At that moment, Dominic, who was placing his long sword on the second floor of the stationery store, came down to the bench with a puzzled face.
"What, I cleaned up the second floor and washed it, why is it so noisy?"
His gaze reached my side and then stopped sharply on the Master of the Magic Tower. Dominic's expression crumpled considerably.
"What else is that?"
That's right.
What should I describe this man as?
Since you said you were the Master of the Tower, I can tell Dominic, right? However, the moment I opened my mouth, Isaac spoke first.
"An inseparable strategic cooperative relationship?"
Dominic came towards me, tousling my hair. The Master of the Magic Tower continued with a smile on his lips as if observing the situation.
"What about you?"
"I made a blood pact with Mel—"
Oh no. Although Isaac was on my side, I had no intention of telling him that Dominic was a hero yet. I cleared my throat and shouted loudly to stop Dominic.
"Uh, the security forces are coming!"
Fortunately, my trick worked. Everyone's eyes were drawn to him. Just in time, I heard a loud sound that seemed to burst my throat in the distance through the noise. The street security guards who were attending to Hildegard's body and clearing the carriage began to make loud noises and screams.
"Curse, curse!"
"Hey, isn't it Duchess Hildegard Babyloa?"
I received Dominic's strange gaze and just nodded. In the distance, I saw five horses of the security guard running quickly into the dust. The security forces found a runaway welcome stone developed by Viscount Tern in her carriage. The Viscount of Tern sent a renovated welcome stone to Hildegard for revenge, and it is believed that she had nightmares in it.
People now pointed fingers at Hildegard from behind in a sinister manner. Rumors that her daughter, Sheria, and the Duke of Hesmann were having an affair also spread around the young nobles of the Academy. As it was a high-ranking noble matter, the security forces tried to crack down on rumors. However, in the first place, bad rumors spread like wildfire. There was no way to stop the quick rumors that spread around the street where the academy was located. All of this happened in just three days.
There was no one who did not know that the mad Hildegard had a curse pattern left on his face. The Duke of Babyloa was extremely angry at the rumors that spread in the world. Of course, he also had some regrets about the flesh and blood Hildegard. However, he was the most self-conscious man. He was also a man who could never stand anything that would damage his family and his own honor.
"Put a few doctors in the villa."
"Aren't you treating me at the mansion?"
"What's so great about treating me at the mansion!"
"Yes, sir."
The Duke of Babyloa sent Hildegard to his villa, just as he had disposed of the body of the former Duchess. The stupid Duke of Babyloa didn't even know that the act was adding fuel to the rumors that it was a curse.
The very time when Hildegard's trip to the villa was decided. Inside the office of the 8th Prince in the Imperial Palace.
Prince Cassian was in a private confrontation with the chief of the security force, who was in charge of the overall security of the empire.
"I have come to report on the accident of the Duchess of Babyloa, Your Highness."
Cassian lowered his hand that was rolling the pen holder and clenched his jaw. The chief of the security carefully held out a welcome stone to Cassian.
"It's the welcome stone for that problem."
Cassian looked at the welcome stone inside the glass wall and was quietly lost in thought. As someone who wasn't very good at magic, this welcome stone looked extremely ordinary.
"Madam was on her way back from going to Lady Meldenik's stationery store."
"…Is that so?"
He was smart. The long-standing feud between Meldenik and Hildegard, the welcome stone, and the curse quickly led to a conclusion in his head.
"Maybe it has something to do with Meldenik."
However, the evidence was clear. Hildegard abandoned Viscount Tern on the day of his petite debut at the Academy, and Viscount Tern was rumored to be eccentric and vengeful enough to take revenge on the lady. Moreover, the welcome stone did not belong to Viscount Tern. People would never doubt Meldenik.
"Your Highness." The honest captain of the security guard asked Cassian, who was silent. "Are there any doubters?"
Cassian firmly set his mouth. The last time he saw her, Meldenik was smiling brightly. When he asked if she was happy, the image of her smiling happily remained like an afterimage.
'I'm really happy!'
Cassian folded the sheriff's report and whispered in a low voice, "No."
"…Are you serious? Somehow—"
"Please hand it over as an internal affairs case. No one doubts it. I'll treat it as unknown."
"Yes, I understand. If Your Highness says that, there must be no one who doubts you." The chief of police, nodding without any doubt.
Cassian pursed his lips and closed them again. This work seemed to be an exception in his life as a principled person. However, making exceptions was uncomfortable, but it didn't seem to make him feel too bad. One of his hearts was getting tight again.
I want you to keep laughing.
He used to look forward to a happy store created by happy people. The dreamcatcher that had been moved from the bedroom to the office was shining brightly near the window.
He looked at the back of the departing security chief and rang the bell set up on the table. Soon, the attendant bent over and stood inside.
"Call the Minister of Internal Affairs."
"Yes?"
Cassian looked at him with an incomprehensible look and said, "I think we need to prepare a schedule for the conferment ceremony of the Marquis of Kinnoa."
Now it was the turn of the Imperial Palace to prepare for the conferment ceremony of Meldenik, who had become Marquis of Kinnoa.
"You will be able to see your face on the day of the title ceremony." Cassian's kind face was filled with warmth. He wasn't particularly a purist, let alone having a crush on her.
…Let's talk to him that day.
Meldenik was just one exception to the principles of his daily life. He looked at the back of the attendant as he walked away and began to organize the documents he was looking at. Today, he had to take over various tasks in the Imperial Palace on behalf of the Emperor until late at night.
The 8th Prince, Cassian, has officially closed the investigation into the Hildegard case. At the same time, the Imperial Palace informed me that they would set a date for the ceremony to confer my title. The date of the award ceremony has been set for two weeks. The fact that I had chosen the title of Marquis of Kinnoa in favor of the Duke of Babyloa spread quietly. The atmosphere surrounding my stationery store became noisy again.
All that was left for me was to repair the stationery store and to be separated from Dominic, who was with me like flesh and blood.
"If you do not appoint an estate manager within seven days of receiving the documents directly from the Emperor, or deliver the appointment letter to the estate manager, the title will be invalid."
"It's an old-fashioned law."
Because of Hildegard, the territory and buildings of stationery stores were also incorporated into the territory. I don't know when Lennox and Sheria will return, but I couldn't be away from the stationery store building for seven days.
"Dominic, are you coming? When the territory becomes larger, I will give you that mountain."
Dominic shrugged his shoulders and replied seriously, "Oh, yes? Good. I hope that mountain has become a golden mountain."
"…Oh, is that so?"
However, such things like winning the lottery do not happen in reality. I whispered low to Dominic.
"If the collateral blood relatives of Marquis Kinnoa are still alive in the estate, we must bring them back alive, because there are many things to ask."
Even the collateral blood relatives of Marquis Kinnoa would easily die. But what if there are survivors? The survivor may be aware of the dragon's curse.
"The dragon curse woven into my body is definitely something strange."
I remembered the dragon genealogy that Prince Cassian had given me. And when I learned of Hildegard's death, I remembered the pattern that was engraved on the back of my hand and then disappeared.
"Marquis Kinnoa must have some secrets."