Golden Return (6)

‘A great cause comes with sacrifice, and progress comes with a price.’ The

once shiny blonde hair suddenly became dull and the once bright eyes became cloudy.

But the girl smiled regardless and sat down on the terrace looking up at the clear sky.

The view of Rosstaylor’s estate from Arwen’s room located high up in the mansion is beautiful. The scenery is so peaceful that one wonders if there is paradise, it would be like this.

‘Just look ahead, father. ‘You don’t have to worry about it, I’ll do my job.’

When a dazzling light covered the back of Arwen, who was sitting on the terrace, Crepin opened his eyes.

“…”

If you raise your upper body and look around, you will see the most luxurious and largest room in the Ross Taylor mansion. This is the bedroom of the matriarch Crepin Ross Taylor.

After greeting Saint Clarice, I remember trying to get some sleep before the morning schedule began. Even though he could only sleep for about thirty minutes, Crepin got up without hesitation.

Feeling a little tired is something I live with as a daily routine. This level of fatigue is nothing.

But I don’t feel very good.

A dream that creeps into your unconsciousness as soon as you forget it. When I thought back to that scene, an unpleasant feeling of nausea started to crawl up my throat.

There is venom in his eyes as he quietly lowers his head.

Although he is a person who does not necessarily show his emotional fluctuations with his facial expressions, there is no reason for him to wear that mask even when he is sitting alone in his private bedroom.

I feel tired and still want to rest a little more. However, it is time for the social church, which has entered its second day, to seriously increase its size. It is a time when Crepin has a lot to worry about and a lot to do.

Two days until the arrival of Grand Alchemist Valbern, who has always been a thorn in my side. Until then, there was a need to maintain this magnificent social church.

Still, a short break might not be such a great luxury.

Crepin sat on the bed for a while and looked down at the sheets with venomous eyes.

*

Even in the Ross Taylor Church, where all kinds of influential people gather, the presence of Saint Clarice is unrivaled. She is a saint who always stays in the Holy City and never comes out. The opportunity to meet face-to-face is rare, no matter how high-ranking a noble is.

Although he is not a person with great political influence, as a religious symbol he has the greatest authority on the continent. Even so, since the story is based on the continent, the political influence within the Telos Church is enormous. No one but the prosperous Eldain can control her.

It is inevitable that all kinds of interest will be focused on her, as she is easily ranked among the top three among all the distinguished guests who flock to the social gathering.

So, interest was focused on what kind of daily routine she would spend upon arriving at the Ross Taylor mansion.

Having been assigned a room as luxurious as the head of the family, she must have had a lot of time left before attending the dinner party.

A leisurely afternoon for all attendees. Who will Saint Clarice use that time to meet and what stories will they talk about?

It has more meaning than simply killing leisure time. This is an issue that could reorganize the power structure depending on who Saint Clarisse gets close to and what stories with political implications she exchanges. Her support has enormous political significance.

Therefore, Selaha, who has a strong temperament of ambition, has already made connections.

“The flower language of Hyangseo Orchid is purity, innocence, and eternal friendship. There is no flower that suits the saint so well. It also contains the hope that the relationship between the two will develop smoothly.”

“As expected, you have good sense in choosing gifts, Dest.”

“That’s too much praise.”

Dest took Selaha’s compliment lightly and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

Selaha accepted the beautifully decorated bouquet and smelled its scent. Selaha didn’t really like the fragrant scent of flowers, but there was no need to show it.

“I have spoken to Archbishop Samuel in advance, so I will be able to have a conversation with Saint Clarice without difficulty. There is no need to be too overly approachable from the beginning. Let’s just leave a good impression.”

Not all VIPs have gathered at the Ross Taylor mansion yet.

No matter how many flying and crawling nobles there are, in the end, the only person who can match Saint Clarice is the Frost Princess Selaha.

From Seonghwangdo’s perspective, he would also like to take this opportunity to get to know Selaha. Even if that side is the one with the highest authority in Seonghwangdo, this side is the likely next emperor.

Since everyone is in a position to respect each other, Selaha decided to be as polite as possible.

As I walked down the hallway accompanied by many attendants, I was met with gazes from the nobles around me.

Each noble has a status that would make them the center of attention when they return to their territory, but in front of Selaha, they are just passing background.

It is difficult to even speak due to the elegance that comes from authority. Only those who were confident that they were at least a little above the class would say hello or say that the weather was nice.

Selaha smiled gracefully, received all the stares, and eventually continued walking toward the room where Saint Clarisse was staying.

Looking at that direction, many nobles nodded. No matter what anyone says, the first person who deserves to spend time with Saint Clarice is Selaha, the only royal family member among the visitors to the Rosstaylor Mansion.

