Chapter 38 - <4>
“Wow, this is amazing!”
The moment they entered the mansion, Anna let out a loud, impressed voice. Ritz, too, couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration.
“This really is something.”
Long ago, when he was with Edward, Ritz wouldn’t have been surprised by a mansion of this caliber.
But since becoming a mercenary, it was a magnificent mansion of a kind he hadn’t even set foot in. To think that it was here, in the middle of a forest, he could only be impressed by this incredible situation.
In the center of the mansion was a grand, large entrance where a carriage could pull up, and the path leading to it was beautifully paved with bricks.
The two-story Western-style mansion, solidified with white plaster, was symmetrical with the center as its axis, and the roofs on both sides had tower-like watchtowers. Most of the windows were large and arched at the top, adding to the mansion’s polished appearance.
When they stood before this building, its beauty was so out of place that everyone held their breath.
Of course, part of it was being moved by its beauty, but the main reason was the shudder they felt at the strangeness of this building, which was too clean to be in a ruin.
Ritz was no exception.
The group was first led into a spacious entrance hall. A huge, beautiful crystal chandelier hung there, sparkling and delighting their eyes. On the ceiling from which the chandelier hung, a mural of spirits was painted in magnificent colors.
That beauty alone was truly breathtaking.
In front of them, a staircase curved gently in a circle to the left and right, leading up to the second floor. The stairs were by no means narrow, but were built in a gentle, spacious manner.
And at the entrance to each of these stairs stood a bronze statue of a knight with a great presence, gazing at the visitors.
Edward, leisurely passing by the impressed Anna and the wary Franz, silently looked up at the magnificent painting on the ceiling.
For some reason, Edward didn’t seem surprised by this situation.
On the wall of the entrance hall, there was a large double door with intricate carvings. One could easily surmise that it was a hall where banquets and the like were held.
The corridors extending to the left and right from the entrance hall probably led to the kitchen, servant’s quarters, preparation rooms, and so on.
There was no sense of the gaudiness often found in the homes of the newly rich; it looked more like a nobleman’s hidden villa. The cleanly designed space felt un-oppressive; rather, it had a spacious, open feel.
The redness of the carpet was a bit too vivid for the eyes, but the pattern drawn on it gave it a sense of calm.
“I’m so happy we get to see the inside, Franz!”
Almost completely ignoring the excited Anna, Franz was looking around the mansion cautiously. It seemed the earlier threat had been too effective, and he was more tense than necessary.
Without paying any mind to Franz, Anna, who had been looking around, suddenly fell silent and let out a big sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s a pity, isn’t it? For Kenny-san and the old driver. I feel kind of bad, just us.”
At Anna’s somber tone, Edward turned around and smiled back gently.
“Why is it a pity, Anna?”
With a downcast expression, Anna looked up at Edward.
“Because, Ed-san, not everyone can come inside. It’s a pity…”
“You’re so kind, Anna.”
At Edward’s smile, Anna tilted her head, still looking apologetic.
“Am I kind…? I might be bad, if anything.”
He reached out and tousled the hair of Anna, who stood beside him sighing with concern, as if to say, ‘don’t worry about it’.
“It can’t be helped. We’re the only ones with free time.”
They had all trooped to this mansion, but in the end, it was only Ritz’s group and Edward who were invited inside.
When they arrived at the mansion, Kenny, who had remained a step behind, had told them this:
“We will take our leave here.”
Kenny gave Edward a stiff salute.
“Eh? Why, Kenny-san?”
To the surprised Anna, Kenny replied with a troubled smile.
“If all of us inspectors go inside the mansion, who will protect the paintings?”
“Ah!”
“Our job is to deliver this cargo safely to the Royal Capital. So we can’t leave its side.”
“I see…”
Kenny turned from the disappointed Anna to Edward and Ritz to explain.
“We are thinking of borrowing that detached building.”
Kenny pointed to a large detached building and storeroom on the right side of the mansion. Kenny had already spoken with the butler and arranged to borrow the detached building to stay there.
Kenny’s work was always precise and swift. The cargo of paintings would be left in front of the detached building, and the inspectors would stand guard in pairs throughout the night.
And the drivers, thinking of the road ahead, requested to thoroughly rest and care for the horses here.
