Chapter 78

Adelia raised the corner of her mouth and tilted her teacup. The tables around her were filled with nobles before she knew it.

Everyone was looking forward to something.

What kind of controversy will rise since the troublemaker of the social world has stepped back into the capital?

“You’re really… popular.”

“Popular?”

Adelia laughed lightly at Ivan’s unique analogy.

“If this is what popularity is then maybe I am popular.”

“Hmm.”

Ivan leaned against the backrest and looked at Adelia quietly. He soon smiled and wrapped Adelia’s hand on the table with his hand.

“If possible, I would like to hear a rumor that you are my lover.”

Adelia opened her eyes wide in surprise. She soon shook her head with a smile.

“You don’t have to worry about that. It’s already….”

Adelia glanced around.

People are surprised that the troublemaker, who left the society as if she had been kicked out, sits affectionately with the Grand Duke.

“I think everyone already knows about us.”

A satisfied smile hung from the corners of the duke’s mouth. Then he said with a face that seemed to have something just occurred to him.

“Come to think of it, I heard that this teahouse gives a special gift.”

It was information she had never heard of.

A special gift? In this teahouse?

Adelia thought of what gifts could be given by this coffee shop.

Is it a kind of cookie or herb? But isn’t that possible in other teahouses, too?”

Ivan winked at the waiting staff, the staff smiled and headed somewhere. Adelia tilted her head and wondered what Ivan had prepared.

It’s been about 10 minutes.

At the end of the flower garden, employees walking with flowers in their arms came into view.

“No way…”

Adelia’s eyes twitched slightly.

A smile as if drawn on Ivan’s mouth bloomed.

“They sell pretty good flowers. It’s not much, but will you accept it?”

Soon Adelia’s surroundings were filled with colorful flowers. Adelia, who was almost buried in flowers, laughed.

Ivan added in a whisper.

“Wouldn’t this attract more attention?”

“When did you prepare this?”

Ivan shrugged and smiled strangely at Adelia’s question.

“I can always prepare this much.”

“Haha…”

Adelia smiled helplessly. She didn’t feel bad, though. No, it was rather good.

I’ve never received so many flowers in my life.

Of course, it’s a matter of how to take it. Still, it attracted a lot of attention once. Staring eyes gathered from here and there. Their gazes contain envy and curiosity. 

It was not a bad return ceremony.

Adelia and Ivan had to rent three carriages to take flowers to the mansion. Loading flowers was also a formidable task. It took an hour for the flowers to be loaded in the carriage. Adelia said, looking at the flowers sticking out of the window.

“I will only accept your heart next time.”

“…I’ll have to think about the volume next time.”

Adelia and Ivan burst into laughter at the same time. The two boarded the carriage that wasn’t filled with flowers.  Soon the carriage began to run toward the blue flame mansion.

Adelia watched the background passing by quickly with her eyes fixed outside the window. She thought it had changed a lot more than she thought, but now that she looked at it, it’s not necessarily like that.

Adelia closed the window and drew the curtains with a short tongue clicked. And not long after, the carriage came to a sudden stop. Adelia’s body leaned forward at the sudden stop.

Fortunately, Ivan received Adelia’s body and was able to avoid injury.

Ivan’s expression hardened. He opened a small window connected to the coachman to ask about the situation.

“What’s going on?”

The coachman explained the situation with a tense face at the subdued voice of the Grand Duke.

“Well, that’s… some kind of scoundrel jumped into the street and….”

“Scoundrel?” 

It was then.

A familiar name came through the narrow window connected to the coachman. 

“Damn it, Giorgio…!”

Adelia’s eyes narrowed.

“I’ll have to check.”

“I’m getting off with you.”

Ivan and Adelia got out of the carriage immediately. The coachman also got off the horse seat and approached the tramp who blocked the road.

“Hey! Wake up! Do you know whose carriage you’ve blocked now?”

The coachman tried to raise the man who sat on the street in a fidget. However, the man with eyes as if his soul had escaped showed no movement. Just staring blankly at the coachman who keeps talking.

Adelia’s forehead was wrinkled as he looked somewhat eerie. 

“It’s Baron Silicans.”

Ivan, who checked the face of the tramp, said in a low voice. Knowing the identity of the man, Adelia murmured in a small voice, saying it was understandable.

