As Cassius took a step back, he observed the three people and mentally organized a relationship diagram.
『 So, judging by his magic power and the Duke’s attitude, it seems that Walter is a Lexion. We don’t know if the Duke is aware of the pregnancy, but since he laid a hand on Edith, Walter might likely hold a grudge against him.』
Cassius felt the need to correct his expression. The word ‘grudge’ seemed too weak.
Looking into his eyes now, it seemed that if the Duke laid a hand on Edith, Walter would destroy the long-lost family he desperately wanted to know.
Walter’s eyes resembled those of a predator ready to trample anyone who threatened to take Edith away from his side.
On the other hand, the Duke seemed to deeply regret the things he had done in the past few days.
『 Wow. The Duke too… It can’t be easy for things to become this complicated.』
Cassius remembered seeing the expressions the Duke of Lexion was making on other people when he was in Fortrion.
It was the disappointed face that grandparents wear when they offer an extra snack to their grandchildren, only to be rejected because the children are not interested.
The Duke, who was said to be without blood or tears, didn’t quite resemble that in front of his family.
Watching the Duke’s frustration, Cassius felt somewhat relieved.
『 He’s currently engaged in a power struggle over the succession rights with the Imperial Consort Dowager, so he must know that having Walter join the family would be helpful.』
To secure someone like Walter, it seemed that the Duke would have to humble himself a bit.
“… Then, I apologize for the intrusion. If you’d like to have tea, feel free to drop by anytime.”
The Duke departed, looking like a downcast grandfather with guilt etched heavily on his face.
Edith and Walter didn’t spare a glance for the departing Duke. However, the Emperor and Helen observed the series of events from afar.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the Duke make such a troubled expression.”
The Emperor glanced at Edith with interest, then shifted his gaze to the escort knight who, for some reason, appeared to harbor lingering feelings for the Duke.
──────────✿◦•
“How many days did it take to obtain this single piece of parchment?”
Helen clutched the document officially authorized by the Emperor close to her chest as she spoke.
Typically, rural lords would seek notarization from nearby high-ranking nobles, so rural lords probably haven’t even seen something like this.
The people who had boarded the carriage were just as excited as Helen about her finally becoming the rightful Viscountess Fortrion, even on paper.
“Congratulations, Viscountess Fortrion.”
“Thank you, everyone, for all your help.”
“Surely you’re not planning to put an end to the hardships you endured in the capital with just a few words, are you?”
“No way. Didn’t you see the kitchen staff carrying heaps of meat yesterday? And we also ordered several bottles of wine.”
The lively conversation in the carriage didn’t stop until they arrived at Fortrion Manor.
However, just as it seemed like it would continue until dinner, the boisterous voices were interrupted by someone’s shout.
“Who’s there in the bushes?”
“What?”
When Edith heard that someone was in the bushes, she instinctively turned her gaze.
A small and frail body.
When she looked closely at the vaguely familiar figure, it turned out to be the skinny young mage boy she had seen not long ago, lying on the ground unconscious.
Edith was taken aback. She urgently checked the boy’s pulse and examined his complexion.
Fortunately, he was still breathing, but many things caught her off guard.
『 There are marks of a gag placed in his mouth, and his wrists are chafed. He must have been held captive somewhere.』
Seeing that he had completely lost consciousness, it didn’t seem likely that his enemies had left him here as a trap.
In that case, it would be best to find out what had happened and who had done this to him.
“I know this boy. Please bring him inside.”
After moving Theos into a guest room, she had his dirty clothes changed into clean ones.
“Walter, could you come in for a moment? He might still be under threat and it could cause trouble.”
Walter followed Edith into the room obediently but replied with a smirk.
“Even with that skinny body, M’lady could easily subdue him on her own.”
“Don’t make fun of someone unconscious, Walter.”
“Well, he probably doesn’t have any strength left anyway. It looks like he’s exhausted from using a lot of magical power.”
Walter had exhausted himself several times while honing his magical abilities when he considered helping Edith escape from Fortrion.
The prickling sensation of magic he used to feel during those times was also evident in the young boy.
“That’s strange. I said I wouldn’t take on requests from other people.”
T/N: This is Theos speaking before coming to his senses.
As soon as she ordered the preparation of a mild soup, the boy let out a groan.
“Ugh…”
“Theos, are you coming to your senses?”
“L-Lady!”
As soon as he opened his eyes and saw Edith’s face looking at him, the boy’s face turned bright red.
“M-My clothes―.”
Did M’lady see my thin body and think that I wasn’t eating? Theos felt his vision spin.
Edith, thinking that he might feel embarrassed like a teenager, kindly explained.
