121. Night Service

2024.01.29.

The procession arrived much later than scheduled due to considerations for the Empress’s health.

Since they had stopped to spend a night each time they passed a wealthy city, rested their fatigue, and even bought souvenirs to load onto the baggage cart, the delay was only natural.

Yuan opened the window to catch a glimpse of the nameless forests passing by through the crack.

The intense sunlight, incomparable to that of the capital, stabbed at her eyes.

Shielding her slightly furrowed face with her hand and blinking rapidly, she was greeted by towering trees, three or four times taller than the massive travel carriage, which stood straight and cast a welcoming shade.

Moist air enveloped Yuan’s cheeks. She could feel in her skin that they had arrived in the south.

The shade cast by palm trees—enlarged versions of those seen only in “Bollonico’s Paradise”—felt unfamiliar yet offered a slight coolness.

Yuan turned away from Tasha, who was dozing across from her, and vomited a small clot of blood brought on by carriage sickness.

Now, rest was truly urgent.

Even with intermittent breaks, a two-week carriage journey had been too much.

Resting her head against the window and fully feeling the jolting of the rocky road, Yuan suddenly opened her eyes wide at a strange chill and turned her head toward the back of the carriage outside the window.

“…….”

When her gaze met a pair of bright yellowish eyes head-on, Yuan startled and quickly turned her head back.

The one she had met was Eugene Kimfri, sitting atop a horse with reins held loosely in hand.

‘Did he see?’

By now, no one in this procession was unaware that Yuan was unwell.

But this was the first time anyone besides Noel and Tasha had seen her suffer in such a helpless, unnoticed fit of vomiting blood.

Worried, Yuan cautiously turned her head again.

Following the black hair gently fluttering due to the moving carriage, her eyes reached Eugene Kimfri, who was still frowning slightly, just as he had been staring at her a moment ago.

Now utterly startled, Yuan hastily pulled her head back inside and slammed the window shut.

“Ouch!”

Her hair, still partly outside, had been caught—her scalp stung sharply as if being torn.

Yuan quickly pulled her hair free, tears welling in her eyes.

The window, unusually sturdy perhaps because it belonged to the Empress’s carriage, merely trembled slightly and refused to release her hair.

At that moment, the window outside suddenly burst open.

Riding close beside the carriage, Eugene Kimfri gently grabbed the end of Yuan’s tangled hair, carelessly tucked it inside, then precisely checked the slight bloodstain near Yuan’s lips before closing the window again.

Yuan stared blankly at the now-closed window.

“What happened?”

Startled awake by the small commotion, Tasha cried out.

She saw Yuan sitting as far from the window as possible, hunched and clutching her hair, tears lingering at the corners of her wide eyes—she looked almost dazed.

“What is it?”

“Nothing!”

Yuan hastily tied her hair into a tight knot, wiped her face with a handkerchief, and answered with closed eyes, pretending to sleep.

Tasha tilted her head, puzzled.

Yuan squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to calm her wildly beating heart like a child caught doing something wrong.

‘He saw.’

That man had seen her, vomiting blood as if she were near death.

He had seen it all too clearly.

Yuan clutched her chest, recalling how Eugene Kimfri’s gaze had sharpened instantly at even her smallest movements throughout the journey.

‘I’ve shown such an unnecessary and clumsy side to someone I should be careful around.’

It even seemed as though his eyes, when pulling her hair in, had carried a faint trace of pity.

Yuan used her heel to push the small trunk bag beneath her seat deeper in, then pressed her head against the carriage wall.

She still hadn’t had the chance to properly unfold Louise’s letter due to the constant close surveillance.

She didn’t want Eugene Kimfri—whose gaze carefully observed everything from meals to walks, even the expressions of innkeepers and maids bringing bathwater—to catch her cradling the bag like something precious.

Yuan quietly opened the window on the opposite side from where she had encountered Eugene Kimfri.

A massive mansion, presumed to be Marquis Companni’s estate, was gradually drawing closer.

As long as she could get a proper room, she would finally have time to properly examine the contents of her bag.

***

They arrived at Marquis Companni’s estate just as the orange sun began to sink halfway behind the mountains.

The golden carriage carrying Empress Marilyn and her elderly maids stopped first, followed by the carriages carrying Yuan and Tasha, then the one with Court Doctor Karen and Rudolf.

Before anyone could escort her, Tasha opened the door and swiftly jumped out, prompting Yuan to hesitantly step down from the carriage as well.

Had she not followed Tasha’s lead and worn comfortable shoes in advance, getting down alone would have been difficult.

Yuan followed Tasha’s unusually flushed gaze and looked around.

