Chapter 98
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Chapter 98
"Sir Gillian, what brings you here?"
"I came to the Capital yesterday on His Majesty's orders."
"I see."
I nodded in acknowledgment. Come to think of it, Gillian's presence here wasn't particularly unusual.
"Why are you slapping your own cheek?"
"Oh, just... I have a lot on my mind."
"Ah..."
Gillian, who had been about to ask for more details, quietly closed his mouth.
"You must be quite exhausted in many ways."
He seemed to have discerned that the Duke of Bellomen was the source of my peculiar behavior.
"Yes, I am rather tired."
With that, I walked past Gillian toward the carriage.
We weren't close enough to exchange pleasantries, and I felt this exchange of greetings was sufficient.
"Um, about breakfast..."
It was Gillian's urgent voice that stopped me in my tracks.
"Are you leaving without having breakfast?"
"No. I don't usually eat breakfast anyway."
"...I see."
After Gillian finished speaking, there was a long silence.
"If you've said all you need to, I'll be going now."
I wrapped up the conversation curtly and turned toward the carriage again.
"When will you return?"
Gillian called out to me once more as I was about to board.
"I'm not sure."
At this point, I was beginning to find it tedious. Why did he keep detaining me?
"Surely you'll be back by lunchtime?"
I answered deliberately without much enthusiasm.
I couldn't be bothered to explain everything in detail, and more importantly, I had no desire to engage in personal conversation with Gillian.
"...Understood."
Sensing that he had overstepped, Gillian turned away from me.
'He's really a strange person, just like last time.'
I watched Gillian's retreating figure before boarding the carriage.
* * *
Count Kendel and I met face to face at a tea house near the Duke's Mansion.
Count Kendel, who was staying at the residence of a close friend in the Capital, said he would return to Rilprey early tomorrow morning.
"Thank you for hearing my request, Miss."
"Not at all. Reclaiming Rilprey has been a long-held wish for my Sister and me as well."
Seated in the quietest corner of the tea house, we began to discuss in earnest the matter of reclaiming the position of head of house.
"We plan to hold a vote soon on the dismissal of the current head of house. If more than two-thirds of the retainers vote in favor of dismissal, he will step down from his position."
"But dismissal votes aren't something that can be called so easily, are they?"
If it were possible to open a vote on a whim, the head of House Rilprey would have changed over a hundred times by now.
The Empire had regulations in place to prevent retainers from wielding excessive influence—dismissal votes could only be called when the head of house committed a grave transgression.
"Soon, petitions requesting relief efforts will come pouring in from all corners of the territory."
Once petitions arrived, evasion became impossible. Rilprey would be forced to convene a meeting to process them.
"As the territorial people cry out for relief, the retainers will request that the head of house open the storehouses. That's when it will be revealed officially."
The fact that Rilprey's storehouses stood empty.
"Everyone will demand to know what happened to the goods that were inside. Since he won't be able to explain openly where they went... a dismissal vote could easily be called on grounds of embezzlement and dereliction of duty."
"But why call for a dismissal vote now, after all this time? Everyone already knew my uncle was embezzling."
I couldn't help but feel puzzled.
My uncle's conduct had always been deplorable. There must have been adequate opportunities before—so why now?
"Because there was no one capable of replacing the position of head of house back then."
Count Kendel moistened his throat with tea before continuing.
"What would happen if the head of house simply disappeared without a successor in place? Everyone would step forward claiming they should become the next head."
I recalled the time not long after my parents passed away.
Mourning the deceased became secondary.
The relatives who came to the funeral spoke loudly about how they should be the ones to inherit Rilprey in place of my young sister and me.
During those six months without a designated head, Rilprey endured what could only be called a war.
"Now that you mention it, I understand."
Removing my uncle without a clear successor could have led to far greater chaos.
"With a capable successor like Miss Lucella in place, everyone can vote with peace of mind. Being the daughter of the previous head of house is sufficient in itself, but you've also inherited Rilprey's unique abilities and achieved the great accomplishment of subjugating monsters."
Count Kendel's eyes sparkled with hope as he spoke.
"There are still a few retainers supporting the current head, but even they won't dare resist as long as they have any sense. Though blinded by power, they won't wish to fall out of His Majesty's favor. And it seems His Majesty holds Miss Lucella in quite high regard."
In short, there would be no one to oppose my becoming head of House Rilprey.
"When do you think my uncle can be removed?"
"The petitions are scheduled to be submitted next week... so we should be able to formally propose the dismissal motion by the end of this month at the latest."
"Is there anything special I need to do for this?"
"Nothing."
Count Kendel shook his head.
"Well, even so, I'll work on strengthening my standing in High Society further."
"I'm grateful for your proactive support."
I nodded.
One more month.
Just one month, and I could reclaim the Rilprey I had lost.
My heart raced at the thought.
* * *
When I returned to the Duke's Mansion after meeting with Count Kendel, a carriage bearing a familiar crest greeted me—the carriage of House of Agris.
The fact that the carriage still stood before the entrance suggested it had only recently arrived.
"I guided the two guests to the gazebo in the garden just moments ago."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Since he just left, he shouldn't have arrived yet."
Upon hearing the Butler's words, I immediately changed direction toward the Garden.
Before long, I spotted Claude and Amelia on the path leading to the Garden.
They were with Sir Gillian. It seemed they had encountered him on the way to the Garden.
Yet for some reason, the atmosphere felt decidedly off.
"Sir Gillian, what brings you here?"
"I don't see how a retainer of House of Bellomen being at the Duke's Mansion could be a problem."
"Hmph."
It was Amelia who snorted at Sir Gillian's words.
Claude, who would normally have reprimanded Amelia for such discourteous behavior, remained silent this time.
"Uncle, I really must step up my efforts."
"What do you mean?"
"The enemy has come close. I need to be more proactive, or I'll lose her to—"
"Miss Rilprey?"
Sir Gillian's eyes, which had been fixed on the two with displeasure, turned toward me. He had only just noticed my presence.
"Oh!"
At that, Amelia hastily covered her mouth with her hand.
"Sister?"
For some reason, the child's head turned toward me with a stiffness to it.
"Did you hear?"
"No. What were you all talking about?"
"Phew. It's nothing."
Amelia lowered the hand that had covered her mouth and patted her chest. At my assurance that I had heard nothing, Claude's expression brightened considerably as well.
Among them, only Sir Gillian's expression remained displeased.
"Sir Gillian, is something the matter?"
"...No, nothing at all."
His expression suggested he was deeply dissatisfied, but I did not press further.
We were not close enough for me to pry into such matters.
"Then... I shall take my leave."
"Of course."
I stepped aside to allow him to pass comfortably.
For some reason, it seemed he let out a small sigh.
"Sister, let's hurry to the Garden. I want to drink that refreshing ice water!"
"Yes, let's do that."
I led Claude and Amelia swiftly toward the Garden.
Upon arriving at the Garden, we settled beneath the broad shade created by the gazebo. Soon, servants brought simple refreshments and ice water.
"What brings you two here?"
I handed Amelia a glass of ice water and asked.
"We sent word to the Duke's Mansion and were told that you were out. Since we were assured you would return shortly, we waited."
"Has something happened?"
"No. It's just...."
Claude shook his head, pausing to choose his words carefully before speaking.
"I came because I wanted to see you."
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