Two knights standing at attention stepped forward to receive the arrived carriage. After facing each other, the one on the left extended his arm and politely opened the carriage door. Below it, shoes without a speck of dust touched the ground.
A man armed in a snow-white uniform revealed himself. It was the glorious return of His Grace the Duke, who was the sky of old Logia and their lord.
"Congratulations on your safe return~!"
As the knights in blue and white uniforms saluted with precision, the mansion's front yard resounded. Birds staying in the nearby forest seemed startled and all flew up fluttering at once. Hugo, adjusting his attire, took a small breath and scanned the crowd lined up in front of the neat stone pillars.
More than three times the usual number of people who came out to greet him, and the mansion surrounding them looked so well-maintained it was hard to believe the owner had been away for months.
Though not much had changed from the scenery he had seen just before leaving, perhaps because he was returning from a life-risking expedition, the servants' faces were mixed with worry and joy.
"Welcome home, Master."
The head butler along with all the other butlers approached and bowed at 90 degrees. Though Hugo didn't particularly like noisy welcome ceremonies, today he responded with a gentle smile while patting their shoulders.
"I'm back."
One of the butlers who had served him for over 20 years furrowed his brows as his eyes grew moist. Hugo soothed him with a low laugh, then headed toward the mansion's central door together with Flynn, who had alighted from the carriage after him.
The guards opened the doors matching his pace, and the servants waiting inside also bowed their heads formally. The internal atmosphere felt subtly more rigid than usual today. He assumed it was because everyone was more focused than usual in welcoming their master who had returned after a long time.
Hugo crossed the vast hall and climbed the curved stairs along the carpet-like rug. A butler who hurriedly approached stuck close behind him and asked:
"Master, have you eaten?"
"Not yet. Please prepare a light meal in about 90 minutes, mainly protein. Before that, first organize the letters and packages that have arrived for me."
"Yes, understood. Are there any injuries or discomforts from during the expedition? Upon hearing news of your return today, we had already sent word to your personal physician."
"My body is fine, but let's have him come for an examination during the evening. Was there anything unusual at the mansion meanwhile?"
"No, nothing within the mansion. However, there are letters requiring your confirmation. I will bring them to your office right away."
Hugo responded with a look while climbing the stairs and handed his uniform jacket to Flynn. Flynn bowed his head deeply before turning and moving toward the corridor branching off in the middle. Conventionally, it was customary for the head butler to attend to the Duke who had returned after a long absence, but he too seemed to have urgent matters, disappearing in the same direction as Flynn after a brief greeting.
It was the head butler's fate to be insufficient even with ten bodies. Hugo, not particularly concerned, entered the Duke's office located in the main building. The mansion's office was arranged in a space at least four times larger than the Commander's office at the Council. It didn't feel cramped or crowded at all even when attendants rushed in together.
While undoing his sleeve buttons and wristwatch, Hugo blankly watched several attendants carrying letters and packages.
"We have received and completed laundering and organizing all the clothes and luggage sent from the Council this morning. Also, Lord Duncan sent some gifts two days ago for a preliminary greeting regarding a gathering to be held in five days."
"Gifts? Gathering?"
Hugo, who had sat down against the office desk in his vest, questioned while putting down his unfastened watch on the desktop.
"What does that mean?"
The butler continued with a light bow:
"About ten days before you departed for the peninsula expedition, Lord Drake Duncan sent a banquet invitation. He said he had arranged a place to promote unity among the nobles, but I understand the banquet itself was postponed when you expressed your intention to decline due to the expedition matter at the time."
Hugo, belatedly remembering, rubbed his face with his hands and answered:
"...If they postponed the schedule just for me, it means I must attend. What are these gifts?"
"He sent wine, cheese, and white ferret fur along with the invitation. After confirming the components and quantities, they are stored in the warehouse without opening the packaging. What would you like to do?"
Though he had wanted to focus only on mansion and territory matters for a while. As he had been away from his position as Duke for a long time, it had become time to show his face at least once. Moreover, Drake Duncan was, to put it nicely, one of the main pillars playing a major role in solidifying the unity of pro-emperor figures. To put it badly, he was one of the stagnant, rotten waters of the old nobility.
The banquet that he, who presided over the bad customs of noble culture, said he was hosting for unity was also an irregular venue for strengthening solidarity among pro-emperor nobles. Since an elderly person who liked wearing hats was doing what he should have done, it was courteous to attend this time. There was also no other justification to refuse. It was also a good opportunity to privately investigate the matter Loren had been pursuing.
Hugo said with a reluctant expression while rolling up his shirt sleeves:
"Return all the bribes, and mark me down as attending the banquet. Did you say five days later? Sort out internal matters mostly before then... Ah, I should entrust this too."
