Chapter 24

With a polite bow, the physician left the reception room.

Syd, who had been gauging Noel’s mood the entire time, also took the chance to quietly slip away.

Once only the two of them remained, the air in the reception room sank into awkwardness.

“See. I told you I was fine.”

Yvette muttered as if nothing were wrong, pulling her sleeve back down.

What bothered her more than her aching wrist was the man before her.

“It’s late, so I’ll be heading home now.”

“……Take my carriage. I’ll see you home.”

Noel answered briefly and ordered a servant to ready the carriage.

At this hour, hailing a private carriage was next to impossible, so Yvette did not bother refusing.

At last, the two climbed into the carriage heading for Witley.

* * *

On the way home, Yvette gazed out the window with a complicated heart.

‘I didn’t think he’d attack me even knowing I’m Noel’s fiancée.’

The last time she had seen him, Baron Larishi had clearly seemed afraid of Noel.

But the Baron Larishi she saw today had acted recklessly, like a man who had lost his reason.

For it to be simply because of a gambling debt, there was something oddly suspicious about it.

‘Come to think of it, it was strange that Viscount Magnus showed up in that spot too.’

After his face was ruined by the side effects, Viscount Magnus hardly ever appeared in social circles.

When the late emperor was alive, he had at least shown his face at imperial events, but after Riandri’s accession, he had barely left his estate.

‘There’s no way that man would show up at a party for no reason…….’

Just as Yvette was sinking deep into thought—

The carriage came to a stop, and at the same time, Noel’s voice was heard.

“It seems we’ve arrived.”

“Ah, so we have.”

Yvette quickly raised her head. Through the window, she could see Habert already out to greet them.

Noel said he had something to discuss with the knights and stepped down from the carriage first.

When Yvette stepped down after him, Habert smiled brightly and welcomed her.

“You’re late getting home today.”

Yvette smiled wearily and nodded.

“I stopped by the ducal estate for a bit, so I’m late.”

“I see. You must be tired from the long trip, so I’ll have Filia draw you a bath first.”

“Please do.”

Habert bowed politely and returned to the townhouse. In the meantime, Noel, having finished speaking with the knights, came to Yvette’s side.

“I’ve stationed knights nearby, so don’t think about anything else tonight and just rest well.”

“……Thank you, Noel. I’ve caused you trouble in so many ways again today.”

Yvette smiled weakly.

Perhaps it was because the tension was finally easing. Her whole body felt stiff and aching.

‘I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about Baron Larishi for a while.’

It seemed she had been far too complacent.

“Just in case, keep this on you.”

Before leaving.

Noel walked Yvette to the front door and then pressed something into her hand.

When she opened her palm, a bracelet with a softly glowing violet pendant was revealed.

“……What is this?”

“It’s a magical tool called a communication stone. A means to contact me directly in an emergency.”

Yvette examined the jewel with curious eyes.

‘So this is a communication stone.’

The communication stone was a magical tool mentioned in the original work as well, with a function similar to a modern telephone.

Usually, the number of times one could communicate was fixed, and the more expensive the stone, the more uses it allowed.

“It’s a precious item, so I’ll have to be careful not to lose it.”

Yvette muttered, clutching the bracelet tightly in her hand.

At another time, she might have refused it, saying she didn’t need it.

But for now, it seemed better to keep it in case of an unexpected situation.

“It’s late, so hurry back too, Noel. And please be careful on the night roads.”

“……I can’t tell who’s worrying about whom.”

Noel let out a deflated laugh and turned away.

“Then I’ll contact you again tomorrow.”

“Get home safely.”

At last, with the front door between them, the two went their separate ways.

* * *

“Still no word on Baron Larishi?”

“Yes. We’ve sent out search parties, but so far there doesn’t seem to be any progress.”

“He couldn’t have gone far, so search the capital thoroughly until you find him.”

“Yes, understood!”

The tense knight saluted and left the study.

The moment his presence faded, Noel clicked his tongue and leaned back in his chair.

“……He’s faster at running away than a rat.”

He had sent out knights to find Baron Larishi the moment he returned from the Theron estate.

But whatever means he had used, the man had already vanished without a trace.

Noel closed his eyes and recalled the conversation he had with Syd a few hours earlier.

