𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟖: 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

Three days after the tea party with Rachael, Lord Montyver came to visit me.

He appeared today when Florenci was playing in the garden.

ㅤ

“Wow, it’s Big Brother Leon!”

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I don’t know when Florenci grew fond of Lord Montyver, but he happily ran up to him.

In his eagerness, Florenci plunged into Lord Montyver’s embrace, but he didn’t flinch and seemed to hold him firmly.

He then lifted Florenci up and walked towards me.

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“Okaa-san, look. Big Brother Leon is so strong!”

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Perhaps because he had never been lifted up since he was a baby, Florenci seemed amazed.

I thought I could do that too! But recently, Florenci’s height has been shooting up, and he has grown quite a lot. Overexertion is probably not a good idea.

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Today, it seems Lord Montyver brought a wooden sword as a gift for Florenci.

Apparently, Florenci had always wanted to learn to use a sword.

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“Big Brother Leon, is it okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

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Lord Montyver gently smiled at Florenci, whose eyes sparkled as he held the sword, and patted his head.

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“Ren, shall I teach you a bit?”

“Yes!!”

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In the middle of the garden, Florenci was learning to use the sword from Lord Montyver.

I thought they were just playing, but both of them were seriously engaged in it.

While watching them, Ga-chan and I were knitting a strap for Florenci to hang the sword from.

We did this for about an hour, taking breaks in between.

As Florenci was soaked with sweat, I asked a servant to prepare a bath for him.

ㅤ

“Lara’s house has servants too.”

“Yes. The Marchioness hired them because we needed a man’s help.”

“Hmm.”

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He replied with a slightly sulky attitude.

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“Is something bothering you?”

“No, I just thought it’s a bit annoying that the servant can come and go as he pleases when I’ve never been inside the house.”

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Despite saying ‘a bit’, he sent a somewhat resentful look my way.

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“If it’s just tea, I can serve it inside the house too.”

“Really?! But I don’t have permission from Ren or the Marchioness, so I’m fine here today.”

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I knew in advance from a letter that Lord Montyver would be visiting, so I baked a strawberry tart this morning.

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When I brought it from the house, Lord Montyver exclaimed in surprise.

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“Is that a pastry that Lara made?”

“Yes, of course.”

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In Vulcano, the strawberry season is during the rainy period, but in the warm climate of Binemöer, they seem to appear in the markets in early spring.

I heard that they are quite sour, so I made a tart with jam.

When I cut a slice for him, he happily ate it.

ㅤ

“Lara, you’re a genius at baking.”

“If you say so, it makes all the effort worth it.”

“Did you make it for me?”

“That――anyone would bake delicious pastries on the day they’re hosting a tea party. It’s a matter of courtesy.”

“Even for your husband?”

ㅤ

Lord Montyver seems to enjoy bringing up the topic of my husband.

I sighed before I answered.

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“I don’t make pastries for my husband. I don’t even know if he likes sweets.”

“Oh, is that so? Even though you’re a couple, you don’t understand each other’s tastes.”

“That’s how a noble’s marriage is.”

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There are couples who, after having a child, don’t converse at all and live separately.

There seems to be a difference in the way ordinary couples who marry for love and noble couples exist.

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“I don’t like it.”

“Don’t worry about my husband.”

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Saying that, I placed the second slice of tart on his plate. His frown eased, and he began to eat cheerfully.

It seems Lord Montyver’s mood is easily fixed with a tart. I find that simplicity to be a good thing.

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“Oh, that’s right. I wanted to talk about the main issue, I’ve done some research about Irma.”

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First, regarding social relationships.

It seems that there were many young ladies who admired Irma, but there appeared to be no one with whom she had a particularly deep relationship.

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“She was very frail, to the point where she rarely showed up at tea or evening parties.”

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Irma seemed to interact with a friendly attitude, regardless of lineage or age.

Her unpretentious and natural personality seemed to have gathered popularity.

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“I think her closest friend was her cousin, Rachael. But I’m not sure Rachael thought highly of Irma.”

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Apparently, in the eyes of Lord Montyver, Rachael’s existence seemed to play a supporting role for Irma.

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“I heard that story directly from her the other day.”

“Ah, so she was aware of it herself.”

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Speaking of Rachael, I was reminded of a piece of advice Irma had conveyed in a letter that had been bothering me.

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“Um, does Leon-sama know any rumors about the pavilion located in the west of the garden in the royal palace?”

“If you say west, I think it’s a garden exclusively for the royal family.”

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It seems that anyone other than the involved parties is prohibited from entering, but it is said that a maid attached to the queen can enter.

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“What happened there?”

“No, there seems to be a rumor of the sort that a male and female ghost appears.”

“I haven’t heard of it.”

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Prince Ghodrove doesn’t seem to go out for a walk in the garden, and even Lord Montyver doesn’t seem to have set foot there.

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“If Irma is afraid of ghosts, she would be less likely to step into the back garden at night.”

“Yes. She must have had a big purpose to go there.”

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I don’t understand the reason.

Now that it’s clear Irma’s circle of friends is narrow, I don’t know where to extend the next investigation.

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“Should we go to see the ghost in the pavilion for now?”

“How are we going?”

“By coincidence, I received this letter.”

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What was handed to me was a letter sealed with the royal family’s crest.

The recipient is me, and the sender is the queen.

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“I accidentally met Her Majesty the Queen and when I said I was going to the Marquis house, she told me to give this letter to Lara.”

“What on earth does Her Majesty the Queen want with me?”

“I don’t know, but she seems to want to meet.”

ㅤ

When I opened the envelope, as Lord Montyver said, it was written that she wanted to have tea and chat leisurely.

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“Do you have any idea why the Queen would summon you?”

“Well. . . . . .it might be because I previously accepted an invitation from the concubine Karina and met her, and the story might have reached her ears.”

“That’s probably the reason.”

ㅤ

Lord Montyver and I looked at each other and shared a bitter smile.