Chapter 44
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Chapter 44
I pulled out the identification badge and examined it again.
It was definitely Dale's name.
The occupation matched what I'd seen before, and the mercenary rank as well....
"B-rank?"
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
[B-rank Mercenary]
It clearly stated B-rank. That was different from what I remembered.
Dale was an A-rank Mercenary, after all.
Moreover, there wasn't just one identification badge.
When I examined the top shelf of the Storage Shed's closet, I found three more similar wooden badges.
Some listed his occupation as Knight, while others showed Merchant.
"What is this?"
Why does Dale have multiple identification badges?
"That's strange."
Ah.
I see.
"These must be Dale's old identities. Nothing serious."
I relaxed and let out a long sigh.
Then I gathered all the badges and went to Dale's Room.
"In any case, he's surprisingly careless. How could he leave something this important buried in the Storage Shed?"
He seemed to have set them aside and forgotten about them due to his somewhat absent-minded nature. Dale would be happy to know I found them, wouldn't he?
"I should keep these safe for him~"
*Click.*
I attempted to open Dale's door, but failed.
"He locked the door?"
Dale's door was locked. Even when I turned the handle again, it remained the same. It was definitely locked.
"Dale...."
He's certainly meticulous.
It's just the two of us living here—who would enter Dale's room?
"...Me?"
But that doesn't make sense. Dale wouldn't lock the door out of suspicion toward me.
'...Would he?'
Dale was the type to trust people to a worrying degree, so it didn't seem likely.
He was innocent enough to agree to a contract without knowing what I'd specifically ask of him, and kind enough to grant any request I made.
"It's a shame. I wish The Emperor trusted people as much as Dale does."
But The Emperor was not that sort of person.
Right, no. Not at all.
The Emperor was the complete opposite of Dale.
Despite all manner of rumors—that the young lady of House Lockhart had contracted plague, that she was already dead and buried in a coffin but the cause of death couldn't be revealed due to certain circumstances—he remained unmoved, refusing to withdraw his imperial decree.
Even now, three years into my flight, he waited for me without so much as blinking, which suggested his mental fortitude was far from ordinary.
The Emperor possessed an alloy mind, a steel mind, an orichalcum mind? Something like that?
Or perhaps he simply didn't care about 'me' as a person at all.
After all, what mattered was that I was the young lady of the Lockhart Family, wasn't it?
"I really don't want to marry."
I quietly set my identity badge down in front of Dale's door.
Thinking of The Emperor made Dale seem like an angel, an archangel, a god.
"We agreed not to interfere in each other's private affairs, so I should pretend not to know about this entirely."
I picked up the identity badge I'd set down and moved it to the Storage Shed instead.
This time, in a spot where it would be somewhat noticeable.
"If it's here, Dale should discover it naturally, right?"
I smiled with satisfaction and stretched languidly.
"Mmm—"
But when had the Storage Shed become so cramped there was barely room to stand?
Both the small storage room in the Kitchen and the large one outside were packed with items; it was time to sort through what needed to be discarded.
Since winter was approaching, I needed to prepare firewood and cold-weather supplies as well.
"The clutter is becoming troublesome."
I returned to the living room and settled into a corner of the sofa.
I opened the document.
What I was looking at now was a report detailing the sales revenue from selling hoes.
This amount was more than enough to cover living expenses, and unless some major unexpected cost arose, it was generous enough for the two of us to live comfortably.
But one could never predict when or where a major unexpected expense might appear.
Especially given that this world existed within a novel that had an original source material.
And there's nothing wrong with having more money.
Money isn't a disease, and in any case, the more one has, the better.
Gazing quietly out the window, I pondered seriously.
"I'd like to cultivate more medicinal herbs, but... it's difficult."
Medicinal herbs were profitable.
And there were values that money couldn't buy.
The Empire was advancing brilliantly in commerce, military might, and everything else, but there was one area where it lagged behind.
Healthcare.
The very thing that had failed to develop due to House of Hexagon's obstruction.
'For now, Hexagon lacks power. But the day Duke Hexagon is released from confinement won't be far off.'
Duke Hexagon had endured the humiliation of house arrest.
When he reappeared in society, it would require an event of equal magnitude.
A special incident capable of demonstrating their influence once more.
"I need a large field where I can conduct research discreetly."
I cast a glance at the settlement statement the merchant guild had sent.
* * *
"You wish to move, my lady?"
Dale's expression grew troubled.
He seemed displeased by the sudden news, his brows drawing together slightly.
"I need a larger house. One with more spacious grounds and a storage shed. So I was thinking—what if we moved?"
"I see."
Dale answered a beat too slowly, his gaze falling upon the table with a melancholic air.
He clasped his hands together.
"My apologies. I fear you must have felt constrained in such a modest dwelling. I should have realized sooner."
"No! Why would that be your fault? Why would you be responsible for finding me a house? I love this place. It's just that I thought—only a tiny, teensy bit—that a larger home might be necessary."
Dale's expression grew even more clouded as he lowered his head.
"Your kindness in comforting me... you are truly gracious, Enya."
With his hands clasped like a penitent's and his shoulders sagging, he resembled a dog caught in the rain.
The pallid Dale could not even meet my eyes.
"May I ask where you intend to go?"
"Pardon?"
"Forgive me. That is not my place to ask."
"What are you saying?"
I tilted my head in confusion.
"We're both going together, aren't we?"
"I... am going as well?"
In an instant, Dale's complexion brightened as though a candle had been lit within him.
"I am to accompany you?"
"Of course. We still have several months left on our contract. Did you think I would go alone?"
Dale could not smile, only nodding stiffly.
'What sort of person must I seem to him, that he would think I would leave him behind...?'
I found myself wondering if I had wronged Dale in some way.
In any case.
"I shall begin searching for a suitable residence at once."
Dale pressed his brow with a determined expression.
"Simply tell me what sort of house you prefer, how large the grounds should be. Would the size of the gardens at your family estate suffice? You need only speak."
"Dale. Calm yourself."
When I took his hand, his eyes widened.
Dale froze where he sat.
"This is merely a plan—something I wish for. It's not that I dislike your house. Do you understand?"
"Then... you dislike me."
"No, it's not."
Dale's eyes wavered. He gazed at me with an expression mingled with hope and anxiety.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. It's not."
I marked several locations I had been considering on a map and showed it to Dale.
"I thought it would be ideal to find a place not too far from our current house, yet closer to Grunvalt Lord's Castle, and situated in an area with clustered residences."
Dale examined the map with utmost seriousness.
He studied it meticulously, his mind evidently recalling the circumstances of Grunvalt Territory as he deliberated.
"In that case, I have a proposal."
* * *
Two weeks later, on a clear day, Dale and I moved into our new home.
"Dale! This house is amazing! Come quickly and look at it with me!"
I leaped from the carriage first and hurried toward the new house.
Finding a house proved far swifter and easier than I had anticipated.
When I first decided to relocate to Grunvalt, it took considerable time to find available properties, but this time I secured a suitable house in a single day.
The speed was so remarkably fast that I found myself tilting my head in disbelief at how effortless house-hunting had become.
This residence was a vacant mansion situated roughly midway between my former home and Grunvalt Lord's Castle.
"Wow...!"
It was a beautiful mansion I had never glimpsed during my house-hunting expeditions.
It appeared neither ancient nor decrepit, yet possessed a charming, picturesque quality with its tasteful furnishings.
A rather spacious dwelling—perhaps three times the size of my previous residence—grand enough to be called a proper mansion.
And the garden was absolutely enormous!
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