Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 21 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 ♦ So as to not lose sight of the truth

The early morning sky was still dark and Kelly had already woken up and dressed neatly. Soon after, she left the room, planning to begin the day’s work.
She opened the door, trying to pass through the dressing room quietly and saw Raven.
Raven placed an oil lamp on the table and went over to the window side to pull open the curtains while the colour of the sky was still dusky. Their master should have been sleeping here, and yet he wasn’t in the room.
Next, Raven began to quietly fold the blanket which was originally spread out on the sofa.
“Umm...”
Prior to Kelly speaking to him, he would never notice her there. No, perhaps he did notice, because it could be said that Raven was quite perceptive towards the presence of people. He probably thought that Kelly wasn’t a strange person who was there, so he likened her to be a table or chair.
When those large deep green eyes looked over towards her, Kelly felt quite uneasy for some reason.
“Is Master already up?”
“He already went out.”
“What! Where did he go?”
“He went to investigate the area where the swan picture is located. I am also going to head out after.”
The exact location of the swan painting was still unknown despite having investigated yesterday. Lydia said that as long as they found the the rock that the Duchess saw in the past, there might be a clue, so today, everyone was going to help search for the rock that was buried in weeds.
“Is Master by himself?”
“Lord Edgar also has social events to attend, so he does not have any free time during the day. He said that in order for Madam Lydia to do her utmost, he has to provide a little more assistance.”
Edgar tried to improve his relationship with Lydia, but Kelly was a little dissatisfied.
She felt that realistically, Lydia didn’t need this sort of compassion.
As the Madam’s personal maid, Edgar’s behaviour from a few days ago made Kelly anxious.
She felt that her master was a little too kind to the young lady called Kathleen. Although Edgar would instinctively display an attitude of being kind to women, he would side with Lydia excessively if anything happened, so she could feel reassured, but it was different when it came to Kathleen.
“Mr. Raven, do you know what Master is thinking about? It was the same yesterday, he was clearly so jealous of Mr. Darnell that it was frightening, and yet he can’t dismiss other women, this is too much.”
Raven frowned. Kelly felt that she was being glared at, but she looked back at him, not willing to give up.
Kelly’s eyes filled with tears a the thought of Lydia murmuring last night, “I still only belong to Edgar, don’t I?” and silently weeping.
“Madam Lydia only loves Master from the bottom of her heart.”
“Lord Edgar is the same.”
Although Raven answered,  Kelly felt that he didn’t sense the least bit of an impending crisis.
“Since that’s the case, all the more that something should be done!”
“What should be done?”
Kelly looked at Raven in surprise, and didn’t expect that she could actually communicate with him this time.
“In order to be able to make the two of them reconcile, are you willing to help?”
“Yes.”
Oh what, he’s actually really into the situation. That being said, his sharp gaze that was fixed on Kelly probably wasn’t anger either.
“Is there a way?”
Moreover, he was unexpectedly eager to give it a try.
“At any rate, I am not sure of the details, nor do I understand why Master’s usual devotion towards the Madam had messed up once he got involved with that young lady...... I don’t know if it’s because that she is the type that he really likes, or if it’s because of his philandering nature, but up until this situation, we have disregarded the cause of the two’s quarrel.”
Kelly didn’t stop speaking amongst herself, because she felt that if she didn’t take opportunity of the time to immediately explain while Raven was still paying attention, perhaps he would suddenly think of other things and leave.
“We need to think of a way to make the two of them sleep together. If we want them to reconcile regardless of a reason, then there is no other way!”
“I see….”
Raven tilted his head, probably because he still couldn’t figure it out.
“So, Mr. Raven, could you please tell Master that the Madam wishes to do so?”
“You want me to lie?”
Raven’s tone was a little more serious, probably because he was quite surprised. He was very loyal to his master. In his view, perhaps he believed that this would go against his loyalty, but Kelly continued in her attempt to persuade him.
“At such a time, it won’t do if Master isn’t a little tougher than usual. Usually for minor quarrels, he would try to do everything possible in order to reconcile with Madam. They’re faced with a major couple crisis now, and yet he’s hesitating, he truly is a coward. If Master doesn’t make a request, Madam won’t be able to actually feel his love either, and will become overly suspicious.”
“This is because Lord Edgar also knows that even if he is forceful, the likelihood of him being rejected is high. If I lie to Lord Edgar and give him hope, he definitely would not be able to rebuild his confidence if Madam Lydia rejects him seriously.”
“Regarding this, leave it to me to explain it properly to Madam Lydia, I will tell her that responding to her husband’s request is a wife’s duty.”
Raven frowned even more seriously.
“Will they be able to reconcile that way?”
This was why Kelly then firmly replied:
“This is what men and women are like!”
“.................”
He definitely thinks that I am too old-fashioned. Kelly was already considered as a middle-aged woman with a baby face by Raven, but this couldn’t be helped.
