Kolabe, who had just left the office, ran into Exer Fribesque, who was heading toward the office.
Exer’s face, which Kolabe hadn’t seen in a while, looked fresh without a trace of fatigue, while Kolabe’s eye shadows had descended to his temples. He envied the mixed-race Exer’s stamina.
“It’s been a while, Exer.”
“Yes, you too. Is Master inside?”
“He is, but…”
“Is it something important?” Exer shook his head, puzzled by the question posed with a discontented expression.
“No, just a regular status report.”
“Then it’s better not to go in right now. He’s in a pretty foul mood.”
Exer frowned. Although there were suspicious elements in Mathel’s actions, it was only a matter of time before they captured him now that her tail had been exposed. Exer couldn’t understand why Annecy was in a bad mood.
Kolabe, seeing through Exer’s expression, shrugged.
“Lately, his moods flip on occasion. Especially whenever he thinks about Rubiette.”
“Is it because the chance to avenge his enemy is near, and the hatred that had disappeared has resurfaced…”
“No, no. Don’t start writing an epic like that. It’s probably not that.”
‘It must be because of the Madam.’
Kolabe Perroto’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Annecy Bethelgius had become strange. He had always been an odd person, but even more so since his marriage.
It wasn’t that his capricious and impulsive nature had changed. He still spoke and acted based on his emotions in situations that weren’t particularly important.
Take the matter of Rajin Eliom, for example. After the investigation, Annecy assured Kolabe that there wouldn’t be any danger, but still didn’t like the idea of letting Rajin into the mansion and let Goyo continue to doubt her.
Then, with just one bewildered expression from his wife, Annecy changed his mind and started spouting nonsense about setting a trap while pretending to be friendly.
Even then, he didn’t say a word about his own conclusion that Rajin would be harmless.
Kolabe, upon hearing this, thought, ‘He’s been pretending to be serious for a while now,’ and let it pass, as he was already used to such antics. The only difference was in the direction Annecy’s thoughts were now heading.
Where once his thoughts had been fluid, like melted wax, a path had now formed in his previously unpredictable mind.
At first, it was just a passing trace of a path, but after walking it over and over, it gradually widened and became more defined.
The more surprising thing was that there was a master of that path.
‘Wouldn’t something extravagant as a birthday gift feel burdensome?’
‘Huh? Are you talking about the Madam?’
‘Now that she’s getting used to things, she might start feeling uncomfortable.’
‘To think the Marquis would be so considerate… the world really has changed.’
‘But I don’t want to give her something plain and shabby either.’
‘Are you sure you’re really talking to me right now?’
‘Well, I have no choice; for now, I’ll have to settle for a single white rose.’
‘For now…?’
Kolabe scrunched up his nose, recalling the back of his superior as he left the office, leaving his bewildered subordinate behind.
Despite constantly branding Kolabe as the biggest fool in the world, the one actually doing the most foolish things was Annecy himself.
Who in the world pretends to be a considerate husband and then ends up becoming one for real?
And then says things like ‘I don’t like her,’ ‘It’s just attachment,’ ‘Stop talking nonsense,’ and ‘Ta-da, it’s gone.’
Though it was just a guess, Kolabe was nearly certain. Unfortunately, Kolabe had to see Annecy nearly every day, so distinguishing between Annecy’s genuine feelings and his deceptions wasn’t difficult.
Annecy Bethelgius was sincere. Or at least, he was about to be.
It might lead to an undesirable outcome, but Kolabe welcomed the change in his superior.
Kolabe first met Annecy on the battlefield. From that day until recently, there hadn’t been any positive changes in Annecy Bethelgius.
At first, there had been malice and venom, but after spending so much time on the battlefield, even hatred crumbled under the weight of countless other emotions.
From then on, without any positive or negative changes, Annecy became someone who was always the same. His temperament was one of fickleness, a fact that many who dealt with him didn’t really understand.
It was almost natural for Annecy Bethelgius, whose inner desires were hollow, to behave unpredictably without any standards.
Aside from the mechanical desire to move toward something better, there was truly nothing he wanted.
Though it was an unfortunate situation, Kolabe Perroto didn’t entirely lack affection for Annecy. Having some unpredictable change was better than being an empty shell with no results in sight.
And the intuition that had saved Kolabe numerous times on the battlefield whispered that the result would be quite satisfying.
Kolabe smiled subtly. There was a small, trivial reason too—it was enjoyable to see Annecy’s confused expression.
Kolabe trusted his instincts and hoped that Annecy’s hollow core would start to fill.
Kolabe smiled slyly at Exer’s puzzled face.
‘Well, the promise with Lady Chloe will work itself out somehow.’
* * *
Hearing that a guest had arrived, Goyo headed out to the mansion’s main gate, tilting her head when she saw the carriage waiting outside.
It was too small and plain to be from Bethelgius, and Goyo couldn’t determine where it was from.
Annecy, who had followed Goyo outside, approached.
“It’s a carriage sent from Eliom.”
A puzzled look spread across Goyo’s face.
During preparations for the hunting tournament, they had often visited using Bethelgius’s carriage, but this was the first time Eliom had sent a carriage unprompted.
What could be the reason for sending a carriage without any prior notice?
“They want to invite the Madam. You can accept if you’d like, or decline if you prefer.”
