Hakushaku to Yousei - Volume 7 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 • A bad omen

After Banshee cried for a long time, she was finally tired and lied down on the sofa to fall asleep.
The merrow left and the yard has been restored to its original state. Edgar was holding his cheek with his hand and was silently watching the scenery outside of the windows.
Banshee personally denied that Edgar was her own master, and he seemed shaken about that.
Lydia was worried about Edgar and decided to not leave the meeting room right away.
“Excuse me, but would leaving Banshee to sleep in the other room better?”
Edgar nodded in agreement at Paul's proposal.
“Miss Lydia, she was crying then slept to wake up and cry again, she won't get sick from that, right?”
“Well, I'm sure she'll be okay.”
“She looks no different from an average girl, unlike fairies.”
“It might be because Banshee was originally a human, and she forgot that she was a banshee, so she seems more like a human now.”
Paul made a slight smile.
“She looks like a human, but she’s as light as air.”
Lydia was looking at Paul carrying Banshee out of the meeting room, and was thinking about what she could do to help out.
If Banshee recognized Edgar as the Blue Knight Earl and recovered her memories from the seal, it would be good. However, the problem was that she didn't feel any power from Edgar, who was supposed to have some.
In order to make up for Edgar’s lack of ability to see fairies, Lydia assisted him as a fairy doctor, but she needed to fight Ulysses who inherited the power of the Blue Knight Earl. Lydia felt overwhelmed from thinking about it, and she couldn't help but feel heavy.
The banshee scattered amber tears on the floor. Banshees were spirits of deceased young humans, so Edgar and Paul were able to see her. However, the amber proved that she was not a human anymore.
Lydia picked up an amber tear at her feet, and was feeling disturbed.
“What should I do with the amber?”
Raven asked, while cautiously picking up amber.
“There are so many of them, perhaps we could turn these into a necklace.”
Edgar was half-kidding and casually replied that.
“No way... They were tears of sadness, they will bring misfortune.”
“Lydia, you mentioned that banshees cry when they predict someone’s death in the family?”
“It is not absolute, because it doesn't necessarily mean that she has really foreseen death. Try burning the amber and see if it burns. If it can be burned, then the amber will lose its fairy magic and turn into normal amber, which will mean that there is no upcoming death.”
Edgar nodded in agreement to Raven, who then burnt the amber.
The ambers were immediately encircled in flames.
Lydia finally settled down.
Sure enough, I'm wrong.
Suddenly, Lydia felt like she didn't understand enough what happened, and that her mood swings would only increase anxiety.
“Edgar, I will try to unravel the banshee’s memory seal, so you only have to worry about protecting yourselves from Ulysses and the Prince.”
Lydia turned to look at Edgar, whose eyes have never looked so serious.
“Whether I can really continue being the Blue Knight Earl will entirely depend on my own capacity, so if I don't break that spell on my own, it will be meaningless.”
Does that mean that Edgar doesn't need me?
“You hired me as a consultant to the Earl family, so is my ability not to help you?”
“So, do you mind my fate? Even if I do not rely on you in the future, you will still have fairy cases to resolve, and yet, you are willing to spend your life with me?”
“… I am also willing to work for the Earl’s home, and to continue being partners with you in your fight, as I have until now.”
“It will not work.”
“Why? Do you mean to say that if I don't marry you, then assisting you would be meaningless? That logic is strange.”
“If you are just hired as the fairy doctor of the Earl’s home, then I can't leave such a heavy burden on you. If my future is not the same as your happiness, then I'm just using you.”
Edgar said these words and left the room.
Lydia and Edgar were in a lame argument from the beginning until the end.
Lydia showed more than once to Edgar that she did not intend to get married to him, but he just said what he liked now.
“What do you mean, not only did you ruthlessly exploit me before, and also played around with me, now you want to throw me away!”
Raven quietly watched Lydia from the sidelines, and seemed to have something to say, but she had stormed out of the room.

 
Paul let Banshee lie on the bed, and was about to leave the room.
He then heard a faint voice from behind, and when he turned around to look, Banshee got up from the bed to pull his coat.
“You take a break; you should be tired from travelling, not to mention that you had come along with me on the train.”
