It was a habit of the British aristocracy to invite friends and family to enjoy hunting or doing sports in the countryside.
The place Lydia and Edgar were both invited to go to was Duke Masefield’s country house.
The Duke and Duchess were usually quite close with Edgar, and had a personal friendship with Lydia’s father, so they provided a lot of assistance in the couple’s marriage.
Although Lydia’s father had a fixed status, Lydia wasn’t of nobility, and the reason why she was able to marry Edgar without any major problems occurring was all thanks to the Duchess.
Even within London’s social circles, Lydia didn’t have worry about being inferior either.
Being able to accept the hospitality of the Duke and Duchess was an honour to Lydia.
“There is a swan at the lake up ahead.”
The Duchess said that happily, as she was leading Lydia and her three granddaughters in a hike around the plains.
Being able to enjoy walking around was one of the peaceful aspects of countryside living, thus nobility took considerable care in maintaining the environment surrounding their country houses.
The aristocrats were able to use the wheat fields or the trees that lined the small paths as the focus, and enjoy the natural landscape that had a different feeling from the man-made courtyards. The land that was passed down from generation to generation was also comforting.
“Swans? Can you catch them?”
The Duchess’s granddaughter, that is, the second daughter of the three sisters from the Roden family, had slightly different interests compared to a normal girl.
“Meg, of course it is impossible. Not only can swans swim, but they can fly too.”
Despite the eldest daughter calmly criticizing her younger sister, she herself liked small animals as well, but swans seemed to violate her standards.
“Swans are too big to be considered birds, and they aren’t cute at all. Moreover, it seems that they will peck people, so I honestly wouldn’t want to go and touch them, right, Lydia? ”
“Yes, if you get pecked, then it ought to be very painful.”
“Have you been pecked? Lydia, you’re truly amazing, you’ve caught a swan before!”
The second daughter, Meg, was the only one that was excited.
It wasn’t known what kind of person the Duchess described Lydia as, who was close with fairies, to her granddaughters, but she felt that the girls seemed to think of her as a peculiar being, thus they cast gazes of admiration toward her.
“Umm it’s not like I’ve caught.....”
She had only heard about Nico competing with a swan over a fish, and caused him a lot of trouble.
“Look! It’s a mole, there’s a mole!”
The voices of the three girls erased Lydia’s attempt at making a correction.
She stared at the cave by the roadside, and the other two ran over.
“Oh, Beth. Please stop. Moles cannot be kept as pets, they will die.”
After the Duchess uttered a warning, the three of them obediently stood up.
“All of you are already at the coming of age, so you must be a little more composed. Madam Lydia, please tell them that marriage is such a beautiful thing.”
“Grandmother, if there is a handsome man like Lydia’s husband that is willing to let us raise a pet, then we will think about it.”
The Duchess revealed an astonished expression, as the three sisters were laughing happily.
“However, perhaps you can’t be free from worries with having a handsome husband.”
“Lydia, aren’t you worried? No matter where your husband is, he will be the focus of young women’s attention.”
“Yes that’s right, I’m a little worried as well.”
Just a moment ago, he was being surrounded by upper class women in the salon. Nevertheless, the people gathered here were all aristocrats invited by the Duke and Duchess, so Lydia relaxed slightly.
Edgar probably wouldn’t do things that would betray the Duke and Duchess’ trust.
“I thought so, but it’ll be alright. Leave it to us to keep watch during this time.”
“Thank you, I’m counting on you all.”
Although they had only met recently, Lydia already knew how to get along with them. Moreover, to Lydia, this seemed to be a rare social gathering where she could enjoy herself and be able to get away from London’s polluted air.
“Look, it’s a lake, and there are swans.”
The Duchess gazed carefully at the lake that appeared ahead. Although the swans could be seen, there were very few of them, and it felt somewhat lonely.
“There’s a lot less than before.”
The swan raised its long neck and leisurely swam in the water. The lone lake that appeared in the plains was unexpectedly vast. Both north and south of the lake were slender and it seemed somewhat hazy in the more distant areas.
“Madam Lydia, are there fairies that have the appearance of a swan?”
The Duchess asked, as if she suddenly remembered.
“Yes, there are.”
“Really! If that’s the case, then are those swans fairies as well? Lydia, can you tell them apart?”
Beth’s eyes were sparkling.
“I actually can’t tell them apart...... however, Duchess, you’ve seen a swan fairy before, haven’t you?”
“I am not sure, I only saw a group of girls in white dresses dancing on the hills over the shore...... It was something from the past, before I married into the dukedom. Every year, I will see them for most of the season.”
“Could it be the girls from the nearby villages?”
Upon hearing Ann’s words, the Duchess replied with a smile: “Maybe.”
“But I felt that they didn’t seem to be from this world. There is only a rock on the west slope, and they were dancing around it...... I looked in the distance, because I felt that they would disappear if I got too close...... I don’t know whether it was my misperception or not.”
“They can’t be seen nowadays?”
Lydia asked.
“It has already been several years. There was one year where it rained a lot, causing the lake to be flooded. This region was soaked with water as well, and I haven’t seen them since then, but perhaps the two things were simply unrelated to each other.”
Lydia and the others stopped, unable to find anything similar to a rock, from overlooking the hills of the lake and searching all over.
Could it be that the rock was buried?
The surrounding lands consisted of level plains; perhaps the rock actually wasn’t a product of nature, but rather carried from somewhere else.