“Even if the couple’s feelings cool off, would you be indifferent to Madam Lydia returning to her father’s home as well?”
“This is troublesome, there is no way I can lie before Lord Edgar.”
“If Madam Lydia departs from the Earl household, Mr. Nico will leave too.”
Raven was slightly lost in thought, probably because he was shocked.
“......I understand.”
Mr. Nico, you’re incredible!
Raven was different than Kelly, who nearly wanted to clap, as he still looked out the window anxiously.
“That being said, I have not seen Mr. Nico since yesterday. If the two reconcile, would he return?”
Although Kelly wasn’t sure if there was relationship between the two, but Nico also did surely worry about their connection.
She originally wanted to say something to encourage Raven, but by the time she came to her senses, she realized that Raven had already started working quickly, preparing to leave the room.
Kelly sighed. Possessing the title, Earl of Ibrazel, really fostered too many problems for the couple.
“My lifespan will honestly be reduced.”
At first, this was her thinking aloud, but......
“Even if you are a little older, Miss Kelly, you still seem very young.”
Raven was by the door, and answered with that without looking back.
“I honestly am really young though!”
Although Kelly was distracted for a moment and protested hastily, he had already disappeared to the other side of the door.

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The surroundings was getting brighter slightly at last. Edgar walked slowly up the hill overlooking the lake.
On the opposite hill across the lake, there were only two bushes that were slightly protruding up and the morning sun slowly rose from between them.
While he walked up the hill that was illuminated with the morning sunshine, he gazed at the undulating slopes of the ground, trying to see if there were any half-buried rocks in the earth. If he found any unnatural swellings, he would use a shovel to dig it up and examine it.
Edgar repeated this kind of monotonous work while trying his best to suppress his agitation.
Continuing to go on like this wasn’t the solution. For this reason, he didn’t sleep at all last night.
Lydia didn’t want to flatly ignore Edgar, nor did she want to blame him, but even if she encountered a situation that harmed and scared her, she didn’t intend on relying on him.
The matters of Kathleen and Sylvainford bound Edgar with complex emotions that went beyond his imagination. Furthermore Lydia realized this, and this troubled her greatly.
She even felt that she couldn’t be friends with Kathleen even if it was only for appearances, and Edgar didn’t expect that she would feel this way.
This is different from the usual trivial marital fights, it won’t do if I don’t pull myself together......
If it goes on like this, then I will lose Lydia’s love and trust.
He could only worry helplessly and dig the ground roughly, with a mindset of not knowing what should be done.
“Hey, Earl.”
He stopped, turned his head, and saw a gray cat standing on two feet.
“Nico, where did you go? Raven was really worried because you disappeared without a trace.”
“What do you want from Lydia?”
The subject suddenly struck him in the heart. Usually, this fairy cat was always carefree, but when it came to Lydia truly encountering a crisis, he would be more pained than anyone else.
He would believe that Edgar was cowardly, which was to be expected.
“Do you want her forgiveness? Her ability as a fairy doctor? The duties of a Countess? Lydia wants to give everything to you, so if there is anything she can’t satisfy you with, she will think that she’s completely worthless.”
“......You’re referring to Sylvainford?”
“Not only that.”
There were still other things? Edgar looked at Nico, baffled, but he squinted his eyes and looked into the distance.
“Hey, Earl, if you had no choice but to give up something because of Lydia, what would you do?”
“I won’t do anything. After all, I only hope that I can walk alongside Lydia in the future. There is nothing I would want to abandon her for.”
Nico glanced at him with suspicious eyes.
“Lydia accepts the fate that you bear in its entirety, so please do the same.”
Edgar stopped waving the hand which held the shovel.
“All of Lydia’s fate?”
“Darnell seems to be the McKeel clan’s Prophet.”
What?
He felt the blood instantly rush straight to his head.
I see, so that was why. That man was loitering around Lydia and giving him hostile looks. It was why Darnell was investigating Lydia, he took the initiative to rush over and protect her from what happened last night.
“Is he really the Prophet?”
“I don’t think so.”
Since Nico said that, Edgar slightly regained his calm.
“Then that won’t be a problem.”
“But, Lydia is indeed the Prophet’s fiancée.”
“Isn’t the duty of the fiancée to be responsible for opening the coffin in the sacred land? Even if she originally should have been by the Prophet’s side fulfilling the role like that of an assistant,  it’s impossible now for Lydia to want to work on behalf of the McKeel clan, isn’t it?”
But Nico solemnly shook his head.
“No, the Prophet’s fiancée doesn’t have that kind of responsibility.”
“Then what would it be?”
Nico made a complex expression, drooping his ears as he lowered his head.
“I...... can’t say anything.”
Edgar sighed. In the end, what on earth did Nico want to say?
