Mort (7)

The summer sun set in an instant.

After having dinner with Victor and changing clothes, I headed to the bedroom early. I carried the second volume of <The Adventures of Doldopin, the Wandering Knight> under my arm.

I sat on the bed and opened the book eagerly.

Doldopin, who had been asked by Flamberge to bring her gorgon venom, was in the midst of carrying out his task.

[……When Doldopin stepped on the gorgon’s foot, the gorgon screamed.
“You witless knight! What do you think you are doing!”
“My apologies. I did not see you because I was extracting venom from the snake on the back of your head.”
“You could have just asked me, you fool!”
At the gorgon’s words, Doldopin made a blank expression. Ah!]

I giggled, then raised my head at the sound of the door opening. It was Victor.

“You came early.”

“I was tired.”

After pulling his robe closed, he walked straight to the bed and lay down. I blinked. Normally, he only went to sleep after talking with me for a little longer.

Was something troubling him?

I quietly sat beside him. Victor, who had been staring at the ceiling, suddenly asked,

“How did you deal with thieves in your land?”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“There were hardly any thieves in my land. Everyone was so poor that we had to share in order to survive.”

“…….”

“In winter, we gathered all our supplies and distributed them according to need. So that even one more person might survive.”

My homeland, Amari, had operated entirely around the community.

Whenever monsters swarmed in, we hid the elderly and children in the castle basement and protected them together, while the sick and orphans were cared for by everyone.

It was only natural. That way, the soldiers could leave their families behind and go to battle without worry. Every part of life there had been adapted to the brutally barren environment.

Victor’s gaze as he looked at me sank as well. I quickly changed the subject.

“Why? Do you need to punish a thief?”

“It seems so.”

“Could you not handle it according to the law? What does Mort’s legal code say?”

“They must repay seven times the amount and have a wrist cut off.”

“That is far too harsh!”

When I cried out in surprise, Victor laughed softly.

“You were the one who told me to follow the legal code.”

“But that is excessive. They did not injure anyone, yet the punishment is so severe.”

“Yes. That is why the previous Grand Duke always ordered them to repay the money and then imprisoned them instead.”

I stared quietly at Victor. He looked exhausted after enduring such heavy work every day. Even his troubled expression was beautiful, but this was not the time to think such things.

I spoke sincerely.

“I believe you will make a wise decision, Victor.”

“…….”

“You are a great knight. You must know mercy.”

Victor’s gaze slowly turned toward me. Beneath the wavering candlelight, his expressionless face seemed unfamiliar. He whispered in an unreadable voice,

“You always make me weak.”

I quickly turned my head so he would not notice the heat rising in my cheeks. When I gestured to the attendant, the candles were extinguished one by one. I closed the book and picked up my sword.

“Go to sleep. I must deal with you once you truly become weak.”

Victor laughed and quietly closed his eyes.

Daily life remained unchanged. Every day was equally peaceful.

After that night, I had wondered whether Victor might punish someone, but nothing in particular seemed to happen. After being curious for a little while, I decided Victor must have handled it himself and lost interest. Life in the castle was far too enjoyable for me to dwell on it.

I had now spent nearly a month entirely inside the castle.

I read books in the library and went to the music room to play the harp. Embroidery was not enjoyable, so I learned knitting instead. I was told that by weaving the soft yarn into a long piece, I could even make a large blanket. I ate snacks while knitting with the maids and occasionally had tea with Sir Raul.

Every day was truly enjoyable. It was my first time spending so long entirely indoors, yet it was far better than I had ever imagined.

The maids asked with strange persistence whether I wanted to go outside, but I truly did not. This was the life I had always wanted.

A life without any incidents, one that was simply peaceful.

The one thing still bothering me was that I did not know why the maids were afraid of Victor. I had indirectly asked why they had been so frightened on the day I first arrived, but all the maids merely fell silent together.

Mary explained on their behalf.

“Before you arrived, His Grace sent several letters instructing us to serve you properly, My Lady. He said that we must not neglect you in the slightest. That was why we became needlessly nervous. I am sorry if we worried you, My Lady.”

I waved my hands and told her it was all right, then thought about it.

If Victor’s letters had made them afraid even of me, then in the end, all of it had still come from their fear of Victor.

So ultimately, there was only one question.

