Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 21 - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 ♦ The exposed sin

The flock of swans fluttered around the hill for quite a long time.
Their circle gradually expanded outwards, and several swans eventually left their original colony, flying far into the vast plains.
Lydia calmly looked all over the swan picture that was on the ground.
“Are they all swan fairies?”
“Yes, the swans that have lost their magic and scattered into the wilderness have regained their true form.”
“Then Swan, too?”
She rushed down the hill.
About ten or so swans descended by the lake, transforming into the appearance of maidens.
These fairies who welcomed Swan warmly should be the swan maidens that Francis found at the old lady’s home. Lydia hastily ran down the hill and got closer.
“You’re Lady Ibrazel, right?”
The swans who transformed into humans were dressed in simple white clothes, and greeted her.
“Thank you very much, we have recovered our true form and remember our past. Now, we can soar once again into the vast sky.”
“Mr. Francis was absolutely right. Surely enough, the Blue Knight Earl would definitely help us.”
“I’m glad. But this time, Lydia and I played a more active role than the Earl.”
Francis stood beside Lydia with a smile.
However, the swans didn’t seem happy from the bottom of their hearts. They worriedly surrounded Swan, then looked at Lydia.
“Countess, we thought of everything then realized something. She isn’t a swan from the same flock as us, furthermore, it seems like she hasn’t regained her true form.”
Lydia was also a little concerned. When the swans were flying in the air, Swan just kept looking up at the sky.
The swans regained their magic, all of them retrieved their wings, but she didn’t transform into a swan, nor could she soar.
“Why…… is it only me……”
She looked up at Lydia, worried.
“I’m sorry, Countess, it turns out I’m not the same as them... I can’t remember anything about the ship, and there’s no way for me to help, I’m truly sorry.”
She suddenly lost her strength and slumped to the ground.
“Swan!”
Lydia ran to her side, but Swan’s figure disappeared before her eyes.
The swan maidens flapped their wings at the same time in astonishment, raising a gust of wind in the surroundings.
“Where did Swan go?”
“Lady Ibrazel, we will go and look for her. She might not be a swan, but something very similar to us……”
As the swans spread their wings to depart, Lydia stood in place, feeling quite dismayed.
She felt that the one who wasn’t helping ought to have been herself.
“What on earth should be done?”
Although she wasn’t asking a question and muttering to herself instead, everyone at the scene couldn’t answer the question.
Lydia was the only fairy expert.
She took a heavy step.
“Madam Lydia……”
“I want to think about it alone.”
Although Kelly was very worried, she still stopped.
Francis followed along after feeling troubled.
Lydia continued to walk without looking over to his side, then he walked up towards Lydia and said to her:
“Go and discuss it with Edgar, this isn’t an issue that must be resolved by you alone.”
Yes, that was what Lydia had been doing all along.
But now, Lydia was quite afraid to tell him that she lost a clue to the ship, and she felt that Edgar would feel even more fed up with her.
“He doesn't know much about fairies either.”
Nevertheless, Edgar was still the Blue Knight Earl, and how matters ought to be dealt with when it came to a bottleneck should be left to him to determine.
Lydia fell silent, and he continued:
“Furthermore, Lydia, the swan’s picture wasn’t completed by you alone either.”
“I know. If it weren’t for the help of everyone, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything. Moreover, Francis, you found the important rock.”
“It wasn’t me that found it.”
Lydia looked up at Francis in surprise.
“It was Edgar who found it, he searched for the rock by himself at dawn. Although he doesn’t have your abilities, he did his best to try and understand what kind of things fairies and magic were, so only then was he able to find the buried rock.”
“But, then why...”
Francis relaxed and lowered his shoulders.
“You mean why I said that I found it? It was Edgar who wanted me to. This is the work of the Earl's family, in other words, he is purely working for himself. So he probably wouldn’t want to use this matter to make you have a better impression of him.”
Why did Edgar want to obtain merit, Lydia didn't quite understand. As the Countess, the person who lost merit ought to have been herself.
“We can help you, but if you’re confused with regards to making judgements as a fairy doctor, then it’s Edgar’s responsibility to think over it together with you.”
Even so, Francis’ words still echoed within her heart.
