The drunkenness, which spread instantly like wildfire, quickly subsided thanks to the chilly air.
Edith said as she touched her cheek to check if the warmth had faded.
“Walter, thank you. Thanks to your skill, we always manage to overcome crises.”
Her gratitude was sincere, but Walter felt the need to correct her misunderstanding, which had been bothering him for a while.
“I don’t recall ever saying I’m experienced.”
“Well, yes, but…”
Edith hesitated for a moment, considering her choice of words.
The reason she considered Walter a skilled man was that his actions felt natural and never repulsive to her.
One day, while working at the clinic, a man approached her offering to pay for her tuition, but his lecherous gaze made her shudder.
However, when Walter lifted her in his arms or gently touched her skin with his strong fingers, her lips grew dry, and her heart raced.
The man in front of her made her feel comfortable and nervous at the same time as if he knew how to treat people in such a situation.
『 There’s no way his handsome face would go to waste.』
Edith thought that his handsome appearance significantly contributed to the likelihood of the misunderstanding.
“Your touch didn’t make me feel uncomfortable, so I guess I thought you were experienced. I’m sorry if it was a misunderstanding.”
In the end, Edith spoke honestly as it came to her mind. Walter’s eyes sparkled playfully in response.
“So it didn’t make you uncomfortable?”
“Usually someone with no experience in this sort of thing will be hesitant, like me.”
Walter thought of Edith, who was flustered whenever they had to deceive Sophia’s people.
At first, she was obviously stiff because of her impatience, but as time went on, she seemed to have deceived the eyes of the observers in her own charming way.
Either that, or he had simply misunderstood her sensitivity to his touch.
Whatever the objective truth was, Walter liked Edith’s remarks quite a bit.
“If I didn’t make you uncomfortable, I guess I must have some talent in that area.”
He said shamelessly.
Edith frowned, unable to believe that he had no experience. As if reading her mind, Walter stood up and extended his hand.
“If M’lady is willing, let’s go see together what I have been up to. You haven’t shown any interest in it.”
──────────✿◦•
After confirming with Vivian that there was still time, Edith followed Walter.
Walter walked towards the depths of the garden. Edith walked behind him, realizing once again that she trusted him.
“We’re almost there.”
Walter, who had been checking from time to time to ensure she was following well, slowed down.
Edith looked in the same direction where his gaze was fixed.
The place that appeared to be their destination was an old warehouse, and there were already other people gathered in front of it.
『 Why are there three people there at this time?』
Two of them were covered in robes, so their faces could not be seen, but the other appeared to be a servant of the manor.
Meanwhile, Cassius, who had been waiting for Walter at the appointed location, the warehouse, blinked his eyes in disbelief upon witnessing an astonishing sight.
『 Did… Walter just bring the Fourth Lady to this place?』
Cassius was one of the longest-serving servants and the closest to Walter.
As a friend and mentor, he was certain that Walter was not the kind of person to let emotions cloud his judgment.
But now, Walter had brought a woman to such an important occasion, and she was none other than the Fourth Lady.
『 I’m not worried about the work because I trust he can handle it skillfully, but this situation is interesting.』
It was clear that Walter had already decided that Edith was trustworthy or would be helpful to his plans for some reason.
For whatever reason, Walter had shown interest in the same woman twice.
With a subtle twinkle of curiosity in his eyes, Cassius greeted Edith.
“Greetings, Lady Edith. My name is Cassius, I’m the gardener of the manor.”
“You don’t have to be so formal.”
Edith received the greeting with an awkward smile. It was evident that the people here despised Viscount Fortrion, and yet Cassius made such a formal greeting.
“And this is…”
As Cassius gestured, the two people with him removed their robes, revealing a middle-aged woman and a man.
The two appeared puzzled by the fact that Edith, the Fourth Lady of the Viscountcy of Fortrion, had appeared here, but they soon recalled Cassius’s previous words.
⋙“The Viscount Fortrion brought someone who can help us.”⋘
Cassius had said at the time. They thought he had been talking about another servant, but judging from the calm attitude of Walter and Cassius, it seemed that he was talking about the Fourth Lady.
“My name is Max. I’m Lady Helen’s adjutant.”
Max said so naturally and then turned to Helen. She smiled, both strong and gentle.
“Nice to meet you, Walter. Finally, I get to see your face. I’m Helen Fortrion, Deputy Commander of the Militia Force.”
“What did you say… Fortrion?”
However, it is known that the Fortrions have no relatives.
