Ch#114
Clois, who approached swiftly, snatched the letter from Duke Kailun's hand as accurately and quickly as a hawk eyeing its prey.
Then he hurried back to his seat and examined the envelope.
Without sparing a single glance at his longtime friends and retainers whom he hadn't seen in ages.
Because of that, Duke Kailun and Marquis Ragselb stood there awkwardly, and the quick-witted chamberlain spoke to the two.
"It's a bit early, but how about having some tea before you go?"
"Yes, please do."
While the chamberlain went out to fetch the tea, the two looked at Clois.
Marquis Ragselb rubbed his eyes for a moment at the sight of him smiling so brightly over whatever it was.
The marquis hadn't seen Clois since they had gone out together recently to track Siren.
The atmosphere of the tracking team had been so tense throughout the pursuit of Siren.
Clois, who rarely smiled even at the best of times, had been even colder and sharper than usual.
'He was unapproachable.'
Because of that, not only the marquis but also the knights under him had spent the entire pursuit in suffocating tension.
But look at Clois now.
Grinning broadly over a single letter. It was a smile Marquis Ragselb had never seen in the past few years.
'What on earth kind of child is she to make him act like this?'
He had heard news and information about Evi Alden as well. But his interest ended there.
'He's just become her guardian out of longing for Princess Evebien.'
Having some debt of gratitude toward Lilian, he wasn't entirely pleased that Clois was lavishing care on this child in place of the princess.
It was a childish sentiment, but it felt like she was taking what the princess rightfully deserved.
Yet not only Clois but even Duke Kailun, who usually acted the most cool-headed in the world, was behaving like a fool, which left him baffled.
'No need to look far. My own son is in an uproar.'
As soon as vacation started and Ruska returned home, he threw a fit.
"Horses! More horses! Better horses!"
Like a mad horseman, he demanded horses, gathering not only the gentle and intelligent ones in the territory but also the finest from nearby territories on loan.
Not satisfied with that, he rolled around the entire house demanding Elishia, who was so smart she served as a model for the other horses and was currently lent to the Imperial Palace stables.
"Can't you be quiet?"
"I hate you, Father!"
He had kicked him away for being noisy, but Marquis Ragselb was a father who cherished his son in his own way.
That's why he had come to the palace so early to fetch Elishia.
Soon the chamberlain wheeled in a teapot and a cart with simple pastries.
"It seems it will take some time, so please sit and enjoy comfortably."
The chamberlain's face was also full of smiles.
Duke Kailun lifted his teacup leisurely and asked the marquis,
"How's your house? Are your sons still muscle-brained?"
"What's wrong with my boys? Our Ruska ranked 35th at the Genius Academy this time! Who's muscle-brained? Our youngest with the smallest hands and feet is so smart—how fortunate."
On the day Ruska returned home proudly waving his report card, the marquis had declared a genius had appeared in the family and given him all the chicken legs at dinner that day.
"And your wife? Still the same?"
"My wife? Of course. She's off on a two-month border inspection. Riding nonstop with ten northern mountain warhorses in tow."
The sturdy physique of the Marquis Ragselb family belonged to both sides equally.
The marquis's wife was just as strong as he was.
She was the kind of person who meant it literally when she suggested settling disagreements with fists.
"Oh dear, with the marchioness away. Then won't Evi feel a bit uncomfortable staying at your house? Maybe she should stay at our place another week."
"Nonsense. As if the Marquis Ragselb household can't host one guest without my wife."
While the two bickered, Clois quickly opened the envelope and read Evi's letter.
[Hello, Clois! The sun is hot today too!]
After the bold greeting, there was a sun sticking out its tongue from the heat...
'It's a sun, right?'
It looked like a squished circle with what seemed like spines sticking out, but he decided it was a sun.
[I'm having so much fun every day! Irene's mansion was fun, and Arsel's mansion is really fun too! Everyone treats me so kindly.]
Of course they do. No properly functioning household treats a child coldly.
[Every morning, I work in the music room with Arsel and Duchess Kailun. Don't be surprised. I get a whole 1 gold per day as payment!]
Reading up to there, Clois looked at the duke and asked,
"Is the duke's family short on funds these days? Why make a child work? And 1 gold? Be more generous."
At the sudden rebuke, Duke Kailun looked at Clois in disbelief.
"Good grief, why? Do you know how excited Evi was to receive that money? She promised to buy me lemon candy today. My wife has the strawberry flavor she got stashed in a glass jar, untouched. Arsel seems to be enjoying his... and the servants are all carrying around one candy each that Evi gave them..."
As he spoke, feeling somehow envious and jealous, the duke shut his mouth.
Thinking he'd ask about the lemon candy first thing when he got home.
Clois continued reading the letter.
As if wanting to share her joyful days with him, the densely written letter came with several drawings enclosed.
The marquis, who had been listening to their conversation, made a face of utter incomprehension, then stealthily stood and approached Clois.
"What kind of letter is this to make them talk like... Hm?"
His eyes widened as he looked at the letter in Clois's hand.
"What child sends a drawing of a butcher?"
"Butcher?"
At the marquis's horrified exclamation, Clois looked at the drawing in his hand and explained.
"...It's a picture of carefully cutting flowers."
"Pardon? Then what's this trash heap drawing?"
"Isn't it a picture of studying in the library?"
At Clois's response, Marquis Ragselb was dumbfounded.
No one would interpret the drawing that way...
Then he unwittingly blurted out,
"She must be as bad at drawing as Your Majesty."
Strangely, Clois was a genius in all fields except drawing, which he was particularly poor at.
Because of that, explanations via his drawings often caused more confusion.
"You're right."
Clois brushed off the marquis's words lightly. But the duke, who had been sipping tea and listening alone, quietly set down his cup with a hardened expression.
He simply couldn't muster the courage to ask Clois about Princess Evebien right now.
'I can check what Riden has found first and proceed from there. Better to handle it thoroughly than rush and make noise unnecessarily.'
With that thought, the duke's eyes gleamed.
At that moment, footsteps approached from outside, and a Ministry of Interior staff member rushed in, panting, with urgent news.
Clois's expression hardened upon seeing the report he brought.
"What is it?"
When Duke Kailun asked, Clois showed him the brief letter.
[Siren confirmed entered the capital. High possibility hiding somewhere in disguise. Beware during the Autumn Seasonal Festival.]
* * *
A busy week passed day by day, and the day came for Evi to leave Duke Kailun's mansion.
The maids, who had risen early in the morning, carefully carried down her luggage without waking the still-sleeping Evi.
"It's a shame."
"Yeah. When will she come again?"
"She'll come for winter break too, right?"
"Arsel young master used to come home every two weeks—can't she come with him then?"
While the maids whispered, someone suddenly raised a hand and gestured for silence.
Why is she doing that?
The other maids fell quiet and looked around curiously. Then a sound reached their ears.
It was the regular sound of something pounding the ground...
The maids looked toward the road leading to the mansion with startled eyes.
Amid the dawn mist, a figure gradually became clearer. And shortly after.
"Evi! Arsel! I'm here!"
There was Ruska, riding in excitedly on horseback.
