Chapter 11
Now that I owed a debt to the Northern Lights, the only way for Eckhart to survive was to stop the rumors.
Serus’s complexion turned pale as he realized the truth.
“…I suddenly remembered something urgent. I will take my leave now.”
“I’m sorry I can’t see you off as I’m not feeling well. Please return safely.”
Serus nodded weakly.
He seemed unable to respond properly, preoccupied with the thought of returning to Eckhart to stop the rumors. Eventually, he left, supported by the maids.
Shanette spoke up as she had quietly observed the situation.
“So, you meant to use it as a smokescreen?”
“Exactly.”
Once Serus returned to Eckhart, he would work hard to erase any trace of my presence in the Northern Lights mansion.
He would likely concoct a story that I was devastated after losing my parents, staying shut up in the mansion and refusing to eat.
It would be a convenient excuse that others could easily understand, and it was the simplest strategy since a sick person like me would have no reason to leave the Northern Lights mansion.
‘It’s settled then.’
For a while, Serus and his retinue would remain quiet.
I noticed Shanette waiting nearby. This time, I had received especially much help from her.
When we met, Serus was nothing special, but I had been afraid to face him at first. Thanks to her, I found the courage to stand tall before Serus.
She had definitely played a significant role.
‘It’s about time to pay her back.’
It wasn’t just this time; I had received various assistance from her.
I knew it would be hard to stay in the Northern Lights mansion without her, so I wanted to settle things clearly.
There were many ways to keep someone tied to me—intimidation, persuasion, contracts.
I had grown closer to Sharnet over a few days of conversation, but I didn’t want to rely on something as vague as friendship.
‘One experience of being betrayed is enough.’
Yet, I also didn’t want to hold her weaknesses over her. A business contract bound by money was much more comfortable.
I continued to wear the necklace and finally took it off.
“Here, take this.”
“Should I clean it and keep it safe?”
“No, this is your reward for your hard work. Take it.”
Sharnet’s eyes widened in shock as she vigorously shook her head.
“I did want a reward, but this is too much!”
“Didn’t you show interest in a hundred billion marka at first?”
“I just thought you wouldn’t be stingy with the reward…”
“While this may be insignificant compared to a hundred billion marka, selling the necklace will fetch a pretty penny.”
“‘Pretty penny’ is an understatement! For someone like me, it’s a sum I could never dream of. But I only want about a thousand marka.”
A thousand marka?
To me, that seemed like a paltry sum.
“A thousand marka. Your aspirations are smaller than I expected.”
“They’re not small! It’s a substantial amount for me! If I had a thousand marka in my hands tomorrow, I could add butter and a piece of meat to my meal. I could start the day happily. Plus, with the remaining money, I could buy a book I love and end my day reading it.”
“Isn’t it better to have more? Not just tomorrow, but you could eat butter and meat every day.”
“That’s not bad, but I think the joy would diminish the more I have it. I know my place. I can’t live lavishly for my entire life, so I want to enjoy the happiness of encountering butter and meat occasionally.”
“…”
“Also, greed will surely bring trouble. I just want what’s appropriate for my abilities.”
I could sense her sincerity in her shy smile.
Honestly, I wanted to use the necklace as leverage to keep her bound to me, to ensure she wouldn’t betray me in the future, tied by a huge debt so that my mind could be at ease.
I never wanted to experience the feeling of betrayal again after relying on some vague bond of friendship.
But still, I found myself wanting to protect Shanette’s smile.
“…How about twenty thousand marka instead?”
“…….”
Oh, is this a lot too?
I’ve never dealt with such a trivial amount before, so I couldn’t gauge it.
“…How about I give you a year’s bonus in advance?”
“Sounds good!”
She smiled brightly, genuinely happy.
I envied her for honestly expressing her feelings and smiling so freely.
When would I ever be able to smile without reservation again?
It would probably be after my revenge was complete, but I couldn’t be sure of that either.
Seeing the downfall of Cesar would ease the burden on my heart, but could I really regain my smile?
* * *
I thought I would have no worries for a while after Serus’s departure.
“Here’s your medicine for today. Drink up.”
Ludger brought over a terrible-tasting medicine himself. The dark, murky liquid made me feel like my mouth was filled with thorns, but that wasn’t the most important thing.
