Chapter 33
Euphris's Second Sun
Yuan stepped back a few paces, looking at the small building attached to the far left of the Mansion like a wart.
"No, I've only been to the east Annex where we had the party last time. Actually, I haven't even seen all of the main building yet..."
"That west Annex used to be Klaud's hideout."
"Oh, really?"
"This Mansion was originally used as a villa by the late Emperor and Empress. That was his space, and Apollyni grew up there afterwards..."
Lancelot's voice trailed off sharply.
Yuan turned her eyes from staring at the small, black building and looked up at him.
His face, which had held a fleeting look of despair, quickly donned a bright mask.
Yuan blinked at the surprising change, and Lancelot smiled at her as if nothing had happened.
Yuan tactfully changed the subject.
"I saw a dog living in that Annex from a distance."
"That dog is one that Klaud picked up and raised when he was young."
"He did? Ah."
Yuan hastily covered her mouth with her hand, realizing that she had spoken her true thoughts without thinking. Lancelot, who had completely shaken off the dark look, curved his eyes.
"Yes, Klaud was quite cute and kind when he was young."
"I thought it was a dog raised by the servants. I've never heard anyone looking for it or talking about it. Was he too young then, and now he dislikes dogs?"
Lancelot stared at the west Annex with Yuan for a long time before whispering softly.
"...Wouldn't he not keep it if he didn't like it?"
His voice sounded somewhat lonely, and Yuan looked up at Lancelot, who was adjusting his clothes, for a long time.
"I've been talking too much. I hope we can talk often. Now I understand why Klaud has become so talkative."
Lancelot gave a graceful bow. Yuan returned the greeting, watching his gaze linger on the west Annex and then on her.
"I will be waiting for news that Klaud has come out soon."
After Lancelot left, Yuan watched his retreating figure as he rode away, then turned her gaze to the west Annex.
She scrutinized the small Annex that Lancelot had mentioned, and even the busy footsteps of the servants.
And...
-Swoosh!
As always, the curtains of the second-floor bedroom were drawn shut as soon as her gaze reached them.
It seemed that Lancelot had given her a big hint.
What she needed to touch to get Klaud to come out.
Yuan stared at the gap in the closed curtains, her hands folded politely in front of her.
Meanwhile, at the Pellieresse Mansion.
Already more than six huge four-wheeled carriages had returned empty-handed from the entrance.
Some of the particularly lavish carriages pushed their way into the Mansion and eventually met with Count Pellieresse.
"The medicine is noticeably less effective. Do you have any intention of taking responsibility?"
"There is a medicinal herb that is absolutely necessary, but it will take a very long time to obtain it."
"How much money have I supported you with! Is there anything that money can't buy? It's been a month already. Now even ordinary headache pills don't work!"
Duchess Celetina shouted in a shrill voice.
In reality, the headache pills were doing their job perfectly.
It was just that Yuan wasn't there to immediately take away the pain, so they thought the medicine was less effective.
"I will prescribe more than the regular dose. If you take it, close your eyes, and go to sleep..."
"Huh, listen here, Count Pellieresse."
Duchess Celetina narrowed her sensitive eyes and crossed her arms.
Her husband was the Emperor's closest aide, so Count Pellieresse folded his hands politely.
"I admit that Pellieresse medicine works better than other medicines. I would have stopped trading immediately if it weren't for that! But I'm a bit special, so I can't drink the same medicine that Pellieresse sells to the association with everyone else. Am I wrong?"
"You are absolutely right, Duchess."
"I'm a VIP. I paid a lot of money because I'm a special guest. I might as well have built two of the pillars of this Mansion."
"That's right, Madam."
"I hope Pellieresse understands that I want more than just medicine that works a little better than everyone else's?"
Count Pellieresse, looking haggard as if all his energy had been drained - but still with a triple chin - barely managed to appease the special guests and send them away before heading to the laboratory.
As soon as he opened the door, he paused, taking a breath at the sight of the mess, then shouted loudly.
"Frederick-!!"
The demon who had messed up the laboratory, where research was already slow due to the lack of trustworthy people to leave it to, was wearing a 'what should I do' smile.
Regina rushed up to the laboratory at the sudden commotion.
As expected, that idiot Frederick had been sneaking in and out of the laboratory again and had been caught by their father.
"Frederick, you muscle-brained idiot! How many times have I told you that doing nothing is helping your father?"
