Mess 183

183.

According to Luni, Count Baglosa’s daughter was engaged in a standoff with the Validus staff at the mansion’s gate.

She had come recklessly, demanding to see Seraphy, and her insistence was witnessed by Karl, who was waiting at the house, as well as by Orkis and Luni, who arrived just in time.

“……”

Seraphy pressed her hand to her forehead. Just hearing the account of events was enough to bring on a headache.

“No one followed her, did they?”

“Sir Orkis and Karl checked the area around the mansion at once. They didn’t find anything suspicious, but…”

Luni’s expression, as she whispered for Seraphy’s ears alone, was less than pleased.

Seraphy understood well how Luni felt. She herself was of the same mind.

In these circumstances, keeping Baglosa’s daughter nearby was fraught with peril.

But even so—

“……”

Seraphy could not bring herself to drive away the bedraggled young woman before her.

Her haggard appearance, so changed from a year ago, plainly revealed the depths to which she had fallen.

“…Could you give us a moment, please?”

At Seraphy’s request, Luni nodded. Orkis and Karl followed suit, quietly leaving the parlor.

Now only Seraphy and the daughter of Baglosa remained.

Seraphy was the first to break the silence.

“Life is strange, isn’t it?”

“……”

“To think we’d meet again like this.”

The greeting carried a touch of irony, and Baglosa’s daughter arched her brows, eyes flashing with indignation.

“So, are you enjoying this? Is it satisfying? Are you thoroughly delighted?!”

Her voice was sharp, but it held little threat for Seraphy. Instead, she felt a brush of pity.

For the woman before her, this fragile, heightened temperament was likely the only means left to defend herself.

Seraphy decided to overlook her rudeness—just this once.

“Why did you come to see me?”

“……”

No reply came. Count Baglosa’s daughter clamped her mouth shut with obstinate determination.

“Won’t you tell me?”

Seraphy watched her and let out a weary sigh. She’d lost count of how many sighs she’d managed today alone.

“Well then… just a moment…”

She had just begun to rise, excusing herself, when—

“…Ugh!”

Baglosa’s daughter reacted instantly.

Her shoulders stiffened and her hands, clutching at her skirt, began to tremble. In an instant, her face went pale.

“…I was only going to call for a maid, that’s all—so I can get something to eat.”

Seraphy kept her tone deliberately light, masking any concern.

Once again, Baglosa’s daughter did not answer.

The maid, waiting by the door, soon brought a tray of hot soup and sandwiches.

The soup, thick with milk, sent up a savory aroma, and the sandwiches were hearty, packed with fresh greens and seasoned meats.

“I scarcely had time to eat breakfast thanks to the Council meeting.”

“……”

Baglosa’s daughter stared at the meal, mesmerized. Though simple fare, it was mouthwatering, and before she realized, she swallowed hard.

“It feels wrong to eat alone. Join me.”

Seraphy lifted a spoonful of soup to her lips, slurping it purposely loud. Then she grasped the sandwich with both hands and took a big, satisfying bite.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“…You starved yourself?”

Baglosa’s daughter muttered, affecting annoyance.

“You’re a noble—yet you eat without a shred of decorum…”

“I’m far too busy to stand on ceremony.”

Seraphy replied, barely swallowing the mouthful of sandwich. Her cheeks were puffed with unchewed bread.

But Baglosa’s daughter never so much as reached for the food. Seraphy did not press her.

“…As I said before.”

Seraphy set down the half-eaten sandwich. She hadn’t been terribly hungry to begin with, so any more felt burdensome.

“I’m very busy.”

Now, it truly was time to get to the point.

“Why are you here?”

“……”

“Do you know what Baglosa’s son did today?”

“……”

“You have blood on your wrist.”

Baglosa’s daughter glanced hurriedly at her right wrist, but of course there was not a stain or mark upon it.

Only then did she realize she’d been fooled.

“…Unbelievable,” Seraphy exhaled.

The entire mood shifted at once. In the cold air, Baglosa’s daughter felt her breath catch.

Her eyes instinctively dropped to the floor. It felt as though some unseen hand was pressing down on the back of her head.

“You would do well to know your place.”

The voice was soft, yet crueler than any whip.

“This is hardly the time to cling to that pitiful pride of yours.”

The signs of violence were obvious; Seraphy saw at once.

How long had the beatings been going on?

She could not be sure. The only mark clearly visible was a reddish bruise on her cheek—recent, judging by its color.

