《Hakushaku to Yousei》 Volume 1 - CH 1 P.8 ***** Any inquiries regarding fairies are welcome. Fairy Doctor, Lydia Carlton A sign hanging in front of a house, written with that message, was inviting the laughter of today¡¯s passer-bys yet again. ¡°Momma, do fairies really exist?¡± asked a boy passing by with his mother. ¡°That¡¯s just a fairy tale. Of course they don¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°No, they are real!¡± interrupted Lydia, jumping up from behind the bush by the sign, startling the mother and son during their conversation. ¡°Fairies are real, even if you haven¡¯t seen one before. To prove it, before you go to sleep put a cupful of milk near your windowsill and then brownies will come to visit.¡± P.12 She smiled down to the boy. But the mother snatched her child¡¯s arm and pulled him down the road. After throwing Lydia a glare, she went out of sight. Lydia watched the mother and son go off as she lay her head on her hand, imagining how she was going to be called ¡®abnormal¡¯ or ¡®crazy.¡¯ ¡°Lydia, it¡¯s no use, how ever many times you repeat it, someone who hasn¡¯t seen fairies will never see them. Nonbelievers wouldn¡¯t believe it even if they were smacked on the head by one. So just let it be and relax,¡± said a long haired gray cat, resting on a branch of a tree. This cat, who could talk and walk on its two hind legs, was Lydia¡¯s friend. He always wore a necktie and was peculiar about how his fur needed to look by always grooming it to perfection, but the sight of him stretching up to stand and scratching around his bellybutton only looked like an old man in a cat-suit to Lydia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hey Nico, do you think there¡¯s a way to make people understand what the job of a fairy doctor is?¡± ¡°That¡¯s asking too much. The time when there were fairy doctors everywhere and being asked for help to solve fairy troubles that happens everyday is over. It¡¯s the middle of the 19th century now.¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean fairies are gone. They¡¯re still live right next to people and do good and bad things; don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that everyone ignores them? Just because they can¡¯t be seen, why does that have to mean they don¡¯t exist?¡± P.13 Just when she had her attention was focused on talking she heard a hesitant voice come from beyond the bushes. ¡°Pardon me¡­uh, mail delivery¡­.¡± said a nervous young postman, reaching over the bush with an envelope in his hand. Her cat, who could disappear at will, was already gone. Could it be that it appeared to him like I was talking to myself?! ¡°Uh, I wasn¡¯t talking to myself. There was a cat here just now.¡± Lydia tried to cover up for what looked like deranged behavior, but the postman only cracked a unsuccessful smile at her. ¡°No, I mean he isn¡¯t a normal cat, he¡¯s a cat that can talk¡­.¡± No matter how much she tried, it only made her look more of a lunatic. On top of that, she noticed that some small fairies, brownies by the look of it, were playfully diving into the postman¡¯s bag, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from shouting. ¡°Stop that! What are you all doing?! Stop playing pranks with those letters!¡± When the brownies all dispersed, the bag, which was already packed full with letters, ended up making several of them to fly out onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, brownies are terrible pranksters.¡± She helped pick up the envelopes and handed them out to him. The postman cautiously accepted them, and as if in a race, he dashed off down the road. P.14 ¡°Now there I go again,¡± she said, letting out a disappointed sigh. Either way Lydia was already well known as the Carlton oddball and had no human friends. That was because she didn¡¯t try to hide the fact that she could see and talk to fairies. By coming out about that and becoming a fairy doctor, she wanted to use this ability to help people, but at this point, all her attempts have ended as a failure. ¡°Now now, don¡¯t cry just because you¡¯ve scared off the new post boy,¡± said Nico. She entered the house to see that he was sitting on the sofa and spreading open the newspaper. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault you know,¡± replied Lydia angrily. It wasn¡¯t that she had a fancy towards the postman, it was just that she spotted some of the town''s young women, who were around the same age as her, talking to him in a delightful-looking, lively conversation. In such a country town, which had hardly anything new, just the arrival of a young man was enough to make the girls excited. What Lydia hoped for was that if it was someone who didn¡¯t know the rumors about her, then there could be a chance she could have a normal conversaton with someone as a normal person, but now she just ended up introducing herself as a freak. Lydia didn¡¯t mind if she wasn¡¯t understood by others or feel lonely. When she was little and growing up, fairies would be her playmates and fight with her. But now, she was seventeen years old, a young lady who was coming into the marrying age. P.15 If she kept scaring off eligible bachelors, then it would become a serious problem for her one of these days. ¡°Hmmm, looks like there¡®s a criminal on the loose,¡± said Nico, quickly changing the topic by reading the paper. She wanted to show the townspeople the sight of this cat sitting on the sofa like a human, crossing his legs and holding the newspaper with his front paws. That way, they would realize there still were many unexplainable things in the world. ¡°The residence of a psychology doctor Mr. Gossam, was broken into by a burglar who caused major injuries to the owner of the house, then stole a large sum of the family''s money and is currently on the loose.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, why¡¯s a crime in London on the newspaper of a country town like this?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s on the run. Plus the victim¡¯s son is looking for the criminal by putting out reward money. It says the thief resembles a serial murderer who has killed a hundred people in America. His age is around twenty and he has blond hair¡­.¡± A creepy portrait of the man was printed on the paper, but besides that, Lydia noticed something more important - a letter that had just been delivered. ¡°Look Nico, it¡¯s a letter from father. He says I should come to London. He wants to spend Easter with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rare. It isn¡¯t even Christmas yet.¡± Lydia¡¯s father was her only remaining family, and was a professor in mineralogy and currently teaching in an university in London. P. 16 It had been a while since she received a letter from her father who loved to do research and thought it was a gemologist¡¯s duty to research and classify every species and nature¡¯s creation, and he would get so absorbed in his studies that he would spend his free time going off searching and collecting rocks. ¡°Are you going? London is a dangerous place.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But there''s nothing to worry about, even if I meet a thief, I¡¯m not rich enough to steal from.¡± ***** Lydia¡¯s mother was a Fairy Doctor. Before Lydia''s mother married her father, she lived in an island up north and helped the town people with their fairy problems, and even though so many years have passed from the medieval times, she lived a life not so different from that time. But that was merely twenty years ago. Even though the islands were part of the enormous European empire and each had their own discrete cultures still remaining, Lydia had never visited her mother¡¯s birthplace. By marrying her father, who was an outsider, she was told that her mother had left the island. Even if Lydia went to visit, she wasn¡¯t going to be welcomed. Lydia remembered only a little bit about her mother, who had passed away when she was young, but amazingly, she still remembered the stories that her mother told her. P. 17 Knowing about the different species and characteristics of the fairies, each species¡¯ rules, how to communicate and negotiate with them, this was the gift Lydia received from her mother. That¡¯s why, just like her mother, she wanted to become a great fairy doctor. She didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed or hide the fact that she could see fairies. It didn¡¯t matter if she was called an oddball. As long as fairies existed, there was sure to be people who needed a fairy doctor¡¯s help. Leaving the care of the family house to the house goblin, Lydia went with Nico to the harbor to get on a ship bound towards her father¡¯s residence in London. She left a sign in front of her house saying ¡°Temporarily Closed.¡± Although there won¡¯t be anyone who¡¯d miss her absence. P. 24 Lydia was finally released and she whipped around to face him. He was a slender man. His brown hair was ruffled and untidy and there was stubble on his face, but looking past his poorly-conditioned clothes, his face revealed that he was quite young, just around twenty. It was obvious that he was in a slovenly state, but mysteriously, his face still had an attractive allure to it. His eyes were strongly set on Lydia, and his sweet ash mauve eyes unnerved and confused her. ¡°If you¡¯re caught again, what would they do to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be killed.¡± The blood tinged marks left by rope on both of his wrists was frightening and much more convincing than his words. There wereeven some marks on his neck, like a knife was pressed against his skin. ¡°Did you notice how this room is at the end of the hallway? Huxley, well it may be his alias, but unless you pass by that man¡¯s room, you can¡¯t go anywhere. By doing that, he plans to confine you here. If you went outside, his brothers who are with him will keep an eye on you. They are a sibling of eight brothers, and there are six of them on this ship, every one of them are muscular and strong, a group good at using force. Huxley is the eldest and they formed a gang to go against the law.¡± He silently stepped over to the door. ¡°Even if you were to sneak out, there¡¯s a string tied to the knob, so as soon as you turn it, it¡¯s made to notify them in the next room. Most likely they would put you under sleep and get you off at any one of the next ports.¡± P.25 Looking closer, there indeed was a shining, thin, transparent string connected to the door knob. That was all she needed. There was no need for a university assistant, who said he was asked by her father, to do this kind of thing. Lydia folded her arms and stood in front of the man. ¡°So, how can we get out of here?¡± Lydia took a deep breath as she stood in front of the door of Huxley¡¯s room. Since she opened the door of her room, Huxley should already know that she made it out to the hall. He could even be putting his ear to the door that was between them. So she knocked on the door in front of her. After a brief moment, Huxley stuck his head out. ¡°Oh, what seems to be the problem, Miss Carlton." ¡°Well, I¡¯m hearing strange noises in my room. Like there¡¯s something hiding in the closet¡­ It¡¯s really disturbing; could you please take a look?¡± His complexion subtly changed. Huxley turned his neck to face into his room, probably to his brothers who were with him. ¡°Hey, he¡¯s in the next room. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± P.26 Oh please, well yes, you might be sure. They must have had no thought to spare about Lydia becoming suspicious about his brother¡¯s sudden appearance and ''being sure'' about him. ¡°Miss, it could be a criminal. It¡¯ll be dangerous, so please wait here.¡± In his room, including Huxley, there indeed were six sturdy-looking men. After watching all of them enter Lydia¡¯s room cautiously, the young blond man, who was hiding behind the hallway pillar, passed by the front of her door. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He took her hand into his as if it was natural and Lydia was forced to follow him as he darted into a run. ¡°Nico, are you following?¡± Nico, who was apparently staying invisible, replied by showing the tip of his tail with a wave. ¡°Hey, they¡¯ve escaped!¡± The two of them heard a man¡¯s yell. It seems they were quickly noticed, and Lydia heard the young man tut as he was pulled harder on her hand and they continued to run, flurrying down a flight of stairs. Just as they were going down, one of the men jumped over the deck¡¯s railing and landed down on the deck floor behind them. The brother grabbed her bag, making Lydia let out a scream as she was pulled back. The young man leading her, whipped himself around her, and with a kick, flipped the brother off his feet. P.27 Still having his grip on Lydia¡¯s bag, the man slammed into the railing and that force flipped him over, making him fall into the ocean. P. 46 ¡°The Blue Knight Earl¡­., if I recall, wasn¡¯t that the legend about having rule over the fairyland? Which means the Earl Lord wants your help as a fairy doctor.¡± Could that mean, he might already know that Lydia calls herself a fairy doctor? But, with a head just barely awake from the spin of alcohol, she couldn¡¯t think of him as the ruler of the fairyland and someone who¡¯d understand her. He looked like a more practical person, a tactician type. ¡°But, hey, I still think it¡¯s best we don¡¯t get involved. That Huxley man and the Earl Lord is fighting against each other, right? Did you see both of them, trying to pretend to be lady-killers or something! At their level, it¡¯s just embarrassing.¡± ¡°I think Edgar is actually quite handsome.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The voice from behind was the person in question. She said her opinion without really thinking very hard about it, but she didn¡¯t imagine that she would be heard by him, so Lydia couldn¡¯t help from blushing. ¡°Uh, no, that was, I was just simply repeating the general opinion! So, it¡¯s a completely different matter if I have any good feelings to you or anything!¡± ¡°Yes, of course. I¡¯m the one who forced you to come abroad this ship, so I don¡¯t have any hopes that it would be so easy for you to open your heart to me. By the way, who were you talking to?¡± ¡°Huh? ¡­¡­well, that¡¯s¡± P.47 She sneaked a peek at Nico. He had already curled up like a cat. ¡°Is it strange? Talking by myself with a cat.¡± Lydia was only left to take a defiant attitude. ¡°Why? I think it¡¯s marvelous that you can communicate your feelings with animals.¡± There is no way you think that way. But then again, Edgar didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of banter in his expression. Only that he must have noticed the glass of scotch that was by the deck chair that Nico was laying on. ¡°Were you having another drink? Did you get tired after all?¡± I said that I was just a little dizzy so I¡¯d go get a breath of fresh air and left the table, but when he said it like that it makes me look like a drunk. Becoming embarrassed, and angry at Nico who was feigning indifference, Lydia¡¯s temper burst and she blurted out ¡°It, it wasn¡¯t me, it was Nico drinking. He drinks whenever he wants, he has no manners and bad behavior, on top on that, he¡¯s a picky cat with his taste in neckties and his shiny coat, and complains that he can¡¯t drink milk out of a bowl, and wants pancakes and bacon and milk tea for breakfast, he says nonsense like this all the time!¡± P.48 As you would expect, Edgar was looking at Lydia wonderingly. I knew it, even for someone like him, who says he¡¯s the descendant of the Lord Blue Knight, I¡¯m just an oddball freak. Noticing that, she signed. ¡°If it¡¯s funny, you can laugh you know. I don¡¯t know what you wanted me to do, but as you can see, I¡¯m strange. Just let me get off at the next harbor¡­¡± Lydia stopped in the middle of her words because he suddenly stepped up next to her. With his ash mauve eyes, he calmly gazed down at her. They were so close she could clearly see his blond eye lashes just with the lamp light. ¡°Wh...what?¡± ¡°I was told that fairy doctors can see what others can¡¯t see, and hear what others can¡¯t hear. It is true, your eyes, those light green eyes seem like they can see through the mysteries of the world.¡± So he did know that Lydia was a fairy doctor. ¡°You¡¯re over exaggerating. I¡¯m really not that big of a deal.¡± ¡°No, if you bring in the light, your irises shine like a golden flower. It makes you more mystical.¡± That part of her eyes was what made others call her a witch, but having them complimented for the first time, Lydia was honestly caught off balance. ¡°¡­More importantly, are you really the decendant of the Lord Blue Knight? Then wouldn¡¯t that mean you can also see fairies? If not then you won¡¯t be able to go to your land.¡± P.49 ¡°Is that so. But the ability that my ancestors had to cross worlds, and the power to talk to fairies, all faded through each generation. The only thing I inherited was the title of Earl. My father and grandfather, and one before that, all traveled the world and lived overseas. I finally came back to England, but even if I wanted to greet Her Royal Highness, I don¡¯t have the jeweled sword given to us by Edward I that is my proof to become the Blue Knight Earl.¡± As he spoke, he closed the distance between them, so Lydia was made to slowly step backwards. ¡°Je-jeweled sword?¡± ¡°Julius Ashenbert, an earl of my family from 300 years ago, hid it in one of his lands and left on a long trip and died. The hidden location is only explained by a riddle, protected by fairies is what I¡¯m told, and to get there are several fairy related steps, so for someone like me who wasn¡¯t born with that power, it¡¯s all incomprehensible.¡± ¡°The land you speak of, is it the Fairy Kingdom?¡± ¡°My family has land and castles even in the human world. Land given along with our peerage, others given as thanks for our services, and ones that were given to us by others.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you need a fairy doctor..¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not the only problem. There are others who are after the large star sapphire that adorns the jeweled sword.¡± P.50 ¡°Those others, you mean Mr. Huxley from before?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, the man who tried to kidnap you. He doesn¡¯t know about the treasured sword being proof of the peerage, but as I¡¯m also after the sword he is malicious towards me. If I were to die the line in the Earl family would end. I need to find it before it¡¯s taken and make clear of my position in the Earl family. Lydia, will you please help me.¡± Lydia took yet another step back, but felt nothing but air beneath her foot and lost her balance. I¡¯m going to fall. She realized she was by the stairs. In that second, Edgar¡¯s arm wrapped behind her back and grabbed her. She was strongly steadied and pulled back up to him. Lydia instinctively held on. ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s dark,¡± he uttered with a sigh. She had never been this close to a man besides her father. ¡°L, let go of me.¡± ¡°If I do, you¡¯ll fall.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but think that he was having fun that she had to hold onto him. ¡°¡­¡­Enough of this already!¡± Just like with the lightness in a dance, he adroitly turned around as he held her. P. 51 Placing her back away from the stairs, he let go of her slowly, as if in regret. Lydia was glaring at him, but he only returned a fearless smile. He must think there was no woman he couldn¡¯t get what he wanted from. How offensive. ¡°In my opinion, I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re really the descendant of Lord Blue Knight. I don¡¯t have any intention of helping an imposter get his hands on Lord Blue Knight''s jeweled sword. So I-¡± ¡°Refuse? Then do you plan to swim home from here?¡± ¡°Are you implying that you¡¯re going to throw me into the ocean?¡± Nervous, Lydia quickly stepped further away from him and the railing. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, I¡¯m not such a cruel villain. Only that, I do want to warn you. It will be difficult to head home from the next harbor or to London when you''re penniless. Furthermore, Huxley and his brothers are desperately looking for you right now.¡± That meant Lydia had no choice in the matter. There was no doubt she was being threatened. She thought he surely was a cruel villain. He slipped out a key from an inner pocket of his coat. ¡°Your room. It¡¯s on the same floor across the hall from mine. Please use it as you like.¡± After handing it to her, he disappeared into the dark hallway. Volume 1 - CH 2 P. 52 P. 86 With just Raven, it looked like he was outnumbered. However there was another whirlwind that appeared. Ermine kicked down one of the men who was standing by her. In that following movement with a knife in her hand, she backed up Raven. Lydia realized that her men¡¯s clothing was for the purpose of flexible movement, but she couldn¡¯t help but gape at them. The Blue Knight Earl and his two mysterious raven and ermine servants? This was like it was out of the storybook. Lydia then realized that Edgar was standing beside her. But just as she turned to face him, he grabbed and pulled on her arm. At that moment, there was the sound of a gunshot and a hole was shot open by their feet. Raven dodged aside in a flash. His leg that was swung up high came down strong and hard to knock out the pistol gripped in Huxley¡¯s hand. Then he turned around defending Edgar with his back, and evaded the men who came charging at him one by one. ¡°My lord, there is a hackney at the corner just ahead.¡± ¡°Can I leave this to you?¡± ¡°Please be careful.¡± After their simple exchange, Edgar turned his back pulling Lydia¡¯s arm and headed away from the fight. P. 87 The lamp that lit the carriage shined faintly far off in the deep dark black. However Lydia caught her foot on the hem of her entangled skirt and tumbled. Just when she heaved herself up, the tip of a saber pointed at the tip of her nose. ¡°I said that we will take her along with us. John, you can struggle all you want, but you¡¯re only a worthless good for nothing that¡¯s fit to die in the garbage pit.¡± Whose John? Huxley grabbed Lydia. Why, she thought to herself, as her blood boiled with fury. Why does every single one of them try to trick me, and threaten me, and why do I have to listen to what they say? Even if Huxley had an edged weapon, she didn¡¯t care as she finally lost her temper. Lydia fought back frantically, trying to break lose of his grip. ¡°Gossam, no, stop!¡± yelled Edgar. Huxley must have been ticked off when Lydia bit down on his finger, and swung up his saber about to strike. Shoved out of the strike by Edgar, Lydia witnessed the edge of the blade scrapping him on the shoulder, and slicing open his coat. P.88 Edgar twisted his brows in pain. When Huxley charged to strike again, Edgar, though he was injured, held out his walking stick. From his stick, he drawed out a rapier, like a sword from its scabbard. He stopped Huxley¡¯s saber with the forte of his blade, charged his strength and threw him back. He used that moment and force to cut Huxley¡¯s cuff, which made Huxley quickly step backwards to put distance between them. Once again, Edgar pulled Lydia''s arm as he dashed off in the opposite direction of Huxley. When they finally spotted a hackney, he shoved her in and climbed in himself. ¡°Who¡­who in the world are you! Who is John? And Gossam¡­¡± cried Lydia, but Edgar stopped her screaming by slapping his hand over her mouth. ¡°Drive, now.¡± Even though Edgar was injured and the situation looked like he was forcing a young girl into the carriage, which from a normal person''s view would look like a kidnap, the driver didn¡¯t ask any questions after he was tossed a wad of money. Volume 1 - CH 3 P. 89 P. 108 You''ve got to be joking. He gave the shocked and gaping Lydia a hurt, yet perfectly graceful smile. ¡°Goodnight, my fairy.¡± Even if it was in a joking tone, when he said it, it sounded like an honest love proposal. Leaving the sound of his sweet voice still ringing in her ears, he lowered down to the floor, wrapped in his coat. Immediately he sank into a deep sleep, and Lydia stood looking down at the defenseless site of Edgar. ¡°Oh, thank goodness, that was scaring,¡± said Nico, appearing himself. ¡°Geez, Lydia, your timing to put in the potion wasn¡¯t good at all. Well, it worked out all right in the end since he drank it.¡± Poking Edgar with his back leg, he made sure that the potion was working. ¡°Now, let¡¯s hurry up and go Lydia.¡± Ted, called that man to Edgar. The voice that never disappeared from his memory, still tormented him even in his sleep. P. 109 Ted, you¡¯re perfect. All you have to do is look down at those inferior to you and stand basking in the light. Eventually your followers will present themselves and gather around your feet. I¡¯ll teach you. How easy it is to manipulate those around you. They wouldn¡¯t be aware how you¡¯ve become able to make then move as you wish. Then that¡¯s how you will become me. You will think as I do, rule as I do, and manipulate as I do. There is no way that that will happen. Because Edgar had managed to escape from the clutches of the man who said that. He didn¡¯t end up like that man wanted. He was a man who wore a mask, covering the distorted, ugly half of his face that was said to be from a wound in battle. He called himself the Prince, and attempted to make Edgar his puppet. He wanted a doll that was loyal and attractive, a puppet that would move, talk and work to his wishes, in his place since he couldn¡¯t appear before the public. His dream of robbing the puppet of his will and soul and make it his walking empty shell would never succeed. But, once in a while, Edgar would become fearful. Everything that he had built up till now could actually be maneuvered by that man. Because when Edgar desperately broke out, and hid and tried to survive he ended up using the knowledge and skills that was hammered into him. P. 110 If he could successfully put himself above others, acting tolerant and patience towards them which made him appear attractive and charming, then everything would go the way he wanted. He could make others happy and nervous, make them pity and fear him at his will, manipulating their feelings and use them to his advantage. Yet Edgar knew that those he manipulated like that were not his true allies. Trust could not be formed in a master-servant or charismatic-follower relationship, but only when two individuals stood parallel to each other. But that wasn¡¯t easy, it couldn¡¯t be formed between anyone. Without any reason, his only allies were Raven and Ermine. And he had no other choice so he used options just for the spur of the moment. After all, nobody could understand the pain that Edgar and his friends went through. He rationalized that he¡¯d just used them as he pleased. Lydia was another one of the many he was going to use, but it didn¡¯t work out. If it was a young ignorant girl like that, he thought it would be easy to win her over, but she didn¡¯t trust him immediately like he planned. It was unexpected that their identities would be revealed because of the appearance of Gossam¡¯s eldest son, but thanks to the wound that Edgar just happened to get, it was an advantage as he could use it to buy her sympathy. That¡¯s why he decided to talk about his past. It seemed like she was still hesitating, but in the end, she decided that she still couldn¡¯t trust them. When he saw her slip in the pill, there was only one option left to Edgar. P. 111 Volume 1 - CH 4 P. 126 **** (Hey, did you see that? That was a fairy doctor.) (Yes, it''s been a hundred years since I''ve seen one in this town.) (I heard her say that she was going to Mannon Island.) (If she''s going, then maybe that means we can go home too?) P. 138 (If the merrows are released, then we can go home.) Hearing the whispers from the crowd of brownies, Nico stopped in his tracks as he was walking on his hind legs through the garden of the house. "Hey, shorties. What do you mean going home?" (Wah, oh, it''s just a cat.) "I''m not a cat. I''m the fairy doctor''s partner." (Whatever. If you''re the partner of the fairy doctor, then could you tell her to help the merrows.) "What''s happened with the merrows?" (They have been in grief for so long. Because the master of the island hasn''t returned.) (When the merrows grieve, it disrupts the sea. We used to live on Mannor Island and had been going back and forth between the mainland and the island, but because of the merrows, we''ve haven''t been able to cross the sea. We haven''t seen our family for three hundred years now.) P. 140 (The thing they''re protecting? What''s that?) "They should have been handed something from their master who left." (Hmm, I think I''ve heard something like that. But we''ve been away from the island all this time. We don''t know what''s going on over there.) Hmm, thought Nico, combing through his whiskers. "You said you had family over there. Then I''d like to ask them some questions. I''ll let you get on our boat, so why don''t you come to the island with us?" (On a human boat? Is it alright for us to get on?) The fairies were thrilled and overjoyed. Even if the traditional charms to ward off evil have been nearly forgotten in this era, a boat was needed to go out onto the terrifying and untamable waters of the sea. There was protection in those waters to ward off fairies and evil spirits unseen to the human eye, and so they couldn''t cross the water by using a human boat. "I''ll tell the fairy doctor about your request. In exchange, introduce me to your family." The deal was sealed. All that was left was to find out how many of the small fairies on the Mannor Island knew about the precious information about the merrows. "Geez, Lydia really is blind to danger," mumbled Nico to himself. She has never seen a merrow before, yet she is calmly resolute in facing them. P. 141 It wouldn''t be a problem if she was accompanied by Blue Knight Earl, the real master of the merrows, but being a thief along, he couldn''t tell what she was thinking. "She really is a handful, geez." Nico had been watching over Lydia ever since she was a newborn. He didn''t plan on spending his days peacefully on the sidelines. He was going to support her from the shadows, or he planned to. "It would be great if the merrows would just take the thieves to the bottom of the sea,"he said, slipping into the house from the crack of an open window. In a room with only the light from the hearth, Edgar was sitting on the sofa, alone, not moving at all. He wasn''t the same nonchalant man who was always teasing Lydia, he had a serious face, the kind he wouldn''t show her, thinking about what was ahead. "Lord Edgar, it would be best to get some rest," said Ermin, entering the room. "Why don''t you have a seat. Would you join me for a drink?? P. 142 However, Ermine remained standing and worryingly said to him "Uh, there''s something I would like to ask you." He guessed what the questions she wanted to ask from how she asked so orderly. "Ahh, is it about Lydia? Do you want to know how I was able to bring her along after we got separated?" She knit her brows with a sad face. "Don''t make such a face. You know I''m a man who can do anything ruthless." "You pretend to be indifferent. But you''re always suffering from the decisions you make." Edgar breathed out a small sigh. "Don''t worry, Ermine. I haven''t done anything to Lydia." "Is that true?" "I couldn''t. For some strange reason," he admitted, almost embarrassingly. And Ermine, still having a sad face, relaxed as if relieved. "Then, Ms Carlton knows that we have been deceiving her, yet she''s still helping us?" "She doesn''t have any intention to take part in a burglary. She wants to prove that it''t impossible to get the sword unless it was the real Blue Knight Earl, and make us come to our knees in shame by showing us that reality." P. 143 Edgar rested his head on his palm, and smiled like he was mocking himself. "Lydia is an interesting girl. She would appear like she was under my control and yet she''s not. Then she shows me how soft-hearted she can be and how she doesn''t have any other intentions then what she shows, and only says what she means. On top of that, it seems she can''t abandon a criminal like me if I hang onto her and beg on my knees." Not able to imagine such a scene, Ermine tilted her head. "I confessed to her a little about my past. It was strange. Like I wanted to see what kind of reaction she would take." "How did she respond?" "She must have thought I lost my mind after getting my brain removed." As he remembered, he chuckled to himself. "But, she believed me, she believed in something more unbelievable than the existence of fairies. She said she hates liars. She must look past other people''s flattery and lies with those mystical eyes of hers. But I''m made up with falsehood. A false name, a false life, everything is false. All there is to me is an earnest lie and a lie that''s not. Probably those earnest lies are my truth, and she must have understood that." To claim as the Blue Knight Earl was his last resort of an earnest lie. Saying that was the only hope left for Edgar and to say that he would die than give it up, was also an earnest lie. P. 144 "Then, you''re planning to reveal everything to Ms Carlton?" "No, I can''t do that." That was what he was mulling over just now. But however much he thought it over, he couldn''t change his mind. Lydia wasn''t on Edgar''s side. Even if she didn''t go along with Edgar''s plan and was staying with them at her own wish, that wasn''t because she understood his objective. It was the unchangeable fact that to Lydia, Edgar was still just a despicable criminal. In order for an imposter to get his hands on the sword, he had to rely on despicable options. "I''m going to have Lydia solve that fairy riddle. Beyond that, whether merrows do exist or not, we''ll go along with our original plan." "Why? Lord Edgar." "Why? Because. I''m not the descendant of the Blue Knight Earl. I''m just a thief. We need Lydia''s help in order to find out the location of the sword, but her purpose ends there. We must get that sword at all costs." He stood up and walked over to Ermine. "Ermine, are you that worried about Lydia?" "She''s an innocent girl. So honest, and suited to walk on the peaceful side of society. I don''t want to hurt someone so privileged." P. 145 "I know. Even for me, it''s not like I enjoy dirtying my hands like this." "But, even Lord Edgar has become attached to Ms. Carlton, haven''t you?...That''s why, even though she found out that you were an imposter, you revealed everything and spoke out to her sympathy then trying to use violence, didn''t you?" He curved up the side of his lips and narrowed his ash mauve eyes which were mixed with a sad blue and heartless red. "You give me too much credit." Just then, Edgar spotted a movement behind the curtain and turned his head to it. He saw a furry gray tail peeking through the shadows of the curtain by the window. It was Lydia''s cat. P. 150 He wondered if it was that difficult to grant her her wish. He pressed his lips against her white neck. Her arms softly wrapped around Edgar. But just as he was about to touch her, he could feel the chain deep inside himself as well. Just as Ermine still felt chained to Prince, Edgar may be chained as well. Edgar was Prince''s possession, but his position was completely different than the other slaves. Because he was groomed to be the next replacement for Prince, the leader of that twisted, immoral organization. He was pounded up with information of that man''s thought process, how he made his decisions, his gestures and demeanor, every single one of traits. He was forced to learn everything that that man had learned. By covering that wide range of academics, he came to know that Prince was no ordinary man, but he wasn''t given the chance to think who that man really was. That unfair reality. Being cornered mentally and physically, being robbed of your own free will, and the feeling of slowly being molded into a different person. The fear of gradually forgetting who you were and what you were like. Ermine too, was brought before Edgar in order to learn how to become Prince. It was disgusting how they tried to teach him even those preferences. But from that, Edgar realized the stupidity of the situation he was in. What the men around him were trying to do was like an absurd magical occult ritual. P. 151 From there he convinced Ermine, who had given up on everything at that point, and attempted to rebel against the ones with power in that organization. His first rebellion was going against their orders. That was why he never laid a finger on her. Ermine also didn''t leak Edgar''s insubordination to her superiors. Since then, he felt a strong trust bond between them and thought of her as a fellow ally. Just because she had been Prince''s woman, he never viewed her as beneath him. But he was certain he didn''t want to take control of her like that man and so, even if they were a free man and woman now, if he took her to bed now, he felt like that would continue Prince''s domination, and that frightened him. "I''m sorry, Ermine." In the end, Edgar could only push Ermine away. ***** Lydia swiftly backed away from the door. She dashed quietly down the dark hallway. She wondered why she had to be the one to running away, but after witnessing Edgar and Ermine together like that, she could only say that it made it awkward for her. She couldn''t hear what they were saying, but they were definitely embracing each other. Are the two of them lovers? P. 152 If he did have a lover and he was still flirting with others, then he definitely was a rake. "But it has nothing to do with me,"said Lydia to herself, trying to brush away the disappointment that was in her for some reason, and was about to dash down a flight of stairs. But at the landing a dark figure stepped out. "Ahhhh!!" she screamed, falling back down on her bottom. Volume 1 - CH 5 P. 161 ***** The green Jack will come from Spankie''s cradle. Dance with the pixies on the moonlit night. Go beyond the Silkies'' cross. Be careful of the Pookah''s maze. Follow the Wyvern''s foot marks. Turn right at the Fear Dearg. Go under the Dullahan''s feet. Search for the leprechaun''s treasure. Locate the sleeping bed of Clurichaun. Follow the banshee. Exchange a star for the merrow''s star. P. 166 Otherwise the merrows will sing their song of lament. The castle stood on an elevated cliff on the hill of the island. The blue castle had a gothic architectural design with a steeple, and it looked down over the pale green island, making it seamlessly blend into the landscape. It was a beautiful building, the perfect, ideal country manor house. Lydia had finally recovered from her seasickness and had arrived at the castle with the others. "So this is the merrow''s island. Lydia was right on deciding this location. There''s no mistake that the sword is in the castle." Edgar looked over towards Lydia with a satisfied smile. However, to Lydia, the real difficulty starts from here. "Yes, this island is ¡®the green jack.¡¯ It''s a green spirit covered in tree leaves. Looking at this island from the ship, I thought it looked exactly like a crouching leaf man." "I see, so that covers the first part of the coin''s riddle. And the next one, what''s a Spankie?" "It means will©\o''©\the©\wisp." "So we just need to look for a graveyard?" "No, I think Spankie stands for the spirits of children who died before their baptism." P. 167 "So they wouldn''t be in a graveyard, but buried somewhere else," said Ermine, and walked over to a gate left open. The road that continued on from the gate, and even the garden that spread out on the other side of it was beautiful, it was unimaginable that the castle had been empty for three hundred years. The people on this island must have been taking care of it for the sake of their master who they believed would return. "But, this castle is a country manor house. Even if there was a child''s grave, whose grave would it be?" "I don''t know. Although, these graves could have existed before the castle was even built." "Or, it could be just a memorial stone." Edgar and Ermine walked along side each other. Ermine was dressed in men¡®s clothing, but even her plain clothing and hair cut to her shoulders didn''t hide her radiating female beauty. Looking at the two of them, walking so close that their shoulders could touch, Lydia remembered what she saw last night, and that made her be the only one in the group turning red in the face. She wondered what happened between them after that. Were they together until morning? "First thing is first, let''s split up and look for the so called ''Spankie''s cradle.'' Lydia, you''ll come with me." "Eh?!" P. 168 She jumped up because she was suddenly called by her name. It was like he knew what she was thinking, which made her feel embarrassed. "Why, why do I have to go with you?" "Because, you''d get lost." Raven and Ermine went their separate ways, heading off to different directions of the garden. Most likely, the reason Edgar wasn''t going to let his eyes get off Lydia, could be because Nico eavesdropped on him. At the inn, Nico said he was going somewhere else and left their group. It was Nico''s idea to bring along a band of brownies from the mainland town onto the ship and bring them to this island, and it looked like he went with them to make sure they were able to safely meet their relatives. While he was at it, he said he was going to collect information about the merrows of this island and what kind of role they had in protecting the Earl''s sword. The brownies were fairies that lived on the same island. They may know something about the merrows that the human residents wouldn''t. If the small fairy clans were also the residents of this island, then they should have lived as the fief of the Blue Knight Earl, just like the merrows. She was glad if her act of helping the fairies at that mainland landlord''s house brought along any kind of help. P. 169 However, Nico wasn''t as keen as Lydia in doing this job. He felt an extreme animosity towards Edgar. It wasn''t only because he was nearly thrown into the hearth, but of the sole reason of the fur on his tail being burnt off. Fairies were beings that really were devoted to small trivial things and did not forget their grudges. So he must be wishing that Edgar would get into trouble and heavily suffer. Gathering information must be for that purpose. She wondered if Edgar realized Nico wasn''t just an ordinary feline. Even if he didn''t believe that cat''s could talk, he still took caution and even became angry when the cat eavesdropped on them, and of course, was still taking precautions with Lydia as well. If that was the case, she decided to be by his side like he wished and find out what he was hiding. Taking a breath to build her bravery, Lydia decided to follow him. "Hey, aren''t you frightened?" "Of what?" P. 180 "I understand I should have properly gone to you first for your approval about us. But I had gotten so crazy about her, and lost track of myself." "Huh?" "If she wasn''t by my side and didn¡¯t calm the heat of my love, I would die in a heartbeat." Could there actually be someone, who after saying something so embarrassing, that would get away with this? "Wait, wait just a moment..." Paused Carlton. Lydia''s father, who appeared to be in a disorderly state that even his daughter had never witnessed, kept opening and closing his mouth. "....Do you really want a hoyden like her?" "Father!" "She is the most precious woman to me. She is the only woman who can save me with her deep love." "Hold on right there Edgar, you''re making this sound completely different!" What was going to save him, of course wasn''t Lydia''s love, but her ability to find the sword. P. 181 "Well, I won''t disagree that Lydia is the perfect daughter. However, young man, don''t you think it¡¯s irresponsible as a man to drag along an young, unwed woman, because you can''t control yourself?" It seemed like Carlton was nearly on the verge of collapsing from this situation turning from coming in contact with a kidnapper to meeting a bachelor who was head over heels about his daughter. "Yes, I agree. I regret my carelessness." "This is all wrong!" cried Lydia. "John, let her go!" yelled Huxley. Huxley appeared in their view again, and to Lydia, frankly, he appeared like the savior to this chaotic situation. Of course, that was only just her mere imagination, because Huxley was pointing a pistol towards her. "Hold on, you¡¯re aiming near Lydia." "I understand that perfectly, Professor. However, that man also can''t allow your daughter to die. Because he''s a stubborn, greedy little thief and he hasn''t found the jewel yet." "Gossam, I can imagine what you must have said to convince Mr. Carlton, but you shouldn''t do something that would reveal you''d do anything ruthless to get your hands on that jewel." When Edgar glared at Huxley with a smile like that, his sharpness and gracefulness became even more prominent. In that moment, he made it seem like he was the obvious winner if this were to be the site of a duel. "Hurry up and release her," barked Huxley, in an irritated voice. Carlton looked up at both of them worryingly. P. 182 Perhaps to try intimidate Edgar, Huxley put his finger on the pistol''s trigger. "Hey, you, don''t!" cried Carlton. The pistol that was aimed towards Edgar, was also pointing at Lydia who was right beside him. Trying to stop that, Carlton grabbed ahold of Huxley''s arm. "Ermine, guard Lydia," whispered Edgar. "Yes, my lord." With a simple reply, Ermine pulled Lydia''s arm. The last thing Lydia saw was Edgar pulling out the rapier from his walking stick. At the same time, she heard a gunfire. She wanted to look back, but Ermine pulled Lydia into the bushes so she didn''t know what happened beyond that. However, as soon as they came out to a different dirt path, Ermine stopped in her tracks. She stood in front of Lydia, guarding her, and started to take some steps backwards, but they were completely surrounded by Huxley¡¯s brothers. P. 183 ***** Lydia, along with her father, was locked inside a room in the castle. Huxley''s men had taken the extreme measure and broke one of the building windows and entered the castle, taking up the position in the corner of the castle. It looked like they were attempting to corner Edgar and Raven who had managed to escape, and steal the ''Merrow''s Star.'' Carlton was deceived by Huxley, well, actually the Gossam brothers, and was brought here by them, and after finding that out, he breathed out a dispirited sigh. "So that means Gossam was using me." "Father, I''m sorry to get you involved into this." "No, you were dragged into this as well. I should apologize. I''m sorry, I didn''t know my gemology research would cause something like this." Who knows what the cause of all this. It could have started from when Gossam tried to use Edgar as his research experiment, or when Edgar decided to use Gossam. However, that wasn''t a problem at this point. Lydia walked over to Ermine who lay slumped on a sofa. Lydia and her father weren''t hurt because the brothers must have thought the two of them weren¡®t a threat, but Ermine was punched and kicked, and now her hands were tied-up and she lay unconscious. P. 184 She wanted to untie her ropes, but Huxley said that if she were to do something like that, then he''d beat-up Ermine even worse. Lydia used her handkerchief and wiped the blood on Ermine¡¯s bleeding lip. "So, about that young man earlier..." "No, it''s not what you think, Father, he was just fooling around, I just accepted a job offer as a fairy doctor to help him." "Oh, thank goodness. Are you sure it isn''t an elope?" "Of course it isn''t! I''m not that kind of daughter." Relieved, the professor made a faint-hearted smile and pushed his round spectacles up that were low on his nose. "Even if he is a thief, to be called ¡®Father¡¯ by a kidnapper, is too much on my weak heart. If it was true and you were serious, I was worried if it was right for me to disapprove." "Oh, my goodness, father. Are you saying that you wouldn''t mind my courter to be a thief as long as I chose him?" "I figured that he must have had a very good quality about him. Of course, it would be troublesome if the only good part about him was his looks." "I would never choose my husband just by his looks." "There''s one thing that bothered me though..., isn¡¯t he an aristocrat?" P. 185 "Yes, that''s what he claims, and looking at the way he talks and how he acts, everything about him makes him look like one. But, father, are you saying it''s a problem for him to be a nobleman than a thief?" "At times, they can be more dark and twisted than mere burglars. ...Although that can just be my prejudice. But, well, it doesn''t matter if he was just joking." "He is serious." They didn''t realize when she had woken, but Ermine had opened her eyes just a crack and interrupted them in a faint whisper. "Lord Edgar is serious when he says he needs you, Ms Carlton. He is willing to love you if that''s necessary to have you do as he wants." If she didn''t know his true background, then maybe Lydia could have happily enjoyed the sweet dream that Edgar would have showed her, and completel believed it and willingly come under his control. "Ermine, I already know. That I''m a tool to find the sword for him." "No, Ms Carlton, there are still things that we¡¯re hiding from you. Perhaps, it was lucky for you to be captured by our enemies like this." She lowered her eyes like she was stricken with a deep sadness. "I don''t want Lord Edgar to become a heartless, cold person... He really is a kind, compassionate person, but he has thrown away his heart for our sake, and I can''t bear to keep on watching him deceive and hurt other people anymore." Nico had said that Edgar was still hiding something from Lydia, maybe this is what he meant. P. 186 "What is Edgar planning to do with me, Ermine?" Ermine frowned like she was stricken with a headache, but she sat up, and with a pressured look, she finally opened her mouth. "There are two versions of the information regarding the Blue Knight Earl''s sword. There apparently were many copies made of that gold coin, the one that you saw with the fairy riddle on it. That probably was the reason why there were so many visitors to this island who were after the gemstone. But the other is a key, made of silver. Most likely, there are no other copies of this, only one exists. To be qualified as the Earl¡¯s descendant one must have both the gold and the silver. We were also indicated that in order to get the sword we needed one final thing. Blood." "Blood?" "The sacrifice for the mermaids, or, as Lord Edgar thinks, we need to sacrifice someone or we won''t be able to receive the sword." Merrows are said to collect the souls of humans, like humans collect jewelry. It was possible to interpret that they''d request a human soul from the Blue Knight Earl descendant as reward for guarding the sword. "Then...., are you saying, he planned to use me as that sacrifice?" Lydia brought both of her trembling hands together and made a tight fist. Volume 1 - CH 6 P. 203 P. 212 He knew, yet it always felt out-of-place to witness such a sight. "Lydia has been taken by Gossam and his men. They''re going to make her search for the gemstone." The cat jumped down from the window and walked over to Carlton on his two hind legs, and cleverly crossed his arms, or his front legs. "What happened? Last time I saw Lydia, she was with that blond noble." To tell the truth, Carlton had to always fight the urge to want to pick Nico up and inspect and test him, but even though he had the body of a cat, if he was a gentleman as he claimed to be, then it would even be rude to stare curiously at him, so Carlton reframed yet again. Nico was Lydia''s mother''s partner, and had watched over Lydia ever since she was a young child. So he also knew Carlton for a long time as well. For Carlton who wasn''t able to see faeries, Nico was the only faerie that he was able to come in contact with. "She was, but she was captured by Gossam. I was also tricked by Gossam, and came along with him to find Lydia but...either way, Lydia is heading towards the hidden location of the sword." "This is bad." "It''s bad? I was told by a woman dressed like a man that that nobleman would sacrifice Lydia to the merrows." "Yes, in the promise between the merrows and the Blue Knight Earl, if you weren''t the real decendant of the Earl family and got your hands on the sword, then apparently that means you will only come out dead." P. 213 The sound of approaching footsteps made Nico close his mouth. And then he vanished. At that same time, the door slammed open. The eldest Gossam brother entered the room; he was in a poor state, one could tell by first glance that he was punched in the face. This man apparently introduced himself as Huxley to Lydia, and with an obviously irritated look like he was venting his anger out on Carlton and kicked the chair. "Your daughter has been kidnapped by that thief again." "Uh-huh, eitherway, that doesn''t change the fact that I''m still in bad situation." P. 236 He knew perfectly well of her worry that she never handled a sword before and was scared to harm someone. That¡¯s why even if Lydia thought he seemed timid, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to move. Nico tugged her sleeve to instigate her. