Avoid Former Co-Workers

76 – 76. Unbroken Shackles (4)

『Sender – Tristan Cutelli.

It’s been a while since I’ve sent you a letter. Sylvia. How have you been?

I don’t know about Genji, who had no intention of returning to the Count’s house after the end-of-semester evaluation, but I’m sending you a letter because I haven’t heard from you.

Life at the academy seems to be fun. The news was barely heard by the other spirits.

Something like the news that you were promoted to class B this time, and how pretty you looked with all your makeup on. Those kinds of stories.

After hearing that, it’s been a long time since I haven’t seen your face, so I’m worried.

However, I made a mistake because I was filled with worries about you, my daughter.

I clearly told you not to do that… But I’m sorry that the knights arbitrarily and violently tried to take you away.

But as a father, I hope that you, as a daughter, will be generous with your worries at least once.

This is the main point of writing this letter, but please come back to the count’s residence.

Isn’t the third day of the festival the day you hold your engagement ceremony with your fiancé?

Your age is coming to an end, and the time has come for you to start a family and rise to the position of a wife.

I’m about to hold an engagement ceremony as soon as I return.

Sylvia you know best who the opponent is, so can we skip it? It seems that your fiancé is very anxious to see you.

It was so hard to stop the academy from saying that they were going to pick you up and then telling them to wait until they came.

We managed to reach an agreement to prepare a wagon at a designated location and welcome you in a dress at the count’s residence.

There are many people who want to see you, and the engagement ceremony is ready, so come back to the mansion.

Seeing my daughter for the first time in a while, and thinking about the engagement ceremony, the corners of my mouth are already going up.

By the way, your friend Hena is also staying at the count’s house to cheer you on. So please come to me as soon as possible.

Let’s end the letter here. I love you, my daughter Sylvia.

Recipient – Sylvia Koutelli.』

“How could you treat your own child as an object…! A man named Count Kutelli. He’s insane.”

After hearing the explanation, Rhenias looked at the letter and said that with a serious expression.

“I think so too.”

At first glance, the contents are a letter filled with the heart of the family head who is worried about her daughter… But that cannot be the case.

The troublesome thing is that asking for help from Princess Ophelia won’t solve the problem. On the surface, there is nothing wrong with the letter.

I put forward the word that I am worried about Sylvia, but the content that has settled inside is the exact opposite.

She investigated where Sylvia had been, when, and what she did, and she admitted that sending the knights was her fault and got rid of it.

Then, wearing the prepared carriage and dress, it is more like an order to return to the count’s house and end her life as a wife. Perhaps, as Rhenias mentioned, the count intends to sell her Sylvia by treating her as her property.

Sylvia couldn’t have noticed this either, so she must have tried to use her courage and not go back, but the biggest stumbling block was that she stood up at the end with the name Henna.

Sylvia couldn’t ignore this letter because of her guilt over the henna that had been captured on her behalf.

Moreover, considering her personality… It was safe to say that this was a threatening letter.

It’s to the extent that Sylvia said with her own mouth that it was something that no one else could help her with.

Maybe that’s why Sylvia was shaking her head.

‘I can’t help it.’

She doesn’t want to go back to the count’s house in pity and make Sylvia face the fate of being exploited and dumped.

So now I have no choice but to use a certain method.

“You’re not going to have an engagement ceremony. Sylvia. So don’t even think about leaving the hospital.”

“But then henna instead of me…”

“Of course the henna will come back.”

“Junon… No matter what…”

I don’t want to take risks, but there is no surer way than this. There was a good reason for saying this.

– Smart.

“Who are you?”

Renias wondered if the person who knocked might be someone from the count’s family, so he asked the guest outside the door while being very wary.

I thought it would come around this time, but it seems to have come just in time.

“You can let me in, Rhenias.”

“Senior…”

“Because it’s okay.”

“…I see.”

– Dripping.

As more people are added, this fact can be leaked to the outside, so the danger is bound to become more prominent.

For that reason, I just said it shouldn’t be known to other people, but one person is an exception.

“Somehow, I met you again like this. Junon.”

“I never imagined meeting you this way.”

A person who ran into me unwillingly before Sylvia was transferred with the help of the leading members.

She was probably the one who witnessed the battle in the clearing in the corner of the night market with her own magic.

