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When I asked Diel to get Erhan’s help, he immediately declared he was out.
“I’m afraid of Master Erhan.”
“We’ve known him since he was a kid, and of course, he grew up unbelievably too big, but still, thinking back then….”
“The past is already past.”
Diel scornfully avoided my eyes.
“And I also predicted this future from when he was 13 years old.” (Diel)
“······.”
“When he grows up, he’ll be terrifying enough to threaten my safety.” (Diel)
“Haa, Diel…. You cowardly, insignificant soul.” (Lise)
“Anyway, I’m out. Good luck, Lise.”
So I had no choice but to go alone and meet Erhan. I knocked carefully in front of his door and a stiff and insincere answer came back.
“Come on in.”
As I went inside with an apprehensive look on my face, I wondered if I came when he was in the wrong mood. Erhan was looking at the document without checking who came in.
“Excuse me, Master Erhan.”
He almost dropped the document he was looking at when he raised his head.
“Are you busy?”
It was the moment that his blunt face changed immediately.
“No, not at all.”
He smiled so softly that even his eyes smiled.
“I didn’t expect you to come at this time. I wasn’t keen enough. I will always be prepared from now on. What’s going on?”
“Well… I have a request.”
“Yes, just say it.”
It was a completely different tone compared to when he roughly said to come.
‘How can someone’s disposition change this quickly? Is there a problem with him?’
As I was seriously considering his state of health once again, Erhan rose from his seat slowly and gently led my hand.
“Anything.”
I can feel his firm hands full of calluses. It was a bit surprising to think that the soft and small hands of a child in the past changed like this.
“I’ll listen to everything.”
The atmosphere inside the castle was so ugly that I felt nervous coming here.
“If it’s what you want.”
Erhan smiled and replied happily as if he was rather having fun at the moment.
‘When I see him like this, it seems that the kindness he had in his childhood remains as it was….’
Of course, I always tried to find Erhan’s cuteness at that time, but it was nigh impossible.
I strangely felt instinctively depressed when I saw him smile with a face of boredom while leaning against the chair and reading the papers earlier.
‘I know you’re especially handsome…. But how could it be this fatal even though you’re not doing anything?’
I sat face to face with him, making a reasonable inference that the rumors circulating in the Duke’s castle must’ve been due to this unique atmosphere around him.
“So, the thing is…Oh, before that.”
We used to hold hands often in the past, but now, if we were to hold his hands like this, it somehow felt different from then.
“You shouldn’t just hold a woman’s hand easily like this since you’re not a child anymore.”
“A woman’s hand.”
Erhan looked at me with his drowsy eyes.
“Your hand is the only one I’ve ever held. I’ve never held another woman’s hand.”
“Uh…. Huh?”
“Since childhood.”
“Oh, then you can’t just casually hold my hand anymore. That was then, and now is now.”
“Why?”
“Can the man who will rule the Duchy in the future just leisurely grab his doctor’s assistant’s hand and follow her around without worrying about his honor? You were weak in your childhood, so it was okay then.”
“Holding hands…. with the assistant?”
Erhan’s gaze of absurdity reached my hand, which was held in his big hand.
“You have to walk on your own confidently now. I can’t drag you around forever.”
“Well, if you don’t like it, there’s no helping it then.”
He very slowly let go of my hand so that I could feel the friction of our skin as it gradually fell off each other.
“I don’t think it’s a pain in the neck, so you can hold mine whenever you want to.” (Erhan)
“Yes, of course. There are times when I need it for the treatment.”
“Anytime, even if it’s not for medical treatment.”
“And why would I? There’s no need for me to hold the hand of a grown man without any reason.”
“Who knows.”
He smiled at me with his chin down.
“I want to hold yours any time. When I was young and even now.”
I shrugged my shoulders as I recalled the cold words he nailed in me about never thinking of me as his sister.
“I heard you’re learning how to manage the Duchy. You’ve been working hard.”
“Oh, yes. I can’t wait to be the Duke.”
Erhan said while pushing the documents aside.
“I have to make the territory a better place to live anyways.”
I was impressed by him and nodded.
It seemed that the rumors that he had a bad personality and that he came back because he became weird were just because of his scary impression.
