I wondered why he asked the people of the forest to guide Dee Santi to the ruins. Normally, they would have asked a company of knights or a government official.
Of course, the forest people would be more knowledgeable about the ruins hidden in the forest, which few people are aware of. The duke’s territory was inhabited by many magical beasts, and he would not have sent his precious inventor to such a dangerous place.
What kind of connection did they have to begin with?
But since Big Brother mentioned this, there was no doubt that the people of the forest were like direct subordinates of Lord Vassily.
That’s kind of cool! A shadowy army or a ninja village? I’m sure they’ll be turned into dramas, movies, and video games in the future!
And then a figure appeared out of nowhere beside Countess Novadine.
“My Lord!”
It was Laiza, the Housekeeper, who called out in a clerical tone of voice.
“You don’t seem to be feeling well. Please rest in the other room. I’m sure the other guests will be concerned.”
A wonderfully thick oblique way of saying, “You’re bothering the others, so go away!” as expected of a professional.
“I… I…”
The flinch may have been because of what she knew about Laiza. She was rumored to be the sister of the previous Duke Sergei, although in actuality, she was not his sister. In other words, she was like the current Duke Alexei’s great aunt. That’s what everyone close to the Duke’s family assumed.
“Please.”
Laiza’s tone was quiet. But behind her, there were three figures exerting silent pressure on her. Two of them were dressed in knight’s vestments, and the other in ordinary attire, but all three of them were very intimidating.
They were Laiza’s husband and twin sons.
Laiza, once a laundress of the castle, had been adopted and raised by the family that was suggested by Grandfather Sergei, who was a knight for many generations. Of course, he was still a knight, and now he was the vice-commander of Yurinova’s Order of Knights, succeeding Knight Commander Efrem Rozen.
His twin sons took different paths, becoming a knight and a civil servant, but both were excellent martial artists with magnificent physiques. They have made a name for themselves in their respective fields.
The pressure from these three men, all three of them, was heavy. Very heavy pressure indeed.
Without a word, Countess Novadine went to another room as she was told.
The dance music was still playing in the great hall of Yurinova Castle, though.
As Ekaterina walked away, the full chorus of the song played in her brain.
***
“Ekaterina, aren’t you tired? You need to get some rest.”
“No, Big Brother, I’m fine.”
To tell you the truth, I was a little tired.
I wondered how many people I had greeted in one day. The total number of people who attended the feast must have exceeded 2,000…. I didn’t want to think about it because it would make me feel faint.
I could not talk to all of them. Even so, I kept greeting everyone.
But I’d learned by now that if I left Big Brother’s side, I’d become even more exhausted.
Big Brother had always been concerned about me and strongly advised me to sit down and take a rest as soon as I finished receiving greetings from the most important members of the Duke’s territory.
When I left Big Brother, I was surrounded! By men!
And they asked me to dance. From all directions.
I felt that it was only natural since I was the host’s family, or rather, the Lord’s sister. A courtesy visit was a must. So there must be an unwritten rule that one should not make the lord’s sister a wallflower.
