12. Flowing Star – 01
The northern region at the top of the empire, the Duchy of Estel, which boasts the most barren territory and small population, was a secluded and quiet region where a peaceful atmosphere was always lingering around. Of course, it’s well-packaged and has a quiet and cozy atmosphere, but in reality, it’s a dog-haired neighborhood where nothing really exists, so outsiders don’t come in and out, so it’s forced to be quiet and cozy.
Today, however, the Duchess of Estelle has escaped from the quiet and serene atmosphere of the past, and is greeted with a lively bustle after a long time. As for the reason, it was very simple. It was because Cain von Estel, the only minor duke of Estelle who had left for the Duke of Decaraznan several months ago, had returned to the Duke of Estelle.
The duke returned to the duke’s house, but the servants of the duke’s house couldn’t just sit there and stare at it with their hands down. Due to preparations for a dinner for the Duke, who returned after a long absence, or preparations for a fever for the Knights, the Duchy of Estelle lost its tranquility and soon became a noisy place full of noise. Actually, the little duke, whom they were preparing to receive, was sighing heavily as if he was displeased with the noise.
“Are you back, my lord? Indeed, it seems like I’m seeing the little duke again after a long time.”
He calmly accepted the sight of the commander lowering his head towards him and nodded as if nothing had happened.
“Yeah, it’s been a while. General. Didn’t anything special happen to the Duke of Estelle while I was gone?”
“In the first place, isn’t the Duchy of Estel a great place to have extraordinary things happen? If you have to argue, it can be said that the Duke So’s return after a long time is something special.”
“Certainly, you are not wrong.”
Cain chuckled and laughed at the general’s playful words.
“Now that I have returned to the ducal family again, I want to see my father first. Where is your father now?”
“His Excellency is currently patrolling the territory. I think you’ll probably be back sometime tomorrow.”
“East Patrol?”
Cain frowned as if he didn’t understand the current situation at all. I remember that you were already patrolling about a year ago, when you returned from the future, but why are you insisting on patrolling again?
“I don’t know why either. All I know is that he went out on patrol with Miss Bianca, saying he had something to check.”
“…with Bianca?”
Did you take Bianca as a bodyguard? Certainly, in terms of force alone, she is a monstrous girl who ranks among the top five on the continent. Even if a natural disaster such as a mountain collapses and the ground cracks, it has no meaning in front of Bianca. Excluding the fatal flaws of having a dirty and shitty personality, it is clear that Bianca is one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Of course, it was a story when Arya, who could be called outside the standard, was an exception.
“Well…”
Realizing that worrying about Bianca was pointless in itself, Cain nodded softly, recalling his original purpose for meeting the general.
“Well, by the way, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“Tell me.”
“If my memory is correct, I remember that there was one vacant position as treasurer of the duchy?”
In response to Cain’s question, the commander-in-chief nodded softly.
“Yes that’s right. However, the current situation is indescribable because it is impossible to put a half-assed idiot in the position of Treasurer, who has the great responsibility of coordinating the budget of the entire duchy.”
Looking at the commander-in-chief answering with a deep sigh, Cain smiled bravely.
“That’s good. I just happened to bring in a talented person worthy of the treasurer position.”
“Are you sure?”
At Cain’s words, the general’s eyes opened without realizing it. Bondi Estel Duke’s family was an insignificant territory even if you looked at the entire continent, so basically it could not be said that it was a job that highly educated talents preferred. Those who are currently handling the big and small affairs of the duke’s family were some of the orphans who had no place to go, and some smart children were raised as officials after being educated by the governor himself. In terms of average job handling skills, it was quite usable, but I couldn’t even compare it with highly educated talent.
At the moment when we were suffering from such a shortage of talent, the Duke of Sox brought in a talented person worthy of a treasurer as if he had been fully aware of the situation!
As the commander-in-chief’s eyes were shining like that, Cain stood behind him and silently lowered his head. He called a woman with black hair and black eyes to stand in front of him.
“Let me introduce you. her name is sarah He’s a smart, capable, and fresh man who will become the new Treasurer of the Duchy of Estel. What are you doing, even though it’s your first time meeting, you don’t say hello to each other.”
