“Hylus, let us talk for a moment.”

“Eden.”

“Pardon?”

“Did we not agree that you would call me by my name once the engagement ceremony was over, Loa?”

“I said I would reconsider, not that I would call you by…”

“Loa.”

“Haah… alright. Eden.”

In the end, it was I who surrendered to him.

“I will come to your room.”

It was not long before Eden came to my room. Both he and I had changed into comfortable clothes after the engagement ceremony.

“So, what did you want to say?”

“First of all, what happened to that horse?”

“The horse?”

“Yes, the horse that had the dagger lodged in its thigh.”

“Ah, fortunately the wound was not life-threatening, and it is currently recovering in the stable.”

At Eden’s words, my expression brightened in a way I could not hide.

“You were worried.”

“Of course.”

“The cloth tied around the thigh to stop the bleeding, that was also your doing.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Thanks to that, the horse avoided a permanent disability it would have carried for life.”

“A disability?”

“If it had not been for you, the dagger would have gone in even deeper.”

“Ah…”

It was a relief that a disability had been avoided, but why did I feel even more sorry.

And as though he could see my concern, Eden changed the subject.

“Is that all you wanted to ask?”

“Ah, no. The thing I am most curious about is still left.”

“What is it?”

“I thought that if anyone could find out why there were so many bandits, it would be you.”

No matter that the forest was a place where bandits frequently appeared, the number of bandits who had participated in the ambush was excessive. The number of bandits I had glimpsed was around fifteen or so. Including those who had been in hiding, there were likely even more.

“You are right.”

“……”

“I had already cleared out the bandits in that forest the day before our engagement ceremony.”

“Then who on earth…”

“Is there anyone you suspect?”

“…One person.”

“Who?”

“Ter Giuo.”

Given his personality, his pride must have been quite wounded after being the one to have the engagement broken off. Oh, and does he also have an inferiority complex toward Eden?

“That is also correct. It turned out Ter Giuo had spent money to hire mercenaries.”

“What happened to the captured mercenaries?”

“I extracted their testimony and had them all killed.”

“…And Marquis Ter Giuo?”

“He already knew his plan had failed and fled.”

At his words, I found myself clenching my fist without realizing it.

“Do not worry. Wherever he has fled to, I will track him down.”

“What if he hires more people with money again?”

“That will not happen.”

“You cannot guarantee that.”

“Loa.”

“Marquis Ter Giuo has not even been caught yet.”

It was Eden’s voice, raised a notch higher than before, that snapped me out of my rambling.

“Loa.”

“……”

“I will assign a knight to you. A female knight who can stay by your side at all times.”

He seemed to have sensed my anxiety, and spoke gently in a soothing tone. I had certainly thought of him as the absolute worst, and yet.

“I will catch him as quickly as possible, so you need not feel uneasy.”

“Thank you.”

“Right, and…”

Eden drew out his words in a manner uncharacteristic of his usual self.

…That is suspicious.

“I am sorry for pressing you so hard while you were in bed. I had forgotten that you were a patient.”

It was an unexpected thing to say.

This man surprises me in so many ways.

“Alright, I will accept your apology. But in return, please do not dodge my questions when I ask them.”

“……”

“Oh, if you do not wish to, never mind.”

“…Very well.”

“Pardon? What did you say? I could not quite hear.”

“I said, very well.”

Hearing the answer I wanted from his lips was satisfying. And as though to show that satisfaction, my cheeks rose to a height I could not conceal.

“The ones who ambushed you in the forest back then were the anti-faction, weren’t they?”

“…Most likely. I have not yet identified the exact mastermind.”

“And that is why you had so many knights accompanying you on the way to the engagement ceremony?”

In the novel, the leader of the anti-faction had been Marchioness Shaga. It had been revealed that Marchioness Shaga was the leader of the anti-faction, and the entire Shaga household had been wiped out.

However, there was one problem. The reason Aibel Shaga had been revealed as the leader of the anti-faction had not been described in the novel. No, it had been described, but I could not remember it.

Considering how many novels I had read, it was naturally impossible to remember every detail. This would be the case for anyone who found themselves transported into a book, not just me. What remained in my memory was only the important parts of the novel.

