It was another Sunday, exactly one week after the Sunday I met Aiden. I spent the morning staring at a thick, old encyclopedia.
“What are you doing?” Theodore curiously asked me as he sipped his tea.
Theodore was relatively relaxed today because the knights’ practical training was in the afternoon. Theodore peeked at me from the side, as if it was unusual for me to look through an encyclopedia so seriously.
“…A Comprehensive List of Prohibited Plants?”
“Yup, prohibited plants in Janvangar. It’s written as plants, but it’s actually a list of drugs that have caused serious accidents and deaths in the past. I just thought I’d review it for today.”
“Today?”
“Yes, because I have an appointment today. It’s for that.”
Oh, and father was absent today as he went to visit his friend.
Though for today…his visit to his friend’s was due to my persuasion of needing some favours to ask from his friend.
After packing my bags, I headed for the door.
“Bye! I’m off!” I winked at Theodore as I said my goodbye. Well! Off we go!
…Theodore’s eyes narrowed as he watched my back.
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
He muttered something like that, but I should just ignore it!
Then, riding in a carriage bearing the Minusle’s family crest, I went straight to the house of Viscount Forgath. This time, I took my bodyguard and attendant with me and wore rather high-class clothes. Yes, I intentionally dressed up for this day as if it was a full-on high-ranking nobleman’s visit.
It might have been the right decision as when I arrived at Viscount Forgath’s residence, the gatekeepers guarding the entrance to the mansion all looked at me in surprise.
“Er, um, who might this be?”
“Urschel from the House of Minusle. I thought I had sent a calling card prior to my visit, haven’t you heard about it?”
“Th-The Duke…?! I’ll go check now.”
For a household that only has a ‘Viscount’ title, the Forgaths sure lived in a pretty nice mansion. The townhouses1 of the viscounts in Janvangar was usually a two-storey house with a garden, but the house of Viscount Forgath was a three-storey house with a west wing and an east wing. The garden was as large as the house itself, and it was quite unusual for a nobleman of the rank of Viscount to be able to hire a gatekeeper.
“Mr. Urschel Minusle, we have your confirmation. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Then I stepped into Viscount Forgath’s mansion. As I walked through the front door, Aiden rushed from within.
“Urschel-sama!”
“Hi Aiden, it’s been a week.”
“Thank you for coming. Ah… Um… Is it going to be okay?” He asked me in a whisper.
Of course, it is! That’s why I came!
“It’s okay… Besides, that’s why I’m here. Just leave it up to me, Aiden. Anyway, did you manage to do it? That thing I asked you.”
“…Yes, roughly…”
As Aiden was feeling all anxious, a middle-aged man with a big, fat body came from the back of the room, looking pale and worried.
“Oh, sorry for the late greeting… Urschel, Mi-Minusle-sama! Hel-Hello, I-I’m Felipe, Viscount of Forgath, Aiden’s father.”
Lord Felipe… Whenever I saw him, he didn’t look anything like Aiden. If Aiden was the miracle of beauty, then Lord Felipe was the miracle of ugliness. His eyes were small, his nose was flat and his skin was reddish-black with a lot of pustules. His body reeked of a strange odour and his teeth were black whenever he spoke.
He was so ugly that I thought he was cursed by something.
“Nice to meet you. I know you very well. Lord Felipe.”
…Including the cause of that ugliness…
I grinned and Lord Felipe let out a little yelp. Perhaps not expecting his father to react like that, Aiden looked at me and his father in a puzzled way. Well, it was a given if he didn’t know a thing about me…
“I don’t want to stand around talking. Why don’t we sit down?”
“Y-Yes, Urschel-sama! I’ll show you the way right away!” Lord Felipe led me into the parlour, bowing and curtsying the whole way.
The parlour was also opulent for a viscount’s house. It had expensive cat-legged sofas with cushions embroidered all over with coloured silk threads, chandeliers for lighting and a desk made of ebony and marble. In addition, the paintings on the walls and the curtains were of the highest quality.
I took a seat on the sofa as suggested. Lord Felipe sat opposite me and Aiden tried to sit next to him.
I stopped him. “Aiden, come sit over here. Next to me.”
“Huh?”
“Mm? Lord Felipe, is it okay?”
“Y-Yes… N-No problem.”
Aiden sat down next to me, perplexed.
Yes, I guess everything is in place?
Lord Felipe, in a cascade of cold sweat, asked me fearfully, “Oh, um… What is the reason that you, someone from the House of Minusle, is in my house?”
“You don’t have to be so frightened. You’re right… Well, I’ll cut to the chase.”
I put my hands on Aiden’s shoulders as he sat next to me, pulled him towards me and held him close.
“May I have Aiden?”
“!!?” Lord Felipe’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped open.
Aiden, by the way, was not surprised at all, as we had already discussed this earlier.
Lord Felipe was clearly starting to panic, “Huh, Aiden? Why?”
“Hmm. Let me tell you how it happened. To tell you the truth, a week ago, I took over Aiden’s debt.”
I didn’t miss Lord Felipe’s little gasp at the mention of debt.
“Poor Aiden, he’s got 150 million in debt that he doesn’t even know he owes… I just happened to be there when Aiden was suffering. I felt sorry and I pitied him, so I helped him take care of it.
However, I certainly didn’t want to do that without getting anything in return. But, Aiden told me that he doesn’t have anything to give me in return. So, I thought I’d take Aiden himself. Aiden has a pretty face and a lot of potential.”
Of course, this story was a bunch of nonsense coming out of my mouth. But Lord Felipe seemed to believe it.
“H-How can that be… We are grateful to you for saving Aiden and covering for his debts, but… Even if that’s the case, it would be insolent of you to take Aiden away from our family!”
“I’m not being particularly insolent, don’t you think? You see, I paid the debt exactly 150 million. Is there anything in this house worth that price?”
“…!” Lord Felipe seemed to be at a loss for words.
His eyes were shifty and confused as if he was in a dither. Then I pulled my hand away from Aiden and turned to face Lord Felipe.
“Oh, my mistake. You do have something, but since I am a member of the House of Minusle, you can’t take it out, can you…? The ‘magic dust’ must have made you a fortune, right? I’m sure you’ll be able to afford 150 million.”
When I mentioned this, Lord Felipe broke out in a cold sweat and a shiver ran down his lips.
“Wh-What are you talking about?”
Footnotes
Not sure why the author specifically uses word ‘townhouse’ as it gives me different impression, but basically it refers to the mansions the nobles have in the capital, different to their main residence in their own territory.