Chapter 79
[The Shocking Scandal of the Milton Marquis Family! The Love Between the Marchioness and the Secretary, and…]
It was a truly provocative title.
A headline that made it impossible not to read the content, prompting Chesha to let out an intrigued “Oh?”
She sprawled over the newspaper, leisurely swinging her feet as she read through the article.
[After the Marquis of Milton replaced his wife three times, the precious only son he finally obtained turned out to be a cuckoo’s child.
The identity of the cuckoo? None other than the marquis’s secretary, Baron Kayler!
The marchioness and the secretary, who had fallen into forbidden love…]
It was an article that exposed everything in stark detail.
Chesha would bet her axe that the Marquis of Milton had let out a scream and smashed at least one teacup the moment he saw the morning paper.
What mattered was that the Marquis of Milton was ruined; she wasn’t curious about the intimate details of his household, so she skimmed through it roughly and moved on.
The tabloid specializing in gossip also featured the banquet at Duke Ibroiel’s residence from the previous night as a major story.
The descriptions and explanations of the banquet were incredibly detailed.
It elaborated on how much money Duke Ibroiel had poured into it and how splendid the event had been this time, including content about the Basilian County.
[The Basilian County made its first appearance in high society.
Their debut was nothing short of a resounding success.
A large group of individuals with appearances so stunning it was hard to believe they had been hidden away in the Black Forest of the east appeared at the banquet hall.
Their heavenly looks were impressive, but what the gossips of high society were most curious about was, of course, that very thing.
“Just where did the Basilian County get their outfits tailored?”
With bold attire in a fresh style never seen before, they captured everyone’s attention in an instant…]
[In particular, the fact that Duke Ibroiel, who had received numerous requests to be a godmother from various noble families but had rejected them all, had agreed to be the godmother to the Basilian adoptee was one of the most memorable pieces of news from this banquet.
Moreover, she has recently taken the third child of the Basilian family as her disciple and is teaching him magic…]
It listed the intriguing tidbits from high society that people would be interested in, even adding personal commentary, which made Chesha read it with genuine interest.
With Chesha diligently reading the newspaper beside him, Belzeon was silently signing documents.
The Basilian County was still staying at the hotel.
Thus, except for the top floor used as a common space, Belzeon was using a private room on the floor below as his office.
The desk was smaller than the one at the count’s residence, so he couldn’t place Chesha on the desk as usual and instead set her on a nearby sofa.
There, Chesha had spread out the newspaper and was rolling around on it.
In between processing documents, Belzeon would glance at what Chesha was doing, and suddenly he spoke up.
“Come to think of it, where’s the puppy?”
He was asking so quickly…
It had been ages since Hata disappeared, and he was only asking now.
Chesha shrugged and replied.
“The puppy went home.”
“Ah.”
That was the end of it.
Neither Kierne nor the three brothers had much interest in the puppy.
At least Belzeon had seen how much Chesha cherished and carried the puppy around during her runaway, so he bothered to ask once.
The twins and Kierne seemed to have forgotten the puppy even existed.
If Hata showed up again, they’d probably go, “Ah, the puppy,” and acknowledge it at least.
‘Hata’s probably making potions…’
Thinking about how he was struggling alone to make useless potions made her feel uneasy.
She really should just tell him to come back as a puppy and stay together.
She resolved to seize an opportunity soon to contact Hata.
“Young master.”
A servant entered the room, holding a tray with a letter on it.
On the tray was just a single letter.
It was on high-quality pure white paper with a subtle silvery sheen, sealed with blue wax.
She could tell at a glance.
It was a letter from the Holy Empire.
Belzeon accepted the letter with a complicated look in his eyes.
He slit open the wax seal with a letter knife.
Several sheets of paper emerged from the thick envelope.
As he skimmed through the contents, Belzeon explained simply.
“It’s the participation certificate for the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly.”
Chesha, who had been sprawled over the newspaper, rustled as she sat up straight.
Belzeon set the letter down and looked at Chesha steadily.
He said in a low voice.
“Since it’s come to this, it would be nice if you won. I think the floral crown would suit my little sister well.”
Chesha felt her cheeks flush slightly.
She hadn’t expected Belzeon to say something like that.
It seemed to be because his stoic face delivered words that were pure, unadulterated sincerity, without a hint of falsehood.
Especially since she still wasn’t used to him attaching terms like “youngest” or “my little sister” when referring to her.
Seeing Chesha’s reddened face, Belzeon let out a soft chuckle.
“Baroness Malein is scheduled to visit today, so you should stop playing and get ready.”
He set down his quill and personally picked up Chesha, heading up to the upper floor.
Even as they walked, he chatted about various things.
“Anyway, the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly is soon, and after it ends, we’ll have to head down to the east, so we’ve decided to stay at the hotel a bit longer.”
They had prepared a new townhouse, but apparently something didn’t sit right with Kierne, so it was under construction.
Belzeon asked casually, as if it were no big deal.
“…If by chance you’d prefer to stay in a mansion instead of the hotel.”
He seemed subtly concerned about the time they had spent at Hailon’s private residence.
And understandably so, since it was one of the most luxurious mansions in the capital.
Chesha knew the perfect response for times like this.
“As long as I’m with big brother, I don’t care where it is.”
“……”
This time, Belzeon’s cheeks turned rosy.
Chesha giggled as she watched Belzeon awkwardly avert his gaze and pretend to look elsewhere.
As the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly drew nearer, Kierne grew busier.
During the day, he met with nobles, and at night, he seemed to work as the master of the underworld.
Today, he had even used magic to fly to the Black Forest in the east.
He said he had to deal with monsters, so he probably wouldn’t return until tomorrow.
Belzeon and the twins also became incredibly busy.
They all went out, leaving Chesha alone at the hotel.
Thanks to that, she had some free time and was pondering whether to take the chance to visit Hata.
She was deliberating whether to send just a butterfly or go meet him in person.
Then, an unexpected visitor arrived.
“Hello.”
The moment Chesha saw the massive man, she thought.
‘A bear!’
The rugged, muscular man had a simple, honest face that didn’t match his imposing build.
His thick, bushy eyebrows enhanced that impression even more.
He shuffled awkwardly into the room and, upon seeing the baby sitting alone on the sofa, wore a flustered expression.
“Uh…”
The man backed out into the hallway again, looking for the staff member who had guided him.
But the staff was already gone.
It seemed that while the servant was briefly away, a hotel employee had taken over and guided him up here.
‘Still, if the staff guided him, he must be a noble with confirmed identity.’
It was a bit rude to say, but the man had an aura more suited to a farmer or miner than a noble.
It wasn’t just because of his tanned brown skin and sturdy physique.
The bear-like man had a personality as innocent as his face.
He scratched the back of his head and asked Chesha.
“Um… Do you happen to know where the Basilian family members are?”
Was his intelligence a bit lacking?
Or did he have absolutely no prejudices?
To seriously ask a baby something like that.
Chesha was dumbfounded but answered confidently.
“I’m a Basilian! Chesha Basilian.”
“…Ah.”
The man’s troubled face brightened a little.
“I’m Theo Nemea. I’m with the capital’s security force.”
The Nemea Marquis family?
Why would the heir of a marquis family suddenly come looking for the Basilians?
To the puzzled Chesha, Theo explained the reason for his unexpected visit.
“Karha Basilian has been detained by the security force… He’s currently locked up in jail.”
