Throughout this comedic drama, Lucrezia wore a face as if she were dead.
She no longer seemed beautiful. Her tightly closed lips and grotesquely wide-open eyes were fixed solely on Adele.
“……”
“Lady Lucrezia?”
“…Yes?”
It was only after Cesare called her name in a low, slow voice that Lucrezia regained her composure.
“Ah…”
Lucrezia briefly glanced back and forth between Cesare and Adele.
The man she loved and the woman she wanted to kill.
After hesitating, she fixed her gaze on Cesare.
“Then, perhaps I could at least nurse you…”
“It’s not your fault, so I can’t impose on you like that.”
“But…”
“And my sister will take care of the nursing, so it’s fine.”
“……”
Lucrezia’s face repeatedly twisted grotesquely and then attempted to smile.
Adele, watching, felt a chill.
“B-But a grown lady… n-nursing, in the same room… It might be misunderstood…”
“She’s my ‘sister,’ Lady Della Valle.”
Cesare said cheerfully and firmly.
“Of course, I did think it was a bit of a waste to give her to Ezra.”
“……”
“Just kidding.”
Cesare toyed with Lucrezia. With each word, she seemed to oscillate between the third heaven of paradise and the second circle of hell.
Finally, Cesare pulled the corners of his large mouth into a pretty smile, his cheeks adorned with dimples like a charming boy, as he gazed steadily at Lucrezia.
“Lady Della Valle.”
Lucrezia looked at him with tearful eyes, yet filled with hope.
“There won’t be a second time.”
“……”
Lucrezia froze.
“I’ll sever this connection for you. But there won’t be a second chance, and if you try such tricks again, it will be a family-to-family confrontation.”
Cesare finished speaking with a gentle smile.
“Now, would you kindly leave?”
*** *** *** *** ***
Suddenly summoned and removed from the ballroom, Madame Flavia found herself confined to a room in the inner palace.
Knights guarded the doors and windows, and she couldn’t even allow her maid in. She couldn’t inform her family either.
As midnight passed and dawn approached with no one looking for her, Madame Flavia sensed it.
‘Lucrezia must have failed and revealed my name!’
Madame Flavia paced the room anxiously. Extreme fear made her feel like her hair would fall out.
Her master, Cesare, who favored capable individuals and was rational in all matters, was equally merciless when dealing with traitors.
Madame Flavia forgot her ladylike demeanor and bit her nails.
“I must explain…”
Just then, the door opened without a knock.
Madame Flavia flinched at the sudden appearance of a dark figure, but soon brightened.
“Aegir! …Sir!”
“Madame Flavia Loredan.”
The owner of the dry voice was Aegir, Epony’s ‘younger brother’.
He was a young man with copper-colored hair, short but solidly built.
Madame Flavia had occasionally seen him in Cesare’s office. Each time, Aegir had a faint smell of iron about him.
He looked no different from usual. A black cloak often worn by braccieres, and a plain black cocked hat. Standard attire.
Beneath the triangular hat, mineral-like blue eyes turned towards Madame Flavia.
“Follow me.”
It was a simple and clear order, but Madame Flavia hesitated before complying.
“W-Where are we going? I must see Lord Cesare!”
Aegir stood at the door, watching Madame Flavia without changing his expression.
“Follow me.”
“Let me explain to Lord Cesare! I can explain!”
Without further words, Aegir strode towards Madame Flavia.
As the unfocused blue eyes approached like quiet death, Madame Flavia screamed and backed away.
“Alright! I’ll go! I’ll go on my own feet!”
Aegir stopped. He stared at Madame Flavia, then took something out of his pocket and held it out.
“It’s a blindfold. Put it on.”
“……”
Madame Flavia, suppressing her sobs like a proper lady, put it on with trembling hands.
Once her vision was blocked, Aegir stood to her left and began to escort her.
She was soon led out of the inner palace. They passed through the garden and arrived at a place so quiet not even a bird could be heard.
“This is the carriage. Get in.”
Aegir’s dry voice increased Madame Flavia’s fear.
Santenare was an island nation. The land wasn’t vast.
Naturally, the roads were narrow, and even nobles preferred horses to carriages. On anything but main roads, two horses side by side would fill the entire width.
So, the use of a carriage meant…
‘That I shouldn’t be seen…?’
Trembling, Madame Flavia listened to the sound of the carriage crossing the dawn of Fornatier.
‘I’ve heard about it. About Buonaparte’s secret operatives…’
Could Aegir have been one of them?
Soon, the sound of waves grew closer. The cries of seagulls, early risers, could also be heard.
‘The harbor…?’
Madame Flavia’s blindfolded eyes began to quiver.
‘No. Surely not. I’ve been loyal to Buonaparte…’
It was a vain hope. The carriage stopped exactly where Madame Flavia least wanted to be.
“Get out. I’ll remove your blindfold, but don’t make any loud noises.”
With shaking legs, Madame Flavia got out of the carriage and, barely breathing, looked at the scene before her.
Portonillo. The least populated of the ten harbors around Fornatier.
It was also the harbor with the worst security due to its proximity to Gimora, the slum area.