But from the disheveled state of her attire and her overall presence, it was clear that things in the Baglosa household had been awry for some time.

“…For now, try to eat something.”

Before pity overwhelmed her, Seraphy rose from her chair.

“I don’t know if you’re keeping silent out of guilt towards me, or because your pride won’t let you speak.”

Just before stepping out.

“In your present situation, silence is absolutely the wrong choice.”

“……”

“I’ll have the maid prepare a separate room for you to rest.”

Seraphy offered one last word of advice to the still-bowed woman.

“Get some rest.”

---

“Are you actually feeling sorry for her?”

Luni greeted Seraphy’s return to the office with a blunt question.

“…Shouldn’t I?”

Seraphy replied, her voice depleted.

Though it wasn’t even half past midday, she felt as exhausted as if she’d done hard labor.

“Hmm…”

Luni paused to consider, then spoke honestly.

“I was surprised at first, too… I can’t believe how much she’s changed.”

“Doesn’t she remind you of how I used to be?”

Luni’s expression soured at the question.

The truth was that Baglosa’s daughter did remind her of the Seraphy from last year. Luni had secretly thought the same.

“No, she’s different.”

But they were not the same.

“Not at all. You never had such stubborn pride. The way you faced the world back then, so fierce and unyielding—none of that has changed!”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

It did not sound especially harsh, so Seraphy allowed herself a small smile.

“But…”

Luni, who had seemed so bold, now spoke in a subdued voice.

“…She resembles me more than you.”

The moment Luni had seen Baglosa’s daughter, a dark possibility came to mind.

If she herself had never managed to leave the Mars family, wouldn’t she be suffering the same?

No—she was certain it would have been so.

Her parents and brother had even set a fire to seize her inheritance.

Family, to Luni, had never been a safe haven.

“…So you want to help her?”

Seraphy asked.

After a moment’s thought, Luni slowly nodded.

“If I can, I want to help.”

“I thought you’d be the first to say we should throw her out.”

“That’s how I really feel, honestly.”

At present, it was far too dangerous to protect the girl.

In the worst case, the Crown Prince’s faction could pin the murder charge on her.

Then Seraphy, as her protector, would share in the repercussions.

Luni’s top priority right now was Seraphy. For that reason alone, they should have cast Baglosa’s daughter out at once.

“…But, I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Why do people always regret it later?

Luni remembered last spring. She’d gone to watch someone desperately struggle for life, as if it were a fun outing.

All dressed up, as though she were heading to the theater.

Now, at last, she realized how wretched and petty she had been. And she was shamed by it.

If she’d never become close to Seraphy, if she hadn’t managed to escape her choking family, she might never have recognized her own base instincts.

“So… well…”

She stole glances at Seraphy.

“……”

But Seraphy remained silent, just gazing at Luni with a knowing expression.

“…Are you angry?”

Luni asked in small, subdued tones.

“No.”

Seraphy’s lips twitched up at the corners.

“I’m just surprised to hear something so admirable from you.”

“I’ve always been admirable, actually.”

“Only when you keep your mouth shut.”

Seraphy chuckled and drew closer to Luni.

“But from now on, stop feeling sorry for me.”

“……”

“At this point, I owe you more than you owe me. There’s no reason for that old guilt. It only makes things harder.”

“…Honestly, you’re such a pushover.”

Flustered at Seraphy’s bright grin, Luni muttered quietly.

“That’s why people always take advantage of you.”

Still, she made no effort to hide the smile creeping onto her face.

A short while later, Orkis and Karl returned.

“I’ve finished speaking with Father.”

Orkis had informed Duke Felikia that Baglosa’s daughter was currently staying here.

And Karl brought news about the murder investigation.

The reason for Baglosa’s son being caught at the scene was now known.

“After killing his father, he intended to head to the Consilium.”

“……”

“……”

A heavy silence fell.

Luni squeezed her eyes shut; Orkis exhaled several times, trying to wrestle down his rising anger.

Baglosa’s son’s next target had been Seraphy.

“……”

Seraphy, stroking her chin, spoke at last.

“This might be a different matter entirely…”

Surprising though it was that that wretch had come to kill her at the Consilium, something even more compelling had come to mind.

“Count Loria… he might have known my biological father.”

She relayed what Duke Felikia had said.

“And I think, perhaps, it was Count Loria who introduced my father to the loan sharks at the temple.”

“Huh?”

Now that seemed impossible, Luni huffed in protest.