Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 14 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 ♦ Because of how one cares for his beloved

“Hey Lydia, why are you here?”
The sound came from the window, and Lydia, who was staying by the warm furnace, hastily rushed over.
“Nico! Is that you?”
As soon as the long-haired gray cat jumped in from the window, Lydia hugged him.
“Geez, why did you suddenly disappear?"
“Oh stop it, Lydia, you’ll ruin my hair!”
She snuggled her face up against Nico’s body, and he kept twisting and turning even more.
“I was so worried that you wouldn't come back!”
“Yeah, I’m sorry that I just left like that... I heard the fairies say that you were here, so I came to make sure."
Despite being tightly hugged by Lydia, Nico still treated her like a child, and placed his little paw on her head.
Nico who had lived a long time, still viewed Lydia as a child even though she had grown taller than him.
Under Nico’s comfort, Lydia finally relaxed. Nico barely managed to burrow out from her hands, he stood on the table arranging his crooked tie and said:
“More importantly, I heard about some important information."
“Important information?”
“It’s very important! As I thought, Brian isn’t really your brother, because there were no changelings at the time.”
“......Is that true?”
“Yes, I heard that guy talking with Fergus. Lydia, you had better watch out for that Brian kid. Although he says he’s your brother, he might really hate you deep down."
Hearing so many things all of a sudden, Lydia sat down collapsed onto the chair in a state of confusion, so she could properly listen to what Nico had to say.
The efforts Lydia’s mother had gone through for her, resulted in the indirect death of Brian’s sister having not gone to the human world. Everyone wanted to protect someone precious to them, but it was unfortunate that someone had gotten hurt.
“By the way Lydia, did you not believe that you were the Professor and Aurora’s child? So why did you come to this island? Did you still want to be a softhearted person? Brian wanted to gain your sympathy and easily deceived you into coming here."
Brian treated Lydia amicably on the surface when in fact perhaps he really detested her. Lydia remembered she also felt he was like a brother a little; her heart was in pain.
But there was no other way.
In no way did Lydia come because she sympathized with the McKeel clan.
“Nico, a lot of things had happened when you were away. Edgar was taken away by Prince’s subordinates, it was like he’s being forced to kill the Prophet. However, they ought to appear at the sacred land, only at that time we can save him.”
With a troubled face, Nico shut his eyes, thought for a moment, then opened his eyes again.
“The things you’re telling me...... are they the truth?”
“What do you mean......?”
“Did Brian and Patrick speak the truth? What if the Earl wasn’t captured?”
“But his and Raven’s whereabouts are unknown, would they leave without telling me a word if they weren’t captured?”
Nico sighed, jumped down from the table, hung his shoulders and began pacing back and forth.
After walking around the room, he sighed again.
“Lydia, at least Brian clearly knows that you’re not his sister, but he also deliberately lied you to get close to you, it would be best if you don’t trust those guys. Don’t get involved with them and leave the island at once.”
“Then what about Edgar?”
“As long there’s a house to stay in, he will contact you. Don’t forget that no matter what happens, the Earl still wants to marry you."
“But perhaps he encountered a situation where there’s no way for him to contact me, the demon dogs really appeared! They must be Ulysses’s subordinates.The small goblins saw Edgar and the demon dogs get swept into the fairy realm too!”
Because Lydia looked like she was almost going to cry, Nico sadly looked at her fixedly.  
“Ugh, I’m surrounded by idiots......”
He was suddenly at his wits’ end.
“Hey Nico, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting very strange recently, suddenly saying you wanted to go home, is there something troubling you?”
Usually, as long as Nico’s fur was slightly disheveled, he would mind, and yet he was lowered his head, not caring that it was a complete mess. Then, he suddenly looked up and said:
“Lydia, we’re sneaking out of here tonight."
“We’re leaving? But it's going to be a full moon soon, and I have to awaken the Prophet."
“That’s the problem, doing so could be dangerous, the McKeel clansmen seem to be hiding something. I beg you Lydia, for the last time please do as I say."
“For the last time......what do you mean?”