The surroundings were filthy. A pungent fishy smell and stench permeated the entire street. In the distance, a dilapidated lighthouse blinked unsteadily, as if about to go out.
“Follow me.”
Aegir escorted Madame Flavia by the arm towards the pier.
His posture was as courteous as a bracciere escorting a noblewoman, but his firm arm gripped her tightly, preventing any chance of escape.
Madame Flavia was dragged along helplessly, like a fish caught on a hook.
Eventually, a long, slender ship appeared before her eyes.
“Get on board.”
It was an old galley ship. Her fear had become reality.
“No… No!”
Madame Flavia screamed. She struggled to break free from Aegir, but the young man easily twisted her arm and bound her.
“Ah, Madame Flavia? We’ve been waiting!”
At that moment, a cheerful voice unsuited to the place rang out.
“……!”
It was Gigi Manfredi, Cesare’s aide.
He yawned widely, his eyes heavy with sleep.
Normally, such rude behavior would have made her frown, but Madame Flavia cried out as if she’d found a lifeline.
“Y-You! Please take me to the Lord! If he hears my explanation, he’ll understand! I can explain everything!”
Gigi, who had been yawning without covering his mouth, raised one eyebrow quizzically.
“Huh? What explanation could you possibly give at this point?”
“I-I was just being threatened!”
Gigi scratched his ear.
“You should have told the Master immediately, then.”
“T-That’s…”
“No need to answer. I know. You couldn’t, could you? Why? Because you were the one who first revealed the young lady’s identity.”
“…It was all for the Lord’s sake!”
Madame Flavia cried out. Gigi snorted.
“The Master understands that to some extent. As a vassal, it’s natural to feel uneasy when the head of the family refuses to marry! That’s why he left the connection with the Chairman alone.”
You knew from that point?
Madame Flavia’s face contorted.
“Then why…!”
“Ah, why are you like this?”
Gigi laughed wickedly, like a little devil.
“Omertà. You broke the most important rule, didn’t you?”
“……!”
Omertà. The code of silence.
A vow of obedience to never reveal what one has seen or heard to outsiders.
This is the bond between members passed down in all noble houses, and those who break it are always retaliated against.
The grinning Gigi and expressionless Aegir no longer seemed like their usual selves. They were messengers of death.
“…I just gave a hint!”
“Ah, you must have given quite a detailed hint? Well, that’s not my business! Listen to the explanation first. I need to finish this quickly and get some sleep!”
“If-If I disappear, surely the Elder Lord will…!”
“That’s also a problem for our Master to solve. And frankly speaking, you’re not irreplaceable personnel, are you?”
“……!”
Madame Flavia was struck speechless by the scathing and painful words.
Gigi chuckled and yawned again.
“Oh, I’m sleepy. If you’re done with excuses, let’s proceed with the procedure. Let’s see… The ship you’ll be boarding is the Veterano, built in 840.”
“N-No…”
“The list of supplies on board includes flour, salt, sugar, jam, purified water, charcoal, olive oil, lemons, limes…”
Aegir firmly held Madame Flavia, who was shaking like a sick goat.
Gigi quickly finished his explanation.
“…So! Madame, you just need to take these supplies and make a solo trip to Soruk!”
Madame Flavia gasped for breath, unable to string words together properly.
Though she had never done hard labor, as a noble of an island nation, she had basic knowledge about navigation.
Galley ships are used for coastal navigation.
If one attempted ocean navigation with such a ship, it would capsize at the slightest rough wave.
Moreover, to Soruk, the farthest from Santenare.
Worse still, the galley ship before her was nearly 100 years old, and most importantly, it lacked a mermaid figurehead. There was no symbol of the goddess to pray for safe passage.
Even if the sea were to help, it would be impossible to reach Soruk. There was no food among the supplies.
“Madame. Have you ever experienced hunger?”
“……”
Why did those words come to mind now, of all times?
“If you return safely, the Master will take it as the will of the sea goddess and forgive you.”
“Please, give me a chance to explain to Lord Cesare. Please…! Please!”
Madame Flavia quickly knelt before Gigi, begging with both hands. Her face was already streaked with tears.
But despite her pleas, Gigi remained cold.
“Who told you to break the Omertà? You should have stopped at bullying the shoe shiner.”
Gigi yawned and took a step back.
“The explanation is over, so let’s go, Mr. Aegir!”
Aegir bound Madame Flavia’s body with his thick arms.
“No! Let go! Save me! Please save me! I beg you…!”
Ignoring Madame Flavia’s struggle with ease, Aegir dragged her onto the deck.
He tied one of Madame Flavia’s wrists with a cloth and secured it to the ship’s mast.
“Please, tell the Lord to give me one more chance!”
“Oh my. You’ll wake up all of Gimora!”
Gigi grumbled as he tapped the stern. The magic stone installed in place of rowing crew members began to move.
Aegir leaped off the deck like an agile wildcat, while Gigi cheerfully waved his hand.
“Have a good trip! And be careful of the sea goddess’s jealousy!”
“Nooooo!”
The noblewoman’s scream was buried in the horizon before it could even stretch out.
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