CH 65

The sheer number of invitations was too much to ignore. I quickly pulled myself together and looked back at the butler.

“Butler. Do you have any idea why so many invitations have been sent my way?”

There must have been a reason for the sudden outpouring of invitations to me, someone who wasn’t particularly prominent in social circles.

I was sure the butler, who was well-versed in the affairs of the manor, would know. As I suspected, the butler nodded and explained in a dry voice.

“An incident at the Temple of Ishtar was reported in the gossip papers.”

“If you mean the Temple of Ishtar, then…….”

“Yes. The oracle that says the young lady is the savior who will save the world from falling into darkness.”

Ugh!

Regardless of whether or not I could wrap my head around the sudden headache, the butler calmly added an explanation.

“The master put pressure on the newspapers to prevent them from publishing the story, but one of the third-rate gossip newspapers managed to slip through the cracks, and as a result, every newspaper in the land is publishing stories about you.”

“Where did the rumor come from?”

“According to the master, the Temple of Ishtar is the most likely source.”

I knew we couldn’t control the press forever, but this was it. I finally understood the countless invitations that came my way.

‘How could this be.’

It was like a bolt out of the blue for me, as I was preparing to leave the capital city of Somnia after staying quiet.

“It seems that rumors were spread during the founding ceremony to entrust the management of Ishtar’s temple to the lady.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who would do that?”

“Don’t worry. The master will take care of it.”

The Duke of Perdia would do whatever he could to push back against the Temple of Ishtar, the other nobles, or the emperor. There might be some backlash, but…….

‘Is it my business?’

I refuse to play the part of the scorned savior.

I finally understood the cause of this nuisance, so the question before me now is what to do with this huge pile of invitations…….

I clasped my hands together, looked up at the butler with woeful eyes, and asked pitifully, “Butler, do I really need to write a reply?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not like my social reputation is that good anyway.”

Wouldn’t it be better if I just ignored them?

But the butler was adamant.

“You still have to write them, Miss. You mustn’t let the reputation of Perdia be tarnished.”

“…….”

That’s a damn good way to reply.

Reluctantly giving up on my honey-like break, I sat down in front of my desk and started writing a reply.

Naturally, it was a rejection full of platitudes.

[Dear …….] 

[It’s autumn, and the leaves are turning from green to red.]

[I’m afraid I’m not feeling well, so I can’t accept your invitation.]

It’s impossible to write a different refusal for all those invitations. I started using my copy and paste skills to mass-produce identical rejections.

I’d been doing that for quite a while. A few names stood out among the invitations.

The first, from the Duchess of Angellus.

[Dear Lady Perdia. A cool breeze blows…….]

In short, she invited me to a garden party at the Angellus mansion.

Considering the Angellus mother and daughter, who are desperate to get even with me, and the Duke of Angellus, who keeps the Duke of Perdia in check, I’m sure this is not a purely innocent invitation.

What kind of ploy is this?

After a moment’s deliberation, I…….

“Yeah, I’m not going.”

I ripped the invitation to shreds.

Do you avoid shit because you’re afraid of it? I avoid it because it’s gross.

I wasn’t going anyway, so I didn’t need to know the intentions of the people of Angellus.

After writing back to them, I was left with one last invitation. I frowned at the family seal and signature on the outside.

[Felix Hicklemeyer.]

“Not him again.”

The Mage Tower contract followed by an invitation.

But curiously, he had no contact with Elodie Perdia, who wasn’t the wizard, Elby.

I rubbed my chin with one hand and tapped the table with the other. The invitation was no different from those from the other houses.

He wished to interact privately with me and would like to invite me to the mansion of Severes, where he was staying.

‘The Severes mansion?’

My eyes widened at the word.

The Severes Capital Mansion, which had never been open to outsiders since the disappearance of Duke Richard Severes, the head of the Severes family! 

I had never exchanged a word of dialogue with Felix Hicklemeyer.

I don’t know whether he, like the others, sent the invitation because he had heard rumors that I was the Savior, or whether he had an ulterior motive–

‘I should go.’

This was too good an opportunity to pass up.

As I lifted my quill to write my final reply, I heard a commotion.

“Sister, I’m home!”

“Yeah, just keep going.”

“What are you doing?”

As if he hadn’t heard me, Carlot came up beside me, chuckling and rubbing his head against me.

‘Annoying…….’

Believe it or not, I ignored it and was about to reply again when Carlot noticed the pile of invitations and asked.

“What are all these invitations for?”

He looked up from the tomb of paper with a hint of disapproval.

I sighed and shook my head.

“I have to reply to all of them. There are too many.”

“What? These ones? Me and my brother get more than this.”

“…….”

Are you bragging about being popular?

‘A poor fellow…’

I ignored it and wrote ‘dear’. I couldn’t believe how close I was, but a voice came from right behind me.

“Felix…… Hicklemeyer?”

I turned my head quickly and saw an ominous glint in Carlot’s eye, like a flash of madness.

“This is the same guy who stared at you in the temple with eyes like you were having an affair. Now why is this bastard sending correspondence to my sister?”

He gripped Felix’s letter so hard that the paper crumpled.

“Give it to me, Carl.”

“How dare this bastard try to pull a stunt on my sister?” Carlot asked abruptly, clearly upset about something. “Sister. Are you going?”

“Do I even have to tell you that?”

His behavior earlier had crossed the line, even for a younger brother. Barging in, walking up to me, looking at my personal invitation, and interrupting.

As my expression grew cold, Carlot looked at me with a sullen expression.

“…… Not necessarily.”.”

I felt bad for him, the way he looked like a puppy caught in the rain.