“Although Aurora had asked me to look after you, I’ve been thinking of whether or not I should soon return to this island."
Lydia had vaguely felt it before, but it shocked her knowing that Nico had seriously thought about it.
“You want to follow the Earl, right? No matter what happens, you won’t change your mind, right?”
Even so, as long as Nico seriously asked a question, Lydia would answer earnestly.
“Yes, I will not change."
“You were always like this from the start......once you decide, you won’t change your mind."
“Hey Nico, I knew that following Edgar would be risky and I knew that he always provoked you...... But he means no harm, for Edgar, it’s proof that he’s close to you. I will have a proper talk with him, and tell him that he has to treat Nico like a gentleman. Besides, that’s right! You’ve been getting along with Raven, haven’t you? That’s why…”
“Lydia, it’s not like that."
Nico moved towards the window, stretched his body and gazed out.
“The longer you live, the more distant the past memories become and cannot be remembered. I already can’t remember the time when I first lived on this island, nor do I know why I was alone. But whenever I see those foggy mountains, the same, usual feeling that I felt a very long time ago will arise, as long as I stay here, then someone would come and see me.”
“Do you want to return here and wait for someone?”
“I’m really not sure, perhaps no one will come. But as long as I stay on the island, I don’t have to think about the future and have a leisurely life. Whether it’s Aurora or the Professor’s home, or yours and the Earl’s home, neither will forever be my home."
A human’s life was very short; his good friend Aurora passed away, and Aurora’s daughter, whom he protected for so long, was about to marry and leave the nest. Perhaps Nico felt depressed at this sudden change.
Because as long as he had relations with humans, he would always have to experience this kind of sad farewells.
Lydia knelt in front of Nico.
“If I leave this island, will I be not be able to see you again?”
“It’s best that you don’t come here, you should cut off relations with the McKeel clan, like Aurora once wanted to do.”
Should I really not have come to this island? In order to protect Lydia, her mother resisted the McKeel clan’s traditions at all costs, but Lydia actually came here, and perhaps this would ruin her mother’s efforts.
Then what about Edgar?
If what Patrick and Brian said was true, then she wouldn’t know what would happen to him if Lydia ran away.
Even so, should I heed Nico’s advice?
“The Earl will definitely return. I don’t understand that guy but he won’t abandon you. Even I know that.”
Lydia took his hand.
“......Nico, I will do as you say.”
Although Nico was both cowardly and heartless, and always wanted to run away, he was without a doubt worried about Lydia.
Compared to trusting  Brian and Patrick, she would logically prefer to trust Nico.
Although if this happened, she will never be able to see Nico again.
She never doubted that Nico would always be with her, and the reason why Lydia, who had no human friends, didn’t feel lonely was because she was accompanied by Nico at her side. Compared to other fairy friends, Nico was more understanding of humans, so despite him being a fickle and unruly fairy, Lydia felt that they could communicate their true feelings with each other.
When Lydia felt Nico’s soft little paws, tears fell from her cheeks. 　
Nico used the paw that wasn’t held by Lydia to wipe away her tears.
​

That night, Lydia explained the situation to her father, and decided to quietly sneak out of the mansion.
During the time that everyone had already gone to bed, the two of them tidied their luggage and waited for the opportunity to leave the room.
At this time, there was a knock at the door.
She was startled, the people of the mansion usually wouldn’t visit at this time. 
Father urged Lydia to go into the bedroom with his eyes.
Lydia slightly opened the door that connected to the bedroom, to watch for her father from the inside deal with the visitor.  
“Who is it?”
After Father asked, Patrick’s voice came from the other side of the door.
“Sorry for coming so late, may I bother you for a moment?”
The door opened and Lydia caught a glimpse of Patrick’s pale face.
“Oh my, haven’t you rested yet?”
Patrick asked this after seeing Father’s clothing, but he himself was dressed in his day clothes.
“Well, yes...... I plan to search for stones. Did you know? Some minerals under the moonlight will apparently be different colored during the daytime, and can be found in this kind of place, which relatively has many stones.”
Father made a clumsy excuse, not knowing what Patrick was thinking.
