Leaving the imperial palace didn’t mean his head was immediately clear.
His thoughts were complicated.
At first, he thought not much would not change if Yura appeared, but... … .
‘Something has already gone wrong.’
He was afraid that, like magnets of opposite polarity, there would be a gap between the three of them that could never be put back together again.
Even before they parted ways, what he’d heard from Vivian strangely bothered him.
When he’d asked why she had been so aggressive towards the saint, Vivian said, ”I saw it all happen from the other side. The saint did not cry. My intuition is telling me, she's dangerous.”
Her face was lowered, so Vivian could have misjudged her.
However, these were Vivian's words and that lessened his doubt. Vivian had the ability to see through the subtle manipulations of a person.
It was Vivian's personal strength that she had cultivated since childhood while frequently encountering the hypocrites who approached her for her wealth.
Knowing that, he couldn't ignore it.
“But that's not enough… … .”
It bothered him, but there was no evidence. It would be naive to believe Vivian's words alone.
First of all, it would be better if he observed Yura more carefully later, when he had the opportunity to meet Yura separately.
So, he decided to start by turning his attention to Theodore first.
Why had Theodore made such a face and said such things?
“Duke.”
‘Why did you apologize?’
Theodore was someone who managed his emotions well and wasn’t one to be easily overwhelmed. Why did he do something he'd be sorry for in the first place?
The more Rosenta thought about it, the more he couldn't understand.
“Duke.”
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with an answer. Even so, he kept getting more and more lost in the swamp of his thoughts.
It was to the point where he didn't even notice that someone was calling him.
The window that connected to the coachman was wide open, as if he was frustrated because there was no answer to his calls.
A loud voice, like boiling a train fire, called him.
“Duke!”
Rosenta left his thoughts and looked out the window.
They were already at the duchy’s castle.
While trying to clear his many thoughts, he commended the coachman for his hard work.
“Good job. I have no plans to go out anymore today, so take a break.”
“Yes, then please exit carefully.”
I came out of the wagon after a while.
It just so happened that Anna had been there to meet him beforehand.
It was Anna who jumped out in front of him like a shotgun.
“Have you returned, Duke?”
"Yes. Nothing happened while I was gone?”
“Yeah, nothing special happened. But Edmund is interviewing people.”
‘Is he already holding interviews?’
Edman's work speed and actions were to the point of admiration.
Rosenta nodded and took off his coat. Then, naturally, he handed it to Anna.
“Anna, here.”
Taking off the coat, he felt less cramped.
All right. When one’s thoughts are too complicated, it’s best to keep busy.
With that in mind, he decided to visit Edmund, who was interviewing people.
"Anna."
"Yes?"
“Guide me to Edmund.”
Anna led him to a path in the garden.
It was a familiar route.
If you follow it all the way, you will find a building where the butlers reside.
As they walked, they saw quite a few strangers being escorted by castle employees. They were returning from their interview.
“There are so many of them!”
‘I guess I'll have to cheer up Edmund when I arrive. I will give him a vacation too.’
“Duke, we are almost there.”
At Anna's words, he stared at the end of the path.
A gray brick building with pretty vines caught his eye.
"Oh! Duke!”
"Welcome."
The guards guarding the front of the building slammed their spears into the floor with an angular posture.
Then, they put one hand on their chests and saluted.
After their greeting, the guards opened the door wide on both sides for them to enter.
When he went inside, it instantly became noisy. Those who knew him started talking.
“Eh, Duke Estella?”
"It's the duke."
"Wow! Should I say hello?”
It was a scene reminiscent of a large company interview room.
Not only that, but the inside was packed with no space to set foot on, as if it were a really famous company interview.
‘Where the hell did you post the recruitment notice, so that there would be so many people gathered?’
He called Anna.
"Anna."
"Yes."
Anna took the lead even though he didn't say anything, like she knew what she was doing.
He made his way through the crowd without hesitation.
As he entered the hallway, the whispers and gazes toward him increased.
"Ah. The color of his eyes is amazing.”
“Everyone be quiet. You can get points deducted for talking about it.”
"That’s right. Nobles hate talkative people.”
He could tell just by hearing the way they talked.
