“I think he’s going to tell us everything he knows by the end of the night. That guy should be burned, for real.”
Ivan said cheerfully. But Alexei shook his head.
“Nope. He’s got a big face in the upper class of the dukedom, and there’s a chance of disaster if they conspired to pin us for murder. We’ll keep him down for the time being… We can always clean it up. We should use them more effectively anyway. “
After saying this coolly, Alexei’s expression suddenly softened.
“Besides, Ekaterina won’t like that sort of thing. I don’t want her to hate me.”
“Young Lady would not hate you, no matter what Your Excellency does.”
“Oh, she will understand and forgive me. …But I don’t think we should take advantage of the fact that she forgives everything.”
These were his typical, earnest words. But then again, there were many people who demanded endless forgiveness from those who forgave them.
“There was one thing the Young Lady would not allow. That is, that you stay up late at work.”
“Yes, that’s right. I must get some rest.”
Alexei laughed at Ivan’s words, and the squire swiftly strode back into the castle.
***
“Ekaterina… You can’t help but go, can you?
Alexei said sadly as he took his sister’s hand.
“Brother, I am.”
Ekaterina was about to say, but seeing her brother’s grief-stricken expression, her lips trembled. She squeezed his hand back.
Sorry, I won’t be going anywhere, I promised to stay by Big Brother’s side, but…
“Your Excellency, Young Lady…”
Aaron Kyle, the mine manager, stifled the words that Ekaterina was about to utter.
“It’s only a few days, and I’m sure you approve of the Young Lady going to the mountain temple in your honor.”
Aaron was the youngest of Alexei’s entourage, so he was usually reserved, but this time he was pushing hard.
“The professor is waiting for her at the old mine…Great-Uncle Isaac would be delighted to meet the Young Lady.”
Aaron, you love Great-Uncle Isaac too much. But I couldn’t say the same about too much love, especially when it came to Big Brother.
After all, this was the fifth time we had done this grieving session.
The events that led to the melancholy or charade began with a new morning after a night of feasting and purging.
When Ekaterina woke up that day, she felt refreshed, though tired from last night’s festivities.
She went to have breakfast with her brother in the dining room, but Alexei was unusually absent. Laiza, who appeared as a replacement, informed her of Novadine and the others’ capture, as well as the [Missing].
And Anna’s removal.
She didn’t give her any details about the situation, but the timing was just right.
How could there not be a connection?
“Well…thank you for telling me, Laiza, I was just worried about the burden it might place on you.”
“Thank you, Young Lady, Anna was a skilled head maid, so there is definitely a big hole to fill, but we will all do our best.”
Laiza smiled lazily at that.
Then two young maids arrived pushing a wagon. Ekaterina recognised them as the two who had assisted her in preparing for the feast yesterday and smiled at them.
“Thank you for yesterday. Thanks to you, we were well received by our guests.”
One of them bowed graciously, as if she were a well-trained maid. The other, however, smiled and said with vigor.
“Young lady, you are so beautiful! And your words were so beautiful that I was enchanted! Even that scary man is also very gentle to you, isn’t he?”
“Now, now.”
Laiza glared at her, and her smile instantly turned into a flustered grimace. She looked as if she were about to cry.
Ekaterina giggled.
“I appreciate your compliment. But that was not proper behavior for a maid of Yurinova’s Household. Big Brother is a wonderful head of the family and a lord. If he seems harsh, it is because he is doing his best to rule the territory for the good of all.”
“Yes…”
The maid nodded, but didn’t seem to understand much.
