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While most people looked down on him, there were also many who approached him because of his beautiful appearance. However, because of the rumors surrounding him and the many stares directed at him, those people who approached him sent this kind of invitation instead of sending a love letter openly.
Of course, there were a few people who didn’t care about such things and sent love letters openly anyway, but Lowell carefully filtered those out. These invitations were things he’d gotten countless times before, but he’d never responded to any, he just found it all annoying and tiresome.
When he frowned, Lowell spoke again in protest.
“But aren’t you old enough to get married? You need to decide on a fiancé soon.”
“Who told you to worry about such things? I have no intention of doing so just yet, so mind your own business.”
“I heard Prince Michael asked the Laker’s for an engagement! Hasn’t he already started looking for a fiancé?”
So that was the reason he’d suddenly done something he wasn’t asked to do?
While Ash clicked his tongue, Lowell continued his rant.
“We must be first, we can’t lose to them!”
“Are you the one getting married? Don’t get all weirdly competitive about this.”
Ash closed his eyes and pressed his temples.
“But aren’t you already twenty-three? All the other nobles your age got married a long time ago.”
Noble marriages usually take place at the age of 18, when a person becomes an adult. The second son or second daughter, who did not inherit the family lineage, sometimes married later, but most of them married early as well. Therefore, if the timing was missed, it was difficult to find a suitable marriage partner.
Lowell also had a point. He was the only one who was willing to intervene in these matters, but…
Then Lowell continued.
“You’re not taking this seriously. If you delay and too much time passes, it will only be a loss to you. Isn’t that right, Dame Elaine?”
With that, Lowell looked back at Elaine. Elaine blinked in confusion as the question was suddenly directed at her.
Ash watched her, unconsciously anticipating her answer. But Elaine couldn’t come up with a response right away. For a moment, her mind went blank as she didn’t know what to say.
Marriage. Ash is going to marry someone.
It was expected and very natural. He was royalty and a duke who ruled a fiefdom. If he were an ordinary noble, he would’ve gotten married a long time ago. But when she imagined that he would actually marry someone, there was a strange twinge in her chest.
Of course, he’d said he had no intention of marrying just yet, and from what she’d seen of him, he didn’t seem to be seeing anyone else, but…
Elaine smiled vaguely.
“You’re right, vice-captain, but… Isn’t his opinion the most important thing?”
Yes, no matter what, Ash’s heart was the most important. It was probably the abruptness of it all that made her feel so strange, the emptiness of letting go of someone she cared for like a nephew.
After speaking, she lowered her gaze slightly, so she didn’t know that Ash was quietly staring at her.
At that time, Lowell shook his head vigorously.
“No, it doesn’t matter. If things continue like this, it’s obvious that he’ll be an old bachelor until he’s 30, no, 40!”
“Are you cursing him now?”
“No, it’s just that he cuts out all the people who are good and just works all the time. His Grace is so handsome! He’s wasting his good looks and it’s deplorable.”
“But, they are all just people who look at the outer shell and attack later.”
“That… There might be people who aren’t like that!”
As he spoke, tilting his head crookedly, Lowell, who had been hesitant, shouted resolutely.
“You’re too noisy. If you’re done talking, put these things away and get out.”
He drew a line, refusing to allow any further interference. It was an unpleasant subject originally, but for some reason he didn’t want to talk about it in front of Elaine even more.
He ruffled his hair, somewhat annoyed.
Lowell couldn’t say anything more and had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. Then, when Ash was about to push the letters aside, he seemed to remember something and quickly picked up an envelope from the pile.
“Oh, I almost forgot, you still have to read this.”
“Is this an invitation too?”
“No, it’s from the eldest daughter of Count Müller. They are requesting a meeting regarding a transaction.”
The Müller’s were a family that suddenly became rich through their magic stone mines. Although there was some business recently that had to do with the count family, it was minor enough to just send a subordinate. Why would the Count’s eldest daughter come in person?
He raised an eyebrow, but Lowell pretended not to notice and looked away.
His face looked like he was thinking about something useless.
“Well, then, I’ll be off!”
With that, Lowell waved goodbye and scurried out of the office. Ash narrowed his eyes but didn’t follow him, and Elaine gave a small shake of her head.
It was not long afterward that Lowell’s true intentions were revealed.
