Ch.129Chapter 129 – The House of Count Metis (3)

The place Cain took me to was the garden of Count Metis’s estate.

Although no flowers were blooming due to winter, it was a charming place even at night, thanks to the neatly grown trees and lanterns hanging on the walls.

And there, Cain and I…

Were maintaining a very uncomfortable silence with each other.

‘Why on earth.’

After saying he wanted to talk earlier, we’d been just staring at each other for nearly 20 minutes without saying a word.

Should I cautiously ask if I can leave now?

But seeing how he’s been inhaling and sighing since earlier, I don’t think he’ll allow me to leave this place.

“…I suppose it’s better to ask properly after all.”

As if he’d finally finished preparing himself mentally, Cain looked at me.

“Ask what?”

“You.”

Cain’s eyes grew sharper.

“…Are you dating our Eve?”

“No, I’m not.”

I answered reflexively.

Cain asked with apparent surprise at my response.

“Really? You’re saying there’s nothing between you two?”

“Well, we are friends, but romantically…”

I had the feeling that if Eve found out about this conversation, she’d be quite upset.

But what matters is the present situation.

My priority is to escape from those eyes filled with murderous intent and jealousy.

So as I mixed in various excuses while explaining, Cain’s face gradually brightened.

“That’s a relief, truly.”

Cain said with a bright smile.

“I came here prepared to bury some good-for-nothing who had designs on my adorable sister under this garden.”

It seems I had been in mortal danger.

“…You must care a lot for your sister.”

“Of course. She was such a cute little sister who used to follow me around when she was young.”

Though Cain said that, I couldn’t imagine Eve following anyone around.

I suspect it might have been the opposite—Cain following her around but distorting the memory under the pretext of nostalgia.

“She was smart from a young age, good at management, proudly entered the Knight Academy and graduated at the top of her class, so talented that everyone knew whose sister she was, and even blessed with beauty…”

I quietly nodded at Cain’s words.

This conversation was no longer meant for me.

It was purely to boast about his sister,

And to emphasize how much he loved his sister.

What this person needs right now isn’t a conversation partner but someone who will simply agree with him.

“Indeed, you must have been very proud.”

“That’s right. Do you know? When she was little…”

Surprisingly, Cain and Eve must have quite an age gap, as he was talking about things from when Eve was so young that she probably wouldn’t even remember.

“You must have been known for doting on your sister.”

“Well, all my siblings are exceptional, so how could I not cherish and adore them?”

Cain said proudly.

I could feel a strange heat emanating from his eyes.

‘That’s genuine.’

For some reason, I was scared of Cain and took a step back.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice me distancing myself, as he had already fallen into his own world and started sharing various memories.

“So, our Eve at that time…”

“I see. I should be going…”

I quietly agreed while backing away.

If he was this absorbed in his own world, I could safely escape just by quietly disappearing.

“But you know.”

It was just three steps.

As soon as I had moved that exact distance away, Cain looked at me.

“My sister, that adorable sister of mine.”

“…Yes?”

“She didn’t smile at me even once when she saw me.”

Murderous intent returned to Cain’s eyes.

“Earlier, when Mother and Abelia took her away, she kept looking at you until the end, not at her brother.”

“That’s…”

“Even when showing you to your room, she seemed like she wanted to stay by your side. Using other people as an excuse, even.”

I wanted to believe it was my imagination that Cain’s pupils had shrunk.

Honestly, it’s frightening.

I want to believe it’s just my imagination.

“Let me ask you again, Kay.”

I saw Cain quietly picking up something, as if he’d found what he was looking for.

Should I make a desperate run for it now?

“What exactly is your relationship with our Eve?”

Cain was staring at me with lifeless eyes.

He had a shovel in his hand.

+

After somehow calming down the shovel-wielding Cain, I barely managed to escape.

And after taking refuge in my room and lying on the bed for just two hours, the morning sun was already rising.

‘Damn it.’

Because I’d been busy running away in the garden, I crawled out of bed again without having properly slept.

Since I was a guest in someone else’s home, I couldn’t afford to oversleep.

While getting up and cursing inwardly, I noticed something like smoke outside the window.

I quietly approached the window to find the source of the smoke.

“…What are you doing there?”

“Smoking.”

Beatrice showed me the cigarette she was casually holding in her mouth.

“And why are you hanging from my window to do it?”