Lydia told Paul that fairies get tired from iron, so before he took the train, he had asked Banshee if she could take the train, but she said that there was no problem.
Iron appeared to be harmless to the fairies, but they simply did not like that kind of material.
“I'm sorry, I am rude... This is not a train but I feel tired.”
Paul thought the banshee seemed to be very afraid of being alone, so he sat down on a chair.
“The fairy doctor is here, so she will help you.”
The banshee nodded, but still looked extremely uneasy.
“Besides, the Earl of Ashenbert is a trustworthy man.”
“… Does that man and Lady Gladys really do have a blood connection?”
Paul also knew that Edgar had no connection with the count Ashenbert, since his true identity was the eldest son of the Duke of Sylvainford, a noble family with royal blood relations.
If he had not been involved in the Prince's plot, he should have been a Duke and one of England’s most important figures.
However, no matter how noble Edgar was born, he and the fairy origins behind the Ashenbert family had no blood relations.
“Over the years, the human world has changed a lot, the railway track is new in England, and there are many more big cities and factories than before. More and more people do not believe in what their eyes cannot see.”
“The number of people who can see fairies have also dropped considerably, hasn't it? I squatted by the roadside for several days, people should have been able to see me, but no one did, so when Mr. Paul called out to me, I was really glad beyond words, and you somehow give off a reassuring scent.”
“A fragrance? That must be the smell of oil and varnish... But the girls seem to dislike it though.”
“That's not true!”
Banshee denied what Paul said to defend him, so he scratched his head.
“Is it? Thank you... Uh, also, I want to say this, the Blue Knight Earl's power may have increasingly weakened, and the count understands his lack of strength, but still tries to fulfil his responsibility as your Lord. So, he joined forces with a fairy doctor and sincerely hopes that the fairies can feel secure living on the land, he is a good person.”
Paul thought that convincing Banshee that Edgar was really the Blue Knight Earl should be better for her.
“Mr. Paul really trusts that man.”
Paul trusted Edgar from the bottom of his heart, and perhaps he also excessively glorified Edgar. Even though Edgar had a frivolous side, he was liberal and fearless, and that is what Paul appreciated.
“Ah~ yes, and he is my friend.”
Paul saw his first glimpse of Banshee’s smile, and she laughed like an ordinary human girl. Paul could not help but think that she looked quite cute.
“Oh, if you're bored, how about letting me paint your face? I'm actually a somewhat fairy painter.”
Banshee agreed with a bright smile, and Paul said that he will fetch his sketchbook and walked out of the room.

 
Paul didn't think that if he left for a few minutes, the banshee would disappear.
He even bent down to see if Banshee hid under the table, but when he inadvertently looked out of the windows, he saw a girl wearing a green cloak appearing in the background of the view from the room.
Snow was still falling, while the girl with long bare legs was on the road, and her shadow disappeared into the woods.
The fairies don’t feel the cold, but Paul was still worried about her, and he chased out.
The castle covered a broad territory, the trimmed gardens and forests naturally connected together, and the walking trails were endless, so where could he look?
Wagon wheels have left marks on the driveway, but there were no walking tracks to be seen.
So fairies did not leave footprints, even when walking on snow.
Where did Banshee go? Since she was not within the castle, Paul walked to the path leading to the outside.
Once again, Paul did not find traces of Banshee, and awkwardly stood there.
“Oi! What are you doing here?”
A voice came from Paul's feet; he looked down and saw that it turned out to be Lydia’s cat.
Paul remembered that the cat was called Nico, and he has seen several times Lydia, the fairy doctor, talk to him, but seeing that he could understand Nico talking made him feel weird.
“Did you see Banshee?”
Even though Paul was a bit hesitant, he decided to ask him.
Nico had just sent the merrow away and probably met Paul as he just came back.
Nico was standing on his two hind feet, holding a fish that must have been given to him by the merrow as a gift, which had the same length as him.
“The banshee and I just met and said hi to each other, and then she hurried away.”
“Thank you.”
Paul ran out, but was stopped by Nico.
“Wait a minute, do you see the fairy footprints?”
“What, fairies have footprints?”
“Oh, let me help you trail the footprints.”
Nico gave his fish to a hand that was invisible to Paul’s eyes.
“Send this fish to the kitchen, under my name.”
