Confession (5)

“Yes.”

So Alicia, caught off guard, could only respond with a short answer.

“I’ll escort you to the fork in the road that leads to Luderne.”

Reichardt took Alicia’s hand and helped her into the carriage.

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t until she was inside the carriage that Alicia finally had a moment to think.

Once the door closed, Reichardt sat across from her.

That’s when it suddenly came to her—

Jaime was stationed at the road toward the southwest.

She felt foolish for remembering and worrying about such things.

Even as she watched Reichardt return dutifully from an inspection trip and attend the Marquess’s banquet, her mind had still spiraled into suspicious conclusions.

Alicia stared at him silently for a long while.

He no longer reached out his hand.

“Did something happen at the banquet?”

Reichardt finally spoke, his voice calm as his gaze.

Alicia didn’t answer.

“……”

Because what was happening now was the thing that mattered.

“Alicia?”

She reached out and held the hand of the man who had come galloping through the cold wind to the Rain estate.

“Are you hurt?”

Reichardt grew uneasy outside of Tessen.

After pushing himself with a forced march to the southern stronghold and returning just in time for the banquet, his exhaustion must’ve been immense.

“I’m fine.”

Reichardt looked genuinely flustered when Alicia took his hand.

It seemed the earlier brushes of contact had indeed been accidental.

He started to withdraw his hand.

“You can’t be fine.”

Alicia stubbornly insisted like a willful child.

She wrapped her two small hands around his as it tried to escape.

“If it hurts that much…”

His words—spoken with concern for someone he cared about—caused Alicia’s expression to darken.

“It might not be unbearable, but pain is still pain.”

Her voice, meant to comfort a hurting person, carried a trace of loneliness.

“……”

Reichardt had received the Marquess’s invitation after reaching the far southwestern border.

Though that wasn’t far compared to Tessen, his original schedule had been leisurely.

But to arrive in time for the banquet, he had to immediately pack and ride to Baden.

The invitation included a list of dinner guests.

The Marquess had shown formality in sharing the plans with his daughter’s fiancé— but had sent the invitation at the last possible moment.

Reichardt had pushed his horse to full speed, ignoring even the buzzing in his head.

As a result, he no longer knew whether he was tired or hurting.

Alicia seemed to be misunderstanding something.

She likely thought he only came running to her when he was in pain.

Reichardt couldn’t bring himself to ask if she was mistaken.

He understood his situation well—

If Alicia misunderstood and decided he was an unreliable man who only appeared when needed, then she would abandon him, and that outcome would benefit them both.

If he hesitated to reach out, she would just see him as a pitiful soul.

That would be better for Alicia.

“Did you enjoy the banquet?”

Reichardt’s voice was low and subdued.

“It was fine.”

Alicia answered with unfocused eyes.

She seemed oddly absent-minded.

“What should I give you in exchange for holding my hand today?”

Reichardt asked again.

There was a clear bitterness in his tone.

Alicia looked at him with a puzzled expression, then slowly returned his hand to its place.

“Give me White West Alik in Tessen.”

“Very well.”

They spoke like two cold-hearted traders.

Just then, the carriage stopped.

It must’ve arrived at the fork in the road.

Alicia opened the door herself and stepped down.

Reichardt followed her out of the carriage.

“Thank you for escorting me.”

“Take care.”

With their goodbyes exchanged, they each headed in separate directions.

Alicia got into her own carriage.

Reichardt mounted his horse.

A chilly breeze of early spring swept through the parting night.

Henrik, the steward guarding the Grand Duke’s residence in the capital, always welcomed his master with a smile.

Especially today, his grin stretched nearly to the sky.

“You’ve returned, Your Grace. How was the banquet with Her Highness? Was she surprised to see you?”

The moment he received the Rain Marquess’s invitation, Henrik had sent it to Reichardt by the fastest courier.

Though the atmosphere between Alicia and Reichardt had been uneasy lately,

Henrik still did everything he could.

To his surprise, Reichardt reacted immediately to the invitation.

The Grand Duke departed for Baden as soon as he heard the news—Henrik was overjoyed.

His instincts had been right.

“Her Highness? Who is that? We’re not married.”

Reichardt turned to Henrik with a cold expression.

The overly proud Henrik flinched, quickly darting his eyes around until they landed on Roderick.

“……”

When their eyes met, Roderick subtly shook his head.

Stop.

That was the message.

Roderick understood Henrik’s confusion.

He had felt the same way.

On the way to the banquet, Reichardt had been in good spirits.

By the time they left the Rain estate and walked with Alicia to the carriage, things were not just good—they seemed promising.

