10. Blind* and the Followers
Upon seeing the backs of the twins who snuck into the auction hall, I suddenly remembered the story about the stolen pearl earrings from the butler’s journal.
The twins had taken Grandmother’s earrings, admiring them as pretty, but they were snatched away by a crow.
Uncle Yossel had tried to resolve the situation by making a fake pair of earrings and secretly placing them back, but the situation escalated when Grandmother discovered the original earrings were missing.
The auction proceeded thanks to Aunt Marian’s efforts, and Uncle Yossel managed to win the bid.
It seemed the issue was resolved, but later, the real pearl earrings were found in a crow’s nest, revealing that the auctioned earrings were fakes.
Although it wasn’t in the journal, I was sure there had been a situation where Dad was entangled with Anne and found himself in trouble.
‘So, after preventing Anne from coming, I was planning to drop a note revealing that the pearl earrings were fake from the second floor, wasn’t I?’
Just a moment ago.
I left my original seat and walked over to the audience area where the twins were. The door connecting to the hallway was wide open.
How careless of them. Well, I appreciated not having to bother opening the door myself.
Hehe. I slipped in through the door, slightly lifting the curtain that covered the audience area. I saw the twins lying flat on the floor, peeking over the railing to spy on the hall below.
“Bidder No. 17 has bid 20 million Kona!”
The auction was in full swing on the first floor.
Uncle Yossel was holding up a number card to bid on the pearl earrings, and the twins watched anxiously.
“Marty, what if Dad fails to win the bid?”
“Don’t say that. Dad promised he’d definitely bring them back.”
“It’d be a big deal if they found out those are fake earrings, wouldn’t it? I don’t want to go to that stony house.”
“Shh. Me neither. That place is full of rejects. I shouldn’t have taken Grandmother’s earrings. I should have just asked Dad to buy them for me. If only that crow hadn’t taken them….”
Huh?
They seemed worried about the fake earrings being discovered, so they were secretly watching.
I couldn’t ignore the things they were whispering. I slowly crept up behind the twins.
Even as I approached, they were too focused on spying on the first floor.
“Ribbit, ribbit.”
“….…!!”
The twins slowly turned around, their mouths opening in silent shock, too startled to scream.
Being a cultured person who knows how to greet, I waved and smiled at my relatives whom I hadn’t seen in half a day.
“Hello? Sister Harty, Brother Marty.”
“…You, you…”
“Why…are you here?”
“Are those… fake earrings? Did the crow steal Grandmother’s earrings from you, sister and brother?”
Whoosh—.
At my words, the twins jumped up, each grabbing one of my arms and pulling me into the space behind the curtain. Intimidation was the twins’ specialty.
But I wasn’t one to lose to the twins, so I prepared to counterattack.
“…Please, let it go.”
“Huh?”
Marty, who met my gaze, loosened his grip on my arm, as if he was a frightened child, and mumbled timidly.
Together with Harty, they begged me to pretend I hadn’t heard anything, so I made them a proposal.
“…The pearl earrings from the Shushubia Islands were sold for 1.2 billion Kona to Bidder No. 4!”
Aunt Marian, my target for revenge, suffered a loss of 1.2 billion Kona at the hands of my father.
[Marian! You actually bought those for 1.2 billion!]
Even though the auction for the pearl earrings had ended, Aqum was still leaning against the railing, laughing at her.
Hmm, maybe I should go easy on Aunt Marian this time since she looked so pitiful?
Because rather than revealing that those earrings were fake…
“Sister and brother, you said you’d do anything if I kept the secret, right?”
It would be more fun to gain two new followers.
Hehe.
When I spoke, the twins flinched in horror.
“…Eek.”
“Urgh….”
Who would have thought those blondes could look so adorable? Smiling gently, I laid paper on the floor and handed the twins a pen.
“Write down everything I say from now on, okay?”
***
There was an old legend passed down among the wolf clan.
A black wolf spirit, in human form, was said to guard the forest.
Anne, who had resolved to die, turned her body toward the person approaching from behind.
In that moment, Anne was surprised twice—first, by the fact that the person wasn’t a knight, but a young boy, and second, by the thought that he might be the forest guardian spirit.
“……….”
His black hair swayed in the wind. He looked at her with piercing black eyes.
The appearance of the boy under the moonlight didn’t feel real. She had never seen a boy so beautiful.
Soon, she realized he was neither a spirit nor a wolf, but a human.
“You’re Anne, right? I followed you from the main house.”
“Oh, yes. But I—”
“This isn’t the way. Follow me.”
The boy’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He was merely holding it out of habit, but Anne had no way of knowing that. Her mind filled with the thought that he might draw it on her.
‘So I ended up following him…’
Anne looked at the boy walking ahead of her. She was relieved to still be alive and followed him, but her mind was swirling with confusion.
