Hakushaku to Yousei Volume 21 Chapter 3

“That violinist......! If he wasn’t Duke Masefield’s guest, I would have broken his dominant hand.”
After Edgar went back to the guest room and muttered aloud, Nico, who was comfortably sprawling in front of the fireplace, leisurely  turned his head and said:
“You’re dangerous, Earl.”
“It’s great that you’re so carefree.”
“Yes, it truly is wonderful here. Not only is the air fresh, but the food is quite delicious as well.”
He elegantly swung his bushy tail and rolled over the silk cus.h.i.+on. Seeing Nico yawn lazily, Edgar couldn’t help but feel angry.
He obviously knew a few things pertaining to the Prophet, but just how long did he want to hide it for?
Lydia told Edgar not to ask, so he did not touch on the subject, but was it really fine continuing on in this way?
However, Nico usually never felt worried, which even made people believe that he simply didn’t know crucial things. Perhaps he actually did not know anything.
Or was it that fairies were this laid-back to begin with? Edgar wasn’t sure about this point.
He originally wanted to speak out about what happened in seeing Patrick within the vicinity, but he let go of the matter.
If Nico was scared to the point of saying that he was going to sleep together with Lydia, then it would be troublesome.
Recently, Raven slept in Nico’s room which calmed him down, but Raven wasn’t here now.
It had only been a day, and Nico seemed to have completely forgotten about being caught by Patrick. If he remembered it and stayed in the couple’s bedroom, then the troubled one would be Edgar.
Just when he was ignoring Nico, planning on changing into his horse riding clothes, the happy cat carelessly muttered:
“A violinist huh, I remember Lydia’s first love played the violin too.”
What did he say?
He couldn’t pretend that he didn’t hear that. Edgar stopped the hand that was about to change his clothes, then went in front of the fireplace and grabbed Nico.
“Lydia’s first love?”
“I...... I didn’t say anything.”
“Didn’t you say that just now?”
“Eh, i--is that so?”
He looked away trying to play dumb, while swinging his limbs.
“Shall I have you explain it in detail?”
Edgar held Nico and stroked his throat, and Nico revealed a humiliated expression whilst letting out a mew.
“It.....it’s just a first love, there was nothing serious about it......”
“Then there’s no need to hide it. Was her first love really similar to that violinist?”
“......He wasn’t a charming guy, he was a good man who was more friendly and optimistic......”
“Better than me?”
“Huh?”
“You said that he was a good man.”
“What the point of comparing?There’s no helping it, it was only Lydia’s unrequited love.”
“Unrequited love? My Lydia was interested in that guy, and yet he didn’t notice?!”
“Don’t tell me that them dating in the past would have been better!”
“It’s no joke. If that was the case, I will beat that guy until he is half-dead.”
“That was before you met her!”
“Even if that’s the case, she is still my Lydia.”
“Ugh, enough...... this is absurd, you clearly had many lovers!”
“Lydia likes a man who can play a violin right? Then I somewhat understand a bit.”
“Meow, me--meowwwww...... get over it, besides, he’s different from this violinist, l--let go.”
Nico unwillingly let out a purr from his throat, rather than saying that he was struggling, he writhed in agony.
“Lord Edgar, please excuse me.”
At that moment, he heard Raven’s voice. Edgar turned around, still holding onto Nico.
“Hey Raven, you’re early. Have you already finished with the investigation?”
“Yes.”
He answered while looking at Nico, seemingly concerned. Nico’s body powerlessly drooped down.
“Ahh, Raven, did you want to make Nico purr too?”
Raven stared at Nico looking a little troubled, then finally nodded.
He took Nico away from Edgar’s hands, and placed him onto the ground without stroking him. Nico slumped to the ground like a doll.
“I will try later. I have something important to report to you.”
Raven tried to show a serious expression. At the thought of him possibly nodding in order to rescue Nico, Edgar couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
[A friendly reminder to read this at Daydream Translations]

No matter how tense the situation was, Raven’s face wouldn’t change, so when he was trying to reveal a facial expression, in some sense, he was fairly desperate.
“You really care about your friend.”
Nico suddenly came to his senses, then immediately stood up and disappeared. Raven was probably relieved, as he regained his usual expressionless face.
“So, where is Francis?”
Edgar asked this first after having sat down on the sofa.
“He ran away on the first day.”
He snorted as he rested his hand against his cheek. It seemed that Francis didn’t want to endure it at all.
“Well I’m sure he must have strong points as well.”
“He said that he was going to the village first to collect information, but he did not go.”
“Is that so? He hasn’t come here either.”
Did he really escape?
“I investigated the large menhir at Wickerbone, and only one of them has the Ashenbert family’s emblem.”
Raven quickly unfolded the map, perhaps judging that there was no longer a need to mention Francis.
“Was that the only one?”
“I asked for information in the village, and found that the menhir itself is a historic ruin, and the villagers seem to believe that the Earl engraved the emblem, but unfortunately, no one remembers why the Earl wanted to obtain that stone.”
Edgar crossed his arms at his chest and began to ponder.
“If it was the former Blue Knight Earl that deliberately engraved the emblem into the menhir and made it a landmark, then would the s.h.i.+p be there?”
