Chapter 149
'Ahem. Using my power for the first time in ages has worn me out, so I shall sleep. Wake me when we arrive at Marquis Hione's estate.'
With that, the 〈Knowledge Keeper's Key〉 fell silent. The rainbow-like sheen of its gemstone seemed to have dimmed a little, if only slightly.
Monica asked Cyril,
"Um, do ancient magical artifacts... sleep?"
"...I have no idea."
Cyril tilted his head, then slipped on a leather glove to hide the ring for now.
Surprisingly, it was Raul who answered their question.
"Apparently, it can shut off its consciousness. Well, in this case, maybe it's embarrassed about getting jealous!"
"Ah, I see..."
Monica gave an uncertain reply as she quietly considered the matter.
The 〈Knowledge Keeper's Key〉 had been unhappy about not being Cyril's number one, and had gotten jealous of Pike and Ture.
(...Jealousy, jealousy.)
Monica silently rolled a word she rarely used around on her tongue, turning it over in her mind.
Jealousy—or envy—didn't really resonate with her.
But when she'd heard Cyril was getting engaged and couldn't bring herself to be happy, then felt relieved when the engagement was called off, that feeling had certainly been in her heart.
(...I think I understand, just a little, what it feels like to envy someone.)
Monica only got to see Cyril during their joint research, so she was a little envious of Ture and Pike, who could always be with him. And when Isaac told her stories about his memories of the boys' dormitory, she'd thought, That sounds nice.
(I'm sure I want to know more about Lord Cyril.)
That's why she'd gotten so excited when she saw him with his hair down—when she saw a Lord Cyril who was just a little different from usual.
(...Lately, I feel like I've gotten awfully selfish.)
It was very difficult to go through life without ever feeling jealous of anyone.
Now that she'd left the mountain cabin and was living among people, Monica was sure she'd compare herself to others time and time again, feeling jealous, getting possessive, or wishing she had what someone else did.
(But being selfish isn't good. Yes, it isn't.)
After all, she'd just been dragged around by a ring that had thrown a fit because it was jealous.
Monica quietly told herself to learn from what had happened.
＊ ＊ ＊
They walked for a while, and as the Roseburg estate's annex came into view, Raul stopped, shaded his eyes with one hand, and said, "Huh?"
Someone was standing in front of the annex.
A small figure with tousled brown hair—Monica let out a little cry of surprise.
Beside her, Claudia murmured,
"...Neil."
"Claudia-san!"
Neil rushed toward them, his face filled with alarm.
Claudia gave Isaac a withering look.
"...You really are a thoughtful attendant."
"I knew he was in the capital on business."
Apparently, just before leaving Southdoll, Isaac had sent a letter to Neil, who was working in the capital.
Monica and the others had been traveling at a very leisurely pace, so Isaac's letter should have arrived first.
"Honestly! I told you to stay home and take it easy!"
Neil glared up at Claudia, his brows drawn tight in anger. It was unusual to see him, normally so mild-mannered, like this.
"What if something happened to you or the baby?!"
Monica gave a little gasp. She wasn't the only one.
Cyril and Raul were staring at Claudia with expressions much like Monica's. Isaac was the only one still smiling.
Cyril trembled from head to toe, his face turning bright red as he shouted,
"Why wasn't I, her older brother, told?!"
"Huh? You didn't tell your brother-in-law?!"
The weasels on Cyril's shoulders puffed up their tails in surprise at his shout, while Neil's eyes widened in shock.
People of high status sometimes kept a pregnancy secret for their own safety, but Claudia was now a baron's wife. There was no reason to go out of her way to hide it.
As the others gaped at her, Claudia looked away meaningfully and muttered,
"...There must have been some unfortunate mishap in the chain of communication."
Everyone thought that was an outright lie.
If Cyril hadn't been told, then Claudia must either have asked Marquis Hione to keep it from him or be lying. That much was certain.
"I-I had no idea! If I'd known, I wouldn't have brought you all the way here! Ah, are you all right standing? Shouldn't you sit down...?"
Cyril raised and lowered his hands uselessly, his face a jumble of worry and anger.
The weasels clung to his shoulders with their tiny paws and feet as they spoke.
"Cyril, you're loud."
"You're really panicking."
"How could I not panic?! A pregnant woman taking a long trip in a carriage is out of the question! Wait, that's right—aren't you dressed too lightly? You should be wrapped in a blanket..."
Claudia turned away from the flustered Cyril and looked at Monica and the others. Her gloomy expression said it all.
—That's why I kept quiet.
"...Do you understand?"
"U-um..."
As Monica faltered, Neil bowed deeply.
His youthful appearance had barely changed since their days at Serendia Academy.
Even so, Neil now had an adult's composure and somehow seemed quite dignified.
"I'm sorry my wife caused you all so much trouble. And thank you for the letter, Isaac-san."
"You're welcome. Do you need me to arrange a carriage for the trip home?"
"No, we're fine. It's parked just over there... Claudia-san, I'm done with work, so let's head home right now!"
At Neil's words, Claudia tilted her head slightly.
"...Oh? Weren't you expecting this job to take a long time?"
"I finished it in a hurry!"
Neil answered proudly. Claudia approached him without changing her expression and clung to his arm.
