Chapter 5

At the main gate, fortunately, young servant Haden, who had been waiting to ring the bell, was present. They called for the servants and the butler, and barely managed to rescue the collapsed Ian from the pouring rain. It was truly fortunate that Seiran happened to run over midway and was able to help.

When the servants cleaned Ian’s body and laid him on the bed, Elcia, finally relieved, let out a sigh and collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness completely.

It was truly a ridiculous thing.

Ian, who had drunk heavily and collapsed in a drunken stupor, woke up perfectly fine after just half a day, but Elcia could not. Worried about Ian and soaked to the bone by the cold rain, she was bedridden for four whole days before she could get up. The first thing she asked about upon waking was Ian’s condition.

“Eh, Miss Elcia…….”

“I must see the Count.”

Her complexion was somewhat pale, but ignoring Haden’s worries, she almost crawled to Ian’s bedroom door. Her fingers, not yet free from the lingering effects of the strong cold, trembled violently as if telling her to rest, but she ignored it. Once she recovered, she might be driven out by Ian’s rough hands and force at any time. If she stayed still until she was fully better, she might one day wake up in a carriage heading back to the capital.

“……I’m sorry, but could you call the Count for me? There’s something I must say.”

Haden looked distressed and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry, Miss Elcia.”

“He refuses to speak with me?”

“Yes…….”

“I see.”

What fault could there be in Haden, who was bound to follow his master’s orders? Elcia kindly patted the young servant’s head, telling him she would stay here for just five minutes before returning to her bedroom, so he need not worry.

With Haden watching her anxiously, she stood quietly in front of Ian’s bedroom door and spoke.

“Hello, Count.”

Naturally, Ian beyond the door gave no reply. He was probably completely fed up with a clueless, foolish woman like herself—of course, anyone would be. Elcia tried hard to soothe the disappointment that welled up.

“Did you know?”

“…….”

Elcia turned her head to look out the window in the corridor and spoke.

“They say after three summer storms pass, the autumn everyone loves will arrive. I’ve experienced two storms in the capital, so this is the third. So, if we endure just a little longer, cool autumn will come, right? The chef here makes maple syrup by hand, and I’m thinking of learning if I get the chance, what do you think?”

She did not mention the matter she had inadvertently overheard about the Saint, only speaking of trivial things.

In truth, after she woke and regained her senses, she was shocked once more.

Ian Kypris and Saint Kayla were in love with each other?

The commander of the knights could resign from his post, but the Saint was a different matter.

The Saint was revered by all the people of the Empire, and even believers from other countries came to this temple seeking blessings. As such, she was a symbol of peace and, when the Empire was weak, served as a kind of hostage to prevent war—so even the Emperor could not handle her lightly. The position representing divinity was the same for the commander of the Holy Knights, but as a knight, his role was fundamentally different from the Saint’s. The Saint truly was like a second mother of the nation, symbolizing rest, peace, and the love of God.

To put it simply, Ian and the Saint’s relationship was—

A forbidden love, difficult even to speak of.

It was such a shocking secret.

‘So, after the Grand Expedition ended, the two had promised to leave the world behind and go far away together. Abandoning heavy duties and status…… But because the Saint sacrificed herself, the Count’s tragic love was shattered helplessly. How painful must that have been?’

Elcia looked at Ian’s bedroom door, which showed no sign of opening, and smiled sadly. Having missed the chance for a deeper conversation with Ian due to a trivial mistake, she now wanted to be sure to respect his feelings.

She did not ask for much.

If Ian Kypris could return to living as an ordinary person, she wanted to quietly watch over him from behind until he could take that difficult yet noble step.

“Count, my promised five minutes are up, so I’ll go now. I’ll come at this time tomorrow and talk again, so you must listen, okay? Haden, what time is it now?”

“Y-yes? Ah…… It’s three in the afternoon.”

Haden, startled, pulled a rusty pocket watch from his sleeve. Elcia nodded and leaned gently against the door, speaking kindly.

“At three in the afternoon, the body feels languid, but the sunlight still shines brightly on the earth, making it a good time for a walk. Count, I’ll come here every day at three to greet you, then go into my room and stay there until before six. So…… if you come out then, you won’t have to see my face. I promise to keep this promise no matter what.”

Locking herself away for just three hours was nothing to Elcia. More than that, she hoped Ian would trust her promise and come out of his room on his own.

As she trudged back to her bedroom, she saw Seiran, arms crossed, near the parlor.