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate over this, Lydia. If you don¡¯t kill him, he¡¯ll kill you. Or do you plan to join him in becoming pray of the merrows?¡± Nico was right. [Exchange a star for the merrow¡¯s star. Or else the merrows will sing their song of lament.] If they didn¡¯t hand over the promised item to the merrows here, then the merrows will sing their song. That meant everyone here would be dragged into the sea. Slowly, Edgar stepped over to her. ¡°I said don¡¯t move!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not close you can¡¯t cut me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, that man was planning to kill you, Lydia!¡± Edgar paid no heed and continued to close up on her. ¡°Were you really planning to kill me?¡± ¡°Are you frighetened? You¡¯re trembling.¡± ¡°Was it a lie when you said you wouldn¡¯t? You said that you would save my father. Was that a lie too?¡± P. 237 ¡°That¡¯s wasn¡¯t a lie.¡± You big liar. Even as she thought that, Lydia was still hesitating. ¡°Tell me, was there any truth in any of your words?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the use of knowing that?¡± ¡°Because, you protected me all this time. I don¡¯t want to think all of that was a lie. After losing Ermine, I thought that I had shared even a little of the same pain as the both of you. That¡¯s why I thought you would understand my feelings of wanting to save my father¡­¡­¡± Of course, saying such a thing now was pointless. Edgar made a wry face, either because he was irritated or befuddled by her. ¡°Why are you hesitating? Wouldn¡¯t the man who tried to kill you deserve to die. Even if you cut me, no one will blame you.¡± ¡°Lydia, ahh, geesh, what are you doing!¡± said Nico impatiently. ¡°¡­¡­What am I suppose to do!¡± Most likely, there was no way Lydia was ever going to be able to harm Edgar with a sword. P. 238 Edgar, who had been staring at her steadily, suddenly chuckled like he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. ¡°Even if it was a criminal like me, you¡¯re still scared of cutting me with that sword? Then, let¡¯s do this.¡± He took a hold of Lydia and grabbed the sword out of her hand before she knew it. He narrowed his eyes and for some reason looked at the sword sadly. ¡°You¡¯re too soft-hearted, Lydia. Even though there are villains in the world who can be more sadistic and cold-blooded than you can imagine.¡± Volume 1 - CH 7 P. 247 P. 264 ¡°It is my pleasure to welcome you back, my lord.¡± So many of the butlers in his family must have waiting for the day to be able to say that. Because, he looked that emotional. ¡°Please excuse for being in such casual wear. The owner of this house informed me you were here, but it was so sudden, I rushed here as quick as I could when I heard that the lord of the house had returned alive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t fret over it.¡± ¡°Hold on just a moment. ¡­..So that means, this gentleman is,¡± questioned the policeman, still with a suspicious face. ¡°This gentleman is the the Earl Ashenbert, lord of this Mannor Island,¡± replied Tomkins. ¡°Is that certain? I have never heard that the lord was living on this island.¡± ¡°Yes, since he has been away for a long time.¡± ¡°Tomkins, could you fetch me a glass of water,¡± ordered Edgar, as if he didn¡¯t care about the police¡¯s questioning and gave an order to the butler as if that was usual. Of course, he must be used to ordering people around. ¡°Yes, immediately,¡± replied the butler, and happily headed to the kitchen. ¡°Then, my lord, could you explain how you came to meet Ms. Carlton, and how you both ended up on the shore? A report was filed that she had been kidnapped.¡± P. 265 ¡°Uh, this man just saved my life!¡± She blurted that out without thinking why she would have to cover up for a criminal like him. But in the end, Lydia made the decision by herself to come along with Edgar. Without realizing that he was hiding a terrifying plan for her. And even after she found out, she couldn¡¯t run away. To top it off, she went after him to the merrow¡¯s dwellings to save him, and so she didn¡¯t have any intention of handing him over to the police now. ¡°The one who tried to kidnap me was the eight sibling brothers of the Gossam family, and I think they are still laying unconscious underground the castle. Please put them under arrest.¡± ¡°Eight men are passed out in an underground room? My lord, were you the one to bravely face such a number?¡± Edgar shook his head and looked at Lydia like he also wanted to know the answer to that. ¡°Umm, ¡­..that would be my friends.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, we¡¯d like to ask them some questions.¡± Lydia didn¡¯t know how to answer that. If she told them they were faeries, then they¡¯re bound to laugh at her. Seeing Lydia like that, Edgar figured it out and replied to them instead. ¡°That would be impossible. Since they¡¯re faeries.¡± And he smiled towards Lydia. Like friends sharing the same secret. P. 266 The policeman looked at the both of them dubiously. There was another noisy commotion by the doorway. The one who came scrambling in was Carlton. Raven was also with him. ¡°Father!¡± Lydia ran over to her father and jumped up into his arms. As the both of them were overjoyed in their safe reunion, she also managed to sneak a peek out of the corner of her eye of Edgar and Raven shaking their hands tightly. She knew that for the both of them, this wasn¡¯t an ending that they could wild with joy over. The sorrow of losing Ermine must be great. But Lydia managed not to be killed by Edgar. Perhaps Ermine¡¯s death was able to teach Edgar the feelings of Lydia who desperately wanted to save her father. That¡¯s why, most likely, the reason why Edgar didn¡¯t cut Lydia but himself, was not only because he despaired over there not being a star in the sword. Maybe, everything wasn¡¯t a lie. Like when he said he couldn¡¯t lie like his usual self to Lydia as he cut himself with the sword. Not wanting to hurt others as much as possible must have also been Edgar¡¯s true wish, and that¡¯s why he must have kept his promise that he¡¯ll help Lydia and her father. Or so she hoped. P. 267 ¡°Oi, Lydia, go outside and look.¡± At Nico¡¯s voice, she finally stepped away from her father. Carlton was stopped by the policeman who was eagerly waiting for the two of them to end their happy reuniting and bombarded him with questions. After Lydia listened as her father explained to him that both Raven and he tied up the Gossam brothers to the gatepost of the castle, she took a step outside of the house. The view of the sea shore spread out in front of her. Completely different from when they first arrived on the island, the waves were calmly washing up onto the shore. She could spot a bunch of brownies rowing out a log like a ship onto the waves. She felt that they would surely be able to go back and forth between the mainland and island safely now like they had in the past. Lydia watched Nico run down to them after he told her that he was going to see the brownies off, and she turned to step back into the house. She picked up the Blue Knight Earl¡¯s sword that had been placed up against the wall near the fireplace, and looked to see that there was a crossed-shaped star that shined brightly in the middle of the sapphire. ¡°That was so magical. I¡¯m still thinking that what went on was all a dream, yet this gemstone proves this is reality.¡± She didn¡¯t notice that Edgar was standing next to her. If he stood so close to her like that, she remembered how they were in each other¡¯s arms just earlier, and her heart began to race for no reason. P. 268 For Edgar, that must have been just a part of the dream he was in, but for Lydia, it completely happened in reality. ¡°So, are you repenting even a little now?¡± Even if it was just to reduce her embarrassment, she knew she said it in a way that wasn¡¯t cute at all. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve learned that if you¡¯re with someone soft-hearted, then you can¡¯t expect what could happen. I¡¯ve found out that being with those kinds of people can make nothing go according to plan, and they somehow make you not feel right, and nearly kill you. But Edgar wasn¡¯t cute at all in how he said that with that grin of his. It almost sounded to her like he was trying to pick a fight. ¡°Wait just a minute, are you making fun of me by saying I¡¯m gullible and easily taken advantage of?¡± ¡°No, no. I¡¯m really grateful. Plus, I¡¯d like to think there was something special between us. It seems like you could never be able to desert me.¡± He gave Lydia a seductive look which made her stagger back even more. ¡°Ah¡­.., didn¡¯t I tell you to not to get the wrong idea.¡± Volume 2 - CH 1 P. 8 ***** Mayfair-it was a renown district where it housed the properties of wealth and prestige in London. It one of its corners, was Edgar Ashenbert''s castle-like town house. The young Earl, roughly around twenty, was said to have just returned to England, immediately bought the pale white building; and one of the rooms in it was Lydia''s office. P. 14 As the private fairy doctor coerced into being hired by the earl family, it had been two weeks since this seventeen-year-old had started to commute to his residence. Edgar had the title of an English earldom, as the fief lord of Ibrazel (fairyworld), however, he was not from the true bloodline of the Ashenbert family; just a man with an unknown birth and lineage. There seemed to be no mistake he was born from an aristocratic family, but he doesn''t have a clue about faeries. Just as most people were, he also couldn''t see faeries or hear their voices, but fairies lived on the lands that he inherited as the earl and since they accept him as their overlord, he must have thought that problems would arise where he would need the help of a fairy doctor, and so he decided to hire Lydia. From the era when faeries and humans lived hand-in-hand, a fairy doctor, someone with the knowledge of fairies and experience of trading with them existed, and their job was to maintain the peace between the two species. However, now, in the 19th century, the existence of faeries was pushed into children''s books, and everyone has forgotten that they were their neighbors. Even the existence of fairy doctors was thought of as rare. That was why when Lydia opened her services as a fairy doctor in her hometown, there were hardly any job offers, and she was only treated as a freak. It was those kind of times, yet, she was officially hired as a fairy doctor. P. 15 It was easily said that this honorary position was unbefitting for someone as fresh and inexperienced as Lydia, but the reason she couldn''t think herself fortunate and feel grateful was because of her employer and the face that she didn''t know what he was thinking. Like today, when she opened the door to the room that was supposedly her work room, she was enervated from what she saw and felt like she wanted to slump down. The room was filled with flowers in vases. "What is this?" "Presents from the master," replied Tomkins, the butler, from behind her. With speedy and crisp movements, unimaginable from his stocky figure, he laid yet another flower vase by the window. "The master had duties and is absent today, but he wished that Miss Carlton would please spend your day leisurely." Lydia was relieved to hear that Edgar was out of the house. "Then, that means I won''t have to go off anywhere today." Since, she was practically dragged around everyday, to accompany Edgar to plays, and tea parties and recitals. She wanted to ask how any of this was the job of a fairy doctor, but two weeks had already passed since she was talked her way into going to all of those. Lydia still hadn''t done any decent, honest work. P. 16 But did Edgar really hire Lydia to have her work under him in mind? Lydia thought she was practically his doll. Even this room, didn''t look like a work office at all. The carpet and wallpaper had a yellowish, light green tone to set off the beautiful sofa and cloths decorated with fine lace and embroideries and the graceful silk curtains made with plenty of pleats. P. 28 "All right. That''s enough." With a nod, Raven set down a glass of water and medicine on the table, as well as a tinned iron object. "I also picked up this up which was dropped by Miss Carlton." It was the tin can that Lydia threw at the dogs. Edgar picked up the object and looked at it curiously, it had a corner of it bent-in. "A can of fish?" "No, it''s a weapon. Most likely." Raven wasn''t the sort of person to make a joke, so that must mean he thought Lydia always carried around a tin can to be ready to throw it at something. She felt a little embarassed for some reason, and glared at Nico who was curled up in a circle on the cushion pretending to be a cat. As if saying it had nothing to do with me, Nico opened his mouth in a yawn. "Hmmm, and how would you use it?" teased Edgar, after he saw Raven leave. "Would you like to find out?" Lydia replied. "No, I think I''ll pass." P. 29 Replying with a crack of a smile, he stood up to sit down on the sofa opposite of her. "By the way, Lydia, I would like to ask you not to walk outdoors by yourself from now on. If being with Raven makes you uncomfortable, then you could have the head maid accompany you, plus you can use our carriage to go from your house to here like always." "You don''t have to over-do everything like that, I''ll just be more careful from now on." "I''m not over-doing this. All the daughters from respectables homes do the same." "But I''m not a peer. I''m used to traveling by myself and I prefer to." "This isn''t Scotland, but the capital of Her Royal Highness. People judge you by the way you dress and act. Your father is a member of the Royal Academy and a known professor among the upper class. You are his daughter, so you should be aware of the social etiquette of a proper lady." "Father doesn''t mind any of that." "But would he oppose for you to become a proper lady? It isn''t that strict or formal. As long as you don''t miss the basics, saying something odd or acting a little strange wouldn''t become an issue. Even if you see fairies, or hear them, and talk yourself tired about their existence, people will just think that is a characteristic of your personality." I''m not sure if that''s true. In the countryside town, Lydia was treated as a lunatic because she went around claiming that she could see faeries. On the other hand, Edgar announced his title of Earl of the fairyworld, and yet he was accepted without any troubles. That didn''t mean that the upper class believed in the existence of faeries, but they only accepted the seasonal sense of humor of the family that had inherited that name from generation to generation; but the reason society accepted him so readily was probably because of how Edgar was able to act like the ideal, perfect nobleman that no one could find fault in. P. 30 "So that''s why a former gang member like you is able to walk around with that proud upper class face." "Yes, that''s why." However, Lydia didn''t wish to act like a peer. Even if that benefited her, she was stuck about the point where she would be doing what Edgar wanted. "The reason you want to dress me up like a lady is because it would take away your boredom, wouldn''t it? You must be out of your mind to supply this office and send these flowers." "You didn''t like it? I chose everything with your image in mind." "Huh? How would I?" "Like this rose, it''s a rare species that blooms an ice-green flower. If you look at it under the lamp light, you can see it shines in golden green, just like your eyes." He pressed his lips lightly against the rose that was near him. He looked at her with his heated, luring eyes, and they made Lydia be under the impression like she was the one getting a kiss on her eyelid. Edgar stood up and continued his conversation as he walked over to Lydia. "And you are the fairy in the flower garden. By having you sit here, this room is completed like one marvelous painting. Just like I thought; it''s a beautiful sight. Ahh, yes, would you allow a small violet to bloom beside you. To stand in my place so that I can always be watching you; I think it will highlight that beautiful caramel hair of yours." ***** Escorted by Edgar, Lydia entered the salon facing the south of the house to see that the visitor was a woman, who stood up to greet her with a nervous expression. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms Marl. This young lady is my Fairy Doctor, Lydia Carlton." P. 39 Hearing his introduction, the woman let the anxiety roll off her shoulders. "Oh, my, so she is, I had imagined that I would be meeting an old woman like some sort of witch. I''m a little hesitant to relay my story to such a young lady, it might frighten her." A fairy doctor isn''t a witch. She raised her eyebrow as she thought that, but it was a common mistake, however on second thought, she decided that it wasn''t something to make a fuss about. "There is nothing to worry about. If it''s about faeries, then she is perfectly aware of their ferociousness." Edgar invited Ms. Marl to take a seat. "And so, weren''t we talking about how the late Baron''s daughter Miss Doris Worpole had been taken away by a fogman?" Ms Marl sat herself down, and at Edgar''s question, she drooped her head. "Yes, that is correct. My lady hasn''t returned home for three days. She had left the house to help out at the charity bazaar and according to the maid who accompanied her, they had gotten separated somewhere at the site, and they do not know of her whereabouts since." A baron''s daughter went missing. And, the story seems to be that she was kidnapped by a fogman. Lydia tightened her expression at the seriousness of the situation. According to Ms Marl, the sixteen-year-old Doris'' parents had passed away and she currently lived with her ward uncle and her female cousin who was one year older than her. P. 40 Ms Marl had been the tutor in the past for the Worpole family, but she left her post due to her marriage, but had been keeping in touch with the baron daughter even after that. Since she was a distant relative of the baron family, she was searching for the whereabouts of the baron daughter and worried for her safety as her friend. However, because this sort of incident would be seen as a disgrace and could possibly negatively affect the future prospects of marriage for an upper class young debutante, her search was secretly managed within the baron family, but when Ms Marl brought up the possibility of the fogman, she was laughed at and it was never brought up again. Well, Lydia was also frequently laughed at for bringing up the topic of faeries, so she knew how she felt. That was when Ms Marl mulled over on what to do, and in the end, aware that she would be revealing the secret that Lady Doris may have been unintentionally involved in some sort of dangerous incident, and came to pay a visit to ask for help from Edgar. Apparently she felt he was sincere, trustworthy and so she could rely on him. But, Lydia''s thoughts on that were, she has sure been tricked into thinking that. Even though she was married, Mrs Marl was still a young woman, and quite attractive, so Lydia could understand how Edgar would want to put up a good face in her presence. "Yes, I remember the fog that day was so thick you couldn''t see two steps in front of you," said Edgar. But just because of that, normally no one would jump to the claim that it was a kidnap by a fogman. P. 41 "Then, why do you think it''s a fogman? Even if she did disappear on a foggy night. These days, there aren''t that many people who take the fogman seriously," said Lydia. "Yes, honestly, I still don''t really believe in it. I''m so sorry, even though I''m here to ask for your help about it. But, we have no clues, like she had disappeared into the fog. And, my lady seemed to seriously believe in the existence of the fairies like the fogman. She was absorbed in the ''fairy egg'' game. I heard that it''s like a fortune-telling game and if you break your promise to the faerie, it''s said that the fogman would come to punish you, and so I remembered she was quite frightened about that, and I was bothered at how panicked she seemed." "Fairy egg?" "You don''t know, Lydia? It''s very popular amongst the young ladies." Why would you know a game that''s favored amongst girls? Lydia really wanted to question that at him, but decided it was only silly. "You lay a piece of paper that has all the alphabets written on it on a table and lay a glass ball and coin on top of it. With a few members, you put your finger on top of the coin and call out to the faerie that''s supposedly in the glass ball. There''s two ways of doing the game, one or two friends would make a promise and swear an oath to the ''fairy egg''and the other is where you ask questions and the faerie would answer them. For the question game, the faerie uses its invisible power to move the coin and point to an alphabet, so you can find out if the person you''re interested in shares the same feelings as you, or you can find out if there is someone who likes you." P. 42 "So you''ve tried it." "I have. It''s quite fun. All the girls were thrilled and were screaming with joy. When you move the coin on top of your own initials when they asked who their future lover would be, the girl would really grow conscious of you, it''s so much easier than trying to win her over." You good-for-nothing man. Lydia glared at him with loathing eyes, and he only turned the corners of his mouth upward. But when he turned his face back to Mrs Marl, he quickly shifted his expression to the look of worry. "So, Mrs. Marl, that fairy egg is just a simple game. Even if there wasn''t a fairy, one of the participating members must have purposefully, or even unconsciously moved the coin. Only those young ladies must all believe it was the power of the fae, so if they broke their promises or let go of the coin in the middle of the questioning, they are overly worried and scared that they would anger the fairy." "But, you can''t be for certain that there wasn''t a fairy. They love to play pranks. If there was something inside the glass ball that would interest them, then there could be the possibility that they got near it and something interfered with the fortune-telling." The lady bent herself forward in a worried gesture. "Which means, if you were to offend or upset the fairy, then there''s the possibility you could be taken away somewhere by them?" P. 43 "Perhaps, we can''t be certain to deny that possibility, but a fogman is surely not the kind of fairy to be interested in a coin game. Its body is like a mass of evil and malice clumped together with a demon spirit. It''s not the type to trade or negotiate with humans." Oh, my lord, uttered the lady, shivering. "Edgar, is it true that the fogman would punish those who participated in the fairy egg game?" "Who knows, when I participated, there was no mention of the fogman. We just called it ''Mr Fairy.'' And I don''t think that the punishment was that severe enough to make the young girls worry so much about it." "That would make sense. Or else, it wouldn''t be a game. Then the only thing that bothers me is the fairy egg game and the fogman and how they are connected with Lady Doris mentioning about them." "But, Lydia, couldn''t there still be the possibility that she was taken away by a different fairy who likes to play pranks." "That''s...hard to say at this point." "Then what should we do? Is this in your area of work?" It was also important to decifer if this was the act of a fairy or human. Lydia didn''t hesitate and faced the lady. "Of course, I will search for her. If I can be of any use." "Uhh..." uttered Mrs Marl with a dubious look. P. 44 "Couldn''t you be able to summon out a fairy now and ask them the location of my lady, or look into a crystal ball?" It looks like she had mistaken the role of a fairy doctor with a psychic or fortune-teller. "Umm, I cannot solve mysteries using any magic. It''s just that I''m a little educated about fairies is all, and all I can do is look for any clues that any faeries have left." At her answer, Mrs Marl didn''t hide her disappointment. Her reaction also depressed Lydia. The lady had come here hoping for an answer. Even if her only help was someone who could use magic, she must have be looking forward for someone to clearly indicate where the baron daughter was and if that place was here on earth or in a different realm. A fairy doctor''s dull performance wasn''t something lavish like using magical powers in front of the clients so they weren''t usually well understood and depended on. That''s why most of the time, they were seen as oddballs to the rest of society. "Would that be meaningless for you? Mrs Marl. Like how you ask around to different people, Lydia here would ask around to different faeries. If something happened to Lady Doris in a deserted, empty area, then maybe a fairy could have been there and seen it." P. 45 Edgar softly spoke to the lady. Apparently that reassurance had worked and she had a satisfied, happy look. "Yes, you''re right. Please Miss Carlton, please find my dear friend." Lydia showed her gratitude and nodded. Edgar turned to hide one side of his face from the lady and gave her a wink. Lydia understood that he just gave his timely hand of help for her, but she couldn''t help think he was kidding around when they were in a serious situation But, amazingly, Edgar was well aware of what a fairy doctor was. That could have been because he himself had hoped for knowledge about fairies than magical powers from Lydia in the past, but from the start, he didn''t regard her with excessive curiosity or overly be fearful of her. The reason she couldn''t brush him away even though she knew he was a dishonorable man, probably came from that part of him. . Since there hadn''t been anyone in the past who had decently understood and accept Lydia''s ability, so that made her look over Edgar''s flaws. Maybe that was the reason why she would be thrown around. "My lord, thank you very much. You were the only one who honestly listened to such a laughable story about fairies." Mrs. Marl looked over to Edgar with a some what calmer expression. "On top of that, you were kind enough to encourage me that your fairy doctor would be able to solve this problem. Since there''s nothing I can do when it comes to fairies." P. 46 What? Edgar was the one who came up with that offer? Lydia was certainly surprised about that. However you think about it, there was no way this man thought this was the work of a fairy. He claimed that the fairy egg''s fortune-telling was a simple game that had no tricks behind it. And yet, it was irresponsible of him to claim to her that a fairy doctor would be able to do something. She had the small feeling that he was purposefully trying to drag Lydia into this case. "Not at all. I had met Lady Doris before, so naturally I got a little worried." He gave the lady a crack of a smile, as Lydia coldly stared from the side with dubious eyes. Now that she thought about it, would this man really offer his help in an innocent attempt to help another? Or, did he just want to act like a kind gentleman in front of a lady? She didn''t know the answer, but she felt like she was conviniently being used by him. Perhaps, he might be planning on doing something against the law again. At that moment, the thought that drifted across Lydia''s mind was maybe he was the culprit, which was a doubtful suspision, that wasn''t based on anything, against this former criminal who didn''t think or feel anything against breaking the law. Volume 2 - CH 2 P. 47 P. 56 ¡°How interesting. I would love to have a taste.¡± There¡¯s nothing interesting about it. He¡¯s talks about it like it¡¯s some unfamiliar food from a foreign country. Lydia scrunched her brows slightly together. Edgar smiled to her as she was glowering at him and chose to purposefully sit down right next to her. Even to go as far as to grabbing Nico, who was sitting in that spot, by the fur on his neck and moving him. Nico made a threatening posture by raising the hair on his back and didn¡¯t spare to throw invective words at him, but that must have only sounded like a cat was hissing and snarling at him. ¡°I see, it has a curious taste,¡± remarked Edgar once he took a bite of a biscuit. ¡°You¡¯re fine to just say you don''t like it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just like you, once I have a taste, I crave for more.¡± Carlton cleared his throat in an obvious cough. ¡°By the way, Professor, I happened to read your newest article the other day." Edgar swiftly changed the topic by turning his attention and making a serious look at Carlton. ¡°Oh, so you have an interest in natural history.¡± ¡°Nature is profound the more you delve into it. The word incredible was made for the study of natural history as it always astounds me. I particularly enjoyed reading the part about your analysis on crystal structure.¡± P. 57 Once he¡¯d open his mouth, it was easy for him to grab Carlton¡¯s attention. He acted like a humble young student asking for answers from his teacher, but also managed to give back smart replies and ask questions that were right on the mark to liven the conversation. It seems like it wasn''t only women that Edgar had an art in winning over. Most likely, he knew the most accurate way to present himself in order to win the favor of any type of person. It may have been natural for someone like him who knew how to get on in the harsh, real world successfully, as he really did seem to have read the article, and he had hit the right buttons to gain the favor of her father, who even she thought was obsessed with his own field research. Now, father, you really shouldn¡¯t open up to him like that, was what she wanted to say from watching the two of them. ¡°By the way, Professor, I happened to come across some old documents on this subject, it said that there is a stone called the ¡°fairy¡¯s egg¡± or something like that.¡± Lydia was drawn into the men¡¯s conversation at the new subject brought up by Edgar. Talking about fairy¡¯s egg, there was one involved in the case of the disappeared baron daughter. A case that Edgar was suspiciously involved in. ¡°Why, yes, there indeed exists a stone with that name.¡± ¡°Father, is that fairy egg real?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a mineral. It has that romantic name, but it¡¯s only just a rare agate stone.¡± ¡°An agate, like that?¡± There was an agate gemstone the size of a child¡¯s head on display in the cabinet along with various other colorful stones. Carlton stood up and took that large gemstone out of the cabinet and placed it on the table. P. 58 The outer surface of the stone only appeared like a black, coarse rock. But, one wouldn¡¯t be able to imagine that it was hiding a multi-colored stripped pattern stone on the inside. ¡°When you look at it like this, it looks like there is an agate trapped in a rocky egg. Only after you crack the shell are you able to see what¡¯s inside.¡± Edgar curiously stared at the agate on top of the table which had already been split open in two to reveal the sparkling crystal layers in the cross-section of the agate. ¡°But, the agate that¡¯s called the fairy egg isn¡¯t a stone like this, is it?¡± ¡°The name that was given to those certain type of agates are proper nouns. It isn¡¯t related to its species. According to literature, it is a beautiful milky-white stone that has a green pattern on it. That coloration is a rare one called ¡®peppermint leaf,¡¯ and the ¡®fairy egg¡¯ is an agate with water trapped inside it. ¡°An agate with water in it?¡± Although it was Edgar who started this topic, Lydia was the one actively asking the questions, probably because Edgar must have already looked up what a ¡®water-sealed agate¡¯ was. ¡°When you look at an agate gemstone, you can see how there is a open cave in the center of the stone, right? There are rare cases when water is trapped inside this. But if you cut it in two like this, you can¡¯t checked if there is water. Because it evaporates in the instant you crack it.¡± ¡°Then how can you make sure that there is water in it?¡± P. 59 ¡°When you shake it, you can hear the water in it. If you find a stone like that, you carve off the exterior slowly. When you get near the center of the stone, you can transparently see the center of it. There will be the ancient water swaying back and forth that had been hidden asleep within the deep earth for hundreds and thousands of years.¡± Imagining that, Lydia let out a sigh. She wondered how the light would look when the first ray of sunlight had reached its center and shined through the color of the agate that was probably like thin frosted glass. ¡°Most likely, the ''fairy egg'' name came from the peppermint coloration that covers it like the veins of a leaf and the water was compared to a mysterious, imaginary creature.¡± ¡°But, father, if it was a rare agate stone like that, then there could have been a chance that a fairy had sneaked into it.¡± Langley, who was the only one not familiar with this side of the family, made a puzzled look from Lydia¡¯s bizarre comment. ¡°Fairies love beautiful things, and doesn¡¯t that mean that the water trapped inside the agate was the divine holy water from the six days of Creation? That would be enough to lure any faerie and captivate them. And gems are stones that absorb light and trap them within them. They even have the power to withhold magic. If a fairy were to enter one, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape.¡± ¡°There indeed are records that they were used for that purpose. I¡¯m not sure about other agate stones that have water in them, but if I were to only say about ¡®fairy eggs,¡¯ then there anecdote stories about sealing harmful evil spirits in them.¡± ¡°Then, those stones that are called fairy eggs, are there some that still exist?¡± asked Edgar. P. 60 ¡°There may be. I have read there was a record one existed in an abbey in Canterbury somewhere around the 16th century. There is no record of any after that.¡± After hearing all of this, Lydia became puzzled about something. ¡°But, Edgar, doesn¡¯t the fairy egg fortune-telling game, that¡¯s popular among the young ladies, use a glass ball instead of an agate?¡± Volume 2 - CH 3 P. 77 P. 88 If she wasn¡¯t pretending to be tough, then she was quite the cousin, thought Lydia. Her cousin was missing, for goodness sakes. Or, was the truth being hidden from her as well. ¡°Anyways, my lord, would you mind if I join you on your boat? If you weren¡¯t in the middle of enjoying your time alone with Miss Lydia, then I would be more than thrilled to join you.¡± This girl must have feelings for Edgar. But she sure was a girl who openly displayed her attraction. She even didn¡¯t forget to give a side-ways glance towards Lydia¡¯s direction like she as seeing her rival. ¡°Rosalie, that¡¯s impolite,¡± interrupted her uncle. ¡°Oh, no, Lord Graham. I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± However, there was no way Edgar was going to refuse an invitation from a lady. ¡°Oh, really? My, I¡¯m so happy. I was brought here by my uncle, but the conversation doesn¡¯t last if you¡¯re not among your youth.¡± ¡°I consider myself still youth, you know.¡± ¡°Uncle, you really must relinquish that rake name of yours and settle down.¡± P. 89 With a sour smile, her uncle looked over towards Edgar. ¡°If I may accept your kind offer, my lord, would you look after my niece? To tell you the true, I have a business affair after this, and so I was just being scolded by her in saying that I need to leave soon.¡± ¡°Yes, of course, it is a pleasure to be able to accompany a beautiful lady.¡± I knew he was the kind of person to say the same thing to anybody. The ever more defiant looks Rosalie was sending Lydia was making her feel disgusted and she didn¡¯t think she would be able to continue enjoying the fireworks that were still being shot up. ¡°Then it was good timing, Edgar, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°Eh, why?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m late, Father would be worried.¡± He shook his head a little like he was disappointed, but that was all. ¡°Alright, then Raven, escort Lydia back home.¡± So you¡¯re not going to stop me. ¡­¡­.Well, I¡¯m fine with that. The pretty doll-like girl had her boat rested next to the floating pier and gladly changed boats to sit next to Edgar. If she kept that up, Lydia thought there wasn¡¯t going to be any troubles trying to woo her. P. 90 Well, it has nothing to do with me, she mumbled, and so Lydia left the lakeside. Ladies are more happy to receive a hand-full of flowers from the road-side from the man they adore than a bouquet of fancy flower from a man they don¡¯t care about. She remembered those words of Edgar when she happened to see the Margaret flowers sitting in the vase by the windowsill of her room. Lydia was honestly happy to be treated like a normal woman by Mr. Langley. The way Edgar treated as a lady¡­. Was somehow something she couldn¡¯t honestly be happy about. She had a seemly frightening feeling about being honestly delighted about that, almost like she shouldn¡¯t. If she didn¡¯t keep her distance, she felt she might be dragged in and deeply wrapped up and messed around with. She couldn¡¯t quite grasp what that feeling was called exactly, but Lydia was just simply scared. On the table she had lit, Lydia closed the book that she couldn¡¯t concentrate on, and pulled out another book and opened its cover. She picked up a violet flower that she had dried and pressed, and she was about to throw it away, but rethought that the flower had no sin. The reason she brought back only this flower was just because it was one of her favorite kinds. There was no deep meaning behind it. P. 91 She just thought that its light coloration was rare; it had nothing to do with the fact that it resembled the same color of his eyes. Anyways, she must not be misled by what Edgar says. She already knew from the start, Lydia honestly regretted every time she came across the thought that he might just be kind-hearted only to herself. ¡°He was just a lady¡¯s man in the end.¡± It was annoying to have a bad mood because of that, so she took a deep breath to calm herself down. ¡°Oi, Lydia.¡± She slapped the book shut. When she turned around, she saw Nico standing in the doorway. He entered the room and trotted over to her direction. ¡°What are you panicked about?¡± ¡°No-nothing.¡± ¡°I followed after that bogey beast. And then I saw it enter the townhouse of that Baron Worpole family.¡± ¡°Baron family, you mean the house of Lady Doris who disappeared?¡± ¡°Yup. On top of that, the one who was making the bogey do trouble was an orange-haired girl with twirled hair.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Rozalie?¡± P. 92 ¡°I don¡¯t know her name. She was saying at the Cremorne Garden that she wished you would disappear from London just like Doris. It looks like she wants to get close to the earl. You should be careful.¡± She had already sensed that she had feelings towards Edgar when she met her atop the lake. However, it was unexpected news that she was the one who had given the orders to the bogey beast. Did she have the intention of injuring Lydia at that time. But the thing she couldn¡¯t dismiss the most was the part about ¡®like Doris.¡¯ Did that mean she wanted something to happen to her cousin Doris? ¡°But, Nico, why is the bogey beast doing as she says?¡± ¡°No, it was saying something like it had an actual master who wasn¡¯t her. And, it was just pretending to follow her orders for the sake of its master.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s its master?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that, but that young girl didn¡¯t seem to know anything about the master at all.¡± Even if one is able to see fairies, it was dangerous to be in contact with them if you didn¡¯t know how to handle them. And because of that, in the past, there were many people who were deceived by fairies and went through a bitter experience, which made them ask for the help of fairy doctors. Particularly, it was common for the mischievous fairies who played the pranks to purposefully show themselves to humans to talk to them. P. 93 People in the past knew that even if you saw them, you pretended not, and if you heard them, you pretended not, and by doing that, people were able to evade danger, but now-a-days there aren¡¯t that many people who could teach that to others. If the young woman named Rosalie, remained unaware of the true master who is pulling the strings of the bogey beast as Nico says, and still in contact with the fairy, then that means she doesn¡¯t have knowledge or understanding about fairies and thinks she has acquired magic powers. That would be dangerous for her. Even if Rosalie wished for Lady Doris to disappear, if there were ulterior motives of the bogey beast behind that, then that means Rosalie is also caught in the trap that the fairy set. If she wanted to ask her about Lady Doris, she first needed to cut the ties between Rosalie and the bogey beast. But she wondered if that girl would honestly listen to what Lydia said. Judging from her attitude today, she thought that was impossible. It looks like the case regarding Lady Doris was a much more complicated case than she imagined. As she was mulling that over, on the other hand, Lydia was bothered about the ¡®fairy egg¡¯ Edgar brought up and the fogman. The glass ball of the fortune-telling game had nothing to do with the water sealed agate stone. And yet, Edgar thought they were linked. P. 94 She had the feeling like he was fixated on it more than it being just a simple related word. Why? It seemed somehow familiar with how Lady Doris was frightened of the fogman who was supposedly unrelated with the fairy egg fortune-telling game. ¡°¡­¡­Hm?