As Edmund and Rail moved toward the garden, Rail glanced back briefly. When they had distanced themselves from the others, he finally spoke.
“Report from Tale. The man who testified at the gambling den closely resembles the lover of a noble lady from a nearby estate. He has eerie red eyes.”
Edmund stopped abruptly and signaled for him to continue.
Rail bowed slightly, his long navy-blue hair cascading like a curtain.
“According to the lady’s testimony, he has already arrived in the capital. With the estate matters settled, Tale intends to bring the knights to the duke’s residence in the capital. What are your orders?”
“Tell him to form an investigation team in the capital and continue the inquiry there.”
Now that Edmund had someone he wished to keep by his side, his search for the monster had become even more urgent. The thought that she might remain by his side made him yearn for a more peaceful world.
At Edmund’s response, a faint smile played on Rail’s lips.
“That guy will be thrilled. He has always been fascinated by the capital.”
Suddenly reminded of something unsettling, Rail’s expression stiffened. If he teased his master about his feelings for Countess Buell, he might get hit. He had no intention of falling out of favor with him.
Noticing Rail deep in thought, Edmund frowned.
“What is it?”
Caught off guard by Edmund’s sudden question, Rail waved his hands in denial.
“Huh? Oh, nothing.”
As soon as his master’s disapproving gaze shifted away, Rail let out a discreet sigh and regained his composure.
“In any case, I’m relieved you’re safe. I was alarmed when I heard your life was in danger at Count Buell’s estate.”
This incident had made Rail realize that his master was human after all. It also reinforced the notion that no matter how strong a person was, they could not defy natural disasters.
“Has it already made the news?”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Edmund resumed walking toward the garden. Rail naturally followed.
“There have been special bulletins, but the full reports will likely come out tomorrow.”
“How did you find out? Did my sister tell you?”
“Count Buell contacted Lady Lilien through the communication sphere while I was present. She was on the verge of tears, apologizing for putting her only precious younger brother in danger. It was heartbreaking to see her like that.”
At those words, Edmund suddenly stopped again. His expression darkened as he turned to Rail.
“…On the verge of tears?”
Sensing danger, Rail flinched and quickly spoke.
“Y-Yes, it was touching just to hear it… Lady Lilien seemed even more worried because of it.”
Edmund scowled and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
‘Damn it. How pathetic.’
While Etricia was crying and reporting to Lilien, what had he been doing?
His face twisted with guilt and shame. At the same time, he felt a strange sense of joy knowing how much she had worried about him.
“Hah.”
His large hand covered his mouth, his smooth lips curving into a bitter smile.
It was ironic. He didn’t want her to cry, yet he was pleased she had cried for him. He knew these conflicting emotions were disgraceful, but what could he do? This was the only way he could confirm Etricia’s feelings and find solace.
At least to her, he was someone worth crying over. He meant something to her.
Running a finger over his lips, he gazed at the center of the garden where Etricia had disappeared.
After a modest dinner prepared by Lilien, the two of them headed to the terrace for a private conversation.
I took a sip of the cool lemon tea brought out by the maid and set the cup down. Leaning forward with my arms crossed on the table, I gazed at the garden below the terrace railing. The petals swayed gently in the warm breeze, as if greeting me upon my return.
Smiling contentedly, I turned to Lilien.
“How have you been, Lilien? Verita hasn’t come back to the confectionery school, has she?”
“Not once since then. She must have realized she was in the wrong.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
I rolled my eyes upward, wondering if I had worried unnecessarily.
Lilien suddenly took my hand, her expression softening.
“What about you, Etricia? You saw the monster yourself, didn’t you? You must have been terrified.”
“…Well, I was a little scared.”
In truth, it was more than just a little—I had nearly fainted. But I kept that to myself, knowing Lilien would worry.
Smiling, I shifted the topic.
“But honestly, I have more good memories than bad. The villagers were so welcoming, and they even held a banquet for me! I’m also looking forward to my new jewelry business.”
“Jewelry business?”
Ah, I had told Edmund, but I hadn’t mentioned it to Lilien yet.
I smiled apologetically.
“I’m planning to start a jewelry business specializing in accessories for knights. The designs will ensure they don’t hinder movement.”
Lilien’s eyes widened in delight.
