The sun’s rays beamed onto her bed, causing the golden hair that was there to shine.
Lydia was woken up from her sleep by the light, while blankly looking at the blonde hair before her.
It was beautiful hair that appeared as if light could penetrate through it.
Lydia remembered. Before, when she was on her mother’s lap, her sight was always filled with a golden light.
She was surrounded with a sense of security, as if returning to a place where she belonged that tenderly protected her. Dazed, Lydia tried to move her body as she sensed this kind of situation.
But she couldn’t move smoothly. She became more aware of the heavy weight, and gradually realized that there were two solid arms holding her, which couldn’t be her mother’s.
Edgar........
After yesterday’s quarrel, Edgar entered into the room through the balcony to apologize to Lydia. He unceasingly spoke a pile of reasons and justifications with clever words to comfort Lydia. In the end, she felt that it was silly to continue disputing with him.
Furthermore, Lydia felt that perhaps she still really liked his blonde hair.
This was the new place where she belonged, and certainly felt the reality of it.
But why wasn’t she able to eradicate this inexhaustible anxiety?
After getting married, she mustered her efforts in order to get used to her new life, not thinking about anything else at all.
There were some conflicts during their honeymoon.
When the two had their honeymoon, they did face a bit of problems, but as long as they cared about each other, then it was fine.
After returning home and starting a new life together, Edgar was always returning home late and of course Lydia didn’t know about it.
In regards to his matters she didn’t know of, that was to be expected. But when it came to whether or not he truly cherished their time together, it unexpectedly didn’t seem like that, because the timing between the two would always be out of alignment.
For Lydia, she felt that she would be happy if she could chat with Edgar about the little things in life after waiting a long time to welcome him home. However, what was important to Lydia, didn’t seem to be the case for Edgar.
He apologised to Lydia, and Lydia knew that regardless of whether it was joining strange clubs or about the haunted house, it was done in order to track down Diana’s trail.
Once she thought that this wasn’t a matter that was serious enough for the need need to quarrel over, Lydia’s attitude softened a bit as she told him about the gemstones.
However, Lydia always felt that she was unable to open up. She got caught up in her feelings of self-disgust, and couldn’t understand how her heart could be affected by such a trivial matter.
Before the wedding, she hardly cared where Edgar was or what he was doing when they didn’t meet up, but now, when she waited for him to return home, she couldn’t help but worry.
How did I become so indulgent?
Lydia felt as if she had become willful, but this was because she hadn’t realized that she loved him that much.
Not only did Edgar have many areas which made him seem unreliable, even if Lydia was angry with him, it was unclear on whether or not he truly reflected upon it, but because he was very gentle, he would always pamper his lover in the end.
Thus, Lydia felt that perhaps he should return home according to the agreed time.
But I don’t want to monopolize his daily life.
Lydia thought this, furthermore, she still felt that the love will calm down along with the marriage, so there wasn’t any need to worry about love.
It’s time to get up.
Lydia tried to move herself as gently as possible to get away from his embrace. However, the strength of a man’s arms compared to her mother’s was not only heavy, but it was also strong, so she simply couldn’t move.
She barely managed to free herself, but he suddenly moved as a result, and Lydia was embraced again.
Lydia originally thought that he was awake, but he was still in a deep sleep.
I need to free myself somehow, as soon as she thought that, he soon pulled her into his embrace again.
“.........No.”
“Oh, are you awake?”
“Because........ you are my war trophy.”
Having said that, he’s definitely still sleeping.
What did he mean by war trophy?
Although Lydia looked confused, she still looked at him while smiling at his sleeping face.
I’m sorry for troubling you.
Lydia whispered to him as she loosened her strength in his embrace, thinking to herself that there was no harm in sleeping a little longer.
Today, Edgar and Paul were scheduled to go to the haunted house.
Lydia was planning to look for the grave keeper fairy’s whereabouts.
Because they were going to be separated for two to three days, she stayed like this again.
*
Mr. Darnley was said to have died around two years ago, and his mansion, which was in the wetlands of Hampshire, was built in an area surrounded by swamps.
The carriage traveled for several hours, avoiding the muddy roads, as they saw brown houses that were between the sparse trees covered in a thin fog. The mansion stood alone on the uncultivated land, which gave a creepy impression.
It was clearly still early for sunset, but perhaps because the sky was dusky, the surroundings were especially gloomy.
In the past, the owner of the land was Baron Rochester, who was said to have had contact with the Blue Knight Earl three hundred years ago. Since it was a remote area away from inhabited regions, it wasn’t surprising that many fairies resided here. Thinking about this, their friendship could be understood.
Did the Earl obtain Diana’s map here? Had Diana been there before?
At any rate, the auction party will be held tonight, and the invited guests will to look around the furniture and household goods freely and discuss whether or not to buy it, and then participate in the auction tomorrow. That was the general process of it.
“Earl, is it okay for you to not bring Miss Lydia?”
Paul said whilst riding the carriage.
Although the club forbade women from entering the clubs, the families of the guests who took part in the auction party could accompany them.
Of course, Edgar had considered doing so, but the baron’s family no longer existed, and Mr. Darnley had already passed away.
The only clue remaining that related to the previous Blue Knight Earl was that painting, and so the purpose of this visit was to find the painting.
Edgar wanted to buy the painting of the Blue Knight Earl’s family and bring it back to London, and then begin investigating the correlation between the painting and Diana’s map.
On the other hand, Lydia seemed to have found the relation with the fairies, which was a more reliable clue than the mansion. She seemed to want to begin the investigation as quickly as possible, so Edgar didn’t forcefully bring her here.
After all, Edgar provoked her unhappiness recently. Although the two of them were already considered to be on good terms for the time being, he really didn’t want to start up another argument again.
“As long as it isn’t the ghost that appears and tries to say something, then we will be enough for this.”
