Chapter 5 – One Step Closer (Part 3)

“Whew….”

On days like this, he especially craved a cigarette. Edwin sank deeply into the chair and closed his eyes. Even if he wanted to sweep them away, they weren’t the fools of Moses’ nobility but Fontaine’s, so he had to endure it.

Philip, who entered the office after organizing the remaining schedule, spoke to Edwin, who was almost lying in the chair.

“There’s some time before the next meeting, so you should get some rest.”

“…Any news?”

“It hasn’t come in yet, but I’ll report it as soon as it does.”

Edwin roughly loosened his cravat and waved his hand as if to dismiss Philip, who carefully stepped away.

The marathon negotiations had been going on for days.

「We cannot stop chemical development!」

「Then we cannot conclude our experiments either.」

The traces of war left between the two countries were still not erased.

Distrust lay at the base of the meetings, making it impossible for anyone to easily reach a conclusion.

Edwin rubbed his weary face with his dry hand several times. But more than the noisy meetings, Ian Curtis’s face lingered in his mind.

「The Crown Prince wishes for a ceasefire.」

That’s what he had said during an unofficial audience. However, in the meetings, he showed the exact opposite attitude.

‘No, it’s more like he’s ignoring it.’

While he consistently attended, he remained silent throughout, like an observer.

Edwin tapped his fingers on the desk rhythmically, lost in thought. It was a habit he picked up after quitting cigarettes.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened cautiously.

Until then, Edwin was deep in thought. But a voice that shouldn’t be heard there pierced his mind.

“Your Grace.”

Startled, Edwin lifted his head to find Lorraine standing awkwardly. It had been a while since she was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, complete with a hat.

After shifting her eyes for a moment, she spoke.

“Philip told me to report the news to you.”

Edwin realized it was one of Philip’s pranks.

“…Go ahead.”

However, he was tired and hadn’t seen her face in a long time, so he decided to play along with Philip’s intention.

With his permission, Lorraine opened the notebook she was holding.

“Oh, yes… Just a moment. The news is… ‘The hawk has come to spend the summer,’ it says.”

Just as he expected.

“Any additional comments?”

“And… ‘It hasn’t left the nest yet,’ it says.”

“Tell them to report if there’s any change in the hawk’s behavior….”

“Yes.”

Nodding, Lorraine added Edwin’s report to her notebook.

“And… do you know anything about Grand Duke Curtis?”

At the sudden question, Lorraine pointed to herself with the pen tip she was holding, replying with a reluctant face.

“…Me?”

Edwin nodded firmly.

“Yes, you.”

It had only been recently that he started taking an interest in Lorraine’s every move, but he had an inexplicable certainty.

“With the matter of Erich Price… It just seemed like it.”

His tone was somehow confident, despite being a guess. Lorraine couldn’t choose either side for an answer.

Wasn’t mind-reading supposed to be nonsense?

Lorraine decided there might be some truth to Barbara Lowell’s claim that mind-reading was real.

‘Just’ a little.

More importantly-.

‘-How is it that every guy I choose turns out to be a landmine?’

Lorraine was convinced that the problem lay in the sisters’ taste.

About forty percent, perhaps?

***

The sisters gathered in the attic again due to Lorraine’s declaration of Code Purple after being questioned by Edwin.

Code Purple was mainly used when there was an urgent matter. However, it had been temporarily suspended due to Olivia, whose role model was once the shepherd girl.

It was the first Code Purple declared since then.

“…I don’t understand.”

After Diana’s explanation, Victoria was the first to speak.

“Why… did you break up?”

Victoria continued, fidgeting with her nails.

“From what you explained, it doesn’t seem like he would have easily accepted the breakup.”

“It was just… the times were like that.”

Having repeated it several times, Diana seemed to think it was no big deal now.

“The times?”

“He had to return to his country, and I had to finish my studies.”

He, huh….”

Olivia was shocked by the unreserved expression, and Victoria struggled to find the right words to respond.

“So it’s an incomplete breakup. It was practically a one-sided breakup anyway.”

“So I came to properly end it.”

Well, that’s a relief. 

Lorraine looked at her sister with a bitter gaze and then turned away.

“Anyway, today’s Purple isn’t about that… The problem is that ‘that’ Ian Curtis, the Grand Duke, isn’t being cooperative.”

“Why did the conversation suddenly jump there…?”

The three looked at Lorraine, demanding an explanation. Lorraine shrugged and spoke.

“The Grand Duke has dropped everything after a firm breakup notice.”

“And then?”

At Victoria’s simple question, Lorraine flopped backward and replied.

“…The problem is that Edwin Duncan happened to guess that the cause was a love problem.”

Of all things, at the worst time.

Lorraine stared blankly at the sky through the window left open in the ceiling.

“Oh, and… he asked if any of us was involved.”

