Though a man of few words, Nix had shed tears, begging them to entrust this task specifically to him. He was a man prepared to throw away his life if it meant causing even the slightest harm to Balshwin.

Thinking of Nix, the face like a snow rabbit came to mind again, making Lars frown. Just then, someone knocked on the door in an irregular pattern. It was the code they had established among themselves. Lars and Yanken turned simultaneously.

“Come in.”

“Hardy is here!”

With a cheerful voice, the door swung open. What rolled in like a snowball was a person of not very large build.

The face covered with curly brown hair looked young enough to be called a boy, but the muscles surrounding his arms and legs were unusually firm. His freckle-covered cheeks grinned widely. Yanken narrowed his eyes at him and gave him a light knock on the head.

“How many times do I have to tell you to move quietly?”

“Ouch, how could I be any quieter than this!”

The irritated Hardy immediately grabbed Yanken’s wrist and skillfully twisted it. Yanken frowned, simultaneously twisting his body to protect his wrist before kicking Hardy’s waist with his leg. But Hardy, anticipating his movement, nimbly rolled his body and threw the wine bottle in his hand.

“You bastard!”

Seeing the poorly aimed wine bottle flying toward Lars, Yanken shouted, but Lars caught it with an impassive face. Hardy showed an embarrassed expression and grinned, “Heh.”

“Sorry, Commander. I meant to throw it at that big bear but…”

“You damn eel, should I nail you to the floor like a spike right now?”

“With your weak strength that can only run your mouth, what are you going to nail?”

“Quido.”

Knowing all too well that this would go on endlessly if left alone, Lars reluctantly intervened. Hardy sniffled his nose and shrugged with a sullen face. Yanken giggled.

“I’ve been saying that useless kid should have been dumped in some rural village long ago……”

“He’s definitely one of the Count’s men. Quite loyal.”

Hardy spoke with an impatient look as if the delay was due to some idiot, pointing at Yanken.

“Judging by the role, he seems closer to me than that bear over there.”

“What? You mean I’m in charge of useless odd jobs?”

“……This winter is going to be cold, so I really need to wrap myself in a bear skin.”

Hardy, who had somehow pulled out eight blades between his fingers with a “chang” sound, smiled with white showing in his eyes. Lars snorted and sent a quiet glance toward Yanken, who was provocatively wiggling his fingers. Yanken moved his lips with an indignant expression at Lars’s look that said “pathetic.”

“No, this brat keeps starting it first……”

“Say one more word. And Hardy, if you say anything unnecessary one more time before finishing your report, I’ll personally bury both of you, remember that.”

To Hardy, Yanken was like a neighborhood dog he could wrestle and play with wildly, but Lars was like a master he wanted to absolutely obey.

Hardy, who quickly smiled like a child, sat down quietly on the chair, folding his hands as if nothing had happened.

“Recently, the Count has been trying his best to swallow the Ohr family’s fur and spice business. Since he has no son, it’s difficult to inherit all of the Ohr family’s fortune, but the business rights are complicated by competing interests, so the royal family can’t unilaterally reclaim them. With the Countess’s health condition not looking good, he’s trying to recover as much as possible before she dies, and the men working with him on that job know the name Quido. And…”

Hardy, who had been speaking fluently, lowered his voice slightly.

“Rafkin tracked some of the men who attacked us last time, and there too, the name Quido came up. It seems he might be a close aide who acts as the Count’s hands and feet. But he seems to act independently, so it’s not easy to track his movements.”

Lars fell into thought for a moment. Hardy certainly had good observational skills. If he was a man who acted alone, it meant he received orders directly from the Count. It also meant he had some freedom to make his own decisions.

Either way, it was now certain that the Count was turning his attention to Lucienne. And probably at the end of that interest would ultimately be his own existence.

……No matter how you look at it, for safety, it should be either a convent or an underground prison.

“Keep watching. He’s likely to appear around Lucienne Bickman.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best!”

Lars smiled slightly at Hardy who saluted as if in the military, then abruptly asked.

“How old are you, Hardy?”

“Twenty…… Nineteen? Well, somewhere around there. Why, Commander?”

Hardy blinked his round eyes. Hardy was from a village in the border region with Askun, a child who had lost his parents to war.

Lars discovered Hardy by chance in the forest two years after being driven to the battlefield. Hardy had been lying collapsed with injuries all over, perhaps from a wolf attack. Lars carried him back and treated him, and fortunately, Hardy recovered safely and took charge of odd jobs in Lars’s unit.

Lars had tried to send him back to the village, saying it was dangerous, but Hardy insisted he had nowhere to return to and diligently trained his physical strength every day. With his good eye for detail, nimble movements, and boldness, he was doing his fair share of work after about a year.

Though the war had ended and peace was restored, most of the soldiers in Lars’s unit had nowhere to go and were close like family, having saved each other’s lives multiple times. So now they moved according to Lars’s instructions, just like on the battlefield.

According to Hardy’s words, he would have been around the same age as Lucienne when they first met. As his thoughts inadvertently touched on that point, Lars’s lips opened on their own.

“Don’t you want to do something less dangerous?”

“What?”

“Since we’re dealing with someone who might do anything. There’s also a path to live peacefully like others.”

A silence descended upon the room for a moment. Hardy, who had been staring at Lars with blank eyes, turned to look at Yanken with a creaking motion and whispered.

“What’s wrong with the Commander? Is he drunk?”

“……I’m the one who’s been drinking.”

Yanken was equally puzzled by the situation. Lars sighed silently and was about to raise his hand to say “forget it” when Hardy spoke clearly.

“I’m doing what I want to do. I’m not interested in another life, and I like my current life.”

His face, still showing traces of boyishness, smiled brightly. Lars let out a small laugh, and Hardy pointed at Yanken.

“And with one bear skin, it would be perfect.”

“Well. A squirrel-sized guy like you would only make earmuffs if skinned, but what can I do? If you want to fight, I’ll have to oblige.”

“Yanken. Say, ‘If you want to play, I’ll play with you.'”

“You bastard, I’ll sew that mouth of yours shut today for sure.”

As fists and feet began to fly, dust rose. Shaking his head, Lars snatched the coat hanging on the wall. Hardy had jumped onto the chair and was now choking Yanken with his arm.

“I’ll be visiting Hermen next week. Keep that in mind.”

Hermen was the nickname for the palace where Prince Pelowic resided. They often used it as a code because the palace was surrounded by hermen flowers.

“Commander, am I, urgh, am I coming too? Huh? This squirrel bas–, gah, let go……”

“Have a safe trip, Commander!”

Hardy called out in a cheerful voice. Lars clicked his tongue as he heard something crash with a bang. Looks like he’d have to pay for another chair.

* * *

“Miss, are you really going to be alright?”

“As if I can’t find my own room? Go ahead and rest. I have a lot to check.”

“Please call me whenever you need anything. I’ve put in plenty of firewood, so it will be warm until dawn. I’ll wake you up a bit later tomorrow.”

Maya put down the steaming tea and withdrew from the office. It was a sweet and sour lemon honey tea. I looked over the list of items to prepare for the party until the tea cooled.

Kirhin’s office had become almost like a second room to me. The study used to be that way before, but the office with a desk was more comfortable.

Of course, there was another purpose. Lars often used this place when discussing business with Kirhin. It seemed like he hadn’t appeared much since I’d taken up residence in the office, but that might just be my imagination.

Hosting a party was truly a big undertaking. From deciding how to decorate the mansion, to the composition of meal courses, types of desserts, and even souvenirs to put in guests’ hands—seemingly trivial things that determined the elegance of the party were too numerous.