“Is that so? The stones are mundane things in our eyes, you really are worthy of being called an expert.”
“Um, then may I ask what your business is?”
Patrick handed the cage in his hands over to Father.
“Night patrol discovered this outside and remembered that this ought to be Miss Lydia’s friend.”
In the moment that Lydia saw a gray tail in the cage, she then rushed out from the bedroom.
“Nico!”
She snatched the cage, carefully took Nico out and held him up in her arms.
It felt like he had less of an existence than usual, his presence was so pale that his body appeared to be translucent.  
“Nico, what happened? Hang in there!”
He was completely unresponsive.
“His soul seems to be bound by magic, maybe the Prince’s subordinates were around.”
Lydia glared at Patrick, who said this.
Her intuition was that it was the McKeel clan who did this to Nico, or rather Patrick himself may have done it.
He must have discovered that Lydia was trying escape, and also knew that Nico was going to lead the way for them, so he intended to prevent it.
“Hey, Mr. Patrick, please undo the fairy magic, you can use fairy magic, right? Please, restore Nico.”
“Unfortunately, it is impossible for me. However, Miss Lydia, don’t worry, as long as he is brought to the sacred land, he will surely recover.”
His lips made a slight smile and Lydia trembled as she felt his strong intention of bringing her to the sacred land no matter what. 
At the same time, this also meant that Lydia was most likely being deceived by them, like Nico had said.
Having the Prophet awaken was perhaps dangerous, moreover, they were definitely hiding something from Lydia.
Yet she could not refuse, as Nico was clearly being treated as a hostage.
“Professor, is your daughter interested in minerals too? The both of you wanting a parent-child walk in the middle of the night doesn’t matter, but it’s very dark outside, so please watch your step.”
Patrick sarcastically pointed out that Lydia didn’t change into her pajamas, then left the room.
Father sighed.
“Lydia, what are we going to do?”
“I can’t abandon Nico.”
Lydia held the limp Nico close to her chest, determined to protect him.

                                                                                                                 *

The largest island of the outer Hebrides was located north. Edgar rode the Connaught family’s boat and arrived at this island, which he heard was where the village that Lydia’s mother formerly resided was located. After he disembarked, he first headed for the Connaught family’s land.
Edgar stayed in the mansion of the clan head’s aunt, who resided here during her life. At the same time, he was puzzled about one thing; as soon as he arrived on the island, he saw something unusual.
There were unknown black creatures that would occasionally cross the sky; Raven said that he could not see it, and it seemed like no one else could either.
The sky was always cloudy and the sunlight was most pale, and yet the shadows were awfully distinct. It was like a gaze could be sensed from the clumps of bushes, thickets and from the shadows of the building. 
Could it be...... fairies?
Were they gathered at a distance observing Edgar, who had connections with the Prince?
It was futile for Edgar to judge.
Although the Connaught family had a fairy doctor too, they were only proficient in exorcisms and incantations, and seemed to have never dealt with fairies directly.
Could it be that in this day and age, fairy doctors like Lydia, who were loved by fairies, or like the McKeel clan with a strong force were relatively uncommon?
The island’s wind was very strong, as the windows of the old house rattled incessantly. Edgar sat at the table by the window, writing a letter near the light of an oil lamp.
Finally, he signed the letter and sealed the envelope with wax.
“Raven, mail this letter to the head butler tomorrow morning.”
Raven entered the room and went to Edgar’s side.
“Tomkins will faint.”
Even Edgar himself was surprised as he mumbled. 
“In that case, I will send restoratives over.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Have you already decided to offer a loan?”
It was an inconceivable amount of money, perhaps it will be like throwing it all down the drain.
If the Connaught clan’s wool textiles were able to establish an industry, and operations were able to proceed smoothly, then there certainly wouldn’t be any problems. However, Edgar intended to personally kill the Prophet, who was said to be able to save the islands.
Once the Prophet is gone, the island will be covered with Unseelie Court magic, and the failing crops and diseases will become more serious. The Connaught family wanted to rebuild the clan’s livelihood, which ought to be quite difficult.
