Golden Return (3)
“I would like to have breakfast with you, but the Princess of Frost, Selaha, has arrived at the Ross Taylor Mansion. Since the royal family personally came to visit, I should treat you with the utmost respect as a subject.”
The location was a small reception room behind the main lobby.
It may be said to be small, but it was already larger than the living room of most houses. All the furniture in the room was of high quality, so it was not easy to keep track of all the money spent in this room.
“So, let’s take a break in the morning after being shown to a room, and then have lunch together. There are a lot of backlogged stories and stories to solve, right?”
“Yes, thank you, father.”
This is a conversation held while wearing a mask.
It was a conversation between a son who returned after a long time and a father who welcomed him… but there was no sincerity in any of the conversation between the two.
It was more like a prelude to exchange before assessing each other and revealing each other’s true intentions.
“Right now, the entire mansion will be in disarray. A grand social gathering is scheduled to be held starting tomorrow evening. All of the employees are busy preparing for the event, so I hope you can understand even if I am somewhat negligent. The most distinguished guests of the empire will be arriving one after another. Everyone will be out of their minds…”
It is said that different VIPs will stop by on different days during the five-day period.
Each VIP has a different visit date, different length of stay, and different inclinations and status, so it would be hectic to take care of them all.
“I’m sorry for coming back at such a chaotic time.”
“No. Rather, I called it because it was a time like this. During this social gathering, I will let the world know that my proud son, Ed Rosstaylor, has returned. It has been a long time since you left the social world, so you will need to form new connections. This time, “I hope social churches can provide that opportunity.”
As Crepin said that, he looked at Jenica and Lucy sipping tea on one side of the sofa.
“Are those… the classmates that my son is indebted to?”
“Yes yes yes… Yenika… It’s called Pale Rover… Ah…”
Sweat, stuttering, blurring of speech, shaking hands, shaking eyes. It’s also a talent to pick out the things you shouldn’t do because you’re nervous and do them all.
Yenika was nervous to the limit due to the fact that she was faced with a duke who commanded the empire in addition to this ridiculous scale of hospitality.
I couldn’t make eye contact while twisting my braided hair for no reason. Some people may view this appearance as a trivial charm, but it was not something that should be said or done in front of the head of the dukedom.
“There is no need to be so nervous. If you are my son’s friend, you should straighten your shoulders.”
When Crepin said this in a benevolent tone, Yenica suddenly came to her senses and nodded.
“It’s not like I’ve never heard of that name. I heard you say he’s an elementalist with tremendous skills to the point where he can easily handle high-ranking spirits. And he’s the famous rare genius wizard that Tanya mentioned in her letter…”
“Lucy Mayril.”
The words are short.
Yenika hiccuped. He was shocked to see Lucy just throwing out names without any respect or polite manners. And that too in front of the Duke in charge of the Rosstaylor family.
Lucy sat on the backrest, motionless, staring blankly at Crepin.
Not only Yenica but also the people around her froze. Crepin Rosstaylor was famous for being a benevolent Duke, but he was also extremely harsh on those who crossed the line.
Authority is established by others, but there are certainly times when you must establish it yourself. Otherwise, discipline will become lax or subjects who look down on the monarch will arise.
Crepin, who must have known that fact, looked at Lucy who spoke briefly and bluntly.
Despite this atmosphere, there is no change in Lucy’s behavior.
It’s one of two things. Either he is a person with no common sense at all, or… the other person is not much of a threat to him.
Lucy Mayril was closer to the latter than the former.
Confidence that no one can overpower him even if he does this.
The underlying thought is that absolute force can never defeat oneself, even if the other person’s status is higher.
Therefore, Lucy acts at her own pace no matter who she meets. Except for one person: Ed Rothtaylor.
“You brought some interesting friends.”
Crepin finally relaxed his expression. He also read the confidence underlying Lucy’s psychology.
I am confident that this is definitely not a bluff. He even holds the title of the greatest genius Sylvania has ever produced.
However, it was clear that his attitude of challenging Ross Taylor’s name had crossed a line, but it was more urgent for Crepin to go out to greet the Princess of Frost.
“Well then, let’s talk slowly at lunch.”
After saying that, Crepin stood up from his seat.