She spoke nonchalantly, as if she had just remembered an insignificant fact. But the one affected by Lorraine’s bombshell was someone else.

“How can you say that now?!”

Diana began to nag in a shrill voice, surprised.

“You should have told us earlier! So what did you say? You said there was no connection, right?”

Lorraine sat up.

“I did say there was no connection… But he didn’t seem to believe me. As if he had evidence.”

It was fortunate that Philip came in at that moment; otherwise, it would have been very difficult to change the subject. Lorraine tidied her hair, messy from lying down, and gestured toward Olivia.

“There is a precedent. Well… it’s a hasty generalization error, though.”

Olivia looked visibly flustered, caught off guard by the sudden pointing. Victoria, who turned her head in the direction Lorraine indicated, replied in a calm voice.

“Duke Duncan, he doesn’t look it, but he’s surprisingly old-fashioned.”

“I think so too.”

She shrugged nonchalantly and replied.

***

Meanwhile, Edwin was troubled by an uninvited guest who came under the cover of darkness.

“I believe I’ve warned you several times not to wander around carelessly.”

From his furrowed brow and voice, it was clear he was quite annoyed.

He wore a loosely tied navy nightgown, sat on a single sofa, and rubbed his temples with a deep sigh.

“For someone who knows better….”

Unable to glare directly at Grand Duke Curtis, Edwin glanced at his aide standing behind him and continued speaking.

“And, what is it you have to say at this hour? Is the horse going to run away by morning?”

He ran his dry hand down his face. Half of what he said was mumbled. Having somewhat regained his composure, he stood up.

Edwin picked up the bottle of Scotch that Paul had prepared with foresight.

“I won’t bother asking your preference.”

Since the other party had committed the first discourtesy, Edwin decided to be moderately brazen.

He filled a beautifully crafted crystal glass halfway with Scotch and offered it. Sydney, the aide, hesitated to accept it, but Ian was quicker.

Returning to his seat, he sat languidly and asked.

“So, what is it you have to say?”

Edwin sipped the Scotch and looked at Ian’s face. Seeing no sign of him speaking even after a long wait, Edwin shook his head and continued.

“Well… If you’re not ready, I’ll speak first.”

“……”

Edwin’s golden eyes glinted. Like a beast waiting to catch prey in the dark.

“Your demeanor on the day you had an audience with His Majesty was quite different from that in the meetings.”

“That’s…!”

Sydney, aware of the sensitivity of the topic, opened his mouth first but was immediately silenced by Edwin’s cold gaze.

“To be honest… I have no intention of understanding or wanting to understand the Grand Duke’s personal issues.”

“……”

“Even if you have concerns, my creed is to do what must be done properly.”

Like someone who had been waiting, he continued speaking without pause.

“I heard you’ve been working for three years on the armistice agreement, Your Grace.”

“……”

“Don’t underestimate the foolish nobles. Sometimes, in politics, they can be a step ahead of us.”

It was harsh but true. Although he was older than Edwin, Ian had entered politics much later.

From the moment Ian saw Edwin standing steadfastly beside the Emperor, he knew Edwin wasn’t someone who would be easily swayed. As a close relative of the Emperor, the sharpest sword, a close and trustworthy vassal, and so on….

All the titles attached to Edwin Duncan indicated how threatening he was to Fontaine.

After taking a sip of the Scotch Edwin offered, Ian finally spoke after a long pause.

“I’ll attend the meetings properly from tomorrow.”

Edwin’s attitude was indifferent, but Ian knew he was listening.

“Maybe, it could be resolved by the end of this year.”

“Isn’t that an insult to the royal family?”

‘The current Emperor, who opposes it, is very much alive… not like you’re praying for his death.’

Edwin muttered as he sipped his drink. Ian placed the slightly diminished scotch on the table in front of the sofa.

“From tomorrow… let’s proceed properly. More importantly.”

He propped his chin on his interlaced fingers.

“How’s the ‘migrant bird hunting’ going?”

Along with conveying Crown Prince Gillian’s intention for the armistice, he also mentioned Marquis Gillas, a leading figure of the conservative faction and a supporter of the Emperor.

More precisely, it was about the Moses noble he was colluding with.

Edwin furrowed his brows in irritation at Ian’s question, scratching his temple as if just thinking about it annoyed him.

“It’s become a bit troublesome. We’re tracking the location… but the person involved could impact the business sector.”

Edwin had learned, quicker than anyone else in the country, about the engagement of Asiel Dunant and Juliet Roben.

Of all people, it had to be Roben.

“Well, anyway, that’s a problem to solve on our side… Just make sure to maintain internal discipline. Our idiots are a problem, but yours aren’t any better.”

“…I’ll handle it.”

With that, he glanced at Edwin and stood up.

Soon, the sound of a carriage cutting through the night was heard. And a little later, someone cautiously entered his study.

“…He’s safely gone.”

Edwin nodded.

He stood up from his seat long after that.