a snap and propped my chin on my hand.
“I called you because I need a favor regarding that.”
“A favor?”
“You know how to change someone’s face with magic, right?”
♧♧♧
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