CH 76

In a state of confusion, the frozen Urania discreetly sent a signal to a hidden comrade who was standing beyond the shoulder of the Duke of Perdia.

[What happened?]

The reply that came back was hopeless.

[Unknown.]

Damn it.

Apparently, he’d come to look for his daughter after the promised homecoming time, so did that mean Lili hadn’t arrived in Somnia yet?

Urania sent another signal.

[Target, returned?]

[No news.]

If the mercenaries were unaware, it meant that they hadn’t returned to the capital yet.

When Urania didn’t respond to the question and made a suspicious gesture, Duke Perdia’s expression grew colder.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, there’s a fly. I really hate insects!”

Duke Perdia asked again, seemingly uninterested in such an answer.

“What about Elodie?”

As it was his second question, there was no avoiding the answer.

But alas, of all the mercenaries, Urania in particular was the one who used her fists, not her head.

Which meant she was terrible at using her brain.

“Well, um… Where…”

Urania couldn’t think of a good excuse to get out of this, and the Duke of Perdia’s momentum was growing more vicious by the second.

“Where?”

Urania broke out in a cold sweat under the duke’s intense gaze.

This was too different from the rumors. It was said that the Duke of Perdia was indifferent to his illegitimate daughter.

But his feelings towards his daughter were to the extent of worrying about her to the point of visiting a friend’s house just because she was a little late.

‘Lili, please save me!’

Urania inwardly cried out, but there was no way for it to reach Elodie, who was far away.

In this desperate situation, Urania realized. She was the only one who could get out of this and save herself.

‘My comrades are all useless.’

Then, miraculously, there was the sound of something bubbling behind her back.

‘Yeah, I was just getting dinner ready.’

With that, Urania finally came up with an excuse.

“I was in the middle of preparing dinner! Of all times, the ingredients ran out! Lili went to buy them!!”

Urania said in a deliberately squeaky voice. Hoping that her companions nearby would hear her and relay the news to Elodie, who would arrive later.

‘Now, will you please go away?’

But Duke Perdia didn’t act as Urania expected, once again.

“When Elodie returns, we’ll go home together.”

“Eh?”

“Excuse me.”

Though Urania was tall, she instinctively stepped back as the even taller Duke Perdia approached.

‘Having Duke Perdia enter my house!’

A hundred years’ worth of worries filled Urania’s mind.

As Urania stood frozen by the doorway, Duke Perdia asked, turning his head.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“I-I should go in, right?”

Click, bang.

The door slammed shut behind them.

A cramped space. Only the two of them remained.

‘Ugh, this is awkward…….’

Only Elodie could save Urania in her hour of need.

***

They arrived in Somnia at night when darkness enveloped all around them. Obviously, the curfew had long since passed.

“Are you going straight to the mansion?”

“No. I think we should stop by the headquarters first.”

“Okay.”

The curfew was already past, and being a little late wouldn’t hurt.

The real danger lay in wandering the capital streets, hiding three tightly packed individuals.

If, by any chance, the city guards made a search request, it would become troublesome.

[I want to go home quickly!]

Greed, who had entered the seal stone upon entering the capital, began to grumble and complain.

’Just hold on a little longer, Greed. We’ll go straight home after visiting the headquarters.’

[Tsk, understood.]

I don’t know if I have made a pact with a sin or if I’m raising a child.

It happened just as we arrived in front of the headquarters. Somehow, the surroundings were chaotic, and the atmosphere was unusual.

Before we could even dismount from our horses, someone ran towards us in a panic.

“Lili, please save our Urania!”

The person shouting incomprehensible words was Stephen, one of the three key members of the Earth Hawk Mercenary Corps, known for his exceptional skills and being the main instigator of accidents.

Stephen’s normally cheerful and energetic face was quite desperate.

“Suddenly? Why? What happened?”

“Urania, Urania……. our Urania!”

Stephen, who usually spoke well, could only repeat the words “Urania, Urania” without being able to provide any further explanation.

It was Milo who stepped in to replace him, who usually didn´t waste words.

“The Duke of Perdia came to Urania’s house…..”

Even then, Milo didn’t bother to finish the sentence.

“Heuk.”

My eyes widened as I realized what was happening.

“My father went to Urania’s house? When?”

“About two hours ago.”

“Oh no!”

A visit to her home was unexpected. What should I do?

As I stiffened in panic with my lips pressed together, Raeyan, who was beside me, glared at the horse that held their disguised luggage and then at Stephen and ordered, “These are the men who attacked Elodie. Gag them all and lock them in the basement.”

“Huh? Attacked?!”

“No time for chitchat.”

“For now, understood!”

When Stephen received the reins, Raeyan handed a map with marked locations to Milo, as if he had prepared it in advance.

“Milo, you will take the others and dispose of the bodies at these coordinates.”

“Yes…….,” Milo frowned in annoyance, but dutifully checked the map and tucked it away.

Raeyan, who had sorted things out in a flash, looked back at me.

“We will head directly to Urania’s residence.”

“Got it.”

We got back on our horses. Suddenly, Stephen exclaimed, “Ah!” and came running up, carrying something.

“Lili, I have the supplies.”

“What supplies?”

“Take this!”

I took it as he handed it to me, but the contents were beyond perplexing.

