Episode 64

 

“Ludwig.”

As I met his gaze, looking up at me, I was reminded of what Eveline had said earlier.

[He cares about you a lot, my lady.]

My heart fluttered slightly.

“The southern region is warmer than the capital and has a time difference, so it might take some time to adjust.”

“Yes, I’m having trouble sleeping. I guess the change in my surroundings is making it hard to rest.”

After a brief pause, I spoke again.

“Would you keep me company then?”

Ludwig’s eyes widened slightly at my request, but then he smiled.

“Of course.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll come down.”

There was a small staircase beside the terrace that led directly to the garden.

I descended the steps and walked over to where Ludwig was standing.

The weather here in the south was cooler compared to the chill that had already settled over the capital, making it pleasant for a night walk. But after walking so much today, I didn’t have the energy for it.

Ludwig must have sensed that because he removed his coat and spread it out on the ground in the garden.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I sat down, and he took a seat next to me.

In the distance, the quiet sea shimmered under the moonlight.

“This is my first time visiting the seaside.”

“Really? So, you’ve never left the capital before?”

“Yes. This is the furthest I’ve ever traveled. It’s not exactly a vacation, but it’s a nice change of pace.”

The villa was situated far from the bustling city center.

The tranquility made the chirping of crickets in the grass stand out even more.

“I heard from the maid that this was where you lived as a child,” I said.

“That’s right. My father had my mother and me stay here before he formally brought us to the Grand Duchy.”

He looked around the villa.

“When I was little, this place felt enormous, but now it seems rather modest.”

It wasn’t a grand residence for someone of the Grand Duke’s direct lineage.

But it seemed to hold good memories for Ludwig, judging by the nostalgic tone in his voice.

“I remember sitting in the garden with my mother, counting the stars, just like now.”

“You must have counted a lot of stars.”

“I certainly tired her out,” he said with a chuckle.

“I never imagined I’d return to this place.”

“……”

I gazed absentmindedly at the sea before speaking.

“Thank you. Even though you had your own schedule, you moved it up to come to Neyvon because of me.”

I looked at him directly as I said this.

“And I’m grateful that you helped me find Robert through Queensbury. None of this would’ve been possible without your assistance.”

“…It was nothing.”

Ludwig’s ears turned red, for some reason. Was he the type to get embarrassed by praise?

Who would have thought that one day I’d find Ludwig Karsian cute?

I couldn’t help but laugh as I continued.

“Tomorrow, Eveline and I are going to explore the city. There’s supposed to be a big festival. What about you?”

“I have a breakfast meeting with the mayor of Neyvon.”

“The mayor of Neyvon… He’s a member of the Karsian branch family, right?”

The reason Ludwig wanted to meet him was likely related to the issues surrounding the residents of the East District.

After witnessing the atrocities committed by the Council of Elders firsthand, he was probably planning to address them.

“The wall you saw earlier will be torn down, and the residents of the East District will be compensated for the land that was taken from them.”

“I heard the mayor has a pretty nasty personality. Do you think it’ll be possible?”

“He was one of the people who used to despise me when I was younger,” Ludwig said with a low laugh.

“He won’t dare act that way tomorrow. He knows well what happened to the head of the council.”

I had heard that the former head of the council, Alfonso, and his son Gacent had been punished within the Karsian family.

However, no one knew exactly what form the punishment took.

‘It seems Ludwig has finally avenged his mother.’

Unlike in the original story, Ludwig had probably achieved the revenge he sought.

Without staining his hands with blood or damaging his reputation, Alfonso had likely paid for his sins and fallen from grace.

“So, does that mean you’ll be free tomorrow evening?”

“Yes, since it’s just a breakfast meeting, I’ll be free in the evening.”

“Then would you like to join me for the festival tomorrow night? I heard the lantern festival is quite the sight to behold.”

Ludwig looked at me.

Though it was dark, his golden eyes seemed to shine brightly.

His gaze on me felt particularly intense.

