Chapter 47

Zivago pouted and grumbled.

“If you don’t particularly like Lady Sian yourself, you can put aside the feeling of losing her as a misunderstanding for now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lady Sian probably had an interest in His Highness for a long time… Even long before she met us.”

“…What?”

Skull, who had been listening to the conversation from a distance, asked as he slowly approached.

“You’re saying sis and His Highness have met before?”

“I don’t know that much. But it’s certain that Lady Sian had feelings for His Highness.”

“How can you be so sure if you don’t know?”

Zivago asked.

“Lady Sian doesn’t usually jump to conclusions just from hearing a story, right? But as soon as she heard that His Highness had assassinated Dragon King Elena and was attacked by the Crown Prince, she firmly said it couldn’t be true, as if she knew His Highness Carlston.”

“Huh?”

Skull made a choked sound at Max’s words. Max smiled kindly like a sage.

“I had a feeling from the beginning. From when Lady Sian believed in His Highness without a single doubt. Though Lady Sian herself didn’t seem to be aware of it.”

“Then was sis’s uppercut to the boss last time and her firm rejection just an act?”

Dr. Zivago’s eyes trembled, filled with a sense of betrayal. Max shrugged his shoulders.

“Well… who knows what’s in sis’s heart. Anyway, she recognized His Highness as a prince at first glance, too. I guarantee that sis either knew His Highness from before or had an interest in him.”

“…This feels like being hit on the foot by a trusted axe.”

Imagining Sian leaving as part of a couple, Dr. Zivago, feeling betrayed, shuddered.

“It’s not like that. Lady Sian, coming from a different background than us, couldn’t stay with us forever anyway. If it’s a good match like a prince, we should be happy to send her off…”

“What are you saying, sounding like a mother sending off her daughter, boss?”

Max laughed out loud at Zivago’s jibe.

“Anyway, I won’t interfere if it’s what Lady Sian wants.”

“Who said we want to interfere with sis? It’s just irritating to see.

Zivago grumbled.

“Think positively if you don’t have ill intentions or don’t like sis as a woman. The doctor will meet a good woman someday too.”

“When will that day come…”

Dr. Zivago, feeling down despite Max’s words of encouragement, sighed deeply while stroking his tweezers.

“It’ll come someday as you live. A day when the sun shines brightly.”

Max laughed again and patted the dejected Dr. Zivago on the shoulder.

* * *

[The Lord of Ivarid, Carlston Klaus (hereinafter A) enters into a contract with the leader of the Dragon’s Claw mercenary group, Sian Roosevelt (hereinafter B) regarding the work of restoring honor.]

The new contract was written in the same very elegant handwriting Carl had seen before. Carl slightly curved the corners of his mouth as he carefully scanned the new contract with his eyes.

[B will spare no support and assistance until A’s damaged honor is restored, and A will pay B all promised private property immediately upon returning to his domain after the goal is completed, and if this is not kept, a portion of A’s domain, Ivarid, will be inherited by B.]

After finishing reading the contract, Carl looked at Sian with a smiling face. Sian was just staring at the floor shyly, her cheeks slightly flushed, just like when she left the room.

“…Sis?”

“Yes?”

Sian looked up at Carl shyly.

“Is there a problem?”

Sian asked, unable to bear Carl’s intense gaze and averting her eyes.

“…Erase it.”

Carl said softly with a bright smile. Sian, on the contrary, changed her expression and clicked her tongue lightly.

She was truly a consistent woman. Carl also wiped the smile off his face and glared at Sian. The image of the world’s most embarrassed lady that had been visible in Sian’s changed expression was nowhere to be seen.

“Just delete the part about inheriting Ivarid’s territory, right?”

As if she had fully anticipated Carl’s reaction, Sian was already holding the pen she had brought and preparing to draw a line through the contract.

“There, erase the ‘all’ part of ‘all promised A’s’. The meaning is too ambiguous.”

When Carl said this, Sian’s face stiffened.

“Why? You said at the inn in Ivarid that you’d give me your share too.”

“I asked if it would matter if I gave all the wealth I brought, but I don’t remember saying I’d give everything left in Ivarid Castle. According to the sentence you wrote, it could be interpreted differently. Do you intend to strip away all the property left in Ivarid?”

