“Have a seat.”
With that simple gesture, Ash sat down across from Diana. He got straight to the point without much hesitation. The quantity and price of the magic stones to be purchased from the count’s mine, as well as some other details, were discussed.
“What is the purity of the magic stones from the newly developed mine?”
“All except 10% are grade 1.”
“Then we can proceed as is, with no change in price, and everything else…”
Magic stones were mainly used for castle wall defenses. Since the transaction had been discussed before, everything was concluded simply with few changes. There was absolutely no need for someone like the daughter of a count to come in person.
So, when he heard the news that she was coming not long ago, he wondered, ‘Why bother?’
“Excuse me… Your Grace.”
As soon as he thought that, when they’d finished talking about the transaction, Diana spoke.
“What is it?”
“Well…”
When he spoke indifferently, Diana, who hesitated for a moment, shyly covered her mouth and asked.
“I sent you several letters a while ago… Have you read any of them?”
Letters?
Ash, who was hesitant at hearing this for the first time, glanced at Lowell, who was standing on one side. And when he saw Lowell, who’d been openly talking about this the day before, he figured out the situation.
All letters addressed to him were handled by Lowell. The only letters that have not been reported to him are those related to personal affairs. For some reason, something felt suspicious. It was clear that he’d already received several letters from her, but Lowell was pretending not to know, even though he was fully aware.
As if to confirm Ash’s suspicions, Diana’s voice continued.
“I’ve been wanting to see you since the last time you ridded my estate of the monsters… You rarely respond to my letters. Actually, this deal was just an excuse, I came because I wanted to see you.”
Diana, who had been speaking grimly, soon raised her flushed face and laughed.
Last winter, Ash received a request to subdue monsters at Count Müller’s territory. A large number of monsters had appeared near the magic stone mine owned by the count.
Unlike regular mines, there were many cases of monsters living around magic stone mines. The higher the purity of stones in the mine and the more magic stones buried, the greater the number of them. This was also the case with the Count’s mine.
Due to the unprecedented number of monsters appearing, a situation occurred where they came down to the village.
At that time, Diana was frightened when she saw a swarm of pitch-black monsters approaching the castle wall, but then a man appeared and wiped out the hordes of monsters. A man as beautiful as a prince in a fairy tale.
Ever since she saw that overwhelming sight, whenever Diana thought of Ash, her heart fluttered.
“…”
Ash closed his mouth at the words that clearly revealed her affection. And from Diana’s few words, Elaine understood the general situation.
‘She came because she had feelings for Ash.’
Diana’s eyes reflected her excitement as she looked at him.
“If it’s okay with you, there’s something I’d like to ask you…”
Diana pursed her lips and fiddled with her fingers. She looked at him shyly.
“I need a partner to go with me to the Birthday Banquet, if you haven’t already found one… how about going with me?”
The King’s Birthday Festival takes place every year. The birthday banquet held that day was the largest gathering of nobles, they came from all over the country. Asking someone to be your partner means asking for their first dance of the night. Contrary to her shy appearance, Diana was being very aggressive.
Until now, Ash had never brought a partner with him to that event.
In fact, because of the stares that surrounded him, everyone was reluctant to be his partner for fear of drawing negative attention. Of course, there was also the fact that Ash did not need a partner, but the former reason could not be completely ruled out.
By any measure, Diana was being quite courageous. It is even considered shameful for a lady to ask first, but Diana didn’t seem to mind.
Elaine felt it was in Ash’s best interest to accept. Even if he didn’t care, attending such an event without a partner was likely to make people ridicule him. Of course, it was better to have a partner, and Count Müller’s family was not only wealthy, but also very influential in the mining industry.
Diana was a beauty in Elain’s eyes, and they were well matched. If the two formed a relationship, she would be of great help to Ash.
But for some reason, Elaine was hoping he wouldn’t accept. Diana has a very clear crush on him, a positive attitude, and a solid background. When she imagined her and Ash dancing together, her heart throbbed as if it were being pricked by a needle.
