Chapter 63
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Chapter 63
Lucian, Claude, and I boarded the same carriage and set off together toward the Agris Marquis Residence.
"I'm sorry we're going just the three of us. Next time, I absolutely must bring Edwin along."
"Of course. Amelia would be delighted as well."
As we exchanged these pleasantries, the carriage soon arrived at our destination.
"Wow."
Lucian and I gasped in wonder the moment we stepped down from the carriage.
The Agris Marquis Residence was every bit as expansive and beautiful as the Bellomen Duchy.
At the center of the sprawling garden stood a magnificent fountain, flanked on either side by stone statues of angels playing trumpets. Low saplings planted along the garden's perimeter and flowers in full bloom despite the cold season drew the eye as well.
And standing among them was a girl more beautiful than the flowers themselves.
"Sister, Lucian!"
It was Amelia, waving enthusiastically toward us.
With her long hair braided into two plaits, Amelia wore a deep green dress the color of her own eyes, a white fur stole draped around her neck. Her plump cheeks, nestled in the fluffy fur, were utterly endearing.
"Amelia, have you been well?"
I embraced Amelia as she rushed toward me, catching that distinctive soft, clean scent unique to children.
"Of course! I've been wonderfully well. And you, Sister?"
"I've been well too."
It was a lie.
My heart burned black with anguish at the thought of sending Lucian to that perilous place called the Monster Forest.
But I could not speak such words before that radiant face.
"Isn't that right, Lucian?"
I sought his agreement.
But no response came.
"Lucian?"
I turned my head to the side. There stood Lucian, rigid as stone.
"Lucian, what are you doing? You should greet Amelia."
"U-uh, yes."
"What's wrong with you? You were singing about how much you wanted to see Amelia."
I gave Lucian's back a gentle push.
Suddenly finding himself before Amelia, Lucian opened his mouth stiffly.
"O-oh, it's been a while, Amelia."
"It's only been two weeks exactly, Lucian."
"H-has it really been that long already?"
Lucian continued to stammer.
It wasn't long before I discerned the reason for his sudden rigidity.
"Y-you've become even more beautiful in the time we haven't seen each other."
"Really?"
"Yes. You look just like a fairy. Like you might flutter away at any moment...."
His eyes gazing at Amelia were vacant. Both his cheeks and ears had flushed a deep crimson, as though they might burst at any moment.
'He's completely smitten.'
I burst into laughter watching Lucian with hearts practically pouring from his eyes.
'Amelia is quite beautiful, I'll admit.'
When someone already pretty deliberately dolls herself up, it's no wonder he's mesmerized.
"Thank you."
At Lucian's effusive praise, Amelia smiled with a knowing expression. She was well aware of her own beauty.
"You look cute today too."
"I'm not cute though..."
"Huh?"
"I became a knight. A hero who crushes monsters left and right!"
Lucian proudly held up the Monster Subjugation Unit badge he'd received from Xenon.
"So I'm not cute. I'm cool instead!"
"Is that so...?"
Amelia stared at Lucian with an indifferent expression.
Cool? Just say I'm cool already!
Lucian's face was practically screaming those words.
"Well... I suppose you do look somewhat cool."
"Really?"
In an instant, Lucian's face lit up brilliantly. He seemed absolutely delighted to hear Amelia call him cool.
"Children, it's cold out. Let's go inside rather than staying out here."
Claude led the children into the mansion. I followed Claude's guidance and stepped inside the main building of the Marquis Residence.
The interior was even more splendid than what I'd seen from outside.
Lavish yet not excessive, the décor conveyed an elegant refinement. The Marquis Residence had somehow achieved that difficult balance.
"Please, everyone have a seat."
As we entered the dining room, the aroma of warmth and savory richness greeted us.
The table was laden with dishes that made my mouth water just looking at them. They were all foods I loved.
"I prepared dishes based on what you're fond of, though I'm uncertain if they'll suit your palate."
"They look absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for going to such trouble."
I was genuinely moved by Claude's thoughtfulness.
'He remembered everything I said.'
I'd only mentioned things in passing during our walks. Yet he'd retained every word.
