A few days later, the manor was bustling with farewells.
“Thank you so much, Little Duke of Lexion. I’ll send you a letter once we arrive.”
Before leaving the capital’s Fortrion Manor, Helen jokingly said goodbye to Walter.
Since it would soon become known to everyone, Walter had already revealed his true identity.
『 I thought Walter was a remarkable person, but the Duke of Lexion also seemed eager to welcome him as his potential heir.』
Helen knew that she needed to gain Walter’s favor for the future of Portrian. To do that, she understood that she had to win over Edith.
“Edith, make sure you stay healthy too. If you need to come to Fortrion, contact me at any time.”
Helen also bid a warm farewell to Edith, with whom she had grown fond in such a short time.
“Thank you so much for accompanying me throughout my stay in the capital.”
“No, Helen. Thanks to you, I could feel safe in the capital.”
“You shouldn’t be surprised by what I did. Now, you’ll see your ultimate safe home.”
Helen observed the servants who were diligently packing suitcases and boxes as diligently as worker ants.
The servants were all brought in from Duke of Lexion’s manor by a man named Vane this morning.
『 If he served the head of a great noble family, he would have at least been knighted. He seemed quite polite to Edith.』
Helen felt happy and relieved, as she anticipated the treatment Edith would receive when she went to Lexion.
The Duke of Lexion had done something wrong, so it was right for him to treat her this way.
Helen walked away, secretly hoping that Edith, who had a secretly stubborn side, would give the Duke a few more lessons to remember.
“Then I’ll go back to Fortrion now. Oh, don’t worry, I’ll send you a letter as soon as I go to the estate and confirm what you asked for.”
Edith and Walter watched as Helen, Reinhardt, and the others from Fortrion boarded the carriage.
Vane cautiously approached them as Edith and Walter saw them off and spoke up.
“How about we get on the carriage too, Young Master?”
“Young Master?”
Walter thought it was a ridiculous title. It sounded like a term reserved for someone who had been raised and nurtured from birth by someone else.
“You’re a Young Master… awesome. It suits you well.”
However, upon hearing Edith mention that it sounded like a term reserved for male protagonists in fairy tales, Walter’s thoughts changed.
With his broad shoulders held high, he asked Vane.
“Where’s the mage boy who went to fetch his little sibling?”
Edith immediately corrected him.
“It’s not ‘boy,’ but Mage Theos.”
“Yes, yes. The young mage who wants to charm M’lady at such a tender age.”
Although Walter didn’t like Theos, who was behaving deviously in front of him, he decided to take him and his younger sibling, who was his only family, with him from beginning to end.
Last night, Edith had expressed her concern, saying, “What about Theos, Walter? His younger sibling is also sick…” It wasn’t just because she felt sorry for him.
⋙“Although Theos’ innate magical power is a bit lacking, his understanding of mana manipulation and understanding of spellcraft is astonishing. If you teach him a little more, he will be a good vassal for House Lexion.”⋘
The kid had been kidnapped, and it bothered him. So he asked Vane to find him a good job for the kid, and a response came back shortly after.
It was clear that if someone from a family like Lexion was astonished to that extent, it meant that he was full of talent, so accepting him would certainly not be a loss.
“Theos and his sibling are heading to Lexion Manor in a different carriage.”
Vane answered. Edith could only be amazed by this unexpected side of him.
“You’re kinder than I thought, Walter.”
“Can’t help it. It’s just in my nature.”
To speak frankly, Walter thought that even her admiration and smile towards him were a quite generous reward.
“Then, please get on the carriage.”
Edith boarded the carriage that Lexion had personally arranged for her.
Vane briefly checked if the carriage was comfortable and then summarized the situation.
“As I mentioned, to avoid suspicion, the public will be left to think that His Grace invited Lady Fortrion to Lexion Manor as a thank-you for finding the heir who was imprisoned in Fortrion. Since the biggest festival in the Empire, the New Year’s Festival is just around the corner, there will still be a few doubts.”
Vane didn’t forget to emphasize that House Lexion was firmly in control of the capital’s large newspaper companies.
“It’s quite common among nobles to invite guests from other houses to stay in a detached palace for a month or two, so you don’t need to worry.”
“I’m relieved. At least there is a way to stay at Lexion Manor without revealing my pregnancy.”
Edith was content with her situation. However, her response sparked impatience in Vane.
