ISMFB 88

CHAPTER 88………………………

Since it was said to be an important matter, Ricardo suddenly felt uneasy.

And his hunch turned out to be correct.

“Perhaps because of the recent disgraceful incident, the atmosphere inside the castle is unsettled. So I plan to step out for a little while.”

“……”

“My birthday is just over a month away. I’ll have to return to the capital on that day, so only until then.”

“If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll be the one to leave.”

“No. Brother, you haven’t fully recovered yet. I don’t want people spreading rumors that the heir of Obel has grown weak.”

Linaria said firmly.

“I wanted to go out and live separately anyway. I came all the way to Obel’s domain, but I haven’t had much chance to look around.”

“Where do you plan to go?”

“To the villa in Minua.”

Minua was a small, outlying area located at the far edge of Obel territory.

“Since I don’t enjoy noisy places, like when I came here, I’ll just take my knight and maid with me.”

Hearing that, for some reason Ricardo’s pupils trembled.

“Could it be… that rumor was true?”

“Rumor?”

She asked back, having no idea what rumor he was referring to.

“That you and your knight are…”

“Me?”

Uncharacteristically, Ricardo struggled to finish his words.

Just when it was about to feel frustrating, he finally opened his mouth.

“…that you’re lovers.”

“Yes. That’s right. We are.”

Her answer came without the slightest hesitation.

“…Really?”

Ricardo recalled the face of the knight who always followed Linaria around.

It made sense immediately.

But making sense didn’t stop it from feeling surreal.

“Do I need to kiss him in front of you to make you believe it?”

At that moment, Ricardo stumbled back in embarrassment.

He almost bit his tongue.

Unlike usual, it was hard to keep his composure, but he managed to speak without stuttering.

“No, I believe you. Does His Grace know about this?”

“Father doesn’t know yet. So I’d like you not to report to him that I’m going to the villa in Minua.”

“You want me to act as if you’re still here in Obel Castle?”

“Yes. No matter how generous Father may be, he can’t help but be conservative when it comes to his daughter’s love life.”

“…That’s true.”

“If you understand my position, please do this for me.”

Ricardo nearly nodded before realizing he was being swept along by Linaria.

Still… I have to tell the Duke!

That was what the last shred of reason in his head cried.

But—

“All right.”

When he came to his senses, he found that he had ignored his reason and already nodded.

It was because Linaria rarely asked for anything, and because he knew from the rumors how close she and her knight must be.

Out of caution, Ricardo added:

“They say the two of you are often seen together at night. Even if it’s late, it doesn’t mean there aren’t eyes watching, so be more careful from now on.”

Ricardo’s cheeks flushed slightly.

“Especially… those displays of affection.”

He averted his gaze awkwardly.

Only then did Linaria understand how the rumor of her and Kaas being lovers had spread.

So someone must have seen me wandering at night because of my sleepwalking.

When Ricardo suddenly asked, she had affirmed it just to deflect suspicion. But she still found it strange.

They had never done anything in public that would look like they were lovers.

But to those who didn’t know about her sleepwalking, it would indeed look like they were sneaking out for a secret rendezvous.

Even Ricardo had thought so.

Lovers, huh…

Linaria didn’t believe such an affectionate label could be applied to her and Kaas.

Not while Maximilian was still in the picture.

Even her plan to deceive Ricardo and escape to the villa was not unrelated to Maximilian.

“Linaria.”

“Yes?”

“If that knight ever does anything improper, tell me.”

“…What?”

“I may not seem reliable, but men are all different on the inside than they appear. Don’t judge them solely by appearances.”

“But Brother, you’re a man too.”

“I’m different…!”

She watched as Ricardo, who was usually so composed, flustered and fumbled.

It seemed he truly thought Linaria was running away for a brief, secret romance.

That was exactly what she wanted him to think.

She let him misunderstand all he liked.

Ricardo, his cheeks still hotter than usual, turned back toward the kittens as if to calm himself.

The newborn cats were squirming restlessly.

“The mother cat will have to raise her kittens with a frail body from now on.”

