Beginning of Book 4
It was only in the lingering dusky evening light that they were able to reach the duke's castle.
Rosenta was inside the carriage, holding his breath, listening quietly to the conversation between the guard and Aphra.
"This is a letter stamped with the duke's seal. As you can see, this carriage was prepared at his request."
Aphra seemed to be making good use of the letter Rosenta had prepared for him in advance.
And, soon after, the carriage began to roll again with a squeak.
It wasn't until they got to the deserted backyard of the castle that their movement stopped.
Rosenta came out, home for the first time in a month.
He dusted himself off and dressed neatly, as though he had just come out.
"Thank you for your hard work, Aphra."
"This is nothing compared to what the duke has done for me."
Aphra scratched the back of his head.
Then, he raised his head. He looked as if he had forgotten something.
"Oh! You asked me to deliver the dresses, right? I'll have to load them up now."
Vivian's dresses that Rosenta had bought at the same time as he purchased the purple dress.
Rosenta had asked Aphra to deliver the dresses to the Marquisate as a courier.
It was a bit of a ploy.
As Vivian's every move was a matter of interest to all the newspapers, it would be a solid publicity stunt.
‘I'm sure they'll try to find out the identity of the carriage visiting ‘the Marquis’ residence’.
"The dresses are being kept in the closet in the spare room. Follow me."
"Yes, Duke,"
They moved swiftly.
They quickly crossed the backyard and reached the main entrance.
They didn't meet anyone on the way there. Perhaps, because it was getting dark, everyone was inside.
So Rosenta opened the door carefully.
They walked in as slowly as they could and shut the door slowly.
Without anyone saying a word, they straightened up and started walking with their heads proudly raised.
Rosenta immediately pointed to the hallway on the left.
"The spare room is over there."
He was pointing to where the dresses were stored.
They headed there immediately.
It was nearby so they arrived in front of the room in no time.
Rosenta opened the door right away.
He watched Aphra go inside but didn't go inside himself.
"Aphra, please wait here for a moment. It looks like it will be difficult for just the two of us. I will bring Enoch."
"Wolf?"
"Yes, the three of us will be able to finish much sooner than just us two."
Perhaps, because he was exhausted from the long journey, Aphra sat on a chair and nodded repeatedly.
Rosenta slowly released the doorknob.
He said his final remarks to Aphra, who then proceeded to enjoy his short break.
"I'll be right back."
Rosenta was now going to call Enoch.
Compared to before, his steps going up the stairs felt much lighter.
He was the only one there. Even if he encountered someone, he just had to quickly pretend to be coming down.
[t/n: Rosenta pretended to be in the secret room at the top of the castle before sneaking to Deutschen village. The castle staff don’t know that he left and think he’s been locked away up there.]
He had the perfect pretense.
Perhaps that's why his stride was so bold. He was able to reach the bedroom floor in no time.
"Duke?"
Then, he ran into Edmund.
Edmund seemed to be coming down the stairs with an attendant.
He looked slightly surprised to see Rosenta coming up from downstairs, but soon Edmund shook his head.
Then he carefully asked,
"Are you done with your work on the top floor?"
"Yes."
Rosenta smiled satisfactorily.
As expected, people didn't even seem to suspect that he had left the castle.
They naturally assumed that he’d stayed on the top floor this whole time and had come down for a bit.
It seemed the nature of his usual routine eliminated any doubt.
Of course, Enoch probably laid a strong foundation for him as well.
Rosenta naturally asked Edmund about Enoch's location.
"Where's Enoch?"
"What? Didn't the Duke approve Butler Wolf’s vacation?"
"What?"
There was silence.
Rosenta stared at Edmund, and Edmund stared at him as if they didn't comprehend what the other was saying.
As time went by, the distance between Rosenta’s eyebrows became narrower.
Seeing Rosenta look like that, Edmund began to explain with a pale face in a trembling voice,
"The duke said that today's meal had been served...… and gave butler Wolf three days off...….”
After hearing Edmund's explanation, Rosenta thought that he knew what was going on.
That Enoch's trick was clear.
But he couldn't say that Enoch had lied.
He quickly shook his head.
After a short pause, he looked at Edmund and let out a fake sigh.
‘Haaaaaaa’
He touched his forehead as he sighed.
He was acting as if he had just remembered a forgotten memory.
"Ha, now I remember. That I allowed Enoch to take a vacation...….”
Edmund's face brightened up when Rosenta said that. He was probably worried that he had made a mistake.
And Edmund, like a competent house manager, quickly adjusted his expression.
Rosenta spoke as calmly as usual.
"The newspapers for the last two days were left on the bedroom table."
"You did a great job."
Edmund bowed at those words.
He lightly patted Edmund on the shoulder to signal him to straighten his back.
Then he asked Edmund and his attendant a question.
"Are you busy?"
"What? No, we’re not."
