Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 339

339.

“Unfortunately, there’s still no news. But by now, they’d be all rotten and just bones, so how could we even find them?”

“Oh, that’s true. If they were to be found, they would have been found already.”

“Someone might have buried him properly. For a man who made his name as the captain of the Imperial Guard to meet his end without even a grave, it’s regrettable in a way.”

The content was clearly intended to provoke Lady Schutel. The intention was bad enough, but the method was even worse. I couldn’t hold back any longer and was about to say something when Lady Schutel spoke first.

“Ah, no.”

“No?”

“I, I heard a story that Count Serik was seen in the Imperial Army’s camp. So, the Count hasn’t passed away……”

“Lady, it seems you haven’t learned from the past. Have you forgotten where you are? It would be better not to say such things. Are you trying to nullify the efforts of your father and brothers?”

Lady Schutel’s shoulders trembled at the incredulous tone. The men around her seemed to soften their expressions at her frightened appearance, but conversely, my feelings were complicated. I had guessed that it would be a somewhat superficial pretense, but it didn’t feel good to see these nobles tacitly condoning the Grand Duke’s ambition so blatantly. It was a bit funny that even those people were pricked by their conscience, as their expressions changed when the Imperial Army was mentioned.

“And originally, all sorts of rumors circulate during a civil war. How can you take every word to heart? I’m telling you this because I think it’s better for you to face reality at this point, so don’t have vain expectations. Count Serik must be dead. If there’s a witness, that person must have been mistaken.”

“Why…… are you so sure?”

“The person who saw Count Serik’s last moments said so. The fireball that the mage threw exploded on his body. At that point, his internal organs would already be ruined, and he couldn’t survive due to the severe burns. I wonder if he even lasted half a day.

“B, but if you use Holy Water right away……”

“Do you think Holy Water is omnipotent? Even Holy Water can’t completely heal such severe wounds. And he wouldn’t have had any with him. If he had been seen by a high-ranking priest, there might have been a chance, but where would he have met a high-ranking priest in those mountains?”

“B, but……”

“Lady, you’re really frustrating. Why can’t you accept the truth even when we tell you? Why, do you think a miracle will happen and Count Serik will suddenly get up? Do you think a transcendent being will suddenly appear and heal him? Do you really think such absurd things will happen in reality?”

Yeah, that’s right. That’s it.

Suppressing the urge to retort, I stepped forward. I didn’t want to watch this unpleasant scene any longer, and it seemed like Lady Schutel couldn’t endure it any longer, so I was thinking of mediating at this point. The men, who had been huffing and puffing, widened their eyes as I stepped in front of her as if to protect her.

“Hey, stop it now. It’s not a good look to see so many people ganging up on one person.”

“Ah, ahem. I apologize, Lady. I showed you an embarrassing sight. But you’ll understand if you hear the situation. What happened was……”

“No, you don’t need to explain to me. I’m not from this empire anyway, and I’m not very curious about the deep circumstances. Rather, Lady Schutel’s complexion is not very good, so I want her to rest.”

In other words, get lost. They seemed to understand the meaning I sent with my eyes right away, thankfully. It felt refreshing to see them step back with flushed faces.

“Are you okay?”

Ignoring the lingering gazes, I carefully examined Lady Schutel’s complexion. She nodded with difficulty, her mouth shut and her face pale. She was barely holding back, but her eyes were already red and she looked like she would burst into tears at any moment. It didn’t take long for me to sort out my thoughts and come to a conclusion. I spoke to Lady Schutel in a small voice.

“I have a question. Does your father support the Grand Duke?”

“……My father is just a warrior who protects the empire, and he doesn’t particularly support anyone. This expedition is purely to protect me…… an unavoidable choice……”

“Hmm, I see. Then it’ll be easy to get you out.”

“……Yes?”

Eyes filled with tears looked at me with a puzzled expression. I changed the subject nonchalantly.

“It would be better for you to go back now. You look very tired.”

“Ah, no. I just got here, so I can’t……”

“Don’t do that, just listen to me. You came to the party alone today, right? Who’s at the mansion right now?”

