COARV Chapter 26

Kallis Haneton mounted his horse and looked back once. The massive Berke Castle now appeared faintly through the rising winter fog. Conscious of the jewelry box tucked in his breast, Kallis spoke to the aide riding beside him.

"Vin, go up to the imperial capital first and control the rumors. Say the disruption to the Stern wedding was entirely my fault."

"Yes, Marquess. What should I convey to the Keliden Marquisate?"

"Don't bother. They've already heard the rumors but sent no word."

He'd known the Keliden Marquisate treated Seria like a disowned child, but actually experiencing this situation left a bitter taste.

And how much would imperial high society buzz? An enormous piece of gossip material had emerged that could easily fuel speculation for three years. Natural, since every person involved drew attention in various ways.

Kallis knew Seria wouldn't maintain her marriage to Lesche Berke for long. Many others besides himself probably expected this. People who knew Lesche Berke, aware that he only showed favor for a reason, would speculate that some transaction had occurred during the marriage and divorce process—and some of that was true.

Lesche Berke had entered the ceremony hall to save Seria's life.

A Stern's divorce was more complicated than other nobles' divorces due to the temple's close involvement, but at most it was a matter of a few years.

Lesche Berke had become Seria's prospective husband, but Kallis was the fiancé formally recognized by Seria's family, the Keliden Marquisate. The Keliden Marquisate wouldn't send a letter recognizing the marriage to the Berke Grand Duchy—if only to avoid elevating Seria to Grand Duchess.

"Divorce..."

Kallis was still Lina's husband. Once he smoothly concluded his divorce from her, Kallis planned to go to Seria again and kneel.

Before that, he'd need to transfer Lina's guardian role to someone else. He was thinking about searching for a suitable person when—

The elegant, large carriage carrying Lina and the High Priest suddenly stopped. Since it was the centerpiece of this long procession, the horses in front and behind immediately halted.

"How could the High Priest lie to me!"

Lina burst from the carriage.

"You said we were going to the temple in Haneton territory! I trusted your words—why are we going to the Grand Temple instead!"

"Saint!"

When High Priest Amos called out in a firm tone, tears dripped from Lina's eyes. Seeing that somehow reminded Kallis of Seria crying, making his heart uncomfortably heavy.

"Stopping the procession inconveniences those following behind. Board the carriage first and we'll talk again."

Kallis couldn't understand why Lina so desperately didn't want to go to the Grand Temple. Eventually, crying heavily, Lina boarded the carriage again.

After hearing that Kallis and Lina had left, I slept all day. I wasn't usually such a heavy sleeper, but it seemed I'd overworked myself for several days. Above all, hearing that the High Priest—the most important guest—had abruptly left made my body feel somewhat drained.

'The nobles who came to the castle will be gradually returning.'

Roughly five or six hundred people? Lesche would probably make me handle seeing off the guests who'd visited the estate too. I'd saved my life in exchange for signing this slave contract...

I'd told the maids to wake me immediately if Lesche asked for me, but when they actually woke me, it was evening.

"My lady, just eat dinner and sleep again."

"If you keep sleeping hungry, you'll be very famished."

The tray the maids brought was generous as always. The main dishes were roasted flounder with butter-flavored sauce, chicken roasted with whole peppercorns, and tender steamed beef. After warming my stomach with light soup, I ate a salad topped with dried fruit. After adding cheese and wine, I felt full and my mood greatly improved.

"Did His Grace happen to ask for me?"

"No, my lady. Oh, but the chief aide is waiting outside."

My spoon stopped mid-air.

"...Sir Linon? Since when?"

The maids looked at the clock.

"Um..."

"About an hour?"

When I frantically summoned him, Linon's hands were frozen solid. I ordered hot water bottles and hot stew brought quickly, then asked why they hadn't woken me sooner. The maids said Linon had told them not to, and Linon's answer was even more absurd.

"I'm not such an ill-bred wretch that I'd wake a lady exhausted from crying!"

"Who said I cried myself to exhaustion?"

Really, casually saying things that could be misunderstood. Though when I cried in front of Kallis earlier, Linon had been watching. I sighed and asked.

"So why? Is it about seeing the guests off? Is there an important guest leaving at this hour?"

