Chapter 52
52. The Content of the Note2022.02.27.
Yes. Perhaps I had felt a bit sorry for this woman too. On the day we visited the bereaved families together, her stifled sobs from behind had seemed human enough. To the point where, even if I was reluctant, I couldn’t help but hand her my handkerchief. She didn’t seem fake. She even appeared to feel guilty toward her lord. After going through a few incidents, I had almost started to soften toward her a little. But that was before the suspicious note. It changed everything. Tristan glared at the note. A note she had hidden, only to be caught red-handed, looking extremely guilty and flustered. Its contents were obvious. It had to be a note betraying Sir Arthur and stabbing him in the back. Even though Sir Arthur had treated her with far more favor than she deserved, and the knights had steadily signaled that they weren’t treating her as an enemy but trying to embrace her. And yet she was doing this.
“…….”
A faint sense of betrayal made Tristan’s gaze turn cold. It infuriated him even more that he had nearly felt sympathy for such a woman, even if just for a moment. He had suspected she was a lackey of House Julius, receiving orders from the Marchioness. But confirming actual evidence that she was carrying out some task was a different matter. Tristan clenched his jaw, determined that this time, he wouldn’t let Sir Arthur protect her. Yes. First, let’s see the contents and think it over. We need to confirm what kind of spy work this woman was doing. Once Sir Arthur heard the note’s contents, his view of her would change, even if just a little. Then, he could objectively point out the danger of the situation and advise against keeping her close—and Sir Arthur would acknowledge it. Above all, Sir Arthur had a fatal weakness he mustn’t let her exploit. Tristan unfolded the note.
“…….”
【 ― Sir Arthur is picky about sardines too. 】
“……?”
* * * 【 ― Sir Arthur is picky about sardines too. 】
“…….”
Tristan stared at it with a stiff expression, then folded the note back up.
“What does it say?”
Arthur asked.
“…….”
What is this? Tristan racked his brain.
“It seems…… like some kind of code. I’ll analyze it and report back.”
“……A code?”
Arthur tilted his head.
“……She wouldn’t have had time to learn something like that, would she?”
“…….”
Tristan couldn’t continue.
“What does it say?”
“…….”
“Tristan?”
Tristan’s expression hardened rigidly.
“Please give me a little time. I’ll analyze it.”
“…….”
When Tristan seemed reluctant to answer, as if he didn’t want to, Arthur rubbed his forehead and sighed.
“Tell me exactly what it says. That’s an order.”
“…….”
His voice was calm, but it carried an official reprimand. Tristan froze for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek in apology.
“……I’m sorry.”
He had no intention of presuming upon Sir Arthur’s blindness. Naturally, he planned to relay the intelligence exactly as it was, without omission or addition. But……. Tristan bit his lip, lowered his head, and reluctantly opened his mouth.
“……Your Excellency. Do you dislike sardines?”
“What?”
Arthur furrowed one eyebrow, his face showing he had no idea what this was about.
“…….”
Tristan finally confessed in a voice full of reluctance.
“……It says Sir Arthur is picky about sardines.”
* * * Upon hearing that ‘Reina’ was leaking Sir Arthur’s information to House Julius, Kay silently removed his monocle and dry-washed his face. Lukan raised one eyebrow with a ‘What the hell’ look, and Lionel’s expression darkened more than usual, turning serious. Lukan straightened from his slouched posture and asked.
“Was important information leaked?”
Tristan’s expression grew peculiar.
“…….”
The knights seemed to guess it probably wasn’t, so they didn’t press for an answer. If it had been, Tristan would have said so first, his face would have been much fiercer, and he would have spoken in a far graver atmosphere. Finally, Tristan shook his head once, wet his lips, and opened his mouth with evident displeasure.
“It’s…… I still don’t know exactly. That’s why I’d like to discuss it.”
Tristan pulled out the note. The knights’ gazes focused on it.
“Hmm…….”
Tristan hesitated, unsure how to put it into words, then awkwardly passed it to the person beside him.
“……Take a look first.”
Lionel, sitting right next to Tristan on his right, received the note first.
“……Please check if it looks like it could be a code.”
Tristan added. Lionel glanced up at Tristan once, then silently stared at the note for a while with a stoic face.
“…….”
After a moment, he passed it to Lukan. Then he quietly looked up at Tristan. Lukan, receiving it from Lionel, looked at it and alternately raised his eyebrows with a strange expression.
“…….”
Unlike Lionel, he didn’t look long before immediately passing it to the last person, Kay.
“?”
Kay glanced at Lukan, who passed it with a sigh while touching his forehead, then took the note and peered at it.
“…….”