Those kinds of rock remains had very deep connections with fairies, so it wouldn’t be strange at all if many swan fairies came to this land in the past.
The dried grass beat against the hill under the brush of the wind. The sound of wings flapping could be heard above; there were several swans soaring in the sky.
Tonight, after the gorgeous banquet held by the Duke’s family concluded, a famous singer was also invited to provide additional entertainment in the hall for the guests that were gathered here.
Not only was there a singer, but there was also a pianist, harpist, violinist, and so on; the well-known musicians of London were all present.
During the the launch of London’s social season, no matter where you were invited to, there was always a noisy crowd. However, as the banquet that was held in the country house was filled with an atmosphere of friends and family gathering, not only could one calmly enjoy the music, they were able to feel comfortable as well.
The people that Lydia was unfamiliar with were decreasing, but because the Duchess personally introduced Lydia to everyone as Countess Ashenbert, they seemed to have naturally accepted her.
Perhaps everyone heard a while ago that the partner of the well-known Earl Ashenbert wasn’t an aristocrat, moreover, there were many people who knew Lydia’s father, who was a scholar that had a personal friendship with the Duke, so Lydia had to straighten her back too.
“Was it fun taking a walk with the Duchess?”
The song just happened to finish. Lydia, who clapped enthusiastically, was surprised to see Edgar standing at her side as she turned her head.
Having said that, after returning from the walk, she wasn’t able to have a proper conversation with Edgar because she had to immediately get dressed to attend the banquet.
The dinner banquet was in order for the guests to enhance their friendship during this period of time, so the seats were decided in advance.
At these kinds of formal banquets, Lydia still wasn’t able to calm her mind completely, but fortunately, her seat was arranged to be near the Duchess, so she could take pleasure in chatting about unfamiliar topics. However, being by Edgar’s side made her feel at ease the most.
Lydia looked up and smiled naturally.
“It was very fun, I didn’t expect that the Duchess would actually walk so far, so the three Roden sisters were all exhausted when we returned, but the weather was great today, and I was saw swans as well.”
“Is that so, but please greet me next time.”
“Weren’t you really concentrated on playing chess with the Duke? Moreover, you were being surrounded by the upper class ladies watching from the side, so I couldn’t come near.”
Edgar shrugged his shoulders.
“I thought you were watching the game, so I tried really hard. I was really happy to win after a close match, but the goddess of victory wasn’t there to give me a kiss to make it complete.”
I wonder if that was a little bad.
“I’m sorry.....”
“There’s no harm in you giving it to me now though.”
“What?”
“A victory kiss.”
If they were to kiss now, the meaning simply wasn’t the same, and besides, there were so many people.
Lydia looked around in confusion. Everyone was laughing and talking with each other, maybe no one would notice if it was a quick peck on the cheek.
Just as she was thinking this, Lydia felt that a strong gaze shooting over, so she quickly moved away.
“Ah, that woman has been looking at you all along.”
She began to notice it since dinner. If Lydia looked towards Edgar nonchalantly, that honey-blonde haired woman would definitely look at him as well.
“Are you jealous?”
Edgar wasn’t looking in her direction at all; Lydia found this to be quite strange. He didn’t even confirm what sort of woman she was, and Lydia thought that this was simply like escaping.
Moreover, her name drew attention.
“I recall her name being Miss Kathleen, and that she is the daughter of Earl Collingwood. She got engaged recently, and came with her fiancé.”
The title, “Miss K”, was seen on the letter in Edgar’s study. Was this a mere coincidence? It was only the letter K, and it didn’t necessarily have to stand for Kathleen.
“You really know a lot.”
“Because someone introduced her to me just then.”
“Then could she be looking at you?”
That’s impossible.
However, Edgar wrapped his arm around Lydia’s waist like he wanted to stop the subject, as he brought his face closer to look at her.
Regarding Miss K, perhaps she was thinking too much. While Lydia was pondering, she still felt Kathleen’s gaze.
At the thought of someone looking, Lydia felt quite shy, thus used both hands to try and push him back.
“If it’s a woman staring at you, then I will forgive them. After all, the dress and hair ornaments you’re wearing tonight will make the young ladies who haven’t yet seen society consider you as a model to imitate.”
These were his own selections, how boastful. Although Lydia thought so, she wouldn’t be embarrassed if she dressed according to Edgar’s tastes. Furthermore, she felt that she would always be praised often.
“If you attract the gazes of men, then it will be a real headache, but I don’t want to make you wear vulgar clothing, it truly is a dilemma.”
“You’re both getting along well, as usual.”
Duke Masefield smiled kindly and walked over, and even Edgar knew to remove his arm that was embracing Lydia.
“It’s all thanks to you. She is the treasure of my life.”
“That’s truly great. Oh, that’s right, is Professor Carlton well?”
“Yes, Father asked me to send you his regards as well.”
“Although I wanted to invite him here, I was scolded by Browning. He said that Professor Carlton has important work to do, and that inviting him to play was really too illogical. However, I’d like to meet him once in a while.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Lydia felt the gaze that was originally looking toward her suddenly move away. She turned her head slightly, and saw Miss Kathleen and her fiance going into another room.
Despite feeling relieved, a fretful mood emerged in Lydia’s mind.
Why am I so concerned about it? There were other young women looking at Edgar as well.