“…Oh, that’s right. I have something for you, father.”
*
“Then, if you need anything, please call me.”
–
The employee politely greeted me and carefully closed the door.
Ed Rosstaylor’s private room.
The room used by that pathetic and stupid third-rate villain before entering Sylvania Academy.
It’s just amazing that the room remains the same despite being excommunicated. In the first place, there were so many spare rooms in the Ross Taylor mansion that this amount of wasted space could be tolerated without any hesitation.
I heard that Arwen Rothtaylor’s room was left as is rather than destroyed, so it may have some special meaning.
A private room so large that it looks like three rooms were put together. I sat on one side of the bed in that luxurious private room.
On the side table next to the bed, there is a car that the user brought to the room. I lifted the whole teacup and poured it into the flower pot by the window.
Then, I walked around the room for a while, looking for any trap devices or magic engineering supplies for surveillance. First of all, nothing caught my eye.
Afterwards, I turned on the door lock to check that it was working properly and finished checking that the window was also locked properly.
Checking these basic safety precautions… It doesn’t mean much because Crepin can break through anything he wants. Still, I had to keep the minimum vigilance, so it was a bit too easy to omit it.
“Hmm… Is there anything else I need to check?”
All the occupants welcomed me, Crepin welcomed me warmly, and even the room I was using remained the same.
No matter who you are, you can’t help but relax as you feel like you’ve returned to your hometown, but I never let my guard down.
That was the moment when I decided to check all possible risk factors.
-The
door to my room opened with a squeak. Seeing as he came in without even knocking, he wasn’t an employee.
First of all, the reason you can’t see his face at first glance is because of his small body. When I lowered my gaze, I could clearly see Lucy, with her white hair flowing beautifully, pushing through the door and entering.
“Didn’t you… eventually say you were going to the next room?”
Lucy couldn’t bear to ask me to share a room with her because of the needless war of nerves she had with Crepin.
If I had said something like that in front of my parents, everything around me would have turned upside down. Lucy shook her head and walked into the room at a brisk pace, clutching the pillow in her arms tightly.
Then I threw myself on the big bed in the corner of my room. It’s cute to see it buried in the bed cotton.
“Wake me up if anything happens.”
After saying that, he quickly begins to fall asleep.
Even if you sleep like that, you don’t have to worry too much because you can easily wake up at important moments.
Above all, didn’t you promise that you would stick by me and protect me while I was at the mansion? I felt quite grateful to see that he was willing to stick by my side as promised.
Although he is indifferent to everything and always acts as if he lives half-heartedly, he never misses important things.
I left Lucy, who was sleeping with a peaceful expression on her face, and started searching the room again.
When I opened the closet, I found several luxurious outfits that looked like they had been recently washed. It seems that they prepared it in advance for you to wear it when participating in social gatherings.
Even the bed sheets, curtains and sofa covers are all clean and without a speck of dust. It looked like they had put it away neatly after hearing the news that I was coming back.
Just like that, I headed towards the private table next to the window on the other side. It seemed to be a study desk provided for use while studying or reading books.
I opened all the drawers to see if I could find anything. It contained the same miscellaneous items that Ed Ross Taylor had used.
Most of them were luxurious jewelry, and things like neckties, formal daggers, and luxurious writing instruments also caught my eye.
– Chin chin.
Suddenly, the last drawer I tried to check wouldn’t open.
From the looks of it, it seemed to be locked from the inside.
– ‘So I wanted to ask just in case. By any chance… the reason your brother tried to leave the family somehow… was it… related to the drawer…?’
– ‘…a drawer…?’
– ‘It’s the drawer in my brother’s room that he always kept me from going near and never letting me open. At some point, you even locked it with a key. Even now, if I go to the Ross Taylor mansion, it will still be there…’
“Is this… the drawer Tanya was talking about…”
I catch my breath.
There is something in this.
The things that Ed Rothtaylor, who was an asshole before I was possessed, was especially trying to hide.
If you haven’t touched Ed Rothtaylor’s room, there is a high possibility that it will still remain in this drawer.
But… there is no way to open it right now. I don’t even know where the key is.
“…Shall I destroy it?”
It doesn’t look that sturdy.
