“Lady Benjamin instructed me to deliver this letter to Count Stacy,” Harry said as he handed over the letter to the butler of Count Stacy’s household.

The butler, upon verifying the seal of the Benjamin family, nodded his head.

“And the lady said it would be great if she could receive a reply from the Count right away…”

Knowing it would be rude for someone of lower status to directly request or rush a reply from someone of higher status, Harry’s words naturally trailed off.

The butler of Count Stacy’s household gave Harry a slightly dumbfounded look before letting out a short sigh.

“I will inform the Count. Wait here for a moment.”

If Harry were a noble or an invited guest of the mansion, he would have been escorted to the parlor to wait comfortably. Unfortunately, as a commoner and a mere servant, he had to wait in the hall.

Finding a spot in the corner of the hall to avoid drawing people’s attention, Harry tapped his worn-out shoes on the floor, waiting for the butler to quickly return with Count Stacy’s answer or reply. However, no matter how long he waited, the butler did not return.

To make matters worse, his stomach started to ache slightly, perhaps due to something wrong he ate in the morning. Harry clutched his stomach and tried his best to endure it, but as time passed, his face grew pale and his legs even began to tremble slightly.

“What’s wrong, little one?” a passing maid asked worriedly upon seeing his condition.

Normally, he would have been too embarrassed to state the reason, but in the face of urgent physiological needs, shame had no choice but to take a step back.

“I… I need to go to the restroom,” Harry stammered out.

“Ah, there’s a servant’s restroom at the end of that corridor. You can go use it.”

“Is… is it really okay for me to use it?”

“Of course.”

Harry’s face brightened like someone who had been wandering aimlessly in a scorching desert and finally found an oasis. Without even properly expressing his gratitude, Harry walked as quickly as possible to where the maid had directed.

The mansion was unnecessarily large, and facilities like restrooms were hidden out of sight, making them difficult to find. Fortunately, he was able to locate it before any mishaps occurred.

After relieving himself and exiting the restroom, Harry hastened his steps even more than when he was heading there. He was worried that the butler might have returned with a reply while he was away from his post.

I hope he didn’t just leave because I wasn’t there. Praying that wasn’t the case, Harry hurriedly made his way back. But then, he heard someone’s voice reach his ears.

“…Are you going to kill him?”

At the chilling mention of killing, Harry abruptly stopped in his tracks and looked in the direction the voice was coming from. His eyes couldn’t discover anything, but his ears uncannily picked up on the small, whispering voice.

“The boy likely came on an errand, knowing nothing.”

Although it was a voice he was hearing for the first time, Harry immediately realized the boy they were referring to was himself, and his expression stiffened. After scanning the empty corridor, Harry pressed himself against the wall, concentrating on the faintly audible voices.

Perhaps due to the unfortunate environment he had to live in since birth, always having to be mindful, Harry’s hearing was superior to ordinary people. That special ability, which had helped him avoid many crises, was demonstrated flawlessly this time as well.

“Just because he doesn’t know doesn’t mean he can escape guilt. There are cases where simply being involved is enough to be considered guilty,” another man’s voice, sounding more dignified and stubborn, spoke.

“That doesn’t mean we kill him right away. I plan to meet him first and then decide. We need to find out how much that woman has figured out.”

The lady they were referring to was likely Lady Benjamin. Realizing this wasn’t a simple matter, Harry’s expression grew even more grave.

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to meet Lady Benjamin directly?”

“Of course, that would be ideal, but… With Count Braden by her side, I don’t feel inclined to meet her in person. I was told he would soon be dealt with, so there’s no need to get further involved with that woman.”

“Pardon? Does that mean the missing letter has been found?”

“Who knows. I wasn’t told anything about that part.”

There was more conversation that followed, but Harry only listened up to that point before rapidly running down the long corridor. Since it seemed they were coming to meet him, he had to arrive at the central hall before them. If he said he went to the restroom, they likely wouldn’t believe him, so he had to be there first to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

Running to the point where his breath was caught in his throat, Harry arrived at the central hall first. Placing his hands on his slightly bent knees, he tried to steady his breathing.

Just as his breathing had nearly stabilized, a shadow fell over his head. Swallowing his still slightly rough breaths, Harry raised his head. Two men were looking down at the boy.