Before Kay could even fully comprehend it, Lukan spoke first.
“Sir Tristan. Or…… brother.”
“…….”
As Kay’s expression turned odd while looking at the note, Lukan leaned back on the sofa with a deflated face and stared at Tristan.
“In your eyes, does that look like a code?”
“…….”
“……Come on, you know what a code looks like, roughly. Why are you acting like this when you should know better? You just don’t like that woman?”
Tristan said.
“……I don’t know what kind of code it is.”
“If it’s a code hiding some meaning, the content is too short for that. Any kind of code needs some length to conceal the real intent.”
Lionel offered a similar affirming opinion to Lukan’s words.
“……There are limits to cipher methods usable in such a short structure. Codes someone without background knowledge could do are even more obvious. It’s not a vertical reading method structurally, nor a skipping cipher. A substitution cipher shifting letters…… obviously not. Unless the whole sentence itself means something else.”
“…….”
“But that lady probably didn’t have time to prepare something like that.”
It was true. But Tristan caught himself instinctively agreeing with the conclusion and hurriedly steeled his mind to stay objective, lest he panic.
“……If we assume she was trained personnel who had memorized such things from the start…….”
Lukan said.
“For trained personnel, it’s too sloppy. When she panicked, she froze up completely, her face showing everything. And she got caught with this note just like that.”
“…….”
Kay, who had been pondering the note, lifted his head and asked.
“What does Your Excellency say?”
“…….”
Tristan hesitated, looking displeased.
“It’s…….”
Tristan said awkwardly.
“……He doesn’t particularly dislike sardines.”
“…….”
“His Excellency only dislikes mushrooms.”
“…….”
It felt utterly ridiculous. But Tristan steadfastly asked Kay for his opinion.
“Could it be a cipher?”
But Kay’s expression was ambiguous too. Still, the cautious Kay asked a bit more.
“What were the circumstances when this note was found? How did you get it?”
Tristan explained. The sudden accident that seemed like a mistake. The note on the floor. Reina’s reaction that looked extremely guilty, and Arthur’s words that he already knew, treating it as no big deal. Kay stared quietly, stroking his chin.
“Hmm…… Looks like she did receive orders from the Marchioness’s side.”
Tristan tensed, waiting for Kay’s words.
“But since His Excellency already knows, there’s no need to worry too much. Well, if we can recruit her, we could use her as a double agent or something. He probably has plans for that.”
“…….”
Tristan’s face darkened. In fact, Arthur had mentioned a double agent plan. But Kay hadn’t seen Arthur sighing while watching the flustered woman. He didn’t know Arthur was hiding a fatal weakness. Would he say the same if he knew? Kay continued.
“Can’t say for sure, but it doesn’t look like a cipher. I recalled all the encryption methods I know, but none match.”
Kay said, holding up the note.
“However, she seems receptive to persuasion.”
Kay tilted his head and smirked faintly.
“……Let me talk to her once.”
“…….”
Arthur, having heard the knights’ reactions, bowed his head and covered his face as if rubbing his forehead. ……He’s laughing.
“Your Excellency. This might not be a laughing matter.”
“……Mm.”
Arthur removed his hand from his forehead and turned his head toward the window. He covered his mouth with his fist and cleared his throat falsely, but it was clear he was holding back laughter. ……Damn it. He wanted to ask if 「Sir Arthur is picky about sardines ‘too.’」 meant information about his other picky eating habits had already been sent.
“…….”
But that would only double the ridicule instead of raising any alertness. Ahem. Arthur cleared his throat and spoke.
“……I told you. That note isn’t some code. It was something we talked about among ourselves. It’s the wife who dislikes sardines, not me.”
Arthur lowered his hand and added.
“I kept fish away from the table because she said she didn’t like it, and she must have misunderstood that as me hating it.”
“…….”
Arthur extended his hand to Tristan with a composed face.
“I’ll talk to her. Give me the note.”
“…….”
Tristan reluctantly handed the note back to him. Arthur received it with a somewhat amused air. ……How can he laugh when he can’t even see it.
Just in case, Tristan pointed out the position and distinctive strokes of the writing on the note. Watching Arthur listen made his stomach suddenly churn. Tristan consciously tried not to get emotional about Arthur’s blindness and changed the subject.
“Sir Kay wants to talk to the lady.”
“My wife? Why?”
“After seeing the note, he seemed to rate her openness to recruitment highly. He plans to attempt it.”
“Hmm…….”
Arthur seemed to think for a moment. But he soon shook his head.
“No. Not yet.”
“……Not?”
Arthur smiled brightly.
“Kay later. I’ll talk to her first.”
