107 Igor the Sorcerer
***[Heroine Oscar]***
Katrin seems to have enjoyed the day she went to the theater very much.
In particular, it seems that I liked the look of the festival.
Talking to Anne was always the case, but she also told Pooh and the pony Rose about the day.
‘cute.’
Every time I think of it while working, a smile comes to my mind.
Whispering to animals she didn’t understand, Katrin was somehow childlike and very shiny.
Do you know how many people are on the street?
A man and a woman line up side by side and dance holding hands like this.
And go round and round
It’s completely different from banquets.
And in a dark place, a man’s hand slips like this to a woman…
‘I didn’t expect to see something like that.’
I thought it was cute because he looked around without stopping for a moment and looked here and there, but in reality, it seems that his eyes were shining while looking for a sloppy scene.
‘After all, I was only able to take him once.’
It would have been nice if we could have had a little more time, but neither she nor I are very carefree.
Even though the banquet was suspended, small gatherings and banquets of nobles were held almost every day somewhere in the royal capital.
There was also the promotion of magic tools sold at merchants and thanks to the nobles who purchased them, so there was not enough time just to select and attend such events.
After all, it was difficult to make time again to go to the theater or to the streets.
“…”
Now is the time to go down to the dukedom.
It still snows occasionally, but it doesn’t pour heavily, well, you can start slowly now.
The butler had already scheduled my departure and started preparing.
Perhaps the other families were similar, whenever they attended small gatherings for the past few days, news came that one or two families had left the capital.
Today, among the banquets to be held in the capital this year, we are supposed to go to a large-scale banquet.
Of course, it was a banquet that needed a partner, and he replied to the invitation saying that he would attend with Catherine.
But last night I suddenly switched partners.
Instead of Catherine, Countess Becker goes with her.
Because Catherine has a cold.
Maybe she had gotten used to her job as a duchess to some extent.
It may be that the fatigue of the past came out as the tense mind loosened.
Because of that, everyone from the butler to the management and servants were in a state of extreme tension.
It’s not a big deal in modern times, but there are people who die from cold here.
Most of them are common people, but it’s not that there are no nobles at all, and when Catherine’s body heats up, the whole house is in a mess.
A doctor was called, and within a few hours wind-blocking fabric was added to the curtains.
Of course, Catherine was also banned from going out.
Not only going outside the mansion, but entering and exiting the room itself is prohibited.
Katrin lies in bed and cannot get under the bed until her fever is gone and the doctor confirms that she is fine.
Our duke’s family is a house where hands are precious, so that place is especially tricky.
When it comes to health or safety-related topics, everyone turns on the lights and rushes desperately.
No matter how duke it is, you can’t win.
Of course, it is the same in Catherine’s case, so the counselor’s wives take turns guarding her room so that she cannot move freely.
Even the servants, who would normally go over without knowing anything she did, were all watchers.
‘I guess I can’t move even if I’m not monitoring right now.’
I sat down on the bed and saw Catherine’s face, which was completely different from usual.
This must be what a fevered face is.
The eyes are watery, and the cheeks are slightly red.
Katrin’s face, always healthy as a weed, somehow looked like a fleeting petal.
“I’m sorry, Oscar.”
Lying on the bed, Katrin muttered, looking like she was going to cry.
“If you think so, get a good night’s sleep, Catherine. If you’re not well, I’m sick too.”
“… yes.”
Katrin said so and fell asleep after a while.
It’s not like he’s trying to sleep, it’s just that his eyes are slowly closing.
I slowly closed and opened my eyes several times, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep with colorful breathing sounds.
But her cheeks are still red from the heat, and her breath is hot.
“…”
it’s just a cold
People in this world are afraid of such things, but I knew that this was a disease that could be cured with a good rest.
Unless it spreads to something like pneumonia, you won’t die, and you just have to be careful not to raise your fever too much.
And although Katrin looked very sick, she didn’t have a very high fever.
Besides, I also only vacate the mansion for a few hours, from night to dawn.