‘Is there such a young knight in Travel?’
Given the sword at his waist, he might be a squire. He looked noble and refined, perhaps the young master of a noble family attending a charity auction.
But where was this young master taking her? If they continued in this direction, they’d reach the front entrance.
Unable to hold back her anxiety and curiosity any longer, Anne called out to him.
“Excuse me, young master!”
“………”
“I don’t know how much you know of my situation, but I need to go somewhere…! Could you at least tell me where we’re going? Where are you taking me?”
In response to her urgent question, the boy stopped walking and turned around to face Anne, who stood there helplessly.
“Evening Primrose Inn.”
Hearing his reply, Anne gasped. The Evening Primrose Inn… wasn’t that the place written on the note? The inn where Jeffrey was staying—how could this young master know about it?
Could it be…
“Did the god Aubawth send you, young master?”
Anne clasped her hands together in awe, her voice filled with emotion, her gaze reverent as if she were looking at a sacred figure.
What a strange person. Theon took a slight step back and spoke to Anne.
“My teacher instructed me to bring you to the inn.”
***
That night.
After the auction ended, Reytan returned to Stone House as if nothing had happened.
Berry, who had arrived first, greeted Reytan casually, and Theon, pretending he had returned from training, arrived around the same time as Reytan.
“How was the auction, Young Master Reytan?”
“No success. I came back empty-handed.”
Reytan raised his empty hands in sync with Berry’s act.
“Huh? Dad couldn’t buy anything?”
“I let her have it. It seemed like Aunt really wanted it.”
Aunt Marian would have thrown a fit if she heard that.
“Dad doesn’t have any greed, does he?”
Reytan patted his daughter’s head as she looked at him with disappointment.
He exchanged glances with Theon, who nodded back. It meant he had taken the maid to the designated location.
“Then, children, it’s time to go upstairs and sleep. It’s already night.”
“Dad, are you going somewhere?”
“I have some things to take care of. Don’t forget to brush your teeth and wash your face. Sherry.”
“Alright, I’ll make sure to check if she do it properly.”
“…Yay.”
Sherry giggled, and Berry replied indifferently.
“And Theon, too.”
“Yes.”
After checking on Theon as well, Reytan soon left Stone House.
He had something to discuss with Countess Priscilla.
‘…It’s best to remain unnoticed.’
It hadn’t been long since the guests from the auction had left. The Count’s estate was still bustling with servants cleaning up and knights guarding the area.
Reytan chose a quiet spot to approach the main house. From a distance, he could see the lights shining brightly from Sapphire House and Emerald House.
He could easily imagine Marian causing a commotion in her quarters and Yossel fretting nervously.
‘Serves them right.’
Reytan smirked.
Though he’d intended to simply observe this time, it was their carelessness that exposed their vulnerability to him.
When living with beasts, one must occasionally become a threat to them. It’s essential to remind them that he’s not someone to be easily trampled upon.
“Reytan, simply baring your teeth isn’t always the best. Sometimes, you have to hold hands even with those you despise.”
“Hold hands with those beasts? I’d rather hold a corpse’s hand on a battlefield.”
“Haha. Corpses have no strength. Travel, however, is powerful. If there’s something you want to protect, you must know how to use that strength.”
Reytan had begun to ponder Brown’s old words seriously ever since Berry met his father.
Simply hiding his strength to avoid scrutiny wasn’t enough. If he wanted to protect Berry, he needed more decisive measures.
Even if that sometimes meant holding hands with those he despised. Reytan had to accept that he couldn’t live as he had six years ago.
Well, maybe there’s nothing wrong with holding the hand of a beast.
‘Berry’s safety comes first.’
Anyway, here he was, playing the role of a father. If Brown saw this, he’d laugh himself to tears.
Before he knew it, he had reached the second-floor hallway of the main house.
Thinking of Brown brought a brief smile to Reytan’s face, but it vanished as he approached the firmly closed door.
Reytan fixed his deep blue gaze on the door, raised his hand, and knocked.
“Come in.”
The woman’s voice floated out from within.
As he opened the door, he saw Priscilla sitting on the sofa. Dressed in comfortable indoor clothes, she was sipping warm tea and smiled slightly as she looked at Reytan entering.
Her demeanor was entirely different from the enraged Marian who was likely still fuming in Sapphire House.
“Did everything go as planned?”
Reytan smiled at the woman who had betrayed her daughter.
“Thanks to you, Mother.”
🍓;
*Blind, metaphorically refers to being blind to knowledge or awareness.
*Minus Touch, often used to describe someone who seems to ruin or devalue everything they touch, the opposite of the Midas Touch. Could be a creative term used in satire or storytelling to describe a character with bad luck or poor decision-making.