“It’s unusual for you to come personally instead of your physician. Is there something you’d like to discuss with me?”
“Let’s deal with the medicine first.”
I wanted to delay the pain for even a moment, but there was no way to avoid it.
‘For the sake of revenge.’
I was taking it for my unwavering stamina!
I squeezed my eyes shut and carefully gulped it down, trying not to spill any. The bitter taste was agonizing, and I reflexively wanted to set the cup down.
However, if I took breaks in between, the time of suffering would only stretch longer, so I had to down it all at once.
“Ugh…”
“Here.”
Ludger offered me something while I was struggling. It was candy.
I accepted the candy like I had stumbled upon an oasis in the desert, instinctively reaching out for it to escape the bitter taste.
I rolled the candy around my mouth to spread the sweetness and looked at Ludger.
He appeared slightly surprised.
It was understandable, considering I had jumped at the candy without worrying about appearances.
‘The candy was just too welcoming…’
I realized that I had been too carefree, lost in the sweetness.
I felt a blush rise to my face in embarrassment.
“You really enjoy that.”
“……”
I couldn’t answer out of shyness. He chuckled softly.
“There’s no need to be so embarrassed. I understand that feeling well.”
“You too, Your Highness?”
“I’ve taken the same medicine. They told me that the effects would be halved, so after taking the medicine, I wasn’t allowed to touch food for a while. I can’t express how desperately I craved sweets during those times.”
As I rolled the candy around, now about half its original size, I hesitated.
“…But if I eat candy, shouldn’t I avoid it? Otherwise, the medicine I took will become useless.”
“Don’t worry about that. I always secretly ate candy, and the effects were just fine. You can see that from how I am now.”
I finished melting the candy in my mouth while scanning Ludger up and down.
Even in a light suit, his solid muscles were clearly visible, wrapped tightly around his body like a curtain.
The claim of a war hero of the Empire was believable.
I felt reassured and focused on the sweetness, lightly nodding.
“By the way, I heard that Baron Timor stopped by.”
“That’s right. I should have informed the owner of the mansion first, but I didn’t have the time because I was welcoming the guest who showed up.”
“That’s alright. After all, he is your guest.”
Receiving an external guest without the owner’s permission could be considered a serious breach of etiquette.
Fortunately, he didn’t appear displeased.
‘Is the conversation about the candy and Serus’s visit coming to an end?’
I didn’t have much to say, so I focused on melting the candy.
“Seeing you come here so brazenly, I take it the letter hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind.”
I was so focused on rolling the candy around my tongue that I didn’t catch what Ludger had said.
It seemed it wasn’t important, as he changed the subject.
“By the way, I have something to tell you. I’ll be away from the mansion for a week. There’s no need to look for me while I’m gone.”
Why on earth would he leave the mansion for an entire week?
Worry crept in at the thought of him going somewhere.
“Are you, by any chance, going to the front lines?”
That war enthusiast! Can’t he just stay at the mansion for a while?
Since it was the social season, couldn’t he just go to a ball, dance, and drink like everyone else?
“If it were up to me, I’d leave right now, but someone’s keeping a watchful eye, so I’ve decided to postpone it.”
Wow, that was music to my ears.
It would be even better if he didn’t plan on going at all.
“If it’s not the battlefield, where are you going?”
“To my territory. I have some matters to attend to.”
It wasn’t unusual for a lord to inspect their territory, but wasn’t it the social season?
With all the nobles gathered in the capital, it seemed something urgent had come up for him to head to his territory now.
‘What happened in the Northern Lights territory during this time?’
Although I was still reeling from the grief of losing my parents, I remembered the significant events. I thought hard, but nothing noteworthy came to mind.
In the past, Ludger had already been off to the battlefield, and the Northern Lights territory had been incredibly peaceful.
‘Perhaps something has changed.’
I didn’t even know if it was due to Ludger not leaving for the battlefield.
“Is something happening in your territory?”
“There is something, but it’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ll leave the physician behind, and if you need anything, just have the butler send it to me. You can contact me directly using the front line messenger.”
It seemed he didn’t want me, an outsider, to get involved with his territory.