‘And it’s not like he meant any harm.’

I sighed heavily and answered his question in a softer voice.  

“I was just wondering if I should go or not.”

“I don’t want you to go, but…….”

“I have to go.”

He pouted his lips as I made my decision, not even hesitating at his pleas.

“If my sister wants to go, then she has to go.”

After saying that, he looked at me for a moment, and then asked with a sly glance.

“Can’t you take me with you instead?”

“……Why?”

“Escort. You don’t know what he’ll do to my sister.”

“If I need an escort, I can ask Ian.”

“That bastard! ……If you’re planning to take him, take me!” Carlot shouted, harboring an unknown animosity towards Raeyan.

But I had no intention of taking him along as baggage.

‘I don’t think I can get a proper look around with him in tow.’

I didn’t know when I’d be able to go to the Severes mansion again, so I had to make the most of this opportunity.

But Carlot was cruel.

“If Father finds out, he won’t let you go……. because Father hates the Duke of Severes.”

Look at him.

“Carl, are you threatening me?”

There were so many invitations coming my way this time, it was as if the butler hadn’t been paying attention.

He didn’t realize that Count Hicklemeyer was the nephew of the Duke of Severes, so he let him in without checking.

Which means the Duke of Perdia isn’t even aware of the invitation……. It would be a real problem if Carlot went to see him beforehand.

‘They might not let me go.’

When I narrowed my eyes and glared at Carlot, he said eagerly, “I will be quiet. I’ll stay still. I’ll just do what my sister tells me to do!”

“I’m the only one Count Hicklemeyer invited.”

“You can say that I’m my sister’s dog!”

‘Sure.’

I sighed at Carlot’s stubbornness. I’m just glad it’s not Jansi.

“Okay. Don’t cause any trouble, Carl.”

“Mmmh, of course!”

Leaving a smiling Carlot behind me, I finally wrote the reply to the last invitation.

I wrote that I would accept the invitation.

[Dear Count, Hicklemeyer, it’s autumn, and the leaves are turning red…….]

Of course, the greeting was copy-pasted.

***

The carriage came to a slow stop with the sound of the coachman’s voice and the horse’s whinnying.

Adenmir stepped out of the carriage and was greeted by the butler of the Perdia mansion.

“Welcome, Your Highness, the master is waiting for you.”

“Yes, indeed. I’ll be right there.”

Adenmir looked at the manor in wonder. It felt like a long time since he had been here.

Though in reality, it hadn’t been that long since his last visit.

The betrothal alliance had been broken, but it had been a gentle breakup by mutual agreement, leaving the political partnership intact.

As such, there was much to discuss face-to-face with the Duke of Perdia.

Entering the drawing room, Adenmir sat down across from the Duke of Perdia, who had already arrived.

“It’s been a long time, Duke.”

“We have communicated more often on paper than in person, which is refreshing.”

He was referring to the countless letters they had exchanged to discuss the breakup.

“It’s not as good as meeting in person.”

“That is also true.”

After some light-hearted banter, they discussed recent imperial developments.

It was usually the current situation of Empress Salvatrice or the plot she was plotting.

“How are things progressing with the emperor?”

“As you have heard from the lady, the antidote made by the apothecary of Perdia has restored his strength.”

“……The Apothecary of Perdia.”

The Duke of Persia paused for a moment before answering, but Adenmir could not detect any doubt in his voice.

“If the lady had not visited His Majesty and discovered that the incense and medicine were poison, his condition would have been even worse.”

“I’m glad to hear my daughter’s performance helped. Now that the daughter-in-law whom he disapproved of is gone, I imagine he must have been troubled.”

The spoken words sounded bitter, and Adenmir said quietly.

“I didn’t realize the duke knew what my father was thinking.”

“How could I not, when it concerns my daughter?”

“I don’t think the duke has always been very fond of the lady.”

“…….”

There was a moment of silence. Then the Duke of Perdia spoke, muttering in a self-pitying voice.

“If others felt that way, she must have felt it more.”

For a moment, a memory flashed through his mind.

“Well, then, please praise me.”

A child who asked to be praised when he told her to tell him if there was anything she wanted.

The duke recalled Elodie’s face, which looked like she was going to cry. He didn’t know she was thinking like that.

Moreover, he wanted to do more, do anything for her, but he wasn’t sure what.

“Parenting is hard.”

***

After leaving the drawing room first, Adenmir left the main mansion and walked towards somewhere.

‘It would be appropriate to say thanks.’

His destination was the annex where Elodie was staying.

It must have been a hassle, but Elodie was actually sending the antidote once a week. He expressed his gratitude in a letter, but the written words were not enough.

‘The atmosphere in the annex has changed.’

Unlike the ghostly atmosphere of its past, where not a single human could be seen, there were maids and servants at work everywhere.

Arriving at Elodie’s room, Adenmir called Martha, Elodie’s personal maid, and asked, “Where is the lady?”

“She was here just a moment ago, but she must have gone out. I think she is in the garden.”

So he went to the garden, but she wasn’t there.

The servant in the garden was called and asked.

“Uh, she was just here a moment ago……. She must have gone back inside.”

He suddenly realized that something was wrong, but he couldn’t put it into words.

Adenmir went back into the annex as the servant said.

For a long time, he asked the servants for the whereabouts of their master, but Adenmir could not find her.

“Where is the lady?”

“I believe she is in her bedroom.”

He headed back to the bedroom to wait.

And then Adenmir saw. Delicate blonde hair disappearing at the end of the corridor.

‘……Now it seems like you’re avoiding me.’

Adenmir laughed in self-mockery.

A delusion, or something. He wondered at the twisted nature of that judgment.