“There are no mounds nor uplifts in the ground either.”
“Well, it isn’t too likely that the s.h.i.+p would be buried in the earth.”
Even if it is a small s.h.i.+p, it will rot away if it was buried in the earth.
“Most of the villagers have practically never seen the sea, but I heard there was a strange old lady who said that there was a boat in the wilderness. It was also said that she lived in the village surroundings and could speak with swans.”
“Speak with swans?”
“Yes.”
Edgar was greatly perplexed.
“But she pa.s.sed away last year, and it seems that she has no children nor grandchildren. Although I tried to go to the old lady’s house to confirm, I could not locate her house.”
The report concluded here. Raven straightened his posture.
“I understand, you have worked hard. I will discuss this with Lydia as well and ask for her opinion.”
But Lydia never returned. Did she stay in the reception room to talk with other women? Could she be with the violinist as well?
Should I ask Kelly to bring her back?
As Edgar thought that, he wasn’t able to forget that he saw Patrick as well.
Although he probably didn’t go as far as to enter the Duke’s mansion secretly, Lydia leaving his range of sight worried him considerably.
Besides, if he couldn’t think of a way to please her, then it would be anything but rea.s.suring.
Being alone with Kathleen was his miscalculation, but it couldn’t be helped.
His love for Lydia hadn’t wavered, and he didn’t sense a feminine charm from Kathleen either.
Edgar certainly did investigate Kathleen, wanting to know what she looked like and see what kind of woman she was. He also knew that she would come to the church in London, however, every action stemmed from the nostalgia of Sylvainford; he didn’t want Lydia to misunderstand.

“Madam Ashenbert, I heard that you just got married a few months ago? How was it? Is marriage a good thing?”
Kathleen gave Lydia a kind smile.
At first, Lydia merely wanted to bring Kathleen’s family member over, but she was suddenly asked to have a chat with her and so she stayed in the room.
“Uh...... yes.”
Lord Grandy’s aunt was a married woman close to fifty years of age, and seemed to feel that she wasn’t having much of a conversation with Kathleen.
Only a maid and a part-time male guard from Kathleen’s house followed her here.
As a result, Lydia was brought to Kathleen’s room, and casually chatted with her, who could only stay on the bed for the time being.
“How did the two of you meet? How did you capture such a wonderful husband?”
In any case, she couldn’t say that they met because she was kidnapped.
“An introduction through d.u.c.h.ess Masefield? I heard that Earl Ashenbert unceasingly proposed marriage to you, I really look forward to a marriage of unity and loving each other.”
Looking closely at Kathleen again, she was a beautiful girl with fair skin and a slender figure. Whether it was her reserved smile or her use of words, she gave off the air of a n.o.ble.
When she moved her body, the scent of a rose-like perfume drifted out.
“Everyone says that your fiance, Lord Grandy, is an amazing man too, as your engagement received attention in London.”
Lydia couldn’t help but feel slightly defeated when faced with Kathleen, who was perfect, but she enviously believed that this sort of person was a model lady as well, thus she spoke honestly.
However, she lowered her gaze silently.
“I’m actually...... not too familiar with him, this is an engagement that someone else helped me decide, I met him for the first time two weeks ago...... I still don’t know whether or not I am able to like him.”
That being said, it was heard that she seemed to have lost both her parents, and the relatives acting as her foster parents might not listen to her opinion.
“Ah, I apologize, how could I complain about this to someone I just met?”
She came to her senses and blushed.
“Please don’t mind it. I understand how you feel. After all, marriage is a serious matter, I was hesitant for a long time before as well.”
“Oh my, even though your partner is so perfect?”
Despite Lydia recalling the expression Kathleen had towards Edgar, she told herself to not mind that.
“Besides, you’re both very close, it truly is a good match.”
Now, Kathleen was smiling innocently towards Lydia, even making Lydia wonder what happened with the expression she had with Edgar before. Kathleen took her hand and said:
“Can I call you Madam Lydia?”
“Eh, yes, of course.”
“I’m glad. Having someone who is likely to be my friend here. Although everyone is very kind to me, it truly is quite difficult to chat about topics such as love or marriage. Lord Grandy wanted to bring me here for my sake, saying that this was an opportunity to get close to the d.u.c.h.ess as well as the others who will look after me in social circles from now on, but I have been nervous the whole time.”
After an aristocrat’s daughter gets married, would they be worried about whether or not they could smoothly integrate into society as well?
When she thought that, Lydia felt a little bit closer to her.
Kathleen always had a friendly att.i.tude towards her. If she really had something going on with Edgar, then it would have been impossible for her to want to be friends with Lydia.
As I thought, I was overthinking it.
Since the beginning, Lydia was always cautious towards Kathleen, but she felt more and more sorry.
However, her next statement made Lydia get caught up in worry again.
“I can’t forget my first love. I’ve only seen him once when I was young, and he was considered my relative, but when I knew that Father was going to discuss marriage with others for me, I only had him in my heart.”
“......First love?”
“Yes, he was the son of Duke Sylvainford.”
It’s Edgar. Lydia mumbled in her mind.
