Episode 25
***
A mansion located not far from Leclere Village. It was once built by Jerval to be used as a villa. However, due to the timing, he never got to use it himself and ended up handing it over to someone else.
The mansion still carried the distinct smell of a new building. Since the new owner had only moved in two days ago, there was no trace of human warmth yet. Normally, that warmth would come with time, but the butler, Serf, did not expect much.
That was because, in all the places where Herdian Rochester had stayed, not once had there been a trace of warmth left behind.
“I’ll treat your wounds, young master.”
Herdian quietly sat in a chair and half took off the robe draped over him. His bare upper body was covered with scars and injuries of all kinds. They were wounds from the recent large-scale bandit suppression.
Serf skillfully took out the medicine and began disinfecting the deeper wounds first. While wrapping them with fresh bandages, Herdian’s expression did not change in the slightest.
“Is your wrist all right?”
“Yes.”
Herdian slightly rotated his right wrist and opened and closed his hand. It ached faintly, but it was tolerable.
That wrist injury was also one he had sustained during the bandit suppression.
Had he not recklessly gone too deep into enemy territory alone, he might have returned home unscathed.
Serf swallowed a sigh and finished the treatment.
When it was over, Herdian fastened his robe again.
“It would be better to keep the bandage on while you’re in the mansion.”
“A sprain like this heals quickly.”
What could be done about the young master’s stubbornness?
Ever since coming to the south, he had refused treatment for any injury that could not be hidden by clothing, saying he did not wish to show them to anyone.
“It’s fine if you help with the farm work, but don’t over do it. The wounds could reopen.”
“That’s all right.”
“You came to the south for convalescence, after all. There are many eyes watching, so it would do no harm to be careful.”
After the large-scale extermination of the Empire’s troublesome bandits, Herdian had requested permission from the emperor to go south—under the pretense of recuperation.
Herdian ignored the nagging lightly and walked toward the table. There, the documents he had been reading earlier were waiting for him.
Most of them contained information about the Rochester Count family. Sitting on the sofa, he skimmed through the papers, but soon clicked his tongue and looked away. The words refused to stay in his mind.
“…Is something bothering you, young master?”
“No.”
Herdian eventually put the papers down and rubbed his face dryly. Oddly enough, being surrounded by the stench of blood had felt more mentally comfortable than this.
Since yesterday, his mood had swung wildly between the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The reason, of course, was Ranié.
He had felt good knowing that she remembered him, then bad upon seeing the ring and the child, then better again upon learning she wasn’t married. He wished the good mood had lasted, but after meeting her cold green eyes, he crashed right back down into the mud.
“She never mentioned a child two years ago.”
He had arrogantly thought he’d learned everything about Ranié in the mere month they had spent together back then. That arrogance made the shock all the greater.
She was of an age where having a child made perfect sense—his mind understood that. Yet he couldn’t shake off an emotion he couldn’t quite name. It was probably… disappointment.
Back then, when he couldn’t speak, Ranié used to chatter to him all the time. He had thought there were no secrets between them.
He knew it was absurd to expect someone to reveal everything when he himself had hidden his identity. But he couldn’t help feeling a sting of disappointment.
“…Serf, how can I get closer to someone who dislikes me?”
“You should first find out why they dislike you. If it’s because of your behavior or tone, you can try to change those things.”
“What if it’s something that can’t be fixed with effort?”
“Then it might be best to convey your wish to get closer sincerely.”
Serf, being the elder, offered his advice without hesitation. Yet for Herdian, it was of little help.
He had never given deep thought to human relationships. Throughout his life, there had never been anyone he wished to get close to. For someone used to being alone, mending a relationship was a painfully difficult subject.
“Even so, if the other person’s heart doesn’t change, letting go might also be a choice. A relationship doesn’t continue simply because one side wishes it to.”
Herdian exhaled quietly, his face cold.
“…The information from the past two years?”
“It’s on the table, young master.”