“Because smoking indoors is prohibited.”

I don’t think people normally climb walls to smoke, but that’s exactly what this woman was doing.

She was quite skilled, stepping on the gaps between bricks and leaning her back against the building wall.

To go to such lengths just for a cigarette.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I was looking for a comfortable place to lean, and it happened to be your room.”

Beatrice said that while putting the cigarette back in her mouth, then looked at me as if she’d noticed something interesting.

“Helmet, couldn’t you sleep?”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“You’re swaying a bit like you’re sleepy, unlike your usual self.”

I was about to ask how she knew that, but then I stopped.

She probably recognizes it because we had to share a room due to that problematic contract magic.

“…I had some issues yesterday.”

“I see.”

Beatrice just nodded slightly as if she wasn’t particularly interested and continued smoking.

As I smelled the cigarette smoke, I felt strangely calmed.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, does your cigarette have some kind of sedative in it?”

“How did you know that?”

Beatrice said with a laugh.

“This may not look like it, but it’s a premium cigarette. It contains herbs with calming effects that soothe your mind and body when you smoke it.”

“It’s not addictive, is it?”

“No, no, not at all.”

Beatrice said confidently.

“At worst, your hands might shake a little if you don’t smoke for a while.”

“People call that withdrawal symptoms, you damn woman.”

She’s always looking for a smoke at the slightest opportunity.

With withdrawal symptoms like that, quitting would be difficult.

If Beatrice ever decided to quit smoking, it would truly be a major event.

Beatrice continued smoking without paying much attention to my reaction.

And after a while, she seemed satisfied with her smoke and stopped on her own.

“I’m hungry. Shall we go?”

“Now?”

“Around this time, I think maids will be coming to each room to announce mealtime.”

Beatrice spoke confidently, but this time of day is usually right after people wake up.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like they’d come now.

Noticing my skepticism, Beatrice smiled and said:

“Want to bet? Four silver coins.”

I smiled at Beatrice’s offer and replied:

“Fine, I’ll give you four if you’re right.”

-Knock knock

“Mr. Kay, it’s mealtime…”

Hearing a woman’s voice from outside, I looked at Beatrice.

Beatrice was giggling while looking at me.

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

“How did you know?”

“Woman’s intuition.”

Woman’s intuition is truly terrifying.

She guessed it with uncanny accuracy.

“Well, I should get going.”

As a guest, I couldn’t keep the maids waiting.

I turned around and approached the door.

“Hey Helmet, isn’t it shameful to run away?”

Caught red-handed.

When I turned around, Beatrice was climbing through the window with an extremely bright smile.

“Time to collect, you bastard.”

It seemed I wouldn’t be able to protect my wallet.

+

After having my silver coins taken by Beatrice, I joined the sleepy-looking Sera and Christina and headed to the dining hall.

There was someone waiting for us in front of the dining hall.

“Good morning.”

Eve was greeting us with a smiling face.

She usually wore formal attire, but today was different.

“What’s with that dress?”

“They said they had prepared it for me to wear when I returned home.”

Looking slightly uncomfortable or embarrassed, Eve blushed a little, which was unlike her.

I thought she looked a bit cute, different from her usual self.

‘But how did they get the measurements?’

They couldn’t have prepared a dress without knowing Eve’s measurements.

“I never imagined Rachel would be sending my measurements to my home.”

I didn’t even need to use the process of elimination.

Besides us, the only person who knew about the relationship between the Metis family and Eve was Rachel, who was in the capital.

Eve muttered quietly that she wouldn’t let this slide when she returned.

Then, shrinking her body a little unlike her usual self, she looked at me.

“Um, does it not suit me?”

“No. Honestly, I think it suits you very well.”

I think she looks pretty in formal attire too, but she also looked pretty in a dress.

Indeed, a beautiful woman looks good in anything.

It’s a feast for the eyes.

At my words, Eve’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“…That’s a relief.”

She placed her hand lightly on her chest and sighed, as if slightly relieved.

Then Eve smiled softly.

“Thank you, Kay.”

Eve smiled and extended her hand.

“Then, may I have your escort…”

-Whistle!

Suddenly, a whistle sound was heard.

Eve withdrew her hand in surprise.

“Wow…”

“Getting hot in here, you two?”

Christina was blushing slightly, and Beatrice had a smile as if she’d enjoyed a good show.