¡± For a split second, Lydia felt like there was nearly something that connected in her thought. But she was unable to grasp what that was, and now was lost. But what she vaguely thought was that Edgar was still hiding something from her. The Worpole baron family was new to the social circle as aristocrats, but it was a wealthy family. The current master is the sixteen year old Lady Doris. Her parents died in a ship accident ten years ago. On the same ship, her cousin Rosalie¡¯s parents were on. The two girls who lost their parents at the same time, had been living with each other ever since. Their ward was Lord Graham Purcell who was a distant relative with the baron. P. 95 Previously at the baron house, it was well known that Rosalie and Graham were doing as they pleased without regard to the rightful master Doris. The dull and shy baron daughter and her showy, strong-willed cousin. Naturally, the one who came to grab the spotlight and be the center of the crowd was Rosalie and Doris was always by her side like a servant and did as she was told. However, Doris had the higher title. She was after all, the current head of the baron family. That¡¯s why her strong-willed cousin wanted to stand out more than Doris. Even in front of others, she would periodically act cruelly to Doris and basked in the sense of superiority. Rosalie stated to Edgar straightly that she was so glad her cousin is gone, when the two of them were alone together. Her cousin was a girl who couldn¡¯t do anything on her own ever since she was a child. She was timid and a coward, and that¡¯s why Rosalie told her that the fogman would come to punish her since she broke the promise that they swore on the fairy egg, and that honestly frightened her and so she left London and is staying away in the countryside. That was also what Rosalie revealed to him. Either way, she was a girl who really didn¡¯t have a tight lip. Edgar had only met her a few times in a few social gatherings of the upper class, and she had always served as a handy source of valuable information. If he would only just hint a sign of interest, she was more than delighted to answer. There was no trouble at all in retrieving the every single bit of inside information of the baron family than he expected. P. 96 And, now, for the next step. Which paun should he move. As he thought, Edgar tied his brows deeply together. It was like a game. Perhaps what he was trying to do was meaningless even if he were to obtain victory. He forced that thought out of his head. Even if a game, once he started it, he needed to win. That was all there was to it. How many more moves until checkmate? ¡°Welcome home, my lord.¡± To the butler who saw his arrival, he gave his hat and stick and forcibly handed over his coat and then Edgar walked over to Raven who had entered the entrance hall. ¡°Raven, how was Lydia? Was she jealous?¡± ¡°You wish to know if she showed signs of jealousy?¡± Raven tilted his head as if he was confused at the unexpected question. * ¡°What? Lydia, would you say that one more time?¡± ¡°I said that the bogey beast that appeared yesterday at Cremorne Gardens was apparently following the orders given by Rosalie.¡± ¡°No, after that.¡± "It looks like the bogey beast may be somehow related to the disappearance of Lady Doris.¡± P. 103 ¡°After that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to be in contact with fairies if you don¡¯t know anything about them, so including that, I wanted you to ask Miss Rosalie and warn her.¡± For some strange reason, Edgar made a displeased face. But she thought it wasn¡¯t that difficult a task for him to cajole a young girl and persuade her. ¡°You can¡¯t? It seems like she would listen to what you¡¯d say, and I thought she would accept it if you cautioned you, since you would be seeing her again, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t the least bit jealous.¡± ¡°Huh¡­..?¡± Lydia had just arrived for work at the earl¡¯s house, and was about to enter her office when she was caught by Edgar and made to come along and spend time in the salon with him. While she was at it, she decided to bring up what she was thinking last night about Rosalie and the bogey beast to him, and hearing what he said she wasn¡¯t able to figure out what was going on inside Edgar¡¯s head. ¡°Why would I have to be jealous? You¡¯re free to approach anyone you like, and if that means I won¡¯t have to be dragged around to different social settings then I would be grateful.¡± Ahh, for some reason, the more I¡¯m with Edgar, the more bitter I become. ¡°Do you really think that?¡± P. 104 Of course I think so. So you¡¯re free to invite lady Rosalie or any other well-to-do family daughter as you please. It¡¯s a waste of your time to hand around with me: was what she really wanted to say, but she didn¡¯t because that only sounded like she was jealous. In no way am I jealous. ¡°Now, listen, I¡¯m not here to talk about that. To ward off the bogey beast for the time being, it¡¯s best to keep a cross made of a rowan tree with you at all times. If that doesn¡¯t work, well, then I¡¯ll think of something else.¡± ¡°Ahh, if only you would spend have of your heart that you do on fairies and send those feelings towards me.¡± She was thankful of the space they were in, sitting across from Edgar with a table in between them in a grand spacious room. Last night Lydia made a fresh resolve to herself that she was just going to let Edgar¡¯s sweet words pass over her left and right, and so she glared at him with a heavy barrier in between them in mind. ¡°Please don¡¯t look at me with such skeptical eyes.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t any more a skeptical person than you.¡± I¡¯m definitely going to smack back those smiles or melting eyes of his that¡¯s sure to easily put the guard down of other ladies, she thought and made her body even more tense. ¡°You really are on your guard more than usual.¡± Of course I would be. P. 105 ¡°My lord, you have a visitor.¡± To the butler¡¯s voice who entered the room, Lydia was relieved. Finally, just when she thought she would be released from listening to him speak. ¡°Edgar! Oh, I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± Probably not able to wait for the butler to lead her in, an orange-colored curly haired body came bounding in. And she went straight to Edgar. ¡°Good morning, my lady. You¡¯re even more beautiful today than before.¡± With an attitude that of a queen, she lifted up her hand and waited for him to greet her with a kiss. Of course, the girl didn¡¯t have Lydia in her sight. ¡°Oh, Edgar, there¡¯s going to be a solo recital by a pianist from Vienna at the Watts house. Wouldn¡¯t you like to go? It¡¯s only a small gathering of people who are very close with Lady Watts.¡± ¡°I wonder if it will be all right if I intrude.¡± ¡°Of course. If you would escort me, that is. And besides, everyone wants to get to know you.¡± Taking this opportunity, Lydia tried to slowly creep out of the rom. ¡°Oh, yes, Rosalie, I was told that you apparantely should keep a cross made of rowan with you. According to my fairy doctor, it''s to ward off malevolent spirits.¡± P. 106 But that made her stop in her tracks. If he said something like that, then she was sure to hear a retaliation. And just like she expected, Rosalie¡¯s eyes sank into Lydia¡¯s back. ¡°Excuse me, Miss fairy doctor. Would you mind not making strange accusations at me?¡± Having no choice, Lydia turned around to face her. ¡°It isn¡¯t an accusation. You¡¯re aware that a bogey beast is hanging around you right? That fairy is dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my slave. It¡¯s protecting me, so don¡¯t speak like you would know.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only for show. You know nothing at all about fairies. If that keeps hanging around you, terrible things will happen. It might even be related to the Lady Doris¡¯ illness.¡± * Claiming that she had something she wanted to look up, Lydia left the earl house early. Nico sneaked into the office that Lydia wasn¡¯t in, and quietly opened the closet door and took out the box that he had hidden in the back of it carefully not to make a sound. When he placed his ear to it, he could hear a rough whispering sound coming from the box. The tin can that he placed in the box was speaking something to itself. It hadn¡¯t realized that Nico was listening to what it was saying. (Rosemary, sage and basil, all the delicious smells of the herbs.) The voice was hard to hear, but it¡¯s intonation sounded like it was singing, so he could tell what it was saying. (A bed bareel filled with rosemary, never imagined that there was such a wonderful spot like that in London.) (Ohh, but I was tricked. A canning factory? I was sleeping on my herb bed and before I knew it I was trapped inside the can.) ¡°Oh, so you were canned while you were taking a nap.¡± Nico couldn¡¯t help but make that remark, and after that, the thing inside it went silent. P. 119 P. 120 The thing inside this must have went into a herbed fish cannery factory and fell asleep in a bed of herbs, so it must be a fairy, and it was trapped inside one of the cans. It must have forgotten the time from the plesant aromas and sleep. What a foolish one, he thought. But since Nico was also a fairy, once he had his attention onto something, it was an everyday occurrence that he wasn¡¯t able to pay attention to anything else. Of course fairies never ever thought of themselves as foolish. ¡°But more than that, who was it that tricked you?¡± The thing inside the can, shook the can violently from the built up irritation of being trapped inside the can and from the caution towards Nico. ¡°Hey, now, let¡¯s talk calmly. Who are you? If you answer, I¡¯m saying that I will open this up for you.¡± Nico had been asking the same question for the past few times. The thing inside the can wouldn¡¯t open its mouth at first, but once it was put inside the closet and figured out that things were going to progress, it started to speak out in a quiet voice. But that voice was hard to hear since it was trapped inside a can. ¡°You want to know who I am first? How could I reveal myself when I don¡¯t know what you are. You want to meet the fairy doctor? I can¡¯t trust you so that¡¯s why I¡¯m checking you out first. Huh? I¡¯m the one who can¡¯t be trusted? This isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± P. 121 It was quite the stubborn one. Apparently the thing inside wanted out and went berserk here and there, making everyone creped out and hence no one dared to open it. So it figured that it was best to stay quiet, and now a suspicious fairy was nearly going to eat it and now it was taking precautions. Nico told it that he wouldn¡¯t want to eat something like I, but there being a fairy who would want to eat a awful thing like a can was more unbelievable to it. A can that only humans could open, and a human that the fairies could trust was only a fairy doctor. That¡¯s why the thing inside the can requested for a fairy doctor to act as arbitrator, but for Nico, since he couldn¡¯t say the thing inside didn¡¯t have any ill intent, it was a problem. It would be troublesome if it attacked Lydia as soon as it came out, and so after making repeated arguments and counter arguments, they were being persistent. And in the end, their conversation would end without any answer. Because the thing in the can was sealed in, hence, its powers were sealed, it didn¡¯t have that much energy. It¡¯s active time period was short and because it fell asleep very quickly, it looked like they weren¡¯t going to be able to have a talk for a while. However, he could understand how the thing inside would be extremely cautious of Nico. If it was tricked and put in this state, then one¡¯s level of caution would indeed rise. He felt pity towards it, but if it turned out to be something bad, and it was sealed because of its wickedness, then there was no way that he would let it out. P. 122 Since this was a delicate situation, it was hard to decide if he should talk to Lydia about this. What made him hesitate was because she was chronically soft-hearted and she was sure to pity it than sense the danger. That¡¯s why Nico cautiously put it in a box, so its voice wouldn¡¯t be heard by Lydia, and hide it in the back of the closet. Just then the door of the room opened without a knock. Nico panicked and threw the can under the table cloth and jumped up to sit in the chair. He pretended like he was drinking tea by casually picking up a teacup, but the one who entered was Edgar. Oh, darn it, I screwed up. I needed to pretend to be a cat. After Edgar returned home and opened the door to Lydia¡¯s office, the first thing that came into his sight was a gray-haired cat gracefully sipping tea from a teacup. It was sitting on a tower of pillows on top of the chair so it could reach the table. Its nose twitched like it was enjoying the steam and aroma, and after it took a quick sip, the cat returned the cup back onto the saucer. It took a quick glance towards Edgar, and changed its posture as though nothing had happened. In other words, in a sitting position like that of a cat. What was now in front of him was just an average, normal cat that made it seemed like the sight of a cat drinking tea just now was a figure of his imagination. P. 123 ¡°I thought I heard that Lydia went home, I see that you didn¡¯t go with her.¡± ¡°I quite like it here. Since fresh hot tea comes out immediately when you ring a bell.¡± Leaning up against the cushion, it narrowed its eyes satisfactorily. Its meow somehow sounded like they were meaningful words. Edgar was made to think again that Nico was perhaps not an ordinary feline. He went to sit down opposite of Nico on the other side of the table. ¡°Say, Nico, what do you think Lydia thinks of me?¡± ¡°A shady philanderer.¡± Was what he thought Nico¡¯s cold stare was saying. ¡°Oh, well, that can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°Oi, you¡¯re agreeing?!¡± ¡°But for the time being, she doesn¡¯t have a man she fancies, right? I think I still have a chance, you know.¡± ¡°Huhhh? Or rather, weren¡¯t you after that curly, orange haired young lady?¡± ¡°Oh, Rosalie, we¡¯re just friends. She thinks the same of me.¡± ¡°How half-hearted of you, the two of you were so close, that¡¯s hard to believe. And generally speaking, even your attitude towards Lydia looks like you¡¯re just joking around.¡± P. 124 Like he was disgusted of him, Nico leaned against the armrest and rested his cheek in his paw. It was an unrealistic position, but not impossible. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to be fooling around, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t have that much confidence, and I don¡¯t want to be jilted.¡± ¡°Liar. A girl like Lydia is just something rare for you. Let me point out that the world Lydia lives in is completely different from yours. Lydia is well aware of that and keeps her distance from you, so don¡¯t mess that around.¡± He felt like he was seriously lectured, and Edgar let out a sigh. What is the reason that¡¯s keeping me from making Lydia stay by my side, he wondered. He believed that a fairy doctor was needed for the earl family. Not only that, but he did have and interest in her and found her charming, and of course, he was well aware that their worlds were completely different. She was filled with unpredictability and mystery, and he found it exciting to talk to her so that made him go after her. It was that sort of sensation, but knowing that their worlds were different and yet if there was no discord, then it was truth that his feelings were shallow. ¡°It would be nice if Lydia would just open up to me just a little more. Nico, what should I do? Since you know Lydia so well right?¡± Even how he asks a cat was a game-like facetious feeling. P. 125 Like he was saying, How could I be frank with a gang member, he swished his tail around. Or is he saying, How could I tell you for nothing? He thought of something and called for the butler. Hearing the order of his master, the butler left the room and came back holding a silver tray. On it rested a silver container with a leg that held sweets that gave off a sweet aroma. After it was set down, Edgar pushed it towards Nico. ¡°These are chocolates with liqueur that just arrived from France. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t be dissatisfied?¡± Leaning himself over just a bit, Nico stared quietly at the brown rounded objects. A cat that had a necktie tied around its neck, picking up a chocolate in a graceful gesture, didn¡¯t appear all that mysterious. Putting it in his mouth and rolling it over on his tongue, Nico narrowed his eyes in pure delight. ¡°You can have as much as you want.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to Lydia.¡± Was that his advice? He thought that that was what Nico said as the cat pulled the silver bowl with his hands, or his two front paws, like he was cradling it. Volume 2 - CH 4 P. 126 P. 140 She must be talking about when they found the young boy, but more importantly, Lydia wanted to ask about Lord Graham. * When Carlton made a visit to the earl¡¯s house claiming that Lydia hadn¡¯t come home yet, it seemed like he had already went to several places to look for his daughter and to top it off the thought of picking up a hack completely slipped his mind, so he apparently had walked all the way to the earl¡¯s residence. According to the housekeeper¡¯s account, Lydia had left to go home early sometime just after noon and shut herself in Carlton¡¯s study, but then went out again sometime in the evening. When she left, Lydia said she was going out to give back something forgotten to someone and she only had on light clothing that didn¡¯t look like she was going to stay out long. ¡°Pardon me, my lord. I thought she might had some sort of business here, so I came.¡± P. 149 When Carlton found out that Lydia wasn¡¯t there as well, he looked like he was about to take off again. ¡°Mr. Carlton, please try to calm down. I¡¯ll also go around to places that she might have gone to,¡± said Edgar to prevent him from leaving. He had his butler prepare his coat and hat, and called for Raven. When Edgar heard this news, Rosalie immediately came to mind. After the solo recital was over and he returned home, Rosalie made a terrible fuse that she had dropped something. As soon as Raven said that he had handed the thing he picked up to Lydia, the color of her face changed and she sped out of his house. Raven said that what she dropped looked like ¡®a stone similar to an Easter egg,¡¯ but Edgar intuitively knew that it was the ¡®fairy egg.¡¯ That originally was his possession. In the ¡®Wonder Chamber¡¯ that took up a corner of the large manor house that Edgar grew up in, there were endless numbers of rare treasures from all ages and countries that were collected by his past generation family members. Like its name, it was a room that was made to surprise the guests that entered it. There were numerous relics with strange and interesting histories and although it might appear vulgar or gross to gaze in wonder at unidentifiable mummies and stuffed animals but that wasn¡¯t unusual in the families of the peerage. P. 150 The ¡®fairy egg¡¯ was just one of the many artifacts that were on display there. With a pattern that looked like it was covered with thin veins of a leaf and the water that was trapped inside. As a child, he was drawn to the mysterious movement of the water¡¯s shadows that moved inside the stone. He didn¡¯t know that it was an agate, or its other name was the ¡®fairy egg¡¯ or the legend behind it and had secretly taken it out off his father¡¯s ¡®Wonder Chamber.¡¯ He remembered that he always had it hidden in his pocket. But couldn¡¯t remember when he lost it. Until he found out that Rosalie had that agate stone. The first time he met her was at the seat of a tea party hosted by a certain noblewoman. She claimed that the glass ball used in the fortune-telling game was a mere child¡¯s play and so Rosalie showed that agate stone to the young ladies there. At that moment the jumbled memories of Edgar immediately pieced themselves together. A hazy memory of a cold dark room he was tied up in. Plagued by a horrifying nightmare and not being able to tell dream from reality as he feared the approach of the fogman. The two girls he thought were an illusion. He remembered that he handed over the water-sealed agate stone he always carried around with him to them. And then, at that moment, he realized. If Rosalie was the girl from that time, then the one who was the cause of all his pain and torture was someone that was in close proximity to her. From then on, Edgar narrowed down the names of the one who was involved in his kidnapping to Lord Graham who was related to her and started his investigation. P. 151 He immediately found out that Rosalie was unaware of the criminal acts of Graham. She was just a selfish, egotistical, na?ve young lady. Since he found that out, Edgar wasn¡¯t all that interested in the bogey beast that Lydia was talking about. There was no mistake that Graham was unrelated to that. So he figured that if Lydia hadn¡¯t come home and something happened, it must only be another fight that continued from the one this morning with Rosalie and so unrelated with Graham. But Graham was near Rosalie. If he found Lydia, then the situation would turn worse. ¡°Um, has Lydia gotten herself involved with something dangerous again?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. I think she¡¯s just kept back by a little willful acquaintance,¡± said Edgar in a calm tone like no big deal as much as he could. Since Carlton showed such a worried face to him. He was a man on the thinner side and his appearance made him looked tired and aged, and it was hard to try to find a resemblance with Lydia, but he pushed up his round spectacles that played up his goofy appearance and looked straight in the eye at Edgar. ¡°My lord, Lydia has her trust in you. A fairy doctor¡¯s job comes with its dangers but if my daughter has chosen to work for the earl family, would you please protect her.¡± The scholar-like sharp eyes that were used for observation must have figured out what sort of character Edgar was. P. 152 He must also have realized that Lydia was involved in some sort of dangerous incident. And yet he decided that he wouldn¡¯t press any further if Lydia had her trust in him. He did resemble his daughter as a father who also had a soft heart. ¡°Yes, of course. Your daughter saved my life, and I¡¯ll do everything in my power to protect her.¡± Carlton must have been satisfied with that response and went home. He wasn¡¯t lying when he said he thought that she saved his life. But Lydia didn¡¯t trust Edgar like Carlton claimed she was. Of course she wouldn¡¯t It was normal to think that one should keep their distance away from a phony criminal. Edgar himself, couldn¡¯t show all of the cards he had in his hand. To tell the truth, she was different from Raven and his past comrades, so he was confused at how much distance he should put between them. She wasn¡¯t someone who shared the experience with him in the depths of despair and poverty and even if Lydia was told of someone else¡¯s unlucky past, it would only be troublesome for her. He couldn¡¯t be sure if that could be a reasonable excuse to take advantage of her and use her without telling Lydia the truth and his circumstances, but in the end Edgar only was using her half-handedly. ¡°Hmm, so you do have some conscience that condemns.¡± He felt that the meowing voice coming from the floor which was aimed at him as he had on a troubled expression was Nico. ¡°Nico, where are you going?¡± P. 153 ¡°To look for Lydia. I can¡¯t rely on you any longer.¡± He watched as Nico dashed off outside the door and disappear, but that could have just been the fog that was passing by. Edgar took ahold of the stick that was held out to him by Raven and stepped outside. ¡°Lord Edgar, I had just gotten some news from one of our informers.¡± ¡°Is it bad news?¡± ¡°At this timing, yes.¡± ¡°¡­..Was the man who attacked Lydia in the park hired by Graham?¡± ¡°Yes. The man was called ¡®the dog tamer¡¯ and was periodically used by Graham. Graham had also asked around to several hoodlums in the downtown area to go after the Earl Ashenbert¡¯s fairy doctor. The man who previously helped out in slaying psychic girls, clairvoyantes, and girls who sees premonitions, but this time he refused or so I was told.¡± ¡°Which means Graham is definitely one of Prince¡¯s men.¡± Edgar went silent to concentrate for a moment, then asked Raven again. ¡°And, what is that?¡± He asked because he saw Raven holding a can that was bent in one spot. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t stop saying to deliver it to the fairy doctor.¡± P. 154 ¡°Who?¡± ¡°This.¡± * The letter that the Worpole family¡¯s maid was secretly asked to take to Rosalie¡¯s room was from Edgar. It only said that he wanted to see her, which made the young girl in high spirits, and departed alone to go to the famous hotel that was used by the people of the ton. It was usually used by the nobles to stay long periods of time as they lived in the countryside and didn¡¯t have a residence in London, otherwise, it was a respectable hotel that many of the ton members stayed at like their hiding place. The room that Rosalie was lead to was a guestroom that was furnished with completely composed, unobtrusive furniture. The blond haired Earl met to greet her. She felt victorious at his smile. ¡°I was surprised that you suddenly wanted to see me.¡± ¡°Why? You knew that I was completely enamored of you?¡± When she was gazed down by his forlorn, doleful ash mauve eyes, her heart beaded rapidly. ¡°But it hasn¡¯t been that long since we parted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been several hours. And besides, I wanted to talk with you more in private.¡± P. 156 It was just like the fairy said. As long as she listened to it, the happiness she was expecting came. She gave herself up to the appealing whispers of his and took a sip of the wine he offered her, which all made Rosalie feel great. That girl named Lydia, she was such a liar for saying that Edgar was dangerous. Even if a man was a little dangerous, they would turn loyal in front of a charming lady. ¡°Actually there was something that I wanted to give you.¡± ¡°Oh, I wonder what?¡± Opening a velvet case he took out, there was a ruby necklace inside. ¡°Oh, my, this is for me? Could I accept such an expensive gift.¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Then please tell me where Lydia is.¡± She thought she misheard him. Because Edgar was still looking at Rosalie with gentle eyes like he was in love with her. ¡°¡­..What did you say?¡± ¡°You know, right? Where Lydia is. I thought she may still be with you, but the maid at the baron house said that you returned home alone quite some time ago. But Lydia remains missing ever since she has met you.¡± P. 157 Blood immediately rushed to her head. Rosalie felt like she was insulted and threw down the necklace. ¡°How dare you, I don¡¯t know anything about Miss Carlton! And I won¡¯t accept this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not me to return it to. That¡¯s a present from Lord Graham to you.¡± ¡°From Uncle¡­..?¡± That didn¡¯t make any sense. Edgar made a little chuckle and in that little second he appeared like a completely different man to Rosalie¡¯s eyes. It was a chilling, inhuman smile that she never saw before. ¡°Did you know that this hotel¡¯s owner was Lord Graham? But he had a terribly large debt, that was built up from his excessive spending and the gambles he lost to, but this was also secured as his mortgage. So, I seized this place just now as I was his creditor and this room was used by Lord Graham and so it has his things still in it, but how interesting, there were so many interesting things that you couldn¡¯t dare leave laying around in your house.¡± For example, said Edgar as he stood up and held out a group of papers. Rosalie, who was in a complete chaos, wasn¡¯t able to accept them strongly, so the wad of papers all fell to the floor. P. 158 ¡°He had been using the fortune that was suppose to be Lady Doris¡¯. Of course, you were also a victim of that. However he started to not be able to make up for the damage. So what was he going to do? He thought. First, he had Lady Doris go missing. You were wanting to make her do as you said and there were many who knew that you were unilaterally doing mean things to her. That was it. Your flamboyant and vain personality where you would supply ample money to men you took a liking to but didn¡¯t realize that you were being an easy mark for your money, would become a key part of the plan. Lord Graham had already driven away several men in the past to stop you from throwing out all the family¡¯s savings. Luckily, you were quick to fall for them but also quick to be bored of them and so you were quick to forget about the men you financed. But he used that against you and made it look like you had gotten your hands on Lady Doris¡¯ savings. And when you also went missing, society would figure that you got rid of Doris and couldn¡¯t hide that and went on an escape.¡± On a number of the paperwork that were scattered by her feet, she saw that they were signed as if in her handwriting to make it appear like Rosalie had been the one that was doing the expensive shopping. Even the ruby necklace must have been made to look like she bought it. ¡°Now I went this far and let you know of your dangerous situation. I¡¯d really like it if you¡¯d answered my question.¡± While in her disoriented state of mind, she was vaguely able to understand the actions of her uncle, but Rosalie was more terrified of Edgar in front of her. Who in the world is this man? She thought he was the kind, gentle, breathtakingly handsome earl, but now his perfectly sculptured face appeared chilling cold. She backed away to tried to run but he grabbed ahold of Rosalie¡¯s arm. P. 159 P. 160 ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll scream.¡± ¡°Go ahead as much as you like. There are no other guests on this floor and I already had a word with the manager. To not pay attention even if they heard the sound of a screaming woman.¡± "Where¡¯s Lydia?", he pressed on. ¡°If something were to happen to me¡­.you¡¯ll never be able to find her¡­¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± A second after those words had left his mouth, he turned his head and called for someone. ¡°Open the window.¡± For the first time, Rosalie realized that there was an auburn-skinned servant standing in the corner of the room. Edgar dragged her to the windowsill. ¡°No, STOP! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t intend to talk, then it wouldn¡¯t be any different to me if something were to happen to you.¡± Without any hesitation, he grabbed Rosalie¡¯s neck. He pushed her further out the window as she lost her breath from suffocation. ¡°Intoxicated by the wine and on a spree fell out the window, is what they¡¯d think.¡± I¡¯m going to be killed. Rosalie sensed his seriousness and lost control of herself and cried and screamed for her life. Most likely she must have spilled the truth about Lydia as she was crying. When the suffocation stopped and she came to her senses, she was sitting on the floor. She couldn¡¯t stop from sobbing convulsively and her body wouldn¡¯t stop trembling. P. 161 And yet, she felt an overpowering drowsiness come over her, there must have been something put in the wine. ¡°Young na?ve little lady. You should learn that you¡¯re able to dream like the world revolves around you because of your blind ignorance.¡± He swiftly put on his overcoat and was about to leave the room with his servant. ¡°Oh, yes, the wine you had was also from this room. Although I don¡¯t know what was in it.¡± No. I¡¯m scared. If I lose consciousness here, then Uncle would come¡­. But the blond devil walked out of the room, leaving Rosalie alone. For some reason, the memory of the blond young boy who she mercilessly abandoned, just like this, came to mind. Volume 2 - CH 5 P. 162 P. 178 ¡°Yes. But you are alive. That story wasn¡¯t just about one boy, was it? I heard from Raven that there were many other boys who went through the same thing. You were also talking about yourself, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure.¡± She could sense in his careless response, there was a hint of irritation. It was like he felt hatred towards himself for being the only one to survive. ¡°Isn''t it you that really needs to be saved?¡± He didn¡¯t answer. ¡°You yourself are still trapped in the fog. That¡¯s why you¡¯re not able to accept the fact that your friends were sacrificed¡­ But, even if you paid your revenge against Lord Graham, I don¡¯t think that will make you relieved from your grief.¡± Lydia felt the small breath from Edgar¡¯s sigh. Although she didn¡¯t know what sort of meaning there was behind it. ¡°It isn¡¯t bad having you this small. I can always keep you near me.¡± ¡°What, I don¡¯t want to stay like this! I¡¯m hungry and it¡¯s cold, and what should I do when I get sick!¡± She couldn¡¯t say that Edgar wouldn¡¯t keep Lydia like this as a pet. So Lydia seriously denied his idea. P. 179 ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯d rather prefer to embrace your warm real body instead of a cold glass bottle. I want to touch you so I can make sure of your warmth. But if I were to do that, I was just thinking that you in your real body would sure to slap me and run off.¡± Of course I would. But Lydia was feeling just a little that it would better that she was a small version of herself in a bottle for now. Then she wouldn¡¯t have been able to be beside Edgar after finding out about the lie that she was used as a lure. There wouldn¡¯t have been an opportunity to touch the despair or lament that he was carrying like this. Lydia had a feeling like Edgar might be shedding tears as he was holding the glass bottle for a while. He was grieving quietly in his heart of how he could only exact revenge for his dead comrades. She thought of him as the arrogant and overconfident and the type who would die than show the weak side of himself. Even if he looked sad or depressed, he was the type of person who even calculated that and threw Lydia around. Even now, she didn¡¯t know what he was really thinking. And yet, she felt glad that she was at a close enough to exchange words with him who maybe wanted to cry. Perhaps what Raven had told her was stuck in her mind. P. 180 That Edgar was a person who didn¡¯t lean against anyone and stood alone. Because Lydia had no ties, she was probably able to peek into Edgar¡¯s whimpers and sorrows that he had to lock up in order to fight, but Raven must have really wanted to say to please not hate the weak part of him. She must have really have a soft-heart to not hate him even when she was in a dangerous situation. But. Edgar needed her even though Lydia made the foolish mistake as a fairy doctor by being bottled up by a bogey beast, but Edgar still needed her, and if there was any salvation by being by his side like this, then she was honestly happy. Through the glass, she pressed her cheek against his shirt. It was something she couldn¡¯t never do in her real body. Amazingly, she felt like she could feel his warmth seep through to her. Who knew that you would get sleepy even as just a soul. When she woke up, Lydia was inside the bottle as the morning sun came shining down. For some strange reason, the bottle Lydia was in was wrapped around with cushions and sheets. He should know that it¡¯s useless, and yet he went through the trouble for such a meaningless thing. P. 181 Lydia felt it was absurd and yet dimly heartwarming and as she had been laying on her side at the bottom of the bottle and was about to wake up, but then, she realized that something was wrong. Her body was heavy as a rock and couldn¡¯t move. Of course it wasn¡¯t her real body, but it felt like it was made out of lead, and she was barely able to lift up her upper body. Lydia leaned up against the glass wall and fought back the pounding pain in her had and the whirl of her brain. She was filled with the fear of unexpectedly vanishing. Since it was a very delicate condition for a human to remain as just a soul, there must have been something happening to herself. She looked around to search the room, but there was no one in Lydia¡¯s field of vision. ¡°Edgar, ¡­..where are you?¡± ¡°Oi, now, what happened? You sure are relying him.¡± A gray-haired cat snooped down in front of her. ¡°Nico.¡± Last night, Nico had returned to her house. To explain to her father and camouflage that Lydia had been forced to go to the party of an acquaintance and had gotten drunk and took the offer to stay at the residence. She didn¡¯t want to cause her father to worry, and she definitely couldn¡¯t show herself in this state. Volume 2 - CH 6 P. 195 P. 208 Edgar didn¡¯t do anything further more to hurt him but his cold eyes that didn¡¯t show a hint of sympathy showed that they wouldn¡¯t accept any pleases of help or defending excuses. It might have not been as scary if he had acted in rage and a fit of anger. His cold glaring eyes continued as Raven held down Graham who was struggling to fight back until he was knocked down unconscious. Edgar was aiming his overflowing rage at Prince who stood beyond Graham. But, even if he let out his anger or make his revenge, what he lost would never come back. Edgar also wouldn¡¯t be saved. He was free from the hands of Prince and obtained his freedom and yet he could have placed himself in another fierce and lonely battle. How sad is that. Edgar turned around to Lydia¡¯s tired sigh and now he hid the heartless, cold presence and had the look of his gentleman self. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lydia. To show you such an unbearable scene.¡± He walked over to her and offered his hand and said let¡¯s go. Lydia ignored it and stood up by herself to stare quietly at Edgar. ¡°Are you going to put that man into a wooden box?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to know that. Since you¡¯re not one of us.¡± P. 209 He looked back at her with a slightly lonely expression. Yes, Lydia wasn¡¯t a part of his group. He acted in desperation to save her like she was a valuable member inside his ring, but since she wasn¡¯t with them, she couldn¡¯t take any step further to him. But, she couldn¡¯t agree to this. ¡°Edgar, what was your purpose in hiring me as your fairy doctor? Wasn¡¯t it to help you as earl and the new you?¡± ¡°¡­..Let¡¯s take about that later. We need to get out of here pretty soon, or the rest of his men might return.¡± ¡°What are you saying? Then, we have to hurry up to find and rescue Doris and Rosalie. The two of them were also put on this ship, weren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any obligation for us to help them.¡± For a instant, Lydia couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°W-Why?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have that kind of time and besides, this ship isn¡¯t able to leave port. Everything here will be searched eventually.¡± When it would be search is the question. A few days? A few weeks? That would be the same as leaving them to die. ¡°But, I know that the two of them are being confined somewhere. I can¡¯t leave when I know that¡­.¡± P. 210 Reaching to that, Lydia suddenly realized. They knew and yet eight years ago, Edgar was abandoned. ¡°Do you loathe them? Because Rosalie and Doris stole the ¡®fairy egg¡¯ from you and yet they didn¡¯t help you?¡± He looked back at Lydia with a somewhat troubled expression. ¡°I don¡¯t really remember.¡± ¡°Rosalie told me that she met a young boy who was tied up and locked in that river-side warehouse eight years ago. She thought he was a thief and took his water-sealed agate and never saw him since¡­. That boy was you wasn¡¯t it? Rosalie and Doris had gotten into the warehouse that Lord Graham used to confine you to hand you over to Prince, right?¡± He let out a breath of air, which didn¡¯t look like it was from remembering his painful past but looked like he was tired of Lydia¡¯s meddling. ¡°Even if that were so, it wasn¡¯t that much to hate someone for. Lydia, it would be natural for those girls to abandon a filthy young boy. He would have nothing to do with them and they can figure out that it would do them any good to get involved with it. I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t care if they are going to be the victims of their own uncle¡­¡± Before Edgar could finish what he was saying, Lydia had slapped his face with the palm of her hand. * Lydia was wandering around inside the deserted ship. There were a number of places that looked like a tornado had passed through, but she could guess that it may have been caused by Raven. It didn¡¯t look like it was caused by a fight or combat, but more the trail of Raven forcefully entering as he was looking around for Edgar. Since every door like door had been broken down by the work of some axe-like object, she guessed that the sailors must have run-off than stay and try to stop Raven. Imagining the sight of that expressionless person causing havoc wherever he went really made her see him as a living, breathing weapon of war. Inside that disarranged ship, Lydia aimlessly went around to carefully searched the rooms, but it wasn¡¯t that easy to locate Rosalie and Doris. P. 214 ¡°Hey, Nico, don¡¯t you sense anything?¡± ¡°What are you saying that I sense.¡± ¡°Like, smells.¡± ¡°I am not a dog.¡± Just then, Lydia picked up the sound of a woman¡¯s scream. ¡°It¡¯s this way!¡± Lydia went off in a dash. ¡°Oi, be careful. If it¡¯s a scream, then couldn¡¯t that mean there¡¯s someone else there?¡± said Nico, as he followed her. Oh, yes, he could be right. She made sure to not make as much noise to give away that they were approaching as she rushed to the direction of the voice. She stopped at the bend of a crossway as she could sense someone was present close-by around the corner, and after she peeked out, a figure and the person¡¯s orange hair stood out even in this darkly lit place. Rosalie was being carried on a plump man¡¯s shoulder and was about to be taken off somewhere. ¡°That man, he¡¯s the president of Graham¡¯s company.¡± ¡°Hmm, since Raven came and made a commotion, he¡¯s thinking of moving her to a different place? Oi, Lydia, what are you going to do?¡± When Nico turned around, Lydia was already gripping a mop. P. 215 ¡°Let¡¯s go, Nico.¡± ¡°Ehh, idiot, stop! This is too reckless¡­.¡± But, she got set for only a second and then raced out. Gripping onto the pole of the mop, she swung it down as she aimed at the man from behind. ¡°Whoa¡­.!¡± Letting out a grunt, the man wobbled over as he let go of Rosalie. ¡°You, bloody, wench.¡± In no time had the furious man grabbed the mob out of Lydia¡¯s hands. He reached out to get his hands on Lydia. Just then, Rosalie grasped onto the man¡¯s leg. He tripped forward and fell face down, and then she sunk her teeth into him. Lydia rushed to pick up the mop and she too repeatedly hit him with it. The man crawled along the floor in an effort to escape, but accidently went tumbling down a near-by staircase against the wall on the floor down to the bottom of the ship. ¡°Hurry, shut the door!¡± The two of them hustled to lift up two wooden boards that acted as doors to close up the stairs. After the pounding sound of the closing wooden doors and latching the lock, it wasn¡¯t frightening any more no matter how much the locked-in man yelled or bellowed at them. They quickly ran away from there and was finally able to take a breath of relief in an empty, quiet place, and when the two of them looked at each other, it wasn¡¯t sure who was the first, but the two of them relaxed the stern look on their faces. P. 216 ¡°Miss Rosalie, were you being locked-up at the bottom of the ship?¡± ¡°Yes¡­, but just earlier, that man suddenly came in, and took me out to take me somewhere¡­..¡± It was there, she remembered what she had done to Lydia and nervously backed away. ¡°More than that, why are you here? He¡­Edgar came to see me and told me to reveal your location¡­.. Weren¡¯t you rescued by him?¡± ¡°Well, yes, I was, but I came here to rescue you.¡± The look on her face suddenly changed, like she was angry. And then, she turned her back to Lydia. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Because, I, I did that awful thing to you¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, that sure was awful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I was nearly killed by Edgar!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, there¡¯s something wrong with him! ¡­..He seemed like he was used to threatening people, and had that sweet, melting smile on his face as he was trying to kill me.¡± Yes, he would be capable of that. She could effortlessly imagine the sight and being able to do that was depressing. She hoped that he didn''t have the intent to kill her, but the reason behind that why he didn''t could be just be that there was no profit in doing that for Edgar. P. 217 ¡°Yes, that man did the wrong thing. Even I¡¯m always fooled around by him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying. You¡¯re a part of his group. You say that you¡¯re here to help me, but what are you really going to do with me? Are you going to get even?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Miss Rosalie, when you were locked-in, did you understand the feelings of being scared and alone?¡± Trembling her shoulders slightly, Rosalie looked up at her with a frightened look. ¡°¡­¡­Yes, I understand¡­.., that¡¯s why I know that this happened because I deserved it.¡± ¡°Then, please believe what I¡¯m saying. I understand how you feel, so I¡¯m here to help you.¡± Lydia gave her a smile and held out her hand to Rosalie. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go. We still need to find Miss Doris and get her out since those crooks could come back.¡± She didn¡¯t take Lydia¡¯s hand because she must have still had doubts about her. And yet, Rosalie appeared like she was still going to go along with Lydia. Perhaps, she was worried about Doris. ¡°Are you saying that Doris is also on this ship?¡± * The reason why Nico had slipped away from her was because he spotted something troublesome. The bogey beast that moved in a bouncing, jumping run, had gotten his body back after Nico had made him disappear yesterday. Nico had gotten a quick glance of it out of the corner of his eye and quickly dashed to follow it. ¡°What an annoying little critter, geesh.