And the person who saw me and Sylvia nearby, predicted this situation accurately, and visited Sylvia’s hospital room on time.

She is Senia.

“…I ask in advance, what about the others?”

“I’m alone. It can get complicated for nothing.”

“That’s good.”

“Anyway, let’s get to the point. You were the one fighting the knights there, Junon, right?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you’d answer that… Huh? What?”

Why are you answering meekly? Is making a face. That’s right, since I was avoiding Senia like that back then, it’s understandable.

“What do you have to hide in the yard that we met openly anyway? I knew you would come anyway, so keep talking.”

“That, is that…? mmm.”

It was immediately understandable that there was no need to think about it. Senia immediately let her know how far she had figured it out.

“Those knights. They seemed to have taken henna while trying to take Sylvia by force. What happened?”

She would have thought she had figured it out already. As expected, it is a terrifying insight that will make your liver feel cold.

I spent several minutes explaining to Senia what had happened in the invisible clearing of the night market.

Looking at me explaining everything without missing a single speck, Senia showed a puzzled look on her face as if she hadn’t expected it.

“Junon… Now that you’re telling me this much…”

I’ll try to roll my head, but I won’t come up with a sharp number if I roll my head with Rhenias alone.

But if Senia is involved, the story is different.

So he readily brought up the story and freely handed over the information he knew.

“Now that you’ve heard this, you are now an accomplice, Senia.”

“What?! An accomplice?”

Her means I can take is to draw her into this plan by her force.

There are two reasons I think this will work.

First of all, I maintained a friendly stance with Michelle until the end.

However, this cannot work in this lifetime. It was only after she and Senia had built up a certain amount of friendship.

“I am the only one who can mobilize, Rhenias. If I tried to find more helpers, the knights would notice unless they were fools. But if I just watch them, Hena, who was held hostage, will die.”

Secondly, it seems hard on the outside enough to grab hold of the inside of a person and dig up information, but the inside is surprisingly soft.

If a person’s life is at stake, his rational personality, which was like a fortress, has become dull and he is unable to make normal judgments.

This was also the decisive reason that Senia could not occupy the position of center.

“What do you want? Would you like to ignore it? Or, would you like to hear my plan?”

I’m not going to say if I’m going to go against the Count’s family and get some henna.

Already, Senia must have figured out that I was going to do it a long time ago.

‘Maybe you think that’s crazy.’

With the exception of Sylvia, who can’t move due to aftereffects, it’s almost impossible that the three of them deal with the county alone.

Even if others hear the same story, they will shake their heads and tell them to contact the princess or say that they have gone too far.

The other members of Thembris, even Goden, would say the same thing.

But what about Senia? Even when she hears the bad conditions that make her breathless, she doesn’t even say anything. It means that the understanding has already been completed based on the context and clues.

It’s only going from two to three, but it can never be seen as an increase in one.

Senia’s participation or not will have a significant meaning that can greatly shake Sylvia’s fate.

Is it positive? Is it negative

I was vaguely aware of the outcome.

“…What are you talking about?”

***

I’ve heard of the plan, but no matter how much I think about it, I wonder if it’s crazy.

Unfortunately, Sylvia lived as her illegitimate son and was in a position to be treated like her property by her father.

As she had predicted, this was not something to be dismissed as a mere kidnapping incident thoughtlessly perpetrated by a knight of the count’s family.

From noble mtl dot com

A hostage situation in which a kidnapping was carried out. Therefore, it was the count’s trick to sell his daughter.

It would be nice if the members of Thembris were together… But in reality, I can’t even contact them.

As long as the count is not an idiot, if the number of people increases, Count Kutelli will immediately treat the henna and try to cover it up.

Three people who can dig into this work right now must be fixed.

Only three. It’s a hopeless number for a single Count.

Sylvia could not escape from the aftereffects of her exhaustion at least in the first stage.

Henna, who is held hostage at the count’s residence and will no longer be a person of this world the moment it is announced.

The carriage sent as if to imprison Sylvia in a cage called the Count’s house, and the knights mobilized to take on the role of surveillance in the name of an escort.

Other conditions also caused quite a headache.

And he took up both a sword and a shield to capture the county.

“Large Uh.”

“Mmnya, umnya… I can’t be more mugged…”

“Here’s another drink! Hiccup!”

Three knights are drunk and lost.

