Chapter 143

Chapter 143

“Mm-hmm, from those two. Dunno, maybe they’re just wishing both me and Alicia a happy birthday?”

“Don’t you think the real celebration will happen once they’ve both disappeared?”

“Haha, that’s true.”

It wasn’t like him to be so straightforward with both words and actions, but it showed just how uncomfortable he was.

“So, are you going?”

“I have to go, of course. I was personally invited.”

“…But isn’t this a trap?”

“There’s a good chance that it is. Still, what can I do? To gain something, there’s always a risk involved.”

But still, I was worried about Alicia.

Ah, now that I think about it, there’s something else that’s bothering me.

With a smile donned upon my lips, I stared at Cassion.

As I continued to look at him in silence, Cassion was the first to speak.

“What is it?”

“I’m worried.”

“About the trap?”

“No. About you.”

“Me?”

At the question laced with perplexity, I nodded without hesitation.

If my number one concern was Alicia, the next one was undoubtedly Cassion.

“After the hunting festival, Leo’s side has gotten far quieter than I originally expected.

Hearing this, Cassion thought it over. Then, shortly after, he murmured.

“Indeed, that’s the case.”

Suspiciously enough, there’s virtually no movement on Leo’s side.

I had asked Blanca to investigate both Leo and Daniel, but since it’s becoming more and more common for me to throw requests at her each day, it’s a bit too much if I asked more.

Of course, they might be moving so quietly that even Blanca couldn’t detect their movements.

But still.

It was much too quiet.

Going by Leo’s personality, it wouldn’t be considered strange if he started moving immediately on the day of the hunting festival itself.

The hunting festival. We had thrown the bait and, steadily, he was lured in.

A high-level mage had suddenly appeared. Besides that, the mage resembled his supposedly dead older brother.

How could he possibly let that go?

Leo was absolutely not the kind of man who’d let go of any doubts once they’d been raised.

Since it’s like that…

“Perhaps the trap this time has been set for you, Cassion.”

As soon as I received the letter, my full attention had been on Urien.

The same was true for Diana and Cassion.

Everyone who heard about the letter was focused on ‘me’ but not on Cassion.

Perhaps that guy was planning for this?

If he just quietly held his breath and made everyone’s eyes turn to ‘me’, it would draw all vigilance away from Cassion.

“Since it’s like that, does this mean that Daniel is that man?”

With his brows slightly raised, Cassion murmured.

“If Leo’s after me, then that must mean he’s the ‘real Leo’.”

“No, we can’t be one hundred percent certain just yet.”

I answered firmly.

Cassion’s line of logic was quite plausible, but it still remained an assumption at this point.

“Even if Leo happens to be Urien, he’ll still want to deal with you.”

“Why?”

“Because he wants to have me. To take complete possession of me, he’ll need strength. And whatever it is, be it strength, power or authority, Urien knows how to use such things better than anyone else.”

I explained to him one by one.

“If he’s pretending to be Leo, he’ll want to seize the Carter Duchy’s power entirely. And if he wants to succeed in doing so, your existence serves as a hurdle to him. You’re a high-ranking mage, and apart from that, you’re the missing older son of the household. Besides…”

At that point, I trailed off.

Curiosity rose upon Cassion’s face as my words became vaguely blurred.

“Besides?”

As he urged me to continue, my lips opened and closed without saying anything.

‘Besides, you like me. You can’t even hide it.’

The words lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t bring myself to utter them.

“Um. Never mind.”

His feelings weren’t for me to say out loud on his behalf.

It’s up to him to say it, if it’s true.

It’s just my observation.

“Anyway, just in case, why don’t you just stay at home?”

When I didn’t say anything more about the matter, Cassion’s smooth forehead became crumpled as he suggested this.

Then, his pursed lips opened without hesitation.

“Or, let me come with you. At the very least, I’ll roll on the ground if I get into any trouble.”

He said such a thing in the most serious tone possible, and I couldn’t help but laugh in vain.

Hah.

This man was really using any opportunity he had to try and roll on the ground.

“…Don’t bother rolling, just knock people out.”

When I answered with a dispirited smile, he nodded with satisfaction clear in his features.

All the while, he was still serious.

Then, after a short moment.

With a little hesitation, he added one small thing.

“You, too. Be careful.”

As he voiced his careful concern, the events that transpired during the hunting festival naturally came to my mind.

The day I fell unconscious in the face of those blue monsters.

“Why, are you afraid that I’ll faint again?”

“Yes. I’m afraid that you’ll suffer again.”

He was very straightforward.

Shrugging once, I turned my head.

I looked up at the sky and saw countless stars, as if they had been poured all across the heavens.

“I didn’t faint. I was just so shocked back then. For that bastard to have followed me this far— it’s something that never crossed my mind.”

That time, it felt as if a bomb had exploded right behind me.

Despite my calm answer, Cassion’s concerns did not disappear.

“…Even still, are you going to be alright? You’ve already faced each other once. Even that side already knows who you really are.”

Well, he’s right.

During the hunting festival, I helped Daniel because the situation was so urgent. But that wouldn’t happen again.

Right now, I would have to face those two men while wholly conscious of how either of them was Urien.

‘If it was me from a few months ago, maybe I wouldn’t be able to endure it.’

However, that wasn’t who I was right now.

Urien’s smiling face crept up over the empty air.

It was a clear face that was impossible to forget.

I stared at the hallucination that came to mind.

And, I smiled lightly.

“I’ll be fine. Right now, I’m just…”

* * *

Right now, I’m just concerned about the dilemma of, ‘Who really is Urien?’

Without feeling any fear at all.