[It’s clear he received help from someone. Otherwise, it would be impossible to disappear like this.]

[……You’re saying he has an accomplice?]

[Yes. If not that, then it means Baron Larishi is a mage.]

The idea that Baron Larishi was a mage was absurd.

By law, all mages in the empire were required to register their names with the Magic Tower.

‘Which means the baron has an accomplice.’

Noel muttered low and picked up the paper lying on his desk.

The document, disguised as ordinary paperwork, read as follows.

[Baron Larishi. Male, 49 years old. Believed not to have returned home for about a week. Current whereabouts unknown.]

As he skimmed the contents indifferently, Noel paused at one sentence.

Then his gaze sank coldly.

[Note. Last known contact identified as his creditor, Viscount Magnus. Currently verifying his whereabouts.]

* * *

About a week after Marchioness Theron’s party.

Today as well, Yvette sat at her study desk, dealing with a mountain of correspondence.

Rustle. Rustle. The sound of paper turning echoed through the study.

How much time passed like that?

Yvette stopped reading the letter and suddenly raised her head.

“……Noel.”

The moment she called his name, an answer came as if he had been waiting.

“What.”

Noel, who had been sitting on the sofa reading a book, glanced up.

His posture was so comfortable it was as if this were his own home.

“I just felt like calling you once.”

Yvette smiled brightly and lowered her head again.

At that, Noel said nothing and returned his gaze to his book.

Yvette watched him from the corner of her eye and clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘Is it really all right for a duke to be doing that?’

Since returning from the Theron estate, Noel had been visiting Witley noticeably more often.

He said he was just passing by, but it felt more like he was checking on her safety.

Of course, she had some idea why.

‘It must be because of Baron Larishi.’

At another time, she would have nagged him about whether a duke had time to be this idle.

But this time, Yvette decided to pretend not to notice.

Because of a single letter that had arrived from her aunt not long ago.

[To my niece, Yvette.

Your uncle has disappeared. He said he seems to have met you last, so if you know anything, please tell me.

— From your aunt.]

The letter from the baroness was brief.

But its contents were not as simple as its length.

‘……Baron Larishi has disappeared.’

The last time she saw him, he was collapsed on the floor.

After that, she had been too busy avoiding Viscount Magnus to check what had become of Baron Larishi.

‘He probably just ran away because of his debts.’

Even as she told herself it was nothing, she could not easily shake the unease.

Yvette let out a faint sigh and set down the quill she was holding.

She already had a splitting headache, and looking at the mountain of letters made her stomach churn.

‘……The letters that came this time are all about the alumni reunion.’

Most of the letters that had arrived today contained the same thing.

Namely, requests to sponsor their children attending the reunion.

Luhen Academy’s alumni reunion was an event created to build connections between seniors and juniors regardless of status and to promote fellowship.

Of course, it had rarely been held in a manner true to that purpose.

The nobles were busy building connections among themselves, and the commoner students could not easily fit into that atmosphere.

A few exceptional commoners did receive sponsorship offers, but their number was not large.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to sponsor a decent student, but…… right now I’ve got my own problems.’

Yvette let out a sigh.

She was busy enough trying to keep herself alive—where would she find the time to look after someone else’s child?

‘If it weren’t for the original story, I’d just not go.’

The reason she was enduring this trouble and attending the reunion was simple.

It was to meet Kerbel Petoras.

‘In the original work, it clearly said he infiltrated the academy as a student.’

Luhen Academy was not a place one could enter at any time.

So when the opportunity arose, she had to look for Kerbel inside.

‘When I meet him, I should ask him to break the curse right away.’

Then at least one of the worries tormenting her would be resolved.

Yvette let out a sigh as if the ground were sinking. The more she thought, the more tangled her situation felt.

That was when it happened.

“It seems things aren’t going well.”

Noel, who had set his book down at some point, came to her side.

When he picked up one of the letters, Yvette buried her face in her arms as if collapsing.

“If I see the phrase ‘please take good care of them’ one more time, I think I’ll collapse.”

As she groaned, Noel quickly skimmed the letter in his hand.

“Are all of these about this alumni reunion?”

“Yes. And not a single one deviates—they’re all requests for sponsorship.”

Yvette mumbled, her face still buried in her arms.