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Chapter 16
I had rushed to the Capital upon imperial decree, yet over three months still remained before the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony.
Thus, House Basilian decided to stay at the Capital Townhouse until then, before crossing into the Holy Empire.
The Basilian Count Estate's Capital Townhouse was magnificent.
Having only seen the dreary eastern Castle, I had harbored no expectations—yet it exceeded them entirely.
It was adorned far more lavishly than the estates of most noble families.
The interior design, decorations, and furnishings were all aligned with the latest fashions.
What I found most delightful was the Garden.
Filled with flowers suited to each season, the Garden lifted my spirits merely by gazing upon it.
I strolled through the Garden every single day.
And with each stroll, those troublesome twins clung to me.
'How utterly vexing.'
I grumbled inwardly while glancing back over my shoulder.
The twins were toddling along behind me as I waddled forward.
Karha, slouching with his hands thrust into his pockets, gestured toward a flower blooming in the Garden.
"Look here, little one. Isn't this flower pretty?"
I paid him no mind and pressed onward.
Then Ishuel chimed in.
"Shall I carry you? Your feet are so tiny—you might stumble ‌‌‌while walking."
Of course, I gave him the same dismissal as Karha.
I simply breathed in the grass scent and flower fragrance deeply while hurrying my steps along.
Despite my consistent ignoring of them, they found it endlessly amusing, and the twins ‌giggled.
Laughing softly, they matched my waddling pace and followed behind me.
I shot them a glare over my shoulder, but my foot caught on something.
"Oof!"
Just before ‌I tumbled forward, they both grabbed me from either side.
The twins, each holding me by one arm, grinned identically.
Their smug ‌‌‌‌expressions were so infuriating that I genuinely wished I could give each of them a sharp flick to the forehead.
Still, since they had caught me, I offered my thanks.
"Thank you."
"Thank you?"
"Did you just say thank you?"
The twins seized upon my every word and teased me relentlessly.
Eventually, I lost my composure and let my irritation show, at which point they both burst into uncontrollable laughter.
The servants passing by witnessed ‌‌our commotion and laughed.
They caught themselves mid-laugh and quickly composed their expressions.
The servants of House Basilian were ordinarily quite reserved.
They moved ‌‌‌‌like ghosts, attending only to their master's needs, yet recently—because of me—they found themselves laughing more often than not.
Since the Countess Rudin's death, silence and stillness had ‌‌‌‌long pervaded House Basilian.
Unaccustomed to such moments, the servants felt awkward, unsure whether they were permitted to laugh so freely.
However, one thing was certain: they all ‌‌‌adored their new young master. ‌‌
Everyone was delighted, but I alone was growing irritated.
'Sigh.'
I exhaled deeply.
I had left Castle of Serpents and arrived at the Townhouse in the Capital.
Originally, ‌‌I had planned to depart immediately, but there was still time ‌‌before the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony.
Kieran seemed ‌‌suspicious from what I observed upon entering the Imperial Palace, so I decided to investigate a bit further.
I had ‌‌also sent Hata back.
'And yet I ‌‌‌still have nothing to show for it!'
During the day, the twins, obsessed with their new toy, followed me around constantly.
In the evening, the twins ‌‌‌took turns going out, but one of them was always glued to my side.
And at night, Kieran tormented me relentlessly.
Since arriving in the Capital, Kieran had barely set foot in the house for some reason.
But whenever he did return, he always sought out my room.
And he would abduct me to ‌‌his own bedroom.
"I'm scared sleeping alone. I need to sleep with you, Chesa."
He would say such ridiculous excuses.
Every time, a faint smell of blood emanated from Kieran.
I was considering tailing him soon to see what he was up to.
In any case, not knowing ‌‌‌when Kieran would visit, I couldn't wander freely at night.
Whenever I had brief moments, I would steal glances at documents in the Study, but found nothing of significance.
'It was the same at Castle of Serpents, and here ‌‌‌too....'
I felt as though something was being hidden, and I was missing it.
'I need to leave House Basilian soon before this becomes too tedious.'
I recalled the person I had met at the Imperial Palace.
A man in a pristine white uniform, unmarred by even ‌‌‌the slightest blemish. ‌‌
Eyes ‌‌‌still clear and beautiful, a striking blue.
'Hailon is a guard knight, then....'
Considering his influence, status, and abilities in Hilderd.
Being assigned as a guard knight to a child attending the Pure Child Prayer ‌‌Ceremony was an enormous waste of elite personnel.
No, first of all, it made no sense for a Heresy Inquisitor to serve as a mere guard knight.
A Heresy Inquisitor who could stop even a crying baby's tears.
Those who eradicated heretics with maniacal brutality—what were they doing as guard knights for children?
Yet Hailon had concealed his identity and made contact with ‌‌‌‌House Basilian.
'Have they already ‌begun their investigation?'