In the first place, the drivers had withdrawn from the start, saying they were not of a status to be invited into the mansion. For them, the butler had arranged for the stables and lodging for the drivers on the left side of the mansion.
After being made to wait in the entrance hall for a while, the door at the back slowly opened, and a woman emerged, quietly managing the hem of her long, flowing skirt.
Her elegant and supple movements had a grace and, at the same time, an bewitching and seductive atmosphere. Tall and clad in a fiery red dress, she looked like a queen.
Was she in her twenties? Her eyes shone with a jet black that seemed to absorb all light, her long, gently waving hair was also jet black, and her lips were painted a crimson as red as her dress.
The woman was beautiful. But her beauty was not a healthy one. If anything, it had an unhealthy feel to it.
“She’s a beauty, but not my type…”
After gazing for a moment at this mistress who was approaching them, he whispered to Edward standing next to him.
“I agree.”
Edward also replied briefly in a similar whisper.
“My lady, I have brought the guests.”
“Thank you, Butler. You may go.”
The woman who had come before them didn’t even glance at the bowing butler, but looked at the four of them, took a small pinch of her skirt, and gave a gentle curtsy.
“Welcome, everyone. I am the master of this mansion, Laria Ecarlate.”
“Thank you for the invitation. I am Edward Baldia.”
Edward, with a sarcastic smile on his lips, gave his real name to the woman… Laria.
“…My, you are courageous, aren’t you.”
Ritz frowned at their exchange. Just as he expected. This woman named Laria Ecarlate knew Edward’s true identity…
“Won’t you introduce your companions?”
Without letting the bewitching smile on her crimson lips fade, Laria smiled at Edward. Her smile was cold, yet it drew in those who saw it.
He happened to glance at Franz and saw that he was staring intently at Laria. But for some reason, Ritz and Edward also couldn’t look away.
A smile of burning ice. Unconsciously, he had muttered that in his head.
“This is my friend Ritz, and his companions Franz and Anna. The four of us will accept the invitation to this mansion.”
“Please make yourselves at home.”
It was Anna who approached Laria with a calm face, as she always did. Anna took Laria’s hand and shook it vigorously.
“Thank you! What a beautiful house~. I’ve never seen such a beautiful house before.”
“Ah, thank you…”
At Anna’s unexpected action, Laria stumbled over her words, looking perplexed. In contrast, Anna, without being overwhelmed by the strange atmosphere, simply looked at Laria with a calm face.
For some reason, this woman’s strange allure didn’t seem to affect Anna. Was it because they were both women?
“What an energetic young lady.”
Perhaps a little surprised that her appearance had no effect on her opponent, Laria hastily composed her words.
“The butler will show you to your rooms.”
As she said that, the woman called for the butler who had just left. The man from before appeared with a blank expression, as if it were no trouble at all. This butler’s very existence was like a shadow.
“After you’ve rested, please have a meal. Dinner is prepared in this room. Please feel free to eat as you like.”
When Laria’s explanation came to a pause, Edward looked into her eyes and asked in a testing tone.
“And what will you be doing?”
As if not noticing the hidden sarcasm, ‘And in the meantime, are you going to prepare to capture us?’, Laria smiled calmly and replied.
“I’m afraid I won’t be joining you. I’m not fond of socializing, and I’m only letting you stay out of goodwill, so there’s no obligation to entertain you, is there?”
“A fair point.”
“I have various other matters to attend to as well.”
After saying only that, Laria instructed the butler to guide them to the second floor.
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Laria casually turned the hem of her skirt just as elegantly as when she appeared and disappeared into the back of the room.
The moment she left, it felt as if a strange curse had been broken, and the space had lost its color. Ritz gave a small shrug.
“Then I shall guide you. This way…”
The butler gave a slow bow and began to ascend the gently curving staircase step by step. The four of them exchanged glances and followed. They had no choice but to obey.
They were led to two rooms on the second floor. They were quite large, and one could clearly feel that they had been prepared for them in advance.
After the butler showed them into one of the rooms and explained the interior, he left. The four of them let out a huge sigh and sat down on whatever was nearby.
“…I’m tired.”
Franz, who had sat down on the bed, muttered.
“I’m tired too~ and hungry.”
