Chapter 23: Words I Don’t Want to Hear 

The secret space was much larger than the office. Rows of bookshelves lined up, and instead of books, they were packed with bundles of papers. Eirene pulled one out from the nearest bookshelf. Inside the neatly bound stack of papers was a document with personal information. 

Personal information rather than the source of the Phineas family’s money. 5-year-old boy. Telomek Rafael. Geneseolam. And a question mark. That was all the content on one page. 

Age, name, gender. Geneseolam was a region name. Geneseolam was originally not imperial territory but land where barbarians lived, now part of Bainfelt’s domain. The geography books she often read while living underground out of longing for the outside world proved helpful. 

She now understood. The name was unique because the child was from Geneseolam. But what was the question mark at the end? 

The back of the paper was blank. Judging by the worn paper, it was quite an old document. 

Eirene picked up the next page. Similarly, it contained personal information. 7-year-old girl. Maya Pearly. Inoat. X. The X mark following the question mark piqued Eirene’s curiosity. 

Just as she was about to turn to the next page, Gemma entered.

“Miss! Someone’s coming! We need to leave quickly!”

Gemma spoke in a lowered voice, repeatedly glancing outside. Before putting the bundle of papers back, Eirene quickly flipped through them and then left the secret space. 

As soon as she exited the office, she spotted a maid walking from the opposite direction, but she passed by naturally, like she was simply strolling through the house. 

Back in her bedroom, Eirene calmed her racing heart while recalling the documents she had seen earlier. 5 and 7 years old. The ages that followed were all similar. Were they organized by age group? 

The secret space was filled with documents organized in the same format. She wondered if these might be records of servants who had worked for the Phineas family, but the two documents Eirene saw were about children. 

Children not even ten years old, and employing young children was illegal in the Bainfelt Empire. She felt she needed to see everything to understand. 

Though she couldn’t be certain without seeing other documents, she felt strangely uneasy. She couldn’t pinpoint why she felt this way. It was a melancholy she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

* * *

“I apologize for not knowing that a mage named Siaran had been by Count Phineas’s side for quite some time.”

Ulik was distressed, blaming his lack of skill. For Ulik, who rarely missed anything, not knowing about Siaran’s existence meant the mage had hidden himself well. It had left a deep wound on Ulik’s pride, who was much more meticulous than he appeared. 

But Clive didn’t comfort his friend and subordinate. After all, Ulik had made a mistake, and lately, there were things about him that irritated Clive.

“Perhaps I should get another aide.”

Clive muttered just loud enough for Ulik to hear.

“You’re not doing your job properly.”

“Your Highness.”

“If Eirene hadn’t told us, we would still be in the dark.”

“That’s true, but I’ve been watching since the ball.”

“And that ball was held because of Eirene, so without her, we wouldn’t have seen Siaran at all.”

This time, Ulik couldn’t answer and mumbled something unintelligible. Honestly, Clive found satisfaction in seeing Ulik so deflated over the Siaran matter. Serves him right. He’s been busy teasing him lately. 

However, Clive didn’t intend to watch Ulik like this for long. He didn’t want to make him unhappy, since Ulik considered recognition the greatest joy in the world.

“Let’s stop there and move on.”

“Pardon?”

Ulik’s face was red. Everything Clive said was correct, so he had nothing to say, and his face had changed color from self-loathing. At times like this, Ulik seemed more like a younger brother than a friend. 

Though he often teased Clive, it was rooted in affection. Despite his harsh nagging being a flaw, Ulik rejoiced in the happiness of those he cared about as much as he valued recognition. That’s why Clive comforted him first.

“Did you only bring bad news? There must be more.”

“Yes! There is! About Siaran!”

Siaran had apparently appeared suddenly among people one day. He had handsome features, but his impression was so dark, and his speech and behavior matched, making him difficult to approach.

“There’s something peculiar. Siaran’s public appearance was quite recent.”

“How recent?”

“Just a month ago.”

“A month? Then how do we know he’s been with Count Phineas for a long time?”

“Rumors. About eight years, they say. Recent rumors.”

Clive put a cigar in his mouth. Eight years was shorter than he had expected.

“If Count Phineas had been plotting since Aishe’s birth, shouldn’t Siaran have been with him from then? Besides, Eirene said she saw Siaran since she was young. Did they change mages midway? Eight years is a long time, but shorter than expected. What do you think?”

“If Miss Eirene was young, she might have mistaken another mage for Siaran. But you’re right, it’s surprising that he wasn’t with the Count from the beginning.”

“Eight years. Eight years…”

Smoke from the cigar flowed between Clive’s lips. He gazed with dry eyes at where the smoke had disappeared, lost in thought. When Ulik tried to leave to let him think quietly, Clive raised his hand to stop him. 

Ulik looked up at Clive once and stayed put. When emptiness filled those ashen eyes, one shouldn’t disturb him. It was a rule everyone around Clive knew. Though Ulik often found himself frustrated and unable to understand the arrogant prince who caused numerous incidents, he had followed him without complaint since learning the direction Clive wanted to go. 

Still, he regretted Clive stepping down from being Crown Prince. Honestly, Florian was too weak to be Crown Prince, both mentally and physically. Again, again. He was dwelling on something already settled. 

Ulik shook his head. At the same time, Clive tilted his head.

“This Siaran fellow. I think he deliberately revealed himself.”

The sudden appearance of Eirene. Siaran’s slightly earlier emergence. And rumors that spread through people, seemingly waiting for the right moment. Separately, these might have been overlooked, but the timing was too perfect.

“Deliberately? Why do you think so?”

