SALP Chapter 14

"Then rest well, Lanthe sis. You should bathe right away so you don't catch a cold."

As they entered the castle, Nina hugged the cookies she'd received as gifts at the square and grinned. With an excited expression saying her father liked those cookies, her face was already racing home.

"Thank you for taking me to a fun place today. See you tomorrow, Nina."

Lanthe was also hugging a fruit that looked like a yellow, plump tree root. It was a refreshing and sweet fruit. Though she'd eaten her fill at the square, the fragrant sweetness wafting up made her mouth water.

At a time when the sun would normally be setting, it was already dim because of the overcast weather. The pouring rain had subsided at some point to a fine drizzle scattering like white dust.

The people who'd gathered at the square seemed free. They exchanged opinions about the rulers of the Allied Kingdoms without restraint. Even with the daughter of a king belonging to the Allied Kingdoms present.

They also greeted the soldiers stationed everywhere cheerfully. As if they'd never experienced being sacrificed to their rulers' violence.

"Let go!"

Before she could linger long in sentiment, a child's sharp scream came from the castle gate direction.

"Let this go! Waaah!"

Lanthe's heart sank as she urgently turned toward the commotion.

A young boy was being dragged by soldiers. A child who looked around ten years old was held by soldiers like a hunted beast, with iron chains wrapped around his wrists. She wondered if he was from the foreign ethnic group they were having conflicts with, but the child had similar hair, eyes, and skin color to other Hermea people.

"Throw him in solitary."

The man leading the soldiers gave the order and left the formation.

With his long black hair, black eyes, and pale skin that seemed to perfectly recreate the "demon of the outside world" she'd heard about from villagers, he caught the eye.

He crossed in front of her with quick steps.

Lanthe instinctively shrank back and moved aside.

"Where's the lord?"

The man stopped someone at the path leading to the training grounds inside the courtyard and asked.

The lord? Vigo?

Lanthe also reflexively looked toward the path. The position where the black-eyed man stood was bright with a bonfire burning, and her position was under a dark tree, so only she could see that side unilaterally.

"What is it, Warner?"

Vigo appeared from beyond the building corner. With a sword at his waist and even wearing leather armor, he was with an unfamiliar middle-aged man who didn't seem to be his subordinate.

"We found Herg's brat in Sebaem. We're bringing him in now."

Ah, so that's Sir Warner...

"Finally caught him."

Lanthe also looked where the two men's gazes directed. At the scene of the shackled child being dragged away somewhere while crying and struggling.

"He didn't get far."

A dry voice, and then—

"Yes. He seems to have suffered quite a bit with fewer people helping his escape."

"Was this the third time?"

"He's a nimble one. The biggest problem was that there were so many people hiding and looking out for him because he's a child."

"Cut off his leg."

Words that made her doubt her ears flowed from Vigo's mouth.

"Then he won't run away."

Flustered, she unconsciously checked Rix's expression. Wondering if his lord's statement had sounded shocking to him too. But he just blinked at Lanthe without any particular disturbance.

It must be a crude joke...?

But unexpectedly, the person who showed signs of dismay was Warner, the one who'd caught and reported about the child.

"But... the monastery will make a fuss."

"Rialta Monastery? Are you scared of fanatics who don't know their place?"

Vigo frowned and roughly swept his hair aside.

"Tell them to come find me if they have complaints. If I can't dispose of even one rat bastard dirtying my land as I please, I should be called a saint, not a lord. Don't you think?"

"...Understood. I'll handle it."

In the end, Warner nodded without further objection and turned away.

Watching him head in the direction the child was dragged, Lanthe felt restless for no reason.

What wrong did that child commit to deserve such horrible treatment? It must be a joke, right? Maybe it's slang only they understand.

No. Was the child even guilty in the first place? This is a world that abuses even the innocent...

"What, Rix?"

The very next moment, Vigo's voice directed this way was unexpected. No, she might be one thing, but wasn't it stranger for Rix, who had an even larger build than Vigo, not to be noticed?

Lanthe hesitantly stepped back and hid behind Rix, though she'd committed no crime.

"Where did you leave Lanthe..."

Vigo, who'd been asking with a furrowed brow, suddenly slowed his pace and lifted the corner of his mouth. Hmm. He narrowed his eyes thinly and shot out an ominous energy like light.

Caught.

"You two. Why are you coming from over there?"

He moved his index finger back and forth as he questioned. Then Rix, neck deeply hunched, was drawn to him as if controlled by strings. She, who'd been hiding behind him, naturally stuck close like a shadow and was dragged along too.

"Explain."