“But, I can tell you about this first. The person who opened the coffin in the sacred land was Aurora. Lydia, who was a baby, was also there at the time. Was it Aurora who became the fiancée that would resurrect the Prophet? Or was it Lydia? The only definite thing was that Aurora had already left the world.”
Edgar thought that Lydia was only among the people that were born into the fiancée family tree, but it seems that according to Nico’s words, she has now become the only woman who has connections with the Prophet.
Even if Lydia, who was in the stages of infancy, didn’t remember, the Prophet whom Aurora awakened knows of Lydia, and perhaps a special link already existed between both sides.
Inevitably, there will be a day where that link will descend upon Lydia in some form. Even though they were able to escape from the McKeel clan, Edgar didn’t know how to cut off the magic link.
“Hey, Earl, if you’re battered by your own matters, and don’t have the extra energy to think about Lydia’s fate, then you won’t be able overcome what happens in the future, so that’s why I’m telling you now.”
Recently, Edgar’s mind was indeed filled with the matters of Sylvainford, and was criticized by Nico such that he couldn’t refute, and could only keep silent.
“Lydia still doesn’t know about these things, so you should decide before it’s too late.”
“......Decide? What do I have to decide?”
He blurted out this question, and could only consider this as thinking aloud, because he already knew the answer.
He needed to decide if it was possible for him to accept all of Lydia.
Until now, Edgar was concerned about one thing, that is, he didn’t know whether or not he should get Lydia involved in his own troubles when all is said and done.  After all, Lydia saved him, and he wished to continue living together with her and decided that he was going to protect her no matter what.
But with regards to Lydia’s fate, how far ahead did she think in the end? When she was brought back from the island of the McKeel clan, Edgar thought it was possible as long as he pulled himself together.
He believed that as long as he could seal the Prince’s memories, then everything would be alright. The McKeel clan’s enemy was the Prince, and not Edgar himself, so he and Lydia’s existences would not clash.
But, if something were to happen to Lydia, regardless of whether or not is was associated with the Prince, would it pull her apart from Edgar?
Even so, was Edgar prepared to spend the future with her? Nico’s sharp questions made him feel uneasy.
Lydia accepted everything about Edgar’s fate and stayed by his side. She was also prepared to that extent, but what about Edgar?
While he was worried about the Prophet appearing, Edgar tried to believe that he and Lydia had already cut off the fate that was bound to the other man until now.
In Brittany, Lydia said that whether it was the past or future, the two of them would share it. Did he have this kind of awareness? No matter what kind of fate was wrapped around Lydia, could he vow that he absolutely wouldn’t let go of Lydia?
Ever since obtaining the name of the Blue Knight Earl, he should have already forgotten about Sylvainford, and yet now, Lydia was being tormented because of that name.
......Was it already too late?
Edgar felt angry at himself. He stuck the shovel into the ground with all his might.
The sound of something hard made him return to his senses.
It was a rock.
After Edgar discovered that, he immediately dug around it a bit more. Surely enough he was right, there truly was a large rock buried underneath.
“You’re quite used to manual labour.”
Francis stood in front, and Raven just happened to climb up the hill afterwards.
Nico disappeared, without knowing when.
“Amazing, you found it.”
“Yeah, what you said before gave me a clue.”
“Me? What was it?”
“Didn’t you get lost before, then came out from this lakeside with Swan and met up with Lydia? At that time, you said that you happened to see the sun rise from between the bushes on the opposite bank.”
Edgar used his finger and pointed towards that direction. If they looked from this side, the sun was just about to rise nearby.
“The majority of the rock’s remnants are located in an area at the junction between another world and the human world, where magic is easily stored. If you guys had entered the other world previously, then I think that the area that you came out of should have a rock nearby.”
“Oh, so this was my contribution.”
Although he was quite shameless, he wasn’t malicious, so Edgar laughed.
“Exactly, can this be considered as something that you discovered?”
Francis glimpsed at Raven, concerned.
“Raven’s expression is quite scary. I think it seems to say that I clearly haven’t done anything and yet I’m feeling proud.”
“Aren’t you an expert at bluffing?”
“Indeed. But why is that? Aren’t you trying hard to make Lydia see your strengths?”
“Such a thing is futile.”
Edgar said, then gave the shovel to Francis.
“Dig around and expose the rock completely.”
“I’m not good at manual labour.”
“Wait until you get better in exercising your brain, then say it again.”

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“Ohh so it was Francis who found it then?”
Lota stared at the exposed rock in admiration.
Lydia, Paul, Swan and Kelly were also all around it. In the midst of everyone’s exclamations, Francis reported the speculations that he heard from Edgar a moment ago.
Without doubt, Lydia didn’t know about the things that had happened.
She merely thought that the gaze Raven was using to look at Francis seemed to be quite cold, so she found it strange.
