Chapter 61

The Sleepless Night of the Maid — Chapter 60

“… I suppose.”

Edward answered indifferently. There was nothing strange about Count Holland’s question, but he was strangely reluctant.

“She is well-educated and has a good personality.”

“What do you want to say?”

“That’s all.”

Count Holland took off Edward’s armour and responded calmly, tidying up.

No, this was not the time to talk about Olivia. It wasn’t Olivia that filled his head, but another woman.

“Benjamin.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Count Holland answered right away and stepped closer. When Edward called him Benjamin, it was mostly urgent or private. No, even Count Holland had a tense expression on his face.

“Send someone to Baronet Biti. Right now.”

“Yes?”

Count Holland asked again with a look of incomprehension.

“I want to see if Miss Macy’s is doing well.”

“Why all of a sudden…”

Count Holland’s face crumpled slightly. It was Edward who was confident that he wouldn’t mind it anymore. He must have felt embarrassed about suddenly sending someone out without having mentioned Eva at all on the way. The Count might be worried that Edward might have fallen for Eva more deeply than he thought, and he would also be dissatisfied.

“I’m just being polite to my ex-fiancée, so don’t get me wrong, just find out.”

He couldn’t even say it was because of a dream. Still, it was a dream that he couldn’t ignore.

“If that’s the case, don’t worry. I told the butler of Bale Castle to stop by once in a while to take a look.”

“Benjamin!”

Edward called Count Holland’s name in a quiet voice. If you stop by only once, it means he wouldn’t be able to know about Eva’s situation. Even though he knew that asking him to check it now didn’t mean that, he was tempted to answer as such.

“… … All right. But not now. We’ll get to Montana soon and we’ll find out then.”

Eventually, Count Holland withdrew and accepted his orders.

Edward then turned and walked towards the bathtub. Even though he knew the reason was too weak, he couldn’t help it. He cared so much that he couldn’t stand it.

***

After breakfast, Eva was admiring the scenery outside from the carriage heading towards the Duke’s Castle. The field of reeds swaying in the wind spread endlessly, and the roadside and hillsides were full of autumn wildflowers. It was similar to Crocs Field, but it was a slightly different landscape.

“I’m going to meet the Duke of Kensington, so you’re to remain here. It won’t take long.”

Rex, sitting across from her, said to Eva, who was busy looking outside. At other times, he would have stabbed her with odd words, but today he was quiet. Without saying a word, he only raised the corners of his mouth while observing Eva’s actions one by one. Of course, that was more of a concern.

“Okay. But why are you meeting him?”

“I have the inspiration and the items that the wife asked for help with. Rare foreign books, textiles, ornaments, vessels, and gemstones.”

“Ah….!”

“What do you know?”

When Eva puts in meaningless charisma, Rex grinned as if it was ridiculous. It wasn’t a disrespectful expression, it was a cute face.

“Who is the Duke of Kensington?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

Rex’s voice quickly turned defensive.

“No, I think you know what I’m talking about.”

Eva looked into his eyes and pouted her lips. After the dream, Rex was in a bad mood the whole time. And after riding the wagon heading to the castle, the discomfort got worse.

“I don’t know because I don’t believe what people know about him. Instead, you know what people don’t know.”

He added with a muffled voice as if he was sorry for his temper. Of course, it was something that Eva could not understand, but she quietly waited for the next word.

“It’s an old-fashioned inspiration. He is a person who takes great pride in his bloodline and is very strict about culture and manners. He also serves as the Chairman of the Senate.”

“Chairman of the Senate?”

Surprised, Eva rolled her eyes. The Hemblin Empire was led by a Senate of 70, including the Emperor, priests, and nobles. Some councils were a mixture of gentry and nobles, but they had little real power. Therefore, it was said that he was quite powerful among the nobles to be the Chairman of the Senate, the only body of power in reality.

How the heck does Rex know about such a giant? But is it okay to talk like this? Knowing his demeanour, his tone became distorted if he didn’t like it, so she was worried that someone might hear it.

“The Duke of Kensington is one of the leading figures in politics these days. No matter what happens, he keeps the middle ground and serves as the Chairman, which means that in the end, he will stick to the strong side after paying attention to one side or another.”

“Mr. Rex.”

“What?”

“Perhaps… … Do you hate the Duke of Kensington?”

Eva asked, carefully looking into Rex’s eyes. When he talked about the Duke of Kensington, it felt like his eyes were turning black and wet. It was the look he showed her the day he first caught Eva.

“I hate nobles. Nobility stinks.”

“… … .”

Rex smirked and turned his head as if he didn’t want to talk anymore. It was an answer that eluded Eva’s question, but it wasn’t completely out of line either.

Eva wondered what he was doing, but didn’t ask anymore. It seemed that she had glimpsed the sadness that lingered behind that unknown smile. Though she didn’t mean it, she raised her arm and sniffed it, without Rex noticing.

Hi everyone. I am sorry if some chapters are short. Because I’m doing both translating and editing, it does take me longer to do it, so I split the Korean chapters to make for consistent English posts.

Apologies for any frustration, and thank you for being understanding.