63.

The conversation sailed smoothly after that one uncomfortable moment. Viscount Royden essentially had a comfortable personality, and Ercella was able to easily harmonize with his character.

He became talkative when he talked about his youngest grandchild and could not stop praising his cuteness. The words Grandfather before mom and dad, eventually made Ercella burst into laughter. The music changed as they had a merry time together.

I must go to my son now. It was an honor talking with Your Grace.

Likewise. Ercellas long neck bent gracefully to see off Viscount Royden.

Suddenly, Viscount Royden turned back, Actually, I was wondering if I should say this or not, but it wouldnt hurt to know, so Ill just tell you.

Roberts children are here.

Her blue eyes froze for a moment.

I dont know why the Lord invited them butdont worry too much. They cant harm you even if you encounter them. Still, if youre reluctant to meet them, avoid them as much as you can.

You dont have a good relationship with them, right?

Ercella stared at her uncles back as he went on his way after saying that. Her smile had disappeared. She shook her head immediately, shrugging away the thoughts that were about to resurface.

She spotted Vicente. It wasnt hard to find him since he was just close by. Vicente was surrounded by four or five people. Thinking he may be uncomfortable, she raised her heel to head that way.

Dont worry too much, my son will be there.

But hearing the voice behind her, Ercella stopped, if not, she would have run to Vicente in a heartbeat.

Brother?!

It was Caron. When did he sneak up behind her?

Are you going to check up on my nephew now? Its not good to be overly protective.

What do you mean overly protective? Its his first time at a banquet. I cant help but worry.

Carons forehead creased at his sisters temper, Youre treating him like a baby. Did you forget? Your son is fifteen now. Even from a distance, I could tell hes doing well even without the help of your distinguished husband.

Ercella faltered as her sore spots were stabbed one by one. Was I unconsciously harboring these thoughts?

That I dont want to treat Vicente as a grown person.

I want to treat him as a child and take care of him for a long time.

I wish hed never become a knight, never go to war.

I want him to stay under my wings forever.

It was all her greed and selfishness. It was also a compulsion and obsession created by the guilt of neglecting Vicente.

Even though Vicente is not a child anymore.

The time was long past for him to be looked after. What Vicente, a fifteen-year-old, needed was parental trust, not overprotection.

Yet, Ercella could not help herself from treating Vicente as a child whenever she had the chance.

Thats right. She admitted listlessly. Vicente was no longer a child who should always be looked after. As Caron said, he would do well on his own without her, just like before.

She relaxed. Bracing her melancholic heart, Ercella stoutly folded her arms. All right, its not a bad idea to have a chat with my beloved brother. And it just so happens that I have a question for you.

Whats with the attitude? Caron asked cautiously like a child caught red-handed.

Tell me what youve been up to these days. Right now.

Up to? You should change the way you speak to your older brother.

Why are you here at Lady Gartens Coming-of-Age ceremony?

Thats all you wanted to ask?

In the past

You didnt come.

Ercella hurriedly swallowed her tongue. I almost got myself treated like a lunatic.

In the past?

Despite how fast she was, Caron still did not miss it, raising her goosebumps all over.

A-anyway, do you know how surprised I was?! How hard is it to just say a word to your younger sister for once?

I can hear you loud and clear, no need to raise your voice. And its not that surprising.

How can I not be surprised? Duke Garten successfully completed the diplomacy with Conrad and even received a welcome from the king, evidence of which was embedded throughout the banquet hall. Is Caron okay? Its the Gartens banquet whom he really hates, yet he doesnt seem to mind it.

Hes my brother, thought Ercella, yet, right now he looks like a total stranger. He used to display various facial expressions when he was young, such as openly showing his dislike.

Did you really come this far just to celebrate the Ladyships Coming-of-Age?

Who cares. I dropped by because you were coming. he carefreely answered as if throwing charity.

Of course, you did.

Thank you for honoring me with your kind presence. You could have simply visited our house or invited me over.

Despite her sarcastic tone, Caron merely smiled.

He looked as if he were looking at a child. There was nothing new about it. From the past until now, Caron had always looked at her like that.

What about your wife and Rowena?

The two went to Gladiam. My wife missed home, so I told her to go.

Its a nice place to take a hot spring bath.

Are you alone with your son? Caron suddenly asked.

Yes, hes greeting some people

Oh, right, the Duke had an audience with the king.

You know very well.

