Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father

Chapter 62

Anyway, this was the first time Aria had ever spoken about the Rosa Estate.

It seemed like neither Aria nor the Viscountess consciously spoke about the Rosa Estate and Baron Paisley.

Sein was still uninformed, and Rita contacted me that evening as well.

Rita said the investigation was well underway, but that she was a bit troubled.

-Is the rumor that whenever Baron Paisley approaches a woman far younger than himself, he gets heart-shaped spots on his whole body really true? There are a lot of posters about it on the streets. It’s a bit embarrassing because thanks to that, Nathan laughs whenever he sees the Baron. It was so funny that my stomach almost popped out of my mouth.

I couldn’t help but recall the prime suspects for putting up those posters of a very specific testimony.

They pretended not to know anything and would then secretly leave and change them twice a night.

Now, since Agena’s face hardened, I know that to some extent, I had guessed correctly.

Still, it wasn’t a hair loss curse, but heart-shaped spots. It was a little unexpected.

Rita’s report didn’t end there.

-And the Baron’s nephew… I forgot his name, but anyway, did you know he was managing an orphanage? Well, he said that he only gave one chicken to thirty kids and told them to share it. I’m sending a doctor to check on the children’s condition.

That was him?!

“Kill him.”

-What?

“I’ll correct it. Make up a reason so I can put him to death.”

-Well, I’ll try!

Rita responded cheerfully and ended her report.

I had tea time with Viscountess Ella to cover a little for my men, who have been a bit busy putting up posters all night in the Rosa estate.

After briefly telling her what happened in the Rosa Estate, her wrinkled eyes bent.

And when I talked about the posters, she even laughed out loud.

“The Baron’s face, no, that face must have been worth seeing.”

You just said face, right?

The Viscountess took off her pretense with confidence.

“Your Grace, don’t worry about Sein. This is the age at which a child should be aware of reality. As a parent, if he asked for help, I wouldn’t turn him away, but I wouldn’t give it for free either. And the successor’s position has been out of the question from the beginning. That’s Aria’s.”

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She nailed her words in and left no room for negotiation.

“Now I want to tell you about the person who will become the new master of that land. The North is as desolate as it seems, so I’ve seen him around often, and he is a person with a strong sense of responsibility. The Baron has never deserved the Rosa Estate and its land, and it’s been that way from the very start. Even the glory of his predecessors has been shamed now.”

The Viscountess clicked her tongue. It seemed like she didn’t want to talk about the Baron anymore.

I changed the subject just as she’d hoped.

“It seems like you had a good sorcerer by your side.”

“Ah, you mean him? In the Empire, few people know sorcerers, but when I met them, they used interesting abilities. I still have them by my side, but they’re so old that they can’t curse anymore.”

The Viscountess laughed.

“Oh, the curse was Aria’s idea. Even at a young age, she realized that her father wouldn’t be of any help to her life.”

The two divorced 10 years ago, so Aria was probably twelve years old.

I can’t even imagine how crazy she was back then.

“The sorcerers would be very happy to know that Your Grace praised them. They told me to give you a gift.”

“Hmm? A gift?”

The Viscountess put an elongated wooden box on the table.

“They said it’s an amulet that improves the relationship between couples. It sounds like a scam doesn’t it? What the sorcerers actually said was that it ‘lets you face each other’s souls when charged with the moonlight of the full moon’.”

It lets you face their soul? What does that mean?

Seeing my confused expression, the Viscountess shrugged.

“It’s really up to you whether you believe it or not. My family’s wizards have also verified it, but they said they’re just rare bird feathers. If you’re uncomfortable, you can of course refuse.”

I opened the box.

In it were elegant-looking feathers.

“It’s the first time the sorcerers have given an amulet to someone else. I’m sure it’s going to be helpful to you. But personally, well, I’d like to know. As I said before, they’re too old.”

I grabbed the feathers and took a closer look.

In the light, the long blue feathers shone a subtle purple hue.

The color looked just like Aedis’s eyes, and they felt very nice too.

“Isn’t this something Your Grace doesn’t need?”

“That’s true. I’m still getting along very well with Aedis.”

Guessing what kind of bird’s feather it might be, the Viscountess’s eyes got softer.

“In my entire life, I never thought the day would come when I would get to see the Grand Duke in person. It’s all thanks to Your Grace. Thank you for making this a very glorious experience. Even though I had to take a whole bunch of sedatives, it was worth it.”

I remembered the tea that Aria and the Viscountess had drunk from time to time.

I don’t know if there are severe side effects…

Noticing my worries, the Viscountess answered the question that I didn’t even ask.

“It’s okay because I’m not taking them for a long period of time. I’m also constantly seeing my doctor.”

That’s good. I put the feathers in my arms.

“I will not forget your sincerity. Thank you for the gift.”

Anyway, even if Viscountess Ella’s sorcerers were up to something, I wouldn’t be affected as long as Aedis was there.

Whoo-hoo. My husband is the best!

The inspections of the Hollow and Carmel Estates were boring, but at least they went smoothly.

There was a famous tourist destination, so I was looking forward to seeing it, but the only thing to see was a lake.

The only harvest I got from it was the fact that Aedis finally got to tell me the name of the blue and white flower.

“It’s a marina.”

Aedis gave the correct answer and looked quite proud.

I was satisfied with him keeping his promise of finding out the name of the flower.

I heard that marina flowers, which only bloom in the Hollow Estate’s territory, are very popular as tea leaves.

Sarah brought it to me, so I often drank it.

-It’s a marina because it has a pretty color like the sea. Isn’t the name pretty?

…I’m sorry, husband. Sarah told me the name a little sooner than you did.

But I didn’t ask her!

Our innocent Sarah, who knows nothing, just spoke about it as if talking about the weather!

It was also an unavoidable conversation.

I forced my eyes to admire it, causing my pupils to shake, trying hiding to hide it from Aedis.

“Wow, wow. That’s a really pretty name.”

Sip-Sip

I drank the marina tea that was still hot.

I wonder if covering my face with the cup would reduce my chances of getting caught.

Aedis laughed quietly, unaware of my burning insides.

“I’m glad I could keep my promise.”

I have to take this secret to the grave….

While I snuggled up next to Aedis and enjoyed the leisure, the knights also enjoyed their free time.

Procyon went ice fishing with Pollux, Agena read, and Thuban trained with other knights.

Then we set off for Cyclamen Castle.

The way back was long and boring, so there was a lot of time to think.

I thought about the wolf I had found in Eire Forest.

The wolf who’s now under Aedis’s protection, but was definitely on the verge of dying.

As expected, it was still on my mind.

But I feel like I’m missing something.

And it feels like it’s something very important.

At the time, Aedis had said that he couldn’t find any traces of other beasts in the forest.

He wouldn’t have lied.

There was no reason for him to do that.

So, did we arrive too soon?

In 〈Esmeralda’s Crescent Moon〉, Regen said that he had awakened the beast, but when the beast had been asleep there wasn’t mentioned.

Once again, I have to go to Eire Forest.

This time, we have to deal with it for sure.

However….

-I don’t want you to use the beast’s blood, at least as long as I’m around.

You can just be pampered.

-If there is anything you want or need to do, please call me. I will pamper

you as much as I can.”

As we got off the carriage and took a break for a while, my worries continued.

Aedis has faith in me.

Sometimes, even if I did something suspicious, he would just let it slide.

Even if I said I was going back to Eire Forest without revealing the reason, he’d follow me without saying anything.

He said he was worried about me going alone.

I don’t feel much need to hide the fact that I remember my previous life from Aedis anymore.