* * *
The next morning, Elaine woke up early and threw back the covers. Outside the window, it was pitch black, almost dawn.
After a quick shower, she still had time before her shift. She hesitated for a moment, then took grabbed a thick document hidden in her room.
It was the list of the dragon subjugation team. To be precise, it was the list of team members that passed through the Laker’s gate 20 years ago.
‘Travel list?’
When Yulina Lakers said she would give her anything she wanted as repayment, Elaine asked for this list. After hearing her request, Yulina widened her eyes in puzzlement.
The travel lists weren’t shown to outsiders for security reasons. However, the records Elaine requested were from 20 years ago, and it was Yulina who told her to request anything she wanted.
Although Yulina wondered why she needed the records of the evil dragon subjugation team, she did not ask for details. She even said she would make a copy if Elaine wanted.
To be honest, she wondered if it was really okay to ask for something like this, but Yulina just smiled and replied.
‘I told you, the Laker’s never forget to repay their debts.’
Even so, she was grateful.
Contrary to her first impressions, Yulina was a calmer and more thoughtful person than she thought. Above all, she was exactly like her father in that she didn’t bend once she made up her mind.
Elaine cleared her mind and flipped through the list.
[North Gate.
April 18, 511 in the Philion Calendar.
The Royal Extermination Force of the Evil Dragon Subjugation Army, 1st Corps Commander-in-Chief Lloyd de Philion, Deputy Commander Taylor Wood, 1st Division Commander Kevin Breyer…]
Elaine had assumed that the criminals responsible for the Seveka incident were within the subjugation team. However, the subjugation team was large in number with well over several thousand people. Of course, it would be impossible to investigate that many people.
‘There’s no need for that.’
Normally, the passage of such a large number of people would be summarized by the name’s of the representatives and high-ranking officials. And if the evil dragon’s body had been stolen anyway, the leader would have been a high-ranking official, not a low-ranking individual.
‘So, if we focus on those people… huh?’
As she continued to flip through the records, she suddenly discovered something strange.
The group that had defeated the evil dragon had also passed through the Laker’s Gate on their way home, and their actions had been recorded. But that wasn’t what caught her eye.
It was the fact that a majority of the forces returned at the same time, but there was a group that passed through the gate a few days later.
‘Why did these people come back so late? What were they doing?’
She checked further, and her eyes turned cold at what she saw.
[Evil Dragon Corpse Collection Team]
What better conditions could there be for stealing a demonic dragon’s carcass? Easy access to the carcass, without raising anyone’s suspicions.
She studied the names on the list. There were two mages, a company of infantry knights, and a dozen or so priests.
Among them, there were few names that Elaine recognized. Although she often visited the palace, she had no interaction with the knights or wizards there.
The commander of the 11th Division, the commander of the 4th Magic Division, and…
[…Talos Asgar, commander of the 7th Magic Division]
Elaine stopped reading and pulled a pen and paper from a drawer. She scribbled down the commanders’ names, one by one.
They were all people who could hold the key to her finding the truth about that day. She would contact the Intelligence Guild to find out their whereabouts.
Now, only a few steps remained. Just a little further and she would get to the bottom of that day’s disaster.
She clutched the piece of paper with the names on it tightly.
A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost time for her shift. She wiped her face and hid the note and list back where she had retrieved them from.
She left the room and walked down the hall at a brisk pace. She bumped into Ash and Lowell outside his office a short time later. Standing in the hallway, looking out the window, they turned when they sensed her presence.
“You’re here?”
“Good morning, Dame Elaine.”
Ash spoke briefly and Lowell smiled lightly and greeted her. Elaine asked curiously.
“What are you two doing standing here and not going in?”
“Ah, I think Count Müller’s carriage has arrived.”
She followed Lowell’s gesture and looked out the window to see an ornate carriage pull up in front of the mansion. It was from the family that had recently requested a meeting regarding a mineral transaction.
‘Now that I think about it, he’d said they were planning to visit today.’
“They’ll be up soon. Let’s go inside.”
At Ash’s words, they entered the office. A moment later, the woman who entered the office lifted the hem of her dress and greeted shyly.
“Greetings to Killiard’s Star.”
Luscious, wavy caramel-colored hair and big eyes. She, who had a lovely appearance, was Diana, the eldest daughter of Count Müller.
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