There seemed to be other fairies, but Paul couldn't see them, and only saw the fish floating in mid-air as if it was wildly swimming away in front of his eyes.
“Well, Paul, let’s go.”
Nico moved ahead and Paul obediently followed him.
“It's not like I'm telling you to return the favour, but oh, I have something to ask of you.”
Nico stroked his whiskers and said:
“Can you please draw my portrait? A gentleman must have one or two decent portraits.”
“That is an easy request, so of course, no problem.”
Nico heard Paul agree, and narrowed his eyes contentedly.
Even though he was walking with only his two hind feet, Nico still amazingly had a fast walking speed, and Paul trotted to keep up with the cat in front that didn't leave any footprints in the snow.
Nico seemed to easily trace Banshee’s footprints, but he has yet to see her.
They walked for about an hour, until they saw the port from the village. Nico suddenly stopped.
“The footprints only go until here.”
“Really? How could this be?”
“She could have gone on a vehicle, like a wagon or cart.”
“I'm going to look around.”
The village was very small; the residents’ homes were close to the shore.
He saw only a few people on the road, and only some were pedestrians.
Paul then saw a green cape among the crowd, about to board a ship.
“I found her...!”
He hurriedly ran towards that direction.
“Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going?”
The banshee turned around.
But next to Banshee, there was someone who was urging her to go on board. Standing next to Banshee was a middle-aged woman, and at first glance, the two looked like a mother and a daughter.
“Who are you? This girl is with me...”
Paul quickly caught up, as he was about to reach out and pull Banshee towards him, but the middle-aged woman took a gun out and held it against Paul's chest.
Paul was scared stiff on the spot.
Banshee was blue in the face, and her body was trembling with fear, then the middle-aged woman grabbed her shoulder and angrily scolded her:
“Haven't I told you to not to be seen!”
“Do you know who this girl is?”
“You mean that she is a banshee?”
The middle-aged women sneered at the nervous Paul.
“You are Paul Ferman, right? You can come if you are worried about the child's safety.”
Paul hesitated for a moment, but the situation did not allow him to revolt.
Besides, Banshee nervously stared at her, which made it more difficult for Paul to leave her behind, so he had to follow them onto the ship.
Paul quietly looked for Nico, and did not see him, but Paul consoled himself, knowing that Nico should have witnessed the story and went to notify the count.
Paul did not know who this woman was, but she knew his identity, and she might not be one of Ulysses’ minions. He was now the only one who could guard Banshee in place of the Earl of Ashenbert, so Paul decided to cheer up.

“Lord Edgar, did you call for me?”
Ermine came to his study, standing straight as usual, with her eyes staring at Edgar.
“Where have you been? Tomkins said he searched the castle but didn't see you.”
“I'm very sorry... I went to watch the sea.”
Seeing Ermine suddenly have a sad look, Edgar thought that his guess was right, after all, Ermine died in this sea.
After she confessed to Edgar about her betrayal, she chose to drown herself in the sea.
Even though Ermine returned to Edgar's side again, she's different from the past and was reborn as a selkie. Edgar didn't know what kind of mood Ermine had, but what was certain was that she lost her humanity where she lost her life, presumably at the bottom of the sea.
“It's okay, I'm just a bit worried about you.”
Ermine lowered her head in dismay.
“Ermine, perhaps I was too careless to bring you here, in fact, I was going to let you stay in London, but I didn't know where to start.”
“Lord Edgar, don't say that, I came here again with my own determination. You left my mistakes behind, and I decided to follow you for a lifetime.”
To Edgar, Ermine’s words were full of honesty and had no trace of the slightest hesitation.
On the other hand, there were some things that emerged in Edgar’s mind.
While he was in London, Slade and he had a conversion about Paul’s apartment that got ransacked.
Just before Edgar set out for Mannon Island, he and Slade discussed about the incident.
There were very few who knew about Paul's real origins, so Slade had said that the possibility of his identity being leaked to the enemy was very small.
“Count, are you sure you do not have anyone among your people that are betraying you?”
Slade implied that the informer could be on Edgar’s side.
However, only Lydia, Raven and Edgar knew that Paul was the son of O’Neill, and Ermine might have known that Edgar and Paul met each other at the Duke's residence before, but that was all she knew.
