Chapter 9
“Who knows when that will be?” Marchioness Connolly asked.
Yuls smiled crookedly. “Indeed.”
He agreed with her sentiment.
“That’s why I asked, why did you do that back then?”
The Marchioness didn’t respond to Yuls’ question.
“If we had ended it then, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
But they couldn’t turn back time. A single moment’s mistake affects countless futures. They were still under the influence of that mistake.
Moreover, Yuls remained frozen in time, always in the same state.
His memories, his mind, and his body.
The Marchioness asked to be informed once any plans or schedules were decided, then left. Though “left” is a relative term, as she was still staying in Palesa Palace. The women’s quarters were only a ten-minute walk away.
Yuls sighed, looking at the pile of gifts. Most would be useless or discarded. The food would be sent to servants and knights, and most gifts would be passed on to others. Only the documents hidden among them were important.
Still, he couldn’t leave empty-handed, so he’d choose some decent items to store in the warehouse. He should also give something to Palesa’s escort knight, Yuls thought, turning his gaze to Bert standing beside him.
As soon as Marchioness Connolly left, Bert relaxed. Feeling Yuls’ gaze, he asked, “Do you have any orders, Your Grace?”
“What do you think of Grimaldi?”
“You mean Adi? He’s not bad.”
Bert answered.
“Tell me more.”
“He says he came to Palesa from Grimaldi because he disliked it there. His relationship with Spencer Grimaldi doesn’t seem good. He appears to keep his mouth shut. He doesn’t initiate conversations unless spoken to, and he doesn’t ask questions. Not just unnecessary ones, but even necessary ones. He’s a typical knight who doesn’t question and follows orders. Oh, and he’s never caused any romantic troubles, neither with women nor men. Judging by that, I think—”
“Bert,” Yuls interrupted. He rubbed his temples, annoyed at Bert’s apparent joke despite knowing that wasn’t what he meant by asking.
“He doesn’t seem to belong to that side.”
“Are you certain?”
“For now, yes. Who knows about the future? He is that vile Count’s child, after all.”
Bert replied. However, someone like Adi Grimaldi, who had no connections with anyone, would be easy to monitor if a new person approached him.
Yuls recalled Spencer Grimaldi’s face. He wasn’t sure of his original hair color, but now Spencer had gray hair. The man’s youthful face for his age contrasted strikingly with his hair. He was both the most trusted and the most ostracized by the king.
Then Yuls thought of Adi Grimaldi. The slender knight with golden-brown hair bore no resemblance to Spencer Grimaldi. Though Yuls hadn’t seen Adi’s skills yet and wondered if he could escort well, given the rumors circulating in Palesa Palace…
“Palesa’s dog, huh.”
Usually, being called a dog implied loyalty, but in this case, it truly meant “son of a bitch.” No matter how he thought about it, Yuls couldn’t imagine it. The rumors he heard didn’t seem to match that gentle, pretty face. From what Yuls had seen, Adi Grimaldi was excessively docile. Was he afraid of losing his head?
“I’m still not sure about him,” Yuls said.
“But he is different from Spencer Grimaldi.”
At least he couldn’t play politics. Spencer Grimaldi’s political acumen had played a significant role in earning such trust. If Adi Grimaldi resembled Spencer Grimaldi, he wouldn’t be treated this way in Palesa.
“That’s because Your Grace doesn’t keep him close,” Bert said.
Not just Adi Grimaldi, but all the knights in Palesa Palace were kept at arm’s length. Those in Palesa couldn’t be trusted. Of course, there were plenty of untrustworthy people in Woodpecker territory too.
“Why don’t you test him? It might be interesting to see Adrian at odds with Spencer.”
“Can he be at odds? He doesn’t seem like the type.”
“He’s Palesa’s dog, isn’t he? At least he should know how to bite.”
“It’s more troublesome if he bites his master.”
“It might be worth taming him, prepared to be bitten. Someday, Grimaldi will fall into Adi’s hands.”
Bert suggested. It made sense. Spencer wouldn’t maintain control forever. At most, 10 years, or 20 if it stretched longer. Not a bad time frame.