Carrying out the task to find the rock was originally scheduled for today, so everyone was gathered on the hill by the lakeside, but they found that Francis and Raven had already arrived first. Moreover, they saw Francis digging out the rock, and so they cheered for him.
At that moment, Francis took in everyone’s gazes of respect, and he stuck out his chest happily.
“Finding it was quite exhausting as the rock had fallen and been buried in the ground. But fortunately I believed in my judgement, and thought that this was definitely the place.”
“Hey, Lydia, if the rock fell to the ground, does that mean it needs to be moved upright? That seems a little difficult.”
Lota said.
“It shouldn’t matter even if it’s placed that way, because the main point is the swan picture, so if this rock is near the drawing, then it’s fine.”
“That’s right, but what are you planning on doing? It’s impossible for the drawing which has already disappeared to be dug out like the rock, right?”
Francis tilted his head, finding it strange.
“Yes, so I asked Mr. Paul for help yesterday.”
“Ah, I’m ready, although I was listening to the descriptions of the elderly who saw the picture while drawing it out, I feel that it’s slightly inaccurate.”
Paul opened his sketchbook; in it was a picture of a swan with its wings spread.
“It’s probably this kind of feeling, but it can’t be exactly the same.”
“It’s more than enough, Mr. Paul.”
He truly deserves to be called a painter; although it was a simple line drawing, it possessed dynamism, as if one could hear the sound of flapping wings through its graceful posture.
Lydia shut her eyes for a moment; a swan fluttering in the sky and spreading its wings over this hill emerged within her mind. Just like that, she was able to imagine the robust earth’s power gathering here like it did in the past.
As long as the white lines appeared in the earth, the swans soaring in the sky would definitely be clearly seen from above.
“Hey, Swan, we’ll be able to see the swan picture soon. What do you think? Isn’t this better than before?”
She tilted her head, as she probably couldn’t think of anything, but her eyes were shining with anticipation.
“Yes, it definitely be even better than before.”
“Does it not matter that this painting is different from the content of the previous one?”
Kelly was quite interested as she gazed at the sketchbook.
“It’s fine as long as it portrays the swan.”
“Oh, is that so.”
“However, the problem is........  how we’re going to use to enlarge the picture onto the hill. If there isn’t a lookout point that’s a little higher, then we can’t see the whole thing.”
“There is no need.”
Paul said happily.
“As long as there is a rope and wooden sticks, this drawing can be enlarged drawn on the ground. When it comes to drawing large murals, this is used to expand and draw the copy as well. As long as we use the same principle, we can enlarge it as much as we want so let’s start the task at once.”
“As expected of Paul.”
Upon receiving Lota’s praise, Paul laughed in embarrassment. Then, everyone started working according to Paul’s instructions.
This so-called design was the ground that was dug out shallowly, exposing the layer of white limestone.  By burying the dark soil underneath which was originally piled on top, then covering the surface of the land with the chalky soil, the white line drawing could slowly be completed that way.
Since it didn’t have to be dug quite deeply, it didn’t require a lot of effort; even a woman could carry it out smoothly.
“That being said, Edgar said something about social event for nobles, then completely leaving the rest of Lydia?”
Lota whispered, as if she suddenly remembered.
“He was invited here after all, so he can’t really act in accordance with his own interests. In fact, at first I had to make more of an effort in social gatherings as well, but this time, the Duchess specially allowed me to not participate.”
As long as the swan festival reappears, perhaps there will be many swans flying again. After Lydia explained that to the Duchess, she promised Lydia, full of interest, agreeing that it was fine as long as she appeared during teatime, so she was able to concentrate on this task.
Currently, the ladies deliberately weren’t mentioning the tension between Lydia and Kathleen. Not only did getting along with those people tire Lydia out, she didn’t have the self-confidence to act properly when she walked in front of others with Edgar either. That way, only while thinking about the swan fairies and the ship, she was able to calm down and forget herself that nothing could be done, this was Lydia’s motive.
“Does that woman, Kathleen’s affairs not matter?”
Lota skillfully used the large shovel. Her brown hair swayed like a horse’s tail, and although Lydia was staring at her hair, she wasn’t really looking at it.
“Even if I think about it again it’s useless...... this will have to be left for Edgar to decide in the end.”
“Is that so.”
Lota replied, making Lydia look at her anxiously.
“Since you’re already married, the two of you ought to decide together what it is, right?”
What Lota said was correct, but if Lydia wanted to discuss it with him, it was very likely that she would make an emotional statement.
Give up on Sylvainford. Only look at me.
Did she really have the right to say that?
Darnell appeared as the Prophet, and what he said weighed heavily on future between the two of them.
Fate is something that can’t be resisted, but she simply wanted to be happy with Edgar.
“I’ve always felt that as soon as something horrible happens, it will be something that will make Edgar’s feelings distant from me......”
“It’s not like that!”
Kelly stood up suddenly.