As he said, he gathered them regardless of whether they were nobles or commoners.
Anna's steps, which were moving forward, stopped abruptly. And she naturally moved to fall back and stand next to Rosenta.
“Duke.”
He turned his head at Anna’s voice calling him.
Anna pointed to the door with a slow but polite gesture.
“You can go in here.”
‘I’m here’
He carefully knocked, not wanting to disturb Edmund's interview.
Then he opened the door softly. Just enough to ensure his voice was heard.
"Edmund, I'm coming in."
Unlike the outside, it was quiet inside. But suddenly, a frantic noise was heard from inside.
The sound of heavy breathing, the sound of objects falling, the sound of chairs being dragged roughly.
Edmund looked quite perplexed.
‘I didn't mean to surprise you like this, so I feel a little sorry.’ But he also felt lucky.
It was a small crack in the door, but it seemed like his voice was well transmitted to the occupants inside.
Now all he had to do was wait patiently.
For several minutes there was a continuous bustle of noise. Then, at some point, the sound stopped.
He waited quietly.
And at the end of the short wait, a sound was finally heard from inside.
“Duke!”
It was Edmund's urgent cry.
“It’s shabby, but if you don’t mind… … .”
Without hesitation, he immediately grabbed the doorknob. Now that he’d received a response, he wanted to open the door.
But, even without applying any force, the door began to open suddenly.
‘Edmund's voice came from deep inside? Was he that fast?’
Rosenta was worried for a moment.
First of all, he was worried that he might be hit by the door, so he quickly let go of the doorknob.
He took a few steps back with a quick movement.
“Ugh.”
Right behind his back, he felt something as hard as a wall hit him.
But it couldn't have been a wall.
At first he thought it was Anna, but it wasn't. Anna was standing right next to him.
He was taking a backward step, and he’d bumped into the back of a person who was standing there.
That was the only thing he could think of.
There's no way a wall would suddenly appear behind his back.
It was him who bumped into then while backing away without looking, so it was right that he should apologize.
He tried to turn around to apologize politely to the person behind him.
But before he could turn, he heard a strange sound in his ears. It was a very small voice that passed by.
“Hello, Duke.”
It was a familiar voice.
Startled, he hurriedly looked back.
However, no matter how much he looked, he couldn't find the person who seemed to be the owner of that voice.
He took a closer look at the people watching him from afar.
None of the faces were familiar.
As if it was strange that he kept looking around, Anna and Edmund also looked around.
Then they asked in puzzled voices.
“Duke?”
“Has anyone offended the duke?”
He shook his head.
He asked Edmund, who had been standing across from him and looking at him.
“Has anyone been behind me?”
Edmund pondered for a moment.
Then, very firmly, he shook his head from side to side.
“When I came out of the room, there was no one behind the Duke.”
‘Was it an illusion?’
‘I must be hearing hallucinations after going through so much confusion and exhaustion.’
‘I need to go back to my bedroom and get some rest.’
He came to a quick conclusion.
*
After Yura entered her room, she refused to come back out.
She only told the ladies-in-waiting who were knocking on the door not to come in.
People speculated that there must be something going on with Theodore, that his fiancée, Vivian, had been harassing her.
Vivian’s name was cursed in the heat of their anger.
Everyone was worried about the noble saint Yura, and they were uneasy.
However, a completely different scene was unfolding in the room, contrary to their concerns.
Yura didn't shed a single tear. She was just wrapped in a thick blanket.
Then, she gnawed at the fabric of the sheet.
As if it was all just so very infuriating.
“Even my parents never once yelled at me. No matter how hard I tried to look good to His Majesty... … how to me... … .”
Only Conitel was comforting Yura by her side.
“You are a saint. The daughter of the god of light, sent by Luz. So don't worry. Everyone will love you.”
“No, you saw it earlier too, Conitel!”
“His Majesty is just confused.”
“Confused?”
Yura stuck her face out of the blanket.
Seeing Yura like that, Conitel rolled up the corners of his eyes.
Contrary to the smiling face, Conitel's azure pupils gradually darkened.
“Yes, the blessing that I have given you cannot be wrong.”