Chapter 4

“Why did you lock the door?”

“……There was reason enough.”

The butler, Alon, asked as he straightened the collar of Cesare’s shirt. Cesare accepted his touch without resistance and replied.

“You look tired. Did you have a nightmare?”

“I slept well enough. It was when I woke up that it became a nightmare.”

“Is it because of that girl from yesterday?”

“No!”

“…….”

At Cesare’s strong denial, Alon’s eyes narrowed. Cesare let out a low sigh and opened his mouth.

“……In truth, yes. I am uncomfortable around that girl.”

“She was certainly pretty enough to make one uneasy. She seemed to hold quite a bit of favor for you, Earl.”

Alon said this while recalling Louise from the previous night. The way she had looked at the lord as though he were some sparkling jewel had been striking.

“Perhaps so. She came asking me to exercise the right of the first night.”

“I see…… pardon?”

The butler’s hand, which had been applying oil to Cesare’s hair and combing it, stopped. The butler, who was not easily excited, stammered and asked in haste.

“T-the, the, the right of the first night?”

“Yes. She somehow got hold of the Euclid Code and made it impossible for me to dismiss it as nonsense.”

“Did you accept?”

“Do you think I am mad? I was going to say I would look into it and end it there, and then you came in.”

“She was very pretty, though. If it is something the woman herself wants, then taking her once would not seem so bad.”

The butler looked at Cesare as though looking at a fool. Fortunately there was no mirror, so Cesare could not see the irreverent look in the butler’s eyes. Cesare shook his head.

“No, it will not do.”

Not “I do not want to,” but “it will not do”? The butler realized that Cesare was hiding something.

“That child is…… too pretty, which makes her suspicious. She might be a spy brought in from somewhere. It would be entirely possible for her to drive a dagger into my heart in the bedroom.”

The butler’s gaze, which had become serious for a moment, instantly relaxed.

“What reason would anyone have to send a spy into such a rural territory?”

“Alon, I never married, and all my family are dead. There is not even a collateral branch left to inherit this house. It is entirely possible that someone would covet my position.”

What Cesare said was true. Having long ago lost his parents and never having married, Cesare had built up the territory all on his own. If someone assassinated Cesare and rose to power, there would be neither person nor faction able to stop them. Because of that, ever since he had become lord, Cesare had been cautious about everything he ate and everything he wore.Louise’s appearance was inevitably suspicious—far too pretty and too intelligent-looking for someone in the countryside.

“That is true, My Lord. I must have grown too complacent. My apologies.”

“Since nothing has happened until now, I can understand why you might think that way. I understand.”

“In that case, shall I look into it further? About that woman, I mean.”

After thinking for a moment, Cesare nodded.

“Yes, even if it is only temporary employment, there is no harm in looking into it. It does not seem she came here carelessly, babbling about the right of the first night. Find out everything, from her family circumstances to her recent movements.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

*   *   *

“……Hey.”

Someone’s voice could be heard from far away. Who was it, being bothersome while she was working?

Frowning, Louise brushed away the hand reaching toward her. Only after cool skin touched hers did she realize that something was strange, and she lifted her head.

“Who…… eek.”

Cesare was standing there holding his arm, looking at her as though dumbfounded. Louise jumped to her feet and bowed her head to him.

“I am sorry. When I am working, I do not notice much else.”

“It is fortunate you are not deaf.”

It seemed Cesare had called her quite a few times. Louise scratched her head awkwardly.

“But why did you call me?”

“It is lunchtime.”

“Ah, please go ahead and eat first. I will just eat something here while I work.”

“It is the rule not to work during lunchtime. Come with me.”

At last, he blew out the candle with a soft puff. Louise stared at Cesare in disbelief as he walked out the door. He was standing in front of the door almost like a protest, as though asking what she was doing, not coming out quickly. Sighing, Louise dragged herself up.

*   *   *

When Cesare entered the dining hall, he naturally picked up a wooden tray. Judging by the ease with which he served himself, it seemed he ate lunch there every day. It felt strange that a lord, in name and status, would dine in the same place as the servants.

Louise naturally sat down in front of Cesare. The people who had seemed indifferent when Cesare sat down began looking at her with curious eyes as soon as she sat before him. It seemed Cesare also sensed those gazes.

“Why are you eating in front of me?”

“Was someone else planning to sit here?”

“That is not the case.”

“Then I will just sit here and eat. I do not know anyone else, after all.”

“……Very well.”

Perhaps there was nothing particularly wrong with what she said, because Cesare silently lifted his utensils. Watching him, Louise smiled to herself. In a good way, Cesare was not very aristocratic. Even if something displeased him, he first asked why that person had acted that way, and if the reason seemed sufficiently understandable, he accepted it and let it pass. Louise was beginning to genuinely like him. It also helped that he was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. While eating, she secretly stole glances at Cesare.

Today’s meal was onion soup, half a braised horn chicken, stir-fried mushrooms and vegetables, and lemon fritters. Was it because this was the meal of a lord? The food was of excellent quality. Forgetting even that she was sitting in front of Cesare, Louise shoveled food into her mouth eagerly. When she suddenly came back to her senses, Cesare was looking at her with a curious expression.

“……You really do eat with great enjoyment.”

“I have heard that often.”

“How is the work?”

“Well, I think I can understand why the previous one ran away.”

At her words, Cesare flinched. It seemed even he had something of a guilty conscience.

“……There is a lot of work, yes. But it must not be done carelessly. It is the draft of the report to be submitted to His Majesty the Emperor.”

There really was a lot of work.

The task she had been assigned was to organize the harvest yields of every grain, fruit, and vegetable produced in the Raymond Territory that autumn.

There were more than five types even among the grains alone—wheat, beans, millet, and others—and once fruits and vegetables were added, it felt as though her head would burst. It was doubtful whether it could even be finished within a week.

“What happens if I cannot finish it within a week?”

“The successor will take over the task.”

It was as though Cesare was saying inwardly, You are only ‘temporary,’ after all. In that case, he might as well not have let her eat lunch at all. Louise pouted a little.

Regardless, Cesare elegantly cut into a lemon fritter and popped it neatly into his mouth. Then Cesare’s expression crumpled in a most inelegant way. It seemed the lemon was more sour than he had expected. Even though he disliked it that much, instead of stopping, Cesare kept stuffing the lemon fritter into his mouth.

If he dislikes it that much, why does he not stop eating it? As though he would be punished if he left food behind…….

Louise, watching Cesare with her fork between her lips, discovered something interesting. Most of the time, Cesare frowned while chewing the lemon fritter, but very occasionally, he would make a happy expression. Curious about why, Louise stared at Cesare until she figured it out.

‘This man cannot handle sour things, but he likes sweets!’

Because most of the lemon was sour, he would make all sorts of faces while eating it, but when he bit into the sugar-dusted batter, he made a happy expression. Having learned the answer, Louise barely restrained the urge to giggle by forcing herself to think sad thoughts. Even so, perhaps she could not help her expression turning strange, because after neatly finishing the lemon fritter, Cesare looked at her as though she were odd.

“If you are done eating, get up.”

“Yes.”

Louise stood from her seat, carrying the tray she had cleaned spotless.