“Yes? Ah…… My mother, my nanny Mrs. Hisen, and the servants……”

“Then it would be good to send the servants back and then arrange for a carriage right away. Take your mother and a few trustworthy people and leave the capital immediately. Pack as lightly as possible, and as quickly as possible.”

“Yes?”

“Can you read a map? If you go down southeast from the west entrance, you’ll find a village called Zion. Stay there for the time being. The time you have to stay won’t be that long, so don’t worry. About three days? It’ll be there in less than a week at the longest.”

“What…… are you talking about……”

“The vanguard of the Imperial Army is coming up the side road next to that village.”

“……!”

Lady Schutel, who had been listening in confusion, opened her mouth blankly at the last words. Tears welled up in her wide purple eyes. Surprised herself, she wiped away her tears in great embarrassment, and I smiled slightly at her.

“You can explain the whole story when you meet the Imperial Army. If you think there’s going to be a problem, say El sent you. Then everything will be resolved.”

“L, Lady. Who on earth are you……”

“By the way, you’ll be able to meet Count Serik there.”

Again, a sound of taking a deep breath echoed. A gaze trying to figure out the truth stared at me intently. Of course, I had no reason to avoid it. Staring straight into her convulsing eyes, I said what I had wanted to say for a while now.

“Don’t be hurt by the words of those who don’t know anything. Go and see for yourself, and confirm that you made the right decision. I think you deserve it.”

* * *

Even while getting into the carriage, Lady Schutel still had a dazed look on her face. She hadn’t finished sorting out her thoughts yet, but the carriage carrying her steadily left the imperial city and disappeared into the darkness. I didn’t know what decision she would make when she returned to the mansion. Whether she would trust me and follow my instructions, or ignore everything and just pretend it didn’t happen. Either way, this was all I could do.

“Lady Mikhalan.”

What greeted me when I returned to the hall after seeing her off were unwelcome faces. The men who had openly harassed Lady Schutel a little while ago were approaching again. Compared to their dignified demeanor at the beginning, they were now much more cautious, as if they sensed that I was not in a good mood.

“Are you alone?”

“Yes, I’m really alone this time.”

The man’s face turned red at the answer, which he couldn’t possibly not know was sarcastic. Those with him also cleared their throats hastily.

“Lady Schutel is……”

“If you mean the Lady, she went back to the mansion a little while ago. She didn’t seem to be feeling well.”

I recited the excuse I had thought of in advance for the following question. I thought it was the most reasonable and rational reason, but the men’s expressions seemed to stiffen, as if their judgment was different. Their faces were full of embarrassment as they looked at each other.

“Haa, Lady Schutel is really lacking in thought.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Today’s party was ordered by the Grand Duke to attend without fail. If it becomes known that she went back as soon as she arrived, wouldn’t His Highness be furious?”

“But she’s sick. Are you saying she should have forced herself to endure it even though it was hard?”

“Of course not. Still, there would have been a wiser way. Resting in the lounge for a while, or asking the Grand Duke for permission to leave……. Anyway, there was no need to go straight back to the mansion like this. The Schutel family is in a position where they have to be careful anyway. Even considering the family, the Lady shouldn’t be like this. Even though she’s a woman, I didn’t know she would be this foolish.”

“That sounds a bit strange. It seems to imply that women are generally foolish.”

“Ah, no. You misunderstand, Lady. Not that meaning…… After all, women are somewhat lacking in political insight. If Lady Schutel knew how to read the returning situation, she would have been more careful. Haha.”

The men laughed hastily to gloss over their slip of the tongue. They were clearly trying to move on appropriately, but I had no intention of doing so. I was annoyed by the fact that they were not only openly insulting her, but also trying to use her gender as a basis for belittlement.

“Really? There’s nothing I can agree with from beginning to end. Who says women lack political insight? In my opinion, there doesn’t seem to be anyone who reads the political situation as well as Lady Schutel.”

“Yes?”

“The Grand Duke isn’t the emperor of this empire yet, is he? When the real emperor returns, won’t Lady Schutel’s courage be reevaluated?”