Nothing happens in between.
I know I’m fine with the opposite s*x, but I’m not comfortable leaving her side.
‘I wonder if I’ll feel like this when I give birth to a child and become a parent.’
I was looking at Katrin’s sleeping face with a complicated mind for some reason, but someone started talking to me from behind.
“Duke, we’ll keep an eye on you, so don’t worry too much. Your wife will be fine.”
She is the counselor’s wife.
She is right.
I have to visit Countess Becker, who became my partner today, but if I go wrong, it will be too late.
I looked into Catherine’s face once more and got up.
“If anything happens, send me a message right away.”
“All right.”
“… It’s the first time she’s been sick, so I’m not relieved. Take good care of Katrin.”
“Of course, Duke.”
The wife laughed softly.
I left the mansion feeling like the back of my hair was pulling.
*
Today’s banquet is held by a royalist noble.
The dukes have the most say in the royalist faction, but that doesn’t mean they are the closest to the royal family.
Speaking of closeness, the host of today’s meeting had a much closer relationship with the royal family.
‘I wonder if it’s absurd to say that it’s close.’
If the royal family and the duke’s family, though the king and the vassal, form an almost equal partnership and are sometimes kept in check, the host family is more like a subordinate at the king’s disposal.
That must have been the reason why today’s banquet was bigger than the other families.
The royal family couldn’t hold a New Year’s banquet, so instead.
I let out a small sigh.
Maybe it’s a relief that Katrin didn’t come because she was sick.
Today’s banquet will be somewhat of an adult gathering, from late at night to dawn.
I try not to attend such evenings, but today I had no choice.
Besides, the crown prince is attending this banquet.
The royal family’s New Year’s banquet was also not held, and it is not good for me to be absent from the banquet attended by the crown prince.
The crown prince’s evaluation is falling toward hell, but if I act like that, it will look like the duke’s family is ignoring the royal family.
‘That’s why I decided to participate in this evening, but I don’t feel like it.’
I went deep inside, greeted by the people with Countess Becker.
Today’s soiree was divided into a hall for dancing and a space for chatting.
One hall is full of people dancing while the orchestra is playing music, and after passing through a door, there is a space with food.
There were elegant sofas and chairs all over the place for a chat.
I went into the next room where I was chatting with Countess Becker.
The nobles who saw me greeted each other, and I saw people gathered in the corner of the large room.
At first I thought it was Prince Robert, but it wasn’t.
In a place surrounded by people, there was a person who didn’t look at all like this kind of party.
He was sitting at a small table wearing a brown robe like a monk’s.
His face is not visible because he is wearing a hat that is attached to his clothes.
There was a fairly large crystal ball in front of the man, and he was looking into it and saying something to people.
‘A fortune teller.’
There are fortune-tellers in this world who read astronomy, give predictions or predict the weather.
It is said that a true fortune teller is more like a scholar.
From an early age, he studies mathematics, science, and astronomy, and observes and studies the movements of the sun, moon, and stars.
However, unlike Earth scholars, I heard that the fortunetellers of this world actually borrow the energy of the gods to some extent.
Well, in a world where witches actually exist, there must be fortune-tellers.
But most fortunetellers are fakes, scammers.
There are few people in this world who can receive the energy of God.
In this era where it is difficult to make a living, if the condition of in-depth study is met, a fortune teller will become as rare as a person with psychic powers on Earth.
For this reason, most of the fortunetellers that commoners can meet are fake, and even nobles are said to be often fooled by plausible fakes.
I’m not interested in that, and I’ve never felt the need to, so I’ve never met him in person yet.
The organizer who found me came here with a fortune teller.
A hooded fortuneteller walks quietly, holding a crystal ball in both hands.
For some reason, it was clearly visible in my eyes.
It feels like things around you are blurring.
I took my eyes off the fortuneteller and looked at the organizer.
“Earl, the soiree is very splendid and beautiful.”
“Thank you, Duke. There are a lot of bad things going on this year, so I wondered what it would be like, but if you like it, I’m very happy.”
