Chapter 6 – Part 5

“How do you like this color?”
 
“It looks good on you.”
 
“Mmm……. and this one?”
 
“It looks good on you.”
 
“Eli.”
 
Ruby, holding up the colorful yarn, frowned weakly.
 
“They all look good. Just buy them all.”
 
Ruby again questioned his fixed comment every time she bought something.
 
The reason she didn’t get angry at his casual tone was because she knew he meant it.
 
“I’m only going to buy one. Which one do you think looks best on me?”
 
“This one: …….”
 
Part of him wanted to buy them all and have Ruby wear a different color shawl depending on her mood, but he knew that wasn’t possible, so he picked the one that looked best on her.
 
“What about you? What color do you want?”
 
This time, he held up a navy blue and ivory thread that he said matched her.
 
“Same as yours.”
 
Eli took the indigo blue from Ruby’s hand, paid for it, and took the yarn.
 
When they were finally home in the winter, they would knit shawls for each other. She’d bought several skeins of yarn out of respect for Eli’s beginner status.
 
“You don’t need to buy more, do you?”
 
The weather was getting colder, and Ruby was worried that she wouldn’t be able to come out again.
 
“No. It’s so bad we won’t need to come back until after winter.”
 
“It’s not that bad.”
 
Ruby looked at her groceries with a wry smile.
 
“I’ll come back if you need anything. You should go home for the night; you’re cold.”
 
Eli said, taking Ruby’s hand and slipping it into his coat.
 
Soon, they were both in the carriage.
 
“Why do you think things seem to have gotten better between ……?”
 
Campbell asked Laura as soon as they were in the carriage. Laura agreed.
 
“I see. I was right not to worry.”
 
As they shopped for groceries, they acted like newlyweds, as if no one else was in sight.
 
Laura stared longingly at where they left off and then returned to her own store.
 
* * *
 
“Your Highness!”
 
“What’s going on?”
 
Neskan, 2nd Prince of Cains, who was in the middle of a meeting, asked irritably.
 
“The 14th Prince has been in contact with the Marquis of Grit, and not in the capital either.”
 
“Lord Grit? The same Lord Grit?”
 
Neskan was familiar with the name.
 
There had never been a significant event in the Luben Empire that Lord Grit hadn’t been involved in. He knew well that they had worked together to cross borders since the current Emperor was still a crown prince.
 
“Why? Oh, never mind.”
 
He canceled the question right after he asked it.
 
“Are you sure?”
 
“Yes, I’m sure.”
 
Neskan, seeming to ponder for a moment, gestured to his aide to continue explaining.
 
“As I mentioned, there’s no sign of the other side backing down. Moreover, we need additional food, but it’s difficult to receive it with the ongoing siege.”
 
The end of what they thought would be a bearable period was approaching.
 
The knights were exhausted, and to make matters worse, their rations were running low.
 
Normally, Neskan would have been nervous about surrendering.
 
The situation had come to this, and his sensitivity was at its peak.
 
But today was different. After a long pause, Neskan ordered.
 
“I want you to find out as much as you can about what happened and what the relationship between the two was.”
 
“Yes, Your Highness.”
 
“Good information has come at the right time.”
 
His mind spun rapidly.
 
“We need to strategize. It seems I’ll have to meet my brother after a long time.”
 
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth for the first time in a very long time.
 
* * *
 
“Isn’t this the way to the mansion?”
 
Ruby asked, leaning on Eli’s shoulder and looking out the window.
 
“We have to stop somewhere.”
 
“Where?”
 
“You’ll see when we get there.”
 
Eli found Ruby’s confusion adorable but didn’t offer any explanation as he kissed her lightly.
 
“Where is this place?”
 
“Where our mansion is going to be built.”
 
The place Eli and Ruby had arrived by carriage was some distance from where they lived now. That’s because they were looking for a place to build a new mansion.
 
They couldn’t simply buy up all the houses where people were already living. It would be too conspicuous and not a viable option for long-term residency.
 
“But we already have a mansion.”
 
“I know that there’s a mansion there, and we will have one here.”
 
Ruby’s expression as she looked at Eli begged for more explanation.
 
“Even if we build a house, it won’t be finished immediately. It will take a few years. We could build it quickly, but I don’t intend to do so.”
 
“…….”
 
“Since we’re building, think about the mansion you want to live in. Build it the way you want it, from the ground up.”
 
Eli took Ruby’s left hand and kissed her ring finger.
 
“It’s usually considered best to receive a fully finished mansion. But it might not be to your taste. I want it to be just the way you want it—how many rooms you want, what they’ll be used for, how you want the garden to look, things like that.”
 
