Whispers of the Past
Canna climbed into the carriage that Argon had prepared in advance.
“How long will it take?”
“Not long. About ten minutes.”
“Then tell me what you’ve found out in the meantime.”
“I was planning to. Just don’t be too shocked.”
Argon grinned like a mischievous boy and raised a finger.
“Alexandro Addis.”
“Yes.”
“For over ten years, no one has ever seen him sleep. There hasn’t even been a single moment where it was assumed he might have been sleeping.”
“……”
“Scary, right? Doesn’t he seem like a monster?”
“Yes. It is scary.”
It must be a joke. Canna thought so and gave a half-hearted reply.
“And?”
“This is top secret, but apparently he sees evil spirits.”
“……”
“There are witnesses who saw him muttering things like ‘Get lost’ into thin air.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
The baseless rumor was no different from idle gossip, and Canna was gradually losing faith in it.
“Don’t you have anything more credible than these groundless stories?”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
“He absolutely hates carrots and never eats them. This one’s confirmed.”
Argon spoke with an utterly serious expression.
“From childhood until now, he has never eaten a single carrot. If they come mixed in his food, he picks them out one by one.”
Canna barely swallowed the irritation rising in her throat.
“Besides that nonsense, don’t you have anything a little more plausible? Like, something about women, for example.”
“I do. Something huge.”
But his face was exactly the same as when he’d talked about the carrots, so it didn’t inspire much trust.
“Do you know that Alexandro had siblings?”
“I do. His older sister died in an accidental fall when she was very young, and his older brother… died after being poisoned.”
“Yes, that older brother’s name was Largos Addis.”
“Right.”
“Right before Largos died from the poison, there was a woman he was completely infatuated with.”
“Yes.”
“That woman is Canna’s mother.”
Canna blinked.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Her mother and her father’s older brother had that kind of relationship?
“On the other hand, it seems the Duke of Addis and Canna’s mother didn’t get along. There are even stories that she slapped him across the face.”
“My father was slapped?”
“Multiple times, apparently.”
It was an unbelievable story. Her father, being slapped by her mother!
“And then, not long after Largos died, Canna was born into the world.”
“……”
“Alexandro Addis publicly declared Canna to be his daughter. So there are two possibilities.”
Argon held up two fingers.
“Either Canna is actually Largos’s daughter, or Canna’s mother secretly slept with Alexandro behind Largos’s back.”
“What a mess.”
“It really is a mess.”
Canna felt like bursting into laughter.
Neither is true. The truth is, I’m the Holy Spirit’s daughter.
Yet even knowing another man’s child was in her mother’s womb, it seemed Largos had still loved her.
And Alexandro, fully aware of that fact, had still declared her his daughter.
What on earth was Father thinking? He claims he hated Mother, so why did he take me as his daughter?
That was one thing she would never know until he told her the truth himself. Canna let out a sigh.
“By the way, how did Lord Largos end up poisoned?”
“Ah, that. It remains a mystery to this day.”
Argon stroked his chin.
“As you know, the descendants of the Holy Knights are practically frauds. They’re absurdly strong, ridiculously healthy, resistant to poison, and even unnaturally good-looking. They’re like a higher species of life.”
“That’s true.”
“You know that even Sylvien is barely affected by ordinary poisons, right?”
Canna nodded.
Not even the sleeping incense had worked on him, and the toxicity of the Eastern herb aconite had only shown a very faint effect.
“It’s the same for most descendants of the Addis and Valentino families. Their bodies are so much stronger than others that even strong poisons don’t affect them much.”
“But… Lord Largos Addis died from poison. Was he unusually weak?”
“No, he wasn’t. That’s why I think an alchemist who specializes in magic stones must have deliberately created an extremely potent poison. Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for them to die from poisoning.”
Indeed, to kill someone like that, an exceptionally skilled alchemist would have had to craft an extreme toxin.
Suddenly, the Holy Spirit’s words flashed through her mind.
Her mother had been an incredibly powerful alchemist.
…No way.
After that, she heard more information about her father, but nothing related to her mother came up again.
“Canna, we’re almost there.”
At Argon’s words, Canna glanced out the window.
“This is the slums. You kidnapped Father’s mistress and hid her in a place like this?”
Argon scratched the bridge of his nose.
“Places like this are perfect. Ideal for hiding something.”
In other words, it was also an excellent place to hide.
“You know that well too, don’t you, Canna?”
“Yes.”
She answered indifferently and gazed at the shabby streets outside the carriage.
As Argon said, this slum was not unfamiliar to her.
Of course I know it well.
It was the place she had run away to and hidden in long ago.
And even before she officially left home, she had visited several times to prepare.
Yes. I came here quite often.
She had heard that in these streets, people who would do anything for money were everywhere.
So the young Canna had wandered these alleys, looking for someone who would take her to the port city. Her plan had been to board a ship and flee far away.
Looking back now, I must have been crazy…
Would someone who would do anything for money really have safely escorted a fourteen-year-old girl to the harbor?
Of course not.
The moment they received the money, they would have turned into human traffickers and sold her to a slave trader.