“This morning, Master.......”
Kelly spoke halfway, then Raven, who was behind her, covered her mouth.
“Miss Kelly, could I ask you to come and help?”
Raven politely asked, after having grabbed Kelly, who could only nod, from behind.
“In that case, I will borrow Miss Kelly for a bit.”
“Uh...... okay, but Raven, when you’re asking someone to do something, don’t threaten them.”
“I understand.”
Just like that, he took Kelly away.
Should she have told him to release Kelly first? Perhaps Kelly wouldn’t know how to get along with Raven even more.
“Lydia, you’ll be at a disadvantage if you’re too reasonable, you have to make that guy wrack his brains more.”
Although Lota said that, Lydia didn’t want to see Edgar’s worried appearance because of her, so she could only smile vaguely.

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In the end, who was it that wanted to frame Lydia with that sort of disgraceful accusation?
Edgar walked into the billiards room where everyone was gathered, trying to locate that man.
A competition was being held on the terrace, and there was tension amongst the surrounding spectators. Edgar stood by the man who currently had the cue, pretending that he was watching the match.
This man was called Wesley, and was a black-haired, medium built young man who had just graduated from public school.
Despite Raven, who chased after the intruder last night and suddenly lost him, he had already investigated the visitors of the nearby guest rooms thoroughly, because the man would have definitely escaped into his own room.
Then, this man’s stature matched with the intruder’s condition that Raven had a glance at.
Since Edgar came to the country house, it was the first time seeing this man, so he didn’t think that this man harbored resentment towards Lydia or him. Sure enough, there was a scheme of a third party amongst it. He thought while looking at the side of Wesley’s face.
Edgar vaguely felt that perhaps Kathleen was involved.
A young lady from a good family absolutely wouldn’t be able to do this sort of humiliating thing. No matter how things were, would that innocent girl come up with such a plan?
Although Edgar thought so, on the other hand, he also recalled the things that have occurred up until now. Her actions always portrayed herself as a modest victim, and was also willing to forgive Lydia, but if Lydia didn’t commit any offense that required forgiveness, then Kathleen’s approach was merely trying to shift the blame onto her.
Edgar believed in Lydia. At last, the answer was found; it must have been Kathleen using a small trick to try and damage Lydia’s reputation.
Of course, this was just a thought, and he had to unveil the truth no matter what.
Edgar stared at Wesley, and he seemed to have noticed it. His hands were trembling, seemingly knowing that he did something that would make him glared at.
He took a shot and missed completely, and the crowd sighed.
“What a pity.”
Edgar spoke to him, and he was forced to turn around.
“Um...... yes.”
“Was it me that distracted you?”
“Wh--why do you say that? It had nothing to do with you.”
“I see. I originally thought that you knew what I wanted to say.”
“I wouldn’t know, what are you talking about?”
Edgar leaned towards Wesley and stared at him. For a young boy who had just graduated from school, this was probably his first time feeling scared of someone. His wide eyes kept trembling, unable to look away from Edgar.
Edgar suddenly changed his attitude and revealed a smile, then hung his arm around the boy’s shoulders.
“Let’s go and chat in another room.”
Wesley probably felt scared, so he silently obeyed. After heading into an empty room, Edgar loosened his hand, and he immediately knelt down on the floor, as if he collapsed.
“I’m sorry...... please forgive me, I won’t ever do it again.”
Edgar was quite surprised, because the person involved appeared to have a casual attitude when playing with love recklessly.
“I’m telling you, in this world, there are actions that can and can’t be forgiven.”
Once he said that, Wesley immediately shifted his reasoning, flustered.
“Bu-but, I only received a letter of invitation...... uh, no, I found it quite strange, the letter was tucked in from underneath the door, uh...... she was a very cute woman, so I couldn’t help but feel happy and believe that it was the truth, but upon thinking about it carefully, she probably couldn’t have written that sort of letter.”
“Don’t talk as if you know what kind of woman Lydia is.”
“No! I merely thought, uh, that she wasn’t arrogant and she wasn’t used to interacting with men either. From the beginning, I didn’t think that she was a married woman.”
Indeed, the contents of the letter were quite contrived; it was written by an experienced upper-class woman.
In the end, this guy got carried away merely because he received a letter from a woman. Apparently, he seemed to have only been deceived, and it didn’t look like he was lying.
“Then, since you know that she is a married woman who made an appointment, does that mean you wanted to compete with me?”
He nervously waved his hands.
“How is that possible? I simply...... didn’t think about that sort of thing...... I heard rumors about you in the past, and knew that there weren’t a lack of women around you...... so I only thought that if she had this sort of husband, then she would probably be quite lonely.”
He seemed to be the sort of person that was too honest, and therefore would say unnecessary things.
“You say that I make Lydia lonely?”
As soon as his tone became tough, Wesley looked for an excuse with a pale face once again.