She and Edgar had become family, and both tried to walk through things together. Finding the path to the fairy kingdom was the wish of both of them as well.
To Edgar, the desire of wanting to retrieve Sylvainford might have already strengthened. Lydia felt very uneasy about this, but on the other hand, she also had the issue of the Prophet revolving around her.
But, they probably still possessed the same wish between them. She hoped to advance forward with Edgar in hand, and be able to walk as far as they could together.
“Francis, thank you.”
As she liked Edgar, there was no doubt about that. 
Although she didn't know what would happen in the future, she had to convey her current feelings to him.
She wanted to tell Edgar that she didn’t push Kathleen, and that although there were many problems, the only thing she didn’t want to lose was their bond as husband and wife.
Lydia began to run.

                                                                                                                                                 *

After Edgar returned to the country house, he proceeded towards the smoking room with Lota.
The large hinged doors were opened widely, and the gentlemen were reading or talking and laughing.
After Edgar escorted Lota and entered the room, Kathleen, who was sitting on the sofa, looked over towards him first. Perhaps because Edgar brought an unfamiliar woman, Kathleen’s expression was complicated as she cast an inquisitive glance.
Edgar didn’t look at her, rather he looked at the person beside her.
It was Lord Grandy. He was smoking tobacco, arrogantly sitting on the armchair, and chatting with others. After Edgar walked over, he looked up at him in surprise.
“Lord Grandy, do you have a moment?”
“What is it?”
As he exhaled the smoke, his eyebrows wrinkled subtly. 
“It might not be best in front of your fiancée.”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything that my fiancée would hear of and be troubled over.”
“Then I’ll say it, I’m sorry old man, I have no interest in being your lover.”
Lota said in an unexpectedly loud voice.
The glances of everyone in the room were gathered towards them, and Grandy couldn’t help but extinguish his tobacco in confusion.
“Lover? Wh--what is going on? And besides, who are you?”
“This is Princess Cremona --- Princess Charlotte, who is a good friend of my wife, and as far as I am concerned, I must raise a protest against the obvious temptation towards her.”
Lota knew that Edgar suggesting this act was for Lydia, so she enthusiastically put one foot on the chair and shouted:
“Besides, what does that mean? You said that I was so strong that it provoked your desires? This isn’t a compliment to women at all! Are you kidding me?!”
“What on earth is going on? Don’t speak of such nonsense.”
Grandy retorted with a face flushed with anger, and Edgar raised the letter for him to see.
“This letter was written by you, wasn’t it?”
This was the letter that Wesley left behind last night, but the first page didn't have Lydia’s name.
This part had earnest courtship language such as “I’ve fallen in love with you,” written.
Of course this was a woman writing to a man, but as long as this alone was taken out to see, whether it was considered as a woman writing to a man or a man writing to a woman, they were both possible.
Moreover, as long as one saw Lota, who was pompous like a man, the surrounding people would believe that this was a love letter written by a man to a woman, despite the content containing language such as ‘strong’ in it.
“Me? Please don't talk nonsense.”
“This is the letter paper placed in your room though. There are different designs of letter paper prepared in each room, did you not know?”
Edgar listened to what the three Roden sisters have said and immediately investigated the doors of the guest rooms, but he didn’t spend too much time because the design was the same as Grandy’s room, which was the first one he confirmed.
Grandy seemingly began to panic, as the blood slowly vanished from his face, which was originally flushed with anger.
“Even if that’s the case, this letter paper could have been taken out, furthermore, this letter doesn’t have a second page, so if you check it, you will know that the sender’s name is there.”
“Oh, why do you know that this letter isn’t just one page, and that the sender’s name is written on it?”
He couldn't answer, and the surroundings went quiet.
“With things having reached this stage, stop pretending. Either way I’m going to confirm, so hurry up and write something!”
Lota brought over the pen and scrap paper that was at the side table and placed it on the table. Perhaps it was because as long as the handwriting was compared, it would inevitably be quite similar, Grandy began to panic.
The more frantic he was, the more the others cast cold stares towards him, but Grandy still tried to resist the atmosphere.
“......No, this is quite absurd, Lord Ashenbert. This is clearly a letter written by a woman to a man.”
