Tales from the South
***
“Please come this way, Lord Tessela. The Duchess is expecting you.”
Esi led a young nobleman into the sitting room. When I offered a light bow, Lord Tessela dipped into a deep, respectful salute.
“Thank you for inviting me, Duchess.”
“Not at all. You once invited me to the southern retainers’ estate, so I thought it only right to return the courtesy and express my gratitude.”
Esi poured tea into Lord Tessela’s cup. When I offered him freshly baked madeleines, he looked utterly flustered, as though he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Lord Tessela had been Illid’s attendant ever since Illid followed Prince Voltero down to the Southern Archduchy. Being close to Illid, he was also the only person who had recently been allowed in and out of the Archduke’s private quarters.
The reason I had summoned him today was to ask about Illid’s current condition.
It had been a long time since Illid last left his rooms. He had not only skipped the imperial council meetings but had also been absent from meals with His Majesty the Emperor.
Yet instead of calling for him or scolding him, His Majesty had stopped attending those meals himself. Moreover, he kept postponing the agenda Hellion had proposed, claiming they must first hear Illid’s opinion.
Knowing that His Majesty was deliberately distancing himself from Hellion, watching it all left a bitter taste in my mouth as well.
In the end, for any of this to be resolved, Illid had to return to his normal routine.
“How have things been at the southern estate lately? Is everyone doing well?”
“Pardon? Pardon?!”
Lord Tessela, who had been sipping his tea, startled so violently it was almost comical. His eyes bulged as though they might pop out, his lips trembled, and he hastily hid his shaking hands beneath the table.
“Why are you so surprised? Has a thief broken into the estate?”
“Ehh—?!”
I had only meant it as a joke to ease the tension, but Lord Tessela’s face drained of all color. He couldn’t even meet my eyes and merely chewed at his dry lips.
Why is he acting like this? Did a thief really break in?
Only after a rather long silence did Lord Tessela realize I had been joking. He let out a sigh of relief.
“We are much the same as always. We continue to serve His Grace the Archduke, exchange letters with the former Archduke Voltero who remains in the south, and go about our days.”
“You have been Archduke Illid’s attendant since your time in the south, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Then you must have grown up together with the Archduke from a young age.”
“Indeed. When His Grace first left the capital and came down to the south, our family helped him settle in.”
“In that case, you should be able to answer my questions.”
“I will tell you everything I know.”
“You are acquainted with Sierra Whierton, are you not?”
At the mention of her name, Lord Tessela’s pupils quivered rapidly. As though buying even a moment to think, he pretended to sip from his nearly empty cup.
“……Yes. I know her.”
“I assume you are well aware of the unfortunate incident that occurred in the plaza not long ago.”
“Yes……”
“You must have also heard that the one who attacked Archduke Illid was the Huerton Countess.”
“Yes. I learned of it through a report.”
“After that event, I had people investigate the Huerton family. But since they are not from the south, there were limits to what we could uncover.”
“Limits, you say……?”
“Why was the Huerton family wiped out?”
At my direct question, Lord Tessela’s head dropped. For the briefest moment, an expression that read So it has come flashed across his face.
Ravi, who had been secretly looking into the Huertons, had recently brought me a rather strange piece of information.
After Sierra Whierton—Illid’s former fiancée—died of illness, her father, Count Huerton, was executed shortly afterward. The shock had driven the Huerton Countess completely mad.
The charges against him were never made public. There had been no trial; the execution was carried out solely on the former Archduke Voltero’s approval.
“How could they so easily dispose of a family chosen to produce the next Archduchess?”
“T-that is……”
Lord Tessela’s face turned deathly pale. He shivered as though seized by a chill. It was plain to see that he was frantically searching for the right words.
“Lord Tessela, it will not do if you respond like this.”
When I pressed him, he let out a deep sigh. His expression suggested he would rather dissolve into dust and vanish on the spot.
“I… that is… Duchess. What I am about to tell you… you must not say that it came from me. Especially not to His Grace Archduke Illid.”
So he had finally decided to speak. I nodded with a gentle smile. Lord Tessela swallowed dryly and slowly began.
“As you know, His Highness Illid and Lady Sierra had known each other since childhood. Much like you and the late Crown Prince. However, after the Crown Prince passed away and His Grace became the new candidate for Crown Prince, their engagement was broken off. It seems that was a tremendous shock to Lady Sierra.”
“I imagine it was.”