Investigating the mansion and the surrounding people didn’t require Lydia’s ability.
“Aside from that Paul, don’t you think that the auction will feel very odd?”
“Eh, how would it be?”
“Although there are a lot of places in mind, the rumor of that haunted house in particular is not well known in London. If they needed money urgently, then they would promptly bring out household belongings that will sell well, even if they were transported from the vicinity of Italy, it would be better to make an auction in London. There are many rich people who would buy at higher prices than the eccentric club members.”
“That’s...... right. But would it be because transporting the belongings costs a fortune…… wouldn’t it?”
“Arranging for guests to stay in the mansion and participate in the banquet is also a required expense.”
“Then, it must be the owner’s personal hobby interests, perhaps he wants to sell it to someone who really sees the value of the haunted house in any case…...”
“Do you really think that the person seriously have that sort of commitment? I don’t think that is very wise.”
Although he couldn’t wipe away his odd impression of it, perhaps it would be in vain to continue thinking about it.
“Lord Edgar, we are almost at our destination.”
Raven, who has been staring out the window, spoke up, so the topic was cut short.
When the carriage crossed the stone bridge, the building appeared at a fairly close distance.
The wetland was vast, as if it covered the ground, and the mansion stood alone, surrounded by swamps.
Perhaps because the sky was a dense grey when sunset approached that the distorted shadows of the house were not there, but there was a perfectly flat shadow on top of the house, which made it seem like that something was squatting. It was as if a pitiful giant had been confined in the swampland.
There was no wind blowing across the tranquil surface of the water, which clearly reflected the sky and building.
“The swamp looks like a giant mirror.”
“You’re right, the water mixed with mud appears black, like the face of a mirror.”
“The mansion seems to be known as the house of mirrors.”
Edgar said as he leaned out towards the coachman.
“The mansion is also known as the horned owl’s house.”
The coachman seemed to be one of the locals, as he slowed the carriage down and replied.
“Horned owl? Why?”
“I’m not too sure, but it probably came from the coat of arms.”
After the carriage stopped, the coachman pointed toward the the coat of arms that was engraved on the stone road. It was the Baron of Rochester’s family coat of arms. There really was an owl design on it.
When they got off the carriage, Edgar noticed another unusual item, which was a mistletoe tied to the wheel.
Isn’t that used to avoid being confused by the fairy?
“Ah, are you looking at that? About a month ago, there was a guest that came by coach to this mansion, and he told me that doing this would be best. Before then, I would always get lost. I was clearly familiar with the roads, and yet I don’t know how I got lost…”
“Was it possible that the fairies got you lost?”
“Yes that person said that as well. I think that it’s probably a superstition, but tying a branch wouldn’t cause any inconveniences, so I did it.”
A person who understood fairies visited this mansion; this was a very important piece of information.
“Who was it? Did you ask for their name?”
“He was a young gentleman who didn’t have any particular features apart from that…… Oh, that’s right, I remembered he said that his surname was McKeel.”
McKeel. Edgar subconsciously felt nervous.
“What was he doing here?”
“Who knows? That’s all I know. In addition, because Mr. Darnley had already passed away, he seemed to have left immediately.”
Paul frowned and whispered:
“That McKeel, would they be one of Miss Lydia’s relatives from the McKeel clan?”
“........Probably.”
As Edgar replied, he thought to himself that it was good that he didn’t bring Lydia.
The things that were related to fairies were perhaps also connected to this piece of land. If someone from the McKeel clan came for this, it meant that the matters might have something to do with Edgar, which seemingly needed the help of Lydia’s knowledge.
Nevertheless, Edgar felt fortunate that Lydia wasn’t here. Because to him, the surname McKeel symbolized the possibility of Lydia being taken away from his hands.
He did everything he could to take Lydia back from the clan, and now that they were married safe and sound, Lydia became his wife in reality, but he still couldn’t help worrying about it.
Did the McKeel clan know of the relationship between the Baron of Rochester and the Blue Knight Earl? Was that an important matter?
“Earl Ashenbert, we are honoured to have your presence.”
The person who ran over to greet them was Beck as well as another short plump man dressed in luxurious clothing.
Although this person was the owner, Mr. Chambers, Edgar was still inattentively staring at the coat of arms on the stone blocks.
*
“Where is this place?”
Lydia stood in the middle of the plains as she looked around.
“That guy ought to have come out from here, but there aren’t any places nearby that look like a cemetery.”
Nico placed his paw on his forehead, and stared at the plains before him.
It didn’t take him long to find the fairy channel that the gravekeeper fairy entered from the outskirts of London. Lydia and Nico entered the fairy channel from that place, and arrived here.
“Nico, do you know how far this place is from London?”
“Don’t know either. All I know is that you’ll arrive immediately after going through the fairy channel.”
“Oi--, there’s a village over there.”
Lota ran down hill while waving her arms around. She came as well, but because she was an extraordinary woman of action, she immediately went to confirm the surrounding situation.
“Since there is a village, there should also be a cemetery.”
The two of them and the cat immediately headed towards the village.
It seemed that the bridge of the village’s entrance had a sign in front, which had a strange name written.
“We might have accidentally went to a very far place. Kelly seemed really worried, and followed along.”
As Lota said, Kelly thinks that she ought to be travelling with Lydia as her maid. Lydia was already a countess, and generally speaking, she shouldn’t be travelling alone without bringing a maid.
However, Lydia didn’t want to bring Kelly into the fairy channel all of a sudden, because Kelly didn’t have a special nerve like Lota, who could keep calm in any situation.
Lydia explained to Kelly that this time, she was setting out to do her fairy doctor duties, and barely managed to convince her.
“Because I don’t know what kind of situation will arise in a fairy channel.”
“Well, being able leave the fairy channel safely is great, but it is already quite dark outside. Lydia, if you return home late, wouldn’t you be missed by Edgar?”