¡± Even as Nico thought that, he carefully followed after the bogey beast. The devilish fae appeared like it was looking for something. Could it be that orange-haired girl? He twitched his nose to try to pick up a scent and immediately rushed in the direction that Rosalie might be at. P. 228 The meerky smell of Thames River mixed with the erry mist of the smog shrouded the inside of the ship. Wherever you were, that followed you in every part of this city. More than the smell, Nico felt the moisture-laden air. It seeped into his whiskers and fur coat and that pasty and clammy feeling made his fur feel more heavy than normal. Either way today too, Londonwas enveloped in the fog. There was no wind and the city was covered in a heavy, cold humidity. Everyone wondered when the spring winds would come. (Ahh, Master is calling me. If I don¡¯t hurry, I will be heavily scolded,) mumbled the bogey beast to itself. Nico perked up his ears as he followed after it. (Oh, geesh, how could I allow my great self to be beaten by a fur-covered monster cat.) I ain¡¯t a monster. (Oh, but that fairy doctor is still inside the bottle. The body was taken away so I couldn¡¯t have any fun with it. And the Blue Knight Earl is on this ship. What a perfect chance. If he¡¯s defeated, then it¡¯s the revival of my Master!) Blue Knight Earl? That¡¯s Edgar. The bogey beast that was bounding around inside the ship must have seen Edgar. But, it looks like it didn¡¯t know Lydia was here after she was rescued out of the bottle. P. 229 He wondered what kind of relationship the bogey beast had with the earl. He remained confused as he kept his pursuit, but eventually, the bogey beast found the room that Rosalie was hiding in. (Here it is. I can hear Master¡¯s voice.) Voice? But Nico couldn¡¯t hear anything. It could have been a noise that had the same characteristics as the bogey beast, and if that were so, then that [Master] seemed like it was something of a troublesome or deadly nature. From the slight crack of the open door, the bogey beast slipped inside. Nico also faded his body and passed through the door. Rosalie was sitting near a round skylight windowsill. The bogey beast that went up to her, remained in an invisible form that humans were unable to see and called out its master. Of course, it didn¡¯t refer to Rosalie. Something seemed to be inside the faint green stone that Rosalie had in her hand. ¡°So that¡¯s the master.¡± Even Nico could tell the strong presence of the charm spell that repelled evil. His instinct told him that if he were to touch it, it was dangerous as he would be sucked into it. ¡°So that means, it¡¯s something stupid enough to be sucked into that thing, right?¡± The rock itself appeared mesmerizingly beautiful and extremely appealing, but because they couldn¡¯t touch it, it was a charm to ward off evil. P. 230 (Master, forgive me for my lateness. Oh, no, you will wait no further. I will immediately put the girl to work. Ahh, you mean the forerunner? Yes, I have put it in a trap. It was a stupid one, so I trapped it while it had fallen asleep in a pile of its favorite leaves. There is nothing that will stand in your way now, so please do not worry.) What did it mean about forerunner? Was it the nemesis of the bogey beast and its master? If so, it was sure that it was in a state that couldn¡¯t stop the two of them. To even put Lydia, the Earl¡¯s fairy doctor, inside a bottle was quite a job for a bonehead bogey beast. Oh, but, he had no time to be surprised by that. As Nico spied on them even further, the bogey beast bounced up to stand right in front of Rosalie. So that she could perceive it, it appeared its body to the human eye. (Ahh, my lady, how I have searched for you. What happened for you to be trapped inside a place like this?) Just seconds ago when it was calling her a little brat, it suddenly put up the fa?ade of a cajoling attitude towards the girl. Rosalie, who had her head down, whipped her face up. ¡°Fairy¡­.., where have you been! I was tricked by Uncle and had such an awful experience! No matter how much I called you, you never appeared¡­¡­¡± P. 231 P. 232 (Please forgive me. There was a small unanticipated accident and I was in a state of unconsciousness. Ahh, but, everything is fine now. If you would just follow my word, everything would work out perfectly.) ¡°What are you saying I do? If I¡¯m seen by one of Uncle¡¯s men, I¡¯ll be locked up again. And I can¡¯t escape from this ship, since I can¡¯ swim. So hurry up and go get help.¡± (Yes, yes, but I also happened to see that Earl on this ship as well. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s here to rescue my lady¡­) ¡°What! Why is that man here! You have to be kidding, I¡¯m never going near that man again!¡± (Eh, wh-why would that be? I was told that the earl was my lady¡¯s ideal man of your dreams¡­) ¡°He tried to kill me! His attitude changed all of a sudden¡­.Even Uncle, who was so kind to me, I¡¯m never going to trust men ever again!¡± Seeing that the bogey beast was confused and in a state of panic, Nico guessed that it had been planning to make Rosalie get near Edgar. It was going to get its [Master] that was inside Rosalie¡¯s stone near the target in order to revive it. Perhaps the reason why Rosalie felling in love with Edgar and calculatingly approached him was because the thing inside the stone had learned about the man called the Blue Knight Earl and used its magic to get near him. P. 233 The Blue Knight Earl it targeted was a type of man that constantly put up a sweet, good face towards all women was sure to be a godsend. For the bogey beast and its master, to manipulate the girl and inflict an attack on the earl, the most simple and easiest way to control was to have her fall completely in love with him. (Oh¡­., oh, yes, my lady, if something like that had happened, then you must not let that man get away with it.) It looked like the bogey beast had come up with a new way to make Rosalie go on the move. (You must let him have a taste of his own medicine. Please listen carefully, my lady, there is a magical power in that gemstone you hold. If you use that, then you will be able to punish the man who slighted you.) ¡°Punish¡­..?¡± (Yes, just leave it to me. Ah, yes, please be careful not to drop the ¡®fairy egg.¡¯ Everything is alright, because you are a courageous one.) The dark, evil inside the stone seeped out to sink into the weak opening of Rosalie¡¯s heart. It was trying to take control of her. Even though it was sealed within the stone, if one were to keep ahold of it for a long period of time, then they would be influenced by the dark magic slowly seeping out. Normally, it should be under the care of someone who had a strong tolerance against it. If it was in the old days, a priest or nobleman, and even if there was no guarantee that they were in the same position now, there were sure to be people who had a high tolerance against it, so it shouldn¡¯t be in the hands of a girl like Rosalie who could be easily influenced by it. P. 234 But, in reality, she was the one who had it. Prompted by the bogey beast and manipulated by the dark magic, Rosalie stood up. Her feelings of admiration towards Edgar, yet being double-crossed, and the fearful feelings after being put through a horrible experience had now changed to a bitter hatred inside her. "Oh, this is bad,¡± whispered Nico. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t care what happens to that flirt. But at this rate, Lydia might get in trouble.¡± Before the two of them left, Nico dashed out of the room. He hurried in a dash with his back legs to let Lydia know about what he just saw. Volume 2 - CH 7 P. 235 P. 254 Finally, the vision around them cleared up to reveal the area of the ship¡¯s bottom. She looked for Nico as the wind was still blowing, and saw Rosalie and Doris, as well as Raven and was relieved to see that he was showing them away from the hungry grasp of the fog and leading them toward the safe area of the winds. The winds grew strong and violent once again, making Lydia unable to keep her eyes open and nearly fell over. She was steadied by Edgar, and felt herself embraced in his arms, and heard the curses and damning words of the bogey beast as it was swept up by the wind and blown away out of sight. When she was allowed to lift up her head, she was able to see a faint glimpse of the blue sky. The storage room¡¯s ceiling had been broken through. The wind swirled around the fog carrying further up into the vast skies. She saw a faint glimpse of a pair of sky-colored winds that were as thin and transparent as the air. ¡°Sylph¡­..¡± whispered Lydia. Once the forerunner that was trapped inside the can, burst out into the skies, a swarm of the wind fairies, Sylphs came in huge numbers. It was the coming of the spring winds. They joined to become a blasting squall and blasted down from the upper skies across the top of the river waters that sat next to the city at once. Feeling the heavy roll and sway but sensing that they were being protected by the sylphs, Lydia felt like she was inside a plesant cradle. When the last of the fogman¡¯s presence was dispersed by the wind, the wind fairies kept going and flew away into the far skies. P. 255 ¡°Edgar, we¡¯re all right, now! We managed to escape from being swallowed up by the fogman!¡± Her heart was filled with the relief and happiness of coming back to this world from the darkness inside the fogman that made Lydia let out an overjoyed shrill. ¡°Yes, it looks like it.¡± Edgar was safely here. I¡¯m so glad I didn¡¯t leave him alone. Even if it was reckless or a hit-or-miss thing to do, she optimistically thought that when you had the feeling of wanting to help another, the miraculous power of the fairies would bless you. It was Edgar¡¯s arms that were steadying Lydia who nearly slumped to the floor from relief. She realized that she had been grabbing ahold of him all this time, but even if his hand touched her cheek, she didn¡¯t feel any danger that would normally make her think she had to escape. Perhaps, it was because he was unusually smiling at her with a peaceful look. When the sunlight shined through, she gazed up close at his golden hair that was sparkling like pure solid gold and then her eyes were captured by his heart-melting, lascivious ash mauve eyes. This distance and atmosphere seems, a little, dangerous. Even though she thought that, she couldn¡¯t even hit him, but let him raise her head up as his fingers on her cheek guided her. No, no, it¡¯s all right, Raven had said that Edgar wasn¡¯t that kind of person. P. 256 But. End Volume 3 - CH 1 P. 8 *** The place that Paul Foreman, who was wearing the best clothes he could rent, was stepping inside a place for the first time was a salon that was open to the fashionable social circles. P. 11 There were many remarkable individuals who were attending this exhibition held in this high-class club which was a common place for the upper-class society members to attend. The numerous paintings that were being hanged up on display in the spacious hall were in the currently popular styles and were selected one after another by the Royal Academy . All shared a central theme on being based on a romantic story, and the design of the early period of the Renaissance was delicate and graceful with a fragile beauty and was hailed as befitting to the reign of England ¡¯s beautiful Majesty the Queen. However, there were also paintings from young painters who were unheard of. If one of their works was able to catch the eye of any of the ladies or gentlemen, then they could have a chance to step out into the world of art. So, because of that, Paul and his works that were just starting out were put in a brilliant frame prepared by the art dealer and was hanged out with the rest of them under the grand chandelier. However, as of the moment, there wasn¡¯t any gentlemen who stopped to stand in front of his painting. He was told that it was a little too simple and nondescript. He was well aware of the taste of the upper-class, but he wasn¡¯t able to change his style that easily. That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t expecting all that much from this display. More than that, Paul¡¯s attention was hooked onto something else inside the salon. There was a young blond-haired man who stood out in the center of a crowd who were currently in a lively conversation. He had the picturesque beauty that could blur over the beautiful men and women in the paintings. When he moved, the air around that area also moved. It was like the light was following where he was going, making the shadows move as well. P. 12 But it wasn¡¯t that that Paul had his attention on. He reminded him of someone. It was like he was the future grown-up image of a young boy from his memories. A young boy who had supposedly died. ¡°Paul, what are you daydreaming about. This is your chance.¡± The young painter snapped back into reality and finally realized that the young man his eyes were following was standing in front of his own painting. The art dealer quickly pulled him. When the two of them came up to the young man, the art dealer spoke up in a deferential gesture like an art dealer would. ¡°How about it, my lord. Don¡¯t you think it is a marvelous painting?¡± The name of the young earl, who was the hot subject of the ton¡¯s gossip, was Edgar Ashenbert. He was said to have returned from overseas just this spring. ¡°Indeed. Is this Titania?¡± ¡°Yes. The motif is the fairy queen from ¡®A Midsummer Night¡¯s Dream¡¯.¡± From the shadows of a primrose, the moon fairy was lying asleep. The earl¡¯s eyes that were glued onto the painting looked as if he had fallen in love with her. It wasn¡¯t the power of the painting. Paul was surprised to learn that just having the earl gaze at it, it made the painting seem like it was starting to radiate a glowing light. P. 13 Just like how the earl¡¯s softly fitting goatskin gloves, or the knot of his necktie, and even the sheen of his fine evening coat appeared like it was a piece of art. It even gave the illusion like there was the faint aroma of a flower that was drifting out from the painting. That aroma was from a noblewoman who had approached them, but it was long before any of them could realize that it was so. ¡°Isn¡¯t this theme a perfect match for my lord?¡± said the noblewoman wearing a blue dress. The art dealer didn¡¯t waste the opportunity to sell. ¡°Why, of course, the lord earl would know more about fairies than anyone in the ton. Even I, myself had chosen the best piece of work from the numerous paintings of fairies.¡± And then, the art dealer turned around to look at Paul. He hurried to introduce him as the one who created this painting. The earl who was said to run an estate in the world of fairies looked over to Paul and gave him a pleasant smile. He was told that the young earl was only just past twenty. He was younger than Paul and yet those eyes of his that concentrated onto the fledgling painter appeared like that of a generous patronage. He worried if it was the foolish attempt to try to win the favor of the earl. Though feeling a bit of diffidence, Paul was nudged by the art dealer¡¯s elbow and so he managed to give his greetings as best as he could. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you. Lord Ashenbert.¡± P. 14 ¡°Do you frequently do fairy paintings?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I really like imaginative literature on fairies such as Drayton and Spencer.¡± ¡°Have you seen one?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He was being asked if he ever witnessed a fairy before. However, Paul was taken aback and confused if that question was a joke or serious. His name, Earl of Ibrazel (Fairy world) was indeed romantic that it roused the interest of people, but Paul thought it was just a name. There were other peers who had titles to estates that didn¡¯t exist. ¡°My lord, it isn¡¯t nice of you to play fun with an innocent artist,¡± said the noblewoman. ¡°Why, my lady. Do you not believe in the existence of fairies?¡± ¡°If you saw you can see them, then I¡¯ll will say I¡¯ll believe them.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve witnessed one. A fairy that possess ethereal beauty that no woman on this earthly plain can match that could cast a spell on anyone to captivate them. I wonder if I¡¯m seeing a dream to be able to talk to someone like you?¡± ¡°How flattering.¡± If the conversation of the two of them went on a roll, it seemed like they would forget that Paul and the art dealer were even standing right there next to them. The art dealer badgered him on from behind to hurry up and appeal his art more, but Paul was born an inarticulate man. P. 15 He wasn¡¯t able to find a moment to remark and was feeling lost but the earl turned his attention back to him like he suddenly remembered something. ¡°I would like to see some of your other works, Mr. Foreman.¡± ¡°Eh¡­..¡± ¡°Have you taken a liking to it?¡± Pushing aside Paul who had gone frozen at the unexpected turn of events, the art dealer clambered forward. ¡°Yes¡­., this Titania here, reminds me of a woman I fancy.¡± ¡°Oh, my, that sure is inexcusable. Is she your lover?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s my one-sided feelings.¡± ¡°Impossible, I couldn¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°It seems I¡¯m not able to understand a woman¡¯s feelings, so I quickly anger her.¡± ¡°There is no way you wouldn¡¯t be able to understand a woman¡¯s feelings?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, my lady. So much that I would be grateful if you would teach me.¡± ¡°If you are all right with me, then I would be more than happy to.¡± Paul couldn¡¯t guess if he really did take a liking to his art or that he was just using it as an expense to woo the noblewoman, but he remained standing still as he saw the two of them walk off. * If you sleep under a grafted apple tree, or imp tree, fairies will capture and take you away. If it was a beautiful young man or woman, then they have to be particularly careful when they pass under a tree. A fairy¡¯s magic can make anyone fall asleep. If they suddenly felt drowsy and sat down by the tree trunk to take a nap, then most likely, they wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up ever again. And like that, those who disappeared are said to become the bride or bridegroom of a fairy. ¡°Long ago, there even was an ancestor of the Blue Knight Earl who had unthinkingly taken a nap under a granted apple tree,¡± said Tomkins. This butler of the Earl family was sitting behind a desk in one of the rooms of the earl residence and sealing one invitation after another that were stacked up on his desk. When he said Blue Knight Earl, he meant the master of this house, the one the fairies called Earl Ashenbert. The name came after an ancestral figure who was called Lord Blue Knight. For the present-day Britons, that name was only a figurative character from a fantasy novel that was written in the 16th century, but those who knew, knew that figure was modeled after the earl family ancestor. ¡°And what happened after that?¡± P. 17 Lydia was also helping out with sealing the envelopes as she was enjoying a conversation about fairies with Tomkins. ¡°It was said that he was taken away to the beautiful fairy queen.¡± The bloodline of Lord Blue Knight, who was said to possess magical powers as the lord of the fairy lands long ago, had perished. However, in Tomkin¡¯s family who had served the Blue Knight Earl, generation after generation, they were episodes of the earl relating to fairies that were also passed down. ¡°Did the earl marry the fairy queen/¡± ¡°It seemed like he nearly had to make his vows. But the earl knew of a magical spell. Using that, he managed to be released and returned safely back to the human realm.¡± ¡°I know what that magical spell is.¡± ¡°Oh, is that true? Just what one can expect from a fairy doctor.¡± Lydia was a young girl who was hired as a fairy doctor to this earl family. A fairy doctor is a specialist in fairies and was able to see and talk with fairies. They even knew the traditional and proper way to socialize and deal with fairies that was nearly forgotten in the present-day 19th century. From the very start, a fairy doctor¡¯s job was to lend their knowledge of how humans and fairies should properly coexist and undertake the task of trading and bargaining with fairies. Taking over after her deceased mother, Lydia had just started this job, and she was still an inexperienced fledgling, but she thought she had the motivation and pride of an expert. P. 18 ¡°So, Miss Carlton, what kind of spell is it?¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Tomkins, you don¡¯t know it?¡± ¡°Yes, that part wasn¡¯t pasted down in the story. And so, I have always been curious to what it was.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also curious. Tell me too, Lydia.¡± The voice that jumped in was Edgar, the current Blue Knight Earl. He strutted into the room and placed a piece of paper on the table. ¡°Tomkins, this is list of additional guests, all right.¡± ¡°Will this be everyone?¡± ¡°Most likely. Will the food preparations make it in time?¡± ¡°I will have it taken care of.¡± Tomkins took the unreasonable challenge that was thrown at him by Edgar like he was picking up the gauntlet. Well, undertook, really. It seemed like he thought saying ¡®I can¡¯t do it¡¯ would be like waving a white flag as a butler. The Season had started and so every day in London there was a banquet party or ball held somewhere. It was natural that Edgar would come up with saying that he would be hosing a soiree, but the date he chose was much too soon. But, Tomkins preparation was even more faster than that, so Lydia was surprised in awe. ¡°Oh, and yes, Lydia, you¡¯re also one of my guests. There should be an invitation arriving to your father soon, so make sure not to forget.¡± P. 19 What, gasped Lydia, stopping to pause in her task of sealing the invitations. ¡°No, a ball is much too impossible for me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t just peers that will be attending.¡± Even if he said that, if a middle-class member of society was going to attend a ball, then they were surely some wealthy family. ¡°And, besides, there isn¡¯t going to be a need for acting formal. This isn¡¯t a royal ball. Oh, yes, Duchess Masefield, you remember meeting her at the Opera house, right? The duchess said she wished to talk to you about fairies again. Now that I think about it, did you know that her husband, the duke was cousins of your father¡¯s teacher?¡± She didn¡¯t know that. But when she realized it, a wall had been built up around her, not letting her the choice to refuse. Even if her father was renowned as a scholar and accepted for his peculiarities, his daughter shouldn¡¯t be allowed to act improperly in front of a peer member that was connected to him. It was the usual ploy of Edgar. ¡°But, I don¡¯t know how to dance.¡± ¡°Tomkins, when will the dance teacher be arriving?¡± Huh? ¡°In the afternoon, today.¡± P. 20 ¡°And, so, Lydia, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems.¡± There is a major problem! Was what she really wanted to scream out, but with Edgar in front of her smiling like that, Lydia was left with her mouth open and lost the will to speak. ¡°For the mean time, it will be all right as long as you got the form. Because the only one who you are going to dance with is me. Oh, yes, you must not dance with any one other than me. Understood?¡± ¡°¡­..Why.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ll get jealous.¡± He said it a matter of factedly, looking straight into her eyes, but Lydia could only feel like he was joking around with her. Edgar was always like this any time of the day. Of course, Edgar didn¡¯t have any knowledge in regards to fairies even though he obtained the title of earl of the fairy world and there was a certain background to that matter. That was why Lydia was forcingly hired as the private fairy doctor of the earl family. The seventeen-year-old girl who lived in the outskirts of Scotland, couldn¡¯t possibly refuse it after she received the official stamp of approval by her Majesty the Queen, and so, she finally had gotten used to having an office in a nobleman¡¯s grand house and living in the great city of London in these past three months. However, she still couldn¡¯t understand what this earl was thinking what so ever. He would speak sweet, heart-melting words to every single woman he met. He was a man who use his gifted looks and with his calculative mind to play himself up to appear as appealing as he could. P. 21 Lydia was well aware that she couldn¡¯t seriously take in those kinds of words of his. She also knew that those words of Edgar that sounds so appealing to the ears was only just his means to get what he desired from people. But, what she couldn¡¯t understand was where was the fun in pulling out a country bum like Lydia to a grand party. If it was his wish to simply want to take around and show off a rare girl who was a fairy doctor, then it should be good time that he would grow tired of it. ¡°I wish that the moon spell would also work on you,¡± mumbled Lydia under a sigh. ¡°Moon spell?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s a spell that wards off persistent fairies.¡± ¡°Miss. Carlton, it that the magical spell that was said to be used by the Blue Knight Earl?¡± ¡°Yes. To refuse the proposal of a fairy, you have to say ¡®Only if you would grant me the moon that continuously phases.¡¯ Since it is absolutely impossible, the fairies are left with giving up and going away.¡± ¡°I see, since fairies are known for being loyal to the promises they make. So, our lord was also set free from captivity thanks to that.¡± P. 22 Watching Tomkins nod in a deeply moved manner, she watched Edgar walk over to Lydia¡¯s side and leaned up against the desk. He gazed down to her and gave her a meaningful sly smirk. ¡°I¡¯m persistent, so I won¡¯t give up that easily. I¡¯ll do anything I have to in order to present you with the moon.¡± It looked like he was a little annoyed at Lydia calling him ¡®persistent.¡¯ ¡°¡­..I meant that you should only say that to your main love interest.¡± ¡°You are my main.¡± You mean the woman who is in front of you at the time. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m a little curious, that would mean you had used that moon spell on someone before, correct?¡± ¡°Eh¡­.¡± Her heart skipped a beat at his clever intuition. ¡°You said you wished it would work on me as well. Who did you ward off?¡± ¡°A, a fairy.¡± ¡°So, you were proposed by a fairy.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a real¡­..¡± ¡°I feel like I was beaten ahead. So there was another man besides me who fell in love with you that much.¡± ¡°Yo-you¡¯re wrong! It wasn¡¯t like that, he was just a little strange fairy, you see, it wasn¡¯t like he fell in love because of being a fairy, but more like he wanted to get his hands on a human.¡± P. 23 P. 24 ¡°Then, were there others?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± P. 46 Since there isn¡¯t the ¡®moon¡¯ to be worried about. Out of nowhere, Nico plumped down onto the table near-by. Nico twitched his whiskers and then rubbed his nose. ¡°I feel something bad.¡± After he said that, he looked over to the small rock that was placed on top of the table. ¡°What is it? Is it about the fairy that tricked Marygold?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I have a bad feeling. And, besides, this rock has mold on it.¡± Mold, a rock that was in water. Lydia also had a slightly bad feeling. It couldn¡¯t be, she said to herself. ¡°My lord, what shall we do about the forgotten item of the instructor.¡± At the words of the butler who appeared, her mood went down even more. What he left behind: four fingers. The sight of that which was burnt into Lydia¡¯s eyes, that unbearable memory flashed back into her mind. ¡°I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t come back to get it. Why don¡¯t we feed it to some stray dogs?¡± Lydia saw the heartless side of Edgar in that instant, and in that moment, she had the dreadful feeling that everything was going to tumble to a bad direction, and she shook her head fiercely to shake that thought away. Volume 3 - CH 2 P. 47 * Sitting himself down on the stone hand railing that lead to the garden with a glass of scotch in one paw, the fairy cat Nico was humming a tune to himself. The music that was being performed by the orchestra could be heard from here clearly enough. And yet the noise of activity and gossip of the crowd was far away and it was quiet. Basking in the light of the crescent moon that hung in the night sky and sipping the good spirits and picking and tasting the caviar and smoked salmon, made Nico have a terrifically good mood. To tell the truth, he preferred a whole freshly-caught fish after it was deep-fried more than fish roe or thinly cut fish slices, but he didn¡¯t mind this either. The small fairies that had gathered from hearing the music were all dancing by the fountain and tree trunks. Even the Carlton house hobgoblin was there. ¡°Mister Nico, the earl¡¯s ball sure is magnicicent.¡± Fluttering her honey-golden wings in a hurry, Marygold hovered around in the air above Nico. ¡°The ear himself is such a wonderful man. If he were to come to our majesty¡¯s side, then our land would surely become even more prosperous.¡± P. 61 ¡°Hey, hey, you still haven¡¯t given up yet. It¡¯s impossible to take the earl back with you.¡± ¡°If I had that ¡®moon¡¯ with me, then he was sure to have consented.¡± ¡°But, the man that your queen fell in love with isn¡¯t him, you know. He¡¯s just a man who inherited the family name and yet you all are all right with that?¡± ¡°Why, if they have the same name, then there isn¡¯t much of a difference, is there? Since human lives are so short, I have heard that they pass on down the line through their blood and name.¡± But, he doesn¡¯t even share the same blood. Even though he thought that, he kept quiet. Long ago, the human that was the closest friend with fairies was Lord Blue Knight. As his descendants, the ones with the name of Blue Knight Earl must still be someone special amongst the fairies, so it was no wonder that their fairy queen was so clung on to getting him. To tell the truth, Nico actually didn¡¯t mind if this Marygold took away that criminal to the land of their fairy queen, so that Lydia would be released. At this rate, by her remaining as the fairy doctor of the earl family, there was going to be the possibility that Lydia was going to be involved in the unknown war that was behind Edgar. But, Lydia was somewhat pitying Edgar. She was deceived and used a number of times, and even when she was made to do what he wanted her to do, she ended up pitying him for having such a sad past. Be that as it may, that was Lydia¡¯s personality, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. P. 62 If Edgar were to put in a situation where he was nearly taken away to the fairyworld, and it that was not his wish, then she was sure to do something to help him. Because of the responsibility as a fairy doctor, she would do any reckless thing. ¡°Tut, then that means we¡¯ll be living in London for a while.¡± Just when he mumbled that, the small fairies in the garden suddenly began to murmur in nervous voices. The fountain water burst up in exploding waves. The surface of the water that circled around the bronze statue of the mermaid rose up like a black mountain. In the next moment, the area around them was filled with a sinister touch of wind. Marygold hid herself behind Nico¡¯s tail and Nico rushed to jump into the bushes. What appeared from the splashing waters of the fountain was a magnificent ebony, black horse. ¡°K-kelpie¡­.¡± Nico couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise and then quickly covered his mouth with his paws. Lifting up his rear, the kelpie kicked away the fairies that hadn¡¯t yet escaped with its hooves, and shook its saturated mane, making the water droplets making it shine and sparkle, then lifted up its head to look up at the building. ¡°It-it¡¯s him, Mister Nico. He¡¯s the one who stole our majesty¡¯s ¡®moon¡¯.¡± ¡°What, really?¡± ¡°He had a human form then, but I won¡¯t mistake those black pearl eyes.¡± This is bad. Extremely bad. P. 70 What? Lydia let her mouth hang open but snapped back into reality when Nico tugged hard on her skirt from behind. Oh, right. Marygold had said that he was the one who had stolen her ¡®moon.¡¯ She remembered that she mustn¡¯t accept it at all costs as she slapped away his hold. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. The moon is hanging above us this very moment.¡± ¡°Oh, just take a look. It¡¯s the moon and it even changes its phases.¡± On the palm of his hand that he opened, there was a ring that had a milky white stone attached onto it, but Lydia turned her eyes away. ¡°No thank you. It could never be the real thing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that and just accept it.¡± ¡°No!¡± Kelpie tried to force it onto one of Lydia¡¯s fingers. ¡°I told you I don¡¯t want it!¡± ¡°Stop it, young man¡­..¡± Kelpie started to struggle with Paul who stood to guard Lydia. ¡°I said don¡¯t get me my way, you little,¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see she doesn¡¯t want whatever it is.¡± ¡°Shut up! ¡­.ah.¡± Just as Kelpie uttered in surprise, he completely stopped. Volume 3 - CH 3 P. 86 P. 100 Edgar was quick to take her side. ¡°Is there another option?¡± asked Lydia. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it easily slip off if his finger got thinner? We just have to have Paul lose weight.¡± He says to lost weight, but it wasn¡¯t like Paul was fat. ¡°I¡¯d say it would come off if he didn¡¯t eat for a week, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Fo,¡­¡­.for a week?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t come off, then another week.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll die.¡± Paul was on the verge of tears. ¡°It¡¯s all right, one can still live even if they were skin and bone.¡± Since Edgar said he wasn¡¯t saying a joke but an actual fact, Paul slumped his shoulders like he was a prisoner who was given his death sentence. ¡°I will talk it over with kelpie. Although it isn¡¯t full-proof, I think you should carry a Bible and cross just in case,¡± reassured Lydia. ¡°Thank you, Lydia¡­¡­¡± said Paul. Just when they thought everything had calmed down, Nico appeared on the windowsill. ¡°Oi, Lydia, we have another visitor.¡± P. 101 She thought she saw a pair of thin wings behind Nico, then a small girl glided down to land on the windowsill. ¡°Lady Sweetpea!¡± cried Marygold and flew out to her. ¡°Marygold, I was wondering what was taking you so long, what are you doing? I can¡¯t believe you are not even able to fulfill the duty that was entrusted to you by Our Majesty.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m terribly sorry, but, actually¡­..¡± The fairy that was called Sweetpea was indeed wearing a faint pink dress. She apparently had a higher title than Marygold but both of them looked like the same-aged little girls, so the sight of the both of them talking was a strange one. ¡°What?¡± Her Highness¡¯ ring went into the hands of another man other than the earl?¡± Sweetpea fell back like she went dizzy and Marygold rushed to straighten her. Lydia secretly glared at Nico. * Even if she was an inexperienced fairy doctor, there must have been some effect of her intimidating bluster. The two little girls promised to wait patiently until the ring came off. With Kelpie, he didn¡¯t fear Lydia one little bit, but if the field fairies were not going to interfere, then he said he wouldn¡¯t mind waiting until the ring got itself off. The field fairies were fine since they were good-natured, but as with the kelpie, there was no assurance that he wouldn¡¯t do something rotten to Edgar even as he waited. Lydia consulted with Edgar about letting Paul stay at the earl residence until the ring would come off. The earl house which had the merrow¡¯s sword was in one way the territory of the merrows. It was a ground where an aquatic horse couldn¡¯t do as he pleased. Edgar agreed readily and just while they were at it, offered Paul the job of painting a painting to hang in the house. ¡°Paul, you shouldn¡¯t go that way. It would be a bad idea to go near the river.¡± P. 106 Carrying a sketchbook in one arm, he was about to go off the path in the bushes, but rushed to come back. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go on that hill.¡± The kelpie¡¯s magic growed stronger near the river. It would be best to take precautions. Lydia thought that the hill will do better and followed after him. The reason Paul came out to the outskirts of London to sketch was to work on sketching a drawing of the painting he was asked by Edgar. As he refrained from his meals in order to remove the ring, he was eager to get started on the job he was offered. And the reason that Lydia came along with him on his sketch expedition was, unlike in the city, the wild fields was much more closer to the fairy¡¯s domain. Lydia was worried about him going to an area that had strong fairy magic, and the one who suggested she accompany him was Edgar. [I¡¯m jealous that he gets to be protected by you] He said it in his usual light, frivolous way of talking but he was awfully quick to let her go. On the night of the ball, he was persistently making a fuss about her getting too friendly with Paul, but for him to say she should go along with him, was surprising and unexpected for Lydia. Now that she thought about it, since the night of the ball, he didn¡¯t flirt or act like he was courting like always. P. 107 Oh, did he perhaps, notice that I was crying? Just remembering how she acted, made Lydia panic-stricken but she managed to calm herself down. If he had realized, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t use that as a topic to tease her with. Then he must have finally grew tired of me. Edgar was going to parties here and there as usual, and if he was able to go about to all the ladies to court them as he pleased, then he wouldn¡¯t have any time to be wasting on Lydia. More like if he would remain calmed down like this, she would be able to work harmoniously as the earl family¡¯s fairy doctor. Once they decided on a spot on the hill, Paul immediately got to work concentrating on his sketching. Lydia spent her time taking a walk around the area and taking a peek at his sketches once in a while. The maid that accompanied them also conversed with her, but to be able to come to a spot surrounded with greenery and feeling the wind brush against the frill of her bonnet and spending time without doing anything was peaceful and relaxing in itself. ¡°Are you bored at all?¡± Paul had completed most of his work and spoke up to Lydia who was gazing at the scenery near him. ¡°Not at all. Not too long ago, I was living in the countryside, so there were always times when I was watching the clouds go by under a tree the whole day.¡± P. 108 ¡°What a wonderful way to spend the day.¡± Being told like that, Lydia felt all warm inside and smiled. ¡°I had lived in the loud and busy city all my life so my dream is to buy a house someplace where the sky is clear and beautiful and live my days drawing wild flowers.¡± He leaned his head in a somewhat embarrassed manner. ¡°Even if I say that, I couldn¡¯t possibly live that kind of luxury unless my work is recognized by society.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be recognized. Edgar seems like he will also help you.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± After mulling it over, he said once again. ¡°I think the reason the earl is regarding me kindly is because of you. I have a feeling like his eyes caught my fairy painting so that he could make you happy. It seems like he wasn¡¯t that interested in fairy paintings himself.¡± ¡°Impossible, Edgar doesn¡¯t see me as that special a person.¡± ¡°Is that so? Aren¡¯t you his main love?¡± ¡°Oh, Paul, you can tell by observing him for five minutes how much of a flirt he is, can¡¯t you?¡± With a troubled, sour smile, Paul scratched his head. ¡°Well, yes, I guess¡­., but I just have a feeling, like he saw you differently.¡± P. 109 What part? She wanted to ask him that, but she thought it over, thinking it was ridiculously stupid. However it appeared to Paul, there was no mistake that Edgar was a skirt-chasing flirt. Volume 3 - CH 4 P. 125 * Paul pointed out that Lydia was trembling and he didn¡¯t back down at that time. If he entered the earl residence in order to search around the grounds, then he would have avoided doing something that would upset Edgar¡¯s temper. Which means, Paul is indeed unrelated to the ¡°Scarlett Moon?¡± Or did his sense of justice overpower his urge to complete his mission. As Edgar was fumbling that over in his head, he quickly overwhelmed with self-hate and let out a sigh. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Raven, who was sitting near the door, looked over to him as he asked. Beyond the glass window, the hustle and bustle of people who crowded the Oxford Streetpassed by. He wanted to organize his thoughts on if Paul was connected to the Robin Hood gang, but however much he started a new train of thought, the image of Lydia¡¯s face would pop up. ¡°Just a little something.¡± P. 154 He felt remorse for making Lydiatremble in his arms, but Edgar had sensed the presence of Paul near at that time, and in order to see how he would move, he purposefully didn¡¯t let Lydia go. On the other hand, he was irritated at her for continuing to reject him and had a feeling like things would have turned ugly if he didn¡¯t stop himself. There was a cold side of him who was calculating Lydia¡¯s worth and an emotional part of him who was just seeking for Lydia. It would be troublesome for him if Lydia who had left him and so it would of course be best to build a friendship between them as she wished, but the proposal of that idea only upsetted him, so there was nothing else he could do. ¡°Raven, there¡¯s no doubt that I¡¯m using Lydia for my benefit, and yet I wonder why I don¡¯t want her to think that I am.¡± ¡°How do you want her to think of her?¡± ¡°Like, I¡¯m deeply in love with her so I don¡¯t want to let her go at all costs.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be impossible at this point.¡± That¡¯s why I¡¯m troubled, thought Edgar as he crossed his arms. No matter how much he said that, Lydia wouldn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Sir, are you serious about that?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to let her go at all.¡± ¡°No¡­..I didn¡¯t mean about that.¡± P. 155 ¡°If I¡¯m deeply in love? The problem is if everything would turn out wonderful if that were seriously the case, then I can get serious.¡± Like he didn¡¯t understand, Raven tilted his head. ¡°But, Lydia wouldn¡¯t approve of that kind of seriousness.¡± It will always be my one-sided feelings. Said Edgar, as he breathed out those words in a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that kind of serious love.¡± There was a voice that shouldn¡¯t have belonged in the carriage. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you. I knew I couldn¡¯t leave Lydia in your hands.¡± On the seat in front of him, the one who faintly appeared was a young man with wavy jet-black hair. Edgar stopped Raven with only a glance as he was about to react. ¡°Mr. Kain, if you have business with me, then you would need to go through my butler first.¡± ¡°Human rules don¡¯t apply to me. And besides, Lydia just wants to become a fairy doctor and doesn¡¯t care about you at all. Don¡¯t misunderstand that.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t your proposal refused by her? At least, I haven¡¯t been denied yet.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t consider myself refused. Humans quickly grow old and incompetent and they come to hate each other and kill each other and deceive one another. If one was a fairy doctor, then eventually they are sure to choose a life with fairies than those kinds of creatures.¡± P. 156 ¡°You were a kelpie, was that right. Don¡¯t you eat humans? I would think even Lydiawould have her guard up so that she wasn¡¯t eaten by accident.¡± ¡°I would never eat her. A kelpie¡¯s will is strong.¡± ¡°What a waste. I would want to taste Lydia.¡± Kelpie didn¡¯t hide his frown. ¡°You¡­.., even though you¡¯re a human. Are you a pervert?¡± Edgar chuckled and raised his eyes. ¡°Why do you have feelings for Lydia? Isn¡¯t against the nature of a water horse to have feelings for a human?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t fear me. Of course, she sees me as dangerous since I¡¯m a water horse. But, she sees me not as my species, but just as myself. Even if I get near her and talk to her, she doesn¡¯t run away. I never met a human like that.¡± ¡°Then you were cut-off and lonely till you met Lydia.¡± ¡°Lonely? Water horses are like that. We don¡¯t group even with our own kind and live in solitude.¡± ¡°But, you met her and discovered the comfort of being accepted by others. And so, you came to want her all for yourself.¡± Kelpie stared back at him, like he was observing inside his heart. He had such beautiful, black pearl eyes. P. 157 His inhuman and devilish shine shared a quality with Lydia¡¯s golden-green eyes. Like they saw passed anything, which made you feel that there was no use in hiding anything, hence, put you in a relax. ¡°So you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same. She didn¡¯t fear what I had done in the past. She wasn¡¯t swayed by the label that society would put on someone like me, but listened to what I had to say and pitied me. She helped me. She helped me remember the human part of me that no one should lose. As long as I have Lydia, I believe that I would remain relatively decent from now on as well.¡± ¡°Ohh, so you¡¯re the type of human doomed for hell.¡± Kelpie made a devilishly happy smirk. It made one dizzy, perhaps that was his magic as a fae. Now that I remember, his kind doesn¡¯t choose and eats both man and woman. So men are also influenced by this mysterious beauty as well. He¡¯s like the finest of statues. No wonder people who want to get their hands on them and set them in traps. ¡°Lord Edgar!¡± Raven shouted out to him and placed his hand on Edgar¡¯s shoulder. In his other hand, he pointed a knife in the middle of Kelpie¡¯s brow. ¡°Don¡¯t get all steamed up, little boy. ¡­.No, is that a snake? Or is it a bird?¡± Once Kelpie pulled back, Edgar¡¯s body suddenly felt lighter, like he was released from a bounding spell. ¡°I¡¯m all right, Raven.¡± P. 158 Whispered Edgar, as he made his valet pull back his knife. ¡°You could say that. Although I don¡¯t believe in hell. ¡­.That¡¯s why, Mr. Kain, I have no intention of letting her free. That is definitely certain.¡± The black fae laughed with a hmph. ¡°Challenge accepted.¡± After Kelpie disappeared, the carriage stopped not long after. The place Edgar came to was the UniversityCollege, a London university. He stepped off of the carriage, and headed alone to the building where Carlton worked. There was something he wanted to ask and discuss with him, so he had the professor open up his schedule between his private lessons. He was guided by one of the college staff and when he reached the laboratory, Carlton, who had his hair untidy as he wore his spectacles, which made him more like a general office handyman more than a professor. ¡°Welcome, my lord. Pardon this room for being in such a state of chaos,¡± said Carltonas he slipped through a tall stack of paperwork and his desk, but the hem of his coat was caught on his chair and made the mountain of papers crashing down with a loud noise. ¡°Ahhh, now, I really shouldn¡¯t have stacked all of these books on top of each other¡­ Oh, my lord, please don¡¯t be bothered. Please, have a seat.¡± P. 159 He finally realized that there was another pile of paperwork that crowded on top of the sofa for guests and rushed to move them aside. His manner and movements were so clumsy and disordered that unless his assistant Langley, who had been in the next room, didn¡¯t quickly give a hand, he was sure to make that pile of papers come crashing down yet again. ¡°Uh, so then, you said you have something to discuss, did Lydia cause any sort of trouble?