CH 59

“So you gave her an artifact with a location tracking function as a gift?”

“How could you…”

Noel sighed, embarrassed. He thought he had taken it out carefully, but how on earth did she find out?

Yeri knows, so our parents… must already know everything. He didn’t know why they hadn’t said anything so far, but he thought it would only sound like an excuse to say more.

“If you have nothing else to say, can you leave now?”

Noel flopped on the bed as if he didn’t want to talk more.

Yeriel stood up from her seat after sweeping her chin as if she were in agony. “If you don’t want to answer, I won’t ask you anymore. But, Brother.”

“What again?”

Yeriel looked at Noel’s stubborn back for a while and stood up.

“Keep it well this time.”

Noel, who couldn’t hide his embarrassment, looked back. But Yeriel had already left his room.

“Ha!”

Noel, who was speechless, swept his face and sighed as if he was sick of it. Keep it well. What is she talking about…?”

Noel smiled despondently and looked up at the high ceiling. A white, empty space, an bove the empty space, Elusiana’s frowning face suddenly appeared like a painting.

“If I really confess to Lusi… will you accept it?”

Noel covered his face with his large hand. With what kind of confidence did he say such an embarrassing thing? Even when he thought about it again, his face flushed.

It was a meaningless remark, for fun as a joke as usual. He said it intending to tease her for a second because she was too cold-hearted.

“You’re crazy Noel. You’ve been acting like a playboy, but now you’ve become a real playboy?”

Although he was known as the famous playboy of the Empire, Noel was actually indifferent to women. It was just that women fascinated by Noel’s appearance rushed to him on their own, and the fact that he rejected them in a rather gentlemanly way caused such a misunderstanding.

So, his eyes went to Elusiana, who openly said she didn’t like him. Ordinary women tried to look beautiful and dignified in front of Noel, but Elusiana didn’t.

Even if I beg her to accept my heart, she only openly criticizes me.

Noel felt mixed up when he thought of Elusiana, who was done with everything he had to say.

“Lusi? Lusi will only go to work here in the afternoon starting today.”

These were the words he heard from a strange woman a few days ago when he came to the Fragrant Garden, a habit. He had seen her employment contract with the seal of Grand Duke Sestein, so he knew what her absence meant, but since then, he felt uncomfortable.

That’s why Noel held his sword again. He just swung it because he wanted to kill time, but he somehow ended up swinging it every day. It had been a while, so he enjoyed using a sword. However—

“No matter how much I think about it, it’s suspicious.”

Grand Duchy Sestein, who only hired outsiders extremely close to their family— Suddenly hired a mere commoner as their employee?

What reason could there be ?

Noel’s doubtful purple eyes flashed sharply in an instant.

“I need to find out more about the current grand duke.”

* * *

Yeriel, who came out of Noel’s room, stared at the door for a while. Yes, that’s it. She let out a long sigh and let out a selfish smile.

It was no less than seven years. The time Noel wandered without forgetting Edelvais. So, if someone healed his tattered heart, that alone would be a blessing. You think so too, don’t you? Eva.

Noel was a promising successor to Marquis Klaus. He never neglected to train himself every day to realize the extremes of the sword and to quench himself anf his genius. Thanks to that, his realm was far beyond that knight when he turned sixteen.

After Edelvais’s death, Noel became a completely different person. He enjoyed playing with the women by putting forward his handsome looks, which created a lot of rumors every time.

That’s why Yeriel didn’t understand him. No matter how shocking Edelvais’s death was, how could he throw himself to the ladies?

One Day, there was a time she couldn’t stand him and grabbed Noel to ask him why. Noel answered like this that time.

“What they were aiming for was Eva from the beginning. It’s not me. They knew Eva would jump in if they aimed at me. Isn’t that too cruel? Using a person’s mind to kill that person.”

Noel’s dark eyes glistened grimly

“So I’m going to find out. I will look for them until the end, peel off their skin, and cut off their limbs. Until their breath stops from the terrible pain. I will do that in front of Eva’s grave.”