Regardless of when or where, she would see red-faced maidens casting envious gazes towards Edgar, but Lady Kathleen was different.
She looked at Edgar with sad and painful eyes, as if she was longing for the lover that she was forced to separate with.
Was she a former lover?
The reason why she wasn’t absolutely certain was because it was Kathleen’s first time coming to London, and she also asked Ann for Edgar’s name.
This was what Ann had secretly told Lydia about just then, but since Kathleen didn’t even know his name, it would be quite difficult to believe that the two were in a relationship in the past.
“Lydia.”
After Edgar called out to her softly, she came back to her senses. The Duke invited a young man to come over; he had a violin in his hands.
Although he had conspicuous red hair, it seemed that he didn’t take any special care of it, as curls stuck up and emerged from all over his head.
The Duke introduced him to Lydia, thus she nodded to send her greetings.
“His name is Darnell Finn. He’s a young performer who’s received a rather favourable reputation in Vienna. Mr Finn, this is Lord Ashenbert, could you please play a piece for him, to whom I lost in chess?”
“I’d be honored.”
He put his hand to his chest. Despite not revealing the slightest bit of a charming smile, as the strong force of his clear eyes looked over towards Lydia, she couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.
“Earl, may I ask if you have a specific song?”
“Well then, please play a song for my wife, whom I love the most.”
Edgar said that with no shame at all.
[Please read this at Daydream Translations]
After a light bow, he headed towards the centre of the hall.
He lifted his violin, and his rising gaze captured Lydia. It was an expression of sorrow, as if he wanted to say something. Without knowing whether or not his performance was in response to Edgar’s request, the song unfolded in this kind of atmosphere.
Lydia for some reason felt that his gaze overlapped with the one that Kathleen had when looking at Edgar, and felt very uneasy.
*
Looking into the distance ahead, only barren land could be seen. There were no hills, forests, or even roads. The summer season dyed the earth an emerald green, but now, it was the colour of withered grass, exposed to the wind blowing from the distant sea.
Even the growing trees, which appeared to grow as if they remembered, had leaves falling, and so gave off a dreary impression.
“This place truly is desolate enough to surprise people.”
Francis sat on the back of a horse, sighing as he mumbled.
Raven, who was riding not too far ahead, would look at the compass from time to time, while galloping forward.
“Oi, are we heading in the right direction?”
Raven didn’t answer. It had been like this from the beginning to up until now. Although he was an outstanding valet whom Edgar trusted, he hardly cared about anyone other than Edgar.
Francis gave up asking, then after advancing onwards for nearly ten minutes, Raven suddenly stopped the horse.
“It’s here.”
He said that as he turned his head.
“What? What’s here?”
The scenery before them didn’t change much from before, but there was a rock nearly buried underground that appeared by Raven’s foot.
“Did you not hear what Lord Edgar said?”
“Ahh, now that you mention it, he said something about a rock or something......”
“You ought to have participated in the discussion of the investigation in “Scarlet Moon” club, have you not?”
A few days ago, he was brought into a club by Edgar. It was part of a group that consisted of like-minded individuals who withstood the Prince’s organization for a long time. Edgar introduced several people to him who appeared to be managers, then explained a little regarding Wickerbone, which was in the territory of the Earldom.
Up until now, such investigations were conducted by the members of Scarlet Moon, but they were currently occupied with preparing an exhibition.
This work seemed to have been hand-balled to Francis in result.
“You seemed to have had too much liquor beforehand. Lord Edgar made it clear for me that I must explain again that if you don’t understand anything. What will you do?”
“....Then by all means, please explain it again.”
Francis could only pull himself together.
Francis once heard Edgar say that Raven’s soul was controlled by a sprite since birth, thus he wasn’t able to express the feelings of a normal person. If it were not for him knowing about this, he probably would have thought that Raven was a difficult person with a nasty disposition. Raven dismounted from the horse, took out the map and unfolded it on the ground.
“This is the map of the Earl family territory that the head butler had been safeguarding until now, and only the territory of the human world is what’s clearly indicated without a doubt.”
“Then, where are we now?”
Francis also got off the horse and looked at the map. Even if Wickerbone’s territory appeared to be desolate from the map, there was only a village on the west side.
“We are here, the location of the menhir is marked on the map.”
The side of the rock stuck out a bit from the ground, exposing the surface. In comparison to the menhir, they were still quite far away.
“Menhir? Ahh, these aren’t just rocks, is it like the historic ruins that Carnac* has?”
“According to what Madam Lydia said, these kind of ruins are associated with fairy magic.”
“And so?”
“Lord Edgar believes that if the ship is somewhere in the wilderness, then this menhir might be the clue to investigate.”
Francis titled his head.
“......How could this thing be considered as a clue?”
“There are menhirs in other areas as well.”
We’re going to investigate all of them?!
Raven had an expression of it being expected.
“Well hold on, rather than investigate each and every one, how about going to the village and asking about the ship first?”
“If the Earl family’s ship was in the village, then it would have definitely been recorded in the head butler’s management list, because the Earl family assets had been properly managed even during the period the Master was not present. Going to the village again afterwards wouldn’t have an impact. In any case, as long as we investigate the menhirs in order, we will certainly arrive at the village.”
Although each menhir was several miles apart, they were almost arranged in a straight line.
Raven’s proposal was truly efficient, but Francis had a bad premonition. He was worried that if he listened to the proposal of this inhuman-like valet, he might come across a very miserable situation.