Ah...... how could this possibly happen?
Lydia tightly clenched the fists that she placed on her lap, unable to conceal the chaos within her mind. Although she couldn’t respond, Kathleen continued speaking as if she did not notice.
“But, the Duke’s family members all pa.s.sed away because of the fire, and he, along with my parents, left this world at that time.”
Lydia thought for a moment, and believed that Kathleen probably hadn’t realized that Edgar was the son of that Duke’s family. Even if he bore a remarkable resemblance, he wouldn’t be recognized as the same person. After all, the Duke’s son was considered to be already deceased and Edgar possessed a different t.i.tle, which was Earl Ashenbert.
However, Kathleen saw traces of the Duke’s son in Edgar, and was definitely curious about it.
“My childhood dream was to marry my first love and inherit Sylvainford. But the ironic thing is that I might inherit that land in another sense.”
“What?”
Lydia was even more surprised and felt confused.
“What...... does this mean?”
“In the future, if I give birth to a son, the child might be able to obtain the t.i.tle. It was for this reason that Lord Grandy got engaged to me, who didn’t have much of a dowry.”
Lydia took a breath, trying to regain her calm, and pondered with great effort.
Although Kathleen was the daughter of Earl Collingwood, her father, who was an Earl, had already pa.s.sed away. She was even handed over to distant relatives to be raised, as if she was driven out by close relatives, and she probably didn’t have a lot of money remaining.
Furthermore, the foster parents handing over an unmarried girl to her fiance whom they met for the first time made it look like she wasn’t cared for.
When Lydia noticed, she was quite dismayed.
Edgar, whose parents were murdered, was the same as her. They lost the people that were precious to them at the same time because of Prince, and were thrown into the depths of misfortune.
Lydia didn’t understand the pain in Edgar’s heart, and yet she was quite aware of it.
“But granted that you get married afterwards, what will happen if you don’t give birth to a son? Furthermore, this is a careless a.s.sumption, whether or not they can really inherit the t.i.tle isn’t clear either.”
Sylvainford. That was the reason.
Edgar knew of Kathleen’s existence, then investigated her. She was the Miss K in that letter.
Since that was the case, he also knew that Kathleen’s future child was likely to inherit the Duke’s t.i.tle.
Although she tried to listen to what Kathleen was saying, nothing was going into her brain.
Edgar should have gotten married with her.
Lydia was in a state of emotional instability and unknowingly returned to her own room.
She couldn’t even remember the reason she used to leave Kathleen’s room.

“Madam Lydia, you’ve returned.”
Kelly came over and looked at her anxiously. At that moment, Lydia realized that she was in the dressing area of the guest room.
“Master wanted me to pick you up, but I had a look in the reception room and didn’t see you.”
“Ah...... I’m sorry, I visited a room for a while.”
Kelly tilted her head after having heard that, perhaps feeling that Lydia’s expression looked quite unhappy.
“Lydia, I heard that you returned.”
Edgar’s voice startled her, thus she stood up, fl.u.s.tered.
“Yes, I’m here.”
Edgar appeared from the doorway of the connecting bedroom, and although he had already taken off his coat, he was still in his riding clothes.
The dark green vest matched with white trousers and boots were so different from his ordinary clothes that it seemed unfamiliar. Even so, they suited him quite well, making Lydia’s heart beat faster than usual.
She nervously looked away.
“I have something to tell you. ”
Don’t tell me he wants to break up….?
At the thought of this, she became even more fl.u.s.tered. She fiddled with flowers in a vase, overwhelmed.
“But before that, can I ask you something?”
Perhaps he felt that Lydia was behaving a little strangely, as he brought his head closer, trying to look at Lydia’s condition.
“Wh--What is it?”
“Why did you avert your eyes?”
“N--no reason......”
“Were you with that guy up until now?”
That guy?
At those unexpected words, Lydia couldn’t help but look up at him.
“Lydia, it doesn’t matter if you’re charmed by the violinist’s talents as the countess, but please don’t do anything that will cause misunderstandings. ”
“Misunderstandings? What do you mean?”
“For example, being alone with him or acting close......”
Shocked, Lydia raised her voice in an unladylike manner.
“Di--did you not return with Miss Kathleen alone?! Besides, who do you mean by 'that guy'? Is the violinist you’re referring to Mr. Finn? If that’s the case, then I wasn’t alone with him, I only talked with him for a bit today.”
“Is that so? Then it doesn’t matter, it will be fine as long as you take note from now on.”
In a fit of anger, hearing him say this made Lydia unable to repress her emotions even more.
“It’s not fine at all! Although you doubt me, you’re hiding so much from me. Why didn't you tell me? Is Miss Kathleen not a relative of Sylvainford?!”
After she spoke in one breath, Edgar frowned, revealed a calm expression, and began to think. He must have been quickly looking for an excuse.
“……You spoke with Miss Kathleen?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I didn't think that was important enough to be spoken about. ”
It wasn’t a very good excuse at all, but it meant that Edgar felt quite anxious. However, Lydia wasn’t calm enough to perceive that this too might be due to his own agitation.
“Isn’t this matter important?”
“I’m already the Earl of Ibrazel.”
