74 – The Enemy Within
There was a sense of haste, but Vincent thought that now was the right time.
When the news came about two days ago that the princess and her party were leaving from Ardenum, a flashing thought passed through my head.
He also knew the route the Loveheim family usually took while traveling from Bellucci to Hespania, so he decided to use that.
There were few people there, and there was a section that went through a mountain in the middle, so there was nothing strange about passing it off as the thieves.
Besides, even if people from other families didn’t know that princesses rarely accompanied escorts, it was a fact that those staying in the Loveheim family were fully aware of.
It happened that Yulken was also away from the castle for an inspection, so it could be seen as an appropriate moment for the rebellion.
‘I wrote my hand anyway.’
Vincent concocted this ploy with one of his vassals, a man named Lux Feldner, leaving him with most of the risky business.
Of course, originally, it wouldn’t have been possible to easily create a situation in which one of them could withdraw from the other, but this time there was a justification.
If this trick works and the loach is removed, he will help Lux’s child and Ariel to be connected.
If that happens, the Feltner family will ultimately benefit greatly.
Thanks to that, Vincent was able to accept the negotiations with less risk.
All he had to do now was sit back and wait for the victory.
While enjoying a moment of leisure, tilting his wine glass with a bite of cheese, he frowned at the sudden knock.
He asked about his business with the feeling that he would not let him go if he was interfering with his amusement due to an insignificant matter.
“What’s going on?”
– Sir Roland, the lady’s party has arrived.
“… What!?”
At the unexpected news, Vincent put down his wine glass roughly and got up.
If he hadn’t heard it wrong, he definitely said ‘Party’.
Doesn’t that mean that not only Ariel but the others have arrived safely?
Thinking that something was tightly twisted, Vincent immediately called the servant outside in a hurry.
Originally, he said he didn’t like it when the lower ones set foot in the room, and he wouldn’t allow it except when cleaning, but today was an exception.
“Boo, did you call?”
Even this servant, who was in touch with the people in the castle, knew about this fact, so he felt uneasy about Vincent, who had suddenly entered his room, and was busy stuttering.
“You said the lady came back?”
“Yes, yes.”
“What about the rest of the group? Isn’t there a lady-in-waiting and a lover of the young lady who went with you?”
For Vincent, it was tantamount to disgrace to use honorific words for a child without a root, but now was the time to calm down somehow.
“Yes, you came back together.”
“You mean you came back alive?”
“… Yes?”
“Oh, no. I was asking if you had a safe trip, but you made a mistake.”
While tilting his head, the servant explained the group’s condition calmly, saying that they seemed to have returned without incident.
Vincent felt like throwing his wine glass at the wall right away, but left the room with his hands shaking.
I couldn’t believe it unless I saw it with my own two eyes.
“Guide me. Since the lady is back, I should say hello.”
“Well, then this way… … .”
While guiding Vincent ahead of him, the servant tilted his head slightly at a strange sense of difference.
In the first place, Vincent has a pretty high-handed personality and is famous for having a heavy buttocks, so he rarely leaves the room except for dizzying events.
At most, it was to the extent of looking ahead when Yulken went to the battlefield or came back after a little big event.
In other words, it means that Ariel is not the type to step out just because she has been on business for a while and has been to another estate.
‘Are you capricious?’
In any case, he was well aware of how uncomfortable dealing with Vincent was for the servants living in the castle, so he encouraged himself to get as far as possible out of the castle without disturbing his heart.
Ariel, who had gotten off the carriage, was talking with the servants and other retainers who had come out to greet her at the gate of the castle.
“Oh, Sir Vincent. What are you doing?”
At this time, Hadler, who was famous for being a good friend even within the family, approached him.
The fact that his buttocks were heavy was because there was no one in the castle who didn’t know about it, and even Hadler was very surprised by this situation.
“I came because the lady had come a long way. Since His Highness is also away, you should act as if he had left even at a time like this.”
Vincent gave a friendly smile and replied indifferently, while grinding his teeth inwardly.
‘What the hell is going on, Sir Lux!’
Vincent shouted out a silent clamor towards Lux, the man standing next to the carriage, staring at Ariel and smiling awkwardly.
As soon as our eyes met, Lux just shook his head as if he didn’t know himself, with an expression that made everyone look pitiful.