He snatched the letter from Edgar’s hands to confirm the content, then pointed it out smugly.
“Look, the “you” in here described that person as an ‘outstanding man.’”
“Oh my, you knew it was a woman writing to a man before seeing it, how shocking, but if this is what you wrote, then that’s to be expected.”
The more Grandy spoke, the more he dug his own grave. He was at a loss for words once again, and Edgar continued to speak before him.
“That’s right, the contents of the letter were written by a woman to a man, furthermore, the second page has my wife’s name written down as the sender. You secretly placed this letter of seduction using her name as a false pretense, into the room of an innocent man, and she was put in danger as a result. I honestly didn’t think a decent gentleman would do such a thing.”
The surrounding people were in an uproar, as they all cast him scornful gazes.
“Old man, you’re so stupid, it would have been fine if you said that you wrote this love letter to me, perhaps everyone would have laughed it off in this way.”
Lola chuckled, but Edgar still couldn’t laugh.
“Why did you do such a thing? Do you have a grudge against me or my wife?”
If Grandy was merely exposed to be the writer, the matter wouldn’t be resolved, because he absolutely must have done it for a reason.
“Was it because your fiancée claimed that my wife made her fall, you wanted revenge?”
Kathleen, who was sitting next to Grandy, revealed an uneasy expression.
“Could it be that it was Miss Kathleen who asked you to take revenge?”
Grandy looked away; it seemed that he hit the mark.
Edgar thought to himself that this truly was the case, and felt anger rather than dismay. At first, he hoped that Kathleen wasn’t a despicable person, but now, he felt quite angry in regards to him having this way of thinking.
In this way, Edgar looked towards Kathleen fretfully. She immediately panicked and spoke.
“It’s not like that! I...... I don’t know anything, I don’t resent Madam Lydia, if possible, I hope to reconcile with her. Earl, didn’t I say this to you a few days ago?”
“Then, this is something that Lord Grandy did out of his own accord.”
Kathleen cried out before Grandy before refuted, but whether or not she was actually crying was another question.
“You went as far as to…… do such a thing…… using a fake letter to seduce men, for women there is nothing more insulting than this.....I didn’t think that you were that kind of person.”
She looked at her fiancé with a gaze that found him filthy from the bottom of her heart, perhaps this was the expression that she usually concealed.
For Grandy, this ought to have been an intolerable betrayal.
He stood up angrily.
“Didn’t you cry and want me to think of something?! Since you said that your ability to walk normally was definitely seen by Madam Ashenbert, you asked me to think of a way to make sure she doesn’t talk about it.”
After their argument came to a close, Grandy’s exposure was not enough.
“This is a lie, Earl, please believe me...! Lord Grandy, why are you attacking me like this......”
Although Kathleen kept crying, Edgar finally understood.
Kathleen thought that the person who placed the snake was Lydia, then thought her being able to walk was seen by Lydia as well, and so she calculated that as long as Lydia’s reputation was lost, then it would be fine.
Thus, even if Lydia were to expose Kathleen’s lie, no one would believe her.
Perhaps she even harbored resentment towards Lydia, so she instantly determined that it was Lydia who did it. 
Edgar clenched his fist.
He didn’t know how scared Lydia was last night. In addition to that, Edgar who didn’t notice Kathleen’s schemes, left Lydia alone only because returning late and interacting with her would be a little awkward. 
Not only did he have no way to protect her, but he had no way to set her mind at ease either.
In a rage, he grabbed the lapels of Grandy’s coat and struck him.
The man fell down with the chair, which made a harsh sound, but no one in the surroundings uttered a word.
He almost harmed Edgar’s wife, so it seemed that even Grandy’s friends believed that Edgar’s actions were to be expected, and could only silently lift him up.
“From now on, if you show your face in front of me again, don’t think that I will let you off like this.”
Just when he was about to turn around and leave, Kathleen said something unsuited for the atmosphere at the scene.
“Earl...... that’s great, you believe me, right?”
Edgar laughed, finding it ridiculous.
“Miss Kathleen, I am not the man that you are destined for, nor do I have the obligation to save you from this engagement that you were unwilling to agree upon, please don’t misunderstand.”