"But wasn't it Father who told me to catch these guys?"
It was Frederick who had caught two stray dogs and released them in the laboratory.
Two stray dogs covered in ink were dirtying the entire laboratory floor and sofa. One was limping and one was missing an eye.
"Father. What are you going to do with these stray dogs?"
Count Pellieresse flinched and turned to look at his daughter at Regina's sudden interjection.
Regina, her eyes narrowed, was scanning the central table in the laboratory, which was covered with all sorts of medicines, and the desk for official business.
"Both of you, get out!"
The Count hurriedly sent out Frederick, who was shouting that he was being treated unfairly, and Regina, who was not hiding her suspicious gaze, before closing the door and wiping away his cold sweat.
After Yuan left, Pellieresse's business was heading downhill very smoothly.
Having left Pellieresse for a long time and only returning in his middle age, there was no way he could oversee all the affairs of the family.
Without Yuan, Pellieresse's greatest strength, and the knowledge that Yuan possessed, he was no different from a lost wanderer.
Compared to Yuan's accurate ability to mix medicines, which he practically recited from books, Count Pellieresse had to look up even simple medicine recipes in books one by one.
Furthermore, all of Pellieresse's unique mixing methods were in Yuan's head.
The methods were continuously researched and developed, and the mixing methods in Yuan's head were the optimal combinations that he and Yuan had found together.
In the past, he had harmed his own body and then had Yuan absorb the pain.
Then, he had Yuan treat it, developing the mixing methods.
Direct experimentation on humans required imperial permission and had to be done secretly, so that was the method he had chosen.
However, the Count's research was slow without Yuan, who could eliminate the pain. So he had no choice but to pick up ownerless animals and experiment on them.
"Why is that Yuan attached to that Monster Deposed Emperor? He could have prospered the family if he stayed here. It's a pathetic act of filial impiety to be attached to a discarded piece of trash, no matter how well you treat him!"
Frederick was too stupid and always ruined his work instead of helping him, and Regina was greedy and quick-witted, with an eye for things, but she would never produce the academic achievements that would make Geret Pellieze shine at the academy.
"If only he were here, we wouldn't be struggling like this!"
A little more, he needed a definite opportunity to ensnare and capture that child.
If it was Louise in the past, then after she died, something else was needed.
He had to do anything for his poor, foolish nephew, who was attached to the Black Manor without knowing it was a place where he would die.
"Tch! Everyone is so stupid!"
-Yelp!
"Argh! You dog-like..."
As Geret Pellieresse kicked one of the stray dogs in a fit of anger, the dog next to it bit his leg hard.
"Argh! Yuan! Yuan, quickly, quickly..."
The Count, who had habitually called for Yuan to eliminate the pain, turned red in the face and crawled to ring the bell to call the servants.
If only Yuan were here, this pain would be nothing.
"Damn it! Yuan Pellieresse!!"
All this hardship was because of Yuan leaving home.
While the servants hurriedly opened the door and went in to support their master, Regina, who was downstairs, had to listen to her father's voice shouting Yuan Pellieresse's name.
Regina, who was sitting in the drawing room having her nails done by the maids, started complaining in front of the Countess, Priscilla.
"I don't know who's Father's daughter."
"What's wrong again, Regina?"
"It's because he keeps calling Yuan's name. Mother saw that girl ignoring us at the last party, didn't she?"
"An ungrateful wretch."
Priscilla judged mercilessly.
However, even if Yuan had acknowledged them, she would still have been uncomfortable, so Priscilla lost interest there.
The chilly atmosphere between the two mothers and daughters brightened up rapidly not long after.
"What is this?"
The butler suddenly brought a huge, ornate box into the drawing room.
Even Count Pellieresse, who had barely finished treating the dog bite, came down at the sudden commotion.
Eventually, the box, which the whole family sat around, contained a dress that was as red and rich as blood.
Regina couldn't take her eyes off the luxurious box, which also contained matching shoes and gloves.
"Where did this suddenly come from?"
At that moment, a man who had been hidden behind the butler, a man who was only half the height of an average person, bowed deeply. The small man did not say much, but held up one index finger and reported quietly.
"Euphris's Second Sun has secretly sent this gift."
Euphris's Second Sun! That meant the First Prince, Bolonico, had sent it.
"To whom?"