“If it’s Sillicans, it’s the location of the fourth disaster.”.

“There must be friction with the Duke of Valkyr.”

Adelia watched the man’s movements carefully again. Clothes worn all over the place. Dirty skin and sparse hair after not washing for days.

“I think we should have a conversation.”

The duke signaled the knights at Adelia’s words. The knights carried the bewitched Baron Silicans in the carriage full of flowers. Adelia and Ivan got back on the carriage; the carriage began moving back toward its original destination.

***

The employees of the mansion were surprised to see the scoundrel brought by Adelia and Ivan, but did not express themselves.

Just a cup of warm tea for the man who seems to have a story.

The eyes of Baron Silicans, who was conscious of the smoke, came to life.

“This is…”

He looked around and saw Ivan and opened his eyes wide.

“Your highness…!”

“You must have finally come to your senses.”

Adelia confirmed that the baron was not in a bad condition and sat down in front of him.

“Nice to meet you. Baron Silicans.”

“Who are you?”

It was a pure question with no boundaries or doubts. Adelia said with a bright smile to the baron.

“I’m Adelia Yurpheon.”

“Oh… Are you the Sorne’s youngest lady?”

The baron looked at Adelia as if he remembered it belatedly. A sense of vigilance, which had not been seen earlier, stood in Baron Silicans’ eyes. Adelia swallowed a wry smile at the sight.

My notoriety is pretty awful.

Adelia kept her composure, and said to the baron.

“Isn’t Sorne’s young lady dead?”

“…the Marquis of Sorne did announce that….”

“I’m not a Sorne anymore, I’m Viscount Yurpheon. Your Highness accepted me.”

“Ah…”

Baron Silicans’ eyes, which were full of vigilance, are now full of pity. He was a person whose emotions changed in an instant. Adelia smiled resolutely and changed the subject.

“I wonder why the baron jumped into the carriage.”

Adelia’s question cast a dark shadow on the baron’s face. A look of despair as if the future had disappeared. The baron opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Lady Sorne…, no, the Viscount Yurpheon may know. The fourth disaster will strike our territory.”

“I know.”

I knew too well.

She was the first one to announce the fourth disaster to the world.

“Our territory has neither the military nor the financial resources to deal with the disaster. So, we really need the help of the imperial family and the temple.”

Adelia nodded softly.

She agreed with the baron’s words.

“Right after the announcement of the fourth disaster by the temple, the Duke of Valkyr suggested to me to hand over the ship that our territory has.”

Surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, the Silicans territory will be isolated without the ships.

Adelia’s eyes sharpened.

“He offered Hestine in return.”

“…he didn’t say it out loud, but it was something like that. Sure enough, after rejecting Duke Valkyr’s offer, I was told that she couldn’t help us because she wasn’t feeling well.”

“What about the temple?” 

“At first, they said they would help regardless of the Duke of Valkyr, but eventually… They’ve cut the support in half and said if things get dangerous, they will step back.”

Sorrow and resentment rose above Baron Silicans’ face.

“Of course, the Emperor has said that he will send troops, but he cannot deal with them without divine power.”

“It must be overwhelming.”

Baron Silicans nodded at Adelia’s words.

“I went around asking for help to protect the territory.”

“But they all refused.”

“…Yeah. Everyone was reluctant to help, saying that the saint turned her back on us.”

Baron Silicans’ eyes flushed.

The baron desperately swallowed his tears.

“And then I got scammed….”

Adelia looked at the baron with sad eyes.

She could see that the sense of duty to somehow protect the land weighed heavily on the baron’s shoulders.

I was going to use the baron, but now that this is happening, I really want to help.

Adelia sighed.

Adelia made up her mind and called the baron.

“Baron Silicans.”

“Yes…”

“May I help you, if you don’t mind?”

Baron Silicans’ face was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion. But soon the panic turned into a deep sense of vigilance. He’s already had too many disappointments and wounds. It was natural for him to be wary of Adelia, who readily offered a helping hand.

Adelia looked at the Baron Silicans with a significant smile.

“You asked me who I was.”

“…Didn’t you say you’re Viscount Yurpheon?”

“That’s true, of course. But there’s something I didn’t say.”

Baron Silicans couldn’t understand what the woman in front of him was saying.

“Have you heard of the prophet?”