Once the situation becomes like this, Edgar’s investment would of course be subject to significant loss.
“If I can’t give Lydia a life of luxury, do you think she will be disappointed?”
“I don’t think Miss Lydia would mind.”
“....Is that so? Then how should I secure Lydia?”
If she knew about Edgar’s hidden secret, would she no longer accept him? Edgar couldn’t stop thinking about whether or not her feelings will fade. Even so, he had decided to use all means at his disposal to keep Lydia at his side.
“Even if there’s no way to send jewels, I should be able to send flowers everyday if it was that.”
“Lord Edgar, I will learn how to grow flowers if that were to happen.”
“You want to learn to be a gardener?”
“Yes.”
Edgar smiled at Raven’s serious face.
“Okay. Then I will also become a gardener. If the two of us build a garden for Lydia, she will be very happy.”
It’s because Lydia was selflessly softhearted with everyone that Edgar would be saved by her.
After all, Edgar could only entrust his hopes on her kind heart.
He would continually plead Lydia to stay by his side, whether it was out of sympathy or compassion, as long as her heart was moved by him then it was fine.
Edgar knew perfectly well that there would be a loss in giving favors to the Connaught clan, but he needed a trump card that would rival the McKeel family.
He had to protect himself and Lydia, so he needed to prevent the island’s clans from joining forces and considering him as an enemy.
The Connaught family was one of the clans that possessed power in the vicinity, and if the money was used as an investment to keep them on the same side, then that sum was definitely not high.
“Raven, there’s nothing happening tonight, you can rest.”
Edgar sat back at the table once more, preparing to write to Lydia while thinking about how he could send the letter to the McKeel house.
But Raven was reluctant to leave, and he saw Raven about to say something, seemingly puzzled.
“Lord Edgar, I am not a good liar.”
“I know that.”
“So, if Miss Lydia found out, it would be terrible.”
“What will she find out about?”
“Your affair.”
Edgar was deep in thought. Did I have an affair recently? No, there shouldn’t be. But there’s a big difference in opinion between men and women, so what degree of action is considered cheating? What did I do at Mr. Barrett’s party?
“Ahhh, Raven, can you tell me, when and where did I do something?”
“It will happen from after this.”
“After this?”
“Earlier, you asked Mr. Connaught to send a woman over.”
“Uh, that was…”
“Earl Ashenbert, may I come in?”
The sound coming from outside the door was the voice of a young girl.
After Raven walked over and opened the door, a plainly dressed girl raised her skirt to curtsy.
“I came under the instructions of the clan head, if there’s anything, please do not hesitate to order.”
She had her hair tied back in a long braid, and seemed to be about Lydia’s age, but perhaps due to her simple appearance and nervous demeanor, she looked only about fifteen or sixteen. Her entire body was slightly trembling.
So that’s how it was. Edgar glanced at Raven while thinking watching his serious expression. Moreover, he unknowingly stood by the bedroom door, as if he didn’t want people entering, and didn’t appear to plan on leaving.
If he was ordered to, would he be reluctant to obey, so to speak, would he resist Edgar for the first time for Lydia? Edgar wanted to test it out and see, but now was not a good situation to waste time, thus he changed his frame of mind and said:
“Well, what’s your name?”
When Edgar spoke to the girl, she unexpectedly raised her head in a determined manner.
“My name is Kelly. I served the Connaught clan head’s aunt in this mansion previously."
“Are you bold and hardworking?”
“....I do not know, but I will do as Earl wishes.”
He could see that she was very brave. She should still be a pure girl, suddenly being asked to go into a strange man’s room and instructed to obey him regardless of what he requests.
Since she had decided to take such a risk for the clan, she ought to comply with Edgar’s requests as well.
Edgar couldn’t help but laugh.
“How reliable, Mr. Connaught seems to have sent a woman in accordance to my request. But Raven, both you and him seem to have misunderstood me.”
Raven tilted his head in confusion.
Edgar got up and walked towards the girl, and the pair of brown eyes pursued Edgar’s actions; it was said to ignite the passion of people, but it was too innocent.