Carl, his gaze now sharp, keenly pointed out the clause that could be interpreted ambiguously. Sian clicked her tongue again.

“…Tch, you’re not falling for it.”

Then, with a very regretful face, Sian crossed out the sentence on the contract with her pen to delete it. This time, Carl clicked his tongue.

“If your goal is to go thin and long, why do you act like this every time you see an opening?”

“Even if we go thin and long, it’s better to have more wealth. It’s even better to have territory.”

Disappointed that she couldn’t save the special clause this time either, Sian modified the contract with a sulky face.

“Here, check it again and sign.”

After crossing out the unnecessary parts of the contract, Sian handed it to Carl. Like last time, Carl carefully read the contract three times, word by word, before taking the pen from Sian and signing.

“Do you covet Ivarid?”

Carl asked casually as he handed the contract back to Sian.

“Not particularly?”

Sian asked back with an attitude that didn’t seem like a lie, but she had already been rejected twice for requesting inheritance of Ivarid’s territory.

“It’s not that I like Ivarid and covet it. It’s just that we’re wanderers, so I thought it would be good to have even a small piece of land for the future.”

Sian, feeling caught, answered honestly. Carl made a low “Hmm” sound and seemed to be lost in thought.

Fiancée. Suddenly, Carl recalled the conversation he had with Michael. It was just a white lie for now, but what if it became reality as time passed.

“…It’ll all be the lady’s anyway.”

Unconsciously muttering out loud, Carl closed his mouth with a start at Sian’s puzzled look directed at him.

“What did you say?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Ahem, Carl covered up his mistake with an awkward cough.

“By the way, are you feeling a bit better? Seeing as you’ve already written the contract.”

“…Ah, yes… well.”

As she was putting away the contract returned by Carl, Sian averted her gaze, mumbling at Carl’s following words. Remembering what happened in the garden made her feel ticklish inside. She felt awkward meeting Carl’s eyes, which she had been looking at casually until now.

“I’m sorry for showing you an unsightly scene earlier.”

“What are you saying? I’m just grateful that you’ve changed your mind.”

Carl spoke politely, wearing the mask of a courteous gentleman. The brutally honest words and unfamiliar formal speech made her already ticklish heart flutter even more.

And then silence fell. It wasn’t a natural, ordinary silence, but an uncomfortable and awkward stillness where even the air seemed to break out in a cold sweat.

“…Um.”

Unable to bear the heavy silence that seemed to weigh down even their souls, Carl cleared his throat again and opened his mouth.

“Shall we walk a bit?”

Sian just nodded silently, her lips pressed together. Carl, suddenly showing good manners, held out his hand in a gesture for her to go ahead. Sian hesitated for a moment at the awkward courtesy, but soon took the first step and started walking.

Carl followed half a step behind, to Sian’s left.

It was a walk that started just to dissolve the awkwardness, without any purpose. Nevertheless, even after crossing half the cloister, the awkward air didn’t subside but only grew thicker.

…What is this?

Sian thought, not knowing what to do with the body heat and presence following closely behind her.

The reason swordsmen follow on the left rear when escorting someone is because most swordsmen are right-handed. It’s to avoid the person being escorted getting in the way if they need to draw their sword in case of a sudden threat.

She had countless times stood behind someone’s left side, but she could count on one hand the times she had exposed her back to someone. No, thinking carefully, it was the first time.

The empty view with no one in front felt so awkward she thought she might die. Moreover, the one escorting her like a guard knight was none other than the prince, the lord of Ivarid.

While feeling so burdened that she wondered if this was okay, her heart was pounding as the ticklish feeling wouldn’t subside.

“…Why don’t you come to my side?”

Finally unable to bear the awkwardness, Sian tried to act nonchalant as she suggested to Carl.

“Huh?”

As if he had been feeling a similar awkwardness, Carl widened his eyes at Sian’s sudden voice. He seemed flustered for some reason.

“Is that okay?”

Then, before Sian could answer, he smiled brightly and came to stand beside her.

Sian willingly made room for him. She felt a little relieved as the presence that had been tickling her back moved to her side, but there was something Sian, overwhelmed by the awkward silence, hadn’t thought of.

Standing side by side made things look strange.

‘…I made a mistake…’