Anna, who had sat down next to Franz, muttered the same and looked at Ritz and Edward. Her eyes seemed to be saying, ‘When are we going to eat?’, but he would have to ignore her for a while.
Noticing that she was being ignored, Anna pouted slightly and started to play with Sara. Of course, it was the game of making her learn her name. It was amazing how she never got tired of it.
Franz also looked at Anna with an exasperated expression.
Ritz, who was sitting on one side of the sofa and table set in the center of the room, looked at Edward, who was sitting on the other side. Then, in a low voice so that Anna and Franz couldn’t hear, he spoke to Edward.
“Ed, you know everything, don’t you?”
“Not everything. More like, the general idea.”
Even if he knew, he seemed tired. Edward was sinking into the sofa. As expected, something had been in motion ever since he came to Faldina to pick up Ritz.
With Anna and Franz here, he purposefully didn’t press for more. He knew it would be difficult for Edward to talk.
“Um…”
Anna, who he thought had been playing with Sara, suddenly looked up with a thoughtful expression and looked at the three of them in turn before asking.
“That woman is pretty flashy, isn’t she?”
For a moment, he didn’t know what she was talking about and fell silent. Realizing she hadn’t been understood, Anna began to talk animatedly, using gestures.
“You know, since she’s so tall and beautiful, her clothes and makeup could be a little more subdued, right?”
“…Huh?”
When he asked back, Anna made a difficult face and pouted her lips.
“Umm, you know, something was strange. I don’t know how to say it, but anyway, I just feel like something is strange. I guess you could say it doesn’t suit her. Hmm, that’s not quite the right word… Ugh. It’s like her impression is blurry, like looking at two mirrors facing each other…”
It seemed Anna had been looking at something different from the men. To be able to see such things without being overwhelmed by the atmosphere, she really was a girl, even if a tough one.
But her next words drained the strength from everyone, and they all looked up at the ceiling and sank into whatever they were sitting on.
“Besides, it’d be hard to move around in an outfit like that, right?”
…As expected of Anna. Something was a little off.
“What’s wrong? Did I say something weird?”
Anna, who had no idea why everyone had lost their strength, tilted her head. It seemed Anna wasn’t satisfied, but the sense of unease she felt didn’t come across well to them.
“Ugh, so this is what it feels like to be frustrated~”
She tried her best to come up with the right words, but it didn’t seem to work out, so Anna made a cheerful suggestion as if her previous statement had never happened.
“Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”
Certainly, just sitting here wouldn’t get them anywhere.
“Should I bring my weapon?”
When the still-tense Franz said that, Edward chuckled softly.
“Not necessary. Nothing will happen during the meal, and the food is safe.”
“But…”
“It’s alright. I can guarantee it.”
He wouldn’t say why, but Edward’s statement probably had some basis. Ritz knew well that he was a man who would never speak from speculation when his companions’ lives were at stake.
The four of them quickly left the room to have their meal and returned to the entrance hall on the first floor. From there, they opened the large door that Laria had indicated earlier.
“Wow, this is amaziiing!”
The dinner in the lavish room, which could hardly be called a dining room, was more than enough to delight the eyes and tongues of the four of them.
On the table, several candles were lit in a candelabra, enhancing the mood of the meal, but for Anna, who was trying to fill her stomach, the mood was irrelevant, and for Franz, it seemed to be just a nuisance.
Next to that candelabra, a misplaced lamp was placed by itself, but that, needless to say, was Sara.
Anna had brought her along, saying it would be a pity to leave her alone. No one objected to that.
At each seat, a soup bowl, a multitude of knives and forks, a napkin folded like a flower, and two wine glasses were placed.
“Ritz, which one should I use?”
Anna, bewildered by the many knives, asked. Even if she asked him that, he hadn’t used formal manners in decades. It was pointless to ask Ritz.
“It’s fine, use whichever one you like.”
When he said that casually, Anna asked him seriously.
“Is that okay?”
“As long as you can eat it deliciously, anything is fine.”
“Oh, I see!”
Edward, who had been listening to their all-too-casual exchange, spoke to Anna with a sigh.
“The basic rule is to use them from the outside in, in the order the dishes are served. If it’s hard to use, you can use them however you like.”
“Then what’s this?”