“Leeks……?”

It was a basket filled with various ingredients, including leeks, eggs, flour, baguettes, and more.

“We will depart.”

“Wait, hold on.”

Before I could ask about the purpose of the basket, Raeyan had already set off. 

I desperately shouted as I watched Stephen quickly move away.

“What am I supposed to do with this–?!”

***

I reluctantly arrived. I swallowed a dry gulp and stared at the door.

“I think Raeyan should wait outside,” I said nonchalantly, but my heart said the exact opposite.

‘Why don’t you come inside with me……?’

Unfortunately, Raeyan couldn’t hear the voice of my heart.

“Understood. I’ll wait outside and monitor the situation.”

With that response, he stepped back.

Yeah, I’m alone in the world. After all, this happened because of me, so it was only right that I dealt with it.

It’s scary, but it’s not something I can avoid forever.

‘Urania, I’ll save you!’

With a determined resolve, I knocked on the door.

Creak!

“Lili, you’re here! Come in quickly!”

A distraught Urania flung open the door to greet me.

And beyond her, I saw……….

“…….”

The Duke of Perdia, sitting in a chair at Urania’s rustic dining room table, staring at me wordlessly.

It was a very out of place scene.

“I’m back…….”

I mumbled as I walked inside, and even during that time, Duke Perdia’s gaze followed me.

“You said you were going to pick up dinner, but it took you over two hours.”

Dinner?

As I tilted my head, I suddenly realized what I was holding in my hands.

‘So that’s what happened.’

Apparently, Urania had said I was out shopping, which is why Stephen had given me the shopping basket.

Having grasped the situation, I nonchalantly began the act.

“The market tour was so much fun. Did you wait for me?”

“Not really. It wasn’t a long wait.”

They just said she waited for two hours, and now she says it wasn’t a long wait. Is she deliberately trying to make me feel guilty?

“Sorry, Urania. Here’s the basket-“

As I handed Urania the shopping basket, I gasped.

I looked at the pile of leeks already on the kitchen counter. It seemed so odd to me that someone would buy more leeks when there were already leeks.

I tried to put the basket out of sight before the Duke of Perdia saw it, but it was too late.

“The ingredients overlap.”

At the Duke’s sharp point, Urania and I lock eyes at the same time.

‘What should we do, Lili?’

‘I’ll figure something out!’

In a brief moment, an exchange of glances conveyed that kind of conversation. I nonchalantly smiled and raised the leeks.

“Leeks are good for your health! I bought more because I like them. Can’t I buy a food that I like?”

“……Elodie, did you like leeks?”

“Yes!”

Bullsh*t. I neither like nor dislike them. I just eat it if it’s in my food and don’t eat it if it’s not.

Fortunately, Duke Perdia casually nodded his head, disregarding the hasty excuse.

For now, I decided that returning to the mansion was the only way to get out of this embarrassing situation.

“Urania, since Father has arrived as well, it’s better to postpone the dinner for another time. It’s already late.”

“That’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do. Please come visit again!”

“Yeah!”

Urania’s expression was much brighter than it had been earlier, probably because she was out of this hellhole.

It could be seen as evidence of how difficult it had been for Urania during those two hours.

‘Urania, I’m sorry. I’ll buy you lots of delicious things.’

Apologizing silently to Urania in my heart, I quickly left the house.

As I waited briefly before the carriage called by Duke Perdia arrived, I could feel a piercing gaze staring at me.

“Elodie.”

“Yes.”

“What’s that wound on your cheek?”

Only then did I remember the wound on my cheek from the ambush.

“Oh, this? It’s a scratch from playing with Urania.”

“…What on earth were you playing?” The duke furrowed his brow as if he didn’t like it.

“Hide-and-seek, tag, pillow fights?”

I listed off active games that were easy to get hurt in and deliberately laughed innocently.

Not exactly the sort of thing a lady of noble birth, about to come of age, would enjoy.

Duke Perdia let out a soft sigh and rested his hand on my head.

“You’re still far from being grown up.”

“But I’ve already grown up……”

“You’re still far.”

In Duke Perdia’s eyes, I seemed nothing more than a naive, childish little girl.

‘Well, whatever.’

Anyway, I didn’t arouse suspicion during this outing.

After a while, the carriage arrived, and as we rode and arrived at the mansion, we didn’t exchange any conversation.

I stole a glance at the duke, who was looking out the window at the night scenery with his arms crossed.

‘I wonder why he came to pick me up.’

I thought he would send a servant at best.

It was an uncharacteristic behavior for Duke Perdia in many ways.

It wasn’t that far, so the carriage was soon within sight of the mansion.

The place where the carriage stopped was not the main mansion but in front of the annex.

The Duke of Perdia stepped out of the carriage first and offered me his hand. I took his large hand and stepped out of the carriage.

“Well, then, I will go in.” I bowed and turned to leave.

“Next time, don’t be late.”

The duke’s voice made me look up and our eyes met.

Whoosh.

The gentle autumn breeze blew, scattering our hair all over the place.

“Your father will worry if you are late.”

I was unable to formulate any response to his words.

It was the first time Duke Perdia referred to himself as my “father.”

And what was etched in his golden eyes was genuine concern for his daughter.