“Only then will Lise be happy in Cerseus for a thousand years, not anywhere else.”
“Yes. I’m a pacifist with a lot of respect for life so that’s a very important factor.”
I replied resolutely, hoping that the same thing would not happen again.
“By the way, what’s your request?”
“About that….”
No matter how kind he is, I was just a commoner to him anyway. I couldn’t say the names of Baron Ishid and Wederick without any evidence, so I cleverly hid them and answered.
“Do you know Kane Ashills? He’s from the Knights.”
“Oh, just the face and name.”
There are quite a few members of the Knights but Erhan immediately answered as if he knew all of them.
“We’re not personally acquainted since he stayed here without going to the south with us. He’s a commoner, so he’s not particularly high in class.”
He suddenly stopped talking and raised his eyebrows.
“….Why? Do you like him?”
“What?”
“Do you have interests in short guys? If I cut my leg off, I’ll suffer….”
“No! No! No! I like tall people.”
I was astounded about what he was saying so I hurriedly opened my mouth.
“Good. So do you like gray hair with an ambiguous color?”
“No, I pursue the aesthetic value of features rather than those extremely personal tastes.”
“I don’t have to dye my hair then.”
“It’s not like that…But why is the conversation going that way anyway?”
“I’m just being a little vigilant, in case you’re still a player like in the old days.”
I was stunned and clicked my tongue.
Losing the will to respond, I went straight to the main point. He has indeed become somewhat weird, so I shouldn’t get myself too involved.
“Anyway, that guy named Kane Ashills is suspicious.”
“Really? Then should I kill him?”
“What?”
‘No, is it easy for him to say he’ll kill the man because he’s just a commoner?’
Well, it was common for nobles to regard commoners’ lives as insignificant.
Even a fallen aristocrat like Aaron could be ordered by Baron Ishid, so it was only expected for someone like Kane to be dispensable to them.
Looking at my round eyes, Erhan hurriedly changed his words as if he felt sorry for me.
“Oh… Yes, the idea of respect for life… Then shall we kick him out?”
“Why don’t you ask me first what’s going on?”
“Because it’s you.”
He smiled so beautifully I was slightly horrified. I’m worried he would cut a person with a straight face without hesitation if I said, “Please kill him.”
“You said you’re always right.”
When I swallowed my dry saliva, he slightly tilted his head and said, “Still, let me hear the reason. Why do you think he’s suspicious? If what you’re saying was found true, it could be a big deal.”
“Big deal? Why?”
“Kane’s in charge of Commander Joaquin’s weaponry. It changed a while ago.”
“What about the original weapons groomer?”
When asked questioningly, Erhan replied with a suspicious look.
“I heard something happened back in his home.”
As expected, my analysis was correct. I bit my lower lip with a serious expression. It was a similar repertoire used when they planted Esther by letting Jenny leave.
Planting one’s own person by creating problems with the other person’s private life at the right time.
“Master Erhan, no matter how suspicious it is, it means nothing if there is no evidence. And even if you do have evidence, if you don’t know what’s behind it, it’s useless.”
“You’re telling me not to catch him all of a sudden, is that it?”
Erhan immediately noticed what I meant.
“Yes. We caught both Hans and Esther but in the end, we didn’t have any leads.”
“That’s right.”
“If that man… tries to harm Commander Joaquin….”
Erhan’s expression became serious.
“What do you think he’s going to do? I’m sorry but I don’t know much about knights, swordsmanship, or anything in regard to that.”
“Why the hell is Kane trying to hurt Commander Joaquin?”
“Because he’s an important member in the Cerceus Duchy…. Isn’t his role somehow good to be an outside informant?”
Erhan nodded his head in thought. He also knew that there were people who were after Cerseus anyway.
There were so many enemies that the Duchess couldn’t even point out who was behind it.
“Sure….”
Erhan muttered with an eerie expression.
“There are some exculpations, but as you said, there’s no evidence. So I should take this opportunity to find out who’s behind it.”
I also nodded because it was what I wanted.
It struck me that the opponent he was expecting would be Wederick and Baron Ishid, but I could not make a statement questioning his blood ties.