Chapter 77

77. The owner of the Handkerchief

It all started with curiosity.

“Have you heard?”

It was the first imperial banquet in a long time. Callion, forced to attend because he was the crown prince, was sipping wine in a corner of the banqueting hall.

“I heard the recently ennobled daughter of Earl Conwall is quite beautiful.”

The talk among the nobility was always the same. Drink, women, and gossip. This time, the target was the Earl of Cornwall’s daughter.

“She’s seventeen, and she’s very pretty. Come and see her later, and tell me what you think.”

Danny MacKinnon, son of the Earl of MacKinnon, a notoriously difficult man, shrugged.

“Is it okay to fall for her even if she catches your eye?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Danny.”

Julian Euclaire kicked Danny MacKinnon in the arse. “You’re not worth my time,” Julian said stiffly, taking the seat next to Callion as if he were an escort.

“Did you see her too?”

“I’ve seen her, but Lady Lephisto is far more beautiful.”

Well, then her beauty must not be exceptional.

Callion shrugged, forgetting Danny McKinnon’s comment.

The mood was ripe with the arrival of guests. The banquet was filled with excitement and anticipation, as it served as a debutante ball for nobles who had just come of age.

The ladies, eager to make their social debut, rushed up to Callion to greet him, while the gentlemen sought to make eye contact.

As he formally accepted the greetings of the unfamiliar nobles, his gaze was drawn to a woman who had just entered the ballroom.

For a moment, all the background receded.

He had never seen her before. His heart beat rapidly, as if he were beginning to feel drunk. Callion swallowed dryly and turned to Julian, who was beside him.

“Who is that lady?”

“The daughter of the Earl of Cornwall.”

Ah, yes, he thought.

Recalling Danny MacKinnon’s bluster, Callion drained his glass hastily.

Was this situation awkward? The woman looked around with a face that seemed unsure of what to do. There was no one to help her. Everyone simply stared at her, offering no more than a passing glance, not even bothering with a casual greeting.

Maybe she didn’t have a partner.

She was just about to get up to go and say hello when the banqueting hall shook. The woman’s face lit up when she saw who had entered the ballroom. It was Elkius Isulandt.

“Rumour has it that she and the Duke are in a relationship.”

“…Is that so?”

A pang of regret flashed through his chest.

If she’s the daughter of his uncle’s ally, it’s prudent not to harbor futile emotions from the start. Nevertheless, Callion couldn’t take his eyes off her throughout the evening.

She was out of place and out of touch with the crowd. The younger members of the noble family pointed fingers at her, and the lords and ladies made dirty jokes and taunted her.

Rumours that her father had bought his title with money led to outright bullying. Even her partner, Elkius, didn’t care for her.

She just stood in the corner of the ballroom, looking like she was going to cry. Despite hesitating for a while, she finally mustered the courage to approach Elkius, only to have her hand brushed away coldly.

Her jewel-like eyes turned transparent in an instant. No one paid any attention to the woman as she fled the ballroom.

Callion silently followed her out the door.

“Sob…”

As expected, the woman was crying. As he listened to her sobs from further back in the garden, Callion carefully held out a handkerchief.

“Here, use this.”

“…Thank you.”

The woman took the handkerchief, her head bowed deeply. The way she buried her face in the handkerchief and sobbed softly was pitiful. He wanted to comfort her, but it seemed presumptuous, so he remained silent.

He doesn’t know how much time passed before he heard Danny McKinnon coming towards the garden with a woman.

He’d be in trouble if he saw him.

Glancing back at her, Callion swallowed his regret and moved quickly away.

He thought she would return the handkerchief when they met again.

He never imagined she would become his wife in their next encounter.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“It’s sad to think that I had such a small presence.”

“I never thought you would talk to me.”

Adelaide excused herself, blushing bright red. Callion put his arm around her shoulders in a hug.

“It’s okay; at least now you know it’s me.”

Aside. He kissed her lightly on the flat of her forehead.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Two days later, Callion woke up and immediately set about catching up on his work, an animal-like resilience that Lucid clucked his tongue at.

“Since you’re already unwell, why don’t you take about ten days to rest? It’s good for both me and you, isn’t it?”

“Cut the crap and report.”

Lucid grumbled and held out the letter.

“It’s from Julian, and he’s arrived safely in the Marquisate of Alberden. He says the situation there isn’t as bad as he thought it would be.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“He says he’ll stay for another ten days or so until they settled in. Cardinal Dorfman seems to be quite keen to help.”

