ESL Chapter 39

At his unexpected question, Lea’s beautiful brow furrowed slightly. It was an automatic reflexive expression that appeared whenever the debutante was mentioned.

“…That’s how it turned out.”

Ken read from her expression exactly what she thought about the debutante and chuckled. It was natural for her to detest that scene given her personality. However, since he needed her for his plan, he thought it fortunate and said,

“Then let’s skip the greetings and meet there.”

“…Don’t tell me you’re planning to attend?”

“Yeah. And promise me you’ll definitely dance with me at least once.”

At Ken’s words, Lea realized what he was thinking. She remained silent for a moment with her arms crossed, then spoke.

“……You know what that means, right? Are you really okay with it?”

“I’ve decided on a direction. And now there’s someone who’s asked me to come, so things will work out somehow.”

Ken wore a comfortable smile, as if he had sorted through all his complicated thoughts. Though the invitation to come if he had nowhere to go had been sincere, she hadn’t expected him to make up his mind this quickly given the family issues involved. It seemed that seeing the Second and Third Princes in person yesterday had played a decisive role in his decision.

She raised her red eyes, lost in thought, and looked directly into Ken’s silver-gray eyes. And after confirming from his unwavering gaze that he had definitely made up his mind, she let out a sigh as if she had no choice.

“Alright. I understand.”

At her promise, a smile bloomed on Ken’s lips.

“Then I’ll see you later. Don’t forget your promise, Lea.”

As Lea watched him leave the hall, leisurely waving his hand, she turned her head at Helen’s voice.

“Lea~ When did you get here?”

Helen, who came running up to her, had a tired look on her face, but her beautiful green eyes were sparkling. She still couldn’t believe this situation. She had protected the Count’s household that her father had left behind with her own hands. And it would have been impossible without this girl standing before her.

“Is this your first all-nighter? Aren’t you tired?”

At Lea’s worried gaze, Helen smiled brightly as if it were nothing.

“This much is fine. I’m not a minor like you, Lea—I’m an adult who’s already had her coming-of-age ceremony. More than that, I don’t know how to thank you.”

Seeing Helen’s eyes already reddening, Lea reached out and clasped both her hands tightly. Then she said,

“Congratulations, Helen. But it’s not over yet. No, it’s only just beginning.”

“I know. Tell me. What should I do from now on to protect Sean… and this Count’s household?”

Helen caught the meaning in Lea’s words and looked at her. Seeing Helen, whose smile had disappeared and who was now gazing at her with firm eyes, Lea smiled. She would be fine now. Lea whispered in a low voice that only Helen could hear.

“For the time being, I’m going to leave the Kaien knights here under the pretext of protecting Helen and Sean. So that rumors will spread that Duke Kaien’s household stands behind Count Roman’s household. Then they won’t be able to move easily. In the meantime, Helen needs to catch the spies and reestablish discipline in the Count’s household. Can you do it?”

It wouldn’t be easy. She would have to take responsibility not only for the external affairs her father had handled but also for the internal affairs of the Count’s household. If it were something she’d been doing, there would be no problem, but for Helen, who had to learn everything anew, it was no small task. However, since it was something that had to be done, Helen bit her lower lip hard and nodded.

“It won’t be easy to do alone. Is there anyone who can help?”

At Lea’s question, Helen recalled the only face she could trust besides her father. He would know well the work her father had been doing.

“Uncle Kassen, the head of Royman Trading Company, would be able to help.”

Kassen… Lea remembered who he was. He was definitely someone she had seen in the documents found at the branch where Abram had been. He was the person who had opposed Rene first when Count Roman was poisoned and Rene took control of the Count’s household, and had been pushed out from his position as trading company head as a result. The documents said that even when they tried to win him over he wouldn’t listen, so they tried to kill him, but he had gone into hiding and they were searching for him.

‘I should find him first and meet with him…’

Finding Kassen on top of having to act as proxy for the Count’s duties would be too much for Helen. Since she had been planning to protect Helen and Sean from them until Count Roman’s household was restored anyway, she thought it would be fine to help this much. Lost in thought, Lea looked at Helen at the sound of her voice.

“But… what about Ken?”