“You sound a bit different from the last time you talked about this.”
“You’re perceptive.”
“Is it alright if I go?”
“Of course.”
Although Annecy’s instinct told him that keeping Rajin close wouldn’t be a problem, there were still some lingering doubts, so he held back from saying more.
However, after the hunting tournament, Annecy had concluded that it would be safe, though barely, to keep Rajin close to Goyo.
Goyo, who didn’t have any particular hobbies and didn’t enjoy meeting people, only communicated with one person outside the mansion—Rajin Eliom.
Whether to continue the relationship now that it had served its purpose was Goyo’s decision, but Annecy was pleased to know that the person in Goyo’s choices was safe.
“She wouldn’t put the Madam in danger.”
“You mentioned there was something uncomfortable about her.”
“That’s been resolved. It was purely coincidental, so there’s no need to worry anymore.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely a coincidence, and there had been another purpose behind it, but Annecy pretended not to know, maintaining his composure.
He had told Rajin, through Kolabe, to keep quiet, so as long as she didn’t say anything, Goyo wouldn’t know.
It wouldn’t benefit anyone to learn about that purpose, so it was better this way. Besides, it wasn’t anything serious.
Coincidence… Goyo echoed the word in her mind and soon nodded.
Annecy would be going out soon, and the mansion’s servants found it burdensome to converse with the noble madam.
Rajin wasn’t someone Goyo found uncomfortable enough to stay in the mansion with nothing but boredom.
With Annecy’s farewell behind her, Goyo headed to the Eliom estate, where she had visited a few times before.
Since Bethelgius and Eliom weren’t far apart, it wasn’t long before Goyo stepped down from the carriage.
Rajin Eliom, who had been loitering near the gates of the estate, saw the familiar guest and smiled, leading Goyo into the drawing room.
Though the smile on her lips was as usual, her eyes occasionally flickered with unease, and Goyo realized that Rajin had called her to say something.
After seating Goyo on the sofa in the reception room and bringing tea through the maid, some time passed before Rajin finally spoke.
“First of all, thank you for coming.”
“I only rode the carriage you sent.”
“I invited you today because there’s something I need to tell you. I considered coming to the marquisate, but I thought there might be things I couldn’t say there.”
“It sounds like you’re going to say something that could harm Bethelgius.”
“It’s something the marquis wouldn’t be pleased about, but it’s not that. Rather, it might harm you.”
Rajin’s voice, which always hovered between masculine and feminine, was now lower than usual as she spoke about the serious matter.
A hint of self-deprecation flickered in Rajin’s downcast eyes.
‘I’ll explain everything to the Madam myself and apologize.’
‘No, you mustn’t tell her.’
‘Pardon?’
‘The marquis doesn’t want the Madam to know that you approached her with ulterior motives. You’ve achieved your purpose anyway, so there’s no reason for you to meet her again. And if you continue to interact, it’s even more important that she remains unaware.’
‘But…’
‘Sir, you don’t think my words are merely a suggestion, do you?’
The marquis’s will. Is there really any response other than ‘yes’?
The voice of the man who spoke with an easy smile was cold, contrary to his expression.
Recalling that moment, Rajin swallowed a sigh.
Though it was to protect Goyo Bethelgius, the knight couldn’t help but question whether that was the right way.
At the time, Rajin had simply nodded, thinking it wasn’t her place to interfere, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that keeping silent wasn’t the right course of action.
Since she had approached with another motive, she had to end things properly. Speaking out against the marquis’s orders would no doubt lead to consequences, but as someone without power, Rajin was prepared to pay the price.
‘Surely they won’t kill me.’
Goyo, who had been quietly gazing at the floor, finally spoke. “Go ahead.” Her voice, slow and calm, was without a hint of disturbance.
“If that’s what it’s about, it’s fine.”
“I’m sorry. I approached you first because I had an ulterior motive.”
“A motive?”
“It’s hard to go into detail, but it was something related to my family, something I wanted to confirm with the marquis. Even though I never intended to harm you, it’s undeniable that my approach, with an ulterior motive, was inappropriate. I can’t ask for your forgiveness, but…”
The words he had been about to say were cut off. Rajin, who had been unconsciously avoiding Goyo’s gaze, inadvertently met her eyes.
Her face, meticulously composed, showed no sign of agitation.
Her forehead, eyebrows, eyes, and mouth were all perfectly untroubled, staring at Rajin with the same calm expression she always had.
There was no sign of hurt or surprise—her expression was as if she were discussing someone else’s matters.
“That’s not a very significant story. Who in the social world approaches others without some kind of motive?”
Goyo raised the teacup in front of her and sipped as she normally would.
Since the day Annecy had suddenly shifted his stance and said it was fine to associate with Rajin, despite previously posting secret guards to the hunting tournament and maintaining his vigilance, Goyo had suspected a little.
She had guessed that Rajin Eliom hadn’t approached with the intent to harm.
Still, ever since arriving at Eliom, Goyo had noticed that Rajin’s face had stiffened slightly, leading her to think that maybe the matter was more serious than she had expected.
Even if it had been an assassination plot, Goyo, who had already resigned herself to death, wouldn’t have cared much. But there had been a lingering curiosity about what kind of scheme an honest knight could have concocted.
However, if what Rajin had just said was all there was, it was truly an insignificant and hollow matter.
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