Chapter 122
“The Sunrise ducal house demanded compensation.”
“Compensation?”
“Yes. Not long ago, there was an accident where the Sunrise duke and duchess died. They’re saying it was because of our family.”
Edenber explained to Asil, who had just arrived in the capital and knew nothing, why the Sunrise ducal house was making such a demand.
“The previous Monlepe duke was present at the scene, and he let them die when he could have saved them, so they’re demanding he take responsibility.”
“What? Father— no, the previous duke would never do that! Did you talk to the previous duke?”
“He’s not here right now.”
“Where did he go?”
“Who knows.”
Edenber closed his mouth as if he did not want to say any more about the previous duke—his father, Ikart.
Is he still on bad terms with the previous duke……? Asil could not bring herself to ask, so instead she used both index fingers to lift the corners of her own mouth.
“Don’t stay like that—try smiling like this.”
“Huh?”
“Smiling looks prettier than staying expressionless. You were cool before too, but now you’re much cooler, yet if you don’t smile, it’s sad.”
“…….”
At the word “cool,” Edenber’s face turned slightly red.
To anyone who had watched him over the past seven years, this would have been a shocking sight that made them wonder who this person was.
When others showered him with all kinds of praise, he had remained indifferent, yet when Asil said it, he had no idea why his heart pounded so much.
Avoiding Asil’s gaze, he muttered in a small voice.
“You’ve become cuter too.”
“Of course, since I’m your little sister.”
“Kkyuu!”
Todori, who had been eating the special grass bundle brought by the servants, smacked Snowa’s thigh as if to say be quiet.
Edenber completely ignored Snowa again and continued speaking.
“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about this matter. I appreciate the sentiment, but this is something I have to handle myself.”
He had told her because she was worried, but Edenber had absolutely no intention of involving Asil in this.
It was because the other party was the Sunrise ducal house.
Although they were currently shaken by the sudden deaths of the family head and his wife.
Sunrise held quite a high status.
It was not simply because their knights were strong or the family head was exceptional.
Where there is light, there is also shadow.
Having named their house after the sun while proclaiming to be the light of the empire, they maintained a separate organization that handled all manner of dark affairs.
White Shadow.
That was the name of the organization.
Their loyalty was so great that they would not hesitate to leap into fire for the Sunrise ducal house.
(‘The question is why such people let the duke and duchess die.’)
In any case, a crisis had befallen the Sunrise ducal house, and Monlepe had been pointed to as the cause, so there was no way they would leave this side alone.
Unless compensation was paid as the ducal house demanded, they would undoubtedly come to cause harm.
While staying close to Asil, Edenber pondered how to ensure she would not get entangled with them.
Because of that, he did not hear Asil’s small mutter to herself.
“I’m also supposed to receive money from the Sunrise princess.”
Namely, the diamond mine she had won in the bet.
(‘But why hasn’t she given it yet?’)
Several days had passed since she won the bet, yet there had still been no contact.
Anyway, that was not the important thing right now, so Asil spoke firmly to Edenber.
“No, I’ll help as much as I can too!”
“Thank you.”
Edenber gave a faint smile. It was a beautiful smile he had not shown in a very long time since sending Asil away.
* * *
After spending time with Edenber, Asil ate dinner and boarded the carriage.
“It would have been nice to see the previous duke and the duke before him today too.”
Unfortunately, she had only seen Edenber.
Ikart was rarely at the ducal house, and Elcai had gone to the territory temporarily for some business.
(‘Still, I’ll visit the ducal house often from now on.’)
If she kept visiting, she would surely meet the two eventually.
Thinking of that time, Asil fiddled with the leather pouch in her hand.
Inside the leather pouch was the iridescent gem Edenber had given her.
It was the one he had bought at the auction seven years ago but had ultimately been unable to give her—now finally received.
(‘He kept it all this time just for me.’)
It was pure emotion.
His heart that thought of her was so beautiful that Asil clutched the leather pouch tightly and giggled.
Snowa, watching her sulkily, grumbled.
“I could give you dozens more of those kinds of gems.”
“Really? Then give them to me.”
“Not right now.”
“Liar.”
“It’s not a lie—I just don’t have human money right now. Once I get pocket money, I’ll buy you dozens more like that.”
“I can buy them even without pocket money, you know?”
Oppa has no money, right? But I do. Asil stuck her tongue out at Snowa.
“Where would the money come from?”
“I’m supposed to get a diamond mine from the Sunrise princess. But why hasn’t she given it?”
Maybe she forgot? It seemed she would have to go personally tomorrow.
As she was thinking this and about to invite Snowa to come along.
The carriage, which had been running steadily, suddenly stopped.
(‘We can’t have arrived home already—what’s going on?’)
Puzzled, Asil was about to look outside.
The coachman’s terrified voice tore through the air and echoed.
“Wh-Who dares block the carriage! Do you even know who these people are— Hwaaaaaah!”
With a dying scream, the coachman’s voice cut off instantly.
Wh-What! Shocked, Asil turned toward the carriage door.
Bang!
The carriage door was forcibly ripped away.
At the same time, men dressed entirely in black from head to toe appeared.
Among them, the one who seemed to be the leader confirmed Asil’s face and nodded toward the masked men behind him.
“Is it Young Lady Erzébet?”
“Yes.”
The masked man took out a portrait and made a final confirmation.
At that, the masked man at the front drew his dagger.
Asil quickly hid Todori, who had been sitting on the opposite side, behind her back.
At the same moment the masked man was about to swing his dagger at Asil.
Bang!
With another tremendous roar, he was sent flying out of the carriage.
“……!”
Startled by the sudden immense strength, the masked men all turned to look in one direction at once.
Snowa, who had leaped up and delivered a kick, growled fiercely.
“Don’t point dangerous things at my little sister.”
Briana’s monstrous strength had not been inherited by Asil alone.
The flustered masked men hesitated.
“Wh-What is this…….”
“No one said the older brother was this strong!”
Then, at the leader’s shout as he barely regained his senses, they hurriedly drew their daggers.
“Attack! Kill both of them— no witnesses can remain!”
“Hmm…….”
Snowa narrowed his eyes meaningfully and drew out his words.
He had been overshadowed while constantly following Asil around, but in truth Snowa was an extremely belligerent beastman.
Ge enjoyed hunting, of course, and whenever something displeased him, he resolved it with a fight.
The beastmen’s forest was fundamentally a world of the survival of the fittest, after all.
If this had been the beastmen’s forest, he would not have settled for a handshake to compare strength with Edenber—he would have openly challenged him to a duel.
He had merely kept his claws hidden until now, following his mother’s instruction to behave in the human world.
“This is my first time fighting in this form.”
Lately he had been itching for a hunt anyway.
After lightly stomping her feet to loosen up, Snowa began moving swiftly.
No matter how professional the assassins were, they were ultimately trained for human targets.
The masked men, facing a wild beast for the first time in their lives, soon began rolling on the ground.
“Aaah!”
“How is it so fast!”
If Asil preferred to end fights quickly with a powerful single blow, Snowa’s style was to slowly corner his opponent and make them tremble in fear.
With attacks that narrowly missed vital points one after another, they could hardly regain their senses.
It would have been easier if they could just faint, but Snowa was adjusting his strength so precisely that even that was impossible.
“Who told you to point such dangerous things at my little sister?”
“I-I can’t tell you!”
“I figured you’d say that.”
In the end, what continued was less a fight and more a one-sided thrashing disguised as combat.
Meanwhile, behind such a Snowa, someone was preparing a counterattack.
“…….”
It was the leader who had launched the very first attack.
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