Winter (4)

“If it’s a rumor, I heard it earlier.”

“My father, Baron Given, probably told his elder brother. That the Grand Duchess of Tessen is influential enough to hand out Tessen titles. Count Gique has a son named Pierre Gique. He calls himself a knight trainee, but really, he’s an idiot who can’t even hold a sword properly. The only thing Pierre ever did right was being born Count Gique’s son.”

Octavia’s assessment of Pierre Gique was merciless.

“Then why would they spread a rumor like that…?”

Alicia deliberately trailed off.

“Because they’re idiots. They’ll start a scandal with Alicia, then use ‘we’re both victims’ as an excuse to approach and build familiarity. They expect Tessen to prove the disgusting rumor isn’t true by strengthening ties with House Gique, or giving them something as ‘comfort.’ Ideally, they’ll want to get close, and then they’ll hope Pierre and Alicia actually become a real couple.”

Alicia wore a look that said she didn’t understand.

“That kind of thing happens fairly often in noble society. People end up genuinely dating—or maintaining private ties—with the person they had a scandal with. That’s why famous people get hounded by countless scandals. I don’t even know what to say, that my family ended up approaching Alicia like that.”

Octavia continued, explaining with a pale, sickened face.

“Alicia. I’ll take care of it right away. Leave it to me.”

Alicia felt sorry for Octavia’s rigid expression.

“Octavia, I’ll trust you. I was so busy talking I couldn’t even offer you tea. Let’s have a cup.”

Alicia wouldn’t drop her guard completely around Octavia, but this time she decided to believe her.

The way Octavia had come running, trembling as she spoke, didn’t look like a lie.

Alicia brushed a hand over Octavia’s arm, which was shaking with anxiety, and rose from the sofa.

She opened the tea-room door and asked Daisy and Annie—waiting outside—to prepare tea and sweets.

Daisy brought the tea, and Annie brought the sweets.

“Do you need anything else?”

Daisy asked Alicia before withdrawing.

“Bring it in purple.”

At Alicia’s words, Daisy said she would prepare it at once and left.

The tea room was again left with only Alicia and Octavia.

“If you left home so suddenly, how are you managing day to day?”

“In Baden, I’m staying in a rented house. In Gaeller, I stay somewhere the territory provided.”

At Octavia’s words, Alicia looked at her with deep sympathy.

“You must have struggled alone, unable to tell anyone.”

“If my family would just stop acting strangely, there’s nothing to struggle over.”

Octavia spoke with composure.

The tea-room door sounded, and soon Daisy and Henrik entered together.

On the wooden tray Henrik carried lay a purple velvet pouch.

“Present it to Viscount Stein.”

At Alicia’s words, Henrik’s eyes wavered anxiously.

Daisy, expressionless, placed the heavy-looking pouch on the table.

“Alicia, this is…”

Octavia wore a similar expression to Henrik.

Alicia had been paying Octavia weekly expenses and compensation for shuttling between Baden and Gaeller to handle Gaeller’s affairs.

When she paid those funds, she put them in a red velvet pouch.

The red velvet pouch wasn’t small, but next to the purple pouch it looked modest in size.

“Whenever you’re going to do something, it costs money. I trust you’ll handle it well, Octavia. If you need more help, speak to the Baron of Rens.”

Alicia said it with a glance toward the velvet pouch full of gold coins.

Octavia looked at Alicia with a moved expression.

“I’ll handle it properly, no matter what. The funds you’ve given me are enough. Thank you for trusting me. I’ll take my leave.”

Octavia rose from her chair, took the velvet pouch, and as she exited she offered bows each time she changed direction.

She looked deeply overwhelmed.

“Put surveillance on Octavia. Baron Given is Count Gique’s half-brother. Since Octavia says she’ll deal with Sir Pierre, let’s see what happens.”

Alicia said idly, sipping tea with refined calm.

Information that could overturn high society drifted through the quiet room.

Reichardt had been summoned to the Emperor’s office, and was returning to Tatus Tower when Roderick hurried toward him from that direction.

“Your Grace.”

Greeting him inside the imperial palace was not like Roderick.

“What is it?”

“You should go to the grand ducal residence immediately.”

The moment he heard Roderick, Reichardt unconsciously searched for where Alicia was.

Alicia was at the grand ducal residence, in the tea room.

“The residence?”

“Yes. It’s urgent.”

Alicia was still staying in the tea room.

If nothing had happened to Alicia, there was no reason for urgency at the residence.

“What is it—”

Reichardt looked at Roderick, displeased at the way he kept pressing without explaining.

“Your Grace, Her Grace is urgently asking for you.”

Juan—who should have been at the residence—spoke urgently from beside Roderick.

Reichardt found Roderick and Juan’s unusual behavior suspicious.

But even if what Juan said was false, it seemed best to go home first.

“I’ll go to the residence.”

At his words, Juan and Roderick brightened, pleased.

“We’ve prepared horses.”

It was only natural that knights and an escort unit would accompany the Grand Duke.

Reichardt felt a strange irritation at how Roderick and Juan stayed glued to his side as they moved toward the horses.