“I’d love to. Anything, as long as it’s with you.”

Even his voice, as he said that, sounded especially pleasing.

For some reason, this night felt like a dream.

* * *

The next morning, I had a simple breakfast.

Ludwig had left for his breakfast meeting with the mayor, so I ate with Raven and Eveline.

“You don’t like cherry tomatoes, do you?”

“Huh?”

Raven made the comment out of nowhere.

It was true that I didn’t like cherry tomatoes. Even now, I hadn’t touched the ones in my salad.

“It’s an occupational hazard, my lady. Please try to refrain, Raven,” Eveline said.

“Haha, my apologies.”

“It’s fine. You’re right, I don’t really like cherry tomatoes,” I said with a smile.

Ever since I was a child—or rather, even in my previous life—cherry tomatoes had been the one thing I was picky about.

I usually left them for last and forced myself to eat them, so no one had ever noticed. But it seemed that the eyes of an intelligence agent couldn’t be fooled.

“You said you’re heading into Flora with Eveline today, right?” Raven asked.

“That’s right. There’s a festival going on, so there’s a lot to see. What about you?”

“I have some investigations to carry out under the Grand Duke’s orders.”

“Is it about the mayor?”

“Exactly.”

If the negotiations didn’t go well, they would need some leverage to pressure the mayor.

The mayor had left the residents of the East District to suffer from the epidemic, citing a lack of budget for the necessary medicine.

‘Lack of budget? This is the wealthiest city in the south.’

It wouldn’t take much digging to uncover the mayor’s corruption.

Once Queensbury started investigating, there would be no escaping it.

With that thought, I finally ate the last cherry tomato on my plate.

After the light breakfast, Eveline and I finished getting ready and boarded the carriage.

Eveline was dressed in a protective outfit, a sword hanging at her waist.

I had learned yesterday that Eveline handled physical tasks for Queensbury.

She was a skilled swordswoman who specialized in infiltrating dangerous organizations and leading raids on crime scenes.

Given that she had earned Ludwig’s trust, her skills must have been exceptional.

The carriage headed toward Flora’s city center.

Flora was located in the Chetwind County, right next to Neyvon City.

It wasn’t far from the Karsian villa, either.

“Wow…”

I looked out the window, eyes sparkling.

The Flora region held a large festival every year at the end of the year, and we had arrived during that very week.

“Is this your first time attending a local festival?” Eveline asked.

“Yes, and it’s been a while since I’ve been out in the city.”

I felt a surge of excitement.

We got out of the carriage and began exploring various parts of the city.

Time flew by as we browsed the lined-up stalls and walked around.

Before I knew it, I had a cotton candy in one hand and a chicken skewer in the other.

“My lady, shall we head over there next? There’s a shop selling handmade crafts.”

“That sounds great!”

Eveline was practically acting as my personal guide.

As expected of an intelligence agent, she knew the exact locations of all the stalls at the Flora festival and guided me to places she thought I’d like.

We were walking around, having a great time, when I noticed a crowd gathered in front of one of the shops.

Loud voices echoed from the scene, as if something was going on.

“What’s happening? Eveline, let’s go check it out.”

We made our way over to the commotion.

Two rough-looking men were bullying an elderly woman.

“What are you going to do about this, old woman? Do you have any idea how expensive this outfit is?”

“But you’re the one who bumped into me. Why are you acting like this…?”

The man had white ice cream smeared all over his clothes.

“Are you trying to deny it? Don’t play games with me.”

The man yelled angrily and gave the old woman a rough shove on the shoulder.

“Oh, oh no!”

She lost her balance and closed her eyes, bracing for the fall.

But nothing happened.

I had caught her before she could hit the ground.

“Huh? You’re…”

The old woman looked at me, her expression startled.

I smiled at her.

“Are you alright?”

“What’s this? Are you her granddaughter or something?”

The man yelled at me, annoyed that I had intervened.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, get lost!”

“No thanks. You’re the one who should leave.”

At my words, the man’s face twisted with anger.