C24
"Eh?"
My body started trembling without me even realizing it.
"No! I'm grateful, but this is too much!"
"Why?"
"Well, other people might find it strange that I, who am still a married woman, am staying at the house of a young, unmarried man. Of course! I'm not saying we'll ever be like that... Wouldn't it be different from when you were just my escort?"
That's how the noble world is.
I feel that having subordinates like servants or guards is the basic minimum right that a noble should have. Would you say they are not perceived as equals?
Perhaps that's why it wasn't a big deal for a lord and a servant of the opposite sex to be close to each other, but the situation was different if they were nobles of the same sex.
If the rumor spreads that I, who am not divorced, am staying alone as a guest at the Marquis of Friheiden's residence... It will never be well-received.
Terence's eyes opened slightly, and his mouth curved.
"I explained it poorly. It wasn't my intention to go to the Marquis Friheiden's residence. We will go to a villa on the outskirts of the capital."
"A villa?"
"It's a place prepared to avoid prying eyes. On paper, it belongs to someone else, and except for a few people, no one knows it's my villa. I'm sure even Cassius won't find it easily."
It was a fascinating story.
There is no law preventing the return of Leandro and Liena. Even if we change our accommodation, it would be a piece of cake for Cassius to find me in the capital if he wished.
"At first, I planned to move periodically."
I decided to accept Terence's offer with gratitude.
"I will receive your favor with gratitude."
"Well."
Terence extended his hand to her.
"We are officially in the same boat. Shall we shake hands?"
I looked at the man, not understanding.
What is he thinking? Even though he is a cautious person, he accepted the offer much earlier than expected and, strangely, seemed to be more friendly with me than necessary.
Is it because he hasn't turned black yet? Or did he see value in me beyond the medicine cart?
Or maybe...
I pushed aside the random thoughts my mind was trying to create and placed my hand on the gloved black hand.
"You will never regret this choice."
In any case, Terence Friheiden will be my partner from now on.
For some reason, a feeling of warmth spread from the area where we touched.
---
"It's not like me."
Terence murmured softly.
"What?"
His valet and assistant, Jack, asked curiously.
"No, I'm just talking to myself."
The location is Terence's secret villa on the outskirts of the capital.
Jack looked at the master, who was sitting at the desk, chin resting on his hand.
It was surprising that he announced without prior notice that he would bring a guest to the villa, and that guest was a mysterious woman.
What kind of relationship is this? He couldn't help but ask. He inquired around, but the response he received was not to go into details.
"Maybe a lover?"
But judging by the atmosphere between them and the conversation he overheard during dinner, it didn't seem so.
There was no romantic tension.
Especially from that guest with an elegant look.
First of all, Jack had never seen his master be intimate with someone his own age, despite serving him for about ten years.
It wasn't just a killer with a weapon who came to him. There were many assassins who were pretty and kind. Sometimes as maids, sometimes as neighbors, and sometimes as beautiful women.
Because of this, the Marquis always distrusted others and kept his distance from them since childhood. He rarely had time to trust his heart, even with the person closest to him, Jack.
Jack could only guess his master's intentions based on fragments of information he occasionally shared as if talking to himself.
Like now, for example.
"Why did I hand the check there? It's too early. I was planning to wait a week and see."
A low look of dissatisfaction.
"Even the address of the villa was exposed... It's strange."
Terence recalled what had happened at the teahouse during the day.
"Please cooperate with my divorce, Marquis Friheiden."
The first time he called him that, he was quite surprised.
When she later explained how she had noticed it, he realized that she was smarter than he thought. At the same time, he also realized that he had been too careless.
This was because he had no idea that Ethel knew his identity.
When he wasn't the Marquis, his surveillance was relatively reduced. No matter how confident he was in his mental strength, he couldn't live with tense nerves all the time.
"But still."
He relaxed his guard too much.
While Terence was considering Ethel's proposal, he also tried to find the motive.
From the first time they met, she didn't seem like an assassin. She was too careless.
The envoys sent by the empress and Duke Birod naturally approached him. They didn't suddenly drop from above like Ethel.
As he experienced it, those thoughts gained even more strength. She didn't show any characteristic movements of a trained person and always ate her food or sipped her tea first.
Above all, she didn't approach him rationally like other women did. She was so bland that she was tasteless.
However, even considering all the factors, it was an undeniable fact that she was too relaxed.
He was determined. Outwardly, he treated her the same as before, but he decided to watch from a distance.
Regardless of whether she was an assassin or not, it was clear that she was an unpleasant person to him. Because she had broken down a strong barrier in his heart.
As if to mock such a decision.
