Even while walking steadily, Ellie clicked her tongue and tilted her head.
Fine, whatever.
There was no point in being curious since no one would answer her anyway. Questions were a luxury for a ghost.
‘Besides, Adi will have to go to the temple soon.’
No matter how late, the opportunity would come within the year.
She didn’t understand why the Mason family had been neglecting the child to this extent.
Once a child turned five, by imperial law, every child, regardless of their status, had to visit the temple to receive a blessing.
In other words, this meant she could leave the mansion.
‘Unless there’s a serious issue preventing her from going to the temple, this is a mandatory procedure that even Rutus can’t interfere with.’
Especially in the closed-off noble society, this compulsion was even stronger.
If a child couldn’t even go to receive a blessing, the dominant opinion was that there must be some problem.
To avoid suspicions, which could range from minor health issues to major intellectual deficiencies, no one dared break this rule.
-When the time comes, I should tell him about the hidden account or…
If not, I should create an excuse to secretly send the child to the Mason family.
At least Marie is a reliable ally, so she will be helpful.
‘The problem is, even if I make a plan, can I execute it as a ghost?’
Well… Regardless of the outcome, it wouldn’t hurt to be healthy, so regular walks might be necessary.
Pause.
“……”
-……?
It was while she was lost in these thoughts, heading towards Marie with the child, that Ellie suddenly stopped holding her dress and looked down.
-Adi?
It was because the small figure, who had been walking well, suddenly halted.
When she lowered her head to meet his face, she noticed the child was looking elsewhere.
Ellie followed the child’s gaze.
Several servants who had been busily moving between the main house and the annex caught her eye.
‘What is this…?’
Just as she was about to speak.
“Lia.”
-Huh, yes?
“…I don’t want to eat candy anymore.”
-Suddenly, what’s the matter, oh…
Before she could finish her sentence, the child turned and quickly ran up the stairs, disappearing from sight.
Ellie, who came to her senses a moment too late, was left standing alone in the long hallway.
‘My child… My child wasn’t the type to cut off someone else’s words like this and leave, was he?’
The current situation was extremely bewildering.
Only then did Ellie, who had been racking her brain over what was going on, stop.
Until just last week, the child hadn’t shown any reaction, let alone any interest, to the servants.
He simply passed by them as if they were framed paintings on the wall.
So that meant the cause was within the recent past, and as far as I know, the only unusual thing was our visit to the main house.
Considering she had spent the whole day glued to the child, the probability of missing something happening in between was…
‘Practically nonexistent.’
Ellie calmly sorted things out in her head. Well, not exactly calmly, but she did anyway.
What was the cause?
Did he run away in such terror simply because he’s visiting the main house?
The child is not that sensitive.
Then why did the servants go to the main house?
‘…It’s because of the management of the mansion.’
Why do they manage it?
As she eliminated the possibilities, the only thing left was one.
-……Rutus.
Ellie let out a deep, quiet sigh and rubbed her temples.
-……I made a mistake.
No matter how dignified he was, Adi was just a four-year-old child.
No wonder his only father had locked him up in the annex and came back after nearly three years without even showing his face.
He couldn’t be okay. Pretending to be okay doesn’t mean he really is okay.
It could be just speculation, but what her instincts were telling her was clear.
For whatever reason, Rutus was somehow involved in the child’s strange behavior.
Now that she knew that, she couldn’t put off what she had been trying so hard to ignore any longer.
-…….
Ellie thought about the rare distorted face the child had made just before he turned her back.
I guess I should go see Rutus tonight.
* * *
Ellie, who had intended to act nonchalantly, couldn’t help but steal glances at the child’s every move.
Ellie, following the child who had headed towards the attic, entered the hallway and found the child once again sitting on the chair at the desk, simply staring at the potted plant, her eyes rolling around in their sockets.
Then Marie brought in the food, and after a while, the child finished eating and seemed to have a short chat with Marie.
Only after the sun had set and it had grown dark for three or four hours did the child start yawning.
Once he expressed his fatigue and was coaxed into washing up and going to bed, he fell asleep quickly.
And then.
……this is now.
-He won’t wake up, will he……?
Ellie, who had quietly slipped out of the room, afraid that the child might wake up, exhaled the breath she had been holding.
There was no need to go to such lengths unless the child was going to make a fuss and scream or cry, which was unlikely. It was more a matter of her own feelings.
After witnessing the heart-stopping rooftop show where the child quietly slipped away while pretending to be asleep, Ellie realized she needed to be more cautious.
‘Let’s go see what great things you’re doing while you’re abandoning your rabbit-like child.’
Ellie gritted her teeth and headed towards the main house.
Since she was a ghost, she didn’t walk, so she could arrive in an instant if she wanted to.
-Oh, but…… what if he’s asleep?
Ellie, who had quickly entered the main house, stopped as she looked around at the places where Rutus might be.
Frustrated and angry from the buildup of anger, she had only thought about going to see Rutus and hadn’t considered the important time.
‘……He’s supposed to sleep by ten.’
