TSIMG 15

Chapter 15

Lodia was very busy. It wasn’t that she was busy doing any particular work.

It was because the second round written exam for the place officially named the ‘Judiciary’ was only ten days away.

Before she knew it, the year had changed, and the end of January was just around the corner. Lodia, wearing a thick indoor dress but still cold, had wrapped herself in a blanket and was poring over books she had studied during her school days.

“There’s really no other way now!”

Lodia felt relieved that the contents of the books she had opened for the first time in a while weren’t unfamiliar, but she was also worried.

The thought, ‘What should I do if I fail this recruitment exam?’ wouldn’t easily leave her mind. On the other hand, she also felt the impulse to go to Histein and say, ‘Please give me a job!’

She had been holed up in the study studying for three hours. One of the two servants staying at this mansion finally pulled Lodia out of the study.

“In two hours?”

“Yes. He said to tell you that.”

Lodia tilted her head.

She hadn’t seen Histein recently, but this sudden lunch appointment was unexpected. Wondering if something was up, she nevertheless began preparing to go out.

“…This is strange. Why don’t I have any clothes suitable to wear out?”

Lodia took out an apricot-colored velvet dress, tried it on, and tossed it aside. The light blue dress with large puffed shoulders was out of the question without a second thought.

After rummaging for a while, Lodia eventually, with a dissatisfied look, found and put on a tailored jacket that would match a pale pink shirtwaist and a narrow light gray skirt.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Heint was in the middle of winter. Lodia, fastening the collar of her coat, adjusted her gloves and stepped out of the mansion’s front gate.

“You’re late, Lodia.”

“Ah?”

Outside the gate, Histein was waiting for her. His honey-like blonde hair lightly covered his forehead.

Wearing a ruched tie with a sapphire the same color as her eyes, a white shirt and jacket, and a black coat, he was, by anyone’s standards, the very picture of beauty.

Lodia involuntarily swallowed.

“Hello, Mr. Roatt.”

Lodia greeted him and boarded the carriage. Even though nearly two months had passed since Histein had started calling her name, Lodia still couldn’t bring herself to call him by his.

One day, Rikart had asked her why she didn’t call Histein by his name. Lodia had replied that it wasn’t that she wouldn’t, but that she couldn’t.

Whenever she silently rolled his name, ‘Histein,’ around in her mouth, she felt as if her throat was blocked for some reason.

That frustrating feeling of his name being trapped in her constricted throat, unable to escape.

So Lodia had simply given up on calling his name.

“Is something wrong? Is it about Damian oppa…”

“Are we only allowed to meet if something is wrong? Of course, I do have news about Damian.”

“Did you find him?!”

Lodia exclaimed loudly.

Histein grabbed and pressed down on Lodia’s shoulders, which seemed ready to leap up from her seat in the carriage.

“Actually, we found traces of Damian in Volagrad. It seems he hired a Leninaka there under the name ‘Damian Proxheit.'”

“A Leninaka? You don’t mean a mountaineering guide from the Northern Continent? What on earth was he doing there?”

“It seems he needed a Leninaka to find the treasure he mentioned. Anyway, the Leninaka he hired is named ‘Sobolev Katia,’ and she’s apparently quite famous in that area.”

To travel through the Passat of the Northern Continent, the help of a Leninaka was essential. As soon as Lodia heard that Damian was traveling with a capable Leninaka, she let out a sigh of relief.

“I came to you as soon as I heard the news today.”

“Thank you. Aren’t you busy?”

Histein lied nonchalantly. He had actually learned of the news from Volagrad before Lodia had moved out of his mansion because of the relocation, making him quite brazen.

“I am busy, but I have enough time to have lunch together while delivering news of family to my ward.”

“That’s a relief.”

Lodia replied, looking out the window.

It had already been two months since she graduated from school. Why did time pass so quickly?

As the carriage passed through the central square, a placard with the public recruitment schedules for the legislature, judiciary, and executive branches went by. Seeing it, Lodia looked at Histein with a mixture of emotions.

“Mr. Roatt, I have a question. Could you answer it for me?”

“If it’s something I know, of course.”

Histein nodded. The hair covering his forehead swayed gently.

“Do you remember what you said in passing last time? That thing about whether I’d consider working at Magnificent after graduation.”

“Ah, yes, I remember.”

“Is that offer still valid by any chance?”

At Lodia’s words, Histein narrowed his eyes.

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s just… in case I fail the recruitment exam, you know.”

After answering, Lodia gave an awkward smile.