Lydia and Raven would never betray him, but the one who turned Ermine into a selkie was Ulysses.
If Ulysses was aware that Paul used to work at the Duke of Sylvainford’s mansion, it should not be difficult for him to guess that Paul was O’Neill's son.
However, it was only an assumption that Ermine and Ulysses could have secretly remained in contact.
Ermine’s hair was stained with snow, so Edgar walked to her side and brushed off the snow from her hair and touched her cheek with his hand. Ermine wore a puzzled look.
“Your face looks nice with ice.”
Ermine’s possible betrayal showed that her attitude was different from her usual emotions.
Edgar saw Ermine as his companion and his family, so if casually touching made her feel the wrong way, Edgar couldn't help but think that the keen Ermine may have noticed his doubt for her in her heart.
Edgar unconsciously treated every woman the same way as he did with Ermine, but she felt puzzled.
“Because I've stayed too long outside, ever since I became a fairy, not only do I no longer feel the cold, but my skin temperature also left with my humanity.”
“Oh, so you don’t catch colds. Ah, Paul brought the banshee here.”
Edgar quickly changed the subject, but Ermine still looked nervous.
“Yes, Mr. Tomkins had told me.”
Ermine looked at Edgar, and seemed a little on edge.
“Have you ever seen her yet?”
“No, I haven't met her.”
Edgar thought for a moment, as he brushed off the snow from Ermine's shoulders, and took his hand back.
“She seemed to have lost all of her memories and is crying a lot. If you have the time to chat with her, since you two are fairies, you should accompany her to make her feel more comfortable.”
“Alright.”
“I'm just telling you about this.”
Edgar then turned his back to Ermine, and walked over to the window. He felt like Ermine gave him a preoccupied look for a few seconds, and then with her usual quick movements, she left the room.
Edgar turned only after hearing the door slam, and leaned against the window with half-clenched hands.
On Edgar's hands could be seen a honey-coloured amber, an amber that was on Ermine's shoulder.
The amber seemed to have intertwined with the fabric set, as there was residual fabric texture on top of it.
Ermine and Banshee had met, because Edgar couldn't think of anything else but Banshee’s tears that could fall on Ermine's shoulder.
Why did Ermine have to hide that she met the banshee?
Edgar had a bad feeling rise in his heart, and wanted to confirm another profound question.
He took out the lamp glass shade and placed the amber on a silver teaspoon, then threw it close to the fire.
The amber did not burn.
The amber was intact in the fire, and was emitting a faint light, as if to repel the flames.
The tears of banshees foresee someone’s death in the family.
Currently, the only member of the Ashenbert family was Edgar.
Was it announcing my death?
Nevertheless, Edgar faced his own death and only sighed.
Since I had openly declared war against Prince, it was natural that death would occur at any moment. If my life is coming to an end, does that mean that I will be unable to defeat Prince in the end? Edgar thought, though unwilling, that he was not reacting like ordinary people when facing death with no escape.
His trust was once again betrayed by his own companion, so death was comfortable.

Then he heard a knock.
Edgar hid the amber in his pocket and answered.
“Edgar, is now a convenient time for you?”
It was Lydia. When Edgar heard her voice, his tense mood would relax.
Only Lydia was able to give Edgar a feeling that he was someone extraordinary.
When he was with her, Edgar felt that he had an ordinary and wonderful life, and he was able to temporarily forget the enemy, even though a swarm of doubt and death nearly surrounded him.
Lydia slightly opened the door, but Edgar pulled it inwards, causing Lydia to almost fall in the room.
If he had opened the door just a little bit more, Lydia may have well fell into his arms. Edgar felt remorseful.
“Hey, Lydia, I just wanted to see you too: could we be connected yet?”
“… I didn't come because I wanted to see you.”
Lydia angrily tried to explain herself. Her angry look was very cute, and seeing her standing in the doorway because she was reluctant to come in made Edgar want to pull her in.
“I am only concerned about one thing... Edgar, are you listening to me?”
“Oh, I am listening to you.”
“Why are you holding my hand?”
“Because I want to hold your hand.”
Lydia, irritated, with a slight blush on her face, was looking more and more adorable.
“Let us sit down and talk.”