You know everything yet made him busy like that?! She did not hide her anger, being outright sarcastic.

Please suggest to His Majesty to stop overworking my husband. Hes been late a lot these days.

That would be difficult. As everyone has been saying, we should be on the lookout for foreign invasions.

An immediate rejection. Ercella looked into the green eyes that were now too grim.

She wondered if he did that under the pretext of granting her a favor. Or, did he use her to achieve what he wanted? If the latter

But it was a useless suspicion. It may hurt, but if her existence helped her family, it was a joy nonetheless.

Its unfair. There are so many knights in the palace, so why does it seem like they only make Harsen do the work?

Ercella decided to bury the feelings that came upon the idea that Caron used her. She just had to play the role of a spoiled younger sister, grumbling to her brother.

They work hard, too. And who else will train the Knights Order if not the Knights Commander? Tell him to resign if youre so upset.

Yet, the role ended terribly.

You look like youre going to kill me. Caron poked his tongue at Ercella, who was glaring at him with all her might.

Is that what youve got to say? Ercella was dumbfounded. How could he just stick out his tongue at that!? How could the Knights Commander resign just because hes returning home late? All the reputation and fame Harsen built will become nothing but a handful of dust, as well as a huge stain on his life.

Caron may have said it as a mere joke, but the guilt lurking deep inside surfaced. Harsen had already resigned for her before. At the time, she was more occupied with herself than feeling sorry for him, so she could not tell him to go back to the Knights Order. It was selfish of her. Thinking of the past made Ercella sick in the stomach as if she had been drinking strong liquor.

Thats enough. Tell me why you wanted to see me.

Knowing what softened her demeanor, Caron also went straight to the point. I heard from Dale that you were looking for the name of an illness.

So?

So, if youre using Sannar, it must be important to you; and which is why I believe I should know the reason.

A deep crease formed on Ercellas forehead. Didnt you promise not to ask anything when you agreed to grant me a favor? We didnt say it, but I thought we understood each other enough.

They certainly did. It was their tacit understanding that she relied on for the implicit promise when asked why she needed men. Yet, hes feigning ignorance1 now!

Did we?

What do you mean did we?! Ercella felt so stunned that she could not even get mad.

But think about it. Does it make sense that I dont know what Dale knows?

It was a sneaky attempt on Carons part to gauge the situation through his sisters expression, which was gradually getting better. But, of course, the fake excuse did not move Ercella. Instead, she answered in a sweet voice.

I suppose so.

Caron looked startled at his sisters sudden sweet voice, noticing the ominous line spreading over Ercellas lips.

Im still not good enough to understand how my brother feels. Please forgive your foolish little sister.

Caron was taken aback by her docile attitude. Suddenly, Ercella put one hand on Carons shoulder.

What are you doing?

She ignored Caron and took his hand with her other hand and gracefully stretched her feet back to match the flow of the performance. Caron got dragged unwittingly

Ugh! he let out a groan at a sudden pain. That hurt a little.

The pain shot up from his toes. He did not expect her to step on his foot.

Pardon me, it seems Im still inept at dancing.

Caron burst into laughter. It was an absurd excuse given she was the one forcibly leading him.

You were never dancing to begin with.

What was unfair was that the ordeal happened so naturally that no one noticed it. Caron had nowhere to beg for help.

Your sister is lacking in many ways. Kindly forgive me.

Ercella?

Sensing Ercella drawing the line, Caron raised his right eyebrow. Im sorry for prying it out of Dale, but Im your family.

All she had access to were maids with limited scope of action, even the errand runner did not know, so she asked her brother for this favor.

Why did she assume that the matter would not leak out? Dale Bergman was his man. Carons words, Because were family, were not wrong, but Ercella didnt want him to worry because he was also her family.

Ive told you this before. Dont do anything dangerous.

Ercella did not like his tone. She was confident that she had been behaving well all her life. Yet, she was always treated like a child.

Its not dangerous. Its just that, someone I know is very sick And I just dont know why. Its not a big deal, and above all, you dont know them, so I didnt want to bother you with it. Youre busy enough.

Ercella did not appear to be lying. Caron eased his mind and said in a softer tone, It is a big deal in itself if youre willing to give Sannars 10-years worth of profit without hesitation. I didnt expect you to save it when I gave it to you to use it. But I guess its not like you can take it with you to your grave.