“The person who changed your clothes is our doctor. You can rest assured.”
“Oh, in that case, I’m relieved.”
After a bashful smile, Theos felt a stinging gaze on the back of his head.
A big, handsome man was watching him.
“Ah, this is my escort knight, Walter. And this is Theos, the mage who helped me before.”
“Nice to meet you, Walter.”
“Please tell us what happened to you, Mr. Mage.”
Walter asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
Theos noticed his sharp gaze but frowned as if he didn’t want to recall the bad memories.
“Well, the thing is… I was actually kidnapped this morning.”
Right from the start, it didn’t sound trivial, so Edith and Walter paid close attention.
“They blindfolded me and took me to a damp room, where they tied me to a chair. They seemed like people who were used to that sort of thing.”
“…”
“There was a man who seemed like the leader. He seemed to know that I had visited this place a few days ago. He questioned me obsessively about the number and locations of the servants, the location of my lady’s room, who usually stays with her, and what the maid looks like.”
Walter gritted his teeth at this.
“And he asked about you, M’lady. How many guards you have indoors, what kind of spell you requested that day, and similar things.“
Obviously, they were gathering information to harm Edith.
Edith comforted Theos by patting his hand, afraid that he might be scared by Walter’s murderous look.
“You must have been shocked. Are you injured anywhere?”
“I-I wasn’t in such a dire situation. After all, I’m a mage. They seemed to have investigated me too, and they laughed at me, as they must have thought that I have no magic power left since I received a private request a few days ago.”
It meant that the enemies had shown meticulous planning even before the actual confrontation.
Walter had made an effort not to emit any chilling magic energy.
“But thanks to M’lady asking for an easy spell, I had some magic power left, so I was able to stun them for a while and managed to escape. That’s when I got exhausted.”
Based on the detailed questions they asked about Edith, they likely intended to kill him anyway.
If they had intended to let Theos go, they wouldn’t have interrogated him so thoroughly.
When Theos realized that fact, he unconsciously decided that he had to come here.
He thought that if he came here, Edith, who had given him a meat pie and herb oil, would protect him.
As Theos looked at Edith with a somewhat affectionate gaze, Walter asked him.
“They asked what spell Edith had requested. What did you answer?”
“That is―.”
Theos, with his large pupils, glanced at Edith before replying.
“I told him it’s the kind of spell commonly requested by noble ladies. A spell that makes the hair soft and the skin beautiful.”
This was the first time Edith knew that such a spell existed.
“I felt like I had to come up with a believable lie for those guys, M’lady… It’s because you’re so beautiful.”
“Oh my, thank you. It’s a good thing I asked for soup.”
Edith smiled as if she was relieved and comforted the scared young boy.
As soon as the soup arrived, she wished him bon appétit and a good rest.
Walter, who noticed the boy’s gaze was still on Edith until she left, felt uncomfortable being left alone with him.
『 This young lad is trying to seduce her.』
Walter looked at Theos with a piercing gaze and sent Edith out first under the pretext of checking if there was any magical power detected in his room.
Then, Walter extended his hand with a slight surge of magic toward Theos.
“Hey, do mages really have the ability to distinguish the magic of well-known noble families?”
“Of course. If it’s the family’s magic that ranks among the top ten in the capital…―.”
Theos, who spoke with enthusiasm and felt Walter’s magical energy, gasped in surprise. He didn’t even need all ten fingers to recognize it.
“This is Le-Lexion…”
“Just shut your mouth and go to sleep. I’ll keep an eye on you, so don’t think about any nonsense.”
Theos nodded, as if to say, how could he possibly entertain such thoughts in front of this kind of magic?
──────────✿◦•
『 No matter how much I think about it, the enemy is too meticulous.』
Walter brought Edith to her room and cast several layers of protective barriers, but his underlying anxiety did not go away.
With a child to protect, Edith had become a more tempting target than before.
If he couldn’t find a place to keep her perfectly safe, he felt that his own blood would dry up first.
After using Theos to verify his bloodline, Walter, with a determined expression, went straight to Reinhardt.
He was wearing a black winter robe and carrying a sword.
As Reinhardt and Cassius were choosing a celebratory drink for dinner, they noticed that Walter’s gaze had become even more intense.
“I have somewhere to go for a while, so please take care of Edith. Assign Max to the mage.”
“It’s almost dinner time. Where are you going?”
Unlike Cassius, who asked in surprise, Reinhardt spoke in a relaxed voice.
“Alright. What should I say if the Lady asks?”
After thinking for a moment, Walter responded with a small smile.
“Tell her I went to see a house where I could serve her more comfortably.”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