Edith looked at Walter as if confirming the truth. He raised an eyebrow and spoke so quietly that only Edith could hear.
“You said you were too busy to think about anything else.”
Walter led Helen into the warehouse. Inside, there was a carriage that Edith was familiar with.
Helen held the long rod handed to her by her adjutant in one hand and looked around for any of the Viscount Fortrion’s bloodstains left in the carriage.
Cassius approached Edith quietly as she had distanced herself from the carriage due to the unpleasant memories it brought back and explained.
“The rod that Helen is holding isn’t just an ordinary crystal rod. It’s…”
“It’s the ‘Rwenna-Edward’ blood test rod.”
“Rwe… What?”
Cassius blinked a few times, momentarily lost in thought. He wondered how the Fourth Lady ended up learning such a complicated name.
“Now, I don’t know the specific name, but it’s an instrument that reveals whether two people are related by blood smearing on both sides. It’s really expensive.”
Cassius crossed his arms and looked towards Helen.
Max was holding a lantern, while Helen lightly cut her fingertip with a dagger, smearing her blood on the crystal rod.
“What is left on the corner of the carriage seat is the Viscount’s blood. The rest of the blood is from the assassins.”
Thanks to Edith’s explanation, Helen was able to place the other end of the crystal rod on Nicholas Fortrion’s bloodstain.
Zzzing—
After a moment, the crystal rod emitted a blue light. The dimness of the light indicated that they shared some bloodline, but she was not a direct descendant of him.
When it was confirmed that Helen was of Fortrion’s blood, a spark appeared in Walter’s eyes.
Cassius nodded his head as if such a reaction were natural.
“You have no idea how much Walter struggled to drive Nicholas out and to find a new Fortrion to take his place.”
“As far as is known, House Fortrion doesn’t have an heir.”
“On paper, that’s true. In fact, a Fortrion descendant is highly valuable. But this guy’s obsession is beyond imagination.”
Cassius had a distant look on his face as if he were exhausted just thinking about it.
“For the first three years, we thoroughly questioned the servants trying to find out if any previous viscount had a hidden mistress.”
“…”
“After finding out that the late Viscount had been involved with a maid, we used the money obtained from the servants to find that maid’s child… Ah.”
Cassius corrected himself, as if not to be misunderstood.
“Sometimes, the servants get in trouble, and they pay Walter to help them. It’s not like we ripped them off like bullies.”
“Anyway, is Helen the daughter of the maid you guys found?”
“Yes. Only a few knew that Helen’s mother had an affair with the late Viscount, and before learning about her pregnancy, the affair was discovered, and she was kicked out of the manor. Helen herself didn’t even know she had Fortrion blood.”
Edith was amazed at how Walter, who was imprisoned in this place, managed to find a Fortrion heir who did not exist on paper.
Even Sophia, who had conducted extensive investigations, seemed unable to find any Fortrion descendant.
“Seven years. It’s the time he spent honing his skills with a sword for the purpose of escape and revenge. Of course, I faithfully played my part as an errand boy.”
“That’s amazing, really…”
Edith could only express pure admiration.
As a result of the assassins attacking the carriage, and with the Viscount’s life hanging by a thread, Walter had apparently called Helen to the Fortrion Estate for a final check.
『 If they are mercenaries, they would normally operate outside the estate, but seeing that Helen came here personally, mingling with the merchants, it seems like she trusts Walter.』
For an ordinary person, it would be difficult to gain the trust of others with just letters and errands.
Walter’s words about not having time to flirt with other women sounded convincing now.
Meanwhile, after completing the bloodline verification, Walter came to Edith’s side with Helen.
Helen smiled softly and bid farewell to Edith before leaving.
“I need to go back now. It was nice meeting you, Fourth Lady.”
Edith wanted to say something, but Helen, as if she knew everything, spoke first.
“There are quite a few knowledgeable people within the Militia Force. I know that you were unfairly sold.”
Helen explained how the merchants, the gamblers, and the bureaucrats with whom the Viscount had ties were hurting so many people by using the Viscount as their backing.
“Even if it’s not my destiny, the reason I want to become the head of House Fortrion is also because I hope that there will be no more people like you who have to sacrifice a part of their lives due to the corruption of House Fortrion.”
The goodwill in her voice touched Edith.
“Thank you for saying that, Helen.”
“I will do my best to speed up that time as much as possible.”
Helen said so before putting the robe back on.
Edith watched her strong back and suddenly recalled something.
If she remembered correctly, she might be able to meet Helen again sooner than she had initially thought.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
