The Lady and the Stableman

Countess Coben answered with her brows slightly furrowed as if she didn’t even want to say it.

“I don’t know how much you know about Baron Humphrey.”

“Well…”

Edith searched her mind. If Baron Humphrey was someone important to remember, surely some information would come to mind upon hearing his name.

『 It seems like he’s close to the Gerturks… I’m sure I’ve heard of this name, but he doesn’t seem to be a person with a significant presence.』

When Edith sifted through what she had learned about social circles and nobility up to now, she recalled a very small amount of information.

“I believe he’s the lord of a small estate next to Lexion’s territory. I heard he inherited the title a few years ago when the previous Baron passed away.”

“Correct. But I think it would be good to know his taste in women as well.”

Countess Coben looked around, checked once again that there was no one around to eavesdrop, and then she whispered.

“That man is actually a pedophile.”

“What?!”

“That man’s ex-wife was a member of the same book club as me. She once got very drunk and only revealed it to close members of the club. The reason the Baron obediently accepted the request for a large amount of alimony and divorce was that he was caught trying to do something bad to a ten-year-old girl.”

“…”

Edith was speechless. The contempt and disgust for Baron Humphrey were clearly visible on her face.

“The reason I came to the tea room instead of watching the matches was because of Baron Humphrey. I didn’t want to expose my young daughter to that man’s sight. Of course, my daughter didn’t know my reasons, asking why we weren’t watching the tournament, and it almost led to a big problem.”

“So that’s why she had an episode of hyperventilation.”

“That’s right. If you hadn’t helped, it could have been a disaster.”

Countess Coben, after expressing her gratitude once again, added.

“Anyway, when you’re raising a child, you won’t be able to ignore such rumors. For the public good, the rumor should have spread more widely…”

The Countess trailed off at the end of her sentence. Edith sensed that she was trying to hide something and played along.

“That’s true. Any parent would want to protect their child from such an unscrupulous person.”

It wasn’t just her intention to get the lady in front of her to tell her the information she wanted. Edith genuinely agreed with Countess Coben’s sentiments.

“Even if you tell the truth to many people, the Baron will not be stripped of his title, but it would be good if he couldn’t show his face in social gatherings with children, at least.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. However, the rumor died down as Baron Humphrey became friendly with Count Gerturk. The Imperial Consort Patricia is very sensitive to rumors, you know.”

“…”

“Furthermore, Baron Humphrey’s ex-wife, whom I mentioned earlier, disappeared without a word. There are rumors that she fell in love with a foreign man and left the empire, but she is not the type of person to leave without saying a word to those around her.”

Countess Coben seemed to be hinting that Baron Humphrey’s ex-wife might have been kidnapped to keep her silent.

Edith nodded her head slightly as if she understood.

“But Countess Gerturk is also raising a daughter, has she not heard the rumor?”

“Rather than saying she didn’t hear about the rumor, she decided to cover up the rumor to gain some benefits. She was always that kind of person. No matter how much…”

The Countess was about to say something, but she stopped abruptly. She had shallow wrinkles between her eyebrows as if she had heard an unpleasant story.

“Mom—!”

Emily, who had finished her examination just in time, came running. The lady sat her daughter on her lap, sweeping away the dark expression from her face.

“You should thank the lady for her help.”

“Thank you, M’lady. You seemed like a very nice doctor.”

The sight of her child bowing her head as she placed her tiny hand on her chest was quite adorable. Edith smiled without even realizing it. A sense of pride surged deep within her once again.

As the tea cooled down and the shouts of the tournament grew louder, the Countess stood up.

“Then I’ll go back to my seat. My husband is waiting. We’ll definitely meet at teatime when the weather is better.”

“Thank you for your time. Please take care as well, Miss Emily.”

“Yes!”

Edith was lost in her thoughts, waving her hand to Emily, who was moving away in her mother’s arms.

『 Does it really make sense for Gerturk to join hands with that disgusting pedophile? It’s not like it was twenty years ago.』

By that time, Patricia, the eldest daughter of the family, had not given birth to the previous Emperor’s child nor become the Imperial Consort. Her family, which was nothing more than a simple count house without any prominent position in the capital, may have sought an alliance with Baron Humphrey in hopes of improving their status.