“He went out early this morning with Mr. Paul. He won’t be home for three days, and furthermore, I had already said that I wanted to go and find the fairy.”
When Lydia finished, Lota revealed a surprised expression.
“It’s quite strange of him to leave you behind.”
“It’s because I wanted to investigate that fairy.”
After Lydia told him about the matters last night, Edgar didn’t ask if she wanted to go, after all, it was a party for only male members of the club, or perhaps he didn’t intend on taking Lydia anyway.
“Edgar probably wants to brush up on the feelings of his single life once in awhile, right? I feel that even though he’s married, he plans to maintain his friendships from before marriage.”
“Does that not matter? He’s not frequently running out and about at night.”
“Yes, but that’s because the he’s investigating the matters of the Earl family’s ancestors with the members of ‘Scarlet Moon’ and Paul.”
Lota’s eyes widened slightly.
“Is that what that guy said to you?”
“Is that not it?”
Hmm. She pondered while crossing her arms.
“It’s true that those people from the Scarlet Moon are investigating, but yesterday and the day before, Paul and Scarlet Moon’s Jack and Louis stayed in a rented house until around nine.”
This time, Lydia’s eyes were wide open.
This meant that Edgar wasn’t just with Paul afterwards.
Yesterday and the day before, he came back when it was already midnight.
Why did he have to lie? Compared to getting angry, Lydia felt confused instead.
No, rather than saying that he was lying, maybe he just didn’t explain specific details.
But I waited for so long.
Originally, she thought that Edgar was earnestly investigating to solve the Earl family’s mysteries, so she couldn’t do anything about it, but she didn’t think that Edgar’s reason for returning so late was completely different from what she thought.
Sometimes, she thought that the feelings between them were connected, but their thoughts were somewhat inconsistent, so she felt that she was suddenly unable to understand Edgar.
Why is that?
Before, her mood clearly wasn’t affected, and had felt at ease all along.
“Oh no, even if it’s like this, I don’t think he did anything bad.”
Lota hastily smoothed things over, probably thinking that she said too much.
“I know, I believe in him.”
Lydia felt that the two of them shouldn’t have to mention the topic of trust, but after saying that, even this point made her feel unsure.
“Oi, someone’s coming. Let’s ask about the cemetery.”
Just as Nico said that, there was a man who looked to be a peasant, pulling a horse with a load as he approached from the other side.
“Suddenly asking someone about that would be very odd.”
“Yes, in addition, we don’t look like we’re from here, but we don’t seem like tourists either.”
Lydia and Lota were dressed like ladies that were going to take a walk in Hyde Park, and didn’t carry any luggage with them.
However, the surprising thing was that the person stopped first and called for them.
“Misses, you wouldn’t be lost as well, right?”
Lydia and Lota looked at each other.
“Yes.”
“Old man, you said ‘as well’, does that mean you’re lost too?”
He helplessly lifted his hat, which had very wide rims.
“Yes, the village is on the other side of the bridge, but after I crossed the bridge, I returned here.”
“It’s because the fairies are confusing you.”
After Lydia finished speaking, she examined the peasant’s goods and reins. She found a bundle of straws tied to the horse’s tail and untied it.
“That way, I don’t think there’ll be no problem.”
The peasant looked at Lydia in surprise, but he still seemed doubtful.
“Miss, you know about fairies?”
“Mister, do you believe in fairies?”
“Who knows? But many things have happened, leaving people with no choice but to believe that it was those guys’ doing.”
After crossing the bridge, the village appeared before them as one would expect. The relieved peasant thanked Lydia and said that if they wanted to borrow a carriage, they could go to the curate’s home.
The sun was immediately going down and the nearest station was quite far from here. Walking towards the west, there was an old mansion, and it was said that the curate lived nearby.
According to him, London was several miles away from here.
Lydia decided to follow the peasant’s advice, and so she followed him, who was willing to lead the way, and asked en route:
“Do fairies often cause mischief here?”
“Yes, there are countless cases of people getting lost, as well as some travelers disappearing, but they might have simply entered the swamps. You two young ladies have to be careful. There are many swamps nearby and if you step into it, you will sink until no one can find you.”
“Bottomless swamps? How terrible.”
Lota kicked a stone into the marsh of the wetland as she approached the side of the road.
“What’s worse than is that the moon won’t rise. This land is cursed.”
“The moon won’t rise? If the weather is bad, sometimes you won’t be able to see the moon, right?”
“The moon hasn’t appeared for six years.”
“What? That long?”
Even if it was by chance, that sort of thing wouldn’t happen. Even if this wetland made the night fog and clouds thicker, Lydia didn’t think that there wasn’t even one day of clear weather.
Nico, who brazenly sat on the back of the horse also widened his eyes in surprise.
“My mother said that the moon is dead. It’s the legend that’s passed down here.”
He pointed towards the other side of the swamp. There was a huge building that stood alone appearing before them.
“A long time ago, when the owner still lived in the mansion, the moon seemed to have not risen, and it was said that some noble visited him at the time and used a magical gem as an exchange to recover the moon to the sky once more.”
“Ah-- Lydia, is it possible that the fairies made the moon disappear?”
“It’s hard to say. Although the matter is very unusual, the moon hasn’t truly disappeared.”
“In addition, whether it’s in London or somewhere else, the moon changes every night in the sky, and the reason why the moon isn’t seen is because of the weather here.”
There were fairies that could control the weather, but for the moon to not have appeared once in six years really was too unfathomable.
Lydia didn’t know which fairies would be so methodical, using magic every night. Moreover, not only were they likely to get bored of doing the same thing, they were also very fickle.
“After the moon stopped appearing, has the amount of fairies’ pranks increased?”
“I reckon so.”
If there wasn’t any light at night, it meant that the Unseelie Court’s power would likely grow stronger, and the malicious pranks might increase as well.