“Wh--what are you talking about……”
“When you fell off the horse, and pretended that your leg was sprained, didn’t you say that?”
The Duchess once asked him why he couldn’t embarrass Kathleen.
Was it impossible even if it was in order to protect Lydia?
He finally understood the meaning of that.
Even if Edgar became the lowliest of man, it wouldn’t be anything serious. 
“At the time, I thought you truly were a shameless young lady, but I still treated you kindly. I didn’t expect that you would go as far as to humiliate my wife to retaliate against me.”
If this was said earlier, Lydia wouldn’t have faced something painful.
“Your leg wasn’t sprained when you fell in front of Lydia, so it was on purpose, wasn’t it? You also tried to shift the blame on her.”
“I…... I honestly can’t walk...... why would Madam Lydia make that sort of lie to make me look like a bad person?”
Saying that now in spite of everything. Edgar was fed up.
“The person who saw you being scared by the snake and running out of the room wasn’t Lydia, but the three Roden sisters. The matter of you pretending that you sprained your leg are already being spread amongst the women in the reception room now.”
Kathleen widened her eyes in astonishment, as if she finally discovered that the others were looking at her with curious eyes.
She probably couldn’t endure it any longer, so she stopped pretending to act, immediately stood up, and ran out.

                                                                                                                                                 *

I want to see Edgar.
I want to talk about my feelings clearly and properly, and understand his heart. I hope we can think about the future together.
Lydia was finally optimistic, and hastily returned to the mansion.
Before, she was very afraid that Kathleen’s presence would take Edgar away, but after knowing that Edgar still did his best to try and accomplish the duties of the Blue Knight Earl, she felt that the thorn in her heart seemed to have already been pulled out.
Even if he couldn’t forget about Sylvainford, his feelings for Lydia wouldn’t change as a result. At the thought of this, Lydia felt that he would definitely be able to accept her.
Lydia hurriedly went forward with a small run in the courtyard. After approaching the building, she saw a figure, and so she looked up.
On the the balcony of the second floor lounge, there was a familiar silhouette.
No matter where he was, his blonde hair was very conspicuous, and he was absolutely gorgeous even if he stood still, causing Lydia to look up and stop.
It’s Edgar.
Although Lydia wanted to call out to him, she hesitated slightly. At that moment, he realized that there was someone here.
“Lydia…...”
He looked down in surprise, then revealed a gentle smile.
“I was just thinking about you.”
He leaned out from the hand rails and gazed at Lydia, revealing a relaxed expression that hadn’t been seen before.
“Um...... me too.”
Lydia was little nervous, and she couldn’t help her voice becoming quiet.
“Huh? What?”
She called out resolutely.
"I want to see you!”
“Sorry, I can't hear you.”
He had a smile across his face when he said that, how could he have not heard it.
“Lydia, please say it one more time.”
“Seriously!”
Lydia, made an angry expression like usual. Edgar happily narrowed his eyes, which was also like usual, but he leaned even further out, so Lydia panicked.
“It’s dangerous!”
“Ahhh, why don’t I have wings.”
“I’ll come over to your side.”
“Hold on, I won’t be able to see you that way.”
“But...... it’s only for a little bit.”
“You won’t have a change in heart?”
“Wh--what are you saying?”
“If you were asked to stay by someone else, then began chatting, what should I do? I will be tired of waiting.”
He used his hand to support his face, revealing an expression of thinking seriously.
“That’s right, I will be over right away. Please stay there and wait for me, don’t go anywhere else.”
“I understand.”
After Lydia replied, he finally left the balcony, relieved.
Great, it seems I can speak to him like usual.
A smile emerged from Lydia naturally.
Lydia wanted to reconcile with him, and sensed that Edgar had the same thoughts as well, so she simply felt happy about this.
She sat down on the bench beside the bushes.
Will he immediately rush over?
What should we start talking about?
Lydia began to ponder, but once she thought about how Edgar’s attitude was like usual, she felt that she wouldn’t be able talk with him seriously.
After thinking for a bit, she felt her cheeks growing hot.
Her whole mind was on Edgar, so she didn’t even hear the sound of the plants rustling.
It wasn’t until someone stood in front of her that Lydia suddenly looked up.
