Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from outside the window.
A hawk, gripping a letter in its beak, waddled along the windowsill.
When their eyes met, it cleverly tapped on the window.
“Looks like it’s here. Good timing.”
No sooner had she spoken than Hedmilton opened the window and took the letter.
Checking the sender, he held it up and asked,
“It’s a reply from Commander Taebon. Shall I read it aloud?”
“I’ll just read it myself. Hand it over.”
Taking the letter from Hedmilton, Liselotte unfolded the roughly folded paper.
[I have no intention of returning to the East, so do not look for me.
– Taebon]
The roughly scrawled handwriting read as unusually sharp.
“He says not to look for him.”
“Hm, he wasn’t someone like this.”
Hedmilton rubbed his chin, flustered, as if he hadn’t expected such a prickly response.
“I’ll send another letter once we’re in the North. I was just asking how he was doing. Maybe that’s why.”
From the letter alone, it was clear that he had no desire whatsoever to have anything to do with House Gloria.
‘Why would a subjugation force commander go into farming in the first place?’
She had thought it was just an excuse he threw together so Duke Gloria wouldn’t try to detain him. But judging by the reply, it was true.
The income one earned as a subjugation force commander was on a completely different level.
Of course, one could say he had earned enough and now wanted to enjoy his later years.
That would make sense if he had left alone.
‘They said he took many members with him. That means there are quite a few people he is responsible for…’
Could he really support all of them through a farming life they had only just begun?
Sensing that something was being hidden, Liselotte found it hard to tear her gaze away from the letter.
***
“It would be best to quickly wrap up the talks of compensation for damages related to the North and subjugation losses.”
Inside a carriage heading toward the East.
Duke Gloria frowned as he gazed at the familiar Eastern scenery.
“Diana casually tested the waters with the Crown Prince, but he responded neutrally. What wind blew through him, I wonder.”
Only then did Miro, who was seated across from him, lift his head.
After wiping his glasses, he slowly put them on and asked,
“Is there a reason it needs to be resolved quickly?”
“House Gloria’s reputation keeps taking hits. These days, even recruiting people is not easy.”
As the conflict with House Keilos deepened, the rumors that had slowly begun to spread reached their peak with the lawsuit involving House Rovans.
There was no blatant, obvious avoidance, but the attitude of trying to steer clear was so apparent it grated on Anix’s nerves.
Especially at the final day of the Imperial banquet, the nobles’ reactions were noticeably less warm than before.
Some nobles from other regions even mocked him under the guise of advice, asking whether it was really right to treat hired people that way.
He brushed it off by saying he would refrain from speaking until a conclusion was reached, but a pride that had been cracked couldn’t simply be patched back together.
‘I have to obtain a verdict declaring the East innocent, no matter what it takes. Only then can I put an end to those damned rumors.’
Over the past few days, a considerable number of maids and servants had already quit.
There was nothing to be gained from letting this fight drag on.
Especially not while Liselotte was there.
Miro leaned an arm against the carriage window frame and let out a small breath.
“Hmm… then at present, the things the North can put forward as evidence would be the letters and testimony of Hedmilton, the former aide?”
“Most likely. But the Princess will not stay still.”
“Ah, certainly. I recently asked a witness in the Rovans trial, and they claimed that they had fallen into a trap set by Her Highness.”
“You even looked into that?”
Though they were both from the East, House Rovans had never been within his interest.
It wasn’t as though there were only one or two Houses in the East, and there was no reason to concern himself with a merchant family that mainly supplied goods to other regions.
That went doubly so for the stories of the hired workers beneath them.
But Miro slowly twisted his lips.
“I was meaning to ask you about it anyway. I heard they are looking for a former subjugation force commander who retired from the East. They even contacted the Magic Tower.”
“What…? Why would those bastards…?”
“Judging by Her Highness the Princess’s disposition, it seems likely she is gathering evidence related to the East, but…”
Miro let his words trail off.
