Chapter 40
40. Nobles2022.01.16.
After receiving information about ‘Rembrandt’ from Kay, Arthur ordered an additional investigation into one other person. It was about Rembrandt’s attendant.
“He’s an imperial diplomat, and his name seems to be Francis.”
He ended the order by telling him to report back as things progressed, then told Kay that he could go now. Rembrandt was imperial in-law, so he was somewhat of a celebrity, and Kay, as a high noble, would already know about a person of that stature, which was why he’d gotten an immediate answer. But Rembrandt’s attendant was different from such a famous figure, so Arthur figured it would take some time to investigate. However, Kay paused for exactly one second after receiving the order before answering right away.
“……He’s my brother.”
Arthur was uncharacteristically at a loss for words for a moment.
“I think I can report on him right away.”
Kay began speaking calmly.
“Francis Ford. Second son of the Ford Count family. He’s twenty-eight. He decided early on to pursue diplomacy and administrative civil service, followed the elite course through prestigious schools attended by the imperial family and high nobles, and graduated from Westriver College with excellent grades. A genius.”
“…….”
Arthur tried his best to stay composed as he focused on Kay’s report.
“He’s a classmate who studied together with Crown Prince and Lord Rembrandt. He caused some trouble as a kid, but now he’s a proper six-year veteran imperial diplomat, as far as I know. Four languages fluently, I think? No, eight. Four for sure, and the other four are shaky, but that’s based on five years ago.”
“…….”
Kay continued matter-of-factly.
“He has Knight Kay Ford as his younger brother under him. Right now, he’s assisting Lord Rembrandt on the Emperor’s orders. ……As you know, the younger brother is assisting Sir Arthur.”
Arthur let out a small chuckle. Kay smiled faintly in response.
“We reunited here a few days ago and exchanged updates. It wasn’t tearful enough to move us to tears, but we met politely and confirmed each other were still alive.”
Kay went on.
“If you want, I can dig up so much on ‘Francis Ford’ that he’ll have no privacy left. How detailed do you want?”
Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly.
“……This feels embarrassing somehow. Sorry.”
Kay laughed when Arthur apologized.
“What’s there to apologize for? You found the perfect person for the job.”
Arthur rubbed his forehead, looking sheepish.
“I didn’t know he was your brother. If I’d known the family name was ‘Ford,’ I would’ve guessed. I only knew his first name.”
“That could happen. No big deal. It’s not like you ordered an assassination or anything.”
Arthur snorted with laughter. Kay spoke brightly.
“What direction are you curious about? He wasn’t particularly well-liked in the family, but he took care of himself just fine. Though I doubt that’s what you’re wondering about.”
Arthur paused for a moment before asking.
“Is your brother still unmarried?”
“Yes. Still single.”
“Twenty-eight’s a bit late. Did he miss his chance because of the noble marriage ban?”
“Yeah. There was someone he was talking about getting engaged to once, but the war broke out while things were ambiguous, and it fizzled out during the marriage ban. As far as I know, he’s not seeing anyone now, but I haven’t had a deep talk with the family since I got back. If you order it, I can find out more.”
Arthur fell briefly silent. Was he hesitating to order an investigation into his subordinate’s own flesh and blood, given his own purposes? Kay waited for Arthur’s next command, keeping in mind that his first follow-up question about Francis had been whether he was unmarried. Arthur soon spoke up.
“You must be wondering why I’m having you investigate your brother.”
Kay answered evenly.
“Before he’s Francis’s classmate, I’m a knight and a soldier. I have no intention of overstepping by questioning orders. But if you’re uncomfortable giving it to me, I can hand it off to someone else.”
“No. I’ll ask you.”
Arthur spoke plainly.
“I’m background-checking him because he’s investigating my wife. I’m wondering if it’s because he’s ‘Rembrandt’s attendant’ or because it’s ‘Francis Ford’ personally.”
“Ah.”
Kay let out a short exclamation. It made perfect sense the moment he heard it. Kay quickly reviewed the possibilities and circumstances implied by his words.