Anna asked, holding up the folded napkin.
“It’s a hat… doesn’t seem like it…”
He couldn’t help but burst out laughing at that. Glaring at Ritz from the side, Franz sighed and explained to Anna.
“You unfold that and put it on your lap.”
“Why?”
“You wouldn’t want to spill on your clothes and stain them, would you?”
“But I’m not a child, so I won’t spill.”
“That’s just proper manners.”
Though exasperated, Franz dutifully explained. As expected of a son from a wealthy family, he seemed to have a firm grasp of table manners.
In contrast, Anna was a handful from start to finish. As he was holding back his laughter, the servants entered, and the evening’s banquet began.
Starting with an aperitif of wine, followed by warm pumpkin potage, carpaccio-style prosciutto salad, salmon en croute with herb butter, and the main dish of sautéed duck with orange sauce, and so on.
A variety of fruits were served as if to say, ‘help yourself,’ along with a selection of high-end alcoholic beverages. Carbonated water was provided for drinking water; in short, it was an incredibly lavish affair.
At this lavish meal, the flashy woman and the shadow-like butler were not present. A lavish banquet without a host was a bit strange, but being able to eat peacefully with just the four of them was a real help.
If they had been there, he wouldn’t have been able to stop thinking about their intentions.
Of course, it was Edward, who was most accustomed to expensive meals, who politely answered Anna’s questions about the name of each dish and what it was made of.
After hearing about the dish, Anna’s eyes would sparkle with excitement, and she would savor each bite happily.
For her, who had grown up in a church, she had probably never had so many dishes served to her at once in her life, so it was impossible for her not to be happy.
Ritz was also thoroughly impressed, but as he watched from time to time, he noticed that Franz alone didn’t seem to be eating much. He was probably worrying about the true meaning behind this expensive meal.
No matter how much Edward assured him that the meal was safe, he seemed to be on edge, wondering when and in what form a commotion would occur.
What a handful. It might have been better to tell the slightly more thick-skinned Anna that an enemy might attack.
But Anna being Anna, if he had told her that, he was afraid she would have boldly asked Laria, ‘Are you the bad guy?’
After finishing their meal, the four of them began to talk about the strange mistress of the mansion while drinking the coffee that was served last.
“A woman alone in a deserted village is definitely strange, isn’t it?”
Everyone nodded at Ritz’s words. And with that flashy appearance. She probably wasn’t the kind of woman who would be in a place like this.
“That’s right. It’s also strange that she was able to prepare all these ingredients before we arrived. It’s almost as if she knew we would stop by here.”
As Edward calmly brought the coffee to his lips, Ritz sighed. If you know, then hurry up and do something about it, he wanted to say, but even if he said that, he would just be brushed off.
But it wasn’t just Ritz who was irritated by Edward’s words. Franz placed his coffee cup back on the saucer with an emotional clatter. At the same time, he raised his voice.
“Edward-san, you know something, don’t you? You know too, Ritz, right?”
“…”
Edward fell silent, and Ritz scratched his head. He didn’t have enough information to talk, so it was no use being asked that.
But once Franz started talking, he couldn’t be stopped, and he didn’t fall silent here.
“I don’t like this feeling of being slowly cornered from all sides without knowing anything.”
He slammed his fist on the table in frustration, and Franz glared at the calm Edward and Ritz, who was sitting opposite him.
“What? Do Ed-san and Ritz know something?”
At Franz’s fierce expression, Anna’s eyes widened in surprise. It seemed she hadn’t thought until now that this series of events was related.
“Franz, I don’t know either.”
Ritz said only that and drained his coffee.
“But you know, there’s no point in you getting all worked up now. He has his reasons, doesn’t he?”
“But!”
“He is… the king, after all.”
Franz fell silent. As he said it, Ritz understood that he was directing those words to himself as well.
Though he was spending time with him casually now, he was the king of this country. He probably had his own circumstances, and there were things that he couldn’t let them know.
“…”
It was none other than Edward who spoke to the silent Franz.
“Franz, and you too, Anna.”
As the two of them looked up at Edward’s face, Edward spoke with a slightly sad but firm tone.
“I may be keeping secrets from you. But it’s not because I look down on you or don’t trust you. Because you are Ritz’s companions, I trust you unconditionally.”
