TM 04

Chapter 04 ….

Trisen Mansion

Everything was perfect.

For an entire month, not a single day had been cloudy. When they departed, it had been the tail end of summer, but before they knew it, autumn was approaching, and then it felt as if spring were beginning all over again. Thanks to that, Lorelia could truly feel that they were traveling south. For someone who loved spring and summer, it was delightful.

Lorelia left the estate first with her mother. Lancelot Hayes stayed behind for a few more days, entrusting his wife and daughter to the captain of the guard. As a lord with a vast territory like her father, there was much to be done in the days before winter, and Lorelia understood this well. Besides, there was no need for him to waste time on the road adjusting his pace to match that of the women.

“Trisen lies just beyond the southern border,” the captain announced as he rode up alongside the carriage. When he said they had just crossed into Trisen’s territory, Lorelia had to purse her lips inward to keep her mouth from gaping open.

The land of Trisen was lush green right from the start.

Tender green grass, as pale and fresh as barley shoots, spread endlessly. Low-roofed, straight-walled houses clustered into cozy villages, and between the villages, in the fields, herds of spotted cows and flocks of sheep grazed peacefully. A wide carriage road cut through the serene grasslands.

To the west, the horizon stretched on endlessly. To the east, though not yet visible, Lorelia knew the sea would be there. After a week of such travel, white ramparts finally came into view.

It was Isen, the capital city of Trisen.

“Mother, look! I can see the walls!”

Lorelia, who had been pressed up against the carriage window, shouted in excitement. Marillin, who was having her hair done by a maid, looked out the window in the direction her daughter was pointing. It was her first time in the southern lands as well.

“It’s all white! It must be marble!”

“It’s probably sandstone. Surely they wouldn’t build city walls out of marble.”

Marillin answered as she looked into her hand mirror. Lorelia, however, thought to herself that given Trisen’s abundance of fine stone and its advanced quarrying techniques, it really might be marble.

She kept staring, almost entranced. The vivid green plains and the pure white walls — as the carriage rolled closer, the walls grew higher and wider.

“Get yourself ready, Lorel. We’ll be arriving soon.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The carriage carrying the Hayes women passed through the wide-open city gates without stopping. Ten armored knights, thirty mounted guards, and two supply wagons followed behind. Once they entered the city, the wheels clattered against a paved stone road. Lorelia had to resist the urge to lift the curtain and peer out.

Isen was indeed as grand as they had heard. Even after a long time within the walls, the carriage did not stop. It took another half day to reach the lord’s mansion. By the time the long southern sun had dipped low on the horizon, Lorelia and her mother were completely exhausted from the journey.

“We’ve arrived, my lady,” announced the captain as he spurred his horse forward.

Lorelia, who had been dozing off, suddenly woke up. She hurriedly lifted the edge of the curtain and looked outside.

She saw a drawbridge lowered over a dry moat. The gates were flung wide open, as if awaiting their arrival. The guards, wearing half armor and helmets, all had black cloaks draped over their shoulders. Above the white walls hung a massive banner.

Black background, golden sun — the crest of House Ferbrante. It was her first time seeing it.

The carriage crossed the bridge and passed between lines of soldiers. The sun was setting over the training grounds and the soldiers’ barracks. The layout, with military facilities between the outer and inner walls, was much like the Mendel Castle where Lorelia lived. The lord’s mansion lay beyond the inner wall.

The arched gate of the inner castle stood wide open to welcome their guests.

When the carriage entered, they were greeted by a breathtaking view of lush greenery. In the center of a vast and meticulously landscaped garden stood a grand white stone mansion. Even in the dimming twilight, the outlines of its tall towers, enormous windows, and smooth walls were striking.

Trisen Mansion.

Lorelia took a deep breath.

The carriage halted in front of the mansion’s entrance. She heard the captain’s boots striking the ground as he approached.

When he opened the carriage door, Lorelia was sitting upright, facing forward like her mother, her posture perfectly proper. She slowly turned her head and smiled, just as she had been taught.

“Welcome, Lady Marillin Hayes, Lady Lorelia Hayes.”

Lorelia followed her mother in taking the captain’s hand to step down from the carriage. Her legs felt a little unsteady after so long on the road, but she didn’t show it. She glanced around, searching for the lord of the estate who would be welcoming them.

About thirty people — servants and guards — were lined up at the entrance. But the man leading them didn’t seem to be the Duke of Ferbrante.

“I am Claudel Renier, the butler of this mansion.”

Lorelia was taken aback at the word “butler.” It wasn’t just because his neat chestnut hair and young face didn’t fit the image of the infamous black sorcerer she’d heard rumors about.