¡± P. 168 And he softly made a declaration to Edgar. It was useless for him to approach Lydia on a whim of a feeling. If he was told that, Edgar was more like the type to have his urge to take up a fight heightened. That was the case when he was crossing glares with Kelpie. But right now, unexpectedly, it made him depressed. There were plenty of ways to keep Lydia from running off. If that meant he needed to become serious about her, he arrogantly thought that, sure, he could be serious. But it was like that enthusiasm and scheme was easily pulled out by the root, which surprisingly just made Edgar simply want to see Lydia. She had commuted to work to the earl family house today as well, but she locked herself in her office and didn¡¯t even open the door for Edgar. Even if he deserved it, it looked like she wasn¡¯t going to talk to him for a while. That was no that big of a deal. For Lydia, the job of a fairy doctor was important, and even if the reason was that she couldn¡¯t allow herself to take a day off of work, so he thought that he wasn¡¯t completely rejected by her. He had the confidence that he could make yesterday¡¯s ordeal be swept under the carpet. But, even if he was able to do that, he realized that didn¡¯t mean it would make Lydiaremain by his side on her own will. P. 169 He sensed that he quite, really liked Lydia, and yet, he felt he was rebuffed and dismissed in that he was missing something conclusive. Volume 3 - CH 5 P. 170 * With the investigation report on a painter named O¡¯neill in one hand, Edgar closed his eyelid tightly. Early this morning, this investigation report was delivered by the detective who was hired by him. According to this, a painter Patrick O¡¯neill, who specialized in painting a noble¡¯s manor house that was located in a scenic area did exist. The paintings he produced were naturally hanged in the manor house of those who hired him and so there was no way they were sold to the public. By due to the Season, there were many country-side resident nobles who were gathered in Londonthat knew about him. He had one son. The son¡¯s name was indeed Paul, and his age matched. Only, after O¡¯neill¡¯s death, it was completely unknown about where and how he was. It was a common case when no one would know the location, or a sixteen, seventeen-year-old boy, who was left on his own stumbled into the great city was dead or alive. O¡¯neill death was caused by gas poisoning at his residence in Bath, Somersetwhere he was living at the time. It was declared an accident, but his son, who had survived from light poisoning, was apparently claiming that it was murder. ¡°Murder¡­..?¡± At the least, after his father¡¯s death, Paul lived as the son of Foreman, a different painter. * ¡°What is going on!¡± shouted Lydia as she finally blew her top. As it were, when she woke up in the morning, Kelpie was taking up a spot in her room. She complained that there was a female sleeping in the room! And kick him out, but after she dressed and prepared herself and came downstairs to have breakfast, he was still there. Her father must have heard from Nico that this young man with a tall figure and big attitude was in fact a fairy as he sat across from him with a puzzled look on his face as he watched the fae throw uncooked eggs, still with their shell, one by one into his mouth. P. 181 Of course, Nico didn¡¯t favor being with the barbaric kelpie, so he must have had no intention of having a meal with him at the table. Like he was rotating with Lydia, he snorted through his nose grumpingly as he left the room. Ever since then, Kelpie was always in a proximity close enough that Lydiaalways had him in sight. When she rode the carriage to the earl house, he was right next to her. At this rate, till when Lydia would go home, he might intend to stay in her office room. It didn¡¯t seem like he had any particular business with her and was just standing or sitting there, so Lydia was finally starting to get annoyed. ¡°Don¡¯t be bothered.¡± Kelpie would only reply with that. When they reached the earl house and the driver opened the door, Edgar stepped up into the carriage as he pushed Lydia back in as she was getting ready to step out. ¡°Good morning, Lydia.¡± She hadn¡¯t seen him since that incident and had been avoiding him for three days so she was taken aback at his appearance. ¡°G-good¡­., wait, more like, what do you want?¡± Lydia was obviously leering away from him, but Edgar didn¡¯t seem bothered at all. ¡°Let¡¯s have a talk. Mr. Kain, this carriage is for two. Would you mind going somewhere.¡± P. 182 ¡°Why do I have to move.¡± ¡°This carriage runs for my house. So does the driver and horse.¡± Hmph, snorted the kelpie through his nose. ¡°Fine, then. Since you¡¯re in a pitiful state.¡± What do you mean? She wanted to ask him, but Kelpie vanished in a blink. But, that means, I¡¯m left alone with Edgar in this cramped place? As soon as she realized that, Lydia became frightened again. ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯m getting off!¡± ¡°Lydia, I pledge I won¡¯t lay a finger on you, so please stay here.¡± Perhaps because he said it like an earnest, urgent tone, or because it was better not to entice him if he wasn¡¯t going to let her off, for now, Lydia had no choice but to sit back down on the carriage seat. He told the driver to circle around the area, then like he was finally relieved, he commented in a leisurely manner ¡°what good weather it is today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s completely cloudy.¡± ¡°This is the best it gets in London.¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°Are you still upset about what happened?¡± P. 183 Lydia herself wasn¡¯t sure if she was upset or not. If she thought about it hard, it felt like something you shouldn¡¯t have gotten bothered with that much. Just because she was kissed on her wrist, Edgar was sure to have taken the hands and kissed all the near-by daughters and lady¡¯s hands already. It was like a form of greeting to noblewomen. He might have just fooled around and played a joke on Lydia by doing it to her. It was usually done on the back of the hand, but there really wasn¡¯t that much of a difference. Even if she thought that, at the time, the air felt lascivious and the how he acted, how he looked at her, everything was completely unfamiliar with Lydia, and she was scared so much she wanted to bolt out and run. But that was because she didn¡¯t have any experience with other people, it especially came from her childish fear and nervousness because didn¡¯t know that much about men, so it might have not been Edgar¡¯s fault. Even if she thought that, she didn¡¯t want to end up forgiving him and turning back into his puppet again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m angry or not. Besides, you just probably wanted to joke around.¡± ¡°What would make you forgive me?¡± ¡°If you just let time go back, maybe I¡¯ll just forget about it in some time?¡± ¡°How much is some time? It would be my last regret if I remained in an uneasy position to you.¡± P. 184 ¡°Last regret?¡± ¡°My mistake. Concern.¡± She thought, what a weird mistake, but she didn¡¯t let it bother her. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to forget, but forgive me. I don¡¯t want to forget. I may have caused you to have an unpleasant experience, but I haven¡¯t felt that close to you like I had at that time before.¡± Edgar right now, didn¡¯t try to touch her like he promised, but Lydia again, had the feeling like she was stroked over. But, because he was like that, it was more difficult for her to forgive him. Not only at that time, but it felt like she was going to allow him to get close to her from now on as well. From confusion, Lydia was made to turn her head down, and looking at her like that, he must have given up trying to make her say she forgives him, and so he changed the subject. ¡°Were you courted by Paul?¡± But, he chose an even more peculiar subject. ¡°He rescued you like a knight in armor; it would be natural that he must have said something to get your affections.¡± * Paul had returned to the boarding house on Fleet Street, and he breathed out a deep sigh as he held the medicine bin that was handed to him from one of the men in the organization that he had a seat in. He didn¡¯t know about the scheme his organization had been planning for Edgar all this time and had the strong belief that he was the true Blue Knight Earl. Edgar had taken a liking to Paul¡¯s paintings and possessed both the charming features of a peer-like noble spirit and a friendly down-to-earth characteristic. P. 188 Paul wanted to create a painting that the young earl would be satisfied with and by doing that, he had the feeling like he was fulfilling the promise he made with the Duke family¡¯s deceased young son. But, if he, who called himself Edgar Ashenbert, was someone close to the leader of the organization who killed his father, then his duty was very important. He didn¡¯t have any time to spare in being sentimental. ¡°Mr. Foreman, you have a visitor.¡± The one who spoke to him was the middle-aged housekeeper who managed and ran the boarding house he was staying in. To the he one who came in through the door she opened for, Paul went frozen and nearly dropped the medicine bin in reaction. ¡°M-my lord¡­..¡± ¡°What is the matter? You have the tragic look of someone who facing the end of the world.¡± ¡°Oh, no, nothing is the matter. More than that, thank you for coming to such a foul and squalid place like this¡­.¡± ¡°I have an interest in what a painter¡¯s studio was like.¡± He realized that remaining sitting down was rude and rushed to stand up. ¡°It¡¯s just a regular room. Although, it¡¯s covered with splotches of paint here and there.¡± Paul thought that he should offer him a seat, but everyone of them was covered with smeared oil and paint that it made him worry that it might dirty the earl¡¯s expensive fine frock coat. P. 189 He also must have had no intention of sitting down on a dirty chair, as he walked over to the window and stood looking out. ¡°Are you moving?¡± ¡°Eh.¡± The Earl¡¯s eyes stopped on the trunks that were piled up in the corner of the room. He couldn¡¯t possibly answer that he was preparing for his escape overseas. ¡°No, ah, I was asked by an acquaintance, if my room could be used to store them for a while.¡± It was a desperate and sad excuse, as there were other open trunks that were left out with clothes thrown into them. ¡°I see. The reason I came by today, was because I had something that I wanted to ask you.¡± He was looked at with a faint smile and sharp, piercing eyes, which made Paul go stiff once again. The medicine bin that was in his hand felt like it could slip out of his hand, wet from sweat. ¡°¡­.What might that be.¡± ¡°The moonstone ring, why are you lying that it still doesn¡¯t come off?¡± His eyes whipped down to his right hand and saw that there indeed was no ring on his finger. He had switched it onto his left hand from time to time as he thought it got in the way of when he wanted to hold a painting brush. He had made sure and paid attention so that he wouldn¡¯t be noticed, but since this was his own room, he had completely forgotten about it. ¡°You were able to take it off from some time ago, weren¡¯t you. But if you said that it came off, then there would be no excuse for you to stay in my house. I thought you were keeping quiet because you didn¡¯t want to lose the chance to get friendly with Lydia. But even though you protected her from me, you let her return home without doing anything. That is strange. There would be no man who wouldn¡¯t miss such a golden opportunity. If he did, then he must be some unsociable coward or has a different goal for keeping on wearing the ring.¡± P. 190 Putting aside how it would be normal to take that opportunity or not, it was just as Edgar said. Since Paul was unsociable and on top of that had a different goal. ¡°Did you have a necessity to remain in the house for some more time?¡± How much has he figured out? ¡°¡­¡­Because Lydia had purposed that it would be safer if I stay at the earl house, you offered me a painting job. The ring came off more quickly than I expected, and if I lost the reason to remain in your house, then I became worried that you might take back the painting offer.¡± That part was true. Paul had the duty of reporting about Edgar to his comrades, but since he was under the belief that he was the real earl, he thought of his painting job above all else. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you¡¯re good at making up a quick excuse. I thought you were a man who couldn¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a lie.¡± ¡°Your name isn¡¯t Foreman but O¡¯neill. Are you saying that this isn¡¯t a lie as well?¡± Why. Paul was shocked and his mind flew into dismay. His comrade had said that even if Foreman was investigated, the name wouldn¡¯t lead to O¡¯neill. P. 191 ¡®Unless he knows of you from the past.¡¯ The housekeeper knocked on the door. It seems she came to pour them tea. In reflex, Paul went to open the door, and said that he would do it and took away the tray. ¡°O¡¯neill was also a painter. He was killed eight years ago. At least, you thought so, and because you thought so, so must have sensed your life was in danger at the time.¡± Like he was driving him into a corner, Edgar continued on. Paul¡¯s mind was slowly strengthened and coldly made up. This young beautiful man was also a part of the group that killed his father. He had to do it. ¡°What are you talking about? I always was Foreman. My father has retired but still alive.¡± He took care so that his voice didn¡¯t come out shaken, and carefully took off the lid of the medicine bin that he had in his hand all this time. A white-colored grained powder that was inside dropped into the teacup. From the corner of his eye, he made sure that Edgar wasn¡¯t looking towards him. If he had thought about it with a straight mind, there was no way that he would put his lips to a drink that was poured for him in the room of the man who held distrust towards him. However, Paul was worked up and couldn¡¯t think about such a detail. ¡°Where did this name of O¡¯neill pop out from?¡± He placed the teacup right by Edgar¡¯s side. P. 196 Without thinking, Paul grabbed ahold of her shoulder. To use the first simple stages of self-defense, or in another one¡¯s view, violence to a woman was a first for Paul and a shameless act in itself, but there was no other option. After he knocked her unconscious, he searched her, but she didn¡¯t carry anything that looked like an antidote. Should he call a doctor? But if he did that, it would put in question the existence of the organization. His father was a member. The ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ had protected Paul all this time and he made a pledge to become a member to fight those responsible for his father¡¯s death. He didn¡¯t know what he should do, and slumped to the floor. * Before she realized it, the number of people in her work office, no the number of fairies had seemed to increased, which made Lydia feel like a headache was building up. First of all, it was no mistake that Kelpie and his big, overbearingly tall figure was the reason that made this room feel so small and crowded. To top of the annoying part, Nico was walking around the room without any apparent reason. And he was bothering with the fluffy fur on his chest to any excessive degree. Finally, Marygold and Sweetpea were beating their wings and flying about the room and she saw that there was a busy crowd of all the hobgoblins who resided in this grand house. P. 197 All right, now this is strange, thought Lydia and stopped her writing. ¡°Nico, is there something the matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like my body feels tingling all over.¡± ¡°It feels like the air is billowing,¡± ¡°The magic is surging around like wild currents,¡± said Marygold and Sweetpea in a nervous tone. ¡°Isn¡¯t the merrow¡¯s sword in this house? That¡¯s what is howling,¡± interrupted Kelpie. ¡°The sword? Why?¡± ¡°How would I know that?¡± ¡°So, why are all of you in this room?¡± ¡°Being near a fairy doctor is somewhat better than nothing.¡± I guess that¡¯s the way it is. But I didn¡¯t know that the sword could howl. As she thought,Lydiathought it might be best to notify the butler and stood up. Just at that time, Raven came in. ¡°Miss Carlton, have you heard anything about where Lord Edgar had gone?¡± P. 198 He said it in an even leveled voice, but the tone sounded like he hadn¡¯t the calm that he usually had. ¡°I had a short talk with him in the carriage, but he got off alone and walked off somewhere. I don¡¯t know where he headed.¡± The sight of Raven in a restless state may be related to the sword howling. He had something like a letter crumbled in his fist. ¡°¡­..And Foreman¡­¡­?¡± After he mumbled that, he turned around like he was about to leave, and she felt it was unnatural for him not to put a mister to Paul¡¯s name. ¡°Mister Foreman has not come today.¡± The one who said that was the butler, Tomkins. ¡°He said he was going to return to his residence. He claimed he needed to let the air through or the paint he had in stock was going to mold. Raven, what is the matter. Is there some sort of problem?¡± ¡°Well, now, so the man isn¡¯t coming today. Then it isn¡¯t necessary for me to keep watch and guard any longer.¡± Lydia looked over to Kelpie who said that. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It would be trouble if you were involved.¡± ¡°Involved? In what?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Oh, good, so he isn¡¯t here. Then, I don¡¯t need to be in this noisy house, so I¡¯m leaving.¡± P. 199 ¡°Wait, Kelpie, explain properly!¡± Lydia stood in front of him and blocked his path. ¡°If you don¡¯t say, then I¡¯ll cut all ties with you!¡± ¡°Cut ties? Do you think that would keep me away.¡± Volume 3 - CH 6 P. 207 P. 216 Just when she was starting to get worried if the amountof blood wasn¡¯t enough or if she shouldn¡¯t have stopped herself and made him drink it mouth-to-mouth, his body twitched. * P. 220 Feeling the morning sunshine, Edgar woke up, feeling like it was just like any other morning. Unless he didn¡¯t realize the wound on his waist, he was sure to be vague about yesterday¡¯s occurrence, if it was real or not. Putting on his gown, he left his bed chamber and entered his dressing room to sit down on the sofa and saw that his shoes that were shining after they were brushed and placed where they always were. Because he was going through such an ordinary morning scene, he was beginning to wonder if he was really alive or not. How did I get through that alive. He expected that the one he was going to face was Paul alone. If it was him, he thought that Paul was someone who he could come to an understanding that they were not to fight each other after he had a talk with him, and he took that bet. Paul changed his stance and opened up to him and talk. Even if it meant that he was revealing that there was poison in the tea, the moment he hit the cup out of Edgar¡¯s hand, he must have chosen to believe Edgar in front of him than what he was told by the members of the organization. For Edgar, he was targeted at the moment when he put his guard down after the long moment of tension. It looked like Paul didn¡¯t know that the housekeeper was a member of the ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ organization himself. Right after he was stabbed, pins-and-needles felt like they ran over his skin. He realized that he was poisoned and tried to pull out the knife, but his body didn¡¯t respond to his will. He had watched so many other people¡¯s deaths and through his intuition, he figured out that what just happened to him was going to lead to his death. P. 221 And yet, right now, it was like all the poison was drained out of his body. ¡°My lord, are you all right to be walking about now?¡± His butler appeared. ¡°Ahh, good morning, Tomkins.¡± ¡°Will you prefer the doctor examine you just to be safe?¡± ¡°No, I feel wonderful. There is nothing wrong. Could you pour me some hot tea.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± His calm demeanor was like he knew that Edgar was going to recover. ¡°Tomkins, what is the name of the doctor who saved me? It isn¡¯t that bald-headed doctor, was it?¡± ¡°It was the fairy doctor.¡± He was right, it wasn¡¯t a dream. He gently touched his wrist and recalled what happened with Lydia. She was his fairy used to mystical powers and brings him good luck. It was definite, she was irreplaceable. ¡°Good morning, Lord Edgar.¡± Not seconds after the butler exited, Raven came in with the tea. P. 222 Like nothing happened, he greeted him with the usual morning greeting, which was a little disappointing response and made Edgar smile sourly. ¡°Raven, I think I may have put you through quite some worry.¡± No, he softly whispered and silently placed a cup on the table. ¡°I kept quiet to you because me myself was still undecided.¡± ¡°I know, my lord. If I was at that scene, I would have killed Mister Foreman. Even if he, who had you carried here, had no malicious intent, I would have killed him along with the woman who aimed her knife at you.¡± Edgar still had his conscious up till Paul had pulled him up and put him onto the horse-drawn carriage. But he didn¡¯t know what happened after that. He hadn¡¯t said a word about what happened at Paul¡¯s boarding house room to Raven. ¡°Woman you say, how would you know?¡± Raven unraveled something wrapped in cloth and set it onto the table. What was wrapped inside was the knife that tormented Edgar. Blood, and it was stained with the toxic chemical that had changed color. It was a thin, folding knife, the kind that maids carry around with them as they worked. ¡°Mister Foreman had sneaked this into your clothing as well. He must have thought we could use it to determine which toxins were used.¡± ¡°Did you determine it?¡± P. 223 ¡°No, I knew it was useless at first glance.¡± For a second, Raven made a painful face, which could make one imagine how much despair he must have gone through at that time. Just because he didn¡¯t say any outspoken remarks, there was a part of Edgar who was being too dependent and taking advantage on his loyalty. When he grabbed his arm, he looked back at him with slight surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wanted to take care of my business with Paul by myself. But that, was just like what you were worried about, it lead to me delaying my decision.¡± Raven, in an unusually flustered gesture, knelt down in a somewhat fumbling manner. ¡°Lord Edgar, please do not apologize to me who is your lower. I am always prepared to accept whatever decision you chose. You don¡¯t always think of your own safety as your first priority, but because of that, you are not Prince, but my master.¡± The master that the blood-thirsty spirit in Raven obeys to. Prince got his hands on Raven in order to become that, but the sprit didn¡¯t accept him as its master, and only released its massacring, bloody nature, and Raven¡¯s heart had locked up his emotions and he appeared like a lifeless doll and didn¡¯t laugh or cry. In his home country, children of the spirit who were the fighters of kings, in other words, children like Raven must have periodically been born. Their ingenious religious belief and traditional culture which bounded the blood that possessed the strength to fight in wars. P. 224 It was unsure if the existence of those spirits gave birth to those legends or if legends created those spirits. However, in that perhaps, there must be something that surpasses that of human knowledge. Edgar was beginning to feel that the fairies that Lydia could see, must also been something of that. And it is at those times, where he comes to have a thought. What was the goal of that secretive, devilish organization of Prince that was doing experiments with magic? It didn¡¯t seem realistic at all, but it seemed like Prince seriously was lusting after some sort of magical power that was able to change the impossible to possible. Which means, the ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ that is fighting against Prince goes by the name of the guardian fairy from the legend of Lord Blue Knight might be because they are after some sort of magical power to use to fight with. Are they wishing for the real Blue Knight Earl? * The club house that finally was able to spit out its last customer who kept up residence all through the night had its doors tightly closed until the hustle and bustle of the night arrived. Along with Raven, Edgar stood in front of its doors. ¡°Lord Edgar, is this the headquarters of the ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯?¡± ¡°Highly likely. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m mistaken.¡± It was the club that held that exhibition where Edgar and Paul first met. The club owner, was a man named Slade who sold paintings. This place¡¯s main members are the wealthy who are interested in paintings and the painters who want to sell their talent to them. Because Paul¡¯s father O¡¯neill, and his other father Foreman, were both painters who accepts job offers from nobles, there was a high possibility that they were members of here. To begin with, it was the work of the owner of this place who introduced Paul to Edgar and made it work out so that the young painter would win his interest. P. 234 Even from that connection, he had thought that the ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ would be lurking behind the scenes of this club. ¡°Now, time for checkmate.¡± Holding his long sword, hidden in his cane, Edgar knocked the door of the clubhouse. After a moment, the one to pop out his head was a man who looked to be a servant. ¡°We haven¡¯t opened yet, so please come back around dusk, Sir.¡± ¡°I have business with Mister Slade.¡± ¡°Uh, yes, what kind of business?¡± ¡°I was nearly killed by his woman. Tell him that I won¡¯t mind talking to him before I make it public.¡± The servant stared at Edgar with a puzzled look. He must have thought it was some sort of secret passage word. ¡°Pardon me, but you are?¡± ¡°Earl Ashenbert.¡± As soon as he said the name, the man widened his eyes. He didn¡¯t hide his trembling, and escaped back behind the door. It¡¯s like he witnessed a ghost, thought Edgar who felt offended and took the liberty of entering. He went up the stairs that connected from the entrance hall. Raven was right behind him. Just when he reached the top, he looked down the hallway that had an expensive carpet laid out over it and saw a man who came running down in his direction. P. 235 It was Slade. A portly man with a black beard. So, he was the one, Edgar remembered him as Edgar looked to check the scarlett red moonstone he wore on his right hand. ¡°My lord, this is a members-only club, so we cannot have you entering the premises. Could I have you wait in the waiting room?¡± So he means it would be troublesome to have me walking about. ¡°Then I will become a member. I should meet the requirements.¡± ¡°Yes, but, ah¡­.¡± He looked quizzically up at Edgar¡¯s face which hid under the shadow of the brim of his hat as if to check if he was the real one. ¡°Are you saying a dead man doesn¡¯t qualify?¡± He took off his hat and grinned at him. The man wobbled back a few steps in shock, however tried to stand his ground and stopped. ¡°Yo-you do not look dead to my eyes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, your organization failed.¡± ¡°¡­..What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Where is Paul?¡± P. 236 ¡°Please visit his residence.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t at the boarding house. The owner said another problem was that the housekeeper had also suddenly disappeared.¡± ¡°That is out of my knowledge¡­¡± ¡°Raven, Mister Slade appears to have bad blood flow from just staying up all night. You should help him wake up.¡± Raven walked up to Slade and grabbed the scruff of his shirt and pointed a knife to forehead. He saw in one glance that the knife was the one with poison on it that the housekeeper used and cold sweat seeped out of his forehead. Edgar cruelly peered down at him as he was unable to move. ¡°Are you awake now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear your reply. I think it wasn¡¯t enough.¡± ¡°No, I-I¡¯m awake.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The club¡¯s servants gathered around them from a far distance. From the look of their confused noise, it seemed like they weren¡¯t members of the ¡®Scarlett Moon.¡¯ There weren¡¯t that many members of the Robin Hood gang that they could identity. The man urged the servants to return to their work posts. P. 237 ¡°M-my lord, if we could please talk in the back,¡± spoke Slade in a rather high voice, signifying that he didn¡¯t want Edgar to say anything unnecessary at this spot. He lowered his voice and whispered into the man¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in talking with you. I would prefer to annihilate every last one of you Scarlett Moon members, but as long as you have Paul, then there¡¯s room for you to negotiate. I don¡¯t imagine you have any intention of having him take the crime for killing an earl and throwing him into the Thames River.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.We don¡¯t just simply kill off our men just because they screwed up a job.¡± As he finally admitted to it, he replied back sarcastically by comparing with Prince¡¯s organization. Only Edgar couldn¡¯t have cared less. If he says that they¡¯re different from Prince, then that was all the better. Slade slowly stepped away from Raven¡¯s side who released his grip. He guided Edgar and his servant to the back as they went on down winding hallways. The location must be a place where normal servants couldn¡¯t enter. Before they knew it, there was no body else around them. Just then, in the corner of his vision, he thought he saw someone¡¯s figure move. Before Edgar could turn around, Raven pushed his shoulder. In the next moment, the sound of gunfire overlapped with the sound of shattering sound of the nearby lamp shoot. P. 238 Slade took off. ¡°Catch them!¡± At his shout, men of the ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ who were hiding jumped out from behind the doors one by one. ¡°Raven, this way!¡± The both of them bolted to a run. Paul should captured so that he wouldn¡¯t be witnessed and so hidden somewhere deep in this building. Which means, that place should be around here, and so he checked the rooms here and there as they ran about. But every room looked like it was unused. Eventually, they came to the end of the hall where there was a large double door and they opened and went inside and locked the doors. Raven grabbed the decorative spear that was hanging on the wall to prop it up against the door so it looked like that would buy them some time. The room turned out to be some gathering hall for the secret organization as it was a large, open hall. From the high ceiling, there was a gothic chandelier hanging over above them. Right below it, there was a mosaic of a scarlett crescent moon painted on the floor. Taking a closer look, the mosaic turned out to be made of red moonstones, and each one of the stones had blood-red colored alphabets inscribed onto them. He wondered if they used this place for ceremonies for new entries in order to strength the fellowship between the members. Most likely, they were moonstones that had the first alphabet of the member¡¯s names inscribed on the moonstones and like it was looking down at them, there was a more than evident throne that sat atop of an altar facing them. P. 239 There was a painting that hung on the wall behind the throne. Walking up to it, Edgar looked up to take a close look. ¡°The Blue Knight Earl¡­..?¡± It was a portrait of a man with chestnut-colored hair and blue eyes like the sky and in his hand was the sword with the star sapphire in it. Guessing from his clothes, he must be Julius Ashenbert who was said to have appeared in the palace of Elizabeth I. There was no portrait painting in the Ashenbert house as far as Edgar knew. Even Tomkins, who had been keeping storage of all the possessions of the earl family had said there was no painting-like artifact left. They came to the conclusion that since the family had such a strong bond between fairies, they wanted to avoid the danger of having a portrait that had their features stored on it to be used for cursing purposes. Edgar wasn¡¯t an expert in that area, but in some areas of magic, he was told that there are spells that can harm the person if a curse was placed on their portrait. Then, why did this earl have his portrait created. And why was it in a place like this. In any case, this ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ worshiped the Blue Knight Earl and chose to go with the guardian fairy Flendolen¡¯s name, which was just as he expected. P. 240 Something slammed heavily against the door. The lock was bound to be broken through and the prop up spear was going to give out pretty soon. ¡°Lord Edgar, shall we go out through the ceiling window?¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s finish this here.¡± Just when he said that, the door was banged open. Men came pouring into the chamber. From behind them, he could see Slade. Beside Edgar, Raven made ready by pointing his pistol. Slade realized that the pistol was aiming at his forehead without any hesitation and he stopped in his tracks. Raven purposefully missed his mark and shot right by Slade¡¯s ear. Slade let out a scream and all the men froze like time stopped. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s best you don¡¯t move. Because the first to move will be the first to die.¡± As he said that, Edgar took the opportunity to have a good look at each one of them. ¡°Now, gentlemen, you all are members of the ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯? If you say you all pledged a blood oath to the Blue Knight Earl, then that makes you all my slaves.¡± Purposefully, he took a glance at the portrait on the wall. ¡°¡­¡­.You mere imposter.¡± P. 244 It was exactly as he said. The reason Edgar wasn¡¯t killed, was because he was someone who needed to be captured alive for Prince. He didn¡¯t know the reason why he wasn¡¯t killed. Prince killed off Edgar¡¯s comrades in order to corner him and had used all kinds of methods so far, but using his one weakness of not killing him, Edgar managed to escape this far. ¡°But, would Prince allow one of his men to win the name of Blue Knight Earl? Even if we accept it or not, this man is officially acknowledged by Her Majesty the Queen. Wouldn¡¯t someone like that just only be a hindrance to Prince?¡± Slade titled his head in silence as he must have been trying to think up of an objection. ¡°That part I would like to know as well. Is there some kind of history behind Prince and the Blue Knight Earl?¡± Paul turned his head around slightly with a hesitant look, as if he was undecided if he could tell Edgar or not. Slade only glared in his direction and remained quiet. ¡°Let¡¯s tell him.¡± The one who said that was another voice. From the doorway, an old man came in. From how the members opened up a path for him, he must be one of the leading members. P. 245 He held his back straight up but he apparently was blind as he came walking up with a cane in his hand. ¡°Foreman¡­¡± said Slade in a worried tone. Which means, this was the man who took in Paul as his son. It seems he wasn¡¯t in Dover. ¡°Slade, could you leave this to me.¡± It seems like the two of them were a much more friendly relationship than just a mere art dealer and painter. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for all the rudeness, my lord. No, should I call you your grace?¡± ¡°That name is no longer mine.¡± ¡°Then my lord, to tell you the truth we also don¡¯t really know what the history is between Prince and the Blue Knight Earl. We only know that he uses all his power to completely obliterate the bloodline like he is afraid of the existence of the Blue Knight Earl.¡± ¡°The bloodline? But there hasn¡¯t been one heir of the Ashenbert family who has appeared for the last three hundred years.¡± ¡°Yes, that is so, however, even if he didn¡¯t have the right to succeed the earl title, there was one who descended from the earl.¡± And then he looked up to the portrait. ¡°We believe that this is the only one that portrays the figures of the Blue Knight Earl family. The one who painted this was his lover and a woman who gave birth to his child¡­¡± P. 246 ¡°I see, for the sake of his lover and child, he permitted her to paint his portrait. What a romantic story. So, the blood of the earl family was succeeded into that female painter¡¯s family.¡± ¡°Yes. That was the family of our teacher that I and this Slade here went into as apprentices.¡± So the art dealer originally had aimed to become a painter. Because he wasn¡¯t able to sell his name, he must have gotten ahold of some kind of fortune and came up to his position. ¡°So, was the teacher of you two killed by Prince?¡± With a painful face, he lowered his head as if he was mourning for the dead. ¡°Most of us are ones who were close with the clan of our killed teacher. Not only as painting acquaintances, but as artists from the old ages who had experience in decorative artworks like hanged paintings and sculptures. Long ago, our people had jobs that involved knowing the secrets about the lord of the family and his castle, and we became an organization from the necessity to protect ourselves and the clan of our teacher and their network was situated as our central force.¡± ¡°So that was the formation of the ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯?¡± ¡°We were the ones who decided that we should go under the name of ¡®Scarlett Moon.¡¯ The clan of our teacher came to succeed the name of Flendolen as their middle name which was given to the child of the Blue Knight Earl and so we decided it as that. All of them were killed off, and the artist in the organizations were all separated, and these are all the ones who were could gather.¡± P. 247 ¡°So in the end, you don¡¯t know why they were targeted?¡± asked Edgar. ¡°We were unable to find out. Our teacher might have known, but our teacher was killed before the reason was revealed. We, who were left strengthened our bond of our hatred towards Prince and had been solely waiting for the return of the Blue Knight Earl to England. If Prince hates his family blood, then we thought that only by his appearance are we able to equally oppose him¡­.¡± ¡°And yet it was an imposter, so you were disappointed?¡± Foreman distorted his mouth in an ironical manner. ¡°Several years ago, when O¡¯neill was killed, we grew suspicious of the duke family he was residing at and started to investigate about them. But we were only able to find out that there was just a fire, and never thought to think that the family¡¯s young son was alive in the hands of Prince. My lord, if he, who had painted your family, was killed and your family was obliterated by Prince, then I would like to find out the reason. O¡¯neill might have known something about the duke family.¡± Why Edgar¡¯s family was targeted. That was something that he himself had been trying to think of why. However, there still was no exact answer. Only, more than that the duke family was targeted, Edgar had the feeling like they were after Edgar himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know myself. But, I don¡¯t think that the Blue Knight Earl¡¯s blood is related to that. My family tree was hammered into my brain ever since I was young, but there was no connection with the earl family who may or may not appear once in a hundred years.¡± P. 248 Foreman breathed in and let out a deep sigh. There were so many things that were still a mystery. To Prince¡¯s organization which was obsessed in experimenting with magical elements, they may have seen the mysterious powers of the Blue Knight Earl as a menace. There was that possibility. However Edgar didn¡¯t have the mysterious power that was succeeded in the Ashenbert family. But now, Edgar was the Blue Knight Earl. As long as he took up the name, he was aware that he was shouldering everything of the ancient family line. Either way, he was unable to break away from the path of confronting with Prince. ¡°My lord, there is nothing more that I can speak of. I promise that you will not be caused any trouble from now on. Could you please not speak of our organization and leave this place?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t need an earl that doesn¡¯t have the blood nor the godly power that can fight against Prince?¡± But Edgar had no intention of leaving empty handed. This ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ should be useful. That¡¯s why he wanted it. ¡°Most likely, I am the one in Prince¡¯s organization that knows about Prince more than anyone else. I know the methods he uses, the way he thinks and his underhanded, cruel attacks. That¡¯s why I would know how to counteract that. Don¡¯t you want a brain? I could bet that your operations are not that amazing enough that it makes Prince ignore you. That¡¯s why your organization was able to survive this far, but are you satisfied with that?¡± P. 249 Slade made an offended expression probably because he himself must have been feeling impatient and irritated about that as well. Foreman didn¡¯t change his expression and continued to speak in an even-leveled tone. ¡°Are you saying we should have you join us?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong, ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ gentlemen. I¡¯m saying you should become mine.¡± Edgar made an open-hearted smile and walked with long strides atop of the altar and went over to sit down on the throne that was the symbol of the organization prepared for the Blue Knight Earl. There was a moment of bursting voices and commotion, but there was no one who spoke up in objection. ¡°In order to fight, I want to get my hands on the scarlet bow, Flendolen and the white bow, Glendolen. A fake scarlet bow for a fake earl. Goodness, if your group is just using the name of the fairy archer in liberty, then that should be fine. Don¡¯t you feel like you might be able to win?¡± There was no answer. But he felt the effect he made. So, one more push. Because they were a fake scarlet moon with just a name and enthusiasm, so that¡¯s why they desired the real Blue Knight Earl. However there was no meaning for them to do that. From the position of the real Blue Knight Earl, this ¡®Scarlett Moon¡¯ would always be a sham. Even if they tried to shine like the real thing, they wouldn¡¯t be able to be the same thing. If a fake was able to become the real thing, then it had to shine even brighter than the real one. P. 250 Edgar looked over to Paul¡¯s direction. ¡°By the way, Paul, the reason I came to see you because I wanted you to return that white moonstone to me.¡± Oh, gasped Paul in surprise and quickly took off the ring. Raven accepted that and handed it over to Edgar who was on the throne. He then handed the sword to Raven and he stood up with the ring in his hand. ¡°Raven, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Now, gentlemen, I¡¯m going to go search for my white bow, Glendolen, so try to think about your decision carefully.¡± He took a good look around all of them who didn¡¯t know what to do, and then Edgar called for Marygold and Sweetpea. The ''Scarlett Moon¡¯ members couldn¡¯t contain their surprise at the sudden appearance of the two little girls who came out of nowhere, but if he didn¡¯t do that, then there was no point in doing this extravagant act. ¡°Then, my lord, let us make our way.¡± The two fairies in the form of young girls took Edgar¡¯s hand. Volume 3 - CH 7 P. 251 P. 266 She felt like the landscape around her warped in distortion but that was just an instant when they passed through the small opening of the fairy world and the human world. In that small passageway, Lydia heard Kelpie¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯ll wait until you don¡¯t have any attachments. That¡¯s sure to be in no time.¡± That¡¯s true. From the point of fairies, twenty or thirty years goes by like a blink of an eye. *** So then, the peaceful daily life at the Ashenbert house returned. Or it should have. ¡°Excuse me, Edgar, but what is the meaning of this?¡± Lydia rushed into the lord of the house¡¯s gentleman¡¯s room and walked over to Edgar, who was unusually doing his duty of working on taking care of his estates. ¡°Oh, Lydia, hello, I missed you so much.¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯re planning on entering the charity robbery group that went after your life? Nico told me. Just because they desire savory from the mysterious power of the Blue Knight Earl, you used Marygold and Sweetpea¡¯s magic so that they would accept you as their earl, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It looks like I have some time that opened up tonight. I was just thinking of inviting you to dinner.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. Why is that? Are you joining forces in order to avenge yourselves against Prince? Are you going to put your hands in crimes again?¡± He shrugged his shoulders and set down his pen and looked straight into Lydia¡¯s eyes as she seriously questioned him. ¡°I have no intention of joining their organization.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, good then,¡± ¡°I became its leader.¡± ¡°Whhaat?!" Leader? Of a robin hood gang? ¡°Because they originally wanted a leader like the Blue Knight Earl. And besides, they and I both are in a position where we have to protect ourselves from Prince. So that¡¯s just the reason why we decided to help each other.¡± Protect themselves? If Edgar intended to head the organization as its leader, then he wouldn¡¯t settle quietly with just protecting himself. However, Edgar just softly smiled back at Lydia. ¡°Thanks to you, I was able to not lose Paul. He looked at me with the same eyes as before, even though I¡¯ve changed this much. ¡­.Unless you didn¡¯t tell me that Paul had remembered and considered our promise special, then I don¡¯t know if I was able to bet on the option of talking with him.¡± P. 268 ¡°That¡¯s because you were able to discover his talent in art. It¡¯s means there was a strong bond between the two of you since then. It isn¡¯t thanks to me.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t that much of a big deal like discovering talent, or anything like that.¡± ¡°But, didn¡¯t you recommend to Paul to become a painter?¡± ¡°Well, yes. At the time, he apparently wanted to become a poet, but when he showed me his work, it was so terrible. His paintings were horrible, but if someone were to buy them and hang them in their house, they would still have the fun of entertaining the guests, right? But with poems, it wouldn¡¯t make any money unless society accepted and praised them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Honestly, I was surprised at this growth.¡± This man, maybe his personality hasn¡¯t changed at all from the past? However, even though he wasn¡¯t any good, at least he thought of buying the man¡¯s paintings, so that should mean that he has some compassion for the man. I really can¡¯t understand Edgar. In the end, however Lydia thought about it, it was definite for him to become the leader of the secret organization and exact his revenge on Prince. P. 269 If that happens, Edgar wouldn¡¯t be able to rest in peace unless things went his way. That was the only part about him that she was definitely sure about. ¡°So, you would of course accept my invitation to dinner, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sorry, but Father is coming home early tonight.