CH 52

Don’t worry too much, Hisch. It has already happened anyway. It was bound to happen at some point.”

The fact that the royal family prepared a summons and instructed Sir Edwin to find evidence to support it means that information about Hisch has already been leaked.

Which leaves only one explanation. Miller.

However, that didn’t mean I felt any ill will towards him. On the contrary, I was surprised and grateful that he had kept silent for such a long time.

“And speaking of the royal summons, the only person who can truly perceive your ability accurately is His Highness the Prince. There’s no need to worry too much.”

Only the royal family can judge this strange ability. Among them, His Majesty the King is currently bedridden, so he is out of the question.

And I’m sorry to His Highness the Prince, but I had the intention of pushing the idea that regardless of what he feels inside Hisch, it is due to the instability of his abilities since he has not fully awakened yet.

Therefore, in order to stand Hisch in front of His Highness the Prince and avoid suspicion, I needed to have more information about his abilities than anyone else.

A mixture of truth and lies can convince many people. And the more people convinced, the less the prince would have to say.

“Sir Edwin said he would never have given me a royal summons if he hadn’t found a witness.”

“That means…”

“That means the information held by the other party is insufficient.”

I nodded at Sein’s wise remark.

However, Hisch still had a somber expression. I wondered if there was something else bothering him, but he quickly removed his somber expression with a slight smile in response to my concerned gaze and spoke to me.

“… I trust Liddell. Right now, I just… um… I wanted to do better, but somehow things got complicated.”

“Hisch, don’t blame yourself like that.”

“I was supposed to be the one helping you…”

His words, filled with what seemed like obsession, unsettled me. I held his hand and drew his attention, silently looking into his eyes.

“I told you. You just have to do the best you can in your position and live happily with me.”

In response to my words, his black pupils shook for a moment. In the end, he smiled as if acknowledging that he couldn’t help it and said.

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

Despite that, I still couldn’t find peace of mind, so I intentionally brought up a different topic. As we were going up to the capital after a long time, I suggested enjoying cultural activities and having fun, considering it as a trip to relax and clear our minds.

In response to my words, Hisch finally smiled, just like he usually does. In truth, I spoke about trivial matters as much as possible to put him at ease, but our schedule in the capital wouldn’t be entirely smooth.

But I didn’t want to see the man, who had finally begun to confront the ability he possessed, get hurt.

Hisch, as always, will definitely keep his promise.

I firmly held onto that determination in my heart.

As the day of leaving the territory approached and I was in the process of choosing the escort for the journey to the capital, there was a slight commotion.

I wasn’t sure if the rumors about Sir Ted and my scandal were still circulating in the capital, but it seemed prudent to be cautious. I was planning to deploy Sir Oswald as before, but he approached me with an anxious voice and said these words.

“M-My Lord, may I not go this time? I don’t want to leave my hometown, Ensis!”

What’s gotten into him? He was so excited about going to the capital last time.

As I stared at him in bewilderment, Sir Jane and Sir Bethel, with their shady smiles, began to threaten Sir Gran, asking him who he was to dare defy his master’s command.

Still, shouldn’t one be allowed to voice such an opinion…

As I stared in bewilderment at Sir Oswald who trembled in fear, Sein made a suggestion.

“Considering that both important figures of the territory will be absent, wouldn’t it be better to entrust this escort to Sir Roelich?”

“Well… but the rumors…”

“Surely no one would think that the Lord would enter the capital with two men, one involved in an inappropriate relationship and the other in a marriage covenant. Surely not! No one would think that way.”

This guy, how many times is he going to keep saying ‘surely’? It’s not like he’s making fun of anyone.

But, well, it made sense. Above all, it felt like Sir Ted was strangely showing off his skills to me, and somehow it felt like he wanted to accompany me.

Or rather, it seemed more like he would throw a fit if I didn’t take him along.

In the end, our group heading towards the capital became smaller. A knight named Teddius Roelich was worth his weight in gold. A knight stronger than dozens of soldiers. That was a huge difference.

And before I knew it, time had passed.

On the day of our departure to the capital, while I was holding onto my hat about to fly away in the wind, I was giving Sein some instructions when he suddenly said this.

“And before you leave, here’s good news for you.”

Having said that, he handed me a thin piece of stationery and said.