“But if you marry her…”
“That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not impossible. ”
“Lydia…...”
When Lydia looked at Edgar's troubled face and wondered about what he must have thought, after suddenly becoming the Duke of Sylvainford and the talk of town, having to investigate on his own, she felt a pain in her chest.
“Miss Kathleen said that you were her first love, and because you two are similar, she had always been watching you.”
"Something like first love is just a pa.s.sing illusion."
“But just because it’s an admiration carried within the heart, it can’t be forgotten!”
After she spoke in a strong tone, Edgar frowned.
“You can’t forget either?”
His tone suddenly became reprimanding of Lydia again.
“So the reason you’re attracted to the violinist is because you can’t forget your first love.”
How would he know about that......?
Fl.u.s.tered, Lydia drew back.
“Ne… nevermind about me! In short, she’s the same as you, so you’re interested in her, aren’t you?”
Edgar sighed deeply. Lydia still didn’t completely understand his mentality, so she didn’t realize that because her words. .h.i.t the nail on the head, he didn’t know what to do. In Lydia’s eyes, she thought that he was merely annoyed, so it made her feel sad.
Edgar leaned over and reached out towards Lydia.
“Don’t you believe in me?”
Can I really a.s.sert that without the slightest hesitation?
Just because she believed in him and hoped that he would tell the truth, Lydia wanted to know how important Sylvainford was to him.
To this day, Edgar hasn’t visited his homeland, and for him, the things that happened at Sylvainford really wasn’t in the distant past. There was no way for him to take back the self from that time, but he couldn’t forget everything either, so a wound that couldn’t be healed was left in his heart.
Although Lydia wanted to share that pain with him, only a person who possessed the same experiences could do it.
Edgar tried to embrace her.
“Your body...... has the same scent as her.”
Lydia mumbled, and he fretfully left her side.
“This can’t be helped either, can it? Because she came back sitting on my horse.”
Although she understood, her feelings weren’t able to accept it.
“If you can’t forgive me that much, then do as you please. It’s fine whether you go to that violinist’s side or anywhere else.”
"How cruel! It should be clear that there's no other man that's moved my heart!"
"….For me also, only you…."
He shut his mouth after saying something halfway, probably because he was too angry.
Or was he already unable to say ‘I love you’ towards Lydia again?
“It seems the both of us need to calm down!”
With that, he turned around and left the room.
Lydia could only stand there.
If he really cared about Sylvainford, then Lydia hoped that he could pour out his emotions towards her and share his worries and pains.
In order to get at the root of his suffering and heal him, no matter what she did, was it impossible for Lydia after all? Is that why he became conscious of Kathleen?
While staring at the door, which had already been closed, Lydia’s tears fell. She didn’t realize that she was crying at all, and blankly stood motionless, while the large teardrops soaked the bosom of her dress.
“Lady Lydia...... please have a seat.”
It wasn’t known when Kelly had appeared, nor was it known when she returned to the room again, but she pulled Lydia’s hand to help her sit down.
“Don’t worry because I am your ally.”
Kelly slipped a handkerchief into Lydia’s hands. She finally realized that she was crying, and sobbed like a child.
“What should I do...... I......”
“Madam, you didn’t you anything wrong.”
“I didn't mean...... to accuse him at all......”
Kelly comforted Lydia from the side, and her braid was wet with tears as well. Despite Lydia’s attempt to stop crying, she wasn’t able to.
“Master will surely apologize soon, isn’t it usually like this?”
But this time, it was probably impossible.
Just when she thought this, the door opened with a bang.
“Lydia, I’m sorry.”
Edgar said.
“That was fast......”
Rather than saying that Lydia agreed with Kelly’s quip, it should be said that she was so surprised that her eyes, still filled with tears, opened wide.
He walked over with his upper body completely naked. Lydia, who was baffled, stopped crying, and he knelt down in front of Lydia.
“I didn’t mean that. Please don’t go to the violinist’s side, I’d sooner die at the thought of it.”
He reached out and cupped Lydia’s tear-stained face with both his hands. Lydia reflexively felt her cheeks growing hot.
Perhaps because he saw Lydia blush, Edgar was relieved and smiled.
“Ahh, luckily I made it in time. If someone saw the crying face of an attractive woman like yourself, they’d want to chase after you, no matter who it is.”
Only you would think that.
This remark reflexively came into mind, but Lydia was still dazed.
“...I... still haven’t calmed down.”
“I have already calmed down.”
He got up and pulled Lydia up with both of his hands. If Lydia came face-to-face with him at such a close distance, his bare upper body would happen to be in front of her, so she couldn’t help but look away.
“I have already thrown the scent you hate into the fireplace.”
So was that why he was half-naked?
As much as she tried to, she couldn't understand.
There was no need to burn it, was.h.i.+ng it would have been fine.
“If that’s the case, I should be able to approach you, right?”
Why couldn’t he just put on a new s.h.i.+rt?
While she was thinking with a confused look on her face, she was embraced by him.
Lydia’s cheek pressed against his chest and directly felt his body temperature, making her blush even more.
“Although I don’t express it too well, no matter what happens, I will never break my promise to you. Are you willing to believe in me?”