“Until a month ago, Siaran was someone no one knew existed. For rumors to spread that such a person had been with the Phineas family for eight years, there must be a single source. Who else but himself?”

“You’re saying he deliberately revealed himself and spread rumors about himself?”

“It’s just speculation.”

But it wasn’t baseless. No, it was quite plausible.

“The key question is why Siaran revealed himself.”

“Do you have any guesses?”

“No. Have you found out anything about Eirene’s family?”

“You know that takes time. It hasn’t been long since you asked me to look into it. For now, we’re attempting to contact the maid named Gemma that the young lady mentioned.”

“Couldn’t we leave that to Eirene?”

“What we want to know and what the young lady is looking for are different. Different questions arise from different objectives, don’t they?”

Clive extinguished his half-smoked cigar and told Ulik he could leave, then lay down on the sofa and closed his eyes. When he didn’t hear the sound of departure, Clive spoke with his eyes still closed.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

“No, sir.”

At the sound of the door closing, Clive opened his eyes again and sighed. He rubbed his face, then sighed again. He covered his eyes with the back of his hand to try to sleep, but instead became more alert. 

After tossing left and right, he finally got up. It had been a week since he last met Eirene. During that week, he had things to do but couldn’t focus on them and wasted time. Unlike before, Eirene didn’t appear before his eyes. 

Instead, his mind was filled with thoughts of her. Is she doing well? What is she doing? Is she doing something dangerous? Does she even think of him? And so on. 

He hadn’t sorted anything out and had just been smoking cigars one after another. He had also ordered everyone except Ulik and Madam Hannon to stay away, fearing he might just vent his frustration at the unpleasant situation. 

Perhaps Eirene’s divine power included the ability to enchant people. Clive abruptly rose from the sofa and tried to read the unfinished documents. Again, even though his eyes were on them, nothing entered his mind. 

Knock knock knock.

“It’s me, Your Highness.”

It was Madam Hannon.

“Come in.”

Madam Hannon entered with tea and set it down in front of Clive.

“I heard from Ulik.”

“Heard what?”

“That you’re sorting things out.”

“That fellow has such a loose tongue. It really makes me want to find another aide.”

“Please don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“I do mean it.”

“Then get another aide later. For now, go to the young lady, Your Highness.”

Madam Hannon placed both hands on her stomach and looked at Clive with downcast eyes.

“I can see it. You’re looking at me with contempt.”

“If you can see it, then my intention has been fulfilled. Your heart has already decided, so why do you say you’re sorting things out?”

“Because it’s serious.”

“Not everything goes according to plan.”

Madam Hannon openly scolded him, but she understood the confused heart of the Grand Duke. Though he seemed to live chaotically, Clive was a person who moved according to plans he set himself. Even his chaotic life was part of his plan. 

But now Eirene had suddenly entered and shaken him, so his confusion was natural. It was like his entire meticulously planned life was being shaken. It must have been bewildering for a rational person to be dominated by emotions.

“Where is the person who hated saying something couldn’t be done without trying?”

“Because this isn’t something that can be done just by trying.”

“Does the young lady dislike you?”

“She didn’t seem to, but who knows what’s inside.”

“Then ask her. If she says she dislikes you… regrettable, but what can you do? You can give up cleanly then.”

“I don’t want to hear her say she dislikes me.”

Madam Hannon turned away from Clive, who wouldn’t budge despite her attempts at persuasion. When he was stubborn like this, no one could stop him. What could she do? 

He would have to learn through suffering. After Madam Hannon left and Clive was alone, he put a cigar in his mouth but then put it down. 

He had smoked so much that even this had become tiresome. He tapped a new cigar on the table and then went outside. He rode a horse and galloped somewhere.

* * *

The next morning at the Phineas Mansion. A servant who came out to clean the garden cursed when he saw something on the ground.

“Who on earth dared to throw cigar butts in front of the Count’s mansion!”

It wasn’t just one or two. He clicked his tongue while cleaning up the pile of cigar butts.

“Crazy. I wonder if someone died after smoking this much at once.”

Since it was a place where outsiders couldn’t easily enter, the culprit was obviously one of the servants. He looked around just in case but didn’t discover anyone.

* * *

She went out with just Gemma. Countess Phineas had given permission easily, which surprised Eirene, but she left the mansion with a comfortable mind. There had been no contact from Clive for over a week. 

She needed to tell him what she had discovered in the office but couldn’t meet him, so she took the initiative. Since letters exchanged at the mansion were censored by the Count and Countess, she decided to send one from outside. 

Over the past few days, Eirene had visited Count Phineas’s office several times and seen more of the puzzling documents. They weren’t grouped by age range; they only contained children’s personal information. 

Some documents had additional content beyond what she had first seen. She couldn’t imagine why there were personal details of so many children. It was beyond Eirene’s comprehension. 

When she entered the café where she had met Clive, the manager recognized her and guided her.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No. Is there a way I can contact His Highness? I’d like to meet him urgently.”

“There is a way, but it would be difficult today if he’s far away. Besides, it takes half a day to reach Dervel.”

“I know. Then please tell His Highness that I’d like to meet him here tomorrow around noon.”

“Yes. I’ll make sure to tell him.”

After finishing her business, she was about to return directly to the Phineas Mansion but decided to look around with Gemma. 

The veiled hat she wore prevented people from recognizing her, making it pleasant to walk around without disturbance. Following a delicious aroma that tickled her nose, she discovered a shop baking bread in a shape she had never seen before. 

Gemma wanted to eat some, but it was unfortunate that she had no money on hand.

“Would you like some?”

Kailro suddenly appeared between Eirene and Gemma.