“Here is good.”
Lydia's wariness was worse than ever.
But, on the other hand, if Lydia didn't feel comfortable being alone with him anymore, did that mean that she could no longer fully reject him?
Even if this idea was unlikely, Edgar still thought about it.
Edgar said that he didn't want to use Lydia, but he refused to give her up.
His attention turned over to look at the moonstone ring on her finger.
It contained fairy magic, and it was a proof that Lydia was Edgar’s fiancée.
Lydia was desperate for his own good. As long as he was determined to fight with her, he could completely protect her from threats like the Prince. However, while Edgar wanted to act, he recalled the amber that could not be burned.
Was his death nearby?
Members of the House of Ashenbert would probably count the fiancée.
However, if the banshee’s prophecy affected Lydia because of the ring...
“Edgar, Banshee and Mr. Paul are missing!”
Lydia pushed away Edgar’s hands that were pulling her towards him.
 

According to what Coblynau said, he saw Banshee leave the castle and Paul went out looking for her, then Nico and Paul went tracking the footprints of the banshee.
During Nico’s teatime, he also did not appear, and Lydia asked Coblynau if he knew about what was going on.
They have left the castle for a long time, and Lydia, worried that they will have an accident, went to find Edgar.
Edgar immediately told Raven to search for them.
Raven went out to look for them, and didn't come back until the evening.
Then, Lydia and Edgar listened to Raven’s report in the reception room.
Fishermen told Raven that two people, who looked like Banshee and Paul, followed a middle-aged woman in black on a boat, and went to the other side of the town. Raven then went to the other side.
Raven found a carriage’s coachman, who had said that he had seen three similar people at the station, saying that they were heading to London. Raven only asked until there.
“Raven, you did very well.”
“But, I was unable to determine whether or not Mr. Nico and the three of them were together.”
Raven looked towards Lydia, and presumably felt sorry.
“Nico will be invisible and is a fickle cat, he will not take the initiative to make a dangerous move. I'm more concerned about Banshee and Mr. Paul.”
“In short, the woman must have known that it was a banshee that she took, and maybe she also knew that Banshee was a member of the Blue Knight Earl's house.”
“… Could she be one of Ulysses' people?”
“It seems like she is.”
Edgar held a rare painful look on his face.
Usually, he wouldn't get angry at the sight of someone being kidnapped, and would also look like he was having fun, so seeing his troubled look was unexpected to Lydia.
“Raven, we’re setting off to go back to London tomorrow morning, you're going to tell Tomkins, and ask him to be ready.”
Edgar was taking a decisive action like usual, but Lydia was worried about his unusual reaction.
“Where’s Ermine?”
Ermine was not present at this time, and Lydia found it strange, there was no way that Edgar would be mad at her, right? Lydia tilted her head; it was hard to imagine these two people fight.
Ermine didn't talk back to Edgar like Lydia did, she not only was absolutely loyal towards him, and she knew how to soothe his feelings.
“I told her to go back to London, and asked her to take an urgent letter to Scarlet Moon’s leader, Slade.”
For Ermine to leave Edgar’s side made Lydia feel very curious, she was confused as to why Edgar would send Ermine away in such a chaotic situation. This idea flashed into Lydia’s mind, but she did not think about it any further.
Maybe it was because Lydia didn't want to know what kind of relationship was going on between Edgar and Ermine.
Raven left while Lydia was in a daze, and when she came back to her senses, she didn't notice that there was only Edgar and her left.
Don't leave, Edgar will make a move on me. Lydia was feeling alerted, but Edgar didn't do anything, he was sitting on a chair while staring straight into the lamp's flame, and then whispered:
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
Oh, and what does that mean?
“Do you want to go back to London with me?”
Usually, Edgar would bring her back with him without any explanation.
“I can't leave Nico alone.”
Lydia felt that her answer was lacking in frankness, and added:
“And I want to try to help Banshee.”
Lydia also wanted to help Edgar become the true Blue Knight Earl, but it was something she couldn't say.
“I got it. Ulysses is also related to this matter, so it might be dangerous, but I'll keep you safe, so you don't have to worry about it.”
That sentence sounded like Lydia will only bind their hands tied.