“......It’s not that I doubted you.”
“Yeah, you were jealous, weren’t you?
Is that what it was?
In the end, that was probably the case. Kathleen understood Edgar better than she did, so she was simply envious.
She saw Kelly quietly leaving again.
Realizing that the two of them were now alone made Lydia try to think of words to say.
"H-hey……aren't you cold, like that?"
“I would be.”
“Then quickly get dressed......”
“Could you keep me warm?”
"Then….let's move towards the fireplace. I'll throw some more kindling on the fire."
However, as Lydia tried to move away, Edgar caught a hold of her and pressed her against the wall.
He pressed his chest against Lydia and kissed her pa.s.sionately. Lydia’s head was grabbed, so even if she wanted to catch her breath quickly, she wasn’t able to move.
“You know, Lydia,”
When their lips parted ever so slightly, Edgar, who also seemed to have difficulty breathing, gazed at Lydia who was desperately taking in air, and murmured,
“When I said to keep me warm, I meant doing it like this.”
[A friendly reminder to read this at Daydream Translations. If you already are, thank you!]
He guided Lydia’s hand towards his back. Although the bare skin that her fingers touched wasn’t cold at all, Lydia complied with his request and straightened her hand, pressing her palm on his back.
As if he was still unsatisfied, he hugged Lydia tightly. Lydia’s entire body fit snugly in his embrace. While his hands were big enough to cover the entirety of Lydia's back with one palm, Lydia couldn't even encircle his body with both hands.
Even so, she still desperately embraced his wide shoulders, and brought her body closer to try and share her warmth with him. At the same time, she sensed that a member of the opposite s.e.x was embracing her.
Why do I like him so much?
Edgar kissed Lydia continuously, and she tried to respond with all her effort.
Whenever the wound in his heart began to ache, he sought out Lydia, as if he was thirsty.
Perhaps he is suffering even now.
Lydia wanted to always be able to help him, who carried deep painful wounds, and as long as it was something she could do, she would be willing to do it no matter what. However, bringing back the Duke of Sylvainford’s family was impossible.
I wonder what in the world must be done in order to save this man.

*

The morning gra.s.sland was covered with a slight mist, and the cold air helped pull oneself together, which made it feel quite comfortable. Lydia walked on the ground that had a thin layer of gra.s.s.
“This place truly is big.”
Nico said, as he walked alongside her. It wasn’t known what on earth happened to him, as he unexpectedly accompanied Lydia on a morning walk.
He tied his bow tie, put on his hat, raised his head, and walked upright. Although his tail was swaying, it didn’t seem like he was in a good mood.
“No matter where we go, it’s only plains.”
“This open country seems to extend to Wickerbone, which is said to have the s.h.i.+p. It looks as if that place is the same as here, as it’s a land of limestone.”
“It’s the kind of area that will only sprout weeds, why would the Blue Knight Earl want to take over this land?”
It was probably because there were many fairies dwelling there.
However, Lydia hadn’t seen any fairies in the nearby wilderness, so perhaps there would be some in Wickerbone.
“Hey, Lydia...... I’m sorry.”
Nico suddenly opened his mouth.
“It really was you.”
“What?”
“You carelessly made a slip of the tongue, and then you were interrogated by the Earl, weren’t you? My first love didn’t even touch the edge of love, but he fussed over it so much.”
“Ah......that.”
Nico lowered his head.
“You wouldn’t have done anything else that requires you to apologize to me, correct? It’s just that if the one who put snakeskin in the wardrobe was you, then I won’t forgive you.”
“There’s that sort of thing in the wardrobe?”
“Yes, I discovered it as soon as I got here, then I screamed.”
“Would it be something that the three sisters forgot to take away?”
“Maybe, because they spend the summer here as well.”
“They truly are strange sisters.”
After Nico laughed for a while, he sighed.
“You didn’t ask me about the Prophet.”
As expected, he knew something.
“You’re a fairy, so you won’t lie. If I ask you something, you’d find it very troublesome, won’t you?”
Yeah, Nico nodded.
“And besides, you have already chosen the Earl, so the things that I know are basically meaningless. I thought that it definitely had to be like this.”
Lydia was the last person to possess the McKeel clan lineage as the “Prophet’s fiancee”, but just like Nico said, she was now married to Edgar, so regardless of the Prophet’s existence, it had nothing to do with her.
It was said that the Prophet can predict the future, and he left a prophecy for the McKeel clan in order to withstand the “Prince of Calamity”, who was produced from within the Unseelie Court, as well as arranged a plan of his own resurrection when the clan was faced with a crisis.
But in the end, perhaps the current situation was already different from the future that he foresaw.
Or else, Lydia would have likely stayed in the Hebrides, and the Prophet’s coffin wouldn’t have been empty.
After all the future can’t be predicted, and she could only make her own decisions even if she faltered.
Mother did so as well, and the reason why Edgar inherited the Prince’s memories was also because of this. Nico was the same, as he chose to seal away the Prophet’s riddle.
“I understand, Nico. I can still continue to stay by Edgar’s side, can’t I?”
“If you’re not willing, I won’t force you either.”