"Then come down to the first floor with me. I have a load I'd like you to help me with."
Rosenta knew Enoch was gone, so he needed a substitute. He had no choice but to ask these two he’d met by chance.
Of course, it sounded like an order, not a request.
***
When he returned to the bedroom after all the dresses were loaded into the carriage, the evening sky was as black as Enoch's hair.
Sitting on the bed, he stared blankly at the outside view.
It was time for him to close his eyes due to drowsiness.
Suddenly there was a knock and Edmund's serious voice.
‘Knock, knock.’
"It's Edmund, the estate manager. May I come in for a moment?"
"Come on in."
Edmund came into the bedroom.
His arms were filled with what looked like papers.
"These are correspondence and calling cards from the past two days that I’ve collected and sorted."
He approached and carefully placed them on the nightstand.
Then, Edmund slowly retreated to the door, as if his business had finished.
Rosenta looked at Edmund for the final time and asked for confirmation.
"Is this it?"
"Yes. No one came to see the duke, and nothing else special happened."
"I see. Then you can go."
"Yes. You weren’t able to sleep comfortably for the last two days, so I hope you have a comfortable night tonight."
Edmund left the bedroom, leaving nothing but words of concern for Rosenta until the end.
In an instant, the room became desolate.
Rosenta laid back against the headboard, enjoying the quietness after a long time.
He looked carefully at what was on the table.
"A seal?"
There was a letter bearing the imperial seal, making it apparent that it was an official letter, not a personal one.
Immediately, he broke the seal and opened it.
When he looked inside, the contents were sparse. Only a date, time, and place were written.
"I'll be busy tomorrow, too."
The date written was the next day.
There was nothing else, but it was obvious. This type of correspondence was usually reserved for urgent meetings.
‘What's going on this time?’
He was curious, but he wasn't overly interested. He’d find out tomorrow anyway.
I casually tossed it on the bed.
He carefully examined the contents of the other correspondence and calling cards.
They were all regular invitations.
Of course, except for tomorrow's meeting, he wasn't going to attend all of them.
"I'll put the rest away in advance."
He didn’t want to risk getting the other mixed up with the imperial invitation.
To prevent that, he stood up with all of the papers, excluding the imperial letter.
He walked to the tea table.
All he did was bring the newspapers and correspondence to the tea table.
"Oh, I'm so tired."
Then, pressing down on his brow, he went back to the bed with two newspapers in his hand.
He leaned back against the headboard and settled into a comfortable position to read the newspapers.
He was tired, but he had to check all the papers that came out while he was away.
It had become his habit.
To be precise, it was a habit that had been cultivated for years so as not to miss even the smallest clue.
"I have to take a look and sleep...….”
He thought there wouldn't be much, so he took a quick look and tried to go to bed.
But he couldn't do that.
As soon as he checked the front page of one of the newspapers, he noticed the headline of today's newspaper.
"Breaking News! The Saint has reportedly returned to the Holy Land!
Several people reported that they witnessed the papal carriage coming out of the imperial castle during the day yesterday.
Witnesses revealed that they saw black hair through the open carriage window.
Everyone is speculating that it may have been the saint.
As a result, our newspaper was able to secure the testimony of an anonymous informant.
According to them, the saint’s leave was not temporary, but she has permanently returned to the Holy Land...….”
Rosenta didn't even read all the articles on the front page.
The more he read, the paler he felt, so he quickly turned to the back.
Tumultuous emotions swirled in his head like a whirlwind.
First of all, he was confused.
There was definitely no mention of the saint returning to the Holy Land in the novel.
Of course, he’d expected it to some extent.
His intervention would one day turn the tables.
But he didn't expect that to be now.
"Thanks to you, my troubles will be prolonged in the future."
He already felt like his shoulders were getting heavier. He pushed his bangs back roughly.
Now it would be a battle between him and Yura, the empire and the Holy Land.
Now that Yura had left the empire, they could not rely on the Holy Land to solve the disasters.
From this point on, any help received from her would not become the Holy Land’s trophy.
‘If that happens...….’
"I'm sure he'll blame the emperor and use that as an excuse to do as he pleases."
Although it is still the most prominent religion, the power of the Holy Land had not reached the imperial family of Helios.
It wasn’t the state religion of the empire.
However, if they managed to gain the full trust of the empire’s people, it would be a different story.
"We can’t play into their hands."
‘I will stop Yura.’
The ‘Rosa’ that had been seen the day before would be seen often.
Rosa Veronica, the life he would be living now if he hadn't been taken to live with his father.
An unfamiliar and bitter name.
“……It's strangely emotional."
He shook his head gently and laid it back with a slight sneer.
He closed his eyes.
When the thoughts and fatigue flooded his mind, without realizing it, he called his name.
"Enoch."
No sound was heard.
There was only a frighteningly persistent quiet like that of the silent night sky.
It was only then that he realized it.
“……That's right. He’s away."