“Hey, hey.”
Wouldn’t that be a disaster if Ritz’s judgment of character was poor? But Edward was facing the two of them with utmost seriousness, so he couldn’t interrupt much.
“But I will only be able to tell you everything after this matter is settled.”
To the bewildered Anna and the averted-faced Franz, Edward continued to speak.
His tone became slightly self-deprecating.
“I am, after all, entrusted with this country. That’s why inconvenient things happen from time to time. It can’t be helped that I can’t tell you about them… But.”
Edward paused for a moment and looked at the two of them again. His eyes held a dignity and something worthy of trust.
He unconsciously narrowed his eyes in nostalgia and turned to the side so that no one would notice. Edward hadn’t changed at all from the old days.
“I promise I will tell you everything. I just ask that you forgive me for it taking time.”
Franz nodded silently. Did he understand that he had no choice but to believe him?
The world was full of things that couldn’t be changed no matter how angry he got. Franz, having regained some of his composure, took a deep breath.
“I apologize.”
Edward smiled and nodded. As Franz’s gaze turned to him, he gave a small nod, as if to say, ‘leave it to me’.
In reality, Ritz had no intention of being dragged into this incident without knowing what was going on either. Even if he was the king, Edward would probably tell him the circumstances.
When that happened, he could tell the two of them when the time was right.
“Franz, let’s just go to bed. We’ve all been on edge today with everything that’s happened. If we rest, we’ll feel better, and we can think about things, maybe even twist Ed’s arm a little more to get him to confess.”
Ritz stood up with a yawn, speaking in a relaxed manner so as not to put Franz on edge.
His movement seemed to be a signal, and everyone rose from their chairs.
“You’re right. We’re leaving this mansion tomorrow morning anyway. I’m sure it’ll be okay.”
Franz was nodding at Anna’s words. No matter how much he lamented his dislike for this house, he would be leaving it tomorrow anyway.
“By the way, about the room assignments… Anna, you’re fine with being with Franz, right?”
At the sudden question, Anna tilted her head.
“I’m fine with it.”
But Franz, in contrast, grimaced. He probably didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Anna’s energetic morning wake-up attack.
Ritz knew that well. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end either.
“It’s fine, right? Right, Franz?”
But he had no choice but to put up with it here. Unable to grasp the true meaning of his forceful words, Franz was looking at him with a confused expression.
To convince Franz, he moved in front of him, placed both hands firmly on his shoulders, and whispered.
“I’ll try to get as much information as I can out of Ed. Besides… you want to repay the favor for being saved by Anna twice, don’t you?”
“…?”
To the increasingly confused Franz, Ritz said with a serious face.
“Listen, keep your luggage and weapon where you can grab them.”
“…<”
“There might be nothing, but don’t let your guard down. With the light-sleeping Anna, you’ll be able to wake up quickly if something happens, and you have your fire. You can buy some time, can’t you?”
“Got it.”
“Good!”
To the finally convinced Franz, Ritz gave a grin.
“Anna, listen up. If anything happens, you wake Franz up. You’re confident you can wake him up in one go, right?”
“Yep!”
“I’d rather you didn’t have that confidence.”
Franz’s words probably came from the bottom of his heart, but this time it couldn’t be helped.
“Well then, let’s get some sleep.”
Ritz nonchalantly snatched a bottle of bourbon from the table.
“Ah, Ritz, is that okay?”
Anna looked at Ritz with a reproachful… or rather, somewhat envious expression. He looked back at Anna with a completely composed expression.
“Listen, anything that’s put out for you is fair game. You can take some of your favorite fruit too, Anna.”
“Eh? Really?”
“Of course.”
With sparkling eyes, Anna gazed at the heaps of leftover fruit. That look meant she was planning to take it all. That was fine too. There weren’t many people in this mansion, so it would be a waste to leave it behind.
“Anna… you should probably take it easy.”
Franz’s warning was sadly unheard and flowed away.
“Franz, hold Sara-chan for me! I can’t carry much otherwise.”
After handing the lamp to Franz, Anna began to gather an armful of fruit with glee, while Franz just sighed.
Leaving the two of them behind, the two older members, Ritz and Edward, left the dining room.