Why did the people of Mort fear Victor?

I climbed the stairs while turning the unresolved question over in my mind.

Today, I was alone for the first time in quite a while. The knights had left their posts to change shifts, so I had simply left the room by myself.

I headed toward the aviary where the carrier pigeons were kept. In my hand was a reply for Katarina.

‘I hope the reply reaches her quickly.’

With that thought, I hurried my steps.

The previous evening, Katarina had sent me a letter. She had even tied it to a bronze pigeon.

Bronze pigeons were intelligent birds closer to monsters than ordinary animals. Once tamed, they could deliver letters not to a specific location, but to a specific person. They were enormously expensive, but that would not have been a problem for Katarina.

Her letter contained greetings and a brief update on how she had been doing.

[Dear Amarion,
I am only now writing a reply to the letter you sent before your departure. Have you arrived in Mort by now? Are you doing well?
The social season is drawing to a close along with the roses. There have not been many incidents that you would find interesting. Ah! Nanael Welch still has not set foot outside her residence. You would scold me for saying this, but honestly, I find it rather satisfying.
I will also be leaving the capital soon. I have business dealings with the Eastern Kingdom, so I plan to travel as far as the northern border. Yes, near Mort.
May I visit Mort sometime soon? Provided it is convenient, I would like to meet you and have tea together.
I await your reply. May you remain well.
-Your friend, Katarina.]

I excitedly wrote a reply as soon as I finished reading the letter.

Katarina was coming! She would truly be welcome at any time.

I wrote that this place was very beautiful, and that lately I had remained inside the castle at Victor’s request, but that I was enjoying myself and felt very comfortable. I also added that I would be waiting for her and wished her a safe journey.

As soon as morning came, I hurried out of my room with the finished letter. When I entered the aviary, the bronze pigeon flew toward me as though it had been waiting. I tied the letter to it with a string and stroked its small beak.

“Please deliver this to your mistress.”

The pigeon flew through the open window.

I left the aviary and leisurely headed toward the first floor. I intended to visit the kitchen.

In the capital, I had visited the kitchen every day, but here there were so many things to do that I had not gone often. Since I was already out, I ought to stop by and greet everyone. I could ask whether they needed anything, and perhaps get some of yesterday’s cookies if any remained.

As I descended the stairs in high spirits, I suddenly heard murmuring voices.

“I knew this would happen. There was no chance His Grace would keep his promise!”

“Is he not effectively saying that he intends to cut off our hands and feet?”

It was a group of vassals.

Startled, I instinctively hid behind a pillar. It was the first time I had seen the vassals since the welcoming banquet, so naturally, I became tense.

Apparently unaware of me, they approached while whispering among themselves. Their voices were low, but my sensitive ears heard them clearly enough.

“He intends to manage every budget ledger personally? This is a clear overreach of authority. Has budget execution not always been the exclusive right of us vassals?”

A bearded man spoke angrily. Another vassal with white hair darted his eyes around anxiously.

“Why has he suddenly begun acting like this? Could he possibly have noticed something……?”

“Ridiculous. Do you think he would have remained this quiet if he truly knew?”

A potbellied man snorted. He was the same man who had greeted Victor when we first arrived in Mort. Stroking his mustache, he said,

“He still does not know. So we only need to erase the evidence before we are discovered. He returned earlier than expected because of that woman, but……”

“In a way, is that not fortunate? Since that woman cannot even manage the ledgers, we gained time to falsify the records of expenditure.”

My heart sank. Covering my mouth with one hand, I listened closely.

As though they had been waiting, voices filled with discontent burst forth.

“Does he truly intend to keep that lowborn woman in the position of Grand Duchess?”

“Have you not heard what happened to House Welch? If we push another young lady forward, our heads may be the next to roll.”

“I thought he might be cruel, but at least not utterly without judgment.”

“They say the only thing she knows how to do is wield a sword. Tsk. What will become of the grand ducal house……”

Every word struck sharply into me.

The potbellied vassal let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Have I not said it time and again? None of this would have happened if Lord Morteon were here.”

“Indeed. The position should rightfully have gone to him.”

“What a pity. Truly, what a pity……”

The vassals disappeared down the far end of the corridor.

I remained there for a long while, pressing down on my pounding chest in shock.