Vigo glanced lightly at Lanthe, then stared directly at Rix. His eyes looking up askew were calm. Yet Rix coughed as if hit by a cold wind and opened his mouth.

"So, as for why we're coming from over there."

Wow, he can curse with his eyes too. Just how rotten did his personality become?

"I went out for a bit."

Lanthe belatedly lifted her chin and straightened her chest.

"Out?"

Vigo raised one eyebrow slightly.

"Wasn't I allowed? You should have told me beforehand then."

As she shot back primly, Rix quickly interjected, wanting to ease the atmosphere.

"Actually, Nina wanted to take Miss Lanthe to Aden Square, so we went briefly. You know, that 'philosophy society' or whatever, the gathering that many young ladies attend? They say it's a very light and wholesome gathering."

Poor thing. The way Rix explained while putting Nina's name forward looked like a bear hiding behind a small squirrel.

"Ah."

At any rate, the venomous energy in Vigo's eyes softened a bit as if convinced.

"Philosophy society is good."

This time he looked Lanthe up and down.

His companion standing by the fire also looked her over.

A guest perhaps? His clothing style was unique and he wore more gold ornaments than Vigo. Setting aside his mature age, he looked high-ranking. Definitely not Vigo's subordinate. If she wasn't mistaken, he might be quite an important guest.

Moreover, his atmosphere seemed somehow familiar, which bothered her. Like the bright-eyed young people she'd seen at the square, his eyes sparkled too.

"Why do you look like that?"

"What's wrong with how I look?"

She knew full well how she looked, soaked through in her fluffy fur outfit.

"I thought you two went for a swim. You went out wearing that in this weather?"

"If my outfit bothers you, you should have gone through the trouble of picking things out for me in advance."

Lanthe retorted curtly, looking at distant mountains.

"Mm. Should I?"

His answer mixed with suspicious amusement.

"Sure. While you're at it, I'd appreciate if you did the laundry and ironing yourself too."

"Take it off."

Wondering what he was suddenly talking about, she glanced at him and saw him casually shrugging off his coat—she gasped and swallowed her breath.

"No, never mind. I'll be in my room soon anyway."

The remark she'd made thinking 'you be flustered for once' put only her in a predicament again.

It felt like everyone in the castle was watching them. Someone even whistled mischievously.

Moreover, the black shirt Vigo wore under his coat didn't look warm at all. She couldn't be sure if the reason it looked thicker than expected was because he wore undershirts or because his torso was thick. She had poor night vision, and even when she'd seen his half-naked body last night, the room had been dark...

"Should I take it off for you?"

Vigo held out his coat with a straight face.

"This one is too big, like a blanket..."

She had no choice but to remove her fur coat and exchange it with his. The fruit in her hands became Rix's burden to carry.

His coat, which she grumbled as she put on, was leather without even padding.

But it was fluffy and light. It even retained warmth. The warmth of his body, warmer than hers. Somehow she felt hot.

"...You'll be thoroughly sick."

He clicked his tongue, looking at her as if still dissatisfied. He dumped the soaked, heavy fur onto Rix like throwing it and said.

"Make her bathe as soon as she gets to her room and give her medicine."

"Understood, my lord."

What bathing and medicine? Does he think I'm Rix's infant charge?

"You're quite attentive, my lord. Burdensomely so."

Lanthe muttered with eyes full of dissatisfaction. When she tied her waist with the cord attached to the coat, the cold wind was blocked and the insulation effect was higher than expected. Instead of rolling up the long sleeves, she matched both cuffs together and crossed both arms inside them. It was a posture Aunt Louise would detest, saying she looked like a criminal with bound arms.

"You should think of your own ransom value, esteemed prisoner."

Anyway, in reality she was called a prisoner if not quite a criminal.

"Hmph."

She turned sharply and walked toward the main building, rubbing her crossed arms inside the sleeves. Behind Rix's footsteps hurrying to follow, she heard the conversation between Vigo and his companion.

"Prisoner?"

"It's nothing."

"She's a young lady with pretty eyes."

"...Let's just look at the training grounds briefly and go up. I told them to prepare good liquor."

"Oh, I've been ruining my palate eating only sweet southern liquor, so I'm looking forward to it. I've really missed Hermea's strong spirits."

Vigo uses formal speech and the other uses informal speech. It doesn't seem to be a culture of respecting elders like in Roas either.

Someone of higher status than the lord?

More than that, he really did look familiar...

"Ah."

She stopped walking and turned around.

The two men were already moving away, but reviving the middle-aged man's features imprinted in her eyes wasn't difficult.

He looks like Princess Ana...