“That’s right, rumors of a ghost appearing in the mansion also spread around during that time.”
“Oh really? That house is haunted?”
This sort of thing happened quite often. Lydia blankly pondered over this.
“The ghost is said to be the owner’s granddaughter, but the owner had passed away two years ago and now there is no one living in it. The waiters who worked for the owner a long time ago are merely managing the house.”
“In other words, the owner’s granddaughter passed away six years ago?”
Lydia’s question made him tilt his head and think.
“The government official said that the owner didn’t have a granddaughter at all.”
However, when he said that, he looked at the water surface of the crammed swamp and said:
“But..... I have seen it many times. You see, I saw the mansion owner and a young lady walking on that stone bridge. The floor of the bridge was covered by branches so it couldn’t be seen, but the water seemed to show the reflections of two people...”
He stopped the topic there, forcing a smile as he pulled his hat down, probably because he felt that what he said was quite ridiculous.
“......Perhaps that girl is the ghost.”
A small house appeared up ahead.
The curate was said to be living at this place.
He walked into the house, as he told Lydia and the others to stay outside for a bit. Nico jumped down from the horse and nervously pulled Lydia’s skirt.
“Oi Lydia, it’s that fairy!”
“What fairy?”
“He just walked on the other side of the road, it’s the gravekeeper fairy from that time!”
“Really?”
“How could I be wrong? That guy has a huge pitch black body.”
“You go and check, I will explain the situation to the people here.”
Lota urged Lydia, and she nodded.
“Thanks Lota, I’m counting on you.”
Lydia waved while chasing after Nico, who had already broke into a run.
After running on the stone steps, the walls that surrounded the old building immediately drew near.
Lydia chased the fairy’s footsteps, and as a result she arrived near a mansion which was formerly a castle.
This place was probably the former courtyard, as there were animal statues everywhere, grass and bushes that grew in every direction, and the fountain which had already dried up.
Although one could barely see the surroundings clearly at this time, an oil lamp almost needed to be used.
“Nico, if we keep on chasing after him, the sky will be completely dark and we won’t be able to return.”
“Ah-- we need an oil lamp. That’s right, didn’t you bring that gem?”
After Nico mentioned it, she took it out of her pocket.
It wasn’t really noticeable in well lit areas, but looking at the gem outside now, she found that the gem’s light seemed to inconceivably strengthen.
Although it probably wasn’t the gem itself emitting such light, the surroundings looked a lot brighter than before. By putting it through the dark thickets, the nearby objects could be seen very clearly.
“It is really mysteriously bright.”
“But an average person can’t see this light.”
The fairy said that it was too radiant, could this be what he meant?
It seemed that this stone really did possess magical powers.
Lydia held the stone in her hand and sped up her pace.
Nico seemed to be tracking the fairy’s footprints, and because even Lydia couldn’t see clearly, she had no other choice but to follow Nico.
After walking on the road for a while, they entered the forest, but perhaps this forest could actually be part of the mansion’s land. After passing through the forest, a small cemetery could be seen.
“Nico, it’s the cemetery. I don’t know if the fairy’s staying there or not.”
“It might be, but it’s getting dark anyhow. We shouldn’t be running into a cemetery at night.”
The hairs on Nico’s back trembled.
“Let’s go in for a bit.”
“What?! Lydia, aren’t you afraid?”
He was clearly a fairy, and yet he was afraid of the deceased?
Lydia headed straight towards the wooden fence that surrounded the cemetery, and as result she heard a voice that came out of nowhere.
(Please don’t come any closer with that.)
There was a large shadow-like object sitting next to a giant tree.
“Whoa! It’s that fairy.”
Nico instinctively hid behind Lydia skirt.
Although it probably wasn’t a malicious fairy, its appearance gave a dreadful feeling, and there was no way to erase the indistinct impression. Despite seeing this fairy in a dark cemetery, which made it more scary, his tone of speech was very polite, and so Lydia was able to remain calm.
“I--I’m really sorry, I had something that I wanted to ask you about, so I came to find you.”
(Ah, may I ask what it is?)
The large dark body slowly shook. Its form didn’t have the appearance of a human being, so it was hard to tell if it was interested in the topic or if it was angry.
“Where was this gem originally? Do you know what kind of stone it is? Do you know something?”
(I’m not sure. I know nothing about matters outside the cemetery. That stone was buried by someone…… that’s right, it was beside that grave.)
Lydia passed through the wooden gate that was between the fence and headed towards the cemetery.
She clenched the gem in her hand to cover the light, which was too radiant in regards to the deceased, and went towards the gravestone that the gravekeeper fairy pointed towards. Nico was still holding on to her skirt.
“Was it this grave?”
(Yes..... ah, it’s possible that it could be the next one over.)
“You don’t remember?”
(Well, they’re all nearby in any case.)
Lydia crouched down, slightly opened her hand, then examined it, trying to read the gem’s inscriptions using the light of the gem.
The name of the one who was laid to rest was K. Darnley.
Darnley? Lydia remembered hearing that name before.
Yesterday, Edgar mentioned it; at the time, he said that he was going to an aristocrat’s mansion that the Blue Knight Earl family had relations with. Two years ago, the person who lived in the mansion was an old man named Darnley.
The date of death on the grave was two years ago.
“Could it be that the mansion......is haunted?”
Lydia couldn’t help but cry out, and Nico shrugged his shoulders.
“Didn’t the peasant just say that?”
“Ah........yes, that’s right.”
“Lydia, the name here is also Darnley.”
Lydia gazed at the other grave.
On it was a woman’s name who passed away six years ago, and by deducing her age from that time, it was possible that she was Mr. Darnley’s daughter.
With regards to whether or not Mr. Darnley actually had a granddaughter, the answer was vague, but he did have a daughter.