But now, the Imperial Consort Patricia was being treated as a person with power comparable to the Duke of Lexion.

Patricia’s younger brother, Count Gerturk, and his wife would have received all kinds of sweet offers just by staying still. So, what exactly were they aiming for by allying with Baron Humphrey?

『 What exactly is the Baron holding in his hands that Count Gerturk and his wife, who even have an adopted daughter… Wait a moment.』

Edith felt anxious at the sudden assumption. While it seemed far-fetched that someone would go to such lengths, something came to mind.

『 I need to find out what deal the Count and Countess had with Baron Humphrey.』

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“The finals of this year’s swordsmanship tournament will be a lot more fun than last year, right?”

“The battle of pride between Lexion and Gerturk is always enjoyable to watch.”

The Emperor’s knights, responsible for maintaining order and overseeing the swordsmanship tournament, gathered whenever they had time to discuss the event.

Suddenly, a thunderous shout erupted, and the person sitting in the referee’s seat raised a flag.

Standing undisturbed beneath the flag representing victory was Walter, the Little Duke of Lexion.

The knights appointed by the Emperor briefly forgot their duties of guiding the next match and observed Walter’s majestic figure.

“The Little Duke of Lexion doesn’t lose his agility despite having such a robust body.”

“Even if someone were to lose against him, facing the Little Duke’s sword would be a valuable learning experience.”

When the knights first heard that the Little Duke of Lexion would participate in person, they thought he would not give his best.

Because demonstrating the overwhelming power difference inherent in Lexion’s bloodlines would be a more convenient strategy to intimidate the opponent. That would be the type of performance that the audience expected from the suddenly appearing heir of Lexion.

However, no matter what sword or power the opponent used, Walter did not take his opponents lightly. He used his magical power fairly, without underestimating anyone.

His stance, fending off a sword blade approaching him with magical power, reminded them of the Duke of Lexion who, years ago, mounted a horse and personally subdued a raid.

Clang—!

After effortlessly deflecting the sword aimed towards him with a resounding sound, Walter did not hesitate to extend a hand to the opponent whose legs had weakened.

And the opponents seemed to be secretly moved when the heir of Lexion treated them sincerely.

“Facing every opponent with full sincerity must consume a lot of physical and magical energy.”

“I guess the Little Duke steps forward like that so his opponent won’t feel humiliated.”

The audience cheered for his chivalry. As the finals approached, it was natural for the cheers to grow louder.

Aizen, who had already been confirmed to advance to the semi-finals thanks to the luck of the draw, was eavesdropping on the knights’ conversation with his arms crossed in the waiting area for the participants.

He’s participating in the swordsmanship tournament on behalf of Count Gerturk under the pseudonym ‘Arnold.’ He is convinced that he’s the only one who knows why Walter continues to use magic.

『 He probably won’t be able to control his magic by now because of the poison I put in his water.』

Participants in the tournament were provided with food and water made in the Imperial Kitchen and served in the dining hall inside the arena.

This was because the previous emperor concluded that the best way to prevent food poisoning was to distribute the same food and water administered by the Imperial Family.

『 If ordinary poison had been mixed with water or food, the knights who consumed it would have collapsed, and the poisoning attempt would have been quickly discovered.』

However, what Aizen had put into the drinking water was not an ordinary poison.

The Gerturk’s bloodline inherited no power, so the Imperial Consort, Patricia, who had always been dissatisfied with this, hired dozens of mages to conduct research and a special poison that only reacted to Lexion’s magic was contained in the water that Walter drank.

The small vial containing the poison had been placed in the trash bin of one of the aristocratic faction’s knights’ locker rooms, making it difficult to identify the culprit.

Aizen smiled eerily as he thought of his comrades who had turned into cold corpses while trying to capture Walter.

⋙“If he continues to use magic without knowing that he has ingested the poison, the pathways in his body that allow magical energy to flow will be severely damaged. So he’ll vomit blood later.”⋘

He recalled the Imperial Consort’s words and waited for Walter to bleed out. However, for some reason…

“…”

For a split second, Aizen had the illusion that Walter was looking in his direction and mocking him with a sardonic smile.

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