The family they protect is unmistakably Count Kutelli. Junon skillfully approached them, talked to them, and even bought them drinks and made them crawl on the ground.

The voices of the three knights who continued to talk in their sleep were soon completely silenced, and they did not wake up even if they slapped their cheeks.

Before he even thought about what he had done, he took off the knight’s equipment one by one and handed it over to him.

“This, what should I do with this?”

“What should I do? Tie up the knights and throw them out of sight, and we should wear these.”

“Huh…”

Why should I wear the plate armor and helm worn by the knights of the count family? Doesn’t that sound like something you should wear and imitate them for?

And as if that’s the correct answer, Junon puts on the plate armor and helm first.

Wearing this means aiming a sword at the Count.

‘How on earth do you think like this?’

He might have given up if he had been in a similar situation or related person.

It is said that it is possible to find out the weakness of the monster or the weakness of the opponent in the middle of battle, but it is impossible against the count family. It was difficult to get a feel for it.

However, he has already grasped his point even in these adverse conditions and has carefully formulated a plan to respond to the count’s family.

“Is the size right?”

“…It’s not too big thanks to the small ones you picked out.”

“That’s all right.”

This was an act of making invisible cracks on the sword and shield of Count Kutelli.

A very fine and secret gold that kept their swords and shields from functioning properly.

A girl appears at the time we promised.

“Ugh… Really, you won’t find out, will you?”

“I hope it won’t get caught. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go to the next plan, so don’t worry and go.”

“Okay. Do you have to come running when I scream?”

“Yes. I’ll be nearby. If you don’t feel like it, you can take care of it with your own hands.”

The girl moved on, trembling with anxiety.

Should I say this idea is ingenious or novel?

-‘Sylvia. Didn’t I say you were treated as an illegitimate child at the count’s residence?’

‘…Yeah.’

-‘Then, I’m sure there aren’t many people in the count’s mansion who can recognize Sylvia’s face right now?’

-‘That’s right. The reason why I haven’t dressed up so far is because all the maids were standing by…’

-‘Wait, Junon, you can’t…!’

Senia ponders the conversation she had at the hospital, but is reminded of how she could have such thoughts.

***

An order was also given to bring Sylvia with her if she said she would return to the count at any time, and to report immediately if Sylvia seemed to be acting nonsense.

Because of that, the knights of the Count Kutelli family were wasting a day just waiting.

“Hmm-.”

“Yumma.”

A knight who taps the side of a yawning comrade.

They have no choice but to yawn as they have to stand still, even though night is approaching.

“Ai, what should I do when I’m sleepy?”

“Well… I get it. It’s not long before shift. Hold on a little longer.”

“Ac. If only those guys handled the job properly. Why are we even suffering?”

I try to put the blame on the three who did not carry out the count’s duties correctly, but the boredom and sleepiness are not easily relieved.

As the night approaches, the six knights take turns dividing each half and guarding their seats.

So, I don’t even know what’s going on.

“Huh? Who’s coming over there?”

“Who are you? Reveal your identity!”

Three knights draw their weapons at someone approaching through the night road.

“Huh? Wait a minute. Are you Sylvia sweetheart?”

“Yes, that’s right. After reading the letter…! I’m here to go back.”

I came here to go back, so it’s a situation where I can’t believe it, but there was something suspicious.

The three knights eventually put down their weapons and began an urgent discussion.

‘Hey, come to think of it, have you ever seen the lady’s face?’

‘No. I’ve seen the boy’s face often… But don’t you know?’

‘Okay. I’ve heard the voice, but I don’t know the face.’

‘Children. Did all three of you who knew the lady’s face go to shift?’

Because he was treated as an illegitimate child of the count’s house, his face was not well known, so there were a lot of things that made him feel uncomfortable.

‘But, after hearing the voice, I think it’s right.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘The maids said they didn’t want to hear it because I always sounded melancholy. Stuttering must be the same reason.’

‘Oh! Is that so?’

It was dark and it was difficult to see her face, but at first they nodded in agreement when an article said that the voice of a girl of that age was correct.

“Hmmm. You’ve made the right choice to think about going back now.”

“Let’s see… Here are the clothes.”

A knight searched inside the wagon and pointed to a box containing a dress, veil, and gloves.

“I’ll wear it, so wait a little bit.”