He picked up the watch he had put down on the desktop again. Then he raised it to eye level and carefully examined the watch hands moving every second. After scanning each part moving in mesh, including the solid mainspring, balance wheel, and gear train, he handed it to the butler.
"I'd like to have it examined by calling in a craftsman."
"Did it break during the expedition period?"
As a butler who knew well what meaning this watch held, he received the watch with noticeably flustered appearance. The second hand moved properly, and there seemed to be nothing wrong externally. However, Hugo, narrowing his eyes, rubbed his lower lip firmly and muttered:
"It's not broken. I think someone cast magic on it."
"Pardon?"
Hugo recalled his last kiss with Leonardo while remembering the sensation at that time. Though he had been aware that Leonardo had shown strange obsession with his watch from before, the vague suspicion during their exploration of each other's lips in the waiting room soon became certainty.
Though he didn't know why, Leonardo had clearly intentionally touched his watch with purpose. While completely shaking his mind with impudent lips and sweet whispers.
If it was meant to be a honey trap, it had succeeded. Because at that moment, he had been helplessly enchanted by him. Becoming a foolish man soaked in greed, completely losing the will to resist.
However, he had no idea what Leonardo had done to the watch. It was especially so because there were no problems either externally or functionally. Only his momentarily felt mana and his intuition made him guess that he had been caught up in that bewitching fellow's scheme.
'He definitely cast magic...'
Hugo recalled the situation when he had vaguely passed over without giving a clear answer when Leonardo had asked about his watch before. He remembered that when he had subtly prevented him from touching it, saying it was given by someone precious, Leonardo had asked again, "Who, a lover?"
At that time, their relationship hadn't been very close or deep, so he had only responded with silence and a smile to the sudden personal question. If Leonardo had misunderstood this watch as a token of romance because of that, it could be overlooked as cute jealousy. If not, the story would be a bit different.
"It's nothing much, tell him to just examine it as it might be my imagination. If there's nothing wrong, bring it back as is."
"Yes, understood."
The butler who carefully received the watch unfolded his pocket square and wrapped the glass in soft cloth. Meanwhile, the attendants who had roughly finished organizing the letters and packages bowed at their waists in front of Hugo and left the office.
The butler too was about to withdraw after giving a final greeting, preciously holding the watch. Just as he was stepping outside, the head butler, who had looked quite busy since earlier, appeared at the door.
The head butler sent a look to the one trying to leave and quietly entered the office where only Hugo remained. Then he quickly closed the door and sighed.
"You looked busy, is something wrong?"
Hugo greeted him casually while opening a letter nearby with a letter opener. The contents were an invitation to a ball hosted by a certain Count's family. It was a kind of public marriage proposal sent in the name of an heir of marriageable age, so he put it aside without reading further.
The head butler who quickly approached him carefully took something out of his inner pocket. Though maintaining composure, his complexion leading his aged body was slightly flushed.
"I apologize, Master. About an hour before your arrival, a messenger dispatched from the Imperial Office visited."
Hugo's hand stopped as he was about to open another letter. The opener that had been neatly cutting paper went astray for a moment and cut off the end of the enclosed letter. However, Hugo's stiffened pupils didn't notice this, and only his frozen gaze slowly rolled toward the head butler.
Then his gaze fell on the golden envelope in the butler's hand. Moving his lips, he lowered his voice and extended his hand.
"...Here."
The butler politely handed over the envelope and quickly withdrew, turning his body. Eventually, where his steps stopped was in front of the office door. As if guarding the firmly closed door, the head butler stood holding his breath like a mere object without eyes and ears, his hands behind his back.
The blue eyes that had confirmed the distanced butler scanned the envelope's surface. The golden pattern depicting a blazing sun seemed like it might blind the eyes.
Hugo's breath scattering over it was cold as fragile thin ice. On the firmly hardened wax was stamped the Emperor's seal. When Hugo touched its edge, the sealing wax that recognized the recipient came off cleanly.
Scratch scratch, in the quiet office where not even a breath could be heard, the noise of paper brushing seemed extremely loud.
Hugo took out the imperial order from inside the envelope with an indifferent face. His thick Adam's apple slowly moved up and down.
Soon, the movement of his pupils scanning the contents became prominent above his shadowed eyelids.
The contents were simple, but their weight was quite heavy.
Five days later at noon. Carseil Palace, Aurasion.
A low sigh silently settled over the letters. His tense gaze wouldn't leave the brief sentence.
It was a message from His Majesty the Emperor received after a long time.
The feeling that blood wasn't flowing to his fingertips must surely have been an illusion.
A summons to appear.