“Nice to meet you, Commander. My name is Sarah.”
Sarah bowed her head to the commander-in-chief, and the commander’s gaze at her changed to bewilderment. Now I have no idea what the hell this is.
“…Lady Sarah?”
How could I not know her? Sarah Cernard had been in and out of this place as Cain’s fiancée for years, but it was all the more strange that he hadn’t recognized her because her hair and eye color had changed at most. Furthermore, Sarah Cernard’s traces have become obscure since she was kidnapped by an assailant from the Duke of Dekaraznan. But why are you standing here with Cain?
“Little Duke. What the hell is this…”
“General.”
Cain cut off the general’s words with a pity in the middle.
“I heard that Sarah Cernard, who was my fiancée in the past, became mysterious in the Dekaraznan dukedom, so there is no way to know where she has gone now. And the woman here, although her place of origin is unclear, is an outstanding and intelligent woman with an outstanding talent for counting, so it would be a pity to rot that talent. That alone is enough, and I don’t think I need to mention anything more. Isn’t it?”
At Cain’s words, the commander’s eyes fluttered for a moment, and then he nodded with a gentle smile.
“…okay. Indeed, that is true. Little Duke.”
After saying that, the commander-in-chief bowed his head slightly toward Sara and showed his respect.
“Nice to meet you. Miss Sarah. Although I am inadequate, I am an insignificant old man who holds the position of general in the Estel family. If the young lady takes on the role of the treasurer of the duchy in the future, you will have many face to face encounters with me. Since the role of a young lady is really important, I will show my respect in advance.”
Cain’s eyebrows were slightly wrinkled at the respectful attitude of the commander-in-chief, which could not be said to be a courtesy to a commoner woman of unknown origin.
“…General, what are you doing now? Did you understand what I was saying?”
“I got it right. Little Duke. That this person in front of me is not the Miss Sarah I knew well, but someone else whose name and face resembled each other.”
“But why?”
“I am simply expressing my respect towards the woman who will serve as the treasurer of the Estel family in the future. I don’t think it’s a problem.”
Cain unknowingly clicked his tongue at the general’s words that he would never give up his will to show respect to Sarah. Anyway, like a stubborn old man. In fact, he was the old man who proudly proclaimed that he would remain here until the end and face his death when everyone else fled to the islands nine years later. Now, where can that personality go?
“…great. Please do whatever you want.”
The moment Cain clicked his tongue and was about to tell the commander that he was taking good care of Sarah.
Quaang-!
A truly gigantic explosion reverberated through the entire duchy of Estelle.
“…what the hell is this?”
When Cain asked a question at the sound that he couldn’t understand, the commander-in-chief maintained a calm attitude without blinking an eye, and only answered like this.
“You don’t have to worry too much. Little Duke. You will get used to it soon.”
The commander-in-chief speaks with a sigh.
“It seemed to be quiet for a while, but eventually it became a daily routine again.”
****
“…Still, you did arrive on time.”
In front of the main gate of the Estelle duchy, Iris let out a sigh of relief and let out a sigh of relief in a small voice. Shortly after Cain left for the Duke of Decaraznan, the emperor in the Islands called her, so Iris took advantage of Cain’s absence and quickly ran to the Islands, took care of some urgent matters, and immediately returned to the Estel family.
However, even so, the distance between Jedo and the Duke of Estelle was far away, and because Jedo had a lot of work to do, unexpectedly, time was delayed. How worried he was that other girls would wag their tails at him in case he wasn’t there!
But, fortunately, it is said that Cain also returned from the Duke of Dekaraznan just a while ago. That would mean that Son and the other girls didn’t have the same amount of time to spend with Cain as he did. I thought it would be okay to put aside the ominous delusion that I might have been one step behind the other girls.
“…Very good. There’s nothing wrong with forcibly dragging him to the Lumentium sooner or later.”
Saying that, Iris put on a truly satisfied smile. Even Bianca, who had been clinging to the Duke of Estelle like a leech, was away, so it couldn’t be more favorable. Taking advantage of this opportunity and stamping it would not be a bad choice at all. That was when Iris was letting her imagination run wild with happy delusions about the future with him.