“I see. We could use some support.”

“I’ve already sent medicine and food through Cardinal Dorfman.”

Lucid replied promptly. Adele, who was pretending to read the newspaper, was given a glance by Callion before he continued.

“There’s no urgent matter for a while, so he can help as much as he wants and come back slowly.”

“Yes. And I also have a letter from Lord Haywards Changeling.”

“Ah.”

Callion himself checked the unsealed letter. It contained a simple greeting and an announcement of his return to the southern base.

“I feel sorry for Lord Changeling.”

Due to him, the procurement of supplies in the south had been delayed for almost a month, causing Hayward considerable trouble. Adelaide, who had been pretending to read the newspaper, cautiously intervened.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of food that hasn’t been used in the meantime, so why don’t we increase the amount of aid?”

“Let’s do that.”

He agreed graciously. Lucid hesitated, then set down the third letter.

“This one is…… You can disregard it.”

It was from Shayla Lephisto, and Callion unconsciously clicked his tongue as he took it. Lucid glanced at Adelaide and apologised.

“I apologise. I said I wouldn’t give it to you, but I couldn’t resist…….”

“It’s fine, just leave.”

Callion shooed Lucid away and stood up, holding Shayla’s letter. Adelaide, who had been staring at the same article for several minutes, looked up as he read it in front of her.

“…If someone else saw this, they might think it’s a fatal illness.”

Callion smiled bitterly at the words. The tear marks were clear on the thin paper. The last paragraph asks if she could visit.

“Should I reply on your behalf if it’s difficult?”

Adelaide asked innocently. Callion waved his hand fiercely.

“No, you don’t have to.”

“But…….”

“I can decline through Lucid. If replying is too difficult because of the pain, it’s better not to provoke her further.”

It might hurt her feelings. Despite thinking so, Adelaide changed the subject nonchalantly.

“There seem to be many people curious about your condition.”

“Why, what else does it say?”

Callion glanced at the newspaper Adelaide had been reading.

“Duke Tiflis, critically ill!”

The headline was huge, and the article speculated on Callion’s condition. Callion smirked at the exaggerated reports of state funeral preparations.

If Shayla saw this article, she might react like that.

“Why are you so eagerly reading such an unbelievable article?”

“Don’t say that. This newspaper played a significant role in this incident.”

Adelaide adds, rolling her eyes.

“Besides, sometimes there are articles worth reading.”

She gestured to a small column at the bottom.

“Why is the Temple silent in the face of the Empire’s crisis?”

It was a scathing criticism of the pope’s inaction as the empire became a den of Vellidos. The accusations ranged from the Temple’s succumbing to money, to the corruption of priests, to a scarecrow pope.

“This is a bit harsh.”

The only true priest, the column concluded, was Cardinal Dorfman, who distributed water and bread through the blades of the guards…….

Adelaide shrugged and put the newspaper down.

“The pressure is on to elect Samuel Dorfman as the new pope.”

“A new pope? What do you mean?”

“There’s talk that His Holiness is preparing to resign.”

“Suddenly resigning?”

“It seems his health is quite poor. They say he could barely move since before the welcome party.”

“He seemed healthy just at the funeral…?”

So it was his health that prevented him from attending the party.

The sudden appointment of Samuel Dorfman as cardinal might have been to prepare for his successor.

“If the rumors are true, the selection of the Pope could cause quite a stir in the temple.”

“Cardinal Dorfman’s power isn’t such that he could push Cardinal Orland out, is it?”

“Inside the temple, perhaps, but among the citizens and some of the nobility, Cardinal Dorfman’s popularity is considerable, so I’m not sure.”

“My uncle seems to be quite favourable to Cardinal Orland.”

“Yes. So the election of the next pope is likely to be a proxy war between Elkius and you.”

Callion pressed his temples together. If the two cardinals were evenly matched, there would be those who would ask him to choose. That would mean another confrontation with the Emperor.

“Shall we leave the capital for a while?”

“Where do you mean to go?”

“South, to fulfil your promise to Lord Haywards Changeling and to escape the eyes of Elkius.”

“I’m fine with it, but we need permission from my uncle.”

“I’m sure Elkius will be happy to let you go; he’ll have a hard time tending the fields of Velido with you around.”

“I see.”

Now that the Velido fields have been discovered, it will be difficult to continue growing Velidos, but it will also be difficult to give up the Velidos that have already grown. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have soldiers guarding the field.

“Very well, then. I will contact the Lord Changeling.”

“I’ll make our travel arrangements.”