As Lydia smiled, Nico laughed as well.
“Nico, the thing I want to do the most now is speak with the swans, and I don’t know if the swan maidens are amongst the flock.”
After walking forward for a while, the lake gradually appeared before them. As the morning mist slowly dispersed, the hazy landscape began to clear up. The swans’ figures were at the lakeside as well today.
“Swan maidens? Ohh, you’re talking about the swan fairies that can transform into human girls. What about them? Are you looking for clues about the Earl family’s s.h.i.+p?”
“Wasn’t Raven investigating in Wickerbone before? From what Edgar said, there was an old lady who was said to be able to talk with swans that said there was a boat in the wilderness. The old lady had already pa.s.sed away, so with that, we can only go and ask the swan fairies, right?”
Hmm. Nico crossed his arms against his chest and gazed in the direction of the lake.
“If you don’t get closer, you won’t be able to see them, but if you get too close, regardless of whether it’s a real swan or a fairy, they would both fly away. This place doesn’t have any thickets for people to hide and quietly get closer either.”
“Can’t you turn invisible?”
“Even if the eyes can’t see it, it doesn’t mean that I don’t exist. Other animals aren’t the same as humans, even if they can’t see it, they can still sense it.”
“Right...... d.u.c.h.ess Masefield said that she saw swan maidens, and so I believed that the flock of swans might have been fairies.”
Just as she sighed, the swans suddenly became restless and flew away from the lake.
Startled, she looked away and saw figures by the lakeside; it seemed to be a man and women riding on horses.
Just when she was thinking that, the man waved his hand vigorously, probably because he noticed her.
“Excuse me, may I ask where this place is? Ah, what a relief, there is someone there.”
The person spoke while rus.h.i.+ng over with the horse.
“Strange? Isn’t that Francis?”
Lydia then took a closer look and realized that Nico was right; it was a young man wearing an eyepatch.
“What?! Lydia?”
The person realized and called out.
“Francis! Why are you here? Where did you come from?”
After Francis came over to Lydia’s side, he quickly got off his horse and knelt down.
“Lady, ahh, it truly is G.o.dsent to be able to encounter you.”
“You’re exaggerating too much.”
“It isn’t an exaggeration at all, because no matter how much I went forward, I wasn’t able to find a road, nor could I see any people, so I thought that I must have been bewitched by the fairies. Originally, I was even worried that if this continued on, I would surely die.”
He put his hands together in prayer and looked up at Lydia. He appeared to be a strong man on the outside, but his actions were like that of a child’s. Lydia often felt that he was a strange person. She heard Edgar say that he threw his work aside, but he didn’t seem the least bit guilty about this.
“Hah? You ran away from Raven, then got lost from then on.”
Nico, who put his paws to his hips, found it slightly unbearable, but in Francis’ eyes, Nico should only be a cat, so he didn’t mind at all.
“Is that so? I’m glad to come across you here. At any rate, let’s go to where Edgar is.”
“Is Edgar also nearby? I just happened to want to see him, but weren’t you guys invited by the Duke to stay somewhere?”
“This is Duke Masefield’s land.”
“What! Since when did I come this far......”
Francis was surprised, as apparently he didn’t seem to think that he travelled a very long distance. In that case, perhaps he truly was bewitched by the fairies.
“Oh forget it, I can finally have a meal in a warm place! Hey, you won’t have to worry any longer either.”
Francis smiled at the girl sitting on the horse. Perhaps he still didn’t get a grasp on the situation and merely saw a confused girl, as Francis helped her down the horse.
This fourteen to fifteen year old maiden wore plain clothes, as seemed to be a girl from the village, but her skin wasn’t tanned at all.
“Who is this girl?”
“She was staying in an abandoned house that I found along the way. She seems to have lost her memories, as she doesn’t even know her own name.”
“Oh my, staying alone in an abandoned house?”
“No, there were several others, but they all didn’t know why they were there, nor did they know where they came from. In short, she said that she wanted to leave the abandoned house and investigate about themselves so I brought her along.”
Then, Francis introduced Lydia to her.
“This is Countess Ashenbert. The Earl couple will definitely help you.”
The girl’s curtsying posture was very graceful, which simply couldn’t be imagined from her outer appearance.
“Are we able to help her?”
“What are you talking about? She can only rely on you guys because she is a swan maiden!”
“Swan maiden?”
After Lydia and Nico called out in surprise at the same time, and they carefully stared at the girl for awhile. As expected, she didn’t have wings nor webbed feet.
“But they aren’t conscious of it, so it seems that they can’t turn into swans.”
“Then how do you know that she is a swan maiden?”
“It’s because she said that the humans who lived with them in the past told them that.”
Could this be true? Lydia and Nico were suspicious, but Francis stuck out his chest and smiled, then proudly continued:
“She’s seen the s.h.i.+p, and she said that she remembers the s.h.i.+p’s white sail with a mermaid painted on it fluttering greatly, it’s wonderful!”

The so-called mermaid painted on the sail was likely to be the Earl family’s coat of arms.
But Edgar was sitting on the armchair, using his hand to support his cheek while looking at Francis and the silent girl.