“I’m not looking for comfort at night, but actually, it can be explained in this way too.”
“There is no other explanation.”
Raven said muttered.
In fact, the only person Edgar was concerned about was Lydia.
“However, since you have come specifically for this reason, then I will respond to your desire.”
His fingers touched the girl’s chin, and the valet’s stare pierced his back.
“....I was joking, Raven.”
Edgar left the girl’s side and began pacing around the room while thinking about what to do.
But there was no time, and the actions that could be taken were limited.
“Kelly, I want to save my fiancée. First, I’m going to ask you to take a trip to the McKeel home.”
Despite the girl not understanding the situation too clearly, she still nodded.

                                                                                                                 *

Hey, Edgar, what are you doing?
After entering the greenhouse at the Earl’s mansion, there was a scent of lilies.
There were amaryllis, gladioli and many other fragrant flowers. Lydia was attracted by the scents and headed into the depths of the greenhouse.
Edgar, are you there?
I’m here, Lydia.
After hearing his voice, Lydia let out a sigh of relief.
She saw Edgar in the flower bed, and a butterfly resting on his elegant blonde hair.
Lydia, come here, the tulips are going to bloom.
Edgar rolled his shirt sleeves up and held a shovel in his hand.
Raven was watering the flower beds; the water droplets reflected the sunshine flowing and entering the glass dome, forming a twinkling rainbow in the sky.
It’s like a dream. I’m probably dreaming.
Hey, when did you become a gardener?
Edgar burst into laughter.
This is a gift for you.
It’s really beautiful.
If you like this gift, then can you grant me a wish?
Not knowing when, Lydia was nestled in Edgar’s embrace. He gazed at Lydia with his hands around her back, laughing happily. Just then, he suddenly frowned sadly.
....Please don’t get close to the sacred land.
As he hugged Lydia, her cheek rested against his shoulder. She noticed that the scenery around them had suddenly changed.
This was the wilderness of the night.
She looked over Edgar’s shoulder to see Nico hazily floating mid-air.
In a weak voice, the thin and transparent Nico said:
—Lydia, get away from the island.
The moon, which swept past numerous mountains, was nearly full.
Lydia, I’m afraid. I’m afraid that I’ll lose you if this continues on.
Edgar’s voice rang in her ears, making her feel a pain in her heart.
Lydia, who was uneasy, woke up from her light sleep due to being unable to breathe.
Raven and Edgar weren’t by her side; this place was the McKeel clan’s guest room. Even though she knew her father was in the next room, she still felt a cold loneliness.
She tried turning around and saw Nico, sitting like a doll by the window where the glimmer of dawn drifted.
Even though he would occasionally wake up and move, Nico, who’s soul was bound, did not speak. Even if his eyes were open, he just stared into the distance, and furthermore, his body was still slightly transparent.
“Hey Nico, was I mistaken?”
Edgar, what should I do? Where are you?
Tomorrow is the full moon.
“Excuse me! Is anyone here?”
There was a sound coming from the front of the mansion.
This visitor came really early, but it had nothing to do with Lydia.
Although she could hear the sound of the servant’s annoyed response, she laid back in bed and closed her eyes once more.
Edgar, I too... don’t want to lose you...

                                                                                                                *

“The one sent by the Connaught clan?”
Fergus ate a big mouthful of the bread he was having for breakfast while looking at Patrick.
“Fergus, after assuming the position of the clan head, the etiquette of British customs is necessary.”
Patrick frowned, but as usual, Fergus was not bothered.
“Father is still very healthy.”
In the mornings, everyone in their clan would have their breakfast at different times, so currently Fergus and Patrick were the only two sitting at the table.
“Anyways, it’s still quite rare, what business do they have?”
“They want us to split the medicine with them. The Connaught clan chief’s aunt used to live in the east coast. Her daughter who was her maid, said things like being troubled by not being able to collect medicinal plants.”
“Who’s sick?”
“It seems like it’s some kind of illness spread between farmers that gives rise to a cough.”
He used goat’s milk to swallow the hard bread.
“How troublesome, the situation is getting worse everywhere.”