“That would take too…… long.”
 
Ruby hadn’t had a lot of preferences in her life.
 
She couldn’t think of anything right now. She didn’t know how long it would take.
 
“No rush; you can think about it slowly, since we already have a mansion to live in.”
 
“…… I know this is going to offend you, but… can I ask you a question?”
 
“I’ll take it into consideration and listen.”
 
“Aren’t you going to…… the capital?”
 
It had a notably cautious tone compared to before. It was also a tone that reflected Ruby’s change of heart.
 
“Do you want me to go?”
 
“You have a lot of work to do; I know it’s hard for you to stay here…….”
 
“Don’t worry about my situation. Just tell me what you want.”
 
As he said that, Eli bit Ruby’s pinky finger lightly. As if he were giving her a punishment.
 
“Let’s decorate it together. I want you to be in this mansion. I want to spend happy times with you there.”
 
“…….”
 
“This winter I’ll knit you a shawl; next winter I’ll knit you mittens, and the winter after that……
 
Eli cupped Ruby’s cheeks in his hands and kissed them lightly, then released them.
 
“Alright. So we can enjoy ourselves indoors during the winter, drink hot chocolate, watch the snow, and such.”
 
Ruby raised herself on tiptoes, kissing Eli, who was taller than her, back. It was good to know that they would be together in the future.
 
* * *
 
“A letter has arrived.”
 
The servant handed Marie a letter.
 
“It seems it’s time to return at last.”
 
Marie’s face lit up as she took the letter.
 
Then she called for Damon.
 
“You wanted to see me?”
 
“I need to get to Shuban. Tell your master to meet me there.”
 
“……Yes, My Lady.”
 
Marie didn’t offer a long explanation. She already knew her letter was being monitored to some extent through Damon. This wouldn’t happen again after this task. She relaxed in the drawing room after Damon left.
 
* * *
 
“How’s it going?”
 
Leton hadn’t returned to the mansion until nightfall.
 
“The property settlement went smoothly, as you might expect from last time. I’ve already made some donations.”
 
This meant only a tiny fraction of his assets.
 
Even without the title of Lord Grit, he was affluent. When he became Lord Grit, the family’s finances weren’t so abundant. The profits from the estate under Marie Grit’s management had increased, so they weren’t financially lacking. However, most of the wealth accumulated over generations has effectively disappeared.
 
Currently, the family’s finances are almost entirely based on Eli’s personal assets; although some of them were converted into family assets for the operation of the family, in terms of the Marquis Grit’s assets themselves, they were wealthier than before.
 
“I’ve contacted the temple, as you said, and the mansion is ready. I’ve also arranged for the necessary personnel.”
 
Eli nodded in understanding.
 
“But Viscount Del says he’s been asking about the family, and how do we handle that?”
 
“Sorvan Del?”
 
“Yes. The timing seems to have been shortly after the falling out with the Marquis. He says he’s also found out about your wife.”
 
“What did he find out?”
 
“He says he asked what your wife’s life was like in Shuban.”
 
“Regarding Ruby… when did he start looking for her?”
 
“I’m not sure about Viscount Del’s travels to Devens, perhaps because he was too cautious, so we estimated based on the period when the mansion was vacant.”
 
It seemed he had been cautious.
 
Someone like him wouldn’t have overlooked the need to be cautious in Zenfield.
 
Perhaps it was because Devens was so vigilant and conscious of those he had placed in his service.
 
He didn’t recognize his brother’s watcher, who was actually attached to him.
 
“I believe they made contact a few days before your wife disappeared, and I think we got most of the story out of the way then. He hasn’t been out of the capital for a while since then, most likely because he had someone move him around.”
 
“Where did they meet in Zenfield?”
 
“Not here, technically. They met at a café in a neighborhood called Capel, just over the bridge. The manager remembered that they met every few months.”
 
“Good work.”
 
Given Sorvan’s anger at him at the party, it was clear that he had some idea of what had happened to Ruby at the Grit House, and he’d looked into it.
 
He likely offered to help her first, but ultimately it was Ruby’s acceptance that led him to Devens. ……
 
Even if Sorvan’s watchers hadn’t crossed over to Zenfield, if they knew about Ruby meeting Sorvan in Capel, they would have known about her home in Zenfield.
 
Even knowing that the civil war in the Kingdom of Cains had ended without a blow to the Luben Empire, based on the past, did not entirely dispel his anxiety.
 
“Anyway, it seems we can’t stay here for long.”
 
Eli resolved to prioritize strengthening security for the new mansion.