Roderick had dared to hope they might marry in summer at last.

But it was all premature fantasy.

Somehow, by the time they reached the carriage, the atmosphere between Alicia and the Grand Duke had turned glacial.

And it wasn’t Alicia who seemed off—Reichardt was the one in a worse mood.

He had returned home with a sharp edge, as if preparing for battle.

Poor Baron of Rens.

Following Reichardt through the biting wind, Roderick quietly gathered his regrets.

His worries were becoming reality before his very eyes.

“What should I do with the Draine painting Your Grace purchased at the banquet?”

Henrik stood his ground.

Even after enduring Reichardt’s fierce reaction, he resolutely continued speaking.

Roderick looked on with pity at both his stubborn superior and his tactless comrade.

Now was not the time to bring up anything related to Alicia.

Anticipating a possible outburst, Roderick quietly took a step back.

“Send it to Luderne.”

After a short silence, Reichardt spat out the words.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Henrik bowed his head respectfully.

He wasn’t some clueless rookie making tone-deaf remarks.

After tending to the Grand Duke, Henrik quietly watched Reichardt, who had insisted on going alone, and then approached Roderick.

-What happened?

Henrik mouthed the question silently.

-I don’t know either…

Roderick responded with a look that said he was equally frustrated.

They exchanged glances of mutual sympathy, both silently pitying the other’s position.

Then, the same words came to both their minds:

Hopeless romantic.

Mismatched prude.

Clueless oaf.

But neither voiced them aloud.

After a covert exchange of glances, they exited the residence.

This quiet house had become dangerous.

A guest had arrived at Luderne.

Led by Annie, Judith bowed before Alicia.

“Lady Alicia. Master Pelmen has sent a revised version of the new design.”

Judith, her expression unshaken, referred to herself confidently as Master.

“Welcome, Judith.”

Though puzzled, Alicia greeted her calmly.

Judith was still young.

Despite already being recognized as a promising embroidery artist, her youth meant that to outsiders, she was said to be a disciple of a teacher.

Officially, Alicia’s teacher was Master Pelmen, and it was Pelmen’s apprentice Judith who visited Luderne to give lessons.

But in truth, Master Pelmen and apprentice Judith were the same person.

As the studio door closed, Judith got straight to the point.

“Lady Alicia, the investigation is not yet complete.”

“Then what is it?”

“There are details that still need to be sorted, but I thought you should be informed in advance. You asked to look into the Countess of Loire. There’s something unusual in her background.”

Alicia, who had been nodding indifferently, paused.

“Unusual?”

“The Count of Loire as well. The lord of Touraine, Count Loire, does not actually govern Touraine. In fact, the count doesn’t seem to exist at all. Currently, tax collection is conducted directly by the Emperor’s officers, and other matters are handled by people serving under the local lord.”

The Emperor didn’t directly govern many places.

Some emperors had even appointed siblings or royalty to act on their behalf in the capital of Baden.

The current Emperor was unusually involved in internal affairs.

If the Emperor’s tax officers were personally visiting a location, that meant the region was under close surveillance.

It wasn’t a normal situation.

“That’s really strange.”

Alicia imagined an unpleasant scenario.

A woman hidden away in a territory under direct imperial control could easily be a mistress.

Maybe even an unofficial consort the Emperor had kept out of public view.

“Those serving the Countess of Loire are from the Great Temple.”

“The Great Temple?”

“Most people forget this, but only scribes from the Great Temple are allowed to handle records about the Imperial Family. If the countess is being attended by temple members or even acolytes, then she must be of imperial blood—or at least close to it.”

Alicia’s expression worsened by the second.

“Who is she?”

She leaned deep into her chair, deliberately trying to hide how agitated she was.

“That part remains unknown. I first checked if she was a concubine of the previous Emperor, but strangely enough, all of his concubines died one after another of various illnesses. Since records about the royal family are monopolized by the Great Temple, some details might be missing. But her age doesn’t match any of the previous Emperor’s concubines.”

Judith’s expression reflected a frustration even she couldn’t fully explain.

“How old is the Countess of Loire?”

Alicia asked, then paused—

She suddenly remembered how, during the first round, when rumors of a scandal between the Grand Duke of Tessen and the Countess of Loire surfaced, there had been no information about her.

No age. No physical description. Nothing was known.

“We can’t determine an exact age, but she appears to be around eighty.”

“What…?”

“That’s why I said it’s strange.”

Judith’s tone turned firm.

“Eighty…”

The tension in Alicia’s face gave way to blank disbelief.

As her lips parted, Judith nodded along—though Alicia wasn’t sure what she was agreeing with.