He left as soon as he had finished his breakfast, and Patrick stopped complaining too. 
After leaving the room, Fergus headed to the reception room. Usually, there were very little chances for him to meet girls from the other clans, so he was interested in seeing what kind of person she was.
But there was no one in the reception room. As Fergus was about to leave, he saw a figure heading up the stairs at the corner of his eyes, and so he chased after them.
“Hey you, where are you going?”
The girl with braids looked back in surprise. Fergus caught up with her and said:
“Casually wandering in other people’s homes, is that the Connaught clan’s etiquette?”
“I--I’m sorry... they wanted me to wait for the medicinal herbs to be prepared, and I was a bit bored......”
The girl anxiously hung her head.
Fergus didn’t want to scold her, rather he only wanted to call out and stop her. The girl’s scared expression made him frustrated.
“Uh, it’s alright, it’s just that the guest’s room is on that side.”
“Excuse me, about the guest.... I saw a young girl just now, she shouldn’t be a woman from the clan, right? Because she was wearing a British-styled dress.”
She looked up quickly and asked, as if she was very interested.
“Oh, you’re talking about Lydia?”
“Would it be inconvenient to meet her?”
She seemed to be interested in a girl of a similar age to her. Fergus thought to himself that it wasn’t surprising for a country girl to be interested in talking about the subject of British cities and dresses. On top of that, this house didn’t have any girls that Lydia could chat with, so perhaps she would be bored.
This should make Lydia feel a bit at ease.
“Well, I think it should be alright? After going up that staircase, it’ll be the last room.”
The girl smiled happily and bowed her head in gratitude.
She was like a child. Sending this girl here across the inconvenient mountain roads so early in the morning, was the Connaught clan’s manpower lacking? Fergus thought as he turned around; at that moment, he suddenly felt that something was strange and stopped.
Where had the girl happened to catch sight of Lydia?
Lydia’s room couldn’t be seen from the reception room, and Fergus had been in the dining room until just now, so if Lydia had left the guest room, he would have seen her. Fergus was sure he would have noticed if Lydia had passed by.
The Connaught maiden unexpectedly knew that this place had a young woman who wasn’t a clan member, what exactly was going on?
Curious, Fergus immediately headed to Lydia’s room.
After going up the stairs, Fergus heard the sound of talking.
Although he thought doing this was quite rude, he still crept closer to the door to eavesdrop.
“You saw Edgar?”
Lydia’s surprised voice came from inside.
“Yes, Miss, Earl Ashenbert is currently at the Connaught residence, so I’ve come to get you.”
“But, is it really Edgar?”
Fergus also immediately felt that this point was questionable.
Patrick and Brian said that the Earl was captured by the Prince’s subordinates, could this be a trap?
“The Earl gave me this.”
The girl seemed to have given something to Lydia, and there was the sound of someone rising from a chair in the room.
“The Earl said that you’ve been deceived by the McKeel clan, if it’s difficult for you to leave with me, then at least tonight...”
The girl stopped talking midway because Fergus opened the door.
Lydia and the Connaught girl looked at Fergus in surprise.
“You said Earl Ashenbert is in the Connaught clan’s residence? And that the McKeel clan is lying? This is inexcusable. Saying such unscrupulous things, I find you to be insulting.” 
“It’s true!”
The girl firmly retorted.
“Lydia, you need to think about it carefully, the person who is said to be the Earl could be someone else.” 
However, Lydia stood in front of the girl, as if wanting to protect her.
“That’s right, I have to think carefully about who is telling the truth.”
Fergus glanced at the object in Lydia’s hand. It seemed to be a letter that the girl handed her.
“What’s written inside?”
Lydia hastily hid the letter behind her back.
“This is a letter addressed to me.”
“Maybe it’s a trap from Prince.”
“This is Edgar’s handwriting.”
“Are you sure? Letters can be forged.”
“So what?”
“It must be examined.”
“Personal content is written inside.”
After Lydia had finished, she threw the letter into the fireplace before Fergus could stop her.
