SRHNVW 09

chapter 09

I stormed off without even listening to what Erios was trying to say.

“Velona!”

“Shut up! If you say another word or follow me, I’ll use magic!”

I shouted at him, and thankfully, Erios didn’t follow—he must have sensed my sincerity. But that didn’t stop him from yelling from behind.

“You’ll both be needed for Artea!”

“I told you to shut your mouth!”

Whoosh!

Only after a large flame floated in midair did his voice finally stop.

I’m more specialized in non-combat magic, while he’s clearly stronger in battle from all his monster-hunting experience. But if I didn’t want him to see me fighting in front of my niece, this was the obvious choice.

That guy’s tongue is too long—if I keep listening, I’ll get dragged into this!

I muttered to myself as I quickly left the neighboring estate. Yeah, I had figured it out when he smiled weirdly earlier. That rare expression, the one that supposedly keeps multiple women awake at night, usually hidden behind his stoic face…

No, that smile will keep me awake in a completely different way!

That pure, white smile was so, so unforgettable that I felt like I’d just end up kicking off the blankets all night. Ugh, it’s infuriating!

But…

Erios’ several days of persistent coaxing had paid off.

Just a few days ago, Artea was shouting “I hate uncle,” and now she had started paying attention to him.

“You know, what do you think uncle does at night? Not that I want to see him or anything.”

“That’s also something uncle likes…”

“Hey! Didn’t you hear some noise from next door?”

She was saying things that were easy to read, constantly mentioning uncle and acting curious. That scoundrel had suddenly broken up with me despite things going well… but still, to Erios, I was just an adult and Artea was my niece. He hadn’t treated her the way he treated me, right?

Ever since Erios moved next door, Artea seemed brighter, which was a relief. It also meant I could check and ask about certain things discreetly.

Should I let the kid meet uncle, for her own emotional well-being?

But she had mentioned running away, and her protective magic was broken.

Maybe not letting them meet at all would be better… Ah, I don’t know!

How would I know? I’ve never raised a child. Even experienced parents would probably struggle with this kind of situation.

With a troubled heart, I walked through the garden. I’d heard that a stroll could calm the mind. Yet, this walk led me to an unexpected encounter.

“Good day, Miss Velona.”

It was the butler of the Kiliet Duke family.

Hmm, the wall had been lowered recently, making it easier to meet… but to run into him here?

“The weather is perfect for a walk, isn’t it? That dress suits you wonderfully.”

It was different from the first time we met, when he practically charged at me. He seemed clearly eager to make a good impression. My question was soon answered.

“I heard the Duke proposed to you.”

“Oh.”

Even though the boundary between our houses had relaxed, the garden was so large that bumping into each other like this was unlikely. Had the butler been waiting here to meet me?

Why would he want to meet me?

Was he being friendly, or the opposite? I couldn’t tell.

“I’ve been feeling guilty for acting rudely toward you when I first defended Duke Kiliet.”

The butler’s attitude was polite.

“You were someone who might soon become a duchess. I lacked awareness.”

“……”

“The previous Duke and Duchess also got along well, didn’t they? Kiliet and Sortis seem to suit each other nicely.”

From his attitude, it seemed the proposal was serious.

So he approached me because I might become the duchess.

As for the marriage between Erios and me… the butler and the Kiliet household may have seen how I cared for Artea, so maybe they were okay with it. But others probably wouldn’t see it positively.

“I heard you had separated, but in a way, Artea brought you two back together!”

Yes, I could say I used my niece to encourage this marriage—with the Empire’s most eligible bachelor, no less. Well, if I get some criticism, I don’t mind. What matters is Artea; I don’t care about anyone else.

The butler, who had been observing me, gave a warm, friendly smile. Very different from our first meeting.

“If anyone speaks rudely to the future duchess, please inform me. As a loyal servant of the family, I’ve always awaited Duke Kiliet’s marriage.”

The butler went on to say that Erios had no interest in women and had rejected other proposals. Perhaps he hadn’t married to avoid shaking up Artea’s inheritance.

“You’re very devoted to your niece. Even though it’s near the end of monster hunting, I didn’t expect you to rush here. But it’s a good thing you’ll marry someone who prioritizes Artea above all.”

“…I haven’t accepted the proposal yet.”

He seems to assume I’ll be the duchess already… formalities feel unnecessary.

I spoke more casually.

“Ha, yes, I’ll need some time to think!”

Yet the butler seemed certain I wouldn’t refuse. Shy? Me? He didn’t know how absurd the proposal had been.

“Since you might become the duchess… are you not considering firing the nanny?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Duke’s household is too lenient. To leave the one responsible for Artea’s disappearance next to her… the same thing could happen again.”

The one responsible for her disappearance?

The butler sighed solemnly.

“You know Artea disappeared during an outing, right? Do you know what the nanny was doing at that time?”

Artea went missing during the outing. The last person with her had been the nanny. But she had fallen asleep for a nap and only woke around evening. She reported it late, and couldn’t answer questions properly because of the lingering drowsiness, the butler said, clearly frustrated.

“If the nanny hadn’t taken Artea out, or at least kept proper watch, things would have been different.”

“……”

“A duke’s household nanny taking a nap? Whether it was an excuse or a genuine mistake, either way, it’s a problem. We need to investigate if she was struggling financially and who she was close to.”

Ah, so this was the butler’s main point.

There’s some logic to what he’s saying, but he has no knowledge of the sleep scent, so that’s why he can say it.

As I paused to choose my words, the butler seemed anxious and urged me.

“Unlike the Kiliet family, I trust Miss Velona to make a wise decision. You haven’t met that woman yet, have you? Despite being a nanny, she doesn’t seem close to Artea…”

But before he could continue, a voice interrupted.

“Miss Velona! There’s been an emergency!”

A Sortis household servant rushed in, breathless. A problem had arisen with a newly released magical item—bad news. I wanted to delay leaving Artea as long as possible, but this required my attention.

“You need to go quickly!”

“Understood. I’ll leave as soon as I’m ready.”

I told the butler we could talk more when I returned. He seemed disappointed by the abrupt interruption but quickly collected himself and bowed.

“Artea, aunt will be back shortly. Just a little while.”

Artea’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A-aunt! Don’t go!”

“Artea, aunt has work to attend to, okay?”

Artea, who had seemed relatively stable recently, turned pale. Her breathing quickened, and her body began trembling.

“Aunt is just going for a little while.”

“Then take me too!”

“You can’t come; it’s too dangerous.”

Hearing “no,” Artea’s eyes wavered violently. I held her and tried to soothe her, but her emotions continued to fluctuate.

Has she always been this anxious whenever Erios leaves for monster hunting, or is absent for work?

At that moment, I remembered the people the butler had mentioned.

“The nanny is here to stabilize Artea, right?”

Previously, when Artea was anxious, Erios and I had discussed how to help her feel calm. She needed familiar things and people. So I made sure her clothes and belongings from the duke’s household, and people she considered friendly, were present.

“Artea!”

The nanny, who had been restless in the distance, saw Artea and burst into tears. Her devotion was palpable.

“I was so worried when you disappeared…”

“Shall we read a fairy tale together? You liked this one.”

“I couldn’t eat thinking about Artea.”

Even as the nanny approached, Artea only rolled her eyes. She recognized her, but her tension didn’t ease at all.

“Artea must have had a really hard time.”

The nanny looked disappointed, but seeing Artea’s discomfort, she stepped back.

It was hard to understand. They spend more time with her than Erios does while on monster hunts, yet the atmosphere was like this.