¡± ¡°Then we can have the Professor come along as well.¡± There was no way her father would come just because of the obvious fact that he was invited since Lydia was worried about him. Edgar was well aware and yet he said that, because he knew that whatever Lydia were to say, he would be able to have her take a seat with him at dinner. Because she witnessed him when he was so weak in bed, she had forgotten that he was this kind of person. Volume 4 - CH 1 P. 8 *** P. 13 The platform of Victoria Station was filled with passengers and people who were seeing them off. Peddlers with massive loads of luggage, families who were saying their farewells to loved ones, and dignified gentlemen and their ladies departing off to spend a small vacation trip. In between all those people who had all kinds of different reasons and climbing abroad the train, Lydia was nodding to the words of her father who was saying the same thing that he had been repeating for who knows how many times. ¡°Lydia, be careful by yourself while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Lydia¡¯s father, a professor in mineralogy had been invited to take part in an academic conference that was going to be held in Paris. He was just going to be away from London for a mere two to three weeks, and yet, as he kept checking the time, he seemed like he didn¡¯t want to part with Lydia. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so worried; haven¡¯t I¡¯ve been living by myself all this time in Scotland.¡± ¡°Over there we had familiar faces all over town and it was a peaceful place, wasn¡¯t it? But London is dangerous.¡± ¡°We have a housekeeper and I¡¯ll be working at the earl estate, so there¡¯s nothing dangerous at all.¡± ¡°The earl¡­., oh, yes, the earl. I guess he could be reliable¡­.¡± But he is the most dangerous, she thought he mumbled to himself. Lydia was a fairy doctor. She could see fairies and talk with them. The earl who hired her as his private fairy doctor, was Edgar Ashenbert, who had the title of Earl of Ibrazel (the fairy realm.) P. 14 Just as his name, the earl from the past generations all had an estate in the fairy world, and as they got along with the fairies, they were said to be acknowledged as a dignified figure amongst them. Even now, the name of Blue Knight Earl that was associated from the family ancestors was the most renowned human name amongst the fairies. However in the present times, not long after the earl family bloodline had died out, because Edgar, who had inherited only the title for various reasons, didn¡¯t have the magical powers in order to communicate with fairies, he had hired Lydia. Putting that aside, what Carlton was worrying about was the earl¡¯s personality. The rumor about him being a philandering lady¡¯s man was the absolute truth. He was sure to be worried to leave behind his only daughter who was of marriageable age. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Father. I¡¯m not that slovenly of a daughter.¡± ¡°Of course I know that. Oh, yes, I wanted to give you this before I depart,¡± as Carlton said that, he took out a small box from inside his coat and handed it to Lydia. ¡°Your mother made him look after it before she passed away. After you grow old enough, she wanted you to have it when you turn to an age when you would start to think about marriage.¡± Lydia grew uneasy when she heard the word ¡®marriage¡¯ from her father. P. 15 Oh, no, he doesn¡¯t know, does he? ¡°I-I have no such plans.¡± ¡°Your mother said that I should maybe hand it to you when you turn sixteen or seventeen. I thought it was too early for you, but you are working as a fairy doctor, so I really shouldn¡¯t treat you as a child forever.¡± It was just a month ago when Lydia was asked for her hand in marriage by a fairy and left the human realm. She immediately came back, but for Lydia who had the power to be able to communicate with fairies, she was not the ordinary daughter. As long as she dealt with fairies, who didn¡¯t understand the normal acceptable human practice, and was asked for his bride, then as her father, he wouldn¡¯t be allowed to give any time to give her his blessings. Carlton was taught that and so he must have been mulling over until today and he thought he should finally hand over the item that his wife had trusted him with. With mixed feelings, Lydia opened the box. There was a pendant in it which dangled a clear gemstone with a faint blue hew. ¡°It¡¯s a gemstone called aquamarine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like¡­.., the color of the ocean water.¡± ¡°Your mother said that she was handed this down from her mother around your age. And her mother from her mother¡­., well, it¡¯s that kind of thing.¡± Lydia didn¡¯t know about the homeland of her mother who left her house as she had pretty much eloped with her father. P. 16 But when she heard the story he told her, it was strange as she felt a faint nostalgia to the island she never say located in the far north. ¡°Thank you, Father. I¡¯ll treasure it.¡± ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll be off now.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± She kissed his cheek goodbye and watched her father climbed abroad the train. The steam train left Londonjust as scheduled as it headed off towards the English Channel. Inside the box along with the pendant, there was a letter from her mother. [My dear Lydia, I wonder how you are when you are reading this letter. You said you wanted to become a fairy doctor like mother, so I wonder if that came true. A fairy doctor is quite a unique profession, so no one will lend you their hand. I worry that that doesn¡¯t put you through any painful paths, but before you are a fairy doctor, please don¡¯t forget that you are a young woman. Someone who stay by your side and support you will be your treasure.] It was a short letter, but she was filled with happines from her mother¡¯s love. Lydia wondered if her mother thought she was also in love with someone just like how her mother and father met. Or perhaps, since it was an era when people didn¡¯t believe in the existence of fairies, her mother might not have wanted her to be fixated on being a fairy doctor and desire happiness as a normal young woman. P. 17 ¡°Maybe Mother thought I wasn¡¯t suited in being a fairy doctor¡­.¡± P. 30 * In the members-only high-class club, which was the social gathering spot for the gentlemen, the night was filled with laughter and commotion as the men with leisure played throughout the night. There was spirits and tobacco and opium. They were free to enjoy themselves in the comfortable, lavish room with games and gamble and even discussions with their friends. Out of all the pleasures in life, the only thing missing might be the women. In club houses like these, normally women weren¡¯t allowed. The English fancied just gathering with men, which was incomprehensible to Edgar. However, there was a necessity to come to this club tonight. After he was passed into one of the private rooms, the owner of the club Slade and the painter, Paul were waiting for him. ¡°And so my lord, how was the spiritual ritual last night?¡± ¡°Did you find out about anything on the spiritualist?¡± With a quick greeting, they rushed into questioning him. The ones who brought the information about the spiritualist was these two, in order words, the secret organization ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ that were members of. The two of them looked so serious that he wanted to play with them first. ¡°Yes, she was quite the beauty. She had her face covered with a veil, but I¡¯m sure of it. Her figure was perfect as well.¡± P. 31 ¡°Uh-huh¡­.. That¡¯s not what I meant, my lord, what on earth were you looking at. That woman might possibly be working under Prince¡­.¡± Slade was starting to get heated up from irritation and Paul was trying to calm him down by his side. Edgar was satisfied that he was able to anger the short-tempered man and so he got to the point. ¡°There¡¯s no mistake that Prince is involved. As for them, I can guess they cleared their first step in their plan to lure me out.¡± The one named Prince they were talking about was Edgar¡¯s nemesis in America. The man had killed off his family and kidnapped him when he was still a child and made him his slave. Although, Edgar was able to escape from Prince¡¯s hands, he didn¡¯t imagine that he would be allowed to continue on like this. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they were going to launch some plan they set for him pretty soon. He had every intention of taking up that challenge and even planned to destroy that organization along with that man eventually. In order for that, he was proceeding with an investigation with the help of the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ which was an organization that also held hatred for Prince. And through that, they came up with the conviction that someone sent in from America by Prince was starting to work in London. This someone at hand went with the name of Ulysses. This man had accepted a massive amount from a money lender who did business with Prince. P. 32 What ever he was planning on doing, it was sure to be money that he was going to use for his next plan. The name Ulysses sounded familiar when Edgar was being under the capture of Prince. He never saw the man¡¯s face but he anticipated he was one of the most looked-upon subordinates. However, they weren¡¯t able to get the exact whereabouts of Ulysses himself as he didn¡¯t make an appearance anywhere. They had no information of what kind of person he was. What they were finally able to find out was the existence of a spiritualist that Ulysses if being the patron of. They didn¡¯t know yet what Prince¡¯s subordinate was going to start doing using the spiritualist. However this spiritualist went around announcing that she was an acquaintance of Earl Ashenbert and made contact with members of the upper-class who loved the occult, so it seemed like they had the intention of luring out Edgar. To that, Edgar purposefully made his appearance. Even if it was a trap, he wanted to make the point that he wasn¡¯t hiding in fear of Prince. He thought that if there was a way for them to win without going as the enemy planned, then the first thing was not to be afraid of the enemy. ¡°I was told that it was to choose a bridegroom for the ghost daughter.¡± ¡°Yes, she made her choice.¡± ¡°What, so you met the ghost?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t meet her, so to speak¡­, it¡¯s unclear. For now, there are four men, including myself that were chosen as candidates. They¡¯re going to call us back on anther occasion. In the other three, there was a man who went with my name of Earl Ashenbert.¡± P. 33 ¡°Could he be Ulysses?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± As he said that, Edgar remembered about the spiritual ritual. With the invitation to the London city Association of the Spiritual and Psychic that the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ obtained in his hand, Edgar attended the spiritual ritual using an alias of Viscount Middleworth. The room he was lead to had all of its windows covered with thick curtains and there was a large round table placed in the middle of it. The carpet that was laid out on the floor erased any kind of footsteps and so the room was severely quiet even though there was a number of people gathered in it. In the dark, gloomy room that had only one lit candle, it was hard to decipher the faces of the invited gentlemen, but according to the report that was done beforehand, none of them were people who were acquainted with Edgar in the ton. The ton was a costly place. The nobles gathered here were ones who couldn¡¯t afford that. After a while, the door in the back of the room opened and a small old woman came walking into the room. ¡¸Gentlemen, thank you so much for your patience. We would like to start the ritual so please have a seat.¡¹ Everyone did as she said quietly and after they all sat around the round table in a circle, a woman who wore a veil entered from the door that the old woman entered from. P. 34 The spiritualist wore a black dress and a black veil. Since her face was covered, her looks and age couldn¡¯t be guessed. Edgar thought by looking at the faint line of her face that she appeared to be on the slimmer side and quite young. After she sat down on the only vacant chair, she slowly took a look at the faces that gathered in the room from under her veil. It could have just been his imagination, but he felt like her eyes stopped to linger like a panic when they hit Edgar. The spiritualist must have been unable to bear under Edgar¡¯s piercing glare and so never looked over to his direction after that. ¡¸Is everyone ready. The one who we will be calling tonight is the daughter of Mrs. Collins here, the ghost of Miss Teresa Collins.¡¹ The one who opened her mouth was the old woman who stood behind the spiritualist. * ¡¸Earl Ashenbert, his next lover is a ghost daughter¡¹ A title that would make one frown was boldly printed on the cover of the tabloid papers again. When Lydia commuted to the earl house, it was laid out on the table of her office. Lydia crumbled it up into a ball and threw it into the trash bin. ¡°Nico, don¡¯t make me look at the gossip papers everytime.¡± ¡°I thought you would be curious.¡± Nico, who loved drinking tea, would always arrive at the earl house a little earlier than Lydiaand had an expensive tea imported from Ceylon poured for him and was currently, enjoying his tea time with a satisfied look. ¡°I said that it has nothing to do with me!¡± P. 41 ¡°Then don¡¯t get so angry every time. I¡¯m just keeping my eye out on that earl to make sure to see if he isn¡¯t plotting some kind of scheme.¡± Keeping your eye on him, more like you just like to read about gossip. Even if Edgar was plotting something, Nico was easily bribed with food or wine. He was Lydia¡¯s partner but he was absolutely unreliable. But then, Lydia just thought of something and walked over to Nico who was having his heart content in smelling the aroma of his tea as he gracefull held it up in his hand. She cleared her breath before she asked him. ¡°So you read it?¡± ¡°Ah? Well, just skimmed through it.¡± ¡°What did it say?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re curious, you read it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not like I¡¯m particularly that curious. Just only that, I have a lot of opportunities to be with Edgar. You don¡¯t know when and how we¡¯ll be seen under the wrong impression, so I thought I should just make sure and avoid any situations that could be used for a gossip article. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll be all right? Since you haven¡¯t been used for an article even once all this time.¡± Lydia felt a little irritated at being declared by Nico even that she and him didn¡¯t look like a couple at all. P. 42 Well, it¡¯s all right that we are seen like that. She was just worried that she didn¡¯t have any attractive appeal at all and that she might not be able to go through the normal experience of falling in love. Yes, that was all, but it would be helpful to know just for reference. Lydia carefully picked up the tabloid paper that she threw into the garbage bin. She pressed out the crinkles and picked up the printed words. It wrote that the wife of a wealthy man held a spiritual ritual in order to find a marriage partner for her daughter who passed away. And it said that Earl Ashenbert had participated as a bridegroom candidate. It said something about he had set his heart on the beautiful ghost. ¡°¡­¡­Unbelievable.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but gasped in horror. She knew he didn¡¯t hold any indiscrimination on women, but to go this far. ¡°Why, this is good timing, don¡¯t you think. If he¡¯s intending on marrying with a ghost then I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll let you go.¡± Volume 4 - CH 2 P. 51 * When she came to, she was sitting in a dark room that was only lit by one candle. From behind the chair she was sitting on, there was a woman standing and had set her hands on her shoulders. The reason she was able to guess that it was a woman was because she felt the hands to be slender and soft. ¡°My lady Teresa, how are you feeling?¡± someone asked her. Teresa, could that be her name, she thought in confusion. However, immediately, she began to think that it was so. ¡°You were just reborn right now. You have returned to your loving family once more in the world of the living.¡± When she turned her head around just a bit, she finally was able to see the face of the woman behind her. She was a beautiful person with silky white skin. P. 57 But the one who was talking to her was the old woman beside her. The beautiful woman just nodded to the old woman¡¯s words. Reborn? Now that she thought about it, she had the feeling like she was in another place that wasn¡¯t here. It wasn¡¯t this dark, a place that was bright and warm. She had the lingering thought that being reborn wasn¡¯t that good of an experience. She tried to lift up her right hand. The slender young woman¡¯s hand was smoothly covered in the candle light. It was the hand of someone who didn¡¯t have to work. She had that dazed thought about it. ¡°Ohh, Teresa!¡± There was a voice that erupted from the corner of the room that was cast in the shadows and a plump woman came dashing over to her like she couldn¡¯t bear to wait any longer. ¡°Finally, finally you came back to me. It¡¯s your mother dear, can you tell?¡± P. 68 ¡°You¡¯re Teresa?¡± She fought against the tears that was welding up in her eyes and lifted her head to see that there was a young man around fifteen or sixteen years old standing in the doorway. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Oscar, your cousin. My school starts from fall and so I came along to my aunt¡¯s trip in place of uncle who couldn¡¯t leave Manchester because of work.¡± His faint blond hair that was cut evenly around his neck, waved in adjacent to his movements. When he sat down near the table, he made a grin like a little prankster boy. ¡°But, I never imagined that I would really be able to meet Teresa. I still can¡¯t believe that a ghost can be revived though.¡± His height was the same as an adult, but his facial features looked like that of a young boy. He appeared friendly and quick to open to others but once he talked, he was a boy that talked like he was pushing people away. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m not Teresa?¡± ¡°How do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± ¡°There is the possibility that you¡¯re just acting in order to get your hands on the family fortune. You say that you don¡¯t remember anything, but for that, you sure remember the manners for tea.¡± Her heart skipped a beat. She panicked if she had acted like her usual self too much. P. 69 This man claimed that he didn¡¯t believe in ghosts, might not also believe in the spiritualist as well, but she was hooked on the part of how he acted like he was testing her. She wasn¡¯t sure if he would join her side if she was to open up about being kidnapped. More like if she was found out not to be Teresa, then they would think of her as a common con-artist. During the time her caution over-won her and made her keep silent, Oscar said fine, then and stood up. ¡°Hey, do you have a lover?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine to become the daughter of this family, but if you were to do that, then you¡¯ll end up having to marry a different man.¡± He grinned at her and walked off. Lydia was remembering the article about how a wealthy married woman had called back the ghost of her deceased daughter and was looking for a marriage partner. Could that be about Mrs. Collins, she wondered. If that were so. Edgar¡­.. If that article was true, then could there be the possibility that he would come here as one of the candidates? Then she thought he might help her, but if Edgar was interested in the ghost daughter, then she became worried that he would actually end up going onto the side of the spiritualist. She wondered how much of an extent did she not believe in Edgar. Even if she couldn¡¯t believe in the flirtatious advances he made towards her, she believed that he wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would abandon her when she was in a dangerous situation. P. 70 But that was because he had use in Lydia¡¯s ability as a fairy doctor. She wondered if the girl named Lydia had any worth in being rescued to him. However, her hope about Edgar was destroyed in a matter of time. Because the man who called himself Earl Ashenbert and arrived to the estate in the evening was not Edgar. Lydiawas looking down from the window of Teresa¡¯s room over to the entrance porch and hunched her shoulders in disappointment when she saw the unfamiliar young man get out of his carriage. I should have known that what¡¯s written in the tabloids are all lies. He must have used the famous name of Earl Ashenbert because it allowed him to get smoother access to the wealthy middle-class people who he wasn¡¯t acquainted with. Lydiat thought it was so stupid of her to be seriously thinking if it was safe for her to be honestly ask for help when Edgar arrived and then laid down on her back on the bed. Clouds spread out to cover the sky and hid the faint light of the sun that was leaning over to the west. Once the gray-colored sky started to soak up around the sky and ocean and this estate, Lydia was suddenly hit with a strong doziness. * P. 71 Hastings, which was a town that was located on the southern shoreof England, was known as a popular ocean resort. Taking a dip in the sea, which was popularized by the reason that it was good for one¡¯s health had already become established as one of the entertainments of the people of England, and during the summer times, all of the towns on the southern shores which had beautiful white sandy beaches were overflowing with tourists. Mrs. Collins had her estate in a quiet place, located several miles away from the nearest town that had those kinds of beaches. This estate was built on a place which only could be entered by going across a long, narrow road that stuck out to the ocean and located on an island-like piece of land that was at the end of the road. This island-like place was only connected to the mainland with just one road, but apparently this road would disappear under the waves that rose up at high tide, so it could practically be called a separated island. If one of Prince¡¯s subordinates was plotting something by staging it at an isolated, closed-off estate like this, then how knows what kind of danger was waiting for those who entered its grounds. However, Edgar was accompanied with Raven and was heading to that place. Because, Lydia was supposedly there. The Collins family husband and wife built that estate some time around the time their daughter was born. However, the two of them had not paid a visit to it ever since their daughter passed away. Because, their daughter, who was just only five years old, had died in the ocean near that estate. The only thing that was found by the shores washed up by the waves was their daughter¡¯s little shoe. Since her body could still be somewhere in the dark, depths of the ocean, the Collins husband and wife was still couldn¡¯t decide about selling the estate. P. 72 That was the information that the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ had researched about the Collins family husband and wife. Edgar was organizing the information that he had with him in his head as he sat in his carriage as it swayed him down the road for a little over an hour from the Hastings Station. Nico told him that Lydiahad disappeared, and after using all of his servants of the earl house to find her, they found a hackney driver that had picked up Lydia and a woman who was crouching in an alleyway. He found out that the woman who Lydia helped out was Mrs. Collins at the hotel that they were driven to. They had already checked out of the hotel and so he determined that Mrs. Colllins had departed to Hastings along with the spiritualist, which made Edgar become overwhelmed with defeat of being out-done by his enemy. There was no mistake that Lydia was taken by them. But, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to continue to lose. Making his silent resolve, he jumped onto the train that left first thing in the morning. When he looked outside from his carriage, he saw that the blue sea was so bright that it was reflecting the sunlight which didn¡¯t seem Volume 4 - CH 3 P. 87 P. 92 ¡°The light of the sun shines like its blessing the newly reborn you. You¡¯re beautiful today too, Teresa.¡± Finding out that he easily said the same kind of thing that he always told Lydia to any other girl, it made Lydialose her temper. ¡°You frivolous man.¡± Even if she slapped away his hand with all her might, Edgar didn¡¯t look at all troubled and kept talking like he was used to it. ¡°Are you talking about me? Why?¡± He might be used to being blamed by women. He must be confident that he could coax her and buy her back. That made her even more furious. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would actually try to seduce a ghost! Good lord, you¡¯re like a wild animal. ¡­.How dare you keep up with the engagement, I don¡¯t want to be called the fianc¨¦e of a shameful man like that. I¡¯d rather choose to live in the fairy land than marry someone like you!¡± Before this, she had been trying to think of a plan to annul their engagement while Kelpie was away. She had completely forgotten about that since now wasn¡¯t the time for that, but if Edgar was here, then Lydia thought it was good timing as she breathed in to yell at him some more. ¡°Listen closely, Edgar. Since I don¡¯t have to worry about Kelpie hearing us, I¡¯m going to say this straight. Hurry up and say that that engagement wasn¡¯t for real!¡± ¡°Uhhh, ¡­..Lydia?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but be confused. P. 93 With a winning smile, Lydia placed her fists on her hips and glared up at him. ¡°It seems like Lady Teresa is only able to possess me during the night. So it¡¯s useless how ever much you try to seduce her. When it turns morning, I¡¯m going to pretend to be Teresa and tell Mrs. Collins that you¡¯re the most despicable kind of man there is. You understand?¡± She was trying to pick a fight with him, and yet, Edgar relaxed his expression like he was relieved. Lydia lost her steam at the sorrowing and painful look he was showing her and then was suddenly embraced by him gently. ¡°I¡¯m so relieved¡­. I thought I wasn¡¯t going to see you again; I didn¡¯t know what to do.¡± You really are good with coming up with such a smart thing to say. Even as she thought that, Lydia was flurried by how she felt like she wanted to cry. Lydia thought that no one would realize that she was taken away from London and be in a place like this. She realized at how disappointed she was when the Earl Ashenbert who appeared wasn¡¯t Edgar. The summer sun that she peered up to over beyond his shoulder felt so bright and then, like a blot of lighting, the thing that Lydia suddenly rose up from her memory was his kind voice. ¡¸I promise to protect you, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡¹ P. 94 He said something like that even yesterday. Didn¡¯t he try to send his words to Lydia by looking into her eyes which only had Teresa¡¯s consciousness? Oh, but, that could also be one of his methods. It was a fact that he was trying to seduce Teresa who was possessing Lydia. The reason that he came here, was because he was after the spiritualist and so perhaps, he could just have happened to find Lydia. Lydia somehow managed to push him away and turned around to leave. ¡°Oh, wait, Lydia, you were so passionate when I paid a visit to your room last night, you don¡¯t have to be so cold so sudden.¡± Huh? Thought Lydia, and stopped her walk. That wasn¡¯t me. But¡­.. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know how we were like?¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what did you do-----!¡± When she went up to him again, he gave her a suggestive grin. * On that night, it was a different night than what Lydia spent yesterday. As the sun came up and she grew drowsy, she could sense the same feeling when Teresa was waking up, but because she pledged to herself not to fall asleep, she was able to remain awake. However, even if her conscious was awake, it was the same situation that she was possessed by Teresa, and Lydia could only watch nervously in great suspense. She was starting to regret that it might have been comforting for her if she was rather asleep at the dinner seat with the guests that Mrs. Collins had gathered. The dress that Teresa chose was a flamboyant rose red, which Lydia didn¡¯t think it could possibly suit her, and she didn¡¯t like the perfume she had on either, and was nervous from feeling like she didn¡¯t belong sitting at the dinner. On the other hand, Teresa and Mrs. Collins were in an extremely good mood. Lydia had thought that it was ridiculous to be thinking about seriously marrying a ghost girl who revived, but it looked like the men gathered here were serious. It was absolutely comical to see that everyone was ardent on trying to win the affections of daughter Teresa. P. 100 But it looked like both Teresa and Mrs. Collins were both satisfied the more they were praised and flattered. The enormous dowry that came along with the daughter from the wealthy family must have been necessary in order to rebuild the men¡¯s family finance that was near crumbling, but if that were so, then the existence of the Earl Ashenbert who couldn¡¯t possibly be in trouble with money must sure be disliked by the rest of the company. Lydia focused her attention on the blond-haired young man who called himself the earl. He must have had a little too much to drink as he appeared to be full of glee and joy, but he still looked frivolous, and she couldn¡¯t tell if he was acting like the rumored lady¡¯s man earl or not, but Lydia thought he looked weak in the head. Even though, Mrs. Collins¡¯ smile was aimed mainly at the earl imposter. However, in regards to Teresa, she was distracted about Edgar who was called a viscount here. And in comparison, Edgar wasn¡¯t paying her any attention at all. Hey, what are you doing talking over to the young boy Oscar sitting next to you. You usually wouldn¡¯t spare a glance at men. On top of that, even when Teresa tried to start a conversation with him, he only returned with a halfhearted response. Lydia tilted her head in confusion at where his lines of flattery that at times were too much. To begin with, Lydia would be troubled if Teresa got too friendly with another man. Even Edgar had said himself that he wouldn¡¯t let that happen. And yet, it looked like Teresa was made to be furious at that attitude of Edgar, and openly started to coquet to the other three men. P. 101 Oh, now look, she¡¯s made a promise to go out on a boat tomorrow. Which means, I have to go out with this earl imposter? Looked what you¡¯ve done, Edgar. You¡¯re always doing opposite of what you¡¯re saying. I knew I couldn¡¯t trust you! Going through this and that, by the time dinner was finally over, Lydia was completely exhausted. But unrelated to Lydia¡¯s tiredness, Teresa had more than enough energy. ¡°I can¡¯t think what the viscount is thinking? He came and made his way into my room yesterday, and acted like he was interested in me, and yet tonight, it¡¯s like he¡¯s completely ignoring me? Oh, Suzy, what do you think?¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t know¡­., I can¡¯t really grasp what the misters are thinking¡­..¡± Teresa, who returned to her room, was pacing around in her room in outrage. Her maid Suzy was waiting for her to help her change, as she replied standing troubled. ¡°Maybe I should start a relationship with the Earl Ashenbert like Mother said.¡± You have to be joking, whispered Lydia. ¡°But, my lady, Viscount Middleworth really is a gentleman who is a toast to one¡¯s eyes. The way he carries himself is like a noble more than anybody else or so I think.¡± ¡°Oh, my, do you perhaps have feelings for him?¡± P. 102 P. 116 He titled his head like he had a question about something. ¡°Viscount, will it be all right for me to trust you? There is no proof that the one who did this is one of you guests.¡± ¡°If you were to say that, then I would naturally be suspicious of you, or Mrs. Collins, or the spiritualist that I haven¡¯t seen the face of.¡± The young man signed with a hmm. ¡°To begin with, I thought it was ridiculous and stupid about the talk of reviving Teresa and marrying her off. I will send out a messenger to the town tomorrow and call for the police. If someone feels they would be in trouble by that, then I think it¡¯s best for you to quickly leave. For those guests who aren¡¯t, please make sure and lock your doors and windows to protect yourself. Even if something more were to happen, I¡¯m not taking responsibility.¡± ¡°You¡¯re calmer than I expected.¡± Oscar looked over towards Edgar with a glare. ¡°I¡¯ll return the comment right back at you, my lord viscount. For the time being, I am the substitute for the lord of the Collins¡¯family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.It was a ghost, just like I thought¡­¡­¡± The one who whimpered that was the fake earl. P. 117 ¡°You remember, about this being a famous place for an ancient battleground. There¡¯s still hatred of the soldiers who died that lingers here¡­.¡± ¡°Battleground? Oh, the Battle of Hastings, you mean. The story was that this is the first place in Englandwhich was covered in blood when it was nearly invaded by the Normans.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite the old story, but if it were about ghosts, then it might be best if we ask for a word of advice from the spiritualist.¡± ¡°She has long gone off to bed. It seems she¡¯s always goes to sleep early. If one of the ghosts that is controlled by her was the perpetrator, then it might be useless even if you lock your doors.¡± Just when Oscar turned around to leave, Teresa suddenly began to tremble and shake. It seemed like she was aimlessly listening to their conversation, but her reaction was so sudden. Lydia was also enveloped by a bad feeling. For some unknown reason, she was filled with fear and blood rushed out of her face and she became dizzy. She helped herself by crouching down. ¡°Oh, my, my lady, what is the matter?¡± Suzy let out a scream, and Edgar, who noticed came over to her and steadied her shoulder. ¡°Teresa, are you all right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­, I just feel a little unwell¡­.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the type of thing that a young woman should witness. It¡¯s best that you return to your room.¡± She obediently leaned up against Edgar who steadied her up. Like I said, don¡¯t use every opportunity to hang onto him. P. 118 Lydia used her left hand to make a gap between the two of them, but when she felt Edgar¡¯s warm hand on her shoulder, then she recalled the situation from earlier and her body started to heat up when she remembered how they were nearly pushing their boundaries. Joining with her feelings of sickness, she became dizzy. At this rate, she wouldn¡¯t know what kind of attitude she should take when she was going to meet Edgar tomorrow. ¡°You let Teresa be taken away by him. Are you all right with that?¡± Oscar¡¯s voice could be heard as he spoke to the fake earl from behind them. * After Edgar escorted Teresa back to her room, he arrived to his room and was inspecting the handkerchief that she had given him. ¡°Is something the matter, Lord Edgar.¡± Raven, who had just returned from his rounds in inspecting inside the house, walked over to Edgar who sat in deep thought. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you normally stitch your name into a handkerchief?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, I suppose.¡± ¡°No matter how I look at it, the initials that she stitched on the side of the clover look like an M, not a T.¡± ¡°She claims to have no memory about herself. Maybe she didn¡¯t intend it to be her initials.¡± P. 119 ¡°Yes, maybe so. But, however, even if she didn¡¯t remember about herself when she was alive and she were to be the ghost of Teresa, then there would be a part of her character not like anyone else that remained, right? Like her personality and her tastes. She wanted to put in needlework on a plain white handkerchief, and she chose this design, then maybe this is her real character.¡± The ghost inside of Lydia, may not be Teresa. It was unimaginable for Teresa, who had died at five years old to be able to come up with doing needlework and even perform such a perfect job. If her initial was actually M, then.. He had a feeling like something important was hidden behind that, but he couldn¡¯t recall what it was. Edgar gave up and turned around to look over towards Raven. ¡°Did the letter from Paul arrive?¡± Yes, replied Raven and took out a letter from his inner coat pocket. It was the one that he went to get from the town post office before sundown. It was the report about the findings on the investigation that he had asked, but they still reported that they hadn¡¯t come up with anything and were investigating about the real identity of the man who was using the name of Earl Ashenbert. Even the two Baronets were using fake names. He didn¡¯t know if they were possibly Ulysses or they were just con-artists after the family fortune. There was another report that caught his eye. By trailing after the money-lender from earlier, they were able to find out that the man named Ulysses who was said to work for Prince, had been on the ship, Venus that had arrived in London a month ago. And on that same passenger list, the name Oscar Collins was listed. Mr. Collins¡¯ younger brother was operating a business in America. Oscar was his son. The reason for his trip to England was to study-abroad starting this fall. ¡°Raven, do you think this is a coincidence?¡± ¡°So there is a possibility that Oscar and Ulysses had already met aboard the ship. So perhaps Ulysses decided to use Oscar from then.¡± ¡°If anything, I have a feeling like he actually got on the same ship, with Oscar in mind. Most likely, in order to get close to the Collins family.¡± ¡°So it was part of Prince¡¯s plan to get the Collins family involved in this.¡± ¡°It must be. He has gone through quite some trouble in his preparations, and it looks like cornering me isn¡¯t the only goal they had in mind.¡± Then, Edgar turned his eyes towards the note that was quickly scribbled on the corner of the letter. ¡°It looks like they got information in regards to that as well. It seems they weren¡¯t able to include all of it in the letter, Raven, will you go to the town again tomorrow? There should be someone from the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ whose coming.¡± Yes, he said and nodded. Oscar Collins. He was just a sixteen year old boy. He wondered if the boy was being used without knowing anything about Ulysses¡¯ plan. P. 120 He said that he didn¡¯t trust the spiritualist that had revived Teresa, but perhaps it was Ulysses who was making him say that. He wanted to believe that Oscar wouldn¡¯t have a reason that would make him play a part in deceiving Mrs. Collins who was his aunt, but if there was a possibility that he was being made to move to that man¡¯s wish, then Edgar had to be careful. However, then would could Ulysses be. With only this much information, it was hard to decide on who. As Edgar mulled that over in his head, he held the letter over the fire of the lamp to burn it away. Volume 4 - CH 4 P. 122 * The spacious front garden of the estate continued off to a grove of mixed trees and down to the seashore. Edgar, who invited Lydia to take a walk, slowly walked down the small path that cut through cypress trees. The fog was thick but there were no signs that rain was going to fall. The damp sea breezes periodically shook the tree leaves and that noise mixed along with the unnatural sound of the sea waves, which made it feel like a notice before a storm. ¡°How strange. Mothers are happy when it¡¯s the marriage of their daughter,¡± said Lydia quietly, as she was still carrying the warm and fuzzy feeling from the act they were just doing. ¡°Of course they would be.¡± ¡°But Father seems like he doesn¡¯t want to think about it.¡± P. 138 ¡°Well, fathers, yes. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll convince him. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time he let him know?¡± ¡°NO.¡± She told that to him so many times, but Edgar only let that go by with a grin. ¡°It would be all right as long as we show him that we are deeply in love with each other that we can¡¯t stay away from each other.¡± ¡°That was just an act!¡± When she said that, guilt started to bubble up inside Lydia. ¡°¡­..We are deceiving Mrs. Collins, aren¡¯t we. She just believed that Teresa will be happy if she were to marry you.¡± ¡°That ghost isn¡¯t Teresa. That¡¯s why, either way, it won¡¯t be like the madam¡¯s wish is going to come true.¡± ¡°Eh, what do you mean?¡± Surprised, Lydia looked up to the side of his face. ¡°The needlework she did on her handkerchief had the initial M. And besides, do you think that a daughter who passed away at five years old would be able to do needlework just because she thought it up. Lydia, are you good at needlework?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡­, I was taught by my grandmother.¡± ¡°Most likely, the ghost that was called out was a different girl than Teresa who was good at needlework.¡± I never said that I wasn¡¯t good at it. P. 150 It was a life-sacrificing act to go out against Raven. If it was a woman who knew about Ermine, then she should have known that there would be no one who could win against Raven one-on-one. However, it was too late, as a highly-charged malicious atmosphere was awakening inside Raven. If it was to protect his master, then the spirit that would turn to a cold-blooded and brutal demon was taking control over him. Raven, who had an immeasurable high level of combat skills, set out with just the intent of killing his enemy. He had spent no effort in avoiding the blade of her weapon and threw down his knife which sank itself deep into her shoulder. The woman wobbled back weakly. She tried to build a distance between them. The woman stepped back to the very edge of the steep slope that stuck out over the sea, and then her foot caught on one of the rocks and she went down on one knee. Her face twisted in pain as she tried to pull out the knife. Raven didn¡¯t change his expression at all and when he walked over to her, he reached out his arm. It was a slender arm of a young man, but it was surely able to snap a human neck in an instant. ¡°Stop it!¡± Edgar ran over to her so that he could help her up. ¡°That¡¯s enough; you don¡¯t have to kill her.¡± However, at that time it was too late, as even Edgar¡¯s orders didn¡¯t reach Raven¡¯s ears. Raven didn¡¯t show any emotions and yet at the same time, he carefully avoided Edgar and reached out to her. At that time, for some reason, Raven¡¯s movement stopped. P. 151 ¡°Please stop¡­¡± It was Lydia. She had her arms wrapped around Raven to try to stop him. Oh, no, thought Edgar. It was difficult for even Edgar to try and stop Raven. There was no way that Lydia could do it. And there were many cases when Raven, when he was ready for combat to not be able to tell the difference between his enemies and allies. He tried to move as quickly as possible to protect Lydia, but it was too late. Raven shook and tore off her arm without going easy on her what-so-ever that sent the flying Lydia slamming down into the slope. The one who reached her arm out to her as she was close to tumbling down the slope was the woman who looked just like Ermine. She wasn¡¯t able to support her completely and so the both of them went tumbling down the slope. However, the woman held Lydia as if she was protecting her from the rocks that they came in contact with periodically as they poked out of the ground. When they finally managed to stop near the middle of the slope, the woman wobbled up onto her feet. Edgar rushed over to Lydia who still was lying on the ground. The woman slid down the slope trying to escape from them and disappeared from the coastal cliffs to the glove of trees. Lydia had just gone through a slight concussion to the head and she awoke from being unconscious as she was being carried by Edgar into the estate, but since she was in such an embarrassing state, she pretended to still be asleep. P. 152 She was laid down onto a bed, and she could sense that he was peering down at her worryingly and didn¡¯t seem like he was going to go, so she opened her eyes as casually as she could. ¡°Lydia, are you all right? Can you tell who I am?¡± ¡°¡­..Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t move so soon. You had hit your head.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, there¡¯s nothing wrong with me.¡± It wasn¡¯t calming to remain on her side, so she slowly sat up. It seemed like he offered his hand out to help her, but he must have noticed that she help but flinch and unexpectedly was quick to back down. It was because she just remembered how she was nearly kissed by him earlier. But it wasn¡¯t because of her guard towards Edgar, but because Lydia didn¡¯t have any faith in herself as she might have actually accepted it. There was no way that she could allow the kiss from a frivolous man like him, no way. What if she felt like that again. And when she became worried like that, her heartbeat increased rapidly and Lydia took deep breathes. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Miss. Carlton.¡± Raven was standing straight right behind Edgar, and said his apology with his head titled down. For him who didn¡¯t normally show any emotions, he appeared like he was quite depressed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It was my fault for sticking my head in someone else¡¯s business.¡± P. 153 ¡°I made a fetal mistake.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exaggerate¡­.¡± ¡°I have every intention of accepting any kind of punishment.¡± It seemed like Raven was serious. ¡°Your duty is to protect Edgar, so you don¡¯t have to drive yourself into a corner about me.¡± ¡°No, it is not something to be excused to cause you any injuries who will become the future wife of my lord.¡± Wife? Lydia made a furrow in between her brows and looked over at Edgar. ¡°Wait, Edgar, did you say that to Raven?¡± ¡°Well, of course, I would need to let my most trusted valet know about this.¡± ¡°Look at him, he¡¯s taken it completely seriously!¡± ¡°It¡¯s naturally since I am serious.¡± He is going to any lengths to seriously say that. Because of that, Raven is anxious and worried sick. ¡°¡­¡­Anyways, you tell himself yourself that he shouldn¡¯t worry himself.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be convinced. That¡¯s why, yes, could you hit him once yourself. Then I think he would be satisfied.¡± ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t possibly hit him!