Once seated, I began with the soup appetizer.
The soup, made with butternut squash, was remarkably smooth and velvety.
'But is he always this affectionate?'
He must treat other people with this same kindness, right?
'Well, without his kindness, he'd be a corpse.'
Imagining Claude being kind to someone other than me, I felt strangely deflated. The savory butternut squash soup suddenly tasted bland.
"Sister."
"Yes?"
"Our uncle has great taste, doesn't he?"
Amelia asked with a satisfied expression while chewing her bread.
"Yes. Your memory is quite impressive—remembering everything I like."
"No, sir. Uncle's memory is actually terrible."
"Huh?"
"He normally has a dreadful memory, but he remembers everything because Sister mentioned it."
"Amelia, what are you talking about?"
Claude hastily tried to stop Amelia.
But Amelia paid him no mind whatsoever.
"It's true. Last time he even forgot my birthday."
Whether in this house or my own, it seemed children treated their elders with equal disregard....
Claude, receiving a scolding from Amelia, looked rather pitiful.
'So he remembers everything because I mentioned it?'
I gazed at the strawberry salad before me, then turned my head toward Claude.
The thought that he had prepared all of this for me made my heart race anew.
'Don't get ahead of yourself. This level of care is standard hospitality for a guest.'
Right. That's only natural.
I left the bickering pair to their own devices and spooned the soup into my mouth eagerly.
* * *
After finishing our meal, we made our way to the Glass Greenhouse, a renowned attraction of the Agris Marquis Residence. We planned to have dessert there.
"There are so many fascinating things in the Marquis's house."
"Lucian, you should call him Commander now, not Marquis."
"Right."
Lucian tapped his own head with his fist.
Amelia began explaining the Glass Greenhouse, leaving Lucian behind.
"There's no flower that doesn't exist in this greenhouse. The interior temperature is regulated using mana stones."
"How fascinating."
"What's your favorite flower, Sister?"
"Hydrangeas."
"That's unfortunate. We don't have hydrangeas...."
Her pouting lips had barely formed when Amelia suddenly turned her head toward Claude.
"Uncle."
"Yes."
"You understand without me saying it, right?"
"I do."
The two exchanged a swift, meaningful glance.
'What was that?'
When I looked again, Amelia was smiling brightly as usual, as if she had never worn that solemn expression.
'Did I imagine it?'
I tilted my head in confusion at this inexplicable unease.
"Master."
A man approaching from across the way bowed respectfully toward Claude.
"So Miss Amelia was with you as well."
From the way he addressed the two of them, it was clear he was a retainer of House of Agris.
"Baron Desmen!"
As I suspected....
'Hmm?'
My brow furrowed upon hearing the retainer's name. It was a name I had heard before.
'Where have I seen him?'
I began racking my memory earnestly.
I would have no reason to encounter a retainer of the Marquis's house in reality, so I must have seen him in the original work....
'I remember now.'
As the memory surfaced, I instinctively took a step back from the Baron.
Baron Desmen. He was the one who killed Amelia's parents.
Of course, Baron Desmen hadn't killed them directly.
'He orchestrated the carriage accident.'
In the original work, his reasons for killing the previous Marquis and his wife were never revealed. It was only explained that Amelia and Claude joined forces to avenge their parents' deaths.
'Regardless of his motives, he's definitely someone I need to be cautious around.'
He was a man who had casually murdered the heads of the household. I couldn't rule out the possibility that he might commit the same atrocity again.
"You've been bustling about since morning—it must be because of the young Duke of Bellomen's visit."
"When we have a guest coming, this much preparation is only proper."
Amelia conversed with the Baron as naturally as could be. From her expression, it seemed she didn't know that he had killed her parents.
'Well, that's a fact revealed later in the original work, after all.'
The scene flashed through my mind—when the truth was revealed and both Amelia and Claude trembled with betrayal.
The two of them had been on such intimate terms with the Baron.
'I wish Amelia at least had some memory of the accident.'
To make matters worse, Amelia had no memory of the accident whatsoever. The trauma had been so severe that her mind had erased the memory of that day entirely.
Even by the end of the original work, Amelia never recovered that memory.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org