“Ah, don’t mind the gallery, just do what you were doing.”

“…The mood was good until these people came along.”

Beatrice smiled mischievously, and Eve glared at her slightly.

Then Eve cleared her throat lightly and extended her hand toward me again.

“Then, may I have your escort…”

“Let’s go in together!”

Suddenly I felt weight on my arm.

Looking to the side, I saw Sera firmly gripping my right arm.

“I’ll escort you!”

I felt something like intensity emanating from her brightly smiling face.

“…Miss Seraphina.”

“Yes?”

Eve glared slightly at Sera, who looked back at her nonchalantly.

“…I see I can’t let my guard down.”

Eve muttered that and grabbed my left arm.

So I ended up with both arms held.

“Shall we go?”

“Let’s go, shall we?”

Without taking their eyes off each other, Eve and Sera began pulling me along with force.

‘This feels like I’m being taken into custody.’

Being firmly held by both arms and dragged along looked exactly like being arrested.

“Kay, please follow along.”

“Ah, you can get closer if you’d like.”

I felt my body being pulled slightly in both directions as I was escorted to the dining hall.

‘How did I…’

End up like this?

I pondered this as I was dragged to the table.

Fortunately, Eve and Sera let go of me before we reached the table because the Count’s family was seated there, but then they sat on either side of me.

“Kay, try this.”

“Oh, this is delicious. Try it, Mr. Kay.”

They were competing to feed me food.

Every time they did, Cain’s knife trembled across from me.

In the end, I barely ate while trying not to provoke the murderous intent in front of me.

After finishing the meal, I somehow felt even more mentally and physically exhausted.

‘What did I even eat?’

I had no idea what I ate since I just accepted whatever Eve and Sera gave me.

-Clatter.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Thank you…”

I lifted the teacup with effort and looked around to see everyone taking sips of tea.

I carefully let the warm liquid flow down my throat.

It felt like my fatigue was subsiding a bit.

“Oh, Eve. The Count said he would return by noon today.”

The Countess spoke as if she had just remembered, putting down her teacup.

Eve’s face brightened a little.

“In that case, I should prepare a brief report to summarize the matters…”

“There’s no need to do such formal things now. I was thinking of taking everyone shopping in town.”

There was a clear intention not to let Eve go to the Count so easily.

Eve sighed softly and said:

“…Do I have to go alone?”

“Since this is a chance meeting, let’s all go together. I’d like to hear about Eve from her friends’ mouths too.”

The Countess smiled and looked directly at me.

Not at anyone else, but straight at me.

“Right, Kay?”

“That’s…”

I almost answered reflexively.

I stopped immediately and glanced slightly at the Countess.

The Countess was looking at me with somewhat cold eyes.

‘Should I run away?’

Although I didn’t think the Countess would swing a shovel like Cain, you never know.

I seriously considered running away for my safety.

“Um, we should probably rest…”

“I can’t let our Eve’s friends spend their time idly.”

The Countess said with a smile.

“I’d like to buy each of you an outfit or dress to send you home with.”

As she said that while looking especially at me, I quickly opened my mouth.

“Excuse me, but I’m fine without…”

“You never know. Do you need a formal suit?”

I was wrong.

Her plan was to prevent me from escaping.

“You’ll come with us, won’t you, Mr. Kay?”

From a distance, Abelia was smiling and providing support.

‘What should I do?’

I glanced at Eve.

And I saw Eve quietly nodding.

“Kay feels uncomfortable with such things, so perhaps…”

It was the moment Eve tried to save me.

The Countess and Abelia immediately started talking to each other.

“He’s tall and handsome, so a suit would look good on him.”

“A suit would be nice. A man needs a suit to escort a lady, don’t you think?”

“A suit good enough for a wedding would be nice, don’t you think, Abel?”

“Weddings are wonderful. I’m curious how Eve’s groom would look in a suit.”

Eve froze.

I could sense her having a major internal conflict.

“…Eve?”

I called out to Eve anxiously, but she remained motionless.

She was moving her lips frantically, muttering something, lost in thought.

After a moment, Eve opened her mouth.

“I suppose it can’t be helped.”

After saying that, Eve looked at me.

For some reason, she was smiling slightly.

“A suit would be nice.”

Is this betrayal?

So the information guild comrade chose family ties after all.

Eve had taken their side.