Since Ulysses aimed for Banshee, it must mean that he is secretly plotting some sort of plan, so Edgar should logically need a fairy doctor's support.
“I won't give you any trouble.”
Lydia answered in a mad tone.
“What you said upsets me, I hope that you can rely on me.”
Edgar revealed a wry smile and stood up.
“But think about it, all I'm giving you is trouble. I'm unconsciously relying too much on you; it looks like I am dependent.”
Edgar said that in a sad tone, and Lydia couldn't help but look at him questioningly. Edgar came towards her, but Lydia didn't have any bad feeling.
“Give me your hands.”
What's the matter? As Lydia was feeling surprised, the moonstone ring on her finger was removed.
“Even if I do this, you will still keep the ring with you, right?”
Indeed, Lydia thought he had no reason to take off the engagement ring, since Coblynau’s magic made it invisible to the average person, so she kept wearing it, even though she wasn't used to seeing it on her own finger.
However, seeing that Edgar took off the ring himself made her feel strange.
Does this mean that Edgar does not want Lydia to be his fiancée anymore?
Edgar’s behaviour appeared unchanged, but it also seemed to be different; even though he seemed to intend to pursue Lydia, he’s deliberately keeping his distance.
If Lydia didn't go to London, would he have done the same?
If you don't want me to fall in love with you, you only need to say so.
Edgar left her there standing alone in the room. Lydia clasped on the moonstone ring.

“Hey! Lydia, come help me open the window.”
For how long have I been sitting here?
Lydia heard someone beating against the windows and turned around. She saw a black horse standing outside of the windows: Lydia was shocked, and ran to it.
“Kelpie! How were you able to run to the merrow’s island? This is not good for you.”
“I just wanted to see you a little.”
Lydia opened the window, and Kelpie changed into his human form as he entered the room.
“I heard that the Earl had also come, how is he to you?”
“Well... It’s...”
“What's the matter? Tell me.”
Lydia held the ring in her hand behind her back and quickly faked a smile.
“Nothing. Some incidents have happened here, and I'm going back to London tomorrow.”
“Oh, London. So you're going to go back to the guy's side?”
“This is my job.”
Kelpie approached Lydia and stared hard at her. Although Kelpie wasn't using his eyes’ magic, his gaze's mystical beauty still made Lydia dizzy.
“You said incidents, are they not associated with those guys who wanted to kill the count?”
Kelpie was more perceptive than expected.
“Lydia, stop with the count’s affairs, that guy named Ulysses can be tough, are you going to die for the Earl? And I think he is not serious about your engagement.”
It was true that Edgar was always selfish, and one moment, he’d put on the ring, then, he’d take off the ring.
Even the engagement was something that Edgar resorted to in order to achieve his own goals.
Lydia gripped tightly on the ring under her palm, and couldn't help herself from frowning in pain.
Kelpie suddenly pulled Lydia to him, and hugged her.
“You, what are you doing...”
“You seem to be quite depressed.”
Lydia never opened to Kelpie, but she couldn't push him away.
Kelpie could appease the human soul with his magic, or Lydia suddenly felt very at ease.
Why am I depressed?
Lydia wanted Edgar to not keep on pouring sweet lines on her like with Ermine, but now she was depressed because Edgar took off the moonstone ring, and that was indeed very strange.
Now I'm frustrated?
Edgar was a human, not a fairy, and there were so many times where they were unable to know each other’s true inner thoughts and were unable to communicate them to each other.
“Please let go of Miss Lydia.”
That was Raven’s voice.
Lydia’s heart jumped and she tried to push Kelpie away, but he held on tighter.
“Kid, why should I listen to you?”
“Miss Lydia is Lord Edgar's fiancée.”
“That is a mere formality.”
Raven stepped forward, ready to attack Kelpie.
Kelpie let Lydia go and quickly backed away.
“I advise you to stop. You can't control your own strength and suppress the power inside of you. If you really want to play with me, you will fight until you die.”
“Kelpie, stop!”
Lydia quickly got in between the two to stop them.
“You should tell that kid to knock it off, if the sprite attached to him doesn't want to and goes out of control, he will absolutely not stop until the kid dies.”
What! Is that true!?
Lydia got nervous, and persuaded Raven instead:
“Raven, calm down, I will immediately tell Kelpie to leave.”