The Heresy Inquisitors ‌‌‌‌of the Holy Empire had an unsettlingly keen sense of perception.
Perhaps they had already finished gathering evidence and set a trap to catch the decisive moment.
Especially the fact that Hailon had personally come forward.
It meant the Heresy Inquisitors regarded House Basilian as a primary investigation target.
'This is truly ‌‌‌troublesome.'
I grew even more anxious knowing that Kieran wished to resurrect the dead.
Before the Heresy Inquisitor tore the Basilian Family apart, and before I participated in the Pure Child Prayer Ceremony.
I had to leave quickly.
'I need to find out something today, no matter what.'
It was then that I steeled my resolve.
"Miss!"
The servant approached in quick, hurried steps.
After witnessing me being held by ‌‌both ‌‌hands by the ‌twins in a celebratory pose, she suddenly bit her lips firmly.
Doing her best not to laugh, she managed to speak in a composed voice.
"The tutor ‌‌‌has ‌‌arrived."
They had decided to assign a tutor to teach me etiquette starting today.
As a bonus, the twins would also ‌receive basic etiquette instruction before their social debut. ‌‌
No one from the Basilian Count Estate had ever made a social debut.
It was something that ‌‌noble daughters ‌‍and sons would naturally and fundamentally do, yet they had not. ‌‌
Therefore, they were scheduled to make their social debut at the Ibroyel Duke Family's banquet, which would be held soon.
'I already know all the etiquette, though.'
I had often pretended to be a noble and wandered about.
Because of that, my etiquette and conversational skills were more refined than most noble daughters.
'Conversation skills will be meaningless.'
No matter how skillfully I moved my short tongue, it would only produce clumsy pronunciation.
Pondering how ‌‌to ‌‌‍appear like a baby learning etiquette for the first time, I headed to the drawing room with the ‌‌‌twins.
The moment I sat in the drawing room and confirmed who was drinking tea so elegantly, I was genuinely appalled.
'Count Rudin?!'
Count Rudin was seated beside a noblewoman.
Across from them sat Belzeon.
Belzeon's expression was blank, but faint irritation ‌glimmered in his crimson eyes.
Count Rudin, sipping his black tea, raised his eyebrows upon seeing the twins and me entering the drawing room.
The noblewoman promptly adjusted her dress hem and rose with grace.
"What adorable young masters and mistress. It's a pleasure to meet you. From ‌‌‌today on, I shall teach you etiquette."
She was Countess ‌‌‌Rudin.
'Why of all people!'
There must be many teachers in the Capital ‌‌‌who could teach etiquette, so why did it have to be Countess Rudin as the tutor?
And she even brought her ‌‌‌husband along.
Count Rudin cleared his throat pompously and spoke with arrogance.
"Since I hold the Basilian Count Estate in particular ‌‌‌‌regard, I've brought my wife to serve as your tutor."
"...."
Belzeon wore a ‌‌‌twisted smile.
I began to grasp what ‌‌‌had happened.
Count Rudin had driven away the originally scheduled tutor and forcibly brought his wife here.
Count Rudin's eyes were busy scrutinizing the Count Estate.
The reason for his actions was abundantly clear.
'Reconnaissance. That had to be his purpose.'
Every man ‌‌‌in House Basilian possessed the ‌‌kind of striking appearance that inevitably drew attention once they entered society.
And they were a family trusted by the Imperial Palace enough ‌‌to have private audiences with the Emperor himself.
From Count Rudin's perspective, he must have felt the necessity to check them before they became rivals.
The fact that he'd chosen to visit precisely when Kieran was absent spoke volumes about his intentions.
He'd likely calculated that with only children ‌‌‌present, he could act as he pleased.
"Why is everyone ‌‌so quiet?"
Countess Rudin pressed sharply.
The twins, who had been silent while jostling each other, belatedly offered their greetings.
Chesa followed suit with a perfunctory bow.
Countess Rudin's ‌‌‌eyes gleamed like a fox that had caught its prey.
"Then shall we start with you, Miss Chesa? If you wish to attend the Duke's ‌‌‌‌‌soirée, you'll need to study diligently from now on."
She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
"It would be unfortunate if your origins from the Orphanage became apparent."
Chesa blinked.
'How utterly childish.'
It wasn't even amusing. ‌
She didn't consider it worth responding to.
"...!"
Chesa's eyes widened.
A gentle breeze stirred her hair.
Karha, who had been beside her moments before, now stood before Countess Rudin.
He held a sword in his hand, still sheathed.
He tapped lightly beneath the Countess's chin with the blade's tip, a smirk playing ‌‌‌across his face.
"Watch your tongue." ‌
Ishuel, who held Chesa, tilted his head slightly and continued.
"We find such remarks rather troublesome, you see. It gives us quite the dilemma."
The boy ‌‌whispered in his soft voice.
"Whether to kill you or let you live."

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------