“Look, even if you insist, it’s too much of a burden…”

“If it’s a burden, I can cover the cost.”

“Eve, money is important.”

“Money has meaning only when it’s spent where it should be.”

What meaning is there in spending it on me?

Eve thought for a moment and then looked at Sera.

“Miss Seraphina thinks so too, right?”

“What? Well…”

“Don’t you want to see it?”

Sera’s eyes lingered on me for a moment.

After calculating various things, she nodded slightly.

And then she said shyly in a small voice:

“I would like to see him dressed in something other than armor.”

“I like your honesty, Miss Seraphina.”

Sera had betrayed me too.

What do they want to do with me in a suit?

“Um…”

“Chris is interested too, right?”

“Yes.”

Before I could react, Christina had gone over to their side as well.

‘What do they want to see me in a suit for?’

I don’t understand what the demand is.

Anyway, in this situation, there was only one person left to rely on.

“Give it up, kid.”

“Damn it.”

Beatrice was no help at all.

+

Since there were many of us, we decided to split into two carriages.

“…Fortunately, I’m learning to drive a carriage.”

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to escape to the driver’s seat.

For some reason, Eve, Sera, and Christina had started amicably discussing what else I should wear besides a suit, which made me too embarrassed to sit inside.

So I made various excuses and barely escaped to the driver’s seat, and when I offered to drive instead as practice, the coachman reluctantly agreed.

-Clatter clatter

For a while, the sound of carriage wheels turning echoed, and we began to travel along the paved road.

Just as I was starting to feel bored since there was no danger:

“What is your relationship with Miss Eve, sir?”

“Can I not answer that?”

“Then I’ll take it that you’re so fond of her you don’t know what to do.”

What’s with this coachman?

“Your joke goes too far.”

“The driver’s seat is a private space for those sitting here. This level of joking should be allowed.”

The coachman wore his hat pulled down low, so his face wasn’t clearly visible.

After a moment, he quietly spoke again:

“Still, it’s fortunate.”

“What do you mean?”

“This old man has been watching Miss Eve for a long time.”

The coachman said with a smile.

“A few days before she ran away, she looked like she might cry, but now she seems to be smiling well again, like before.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Personally, I’m curious about what happened in between.”

When we came to a fork in the road ahead, the coachman smiled and directed me which way to go.

I drove the carriage accordingly.

“I’m bored, would you mind telling this old man a story?”

“What kind of story?”

“Brief stories related to Miss Eve. Like how you first met and such.”

“Why should I tell you?”

The man smiled again at my words.

“Despite appearances, I’ve served the Count for a long time. He often listens to my opinion on important matters.”

“You must have a lot of trust.”

“Generally, I accompany him everywhere.”

I nodded lightly at the coachman’s words.

“You don’t need to tell me everything. Would you just satisfy this old man’s curiosity with a brief account?”

“Hmm.”

After thinking for a moment, I decided to speak in response to the old man’s polite request.

There was no particular reason to refuse.

It would be a good way to pass the time until we reached the clothing store.

I briefly summarized some of the events from our first meeting until now.

Of course, I lightly edited the dangerous situations we had faced.

The coachman listening to my story smiled lightly and said:

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yes, well.”

The coachman nodded at my response.

Soon he quietly opened his mouth again:

“This is an old man’s question, but are all the people inside precious to you?”

“Yes.”

“Is Miss Eve just as precious to you as they are?”

“Yes.”

Being on the driver’s seat, just the two of us, made it surprisingly easy to admit.

In truth, I answered easily because the only person listening was a coachman I’d never see again; if I were in front of the people concerned, I’d probably have been too embarrassed and would have evaded the question.

The coachman nodded with satisfaction.

“That’s a relief.”

The coachman shook his head lightly as he spoke.

Eventually, the carriage stopped, and we arrived at our destination store.

The coachman got down from his seat and extended his hand to me.

The coachman smiled and said:

“I hope you have a pleasant time with Miss Eve.”

“Pardon?”

I immediately questioned him, but the man just kept his head bowed.

For a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of his hair under his hat.

I seemed to have seen a familiar color briefly.

“Kay, come on!”

Eve, who had already gotten out of the carriage, grabbed my arm and started pushing me toward the clothing store along with Sera, so I had no choice but to be dragged along.

‘What color was it?’

It was so brief that I couldn’t be certain.

I just had the feeling that the coachman’s hair might have been silver.