“What's this? Why should I leave?”
“You can’t stay here! If you don't leave, you will be discovered by the merrows anyway.”
Kelpie clicked his tongue to show his unwillingness, but Lydia pushed his back to the window.
“Hey, kid, you go tell the Earl, do not think that you will get to marry Lydia and that I will lose to you. If he continues to harm Lydia, I will not show him any mercy.”
After Kelpie jumped out of the window into the darkness, Lydia closed the windows, and timidly looked at Raven.
“I am very calm, do not worry.”
Raven came at a right time, and Lydia let out a sigh of relief, but she was accidentally caught by Raven while she was in Kelpie's arms, so she also felt quite embarrassed.
She would be even more embarrassed if it was Edgar.
If Edgar saw it, he would have immediately stopped them and gotten upset, but Raven only silently stared at Lydia.
Finally, Raven said as if he was determined:
“Miss Lydia, please do not betray Lord Edgar.”
“Betray? I did not...”
“You are Lord Edgar's fiancée, but you were hugging Kelpie, which is an act of betrayal.”
Raven’s words made Lydia angry.
“What do you mean? I never said I liked Edgar, and you should also know that we were only engaged because we had no choice.”
“No matter what kind of engagement it is, it is still an engagement.”
“So, Edgar did not betray me during the whole month! If you can say that to me, it would be better for you to remind it to that womaniser instead.”
“Lord Edgar did not do anything to betray you, he does not have any other woman.”
How is that possible.
However, Raven didn't lie, so it might be true.
Wrong, it is simply not possible. Lydia denied it.
Lydia left London for one month and a half, and Edgar, without fearing being discovered, must have had a good time, since he could not live for a long time without girls around him.
“Lord Edgar needs you.”
“… The one he really needs is not me.”
Because the originally dead Ermine went back to his side.
If Edgar really quit playing with women and decided to be faithful in love, then in one month and a half, he should have begun to focus on a new girl, instead of Lydia.
Hypothetically speaking, Edgar had no reason to deny Ermine who was reborn as a selkie and had returned to his side.
Lydia’s emotions were somehow able to calm down thanks to Kelpie, but now Raven disrupted them again. She hastily fled the room in order to avoid Raven’s eyes.

 
Paul was forcibly taken away by some men and was blindfolded with a cloth until he was brought into a room.
Which district in London was he? Paul felt as if he sat in a carriage for a long time, but the area was very quiet, so it was not a city, but a suburb.
The windows were nailed down, so he couldn't go outside through them.
And of course, the door wouldn't budge.
“Hey, Paul, are you there?”
Nico's voice could be heard from outside and the surprised Paul leaned against the door to answer:
“Mr. Nico! How did you come here!?”
“Oh, I turned invisible, so I have not been found. Something is very wrong though, Ulysses must be the one behind this.”
Paul thought that the situation was indeed terrible; they were caught by Ulysses and could be killed.
“Paul, are you listening to me?”
“Ah... I am listening, I am just a little bit shocked.”
“Now is not the time to be scared. I'll help you open the door, let us hurry and escape away from here.”
“You have the key?”
“I saw the woman putting the key in a drawer, so I went and stole it.”
I see. Fairies that can turn invisible can do everything very easily, how fortunate he was that Nico came along.
After Paul heard the sound of the door being unlocked, he turned the doorknob and the door opened.
The house’s hallways were very dim.
“Come this way.”
Paul followed Nico by trailing his sounds since he couldn't see him, as they were surrounded by darkness and Nico was invisible.
“May I ask why you were willing to follow me here? Are you not Miss Lydia’s cat?”
“I'm not a cat, I'm more than that, I am on equal standing as Lydia and I am her companion. I have the freedom to act on my own, and if you are gone, who is going to draw my portrait? So yes, I'd be very troubled.”
So he was only thinking about the portrait, but Paul thought that it was okay, since Nico seemed to like his drawing skills.
“Ah yes, Mr. Nico, where is Banshee being held?”
“I don't know, I only followed you. Anyway, she is not a human, so she won’t die if left unattended.”
But Paul thought about Banshee weeping, and therefore could not bear to leave her.
“But... but... She is fearful person.”
Paul then heard a faint cry.