“Yes. It appears that was what worsened her chronic illness. I do not know when she first fell ill, but they say she suffered severe hemoptysis for several months before her death.”
“Then are you saying Lady Sierra hid the fact that she was ill and still tried to marry the Archduke?”
“Yes, exactly. That is where all of this tragedy began.”
Lord Tessela let out another heavy sigh before continuing.
“Having sensed her own impending death, Lady Sierra gradually lost her mind. His Highness pitied her and visited her residence several times, but each time she would speak incoherently, as though possessed by a ghost.”
“……”
“And then, on the day of that incident… Lady Sierra told His Highness she felt she would die soon and asked him to grant her one last wish. The wish itself was rather eerie… She asked him to come see her wearing a wedding dress. The very dress she had been meant to wear on their wedding day.”
“So the Archduke secretly went to meet her?”
“Yes. Upon receiving her letter, he went to the Temple where she was waiting. The former Archduke Voltero had forbidden any meetings between them, but how could one so easily cut ties with a former fiancée and longtime friend?”
Lord Tessela fiddled with his empty cup as he went on.
“But that became the root of the disaster. The Sierra who had called His Highness… had intended to die together with him.”
“What do you mean? Die together with His Highness?”
“By then, Lady Sierra’s mind was no longer sound. She tried to stab the Archduke to death. Because she loved him—loved him so much that she believed they must die together. She committed that horrific act. Fortunately, His Grace barely managed to dodge the blade. Right after, Lady Sierra coughed up blood and drew her last breath. It seems she had already taken poison beforehand, intending to kill the Archduke and then follow him in death.”
“How could such a thing……”
The story was so shocking that I unconsciously raised a hand to cover my mouth. Even as he spoke, Lord Tessela shuddered, shoulders trembling at the horror of it.
“His Highness Illid wanted to keep the matter buried, but the knights guarding the temple discovered them. Once the former Archduke Voltero understood the situation, he flew into a rage and immediately had Count and Countess Huerton arrested. He then executed them for the crime of concealing their daughter’s chronic illness—when she was to become Archduchess—and for the attempted murder of a member of the imperial family. However, when the Countess lost her mind during the execution process, he spared only her and sent her to live with a distant relative.”
“Then… Count Huerton truly was executed?”
“Regrettably, yes. All of the Huerton family’s assets and lands were confiscated, and the Count was beheaded. You may find it cruel, but you know how deeply the former Archduke Voltero cherishes his son. He is the first child of the imperial family and the only son borne by the Empress. That is why such a heavy punishment was handed down.”
“Even so……”
“Among us southern nobles, the incident was so shocking that it became something we do not speak of lightly. That is why, when Lord Ravi came to investigate, I could not tell him I knew the family. In truth, most of the southern retainers sympathize with the Huertons, so we hoped the matter would not grow any larger. There was no other motive behind it, so please do not hold it too much against us regarding what happened that day.”
“I understand your position completely. Even hearing it now as an outsider, it is an utterly horrifying and heartbreaking story. I cannot imagine how those who witnessed it must feel……”
“Thank you for saying so, Duchess.”
By now, Lord Tessela’s voice had grown thick with emotion.
“This is also why His Highness Illid is so deeply shaken right now. The memories he had barely buried in his heart have risen to the surface once more. It is not a common thing for one’s dying lover to hold a blade to one’s throat, begging to die together.”
With the tip of his nose red, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his damp eyes.
“That is why I ask this of you, Duchess. Please go to Archduke Illid and persuade him to come out. I understand the shock is great, but if he continues like this, I fear something truly terrible will happen.”
Lord Tessela pleaded with desperate eyes. His gaze was filled with the belief that if I went, everything would be resolved.
“Will it truly be solved if I go? I am not sure I can comfort the sorrow the Archduke is carrying.”
“But you too have experienced the grief of losing a fiancé, have you not? Surely you would be far more helpful to His Grace than any of us retainers. I beg you.”
At his repeated pleas, I reluctantly nodded.
“Thank you, Duchess.”
“Ah, but Lord Tessela.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Were you also close with Lady Sierra Whierton?”
“Yes, I was. Having known her since childhood, she was a friend of mine as well.”
“Then perhaps—whether I resemble—”
I could not finish the sentence and simply closed my mouth again.
I had wanted to ask if I looked very much like Lady Sierra. But I was afraid to hear the answer. If he said yes… I had no idea what I should do going forward.
“It is nothing.”
In the end, I forced a smile and sent Lord Tessela on his way.