"What? No, my lady. The guests have all left."

"Ah. So today's departing guests are gone."

"No, every single guest has left Berke Castle."

I blinked slowly.

Linon's words were true. Not a single light was on in any of those numerous annexes. Silent as if a typhoon had swept through. The statement that all guests had left was fact.

"You must have driven them out quite politely."

Linon flinched. He looked at me with an aggrieved expression.

"Are you speaking to me?"

"Who else is here besides Sir Linon?"

"It was His Grace's order, and I'm just a powerless subordinate following His Grace's orders, my lady."

'I know that man hates noise.'

In noble society where reputation mattered, what powerful person could commonly say to someone's face, 'You've enjoyed the banquet, now leave'? Perhaps only Lesche or the Emperor of the Gleick Empire.

"Then why did you come find me?"

"Ah, there's somewhere you must go together tomorrow. Laurel Manor... You've probably heard of it."

"Yes, I've heard of it."

Laurel Manor was secretly famous within Berke Castle. If you followed this massive main castle's rear garden, rode deep inside through the white birch forest beside the glacier for quite some time, a beautiful mansion made of green marble appeared. That was Laurel Manor—where only direct family of the Berke house could stay.

According to circulating rumors, its underground storehouse was packed with treasures, decorated most splendidly with all kinds of luxurious ornaments. Though few people had actually been invited.

This much you could pick up after spending time in high society. And I knew one more fact.

In the original story, Laurel Manor was described as completely evaporated.

The manor grounds, including that beautiful green mansion, had been reduced to nothing but a massive black pit. Even this was something Lina had heard by pestering Lesche after growing curious about society rumors. Lesche, that cold male lead, never properly mentioned Laurel Manor even once.

"You'll be going there tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. Is there any problem..."

"No. None."

I was just surprised to be going tomorrow to a place barely mentioned in the original story. Linon tilted his head, then continued.

"If you're fine with it. In any case, you and His Grace will go together. You won't stay long. Just see it and return in about two days."

"Understood."

The next morning, when I left my bedroom early, the number of visible people had definitely decreased to one-tenth. The main castle was quieter. Thinking this felt somewhat unfamiliar, I gestured while carefully cradling the cloak tucked in my arms. Creaaak—the iron bars opened, and inside was—

"Bibi!"

Abigail, who'd been locked up for a solid week on charges of insulting Marquess Haneton. As Elliot had said before, fortunately she still looked sturdy. Though slightly thinner...

"Here, this is the thickest cloak I have."

But perhaps the ordeal had been difficult—Abigail didn't refuse and quietly wrapped herself in the cloak. Elliot, following beside me, pulled out stew and a spoon from a mahogany food container. I personally placed the spoon in Abigail's hand. The beef stew brought from the main castle's kitchen early this morning still steamed.

"Eat this first. There's more in the kitchen. Weren't you cold?"

"Less cold than when they submerged me in ice water for three days."

"What. Who tortured you like that?"

"It's a joke, my lady."

Abigail spoke lightly and smiled, but her hands were truly freezing. At least Berke was thorough about prison management—I'd worried so much, hearing that in other places' winter underground prisons, prisoners sometimes froze to death.

"My lady. While I was locked up, you killed one of them, right? That man or that woman?"

"Killed?"

"Even better if you killed both."

I laughed weakly. I'd been a bit tired from making a fuss since dawn about Abigail's release day, but that exhaustion completely vanished.

"I didn't kill them."

"Unfortunate. May I kill them?"

"You'd be executed."

"I won't get caught."

"There are two witnesses right here."

At those words, Abigail looked at me and smiled. The smile playing at her lips vanished completely the moment she turned back. Behind me stood Elliot, who'd brought the stew.

Of course, I glanced back at Elliot too. Elliot was receiving Abigail's gaze, his eyes oddly frozen.

Bibi's words must worry him. Then again, both Lina and Kallis are too important.

From the position of the person ultimately responsible for security in Berke Castle—and by extension, the entire Berke Grand Duchy—those weren't pleasant words to hear.

"Sir Elliot?"

Elliot looked at me. He was perceptive. He immediately waved both hands with a flustered expression.

"I have no intention of reporting this, Lady Seria."

"He says he won't, my lady."