“Remembering nothing but that…”
Lydia went out for a walk and brought Francis back as a result, which shocked him.
Despite Francis reporting many things in one breath afterwards, from Edgar’s point of view, he merely felt a lot of dissatisfaction.
“In any case, merely knowing that the s.h.i.+p has been seen is an achievement, and that it’s somewhere in Wickerbone.”
This was already known.
“It’s fine as long as she can remember something and besides, her companions want to know their true ident.i.ties and past too. The Earl family ought to a.s.sist them, right? I’m sure the s.h.i.+p will be found.”
These carefree words were definitely in accordance with his personality.
“However, Francis, you got lost in that vast wilderness, isn’t that so? And it isn’t clear where she stayed previously either. Perhaps it’s possible to find the s.h.i.+p nearby, and yet in the end, to find a s.h.i.+p at the bottom of the sea is like finding a needle in a haystack.”
Even if finding a clue was by chance, it should be carefully looked over from where it was found, and a detailed investigation carried out.
On the other hand, Edgar also felt that this kind of coincidence would only be encountered by people like Francis, who ran around haphazardly.
“Although I got lost, I smoothly arrived at the lake of the Duke’s territory, so this is a good sign. Ahh that’s right, just when the fog suddenly disappeared and the lake appeared before my eyes, I saw the sun rise from between the thickets on the opposite side of the sh.o.r.e. I don’t know how to put it, but I felt that everything would go smoothly at that time.”
What is with this a.s.sumption with no basis?
Although he was getting tired of it, Edgar thought to himself to forget about it, eased his att.i.tude, and smiled at the maiden, who was said to be a fairy.
“Of course, Miss, if I can help you, then I will definitely try my best. It’s fine regardless of what it is, if you remember something, please tell me.”
The girl raised her face, then lowered her head deeply, terrified.
According to what Francis said, after he left Raven, he crossed the gra.s.slands trying to head to the main road, but no matter how he much advanced, he couldn’t see a road.
As the sun was setting and the surroundings were darkening, he saw a small light in the distance just when he was completely helpless. He went straight towards that place, and upon his arrival, he discovered that it was a small house.
More than ten young women lived inside.
Furthermore, all of them had lost their memories, and didn’t know why they were staying inside.
Amongst the crowd, there was only one girl who vaguely remembered the s.h.i.+p.
“At any rate, you guys are hungry, right? The breakfast that I went through the trouble to have it sent over is going to get cold.”
Lydia urged them to have a meal, and Francis seemed quite delighted.
“Lydia, thank you. Honestly Edgar, when will you advise us to eat? When I’m hungry, I simply can’t come up with any good ideas.”
“If you are full, then will your mind clear up? I definitely want to see that.”
“Leave it to me.”
Carefree guys don’t understand irony.
“Well then, come and eat too.”
Lydia pulled the overwhelmed maiden and invited her to the table.
Edgar sat down next to Lydia, also intending on eating breakfast.
“Lydia, if you want to get up early for a walk then it would be great if you informed me.”
The reason why Edgar was in a bad mood was because when he woke up, Lydia wasn’t beside him.
“But...... you were sleeping quite soundly.”
“You weren’t there when you should have been beside me, did you know how shocked I was?”
Here we go again. Edgar knew that she was mumbling this. As her confused expression was quite cute, it seemed to have finally cheered Edgar up.
“I couldn’t stop thinking, where on earth was I clumsy in my behaviour last night.”
Her looking down shyly was also very adorable.
“I asked Raven to pa.s.s on that I was going for a walk.”
“I immediately conveyed it.”
Raven replied. He seemed to be able to sense whether or not Edgar was awake by relying on his presence.  After the marriage, if Raven wasn’t called, he wouldn’t enter the room, but Lydia was already outside in the morning, so he appeared prior to Edgar calling for him.
“During those two minutes before, I was in a lot of pain.”
That amount of time simply isn’t enough to make you worry!
Lydia frowned, as her expression conveyed that.
“By the way, I still haven’t given you a good morning kiss.”
His face came closer, and Lydia was so surprised that she retreated back. Even if he knew that Lydia would run away, Edgar did it because he really wanted to see her instantly blus.h.i.+ng.
“Hold on, there are people here...... Francis is here as well!”
“Ah, please don’t mind me. How could I forget to give my wife a kiss in the morning and evening, I’m not qualified to be her husband like this.”
Francis didn’t even try to pretend that he didn’t see it; not only did he look towards them in fascination, but he incessantly stuffed the English breakfast into his mouth as well.
Although Edgar pulled Lydia over, who had nowhere to escape, she was still completely stiff. She wasn’t like this when Raven or Kelly were present, but perhaps she wasn’t used to Francis’ gaze.
Edgar didn’t want to continue teasing her, so he restrained himself and merely kissed her forehead, but the fairy maiden’s face in front of them was red like Lydia’s.
Since the beginning, this maiden hadn’t eaten anything at all.
“Hey, you don’t like this sort of food?”
Although Francis claimed that she was a swan maiden, a kind of fairy, what do swans eat anyway?
“......I haven’t eaten anything before......”
“What! Really?”
Francis shouted out in surprise.