“......Miss Kathleen.”
“Madam Lydia, I have something to tell you.”
She said with a distressed expression.

When Edgar ran over, Lydia was already gone. He anxiously looked for her nearby, but Lydia didn’t seem to be hiding from him as a joke at all.
Edgar could only find the ribbon that was originally on her hair.
The ribbon was hooked onto the branches. The moment he pulled it out, he felt uneasy.
During her stay here, Lydia tied her hair up to maintain the image of a married woman, so Edgar didn’t think that she would be walking around everywhere with her hair down.
He thought of Darnell first.
Since he was Patrick’s subordinate, he might have taken Lydia away.
But this was England; it would be quite difficult to believe that they would perform kidnappings in areas outside of their island.
Nevertheless, Edgar still ran back to the mansion in order to find Darnell.
Perhaps he had already realized that his master, who originally went to see Lydia, returned to the building with a major change in complexion, as Raven immediately went towards Edgar, who was about to go up the stairs in the hall.
“Raven.”
After Edgar called for him, it seemed that he felt impatient even during the time that he stopped, so he walked as he spoke.
“Lydia disappeared within five minutes.”
He merely took out the ribbon for Raven to see. Raven also reacted intuitively to what seemed to have happened.
“I will look for Madam immediately. Do you want to ask Miss Lota for help?”
“Yes, please.”
“I understand.”
“Also, have you seen Darnell?”
“I heard the sound of violin coming from the parlor until recently.”
Just when he nodded and prepared to head over, he ran into Darnell who appeared from around the corner of the staircase.
“Were you looking for me? I heard something about a violin.”
Edgar stopped in front of Daniel and quickly observed his condition.
He had a violin in his hand that wasn’t put away in the case. If he just finished performing, then he probably wouldn’t have had any time to take Lydia away, but Edgar still didn’t relax the suspicions against him.
Patrick presumably had other companions as well.
“I’m looking for Lydia.”
He said, glaring at Darnell.
“Do you mean that I have done something?”
“Am I wrong? Don’t you claim to be the Prophet?”
Darnell’s expression didn’t change, probably because he believed that since he made it clear to Lydia, it wouldn’t be strange even if Edgar knew as well.
“My goal is to defeat the Prince, it isn’t to do anything to Madam Lydia.”
“But you need Lydia.”
“Indeed......the McKeel clan and I both need Madam Lydia, I believe that she doesn’t belong to you, rather she is an important woman of our clan. How could I possibly do something to her?”
Wasn’t the one who deceived Lydia and took her to sacred land the McKeel clan’s fairy doctor?
“That is hard to say, isn’t it the McKeel family’s style to trample on one’s will for the clan?”
“That is Mr. Patrick’s method...... I am not the same as him, because I know that even without force, there will inevitably be a day when she will understand that she has to abide by her fate.”
Because he is a Prophet, he is able to see the future?
“Hey, Edgar!”
At this moment Lota called for him. She was at the bottom of the staircase, waving for him to come over, as if she was trying to express that what happened had nothing to do with Darnell.
“......My apologies, but it appears that I was thinking too much.”
Edgar finished speaking, then turned around and left.
After running to Lota side, she whispered:
“Nico said...... he saw Lydia being taken away by a carriage, and he also heard that Kathleen was sitting in it.”
Kathleen?
Edgar had just pushed her into a corner. She wasn’t going to vent her resentment towards him, but to Lydia?
“Lota, can you take the place of me and play chess with the Duke?”
“Huh? No way! The rules will become the pirate version.”
“Then find Francis...... no, that guy is too unskilled please go and find Paul. Also, Raven, prepare a carriage.”
“I have already asked a carriage to come to the driveway.”
Raven, whose actions were quicker than usual, held the limp Nico in his hands.
So it really was Kathleen.
But the more he listened to Nico’s story, the more he couldn’t believe that this was the jealousy and revenge of an ordinary maiden.
Edgar asked to the carriage to go quicker, as he chased after Kathleen with Raven.
Nico weakly laid on Raven’s lap.
Lota found Nico collapsed next to the main entrance of the country house. According to what Nico desperately tried to explain to Lota, that because he saw Lydia being carried by a tall man over his shoulder, he jumped up and scratched the man’s face.
