Chapter 170

The North now had a garden, and there were plenty of flowers. She pointed to the flowers blooming in the Netriaga garden. 

“Do you see the purple flower over there? That one, and the yellow flower next to it, and the lighter yellow flower next to that….”

As the carriage moved, the number of flowers she pointed out increased endlessly. Raygrain leaned over her, his head looming above hers. He tilted his upper body to gaze in the direction she was pointing, his sharp gaze reflected in the window showing that he didn’t quite understand what she was indicating.

Suppressing a laugh, Sheuer raised her head. 

“They’re all from the Blenga’s garden.”

With a proud smile, she continued, 

“They’re already flowers that the Duke has given me.”

Just then, a smiling Zero’s face abruptly blocked her view beyond the window. Surprised, Sheuer flinched back, but Raygrain caught and supported her from behind.

Zero, riding alongside and matching their speed, raised one hand and made a short, thick gesture in the air. His action, accompanied by the royal entourage, seemed to signal their arrival.

As Sheuer straightened up, Zero pointed ahead toward the Netriaga estate and gave a thumbs up. 

‘…What is this? Does the Duke and I look good enough to turn the stomachs of the Netriaga Duke?’

As she timidly grabbed the hem of Raygrain’s garment, Zero seemed to want to explain something further. However, the truth became unclear when a scabbard from Jess flew in from behind and struck his back.

Sheuer quickly scanned her surroundings as the carriage slowed down. She found a small pocket and placed the piece of slate she was holding into it. Then, she turned to check Raygrain’s clothes from every angle.

As she fumbled around, a low voice asked slowly, 

“What are you doing?”

“I have to hide it.”

It was dangerous to use the Crown flower grass in the Netri Duke’s residence.

After all, the Duke of Netri was once a person of power. Now, having been inherited by Scheuer and Erina, he was no different from an ordinary person, but he could still sense it.

‘Erina still has a faint trace of power left.’

Yet, as the faint thread spread from the piece of slate, it seemed the closer they got to the Netri Duke’s residence in the south, the more complex the threads appeared.

Inside the rattling carriage, she stretched out her arm and pushed the piece of slate into Raygrain’s inner pocket.

He looked down at her with a stiff face and asked,

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to keep it?”

“But it’s not easy to hide with a dress.”

Moreover, even if he were the Grand Duke, it wouldn’t do to act carelessly, and the Duke of Netri still believed she was his child.

It seemed he had forgotten everything, even having caused the disturbance himself.

At least during the banquet, there were many eyes watching, but this was the Netriaga estate. With only his people bustling around, she had no idea how things would turn out.

When the carriage stopped, Sheuer checked meticulously to ensure nothing was out of place, smiling with satisfaction. Raygrain gently took her hand, which was resting near his chest. 

“Save such actions for when we’re alone later.”

“What?”

Startled, Sheuer blinked for a moment. His other hand lightly pulled her waist closer. As her upper body, which had been leaning to hide the slate piece in his arms, stiffened, she suddenly realized how boldly she had been touching him. Instantly, her cheeks flushed bright red.

‘This was something I used to do without a second thought!’

She had adorned his head with a floral crown, held his hand, and stuffed flowers into his pocket without a care! It felt strange to be conscious of it now. The moment she thought about it, a wave of shyness washed over her.

Just then, the carriage door creaked open.

Zero stood there with a mischievous smile, holding the door, and paused for a moment in silence. In the brief stillness, he spoke first.

“Oh… should we pretend that the door hasn’t been opened?”

“I-I was going to get off!”

As Scheuer quickly responded, Raygrain stood up first.

His grip on her hand remained unchanged.

He stepped down lightly and leaned over to pull her closer.

Scheuer exhaled a big sigh, trying to cool her flushed face as she stepped out. The warm southern air greeted them, along with a few familiar faces.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

The Duke of Netri and Erina were nowhere to be seen; only a few attendants and maids were present.

Among them were a few familiar faces she had seen before. Even though the Duke and his wife had sent a letter stating they would visit, this was how they were greeted.

‘They’re openly ignoring us.’

Normally, at least the head attendant or the head maid would come out to greet them.

At the very least, it would have been normal to send out the head attendant or head maid to greet them. No one would welcome them in such a manner, even with a sudden visit. Jess was watching them with a stiff, hard expression, as if he could slice through them at any moment.

His pallor made it seem like frost was falling around him. In contrast, Zero still wore a smile.

“Well, it seems there’s been a lot of talk about Netriaga lately, and the attendants seem to have been cut back quite a bit.”

His smirking comment did not reflect any genuine cheerfulness and instead conveyed his underlying irritation.

With a bright smile, Sheuer boldly asked, 

“Where are the Netriaga Duke and Lady Erina?”

“They’re waiting inside.”

“Are they in the reception room?”

They had no answer to her question. It was painfully obvious.

She was probably hoping that she would sit and wait, wasting time somewhere else. Sheuer kindly asked, 

“Has there been a significant change in hospitality towards guests in the South since I last saw it?”

“…I apologize, Your Grace.”

The attendant bowed their head, struggling to hide their trembling voice. What wrongdoing could they have? They had no control over the Netriaga Duke. She was well aware of the character of the people from Netriaga.

Without waiting for them to guide her, Sheuer walked towards the mansion with a familiar demeanor. 

“Your Grace, let’s go.”

She gently pulled him along, and he obediently followed her inside. Zero and Jess quickly kept pace behind them.

As soon as they entered the lobby, Sheuer confidently walked down one of the corridors without hesitation. An attendant hesitated and then spoke from behind.

“Um, the reception room is on the opposite side, Your Grace.”

“I know.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I’m glad to visit Netri after a long time, so I’d like to take a little tour of the mansion.”

The maid glanced around, unsure. Even though she had no desire to see anything, if the Duke of Netri was behaving this way, she wouldn’t just sit and wait.

“Could you relay this to the Duke? The Duke and Duchess are taking their time to enjoy the mansion.”

The maid fidgeted, clearly flustered by the unusual behavior compared to typical guests.

She shot a pleading look at Raygrain, but he remained unfazed.

“Indeed. This is my first visit to the Duke’s residence, so I’d like to hear your explanations.”

“I’m sorry to have brought such a precious guest to this humble place. By the way, that carpet hasn’t been changed in about ten years.”

Raygrain ignored her and followed Scheuer past the lobby. Scheuer pointed to the statues of past ancestors of Netri hanging on the corridor walls and said,

“This wasn’t here before, but judging by its appearance, it seems it’s not a Netri person.”

She moved as her feet touched the ground, adding explanations.

After walking for a while, Raygrain suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Scheuer, walking beside him, naturally halted and turned back. She noticed Jes following them, also looking up with a serious expression. Only Zero seemed oblivious to the situation, standing with Scheuer.

“Your Grace.”

“Yeah.”

Raygrain responded to Jes’s brief call. Zero cautiously asked from behind

“Is there a problem?”

“I sense the presence of a monster.”

“A m-monster?”

Zero shut his mouth in surprise.

Jes frowned, seemingly concentrating, then spoke,

“But it’s a bit strange.”

Raygrain nodded slightly and murmured in response,

“It seems it’s not alive.”

“I dwell in possibility” – Emily Dickinson