The paper immediately caught fire, burning up. After she had confirmed that the letter had burned completely into ash, she turned to face Fergus and said:
“You don’t have to worry, I won’t escape, I plan to do as you say. However, if you guys dare do something to her, I will change my mind!”
“Then please keep it down, if Patrick finds out, it will be impossible to let her return now.”
“....You mean you’re not the same as him?”
Fergus let out a worried sigh.
If the young girl was involved with the Prince’s organization, and was using the Earl’s name to bring Lydia out, then pretending that it wasn’t important and letting her return was a foolish action.
But Lydia wanted to let the girl leave.
Meanwhile, Fergus was aware that he was merely the clan’s fledgling, since he was unaware of the important information that the clan possessed from his standpoint. 
Especially since this time’s event seemed to be concerned with fairies and magic, he had absolutely no authority to intervene.
Since that was the case, if conversely, Fergus made use of this point, there wouldn’t be anyone blaming him.
“Lydia, I’m on your side.”
Lydia looked at him dubiously.
“I think Patrick and Brian are hiding something, and regarding the Earl’s whereabouts, what they said might not be entirely true. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that what this young lady said is right.”
He shot a glance at the girl, noticing that her shoulders were shaking nervously.
“Even if they are hiding things, they’re thinking in consideration for the clan. After all, this is Patrick’s responsibility. He has this kind of belief too, but I don’t need to carry that level of responsibility yet, so I think I should be able to stand by your side.”
“Fergus, you’re willing to keep this matter secret?”
“If you wish.”
Lydia finally relaxed her expression in relief, and without knowing why, Fergus felt at ease too. He noticed that he didn’t want Lydia to look at him with suspicion.
“You’ll let her return safely, right?”
“Yeah I promise, but she had better get back to the reception room and pretend to have been talking with me.”
Lydia nodded and took the girl's hand, urging her to leave.
“Kelly, be careful on the way back. You don’t have to worry, this man is the son of the clan head, and he wouldn’t make the despicable action of violating the agreement.”
After ensuring that no one was in the corridor or on the stairs, Fergus brought the girl out of the room.
“Thank you, Fergus.”
Lydia whispered at the door.
The two of them were practically close enough to touch, and he smelled the fragrance of chamomile, which gave him an heart-rending feeling for some reason.
“Ahhh, if I had met you earlier instead of that kid......”
“Um, what?”
“It’s nothing.”

Lydia watched Kelly get in the carriage and gradually grow distant. She finally sighed.
She looked back at the room. The indispensable fireplace that was lit all day, even though it was summer, was nearly out now, but the letter that Lydia had threw in had completely disappeared.
She remembered Edgar's handwriting.
She had only skimmed the contents of the letter and didn’t read it completely.
Even so, the words were still seared into her eyes.
“The Prophet fiancée’s life will be reduced.”
It was certainly written in that way.
“That’s why Lydia, please believe me and do as I say."
Patrick and Brian had concealed this matter from Lydia; they said that there wouldn’t be any danger.
Perhaps Nico sensed that something was strange and came to warn Lydia, but he was bound by magic. This was probably Patrick’s doing.
“Can you leave the McKeel house with the girl who delivered this letter? If you find it difficult to escape or feel that it is dangerous to do so, then I hope to meet with you in another place."
If Patrick and Brian still had other things to hide from Lydia, then it would definitely be about Edgar. They said that Edgar had been caught by the Prince’s organization, but the situation didn’t seem to be like that.
“Lydia, I intend to bury the Prophet."
Maybe they had discovered this possibility.
They discovered that Edgar was not being forced by the Prince's organization, but also wanted to go to the sacred land to bury the Prophet.
“Because I have to do this, I can’t come and get you right away, but if you are taken to the sacred land, perhaps we will be able to meet there.”
However, Edgar didn’t know that he couldn’t enter the sacred land.
“Even if you enter the sacred land, don’t obey them. I will definitely get you out, so you can’t let the Prophet wake up. No matter what happens, I believe you will always be my fiancée.”
Did he believe that as long as Lydia hadn’t woken the Prophet, he could dispose of the sleeping Prophet?
What should I do? Lydia worried while sitting down on an oak chair.