"Oh?"
When a single tear wet her soft-looking cheek.
Terence impulsively extended his handkerchief. When he handed over the blank check, he had already made a decision.
His determination to be cautious disappeared without a trace, and he reluctantly accepted the offer.
Compassion? Objectively, there are many people in more difficult situations than Ethel. He had never felt pity for them.
Rational attraction? Among assassins, there were several women as beautiful as Ethel. He had never been attracted to them.
So, once again...
"Is this for practical benefit?"
Ethel confessed that her ex-husband was having trouble producing an heir.
It was very good news for him.
For a noble, producing an heir is the most important task. If it were revealed that Cassius's successor actually had such a problem, it would surely cause a great uproar.
Since the family's prestige had been greatly tarnished, it was obvious that there would be calls to replace the successor.
If that happened, it couldn't be ignored that it might lead to a factional struggle.
First of all, the current head of the family was simply repressing it with great force, but Cassius, like other large families, had been fighting among his vassals for generations.
If that happens, Cassius will find it difficult to seriously engage in the matter of succession to the throne, as he will be busy resolving issues within his own family.
"I am still one step away from the political world because I pretend to be noble, but..."
There was absolutely no harm in presenting a problematic issue to Cassius, the most powerful supporter of the prince.
"That's what it was."
So, when Ethel told her situation, his heart was moved without him knowing it. Because he instinctively predicted that this would be useful to him.
That's why he felt good after learning about that idiot ex-husband's fatal problem.
All doubts were resolved.
Then, Jack asked, breaking his thoughts.
"I don't know, but it seems the person she came with is not an ordinary guest, is she?"
The master himself thought it was a waste of labor to maintain the villa every day, so he gave up the best room that was not in use.
It was probably part of an attempt to catch her off guard, suspecting that she was an assassin.
"If you give me the order, I will tell the attached maid to watch her every move. I will also observe what she does from time to time."
A competent servant knows what his master wants before saying it out loud. It was a perfectly timely response when the Marquis, who had previously been muttering something strange with a serious expression on his face, came.
But the eyes of his master turned dark.
"Stop talking nonsense and get ready."
"... What should I prepare for?"
"I'm going to stay somewhere else for a few days with my guest."
"What?! How many days will it be?"
Although Terence had no assigned task, it was dangerous to leave the mansion for a long time.
What if the emperor visits us again? It was not clear how the messengers sent by the Empress would react if they found out Terence was absent.
And why the hell is he going with his guest?
However, it was completely impossible for Jack to stop his master's actions or ask personal questions. Jack instead asked something that seemed relatively simple.
"Where are you going?"
"Ashton."
"If it's Ashton..."
It was the largest central city in the northern part of the empire and the capital of the Cassius Duchy.
"Ah, we've finally arrived."
Terence said as he watched me stretch as soon as I got off the platform.
"Thank you for your hard work on this short trip."
"Oh no. Thanks to you, I was able to travel comfortably in first class."
"It's not even a big deal."
No, it was incredible. It was a first-class seat on a magical train that used a large number of magic stones as an energy source. There's no way it's not expensive.
I had traveled between the capital and Cassius's territory several times before thanks to Leandro, and when I saw the sign, I thought my eyes were popping out.
The second and third-class seats were no different from regular train carriages, but the first-class seats were like a miniaturized version of a luxury hotel room.
Considering my tight original budget, it was a luxury I couldn't even dream of.
Thanks to Terence's reservation of two first-class compartments, I was able to enjoy the two-day train journey in great comfort.
"Shall we move before it gets too crowded?"
As other passengers began to disembark from the train, he thoughtfully blocked my way and pointed to the exit.
We left our luggage in the station's storage area and exited the spacious and elegant Ashton station.
Ashton City, the capital of the Cassius territory. Originally, it was a wealthy city, but thanks to Cassius's prosperity, it had become the largest city in the north.
Even in the north, it was relatively far south, so the climate was relatively warm.
This is where Liena spent most of her childhood and is the main setting for Part 1 of <Return and Walk on a Flower Path>.
The novel is largely divided into two parts: the first part deals with the resurgence of Cassius by the young Liena, and the second part deals with Liena's conquest of the empire after her rise to the capital.
In terms of time, we are currently in between the first and the middle of Part 2. About a month ago, the somber Terence appeared in front of Liena, who was enjoying a peaceful life in the capital, and marked the beginning of a large-scale conflict.
"There may not be much peace there due to the turmoil over my older brother's divorce, which should never have happened in the first place."
Yes, divorce. There was a serious reason why I had to go to Ashton just a few days before the important event of filing for divorce.