It was Banshee’s cry! He quickly turned and walked towards the source of the sound.
“Hey, fairy painter, where are you going?”

Paul found the room where the crying was coming from. He gently opened the door: it was actually unlocked.
Banshee was wearing her cloak’s hood, sitting on the floor in the middle of the room with her hands on her knees; she was curled up and was crying.
“Banshee, are you okay? Did they bully you?”
The banshee then quickly shook her head.
“No, I'm fine...”
“Phew, that's good, can you stand up?”
“Well, they said that I won't be able to see you anymore, so I...”
“Hurry up, we’re running away.”
Banshee shook her head, and seemed reluctant to get up.
“I want to stay here, I'd like to see the true Blue Knight Earl.”
“What are you talking about, the Blue Knight Earl was the man you saw on Mannon Island.”
“But they should be able to make me see the real person who inherited the blood of the Blue Knight Earl.”
Paul helplessly looked around for Nico.
Nico’s gray fur appeared in front of them, with his hands crossed on his chest.
“Who told you that? Is it that woman who brought you here?”
“No, while I was in the castle on Mannon Island, someone gave me a letter. The letter said if you want to see the true Blue Knight Earl, deceive them and leave the castle to head towards the port. When I arrived at the port, she said she would take me to see the Blue Earl Knight.”
So that was why Banshee suddenly ran out of the room, but then that added a new mystery.
“In the castle? Who brought the letter to you?”
“It was a maid that had short black hair, but she wore men's clothing. She immediately handed the letter to me and told me how to read it at once.”
That woman was Edgar’s valet’s sister, how was it possible! Paul was panicking.
Or, maybe Ermine simply transmitted the letter that was entrusted to her?
Regardless of who told Ermine to do so, the addressee was the hope and an important girl to the clan, how could Ermine not discuss about it with the Earl, and show a suspicious letter to her?
She even took the advantage to hand the letter when Banshee was all alone and didn't have anyone by her side. Paul was also very concerned about this point.
Paul felt like he seemed to have discovered an unknown secret, and Nico was constantly twirling his whiskers out of worry.
“… So what happened to the letter? Do you still have it with you?”
“The letter said to immediately throw it into the fireplace after reading it... Anyhow, I want to personally see if that person is truly the Earl. If Lady Gladys has really died, then that person is my new master.”
“You didn't lose your Banshee senses, you still loyally only serve the true family.”
Upon hearing the voice that had just interrupted them, Paul’s body was immediately scared stiff, as the one who appeared in the doorway was a young man with pale blond hair.
It was Ulysses!
At first glance, he only looked like he was 15 or 16 years old, but he was Prince's confidant, and proficient in manipulating the fairies’ power.
Paul stepped backwards, but suddenly remembered that he had to protect Banshee, so he gathered his courage to stand in front of her.
Ulysses completely ignored Paul, and came up to them.
“Banshee, I am finally able to meet you.”
Banshee staggered to her feet.
She stared at Ulysses, and walked over Paul who was in front of her.
“You are the Blue Knight Earl...”
“You've got it, right? You should be able to sense who is the real descendant of the count.”
“Yes... I feel the same power from you as I did from Lady Gladys.”
“Wait a minute, Banshee, it is not him, and he is not a legitimate heir to the Earl family.”
Ulysses suddenly grabbed Paul’s necktie, and with a pair of angry eyes, said:
“Are you trying to say that I'm a bastard offspring of the count, now? My ancestors didn't count it as a formal wedding, but this is only a rule of human society. In the fairy world, anyone who has a blood relationship is of course eligible to inherit everything!”
Ulysses let go of the Paul, and he fell to the ground. Banshee ran to his side in surprise. To Banshee, the teenager should be her master that only she could have been able to recognize, but she couldn't believe that her owner would treat Paul so rudely.
She looked back and forth at Ulysses and Paul.
“Banshee, that man is my enemy, and he is only being kind to you in order to gain your trust.”
Banshee worryingly looked Paul, who got up, and tried to explain:
“No, you can't trust that man! Please believe me, the man that you saw in the castle is the real count!”
“Why does that guy always have a crowd of admirers? That’s really disgusting!”
Ulysses pulled out a gun, and aimed it at Paul’s head…