Chapter 25: 25

In an instant, the sound of something breaking rang in her ears, breaking the affectionate mood. Marie was pushed to the floor without having any time to figure out what was going on.

On top of her was Kentrail, who was moved instinctively in a protective position.

He stiffened his expression when he saw the broken object was the window nearby, while tightly wrapping Marie around him. At first, Kentrail thought it was because the children living nearby had accidentally thrown the ball, but he realized that wasn’t the case.

“Marie. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

When he quickly confirmed that she was really all right, he raised her up. Then, he asked Taylor, who was waiting in front of the study, about Brielle and Ellie.

“Count.”

“I’ll have to go see what’s going on.”

Having said that, he went back to the library. With a worried face, Marie looked behind her as she went to find the two children with Taylor.

***

That night, Marie did not get to hear what had happened.

The butler came to see them with Taylor afterward and just told them that they needed to go back to their respective rooms.

Unsatisfied, she took Ellie to Brielle’s room and laid on the floor. Brielle insisted that he would lie on the floor together, so they all lay side by side and held each other’s hands. As she felt the warm hands, her heart grew heavy.

‘Looking at the Count’s expression, this is not something normal. If only I had been a little wiser…’

Being so unhelpful in this situation was frustrating Marie. ‘If only I had read the part where the culprit appeared…’

The two children reacted sensitively to the sound of her sigh.

“What’s wrong, Marie?”

“What’s wrong, Sister?”

Marie calmed them down, reassured them that it was nothing.

“I guess I just ate too much dinner.”

“Sister, do you want me to pat you on the back?”

“Thank you, Ellie.” As Marie hugged her, this time, Brielle said.

“Then, I’ll squeeze your hand.”

She tried to laugh despite the dark situation and hugged Brielle tightly this time.

‘Yes, we will find another way.’

There was nothing for her to be afraid of if there were these two warmths by her side.

***

The Count sat in his office with a serious look.

It was because the incident with the window being broken on that day was not something that could simply be ignored.

‘It was obvious that someone was intentionally aiming with a malicious intent.’

But, who was the target? Seeing that it was aimed at the window of the study, that narrowed down to specific targets who could enter and exit the room. Kentrail quietly touched his forehead. It could be himself, Brielle, the nanny, butler, or even several employees.

‘Is this because I found out about my brother’s thoughts?’

No matter how much he thought about it, those people seemed to be targeting Brielle and himself.

‘Anyway, how could they have known that there were people inside the library? Is there a spy inside the mansion?’

Every possible thought ran chaotically in Kentrail’s mind.

The weapon that broke the window was none other than an arrowhead. When he thought that Brielle or the nanny, who may have been alone in the study, had been hit by it, his heart throbbed.

If he hadn’t visited the library that day, the nanny would actually have been alone.

He ordered the knight commander to strengthen the security of the mansion, but there was still anxiety in his mind. In addition, it was a serious matter that the security was breached.

Kentrail stood by the window with deep worries. Brielle was walking in the garden with the nanny.

‘I will protect it, that child’s laughter.’

Thinking so, he felt a little encouraged.

***

Recently, Ellie was eager to learn everything.

She sometimes helped the county’s maids. Ellie also tried to learn what Brielle was learning over his shoulder.

The reason why she was so eager was because of what the Count had said. It happened when the young master and her older sister were away for a while.

When she greeted the Count, who had left work early, he came to Ellie’s side and asked if there was anything inconvenient. She replied right away that she was, of course, comfortable, and she couldn’t be dissatisfied with life here while swaying her head. Then, the Count said:

“Ellie. Think of this as your home. If I am not there, the person Brielle can trust and rely on is the nanny, and then you. So, we are like the same family.”

Though the butler and maid chief may be a little sad to hear that the young master would rely on Ellie more than them. Even so, the Count was telling her to consider this place as her own home.

The child, who was moved by those words, suddenly promised to take care of the young master. She felt as though she had been recognized as a member of the mansion.

And from childhood, the spoiled child’s intuition was telling her to watch her sister’s eyes. Recently, the atmosphere in the mansion was different. Even though she didn’t know exactly what was going on, Ellie could feel that the Count, her sister, and even the knights were tense with visible stressed expressions on their faces.

Although Kentrail never said those words with that intention, Ellie took it upon herself to be more helpful at the mansion at times like this. She also hated being abandoned again, so she tried to do everything she could to prevent Marie from feeling sad or heartbroken.

The more she knew the joy of being loved, the more she feared to lose it again.

***

Eujes visited the county after a while. He had finally passed his administrative exams and came back.

“Young master.”

He smiled, feeling glad that he was placed a little far from the county. Even though Kentrail was someone he respected, Eujes also wanted to stay away from him, too.

“Eujes.”

However, Brielle, who hadn’t seen him for a long time, had a sour look, contrary to Eujes, who was pleased to see him.