The older-looking man among them waved Lily’s letter and asked, “What did Lady Benjamin say when she gave you this letter?”

Harry moistened his dry lips with his tongue before answering, “She told me to deliver the letter to Count Stacy… and if possible, to bring back a reply right away.”

That was it. That was all Lily had instructed, but to survive, Harry added one more thing.

“The Count also wished for me to bring back a reply.”

“…Are you saying Count Braden was also present when Lady Benjamin gave you the letter?”

“Yes. He was there with her.”

While outwardly Harry told the lie without batting an eye, inside he was burning up like firewood in a fireplace. Please let this be the right answer. He desperately hoped and prayed it would work.

Seeming slightly taken aback by Harry’s words, the men exchanged glances before the one holding Lily’s letter put it in his pocket and took out another letter.

“Here, just deliver this to the lady,” he said as he placed the letter in Harry’s respectfully outstretched hands.

As he placed a gold coin on top, the man added, “However, this letter must be delivered when Lady Benjamin is alone. Understood?”

“Yes, I will do so.”

The conversation ended there. Having safely escaped Count Stacy’s residence despite hearing the chilling talk of killing, Harry let out a deep sigh of relief and brushed his chest.

I should inform the Count. Since they mentioned Herald, it seemed to be related to him.

The suspicious talk about him being dealt with soon or the missing letter being found also bothered him. While this seemed to involve Lily, he felt it would be better to tell Herald rather than her. He intended to give Count Stacy’s reply to him as well, not Lily.

In case Count Stacy changed his mind and came to catch him, Harry quickly boarded the carriage. The tightly wound string of tension only loosened once he arrived at the Braden estate.

Herald had not returned yet, and Dillon was also absent. Thinking he should report to Lily that he had returned safely, Harry headed towards her bedchambers.

“Harry!” Emily, who had been pacing in front of Lily’s chambers, spotted him and hurriedly ran over.

“Why are you so late? Wasn’t it just delivering a letter and coming back?”

“I was a bit delayed trying to get an immediate reply. More importantly, did something happen? Why do you look so restless?”

“Well…”

Emily glanced around the corridor to ensure no one else was present before speaking in a small voice only audible to Harry.

“Lady Benjamin said she’s leaving the estate.”

“What?”

Startled by the sudden statement, Harry raised his voice. Emily quickly covered his mouth, signaling him to be quiet.

Brushing off her hand without hesitation, Harry grabbed Emily’s arm instead and rapidly fired questions.

“Leaving the estate? What does that mean all of a sudden? Surely the Count didn’t tell her to leave. Did the lady decide this herself? Why? What happened while I was gone…?”

“Stop.”

Emily shook her head, cutting him off, sensing the barrage of questions would not end if left unchecked.

“I don’t know the details either. She went out and came back, saying she had somewhere to go, so she needed to leave the estate now.”

“She went out? The lady went out alone?”

“Yeah. She suddenly said she had an appointment and left…”

“Then you should have followed her! How could you let her go alone?”

Startled by her young brother’s fierce reprimand, Emily’s eyes widened. Seeing his own grim face reflected in her shaking pupils, Harry clicked his tongue and ran his hand through his hair.

“How do we keep the lady here until the Count returns?”

If only Dillon were here, he could have sought his help, but it was a bit frustrating that he happened to be out at a time like this. Harry ruffled his hair roughly, agonizing over what to do.

Observing his flustered state, Emily cautiously spoke.

“Let’s not stop her… and just let the lady do as she wishes.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Harry widened his eyes, looking up at his older sister who, despite her age, remained immature.

“Have you forgotten our role? What the Count earnestly entrusted us with, have you forgotten?”

“…I’m going to quit that.”

Though her voice trembled slightly, Emily’s eyes looking at her young brother were resolute.

“I am Lady Benjamin’s exclusive maid… so I think it’s right for me to do as the lady instructs.”

“Then the Count won’t grant our request.”

“You mean your request, Harry.”

At those words drawing a clear line, Harry’s eyes wavered greatly. Emily smiled faintly, clasping her other hand over her brother’s hand that still gripped her arm.

“I don’t want you to become a vicious murderer who killed our parents. Nor do I want to turn someone else into a murderer.”

“……”

“I’m satisfied with just escaping from those people… so let’s stop here, Harry.”