“But the sun is about to set soon, we won’t be able to move forward in the wilderness after the sky darkens so where are we going to sleep tonight?”
“Here.”
The bad premonition seemed to have come true immediately.
“We’re sleeping outdoors on the countryside?!”
“I have already prepared.”
“I don’t want to, there’s no way I can sleep in a place like this, I’ll freeze to death!”
“It is currently not the harsh winter. Furthermore, there are blankets as well, so it won’t be a problem. Moreover, you may have had the experience of sleeping outdoors, have you not? Did you not serve in the army once before? If you sleep here, you will not have to be concerned about cannons being fired.”
Raven unloaded the luggage from the horse and swiftly began preparing to camp out.
Edgar orders this guy around harshly doesn’t he?
Even if everything was taken care of by him in London, Francis wasn’t an attendant, and even if he was originally a retainer, he was able to draw up an agreement from an equal standpoint, so as long as they were able to find the boat, Edgar likely wouldn’t say anything.
“....Mister......”
Francis got onto the horse again, and Raven cast him a condemning gaze, but he kicked the stirrups without the slightest hesitation.
“Before you come, I will go to the village to collect information relating to the ship first.”
As long as they headed towards south, there would be a road leading out of the Wickerbone territory. If they were able to get onto that road before sunset, they can push through towards the small town even if they merely depended on the moonlight.
I’d rather be excused from coming face to face in the wilderness with him, Francis thought as he urged the horse forward.
“Lord Edgar...... it is as you say.”
Rave mumbled, as he looked at Francis’ fleeing backside disappearing on the other side of the hill.
Edgar said that Francis might escape, and told Raven to not chase after him. But Edgar originally thought that he would last one or two days; it wasn’t expected that would be off with his estimation.
Even if Francis wasn’t here, Raven could continue investigating alone. This was what Raven was told by Edgar beforehand, so he didn’t hesitate at all.
After the investigation, Raven will head towards Duke Masefield’s country house, where Edgar and the others are located. As long as he arrives at that time, he will ask Edgar for orders again.
Edgar was invited to the country house, and the reason why he first sent Francis and Raven to investigate was because Wickerbone was quite close to where they were staying. If necessary, Edgar and Lydia could find ways to leave for Wickerbone from the Duke’s residence.
At any rate, Raven cleared his head, had already completely gotten Francis out of it, and began working again.
He prepared the fire for the evening, then investigated the stones’ shapes, sizes, colours, surface patterns, and all kinds of traits.
Raven believed that these rocks appeared to be placed flat on the ground rather than being menhirs.
Could it have originally been a menhir, then fell down?
He slightly pushed aside the earth that covered the stone, and the surface of the rock was revealed.
Although he wanted to dig the rock out, he didn’t act without permission, and perhaps there was a significance as to the reason why the stone was buried.
The sky gradually darkened. Upon carefully looking at the rock surface which was unearthed not long before, he found a veined pattern which was similar to pouring white dye on top.
He moved the oil lamp over to take a look, and found that it was the Ashenbert family coat of arms.
*
On the land of Duke Masefield’s country house, there was a vast forest which was home to many wild animals. Every year, the traditional aristocrat sports would be held in this region.
For the gentlemen gathered at the Duke’s mansion, hunting could be said to be their greatest pleasure. The next morning, they would set out towards the mansion in high spirits for this reason.
A group of people urged their horses into the forest under the cloudless clear sky, and Edgar was naturally amongst the participants.
He felt the sunlight beaming down between the branches on his back, while remembering the Sylvainford forest.
In the country house where he grew up, nobles would gather and attend banquets or go hunting as well.
The more he lived his aristocratic-like life, the more he would be reminded of Sylvainford. The land passed down from generation to generation that he should have inherited had a beautiful landscape that everyone admired, a broad forest which was his courtyard. Perhaps compared to his father, he was better at understanding the trails of foxes, deer, and other animals.
“Lord Ashenbert, what will you aim for?”
A noble whom he was well acquainted with spoke to him. Edgar slowed the horse’s pace and rode together with him.
“Well, I plan to observe the battle today.”
“Oh my, what a waste. There are clearly ladies who followed along to witness your outstanding looks.”
At the rear, they could sporadically see women riding sidesaddle*. Although they wouldn’t be participating in the hunt, the amount of women who enjoyed horse riding were few.
“Then I shouldn’t take the spotlight away from their husbands all the more.”
“I see, you’re the type who isn’t competitive if his wife isn’t present.”
Right now, Lydia should happily be in the Duchess’ salon with other women. Edgar didn’t feel at ease letting her attend the banquet alone, however, there shouldn’t be any problems with the Duchess present.
“Then you wouldn’t mind? If it’s in the salon, the subject of main focus amongst the ladies appears to be that violinist who had returned from Vienna.”
“Ah now that you mention it, he seemed to have charmed all the women yesterday.”
Lydia was listening attentively as well, but admiring the artist and falling in love were different things.
Moreover, Edgar had recently felt that realistically, Lydia belonged to him alone.
Even if they quarreled or a misunderstanding occurred like it did in the past, he didn’t think that their hearts drifted apart. Lydia really placed her love in him, and he understood that a couple’s quarrels were different from the fluctuations of love.
Even if that violinist had a gentle appearance that women would slightly be fond of, Lydia wouldn’t be tempted by him.