But he was caught and was thrown to the ground.
Kathleen was sitting in the carriage with that man.
“I……scratched him hard as much as I did...... so you guys need to find a man with wounds on his face.”
Although his whole body was powerless, Nico still spoke with a groan.
“Nico, did you hear anything else? Such as their destination?”
“............”
He seemed to have fainted again.
“Although there is only one road, the question is where they are taking her in the end.”
Now, he could only pray that they didn’t deviate from the road and pass through the wilderness.
“Will Mr. Nico be fine if he continues on like this?”
Raven seemed quite worried.
“He is a fairy, he won’t die so easily.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s what I heard I feel.”
Edgar felt that Raven seemed to reveal a look of disbelief at his casual answer. This was probably his imagination.
Nico was groaning and whining from time to time.
“Lydia...... why is it always Lydia...... who faces this torment......”
Perhaps it was Edgar that caused it to be like this.
Regarding Kathleen’s part, Edgar was naturally responsible. Not only that, if she didn’t meet Edgar and get married, then perhaps she would naturally choose to work for the McKeel clan as a fairy doctor, and whether she married the Prophet or the second fiancé, she probably wouldn’t face any danger.
No, even if that was the case, Lydia’s mother still tried to escape the fate that the McKeel clan forced onto her, and Lydia also chose him.
He would stay by her side in order for her to obtain happiness. Edgar wanted to believe this.
“Nico, you don’t have to worry, I will definitely protect your fairy doctor.”
He promised Nico that he would accept Lydia’s fate, and now, apart from the path that the two of them chose, there couldn’t be another correct path.
After stroking Nico’s head, his expression relaxed slightly.
Edgar felt that Raven’s gaze of respect seemed to have recovered once more.
“Lord Edgar, I have something that I forgot to pass on to you.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“......Madam Lydia said that she wanted to spend the night with you.”
Raven said as he looked away. He was still not very good at lying, and the timing was wrong as well.
But, he knew why Raven would say such things. Because the fault was with himself, Edgar hesitated and held back. Raven was probably trying to set Edgar up. 
From Raven’s point of view, it was a slightly bold statement, perhaps it was Kelly’s advice.
“That’s good to hear, soon I’m about to reach my limit in my self-control.”
He recalled the few words he said to Lydia, who was underneath the balcony, before she went missing. At the time, Edgar had felt that he had already settled the feelings in his heart, so that he could continue moving forward.
This way, he no longer had any guilt and could convince Lydia to make her believe that she was more important that Sylvainford as well as anything else of his. The issue with the Prophet and everything else that made Lydia uneasy would be taken care of by him.
As he was thinking, he saw Lydia, and affection rose from within his heart even more. 
Lydia also wanted to reconcile with him, and also revealed a slightly bashful smile.
But she suddenly disappeared before his eyes, which filled Edgar’s heart with despair.
He had to hurry up and make Lydia return to his arms.
He tried his best to calm his anxious mood.
After Raven completed a task that he wasn’t good at, he seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief and helped Nico retie his loosened bowtie. 
“I can already see Alder village, go and investigate if they have gone .”
As Edgar spoke, he realized that there was something that he had never seen before on the hill, and so he stared at it.
“What...... is that?”
A semicircular white object appeared before his eyes; Raven also looked in the same direction.
“Its volume seems quite large, but it’s as if…… it isn’t a house.”
“Is it a hot air balloon?”
“Speaking of that, Miss Lota did say she had seen it before.”
A while after advancing on the path that went around the hill, the full view of the hot air balloon began to appear in front, exposed before his eyes.
The immense part of the balloon expanded and floated in the sky because it was filled with gas. Although it swayed side to side from the wind blowing, the ropes were tied onto the ground firmly in order to let people board the basket section of the balloon.
“Lord Edgar, that carriage.......”
A carriage was parked next to the hot air balloon. Even seeing it from a distance, they knew that box-styled carriages were used by nobles.
“It might be Kathleen’s carriage.”
Edgar prayed for Lydia to be safe, while asking the carriage to hurry towards the hill.

Lydia’s surroundings were accompanied with shaking and creaking sounds.
