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I climbed onto the creaking carriage and fixed my gaze on Shione, who was nonchalantly staring outside in the front seat.

“Princess Shione.”

“Yawn….”

The moment I called her name, she began to yawn unceremoniously. Just a moment ago, she had been busy blabbering about counts and marquises with a determined expression….

Now she was pretending to be sleepy, acting as if she were dozing off with her head propped against the window.

I couldn’t help but chuckle and called her name again.

“Shione.”

“Hmm….”

Now she was making sounds, fully embracing her act, and I could only laugh heartily.

“Do you realize your breathing is already trembling?”

“….”

“Uh-oh, your eyes are twitching now. I can tell you’re not actually sleeping, so stop it already.”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Is that even a question?”

“…….”

Shione, avoiding my gaze with her cerulean eyes, started scratching her head as if she were aware of her embarrassment.

She used to act like a hero who couldn’t tolerate injustice, but alone with me, she turned into a childish version of herself that was hard to shake off.

However, I wasn’t going to let her play coy.

“What if you accept that offer right there?”

“…Well, if the young lady of the Marquis family says so, how can I refuse? Besides, my sister is coming over from our family to join the marquisate too.”

Shione’s cheerful grin abruptly turned icy in an instant.

“Well, that doesn’t mean we should blindly jump to help with the matters she’s leading. Given that we’ve just finished the war, there’s no need to get wrapped up in another major issue. So I didn’t directly say I would help the young lady—”

Seeing Shione’s serious demeanor, I swallowed a sigh and decided not to tease her on this topic any further.

“What’s important is that the military rights and the immediate decision-making powers of the marquisate have shifted to my sister. I’ll need to hear Siabel’s thoughts on this.”

Shione’s mouth lifted in a cynical curve like her sister’s.

“What shall we do about the Kalia marquisate, which is suspected of colluding with demons?”

*

Before long, the rattling carriage arrived at the heart of the marquisate.

With the emergence of dealings linked to demons, the marquisate was under tight security, both in the outer regions and at its core.

The lively sounds of market bargaining and the cheerful voices of village children had vanished. Instead, the faint clang of armored soldiers and knights patrolling was all that could be heard.

“We are entering the castle!”

At the carriage driver’s shout, the heavily shut gates of the stronghold creaked open.

‘The atmosphere really isn’t good.’

Given the situation with the marquisate being associated with demons, the interior of the stronghold that housed high-ranking officials was far more tense than the outside.

Unlike the guards, trained knights patrolled extensively, and one could see a solemn determination etched on their faces.

As we confirmed our count’s seal with eagle eyes, the carriage finally stopped, allowing us to step out and truly feel the gravity of the atmosphere.

“Lady Eunice wasn’t kidding; it seems the situation is quite severe. The knights’ glare says it all.”

“Indeed, with a high noble suspected of colluding with demons, the head of the marquisate would want to avoid any greater disgrace.”

Though saying this, now that Siabel, the countess, was involved, it was too late to stop any bad rumors circulating in the kingdom. Adding more fuel to that gossip wouldn’t be in our best interest.

Knights, who see honor as everything, would want to shield the marquisate from disgrace. The head of the family and Eunice would also be striving hard to save face for their ancestors in various ways.

It was shocking how one foolish individual could spark all this trouble.

‘Allen Kalia, how much of a fool must one be to bring shame to their own family like this?’

The crazed actions of the marquisate’s scion, Allen Kalia, had certainly gone awry.

In a kingdom where the spirit of opposing demons runs deep, a high-ranking noble with a decent education made a mess of their family’s reputation. Quite impressive, really.

After stepping out of the carriage, Shione and I exchanged thoughts for a brief moment, and naturally, I noticed Shione, who hadn’t rested deeply after the war, sighing.

“Would you like some more cookies? Sweet treats are the best remedy for headaches.”

“Oh, there are still some leftovers? I thought I had eaten them all in the carriage.”

“Knowing how much you devour cookies, I’ve long since mastered the art of keeping backup cookies while being a servant.”

“…Ray.”

“So you’re not going to have any more?”

“Ugh…give them here!”

Shione snatched the bag of cookies from my hand.

Perhaps because I had previously indulged in cookies whenever boredom struck in the carriage, there weren’t many left, and Shione, aware of the eyes upon her, shoved the remaining cookies into her mouth with as much noblesse oblige as she could muster.