Although Edgar was actually only worried about the Prophet, that was a different problem.
“My wife is in love with me. I do not need to worry at all.”
After Edgar replied, the other person smiled and said:
“You’re truly confident. Although I want to say this, you won’t admit defeat if I told you this.”
“Lord Ashenbert, is hunting your specialty?”
At that moment, there was another man who called out.
It was Lord Grandy. Edgar had never seen him prior to this gathering, and heard that although he was an unremarkable man over thirty years old, his family background was quite noteworthy.
“Absolutely not. I thought I would at least participate because I wanted to witness your skills that even the Prince of Wales reportedly admires.”
For the time being, he flattered the other person first. The man revealed an arrogant smile.
“In that case, I am relieved. I came to pay respects for the chess match yesterday. As soon as I thought that there was a person nearby who was flawless in anything, people like me, who don’t have any strong points, would feel uneasy.”
“Oh my, do you not have an outstanding fiancée?”
After the man beside Edgar interrupted, Grandy aimed a glance towards the back.
The fiancée he spoke of was Miss Kathleen, whom Lydia was concerned about yesterday.
She followed along riding a horse as well, and was amongst several ladies.
Edgar didn’t know that she was coming to Duke Masefield’s mansion, so he was actually a little overwhelmed. Nevertheless, they merely spoke a couple of words at the church in London, and Edgar didn’t have any connections with her now, so there was no need to speak with her.
However, her actions were so obvious that it lead Lydia to point out that she was staring at him, and perhaps even Lord Grandy found out that his fiancée’s sight was on Edgar.
“Yes, even I feel that it’s such a shame that she is engaged to me.”
“Everyone outside the social circle believes that the two of you are quite suited for each other. By the way, what was the truth behind that rumour in the end?”
The man beside Edgar asked a question that he was quite mindful of.
“Well, it is merely a possibility in the end. Everything has to be in accordance to Her Majesty’s decision.”
Although he was curious about it, Edgar wanted to avoid the topic. Thus he tried to change the subject.
“Lord Grandy, if you are chatting away with people such as us, who do not intend to hunt earnestly, then you will lose the opportunity to demonstrate your strong abilities in front of your fiancée.”
“Oh my, is that so? Being meticulous of this sort of thing, you truly are Lord Ashenbert. Then, I will go on ahead first.”
He revealed a delightful smile, then spurred the horse to catch up with the group ahead. It seemed that he was truly a simple man.
He seemed to have not noticed Kathleen’s attitude either.
After Grandy left, Edgar sensed Kathleen’s gaze again, but he tried not to think about it.
At present, she probably wouldn’t talk to him, so Edgar decided to not get involved with her any more.
But just as he thought of that dull fiance possibly obtaining everything, it made him feel unreasonable. Was this because he wasn’t able to sort it out in his heart?
“There are deers!”
After hearing the shout, Edgar immediately came to his senses.
Everyone rushed forward simultaneously. Edgar planned to follow as well, but at that moment, he glanced towards the depths of the forest by chance.
Patrick...?
Although the person was wearing a hat, the side profile that was seen for a split second really resembled Patrick. That figure immediately turned around and left, and Edgar didn’t know whether or not he mistook him for someone else.
Although while he thought that, he immediately pulled the reins and changed the direction of the horse.
He headed towards the place where the figure disappeared.
Was Patrick scheming something by coming to this sort of place? If that’s the case, then he’s not getting away with it. Raven ought to have warned him before, saying that he would be humiliated if he approached Lydia.
Edgar weaved between the forest, but the figure that resembled Patrick as well as the horse couldn’t be seen.
He unknowingly passed through the forest and arrived at the plains.
Gunshots echoed in the distance; he seemed to quite far away from the hunters.
The sky, which was originally sunny and cloudless, began to darken, and the weather became unstable as well.
As Edgar was planning to turn his head back towards the forest, there was a lady on horseback who was stopped in front of his view.
The honey-blonde hair underneath the red hat was quite conspicuous; it was Kathleen.
As soon as their eyes met, she lowered her head in bewilderment.
“I’m sorry...... I saw you heading in a different direction, so I couldn’t help but......”
Edgar slowly rode forward and stopped beside her.
She had transparent, pale skin with unnaturally gaudy red lips that indeed gave an air of an upper class daughter, as well as inherent watery eyes that seemed to arouse a man’s desire to protect her.
In the past, the women surrounding Edgar had this kind of appearance as mother-figures. He really liked this kind of women as a child, and understood that other types wouldn’t become his marriage partner.
Nowadays, Edgar didn’t find her appearance attractive. It was just that complicated feelings stirred up in his chest.
If he didn’t lose Sylvainford then what kind of person would he be? Would he marry a woman from a well-suited background without the least bit of hesitation?
“It looks like it will rain soon, do you want to go to the cabin that I came across on the way? Everyone ought to be taking shelter from it.”
However, she didn’t ride away at all.
“Um, Earl Ashenbert, do you still remember me?”
“Have we met somewhere before?”
Edgar was playing dumb.
“Back in London......”
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember. At any rate, let’s leave quickly, Lord Grandy will be worried.”
Edgar deliberately said her fiancé’s name. Although she seemed dejected, she finally began to move slowly, and after checking that she was following, he urged his horse forward.