(That grave is really strange, no funeral was held, and there aren’t remains. It seemed to have been carried out at the dead of night, hidden from the public. Merely burying a relic, only an old man and a girl were present.)
Girl.
“Was that girl a ghost?”
(I remembered she was human at the time. Because humans become corpses rather quickly, I don’t know her situation now.)
So he really did have a granddaughter.
Mr. Darnley buried his daughter with his granddaughter.
Probably because his daughter and his granddaughter were separated from him for many years due to some sort of circumstance, he quietly buried the keepsake of his daughter, who passed away in a distant place.
However, why did it have to be kept away from the public?
Regarding this point, one could vaguely find out about the “Miss” engraved beside her name.
She was an unmarried woman, and moreover, if she was the mother of Mr. Darnley’s granddaughter, it also meant that she was an unmarried mother.
In this society, it was very unacceptable and disgraceful. This woman’s parents may have severed their ties with her, and if that was the case, then it wasn’t surprising that the granddaughter’s existence was hidden from other people.
Thus, the granddaughter’s existence had always been unclear.
Six years ago, a girl returned to her hometown with her deceased mother, and then she might have spent her life away from the public.
But after Mr. Darnley died, his granddaughter’s existence wasn’t made public. During these six years, could she have secretly passed away and been buried?
But it seemed that she wasn’t buried here.
Then again, six years ago…… that point of time still had another meaning.
The peasant said that the moon died, and the moon stopped appearing during that period.
Normally, one wouldn’t believe that there was a connection between the two, but the Blue Knight Earl had once visited this place in the past. Edgar said that the Blue Knight Earl gave the painting to the owner at the time, and then obtained the magic map.
Just a moment ago, the peasant also said that there was once a noble who exchanged something for the magical gem in order to revive the moon.
“Are the map and the gem the same thing?”
Lydia began to answer her own question. That’s right, a mysterious zircon was embedded on Diana’s map.
She checked that the locket pendant was in her pocket.
If this was the item that the Blue Knight Earl obtained on this land, then there was something common between the dead moon and the painting that a member of the Earl family was said to have painted.
“Mr. Fairy, was this gem here six years ago?”
(If it was left here for so long, I certainly wouldn’t have tolerated it. I recall that this was a recent matter, and because I was quite distressed in regards to this, I had been looking for the owner of this gem all along.)
Although Lydia wasn’t the owner of the gem, who actually buried the gem here?
Would that person know the secret of the gem?
“Can I ask you one more question?”
(If I answer, are you willing to take that thing away?)
The shiny gem seemed to really give him a headache, so when Lydia arrived here, perhaps he felt bothered as well.
Speaking of which, the original personalities of gravekeeper fairies shouldn’t be fond of being in contact with living people, so they chose to reside in cemeteries.
“Yes, I will go back. I heard that ghosts appear nearby, do you know anything about it?”
(Ghosts? That’s impossible, because everyone is sleeping peacefully here. Although the Unseelie Court magic strengthens under of the disappearance of the moon, but in order to prevent them from rousing the deceased, I have been keeping an eye on them.)
Even so, where did the rumours of a ghost come from? Could it be that this rumour had no foundation at all?
“I understand now, thank you, Mr. Fairy. Goodbye.”
Lydia was thinking as she left the cemetery.
She didn’t return to the path from when she came, rather she headed toward the mansion.
I must go and see Edgar, she thought.
“Lydia, where are you going?”
“It ought to be the mansion that Edgar set off for today, which was said to have the painting that the Blue Knight Earl gifted.”
“Really? Wasn’t the painting exchanged for the magic map? If the map is the locket, then that means that the map and the gem are all related to this land.”
“Yes, there must be a solution to read the map here.”
Lydia sped up her pace as she headed towards the building.
Lights could be seen through the many windows. This place was definitely holding the auction’s banquet; the more she approached, the clearer she could see the swaying shadows.
“Where is the entrance?”
“We can go in through that window.”
“Nico, that sort of thing is wouldn’t be appropriate……”
But looking at it carefully, there was a stool like wooden box just underneath the window. Moreover, not only was the window wide open, the room wasn’t lit either, it seemed that she didn’t have to worry about anyone being there.
This wasn’t what ladies should be doing, but when faced with a party of a males only club, even if you wanted to go in through the main entrance, you would probably be turned away.
This kind of club will be mindful of gentlemen who escape from their family’s restraints, and carelessly mess about. Lydia once heard that even if the wife tried to visit, she would not be received as a guest.
“.......Let’s go.”
Lydia was determined to approach the window, as she pulled up her skirt and stepped onto the wooden box to peep into the room.
There was no one inside. The inner door was wide open, and the lights in the hallway were shining faintly near the doorway.
Now’s the time. She stepped onto the window.
At the same time, someone walked past the open door.
The person met eyes with Lydia as she climbed onto the window.
“......Eh....ahhhhhh!!”
The man suddenly screamed as he ran out.
*
There was still some time before dinner. Edgar was lead to one of the guest rooms and looked out the window.
The dark sky made the scenery outside unclear, but it was enough to know that the place was surrounded by swamps.
The swamp illuminated the shadows with the light of the house. Despite the clouds in the grey sky hanging low, it was still brighter than the darkness on the land, which made it seem like this place that was covered with water, float on the ground.
Edgar thought blankly; regardless if was ghosts, fairies or anything else, it wasn’t strange at all.
If it were Lydia, would the scenery be different in her eyes?
She had the abilities of a fairy doctor, which was the bloodline that remained for the Prophet of the McKeel clan legend.
Could it be that the clan gave up on her becoming the Prophet’s fiancée?
Lydia was more important than anything else, so this made Edgar unable to restrain the uneasiness within him.
What is Lydia doing right now?
Did she find the fairy who brought the zircon to her?
Last night, Lydia was a little somewhat excited as she mentioned that the zircon could be a clue. She did her utmost to solve the mystery of the map.
