Theos once again gave a clear answer.
“The fastest way is to inquire with the family of the person who had the outburst. They must have done research in case something similar happened. Maybe they might have records from previous generations.”
“I see. The world of magic is fascinating.”
Edith responded calmly this time, but her feelings were complicated.
She wondered if she had to get closer to Lexion for the sake of the child.
Recalling the attitude and murderous look the Duke had shown, her blood still ran cold, and every cell of her body shrank.
『 But it doesn’t seem like the rumor of being cruel to his own daughters is true.』
Edith recalled hearing Mrs. Leah say that her father was always strict but loving.
Come to think of it, the Duke’s daughters hosting extravagant parties according to their father’s wishes were also like that. If they underwent magical training so brutal that it could alter their attachment relationships with the Duke, then the adult and married daughters would not heed their father’s request.
After all, it would take them an enormous effort to prepare such a banquet.
『 Should I ask the Lexions directly?』
While Edith was worrying, Theos enjoyed another mouthful of the meat pie Edith had requested.
When he checked the time, it had passed the appointed hour.
As a token of gratitude for the meat pie, Theos handed over two magic stamps.
“Thank you, M’lady. If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me at any time. You can tear this apart.”
“Wait.”
Edith brought a small glass bottle of herbal oil and handed it to Theos.
“When the weather gets dry, your skin may crack and bleed. To prevent it, be sure to apply this regularly.”
“Oh… Thank you.”
Theos was overwhelmed by an inexplicable feeling.
Even though he hadn’t overused his magical powers, his heart pounded.
Theos thought that among the nobility there were people like her.
Even though he, as a mage, had seen the nobility’s sense of authority, no one had treated him as kindly as she did.
But he felt that even if he had encountered her as a wandering rogue on the road and not as a mage, she would have shown the same kindness.
“On your way out, my maid will give you a meat pie to take with you. Share it with your sibling.”
“…”
Theos hoped that someday he could return the kindness to this noble lady who had been so generous to him.
To avoid revealing his trembling voice, Theos only nodded slightly.
──────────✿◦•
At the same time, a welcoming was taking place at the detached palace on the west side of the Imperial Palace that the Imperial Consort Dowager was using as her residence.
“Elizabeth, it’s been a while. I’m delighted to see you.”
The Imperial Consort Patricia greeted Elizabeth with a soft smile.
However, Elizabeth noticed that her eyes did not reflect happiness. They seemed to convey dissatisfaction.
It appeared that Patricia was dissatisfied with the present circumstances. Their attempt to attack Walter recklessly resulted in the loss of their assassins, and Walter subsequently handed them over to House Lexion, causing Patricia to be under the Duke’s scrutiny.
『 Aizen… if that guy hadn’t made a mistake out of impatience…』
Elizabeth thought it was Aizen’s mistake because he was desperate after being defeated by Walter consecutively, but since she hadn’t done anything particularly well, she had no choice but to keep quiet.
『 I can’t use that frame right now.』
Her biggest discovery made in Fortrion was finding a picture frame bearing the signature ‘Walter Isaac Lexion‘.
However, Aizen and Elizabeth agreed to keep it hidden from Patricia and Gilbert for the time being. If they didn’t achieve the desired results, it served as a shield and insurance in case they were not compensated fairly.
However, there was no way that Gilbert, who was walking next to her, would know her true intentions.
“It’s nice to walk around the Palace side by side after such a long time, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth looked at her lover.
A few years have passed, but he still boasted an attractive appearance.
He had an overall sleek look with his deep-set double eyelids and a refreshing smile.
Everything about him that made her heart burn was still there, and that’s what was causing her heartache.
As a woman who was supposed to be his lover, she played the role of a spy in the countryside and couldn’t enjoy city life, but the man in front of her seemed too fine to have spent the nights in worry.
However, for the sake of their daughter, she knew it was right to set aside such personal emotions for a while.
“I know. It would have been nice if Elise had come along. Why did she go to that camp…?”
Elizabeth had not seen her daughter’s face since she arrived in the capital a week ago. Gilbert hurriedly comforted her as she expressed her dissatisfaction.
“But if she doesn’t go to the camp, she might be ostracized at the Academy.”
“But her mother has returned to the capital after several years.”
“I guess she’s shy because you were away since she was very young. I know Elise’s personality better since I’m more close to her.”
“…”
“Don’t be like that, Ellie. Shall we go to your newly bought manor for some rest?”
When Gilbert softly called her by her nickname, Elizabeth smiled and nodded.
Still, she thought to herself.
『 I need to look into this.』
Contacting her daughter had been difficult lately, and just when it was challenging enough to reach her, the timing of her absence, even if coincidental, seemed suspicious.
After working as a spy for so long, she wondered if she had developed a habitual suspicion, like an occupational disease, but the uneasy feeling did not go away.
Everything Elizabeth did at Fortrion was for him, but most of all, it was because she wanted her daughter to grow up comfortably and safely.
She had entrusted her child to Gilbert when the child was two years old to go to Fortrion, but her daughter’s eyes, so similar to hers, were still vivid in her memory. She also vividly remembered her small hands that used to grasp her fingers firmly.
『 If something is wrong with Elise, and they are hiding it…』
Even if it’s Gilbert, she had no intention of letting it go.
──────────✿◦•
“Having strong magic is great. How many guards can relax with a simple magical barrier cast by you?”
Cassius said as he lightly tapped Walter’s shoulder.
Even though it wasn’t visible, he had heard that Walter had cast security barriers around the manor’s perimeter last night.
