Chapter 2.5

It’s been a week since the love letter arrived, and his dodo hasn’t heard from him.

‘That’s strange.’

Every morning, Derek put a single red rose on the window sill.

‘That’s a pretty clear sign,’ he said, ‘that he wants me to leave him a flower.’

So Dodo shouldn’t have to go out of his way to find one.

‘I’ll make a garden of roses …….’

The rich man thought hard, wondering if the phrase ‘a single flower’ might have some profound meaning that he didn’t understand.

Despite the request for a single flower, the roses, which had started at a hundred, were steadily increasing in number, just in case he couldn’t see them. Overnight, the number of roses doubled. Until a few days ago, I had tiered shelves in front of the window, covering the entire window with roses.

I thought to myself, ‘It’s impossible not to look at them now.

But no one was waiting for him, only a tearful Lucas, who shamelessly walked in and out of the office.

‘Mr President, the papers are all over it.’

‘It’s impossible not to see.’

‘Dozens of interview requests a day-’

‘Tomorrow, I want the castle’s outer walls lined with roses.’

‘…….’

The aide sighs with a grimace.

As if he wasn’t already busy enough, the flood of interview requests was driving him crazy. All the while, the lord is obsessed with roses and keeps giving strange orders.

‘No. I thought you were in a relationship!

If he’s not in a relationship, why does he keep repeating his mysterious behavior? Where will this madness end?

《(BREAKING NEWS) Anonymous Duchy official says ‘Duke of Fritt’s mental abnormality is somewhat true’

‘The Duke of Fritt’s fashion topic… ’Who did he kill and steal?

‘(Exclusive) American church leader, ’Duke Fritz must have made a pact with the devil… The red-painted windows are proof.

‘Two years after the Half Century War. Who made him this way?

‘The Duke’s tailor has been missing for three days… Investigators will do their best to locate him.’

Lucas gulped down this morning’s newspaper delivery.

He was so frightened that the paper was all about Duke Fritz. It was front-page news, so you could see it even if you folded it in half.

‘…… Take a look at the article when you have a moment.’

The aide set the paper down in a corner and quietly retreated.

‘So it is, then. Your Excellency is in love?

A deep sense of relief spread through me as I looked at my lord, who looked almost childlike.

‘You’d be thrown into a monastery before you could hold a woman’s hand.

Who would romance and marry him when he was rumored to be insane throughout the empire?

His steps were as light as clouds as he left his office.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

‘What was that?’

‘I don’t know. I think they’re decorating.’

Audrey shook her head at the roses lining the walls.

There must have been thousands of them. The workers cheered and the walls were soon covered in roses.

‘Are they trying to start a new business?

‘Yes. What the Duke of Frit did was none of her concern as a mere vassal. She just hoped he’d keep himself busy so she wouldn’t run into him.

Audrey shrugged off the attention and quickened her pace.

Sure enough, there was a commotion at the Treasury again today.

‘Audrey, have you seen the roses on the city walls?’

‘Yes, I’ve never seen so many roses in my life.’

‘Well, it gave me the creeps, and I wonder why His Excellency is so fond of this color.’

‘I saw it from a distance and thought it was a beast’s heart hanging, like a trophy.’

‘Huh? Now that I think about it, it’s red like a heart-’

─Hmmph.

…Red like my heart… Red flowers…

What is this?

Audrey froze in mid-sentence. It was because a strange vision had come over her unpleasantly.

‘Surely I’ve heard that before?

But no matter how much she thought about it, it wasn’t a common phrase. It was a metaphorical phrase, like something you’d find in a letter.

‘……? Oh, right!

A shudder ran through Audrey’s body as if she’d been struck by lightning.

Audrey had finally remembered the love letter she’d forgotten for the past few days.

‘Now, where did I put it?

A shiver ran down her spine. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t remember the letter’s whereabouts. Her fists curled up in embarrassment and grew damp.

Audrey immediately began to search her pockets and desk in a panic.

‘Where is it? Why isn’t it there?

But her search was fruitless.

‘Oh, is it in the pocket of the dress I wore?

The maids would surely have checked the pockets before washing the clothes. No one would tamper with her things, so they must have been stowed away somewhere in the room.

‘Yes. It must be in her room…….’

Audrey ignored the rising anxiety and waited for work to end. Perhaps checking the letter in the basket would calm her nerves.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Sunday.

Derek couldn’t wait any longer and decided to enlist the help of those around him. He didn’t want to go this far, but he had no choice.

Summoned out of nowhere, his closest aides sat tensely in the conference room.

‘We have an important matter to discuss.’

‘…….’

Gulp.

There was a moment of tense silence, and then Derek dropped the bombshell.

‘I got a confession.’

‘……?’

‘I got a confession in a love letter.’

‘The, who are you referring to…….?’

The entourage repeated cautiously. They had no idea that the subject was the Duke of Frit.

Derek quietly held out something to support his claim. It was a letter, uncoated and hand-framed in solid gold.

‘I have a love letter .’

‘Humph!’

In contrast to his impassive face, his ears flared pink.

The entourage was stunned, their mouths agape. There was no way this was possible.

Lucas was the most surprised. He’d only heard that there was someone he liked, but he didn’t think he’d already received a love letter……. my jaw was hanging open.

For some reason, I kept having doubts. Of course, it was never, ever, ever because I was feeling a little competitive with my master, who was in a similar situation.

‘Yes. I am only concerned for your safety.’

The aide’s eyes narrowed, and he repeated softly.

‘Mr President, if you’ll excuse us, may we review the letter?’

‘There was no drug reaction.’

‘I was wondering if you might have misinterpreted it as a, um, challenge letter or something…….’

‘You’re an idiot.’

Derek clamped his mouth shut, his pride wounded.

But the men who had been by his side for so long nodded, agreeing with their aide.

It was no secret to any three-year-old on the street that the Duke of Fritz had been alone since birth, and it was clear that the clueless Mottasolo had misunderstood a solicitation letter or flyer. Sneaky advertising is all the rage these days.

‘Why don’t we go over it together, it can’t hurt to be cautious, can it?’

‘…….’

‘Your Excellency.’

But the party was unmoved. The stubbornly furrowed brow showed no sign of easing.

‘You pathetic things.

Love letters were supposed to be intimate and private, and I was already offended by the idea of their memories being turned into something for everyone to talk about. It’s not a letter that Dodo would have written to turn over every stone by the roadside.

This was not the wisdom the Duke of Frit wished to impart to them.

‘Your Excellencies. We need to put our heads together!’

‘Yes, but perhaps there is something you have missed.’

‘It concerns the safety of the entire duchy. Please consider our feelings.’

But the entourage quickly set up an emergency committee. They couldn’t let Dodo mislead them, coming out so strongly on a subject they knew nothing about, promising to catch and beat anybody they could. Derek, who’d been suffering for a while, reluctantly agreed.

‘……don’t look at it too long. Only from a distance.’

‘Yes!’

His face was still trembling.

But it occurred to him that maybe his entourage was right, maybe he had missed something. Maybe he would find a clear answer to why his dodo hadn’t appeared.

But there was one thing he had overlooked: his entourage was no different: chunks of wood, or maternal solos.