At the mention of a name unrelated to the recent subjugation damage recovery, Anix’s brow creased sharply.
“That bastard Taebon ought to be thanking me. He arbitrarily terminated the subjugation force members’ contracts and ran off like he was fleeing, and yet I let it slide in consideration of his past achievements.”
“For now, it would not hurt to put defenses in place, just in case. Once we arrive at the ducal estate, I will take action immediately.”
At those reliable words, Anix nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Your handling of matters is excellent. I will see to it that your bonus is generous.”
***
Upon seeing the imposing estate of House Keilos, Hedmilton’s mouth fell open.
He looked utterly shocked.
“We didn’t have to take off our shoes.”
Kyaah, the maids carrying luggage burst into laughter, and Liselotte lightly patted his shoulder in consolation.
“That’s how it is.”
One of the maids passed by with some baggage and handed him a sack of cookies.
“You worked hard, Sir Hedmilton! When we first came here, the Northern maids said the exact same thing to us.”
“Ahh. So this is an initiation rite. I understand.”
Contrary to the worries they had when first bringing in outsiders, everyone seemed close enough to joke around with each other.
Liselotte glanced at his thick clothing and offered some comfort.
“Still, you packed well. The Northerners look fine, but I’m still a bit cold.”
Hedmilton sniffed his dry nose and nodded readily.
“The air temperature alone is fierce. I’ll go inside quickly and write a letter to Commander Taebon.”
Shivering once, he waddled toward Ail, who was walking around just fine wearing only his Commander’s uniform.
“Sir Ail! Where is my office?”
As she watched him with a warm smile—
A thick robe was draped over her shoulders.
“It’s cold.”
When she looked up, Eren was gazing down at her indifferently.
“What were you talking about so intently?”
“It wasn’t anything important.”
It was just a bit of harmless banter among the attendants. Since it was nothing important, Liselotte brushed it off.
One of the servants carrying luggage asked her,
“Princess Liselotte. Should we move these documents to your room?”
“Yeah! Just stack them roughly on the desk!”
Watching this, Eren’s eyes darkened.
“…You seem close with the attendants.”
“Really? I guess so.”
Another maid passing by lifted a table and chair by herself and asked,
“Your Highness, should I put these in the Grand Duke’s room?”
“Oh, you brought those too? Yes, then.”
“Yes!”
Eren’s eyes grew sharper by the moment.
Tilting her head in confusion as she checked his expression, she found that he had already returned to an indifferent look, as if nothing had happened.
‘…Is he uncomfortable because the conversation keeps getting interrupted?’
She didn’t know the reason, but at the moment, he clearly looked displeased.
***
Just as the tidying was wrapping up, Hedmilton hurried into Liselotte’s room.
“Your Highness, Your Highness. This is huge.”
Holding several letters spread out like a fan, he thrust them toward her.
There were three letters in total, and the one in the middle was particularly blotchy, drawing attention.
He tapped the leftmost letter with his finger.
“Please look. I sent a letter as soon as we arrived, and Commander Taebon replied right away!”
“That was fast compared to the first one. Another refusal?”
“No. When I told him I’d transferred to House Keilos, he congratulated me and said it had been a long time.”
“What do you think? If we ask him for a witness statement, do you think he’ll write it?”
“Yes. Commander Taebon seems completely fed up with House Gloria. If I ask him, he will immediately accept!”
‘Good.’
With this, they could secure proof that the subjugation force was a complete mess internally.
Pleased that the preparations were proceeding smoothly, Liselotte pointed at the letter on the far right and asked,
“Then what about this one?”
“This one’s from Jar, a former colleague of mine.”
Jar was a name Liselotte had seen before as well, back when she had exchanged letters with House Gloria.
Since he had been a fellow aide, it seemed they were still in contact.
“Jar quit too.”
He pulled out the letter and handed it to Liselotte.
“You should read this one.”