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As soon as he entered the mansion, Eujes was turning around as though he was looking for someone. It was obvious that he was looking for the nanny.

“I have a question.”

Seeing so, Brielle dragged him to the study room. It was the first time that he volunteered to study himself.

“What are you curious about, young master?”

Unaware, Eujes was busy explaining what Brielle claimed to not understand, thinking that the boy really brought him here because he was burning with academic curiosity.

Brielle put his hand on his chin and observed his tutor intensely. Perhaps there was no stress on the exam, so he gained more weight than before. It was fortunate that he regained his health, but Eujes’s appearance wasn’t very good.

An hour passed, and the sound of knocking could be heard.

The two men looked at the door with different expressions, thinking it was Marie who knocked. However, it was Ellie who opened the door and entered.

The child brought in a snack instead of her older sister and greeted Eujes after she hadn’t seen him in a long time. Brielle was happy to see her, but on the other hand, Eujes was quite disappointed.

“Hello.

“Hello, Ellie.”

Leaving his regret behind, he brought up a story to Ellie. They had gotten closer and more friendly after the festival.

“What happened then?”

Curious, Brielle intervened and again asked about the situation since he hadn’t heard it properly until now. And so, the lesson ended with Eujes not being able to meet Marie even until he left the mansion.

***

Lights were flickering in Brielle’s transparent eyes.

After Marie had used up the candles that the Count gave her, she was about to light another candle.

“Be careful, as it gets hot when you get closer.”

“Hmm!”

As the sound of the crackling felt quite soothing to hear, Brielle lay down and closed his eyes happily. And next to him, Ellie was watching with an uneasy feeling, worrying if Brielle would touch the fire.

“Do Marie and Ellie always sleep with the candles lit?”

“No, it would have caught fire. I light it on when I want to calm down before going to bed.”

“I see…”

When Brielle came to Marie’s room to play, he saw a candle that had just been lit in her room, rather than in the hallway or the parlor. He looked at the candle strangely. Brielle told her he wanted scented candles in his room as well, but Marie said no with a stern face. Instead, she said, “You can come to this place anytime if you want to light the candles.”

“These days, the Count is very busy.”

To be precise, it was after the window in the study was broken. At first, she thought that the criminal would soon be caught, but she was getting nervous. Even so, Marie hid the fact in front of Brielle and Ellie. However, when she was alone, her expressions showed anxiety.

It had been peaceful so far, but it was possible that those who were aiming for Brielle might have reappeared anytime.

Plus, Ellie and herself had come into the mansion, so she didn’t even know if the people who had approached the original Marie were the cause of this incident.

Filled with anxiety, Marie could feel that the movements of the knights of the Count were unusual as well. Everyone was more alert than usual, and there were shifts to make sure that someone was guarding the mansion at night as well. However, she couldn’t tell if it was all right for her to intervene since she doesn’t know the situation yet.

“It’s already been three days since I haven’t seen uncle.”

Brielle frowned, depressed because he couldn’t see Kentrail.

“I know…”

Hearing the young master’s word, Ellie jumped and rose up from her seat as she had thought of something.

“That’s right! I have something to tell you!”

Her expressions were as if something interesting had happened, while Marie listened to her words, her face became increasingly serious.

***

The Count’s office.

The butler knocked on the door and let Marie enter the room.

“Count.”

His face was gaunt after all the exhausting days. Marie, whose heart was hurt, put the warm milk she brought in front of him. Brielle said she should give it to his uncle, so she asked the maid to prepare the milk around the evening.

“Thank you.”

He gazed at the cup after hearing Marie’s words that his nephew had prepared milk for him. Kentrail smiled and drank it.

“The young master was worried. I heard from the chef that the Count hasn’t been eating properly for a few days already.”

“It seems that I made you worry.”

Rather than wanting to hear him apologize, Marie opened her mouth.

“I… I don’t know how to say this…”

As if he knew that she wanted to talk to him, Kentrail led her to the sofa and sat across from Marie.

“Ellie said there was a small dog hole in the garden behind the mansion.”

He frowned at the story he heard for the first time. “A Dog hole? I’m sure the mansion was renovated every year. There are knights guarding it, so no one could just come in and out.”

“What if one of the knights come and go using that hole?”

If there was a reason that a knight was not leaving through the front door, it may mean that they were doing something dishonest, and it would have been a serious matter.

“A knight?”

There were few knights of physique that could enter and exit the dog hole. Kentrail continued to listen to Marie’s story, reflecting on the possible people.

“Yes… When Ellie hid in the bush to play tag with the young master, it looked like she saw it by accident. I don’t know how much the Count would trust in a child’s story, but I guess he must have seen the glass break and headed outside.”

“Did she say who?”

“Yes… It was someone Ellie knows well.”

“Ellie?”

Marie felt goosebumps rising the moment she heard the story from her younger sister.

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