The two knights weren’t escorting him so much as marking him tightly—as if they were bringing him in.

A short while later.

When Reichardt arrived at the grand ducal residence, he understood why they had kept so close.

They really had brought him in.

It was a precaution to prevent the Grand Duke of Tessen from killing a count’s son in the imperial capital—or wiping out an entire count’s household.

After returning home and hearing the situation from Henrik, Reichardt looked at Roderick and Juan with an icy gaze.

“I trust you’ll understand it was unavoidable.”

“Your Grace, Tessen has become a duchy, but you can’t cut down an imperial noble in the Emperor’s land.”

“And you can’t slaughter an entire count’s family either.”

Roderick and Juan rattled on without giving Reichardt room to speak.

“Where is he?”

At the ominous voice, the two stopped their banter.

There was only one person Reichardt would be asking about right now.

Pierre Gique.

“Viscount Stein is meeting him.”

Roderick had already grasped the situation while Reichardt was receiving Henrik’s report.

“Summon Count Gique to Tatus Tower tomorrow.”

At Reichardt’s order, Roderick and Juan’s faces turned gloomy.

They said this sort of petty maneuvering was common among nobles.

Which meant they were at the point where they needed to persuade the Grand Duke—royalty standing over the nobility—to understand and let it go.

“Your Grace…”

“So, the thing is…”

Reichardt did not listen and rose from his chair.

“Your Grace?”

“Your Grace, where are you going?”

If the situation had settled, he should have returned to the palace and finished his state affairs.

“To my room.”

These days, Reichardt’s idleness was an issue in the imperial palace.

“Your Grace.”

“Summon Count Gique to Tatus Tower tomorrow.”

As Roderick tried to start nagging, Reichardt repeated it as if to make sure they didn’t forget, and headed for the door.

“If you kill a noble—”

“I won’t.”

Reichardt replied lightly to Roderick’s groaning.

Juan glanced at Roderick.

His face seemed to say, If he’s not killing him, then he’s going to beat him. And then he’ll die anyway?

“Both of you, leave.”

When they tried to follow, Reichardt ordered firmly.

Octavia walked along a quiet street.

She deliberately moved about thirty minutes later than the appointment time.

If she had her way, she wanted to make him wait all day, but she couldn’t.

The meeting place was a dessert shop that was out of season.

Thanks to that, the shop was empty.

“Pierre.”

Octavia stepped inside and called Pierre with a delighted face.

She approached the table with an expression of relief that he had come.

“Octavia.”

Pierre looked bored, but he didn’t complain about Octavia arriving late.

He had time—far too much of it.

“I heard you’ve been busy lately. Isn’t it hard going back and forth between Gaeller and Baden?”

“Well, it can’t be helped. Did you hear my news?”

Octavia ate the dessert Pierre had ordered in advance with an attitude that it was only natural.

“The Baron comes by the house sometimes and talks about you.”

Pierre pitied Octavia for being in a difficult situation.

He pushed the dessert plate toward Octavia.

Octavia didn’t refuse.

With a grateful expression, she quickly ate mostly what she liked.

She had recently realized that a harmless, unobtrusive face was a powerful weapon.

From Pierre’s words, it seemed Baron Given went in and out of House Gique daily, telling his own story.

It was pitiful and disgusting.

“Is Father doing well?”

Octavia stopped eating and asked carefully.

“Seems like it.”

Pierre intended to give Octavia only a moderate amount of information.

It was hard for a girl to hold out alone after fighting with her family.

No matter how good a viscount title was, it wasn’t right to turn your back on family.

“I heard your rumor too.”

At Octavia’s lightly tossed words, Pierre visibly flinched.

“A rumor?”

“How do you know Alicia?”

Octavia leaned in across the table and lowered her voice as much as she could, in a place where no one was listening.

She whispered as if she were sharing an enormous secret.

“Mm… I don’t know her that well.”

Pierre spoke vaguely, satisfied by Octavia’s eager reaction.

“It looked like Alicia remembered you.”

Octavia whispered, deliberately scanning the empty shop as if it were busy.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I heard your rumor and got curious, so I asked casually. I meet Alicia now and then.”

Octavia let slip something that would sound like breaking news to Pierre, and gestured to the clerk.

“Over here.”

“Lady Octavia. We prepared your usual.”

“Thank you.”

Octavia accepted the tea she had requested in advance.

Pierre watched Octavia—pouring tea into a cup—with an expectant gaze.

“…What did she say?”

At Pierre’s question, Octavia nearly snorted.

She lifted the cup to her lips to hide her expression, clearing her throat to conceal her true feelings.

“Have a cup too.”

Octavia offered the tea with a gentle smile.

Pierre couldn’t refuse.

“Thanks.”

He drank tea, expressing thanks he normally wouldn’t have bothered with even as a formality.

“When did you meet Alicia?”

“Before. The previous Marquess of Rain once invited us to dinner at the Baden marquess’s residence…”

After a moment of hesitation, Pierre answered honestly.

It felt like it would be better to tell Octavia, so he could get more help from her.

As he spoke, sudden drowsiness surged, and he shook his head.