“Because weren’t you not in the room last night?  I heard that you snuck out to visit a widow.”
Edgar was surprised, then he calmed down, as he intuitively thought that this was very important.
“Who did you hear this from?”
Edgar also knew that this place had a widow who was an expert in spreading rumors of love affairs. With regards to the matter of her and some gentleman secretly having a relationship, it was a well-known fact amongst acquaintances.
If no one deliberately told Wesley that her partner was Edgar, then he probably wouldn’t have misunderstood.
That being said, the person who told him such a lie was very suspicious.
“......I remember...... it was Lord Grandy.”
Kathleen’s fiancé.
However, Grandy probably didn’t know about Kathleen’s strong attachment towards Edgar. If it was known, then the engagement would fall apart, and lending a hand to frame Lydia would have no benefit.
What on earth is going on?
Edgar, who was in the midst of contemplation, abandoned Wesley and left the room. When he came to his senses, he had already walked into the reception room.
“Hey, Edgar, does it not matter if you leave your wife by herself?”
A friend amongst the crowd spoke with Edgar alone.
It wasn’t because he liked doing this either, but Lydia, Lota and Paul left for the hill by the lake together.
“Being too restrictive isn’t good either.”
“I see, if you want to play a game, persuading your wife to go and find a bit of dangerous fun is an option as well. In regards to that, if the person is an artist then you don’t have to worry about him bringing any future trouble. Despite offering their body and mind for their reputation, love affairs are merely the art of provision for them, and nothing more.”
A person on the side spoke.
“In other words...... even if you make a mistake, you wouldn’t run away with a woman. Lord Ashenbert, wouldn’t it be too soon for you to feel fed up?”
Edgar raised his eyebrows, unable to understand, but his friends continued.
“Sure enough, you aren’t the type that will settle down after marriage.”
“After obtaining it, you feel bored, right?”
“I bet it’ll cool down within half a year, I’ll be able to win the bet.”
“I still think that the honeymoon stage will last a little longer.”
Upon finding out that his happiness of the newlywed life was being bet on, Edgar felt angry.
Someone unwillingly handed over a banknote, and he snatched it from the side, saying:
“Stop joking around. If a man approaches my wife, then I will tie him to the railroad tracks. They haven’t encountered a woman who they genuinely love, so they probably wouldn’t understand my attitude.”
“Hey, you haven’t cooled down at all.”
The man who originally believed he would lose the bet immediately stood up in great spirits.
“Edgar, I’m on your side.”
Good grief, these guys only have gambling in their minds.
“Aside from that, where did the rumours of the artist that you spoke of just now come from?”
Edgar seriously considered sewing shut the mouth of the first guy who said that.
“I don’t know, but the women over there were spreading rumours, saying that someone saw a violinist entering your room last night.”
They were talking about Darnell; was he seen by someone?
“Mr. Finn certainly did come to the room, but I was also there at the time.”
After Edgar said that, everyone had an expression as if they suddenly realized.
“These are rumors after all.”
“Oh my, the rumours will disappear quite quickly anyways. Besides, aren’t the ladies gathering together to ask Mr. Finn to confirm it?”
After the man said that and pointed, Darnell had just entered into the reception room, surrounded by ladies.
False Prophet. Edgar already decided that he was going to regard him this way. Even so, since you claim to the Prophet, then you likely wouldn’t damage Lydia’s reputation, right? He looked at Darnell with a gaze that contained these opinions.
Perhaps he noticed it, as Darnell looked towards that direction. In this way, he opposed Edgar’s gaze while replying to the ladies’ questions.
“If it’s about that, I received an invitation from the Ashenbert couple last night, and I chatted a bit about Vienna.”
“That was a very meaningful time.”
Edgar smiled at Darnell.
The surrounding people let out voices of understanding yet disappointment, and Darnell believed that the topic concluded here, thus he placed the violin on his shoulder.
A friend amongst the crowd shrugged his shoulders.
“In that case, the gambling will continue, it hasn’t even been half a year yet.”
“The loser is you, whether half a year, ten years, or one hundred years pass, the result will be the same.”
Edgar pointed his finger at his friend’s nose.
Edgar pondered within the fit of clear laughter.
Who spread this sort of rumour?
The person who said strange things to Wesley was Grandy.
The person who wrote that false letter might have taken the opportunity to steal a glance from the side when Wesley went to go find Lydia, then planned on waiting until there was a commotion to rush out and expose the letter Lydia had written in front of everyone.
Since that’s the case, the person likely knew that Darnell had appeared as well.
Someone’s plan failed in the end because of Darnell, but because this scheme didn’t succeed, that person created a rumour between Darnell and Lydia.
Sure enough, the purpose was to try and lower everyone’s evaluation of Lydia.
If the culprit truly was Grandy, then why did he do such a thing?