¡± Volume 4 - CH 5 P. 163 * My body hurts. I can¡¯t breathe. In complete blackness, the more and more she tried to struggle, muddy water came gushing into her nose and mouth. Help me. But she couldn¡¯t make any sound. P. 166 She just spitted out the rest of the air that remained in her lungs. In place of that, she swallowed a heavy amount of mud water and her body sunk down even further. She was filled with the water that spilled into her, and just at the moment she felt her body was going to explode, Lydia sprung up in her bed. ¡°Miss, are you all right? Miss Teresa.¡± Suzy came rushing over to her, and stroked Lydia¡¯s back as she coughed. She still wasn¡¯t able to get out of the nightmare, and the one who whispered ¡°Help me¡­¡­.¡± wasn¡¯t Lydia, but Teresa. It looked like it was night already, and although Lydia did wake up, she was in a condition where she could only remain still. ¡°You must have had a bad dream. But, if you have woken up, then that¡¯s better. Ever since you felt sick during the day, you remained asleep, so the Lord Viscount was also worried.¡± When Teresa finally lifted her head, her eyes saw that there was Edgar. ¡°I was so worried, Teresa.¡± ¡°Lord Viscount¡­¡­.¡± I¡¯m so happy, she said and opened her arms out any worries. Oh, my goodness, and I¡¯m still in my nightwear! Thought Lydia as she became nervous from being softly embraced by his arms. P. 167 ¡°I wonder what happened to me. I was just so restless, I couldn¡¯t stand it. And I was so terrified for some unknown reason, and I couldn¡¯t stop trembling¡­. Oh, please stay by my side.¡± Oh, lord, what are you doing. ¡°It¡¯s all right, I¡¯m here.¡± You don¡¯t have to be. ¡°I knew that it was improper to remain in a woman¡¯s room at such a late hour, but I was so worried that I pleaded with Suzy. And the incident from last night hasn¡¯t been solved either.¡± Suzy, who was standing a few steps back, nodded in agreement, which showed that she had come to completely trust Edgar. That probably could have been because she found out that he was lovers with Lydia and that she completely believed that Edgar was a faithful gentleman. But that isn¡¯t true! Was what Lydia wanted to object right now, but she couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°Uh, so, I will be excusing myself, but if there is anything you need, please call for me.¡± What, you¡¯re leaving me alone with him? Lydia panicked, but Suzy only bowed her head and quickly rushed out to the small room for maids. It was a place strictly for her personal maid, that was right next to hers beyond a door. But even though, it was just the two of them in her bed chamber, and Edgar was sitting down on the edge of the bed and Teresa had completely surrendered her body up against him. P. 168 If you do anything, I¡¯ll clobber you, she thought, but even her left hand that she was just barely able to move had been moved by Teresa and was now resting around on his back, so she couldn¡¯t do anything. Just then, Lydia remembered the thing he had said during the day. Oh, no, was this man seriously going to do something out of bounds so that he could make us established so that I won¡¯t be able to annul our engagement¡­.. But Edgar spoke up to say something that was completely different from what Lydia was worried about. ¡°What kind of dream did you see?¡± ¡°A dream where my body was sinking in water.¡± ¡°Why would you have a dream like that?¡± ¡°Probably because I had died from drowning in water.¡± Just remembering that, Lydia was starting to feel suffocated again. ¡°Is there anything else you remember?¡± Teresa turned her head up like she didn¡¯t understand his question. ¡°Why would you ask something like that?¡± ¡°I want to know all there is about you. And so that I can feel the reality of this miracle of being able to meet you even after you had died once.¡± It seemed like Teresa had accepted his answer without any doubt, but Lydianaturally tried to guess what his true intentions were. It seemed like Edgar wanted to know about the time when Teresa had died. P. 169 He had said something like she wasn¡¯t the daughter of Mrs. Collins. Which means, the question of what was the reason behind staging up another person¡¯s soul as Teresa¡¯s. Like it was impossible to call back the real soul of Teresa, and so it was needed to get one¡¯s hands on someone¡¯s soul who had just died. ¡°Someone else¡¯s¡­¡­? That¡¯s right, there was someone there, watching me as I was sinking down¡­.¡± If that were true, then it would mean she was killed in order to trick the mother of this house. Chills went down her spine. Cold sweat seeped out of her. And yet, Teresa continued on with her story. ¡°I think it was a man. But on one of his ears, he was wearing something that shined¡­., a small gemstone?¡± ¡°Teresa, is this suffering for you?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°But, you look like you¡¯re in pain.¡± He¡¯s right, this hurts, so stop¡­.. ¡°Yes, it is a little constraining, my body does feel strained, but I¡¯m not in that much pain,¡± What, ¡­.wait, what does that mean? ¡°Maybe because it hasn¡¯t been that long since I returned to life. It feels like I haven¡¯t fully become attached or used to my living body. That¡¯s why, when I feel sick or when I can¡¯t move, I just feel have a dizzy sense of my condition.¡± Hold on a moment, so the only one in pain is me? P. 170 Now that she thought about it, this was Lydia¡¯s body. Even if the cause of it was Teresa¡¯s memory, it might mean that the one to completely take on the sickness of health was Lydia. ¡°Then, would you like to try and remember some more?¡± You have to be joking. I¡¯m already suffering this much! Was what she was screaming inside herself, but even if he were to notice, this was Edgar. He was sure to not stop in pulling out useful memories from Teresa. Teresa was recalling about the muddy water. Just only that, Lydia felt like bitter water was spewing down her throat, and she coughed heavily. ¡°You don¡¯t have to hurry. Just slowly remember.¡± Oh, someone stop this, I don¡¯t want this pain to go on. ¡°¡­¡­Oh, I know, I was on top of a bridge. I was watching ripples on the surface of the water. And then suddenly, I was pushed over by someone from behind me¡­. When I was falling down, I heard that person say something. ¡­..A sacrifice, for His Highness Prince¡­. Or something like that¡­.¡± Why am I the only one who has to go through such torture like this? Lydia made a fist with her left hand as hard as she could. That hand had been resting itself on Edgar¡¯s arm, but Lydia didn¡¯t realize that, as she sank her nails down, trying to fight against the pain she was feeling. P. 190 Lydia¡¯s mouth was covered, and so she wasn¡¯t able to go on and rail at Edgar, but her sense of distrust was heighten when she imagined that she was going to silently be taken away by this man? ¡°You shouldn¡¯t make a promise like that so easily. But, yes, if you do have a particular liking to her, then at least I¡¯ll will kill the two of you together. Why don¡¯t you try and come to save her?¡± Lydia was taken out of the room like she was being dragged by the grinning Ulysses, and since she was pointed to by a pistol, she had no choice but to start walking. * Around that time, Raven, who was going off to the town alone, had finished his business and was rushing back the way to the estate. He hurried his horse and managed to arrive at the two shores opposite of each other before the early morning low tide, but the waves which were calm at the town was just as violent as they were yesterday at only this area. The thin path that appeared after the sea waters went down, was endlessly getting invaded by the waves and appeared and disappeared like it was battling with the heaving sea. But since the area was still bright, it was still better than when he left during the night. He might be easier to spot by the enemy, but he had to hurry back to Edgar¡¯s side. The package that he was entrusted to by the messenger of the¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ was tied to his body. Raven made sure and checked that and made his horse walk on. P. 191 He headed for the house that was built all by itself on the hill that came up out at the end of the path and stepped on the path that separated the ocean waters. When he came across to the middle of the road, he saw something black floating in between the waves. For a moment, it looked like a person¡¯s head, but he immediately could tell that it wasn¡¯t. It was a seal. When he took a good look around him, he was surrounded by countless number of seals. No, they weren¡¯t normal seals. Fairies? He learned about selkie seal fairies from being told by Lydia, but when Raven felt the spirit¡¯s nerves start to stand on its end, then he was able to know that he was being targeted by something that wasn¡¯t human. If they were sea fairies, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him all the way on the shore. He kicked with his stirrups and hurried his horse. At that moment, all of the seal fairies dived into the sea all at once. In the next minute, a tall, humungous wave erupted from the waters and rushed over to his direction. There was no place for him to run as he was engulfed by the waves. He was dragged down to the depths of the waters. Even if he tried to kicked himself up, once the seals circled around him, they bit and clinged onto him to try to sink him down. He pulled out his dagger. P. 192 When he whipped around his arm, he felt he hit something as the sea around him turned dark red. The seals all rushed to get away from him like they were daunted for a moment. But the red color quickly mixed and disappeared into the gray sea. Once again, they returned their target back to him and began to swim around Raven as they tried to tighten their radius on him. There were too many of them. He couldn¡¯t move in the water as free as he wanted. He couldn¡¯t get another breath of air. Just then, he thought he heard someone say stop. This person is different, not one of them. From behind, his arm was steadied and he was pulled up. The twisting, rough waves that had been circling him died down and disappeared, and Raven was released back up to the top of the water surface without any resistance, and as he took in deep breaths for air, he felt the hand that had saved him slowly let go, but more quickly then that, he grabbed the wrist. ¡°¡­..Ermine.¡± ¡°Go to the hill on that sea shore. You better get back on land before the waves get rough again,¡± she said, in a way like she gave up trying to escape from Raven. After the two of them sat together in a crack in the inclined slope, they were able to get away from the hard wings. If it was here, then they couldn¡¯t be seen from the house said Ermine, or the selkie that looked just like her as she sat down on the sand. P. 193 ¡°What¡¯s different?¡± asked Raven as he took and threw away his coat that sagged heavy from soaking up the salt water. Ermine looked completely exhausted and lifted her head like she didn¡¯t understand the question he was asking her and leaned her head to the side. ¡±You said that I was different to the selkies.¡± ¡°Yes¡­.., they are all on the edge of their nerves. Since a human whose has captured and horribly treating their kind is here.¡± ¡°Ulysses.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But they can¡¯t get near him, and so they attacked you thinking that you were working with him.¡± ¡°So the selkies in the sea aren¡¯t under the control of Ulysses¡¯ will.¡± ¡°the ones under his control are the servants in the house. They are selkies that are in human form. But some selkies in the sea are also being controlled. Ulysses is the one who is purposefully making them angry, and the selkies are making the sea storm just like he wants.¡± On Ermine¡¯s shoulder who leaned up against the rock, the knife that was jabbed in by Raven remained stuck in place. It seemed like the blood wasn¡¯t stopping as he could see that red was soaking over her chest. But as it slowly dripped down, it turned to a clear liquid and then into silky glass beads and dropped to the ground. He was made to know that she wasn¡¯t human at all. Then she wasn¡¯t his sister. She was just an enemy. P. 194 Since the blood that was running down her body had no longer any connection to Raven. ¡°¡­..Just like you can see, I¡¯m not the person who I was before.¡± Volume 4 - CH 6 P. 203 * ¡°Suzy, it sounds very quiet.¡± Mrs. Collins sat in her bed as she was looking out the window. The sea was rough and turbulent as usual. They could hear the endless beating sound of the wind. And yet it felt so quiet. They could have sensed the incident where everyone in the house was keeping quiet and staying low. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, my lady.¡± Suzy set down the medicine that was used to calm and rest the Mrs.¡¯s ailing heart just a bit onto the bedside and she placed a gown onto the lady¡¯s shoulders. ¡°The color of your face looks well this morning.¡± ¡°I feel so refreshed like never before.¡± ¡°It could be because the young miss¡¯ suitor has finally been decided.¡± ¡°Yes, that must be it.¡± P. 213 As she made a smile, the Mrs opened the palms of her hand and looked down at the cameo brooch. It was the brooch that should have been given to Teresa. It was a gift that was passed down from mother to her marrying daughter. On the first dinner night, Teresa was wearing it on her chest. Suzy was suspicious and wondered if she had taken it out of her daughter¡¯s room. ¡°If that girl were to be alive¡­.. She would have been loved by someone kind and could have been so happy,¡± Suzy widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡°My lady, did you know all this time?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Uh, that she wasn¡¯t the young Miss Teresa,¡± ¡°She is Teresa, is she not?¡± ¡°Oh, of course¡­.¡± Even though Suzy said that, she had the feeling that her lady really did know what was going on. She was gently stroking the faint pink cameo like she was reminiscing about her daughter. Suzy knelt down and took the lady¡¯s hands into hers. ¡°I understand very well how my lady loves your daughter. No one would want to believe that they had lost the one they loved so much¡­ But, my lady, Miss Lydia Carlton also has her family and a lover. They are people who care and love her deeply.¡± ¡°Lydia¡­..?¡± P. 214 The lady cocked her head, but Suzy didn¡¯t let that stop her and continued. ¡°Miss.Carlton has done so much for the sake of my lady already. So, please set her free. Before it turns too late.¡± Mrs. Collins looked down to Suzy nervously, then she gently stroked her cheek. ¡°Suzy, I¡¯m sorry. It seems I¡¯ve caused you so much worry.¡± ¡°Oh, no, my lady.¡± ¡°I know, could you get me some warm milk?¡± ¡°Yes, right away.¡± Suzy was away from the room for just a short while, but when she returned with the milk, Mrs. Collins had disappeared from the room. * I¡¯m so stupid. Lydia pounded on the door as hard as she could. No matter how much she hit or kicked it, nothing changed. When she realized it, the skin on her fingers were scrapped and tinged in pain. She slumped her body down to the floor and felt like she could cry. P. 215 There was only one think candle lit. In time, it would burn out and this underground room was sure to turn pitch black. ¡°Stupid, Edgar! What were you going to do if I was really shot at!¡± She started to think that it was all Edgar¡¯s fault that her hands hurt and that it was dark and frightening. If she were to think about it with a clear mind, then the one who was at fault was Ulysses, but the Lydia right now couldn¡¯t have possibly calmed down. When she was thrown into this room, Ulysses told her: [For that man, this sort of thing happens frequently.] That would have been so for Edgar when he was hunted down by Prince and having his battles when he was living in the underground society. [That¡¯s why, you won¡¯t definitely be rescued.] He had said that he lost so many fellow comrades. [Because if he thinks that it¡¯s impossible, there¡¯s always the option of giving up. Of course there would, if you didn¡¯t live smart, no one would follow you.] Give up? That would mean he would abandon Lydia. No matter how much Lydia was seduced by Edgar, she wasn¡¯t able to trust Edgar¡¯s attitude, and only thought that he was putting his hopes on her ability as a fairy doctor. Even if he worried about her and tried to save her, it wasn¡¯t that he emotionally thought of her as special. P. 216 And so Lydia was overwhelmed with despair. If Edgar were to give up on her, then Ulysses would just kill Lydia who had no value. She heard something rustle behind her. She was in a storage room and there were so many different things piled up, so she couldn¡¯t see what was in the back since it was so dark. One more time, something rustled and she even heard a faint voice. It sounded like the cry of a cat. Could it be? When she headed towards the source of the sound, the thing that was moving was a tin candy box. She opened the lid and saw there was a gray-colored ball of fur inside it. ¡°Nico!¡± She rushed to get him out of the box. ¡°Lydia¡­.? It¡¯s too late for me.¡± ¡°What happened, Nico! Pull yourself together.¡± She picked up Nico who was completely limp. She panicked and stroked his back, and he usually didn¡¯t like to be touched or handled, but right now he was staying still. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry.¡± P. 217 P. 218 What? ¡°Since I was locked up, I didn¡¯t eat anything¡­¡± Lydia felt a bit irritated as she set Nico down on the floor. He plopped down to sit himself on the floor and picked up his tail with a rueful look and stroked it. ¡°Ohh, I¡¯ve lost the shine in my tail coat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a fairy, so you¡¯ll be fine even if you don¡¯t eat for a while.¡± ¡°In order to maintain the refined silver color in my coat, I need my meals¡­.. Oh, right, Lydia, why on earth are you here?¡± ¡°I was caught too!¡± she yelled as she felt ashamed and miserable, but suddenly she turned from being taken over by fear and irritation to becoming completely relaxed. In reality, even if this empty-headed fairy cat was here, it didn¡¯t mean that Lydiawas going to be saved. ¡°So you¡¯re locked up too¡­. Then, you wouldn¡¯t have food with you.¡± Nico showed his disappointment and slumped back down again. ¡°More importantly, Nico, did you find the coats of the selkies?¡± ¡°I found a suspicious room. It was made so fairies couldn¡¯t get into it. Which means it¡¯s a room that was made so that the selkies in this house couldn¡¯t enter it, right? When I was hanging around it, I was found by him, and ended up here.¡± P. 219 ¡°Him as in?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Lydia! The culprit is Lady Collins¡¯nephew. Oscar¡¯s the one behind this! He knew right off that I was a fairy and locked me up in this tin box.¡± Nico puffed out his chest from pride at his discovery. ¡°We know that already.¡± ¡°¡­.Oh, you do.¡± Disappointed once more, he slumped down. ¡°But, there is a high chance that the selkies¡¯ coats are in that room.¡± As she said that, in Lydia¡¯s mind, she started to raise her awareness as a fairy doctor. Even though she was possessed by Teresa and was dragged into this incident and happenings, Lydiaremained here because she wanted to save the selkies. This wasn¡¯t the time to be irritated at Edgar and pouting in disappointment. ¡°What am I doing being frightened of being abandoned. I should be the one who shouldn¡¯t give up.¡± Lydia stood up. ¡°Nico, we¡¯re getting out of here.¡± ¡°How? I can¡¯t move a muscle.¡± P. 236 ¡°About half¡­..¡± ¡°You were able to save half of them. But you may think I should say that so lightly.¡± It was easy if it was just talk. That¡¯s why it would be easy to blame him. But Edgar had really come back from the flames. The one who was only talk was Lydia. ¡°Why did you come to rescue¡± ¡°I said I would definitely save you.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t counting on that. I don¡¯t believe one word of what you say. ¡­But, then why, why would you go into such a dangerous fire¡­¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll go anywhere for you.¡± ¡°You say that so easily.¡± It wasn¡¯t like he did the impossible for Lydia¡¯s sake. He guessed that there still have enough time and that was why he was able to return. Even if it was impossible for Lydia to return, he just decided that he would be able to do something. ¡°What you did must have been easy for you. Otherwise, you would have given up.¡± But she wondered how much courage and nerve one needed in order to calmly determine and act like that. He said it so easily that it was for Lydia, but it couldn¡¯t have possibly been that easy. P. 237 She was so surprised and her heart was moved, but she didn¡¯t like herself for not being able to honestly say thank you. ¡°It¡¯s all right for you to be angry.¡± ¡°Why do you think I would be angry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying such unreasonable, horrible things.¡± She felt the sigh that he let out was a particularly long one. ¡°When I think I got a step closer to you, you always take a step back,¡± he said and made a sad smile. ¡°You sometimes seriously worry about me, and you nearly open your heart out to me, but it¡¯s my fault for making to step away again. I would do things that are insensitive or make you go through horrible things¡­. I know that no matter what I say, it¡¯s my fault for not being able to have you trust me.¡± He was talking in an unusually serious tone. ¡°I¡¯m frequently told by women I come to get close with. Just like Teresa said yesterday, even if I¡¯m not serious, they just want to feel like we are lovers when we are together. They must feel that I am wishing for a light relationship. My half-hearted attitude must be what makes them say that, but so far I¡¯ve thought that if we were both enjoying ourselves then that would be best. That¡¯s why, to tell you the truth, you were the first one to say to me that if I¡¯m not serious, then to don¡¯t get near you. And so I¡¯m thinking that if someone like you who would say that would come to feel for me, then I might be able to change.¡± P. 238 She felt him move to sit down next to her, but Lydia still remained with her head down. ¡°Your seriousness and my seriousness may be different. But if you desire me to be serious, then I think I would be able to get near that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We are too different.¡± ¡°I know. But I won¡¯t give up.¡± Why do you, why are you like that. ¡°I said it¡¯s impossible. Because, I¡¯m useless.¡± He leaned his head to the side, like he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even able to be Teresa. Mrs. Collins knew that I and the ghost girl wasn¡¯t her. She knows that her dead daughter won¡¯t come back. ¡­I too, came to understand that my mother is no where here. I haven¡¯t been taught anything from my mother, and just went ahead and called myself a fairy doctor. Even if I try my hardest, I¡¯m useless.¡± If Edgar didn¡¯t come and save her, then there was nothing Lydia could have done in the fire. She was sure to not have been able to rescue even one of the selkies. In that moment, as Lydia was trying to rouse herself into action, she was practically in complete despair. The one that Mrs. Collins had tried to rescue was Suzy and Lydia was left all to herself. She only had the pride of a fairy doctor, and didn¡¯t have enough knowledge and experience and there was no one to support her like her mother had. P. 239 She was so useless and so ashamed. Because of that, she thought that she was even Edgar had ran out on her. And yet he came. She was happy, but now, she was feeling that she didn¡¯t have the strength to be able to live up to his expectations. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s impossible for me. I¡¯m a coward, and there so much that I can¡¯t do on my own. I¡¯m just bluffing, but really I¡¯m frightened out of my mind. Even if I think that I need to help the selkies, it¡¯s impossible for me to face Ulysses. I just want to hurry and run out of here!¡± After she said it, she realized it. She was brought to this strange and unfamiliar place by someone she didn¡¯t know who, and was possessed by the ghost of a daughter who died, and even more, she made the decision that she was going to stay here so that she could help the selkies, but that was only thanks to Edgar being here. If she was going to face the enemy with him by her side, then she felt like something could be possible. Because she wasn¡¯t alone, she was able to keep her courage. She wasn¡¯t aware that she was counting on Edgar, so when she felt that he had given up on her, she suddenly became so terrified and fell into despair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­..Why are you apologizing?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you feel that way. I¡¯ll stay by your side.¡± P. 240 ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean that I wanted that.¡± It was that kind of meaning, but she suddenly became embarrassed. ¡°Ever since I met you, a path of freedom has opened up for me. I would be happy if you would continue to stay with me, and in that case, I want you to count on me. I may not know about fairies, but I think I could support you. ¡­..I feel that I want you to lean on me.¡± He looked out towards the sea and said it in a way like he was tightening his resolve. She stole a glance at him. His silky and bright golden hair hanged down over his eyes. She looked at the handsome side of his face and noticed that the end of his hairs was burnt. Without thinking about what she was doing, Lydia reached out her arm. She brushed his burnt hairs to the side with her fingers, but then he looked at her. His ash mauve eyes were a vague color, which didn¡¯t tell if he was a good or bad man, or if he was cold or warm, or a lie or the truth; they were the impression in themselves that she had of him. When she realized what was going on, Lydia¡¯s hand was gripped by Edgar¡¯s tightly. His beauty that melted people¡¯s hearts was right in front of her. And yet he leaned her closer. ¡°Wa-wait just a¡­..¡± She didn¡¯t stop but stick one of her arms out straight to push his face away. ¡°¡­.Hmmm, the mood just now was an okay one no matter how you think about it.¡± P. 241 He said it in a way like he was completely dissatisfied. He really was unbelievable. We were in the middle of having a serious discussion just now. ¡°Is that the only thing you¡¯re thinking about?¡± ¡°Well, roughly.¡± And this obviously wasn¡¯t the time for such a thing. The country house that stood beyond the trees was swallowed up by even more flames. But he swiftly changed Lydia¡¯s mood from a depressed one. He wasn¡¯t a completely frivolous man, and this light character must be Edgar¡¯s weapon. People were saved by it and she wasn¡¯t scared anymore. ¡°Even if it was someone useless like me¡­.¡± Would you want to marry me? Ohh, but she didn¡¯t the courage to be able to say something like that. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nothing.¡± Maybe because she was tired, her consciousness was started to drift away even though it wasn¡¯t evening yet. ¡°I feel so sleepy. ¡­.Teresa is about to wake up.¡± She just had the feeling, so she leaned up against Edgar¡¯s shoulder. P. 242 Because Teresa would go and get close to him so innocently, she must have felt like she was allowed to do the same. It could have not been Lydia, but Teresa¡¯s influence that was taking over. And as she was shifting the blame, no matter how much she cuddled up against Edgar, she realized that she felt displeased about it. As her heart beated rapidly, Lydia learned how he treated other women and that he acted in such a loving way towards them. When she imagined that it was a hug towards Teresa, she was a little irritated, but if it wasn¡¯t like that, Lydia would be running off in a dash, but in turn, when she thought that she was the one that was reflecting in his eyes, then she thought highly of herself and thought that she was the one receiving all of this in this embrace. Edgar¡¯s back is a little wider than father¡¯s. He¡¯s slender but he had more height than father. ¡°Teresa?¡± asked Edgar when he noticed that she made a little fidget. ¡°¡­..The sound of waves¡­., am I outside?¡± murmured Teresa in a dazed tone, as she just woke up. Since Lydialet go of the little amount of restraint she had, and she even did the act of leaning up against him, so she thought he might have figured out that it was Lydia until just now who was doing the moving. She was flurried at Teresa and how she placed her hand so casually and easily on his lap, and so Lydia used her influence and made her left hand life up from him. P. 243 He made a little snicker like he was amused, and Edgar placed his hand over hers in order to stop her from going. His hand was much more delicate than father¡¯s. ¡°Oh, why are we in a place like this? And my dress has gotten so dirty.¡± ¡°The house is on fire.¡± ¡°What, oh, no, how horrible!¡± Teresa turned around to look and became even more surprised when she saw the fire that engulfed the house. In a flash, Edgar made a difficult face and looked up to the sky. ¡°The wind has changed direction. Let¡¯s move upwind.¡± Volume 4 - CH 7 P. 244 P. 258 ¡°Ow¡­¡­¡± She opened her eyes, but it was pitch black. She was washed by the sweep of the water for just a short while, but she had no idea where it had taken her. The ground below her feet felt like a cold, stone floor and there was some sort of vertical pillar. Which means she must be in a building some place. ¡°Lydia, are you there?¡± She heard Edgar¡¯s voice coming from the distance. She searched the area around her with her hands trying to touch anything around her. But, in the direction she thought the voice came from, a wall was blocking her path. ¡°Edgar, where are you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see well. Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Since his voice bounced around and echoed around her, she wasn¡¯t able to grasp the right direction. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. But, I can¡¯t figure out why we are in a place like this¡­.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be the work of the selkies from just earlier?¡± ¡°Then, that would mean we¡¯re held captive by Ulysses?¡± ¡°I think this is different than that. I¡¯m guessing that although they were forced under his submission, they secretly brought you here. The rough water current had washed away the trees from the area around us, but we were protected by the water, so we didn¡¯t get any injuries.¡± P. 259 Perhaps this could have been a secret rebel of the selkies who had their coats in Ulysses¡¯ grasp. The old woman selkie had even made an alteration on her own on Lydia¡¯s condition of being possessed by the ghost of Maggie so that she would be able to move around freely at least during the day. ¡°Despite that, it¡¯s so strange that my clothes aren¡¯t wet at all when we were washed by the current.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t real water, but more like the magic that was created by the selkies.¡± The captive selkies wished to be released from Ulysses and were still laying their hope on Lydia. ¡°Lydia, if we both move around, then I think we won¡¯t be able to reach each other. Could you stay put for just a bit.¡± ¡°All right¡­., but,¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, I will definitely fine you. Let¡¯s continue talking. Your voice will lead the way.¡± She replied all right, and tried to squint her eyes to see around her, but even it was her eyes that had adjusted to the darkness, she couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡°Uh, Edgar, why do you think that the selkies had carried us to a place like this? I wonder where we are.¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯re underground of the hill. I think that this is the repelling charm that the Blue Knight Earl from the past had made built.¡± ¡°Repelling charm?¡± P. 260 ¡°I heard that it was some sort magical-built fortress to protect Londonfrom an invasion from foreign enemies. Ulysses was ordered by Prince and came here to destroy that.¡± ¡°Destroy? This? How?¡± She couldn¡¯t see it, but from how their voices echoed so far, she felt it was quite an immensely large open space. Even when she moved her body just a bit, her hands touched a stone wall or pillar and so she was able to image that it was made in a maze-like design, but then it was all the more impossible to be able to be destroyed by just one person. ¡°That¡¯s the part that I can¡¯t figure out as well.¡± In the next second, Lydia came to realize something. Just earlier, when she was walking the ocean beach as her body was under Maggie¡¯s control, she saw how the sea had become even more rough and stormy. In that same moment, she also watched how there was an endless number of selkies that bobbled and swam in the ocean currents. In the house fire, the coats of the selkies that they weren¡¯t able to rescue should have been burned. Since selkies had a strong bond within their kind, more members of their kind were gathered because of their sorrow and fury. However, the one who set the fire so that he could massacre all the selkies he had was Ulysses. Which means he purposefully did that in order to gather that many selkies filled with rage. ¡°Oh, no! Ulysses plans to use all those selkies!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± P. 261 ¡°When one of their kind is treated horribly, they have the trait of gathering into a group and exacting their revenge. Because of what Ulysses had done, there is an unbelievably large number of selkies that was gathered around the island for revenge. If all of them were to make an attack at once, a small island like this would be easily crumbled and washed away¡­..¡± Edgar must have accepted the serious situation, as he remained quiet for a short while. ¡°But, why are they now attacking now?¡± ¡°Most likely, Ulysses is holding them back. He has the heart of a selkie with him. It¡¯s the gemstone that he wears on his ear. Normally, selkies give it to a human as proof of their trust and as a symbol of their friendship, but Ulysses got his hands on one and is misusing it.¡± ¡°So if a human has that, then it means the selkies couldn¡¯t attack him and they would have to listen to what he says, huh.¡± ¡°Unlike when he has a coat, it can¡¯t make them do as he says, but I think that to a person who has a ¡®heart,¡¯ the selkies must hold him in high regards.¡± Even if he was hated by the selkies, Ulysses showed that he had one in his possession and was able to safely fence off with them. He had the ability that abled him to do that. Against a man like that, Lydia wondered what there was she could do. She was ashamed herself. Even if she considered herself a fairy doctor, in the most important moment, her inexperience was completely highlighted and stood out. But, if Ulysses was seriously intending to use the selkies, then that would mean that Lydiahad to be the one to do something in order for them to survive this. P. 262 Edgar wasn¡¯t able to stop the selkies himself. And if she wasn¡¯t able to come up with anything, everyone here won¡¯t be able to survive. Edgar and Raven, and Mrs. Collins and Suzy, all would be washed away along with the island. At such an immensely heavy pressure, Lydia was starting to feel sick. When she nearly wobbled over, the tip of her toe touched something. She stretched out her hand to feel what it was and found out that it was some sort of box. It was the vanity box. The enamel design that was all around it and the touch of the coral that was like little round candies made her be sure of it. ¡°Thank goodness¡­.., it must have been washed with us.¡± But, this wasn¡¯t the time to be relieved. She needed to send these to the selkies who survived or they would remain in their human forms and won¡¯t be able to return to the sea. And then, Lydiarealized something else that worried her. If the two selkies from just earlier were hoping for Lydia to save them and hence they brought her here. ¡°That¡¯s it, Edgar, if Ulysses wants to destroy this place, then he might be somewhere close to us¡­.¡± The sound of her voice bounced around in an echo but there was no reply from Edgar. Why? She thought, but then all sorts of worse possible change of events came up in her mind, and sent Lydia into a panic. P. 263 Like that maybe Ulysses had come and captured him, or there was a hole that he feel into. Or maybe, if the one who Lydia had been talking to just now wasn¡¯t Edgar. ¡°Edgar, hey, Edgar, where are you?¡± Lydia bellowed out from suddenly becoming terrified. She hugged the box and walked along the wall. She froze her steps because she felt a presence nearby that stepped on a pebble. Right in front of Lydia who held her breath, the presence stopped walking. ¡°I found you, Lydia.¡± ¡°A-are you really Edgar?¡± ¡°Shall I say our secret word?¡± We never decided on such a thing. ¡°I love you, my fairy.¡± It¡¯s him. He¡¯s fooling around, she thought irritatingly, but as soon as she understood that he was here, Lydia felt like she was going to cry. ¡°What is the matter? Did I surprise you?¡± ¡°Wh-why didn¡¯t you give me a reply.¡± ¡°Because I wanted to concentrate on tracking your voice. If I opened my mouth, then I would lose the direction I worked so hard to grasp.¡± P. 264 She was revealed but she wanted to cry. Voice wasn¡¯t enough. She wanted to make sure with her whole self if it was the real him who said with his words that he would stay by her side. Lydia pushed those feelings aside and stepped back, then slump down weakly to sit on the floor. ¡°Lydia?¡± ¡°¡­..Please, don¡¯t get near me right now.¡± ¡°Right now, as in?¡± ¡°I felt so helpless.¡± Lydia¡¯s mind was so chaotic and lost that she couldn¡¯t believe it herself at what she was saying. ¡°Uh-hm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, right now, I think I¡¯m acting strange. Maggie isn¡¯t inside me anymore, but I feel that I might make an improper behavior.¡± ¡°Ohh, if it was that, then you¡¯re welcome to fling your arms around me.¡± P. 280 And then she realized it. She could breathe even under water. She had slipped into the fairy realm. That was a different world that was lay atop but separated from the ocean of the human world. A number of selkies made Ulysses back down by circling around Lydia as they swan slowly in the water. It was the selkies that Lydia protected their coats for. The water was filled with light and the selkies¡¯ coats had air bubbles in them which made them reflect the ocean and make them have the same light blue color. ¡°Are you going against me, selkies.¡± ¡°We no longer have a reason to obey you.¡± Said a selkie that had a particularly large build, and Lydia was able to tell with one glance that it was the old woman. She was a short height when in human form, but perhaps because she lived a long life as a fairy, her natural form had a bold and magnificent presence. ¡°I have this ¡®heart¡¯ with me. I can inflict everlasting pain to all of your kind.¡± ¡°She also has a ¡®heart.¡¯ There is also the new Blue Knight Earl. As one of our friends, she will shoulder our pain with us.¡± She gracefully swam through the water since she retrieved her coat and her injures from when she was in human form had completely healed. P. 281 ¡°That Blue Knight Earl isn¡¯t true heir,¡± said Ulysses in a snarling laugh. ¡°No, he is real. He is the earl that the merrows accepted.¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t lose either. (We thought that they had all disappeared. The Blue Knight Earl and the fairy doctors that were here and there in the old days and the humans who we had trusted.) The voice came from the group that was swirling around them in the distance. ¡°This little chit doesn¡¯t have the power of a fairy doctor like they had in the past. Even if she had a heart with her, it isn¡¯t like she¡¯s able to save all of you. Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡± Calling me little chit, you look like a little boy yourself. ¡°If you go against me, there will be no hope for your kind!¡± To Ulysses¡¯ strong tone of voice, the selkies had a nervous look, but in the end no one moved. (The new Blue Knight Earl¡¯s fairy doctor.) (Can the new Blue Knight Earl be trusted?) Well, I wouldn¡¯t recommend doing it, she sort of thought. ¡°If you would trust me even just a little, then I would like to ask if your kind would not destroy the earl¡¯s charm that¡¯s on that island. Both the earl and I are your allies. Even if we don¡¯t have the power like they did in the past, we promise that.¡± P. 282 (Fairy doctor, we selkies cannot exist without a human friend. We shall make you, who had put so much effort for our kind as our hope.) At the same time, the heave of the sea stopped. Ulysses made a tsk. ¡°Fairy fools, you will come to regret this.¡± With those last words, he disappeared. She wondered if he had the power to back and forth between the fairy realm freely on his own. The selkies had angered that kind of person, but had called Lydia as their hope and friend. (Fairy doctor, the earl¡¯s fortress has already gotten unpurified. We cannot guarantee if it has any strength left.) (You must return now. Your guide has arrived.) After they said that, the swarm of selkies created a cloud of bubbles in the water, and swam away from Lydia into the distance. She saw Nico coming in her direction, and he must have been stubborn about walking on his hind legs, that he came trodding on them even in the water. She was revealed that he came for her, but when she saw how he came in such an arrogant manner, it made her furious at the same time. ¡°Nico! How dare you abandon me all by myself!¡± ¡°I felt bad about that. You can see that¡¯s why I came to take you home.¡± The roads in the fairy realm weaved and winded so obscure that it wasn¡¯t rare for humans who happed to fall into them to remain lost and wandering through them forever. P. 283 She really wanted to say the bold thing that she could go back herself, but she thought that was probably impossible, so Lydia just mumbled ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°¡±Don¡¯t be so angry. I really was so starving that I could nearly die.¡± ¡°I was more close to dying!¡± ¡°That was, oh, fine, when we get back, I¡¯ll let you rub the fur on my belly.¡± Huhh? That isn¡¯t pleasing at all. But, for Nico to say that as he fumbled with his necktie in an embarrassed way, it was his highest self-sacrificing method to soothe down Lydia¡¯s anger. Now that she remembered, when she was a young child, rubbing her cheek against Nico¡¯s belly was one of her favorite things to do. After her mother passed away and she was feeling lonely and crying, Nico would say oh, fine, then and let her borrow his belly. But, it wasn¡¯t like she was a child anymore. She was nearly going to laugh, but she thought she still might be a child. She couldn¡¯t do anything on her own. But, if there was a fairy who supported her, and if there was some person by her side, then she could still continue working her hardest. She had her hand pulled by Nico as they elevated upwards, she noticed that there was one particular selkie that remained with her. P. 284 It was that old woman selkie. And she handed a round ball that had the same color as water. ¡°This, is it perhaps Ermine¡¯s?¡± *** P. 285 In the town of Hastings, where the white beach spread out on against the sea, the peak of the summer that only lasted a few days passed by, and the number of the crowds of people started to dwindle and disappear. The England summers were short, and go by in hardly any time at all. Even if the sun beamed down hard, when people started to feel that the sunset was coming down much faster than usual, it wasn¡¯t long till the orange colored light filled the sky with the season of autumn. Lydia was alone, walking along the beach as she looked out into the sea. After the fire of Mrs. Collins¡¯ country estate, the one stream of events ended with the disappearance of three people. Ulysses must be alive, but he didn¡¯t show himself after that. The wave of the selkies crumbled one part of the hill and she heard that there was no one left inside the remains of the building. The selkies said they didn¡¯t know if there was any power left in it, but that was something Lydia, and even Edgar, didn¡¯t know, and it remained unclear if the Blue Knight Earl¡¯s evil-repelling charm was protected. But, for Ulysses, it must have came out as a failure, and Edgar seemed to think that that alone was worth something. Mrs. Collins and Suzy went back to Manchester. The madam still looked like her mind was still half-floating in a dream, but it seemed like she had accepted Lydia as a nice young miss who kind enough to spend time with her in place of her daughter. She didn¡¯t mention the name of Teresa, and she was showing the concern and consideration towards Suzy like a good guardian, so one could hope that she was slowly returning back to reality. P. 286 In the end, the island, and the people who were on it, managed to not be swept away. Of course, Lydia knew that she didn¡¯t manage that on her own. She was helped out by so many others and because she was supported, she was able to win her chance. And just being able to know that, she felt she had grown much more of a better fairy doctor. ¡°Lydia, here you were.¡± Lydia noticed Edgar as he walked over towards her as he smiled happily, and she flinched in reflex. When Edgar was in a good mood, you had to be careful. Even when he wasn¡¯t you should be careful, but since he had a smile on himself, people couldn¡¯t help but let their guard down, so it was extremely dangerous for Lydia. ¡°If you were going to go on a walk, then you could have let me know.¡± ¡°But, you were in the middle of something.¡± She tried to say it as coldly as she could. When she came out of the hotel, she saw him flirting with some noblewoman. ¡°There isn¡¯t any kind of business that is worth refusing your invitation,¡± he worked out an excuse without changing his smile. What a good talker. Lydia was appalled as she kept on walking. P. 287 ¡°Please don¡¯t be so cold to me. During the three days you were missing, do you know how much I was worried? I was pacing up and down the beach day and night.¡± That was, apparently true, as Raven had even been saying that. During the short amount of time according to her knowledge that Lydia was away and came back from the fairy realm, it seemed that in the human realm, three days had gone by. ¡°But, didn¡¯t Nico tell you that it will be all right since he would be coming to take me back.¡± ¡°But I still couldn¡¯t rest easy until I was able to see your face.¡± Well, she did feel sorry about that part, and so Lydia slowed down her walking pace. Edgar walked up next to her and naturally took the parasol out of Lydia¡¯s hand. To be walking along side a man who had a woman¡¯s day umbrella in his hand, completely looked like they were announcing that they were a pair of couples no matter how you looked at it. But when she realized that, it was already too late, as she felt he wouldn¡¯t give back her umbrella no matter what and so she gave up. ¡°Did you make sure and keep Ermine¡¯s with you?¡± ¡°I have it. If she got her hands on that, she would lost her memories of when she was a human and become a selkie completely, right?¡± She decided that Edgar should be the one to manage the item that she was entrusted by the old woman. Since Edgar knew about Ermine more than anyone else. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know if things will be all right like this,¡± she said. P. 288 ¡°Let¡¯s think about it slowly.