Huh? Lea looked at Helen with a strange feeling for a moment. Seeing Helen looking around here and there with slightly trembling, anxious eyes, Lea felt something and gave an invisible bitter smile.

‘Of all people, Ken…’

It wasn’t that Ken was lacking. Rather, considering his background, appearance, and personality alone, he would be one of the most attractive men in the empire. But the situation he was in wasn’t very good. She didn’t know what feelings Ken had for Helen, but as things stood, it wouldn’t be easy for Helen to handle him. She hoped Helen wouldn’t cry anymore.

‘Even so, this isn’t a problem for me to get involved in.’

Matters of love were something you didn’t interfere with, no matter how close you were. Lea tossed aside the thoughts she’d just had to one corner and answered matter-of-factly. Anyway, from what she could tell now, it seemed more like a stage of favorable feelings rather than love. With time, it might sort itself out…

“Ken went back. To where he should be.”

“Ah….”

Helen let out a deflated voice without realizing it. She had known he would leave someday, but perhaps because she hadn’t expected him to go so suddenly, her heart felt heavy. She knew she had favorable feelings toward Ken. It was just that she thought she wasn’t qualified to like him and thought Ken had no feelings for her whatsoever, so she hadn’t shown it.

Helen bit her lower lip slightly and lowered her head. Even though she knew now wasn’t the time to think about men, she felt foolish for being shaken like this. And compassion dwelled in Lea’s eyes as she looked at Helen.

****

“Count Roman’s household has also failed.”

At the report from the person prostrated and wrapped entirely in a black robe, the man standing by the window raised the corners of his mouth with interest. He was a strikingly handsome man with blazing red hair and cold silver eyes that seemed devoid of emotion. He was a man with a beauty that was extremely refined as if sculpted, yet somehow decadent, but his entire being exuded a dangerous atmosphere. It was the kind of feeling that if you carelessly approached, you’d be bitten by sharp fangs.

“What happened to those idiots who failed?”

At the man’s question, the black-robed man answered with his head still bowed.

“Abram’s side is imprisoned in Duke Kaien’s underground dungeon, and Rene’s side is imprisoned in the capital’s underground dungeon.”

“Interesting… Those two families that my overconfident older brother spent quite a long time cultivating have slipped away so quickly. Very intriguing. So who led this?”

“All of the spies planted in Duke Kaien have been arrested so we can’t know who led it, but it seems certain that Duke Kaien’s daughter was involved in this matter with Count Roman’s household. And though it’s not certain, it seems Luciel of Theordo also helped her.”

When the black-robed man stated the facts he had discovered, the eyes of the smiling man glinted dangerously.

“…Are you saying a mere girl changed the flow?”

“It’s not certain yet, but that is our speculation.”

Speculation… Normally, speculation would just mean a thought, but when they said speculation, it meant it was almost certainty. They only said they were certain when they were confident there would be no margin of error whatsoever. The man opened his mouth leisurely, his silver eyes glinting dangerously with apparent pleasure.

“I’d like to see that young lady’s face. Is she attending the empire’s debutante?”

“Yes. Are you thinking of attending?”

“I’ll just go take a quick look at her face. I have a feeling it will be entertaining.”

Entertainment… Though the black-robed man felt his intuition screaming otherwise, he hoped Duke Kaien’s daughter would be an ordinary young lady. For his master it was entertainment, but for the person on the receiving end it was terror. If she caught his master’s interest even slightly, his master would immediately begin the hunt. A hunt so cruel and brutal that the one being hunted would wish they were dead. He suddenly felt sorry for her, but the man soon erased such feelings from his mind. He was a hunting dog who obeyed his master’s words and had to move accordingly.

“Understood. I’ll make full preparations. And what should we do about disposing of the trash?”

The man knew this was a question about the captured subordinates and spies, and smirked.

“My older brother will take care of those vermin himself. Share the information only with Theordo’s side. They’re desperate to eliminate the beast cub too.”

“I’ll handle it as you say.”

After the black-robed man disappeared into thin air, the man slowly approached the sofa and sank into it.

“I don’t know what kind of girl she is, but I hope she entertains me. I’ve been extremely bored lately.”

The eyes of the man muttering with apparent anticipation glinted cruelly and dangerously.