Chapter 199

 

* * *

 

The Emperor escorted Loretta to the Duke’s office.

They parted in front of the office, hooking their fingers and saying, “It’s a secret,” which surprised the attendants and nobles who witnessed it to the point of washing their eyes for a moment.

After parting with Loretta, the Emperor took a brief stroll outside.

‘The maid who escaped from Kristonson wandered around provincial noble families.’

At that time, as soon as he heard about her whereabouts, he believed without a doubt that she was looking for nobles to help Samuel.

‘…Was it really like that?’

His steps stopped, and it happened to be right in front of the Records Archive.

‘This place…’

It wasn’t right for the Emperor to carelessly enter the Records Archive, so he tried to quickly turn back.

However, a sudden thought made him linger there a bit longer.

‘One of the archives must hold the records of that year.’

The Emperor recalled those who had struggled with tears in front of him. Screams, pleas, and various excuses endlessly poured out from their mouths stretched to the limit.

But he covered his ears and ordered them all to be killed.

At that time, if he didn’t do that.

If he didn’t harden his heart like that.

It seemed like the day would come when his beloved brother would dream of rebellion again.

It wasn’t simply a concern about having his position taken away.

At that time, he was afraid of the fact that no matter what, he would have to take Samuel’s life with his own hands.

The brother he loved so much…

‘What if all those moments were entirely my misunderstanding and misinterpretation…?’

There was no evidence that Samuel wasn’t involved in the rebellion. But there was also no evidence that he was directly involved.

‘If Samuel truly… truly knew nothing at all?’

Recalling such an assumption, an unbearable fear swept over him.

The number of people who died by his order at that time was not small.

That all those deaths were unjust?

“Hah.”

Feeling suddenly out of breath, he grabbed his chest and gradually collapsed to the floor.

The attendant quietly following behind him swiftly approached and quickly supported him.

“Your Majesty, are you alright? Your Majesty!”

At the urgently calling voice, he slowly nodded and looked at his attendant.

“Investigation… I need an investigation.”

“Yes, I will call the  physician. Please go to the bedroom quickly.”

“Not a  physician. I need an agile knight. There’s something… I need to know.”

What he wanted to investigate was as numerous as the deaths that occurred that year.

But since many pieces of evidence would be lost with time, it would be best to dig into the circumstances of recent deaths first.

The Emperor took a deep breath.

“Your Majesty, are you really alright?”

“A few years ago, there was a woman who was executed. A young maid from Kristonson. I need an investigation into her whereabouts.”

“…!”

The attendant seemed quite surprised. As if worried that another death might occur.

However, his emotion was revealed only for a very brief moment, and the attendant soon skillfully hid his expression and bowed his head.

“I will immediately form an investigation team and send them out.”

“…Yes, thoroughly. Find out in great detail. Even trivial things.”

The Emperor nodded with clenched fists and looked into his heart.

What kind of answer was he hoping for from the investigation?

He shook his head gently at the question he couldn’t answer at all.

Anyway, now he decided to open up the question he had only been delaying for a long time.

 

* * *

 

Claude and Isaiah arrived at the mansion where August was staying without any problems.

Fortunately, both the boy and the nanny were living healthily.

Claude reviewed the contents August had studied so far and gave him assignments to do until he came next time.

Isaiah also spent time with the boy in the garden, saying he would teach him how to use his body, but…

Exhausted by this, August ended up being bedridden for a whole day.

Isaiah got his back spanked by the nanny, but fortunately, he succeeded in gaining August’s favor.

During their stay, August had a very enjoyable time and soon opened his heart completely to Claude.

Thus, three days before their departure.

“…Um.”

During tea time after a meal as usual, August lifted his head slightly with a very cautious expression.

“Do you have any requests?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“Well, my youngest sibling makes that exact face when she has a request for me.”

Claude chuckled and moved to sit next to August.

“Tell me, what’s the matter?”

“I have… two re-requests. Claude.”

“Alright, tell me.”

“Well, first one… is.”

The boy held out a thick brown envelope he had hidden behind his back.

“Co-could you possibly… deliver this to my father?”

Like father, like son, one might say. August also seemed to have written a lot of letters to send to Prince Samuel.

Claude readily accepted the envelope.

“Of course. And the second request?”

“Well.”

This time, the boy hesitated for a long time as if it wasn’t easy to bring up the story.

Waiting for this, Claude slightly nodded to the nanny standing behind the boy. It meant to leave the room for a moment, even if briefly.