“Peloche has expressed their intention to invest in the tunnel project and has requested a discussion.”

“Oh, it saves me money.”

The letter I received was written in handwriting that seemed weaker than the last letter I saw, with traces of tears on it.

If he had just quietly paid back the money, he wouldn’t have had to incur such excessive expenses… He’s reaping what he’s sown.

After a cursory glance at the letter, I handed it back to Sein without much enthusiasm and spoke in an apathetic tone.

“You handle the negotiations. I’ve already made the power of attorney.”

In response to my words, the man with gray hair smiled in a way that would seem sinister to others and spoke.

“I will put all my effort into thoroughly emptying the pockets of those that have troubled my Lord’s mind.”

“… Very well… Do your best.”

There was nothing more to say to the man whose temper I had grown accustomed to after spending so much time with him. Though perhaps I should consider it fortunate that he didn’t bite me as his master.

In addition, I exchanged a brief goodbye with the newly acquired knights, including Albert, and the servants before turning away. As I did, Hisch stood near the carriage, silently watching me.

As I ran towards him without a stop, a smile quickly appeared on his face.

Lately, Hisch seems oddly calm. Is it just my imagination or is it one side of Hisch before we got married that I hadn’t seen?

“Go ahead and get into the carriage first and take a rest.”

“I’ll escort you, Liddell.”

Actually, I can get into the carriage by myself.

However, in this world, even these things are among the etiquette that should be observed, and as the highest-ranking person, it was not proper for me to just disregard and overlook them.

I climbed into the carriage with Hisch’s escort, and as soon as I settled in, I heard a brief knocking sound on the carriage window.

The brown-haired knight courteously bowed and then spoke to me.

“My Lord, the preparations for departure have been completed.”

“Very well. Have the gifts for my father and big brother been properly taken care of? I didn’t have a chance to check.”

The loyal knight, apparently confirming all the luggage, nodded calmly. Then, after saying it’s time to depart, he once again lowered his head respectfully and disappeared towards the front of the carriage.

Soon, the carriage started moving slowly. Hisch spoke with a slightly worried expression.

“Perhaps I should have prepared a gift for His Grace… and Lord Lewis as well.”

“It’s alright. Those gifts are not ‘my’ gifts, but gifts from ‘us couple.’ And you were the one who personally chose them, Hisch.”

“But I didn’t know their preferences well, so I received help from you, Liddell. I didn’t really know what to get them.”

As I watched Hisch let out a brief sigh, a sudden thought came to me.

Come to think of it, Hisch is also estranged from the Riot family, so he has little information about his family.

Could it be that Hisch wants to get closer to them but hasn’t been able to seize the opportunity? I wondered if I had been casually brushing that fact aside.

“Well… it can’t go on like this, can it? After all, we’re family now. And I’m sure you want to have a more comfortable relationship with them, right?”

At that moment, I suddenly felt a sense of guilt for my insensitivity towards Hisch, even in the smallest details, considering his delicate nature. Hisch, with his eyes widened in surprise, blurted out his words, seemingly taken aback.

“Ah… I don’t really…”

“…..”

Seeing my disheartened expression, Hisch quickly clenched his fist and spoke.

“Ah, but if Liddell wants it, I’ll make an effort…!”

And I was convinced. Okay, so I’ve earned myself another overindulgence today.

Come to think of it, even I wouldn’t necessarily want to get close if I had in-laws.

I chuckled and assured Hisch that I was fine with it too.

The capital, which we ended up visiting again sooner than expected, had regained its vitality compared to the last visit.

This is evident from the collapsed cathedral, which seemed to vividly depict the tragedy of that day, which had also been almost rebuilt.

As we entered the residence, the head maid and butler, accompanied by several servants, were waiting to greet us.

Hisch hesitated, still not fully accustomed to his former colleagues, who were once his superiors in the workplace, treating him with great respect, as he exchanged greetings with them.

We were directed to stay in the annex of the residence.

Normally I would have been allowed to stay in my own room if I had come alone, but this time, since we came as a couple, it must have been a consideration from the family.

After dressing casually, I intended to take Sir Roelich to take a stroll around with Hisch, when the butler delivered some news in a cautious tone that dampened my mood.

“There is a family meeting scheduled to take place soon, and it seems that you should also attend, Miss.”