She felt her head aching as she opened her eyes, but her eyelids and her body wouldn’t respond.
Despite her conscious being hazy, she had the sense of a big crisis.
She remembered that she had just met Kathleen, then was suddenly caught from behind and drugged.
It seemed that the strong smell hadn’t gone away yet, as it still made her head spin.
Just how long was I out?
After barely managing to open her eyes, Lydia found herself in a box which was enclosed on all four sides.
Looking up, an enormous white balloon was floating on top, and she was also able to see several ropes tied to the box that were attached to the balloon.
Hot air balloon......?
This must be the hot air balloon that she saw the other day with the Duchess. But why was she in this sort of place?
Although Lydia was lying down on the basket part of the hot-air balloon, her hands and feet were tied, and she was unable to move around freely.
She tried to sit the upper half of her body up, but the basket seemed to be deeper than expected. If she didn’t stand, she wouldn’t be able to see the situation outside.
Even if she wanted to stand, the wind blowing against the basket, causing it to shake incessantly, made her fall over.
Someone snickered. She turned around and saw Kathleen looking over from the outside.
“Madam Lydia, you truly are shameful, even your legs are exposed.”
Lydia quickly drew her feet back, then raised her voice and said:
“......You can walk, right? Why did you pretend that you sprained your leg? And why would do such a thing towards me......”
“Because you’re an eyesore. As long as you’re not here, that person will wake up.”
At first, she thought that Kathleen was laughing, but her expression suddenly changed, glaring at Lydia with a dreadful look.
“He said I was a liar. Oh goodness.....”
Edgar?
Did he reject Kathleen seriously? As a person who shouldered the same wound of Sylvainford, Edgar was clearly filled with sympathy towards Kathleen before. 
Considering Edgar’s feelings, Lydia could understand that there was no other alternative. However, she was disgusted with herself because she couldn’t accept Kathleen.
Did Edgar change his attitude for Lydia?
Even with the memories of Sylvainford, the one he chose to be together with wasn’t Kathleen, but Lydia. Could she really believe it that?
But Lydia was captured here.
“Madam Lydia, please disappear.”
Kathleen said coldly.
“This hot air balloon is quite wonderful, right? As soon as I wrote out a price that was higher than the standard, the scholar that possessed the hot air balloon readily sold it to me, and you will ride this and disappear from then on. In the end, how high will the hot air balloon fly? I heard that the sky is cold enough to freeze a person to death. I think that you ought to know whether or not this is true.”
“Hey, stop this. It wouldn’t be benefit you to do this sort of thing.”
“Don’t worry, once you’re not around, I will save the pitiful Earl. ”
Edgar. I still want to be able to see him.
Lydia was so sad that she couldn’t say anything.
“He is now merely being deceived by you and confused, that’s all. He will immediately wake up, because only I can make his child possess the Duke of Sylvainford’s name.”
There was a tall man behind Kathleen that walked over.
His face had scratch marks that were oozing with blood, and he was probably unhappy because of this. Despite Lydia having not seeing this person before, he was probably one of Kathleen’s attendants.
The man had an axe in his hands.
Lydia tried to lean out on the edge of the basket to look. She saw stakes that were thrust into the ground with ropes tied on top.
It wasn’t until the man swung the axe to that place that the hot air balloon shook violently.
One of the ropes that fastened the hot air balloon to the ground was cut off.
Lydia didn’t know how many ropes there were altogether, but if all of them were cut off, then the hot air balloon will fly into the sky.
“Well, Madam Lydia, only I can make him possess the things he lost in the past. In order to unify the bloodline of Duke Sylvainford’s family, you can’t be his wife.” 
What does that mean?
Did Kathleen know that Edgar was the son of the Duke of Sylvainford?
How did she know about this?
The rope seemed to have been cut off again, as the basket immediately floated and seemingly tilted to one side. Lydia desperately raised her head in the basket.
“Kathleen, who on earth are you?”
Edgar's voice came through.
Kathleen turned around in surprise.
“Don't come over.”
Under Kathleen’s instructions, the man lifted the axe once again.
“Stop!”
Edgar shouted.
“I beg you, please save Lydia.”
“This is the last rope, if you come any closer......”
