Having secured a maid, it was now time to lay the foundation for a life of leisure.
Rishi had asked Jamie to buy every newspaper and magazine published in the county daily. She spent her time meeting the heads of various departments within House Green, learning the ropes until she finally returned to her bedroom late at night.
However, Cavebrandt seemed even busier. He would return to the bedroom long after Rishi and leave before she even woke, or sometimes not come back at all, leaving them almost no time to face each other.
“The Count must be very busy.”
One fine day, while Rishi was resting in the living room of her chambers, Krisina remarked as she served herbal tea.
Since Krisina had only just started as a maid, she hadn’t had a chance to see Cavebrandt yet, so she seemed concerned.
“Of course. The Count has many plans, so he has no time to worry about trivial matters.”
Rishi hadn’t said a word, but Gillette answered in a sharp, high-pitched voice.
Erwel, who had been standing quietly, wrinkled her nose and surreptitiously reached toward the waist of her dress. When Krisina glared at her sharply, she pouted and pulled her hand back.
Even though there were only three maids, their relationships were far from harmonious. To be precise, Erwel and Krisina did not like Gillette. It was because Gillette acted rudely in front of Rishi and frequently flaunted her status as a noble’s daughter.
Krisina usually let Gillette’s insolence slide, but every time it happened, Erwel would frown and try to reach into the folds of her dress. It looked like she was trying to pull something out, and Rishi was extremely curious about what it was. However, because Krisina would always stop her, Rishi had never once seen what she was concealing.
“Come to think of it, Iris. You don’t have a wedding ring. Don’t tell me the Count didn’t even give you one?”
Gillette asked with an expression that suggested she was “just asking out of pure curiosity.”
Rishi looked down at her hands. She wore a bracelet that matched her dress, but no ring. She had never really thought about a wedding ring until now.
“Well, I suppose since it was a political marriage, such cumbersome procedures were skipped. You didn’t even hold a ceremony. Still, most people in political marriages usually hold at least a small one… The Count is quite cold. I feel bad for you.”
Despite her sympathetic words, Gillette looked delighted.
“Miss Gillette. It would be best to be careful with your words and actions in front of the Countess.”
Krisina, who had been glaring at her to keep her in check, finally lost her patience.
Gillette glared at Krisina as if she were absurd.
“Are you reprimanding me? Even if we are both maids, I am the daughter of Viscount Merdi.”
Because Krisina was distracted, she couldn’t stop Erwel, and for a brief moment, what Erwel was trying to pull from her waist became visible. It was something with a silver luster, but before it could fully reveal itself, a knock on the door broke the tension.
“Rishi. May I come in?”
It was Cavebrandt.
Gillette, as if she hadn’t given up on him yet, quickly checked her appearance and smoothed her hair. Erwel and Krisina stared at her, looking completely flabbergasted.
“Come in.”
At Rishi’s permission, Cavebrandt opened the door and entered. He was dressed in formal attire, as if he had just returned from a long journey. Clad in a white suit with gold trim, he looked as beautiful as a male deity.
“Haaah.”
Gillette let out an involuntary sigh of admiration. Only Krisina saw Erwel pretending to gag.
While Krisina used a terrifying glare to make Erwel conduct herself properly, Cavebrandt approached Rishi with a joyful expression.
“I finally had some time. Have you finished touring the mansion?”
“I haven’t been able to see it all yet.”
“That’s good.”
Cavebrandt held out his hand. Rishi didn’t know what he wanted, so she stared blankly at his large palm. His fingers were long and thick, and there were calluses in various places from gripping a sword. As this was the first time Rishi had studied the hands of someone so skilled in combat, she was lost in thought, admiring them.
“Rishi?”
At his call, she looked up, dazed.
“What are you doing? Give me your hand.”
Unconsciously, she placed her hand in his palm. He grinned.
“To give it just because I asked—you’re like a well-trained puppy, Rishi.”
“And you are an impudent wolf.”
At this secret exchange, the sharp-witted Krisina signaled the other maids to leave. But Gillette stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide, staring at Rishi and Cavebrandt. In the end, Krisina grabbed the hem of Gillette’s dress and pulled her. Gillette impatiently swatted Krisina’s hand away and left the room on her own.
Once the maids had gone, Cavebrandt took Rishi’s hand and helped her up.
“It seems there is a maid among them who likes to show her teeth.”
“I suppose it’s because you raised her to be impudent.”
“What a frightening thing to say. The thing I hate most in this world is raising something, Rishi. I can’t even grow a single plant properly.”
“According to Gillette, she served you.”
“Served me? Ah…!”
Cavebrandt narrowed his eyes.
“Rishi, did you perhaps think that Gillette helped me with my… night affairs? Is that why you pretended to be so busy and avoided me?”