“The saint is currently away.”

And it was five minutes later that I was rejected.

“…what?”

Archbishop Samuel, who spoke hesitantly and with his eyes downcast, trailed off.

It would only be out of place to get angry here. However, he looked at Samuel with a bored gaze and silently asked if the story was different.

The two cathedral knights guarding the saint’s room were proudly blocking the door, and in front of them was Archbishop Samuel, flicking his glasses as if he were embarrassed.

“I tried to subtly hint several times that Princess Selaha was there, but she ignored all my remonstrations and left right away to meet someone else.”

“You left… Do you mean that rather than calling the person to the saint’s residence, the saint came to see him in person?”

This is unusual.

There is no way there would be a person in this Rosstaylor mansion who could tell the saint to come. If we were to even think about the possibility, would it be the head of the family crepin who leads the social church?

“It’s hard to imagine, but…did Lord Crepin call the saint?”

Archbishop Samuel shook his head.

And at the name that popped out, Selaha narrowed his eyes and couldn’t help but believe his ears.

*

“It’s an iron greatsword from Kaldorn. Standing it in the center of the room gives it a very barren feel…”

The location is Arwen Rothtaylor’s room on the upper floor of the mansion.

It is truly unique that the room of a person who has already passed away for a long time is still left intact.

Well, considering that my room, which must have been excommunicated a long time ago, still remains… I may be unable to control the space left in this magnificent mansion.

Still, wouldn’t it be a waste to leave a spacious, well-appointed room with such a nice view as is?

I can only guess that the room was left alone because there was a special order from Crepin.

“Saint…”

As soon as Clarisse was assigned a room, she stormed into my room, ignoring all requests from the VIPs.

He said that if he wanted to meet up, all he had to do was call me into his room, so he thought it was a surprise and showed up in person, holding my hand and pressing the back of my hand, but the gaze of those around me was so heavy that I almost died.

When I told her that I had planned to tour the mansion today, Clarisse declared that she would follow me.

As a result, I ended up spending the entire afternoon with Saint Clarice under the pretext of introducing her to the Ross Taylor mansion.

In the process, I had to endure the blank stares of all kinds of VIPs. Rumors will probably spread throughout the mansion before the dinner party.

“The saint’s every move is of concern to everyone. Shouldn’t you be conscious of that fact and act…?”

“It was like that when I was buried in the crowds of Seonghwangdo.”

Clarisse stopped looking around Arwen’s room and turned around to look at me.

“Now… I guess I drank too much Sylvania water.”

He said that and smiled brightly. Although he is noble, he is far from being a noble messenger of God.

“And… I feel a little excited. I’m so sick that I can’t stay in my room. It’s strange to be so excited after only a few hours. During Easter, I sometimes pray for 12 hours.”

“What are you so excited about?”

“It’s senior Ed’s hometown.”

He smiles and grabs both of my hands.

“It’s quite different from what it was like in Sylvania… And it feels special to think that Ed spent his childhood in a place like this.”

“Actually, I didn’t have a childhood worth bragging about. On the contrary, I made more enemies.”

“That’s also something I didn’t know about. They say that the more people know, the deeper they become. I think senior Ed will be surprised when he sees me leading a prayer meeting at Seonghwangdo Island.”

After saying that and making the sign of the cross, he puts his hands together and playfully closes one eye. The holy representative of God is nowhere to be seen, despite his prim appearance.

Rather, her words and actions remind me of Kylie Ekne, the second person in Sylvania.

She looks sacred and elegant in front of the public, but when she’s alone, she looks like a ghost and looks like a girl her age. Even though I’ve been through it all before, it’s very difficult for me to follow the flow.

“Honestly, I was a little worried.”

Clarice sat down on the bed that Arwen would have used and sighed.

“When I heard that Ed was being reinstated, I was overjoyed, but I didn’t think I would be treated very well.”

“Well, I wasn’t a very well-regarded person to begin with, so there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“So… I was going to scold anyone who mistreats or says something unpleasant towards senior Ed, but fortunately, I don’t think that happened.”

After saying that, Clarisse looked up at the high ceiling and tapped her heel on the ground.

“This is the room that Arwen Rothtaylor lived in, as Senior Ed talked about.”

“Yes. It’s amazing to see it preserved almost as is.”

“It is well-known that he was a good person.”

“He was the person I respected the most.”

At least before I came in, he must have been someone Ed Rosstaylor looked up to and looked up to.

I have already read almost half of the letter under my desk. The respect for her was clearly felt in the exchange.

However, what was his intention in collecting all those letters and keeping them under his desk?

It seemed like I hadn’t gotten to the core content yet, so I wanted to quickly find out the truth.