“If you want to relax, then you shouldn’t be on guard. You know how important is the safety and security of the manor, after all.”
“I know. But now, Gerturk’s assassins won’t be able to attack us like before.”
Thanks to Lexion’s strong surveillance over the organization led by Aizen, Fortrion was also benefiting.
『 I wonder what they plan to do with the captured assassins.』
They sneaked in during the last party by hiding the assassins on the floor of the carriage. They took advantage of the moment when everyone’s attention was diverted to make it seem like they were intruders.
Instead of acting directly, Walter was using Lexion to his advantage.
Walter was truly a man with a lot of guts to take advantage of the second in line to the throne.
As they walked through the hallway, the two of them soon spotted Edith.
Walter handed her the invitation from Lexion, which he had carefully examined first.
“I haven’t torn it open, but I didn’t tamper with the envelope, so the contents should be fine.”
“Oh…You checked it for me. Thank you.”
『 Huh?』
Cassius sensed that Edith’s gaze on Walter was quite different from before.
Her gaze was clearly much more affectionate than before.
After Edith turned away, Cassius asked Walter secretly.
“Did you make some progress?”
“What are you trying to say again?”
“The Lady’s eyes were overflowing with love.”
“… Cough.”
Walter did not appreciate Cassius making such an assessment.
But deep down, Walter also noticed it.
After the Lexion banquet, Edith’s eyes unusually looked at him.
It felt like she was not just looking at him but carefully examining every part of his face.
When he saw her half-moon-shaped eyes, Walter had to deliberately redirect his thoughts to suppress the rising impulse.
However, although she expressed her affection, it seemed she wasn’t ready to open up completely. And that was bothering him.
“I guess I’m more reliable than before.”
As he spoke, Cassius went, “Hmm,” and assessed the situation.
“But she may not rely on you any more than this. Everyone has their own way of loving because love is different for each person.”
“What different ways?”
“For some, being together is love, and for others, doing their own thing based on trust is love.”
“…”
“Or it could be a kind of love where you put your most cherished possessions in a jewelry box and occasionally take them out, just to admire it.”
“Isn’t that just one-sided love?”
My tangled limbs are fine, so why am I living so calmly?
T/N: That’s the literal translation. This phrase can be interpreted metaphorically, suggesting that even though one’s life is in a tangled or messed up state, they are acting or living calmly as if there’s nothing wrong.
Walter couldn’t understand, but on the other hand, he felt his head throbbing, wondering if Edith’s affection for him might be like that.
He thought it would have been nice if she could trust and rely on him so that she wouldn’t even think about leaving his side, but Edith seemed like someone who was more accustomed to being alone.
『 Anyway, that bastard Isaac ruined Edith when he left.』
Walter mentally criticized Isaac, whose face he didn’t even know.
──────────✿◦•
The invitation sent by the Duke of Lexion to her was clean and straightforward. The time was tomorrow, and the location was Lexion Manor.
The invitation came earlier than Edith thought, perhaps because they considered this matter important.
Besides being the Duke of Lexion, he is Mrs. Leah’s father and Walter’s maternal grandfather.
When she thought about it that way, he seemed less intimidating than she had initially thought, but at the same time, it made her even more nervous.
After all, he was the person she would eventually have to tell about Walter’s child.
Edith, accompanied by Walter, headed to the Duke’s manor on time.
“His Grace is waiting for you.”
Vane personally guided the guests invited by the Duke.
The interior was still luxurious, but as people left, it left a somewhat deserted impression.
Vane led the two of them to the innermost drawing-room among several drawing-rooms.
“Thank you for coming.”
The sun-filled drawing room was also perfectly prepared, but for some reason, it gave off a chilly impression.
“No, thank you for the invitation.”
Edith replied politely and took her seat.
Following the Duke’s gesture, Vane served tea in perfect manners.
Seeing that he had dismissed all unnecessary people and left only his closest aides, it was evident that the Duke took this meeting very seriously.
『 And this tea…』
She could tell through the dark pink color and sweet yet heavy scent that it was Carnix tea.
It was known for its good taste and the warmth it provided to the body, which is why people enjoyed it, but it was also famous for being harmful to unborn babies if consumed by pregnant women.
『 Is he trying to test me?』
Edith pretended to take a sip and then put the cup down.
It wasn’t the time for casual conversation, and it seemed best to leave this place as quickly as possible.
“I brought you the evidence I mentioned.”
Edith held out a box containing the blue necklace she had received from Mrs. Leah.
She really hoped that the Duke, upon seeing this item, would recognize her as an acquaintance of Leah.
However, when the Duke received the box through Vane and checked its contents, his expression visibly hardened.
The Duke inquired, suppressing all the negative emotions welling up inside him.
“Let me ask you one thing. Are you planning to claim that my daughter is your mother?”
“What? Absolutely not.”
“Then I fail to understand why you have this.”
The Duke stood up and held up the necklace.
“This is something my wife passed down to my daughter, and it’s something my daughter treasured and said she would pass on to her own daughter. If you are not Leah’s daughter and you possess this necklace…”
Or it could be that Nicholas Fortrion forcibly took it from my daughter and gave it to Edith.
With that thought in mind, the Duke’s murderous aura began to engulf the surroundings.
Then suddenly something happened when Franz tried to glare at Edith again with the same intense gaze.
「 “Cough, cough… If you are hearing this, it means that Edith has safely arrived in the capital and met with you, Father, by chance, right?” 」
“…!”
As if reacting to Lexion’s magical power, the voice of the Duke’s eldest daughter, whom he loved dearly, came from the necklace.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