What kind of man was Rutus? One of the few sword masters in the empire, he was also a knight commander of the imperial knights and had the title of duke.
It was natural that he would have a lot to do beyond words.
How did he manage to handle all that work and still keep a regular bedtime?
-But it’s already…….
Ellie’s mouth shut tight as she quickly racked her brain and recalled the time she had checked before leaving the attic.
Just in case the child woke up in the middle of the night, she had waited an extra two hours to make sure she was completely asleep.
……It was already well past midnight.
‘Am I supposed to go and stare at his sleeping face? Seriously?’
Was this even a sane thing to do at this hour?
It was a moment when the servants had also gone to bed and the mansion was empty except for the guards standing watch, and she was wandering around the empty first floor of the mansion.
Clack, clack.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway from a distance.
Ellie turned her head in the direction of the sound and her eyes widened. It was a familiar face.
‘That must be… Sir Montero, probably.’
Siren Montero. The second son of Count Montero, one of the vassals of Ratcliffe.
Born with deep blue-green hair and lemon-colored eyes, which could be considered the emblem of the family, I heard that he had given up his succession rights early on because he did not intend to threaten the succession structure.
Going to whom? To Rutus.
And now he is the commander of the Ratcliffe Knights… Oh?
‘The Knights’ quarters are on the complete opposite side.’
Ellie’s eyes, watching the commander of the knights climbing the stairs with a frown on his face as if something was seriously wrong, flickered with interest for a moment.
That way was clearly in the direction of the room where Ellie and Rutus’s bedroom, along with the study, were located.
If the commander was not going to barge into Rutus’s room at this time, his destination was just as certain.
Ellie hurried after the commander. It was because she was somehow convinced that they were looking for the same person.
-If I go in and don’t find him, I’ll just have to look for him alone again, whatever.
Anyway, it was a refreshing experience to be able to wander around without being noticed in the presence of a seasoned knight.
How many seconds did they walk down the long hallway?
Due to the fast pace, the commander stopped much sooner than expected, and the location where he stopped was, as expected, in front of a very familiar door.
“I’m coming in.”
Ellie’s eyes widened as he opened the door without knocking or waiting for a response. She couldn’t help but be surprised, vaguely remembering the commander’s usual strict adherence to hierarchy.
Confused by the out-of-character behavior, Ellie stepped inside and doubted her own eyes.
‘…What’s that?’
Ellie, who was twice surprised by the sight of her husband’s appearance, opened her mouth wide.
‘Did he starve himself on the battlefield?’
He was noticeably thinner and haggard, his sharp features accentuated by the dark circles under his eyes.
Ellie took a step back for a moment, startled by his unshaven beard and unkempt hair.
It was not only his appearance that was shocking, but also the conversation he had just had with the commander.
“That’s enough. Let’s just call it a night and go in and rest.”
“Get lost.”
Rutus, looking annoyed, opened his mouth.
“Who told you to come in without permission?”
“I knew you wouldn’t give me permission anyway, even if I waited. Everyone is worried, so I came as a representative, so please don’t take it out on me.”
“Disobeying orders is subject to immediate execution. I guess you have two lives, Sir.”
“Yes, that might have been the case a few days ago, but now we’re not on the battlefield, so immediate execution is not possible. Your Grace should know that too.”
Ellie let out a sigh as she watched Ruthis, his face weary, rub his brow and mutter curses.
No, so the man I see before me now… is my husband, right?
Where did the upright living young man who smelled like a sun-dried blanket on a fine sunny day, who used to smile brightly, disappear to?
Is this cold-blooded figure, who seems like not even a drop of blood would come out if pricked with a needle, the same person?
“Even if I can’t kill you right away, I can punish you. Starting today, you’ll be detained for a week. You won’t eat anything other than water and bread. Sleep is also prohibited.”
“I must hear a definitive answer before I leave. Please just go to bed now.”
Even to Ellie, who didn’t fully understand military law, the punishment sounded irrational.
Shocked by the stark difference between the Rutus she knew and his current demeanor, Ellie’s mind refused to process the situation properly.
The Knight Commander, who had seen such situations before, spoke without even blinking. Ellie blinked rapidly at his words that it had been over a month since he had seen him sleep.
“Even if it’s different on the battlefield, there’s a problem with acting like this even after coming back. Your Grace needs rest right now, and as your vassal, I have an obligation to worry about your safety.”
“Ha….”
“…I understand that it’s hard because of your wife, but it’s been four years already. No matter how much of a sword master you are, going further is really dangerous—”
Swoosh—
It was at the moment when Montero was speaking fervently.
A sound cutting through the air quickly, followed by a mysterious object passing through Ellie’s body.
Turning her head with effort to check, she saw that the quill that had been in Rutus’s hand a moment ago was now stuck in the wall.
So, now, did he just exert force against someone who was concerned about him?
The person who said that even those with power should exercise responsibility and not wield it recklessly?
“…I said get lost. Don’t make me say it three times.”
Truly, I couldn’t understand at all.
* * * *
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