“I understand...... I will do as you say. ”
Lydia didn’t want it to be like this.
Even if she was saved, she didn’t want to be seperated from Edgar. 
However, Lydia was being shaken incessantly in the basket that was unfastened, unable to make a sound at all.
“Earl...... I am not some suspicious person. I am the Kathleen that you’ve met once as a child.”
“How did you know I was still alive?”
“Someone told me. At that time, I, who had just lost both parents, was living a completely restricted life at a relative’s house…… Even though I was born into the dukedom, the moment Father’s title had to be given to his cousin, I had no worth at all. My foster parents reluctantly adopted me for meager money, and treated me very coldly.”
Kathleen narrowed her eyes and spoke, seemingly recalling little by little.
“At that time, someone appeared before me and told me that the Sylvainford’s young master was still alive and added that I was qualified to be his bride.”
There ought to have been extremely few people who knew of this.
The members of Prince’s organization who took Edgar away would know of this, and only the one with the highest rank would know the facts.
The organization went as far as to approach Kathleen.
Edgar fell silent, as his mood was probably the same as Lydia’s, who was surprised.
“I heard that you would return to Britain one day to change this country, and that person said that their organization was conducting operations for that moment. Until now, I tried my best at becoming an outstanding lady. I didn’t oppose the engagement that my foster parents decided upon, because I wasn’t intending on truly getting married.”
Then, Kathleen suddenly frowned sadly.
“But, when I became aware that you had already married, I was very surprised...... I actually couldn’t believe it.”
“You have been used by that organization.”
Edgar mumbled, but Kathleen continued on, as if she didn’t hear it.
“Although the organization told me to wait for the time being, do I have to become the wife of that Lord Grandy in this way? I don’t want that. And yet, I’ve always believed that I would marry you as a pure bride.”
It was probably because Edgar fled that the Prince’s organization kept an eye on Kathleen.
They might have thought that by playing their hand, which was the Sylvainford’s inheritance,  Edgar would surrender.
To this day, perhaps this could have still become the final trump card against Edgar. Edgar continued on with the Prince’s memories, so the organization wanted him to join no matter what, and told Kathleen to wait because of this.
“Kathleen, that organisation was related with the incident of Sylvainford. It was them who killed your parents.”
“I know that.”
She responded indifferently.
“Even though that’s the case, so what? You and I have already been chosen for the sake of the new Britain, and regardless of whether our parents were murdered or lived a painful life later on, there’s no other alternative for us, who carry a special fate.” 
“You believe in that such a ridiculous thing?”
However, Lydia felt that she could understand slightly. Kathleen lost everything, so she could only rely on this kind of belief to survive.
Just like how Edgar could only rely on revenge and his noblesse oblige to survive until now.
“As long as you obey fate, you won’t have to be afraid of anything, but if you want to resist it, you will encounter a painful end. Madam Lydia will only take you towards the wrong path.”
At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew.
The hot air balloon tilted to one side greatly, as if it was being pulled into the sky, and the stake that was connected to the only rope had already begun to shake, as it was quickly pulled out from the ground.
“Whoa!”
Once Lydia called out, Edgar immediately shouted her name.
It was probably because Edgar tried get closer, the man lifted the axe soon afterwards.
“Earl, please kiss me, then swear that you will love me from now on.”
“Don’t...... Edgar! Don’t do that sort of thing.. ...!”
Lydia couldn’t help but cry out, and he replied to her with a voice that had no hesitation.
“Ahh Lydia, you’re the only one that I love.”
“......Is that so, it seems that if she doesn’t disappear, you won’t wake up.”
While Kathleen spoke, the man was preparing to cut the rope.
At that time, the man holding the axe suddenly fell.
Raven’s dagger pierced into his body.
Lydia glanced at Edgar running over.
But the wind blew once more, and just when she felt that the basket was floating a little, the entire hot-air balloon was brought towards the top of the hill, and couldn’t be pulled back down.
The stakes were already cut off.
Could this mean that I will be separated from Edgar forever?
Just when she thought that, she saw a pair of hands gripping onto the edges of the basket.
The hot air balloon was flying up, but those hands were trying to climb into it.
“Edgar!”
He would die if he fell, but Lydia was tied up and could only shout his name.