“If you both had your wedding, it would have been better, but rushing a wedding among the capital’s nobles is often interpreted in a negative light. Therefore, it might be better to proceed step by step after the young master settles in the capital.”
Vane explained, sounding somewhat like he was making an excuse.
Edith expressed her understanding and recalled the contents of a letter sent directly from Lexion’s doctors.
╭══════
A child who has inherited an excessive amount of Lexion’s magical power must be treated with special care during pregnancy and birth. Especially, the birth must take place in the mansion built with magic stones located in the Lexions’ fief.
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╭══════
In any case, we’re fully prepared to ensure that you can safely give birth to a healthy child under any circumstances. We hope you will come and have a comfortable examination.
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『 Even if there are enough security personnel, the manor that’s in the Lexions’ fief will be less safe than the Duchy in the capital.』
If Edith were able to give birth in the Duchy of Lexion in the capital, that would be a different situation. However, if she had to go down to the Lexions’ fief to give birth, the risk was considerable.
Furthermore…
『 Elizabeth seemed to know about the secret affair between me and Walter. If she finds out I’m carrying Walter’s child, she might try to harm me during childbirth.』
In such circumstances, it was more advantageous for both Edith and Walter to become part of the family and utilize Lexion’s resources. This was the conclusion they reached after reading and discussing the letter together.
“Anyway, on paper, I’m still Nicholas Fortrion’s wife, so I would have to file for a divorce first, making a rushed wedding impossible.”
When Edith dismissed the need for a rushed marriage, Walter couldn’t shake the dryness in his mouth, even though it was a decision they made together. There was no other way to possess her as perfectly and beautifully as by binding her as his wife.
When he met Franz Lexion’s piercing eyes, Vane instinctively knew what he had to do.
『 I guess I’ll have to call the lawyer to arrange divorce proceedings so that we can settle the issue at any time.』
Soon, the carriage started moving smoothly.
──────────✿◦•
“Father, this time, you really can’t afford to make any mistakes. Remember that we could lose the Lexion family’s heir.”
Franz nodded in response to the usual scolding from his third daughter, Hestia, without uttering a word.
“Your Unnie said the same thing yesterday, so don’t worry, Hestia.”
“But you have already committed a crime.”
“…”
Franz felt like he was taking a blow to the body with his daughter’s harsh evaluation. He couldn’t deny that assessment, which made him even more depressed.
“Edith may not want to register the child in the Lexion family registry, Father. From what I could see, it seems that Walter is willing to do whatever she wants.”
“…”
“Leah Unnie and Mother must be watching us nervously from heaven.”
Franz felt like the sky was falling at Melissa’s threats.
Franz felt like the sky was falling at Melissa’s threats. It may be impossible to register Leah’s son in the Lexion family’s register, and the child Leah had cared for so much as she would have wanted to have her as her own daughter.
Feeling uncharacteristically anxious, Franz sought out the butler.
“I assume the detached palace where Lady Fortrion will stay has been fully prepared, right?”
“Of course, M’lord. The rooms have been perfectly prepared.”
“All right… What about the attending doctors who will check the health of the two of them— I mean, the three of them?”
Franz clearly remembered what Edith had told him.
⋙“I’m worried that… my baby might get sick. I’m worried that the child will inherit a lot of magical powers like Mrs. Leah and become terminally ill, or like Walter. I fear that the child’s magic will go crazy and cause memory loss or even death.”⋘
Memory loss due to a magic outburst…
When Franz first heard her words, he was relieved.
Lexion’s magic often goes out of control, resulting in the loss of life or disability, but Walter is alive and well.
However, no matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t seem like his magic, which had gone through an outburst, would be in a normal condition. This was because Lexion’s magical power was as delicate as it was sophisticated, and it often changed in a negative direction due to its nature.
This was also why Lexion provided magic training to its children from an early age.
『 However, Walter behaved as if he were perfectly fine when using magic, even though he didn’t receive Lexion’s training.』
Of course, he must have learned to control magic to some extent from his mother, but the magic he inherited was originally so enormous that it would have been difficult to control it in the first place.
As Franz thought about this, he couldn’t help but have reasonable doubts.
Perhaps Walter has already suffered serious consequences due to his magic power, and he is hiding it, or perhaps the magic power has caused some imperceptible fatal damage to his body.
『 … I guess it’s pointless to worry. There’s no way we could lose Walter after Leah.』
Franz looked out of his window, trying to calm his distraught heart.
The carriage in which Edith and Walter were riding was gradually coming to a stop.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