After exchanging a few more polite greetings, the host introduced the fortuneteller as if he had been waiting.
“This person is a fortune teller. His name is unknown in Korea, but he is already famous as a seer elsewhere. They say that no one can follow him when it comes to reading the stars and predicting their results.”
The organizers made a fuss saying that they had wanted to invite them for a long time, but there was no chance at all.
hmm well Most of what the organizers say will be bluffing.
It could be that it was called in moderation just to highlight this evening.
‘But somehow he’s a powerful person.’
As I looked, the fortune teller took off his hood.
The fortune teller’s face was, to say the least, really strange.
The face, neck, and all exposed skin are deeply engraved with wrinkles resembling the bark of an old tree.
Skin is not like skin.
It didn’t look like a living person.
The bark seems to move in the shape of a person.
Only the eyes of the fortune teller, buried in wrinkles, shone brightly, as if only the pupils had human vitality.
The fortune teller bowed deeply.
“It’s an honor to meet you. Duke. My name is Igor.”
“…”
The man’s voice was not unusual.
In general, it would be a rather good voice.
But somehow it gave me goosebumps.
It feels like scratching a glass plate with a fork.
Goosebumps seemed to run through his soul.
“It’s my first time meeting a fortune teller. Nice to meet you.”
“Your reputation has reached other countries, and I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. Today, the opportunity finally arrived, and my heart dances.”
The man’s voice is even more annoying.
An unknown feeling of rejection arose from somewhere deep inside my body.
I felt that if I made a mistake, I would run away, leaving this man behind, so I braced my legs.
After a brief reply, I turned my attention to the host without giving the fortune teller time to speak.
“His Highness Robert hasn’t arrived yet? If so, I’d like to say hello.”
“He hasn’t come yet.”
He said with a smile, but the host’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
‘Has there been any contact.’
maybe not attending
Some distance away were several nobles waiting for the fortune teller.
I smiled and opened my mouth.
“If I monopolize the famous fortune teller, the women will resent me. Excuse me.”
After saying that, I was about to leave when fortune teller Igor opened his mouth.
“Forgive me for being rude, Duke. Please give me a chance to say something to the lowly me…”
Igor knelt on the floor in a reverent gesture.
People’s eyes turned this way.
His behavior in summoning the duke was disrespectful.
However, aristocratic society is a strange thing, and there was an atmosphere in which fortune-tellers were forgiven for some rudeness.
Some aristocrats rather like it, as such behavior enhances the eccentricity of fortune tellers.
I couldn’t help but smile as I stood there.
“It’s a fortune teller’s saying, so it will be a valuable experience.”
Igor the fortune teller tried to open his mouth, but I spoke quickly.
“But I don’t need it. I have so many mouths that I don’t need the precious advice of fortune tellers. My ears are short of time to listen to the advice of those who belong to me.”
Those watching probably expected a good time.
A fortuneteller’s prophecy is more exciting than a clown’s spectacle.
Few people refused.
However, when I refused with a single knife, people raised their eyes wide in surprise with a buzz.
Normally, I tend to act quietly.
Rarely has he shown such a determined attitude.
But my intuition was telling me.
I don’t know if that guy is a real fortuneteller or not, but it’s not good.
For some reason, I felt ominous and wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.
“…Sorry. Forgive me. I was too rude, Duke.”
The fortune teller would have known my displeasure.
Igor said as he slowly bent down on his face.
But even that sounds annoying.
Every time his voice touched it, it hurt in my ears.
Without answering, I escorted Countess Becker and left.
“Oh my God, the always polite duke.”
“What’s going on?”
“To the extent that the always gentle duke is offended, that fortune teller must have done something wrong.”
“Maybe secretly cursed?”
“no way.”
“Come to think of it, the Duchess didn’t come today. We were always together.”
People’s whispers spread.
But I didn’t even care about people’s reactions.
Even I doubted that the fortune teller was the cause of Catherine’s illness.