In order for Edgar to protect Lydia, what was he going to do? The more he examined the situation, the more confused he felt.
The sound of the violin echoed in the reception room.
Even if you didn’t want to hear it, the sound would enter the ears.
The calm and steady performance made Edgar recall Darnell’s unperturbed behaviour, which made Edgar fretful, as everything had been unfavourable recently.
Like running water, the quietly flowing fingers and strings didn’t have the slightest bit of unnecessary movement, but even so, the feelings that rushed forth from the depths of the notes increased in brilliance for him and the song.
Although the expression Darnell gave to others was gentle, he possessed the fiery soul of a Highlander within him.
The man from the McKeel family claiming to be the Prophet declared a challenge against Edgar.
Yes, I accept the challenge.
Edgar also had pride and perseverance. In the past, it was the aristocratic qualities that the Duke of Sylvainford’s family possessed, which he came from.
But, it was the pride that the Blue Knight Earl should have. The abilities he possessed and the things that he obtained with Lydia’s help were everything of the current Edgar.
Although Sylvainford didn’t protect him, the Blue Knight Earl title gave him life and hope.
As long as Edgar is able to maintain the Blue Knight Earl’s status, the Prophet wasn’t a necessary existence, and even though it was the “fianceé’s” fate, he will change it.
After using his gaze to toss a declaration of war, Edgar was about leave the reception room when the three Roden sisters nearly passed by him and stopped.
“Earl, may I ask where Lydia is?”
“We must apologise to Lydia.”
They revealed a solemn expression.
“Apologise? Why?”
“Because recently we were avoiding Lydia...... hearing that she didn’t apologise to Miss Kathleen, we questioned her.”
This made Edgar quite distressed. If he was able to frankly apologize like them, then it would have been fine. On the other hand, he also knew that for him, this wasn’t something that could be resolved by a mere apology.
With regards to Lydia, the person she wished to obtain trust from the most was Edgar, and this probably wasn’t his presumption. Because of this, even if Edgar said he believed in her now, it wouldn’t reach her heart.
Not to mention that Lydia was quite aware of Edgar not being able to get his mind off Sylvainford.
“Lydia went to the hill by the lake, do you want me to take you all there?”
“Will that be okay?”
“Although I promised to have another match with the Duke, there is still a bit of time.”
“Thank you very much!”
To see them so happy, he also felt that his spirit was slightly comforted. It was fine as long as Lydia wasn’t continuously regarded as a horrible person.
Upon thinking about it, Edgar suddenly felt suspicious. How did they resolve their misunderstanding towards Lydia?
“You believe that Lydia didn’t do anything wrong, correct?”
“Yes, the one who lied was Miss Kathleen.”
“Because she didn’t sprain her leg at all.”
“......What?”
The three sisters walked while giving a detailed explanation towards the astonished Edgar.
This included the maid who saw her suddenly pretending to drag her foot while walking, and Beth suggesting to use a snake to set up a trap. As expected, Kathleen ran out, then was found out by her fiancé, Grandy.
While passing through the courtyard and into the endless fields, the three sisters continued explaining.
“I don’t know if she was scolded by Lord Grandy afterwards, but she didn’t even take a step out of her room today.”
Since Kathleen’s injury was a lie, then her falling down severely beside Lydia ought to have been deliberate as well.
Furthermore, Lydia was not aware that Kathleen’s leg injury was a lie, and so since she wasn’t willing to apologize, did it mean that she didn’t brush off Kathleen’s hand at all?
All of this was a perfect act by Kathleen.
But right now, he shouldn’t be able to explain that Kathleen was lying as Grandy blamed Lydia for it.
“Have you told anyone else about this yet?”
“Yes, we told our friends, because it will be too shameful if Lydia gets misunderstood at this rate.”
Things will definitely spread quickly.
“Thank you. Luckily you guys are here, so Lydia won’t be treated coldly again.”
“Why would Miss Kathleen lie?”
“She probably wants to draw attention. It’s her first time attending this sort of gathering, and besides, even though it’s her fiancé that brought her here, she doesn’t even have a single friend.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s a bit of a shame.”
“But she went as far as to gain sympathy by shifting the blame to Lydia. When the tea spilled and she scalded herself, she did it on purpose for sympathy as well.”
Indeed, no one would blame an injured person. As a result, she approached Lydia and made her out as a person who injures others, and tried to make Edgar misunderstand as well.
After realizing the truth, Edgar felt even more upset.
The reason why Kathleen pretended that she sprained her leg was probably in order to attract Edgar’s attention, and her actions intensified after that, even going so far to frame Lydia. In the end, the person who hurt Lydia the most was Edgar.
The lake finally appeared before them.
There were figures on the western side of the hill; they became aware of several people standing at various points on the hill, working with great effort.
The people standing next to the unearthed rock ought to have been Lydia and Lota.
