Edmund glanced at me briefly before continuing.
“According to the regulations, Viscount Dien, as a relative, must submit a written permit. But it seems even his father has abandoned Devon.”
“That’s good news. Who is there to blame?”
I clicked my tongue as I spoke, but for some reason, I felt uneasy.
Noticing my discomfort at the mention of Devon, Edmund quickly picked up on it and chose not to continue.
Before we knew it, we had entered the mansion, greeted by the servants as we moved inside.
I expected us to part ways after passing the staircase on the first floor, but Edmund continued to follow me.
‘But this is the way to my bedroom.’
I stopped and looked up at Edmund with a puzzled expression.
“Little brother, how far do you intend to follow me?”
“I’d like to escort you to your bedroom door.”
“To my bedroom?”
“Is that not allowed?”
The moment I wondered, ‘Does he really have to?’ his downcast eyes suddenly looked like those of a gentle puppy.
Now that I thought about it, aside from his sharp features, his silver hair and large build made him resemble a Great Pyrenees. His fierce loyalty to his master and territory only reinforced the comparison.
Feeling a bit soft-hearted, I scratched the back of my neck.
“No, it’s not that you can’t…”
Why is he acting like this today? He hasn’t been this watchful in a long time.
I cast him a suspicious glance before walking ahead. When we reached my bedroom, I opened the door but turned back with a feigned stern warning.
“But in exchange, you’re not coming to the knights’ order tomorrow, right?”
“Understood. But I will come on the last day.”
The last day? I tilted my head in confusion before slipping through the doorway, teasing him.
“What a relief. I’ll finally be free from my little brother’s strict surveillance tomorrow.”
Suddenly, a hand shot out and stopped the door from closing.
Startled, I looked back at Edmund’s hand, which was pushing the door open with firm strength. His handsome face appeared through the gap, his expression serious.
I won’t admit that my heart fluttered a little.
Feigning nonchalance, I asked, “What is it?”
“I think you misunderstood, Count. This isn’t surveillance.”
What nonsense is this? I pouted slightly in annoyance.
“You said you were uneasy because I might look at the knights in a questionable way.”
Edmund’s gaze held a strange intensity as he stared at me.
“More precisely, I’m uneasy that you might favor someone other than me.”
“……”
“Do not show affection to other men in front of me. Otherwise, I might not be able to hold back and barge through this door.”
My heart sank.
It almost sounded like a confession.
And his gaze was so deep and intense.
I opened and closed my mouth a few times before meeting his gaze. After a long moment, he seemed to realize what he had said. He swallowed hard, rubbed his face, and took a step back. The heat in his golden eyes had cooled.
“Then, have a good rest.”
It was only after Edmund disappeared like he was escaping that I blankly shut the door. Placing a hand over my chest, I took a deep breath, feeling a lingering shiver.
“What did I just hear?”
Did he just admit that he was jealous? No—he didn’t just imply it; he outright said it himself.
To him, I was probably the most trusted woman after Lilien.
Jealousy is an emotion that can exist between friends and family, and given his lack of experience with emotions, it’s understandable that he might feel it strongly.
But this feeling… surely not…
I shook my head vigorously to rid myself of the ridiculous thoughts creeping in.
I was divorced, had seen and been seen in all sorts of embarrassing situations as his sister’s friend, and even teased him like an impudent aunt. Hadn’t he always been exasperated with me?
In the end, I had simply gotten excited over an oblivious man who didn’t even recognize his own emotions. Feeling humiliated, I bit my lip slightly and glared at the door.
‘If it had been anyone else, they would have knocked you flat on the floor, you clueless fool.’
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
The sound was light and cheerful, not Edmund’s. I relaxed my tense eyes slightly.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a familiar half-up ponytail peeked in. I shot a glance at the silver-haired figure for no reason before fully opening the door.
Lilien hopped in energetically.
“I just got back from the training center. Did you have a good trip, Lady Etricia?”
Seeing Lilien’s warm smile melted my heart a little.
“You came at the right time, Lilien.”
Lilien widened her eyes at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Lady Etricia, your face is red. Are you feeling overheated?”
“…I’ll be fine once I get out of here. Instead of that, since it’s hot, why don’t we have some tea in the garden…”
I trailed off, realizing something.
The garden was clearly visible from his office window. He had also mentioned he would visit often. That was no longer a safe zone free from Edmund.
And this room, thick with his lingering presence, wasn’t safe either.
To escape this heat, I had to go somewhere untouched by Edmund’s presence—somewhere he wouldn’t cross my mind.
“How about having tea on the terrace?”
