Ch.8Charle Millote (2)

I found myself in a difficult situation.

For reasons unknown, I was the criminal and they were the judges. Tea and refreshments were quickly prepared on the table, but the atmosphere in the reception room was heavy.

Irefi and Charle were sitting close together in front of me. Irefi looked quite tired.

“So… Lady Millote?”

“Charle. I don’t like being called by my surname. And drop the ‘Lady’ too.”

“Aren’t you being overly friendly?”

I don’t know the etiquette of this world well, but I wonder if it’s really appropriate to call someone by their first name when meeting for the first time…

“Nepy, just do as she says.”

Irefi advised with a resigned tone. Charle raised her voice as if she had witnessed something earth-shattering.

“Ne~py!? What’s that supposed to mean, Elfi? Why? Are you already on a first-name basis? That kind of relationship?”

“…That’s rich coming from you.”

It was an uncharacteristically sulky response from the usually confident Irefi. Truly a rare sight.

“I’m special, so it’s fine!”

“Haah…”

Irefi sighed, resting her hand on her forehead. I asked the fiercely glaring Charle.

“So, Charle. I’m curious about what you meant when you said I blocked Irefi’s marria-“

“Justitia.”

Charle’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“…Jus.ti.tia Marquess’s marriage path? What does that mean?”

At my words, Irefi visibly panicked and waved her hands.

“N-Nepy! You don’t really need to know about-“

“Alteon.”

“…Al.te.on Marquess doesn’t need to know.”

‘Does a count’s daughter have more power in this country than a marquess or founding noble?’

It was such an incomprehensible scene that I almost thought so. Charle’s gaze toward me still looked as if she was staring at vulgar filth.

“Listen, Marquess. I don’t know how you seduced Elfi with that handsome face, but there’s a limit to spreading rumors!”

“I’m handsome? Really?”

“Nep… Alteon, that’s not the important part right now.”

“Ah, right. That’s true.”

I got distracted by the unexpected compliment(?), missing the main point. Anyway, rumors…

“Me? With Ire… Justitia?”

I feel the urge to ask outright if anyone would go on a honeymoon with the Godzilla monster who cut her own body in half.

“Charle, obviously it’s a misunderstanding. I’m not in that kind of relationship with Nep… Alteon.”

“Of course. But society already sees you as a potential couple!”

“Wait, I can’t follow this. Is this really something people care so much about?”

We’re not even celebrities…

Charle stared at me as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was like looking at a barbarian. She slammed the table and passionately declared.

Thud!

“Do you know who Elfi is? The White Knight of the Empire, Lake of the Moon, Beautiful Sword Maiden… she has countless titles!”

“Please stop, Charle!”

Irefi covered Charle’s mouth, her face looking like lava was flowing through it instead of blood. Her bright red cheeks contrasted with her snow-white hair, emphasizing them more than necessary.

I had to fight to control my twitching lips, finding both Irefi’s appearance and her titles amusing.

“So the problem is that the fa~mous White Knight is living with me.”

“I am not a White Knight!”

Irefi’s desperate denial was somewhat cute. Honestly, if she hadn’t been a trauma-inducing machine, wouldn’t I have been staring at her absentmindedly too?

Such assumptions were possible because Irefi was truly a woman of exceptional beauty. It’s no wonder she attracts public attention.

“Justitia. How much of this am I allowed to talk about?”

I deliberately asked outright.

“I’m not sure myself. This seems to require further discussion on several fronts.”

In other words, we needed to align with the Emperor again. Naturally, Charle sensed there was some situation at play.

“Elfi, is it difficult for you to tell me?”

“Charle.”

Her eyes were round and pitiful like a rain-soaked puppy. Irefi hesitated a bit before finally avoiding her gaze.

“Alright. I won’t ask. I know Elfi isn’t a loose woman and doesn’t open her heart to just anyone. She’s a proud woman.”

“Proud woman… pfft…”

Shing-

A silver blade made its presence known in my field of vision just as I was about to burst out laughing. Immediately, I felt a throbbing pain in my waist.

‘I’m too scared to even laugh.’

While shaking my head, I remained concerned about Charle. She was still staring at me with challenging eyes, seemingly looking for an opportunity.

Charle crossed her arms and asked in an authoritative tone.

“Well, let’s say I’ll overlook Elfi’s circumstances. But Marquess Alteon, who exactly are you?”

“Who am I… huh.”

I recalled the month following my first audience with the Emperor. I would always wake up when the sun was high and follow Irefi around as her surveillance target.

But I didn’t really help with anything. Days of doing absolutely nothing and just spacing out came to mind. Even a sack of barley has more purpose than I did.

“I might be… less useful than a roadside stone…”

“Huh?”

While I was wallowing in self-deprecation, Charle sharply poked at a sore spot.

“I’m asking what achievements earned you your title and this grand mansion. This question is a hot topic in social circles these days.”

I was at a loss for an answer.

Far from achievements, I had only committed sins. Although they weren’t my doing, who would believe that?

Perhaps the Emperor, who could read emotions and discern good from evil.

“Well… I’m sorry for being a marquess.”

And sorry that this mansion is mine.

Unable to say anything, I ended up bowing my head. This was unexpected even for Charle, who looked to Irefi for answers.

“Sorry, Charle. This is also a bit difficult to explain.”

“Ugh. Alright, Elfi. I’ll stop pressing here. Let’s just talk pleasantly now.”