Even after getting married, Claudia was still somewhat taller than Neil, so she looked as if she were leaning her weight on him.
Still clinging to Neil's arm, Claudia looked at Monica and the others and grinned wickedly.
It was an evil smile, but anyone could tell at a glance that she was in a good mood.
"...My husband is impressive, isn't he?"
"Wait, Claudia! Have you arranged for a doctor? What about a wet nurse? What will you need for the baby? And when are you due...?"
Turning away from Cyril as he fired off one question after another, Claudia started walking, half-dragging Neil along.
"...Well then, good day."
"Claudia-san?! Please make sure to write your brother-in-law a letter later, okay?!"
"...Yes. After the birth."
"Claudia-san!"
The Maywood couple disappeared like the wind, and Cyril covered his face with both hands and slumped over.
As if to comfort him, the two weasels stroked his cheeks with their tails.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the dining room of the Roseburg estate's annex, Cyril lay facedown on an antique table, muttering, "I was the only one who wasn't told..."
Raul set a bowl of soup down in front of him.
"Cheer up, Cyril! Here, I gave you an extra-large serving of soup!"
Cyril remained dejected without touching the soup, while the weasels scrambled over his shoulders and head, pulling at his hair and doing as they pleased.
They seemed to think they were cheering him up, at least.
"He's really upset."
"Cheer up, Cyril."
"It's unusual for him to be upset without getting angry."
"Cyril's always angry, after all."
Cyril pushed himself upright and shot the weasels a sideways glare.
His expression was deeply displeased.
"...Am I really angry that often?"
The golden weasel, Pike, hopped down onto the table and looked up at Cyril.
"You think you aren't? You yell, 'Come on, do this already!' at least ten times a day."
"...I don't say it that often."
"You do. I'll count every time from now on."
At Pike's remark, Cyril slumped over again and covered his face with both hands.
"...Did Claudia keep quiet because I'm so short-tempered? No, but this time, too, I caused trouble because I lost my temper..."
As Cyril muttered his regrets, Ture stroked his cheek with a fluffy tail from atop his shoulder, apparently trying to comfort him.
Watching Cyril and the weasels, Monica quietly asked Isaac,
"Um, did you... know about Claudia-sama?"
"Well, I had a feeling."
He said it was only a feeling, but Isaac had probably been certain.
Thinking back, Isaac had been meticulous about everything, from arranging meals and carriages to carrying the luggage.
Come to think of it, whenever Claudia crossed a step, Isaac always moved to stand below her. He'd been there to catch her if anything happened.
"I didn't notice at all..."
"I didn't notice either, so don't worry about it! Anyway, let's think about what would make a good present!"
Just as Raul finished handing out soup to everyone, they heard the entrance door open.
There was also the sharp, clacking sound of heels.
"Raul! Is someone there?"
"Oh, it's my sister."
The next moment, Isaac stood up without a sound.
He picked up the bowl of soup and spoon set in front of him and nimbly leaped out the window.
His movements were so quiet and efficient that Monica, Raul, Cyril, and even the weasels all stared in stunned silence.
As everyone gaped, the door opened and Melissa came into the room dressed to go out.
Wearing a fancy hat and a fur stole around her neck, Melissa's eyes widened when she saw Monica and the others.
"Oh my, if it isn't Moni-Moni! Oh, Lord Cyril, it's been so long!"
While Melissa greeted them, Monica kept glancing back and forth between Isaac's seat and the window.
(Oh, right. Big Sister Melissa knows what His Highness looks like...)
She'd said she'd passed the time during a boring ceremony by staring at Prince Felix's face. Someone as sharp as Melissa was quite likely to see through Isaac's disguise.
Even so, Isaac's escape had been thorough.
He'd even put the chair back where it belonged, and taken the bowl and spoon with him. He'd completely erased any trace of another person having been in the room.
As Monica admired his work, Melissa pinched her cheek.
"Hey, Moni-Moni. Your big sister just got home, and you're spacing out?"
"Y-yes, s-sorry..."
When Monica apologized with tears in her eyes, Melissa smiled as if she'd just thought of something.
"Oh, right! I was just watching a play in the capital. The leading man was so handsome—it was wonderful."
"I-I see."
"I got someone I know some throat lozenges, and they thanked me with a whole bunch of discount tickets for the theater. The thing is, they're about to expire."
Melissa pulled a ticket from her coat pocket and pressed it into Monica's hand.
Then she glanced sideways at Cyril and said,
"Here, take it and go with someone."
"Oh, that discount ticket is good for up to four people! Then let's all go see it together!"
Raul leaned over to take a look and made the cheerful suggestion. Melissa groaned, "You blind fool...!"
Cyril, who'd been slumped over dejectedly just moments ago, straightened up and thanked Melissa.
"Thank you for your kind thought, Lady Melissa. What play is it?"
Melissa had been glaring at Raul with a look worthy of the First Thorn Witch, but the next moment, she answered Cyril with a charming smile.
"It's 'Bion, Bringer of Happiness'—a modern adaptation of a classic. A short comedy based on the same story was popular some time ago, but this version is more of an adventure, focusing on Bion's exploits."
At that moment, Monica saw it.
Cyril's eyes widened slightly, then sparkled.
Cyril let out a soft sigh and smiled warmly as he said,
"I'd very much like to see that."