A butler? For a great noblewoman and her daughter to have traveled such a long way, and to be greeted only by a butler?

“Thank you for your warm welcome. We are delighted to be here at the invitation of the Duke of Ferbrante,” Marillin replied with a smile. But Lorelia understood the subtle message in her mother’s tone.

“The lord has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. However, it is a custom of our house to allow lady guests to rest comfortably on their first night, and he asks for your kind understanding,” the butler replied with a courteous bow.

Ah. They were sparing them from having to meet anyone while still exhausted from travel. Lorelia felt guilty for misjudging him even for a moment.

“Please convey my gratitude for his considerate hospitality,” Marillin said.

“I shall, my lady. The lord has invited you both to breakfast tomorrow morning. For now, please allow me to show you to your rooms.”

The butler was tall, slender, and handsome. His refined face and graceful movements gave the impression of a priest rather than a sorcerer. So it really was all just rumors. Lorelia felt a little bad for having imagined otherwise.

The Trisen Mansion was even more magnificent than she had expected. Once a royal palace and used as such for centuries, its size and splendor were overwhelming.

Lorelia had to make a real effort not to gape like a country bumpkin as she followed. After all, they were the family of a great central noble, close to the royal family — they couldn’t act unsophisticated. Still… this mansion is honestly more beautiful than the royal palace. She was sure her mother thought the same.

The rooms prepared for them were on the second floor of the mansion, with a panoramic view of the eastern sea. The suite was divided into several sections, with a large reception area in the center and two bedrooms and bathrooms — one for each of them.

“We did our best to make you comfortable. Please let us know if anything is lacking,” said the butler.

I doubt there’s anything lacking, Lorelia thought, smiling gently along with her mother.

“Thank you, Butler. My head maid will let you know if we require anything,” Marillin replied.

“Of course. Then, please rest well,” he said, bowing to Marillin, then to Lorelia, before leaving. The Hayes head maid followed him out to discuss the details — when and where the noble ladies would dine, who would handle laundry and ironing, and what services would be needed during their stay.

That left the noble ladies with nothing to do but rest.

“Wow, look at that sea!”

Lorelia ran toward the balcony overlooking the ocean. The glass doors opened wide to the outside. The semicircular balcony had a floor and railing made entirely of white marble.

“Haa…”

Lorelia placed both hands on the stone railing and took a deep breath of the sea air. The warm, salty breeze gently tousled her hair. Was this how it would feel to stand at the bow of a ship? She had never been on one, but she imagined it would be.

If a ship set out across that sea to the northeast, it would reach the archipelago. She closed her eyes and pictured herself standing on the deck of a grand ship, setting sail. The fact that hundreds had drowned along that same route didn’t matter in her imagination. In her mind, the sea was calm and glittering.

How beautiful would it be under the bright morning sun? As her mother approached, Lorelia gazed at the darkening indigo sky and spoke.

“This mansion… it’s so beautiful. So, so beautiful.”

Her exclamation was almost a moan of awe.

“It truly is,” Marillin answered softly.

Lorelia took another deep breath of the sea breeze and opened her eyes, her heart full.

“We’re staying until next week, right?”

“Yes. We’ll return after the banquet.”

Next week. Lorelia repeated the words, smiling brightly.

The Duke of Ferbrante’s banquet would begin in three days and last five days. He had invited the Hayes family in advance of the festivities. Trisen, once a kingdom, had many vassal nobles. Southern nobility — the thought of meeting new people made Lorelia’s heart flutter.

“Will Father be here for breakfast tomorrow?”

“I expect so. He should arrive later tonight.”

“I hope he comes quickly. He’ll be amazed when he sees this place.”

“I’m not so sure. I think he might say it’s too ostentatious,” Marillin chuckled, straightening her daughter’s windblown hair. Imagining Lancelot’s reaction to the mansion’s splendor made Lorelia laugh too. The Hayes men were famous for their disdain for vanity and their emphasis on honor. Their family’s tradition of not keeping mistresses or illegitimate children was known throughout the continent. Lorelia loved that strictness in her father.

“I’m sure the Duke of Ferbrante is also kind and honorable — just like Father,” she said.

Lorelia actually knew very little about the lord of this mansion. Only the basic facts everyone knew: he was twenty-five years old, unmarried, and had no immediate family. She had recently heard from her godfather that he wasn’t one-eyed or hunchbacked either.

What kind of man was he? A southern lord. The master of this beautiful mansion. A man who excelled at archery, rode horses well, and had a particular love for dogs.

“The lord has been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

Lorelia felt quite certain that she wouldn’t be able to sleep at all tonight.