True to its reputation as the foremost noble house in the south, Marquis Companni’s estate was enormous, filled with visible signs of expansion.

Its grandeur, comparable even to the Black Mansion, proudly displayed preserved history and tradition, appearing delightfully antique even to those from the capital.

Especially striking was the white marble exterior, bathed in twilight and dyed crimson red.

The garden, spacious enough to accommodate the entire procession and more, harmonized vibrant, large-leafed plants unique to the south with flowers found throughout the Empire.

Small fountains dotted the area, and droplets splashing from the beautiful sculptures at their centers helped ventilate the slightly humid local weather.

While Tasha and Yuan looked around, intrigued by the somewhat exotic atmosphere, Empress Marilyn had already headed toward the main mansion with her elderly maids.

In truth, Empress Marilyn’s mood had been fluctuating throughout the journey south.

Though she felt excited about this rare visit to her family home, the repeated news that Emperor Igor was indulging in affairs with concubines had darkened her expression beyond concealment.

Even Tasha, who possessed exceptional stamina, was now exhausted from attending to the Empress’s melancholy every time news arrived from the palace.

Given the large number of people accompanying Empress Marilyn’s visit, it took quite some time for Yuan and Tasha to approach the main entrance of the estate.

The servants of the estate seemed entirely focused on the Empress and the items she had brought.

Tasha’s curiosity lasted only briefly. Upon belatedly realizing that Noel had entered the main building without a backward glance to escort the Empress, her irritation flared and she grumbled.

“To leave the Empress’s lady-in-waiting standing here so long—just how unprepared can they be?”

“The Deputy Marquis Federico Companni is nowhere to be seen.”

Eugene Kimfri, having confirmed that the servants pouring out from the estate were tethering the horses of the Royal Second Knight Division one by one, glanced around and interjected.

Yuan stood beside Tasha, perking up her ears. Curious Tasha immediately turned to her older brother Eugene Kimfri with a question.

“Deputy Marquis Federico Companni?”

“The man currently managing the marquisate in place of Harol Companni. He is the Empress’s younger brother.”

“I know who he is! But is he still managing the estate himself?”

“Where is the Deputy Marquis? I have matters regarding the Empress’s security that require his approval.”

Ignoring Tasha’s brief sigh, Eugene Kimfri called over a knight who appeared to hold a higher rank and asked.

The knight, upon seeing the wolf insignia on Eugene Kimfri’s chest and his yellowish eyes, widened his own eyes, quickly straightened into a stiff posture, and answered respectfully.

“You may consult our captain! The Deputy Marquis is currently occupied with other duties in the annex!”

“Oh.”

It seemed the Deputy Marquis, Empress Marilyn’s younger brother, was attending to another schedule due to the delayed arrival.

“Our carrier pigeons must have crossed paths. With the weather getting hotter lately, pigeons from other regions seem to be losing their strength. Haha.”

The knight replied in the relaxed southern manner, as if he had never been tense at all.

While Eugene Kimfri calmly nodded and walked away with the knight, Tasha glared at their retreating figures and grumbled again.

“Even so, it’s unacceptable. When the Empress herself is visiting, the Deputy Marquis should personally come out.”

Tasha frowned, sensing the strangely agitated atmosphere of the estate.

Spotting a line of women in colorful attire gathered near a distant annex, Tasha called over maids who were whispering while carrying luggage.

“What’s all the commotion over there?”

The dark-skinned maid and the freckled one looked up in surprise.

Tasha had dressed in clothes she usually wore for hunting, anticipating a long journey, so at first glance, she didn’t appear to be of particularly high status.

The maids, lacking discernment, glanced over Tasha’s roughly tied ponytail and casual outfit rather than noticing her upright posture and disciplined bearing, and replied curtly.

“They’re villagers summoned by the Deputy Marquis himself for selection.”

“Selection? What kind of selection?”

The two maids exchanged glances, exhaled as if deflated, then smirked.

“Night service, of course. What else?”

Tasha’s face twisted sharply.

Her tall frame made her look slightly threatening as she scowled, and the frightened maids began watching her carefully—but Tasha spoke anyway.

“What on earth are they doing during the period meant to welcome the Empress?”

“It has nothing to do with the Deputy Marquis!”

“That’s right! The Crown Prince is currently staying in the marquisate, so they’re showing their devotion there.”

Tasha flinched and glanced sideways at Yuan. Yuan, pale-faced, was pulling her small travel bag from inside the carriage.

The oblivious maids continued chattering.

“All the young ladies of the marquisate are in an uproar. They’re trying to seduce His Highness, the newly titled Count, to change their fortunes.”