Meanwhile, Shione’s keen eyes caught a glimpse of knights clad in silver-white armor advancing towards us without hesitation.

“Hmm? Over there, Ray.”

“Maybe we should deal with what’s left on your mouth first….”

“…Be quiet.”

Shione focused on the emblems etched onto the knights’ armor.

“I think those knights belong to our family.”

“Knights, you say?”

I turned my gaze to the approaching knights at Shione’s words.

The emblem was definitely—

As I thought that, a woman stepped out between two knights leading the way.

‘Siabel Shianella?’

Eunice Kalia had mentioned that Siabel was coming over from the marquisate. She must have arrived at this eastern edge faster than us, coming straight from Daesulim.

“Siabel?”

Shione looked as if taken aback by her sister appearing in her front yard like a host greeting a guest with a wave.

Naturally, given the tense atmosphere due to the archtraitor marked in their hearts, everyone couldn’t help but glance at Siabel, whose behavior stood out starkly. She was now trapped under the watchful gazes of countless eyes, but she appeared unfazed.

In fact—

‘That personality remains unchanged.’

Just as fierce as the swords she wielded against enemies.

She sauntered over to us, purposefully throwing a glare at the knights who stared back at her defiantly.

“Long time no see! Shione, Ray. I thought we’d meet again at the count’s estate after your business was done, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be here at the marquisate.”

“Siabel—”

“Wait a moment. Our Shione looks like she has a lot she wants to talk about. Sorry, but shall we move to our place first?”

“Uh, okay—”

“Oh, and you’ve got some cookie crumbs on your mouth. You did indeed gobble up the cookies Ray handed over.”

“…….”

As Shione stumbled through every interruption, Siabel turned her head toward me, seemingly reveling in what she was saying.

It was ominous how she wore that amused smile, the corner of her mouth lifting.

“Ray, didn’t I tell you not to give Shione food whenever, wherever?”

Then her smile rose even more, reaching the other side of her lips, and it was clear that the mischief in her eyes peaked.

“What if Shione ends up round again like a chubby puppy? Oh, wait, was that your plan? To keep her from going out to dangerous places in the future?”

Feeling a foreboding sensation, I glanced at Shione.

“Ah.”

She couldn’t possibly get angry with her sister. Clearly, all her sister’s blabber made her upset, yet she expressed her disgruntlement as if expecting my help to soothe her.

As the responsibility to calm Shione fell squarely on my shoulders, Siabel finally wore the satisfied look of someone who let go of their stress.

“Is what Ray said true?”

“Of course, isn’t it?”

Shione, why do you keep regressing in your thoughts?

*

Having entered the inner quarters of the marquisate, Shione and I put our meeting with the marquis on hold.

Under Siabel’s lead, we found ourselves in a small annex of the inner district. Perhaps the marquis had lent the count a temporary place, as the area was now bustling with more of Shianella’s people than those of the marquisate.

‘The soldiers guarding this annex are from the count, not the marquisate.’

Moreover, it remained unclear if this was Siabel’s initiative or a command, but the defenders of this annex were indeed count’s soldiers.

The soldiers had a certain poise which clearly separated them from the standard guards of the marquisate, indicative of their experienced survival from past conflicts.

Siabel opened the door to what appeared to be an office within the annex, stepping aside.

“Now, come on in. And you guards, stand watch outside.”

Two knights took their positions outside the room, and the chatter that filled the annex ceased, allowing a tranquil silence to settle in.

In the center of the office was a long table set for meetings, upon which a map detailing the marquisate’s territory lay.

To the west was Kalia marquisate and to the east was Daesulim. The arrangement almost resembled a military deployment map, crowded with pieces depicting various elements.

Thud, thud.

Clattering in her armor, Siabel brought two exquisite pieces from somewhere.

“Well, since you both are here, I should probably add some game pieces. I previously said I couldn’t let you join in placing your pieces on this map. Still, I do have some things to discuss with the marquis and Lady Eunice.”

With a resounding thud, two grand game pieces distinctly adorned in splendor were placed right in the center of the map, directly on the inner district where we stood.

“It seems there’s a lot to discuss going forward. I thought this map would help ease that conversation.”

As Siabel said this, she also grabbed a plate of refreshments that looked like they had been prepared in advance.

“Well then, rather than starting with how I’m controlling the military operations of the marquisate due to some trash called Yungshik, let’s begin with the stories from the count estate while you were in Daesulim.”

 

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