In any case, she could only do as Edgar wanted at present. Lydia did not intend to get involved with the Prophet, and although it was possible that she would be forced to act, as long as Nico entered the sacred land, he could probably lift the enchantment, so it’ll be fine as long as she thought of how to escape. 
As long as she could see Edgar, who should be nearby, perhaps he would give up the intention of burying the Prophet and escape with her.
Lydia didn’t know how Edgar was going to even try accomplishing the feat of burying the Prophet within the magical domain of the sacred land. 
Lydia was more troubled and worried over the fact that she made Edgar do such outrageous things, even more so as if he was trying to protect her.
He said that he believed that Lydia would always be his fiancée. Lydia had no way of knowing the meaning contained in that sentence and could only think about it.
However, awakening the Prophet definitely wasn’t a bad thing.
But to what extent would the so-called reduction in lifespan be? Indeed, she felt uneasy. However, if the Prince’s organization still wouldn’t let go of Edgar, couldn’t the Prophet help him?
“Edgar... I want to protect you too."
Nico, who originally should have stayed in the bedroom, unknowingly sat on the table, unable to talk. Even if she looked at him, he couldn’t move, but now, he cared about Lydia in his barely existent remaining conscience. 
“I’m sorry Nico, I really couldn’t understand you well.”
Lydia’s mother was very important to Nico, so he stayed by her side.
Nico carefully protected Lydia, whom her mother faced dangers in bringing her back from the fairy realm. 
Lydia hoped that this time in her own way, she would be able to protect and love those she valued. 
“Lydia, aren’t you bored?”
Brian’s voice was heard. He stood by the doorway looking in, appearing surprised as he looked around.
“I heard that you were alone in the room, so I was a little worried, but it’s quite lively here.”
Lively? Doubtful, Lydia looked around the room, and found that the floor was full of flowers and grass.
Piles of clovers, lavender, rosemary and sage were laid on the floor by her feet.
It seemed that the fairies visited Lydia while she was thinking.
They had probably sensed that Lydia was depressed, and had come to cheer her up.
She had seen a lot of fairies since coming here and would give them biscuits, but she hadn’t expected them to be worried for her.
“You’re so loved by the fairies to the extent that it’s rare.”
“Is that really that rare? Mother was like that too.”
“Although fairies trust fairy doctors, but they won’t necessarily have a close relationship with them. Like Patrick, although he’s very capable, the small goblins are very afraid of him either way and don’t dare approach him.”
Lydia burst out laughing.
“I think my mother was really understanding with the fairies. But I am still inexperienced as a fairy doctor, the small goblins are just not afraid of me, that’s all.”
Brian smiled back and looked at Lydia tenderly, tender enough that it didn’t seem to bear resentment against her.
Or, for an instant, did he overlap Lydia with his real sister?
“Brian onii-sama, I might have unintentionally hurt someone.”
He frowned slightly; Lydia pretended to not notice and looked at Nico.
“Nico too, I always believed that he would always remain by my side, and I never asked what he thought. Moreover, Edgar was willing to accept someone as immature as me, so I just don’t wish to hurt him.”
As she pondered, she picked up a clover by her feet.
“In order to save Edgar, I will go to the sacred land.”
“Lydia...”
Brian opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but kept silent.
“This isn’t for the clan. Onii-sama, you also ought to understand Edgar’s strong points a little, right?”
Brian had Edgar’s handkerchief, so the matter of being bitten by demon dogs should be true. Edgar and Brian were in correspondence before, so even if Brian hated Lydia, she believed that he could understand her feelings for Edgar as well.
“Hey, Brian onii-sama, this is for you.”
She handed a clover she had picked up to Brian.
Originally given by the fairies, it was a lucky four-leaf clover.
Brian was about to leave the ground and head for the homeland of the Aurora fairies. She hoped that the happiness that he obtained could exceed the things he had lost.
Brian took it, noticed that it had four leaves, and looked at Lydia.
“You need luck too, right?”
“Regardless of whether or not I am a changeling, I have been a happy person from the beginning."
Lydia gave him an honest smile.