She did not intentionally let that much money pile up. There was just no use for it. Even though she loved jewelry and dresses, she was not extravagant enough to use Sannars earnings.

Thats right. Ercella wondered if it was really that surprising and recalled how much Sannars earnings were.

Its really a lot.

Even on a moderate estimate, it was too much as her brother said. Yet, she did not regret it. As he said, she couldnt take the money to her grave.

Anyway, if youre going to do something dangerous, youd better give me a heads up. Ill have to know in advance lest I need to fix it if anything happens.

Thank you for saying that. She knew it was not just empty words, yet Ercella reacted insipidly. If you tell him right now, Ill get sick in two years, Caron was sure to immediately distressingly say, Oh dear, Ill call a doctor for you. Ercella did not want to say anything.

Anyway, I heard something more interesting than that.

I cant believe youre handing over your son to Gartens daughter.

She wondered what he was building suspense for, but was it just that? She didnt like that, of all topics. Ercella didnt like Carons choice of words and thought of correcting it.

Im not handing him over, its an engagement. I understand you dont like the idea, but if anyone hears you, theyll think were using our son to do business.

He snorted at the absurdity of it, It may not sound good to hear but its not entirely wrong, is it? Its a normal thing to do as aristocratic parents. You, me, sister Was there any of us that was not involved in politics one way or another?

It was a cold hard fact. To nobles, it was as natural as breathing to tie the knot based on interests.

To have the marriage partner as a partner in name only, and the lover as mistress, was the ideal life for them.

Ercella wondered if she had been ultimately jaded by reality. In the past, I think there was a time when I absolutely believed in fairytales where the prince and princess get married and live happily ever after.

Sadly, reality ridiculed fairytales as if they were all mere fantasies.

She heard Carons withered voice.

Its truly unfortunate what happened to Count Pantetzs daughter. If she had been wiser, she couldve become the future Duchess of Bernhardt.

Ercella felt uncomfortable at the sudden mention of Count Pantetzs daughter.

Count Pantetzs daughter?

Yes. It seemed that His Excellency considered the second daughter of the Pantetz family as his first option before.

The second daughter of Count Pantetz.

His daughter

Elysia Pantetz. You should know her.

As Caron said, Ercella knew her. They werent close due to their age difference, but she did occasionally greet her.

But that was not important to the present Ercella. In the past, it was important since Lady Pantetz was the girl who almost got engaged to Vicente.

According to the previous story, Vicentes engagement was brought up later than it was now, and the candidate was Elysia Pantetz, not Olivia Garten.

Pantetz was in the central aristocracy with a strong support base. However, the engagement between her and Vicente never occurred as at the time, she had a lover and was apparently pregnant with his child.

It was a mess.

The premarital pregnancy scandal turned high society upside down. Ashamed, the Countess had not since shown herself in high society.

If it werent for Lady Pantetzs misconduct, the two would have been engaged without a hitch. Ercella tried to recall what had happened to her afterward, but she remembered nothing except that the girls relationship with her family was severed.

Its kept under wraps but from what I found out, the Count returned home early that day and as a result, caught his daughter sleeping with a servant.

The unidentified lover was a servant. It was a shock.

His Excellency obviously couldnt go for her, so I suppose thats why he turned to Garten instead of Pantetz. I dont think that was a very wise decision but of course, its an evaluation based on my personal feelings.

Why did Count Pantetz return home earlier than usual that day?

Though the question was off the mark, Caron still answered faithfully, even though she seemed to be asking about everything.

We had a meeting that day but it was postponed for a while because of the Dukes private affairs. He had a worried expression and said he needed to go to his residence. There was nothing else we could do since your husband had left the meeting, so everyone either stayed at the palace or went home. Count Pantetz went back to his county, and thanks to that, he witnessed his daughters misconduct.

Harsen did that?

What time did he leave?

I think it was around the time we were discussing who to send to Conrad as a delegate. We almost decided on Count Pantetz, but it was canceled due to his household affairs. After that, Duke Garten volunteered and he was sent. Well, maybe if the Count had gone, he could have forged a friendship with Conrad. He could have gotten more than just a few words.

Ercella would not necessarily call it a friendship but instead of telling him that the result would be the same even if Count Pantetz went, she calculated the time this happened.

The day when Harsen returned home earlier than usual Ah!

There was one time he did.

Note: I dont know what central aristocracy means. Im assuming it comprises the few important families that run the country.

Footnotes