In the end, all of Noel’s behavior was a means to catch the culprit who killed Edelvais. However, that blind revenge was bound to weaken now that he had someone else in mind.

Brother, be comfortable now. You can do that now. Eva too… will understand. Yeriel nodded sadly and smiled bitterly.

It was just then. She turned her head to look behind her. One of the servants who ran hastily lowered his head with a pale face as he met Yeriel’s eyes.

“P-Princess.”

Yeriel’s eyebrows wriggled slightly. He was a familiar servant. However, he was neither Noel’s exclusive servant nor Yeriel’s. To think such a servant was on the 3rd floor where the direct line of the Klaus family resided.

“Who are you?”

Yeriel’s frosty voice rang through the still hallway. The flinched servant swallowed his saliva and answered.

“…My name is Hulingo.”

“Hulingo?”

“Yes, Princess. The head maid ordered the doorknob to be replaced, and I was just about to return after finishing it.”

Yeriel, who checked the doorknob in Hulingo’s hand, frowned. The physical evidence was clear. Given that the doorknob he held was old, it must be true that he had replaced it with a new one. But why did she feel so uncomfortable?

“Seeing that it was replaced, it must have been properly damaged. I see. Go ahead.”

“Then… I will leave first.”

Hulingo bowed his head and left the hallway as if being chased. He was pretending to be calm, but his increasing speed couldn’t fool her eyes.

Yeriel, still watching the scene, turned her eyes out the window. “It’s a completely broken doorknob where the family’s direct line is located. What a ridiculous excuse.”

Sure enough. After leaving the mansion, Hulingo was seen running to the stable. Apparently, this was a newcomer who lacked patience.

Crossing the hallway and going down to the hall on the first floor, Yeriel called the knight standing at the entrance.

“Sir Mahomet.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Trace the servant who just went to the stable.”

“That insect. I will obey your order.”

* * *

The carriage that entered Eragost Mansion slowly stopped.

Creak. As the carriage door opened, it revealed a terribly alluring woman smiling with her eyes slightly folded. The knight, who was waiting in advance, flinched out his hand.

“Thank you, Sir Hal.”

The woman stepped out of the carriage, pressing the knight’s palm gently. At that time, she saw the servant gasping for breath, who seemed to have rushed in a hurry.

“Who are you?”

“I-I meet Lady Eragost. M-my name is Hulingo.”

The maid standing next to Camilla hinted at who he was. “This is the servant that was newly placed in Klaus March, Lady.”

“Ah, that’s why I didn’t recognize him.”

Camilla, who snorted harshly, asked in a friendly tone. “Okay, Hulingo. What’s brought you here?”

When Camilla called his name, Hulingo, excited with joy, bowed his head deeply and said, “I have come to know what you have asked me to find out.”

“If its about what I asked you to find out… Is it about Lord Noel?”

“Yes, yes, t-that’s right.”

“That’s great. So what did you find out?”

Camilla gently put her hand on Hulingo’s shoulder. Hulingo, startled by it, answered stuttering.

“It-It seems there is someone he’s seeing separately.”

“Lord Noel is seeing someone?”

Camilla’s eyes hardened as if they were covered with thin ice.

“Who is it?”

“T-that, I don’t k—”

Hulingo, who had been talking, trembled at her frightening look. Camilla grabbed his chin and pulled him.

“Y-young Lady.”

“Don’t answer that you don’t know. I didn’t give you gold and silver treasure to listen to that. Now, can you keep talking? Who is Lord Noel meeting with?”

“I, th-that— I-I’m sorry, Lady. I-I will find out for sure and come back. P-please, spare me.”

The frightened Hulingo lay flat on the ground. He took the risk in order to impress Lady Eragost. Because of that, the Klaus family might even have suspected him. However, the problem was that the information he found out by overdoing it was extremely fragmentary.

I-I have to say something. If I don’t answer it, the lady will get rid of me.

Hulingo continued with a red face. “I heard… he had known her for t-two years. A-and they mentioned a flower shop in the commoner’s district, and—”

Camilla’s lips twisted horribly. It had been two years, not a month or two. However, rather than being angry, she felt like she would burst into laughter.