Sipping warm tea into my mouth, I slowly lowered the teacup.

Tak.

It was a small sound. However, it was enough to break the silence.

“Does the tea suit your taste, Your Ladyship?”

The man sitting in front of me asked, smiling.

Beyond the languid curve of his pleasant gaze, his red eyes held a stealth-like sharpness that couldn’t be hidden fully. At first glance, such a gaze looked kind, but its insidious nature still loomed beneath.

Smiling back, I shook my head.

“Yes, it’s quite good.”

I showed a proper smile, but I didn’t put my all into acting like everything was normal.

The other person already knew who I was anyway.

With the cards shown on the table, it meant that the one thing I had to conceal could no longer be veiled away.

The moment stretched on, this war of nerves.

Then, a harmless voice that didn’t suit this tense atmosphere cut into the air.

“It’s so nice to see you again after such a long time!”

These words were directed at Daniel, who was sitting next to Leo.

Daniel’s dark green eyes glinted as he looked to the side. And soon, he made eye contact with Alicia. He smiled broadly.

…Seriously.

Nevertheless, contrary to my own thoughts, Alicia seemed to like that man’s reaction very much. She also smiled broadly back at him.

Although, it was a smile that didn’t last long.

“Um… You got hurt during the hunting festival…”

“As I have written to you, I’m completely fine now.”

“Truly? Ah, what a relief. I was so worried when I heard the news that you had to be bedridden for a while.”

“Goodness, you heard about that? My older brother, really. He’s too fussy.”

As the conversation continued, the light-hearted hahas and hohos sounded pleasant.

Leo and I wordlessly listened, sipping on our respective teacups next to the sound of ringing laughter.

There was a stark difference in the atmosphere between this side of the table and that.

‘I don’t want Alicia to be close to that guy either, but…’

If I were to show too much caution here, it would serve as a flaw. I tried to hold it in.

Meanwhile, a low voice came from across the table.

“So you came with your escort knight again today?”

Elegantly holding a teacup in one hand, Leo glanced at the person standing behind me.

“Yes. That’s his job, after all. He’s always where I am.”

“That must be reassuring. The other day, I saw that he’s quite the capable fellow…”

“For you to say that, I’m filled with pride.”

“Well, if you don’t mind, may I ask how he happened to become your dedicated knight? It’s interesting that an escort knight from your household’s knightage turned out to be a mage. It’s quite unusual.”

Those questions inherently sounded suspicious, but despite that, he naturally navigated the conversation and added them in seamlessly.

If I were to answer without thinking about it much, at some point, the inevitable question would pop out.

Instead of answering just anything right away, I picked up a teaspoon and stirred my tea.

Light steam rose from the tepid tea.

“We were close childhood friends. He originally worked as a mercenary before entering the duchy, and I brought him in because I felt indebted to him. And I found out a little later that he’s a mage. I’ve been lucky in many ways.”

“A close friend?”

“Yes. Close.”

A smiling face, a sweet voice.

But even with this demeanor, the atmosphere continued to be tense throughout the conversation.

“Now that I think about it, you seem to be very interested in my escort knight, Lord Carter.”

“Truthfully, he’s quite the talent. It might be because of the household I hail from, but it’s a small pleasure of mine to find and bring in talented mages.”

Once given my support, I’m always curious just how far their talents can go.

Without skipping a single beat, this man uttered lies after lies through that mouth of his.

Find and support mages?

That’s not even a funny joke.

If we’re talking about him bringing in talented mages, it’s undoubtedly for the sole reason of building his own army.

And if any of them were to show signs that they were better than him…

He would kill them in cold blood.

“Oh my. You’ve got such a wonderful interest.”

“It’s not much. It’s purely out of a desire to further magic studies. It’s not as grand as you may think.”

“You’re too modest. Unfortunately, however, I cannot hand over my escort knight.”

At this, Leo let out a playful, ‘Ahh—‘ as he laughed.

“What a shame, but it can’t be helped. I can’t possibly wrench away something of yours, Lady.”

Clink.

Along with a small movement of his brows, he raised his teacup.

I took this opportunity to observe the atmosphere over at Alicia and Daniel’s side.

It was still harmonious, and they were only talking about the upcoming birthdays.

This was how teatime between us four passed.

The conversation slowly involved all four people, naturally bringing everyone into a harmonious atmosphere.

The main topic was about the birthdays between three out of the four—me, Alicia and Daniel.

Daniel said that he quietly celebrated his coming-of-age birthday a few days ago.

To suit the family tradition of the Freesia household, they only quietly let their birthdays pass.

I only pretended to be moderately surprised. I had already heard about it from Blanca.

Although, Alicia herself seemed to be very shocked.

There were no particular talks of the sacred relics of our respective households, so it’s not known whether Daniel had become the new master of their sacred relic.

Throughout the continuous conversation, by now, my second cup was already empty.

‘…No, really. Did these guys seriously call us here for a mere chat?’

Absolutely nothing was going on. Just small talk here and there.

Leo had brought up Cassion earlier at the start, but after that, the tense atmosphere didn’t return.

Daniel’s chatter was making my ears hurt at this point. I was even considering leaving first.

However, at that moment.

There came the distinct sound of someone’s urgent footsteps from afar, and they were heading this way.

t/n: Hi there, Yonnee here! I’ve recently moved ‘The Exhausting Reality of Novel Transmigration’ to this brand new website that I opened. I was suddenly told to drop all my novels in Woopread because they’re “not performing well”, so I’ll be continuing them solo over here.

Updates will be sporadic for now due to my translation commitments elsewhere and due to irl stuff too.

Thank you so much for your understanding!