Baron came down to Wilas after a long time for an interim report on the investigation Leonard had ordered.

The two met in a quiet park to talk.

“Why did you bring that dog?”

“I didn’t bring him. When he heard I was going to see Lady Cordelia, he climbed into the carriage on his own.”

Baron chuckled and glanced at Roti, who was yawning lazily. Roti rested his chin on the ground indifferently and dozed off, basking in the sunlight.

“Here’s the report you requested.”

The park was quiet in the afternoon, with few people around. Only nobles could loiter in the park at this hour, so it was even more so.

Leonard crossed his legs and examined the documents Baron had investigated. Though thicker than expected and taking time to read, disappointment soon appeared on his face.

“What is this?”

“The Vasquez servants changed frequently, so only the butler remembered the former Lady Vasquez.”

“How many people did they go through? Do they have some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder?”

Over the past twenty years, the number of servants who worked at Vasquez exceeded hundreds. Their employment periods were very short. It was unusual, as servants typically worked for decades once they entered a noble household.

“It seems more like severe wage arrears than OCD. Over half of those who left said they didn’t receive proper wages.”

“Hah.”

Leonard sighed briefly and set aside the documents he was holding.

He had ordered the servant investigation hoping someone might know something about Cordelia’s birth, but it didn’t seem to yield much.

“What about the butler? Does he know anything?”

“Well… He also came long after Lady Cordelia was born, so we couldn’t get much information. He suggested finding the wet nurse if we’re curious about the time of birth.”

“The wet nurse? Ah, the one from Yeratcus?”

He vaguely recalled something Cordelia had said. He remembered her mentioning that she could speak Vedos, the language of the Southern Continent, because she had a wet nurse from Yeratcus.

“You remembered. That’s right. The wet nurse was close to Lady Vasquez, but she left Vasquez for other reasons when Lady Cordelia was around ten years old.”

“Where to?”

“We’re currently trying to locate her, but if she returned to Yeratcus, it might take some time.”

“I don’t care how long it takes, just find her.”

“Um, may I ask why you suddenly ordered an investigation into Lady Cordelia’s birth?”

Baron asked in a polite tone. Leonard pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to instill any premature prejudice against Cordelia with truths that weren’t fully revealed yet.

“I’m just curious about something.”

“I see. Understood.”

Like a faithful servant, Baron sensed that he was reluctant to explain and didn’t press further.

“There’s one more thing to report. Maximilian and Rosalyn Embly split their party into two just before boarding a ship in Ansen as they headed south together. We first pursued Maximilian’s group, and it seems he made contact with underground mages. Traces of unidentifiable magic were found in various places. Not only our trackers but also all the Embly knights with them were killed. The second tracking team discovered this, so we found out a bit late.”

“Underground mages? You mean the excommunicated ones?”

“Yes. We don’t know what Maximilian promised them, but it appears they’re currently moving with him.”

“He sure scurries around like a rat.”

Leonard clicked his tongue. Now unable to use magic, he’s faster at running away than anyone. At this point, it was almost admirable.

“Are you sure he separated from Embly?”

“Yes. From what’s been reported so far, it seems he’s only moving with those mages. And this isn’t certain yet, but…”

Baron trailed off for a moment before continuing.

“It appears Rosalyn Embly has died.”

“She’s dead? Why?”

“It seems she died in childbirth.”

“Hmm.”

Leonard stroked his chin. Things were getting more complicated. It was hard to predict how the Arch Duke Embly would react now that the daughter he cherished so much was dead. Normally, he’d be trying to find and kill Maximilian immediately, but Leonard worried that Anton might turn on Atilei if he lost his reason.

“Did Maximilian find out and run away in the middle?”

“We’re not sure about that.”

“Haa.”

Irritation suddenly welled up.

I should have just killed him in Diloa or the estate.

Leonard rarely regretted his actions, but he regretted keeping Maximilian alive. He had kept him alive to kill his treacherous brother as painfully as possible, but now he was becoming a constant annoyance.

“Never mind that, what about Lord Menuphio joining us?”

“Actually, I received word yesterday. He said he’s heading to Ansen first.”

“That’s good. Tell him he doesn’t need to capture him alive, just kill him on sight.”