It was natural for Vincent’s anger to rise further.
‘If I had known it would be like this, I would have taken care of it.’
Still, since he is the head of a family, he believed that he would not do things in a fist-fighting way.
Vincent clenched his fist, saying that it was a misunderstanding of his judgment that he would rather handle it even if the tail was a little longer.
‘Let’s calm down for now and plan the future. There’s nothing to be hasty about.’
Today was just the right time, but moments like this will come again someday.
For him, who has spent more than 60 years, it is not difficult to hold his breath and wait for a cause.
The only thing that bothered me was the exceptionally bright faces of Ariel and the others.
‘Didn’t they get attacked in the first place?’
If you were attacked by assassins, you wouldn’t be able to stand in such a relaxed manner.
It was the right choice to openly inform the vassals of the fact right away and strengthen defenses.
If it hadn’t been raided, how could it have been?
Did he come not through the direct route, but through the normal route through other villages?
However, it was difficult to arrive so early because the road was quite long.
The minimum arrival time should be from evening to night.
Conversely, what if you are hiding the fact even though you are raided?
That case was no longer predictable.
‘My head hurts.’
Anyway, it wasn’t like this, but since he was nominally coming out to greet her, it would be better to talk to him rather than just stand there.
Vincent walked toward Ariel, who approached the castle gate, bowed his head, and greeted the party while wearing a cunning mask.
“How are you, my lady?”
“Yes, it went well. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Sir Vincent come out.”
Vincent was a bit stingy in the afterword, but he calmed down and opened his mouth with a benevolent smile.
“Since His Highness was away, I just thought that I should come out as well. The other vassals must think the same.”
“Oh, did your father say he went on an inspection?”
“Yes that’s right.”
In the first place, it was as if Vincent was aiming for that point and tried to pay the price, but unfortunately it didn’t work.
“By the way, what Confucius is holding… … ?”
Edgar, who was standing next to Ariel, had something like a huge bag slung over his shoulder.
It was big enough for almost one person to fit in, so Vincent, feeling strange, asked the identity of the object in the sack.
In response, Ariel responded with an unprecedentedly bright smile.
“It is a souvenir. It’s a precious item I got from Ardenum.”
“Hey, that’s right. It’s quite large, but… … .”
“You don’t even want to give it to Sir Vincent?”
“This nogu is not so cruel as to covet the things you have received.”
hahahaha. Vincent smiled benevolently once again.
“… … !?”
Then, all of a sudden, I felt a chill at a strange sensation covering my whole body, and I opened my eyes wide.
It was as if the blade stopped at the throat for an instant.
He hurriedly raised his head, which had been lowered, and met Ariel’s eyes, but she still had only a refreshing smile on her face.
‘Looks like he’s getting weaker as he gets older.’
Or maybe it was because I was feeling a bit uneasy because I had postponed what I should have done today.
When he returns to his room, Vincent promises to go to bed early while drinking the wine he could not finish drinking.
Ariel, who had been watching this from the side, indifferently turned her head and walked into the castle.
‘Sir Vincent.’
When the head of the household, Yulken, returned, or a human whose face was barely visible, he stepped out of the castle in person to find out what the wind was blowing.
He was putting on a good-natured smile, mentioning an odd reason, but Ariel wondered if there might be another reason.
‘For example, there’s something I wanted to check.’
It was for this reason that she did not speak of the incident in front of her vassals.
It’s not yet accurate, but given the circumstances, it was correct to assume that the assassins were aiming for Edgar’s life.
Then, who are the people who are most annoyed by his presence?
At least I didn’t feel like I was outside.
If those bandits had hidden inside the family and secretly committed such unseemly acts, they would have known that the group would not be able to return safely today.
But what will be the reaction when news is heard that the person who should have died has returned safely?
Of course, I must be anxious to see it with my own eyes.
And in this situation, three people famous for their heavy hips were seated here.
‘Vincent, Gale, Julius.’
It is possible that they are all accomplices.
What you need to do from now on is to sort out the correct answer little by little based on reasoning.
Ariel secretly called Shuri with emotionless eyes and handed over a request.
Whether it was a high-ranking official in the family or the head of another family, it was none of her business.
What value is there to someone who will become a corpse anyway?