The sky in the west was covered by black clouds, and a radiant light flashing between the rift of the clouds was seen. The echo of thunder shook the air of the wilderness.
Perhaps the rear horse that Kathleen was riding on was scared, thus it neighed. She also let out a shriek.
As soon as Edgar turned around, he saw her lying on the ground. She seemed to have been thrown off the frightened horse.
Edgar hurried over.
After he helped Kathleen, who had fallen to the ground, stand up, she revealed a painful expression.
“Lady, are you hurt?”
“I seem to have sprained my leg......”
Her horse had already run away, so Edgar intended to help her sit on his horse.
“Hold on to me.”
When he realized that Kathleen’s face turned red, several pick-up lines instinctively came to mind, but somehow he shut his mouth.
If he were to think that he didn’t want to do things that would make Lydia misunderstand, he would be able to control himself.
He helped Kathleen on board then urged the horse to a gallop again, but it had already begun to rain.
The smell of a heavy thunderstorm drew near; it was possible that they wouldn’t be able to hurry and reach the cabin before it rained heavily. At the thought of that, he decided to go to a hollow underneath the cliff to take shelter from the rain.
Thus he stayed seated on the horse, riding towards the inside of the hollow in order to not get drenched.
The rain suddenly became intense; even the scenery before them was blurred.
“The rain will stop soon.”
Kathleen let out a long sigh.
Edgar let her stay seated on the horse, then jumped down.
The two maintained a period of silence for the time being, but she, who was determined to talk, spoke suddenly.
“Earl, do you believe in fate?”
“......Well, I don’t know.”
It was as if this situation of encountering each other made it feel like fate existed; he came across her numerous times, and because he sensed her gaze in a church of London, he deliberately left his hat behind out of pure curiosity. He was a little regretful at the result of his reckless action, but now, he could only speak vaguely.
“I sensed it, when I met you for the first time. I knew that you were my destined partner.”
After she finished speaking in one breath, she quickly added on with an inaudible voice.
“You can laugh if you want.”
“I’m already married, and you have a fiancé as well.”
“Yes, I sensed the existence of destiny too late. I believe that if it’s you, you would absolutely be worthy of Sylvainford.”
Edgar endured the stab of pain in his chest.
“I am a survivor of that Duke family.”
He knew this, so he was interested in Kathleen and investigated in addition to that.
The evening Edgar’s family was murdered, her parents were in the country house as well, so she was affected by the misfortune. Apart from Edgar, who was brought over to the Prince’s side, the family members, who gathered to attend the banquet, were all murdered.
Coincidentally, because Kathleen caught a cold and hadn’t recovered completely, she didn’t come to the mansion.
Edgar’s paternal grand-aunt was married to Earl Collingwood, and Kathleen, who was her granddaughter, was taken in by a distant relative to live in the countryside after losing her parents. However, among the people who possessed the Duke family’s bloodline, she was the closest to that former Duke lineage.
The reason why she wasn’t murdered by the Prince may have been because he believed that she didn’t remember Edgar.
However, women cannot inherit the Duke title, so her existence had never been linked to the Sylvainford name to this day.
The reason why society raised some issues was because she was engaged.
For the Duke of Sylvainford’s family, if there were no male heirs, as soon as an immediate female relative gives birth to a boy, the child could then inherit the title.
However, because Kathleen wasn’t the Duke family’s next of kin, many problems arose with regards to whether or not the customs were applicable, but the possibility was there.
In other words, the offspring of the man that marries her would have an opportunity to obtain the Duke of Sylvainford’s title.
Edgar had already obtained the status, Earl of Ibrazel, and originally planned on forgetting Sylvainford. He believed that his new responsibilities were to bury the Prince, protect Raven and the members of the Scarlet moon, as well as the make the Earl family prosper.
Furthermore, he wanted to bring Lydia happiness more than anything else. Due to Lydia having saved him, he was able to obtain a new life as the Blue Knight Earl. No matter what, he didn’t want this woman leaving his side.
Afterwards, the Sylvainford name now made him nostalgic.
“Do you know about the unfortunate incident with Duke of Sylvainford family?”
Edgar was silent as Kathleen asked anxiously.
He gently sighed, trying to calm down.
“I’ve heard of it. Your marriage seems to be related to the future of the Duke family, it was also rumoured in London society.”
Lord Grandy would receive a lot of attention as well. Not only did he originally come from a prestigious family, there were also rumours that the purpose of this wedding was to try and restore the Duke’s family.
“I believed...... that it shouldn’t be him. He isn’t suited with Sylvainford......”
Perhaps he wasn’t a marriage partner that would make an eighteen year old girl excited, but as a woman of nobility, she ought to have understood that the so-called marriages were of this manner.
What sort of thing was this girl, who had fixed notions instilled into her to become a model upper-class woman, driven by, to suddenly make such a bold confession?
Even if they were trained to become obedient brides, they weren’t dolls at all. Edgar sympathized with her a little.
If Kathleen’s parents were still alive, perhaps she would have been able to express her own desires.
“I have seen the son of the Duke of Sylvainford once, and although I was still young at the time, the aura he emitted was quite similar to yours...... If I can restore the Duke’s family, the person must be someone like you. My heart has firmly determined that all this time.”
“Hasn’t the Duke’s son already passed away? Even if he is quite similar to me, I am the same as Lord Grandy, a I am a stranger who is absolutely unrelated to that person.”