This was of course, for Edgar.
But even if Edgar whispered his love for her, why was she absent-minded?
It was like this last night as well.
After Edgar entered her study through the balcony, he reconciled with Lydia, who locked herself in and wouldn’t come out. Even though this was good, it was not the time for an intimate atmosphere as soon after, Lydia reported to him that the fairy brought her the gem.
When Edgar wanted to try pushing down Lydia, who was thinking about the gem embedded on Diana’s locket, she revealed a cute angry expression and asked: “Edgar, are you listening?”, which made him want to attack her even more, but he had no choice but to show restraint.
As he heard Lydia talking on the bed, she fell asleep at some point, so Edgar could only embrace his ‘war trophy’ with self control.
Although Lydia waited for him until it was very late, it didn’t seem that it was because she wanted to spend the night with him, rather she just wanted to report on what happened with the fairy.
For Lydia living in the Earl’s mansion, it may not be necessary to return to the Carlton’s home, but it wasn’t much different than when she was here working as a fairy doctor.
Was Edgar still her employer rather than her husband?
Edgar, who thought that way, forgot that his partner Lydia was considered a special woman.
Because up until this day, it had just taken so long for them to become somewhat like a couple….
Despite the slow pace, Lydia was definitely growing in her affections but she was afraid of becoming willful. Additionally, Edgar was a bit confused at having not known that she felt incomparable happiness from lovingly talking and gazing at each others’ eyes, like men and women who had just begun a relationship.
“Lord Edgar, Mr. Paul is here.”
Raven’s voice made him come to his senses.
“That’s right, I remember that he went out to check the painting that I wanted to buy.”
Edgar left the window side, shifting his train of thought as he walked out of the room.
He went to the mansion with Paul and Raven, firstly visiting the gallery that was filled with many works of art, then saw the paintings of the generations of Baron Rochester’s family who once owned this mansion, lining alongside each other.
“The painting that we’re looking for is a portrait, right?”
“Yes, it says so on the records.”
From many of the portraits, one thing could be confirmed.
“Having looked at the period and inscriptions, it seems that there isn’t a portrait painted by a member of the Ashenbert family.”
Edgar nodded after listening to Paul and continued walking towards the grand staircase.
There was a large mirror that hung from the landing of the staircase.
“This mansion is really strange. Normally this place would be decorated with huge paintings to make it look nice.”
On the other wall, at the interval with the luxuriously framed paintings, were mirrors with the same luxurious framing lined up between the paintings at regular intervals.
“The corridor also has mirrors. I wonder if there is a meaning behind it.”
The reason why Raven said this was because the passage was divided into two sides, and only one direction had mirrors hanging.
“Raven, are you curious?”
“.......No, I thought that the mirror was reflecting a white object just now.”
If one recalled, there was only Edgar and the others were on the large staircase, so this really was quite strange.
“Is it a ghost?”
“I don’t know. I will go inside and have a look.”
After Raven quickly turned around, Paul looked in surprise and asked:
“What? Aren’t you afraid of going by yourself?”
“Afraid of what?”
“Uh, ghosts?”
“Raven, isn’t scared of anything.”
Yes. Raven nodded.
“I am only afraid of Lord Edgar angering Miss Lydia.”
It seemed that even if his master got married smoothly, Raven was still unable to relax.
“Wait, Raven, have I angered Lydia that often?”
“Miss Kelly told me that it is most dangerous when Miss Lydia is trying not to be angry. She said that because she doesn’t know when Miss Lydia is going to explode, so Lord Edgar’s every move would shorten her lifespan.”
“Is that…. so. Raven, I will be careful.”
Raven bowed towards Edgar, who looked taken aback and left to investigate the depths of the corridor.
“Haven’t I already escaped from the crisis? Or is Lydia still enduring through something? Paul, what do you think?”
Even if another person threw an awkward subject towards Paul, he wasn’t the type of person who spoke without thinking, and so he pretended to be interested in a nearby painting.
“Eh, ahh… Earl...... this is a great painting.”
Edgar shrugged his shoulders as he stood in front of the painting with Paul.
It really was a good landscape painting, as it depicted this mansion.
The moonlight shone onto the towering mansion, and the courtyard was filled with colourful flowers. The scenery of the painting and the currently ruined building were different, as if was the mansion’s former circumstances.
The moonlight in the picture was filled with a soft and golden light.
The plants and leaves were motionless, remaining in a tranquil sleep. The moon was still awake, as well as the castle, which bathed in the moonlight and seemed to be awakened by the light.
While communicating to each other in silence, it was as if the people who fell asleep can never spend time in this beautiful night.
It was originally believed that this was a gloomy land that was surrounded by swamps, but as long as the moon appeared, the landscape would become dreamlike.
“How unusual.”
“Yes, it really is unusual.”
“This place is only filled with portraits, why is this the only landscape painting?”
“Ah…. you meant that? Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
Paul said.
“Then do you think that there’s something strange?”
“Ah, yes, because I think that there were hardly any scenery paintings a long time ago. Landscape artists became very popular in the painting world recently, but the varnish on this painting is already discoloured.”
“Which means that this painting is very old then.”
“I don’t see any inscriptions. maybe it’s on the back.”
The painting was quite interesting, but it wasn’t the portrait he was looking for. However, Edgar felt that something was out of place from the painting.
He didn’t know what sort of feeling it was, but it was soon forgotten because Raven had returned.
“There is a strange room at the end.”
Raven said.
“It’s a room is full of mirrors.”
“Oh, that’s quite strange as well. Paul, let’s go and have a look.”
“What? Uh, that ghost......”
Although Paul was a little reluctant, he still followed them as he probably didn’t want to be left alone on the staircase.
Like Raven said, the corridor was covered with mirrors up until the end.
Then, they entered the room.
