Chapter 17: Before the Wedding ⑯ ~Learning of the Lady’s Arrival~

While Viscount Earclut was considering how to take responsibility for this incident, hurried footsteps echoed, and one of Baron Hollow’s men came running in.

“There’s news!
Count Faberti has arrived at Viscount Earclut’s residence from the capital!”

“Tch!
He’s already here?
How many did he bring?”

“Not that many.
Around a dozen, I believe.”

Count Raffaello Faberti had come to listen to music, not to start a conflict, so that number made sense.
But from their perspective, this was a good opportunity.
Even if it was over ten people, some would be tied up with guarding the Count or handling his affairs, so the number who could actually move would be closer to ten.
With that few, it wouldn’t be easy for them to reach this place quickly, and there would be plenty of time.
In that time, they could hand these people over to the client and sell off the extra baggage.

“Hahaha, too bad for you.
Even your last hope, Count Faberti, doesn’t have enough men to find this place.
It would take days for him to summon more people here.
Before that happens, we’ll take you away from here.”

Hearing that the friend he was supposed to meet had arrived first, Edel desperately wished the incident could be resolved by his hand.
Otherwise, my wife is going to come out here.
She absolutely will.
If she comes personally, that’s bad, right?

If she really did show up, then to keep Viscount Earclut and Miss Jessica from being blamed for anything strange, he would have to placate Aria’s mood.
Would one or two new songs be enough to earn forgiveness?
And then… even if a threat to his chastity arrived, he would accept it quietly.
But before that, he wanted a bit of preparation, a mental rehearsal of sorts, so please give me a little time.
If I asked Raffaello, would he prepare some kind of manual for that sort of thing?

While Edel was thinking about how to calm his wife, Baron Hollow was thinking ahead in a way that benefited himself.

As for Viscount Earclut’s household, they would have to work their connections in the capital.
It was troublesome if this reached His Majesty the Emperor, but Hollow had acquaintances among high-ranking nobles as well.
He would have to go through them somehow.

There had been some unexpected developments, but nothing beyond correction.
Just as Baron Hollow was thinking that, even more frantic footsteps approached.

“T-this is bad!!”

The one who rushed in, out of breath, was a man Baron Hollow had left behind at Viscount Earclut’s residence.

“What is it?
Why the rush?”

“T-the Margrave of Lodnight!”

“The Margrave of Lodnight?
Why is a name that has nothing to do with this coming up?”

“She—she’s here!
The Margrave of Lodnight has arrived at Viscount Earclut’s residence!!”

“…What?”

After a moment of silence, Baron Hollow let out a strange sound, while Edel quietly muttered, “Ah.”

She’s already here…
I wonder how this will turn out.
Will she settle this peacefully…?

Edel was thinking about it in a carefree way, but Baron Hollow, who had no idea why the Margrave of Lodnight was here, and Viscount Earclut as well, both wore looks of utter shock.

“What the hell is going on!?
Why is that empress here?!”

“I-I don’t know!
She brought troops with her, and they’ve started searching the mansion.
They’re exposing every hidden passage one after another!!”

At that report, Baron Hollow’s face gradually drained of color.

If the Border Army was here, being found was only a matter of time.
And there was a chance the client wouldn’t show up at all.
Would someone really risk coming to a place with the Border Army right nearby?
If they did come despite that danger, then it meant the people here were worth far more than he’d thought.

In other words, he could demand an even higher price than originally agreed.

“Prepare to depart immediately.
Destroy anything that connects back to us.
Make sure none of them fall into the Margrave’s hands!!”

Baron Hollow rapidly planned which routes would avoid the Border Army.
The main roads were no good.
They were surely already under control.
That meant taking the mountain paths, dangerous as they were.
This area was mostly farmland and not particularly lawless, but there was still the risk of bandits.
Even so, it was better than the highways.

“Damn it!
Why does the empress have to show up?!”

At that bitter outburst, Viscount Earclut found himself thinking he agreed on that point.

They were neighboring territories, but one ruled the vast frontier as a Margrave, while the other was merely a Viscount, even if his land was called the granary of the kingdom.
They exchanged seasonal greetings, but that was the extent of their relationship.
Why would the empress herself come all this way?
It made no sense.

Yet when he glanced sideways, there was a young man from the frontier wearing a face that said, “Well, can’t be helped.”

“Damn it!
You’ll be leaving this place soon anyway!
Enjoy your last moments while you can!!”

After spitting that out and leaving with his men, Baron Hollow was gone.
Viscount Earclut then lightly patted Edel on the shoulder.

“Edel, you look like you know something.
Now then, as the lord of this land, I’d like you to spill it all.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Why are you speaking in such a flat tone when you’re a minstrel?
You’re basically confessing that you’re involved.”

“That’s strange.
On stage I do it properly.
My acting was pretty well received.”

He’d never delivered lines so stiffly before.
As he muttered to himself, Viscount Earclut sighed.

“You really do have some nerve.
Well, from what I hear, you mostly played female roles on stage, didn’t you?
Perhaps you’re not used to delivering lines as yourself.”

“Oh!
That might be it.”

Now that he mentioned it, that was true.
Since he always played women, it felt completely detached from himself, letting him immerse in the role.
The words weren’t his own lines, so he could pour emotion into them smoothly.
Acting as himself was something he wasn’t used to at all.

“Putting that aside.
So, what is your relationship with the Margrave?”

Faced with Viscount Earclut’s question, Edel hesitated, but since she’d already shown up, there was no point hiding it.
He braced himself.

“She’s my wife.”

“………………What?”

“I said, she’s my wife.
I’m technically the Margrave’s consort.”

“…Seriously?”

“Seriously.
I know it’s hard to believe, but seriously.”

At Edel’s confession, both Viscount Earclut and Jessica, who had been listening quietly from the corner, froze completely and didn’t move at all.