The Mysterious Illness

Three days after that.

While sitting beside Lady Shitoen on the sofa, a knock came at the door, and then Vandel entered the room accompanied by a middle-aged man.

I stood up, and Lady Shitoen rose to stand beside me as well.

“Hey. You really do look healthy.”

There were all kinds of things I wanted to say.

That the journey here had been rough, or what exactly was the matter, or that we wanted to return at once. Or that it would be unbearable if brigands attacked us again.

But.

The moment I saw Vandel, that was what came out of my mouth.

Was it because the man standing beside him was deeply sunburnt and dark-skinned as well?

Vandel’s healthy complexion stood out all the more because of it.

And not just that, even his hair looked glossy and full of life. His build itself had not changed, yet his whole air had brightened. Before, he had carried the decadent air fitting for the name “Vampire Count,” but now he looked like a clean-cut young gentleman. Give it a little longer, and he would become the “Healthy Count.”

“That’s right. My body feels light.”

Vandel stepped forward until he stood before Lady Shitoen.

Dropping to one knee, he reverently pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, then smiled leisurely.

“It is all thanks to you. It feels as though I have obtained a new body.”

“It is the fruit of Lord Vandel’s own efforts. Could it be that you have overcome your likes and dislikes?”

Lady Shitoen smiled warmly. Vandel stood up and gave a shrug. He looked like a child whose little prank had been found out.

“I hired a very skilled cook. And so, we made some adjustments in the preparation.”

“What are you, a child?”

When I said that in exasperation, he shot me a glare.

“I am not some idiot with a coarse tongue like yours. I am sensitive to the natural taste of ingredients.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I replied halfheartedly, and he gave a snort. I glared back at him and folded my arms.

“I’m sorry, but get to the point already. Things are starting to smell suspicious, and I want to get back to the royal capital quickly.”

When I said that frankly, Lady Shitoen chided me with, “Prince.”

But no matter that it was she who asked it of me, this much I could not yield on.

If it had only been that peach soft cocktail, then perhaps it still could have been dismissed as a mistake. Even the butler vanishing might simply have been that coward Eaton having seen things wrong.

But what happened at the café could not be written off as coincidence.

In the end, they said that waiter took his own life and never spoke a word.

I had wanted to cancel every evening party and meal hosted by the local lords where we stayed, but Lady Shitoen stubbornly refused.

She said it would damage relationships, and that she did not want to make a great incident of it.

Certainly, to say, “Lend us your estate, but we will meet no one,” would be arrogant and look terribly bad.

So instead, my knights thoroughly checked every person entering, and we did not permit a single weapon to be carried.

When the nobles looked dubious, I simply said, “It would be terrible if anything happened to my lovely wife,” and although they smiled wryly, they all accepted it.

The foolish overprotectiveness of a husband devoted to his beloved wife.

A rumor like that still had a certain charm to it.

Partly for her protection, yes, but above all, seeing how I never left Lady Shitoen’s side, the nobles all smiled with narrowed eyes and said.

His Majesty treasures Her Majesty the Queen greatly as well, after all.

They took it upon themselves to conclude that, since I resemble my father, that was only natural.

Somehow we got through three days like that, and at long last we arrived at Count Vandel’s territory.

“I heard from Raul. It sounds as though the weather has turned rather strange.”

Vandel knit his brows.

If he had heard directly from Raul, then the fact that Lady Shitoen had been attacked probably had not yet become a rumor. That was a relief.

“My apologies. Under ordinary circumstances, I would have had you rest comfortably at the estate first before getting to the main matter, but… if something happens, it will be beyond my hands to manage. So we too shall dispense with the preamble.”

Saying that, Vandel introduced the man who had been silently waiting beside him.

“This is Lord Marder.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. Your Highness.”

Strictly speaking, Lady Shitoen was not yet Her Highness the Princess Consort, but Lord Marder paid Lady Shitoen that same highest respect as well.

“Shall we sit?”

At Vandel’s urging, Lady Shitoen and I sat on one side, with Vandel and Lord Marder on the other.

Once he had confirmed that the butler had served tea and withdrawn, as though timing it perfectly, Vandel began to speak.

“As you know, my lands border the neighboring Mira Empire. So, well, there are people of a status one does not often see in the royal capital.”

Leaning his upper body against the backrest, Vandel spoke. Lady Shitoen tilted her head in curiosity, but I had a rough idea of what he meant.

“Ah, political refugees?”

There are those who, for various reasons, come to settle in our country from abroad. Well, as long as they follow the proper procedures, there is no problem.

“I too am a political refugee from the Mira Empire. With Lord Vandel’s patronage and His Majesty’s permission, I have continued to bear the title of baron here.”

No wonder his features looked somewhat foreign. And on top of that, he was probably not merely a noble in name. Not only his upper body but the muscles of his back were impressive too.

So, a foreign knight, huh, I thought, feeling as though I were looking at some rare beast, but over on his side, he kept glancing at me too. Probably with the feeling of, “So that’s the Winter Bear of Tidros.” Well, fair enough.

“I have also entrusted Lord Marder with the management of the refugee residential district.”

Lifting my teacup and taking a sip, I saw Vandel lower his voice.

“Recently, a mysterious illness has broken out there.”