“Viscount, the carriage is ready!”
“Ah, alright.”
Charlotte peeked through the office door to inform me. With a slight smile, I glanced at the bookshelf before turning away.
As I approached the door, Charlotte handed me the coat she had prepared. Since the weather was still a bit chilly, I had to make sure to wear my outerwear.
“The wind is cold. You might catch a cold, so please make sure to wear your scarf and gloves! Oh, and the doctor said she will prepare a decoction for you to take after dinner.”
“Alright…”
Compared to the past, I definitely became healthier, but Jane and Charlotte were still overly concerned about my health. It seems like they couldn’t easily forget the days when I was frequently vomiting blood and my life hung by a thread. Even now, when I’m truly fine.
“…You’re not planning to leave the medicine again because it’s bitter, are you?”
Walking through the corridor from the office, Charlotte eyed me carefully and asked with suspicion.
Avoiding Charlotte’s gaze, I turned my head slightly and replied.
“I won’t leave any…”
“Really? You promise?”
“Yes.”
At this point, it felt almost like an obsession. Charlotte and Jane’s concern over my health was sometimes frightening when they rushed at me with lit up eyes.
Even the other people of Arendelle Castle seemed to have caught their concern. They often worry about my health or try to take excessive care of me. For instance, the chef who started researching nutritious dishes at some point…
Thanks to them, I’ve tried all kinds of exotic healthy foods whose names were unfamiliar to me.
“Viscount.”
“Viscount, good day.”
“Have a nice day, Viscount.”
As I reached the entrance, the busy servants greeted me. I smiled and acknowledged their greetings. The servants exchanged pleased glances among themselves, for some reason.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I approached the butler waiting at the entrance. The aide was also nearing the entrance. He bowed deeply to me and began to speak.
“I submitted today’s schedule to you this morning…”
“I’ve seen it.”
“I see. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”
“No, that’s fine. I leave the affairs to you in my absence.”
“Of course, leave it to me.”
The aide had been overseeing the estate for about 2 years before I was appointed as the lord, as the third son of Lady Naillo.
The Naillo family was highly esteemed in this region, having temporarily taken up the regency by imperial decree after the sudden death of the former lord who left no heirs.
With not a single relative of the previous lord remaining, the most trusted family in the eyes of the estate’s people had no choice but to take up the role.
Upon my arrival at Arendelle Castle, I learned that the neighboring nobles had offered no assistance, leaving the Naillo family with many difficulties.
In desperation, they sought help from Valentino, which, despite its own troubles at the time, readily provided assistance.
‘There were three rifts over two years, and as you know, we didn’t have a single spirit contractor… It was utterly overwhelming not knowing how to counter them. Especially since the king at the time, Roderick, paid little attention to the welfare of his people… We feared Brianne would simply perish.’
Only spirit power can close a rift. Thus, for a long time, people have gathered around spirit contractors as a focal point. The absence of a spirit contractor in an area meant living in fear of an eventual rift. Once a rift opened, there was no choice but to abandon homes and flee.
‘But on the day the first rift appeared, Duke Valentino himself led reinforcements to Brianne and closed the rift. Thanks to his quick action in dealing with the monsters, the damage to the territory was minimal. The same was true for the second and third times.”
From the distant mythic ages, spirit contractors bore the mission to protect the world. It was their noble duty to shield humanity from rifts and monsters.
However, over time, this ethos faded, and Valentino remained the sole house that continued to honor this mission.
I was well aware of this, but hearing it from someone else felt strangely moving.
Perhaps because of these circ*mstances, the people of Brianne and the Naillo family were exceptionally kind to me from the beginning. Firstly, because I was the former duch*ess Valentino, and secondly…
“Although it’s unlikely… if there’s any report of a rift appearing, contact me immediately.”
“Yes, Viscount.”
“Thanks to you, Viscount, we can sleep peacefully. We’re truly grateful.”
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