The men, who had been bewildered, hardened their faces as soon as they heard those words. The atmosphere turned cold in an instant. A glare-like intense gaze reached me as if threatening me, but it didn’t bother me much. Rather, this was a hundred times more comfortable than the greasy gaze mixed with flirtation.

“Lady, that remark is excessive.”

“Even if you’re a foreigner, you should be careful what you say.”

They warned me quietly, as if coaxing a child. It was as if they were giving me a chance to apologize, so I chuckled. Their complexions changed again at my nonchalant response.

“Ah, sorry. As you said, I’m a foreigner. I couldn’t hide my true feelings because the situation looked too objective.”

“What are you……!”

“Oh, I think I said something rude again. Please understand that I’m just a little curious. In my country, it’s unimaginable to obediently follow a traitor who kicked out the king and usurped his position overnight. The nobles of the empire are nothing special either.”

“La, Lady!”

The angry voice was about to rise to its fullest. But I was faster to look at them. As soon as our eyes met, they took a deep breath and froze on the spot. Someone among them swallowed hard. Looking at their frightened, nervous eyes, my annoyance kept rising. Before I knew it, the corners of my mouth were already raised crookedly.

“You like to say unpleasant things, but you don’t like to hear them. Or do you not want to imagine situations that are unfavorable to you? Well, I guess so. Looking at your current appearance, it doesn’t seem like you’ll be very happy when the emperor returns.”

“O, there’s a misunderstanding, Lady.”

“……This is something we can’t help either…….”

“Really? It doesn’t really look like it.”

When I replied with a smile, the men who were struggling to make excuses closed their mouths again as they were. Seeing these people who couldn’t even hide their cowardice made my heart even colder.

“Do you know that silence is no different from tacit consent? If you even force it on others, it’s no different from complicity.”

“…….”

“You can succumb to fear. You can pretend you don’t know and look away. Then just stay still. Don’t break and trample on those who are brave, and try to bring them down to your level.”

The faces that had been blue turned white as if they had been bleached. Since I was putting pressure on them by showing my force, it would actually be difficult to breathe. Maybe they can’t even understand my reaction. If I push them a little more like this, they’ll start shedding tears and snot, and water will flow from all over their bodies. I wanted to do that, but I struggled to suppress the urge to become cruel. It was because I saw Lapis gesturing from afar, rather than being aware that I shouldn’t cause a commotion here.

‘Don’t do anything unnecessary.’

The look in his eyes, looking at me with a stern expression, was saying just that. He’s not the type to care about how things turn out normally, but this situation seems to be deviating from the plan he had in mind. ……I should have lured these guys outside and then done it. A belated self-reproach washed over me, but it was already too late. I clicked my tongue in regret and then released the pressure I had been putting on the men. The men, who had been gasping for breath as soon as the blocked breath was released, soon looked up at me with fearful eyes. They didn’t seem to have grasped the situation, but they just instinctively knew that I had done something.

“It wasn’t a very pleasant conversation. I hope you won’t talk to me again.”

Whether they understood the softly delivered warning, they scattered quickly, sweating coldly. As the situation ended, the glances that had been glancing around naturally dispersed. Around that time, Lapis excused himself from the people he was talking to and approached me. His expression was gentle, but his gaze was burning fiercely. Feeling a little guilty, I turned my head and he brought his face closer.

“I know that you sometimes become impulsive because you can’t find the self you’ve lost, but can you avoid creating unexpected situations if possible? Why are you wasting your energy on those crappy guys?”

“Those guys made me angry first.”

“There are so many things to be angry about. You solved it by sending that weak-looking woman out of here. Isn’t that enough?”

“……Did you see?”

“Wouldn’t I be saying these things if I saw it?”

When did he see that again? I thought he was focusing on his own work, but it seems he had grasped the situation here in the meantime. I didn’t know whether to admire him for being meticulous or click my tongue at him for being a gloomy guy. As I was stammering in embarrassment, Lapis gave me a reproachful look.