“......You’re right. But there is something stirring in my heart that cannot be reasoned with, because you are the man I am destined to be with......”
Something is trying to pull Edgar towards Sylvainford?
How ridiculous.
Despite not knowing whether it was her intuition or something else, it was correct in a sense.
If Edgar and Kathleen were to marry, the son that she will give birth to may inherit the title of Duke.
Moreover, their descendants would truly possess the Duke of Sylvainford’s bloodline.
Edgar fell silent. After the end of a long silence, Kathleen said in a weak voice:
“I’m sorry...... I’ve said something terribly embarrassing, you clearly have a beloved wife already...... please forget what I said just now.”
In the salon where there were only women gathered, Lydia was enraptured as she listened to Darnell Finn’s performance. At that moment, it began to rain outside.
Although he was surrounded by the sighs of admiration and clapping, Darnell wasn’t carried away at all, as he prepared to withdraw from the salon silently.
The Duchess invited him to drink tea together, thus he gave a respectful bow, then left the room to pack up his violin.
“Madam Lydia, it truly was amazing. Although his performance was of course splendid, that mysterious atmosphere was also fascinating.”
Kelly’s eyes sparkled as she spoke, followed by Lydia nodding.
Although it’s not that he had a handsome appearance, his features were mysteriously eye-catching. Even if he was taciturn, he wasn’t brusque and seemed to reflect a favorable impression in the ladies’ hearts.
However, Lydia felt that she didn’t know how to face him overall. Perhaps it was because he had been staring at her the whole time.
At first, she believed that it only happened during yesterday’s song, but it was the same today. Nonetheless, seeing that the other ladies didn’t point this out, Lydia thought to herself that she was probably being too self-conscious.
That must be the case. He probably isn’t looking towards me.
Aside from that, Lydia was more worried about the rain. She stood up and headed towards the window.
“The hunting ought to have been halted. Oh no, there’s thunder as well.”
“Indeed, it’s raining quite heavily.”
“If they’re soaked, then they’ll be cold won’t they?”
“Master should be fine. Even if he is completely drenched when he returns, he would definitely ask Madam in high spirits to help him keep warm”
“Then we must prepare firewood for the fireplace.”
After hearing Lydia’s earnest way of thinking, Kelly laughed.
“Madam Lydia, you’re so cute.”
Lydia could only tilt her head, she often felt that Kelly, who said that, was older than her.
“Lady Ashenbert.”
As soon as Lydia was called, Kelly immediately changed her facial expression to that of a maid and took a step back. Lydia turned around to see who it was, and didn’t expect the person greeting her to be Darnell.
“I heard that you are a fairy doctor.”
Though it was sudden, his tone was fairly polite. Being within the close proximity of a gaze that could seemingly pierce through someone made Lydia nod nervously.
“Do you have any trouble with fairies?”
“No...... I’ve been able to see fairies since I was a child.”
These unexpected words piqued Lydia’s interest. It seemed that it wasn’t because he was interested in Lydia at all, or that he was making fun of her. Rather, he spoke to her amicably.
“I’ve always thought that I was weird, but I also thought that if I couldn’t see them, then it would be too boring.”
“Yes, I understand. There’s no need to feel humiliated because you can see fairies, since that means fairies like you.”
Despite Lydia not realizing that she revealed a happy smile towards him, Darnell revealed an unexpectedly gentle smile as well.
“Thank you, Lady. I’m glad to have boldly approached you.”
Those powerful eyes stared at Lydia again. Why would he have this kind of expression? Bewildered, Lydia looked down.
“I’m quite honoured to be able to help out in regards to fairies.”
As long as she escaped that gaze, her discomfort would disappear as well. This was probably because he was merely staring at Lydia without bad intentions or ulterior motives.
Lydia deeply felt that he and Edgar were different.
In Edgar’s case, the words he spoke, his gestures, and his presence, he possessed the ability to control others, she would feel malignance even if she looked away.
“Perhaps this is rude of me, but I have a feeling that this isn’t the first time we’ve met.”
But Darnell didn’t have that kind of presence, so Lydia was able to frankly receive his words.
“No, don’t say that.”
“If it was under the guidance of fairies that I was able to meet you, then I truly want to thank them.”
“Yes, fairies can sometimes bring wonderful encounters by chance.”
The reason why Lydia was able to met Edgar was also because she was a fairy doctor. Lydia was thinking while smiling again.
“Madam Lydia, Earl Ashenbert seems to have returned.”
Duchess Masefield called for Lydia. Without knowing when it became bright outside, the rain lessened as well.
“Is Master alone?”
As Kelly felt suspicious, Lydia found it strange as well. Looking outside the balcony, a lone horse stood on the carriage pathway.
Has Edgar already entered the house?
He wasn’t with everyone else, what on earth happened?
“Oh my, how terrible, is there an injury?”
The voice of the Duchess speaking with the head butler reached Lydia’s ears, and she nervously ran out at once.
An injury? Is it Edgar?
Is the injury serious? What should I do?
Flustered, she hurriedly left the salon. After asking an attendant and hurrying to the parlor, she immediately saw Edgar’s backside, who was standing still.
“Edgar!”
Lydia couldn’t help but shout out. He turned around and revealed his usual smile, spreading his arms out.
“I’m back, Lydia.”
Although they were already husband and wife, Lydia was still unable to leap into his embrace, and so after she stopped in front of him, looking from top to bottom incessantly, he was still the same like before.