“What kind of person is your brother? The type to take an interest if there’s a beauty involved? If not, there’s a high chance it was ‘on Rembrandt’s orders.’”
Arthur followed up. Kay recalled his brother’s personality.
“…….”
Unfortunately, something clicked.
“……Yes. He likes beautiful women. He’s dated quite a bit on the sly. Made quite a few women cry.”
Kay answered with a sense of shame, as if it were mortifying. Arthur’s suspicion was so perfectly reasonable that Kay couldn’t even consider other possibilities in that moment. He felt like he had to prove his own innocence by condemning his brother’s awful behavior, so he denounced his past in a harshly critical tone. And then, as if making excuses, he spilled out a string of stories about his brother’s womanizing and the troubles it caused. He couldn’t bear the thought of being lumped in with him otherwise. Arthur listened with a smiling “I see,” but blue veins bulged on the back of his fist clenched under the desk. * * *
“……?”
Feeling an eerie chill on the back of his neck for some reason, Francis, who had been sitting at his desk writing something, looked around. * * *
After finishing his report to Arthur—both official and personal—Kay let out a long sigh as he left the room. On his way back, he spotted a lady waiting in front of a checkpoint blocked by knights: Lady Christina. Arthur’s real wife, her face hidden by a bonnet. She must have thought she was dressing modestly, but her usual taste shone through in her flashy dress.
“…….”
Was she here to apologize? Or to pick a fight? Or maybe this was her way of asserting her pride. Christina glanced at him as he emerged through the door, then lifted one edge of her skirt with her fingertips and dipped into a slight curtsy. Golden pearl shimmered on her eyelids as they elegantly lowered and rose.
“…….”
Flashy. Overwhelmingly so. At first, he’d thought she looked quite similar. But the more he looked, the more he felt she was definitely different from the current wife. There was that aura unique to a young lady who’d spent her life naturally commanding those beneath her. Kay responded by tipping his uniform cap slightly before replacing it. She didn’t seem to expect a reply anyway and calmly faced forward again.
“…….”
Her personality was definitely different too.
‘That woman’s here again?’
The knight coming on shift eyed the other knight, who shrugged silently.
‘When’d she get here?’
‘About thirty minutes ago.’
Their mouthed conversation exchanged silently.
“…….”
Kay pretended not to notice as he passed by. In any case, Arthur’s policy was not to cooperate with cleaning up the “fake marriage issue” until the “short supplies incident” was resolved. Christina probably knew that, but this seemed like her way of showing sincerity. A few of the young knights had cold-shouldered her. But since it was clear she would eventually become Arthur’s wife, ignoring her outright felt awkward. Right now, the knights were much closer to Arthur, but in five or ten years, she’d be the distant superior’s wife they’d have to serve. Would that temperamental Christina let today’s slighted knights off the hook then? By that time, Arthur would value his wife more than his subordinates. Even if not, she’d be someone hard to ignore. There’d probably be children between them by then too. She’d be the lady of House Julius and the children’s mother. They couldn’t dismiss her too much in this situation. Who knew how much resentment she was harboring inside, even if she kept her composure outwardly…… She was definitely someone they couldn’t afford to make an enemy of.
“…….”
Kay caught Lionel’s eye briefly as he stood guard and beckoned him to the reception room, advising him along similar lines. She might be like this now, but thinking of the future, cold-shouldering her too much wouldn’t be good for Sir Arthur or the knights. So he told him to make sure the knights didn’t ignore or offend Christina too badly. Lionel listened quietly to his advice. When Lionel returned, Christina was still standing in the exact same spot, without the slightest disarray.
“…….”
He let out a silent sigh before returning to his post. Then he quietly ordered the knights to step back a few paces. So they wouldn’t stand around like spectators staring at her waiting for Arthur. The knights moved to the end of the passage. Only Lionel remained alone in the original spot, standing guard. An hour later, Christina took out her pocket watch with a click, checked the time, and smiled just as she always did.
“Please tell him I waited.”
She left behind a light curtsy, her long golden eyelashes fluttering down gently.