After watching for a while, Ricardo muttered. It was almost to himself, but Linaria replied.

“Usually, once male cats grow a bit, they leave their mother and live independently.”

“……”

“Even if they don’t, once they’re adults they’ll manage on their own. People can always fill in what’s lacking.”

“But the mother cat might still miss her children.”

Ricardo quickly shut his mouth.

He felt like he was about to reveal that he was projecting his own mother onto the cat.

“Not just parents. Children miss their parents too.”

Linaria said casually.

“But in the end, I’ll live my own life. Even this mother cat was once a kitten, but now she’s given birth to three of her own.”

“……”

“Everyone has their own life.”

Their own life.

It was true.

Ricardo found himself repeating those words in his mind.

After that, the move went smoothly.

“Anna, I’ll organize the study myself.”

“I overheard earlier that the documents got mixed with the books you brought. They sounded pretty heavy—should I help?”

“No, it’s fine. You have your own work. Don’t worry about it.”

The villa in Minua had, quite literally, nothing. Not even a caretaker to manage it.

That had been Linaria’s request before coming.

“You don’t even want a caretaker?”

“Yes. Other than the people I bring, I don’t want anyone else there.”

“But…”

“I don’t want that time to be interrupted.”

Ricardo sighed softly, but in the end, he let Linaria have her way.

“Young Lady! If there’s anything heavy, call for Sir Kaas!”

Leaving Anna’s repeated reminders behind, Linaria went up to the study and began unpacking.

Since she had dismissed everyone else, she had to take care of even these small chores herself.

But in exchange, she had freedom.

Here, she wasn’t the Lady of Obel, but the head of the Luna Trading Company.

“Glowstone sales are going smoothly, and the company is steadily making a profit.”

The company was doing so well that rumors spread claiming it must be under divine blessing.

“The problem is the mine in Rozen.”

Rozen was only a short carriage ride from Minua.

There was also a glowstone mine there that belonged to her father.

But the deposits had long since been exhausted, and the mine had been shut down ages ago.

The Luna Company hoped to secretly purchase that abandoned mine—despite it having no value as a mine anymore.

“Once I see it myself, I’ll know.”

Whether or not it held a weapon capable of opposing Maximilian.

As she set down the documents and sorted through her things, Linaria came across a children’s storybook.

“Kaas must’ve packed this so I’d have something to read when bored.”

But Kaas had long outgrown such tales.

Even if she insisted it was for children only, he would have agreed without protest.

“Maybe I’ll distract myself for a bit.”

Linaria climbed onto the desk and opened the storybook.

From up there, her view of the study was much clearer than from the chair. She liked that, so she stayed perched and kept turning the pages.

Tap, tap—

Since her feet hurt, she even slipped off her shoes. It felt more comfortable that way.

“Li—…”

Before long, Kaas entered.

He started to call her name, but closed his mouth.

Thinking she was absorbed in reading, he stood quietly, waiting.

“What is it? Come here.”

But Linaria had known the moment he came in.

With a slight smile, she beckoned him closer.

“It’s time to change the bandages, I think.”

In his hands were ointment and fresh bandages.

Lately, her sleepwalking episodes had become more frequent.

Though she tried to be careful, small wounds on her feet were inevitable.

So they had taken to regularly applying medicine and wrapping them in bandages.

“Kaas, should I move somewhere else?”

“No. Don’t mind me.”

Kneeling down, Kaas carefully unwrapped the bandages around her foot.

“Have you read this storybook?”

Linaria waved the book she had found earlier. Kaas glanced at the cover and shook his head.

“It’s about the treasure of Leviathan.”

As Kaas tended to her wounds, Linaria began reading aloud from the book.

As expected from a children’s story, it was simple.

“Once upon a time, there was a little girl.”

She lost her mother at birth and lived with her blind father.

Hearing that she could restore her father’s sight, she chose to become a sacrifice to a sea monster.

She leapt into the sea.

But instead of a monster, the divine beast Leviathan awaited, who praised the girl’s courage and gifted her a treasure.

With that gift, she returned to land, healed her father’s eyes, and went on to marry the Duke of Leviathan.