While living in the north, he had completely cut off news about Leclere Village. He had ordered Jerval to keep watch so the village wouldn’t get caught up in any danger and told Serf to report regularly instead. He’d done it to avoid being swayed—to stop himself from throwing everything away and running back to the village.
He didn’t regret it now, but thinking about how much he’d missed regarding Ranié left him feeling a bit of regret.
As he flipped through the stack of papers, he found the part he was looking for and began reading slowly. Midway through, he came across the name Ranié Fillet.
Herdian couldn’t take his eyes off her name for a long time.
It had been a week since the lord of Leclere Village changed.
Aside from the strange habit of the new lord helping out with the apple farm every day, it was a day like any other. In the small square at the center of the village, an imperial proclamation was posted.
It stated that although a large-scale bandit suppression had been successfully carried out, remnants were still scattered across the land, and everyone should remain cautious.
The fact that even a remote southern village like this had received the proclamation showed how seriously the Imperial Court was taking the matter.
Ranié, however, didn’t think much of it. She doubted any bandits would come all the way here. There was nothing worth stealing anyway.
“Be careful for a while, dear. Don’t go into the forest alone under any circumstances. Make sure you’re home while the sun’s still up.”
But the elders thought differently. Seeing Grandma Hilde so worried made Ranié wonder why. Was it really something to be so anxious about?
Still, just in case, she made sure to warn Lilia thoroughly.
“Lilia, you must never go into the forest. Even if you want to play outside, stay within the village. Don’t wander off too far, and always stay close to Grandma, all right?”
“Yes!”
Lilia replied brightly. She loved to play, but she was obedient enough, so Ranié didn’t worry too much.
After that day, the mood in the village noticeably sank. Surrounded by tense, nervous elders, Ranié quietly went to work and focused on her tasks.
Bandits might have dwindled in number these days, but she remembered hearing that there used to be many in the past, and people had suffered greatly because of them.
Maybe the elders had all lost their livelihoods to bandits once upon a time. That was her only guess.
‘…Then maybe Grandma Hilde also went through something bad because of bandits? She almost never talks about the past, so I don’t know.’
Up on the ladder, Ranié’s hands began to slow as she pruned the branches. The village’s mood would only lighten once the remaining bandits were caught…
She sighed and turned her head. At the edge of her gaze, she spotted Herdian clumsily helping out with the work.
Since that brief conversation by the stream, they hadn’t spoken once. She felt relieved that he no longer approached her, yet there was also a faint sense of discomfort. That wounded expression of his kept flashing through her mind.
‘There’s no need for him to look so hurt just because I told him to go back. It’s better for him to return home anyway, isn’t it? What’s he going to do, staying in a tiny village like this?’
Was it just her imagination that her excuses were getting longer? Ranié muttered to herself inwardly and turned her head away sharply.
At this rate, she wouldn’t finish her work today. She shook off her thoughts and was just about to move her hands again when—
“…Ah!”
Suddenly, commotion erupted nearby.
When she turned her head, she saw Mrs. Lawson swaying dangerously atop her ladder, struggling to keep her balance. It looked like she would fall any second.
“Ma’am!”
Startled, Ranié quickly jumped down from her own ladder. But Herdian moved faster. He threw himself forward and caught Mrs. Lawson as she fell.
“Are you all right?”
“Y-yes, thank you so much, my lord.”
Mrs. Lawson repeatedly bowed her head in gratitude. Ranié stopped in her tracks and let out a breath of relief. That could have ended very badly.
All because of those bandits—their lingering threat had everyone so rattled that even normally steady workers like Mrs. Lawson were losing focus.
“Please take a short rest, ma’am. You don’t look well.”
“I think you’re the one who should rest, my lord. You seem to have hurt your wrist.”
“What?”
At that, Herdian quickly hid his right hand behind his back.
“It’s nothing serious.”
“……”
Ranié’s eyes narrowed.
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