It was a strange feeling. Why? It’s obviously a good offer for him, and she should be happy that someone likes him…
It was a similar feeling to when the topic of his fiancé came up. At that time, she felt empty imagining that she might have to send her beloved Ash off to someone, she thought that was it.
But was that really all there was?
She looked at Ash with confused eyes. From her seat, she could only see his back, so she couldn’t tell what kind of expression he was making.
But he’ll probably accept. It’s not a bad offer for him.
As she struggled to tear her gaze away from him, Ash’s voice broke through.
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at Diana and spoke softly.
“I appreciate the offer, but I will have to decline.”
Elaine’s eyes widened slightly. Diana asked, her eyebrows drooping as she pursed her lips several times.
“…Have you already found a partner?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then you’re afraid you’ll cause me trouble? I don’t care about that, and my father said he’ll respect my wishes.”
That wasn’t it. Ash was silent for a moment. He knew he had no reason to refuse, however… For some reason, he didn’t want to partner with anyone else.
So, who did he want to go with?
The question came to mind automatically. He couldn’t answer right away. He spoke clearly to Diana, who was looking at him.
“I just don’t need a partner. I appreciate the offer. But I apologize again.”
It wasn’t a lie. It’s true that he originally had no intention of finding a partner. His voice was calm and dry. The crisp, cutting words were the answer to her feelings.
She didn’t expect to build a rapport quickly. But to not even give her a chance to approach him…
“Well, it’s okay if we just go as business partners-”
“The answer is the same.”
Diana’s expression changed, she looked like she’d start crying at any moment. She wasn’t so reckless that she’d insist any further.
“…I see, I understand.”
Diana answered after biting her lip. Then she smiled brightly and stood up, saying she would be leaving now.
Immediately after, she left the office rather quickly with the documents in hand. Lowell ran towards Ash, holding his head.
“Sir, why are you doing this!”
“What.”
“What do you mean?! Why did you refuse the offer to be her partner? It was a good offer for you, right? You need a partner, even if it’s not necessarily the person you had in mind. Of course, it would be best if this developed into a good relationship, but as she said…”
“As expected, this was your goal.”
“Well, to be honest, I don’t know of anyone else who would have the courage to ask for a partner like you. I think it would have been nice for you to meet her at least once…”
“I told you not to do anything unnecessary.”
When Ash raised his eyebrows and glared, Lowell, who flinched, spoke as if making an excuse.
“Well, then, are you planning on going to this banquet alone? If you do that, it’s obvious that you will be ignored again.”
People’s ridicule was nothing to Ash, but that was not necessarily the same for Lowell. Who in the world would enjoy seeing their Lord being treated like that? After speaking, he felt even more aggrieved, and Lowell continued to repeat his words as if trying to persuade him.
However, when Ash did not listen to him, he asked Elaine for help. However, Elaine was also preoccupied with other thoughts and was not listening to him. Moments ago, when Ash turned down Diana’s offer, she realized that she was relieved.
She moved her gaze to the window where she could hear the faint sound of horses’ hooves. The carriage Diana was riding in was leaving. Elaine’s face became even more confused.
Ash’s expression was as complex as hers. The question from earlier was about to come back to the forefront of his mind.
There was a knock on the door outside.
“Sir, I have something to urgently report.”
“…Come in.”
Ash replied, a beat slow. When he was granted permission, the man greeted him politely and walked in at a brisk pace.
“What is it?”
“This just arrived.”
The man handed him an envelope. It was a plain white envelope. However, Ash recognized the pattern on the corner and immediately opened the letter.
“…!”
His expression gradually changed as he read. His eyes were shaking as if he was agitated. After a while, without taking his eyes off the letter, he spoke in a suppressed voice.
“…Get ready to leave right away.”
Elaine and Lowell stiffened at the unusual atmosphere.
The man who delivered the letter to Ash bowed silently and immediately left the room to carry out his orders. The door closed and Lowell asked with a stern expression.
“…Is there a problem?”
Ash muttered his answer while clutching the letter.
“I found a clue.”
A single sentence was scrawled across the page where his gaze was fixed.
[We found traces of Sir Walter Lister.]
