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Chapter 20
However, in the end he had no choice but to comply with Helena’s demand.
He wanted to sleep here, and if he wanted to sleep properly, he had to give her what she wanted. In truth, it wasn’t even that difficult a request.
So Benjamin slowly lay down beside Helena, making sure to show just how much he hated it with every fiber of his being.
As if she had been waiting for it, Helena slipped her hand right under Benjamin’s back.
She couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled up on its own.
Wow, this feels amazing.
She couldn’t deny it.
Benjamin’s back felt better than any chest of drawers or cushion could ever compare to.
Heavy, pleasantly warm, and just firm enough… Ah, this is really nice.
Wiggling her fingers, she thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of his taut back muscles.
Benjamin shuddered.
“Uh… p-please don’t move. Isn’t that ticklish…?”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll stay still.”
Having gotten what she wanted, Helena’s voice had softened completely, as if it had never been sharp at all.
Hearing that gentle, almost amused tone, Benjamin turned around, utterly dumbfounded.
Helena was buried snugly under the blanket, rubbing her face against the pillow as she smiled blissfully.
“…Ha.”
Benjamin felt his blood run cold from sheer disbelief.
He felt like a fool.
She’s laughing that happily over something like this? After all the fighting we’ve done until now?
In a good mood, Helena narrowed her eyes and smiled at him.
Her hair was loose, her face bare of makeup, yet somehow she looked more beautiful than at any other moment.
Moved by that smile, Benjamin spoke impulsively.
“…The former head butler might know.”
“The former head butler?”
“He was the last of the servants to leave the estate. Since he seemed to manage all the affairs of the castle, he might know about the key.”
At his words, Helena broke into a bright smile.
She pulled one finger out from beneath his back and used her fingertip to squiggle something on his back.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t you know? You’re so slow. I wrote ‘thank you.’”
Having said that, Helena soon slipped into a deep sleep, her breathing soft and even.
As her breaths settled into a steady rhythm, Benjamin slowly turned over and lay staring at the ceiling.
He still held the letter in his hand, but its contents no longer entered his mind at all.
Turning his head, he looked at the sleeping Helena.
“Koooh…”
Her face in deep sleep looked just like a child’s.
Perhaps because the eyes that always glared at him so fiercely were now gently closed—Helena, sleeping with a peaceful expression, was unexpectedly lovely.
Once again, what brought Benjamin’s day to an end was a long, deep sigh.
The next day, even more laborers came to visit the Ishpern Count’s estate.
The workers Joe had hurriedly gathered the day before were only capable of simple manual labor. However, those who arrived after hearing the rumors were valuable hands who each knew how to do one thing or another.
Helena spoke to Joe.
“We’re still seriously short on people, but from now on, let’s not take everyone indiscriminately. It’ll be a headache if word gets out that we accept any random drifter. Let’s focus on people with clear backgrounds, and hire them only temporarily until we’re confident in them.”
“A most reasonable decision. I’ll do so, milady.”
“Good, then that’s settled, and now…”
While looking over a list containing the workers’ basic information, Helena set it down and asked,
“Joe, have you ever heard anything from Mr. Kurt about the count’s former head butler?”
At the mention of the former head butler, a flicker of irritation crossed Joe’s face.
The expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared, but sharp-eyed Helena didn’t miss it.
So there’s something there too, she thought.
Joe spoke with a slightly stiff expression.
“If you mean Mr. Wesley, I’ve met him a few times. He used to come by occasionally to see Mr. Kurt.”
“Oh, really? Do you happen to know where he is now?”
At her question, Joe frowned slightly, clearly displeased.
Unable to fully hide his feelings, Joe looked less like the young, capable head steward of the Ishpern estate and more like an innocent boy.
Finding that amusing, Helena waited with an interested look for his answer.
After a brief hesitation, Joe finally spoke.
“I only know roughly.”
“Where?”
“I believe he’s in a city called Goha.”
“Goha?”
“It’s a trading city in the wastelands along the border between Burwood and Ruar.”
Joe looked uncomfortable as he spoke.
“Hm…”
Helena continued questioning him.
