Mort (6)

“All right. Ah, should I leave Sir Raul here?”

“I would appreciate that.”

Victor smiled mischievously and escorted me to the door. Sir Raul, who had been sprawled out like a sheepdog, stared at me in dismay when he was told to remain in the office.

“How could you abandon your loyal knight like this, My Lady!”

“Your master is Victor, not me, is he not?”

Raul grumbled but eventually gave up and moved away. Kaltz, who had been laughing loudly at the sight of his broad, drooping back, naturally approached me.

“Well then, it seems the lady now requires a new knight to escort her. I, Kaltz of Dnion, shall accompany My Lady……”

“Stop scheming, Kaltz.”

Leonard spat out the words roughly and dragged Kaltz inside by the back of his neck. Lastly, Dideric disappeared through the door with a benevolent smile.

Still smiling, I headed toward my room with the apprentice knights.

Once the office door closed, a composed silence settled over the room.

Victor Mort questioned Raul of Radan.

“Marion has been doing well, has she not?”

“Of course.”

“And there were no rats prowling around her?”

“……No.”

Raul answered affirmatively with visible discomfort. He clearly disliked reporting on the lady’s movements.

However, the Grand Duke paid no attention. His snake-like yellow eyes narrowed with satisfaction.

“That is fortunate. There are so many rats that I cannot help but be concerned.”

“Did you find them?”

Raul immediately asked. Leonard answered on behalf of his lord.

“Yes. After going through the ledgers, we found that money had been leaking into the castles of several vassals. They covered it up carefully, but they could not hide it completely.”

“Right. Otherwise, the scenery could not have been so desolate.”

The Grand Duke recalled the day he had first arrived in Mort.

The winds in Mort were severe, so every winter, large sums were spent distributing straw and boards to cover the roofs. Once spring arrived, the straw was removed and fresh dye was applied, so the roofs always retained vivid colors.

But when he arrived, the roofs had been faded. The stones paving the ground were sparse, and the sewers were broken. It was proof that money that should have been spent had not been used.

Raul had also repeated things he had heard while walking around with Marion, so Victor kept only those he trusted close and investigated the problem.

The corruption they uncovered ran deeper than expected. Several vassals in key positions had been embezzling the budget.

The Grand Duke smiled only with the corners of his mouth.

“Is it not amusing? To think they would do this after seeing what happened several years ago.”

“That is probably exactly why they did it.”

Kaltz spoke quietly.

“The number of vassals decreased considerably because of what happened back then. They must have realized that without them, there would be no one left to manage the territory’s affairs. That is likely why they had the nerve to do something like this.”

“How truly amusing……”

His cold gaze traveled down the densely written list of names.

He had never liked the vassals of Mort. Mort was such a vast territory that it was nearly a small nation, and its vassals were equally ambitious. Whenever they had the chance, they fought over influence and constantly sought opportunities to plunder their lord’s treasury. And as the master of the castle, he had no intention of leaving thieving rats alone.

The punishment they deserved was obvious. However, his chief of staff shook his head.

“You must not kill them. I did not stop you last time, but this time, I truly mean it.”

Victor furrowed his brow. Kaltz continued calmly.

“The allied houses are frightened because you threatened House Welch. If you execute your vassals in this situation, it will undoubtedly provoke backlash.”

“I know.”

The Grand Duke replied coldly. It was obvious in many ways that this was not the time to employ hardline measures.

However, he was more of a knight than a politician. His instincts told him to kill the corrupt officials immediately and make an example of them.

Leonard once again tried to dissuade his grim-faced lord.

“Your Grace, regardless of what they have done, they are servants whose families have served Mort for generations. If you strike at them again, public opinion may worsen. Let us first uncover the rest of those responsible, then consider their punishment afterward.”

The Grand Duke nodded with a sigh.

A sudden surge of irritation rose within him. After spending so much time beside someone as noble as Marion, dealing with people as vile as himself made his anger boil.

Still, the thought that everything would be over once this matter was resolved offered him some comfort.

Victor turned his gaze toward the beautiful garden spread beyond the window. The heat pleasantly filled his dark heart.

From now on, he would spend the rest of his life here with her. In the homeland that had been nothing but lonely during his childhood, beneath the cold and rugged rocky mountains. Time would pass as slowly as though it had stopped, with the same things repeated every day. He would watch her laugh, eat, and sleep.

Trapped here together with her.

Forever.

“My Lady, you must pluck the third, fourth, and seventh strings with your right hand while plucking the twelfth string with your left.”

Utterly confused, I stared down at the harp resting between my knees.

The third? The seventh? The twelfth?

Mary kindly pointed out the strings with her fingers for my confused sake. Beautiful notes rang out beneath her touch.