“Good thinking, Charle.”

Charle snuggled up to Irefi and smiled broadly. Looking at the two of them, the atmosphere somehow made me feel like an unwelcome guest.

I stood up from my seat.

“Marquess Alteon. Sit down. Don’t think about going anywhere, just listen.”

At Charle’s authoritative words, I plopped back down. Irefi was busy avoiding my gaze.

“Haah…”

The tea party led by Charle finally ended after a three-hour marathon.

As a bonus, Charle declared she would visit as freely as if it were her own home. Her pretext was surprise inspections regarding the rumors. I had no grounds to object since she was Irefi’s acquaintance.

After all, I had previously agreed that half of the mansion belonged to Irefi.

As I saw Charle off as she departed in her carriage, I said:

“By the way, Beautiful.Sword.Maiden, Charle isn’t just an ordinary count’s daughter, is she?”

“Call me that one more time and I really won’t let it slide.”

Irefi warned me sharply. She gathered her thoughts for a moment before explaining slowly.

“Charle is… the Empress’s hidden daughter.”

“Hidden daughter? What does that mean?”

“She was born before the Empress married the Emperor. So she’s not a princess.”

“And the Emperor…”

“Knows. The fake family and her status as a count’s daughter were all arranged by His Majesty.”

“Hmm.”

So the Empress had been pregnant before marriage. And with a child that wasn’t the Emperor’s.

Knowing this, the Emperor still loves the Empress passionately, and the Empress sincerely loves the Emperor in return. Whatever the circumstances, I don’t particularly want to dig deeper.

I just think there are many forms of love in this world.

What kind of love would Irefi pursue?

“Well, it’s not really our business. Shall we head inside now, Lake.of.the.Moon?”

And with that, I bolted.

“I told you I wouldn’t let it slide!”

Irefi shouted as she ran into the mansion. Her expression, though stained with embarrassment, was quite pleasant to see.

Crash! Bang!

…What followed was complete chaos.

◇

In a quiet alley stood a shabby door. It was a place so deeply shrouded in darkness that even the pale moonlight skimmed past it, creating such a sense of dread that even vagrants would avoid it.

A hooded man entered the depths of the alley without hesitation and knocked in a specific rhythm. Shortly after, the door opened, briefly illuminating the surroundings with orange light.

But only for a moment—once the hooded man entered, the alley was again engulfed in darkness and silence.

“Well, it’s been a while.”

The man who opened the door greeted the visitor warmly. He was a middle-aged man with a distinctive eye patch over his right eye. In contrast, the newly arrived man still concealed his presence under his hood.

“How far has the work progressed? Have you gathered the materials?”

“Needless to say, I’ve prepared only the finest. I’m planning to prepare more, so there will be plenty. You lucky bastard, where did you get such rare information?”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

“Acting all high and mighty. I’m the one accommodating your absurdly outlandish plan.”

The hooded man slightly turned his head toward him. The man with the eye patch recoiled in fear and averted his gaze.

“Whoa, whoa, don’t look this way, friend. I don’t think I can handle it.”

At this reaction, the hooded man lowered his head again and warned:

“You’ll need to gather all the manpower you can. If we want to buy even a moment more time.”

“My, treating us as meat shields already? But do we really need to go that far?”

“…What do you mean?”

A sinister aura began to emanate from the hooded man, permeating the space. It was heavy and eerie… yet domineering. The man with the eye patch tried to dissuade him, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Ugh, stop it. I just… wondered if the White Knight was really worth going to such lengths for. She might be famous for her pretty face, but she doesn’t have any notable military achievements!”

The hooded man slowly gathered and calmed his energy. The man with the eye patch finally regained his senses after repeatedly coughing up blood.

“Nelfrugia, where she serves as knight commander, has traditionally been the imperial family’s personal guard.”

“I know that, but most people consider them no different from a ceremonial guard.”

“…Hmm, that’s not wrong.”

The hooded man understood his sentiment. A knight commander of what was essentially a ceremonial order with no achievements. Moreover, a woman famous for her appearance. That was how the world saw Irefi Justitia.

In fact, not only the common people but even powerful nobles questioned Irefi’s military capabilities. However, the hooded man had no intention of being swayed by such appearances.

“Irefi Justitia is an exception. She has no military achievements because the Empire has been peaceful. What achievements could there be in 200 years of peace?”

“Fine, I understand. I’ll believe everything since you’ve shown me proof. So… continue to give me, give us, confidence.”

The man knelt and kissed the hooded man’s shoe. The hooded man accepted this act impassively.

“If you give us confidence, we will all lay down our lives for you. We’ll die if you say die, kill if you say kill. For your purpose and ours.”

“…Yes. If you believe in me, I will certainly bring about the destruction of the Eld Empire.”

After the hooded man’s declaration, the other man gulped down an entire bottle of alcohol and asked with a flushed face:

“Kuhh. So, what orders have you come to give today?”

“We need to bring someone in.”

“If it’s the head of a powerful family, that would be difficult.”

“Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be a difficult task.”

The hooded man searched inside his garment and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a portrait of a woman standing modestly. She was a beautiful young woman with neatly pulled-back blonde hair and olive-green eyes that gave off a youthful charm.

“Charle Millote. She will be the starting point for the downfall of the Eld Empire.”

With those words, the hooded man disappeared into the darkness. All that remained fluttering in the place where he had stood was the portrait of Charle Millote.