Edgar stood next to a lone tree.
“Lydia is over there.”
“What is everybody doing?”
“They’re drawing a huge swan picture.”
“A picture of a swan? There are paintings on the room doors in the mansion.”
“The designs are different in each room, have you noticed, Earl?”
“Ohhh, that being said, there seems to be all kinds of designs. Such as some with their wings spread, and others that are swimming, it truly is exquisite.”
“The letter writing papers in each room have the same pattern as the door of the room, and every room is different.”
Having heard this, Edgar’s eyes widened.
If this was true, then the room that last night’s letter writing paper came from was obvious at a glance.
“I see. So that’s how it is. Thank you all for telling me!”
Edgar’s face was covered with happiness, and the three sisters laughed cheerfully as well.
“Earl, do you really like swans? In that case, would Lydia be drawing that swan picture for you?”
“No, it’s to help the fairies.”
“Fairies? Really?”
“Can we see it?”
“If you go and help, you might be able to see it!”
“Let’s go!”
The three sisters ran over.
He felt as if he heard Lydia’s happy laughter when greeting them, and he couldn’t help but feel knots in his stomach.
Recently, he hadn’t seen Lydia’s open smile from the bottom of her heart, and if this continued on, it really meant that it wouldn’t be possible to have everything of Lydia.
But now wasn’t the time for hesitation or worry.
The only thing he could do was to pour so much love towards her to the point of bewildering her. He originally didn’t have anything at all, so it was only in this way that he was able to give towards Lydia, right?
Currently, the things that supported everything of his were given to him by Lydia.
“Lord Edgar.”
Raven went over beside him, it was not known when he had found Edgar.
“Would you like to come to Lydia’s side? The drawing will be completed soon.”
Edgar stood in the shade, looking at Lydia while shaking his head.
“I have to return to the mansion.”
After the three sisters ran over, they also joined in on the work, standing and sitting on the slope of the hill, drawing limestone lines on the ground. Although the shape of the drawing couldn’t be seen, Paul was walking everywhere while holding the sketchbook, confirming each point.
“Raven, it seems that I have been avoiding confrontation with Lydia, because I feel that Sylvainford is my own emotional problem, but my past no longer belongs to me alone.”
Just like how Lydia was related to the McKeel family, as well as the connection with the Prophet that even she was unaware about, they were equally as important to Edgar, as the both of them shared everything that they had.
“So you don’t have to worry, I’m going to settle things.”
“Does that mean you’ve made a decision?”
It was Nico’s voice. Without knowing when, he stood next to Edgar.
“I am a person who had once lost everything. After I met Lydia, I obtained new life, so even if I were to lose everything again, I feel that as long as Lydia is by my side, the only thing I won’t lose is hope. If she isn’t here, it will be meaningless even if I tried to obtain anything.”
Nico put his paws on his hips, looking up at Edgar.
“So, Nico, I don’t have to think over anything at all. No matter what kind of fate descends upon her, I will Lydia so much that the “Prophet’s fiancée” won’t cross her mind at all.”
Lydia stood up. Edgar saw her stretching her arms, as the drawing was probably completed.
“Is that so.”
Nico sighed in relief, but lowered his head slightly.
“From my standpoint, there’s no way for me to honestly be happy, as the so-called humans can’t decide whether or not they will change their plans in a crucial moment.”
Humans were different to fairies that would change continuously. They would carve precious memories into their hearts that cannot be forgotten.
“If you see me having a change in heart soon, you’ll give me a cat punch won’t you?”
“I’m definitely not a cat.”
A gust of wind blew.
The wind blew across the shelterless empty plains, but the sound of the wind wasn’t distant, and continued to echo unnaturally.
Just as they were thought that, there were swans that nearly covered their field of vision, flying above the hill where Lydia and the others were.
Their white wings unfolded, waved, and fluttered in the sky along with the sound.
Astonished, he carefully fixed his gaze, and found that it was a large flock of swans.
One by one, they flew from within the swan picture towards the sky. The connected path which was originally sealed could be released using the energy of the earth.
“Amazing…”
Edgar couldn't help mumbling to himself.
Lydia, Lota and the three Roden sisters held hands, formed a circle and laughed in excitement.
She simply looked like an innocent maiden, but she was contributing her knowledge for humans and fairies, as another mysterious world opened before Edgar’s eyes.
The more he understood Lydia like this, the more he was captivated by her. It wasn’t only now, but everyday he liked her more and more. He never imagined that he would have these sorts of feelings for another person.
Looking up at the sky, the flock of swans that she set free were now gracefully flapping their wings and soaring above Edgar’s head.
“Raven, let’s go, I still have unfinished business.”
Seemingly relieved, Raven bowed his head and looked at Nico, whose figure appeared, then nodded towards Edgar.
“Ah, that’s right. One more thing. Please bring Lota over quietly.”