What’s more, every time she came here back then, she had brought armfuls of rare medicines and food. She had shared meals with beggar children and treated the wounded.
I really was naively stupid. I was just a child.
It was a miracle she hadn’t been kidnapped sooner.
Following Argon’s guidance, Canna entered a very shabby and narrow house. Yet the woman inside was dazzlingly beautiful.
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”
She was a beauty with rich golden hair, delicate and pure features, and clear sky-blue eyes. And above all—
Sir Claude.
The woman looked exactly like her escort knight.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Addis.”
The woman gave a charming, coquettish smile.
“Seeing you in person, you really are beautiful. Now I understand why His Grace the Duke of Addis cherishes you so dearly.”
“……”
Was she trying to pick a fight? It was an extremely irritating remark, but Canna pretended not to hear it.
“Your Highness, would you mind leaving us?”
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
Argon bent down and whispered into Canna’s ear.
“That woman uses some strange, spell-like power. I didn’t get caught for nothing.”
Spell-like power?
Canna slightly raised an eyebrow, but that was all. If she had been afraid of getting hurt, she wouldn’t have come in the first place.
“It’s fine.”
“If it gets dangerous, scream. I’ll be waiting outside.”
Then he glared at the golden-haired woman.
“You’d better not try anything funny with my princess, Alexandro’s mistress.”
Who was whose princess?
Canna shot him a look that clearly said shut up and get out. Fortunately, instead of spouting more nonsense, Argon obediently left.
Click. The door closed.
“Princess, huh.”
Perhaps Argon’s words had left an impression. Alexandro’s mistress murmured the word.
“You really are loved by many, Lady Addis.”
“Is that how it looks?”
“It’s not just how it looks. It’s the truth.”
Alexandro’s mistress looked Canna over from head to toe, as if appraising her.
“Well, with such captivating beauty…”
“……”
“Any man with eyes would inevitably be enchanted.”
“Get to the point.”
Canna coldly cut her off.
“Let me make one thing clear. I have nothing to do with this kidnapping.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I heard you wanted to meet me. What’s the reason?”
“You’re in quite a hurry. Before that, why don’t you ask who I am first? You must be curious…”
“I’m not curious about you.”
She was curious, but she answered coldly as if she weren’t.
“So there’s no need for introductions. Just state your business.”
At Canna’s firm attitude, the woman frowned as if surprised.
“You’re not curious who I am? Even though you know Claude?”
“I don’t see why my escort knight’s name is coming up here. If you’re just going to waste time with pointless talk, I’ll leave.”
When she actually turned as if to go, the woman hurriedly grabbed Canna’s arm.
“Seon-hui! Aren’t you curious about Seon-hui?”
A scoff escaped her.
Seon-hui. People were throwing that name around like some magic spell. But Canna had no intention of being swayed.
“I can live just fine without knowing. So let go.”
“W-wait, don’t go!”
At that moment, the corner of Canna’s mouth lifted.
This woman is desperate.
And she had let Canna see it.
That meant the initiative in the conversation now belonged to her.
Canna turned back to the woman with a bored expression. She spoke as if granting a favor.
“I can’t give you much time. Speak quickly.”
“My name is Celia Azel.”
The woman began speaking rapidly, as if afraid Canna would leave.
“Claude is my nephew. Claude and I have served His Grace the Duke of Addis for a very long time. And I am not his mistress—I am his alchemist.”
Canna tilted her head at the last part.
“Alchemist?”
“Yes. I am an alchemist who can handle magic stones. Though my skill probably doesn’t reach yours, Lady Addis…”
An alchemist who could handle magic stones—that is, magical power.
This was the first time she had met another such person in person.
It was only natural. There were only a handful of alchemists in the world who could handle magic stones.
So the spell-like power Argon mentioned must have been alchemy.
“So? Why did you want to meet me?”
The woman hesitated before finally speaking.
“…Please leave.”
“What?”
“Please leave the Addis family. Leave Alexandro’s side.”
Canna was so dumbfounded that she simply stared at her without a word.
“Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t out of jealousy. It’s simply for Alexandro’s sake. If you stay by his side, his suffering will only drag on…”
“Hey, Celia, was it?”
Canna didn’t bother hiding her displeasure.
“Why should I have to listen to something like that from you?”
“…Because you are Seon-hui’s daughter.”
As if unable to hold back her emotions, Celia retorted defiantly.
“You and Seon-hui have completely ruined Alexandro’s life.”
“Oh, really? Father never said anything like that to me.”
When Canna snorted as if she couldn’t care less, hostility flooded Celia’s eyes.
“Of course he didn’t! Because he never says anything to you!”
“Then is there any reason I need to know?”
“Oh my god!”
Celia burst into laughter, unable to contain her rage.
“That shameless attitude is exactly like Seon-hui’s. You’re just like her. Selfish and only thinking about yourself!”
“Well, I am her daughter. It’s only natural that I resemble her. Besides, if it’s something I don’t need to know, I have no desire to hear it.”
Then Celia couldn’t hold back any longer and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“No! You must know! You need to know that Seon-hui murdered Alexandro’s older brother!”