“Sir Seiran?”

“……Is it really alright for you to be up and about already, Miss Bennett? You look pale—don’t overdo it, please return to your room.”

As soon as he saw Elcia, he uncrossed his arms and spoke with concern. But Elcia sensed a subtly different atmosphere from the first day. It seemed Seiran had something to say to her, and it was not likely to be friendly.

“A short walk is fine.”

“Then may I speak with you for a moment? It won’t take long.”

“Yes…….”

Seiran, as if waiting, opened the parlor door and entered first.

She could roughly guess what this loyal knight wanted to say. When she had regained consciousness and was alone, the leather frame in the pocket of her robe was gone. Of course, it was not strange, since it was something that should return to Ian, its original owner.

But if it was Seiran, who had been with the Grand Expedition…… he might have known about Ian and Saint Kayla’s secret relationship from before. The other companions of the expedition were scattered, but Seiran still stayed by Ian’s side. With that kind of loyalty, it would be harder not to know.

‘So it was Sir Seiran who took it, wasn’t it?’

Elcia judged that the person who took the frame containing such a huge secret was not a servant, but Seiran.

Kayla had been selected as a Saint at a very young age and entered the temple. Before joining the expedition, she had almost no public service due to her age. So Elcia, who originally lived in a rural estate, had never seen her face, but residents of the capital might have seen the Saint at least once.

Secrets have value only when few people know them. So if Seiran, not a servant from the capital, had retrieved the item himself, it made sense.

“Miss Bennett?”

“Yes.”

Seiran, who had walked ahead, suddenly turned around. Even without holding a weapon, his movement was so fast and rough that Elcia instinctively flinched.

She was always timid by nature.

Lively, timid, weak, and easily embarrassed.

These four mismatched traits were the essence of Elcia.

“……Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to threaten you.”

He smiled, but there was no laughter in his eyes.

“It’s alright. I’m just a bit sensitive.”

“I see.”

She mustered her courage and asked first,

“Is there something you wanted to say to me about the frame the Count dropped?”

When Elcia spoke first, Seiran’s eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he hadn’t expected it.

“What do you mean?”

“……I’ll be honest. When I finished cleaning, I found the leather frame discarded on the floor, so I picked it up, wiped off the dust, and put it back. I saw the private inscription at the bottom, but since I didn’t know who the woman was, I thought it was fine. Unfortunately, because of my rash action, the Count saw the frame on the dresser and ran out into the rain in anger. I regret that.”

Even after Elcia’s long confession, Seiran kept a stiff expression. When she finished, he stepped forward and asked,

“Miss Bennett, do you know who the woman in the frame is?”

True to Conrad’s praise of her character, Elcia could not lie.

“……Yes.”

“I see.”

He sighed lightly.

“When I heard the story from Haden and rushed over, I thought something was odd. But I became certain of her identity…… because the Count himself said her name while drunk…….”

Seiran looked at Elcia with troubled eyes, and only after a long pause did he speak.

“Please keep this secret. Only a very few know, and it would be a problem if the story got out.”

“You were the one who took the frame, weren’t you, Sir Seiran?”

“That’s right. You’re quick-witted, Miss Bennett—I couldn’t even lie to you.”

She bowed her head and replied,

“I have no intention of carelessly talking about someone else’s secret…… And I came here to help the Count, so it may sound strange, but I want to stay a little longer. I’ll do whatever I can if it means persuading the Count.”

Seiran relaxed his stiff expression and answered,

“Understood. You must have been surprised by all this, but I’m counting on you.”

“Thank you.”

The next day, as promised, Elcia stood once again in front of Ian’s bedroom door at three o’clock.

“Count, hello?”

The room inside was still quiet. Still, she was not disappointed.

“It’s only been a day, but the morning air is already chilly. I wonder if frost will come soon. In this season, it’s good to wear a scarf or tie around your neck even indoors. What do you think, Count?”

Was Ian even listening to her trivial chatter?

She could not be sure of anything, but, just like yesterday, Elcia kept speaking with a faint smile.

“A doctor I once met told me that when your throat is scratchy and sore, drink something cold; when your body is about to weaken, drink something warm. It’s a simple self-care tip—did you know that, Count? Haha, you probably know better than I do.”

“…….”

No matter how long she waited, the answer she longed for did not come. Without disappointment, Elcia said her farewell in a bright voice.

“Then, I’ll go now. Goodbye, Count. I’ll come again tomorrow.”