I lowered my head in defeat.

“I do not understand any of it.”

“That is not true! You have improved so much compared to when you first started.”

“That is right, My Lady! With practice, you will improve in no time!”

The maids enthusiastically encouraged me. I let out a deep sigh and leaned against the large harp.

We were currently in the music room. Filled with precious instruments, it was a place where minstrels could be invited to perform or where one could practice instruments personally.

For the past few days, the maids had been dragging me here. They had eagerly brought me along, saying they would teach me how to play. As a result, I had struggled with the violin the day before yesterday, the flute yesterday, and the harp today.

“I think My Lady has a talent for the harp.”

“Yes. At least it does not make a terrible sound……”

I spoke listlessly.

When I played the violin, it sounded like a ghoul dying, and when I blew into the flute, it sounded like a hydra roaring. Fortunately, a harp made a similar sound no matter who plucked it.

However, Mary remained endlessly optimistic.

“Of course! Soon, you will be able to perform an entire piece wonderfully! And if you grow bored, you can switch to something else. A lute, a trumpet, an organ—anything you like! We have everything!”

“All right, thank you.”

Mary’s eyes sparkled at my words. The maids clustered around her also broke into bright smiles. I could not help but smile in return.

Once we became close, the maids felt just like younger sisters. Perhaps they had been bored without a lady to serve, because every day they wanted to take me out of my room and do something together. Not only playing instruments, but also embroidery, flower arranging, and even making cookies. Most of us were clumsy, but simply laughing and doing something together was enjoyable.

Besides this place, there was also a painting room, a greenhouse, and separate rooms for dyeing fabric and weaving cloth. There was so much to do that I wondered whether I could try everything before the end of the year. I also wanted to hurry and finish reading <The Adventures of Doldopin>.

After clumsily plucking at the harp for a while, I left the room.

Green leaves rippled outside the window. I paused and breathed in the fresh air. The garden visible below the window was beautiful. I had spent the past two weeks inside the castle, so I had never gone out to see it for myself.

At that moment, Mary carefully asked,

“My Lady, do you perhaps wish to go outside?”

“No. Why?”

I tilted my head as I asked.

Was there somewhere else outside where we could have fun? Like Duchess Mülze’s glass greenhouse?

However, Mary bit her lip tightly and lowered her head.

“……It is nothing. The chief butler will be coming up soon, so I will go prepare the tea.”

Ah, now that I thought about it, I had agreed to have tea with Dideric today.

I quickly dismissed my doubts and hurried toward the lady’s chamber.

It had been a long time since I had properly spoken with Dideric. He had been so overwhelmingly busy that it was difficult even to see his face. Since he held the position of chief butler and also assisted with Victor’s work, it was understandable that he was busy.

However, the elderly gentleman who appeared in the lady’s chamber looked as perfectly neat as always. I welcomed him with a bright smile.

“Welcome, Dideric.”

“It is an honor to be invited, My Lady.”

Dideric bowed politely and sat across from me. After taking a sip of tea, he apologized.

“I am sorry I came to see you so late. I should have come up sooner to check on how you were doing.”

“Please do not say that. You were busy.”

The old butler’s eyes warmed at my words. His experienced gaze discreetly swept over the knights standing guard before the open door. He smiled benevolently and asked,

“I heard that you have been enjoying yourself with the maids. How have things been with the knights? Has anything caused you discomfort?”

“No. Everyone is kind. And every one of them is very loyal.”

The apprentice knights were enthusiastic. They followed their lord’s command to protect me so faithfully that they guarded the door without missing a single moment. I felt sorry for taking training time away from such frail knights, but seeing how devoted they were to chivalry still pleased me.

Dideric smiled gently.

“That is fortunate. His Grace’s work is nearly complete, so they should soon be able to return to the training grounds as well.”

“That is good. You have truly worked hard all this time, Dideric.”

“Thank you, My Lady.”

The old butler bowed politely once again.

Afterward, we exchanged brief small talk. The harp I had played for the first time, the historic armor displayed in the corridor, and the delicious snacks prepared by the chef. Dideric promised to serve my favorite raspberry pudding more often, and I thanked him excitedly.

When the teapot was empty, the butler rose.

“I will take my leave to prepare dinner, My Lady. I shall see you later.”

“Yes, I will see you later.”

Dideric bowed politely. Then he added briefly,

“If you ever wish to leave the castle, please tell me, My Lady. I know the way.”

I stared at Dideric with wide eyes. The gray-eyed old butler looked at me sincerely. There was solemn concern in his gaze.

Why was he making that expression? If I wanted to leave the castle, I could simply go out through the gate……

Though I did not understand, I nodded for the time being.

“Yes, I will.”

The old butler bowed once more and left the room.