“Shall we ask the host of this gathering, the Balternminster sheep, to give a toast?”

Ariante’s eyes widened.

“What’s a toast, Silas?”

Before Silas could answer, Lujian interjected abruptly.

“A toast is talking about what you toast for. Don’t you even know that, Ba…”

Ariante’s blue eyes stared sharply at Lujian. Lujian mumbled, swallowing the word ‘fool,’ and, with a cloudy end to his sentence, glanced away.

“The, the wind… feels cool.”

Then Ariante said.

“Mr. Lujian seems quite foolish, everyone… Don’t you think so? Let’s make a toast for our foolish Mr. Lujian.”

“Hey! I didn’t call you a fool!”

“I never told you not to call me a fool, right? This is how you make a toast, right? Look! Everyone is holding their cookies forward!”

Six cookies were thrust forward from the basket. Everyone, except Cissi, looked at Ariante with eager expressions.

“A toast to the foolish Lujian!”

“A toast!”

Laughter echoed through the forest. The little birds sitting on the branches, dozing off, were startled and flew away with flapping sounds.

Mayana, Cediloy, and Alt Baroness sat in the reception room of the baron’s mansion, drinking tea. The Baroness, in a manner that showed she was unfazed by Mayana sitting beside her despite being just a hired servant, gracefully praised the taste of the tea and inquired about Mayana’s daily activities.

“Oh, I… I’m almost always with the young lady, Baroness.”

“Of course, that makes sense. Still, with the young lady being a girl, it shouldn’t require much effort, right?”

Then Cediloy chuckled and looked at Mayana. Unsure of what to say, Mayana pondered… and decided to mix in a bit of falsehood.

“These days, I feel she has grown a lot. She often speaks like an adult.”

“I still slip down the banister backwards, though.”

Cediloy said. Then, the Baroness, initially surprised, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Goodness! I wondered where Silas learned that from.”
This time, Mayana’s eyes narrowed.

“S-Sir Silas also… is that true, Baroness?”

The Baroness, as if finding it amusing, chuckled and nodded her head.

“It did stop at mischief. I sat on the railing, and while hesitating on how to slide down, Sir Silas caught me. It was the first time I tried to scold Silas for doing such a dangerous thing. He was always such a mature child that it worried me, but… I found his mischievous behavior quite delightful. However, even so, I can’t recommend sliding down the railing. Isn’t that right, Your Lordship?”

Cediloy also chuckled softly and nodded his head.

“Of course, my lady. He is the precious son of Baron Alt. I am also eagerly waiting for an opportunity. But our Ariante is so quick in her movements that it hardly caught my eye.”

What is this man saying now? Mayana looked at Cediloy with an incredulous expression. Although she had seen him frequently near the railing lately, she never thought his intention was that…

“Wouldn’t you feel relieved knowing that the young lady seems lively and healthy? In fact, that day there were many other guests, so I couldn’t properly speak. But I have occasionally heard about concerns for the young lady’s health.”

Mayana stared at Cediloy with a bewildered expression. He seemed to be saying something about Sir Silas being near the railing frequently lately, but…

“The young lady has been healthy. Always.”

“But Your Lordship has never gone out with the young lady even once.”

Cediloy smiled awkwardly, raising his eyebrows.

“I haven’t fulfilled my fatherly duties properly. I have often left the management of the estate. However, for the time being, for the next few years, such a thing won’t happen. So let’s make sure to interact more in the future.”

“That’s a welcome statement. If Your Lordship ever visits, you’re always welcome.”

Baroness Alt smiled broadly. Cediloy, as a sign of respect, raised his teacup slightly toward her. At that moment, a knocking sound was heard from outside.

“Your Lordship, excuse me.”

It was Jemero. However, for some reason, he didn’t seem as calm as usual. A person who never seemed to be shaken by anything, with disheveled hair and wide-open eyes, even in the presence of Baroness Alt.

Mayana was the first to stand up. The moment she saw Jemero’s face, the moment their eyes met, she knew something was seriously wrong.

Cediloy spoke.

“Jemero, what’s the matter?”

Jemero, taking a deep breath, glanced once at Baroness Alt. Mayana, forgetting even the fact that she was present, urged Jemero.

“Mr. Jemero! What’s going on? Has anything happened to Lady Ariante? Where are you hurt?”

After a brief silence, Jemero spoke.

“That’s the problem, Mayana. Your Lordship, that’s the problem. I don’t know where Lady Ariante went. It’s not just Lady Ariante; Sir Silas and the others are the same.”

The Baroness gasped, almost like a small scream, as if she had inhaled sharply.