“…Oh my, who is this? Aren’t you the noble princess who competes for all the continents? It seems like yesterday that I felt relieved because I didn’t have to see him anymore because I was leaving for Lumentium, but did I hear the news that Cain had returned like a ghost and come back again?”
But at that time, Iris hears an annoying voice that goes against people’s nerves. What was even more irritating was that the main character with that irritating voice was a woman with a status that even the princess, Iris, could not ignore, so I couldn’t just ignore that nonsense. Well, I had no intention of staying still even after hearing that kind of nonsense from that woman.
“…Ariel Thiers.”
Iris muttered in a voice dripping with chills. Unknowingly, his face was crumpled. If you were to rank the faces that you don’t want to see in the world, she was a woman you didn’t like enough to easily rank in three fingers.
“Is the profession of clergy in a recession these days? Or is it a basic qualification of a priest to do nothing at someone else’s house? The leeches that keep sticking to the Duke of Estelle like leeches are really irritating.”
Saying that, Iris looked at Ariel with a truly ferocious look, and she only shrugged her shoulders with a sneer.
“Oops, it’s just a light greeting, but your eyes look like they’re going to eat an innocent person at any moment. No, should I say it’s a look that suits someone who is plotting to kidnap Cain with Lumentium?”
“…Where did you hear that?”
“Yeah, maybe from the beginning? Degrading the princess?”
Saying that, Ariel only smiled, but seeing her expression only made Iris’ eyes grow fiercer. From a long time ago, she hated seeing that smile from Ariel, who seemed to be thinking about something else through her back hole. No, it seems that she hated the name Ariel itself from around the age of five. For some reason, it was clear that I had thought of it as an unlucky name.
“…a warning. Don’t cross the line, Ariel Thiers. I don’t deny that you were intimate with him in the ‘past’, but from now on, what I’m going to do is entirely between him and me. So, if you rush to-”
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
The corner of Ariel’s mouth was smiling when she said that, but her eyes never smiled.
“Isn’t the princess the one who didn’t know if she would become the emperor of the empire in the future? To think that such a noble person, at least because of a man, would give me a warning rhyme. This is just scary because you don’t know if you don’t know if you’re going to be ‘hit’ by the guest house without even knowing the mouse or bird.”
Ariel’s tone toward Iris was, at best, mocking.
“Hey, His Highness has always been like that. He didn’t hesitate to trample on other people’s feelings for his own happiness. Alas, it is. For example, casually sacrificing a man she loves with tears in her eyes to defeat the Witch of Winter…?”
Unfortunately, Ariel’s words did not follow through. because-
Quaang-!
A slash that was so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye passed right next to Ariel.
“…shut up. Ariel Thiers. Don’t talk about things you don’t know anything about.”
A bitch who doesn’t know anything about how I had to let him go.
Saying that, Iris strode towards Ariel.
“Warning you. If you bring it up just one more time-”
In Iris’s eyes, the sun-like eyes blazed blazingly.
“I will kill you. Ariel Thiers. My absolute must, absolutely.”
From Iris’ whole body, a suffocating lifelike breath erupted. And at the same time, Ariel’s complexion turned blue. Perhaps, it was because he couldn’t overcome the killing spree that was filling the space, and he was running out of breath.
But then, something strange happened.
“Uh, black…!”
A sad cry echoes from Ariel’s lips, and at the same time, tears begin to fall from her eyes. As if a woman named Iris persecuted an ordinary woman who had no power.
“…Damn it, you’re doing too much. How can you say such harsh words to me…”
“…What?”
It was obvious, but Iris couldn’t help but feel absurd. What the hell kind of situation is this? All of a sudden shedding tears Did Ariel finally go mad?
And a second later, Iris realized why Ariel had put on such a nonsensical play. That too, in a very regrettable form.
“…The princess is degraded. What the hell is this all about? who are you killing? And why is Ariel crying?”
A voice is heard from behind her. The voice of a man she knew very well.
“…..”
In an instant, realizing that she had fallen into a trap, Iris looked up at Ariel and saw the corner of her mouth slightly raised, truly bursting into a tantrum.
Seonjupil wins.
All over the world, it must have been an age-old truth that the person who squeezes the juice first has an advantage.