“Yes, yes.”

The girl left to change clothes, and the knights stretched out, saying that they were finally returning.

“If you’re going to give up anyway, come back sooner rather than later. Even if only the lady came back quickly, you’d be home from work.”

“What is a young lady? A young lady? Now let’s just talk about it. I’m going to be sold to that pig son soon.”

“Yes, it is. Keuk keuk. It must have been sold because the halves are even.”

Aware of Sylvia’s treatment, they were already busy flirting with each other.

And since they succeeded in retrieving Sylvia, they had no reason to stay here any longer.

One was thinking of going to pick up the three resting, but the other two knights who were shifting returned just in time.

“You guys are lucky. How do you get things done right on time during a break?”

“That’s right.”

“What kind of reaction is so bland. I sucked honey and left work.”

“Is there any need to say that? There are people in the carriage, so let’s go back to the count’s house.”

“Yes, yes. We have to go home. But where did one go?”

“I got drunk from drinking. I told you not to eat because of shift time, but I didn’t listen.”

“Ehh. That’s it. Let’s throw it away. Let that child alone be punished by the Count. I don’t know. You guys?”

“”Me too.””

With the consent of the rest of the crew, the carriage moves to the count’s residence, and the knights follow the carriage.

***

The carriage quickly arrived in the province of Algeneuve, where Count Kutelli’s family is located.

“Hmm.

Count Kutelli muttered, curling up the corners of his mouth.

I expected that illegitimate children would no longer be acceptable, and that even if they did not officially admit excommunication, they would slowly be eaten away by bumping into the wall of society.

But somehow, when I heard that I was living a normal life at the academy, I didn’t know what to say, so I thought I had to get rid of it as soon as possible.

For that reason, I asked Marquis Flocan to remove the list even when the Osopterans invaded the south.

But isn’t Sylvia, who was expected to run away, still alive this time? This was completely out of the Count’s calculations.

Since the count couldn’t leave Sylvia alone, who was a stumbling block, he made the board considering the fact that he had not excommunicated him and that he was still her daughter.

I almost messed up in the middle, but it didn’t matter as long as the results were good.

Looking at the fiancée who got off the carriage, the man next to the Count, who was hungry for women, smacked his lips with a ferocious smile.

Looking at him like that, the count is just laughing at him, telling him to eat half of it and fall.

“Ah, it’s such an honor to have you give me a young lady who has grown up to be precious. Count.”

“I’m glad you like it. As for the cost… You know that, don’t you?”

“Doesn’t matter. I changed everything to jewels and hid them well, so don’t worry.”

While talking about this and that with the shipwrecked bastard, the whispers here and there kept getting into the earl’s ears.

“It’s strange… They’re the same height. I wonder if their breasts are that big…”

“But no matter how you look at it, doesn’t your hair color look lighter?”

“You think so too? I wonder if my hair will come out like that even if I’ve been taking care of it all this time…”

“Looking at it, it seems that my skin is like that too. How did it happen?”

Every time I returned to the mansion, the maids who had seen Sylvia were whispering like that.

It was hidden in darkness, but even to the count, there were many ambiguous parts.

The hair, which was close to grey-gray, seems to have a soft light, and looking at the dress, it seems that the chest is more swollen than the original size.

There’s no way he would have received that kind of care while living at the academy, so how could he have maintained his hair with smooth skin?

While the Count was having such doubts, his fiancée had already gone to lift the veil.

“hehehe. Let’s start with the face…”

Tak!

Her fiancee pushed the hand of the man who was about to lift the veil to the booklet containing her engagement letter.

At this, the man frowned in displeasure.

“It’s no fun if you keep doing this. You’ll be busy panting with me tonight.”

“Huh. How can you put such vulgar words into it?”

“What, what? Wow!!”

With a reaction that seemed to be full of spirits, the girl sent the man flying away with magic, and then took off the stuffy veil and revealed her face.

“Huh, I thought I was going to die of frustration.”

She was not a person to belong to the count’s family.

As the maids said, it’s not gray hair. No matter how you look at that color, silver hair is much more beautiful.

There is only one girl of this age with silver hair in the principality.

“Why are you here?”

“Why? If you commit a crime, you should be punished, right?”

The girl riding the carriage is not Sylvia, but the daughter of the Duke of Lantana.

It was Rhenias.