Inside the room, there was flower patterned wallpaper with light blue curtains hanging down. The small bed was covered with a white laced blanket; it looked like a child’s room.
The strange thing was that the surrounding walls were packed with mirrors, as if to fill up all the gaps.
From wardrobe mirrors to vanity mirrors, even hand mirrors were stuck to the wall.
“Why on earth would someone want to do this....”
Paul was speechless on the spot.
“This should be a girl’s room. He really did have a granddaughter.”
“Is this his granddaughter’s room?”
“There are quite a few women who love mirrors.”
“This probably isn’t in the realm of what someone simply likes!”
“Ahhh…!!”
At this time, a scream suddenly came through. Paul jumped when he heard this.
There’s a ghost! Someone cried out as they ran away.
“Oh--, let’s go and have a look to confirm.”
“Ear...Earl.”
Edgar ran out of the room that was full of mirrors and rushed down the stairs.
While he pondered over where to go, he entered a narrow passage, and then saw a figure escaping from the room.
It was a woman. However, he stared at her in surprise.
Although it was dark at the back, but he couldn’t have been mistaken, not to mention that there was a grey cat that ran past him on two legs before his eyes.
“Lydia!”
After Edgar called out to her, she stopped and turned around, trembling.
“Edgar......?”
“Lydia, why are you here?”
When Edgar asked her, he heard the sound of people running over who wanted to get in on the action, so he hurriedly took Lydia away from the scene.
After entering a room where there wasn’t anybody, he faced Lydia again.
“It’s great to be able to see you, I have something to tell you, the fairy’s zircon……”
Lydia excitedly finished her sentence in one breath, however Edgar exposed a expression, which stopped her from continuing.
“Did you come to this sort of place by yourself?”
If there was an accident, what was he going to do? He didn’t wish for Lydia to act hastily. And yet it was just when he believed that it was fortunate of him not bring Lydia to this place, which the McKeel clan had visited...
At any rate, Edgar was very worried, because her unexpected actions had upset him.
Perhaps she had cold water thrown on her when she began speaking, so she kept her mouth shut.
“Lydia, you’re no longer in the position to wander out alone.”
Although he intended to prompt Lydia to answer, he was unintentionally harsh in his tone of voice.
Lydia hung her head in shame and replied:
“I came here with Lota and I originally hadn’t intended to travel far. It’s because I was pursuing the fairy and ended up at the nearby village. I knew that this was the mansion that you were paying a visit to, and so I wanted to tell you sooner……”
“Where is Lota?”
“She is..... at the nearby curate’s house waiting for me…...”
“If that’s the case, then you should return with her quickly. If a carriage is prepared immediately, you should still be able to catch the last train to London.”
Having heard to his harsh tone in saying that, had Lydia felt opposition? She suddenly raised her eyebrows and said:
“I found a clue, because I have already seen the fairy. This land must be the key to undoing the map’s magic.”
Lydia chased after the fairy and came here; this must have an important meaning, and because Edgar understood this, he was even more cautious.
Among the situation of opposition between the Earl family and the Prince’s organization, there were stakes of many people with different interests involved. For this reason, he no longer wanted to be used in another person’s schemes. He of course, didn’t want Lydia to become a means to the fight.
If they were to push forward with just a clue, wasn’t it possible to fall into a trap? It was the same for their honeymoon as well. Although the outcome wasn’t terrible, there was no way of guaranteeing that it would go smoothly every time.
“Lydia, listen to me carefully. I want to find the painting first. Then I will bring it back to London, and we’ll carefully investigate things and return to this place after sorting out the things that we’ve discovered. It’ll be best that the zircon’s matters will be taken into consideration as a whole when that time comes.”
The situation of not understanding the whole picture and continuing to move in here made him uneasy. Moreover, he didn’t want Lydia to remain on this land that the McKeel clan was keeping an eye on.
“Can’t I come?”
Originally, Lydia asked with a firm attitude, but she suddenly exposed a sad expression.
“It’s not that, it’s just that you said that you were going to find the fairies’ hideout, I thought you were simply going to investigate London’s fairies.”
“I thought so as well before, but I arrived here after passing through the fairy passage. At any rate, please let me finish.”
Edgar began to hesitate.
There was no longer enough time to leave for the last train. If she remained here, would something regrettable happen?
“Earl Ashenbert, if you want to appreciate the paintings, shouldn’t you turn on the lights?”
At that moment, Beck, the host, called out. He probably thought that it was quite strange for the two of them to be talking in the darkness.
“Th--there’s no need. this place doesn’t have the painting I’m looking for.”
He wanted to bring Lydia out, but Beck stared at her.
“Oh my, and this is.....? Earl, I never heard that you brought a female companion, is she part of your family?”
“.......N--no, she came here because she was lost.”
Edgar suddenly said that, and Lydia couldn’t help but look at him in surprise. If he introduced Lydia as his wife, then Beck would surely tell her to stay. Due to expecting the madams’ impulse shopping, not only did this auction invite the club members, they also welcomed the families’ company.
Perhaps there were many gentlemen who didn’t want to let their families know that they were interested in haunted houses, so there were very few women participating this time, but Baker probably welcomed them exceptionally.
On one hand, this was troublesome, because Lydia considered staying here.
Paul and Raven, who were at the door, also looked surprised, but Edgar went on to say:
“Can I ask you to prepare a carriage for her?”
“No, I came here to do something!”
Lydia called out, as she left Edgar’s side and ran towards Paul.
“Brother!”
She suddenly addressed Paul in this way.
“I want to see the ghost as well, can I? Please let me stay here!”
Rather than saying that Lydia began causing trouble, it would be better to say that she was already raging in anger.
“What! Uh, but.....”
Flustered, Paul looked at Lydia and Edgar.
“There are spare rooms in the mansion, Mr. Ferman, what will you do?”