However, if you stay in a corner of your room and just read the letter, you get suspicious. It is necessary to shake off Crepin’s suspicions while doing the minimum amount of activity.

Well, it’s good news that Clarice is involved in the process. At least the rumor must have definitely spread.

“…I see. You must be confused, Senior Ed. I couldn’t understand the atmosphere.”

“No, you don’t have to. It’s already happened.”

With that said, I looked around Arwen Rothtaylor’s room a few times. I couldn’t see anything that could be informative.

Among the luxurious furniture, girlish items such as combs, hairpins, and makeup mirrors come into view.

On one side of the wall, there is a large glass door leading to a terrace, and if you look beyond it, a mysterious corner of Ross Taylor’s estate comes into view.

I am amazed. I think it would be no exaggeration to say that this is the room with the best view in the mansion.

Clarice also got up from the bed and went out to the terrace. When he saw the scenery, his eyes widened and he stood next to me in amazement.

“It’s a nice place. If you grow up in a place like this, you will definitely become a kind-hearted and wonderful person.”

“…”

“Princess Arwen must have been that kind of person, too.”

Clarice spoke quietly and suddenly grabbed both of my hands again.

“Saint?”

“Senior Ed. You’ve been out of your mind since you got reinstated, right? Although they don’t say it out loud, you must have felt a lot of strangely disparaging looks on you. Because the disgrace caused by the excommunication must have been so great. There are still people who think you’re an idiot. There must be.”

“What can I do? It’s something I have to deal with.”

“Don’t try to handle it alone.”

Clarisse placed both of her hands on her chest and spoke in a whisper.

“We can handle it together.”

“…What do you mean?”

When I looked quite embarrassed, Clarisse seemed to have lost her composure a little… and continued speaking with a strangely flustered feeling.

“Um, so… I’m telling you to use my authority. If you stay by my side at the dinner party tonight, no one will look down on Senior Ed or be wary of him…” “I’m telling you to use your authority

like that. If you do this, the person who willingly accepts it will turn out to be a strange person…”

“Oh no… I don’t mean that. Good things are good things. If possible, it would be better to move in a direction that will benefit Ed, right? In the meantime, Me too… um…”

Clarice sighed before continuing.

“Ugh… I’m just trying to point out various justifications, so I’m just getting mixed up. That’s right, I won’t give detailed reasons.”

“…”

“I need a partner tonight. Would you like to dance a song at the dinner party?”

Clarisse, who quickly spoke like that, was making eye contact… but then suddenly lowered her gaze.

“Because showing off our relationship like that would be good for senior Ed’s status, and what… there might be some good points from my perspective too…? Maybe not, but I think there’s a high possibility that there are more good points anyway. ..?”

“Didn’t you say that you don’t apply strange justifications…?”

“There is no need to be sharp in these areas, Senior Ed.”

Then, he let go of his hand, grabbed both of my shoulders, and lifted me up on my tiptoes. And then he speaks as if whispering in my ear.

“Anyway, I’m going to turn down all dance requests at the dinner party tonight, no matter who comes.”

Don’t forget to add with a smile.

“Except one person.”

Terrace in the middle of the day. A thrilling sense that someone might be watching. Right now, cathedral knights are guarding the area in front of Arwen’s visit.

Rather, perhaps enjoying this subtle sense of crisis, Clarisse laughed and took a step back.

“I’ll just go now. I have to meet other VIPs as well. Some people might be offended just because I rushed to see senior Ed first.”

“It wouldn’t be a very good thing.”

“It’s not that bad of a thing.”

After speaking so calmly, Clarice turned around.

─I suddenly looked towards the entrance to the terrace and saw Tanya standing there with her face dyed bright blue.

“…”

“…”

“Ah, hello, Lady Standing. My brother asked me to check the tailcoat he will wear to dinner later… so I came with him to look at my clothes… “I… heard that it was here… no, I didn’t mean to see it.”

Normally, Clarisse would have been more surprised and made a fuss.

However, Clarice took a deep breath and smiled awkwardly.

Eventually, even a sense of comfort seeps into that smile.

“There you are, Miss Tanya.”

“Now that I think about it, you remembered my name. Thank you…”

“Of course. We talk a lot at dinner.”

Clarice already has a lot of inner intimacy with Tanya.

Of course, Tanya, who does not know the situation, just bows her head in disapproval. The first thing you will be shocked to know is that she is the same person as Kylie Ekne, who is dying at Tanya’s words.

Clarice reacted lightly and quickly left the room.

“…Brother…!”

What I saw at Sylvania Academy, what I saw on the carriage on the way here, and what I just saw on the terrace.

All I could see was Tanya shaking, but the reasons for her shaking were different.