“I’ll think about it,” Yuls said, standing up. Watching the boy who came up to his chest, Bert nodded slightly.
“By the way, there’s something I need you to do.”
Yuls went to his desk, took out a piece of paper, wrote something on it, rolled it up, and handed it to Bert.
After checking the contents, Bert neatly folded the paper and tucked it inside his leather armor.
“I’ll finish it as quickly as possible.”
“Good. Now, let’s move.”
“Where to, Your Grace?”
“Witch Street.”
Bert nodded in understanding, then paused. Thinking about it, this opportunity wasn’t bad. Bert smiled meaningfully and spoke.
“Your Grace.”
“What?”
“Since you’re busy with matters to handle, why don’t you go to Witch Street with Sir Adi Grimaldi?”
“…”
“You should get closer to him.”
“Why should I?”
“You’ll be together for several months. Building trust will ensure he protects you well when something happens, instead of running away.”
“I don’t need someone who runs away.”
“You never know.”
Bert shrugged as he spoke.
“Witch Street isn’t dangerous, so it should be fine.”
You just want to pair me up with Adi Grimaldi, don’t you?
Yuls couldn’t understand why Bert was so lenient towards Adi Grimaldi.
“It’s a nice day. Perfect for an outing for the two of you. I’ll have a servant prepare everything.”
It seemed that them going together was already decided. Yuls didn’t answer and looked out the window.
Summer was approaching. The chilly, damp winter air had disappeared, replaced by dry winds that swirled through the room. Palesa’s summers were always brilliant.
Was it because he always came here in late spring?
Despite his intense dislike for Palesa, the beauty of this season left him with an inexplicable longing.
“Palesa looks so happy,” Yuls mused.
The wind, the sunlight, the pure white flowers, the laughter of children whose parentage he didn’t know.
“Disgustingly so,” he added.
Bert softly replied, “If you say so,” before leaving the reception room. Yuls’ gaze followed him.
Soon after, a servant entered. Having received instructions from Bert, he informed Yuls that a carriage would be prepared for departure in an hour and that he would bring clothes for Yuls to change into. Yuls didn’t respond.
* * *
Returning to her room, Adi opened the window and sat at her desk, lighting a candle. The wind flowed in through the window right next to the desk.
Perhaps Palesa had been the capital of the Dalkatir Kingdom for so long because of this weather. The fresh scent of early spring was fading, giving way to late spring.
Palesa’s late spring felt unfamiliar. The spring here was so warm that it sometimes felt like early summer. Palesa’s spring was warmer than Grimaldi’s summer. Looking at the vegetation, Adi thought Adrian would have liked this too. But she never got to see this scenery.
Adi wrote on thick paper using fruit juice, then added ordinary content on the back.
Words about being well, missing family, and numerous fabricated lies resembled the occasional messages from Spencer Grimaldi. Adi similarly wrote a letter full of loving words devoid of any real affection.
After pressing a blotter on the letter to absorb excess ink, she folded it carefully. Then she took out sealing wax and lit it with the candle. She dripped the melted wax onto the letter and pressed it with a ring she had kept deep in his drawer, as if it didn’t matter if anyone saw.
Once she delivered it to the palace registry, everything would be done. Moreover, it was almost time to go to the Duke’s residence. As Adi stood up, someone knocked. Instead of saying “come in,” Adi went to open the door.
“Sir Adrian Grimaldi?”
It was a servant.
“The schedule has changed. You need to accompany His Grace the Duke to the city in 30 minutes.”
“Understood.”
“…”
“I’ll be there on time.”
“Aren’t you going to ask where?”
“Wherever we’re going, it won’t be a problem for escorting.”
“I see… We’re planning to go to Witch Street.”
The servant said. If it’s Witch Street, there won’t be much to escort, Adi thought.
“Then please come to the reception room in 30 minutes.”
“Let’s go together now.”
“No, His Grace is changing clothes at the moment.”
The servant declined. Adi nodded.
“Then I’ll stop by the registry and head there right away.”
The servant glanced at the letter in Adi’s hand and nodded in understanding.