After deliberating deeply, I made a firm decision and opened my mouth. My thought was that once I said it, Eden would somehow find a way to build evidence.

“The leader of the anti-faction is…”

“……”

“Marchioness Aibel Shaga.”

At my answer, Eden showed no sign of being shaken, as though he already knew.

“What is the basis for your certainty?”

“I cannot tell you, for the same reason I cannot tell you how I knew Sir Siobhan would be joining the imperial knighthood.”

“You surprise me in many ways.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

“I already knew it was Marchioness Shaga, but I have not yet found concrete evidence or testimony.”

“……”

“She has been slipping away cleverly every time.”

Since I could not remember either, there was nothing I could say. I simply kept my mouth firmly shut.

“So then, was it because I helped you in the forest that time that you helped me at the social party?”

“That reason is not entirely absent.”

“And the other reason?”

“You will find out soon enough. I also needed justification to avoid an engagement just as much as you did.”

The idea of Hylus needing justification to avoid an engagement was something I had never considered.

“Rest now. I will introduce the knight to you tomorrow.”

Even after Hylus left, my thoughts did not settle easily. If anything, they became even more tangled. After standing near the window letting the cold air wash over me, I decided that would not do and pushed myself to my feet.

When I stepped out of the room, a lady’s maid and a butler who had been waiting nearby approached.

“Duchess, will you be having dinner?”

“No, I am alright. I will take a short walk.”

“My lady, I am Alb Seinu, the butler of the ducal residence. I have been working as a butler in this household for over twenty years.”

Hearing the word ‘my lady’ from a butler of over twenty years made every hair on my body stand on end.

No matter how many times I hear it, I cannot get used to it.

“Alb, since I am not yet married, please simply call me my lady.”

“How about prospective mistress, then?”

“That will do, please call me that.”

“If it is alright with you, since you may not yet be familiar with the ducal residence, might I show you around?”

At Alb’s courteous request, I gave a light nod.

“My lady, which flower do you prefer among nasturtium, rose, carnation, and acacia?”

“Oh, acacia…?”

“Then I shall guide you to the eastern garden, where the acacia blooms beautifully.”

“Do not tell me there is a separate garden for each direction?”

“Indeed there is. To the north are roses, which signify love and passion. To the south are nasturtiums, which signify loyalty and victory. To the west are carnations, which signify health and respect.”

“Then does acacia signify friendship?”

“Yes, that is correct. The acacia was planted to represent friendship and loyalty.”

It had appeared grand from the outside, but the inside was far more impressive. The ceilings and floors that caught the eye were decorated with a sense of unity yet without being monotonous, and artworks by painters who had once made great names for themselves hung at various points along the walls.

“In addition to those, there is also an outdoor greenhouse and an indoor garden. The prospective mistress may enjoy walks in a variety of places as she wishes.”

On the way to the garden, Alb gave a detailed account of the Hylus ducal family. Along with that, I came to know the founding noble families of Ermensel in considerable detail.

The members of the Istria family, who possessed intellect and wisdom superior to others, also had the gift of foresight. They would disarm their opponents with a benevolent expression before ultimately securing what they wanted through eloquent speech.

The Hylus family, by virtue of their bloodline, had physical constitutions superior to others and exceptional stamina. They also had to beguile enemies on the battlefield to make them lower their guard, and so both men and women of the family were born with looks capable of captivating anyone.

Since they were a family that had rendered service through war, they preferred sons who could participate directly in battle and earn merit.

The Herrmann family, on the other hand, had neither exceptional stamina nor exceptional intellect, but their understanding of money was unlike anyone else’s. They had ventured into the banking industry, which everyone said would fail, and made it a success, then ventured into distribution and succeeded at that as well.

For the sake of family unity and to secure Istria’s support, they needed to marry into the Hylus family, and so in contrast to Hylus’s preference for sons, a natural preference for daughters arose.

After hearing Alb’s account, I understood why I had felt as though I were under a spell when I first saw Eden in the forest. It was due to the innate quality woven into his very DNA to captivate people.

“Furthermore, the Hylus family and the Herrmann family have maintained their bond through strategic marriages in order to preserve harmony between the families and loyalty to the emperor.”

“Strategic marriages?”