“That’s amazing, Etricia! When did you come up with this idea?”
“The day we visited the boutique together. Seeing that mannequin sparked the idea.”
Her smile gradually faded, replaced by an uncertain expression.
“…That’s really when you thought of it?”
“Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no!”
Lilien quickly waved her hands, but her face had turned pale. Even someone as perceptive as me couldn’t figure out why she reacted that way.
Before I could ask, she hastily drank her tea and stood up.
“I-I’m exhausted. Can I turn in early? I barely slept last night preparing the cake for dinner…”
Though she was smiling, she looked as if she was about to walk into a fire. Something was definitely off, but I decided to let it go.
“We can talk anytime. Get some rest, Lilien.”
“T-Thank you, Etricia!”
With tears welling in her eyes, she quickly fled the terrace, waving goodbye as she ran.
I waved back with a bemused smile, wondering what had her so flustered.
Lilien fidgeted with her hands as she paced in front of Edmund’s office. After a long time, she decided it was better to get scolded first and squeezed her eyes shut as she grabbed the doorknob.
Hoo. Hoo. She took two deep breaths and was swallowing nervously when—
“What are you doing in front of my office?”
“Eek!”
Startled by the voice behind her, Lilien let go of the doorknob and quickly turned around.
Edmund was standing there. Wearing a loose, thin tunic with sweat on his forehead, he seemed to have returned from late-night training.
Lilien opened her eyes wide.
“You were training at this hour?”
“Yes. My body felt stiff, so I sparred with Rail for the first time in a while.”
“But your ankle is still injured…”
Lilien narrowed her eyes and scolded him, then glanced behind him. Far in the distance, Rail was approaching, completely worn out and dragging his feet.
If she was going to say it, now was the time. Even for her, talking about that part in front of her brother’s subordinate was difficult.
Edmund, sharp as ever, noticed that Lilien was acting different from usual.
“Is there something you wanted to say to me?”
“Huh? W-well, I do have something to say…”
“Then go ahead.”
Lilien bit her lips and looked around nervously. Every time she brought this up, her younger brother always got flustered and talked back. And if he found out that it was all just a misunderstanding and harassment caused by her assumptions, he would be even angrier.
Terrified, Lilien carefully opened her mouth.
“Um, you know, Edmund… I told you before to do chest exercises…”
“Ah, that.”
Lilien flinched. She looked up at Edmund with trembling eyes.
“Y-yeah. You don’t have to do it—”
“I actually just finished working out that part.”
Huh? Lilien widened her eyes. Edmund moved his lips, then groaned and covered his face with a veined hand.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, clearly embarrassed, his ears turning red.
“That… specific part you mentioned.”
“…What?”
Lilien’s mouth dropped open.
“Please don’t tell the Count that I trained today. If he finds out I exercised with an injured ankle, he’ll definitely get angry… Sister?”
“You mean… you’re really training that part?”
“…Why are you so surprised? You were the one who told me to do it.”
“Right…”
Lilien’s lips started twitching. Edmund, who always ignored her nagging no matter how much she pestered him, was now willingly doing chest workouts?
And even showing a completely unfamiliar side of himself she had never seen before. Even someone as clueless as Lilien couldn’t miss what that meant.
Edmund noticed her strange reaction and frowned slightly. Saying he trained his chest was practically the same as confessing his feelings for Etricia. But instead of being happy and jumping for joy, his sister was just twitching her lips? And he also didn’t like how gloomy she had looked just a moment ago.
“Sister, was there something else you wanted to say?”
“Huh? N-no! I just came to tell you to work hard on your chest workouts! Good luck…! Well, Rail’s coming, so I’ll get going now!”
Before her brother could stop her, Lilien dashed away and ran straight to her bedroom.
Bang! She shut the door and dove into bed, kicking her feet in the air like she was swimming while burying her face in the pillow.
“Miss Lilien…?”
She didn’t even notice Mary had followed her in and was staring in shock. Mary had been right — something was developing between those two. Lilien had noticed small changes in her younger brother for a while now, but she hadn’t expected it to be this much.
That night, Lilien’s heart pounded so fast she couldn’t sleep. Only after dawn did she finally drift off into a sweet, marshmallow-like dream.
She completely forgot that Etricia had once confessed she had no interest in men’s chests at all.