Tanya ran up to the terrace at a quick pace, grabbed the end of the collar of my dress, dragged her, and stamped her feet, turning her complexion even more pale.

“Tanya…”

“What are you trying to do…! If senior Yenika, senior Lucy… and even Saint Clarice are like this… then how am I supposed to treat the three of them…!”

Did he use all kinds of imagination as a younger sibling? It seemed like I had drawn up a variety of futures, taking into account all kinds of scenarios… but there wasn’t much I could say from my perspective.

“It just happened…”

Tanya suddenly felt dizzy and stepped back, holding her head.

*

A blush appeared on Clarice’s face as she walked out of the hallway at a brisk pace.

He lowered his head in fear that the guards would see his expression as his composure had collapsed. I wasn’t sure if that would have much meaning.

‘Uh, anyway… First of all, I have the highest authority in this Ross Taylor mansion…!’

Clarice repeated that. Of course, there were a few people who could rival the saint’s authority, but it was clear that everyone would respect the saint based on their superficial ranking.

So, if you want, you can monopolize Ed Ross-Taylor.

I heard that Lucy Mayril and Yenica Palover are also in this Rosstaylor mansion… but there are many people who see it this way, so they can’t ignore the saint’s authority and take unexpected action.

This is not Sylvania Academy, where the virtue of learning takes precedence over everything. Grades are just numbers.

‘At least at the dinner party tonight… there’s no one who can keep me in check…!’

*

“You don’t have to get in the carriage.”

This is where almost all supplies destined for the ecliptic Cloeron stop by. Commercial city Oldeck.

In a city of merchants whose business only revolves around money, a middle-aged man with silver hair was standing in front of a carriage.

“what?”

The carriage had a large sign of Elte Company attached to it. Even on the commercial street of Old Deck, which is lined with large merchants, it was one of the three major merchants with a high reputation.

“Are you Roland Bellatrax, an investor from the central branch of the Elte Chamber of Commerce?”

The coachman confirmed the man’s identity once more.

My closest associate who has only worked at Elte Trading Company since his youth and has personally managed most of the funds.

He was a high-ranking person who could represent most of the decision-making authority held by the owner of the company.

“Your boss has canceled your business trip order. You can return to the main office and refocus on your bookkeeping.”

“What? How can a business trip get cancellation approval in just one day? How important is this? Wasn’t there some misunderstanding?”

“Please check the disposition. It’s here.”

It was an awkward situation for Roland.

Roland was scheduled to meet Princess Selaha at the Rosstaylor residence and talk about the distribution of various interests. He is the only person in the Elte Chamber of Commerce who is attached to Selaha’s side.

Roland received the disposition form from the coachman and checked the contents thoroughly. The content was exactly what the coachman said.

The number of people who have the authority to summarily dispose of such important decisions… is so small that they cannot be identified at all.

Finally, the moment he saw the representative’s seal stamped at the bottom of the document, Roland took his breath away.

“This person is going in person? Even though he’s on Aken Island during the semester, he probably hasn’t been able to see much of the main office work…”

“He’s a busy person. I know that, but what can we say about his decision?”

“I need to meet you and talk to you in person. I feel uncomfortable if I don’t check.”

“Then let’s talk now.”

“what?”

The driver shook his head and pointed toward the carriage. It was said that he was currently riding a carriage.

Roland lifted his head and looked inside the carriage.

Inside a luxurious carriage, there is a girl sitting alone wearing a robe.

It’s hard to see his face, but he’s sitting with his arms crossed and his legs crossed, as if he’s uncomfortable. His outstretched legs were tapping the end of the simple desk.

The acting CEO of Elte Company that Roland can’t even talk to.

A huge book, The Book of the Wise Man, is spread out on the simple desk… but the girl doesn’t seem to be reading the book at all.

“…I don’t think we need to talk about it.”

As soon as Roland saw the figure, he immediately lowered his tail. The coachman nodded.

From Roland’s point of view, even if he had to talk to him, it was just scratchy.

Things seem to be going awry. Roland felt that way, but there was no way to do anything right away.

Although only those in the know know… the situation at Ross Taylor Mansion was quite terrible.

Heads of high-ranking nobles or famous families. Or celebrities from influential families. Even the first princess of the imperial family.

In addition, there are high-ranking spiritists and rare genius magicians, and in the end, even a saint from the Telos Church has arrived. In addition, it was difficult to imagine what kind of evil would unfold once the representative of the chairman of Elte Company was added to the situation.

From Ed Rothtaylor’s point of view, it may have been nothing more than a war of nerves with Crepin… but

whether he liked it or not, it was clear that it would end up in a situation that was completely different from his intentions.

They say it is chaos.

Unfortunately, it was all Crepin Rosstaylor’s responsibility to bear.