“Edgar, you see, she really is a fairy. Although you doubt me, I hope that you can believe in the results of my investigation more.”
Even when you’re suddenly br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence, it’s useless.
“Rather than milk or tea, would water be better? Your companions haven’t eaten before either?”
Lydia asked nervously.
After Raven poured a gla.s.s of water, the girl’s face was at ease and held the cup with both hands.
“Yes...... in the past, there was only one person in that house who only ate something. We didn’t have anyone who aged, but she finally became old and pa.s.sed away.”
“Only that person was human, right? Could it be that the person who said you guys were swan maidens was her?”
The girl was suddenly filled with tears and nodded.
“That house was her home. We met her in the wilderness one day, and afterwards we lived in that house.”
“Was it that person who saved you guys? Is there a village nearby? Was there anyone else who visited that house?”
“Everyone hid in order to not let people find out. I heard that there is a village in a slightly further area, but I haven’t been there before.”
In that case, there was still no way of knowing where the house was. Edgar continued to ask:
“Why did that person say that you are swan maidens?”
“It seems that because she had once spoken to swan fairies when she was still a young girl. Every year, those fairies would appear among the swans when they came here, but there was a year where they suddenly no longer appeared. She was worried that something happened to the swans, so she had been very concerned the whole time. After spending several decades living alone, she found us hiding by a menhir one day, then realized that we were the swan maidens from that time.”
A fairy’s years were far beyond a human’s lifetime, so this was troublesome.
The event that made the swan maidens lose their memories might have happened several decades ago.
“Then...... you said that you’ve seen the s.h.i.+p before, which is also part of the memories you had forgotten. If that’s the case, then the you from a very long time ago could have perhaps been a swan.”
The girl nodded.
“If the s.h.i.+p was placed in the wilderness from such a long time ago, someone else would have discovered it, right?”
The s.h.i.+p was probably already gone.
“I say, it was concealed using magic or by something else. Right, Lydia?”
“Hmm...... yes, perhaps it was expected that the s.h.i.+p would be there for a long period of time, so only then would the s.h.i.+p’s position be drawn on that map.”
Lydia agreed with Francis’ theory.
“Umm......”
At first, the girl did her best to think and try to recall something, then suddenly looked up and said:
“She often said that the village’s festival had to come back.”
“Festival? What kind of festival?”
“I don’t know... I recall her seem to say that in the past, she would always see swan maidens during the festival.”
“The problem lies in which village the ritual is held.”
“Hey, Raven mentioned an old woman who could talk to swans, would he have been referring to her?”
Lydia recalled this, so she leaned her body out towards Edgar and touched his shoulder. Edgar was really happy, because the movements she naturally expressed were more intimate than before.
“I recall the old lady’s house being in Wickerbone, which is the only village in the surrounding area.”
“But I couldn’t find it.”
As Edgar s.h.i.+fted his gaze towards Raven, he immediately replied.
“Probably because after the old lady pa.s.sed away, that place only had fairies that remained living there, so from this side, the human world, that house slowly became invisible.”
“Didn’t Francis see the house?”
“That was because the darkness of the night makes the fairy realm closer to the human world.”
“This must have been under the guidance of Diana.”
When Francis said that, his expression was slightly solemn.
Edgar obtained Diana’s map as the Blue Knight Earl. Additionally, everyone had a united purpose in heading to the fairy kingdom.
This was good. As long as Edgar did his best in confronting the Earl family’s riddles, then he could forget about Sylvainford. If he could keep his ident.i.ty as the Blue Knight Earl, the McKeel clan, whom Patrick served, wouldn’t be able to take Lydia away.
He unconsciously pulled Lydia’s hand over.
Lydia raised her head, with a slightly concerned expression. Although she was in front of others now, she didn’t resist. If this skins.h.i.+p* was in a joking manner, then she would shake his hand off, but perhaps she sensed Edgar’s unease.
He gripped Lydia’s hand even tighter, as if he didn’t want to lose something important.
“We need to take a trip to the village and investigate about the old lady, and then...... if she doesn’t have a name, it will be quite inconvenient. Can I call you Swan?”
Yes. The sound of a knock on the door came through when she nodded. Kelly appeared and handed Lydia an invitation card.
“It is from Lady Kathleen.”
Lydia had a look at it, then took the initiative to tell Edgar the details, perhaps wanting to discuss with him how to handle it.
“She wishes for me to go and find her today...... since she is very bored and she can’t walk, it seems that there isn’t anyone to keep her company and to talk to.”
What was Kathleen planning on doing? Did she simply want to become friends with Lydia?
If that was the case, then Edgar thought that this wasn’t bad either. If she became familiar with Lydia afterwards, she would definitely become fond of her as a lady. A daughter from a decent family wouldn’t have unrequited for a married man; perhaps she would merely regard Edgar as Lydia’s husband later on and give up on childish ideas such as fate.
Moreover, if Lydia was surrounded by female friends, then he didn’t have to worry about Patrick getting close to her.
“She probably has a favourable impression of you. It’ll be alright to go ahead.”
The intention of Edgar’s words tried to express that he didn’t long for Sylvainford, but Lydia felt that he seemed rather quite sad.