Chapter 7
I had only needed to hand over the seal. Here, in the blank space beside my signature, please.
Meeting Perkins had taken surprisingly little time. The baron had brought a document that clearly stated House Robinet would pay one thousand gold to House Reed and admit that canceling the engagement was our sole responsibility.
The contents were flawless, with no superfluous words or gaps. Since he had come as House Robinet’s legal representative, he must have arranged the clauses himself.
“Very good. Now place the two sheets together and stamp once through the middle. Then follow the fold in the parchment and stamp again.”
Since this was between noble houses, each lord’s seal was required to finalize the matter. House Robinet’s seal was in Perkins’ hands; House Reed’s was with butler Hudson, who had carried it to me. No doubt Father had placed it in the butler’s care before entering the study.
We stacked the two identical sheets, pressed both seals between them, and divided one copy for each house. With that, every procedure was complete.
“Thank you for your hard work. Everything has been resolved smoothly, and that is cause for celebration. Outside! Bring it in!”
Perkins shouted toward the outer door of the reception room. Two servants entered moments later, grunting as they carried two large sacks.
“Ten thousand gold at Manning Standard. Please check it.”
“Thank you for your generosity. Butler, verify it for me.”
“Yes, young master.”
Hudson emptied the two coin-filled sacks onto the large table at the center of the reception room, then picked up a single gold coin.
He whispered a spell, breathed mana into the coin, and the gold began to tremble.
Mana flowed out through the coin in his hand and spread across the pile on the table.
The coins on the table, like those in Hudson’s hand, began to vibrate as well.
*Jingle, jingle*
*Clink, clink*
The loud sounds filled the entire reception room. Hudson remained silent and focused, while Perkins and I merely watched in silence.
A minute or so passed before the trembling gradually slowed. Moments later, three coins fell with a soft *tock* beside the table.
Hudson stopped the magic, picked up the coins, examined them, and handed them to me.
“Everything is complete, young master. These three coins have a dented edge and appear to have failed the integrity test. What would you like me to do?”
“It’s fine. That much is nothing, Baron. There seems to be no issue. Shall we conclude here?”
“I apologize. I’m certain the verification was done before departure… Perhaps the coins at the bottom of the sack were scratched during the journey. I am deeply grateful for your generosity, young master.”
Perkins spoke with a regretful expression.
“It’s quite common, Baron. Do not scold the servants too harshly. One might even blame me.”
I waved my hand as if it were nothing. The baron, having understood my intent, smiled and replied.
“Hahaha. The servants should realize how considerate you are, young master. I shall take your words to heart.”
“Now, please rise. You have endured much. What are your plans for the future? If you intend to stay even a little, I will lend you a guest wing of the estate.”
“I would love to, but the old man cannot be left alone. Since the work is finished, we must depart at once.”
Perkins wore an expression heavy with regret. As a legal expert with exceptional talent, he must have been busy even in his later years.
“Then I shall take my leave. May the Reed family be filled with peace.”
“Thank you. Please return safely. Butler, escort the baron.”
Perkins bowed deeply in greeting, and I returned the favor with a light nod. As he left the reception room, I turned my head toward the table. The coins had already been returned to the sacks.
“Outside.”
At the sound of my voice, a door connecting the mansion to the inner section opened on the opposite side from the one Perkins had entered.
A middle-aged woman with a gentle, motherly face appeared.
“Have you called, young master?”
Head maid Roberta entered and bowed respectfully.
She had joined the household before I was born and had served for nearly thirty years.
After my mother passed, she had taken on the household management without complaint. Among the household servants, there was no one more loyal than her besides Hudson.
“It has been a while, Roberta. How have you been? Please put these coins in the safe for me. I must go up to greet Father.”
Roberta heard my greeting and suddenly looked as though she had been struck.
“Good heavens… Young master, you have come to say hello, and it seems my time to die has finally arrived. I heard you broke off your engagement with Lady Iris, and I feared you had lost your mind completely. But seeing you now… Young master, did something happen at the academy? Why do you look so terribly pale?”
Hearing the old maid’s sharp words made my face burn with embarrassment.
“What are you saying? Even a greeting like this deserves some complaints, Roberta. Enough of that. Quickly take the coins and go. I’ll go up to Father alone, so no need to guide me. If you need anything, call me. Hurry along.”
“Or perhaps you have only just decided to return late. In that case, I am very moved… Now I can finally face Madam after death.”
Despite my urging, Roberta laughed heartily and finished her words without hesitation. I had never expected such a reaction to a simple greeting. Suddenly, a fierce sense of guilt washed over me.
Passing through the door into the inner courtyard and climbing the stairs to the second floor, I saw a pair of wooden doors at the end of the corridor.
I stepped up to the doors, took a shallow breath, and lightly clenched my fist to knock twice.
“Father, it’s Edwin.”
“Come in.”
With Father’s permission, I turned the doorknob and opened the door, stepping into the study.
Facing the large desk where Father conducted his work was a man with a dignified presence.
He was Count Albert Reid, Lord of House Reed and the current ruler of Maidheaden, and my father.
***
“It has been a long time, Father. I hope you have been well.”
“Of course. Always well. It has been so long since I have seen my son’s face… Edwin! Heavens, what is all this?”
While focused on the documents, Father suddenly lifted his head and began to wear an expression of shock.
Only then could I see his features clearly.
The Count’s black hair and deep gray eyes were strikingly similar to mine.
From his face, I could almost see a faint resemblance to my own features. With his thick lines, he must have been quite popular in his youth.
*Is it that when I lose weight, I’ll look like this too?*
Unlike me, who thought such nonsense, Father seemed deeply troubled by the sight.
Hudson had reacted the same way, and so had Roberta. Now even Father was commenting on my appearance.
What on earth was wrong with me?
“Come here, my boy. Why have you become so gaunt? Did the matter with the Robinet daughter wound you deeply? Poor thing… what shall I do with you…”
I approached Father with a bitter smile.
Only then did I understand why people had spoken to me that way.
When I checked, I had not lost much weight, but perhaps to those who had seen me every day, it looked different.
Count Reed was an outstanding strategist, yet toward his son Edwin he was endlessly gentle.
After his wife left, the only remaining son must have been his greatest treasure.
And the engagement with Iris had been arranged solely for Edwin’s future.
Yet even after the engagement was broken and the academy expelled me, he did not utter a single harsh word to Edwin.
Though it is difficult to say, before my memories returned my personality was in such a mess that this man must have carried a large share of the blame.
No matter how precious the child, he should have disciplined and raised him properly.
Seeing Father’s nature, he would surely have welcomed me home with open arms even if I had been expelled like in the original story.
“Take a look at this skeleton of mine. It is a miracle that I came this far from the academy with my own hands. Tell Roberta to prepare a meal at once…”
“That is not what I mean, Father. Eat when it is time. More importantly, I have something to tell you.”
Father shot up from his seat, grabbed my face, and poured out his words.
In the process of avoiding his hands, the area behind the desk came into view.
On the other side of the desk were objects that had no place in this room.
There, scattered haphazardly on the study floor, were various plush toys—bears, rabbits, cats, and more.
And between those toys…
*A young girl?*
A small girl about ten years old, wearing a fluffy white dress with frills.