“The first part is correct, the second is wrong.”
“My, oh my, Rishi. Just what do you think of me? Did you think anyone could touch the body of this Cavebrandt Green?”
Rishi placed her free hand on his chest and stared at him provocatively.
“But you’re so easily touched.”
At that, Cavebrandt lowered his head and playfully nipped at her earlobe.
“You’re not ‘anyone,’ are you?”
His breath seeped into her ear. An inexplicable, tingling sensation brushed from her ear down her spine, spreading to her very toes. When Rishi flinched, he chuckled. Every time he laughed, his breath tickled her, and Rishi found herself breathless. She thought she was well-versed in the games between men and women, yet she couldn’t understand why she kept getting nervous over Cavebrandt’s small touches.
Rishi pulled back slightly and looked up at him. Without revealing her inner turmoil, she asked:
“Then why did you let Gillette act so brazenly?”
“The Merdi family is useful.”
“Because they are the owners of a trading company?”
“Yes.”
“Discard them. They are useless.”
“I shall.”
Cavebrandt agreed readily, not even asking how she knew. Rishi stared at him intently before speaking again.
“Your sentences are getting shorter, Cavebrandt.”
He burst into laughter.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. Sometimes I’m reminded of the time you spoke to me informally. Looking at it again, it’s charming enough to give me chills, Rishi.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course.”
Cavebrandt led Rishi by the hand into the hallway.
“Where are we going?”
“Since I have some time, I’ll give you a tour of the mansion. I heard you’ve been learning this and that about House Green, and there is nothing as accurate as seeing it with your own eyes.”
+++
After showing her various parts of the estate, such as the main building, the annex, and the knights’ quarters, the last place he took her was a jet-black building. It was pitch-black, like a warehouse, without even a single window. There was only one entrance, guarded by a massive iron door that would be nearly impossible to breach.
As the building came into view, Cavebrandt said:
“From here on, you must follow exactly where I step.”
“Are there traps?”
“You’re sharp, Rishi.”
Rishi concentrated on stepping only where he stepped. Cavebrandt turned back several times, worried that she might make a mistake. Rishi had her lips pressed together in concentration, which looked adorable to him. While he had been busy running around recently, Cavebrandt always had Rishi on his mind. He hated wasting time, but strangely, he enjoyed exchanging meaningless banter with her.
1. Chapter 1
“You can move freely from here on out. Oh, just don’t touch the door.”
“It’s a daunting place.”
“That’s because there’s something precious inside. Excuse me for a moment.”
In the blink of an eye, Cavebrandt shifted his form into a large wolf. It had been a while since Rishi had seen him in this state. She instinctively approached him and stroked his muzzle. The soft texture of his fur felt wonderful against her palm. When she touched him, he tensed up for a moment, but soon narrowed his eyes as if he enjoyed it.
“I’m not used to someone stroking me when I’m in this form, Rishi.”
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, keep going.”
Cavebrandt looked like he was about to roll over and show her his belly. Rishi found it fascinating and cute that a wolf much larger than her was half-closing his eyes and accepting her touch. The gray fur above his eyes, which looked like eyebrows, twitched in a way she found endearing.
“Maybe I should raise a puppy.”
At her unintended mutter, Cavebrandt’s eyes snapped open.
“One of me should be enough for you.”
“You’re too big.”
“You’ll regret saying that.”
Having ignored his warning last time and suffered the consequences, she didn’t let it slide.
“Why would I regret it?”
“Puppies are terrified of me. They wet themselves just by being near me.”
“Oh my…”
Cavebrandt stretched his mouth wide, as if smiling, revealing large, sharp fangs. Rishi fearlessly reached out to touch them.
“That’s scary.”
“You don’t look scared at all, Rishi.”
He opened his mouth and licked her palm, causing her to pull back in surprise. A low, rumbling growl escaped the black wolf’s throat. It was clearly a laugh.
Cavebrandt turned away, walked to the door, and raised his front paws. He hooked his sharp claws into the four gaps in the iron.
*Clank—*
The door opened.
“This door can only be opened with my claws.”
While Cavebrandt returned to his human form and dressed, Rishi guessed what was inside.
‘So, this is where the holy relic is.’
***
Alford glared at the Green mansion. It had taken time to have clothes tailored that would make him look his best and to lay the groundwork for his plans. All the while he was preparing, he couldn’t imagine how heartbroken he was, convinced that “his Iris” must be suffering terrible things at the hands of that brute, Cavebrandt. In Alford’s mind, Iris was a pitiable yet lovely woman, dragged away against her will, pining for his rescue.
Alford held his head high, approached the soldier guarding the main gate, and spoke.
“Inform Count Green that Viscount Alford Huchis requests an audience.”