Lydia glared at Edgar sharply, expressing that she wasn’t planning to change her mind. Since that was the case, he had no other choice but to give up on stopping her actions.
“Paul, she went through trouble to come here, you may as well do as she says.”
Edgar intended on giving in, but Lydia’s expression did not soften.
Lydia was staying in this mansion as Paul’s sister. After entrusting Nico to inform Lota of the whole story, she left for the dining hall with Paul.
As she entered the dining hall, which already had a lot of guests, she immediately saw Edgar’s figure.
Even in the midst of so many people, he was still very conspicuous. He clearly wasn’t doing anything and staying in his seat, yet why was he so eye-catching?
At that moment, Edgar looked in Lydia’s direction. She immediately widened her eyes and looked away, and was unable to understand Edgar’s attitude at all.
Why did he tell her to go home and pretend to be a stranger?
Originally, it was thought the guests who received invitations were only men, but upon coming to the actual location, she found out that it was possible to bring family members as well.
On the other hand, Lydia started to regret her attitude.
Although she couldn’t help but act impulsively, she got Paul involved and stayed here. Perhaps Edgar was angry.
She might have acted stubbornly again.
The more that Lydia thought about it, the more she felt that she couldn’t understand Edgar. Whether it was what was happening this time or last time where he stayed out late without the Scarlet Moon members, could it be that in this mind, he simply placed social activities before investigating the mystery of the map?
Regarding this, perhaps as long as there was enough time to talk, the misunderstandings could have been cleared up, but in a situation of not knowing anything and suddenly being treated like a stranger by him, this really hurt her deeply.
“Miss Lydia, the Earl is looking this way. ”
Paul said that after sitting down at the table. Although Edgar’s seat was far from them, Lydia knew that Paul nodded to greet him, and so she was unable to raise her head.
“Uh, although I shouldn’t butt in from my position, but the Earl doesn’t think of you as a nuisance.”
Perhaps she didn’t take Edgar’s standpoint into consideration, and because of this kind of mentality, she did something that gave Edgar no choice but to tell her to return.
Lydia sighed and thought that maybe sneaking into the mansion through the window might have been a little bad.
She heard the people around her talking about how a ghost appeared earlier and that it seemed to be a woman sneaking through the window.
As she recalled that it might have been the man who cried out while running away telling everyone, Lydia blushed.
“Well...... thinking about it carefully, it’s as if I was rudely barging into a social occasion of men, so if he said that I was his family member, perhaps it would have embarrassed him.”
After she said that, she seemed to have realized something and looked at Paul.
“Oh no! Haven’t I embarrassed you, Mr. Paul?”
“No, I wasn’t embarrassed. At this auction, you can bring your family members with you, so revealing your identity properly won’t matter.”
Since it was like that, it would have been better not to come through the window. Although Lydia thought that, it was already too late.
“But Edgar doesn’t think so.”
Normally, the women here were brought by their husbands and those who chase after them here arbitrarily couldn’t be called ladies.
“The Earl is only worried about you. He probably wants to investigate the situation here first, and because he doesn’t understand anything about magic, he’s more cautious.”
She stole a glance at Edgar. Edgar was currently joking around with the people around him, and it seemed that he was no longer gazing in her direction.
I wonder what they could be talking about.
Lydia couldn’t guess.
She shouldn’t guess, because women didn’t need to know anything and as long as women protected the household it would be fine.
However, perhaps because Lydia wanted to believe that her relationship with Edgar was different to the common sense of married couples, she had headstrong expectations of Edgar.
Edgar needed Lydia’s abilities, and she felt that she could contribute equally to the Earl’s family. That being said, deep down, Edgar still hoped that Lydia would not do things unbecoming of a countess.
“......Mr. Paul, you’re right. When it comes to fairies, I just can’t see anything else. Surely, Edgar also worries about this.”
Afterwards, I will apologise to him properly. As long as we talk openly and honestly, Edgar will definitely be willing to soften his sullen attitude.
I gotta pull myself together, right now, it’s time to enjoy dinner.
However, this was also very hard, because Lydia was now Paul’s sister, so when encountering the surrounding people who would ask questions, she and Paul had to answer identically, and for this reason, they were often flustered.
As a result, she was mostly talking to Paul during the dinner.
She and Paul spoke about a lot of things, such as the peasant who told her that the moon won’t appear at this time, and that when this happened in the legends, the Blue Knight Earl appeared and resolved the issue. In addition, the zircon that the gravekeeper fairy brought was previously placed in front of the family cemetery of Mr. Darnley, who was the previous owner of this mansion. Furthermore, Mr. Darnley may have had a granddaughter, which wouldn’t be unusual even if she wasn’t introduced to society.
While Lydia was talking with Paul and minding her surroundings, it seemed that she was drinking a lot more than usual.
“Miss Lydia, haven’t you drank too much?”
“There’s no…. way that would happen.”
The reason why her words were unclear was probably because she was drunk.
“It’s best to return to your room, I’ll take you back.”
“......Sorry to trouble you.”
After Lydia obediently agreed, Paul held her hand and helped her stand.
She felt dizzy and grabbed onto Paul’s arm.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, I’m your brother right now.”
Indeed, it would be shameful to cling to a man that wasn’t a relative, and now that she was with Paul, she didn’t need to worry about other people looking at her.
Just when Lydia thought that and was about to step out, a man stood in front of her.
“I’ll take her there.”
It was Edgar.
Lydia tried to refuse his offer. Wouldn’t it be strange if Paul’s sister was escorted by one of his friends? Although couldn’t think with her head as she was muddle-headed, she would get dizzier the more she moved, so she couldn’t express her thoughts nor convey her attitude.
Edgar forcefully grabbed onto her back, supporting her as they left the restaurant.
His gestures and forceful manner weren’t unfamiliar to Lydia, so after not unnecessarily using mental or physical efforts to think about anything, she subconsciously leaned over.