“Are you sure that’s alright? I thought you wanted to capture him alive for trial.”

“Forget it. I’ve lost interest in trials and such. I’ve found something much more interesting.”

The rage that once burned like a volcano had long since disappeared. These days, what dominated his body and mind was not hatred that clawed at his chest, but an unfamiliar love.

Noticing Leonard’s gaze fixed on one spot, Baron looked in the same direction. Of course, Cordelia was walking towards them from afar. She must have spotted the two, as she waved her hand from a distance. Baron slightly raised his hand in response.

“When would be a good time for the wedding?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Wouldn’t spring be nice? If we start preparing now, we should be able to finish the wedding preparations in the capital.”

Baron said teasingly. Leonard rested his chin on one hand and watched Cordelia approaching closer. Their eyes met. No, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Forget it. Is there any reason to enter the wedding alone?”

He didn’t deny his feelings. Baron found his master’s vulnerable side both amusing and pitiful.

“What’s troubling you? If you propose, who would dare refuse?”

“I’m afraid that ‘who’ might include her.”

Only after the words left his mouth did Leonard realize what he was afraid of.

Since becoming aware of his feelings, he had tried to gauge Cordelia’s emotions. But no matter how positively he tried to interpret the situation, it was all too clear that she had no romantic feelings for him.

At first, he was confident. He had many possessions, was intelligent, handsome, and so on – the list of his advantages was endless. But he also learned that all of those things were just meaningless letters to Cordelia.

Sometimes, watching her face is painful. He’s experiencing for the first time what it feels like to be unable to reach someone even when stretching out his hand. Meanwhile, Cordelia seems to shine brighter by the day, and he fears that everyone in the world will realize how radiant she is.

“Master! Baron!”

“Don’t run. You’ll fall.”

Leonard stood up and walked towards Cordelia. He naturally smoothed the hair stuck to her forehead. His touch was quite affectionate and gentle.

Baron greeted Cordelia.

“Lady Cordelia. It’s been a while. Did the funeral go well?”

“Yes. I finished it properly. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen you since Craig’s funeral. Oh? Roti?”

The gray dog slowly walked to Cordelia’s feet. Cordelia knelt down to stroke Roti’s face…

“That’s mean. You won’t let me pet you today either?”

Roti quickly turned his head and backed away. Cordelia pouted as she stood up. Leonard asked.

“I told you to do your homework, how did you know to come here?”

“Actually, I went looking for Lord Rosenblur because of Lydia. But I couldn’t find him anywhere, so I thought he might be in the park and came here, only to find you, Master.”

“Why Lydia?”

“Well, after you left, I had a talk with Lord Kandias…”

“Aaagh!”

“Wh-what’s going on!”

People’s screams were heard from afar. Soon after, a blood-soaked man burst out from the bushes.

“Monster, woman, argh!”

He didn’t seem to be in his right mind. After muttering a few incomprehensible words, he ran out of the park.

Leonard pulled Cordelia close to him. Cordelia, frightened, tightly gripped her master’s clothes.

“Wh-what’s happening?”

“I don’t know.”

Baron also looked around warily with a serious expression. Again, with rustling sounds, people came running. Seeing Cordelia and the others standing there, they shouted.

“Run away quickly! Hurry!”

“What’s going on?”

“Some crazy mage is killing everyone!”

After saying this, the woman tightly hugged her child and ran away in a hurry.

“A crazy mage?”

“Could it be a magic outburst?”

“I need to check it out. You two wait here.”

“Master, are you going?”

Cordelia held onto him as he was about to leave. Seeing the worry in her eyes, Baron patted her instead.

“Don’t worry. There’s no being in this Wilas who would dare harm the master.”

“Still, what if… If, if you’re going, let’s go together. What if something happens to me while I’m here alone?”

As she clung to Leonard’s clothes, he smiled and held out his hand.

“I wonder who you take after, being so timid.”

Cordelia quickly grasped his hand. Leonard and his companions walked against the flow of people running towards them.

However, as they walked, Cordelia gradually found it harder to breathe. The hand holding Leonard’s weakened, and her body staggered.

“Huff.”

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“Ugh, kuk.”

Leonard, startled, grabbed Cordelia’s arm instead.