Stepping off the carriage, the cold breeze from the lake hit [Ernest Fuller]'s face, making him instinctively tighten his neck.
Awaiting the meeting at the hotel where Baron [Granashi] was staying, Fuller was filled with hope.
However, when Fuller saw the neat rows of carriages parked in the hotel's open area and the coachmen waiting at the leeward corner, his enthusiasm cooled bit by bit.
The guard, with a cavalry saber at his side, checked the invitation and silently opened the door for Fuller with a gesture that said "please."
"No need to search me?" Fuller forced a light-hearted jest.
The guard sized Fuller up and down, offering a slight smirk tinged with disdain, and replied curtly: "Within five steps, no one is a match for your lordship."
Fuller nodded in formality, not taking it too seriously.
Entering the drawing room, Fuller's mood grew heavier.
Everyone was there.