“That sounds lovely, Lady Etricia.”
Smiling, I placed my clipboard in a visible spot before stepping out of the room with Lilien.
The sound of boots echoed ominously in the dim prison corridor.
“Hey, get up. You have a visitor.”
The warden’s tone was disrespectful, showing no regard for the prisoner. The voice stirred Devon, who was lying on the cold floor.
He slowly lifted his crusted eyelids, which hadn’t seen water in days. With no sunlight filtering in, it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night. His dark pupils, consumed by shadows, held no will to live. Like a pig awaiting slaughter.
“Urgh…”
A burning pain surged through his gut. This agony had begun the moment he entered the cell and only subsided when he fainted from exhaustion.
Too weak to move, he was dragged to a lonely chamber containing only a chair and a partitioned mirror. Slumped in the chair, he let saliva drip from his mouth.
After a while, the door on the other side opened, and someone entered.
“Devon…”
Hearing a familiar voice, Devon sluggishly lifted his eyes. As he recognized the figure, a glimmer of emotion returned to his lifeless gaze.
“Ve… rita?”
The cracked voice broke off again and again. The woman who had stopped visiting for some time reappeared—her presence filled his blurred vision, as gloomy as his own.
Verita leaned her forehead against the window, resting her hands on the glass as tears fell.
“P-please help me, Devon. I’m so lonely. No one is by my side…”
Her sorrowful voice echoed softly.
She was asking for help from a man tied up, unable to move inside a prison cell. Anyone would think it was a ridiculous request.
Devon, with no strength to even argue, let out a faint, bitter laugh. Then a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and his black pupils shook violently. Slowly, he straightened his hunched back.
“Is… reapplying for temporary leave… possible?”
Unlike before, a faint light of hope appeared in his eyes as he looked at the prison officer. His facial muscles twitched violently, twisting into a grotesque smile.
A cheerful knight with bronze skin proudly patted his bulging arm.
“Count, look at these muscles!”
“Yes, I see them.”
I gave a dull nod to the excited knight, then turned to the salon staff.
“What’s his arm measurement?”
“Seventeen inches.”
Even after that, the knight laughed loudly and obediently followed the staff’s instructions. Once the measurements were done, we asked him which parts moved the most during combat, and which body part he considered the weakest.
“I don’t have any weak spots!”
“Ah, I see.”
“My muscles can’t be pierced by sword or needle!”
“Amazing.”
I answered with a weary tone, feeling like I had aged several years. After five days of interviewing the knights, I had finally reached the last one, and I felt completely drained.
Thanks to Edmund’s visit the previous day, the knights were nervous and watched their manners for a couple of days.
But that changed on the third day.
I had reported the Lebron jewel incident to the emperor early on. Soon after, a major news report was published through the imperial court, announcing both the jewel’s recovery and Countess Buell’s continued support for nonprofit organizations. As expected, public opinion turned sharply against the idea that I was incompetent.
The support work helped ease some of the criticism, but sharp economic experts still voiced the balanced opinion that while good deeds should be praised, wrongdoing must still be criticized.
And they were right. Even though it left a bitter taste in my mouth, I had to accept the criticism with humility.
Are you all right?
Even though Edmund and Lilien must have been surprised about the Lebron jewel, they had checked in on me first.
I’ll go with you.
I’m fine, really.
I had to send Edmund back after he insisted on accompanying me. I was worried the knights might resent me. After all, while there were knights in his order wealthy enough to afford Lebron jewels, many were junior nobles or even from commoner backgrounds.
But to my surprise—
Count Buell, you’re here!
Count, we’ve been waiting! Please let me be the first to have an interview today…!
Contrary to what I expected, they welcomed me enthusiastically.
Hey! Quiet down! The Lady—no, Count Buell is shocked, you fools!
It took Tale’s rough language to calm them down.
Later, during the interviews, several knights shared that they had personally suffered from monsters attacking villages or farms, and had received help from the nonprofit groups Count Buell supported.
Their attitude changed so much. Knights who once avoided me like I might brush their sleeves now lined up in front of the interview room with respectful eyes.
Thanks to that, everyone treated me kindly, and the interviews ended smoothly. But… I had overlooked one thing.
Once the knights let their guard down, they turned out to be chattier than most noble ladies.
Knight training is all about endurance. Even when training left them breathless, they had to maintain silence and discipline.
So perhaps in reaction to that, once their mouths opened, they wouldn’t stop talking. In the end, I even had to listen to stories about a distant cousin’s pig giving birth.
Today’s cheerful knight was especially bad.