After the nanny left the room, the boy soon clasped his hands together.

“I understand now that I shouldn’t get involved in other people’s affairs.”

August now understood his position to some extent after hearing from his father and Claude.

Of course, he didn’t seem to feel the reality of being connected by the same bloodline as the Emperor.

“But… they say the village below lacks medicine. Could you possibly help, Claude?”

“By the village below, do you mean Belhold beyond the wilderness?”

The boy carefully nodded, observing his reaction.

“We-well, Grandma said I shouldn’t make friends, but… Mindy sometimes sneaks out to the wilderness. I’ve never shown her the mansion! I always wore a hat pulled down too.”

“Mindy?”

“Ah, she’s a girl who lives in the village below and always tells me interesting stories. It’s a secret from Grandma? She would worry if she knew I had a friend…”

Claude was also worried about him making friends.

Because one never knew who might approach August with what intention to reveal his identity.

“First, can you tell me a little more about Mindy? I’m not suspicious, just curious about what kind of friend you made.”

Soon, August’s face brightened up.

“Mindy is!”

Moreover, his tone was filled with joy and confidence, unlike usual.

“Her parents run an inn, so she often meets various travelers. Whenever we meet in the wilderness, she tells me their travel stories.”

“Sounds like a fun friend.”

“Yes, but I like the temple stories Mindy tells me more. She says the village children study together there.”

“It seems the priest teaches the children.”

“That’s how it was before, but I heard they have a teacher now. Since last winter. Mindy really likes that teacher. Says the teacher is kind.”

The boy got up from his seat for a moment and brought back a small piece of paper from his desk drawer.

“This is a portrait of the teacher Mindy drew. She brought it to show me.”

“A unique… drawing. It’s impressive.”

“You don’t have to forcibly find words of praise. I also asked, ‘Is this monster teacher the one you like?’ and had a hard time because Mindy got upset.”

As he said, the girl Mindy’s drawing skills were not very good.

In the first place, the word ‘monster’ came out because the head was drawn large and the body was drawn as thin as a thread.

Still, thinking of the child’s effort in drawing earnestly, Claude tried to admonish August.

“Still, you shouldn’t call a person a monster. Moreover, if you say that about a friend’s drawing, wouldn’t it hurt the listener’s feelings?”

“…You’re right. I’ll tell Mindy I’m sorry again.”

“That would be better. And can you tell me about the medicine too?”

After putting Mindy’s drawing inside the drawer, August sat down again.

“Actually, I haven’t met Mindy for quite a while. Partly because you came, but even before that, Mindy hadn’t shown up at the meeting place for a long time.”

“Oh dear.”

“Later, a letter was left at the meeting place, saying it became difficult for her to get permission to go out because everyone in the village caught a severe cold.”

“Well, it’s spring when yellow flowers bloom now.”

The capricious weather that could be warm one moment and surprisingly cold the next was a very good time for spreading colds.

“Mindy always used to say, ‘There’s no medicine in the village, so you mustn’t get sick.'”

“There’s always a lack of medicine outside the capital.”

Claude was reminded again of the importance of Jeremiah’s medicinal herb cultivation research.

“There’s a lot of medicine in this mansion, so I want to share it with the village… but in fact, what’s here isn’t mine.”

“So you decided to ask me?”

The boy gently nodded, gauging his reaction.

“Above all, I’m worried Mindy might have caught a cold. I can’t go check myself either…”

Claude pondered for a moment and nodded.

“Alright, there’s plenty of medicine. I’ll take some and visit the village temple.”

“Really?!”

When the boy asked with joy, Claude nodded, saying, “Of course.”

“You know, Claude. Then.”

“I know, you also wrote a passionate letter to Miss Mindy, right? Give it to me, I’ll deliver it.”

August brought another bundle of letters, overjoyed as if he could jump.

“Really, you’re just like Prince Samuel in your love for letters.”

Claude laughed as if it was amusing and took the new bundle of letters he handed over.

 

* * *

 

“Young Master, you’re going to the village to distribute medicine?”

“Yes.”

After tea time, Claude told Isaiah about the village.

“Uh… that doesn’t seem good.”

“I thought so too. But telling a young child that he can’t meet his friend… felt a bit wrong.”

Maybe it was because August was around Loretta’s age that he felt more concerned.

“Well, that’s true, but.”

“So for now, I’m going to do a little investigation on the child named Mindy. Since I’m going, I’ll also stop by the temple in Belhold and hand over the medicine.”