However, destroying the desk as soon as you arrive is a very noticeable act. If the employee reports it, it may arouse Crepin’s suspicion.
Even if it doesn’t raise suspicion, it can’t cause much of a shock if you don’t know what’s inside.
It may contain easily damaged paper or engineering supplies that use a lot of sensitive parts.
“Hmm… Can’t you just break the lock a little more delicately… I think it’s still a bit too much for my magic sensitivity…”
– Crispy.
At that moment, a small impact was applied to the drawer’s lock. Although little change is visible externally, it feels as if only the link connecting the internal locking device was selected and broken.
When I actually pulled the drawer, it opened more smoothly than I expected.
“…what?”
When I turned around, Lucy, who was lying on the bed, adjusted her body position.
It seemed like he was lying down and sleeping without thinking, but on one hand, he was conscious of me.
It’s definitely reliable. Once I went around with Lucy, it seemed like there would never be a sudden death.
After saying thank you, I pulled the drawer all the way and opened it.
Inside… there was a huge stack of letters piled up.
I wondered what it was all about, so I took out a bundle and put it on the desk. These are all letters handwritten by Ed.
“This… what the hell…”
It seemed like it would take time to read them all one by one. Still, there was a need to at least figure out what the letters contained.
I took out a letter from the top and quickly read its contents from the top. It seemed to be the most recent of all the letters in this bundle.
– ‘To Arwen, whom I am close to and respect.’
I held my breath and scanned my chin. It’s inevitable to be embarrassed.
This is completely unknown territory… I had no idea about the person Ed Rosstaylor.
〈 The Failed Sword Saint of Sylvania 〉
A third-rate villain who exits in Act 1, Scene 1. This is the story of a foolish fool who, out of vanity, plots against the main character, Tailley McLaure, and ends up being excommunicated and miserable.
– ‘If I continue like this, I will die soon.’
– ‘What meaning is there in a life that has to die anyway?’
– ‘What value can you give to a life that only awaits the promised death?’
– ‘The life I lived intoxicated with the glory of Ross Taylor was short, but now I plan to put an end to it all.’
– ‘You won’t be able to reply to this letter anymore. Then, I will find my own way out.’
– ‘I can’t make choices like you.’
– ‘My journey as a member of the Rosstaylor family ends here, but my life does not end.’
While reading the fragmentary contents… I quietly held my breath and put the letter down.
Then, I flipped through the bundle of letters that had been placed on one side and looked at them again.
These are letters exchanged between Arwen and Ed during their lifetime. This amount would have been exchanged for several years.
As I was unfolding the documents, a feather fell out and landed on the desk.
“This… isn’t a quill… it’s just a feather.”
After picking up the feather, I grabbed its tail and twirled it around. It was a feather with a mysterious red pattern on it.
I don’t know its purpose right now. I put the feather down next to the desk, looked at the pile of documents, and took a deep breath.
First of all, it seems like I have something to do whenever I have time.
I had to cram all of these massive letters into my head.
*What Crepin Rosstaylor was holding in his hand was a letter with Princess Fenia’s seal engraved on it.
When she saw that there was no seal on the letter, Selaha, the Princess of Frost, swallowed dry saliva.
Does this mean that Crepin Rosstaylor, a powerful figure in the imperial family, has already joined Princess Fenia’s side?
Otherwise, there is no way you could receive a letter without a seal. That letter literally symbolizes complete trust.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding.”
A sumptuous breakfast in the early morning.
Selaha, who visited Ross Taylor’s estate, was receiving the utmost hospitality.
She exchanged light words with Crepin, but her gaze did not leave the letter in Crepin’s hand.
The keen Crepin seemed to have guessed exactly what Selaha was thinking.
“A letter without a seal does not symbolize trust in the recipient… but doesn’t it symbolize trust in the person delivering the letter?”
That’s right. For someone like Selaha, I had a rare and foolish misunderstanding.
Crepin grinned and put the letter he was reading back into his arms.
“I think Princess Selaha is curious about who delivered this letter.”
Before celebrities from all over flocked to the Duchy of Rosstaylor… there was a strange atmosphere flowing, like the calm before a storm.
There was only one day left until the massive social gathering that only happened once a year.