“H--how is your injury? Can you stand? Does it hurt?”
Lydia asked him anxiously, and he moved his open arms to embrace her tightly.
“It hurts so much...... can you help me?”
He suddenly let out a pained voice.
“Wh--where are you hurt? What should I do?”
Lydia was flustered the whole time, and simply wasn’t aware of Edgar’s joke.
“Please look at me, smile at me, then give me a kiss. That way I can definitely be healed.”
What?
Lydia finally realised that something was strange. As she looked up at Edgar’s face, he seemed to be quite happy.
“Having you worry for me this much will make me faint soon from being unable to breathe.”
Hearing him chuckle, Lydia angrily beat his chest.
“......-arent you fine?! What’s going on?”
“I’m not the one who is injured.”
Only then did Lydia see that there was a woman sitting on a sofa across from Edgar.
Her face turned red as she hurriedly left Edgar’s side.
The woman nodding at Lydia was Miss Kathleen. Upon realizing that she was the woman gazing at Edgar with sorrowful eyes yesterday, Lydia was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t even say hello, but the woman spoke first.
“I’m sorry, Madam Ashenbert, I’m indebted to the Earl for rescuing me just now, and I made you worry as well.”
“There is no need to apologize......more importantly, is it serious?”
“It’s nothing major.. After I wandered off from everyone, the horse was frightened from the sound of thunder which caused me to fall off, so I sprained my leg. Fortunately, the Earl just happened to pass by afterwards.”
It seemed it was because of this that Edgar brought her back.
I’m thinking too much.
There were many women interested in him, so there was no use bothering about each and every one. Lydia tried to smile.
It wasn’t long until the Duchess brought the attending doctor to the parlor. Their conversation was consequently interrupted, and Lydia became expressionless.
“Madam Lydia, Lord Grandy’s aunt should still be in the salon. My apologies, but could I trouble you to secretly bring her here?”
“Yes, I understand.”
After Lydia lifted her skirt to curtsy, Edgar naturally acted as an escort and took her arm.
Lydia suddenly felt a gaze again. She stealthily looked around, and found that it was Kathleen looking at Edgar.
Up until the two of them walked out of the room, she continuously watched Edgar’s back.
Lydia even felt that Kathleen was condemning her, as if she was telling her her to not take him away.
Why did she look at Edgar such an that expression?
Although it might have been purely incidental, a situation where she and Edgar were suspected to be alone disturbed Lydia’s heart.
The two of them didn’t seem soaked from the rain, so they definitely took shelter somewhere together. What were they talking about at the time? What kind of expression did Edgar look at her with?
“Edgar, aren’t you cold?”
When Lydia asked this, she actually didn’t know whether or not she truly wanted to ask about it.
“I returned after seeing that the rain was letting up, so I was only sprinkled with a few drops.”
Lydia was worried that he would be cold, and if he was, her responsibility would be to help warm him up.
Where did he take shelter from the rain?
“Is that so, then I’m heading to the salon.”
“I am also coming with you......”
“There’s no need, you need to keep your body warm and then get changed.”
Lydia stopped, and stubbornly stopped Edgar from following her.
“Kelly, please add some more firewood into the dressing room fireplace.”
Edgar didn’t feel cold, and yet she spoke incoherent words due to her unwarranted impatience.
Then just like that, she turned her back towards Edgar and ran down the stairs leading to the salon.
“My Lord, you should have returned home completely drenched.”
It wasn’t known when Kelly, no, she should have behind them the whole time, as she gave Edgar a reproachful stare.
“Why?”
“Because at a glance, I could see that you and her took shelter from the rain alone.”
“What! Could it be that Lydia is doubting me?”
“I’m not sure about the Madam’s thoughts either, but among every three wives, there will be one who would be suspecting a situation like this.”
“Hold on Kelly, that was purely by chance.”
“I disagree. If you laid a hand on a woman of high status, then it would put Madam in an awkward position. This isn’t something that can be excused as playing around.”
Kelly angrily turned away and ran.
Edgar stood in place, burying his fingers in his hair.
“How troublesome......”
Did Lydia think so too? How should I appease her?
Just as he was pondering, he saw the red-headed violinist walk over from the other end of the hall.
He was said to be the man who captured the ladies’ hearts. Today, he ought to have been in the salon receiving the ladies’ praise as well, but he looked very calm, which made Edgar unhappy.
“Earl Ashenbert, I heard that you were injured?”
Perhaps it was Lydia who carelessly said that, but Edgar was startled.
Was this guy with Lydia until now?
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have heard this incorrect information.
He was probably only in the large salon, being in the same circle and having conversation with Lydia amongst many people. Despite Edgar knowing this as well, he felt that the man approached Lydia when he wasn’t aware, which made him perplexed.
“It was my wife who misunderstood.”
“Is that so? Then that is a relief. Since the Madam ran out nervously.”
He wasn’t a person who was worthy of envy. Edgar didn’t care in the least bit yesterday, and thought so now as well. But without knowing why, he felt that the man’s attitude towards Lydia was different than the friendliness of when an artist was faced with a lady. Edgar sensed the discrepancy, and felt annoyed.
He looked at Edgar, as if to provoke him.
“She is really an adorable lady, people can’t help but like her.”
This was probably barely considered a compliment. However, Edgar’s intuition considered it to be a declaration of war.