“I’ve been having a lot of trivial worries lately. I’m already the type to borrow trouble, as it is.”

“Haven’t you been preparing hard?”

“Well, I have been working hard.”

“Then you’ll surely do well. You’ve done well so far.”

He spoke in a gentle tone. There was faith in his voice directed at her. Lodia felt, for some reason, that his words gave her motivation.

“But still, if I happen to fail, could I get a job at Magnificent?”

“Our company always welcomes talented people. If it’s you, Lodia, you’d naturally pass.”

Histein’s words were very reassuring. Suddenly feeling better, Lodia was able to finish the subsequent meal with a smile.

“Thanks to you, Mr. Roatt, I feel much better. Thank you. I’ve been feeling down lately because I kept having gloomy thoughts.”

Histein only felt relieved when Lodia smiled brightly. He had been worried when he met her at the mansion’s gate because her complexion hadn’t been good.

“Then, since it’s your first time out in a while, if you’re willing, would you like to visit Magnificent’s office?”

It was a sudden suggestion. After a moment’s hesitation, Lodia nodded.

—

* * *

Magnificent’s office, located in a position overlooking Parnue’s central square, was a five-story building.

Following him up to the CEO’s office, Lodia was once again reminded of what an extraordinary man Histein was.

Rikart approached the two just as they entered the CEO’s office.

“Sir.”

His expression was unusual. Lodia hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should excuse herself.

“What is it?”

“…I think you need to see this.”

Rikart glanced briefly at Lodia and handed him a piece of paper. It was the reservation list for the Parnue branch, the most luxurious of Magnificent’s hotels.

Histein checked the list as if wondering what the problem was, then let out a sound of surprise.

“Why is this name here…?”

“I confirmed it again this morning through the Cheda branch. It’s Count Bailerent himself.”

The name ‘Gerard de Bailerent’ was written on the list.

“If it’s Bailerent… are you referring to the count who’s the closest aide to Duke Collin de Filemer?”

“Do you know of him too, Miss Proxheit?”

“Of course. The Counts of Bailerent have long been vassals of the Dukes of Filemer, the Chancellor of Cheda.”

Histein groaned at Lodia’s words. A Chedan noble had reserved a hotel in Heint’s capital without any prior notice.

“Do you have any idea what this means?”

“…It might be my overactive imagination, but just in case, I think we should check the Duke of Filemer’s whereabouts.”

“I’ve already looked into it.”

The capable aide and secretary, Rikart, answered Lodia. Both pairs of eyes turned to him.

“It seems the Chancellor of Cheda is scheduled to enter Heint. He may already be in Parnue.”

“Ha, what the hell is this dogshit situation?”

Histein spoke as if he had forgotten Lodia was there. While an informal visit by a foreign Chancellor was a big deal, his serious reaction suggested he didn’t consider it a simple visit.

From Heint’s perspective, the people of Cheda were as stubborn and closed-minded as the gods they worshipped. There was no way Cheda, which tended not to accept change, would welcome the changes in its neighboring country, Heint. Histein parted ways with Lodia and went straight to the Chancellor.

“What’s so urgent that you had to find me like this?”

“It appears the Duke of Filemer, the Chancellor of Cheda, has entered Heint.”

“…Evidence?”

“The name of Count Bailerent, his closest aide and long-time vassal, is on my hotel’s Parnue branch reservation list. It’s also confirmed through information obtained from Magnificent’s branch in Cheda’s capital.”

Alisis Fedelov sighed at Histein’s confident words.

“Cheda is our greatest enemy. Although it’s a foreign nation, they likely view the current government as a thorn in their eye for abolishing their monarchy. It was only recently that those rigid fools, worried about it affecting their own country, stealthily relaxed their locked borders.”

“You don’t need to tell me what I already know. The problem is why they chose a hotel run by the Chancellor’s aide.”

“…They wouldn’t have made the reservation without knowing that.”

“Surely they’re not that stupid.”

“If they’re aiming for it to reach my ears, they definitely have a purpose.”

Histein’s jaw tightened. Just then, a secretary knocked on the office door and handed the Chancellor a letter.

“This is…?”

It was a letter sealed with purple wax bearing the seal of the House of Chester. She tore open the envelope as if crushing the wax. The purple wax and royal crest were exclusively for the use of the former royal family, so the current House of Chester naturally couldn’t use them. Yet they were boldly flouting that rule as if it were only natural.

“…Ha, those damn mother-and-daughter rats are getting clever… Are they trying to fill their coffers this way?”