Who is your dad?

The maid’s confession went like this.

Her cousin worked at the residence of the Duchess of Olsene in the capital, and they occasionally met to spend time together and share updates on their lives.

Recently, while catching up with her cousin, the maid had absentmindedly mentioned that Celeste would be going to Kellever Square to watch the festival. At the time, the comment seemed minor, so she hadn’t thought much of it. However, after Celeste and Valerie were attacked in the square, the realization struck her: how could those villains have known the Count’s schedule and prepared such an attack?

Despite trying to dismiss the idea, the fear gnawed at her that perhaps the careless words she had said to her cousin had reached the ears of those evildoers. This worry made her anxious, thinking they might have seized an opportunity to harm the Count.

Unable to calm her troubled mind, she seemed to decide that it was better to confess her mistake to Margaret, the head maid.

How foolish could she be…? It was absolutely forbidden to discuss anything about her master outside the residence. She never imagined it could lead to something like this.

Did this girl even realize what she had done? Did she feel any guilt upon seeing Celeste in such a serious state? A deep sigh escaped from Margaret’s lips.

***

From the outside, the villa seemed unremarkable, but inside, it was cozy. Surrounded by stark castle walls, the interior appeared to be crafted with great care.

While Karl was busy with work even at the villa, his assistant offered to give a tour of the inside.

“Clovis, is it?”

“Yes. Please, feel free to speak comfortably.”

He was the tall, dark-haired knight who always followed Karl around. Clovis. I silently practiced the pronunciation; it suited him well.

“His Grace the Duke has some matters to attend to, so I’m here to assist the Count in his place.”

“Thank you. But I don’t need assistance.”

I offered a somewhat awkward smile.

When I first saw him in Urentum, I wondered if someone could be so stern and cold. However, as we spoke, I found Clovis to be quite pleasant. He resembled Karl in some ways but occasionally tossed in a humorous remark, revealing an unexpected sense of humor.

“That over there is the space where His Grace the Duke conducts his business. If you go down below, there’s a designated area for the knights, where meals can also be arranged.”

“I see.”

“Believe it or not, this villa is quite meticulously built. I’ve heard that the previous Duke paid special attention to it.”

“By the previous Duke, do you mean Karl’s father?”

“Yes, exactly. That would be Duke Reinhardt. I understand this villa was constructed when Duke Karl was just born.”

Clovis’s explanations were neither excessive nor lacking. They were just right for casual listening.

As I followed his guidance and walked along the walls, it seemed I had already completed a full circle around the villa.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about or any place you’d like to revisit?”

“No, I’m fine. This is enough. Thank you, Sir Clovis.”

“Shall we return to where we came from? I will guide you.”

“Um, if it’s alright, could I take a walk by myself? The view from here is really wonderful.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone? Should I go and call the Count’s attendants for you?”

“I’m fine. Thanks to your excellent guidance, I feel like I already know my way around the villa. Don’t worry, I won’t get lost.”

“Understood, my lord.”

His smiling face exuded a sense of innocence. I had thought he was a scary knight, but he could smile like a boy. I nodded slightly in greeting and watched as Clovis walked away into the distance.

I stood at the highest point of the villa. Two stone buildings were connected in a ‘L’ shape, and from inside the building, I could see the outside scenery well, but curiously, one couldn’t see the inside from the outside.

I had heard it was a castle built by a father for his son, and it truly seemed well-constructed.

I retraced my steps while recalling my memories. One step forward and enjoy the view. Another step forward and enjoy the view again.

The stone walls blended beautifully with the trees, as if they had always been there, reflecting the building’s goal of being environmentally friendly.

Now that I think about it, I had never heard about Karl’s parents from him.

Karl’s father’s name is Reinhardt, I see. Since he didn’t mention it, has he passed away?

I recalled reading about Karl’s family background in the original work, “Roses of LaHart.” It seemed to have been briefly mentioned at the story’s start while explaining the protagonist’s background.

Having lost his parents at a young age and standing strong, Duke Karl Albrecht was a sentence I remembered. However, there was no mention of why, when, or how his parents had passed away.

“That’s strange.”

Why was there no mention of the parents? From Karl’s reluctance to talk about them, it seemed like there was some significant backstory hidden away. Or perhaps the author just couldn’t be bothered to think that far. Lost in these thoughts, I took another step.

“Oops.”

There was a stone protruding from the brick path. I almost tripped over it without seeing it in time. Luckily, I didn’t fall, but I brushed my startled chest with my hand.

“My pouch fell.”

As I stumbled, the pouch containing my magical stones, tied to the waist of my dress, dropped. It was given to me by Minister Linke before leaving the capital.

He insisted I always carry magical stones for unexpected situations and had filled it with small, portable ones. He warned me not to let it slip from my clothes. Now I had dropped such an important item, so I quickly bent down to pick up the pouch.

“Oh no….”

It seems I hadn’t tied the entrance tightly. Small stones spilled out of the fallen pouch.

In a hurry, I gathered the scattered magical stones, one by one. One, two, three, four, five… Could such small ones even have power?

By the way, what was the incantation for healing magic again? I had to remember it without fail, but my memory was already fuzzy.

“What was it…? Le, what was it? Le… Le… Leo? Lemi?”

I had been told not to forget it.

As I picked up the stones, only those too tiny to hold with my fingers remained on the ground. I swiped my hand across the stones, gathering them all at once.

But really, what was the incantation? Lemi…

“Oh, Lemetior!”

I stuffed the stones into my pouch with a clatter. The sound of stones clinking against each other filled the air.

Yes, that’s right. Lemetior. That was the incantation to activate the healing magic. Thank goodness I didn’t forget it.

Thunder rumbled ominously.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, and thunder echoed. Is it going to rain? I looked up at the dimming sky, and the dark clouds didn’t seem normal. Just when I started my tour with Clovis, the sky had been clear, but now it felt as if a switch had been flipped.

I need to get inside before it rains. Which way did I come from? I clenched my pockets and began walking again.

“Ouch, it’s cold.”

My worries always seem to become reality. Just before entering, raindrops started to fall, one by one.

I hope it’s not going to pour. I picked up the pace.

But the problem was that when I stood up after gathering the scattered magic stones, I couldn’t remember the way. I thought I knew it when I walked with Clovis, but now, everything looked the same as I tried to find my way back alone.

What should I do? I didn’t have the luxury to look around for long. I needed to get indoors to avoid the increasingly heavy rain. I started to run.

I dashed towards the nearest door. It was made of logs and stood out against the stone wall.

But then another problem arose. The door was locked.

Knock, knock, knock. I tapped on the door.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

The other side remained silent. I knocked again, this time harder.

“Nobody’s home?”

Still no response. Should I look for another entrance? Just as I contemplated this, the door suddenly swung open.

“…Count Louisette?”

Revealed through the open door was Karl. He had mentioned he was reviewing documents in his office, so I guess he was passing by at the right moment.

Nice timing. Just as the door opened, a sudden downpour began.

I moved to step inside, but Karl didn’t budge, blocking the small doorway with his large frame.

With him filling this tiny entrance, how was I supposed to get in?

“How did you get here?”

But Karl’s reaction seemed off.

“What?”

“I asked how you got here, Count Louisette…”

His gaze was icy and unwelcoming. What was going on?