“Joe, I really need to meet this Wesley person. If you know anything, tell me everything.”
Reluctantly, Joe replied,
“Milady, Goha is not a place suitable for you to visit.”
“Hm? Why not?”
“…In the south, there’s a route used by mercenaries and merchants that connects the east and the west. It’s called Luca’s Road, and there’s a point where it passes through the Burwood–Ruar border. Goha is a city located on that road.”
“Oh? So it overlaps with the border between the two territories. Then it must be crawling with mercenaries and merchants.”
Joe nodded vigorously, looking appalled.
“Yes, milady! It’s full of rough people. There are many entertainment districts, and incidents and accidents are frequent.”
“I smell something.”
“That’s right. It reeks of danger. And of all places, Mr. Wesley chose to live in such a—!”
“The smell of money.”
“Pardon?”
Helena, who had been lost in thought, looked at Joe and said,
“Joe, while I’m away, I’ll leave the castle’s cleaning and repairs to you.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Prepare things so I can be gone for a day or two. And call Sir Aaron.”
“…What?”
“Hurry up!”
“…Yes…?”
Aaron, who came at Helena’s summons, was greeted with a baffling sight.
“Well, Sir Aaron? What do you think?”
“Lady Helena… have I done something wrong?”
“You haven’t done anything wrong, so just tell me how it looks.”
“I feel like either I’ve done something terribly wrong, or something has gone terribly wrong.”
That was Aaron’s honest impression upon seeing Helena dressed as a man.
She had twisted her long hair up and hidden it beneath a flamboyant hat adorned with peacock feathers and a bird ornament, wore a man’s shirt and trousers, and covered herself with a thick outer garment that concealed her figure.
A flustered Aaron asked,
“Whose clothes are those? Did the count own clothes like this?”
“No, they’re mine. I once switched outfits with Crown Prince Rufus and went to a ball like that. We kept the clothes as souvenirs afterward. Rufus in a dress was absolutely hilarious.”
At her words, Aaron’s face twisted in horror.
“I would rather not imagine that. Please don’t elaborate.”
“There’s this too.”
Helena stuck a fine fake mustache under her nose and looked at Aaron.
“…Very well. I’ve seen enough. You look very much like a noble gentleman. Shall we stop now? Please remove that hideous thing from your beautiful face at once.”
“Sir Aaron, why do you think I dressed like this?”
“Well, if it was to tease me or to surprise the count, then I believe you’ve succeeded.”
“I’m going to Goha.”
For a moment, Aaron wondered if he had misheard.
“…What did you just say?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me. You’re a former mercenary, so you must know the place too, right?”
“Well, I do know it, but…”
“I thought so. There’s no special reason—I’m just going to look for someone.”
“Someone…?”
“Anyway, can you come with me? If you can’t, I’ll look for someone else. If I can’t find anyone, I’ll go alone.”
“What in the world is this…”
Staring at Helena’s mustache with a confused expression, Aaron finally nodded reluctantly.
“I’ll go. I can’t let you go to such a dangerous place by yourself, milady.”
When he said that, Helena reached out and patted his shoulder firmly.
“Good thinking. I can’t go to such a dangerous place without you.”
“…I’m truly honored, Lady Helena.”
“Oh, when I look like this, call me Lord Heren.”
“You seem oddly accustomed to situations like this, Lord Heren.”
“I’ve had a few experiences like this. The dark underside of the glamorous capital—places a pitiful young lady can’t go… Shall I tell you all about it?”
“I didn’t ask, and I’m not curious, Lord Heren.”
Helena’s disguise was so natural it was almost excessive.
“Ah, this is exhausting! I think people in the south have a strange sense of distance. When they say it’s close, it’s still two or three hours on horseback, and when they say it’s far, how does it take a whole day?”
Helena, riding a beautiful white horse and loudly complaining, looked exactly like a naive young master from the north.
“The reason it took so long is because you dismounted to rest every hour, Lord Heren.”
And Aaron, meanwhile, looked exactly like a knight worn out from attending such a young master.
“Still, it was worth coming. This place looks far more interesting than I expected.”
Twisting his mustache with his fingertips, Helena surveyed the streets with eyes full of curiosity.