¡± More importantly, said Edgar with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s such a quiet beach and we¡¯re having such a nice mood, so why don¡¯t we fold arms.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. If you want to do that, then why don¡¯t you take a walk with that woman from earlier.¡± ¡°Just to let you know, when I would meet my female cousin-¡± ¡°Like that is highly possible.¡± ¡°-that¡¯s the kind of light kiss I would give her.¡± ¡°Kiss? You kissed her?¡± ¡°Huh, ¡­.that wasn¡¯t why you were angry?¡± ¡°Unbelievable!¡± Lydia snapped at him and returned to fast-walking again. Blurting out the mistake himself, he rolled his eyes to the sky for an instant, but quickly pulled himself together and followed after her. ¡°Lydia, that¡¯s because you wouldn¡¯t allow it with you. Are you saying that I shouldn¡¯t kiss for the rest of my life?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t kill you if you didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°It might kill me.¡± If it was a man like you, yes. She couldn¡¯t deny the possibility. But even so, he was unbelievable. ¡°Go and do whatever you please.¡± P. 289 That¡¯s right, this isn¡¯t something that I should be angry about. But, it still made her irritated. ¡°I¡¯m starting to loose confidence,¡± he murmured in a way like he was depressed. ¡°I¡¯m not able to grab your heart, so I was beginning to feel like I didn¡¯t know what to do,¡± Ohh, I can¡¯t let his act of pretending to be lonely fool me. Even as Lydiawarned herself, she turned to look around just a bit. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to make sure,¡± ¡°A-about what.¡± ¡°When it comes to the point of time, if I can properly kiss or not.¡± ¡°Huh¡­.? The point of time¡­.?¡± ¡°When you would allow me.¡± I knew it, he was joking around. ¡°Oh, Lydia, let¡¯s walk more slowly. Since the sound of the waves and the blow of the wind feels so calm and peaceful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m enjoying taking a walk by myself.¡± She pointed her chin in the opposite direction of him. ¡°Oh, well, if it isn¡¯t Mr. Palmer.¡± Lydia noticed there was someone walking towards them from the other direction. The earl imposter, for some strange reason, acted so friendly by taking and shaking Edgar¡¯s hand. P. 290 ¡°Why, good day, my lord,¡± greeted Edgar, sarcastically. ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t poke fun at me. You are such a bad character. How could I have possibly guessed that you were the real Earl Ashenbert.¡± And then, suddenly he straighted himself from his loose attitude. ¡°Lord Earl, the reply from the London newspaper company came back, and thankfully, I was able to get my share of earnings. When I return back over there, I¡¯ll look for a good, proper job.¡± ¡°That would be nice.¡± And then, he turned over to Lydia and made a pleasant smile. ¡°Teresa, oh, right, you weren¡¯t her. Miss. Lydia, from now on, there won¡¯t be anymore inconsiderate gossip articles written about the earl. Once it spreads out that he has someone special to his heart, then there won¡¯t be any more insolent people who would use his name and fool around with women.¡± Lydia had a bad feeling. ¡°¡­¡­Wait, now, Edgar, what is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°Palmer, don¡¯t say such a needless thing.¡± ¡°Ohhh, forgive me. Well, if you would excuse me now.¡± Palmer took his exit and quickly left. P. 291 ¡°The word about someone special to your heart?¡± ¡°Just to explain, he was in some trouble with money, so I said it would be all right for him to talk to the press about us.¡± Which means, they were sold to the gossip papers? ¡°Are you saying that he talked about me?¡± ¡°A romance about the Blue Knight Earl and a Fairy doctor. Isn¡¯t it poetic? You say that the reason were aren¡¯t rumored about is because we don¡¯t suit each other, but now, thanks to this, it would make a proper rumor.¡± Edgar had now taken a suddenly defiant, proud attitude. ¡°It will be next week when Professor Carlton would be coming back from Paris. Since the Londonpeople are quick to become bored, they would have forgotten about our rumor by then. We had made it so that the hired housekeeper at your house was told that you were taking a long outing, that¡¯s why, we should spend some more time as just the two of us here. Wouldn¡¯t you think it¡¯s best that it¡¯s best not to return to Londonright in the middle of a heated rumor?¡± Lydia was now, so past the point of rage, then she could only slump her shoulders. She was planning on making him agree to annulling their engagement, but now she felt like she had a even taller fence built around her. But inside Lydia, the feelings of denial had become much weaker than how they were so strong and bent before. She couldn¡¯t picture herself in marriage. Of course, she couldn¡¯t see Edgar as a fianc¨¦. But he had something that Lydia didn¡¯t have and he also replenished it to her. She was even beginning to feel like she wanted to get to know him better just a little bit. P. 292 But that could also be just a part of his anticipated plan. ¡°I really like the sea. It reminds me of my mother.¡± Instead of making a reply, Lydia walked over to the waves that washed up to shore. The crest of the foamy waves, which soaked in a faint sepia color sort of appeared lonely as it washed and wrapped around her shadow. ¡°Lydia, you know how you said you didn¡¯t wish it because you would only regret it¡­.¡± She wasn¡¯t able to completely hear Edgar who said that in like a faint whisper a little distance away. ¡°Huh, did you say something?¡± Edgar made a soft smile. ¡°At that time, I suddenly lost my confidence. I wasn¡¯t able to say that I wouldn¡¯t make you regret. If it were to help make you accept me, it wouldn¡¯t be words or something like a kiss, ¡­..I don¡¯t know what it would be.¡± His voice mixed with the sound of the waves. But his eyes that gazed at her, looked like they were in sorrow and longing for something, and it made Lydia unwillingly beat her heart. ¡°Hey, what is it?¡± He twirled the day umbrella which was made with a transparent lace designed with small flower patterns on it, as he walked over to Lydia and he held out a faint pink shell to show her. ¡°How pretty. When did you have the time to find it?¡± P. 293 He handed it to her, and then, he took her hand in a little awkward way, like he was touching her for the very first time. ¡°Ahh, I can¡¯t believe this is as much as I can do.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± He held her hand as he continued walking. Still a little nervous, Lydia couldn¡¯t deny herself in feeling comfort in doing what they were doing. She didn¡¯t dislike Edgar¡¯s hand. She felt a little guilt in feeling that. I wonder if I should be doing such a thing while Father is away. I¡¯m sorry. But I have a feeling like Mother is smiling down at me. The aquamarine she wore that dangled down onto her chest relected the sunset light that was shined and soaked Lydia¡¯s cheek and appeared like it was shining with a faint orange glow. End Volume 5 - CH 1 P. 8 *** The tea party didn¡¯t have any formality to it compared to the gatherings held within the upper class of the peerage, so it was very easy to get used to for Lydia. Even though Lydia felt that it wasn¡¯t easy for a middle-class girl like herself - who came out from the countryside of Scotland- to enter into the ring of conversation that was going on between this group of noblewomen. To begin with, Lydia was the type who wasn¡¯t good at being around with people. She was great at being around with fairies, but the manners and etiquette for fairies and the upper-class were completely different. P. 15 Even if you said what you meant to fairies, they wouldn¡¯t care any less, but in order to get along with people, lying was justifiable. To begin with, society was filled with people who thought fairies were only characters out of children¡¯s books, and because of that, Lydia was thought of as a stubborn oddball. Even so, Lydia came to this tea party attended only by women. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you-know-who recently.¡± ¡°I hear that she has eloped.¡± Lydia just happened to be sitting at a table that was gathered by young girls who were all the same age, but she had no idea who they were talking about. She couldn¡¯t keep up with the conversation at all. ¡°But, did you know, when she went to the house of her suitor, the wife of the house was already there before her!¡± The hostess of the tea party was the Duchess, Lady Macefield. Out of all the upper-class nobles that Lydia was introduced to by Edgar, she was a senior noblewoman who treated Lydia the most kindly. The Duchess believed in the existence of fairies, and was always excited to talk about fairies and the tales related to them with Lydia. She even acknowledged Lydia¡¯s ability to see fairies that normal people couldn¡¯t see and be able to communicate and become friends with them. Lydia was the same age that the Duchess¡¯ grandchild would be, and felt dignified and esteemed to be called as the duchess¡¯ friend. P. 16 That¡¯s why she had received an invitation, and even though it was just a gathering of the duchess¡¯ most closely acquainted women, there were thirty of them and it was natural that Lydia wouldn¡¯t be allowed to converse with just the duchess. They were at the Duke family¡¯s townhouse, on a terrace that was opened up to the outdoors and the family¡¯s spacious garden, and not paying much attention to the ladies¡¯ conversation about a rumor, Lydia put a large swab of cream on her scone. ¡°But, then I heard that she ran out and went back to her family¡¯s house.¡± ¡°Being tricked by such a man, such a fallen woman will be seen as ruined.¡± ¡°Oh, she probably won¡¯t be able to show her face in the peerage.¡± Since some time ago, there was a tiny fairy by a vase of lavenders who was peering over towards them with craving eyes. Lydia quietly placed her scone on the grass by her feet. ¡°Oh, Miss Carlton, what do you think?¡± ¡°Huh? A-about what?¡± Suddenly thrown the ball of the conversation, Lydia straightened her posture. The tiny fairies came to gather around the scone and then started to carry it off from under her chair. To the normal person¡¯s eye, it would appear like a scone with cream was wobbling its way across the grass, but the young women hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°In regards to how a lady should court a man. It¡¯s naturally that one would have marriage in mind, but couldn¡¯t there be cases when a lady could be deceived with a man¡¯s promise by word of mouth?¡± ¡°¡­.Yes.¡± P. 17 ¡°So, I guess that means its best to court a bachelor who is approved by the woman¡¯s parents,¡± said one young woman. ¡°Oh, but, the head of Miss Carlton¡¯s household is a university professor. So is your father very strict? Wouldn¡¯t you have been told to be careful of men from the upper class?¡± P. 24 ¡°You really don¡¯t have the ring on your finger. Are you still putting the reply of the earl¡¯s proposal on hold?¡± asked the Duchess. ¡°Huh, uh, that¡¯s¡­.but-¡± mumbled Lydia. ¡°I heard from the Earl. That he isn¡¯t able to get a good reply from you at the moment, and although he did present you with an engagement ring, you don¡¯t any signs of wearing it.¡± Lydia knew that this skirt-chaser wasn¡¯t really serious about her. In order for him to remain Earl, he needed Lydia¡¯s ability as a Fairy Doctor, and so his ulterior motive was to marry her so that he could keep her by his side for the rest of their lives. He surely couldn¡¯t be satisfied with just one woman, and so there was no possibility that he would choose a marriage partner based just on feelings of love. Because Lydia believed in that, she was withstanding Edgar who was always trying to use any opportunity to treat her as his fianc¨¦e, and was feeling anger and fear at what he could have possibly said to the Duchess as she glared at him while he sat cool and composed. Oh, no, could he have come up with something so I wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse marrying him¡­. ¡°I know your feelings are the most important factor, so please forgive me for putting myself in-between the two of you. But, he was seriously thinking about you and came to ask for my help. He says he was serious when he proposed to you and he has no intentions to dishonor you. So, he is asking if I could be a witness of that.¡± At such an unexpected explanation, Lydia lifted her head up. P. 25 ¡°¡­¡­A witness?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re working at the Earl¡¯s house, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if you were in a situation where you would be alone with him. Furthermore, if the Earl were to have feelings for you, then there would be people who would think impolite ideas, but he declared under oath that he would not treat you that way. Even if you were to refuse his proposal, then I assure you that your future will not be ruined.¡± Society would label a young unmarried woman as fallen once she was alone with a man. And since Lydia wasn¡¯t a peer, her position was the weaker one. That was where that Edgar was trying to get the Duchess¡¯ support by having her become Lydia¡¯s patron. The Duchess originally had a good impression towards Edgar and regarded him with good opinion. And her husband, the Duke Masefield had a close acquaintance with Lydia¡¯s father, so that could mean she was just the person to stand in as the patron between the two. And with this, through society¡¯s eyes, it would look as if Edgar had gone through the Duchess and proposed to Lydia and by doing that and that she would be considered a lady who he was seriously courting with marriage in mind, so if he were to touch her without first making preparations for an engagement, that would only bring dishonor to the Duchess¡¯ name. Indeed, from the outside, it would look like he was thinking about Lydia. ¡°And then, what¡¯s left is in the case that you do agree to marry him, then I would arrange everything for that, so there is nothing for you to worry about.¡± P. 26 ¡°Huh,¡± ¡°Your father, Professor Carlton is a renowned scholar who England takes pride in, and you are also an admirable daughter, and so, I think there is no problem in recommending you as a bride for the Ashenbert family. More than that, if you are fearful of becoming a Lady, then I¡¯ll be your help. Even socializing with the peerage is nothing once you get used to it.¡± It looks like he even asked the Duchess to educate her about what¡¯s needed to become a proper lady. She knew that in this man¡¯s case, it was never purely just for Lydia¡¯s sake. ¡°I don¡¯t, but, marriage isn¡¯t¡­..¡± ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m only wishing that one of the obstacles that is making you hesitate about marrying me would disappear,¡± explained Edgar. Regardless of what he was saying, he was just acting so that Lydia wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from this. At least by doing this - the fact that Edgar had proposed to Lydia and the fact that she had possession of the engagement ring with her ¨C it wouldn¡¯t end as ¡®just between the two of them.¡¯ ¡°But if this was under normal circumstances, the proper method would be for him to first ask the Professor if he could have your hand in marriage.¡± ¡°I-I said don¡¯t you dare do that! I won¡¯t forgive you if you go to father!¡± She yelled at him like she usually did, but then she realized where she was. They were in the presence of a Duchess. P. 27 ¡°That¡¯s right; I can understand that you wouldn¡¯t want to worry your father while your feelings aren¡¯t sure yet.¡± * ¡°Now I can seduce you without worrying about anything,¡± said Edgar in the carriage and then took the liberty of getting closer to Lydia. In the end, she was left with the option of escorted home by Edgar, but Lydia let out a sigh thinking maybe it was better if she had refused. He smiled victoriously, and stretched his hand out to her hair and untied the ribbon in her hair without her permission. P. 28 And then he even took out her pins, making her hair - that was woven up into one bun - fall down over her shoulders. ¡°Wait, what are you doing!¡± ¡°That was a little bit of a dull way to put your hair up. I like it more if you just leave it down.¡± ¡°Your preference doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± She snatched back the ribbon from his hand, and Lydia used her fingers to comb her ruffled hair as she turned away from him. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to hear the opinion of your fianc¨¦.¡± Like I said, you aren¡¯t my fianc¨¦. It seems he doesn¡¯t understand that no matter how many times she said it. ¡°Since we¡¯re already out, let¡¯s stop by somewhere.¡± ¡°I want to go home.¡± ¡°I hear that there¡¯s an air balloon flight show that¡¯s going to take place at Hyde Park.¡± And their carriage had to passing by Hyde Park. ¡°A walk just around sunset is quite a nice thing in itself. It would help make you feel a little more interested in our romantic relationship.¡± Lydia tried to get away from him in the carriage where she had nowhere to run by scooting herself to the very end of the seat but he followed to get right up next to her. ¡°You made an oath to the Duchess that you wouldn¡¯t lay a finger on me.¡± ¡°That was just said for the sake of principle.¡± ¡°Huuhh?¡± P. 29 ¡°Whatever happens won¡¯t be a problem after we get married.¡± ¡°I said that I refuse¡­¡± The carriage suddenly rocked to the side. She was thrown against Edgar and didn¡¯t think about not hanging onto him. She nearly bit her tongue and just when she braced herself, the carriage stopped as it was still leaning slightly on its side. ¡°¡­..Wh-what just happened?¡± ¡°Sir, are you all right!¡± The driver opened the door in a hurry. ¡°Somehow. Lydia, are you all right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­.¡± She realized that Edgar had protected her so that she wouldn¡¯t hit her head, but since she was being embraced tightly by him, she jumped away from him as fast as she could. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. A black cat came jumping out, and one of the wheels got caught in the ditch¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite ominous.¡± Edgar got down out the carriage that was leaning towards its side, and checked the situation but shrugged his shoulders at Lydia. ¡°The wheel is nearly coming off. It looks like it will take time to repair it, so let¡¯s walk home.¡± He told the driver - who said he would go and call for a hack in place of the carriage - to not bother with it, and held his hand out to Lydia to help her down out of the carriage. P. 30 He picked up his hat and stick that had dropped down to the floor of the carriage and started to walk down the street. Lydia could only follow after him, and she ended up taking a walk through the park with him which was starting to turn dark. She wondered which was more dangerous, a young woman walking home by herself or walking with this flirt. And while she was mulling that over in her mind, Edgar went further into the park. ¡°There is less people this way,¡± she pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s a short-cut.¡± He turned around and smiled at her. That smile of his was a suspicious one. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t attack you.¡± That¡¯s what I can¡¯t trust you about. For one thing, the more they walked, the more they went into an area where there were male and female couples who were hiding behind the shrubs off the stone pathway into the far depths of the trees and bushes. But, he wouldn¡¯t possibly do something like that, she reassured herself. Edgar did say quite some things that were out of proper bounds, but lately, Lydia was beginning to feel that he wouldn¡¯t do something that would pressure her or go out of her limits. Because, he was beginning to stop pressuring her for a kiss. He might have gotten tired of trying because Lydia was not changing her firm attitude. But, after gaining the Duchess¡¯ approval and having someone who could prove that this wasn¡¯t just a game for him, then Lydia worried that he might be thinking he could do anything he wanted from now. P. 31 He even went and said that it was sake of principle that he wouldn¡¯t touch her. Lydia desperately tried to erase that crazy delusion in her head. When she started to walk as quickly as she could, in order to get out of that dark area, her arm was suddenly grabbed by Edgar. He pulled her into the dark shadow of a tree where there was hardly any light reaching them from the outdoor lamp posts. ¡°Wh-what are yo¡­.¡± ¡°Quiet. They¡¯ll find us.¡± Huh? In the direction that Edgar was looking, there were two people. She was familiar with one of them. Ulysses¡­.. The young man with light blond hair was the one who was targeting Edgar in order to kill him. He had the same ability as her - to communicate with fairies. He was the spy sent from America by a man named Prince, a man who had killed Edgar¡¯s family and made him into his slave, and Ulysses¡¯mission was to give Edgar punishment for escaping from Prince. Edgar was deepening his confrontation with Ulysses and must have been investigating his movements. Even if it was a coincidence that their carriage had broken down, she guessed that the reason he invited her to Hyde Park was because he knew Ulysses was going to appear here. P. 32 ¡°Get closer to me. If we pretend to be lovers, then they won¡¯t suspect us.¡± That¡¯s easy for you to say. He didn¡¯t wait and pulled the hesitant Lydia up against him. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± came an unfamiliar man¡¯s voice. The voice who asked that question was another man talking to Ulysses. He wasn¡¯t young, a middle-aged man. He looked like a gentleman, as he was dressed in a fine, nice suit. The man¡¯s voice had unexpectedly ringed out around them, and Ulysses gave a worrying glance around them. Lydia rushed to turn her head down, which made her end up burying her head into Edgar¡¯s chest. Edgar looked down at her tenderly, like she was his beloved lover and he embraced her around her shoulders. ¡°It was true that I was late in contacting you, but that¡¯s because His Highness has something in mind. I¡¯d prefer that you wouldn¡¯t but your mouth into my business,¡± uttered Ulysses. His Highness was a title that was used to call a prince. She wondered if they were talking about Prince. Which means that man could also be working for Prince. Lydia was nervous, but for the moment, Lydia and Edgar were at a close enough distance that they could hear the men, but not enough to be noticed by them. The lovers who were also in this area were so absorbed in their own little worlds, so the men must have decided that no one would be listening to what they were saying. P. 33 ¡°But isn¡¯t it rude of you to order me to hand over the gemstone? When His Highness comes to England, the plan was that I was going to be the one to hand it to him personally.¡± ¡°His instructions were that I am to take care of it.¡± Lydia kept her breathing as quiet as she could as she listened to the two men¡¯s conversation, but she felt Edgar¡¯s finger play with a lock of her hair for no reason. ¡°Stop that,¡± she whispered, lowering her voice and proponing to him. ¡°But we need to pretend to be lovers.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t looking in our direction right now!¡± When she nearly raised her voice, a finger was pressed up against her lips. ¡°It¡¯s for the sake of safety. You are aware that the Blue Knight Earl was appeared in England, don¡¯t you?¡± spoke Ulysses once more. That was another name for the Earl of Ibrazel, in other words, Edgar. ¡°Blue Knight Earl¡­.., but, is that young man who appeared in the peerage truly the Blue Knight Earl? I heard that the Ashenbert family bloodline has died out, and the new heir wouldn¡¯t ever appear in England again.¡± They looked like they were having a seriously heated discussion, and yet, Edgar looked like he wasn¡¯t listening at all, as he gazed at Lydia with melting hot eyes. P. 34 He had his finger still resting on her lips, then softly let his finger trace along her lips, which made Lydia feel more fearful than nervous. Am I really standing on the ground? She questioned herself that because it felt like the ground under her was shifting and unsteady. Her body felt so feeble and weak like her whole body was being cradled in his arms she was leaning up against. ¡°Don¡¯t, stop it already¡­.¡± She could only let out her voice in a sigh. ¡°You may have not noticed, but when you say stop, you look at me with such longing eyes. And that makes you look so luscious to me.¡± ¡°No-now isn¡¯t the time for that¡­¡± Isn¡¯t eavesdropping on the men the purpose why we came here? Volume 5 - CH 2 P. 50 P. 54 Like she feared, the coblynau wasn¡¯t listening to Lydia¡¯s denial at all. ¡°My ancestor had been personally asked by Lady Gwendolyn to watch over and take care of this moonstone. I call this one by the name Bow, and I can grasp what is happening to it like it¡¯s a part of my body. So please feel reassured in my care.¡± He picked up the ring that was on Lydia¡¯s palm with both of his hands and checked it from all angles. When she thought the fairy looked done, he put it back on Lydia¡¯s finger. ¡°Ahh, now it¡¯s a perfect fit.¡± What!? she thought and lifted her hand up, to see that the size of the ring - which should have been too big for her - was now resting comfortably around her finger. Not only that- ¡°It¡¯s not coming off!¡± gasped Lydia. ¡°We can¡¯t allow you to drop and lose it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point, please take it off.¡± ¡°The only one who can take it off is the Earl. There should be no point in taking it off in front of other men.¡± Oh, you have to be joking! Lydia tried with all the strength in her body to pull the ring off, but the fairy sat himself on the table, put a pipe in its mouth, made a satisfied look and started to have smoke, so she couldn¡¯t convince him to change this. P. 55 ¡°By the way, My Lady Queen, I would like to pay my greetings to the Blue Knight Earl, may I ask where exactly he could be?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t here!¡± ¡°Oh, now, is the Earl living separate from My Lady Queen and making you live in such a shabby, small house like this?" ¡°Sorry for being small and shabby. That¡¯s not the point; we aren¡¯t married, so we don¡¯t live together! So, don¡¯t call me your Queen!¡± Lydia was finally starting to become irritated. ¡°Ohh, so the two of you are still in your engagement period. No wonder this place didn¡¯t look like the grand mansion of the Earl. But, still, your treatment is quite poor. If the two of you were to be engaged, then you would need the appropriate number of dresses and jewels. Oh, yes, I know, I will go and provide my counsel in that matter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need that!¡± Edgar would get overly-excited and definitely get carried away. ¡°Now, don¡¯t go and do something without me asking for it. Or else, whether you are the manager of the moonstone or not, I¡¯ll kick you out! Because I am a Fairy Doctor!¡± When she was about to throw some hawthorn fruit at it, the Coblynau vanished with a poof. She couldn¡¯t go out in public with the engagement ring on her ring finger. It would also be too much hassle if her father were to notice it. P. 56 Since morning, Lydia was hiding her left hand and ate her breakfast, but however much she tried, she couldn¡¯t hold her fork as usual, so she ended up drinking only tea. ¡°Lydia, are you not feeling well?¡± When she was the fastest one to put down her napkin, her father asked her with a worried look on his face. ¡°N-no, I¡¯m fine. I just wanted to leave early today." ¡°Is there that much work piled up for you to do?¡± ¡°Well, more or less.¡± She wanted to leave before he noticed the ring, so Lydia quickly stood up, but her father spoke to stop her. ¡°About the Earl Ashenbert-¡± ¡°Huh, what?¡± ¡°No, uh, I just happened to hear a rumor. That you and the Earl were courting¡­.¡± ¡°Ohh, yes, he is surrounded with such rumors. Every woman he happens to meet, ends up being rumored to be courting him, so that proves rumors are just troublesome and really unreliable, aren¡¯t they?¡± Lydia rushed as she made up an excuse. ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re right. There could be no such thing.¡± ¡°No such thing,¡± she echoed. P. 57 ¡°Well, how do you put it, I¡¯m sure there are plenty of women who are fit for the Earl, but courting that doesn¡¯t end with marriage is only a dishonor for the woman. I know that you can stand on your feet and think for yourself, so I don¡¯t think you would be tricked, but-¡± Lydia¡¯s father let out a sigh and pushed up his round spectacles and continued his conversation. ¡°But, if in the case you had some kind of trouble, I want you to come to me for advice. I may be a father who lets you go free and don¡¯t interfere and unreliable, but I am still your parent.¡± Oh, she knew she was making him worry. But, she couldn¡¯t let herself confess about the engagement. And, it wasn¡¯t like she really wanted to get married, so that would just make him more worried with the misunderstanding that she may be fooled around with. ¡°Father, the one who I¡¯m going to choose is a serious and earnest man like you.¡± Of course, Lydiawas serious about that. That¡¯s why - although she didn¡¯t hate Edgar - he wasn¡¯t the type who could be her marriage partner. I need to hurry up and make him take off the ring. * The name of the shop was Madam Eve Palace. It was rumored to be a building where the nobles could hide their mistresses, but only ones who knew the truth were the customers. It was a business where newcomers needed to be recommended by a current customer to join, and Edgar had his name on the list of customers, and when he stepped out of his carriage in front of the store¡¯s gates, he was immediately escorted into the building by one of the servants who practically came tumbling out. Even though it was day, the rooms had their curtains closed and the hanging chandelier lit up the room so bright it was almost blinding to the eye. P. 70 He walked along the deep crimson carpet that spread down the hallway into the back of the building and came to where he was looked down by a marble female statue that was lined up evenly. The smoke that faintly filled the air made one¡¯s mind grow dull as it made the mind fall under a trance. There must already be someone who had fallen under that sweet aroma and was basking in a daydream about his own harem that was always waiting for him beyond those quiet doors. The one who was guiding him had changed to another before he had realized it, from the servant who also acted as a bodyguard to a woman who wore a thin cloth over her head. Eventually, he and his female guide arrived before a double-door at the end of a hallway and the woman opened the door by turning its golden doorknobs for him as she humbly lowered her head. Edgar stepped through the door. The room inside was decorated with gold and silver ornaments and garnitures and was only lit by a faint lamp that left the room dark. The colorfully patterned Persian rug was spread out on the floor decorating the space beneath his feet and the room had fine ebony chairs and tables that played the room down nice and calmly. In the back of that room, a calico printed chintz curtain was hung, making a temporary wall and divided the room. He could see through the transparently thin cloth, and saw that there was a long and slender sofa on the other side. He could also see that there was someone sitting on it. Edgar approached that person who had long hair and a slender figure. P. 71 * P. 78 Edgar had left the Ashenbert mansion in the afternoon and returned in the evening. Lydia wanted to make sure he would take off the ring before she had to go home so she invited herself to his salon again. ¡°Edgar! ¡­¡­Uh.¡± She lost her momentum because the expression on his face which was reflecting in the glass window he stood by was an near frightening stern look. It was the cruel and heartless side of Edgar that Lydia was unable to understand. ¡°Um, if you¡¯re busy, then I¡¯ll come back later¡­.¡± ¡°Lydia, you know there is no such thing as being so busy that I have to send you away,¡± The man who turned around and said that was the usual Edgar with his irreverent, highhanded kind of smile. ¡°Did you come to have a last look of your fianc¨¦¡¯s face before you went home?¡± ¡°How many times do I have to say that¡¯s wrong? More importantly, this ring¡­..¡± ¡°Can I hug you?¡± ¡°Huhh?¡± Edgar was already standing in front of Lydia and didn¡¯t show any signs of goofing around or joking, and just looked down at her longingly with his ash mauve eyes. ¡°N-no, you can¡¯t.¡± P. 79 P. 80 Lydia was made to say that mostly from reflex. ¡°Just one minute,¡± he negotiated. ¡°That¡¯s too long.¡± ¡°Then thirty seconds.¡± Surprisingly he didn¡¯t appear to have any lust about him, but she felt like he just wanted to cuddle up to her like a small child, and that made Lydia say a reply that surprised even herself. ¡°¡­¡­If it¡¯s ten seconds, then,¡± She wasn¡¯t allowed a moment to take back her reply, as she was swept into his arms. I wonder if he went through something painful. While she thought that, she wished she could be of some help, but in the end, Lydia couldn¡¯t release the tension in herself and remained stiff and rigid, so that might have not helped comfort him in any way. She wasn¡¯t sure if the ten seconds had passed or not, and Edgar didn¡¯t show any signs like he was going to let go, and what made Lydia shift herself to hint to him to let go was the faint smell like an Eastern, Oriental aroma. ¡°Where did you go?¡± ¡°Paul¡¯s studio.¡± That¡¯s a lie. She was always refusing and couldn¡¯t be a comfort to him, so she didn¡¯t have a right to question where his whereabouts was like a lover. P. 81 And yet, she felt disappointment for some reason and didn¡¯t realize that she had let out a sigh. ¡°Lord Edgar, I heard that you were injured,¡± said Ermine, who came into the salon carrying a medicine case. ¡°What, injured? Is that true, Edgar?¡± When she took a good look, there was a cut in the shoulder of his coat where blood was seeping out. ¡°Ohh, just a little. I was suddenly cut with a knife in an alley, but this is nothing. I don¡¯t know who the person is, but that person must have gotten a much more serious injury.¡± Raven must have been the one who did that. If it was to protect his master, then he would release his warrior instincts and attack. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t the power of the diamond¡¯s curse still working on you?¡± asked Lydia. ¡°Now that you say that, I think I did see a black cat,¡± recalled Edgar. ¡°Edgar, are you by chance frequently meeting with the¡­..uh, the person who you gave the diamond to?¡± ¡°If so, will the curse still stay with me?¡± So you¡¯re admitting that you¡¯re meeting her? Lydia was unrelated to that, yet she became irritated. ¡°At this rate, it will be very dangerous.¡± P. 82 ¡°If it would make you concerned for me, then it isn¡¯t so bad to be cursed.¡± You¡¯re so quite to joke around. ¡°Lord Edgar, I would like to disinfect your wound, so please take off your clothes,¡± said Ermine crisply and made him sit in a chair. ¡°Lydia, would you give me a hand?¡± ¡°What!¡± ¡°It would be helpful if you unbuttoned this for me. My arm hurts so much I can¡¯t move it.¡± ¡°You were moving it just fine a second ago!¡± Why does a young girl in the first flush of her youth have to help a man take off his clothes? She turned around her heels as she steamed in rage. ¡°If you keep joking around, I will pour a grateful amount of antiseptics on you.¡± Lydia glanced over at Edgar out of the corner of her eye as he was scolded by Ermine and replied ¡®Yes, yes, all right¡¯ and did as he was told and left the room with that. I wonder if Ermine isn¡¯t that embarrassed with doing something like that. Ermine seemed to be used to treating wounds, so most likely she must not mind if Edgar took off his clothes or not right in front of her. Even if she was in the servant position to Edgar, Ermine appeared like she was allowed to say what she wanted, and so that made them look like they had a more relaxed, friendliness atmosphere between them. P. 83 Lydia carried that feeling ever since the first time she met the two of them. In order to escape from Prince, Edgar was a leader in front of his comrade and friends and Ermine had said before that that solitary position made him alone. But, if he had friends or allies who he could open up his weakness to, then she guessed that someone would be Ermine. During the time he was in the most pain and anguish, the one who most likely supported Edgar was Ermine. When she thought about that, Lydia had the feeling she was becoming depressed. Edgar asked Lydia if he could hold her, but she felt like his treatment of her was careless and rough. If it was Ermine, then she would answer him by putting her arms around him. In this moment, in the room that Lydia came running out of, she imagined the sight of the two of them cuddling up next to each other, and dashed to her office. She let out a sigh after realizing that she missed the opportunity to ask him to take off the ring. * "Lord Edgar, I have bad news,¡± said Ermine as she wrapped a bandage around his shoulder and arm. ¡°Jimmy has disappeared.¡± P. 84 Edgar immediately had a bad image run through his mind. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he questioned. ¡°He apparently was eavesdropping on the conversation between the adults. They were making a plan to sneak into the estate of Duke Barkston as servants so they could get information about his movements, but Jimmy went ahead without telling anyone.¡± ¡°Then, he was captured?¡± ¡°It seems so. There was a fingernail-like object that was sent back to them, most likely from Ulysses. There is no way to determine if it is his or not,¡± added Ermine. In a drastically swift second, Edgar¡¯s mind went through numerous different ideas. But first, he wanted to verify something. ¡°Was that conversation the only one Jimmy heard?¡± He asked that as he thought if Slade were to hear this, he would say Edgar was heartless. ¡°The one who knew about the most important information wasn¡¯t in the group Jimmy was listening to, so he shouldn¡¯t have heard anything about the plan.¡± But still, he might have found out that Edgar was the one who had the ¡®Nightmare.¡¯ ¡°Which means the problem at hand would be how Ulysses will use Jimmy from now.¡± That could be something of a problem which could cause friction between Edgar and the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ members. While there was a young boy who would jump into danger from his devotion to Edgar, on the other hand, there were elder members who were concerned about that. P. 85 Just as Slade had been saying, there might be quarrels that could arise within the organization. Or that also could have been Ulysses¡¯ intention, and so there was still a possibility that he would brutally butcher up Jimmy in order to stretch the gap between the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ and Edgar. ¡°Ermine, I want to rescue him somehow.¡± ¡°I will gather information on where he might be held.¡± But, in the corner of his mind, there was a feeling like there would be no hope of they boy being alive after falling into the hands of Ulysses. And yet, Edgar felt disgusted and loathed at himself for not getting disturbed or hysterical about that. When it was the time with Jean, or anyone else, even the incident with Ermine, he wondered if there was something wrong with him for not being able to become disordered or lose his calm. Quickly finishing wrapping the bandage, Ermine opened up a new, clean shirt. As he took it, he remembered, out of the blue, about how he asked Lydia if he could embrace her. It wasn¡¯t enough. She wasn''t opening up to him that easily. At the start, he was only planning to keep her by his side without paying any attention to her feelings. If Edgar had Lydia with him, then he would be able to successfully continue being the Blue Knight Earl. But, Lydia said his ¡®seriousness¡¯ wasn¡¯t love at all. He considered his feelings as love so he couldn¡¯t understand what she meant. P. 86 And yet, if forcing himself on her appeared like he was being unfaithful from her perspective, then he came to the conclusion that he shouldn¡¯t pressure her for a simple kiss. In regards to Lydia, it was true he was beginning to lose his confidence, but he had no intention of giving up. There was no need to hurry. It was just, he was annoyed at being unsatisfied, and that made him lose the steadiness in his heart, and then, he started to feel like everything wasn¡¯t going to go well, and that made him depressed. Volume 5 - CH 3 P. 87 * The place that Lydia sneaked into was the butler¡¯s office of Tomkins. It was the butler¡¯s duty to manage the earnings of the estates and savings of the Ashenbert family. She came up with the idea that there may be some kind of record of who Edgar could have sold off or gave the diamond to. If he was going in and out of a harem, then there should be some kind of clue of the address of that business. Using the time when Tomkins was out of the building, Lydia searched the room, but when she realized that the pile of paperwork, which showed no signs of ever being organized was covering the desk, she gave up. ¡°Is something the matter, Miss Carlton?¡± Lydia whipped herself around in a fury to face that voice. Raven was standing there. ¡°Mr. Tomkins will be returning in the afternoon, do you have business that needs hurry?¡± ¡°Eh, no, uh¡­¡­, oh, yes, there is paperwork that I asked him to help me with. It¡¯s a written petition from one of the Earl¡¯s estates; they said they needed the permission from the Earl to make a pathway for the fairies¡­..¡± Even though she was in a panic, Lydia managed to come up with something related to work as her excuse. P. 95 ¡°When did you ask him for that?¡± ¡°I think, it could have been three days ago.¡± Raven walked over to the desk and pulled out a sheet of paper from the pile. ¡°Here you go.¡± It had today¡¯s date and already had Edgar¡¯s signature. ¡°¡­..Thank you, uh, it¡¯s amazing you were able to find it in that mess.¡± ¡°It is not a mess. This is the perfect condition for Mr. Tomkins.¡± ¡°O-oh, so it is. Well, I could understand it if it was him who found it, but it¡¯s surprising that you knew its location.¡± ¡°That is because I am learning how to work as a butler.¡± ¡°What, you¡¯re going to be a butler?¡± ¡°If it is anything that will be useful to Lord Edgar, then I¡¯ll learn anything.¡± When she thought about it, Raven was only taught how to kill anyone who was close enough in his reach in the beginning. Lydia only knew the Raven who understood the proper behavior and conducts as Edgar¡¯s valet, but that part must have been what he learned after he met Edgar. He might have started to want to learn more for Edgar¡¯s sake who became Earl, because in the future, when their war with Prince would end, his fighting skills would become meaningless. Lydia felt that if he was pursuing to learn something new and be happy about that, then he just might be one step ahead of Edgar in becoming free from Prince. P. 96 ¡°I see, I hope you¡¯re successful.¡± Raven¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, as usual, but she thought she saw him smile just a crack. ¡°Is there anything else you need?¡± Raven opened up the door, and he must have naturally held it open for her, but since she didn¡¯t show any signs of leaving, he must have asked that question. It would be awkward for her to stay in Mr. Tomkins¡¯ room. But, there was something that Lydiawanted to know. Oh, no, what should I do, she panicked. ¡°Uh, Raven, where¡¯s his harem?¡± Still hesitant, she asked anyway. Raven was unsure how to answer. Even if she couldn¡¯t see the change in his expression, Lydia was able to tell he was unsure, because of his complete silence. Now that she could recall, Raven had the complete firm belief that Lydia was Edgar¡¯s fianc¨¦e. He must consider her as the next important person after his master. Which means, he wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore me? This might be mean of me, she thought, but Lydia went on anyway. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a business that Edgar goes to quite frequently?¡± P. 97 Was he feeling it be rude to ask back a question in order to find out what the fianc¨¦e of his master¡¯s intention was in her questioning that? ¡°It is the Madam Eve Palace on Charing Cross.¡± As soon as he answered, he must have not wanted her to ask him anything more, as he swiftly disappeared, as if escaping from her. And so, one hour later, Lydiawas standing in front of Madam Eve Palace. It was a building that almost looked like a noble¡¯s mansion with a marvelous, grand gate guarding the front. Maybe because it was during the day, but there were no signs of people going in or out of the building. Lydia climbed over the fence and headed around to the back of the building and looked for the backdoor. ¡°Young lady, are you not going to enter from the front door?¡± asked the coblynau who she brought along with her. She couldn¡¯t allow the cursed diamond to be as it was. Edgar didn¡¯t show any signs of being worried about it, but if it was to be left un-dealt with, then terrible things were bound to happen, so Lydia brought along Coblynau so that this fairy would be able to calm down the power of the cursed diamond. In no way, was she thinking about meeting the harem princess and do something to her. She was also in a dangerous position, so if Lydia could talk to her, she was sure the two of them could come to an understanding. But, I wonder if she¡¯s very beautiful. P. 98 So why would she be sense her motivation withering away when she thought about something like that. ¡°Places like this won¡¯t give you a warm welcome if you suddenly appear at their front door,¡± said Nico acting like the senior fairy. But, it was true what Nico said. That¡¯s why Lydia borrowed uniform from a maid who worked at the Ashenbert mansion. Maid clothing should look similar at any place. She wasn¡¯t sure what exactly a harem or whatever it was, looked like, but it was sure to be a place that hired a load of workers, so she guessed that if she pretended to be a maid, then she could sneak in successfully. ¡°But, I cannot understand why the young lady, who is going to be the wife of the Earl, would need to enter through the backdoor like a servant.¡± ¡°More importantly, what¡¯s the reason for you to have to come to a place like this?¡± asked Nico. ¡°Would you be quiet for a while? And, Coblynau, you absolutely, cannot, by any means, reveal to the woman in the harem that I¡¯m the fianc¨¦e of the Earl.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Just because.¡± Anyway, if it was the coblynau, then he should be able to revert the diamond back to its harmless state. Since she had the perfect fairy for the job, Lydia felt she needed to do something about this situation as a Fairy Doctor. From behind the corner of the building wall, she peeked around to check on the back door as she swiftly put on the apron and white cap. P. 99 Just then, a maid came out the back door, and Lydia watched her go around the corner towards the street and then rushed to the open back door and slipped into the building. Inside was quiet. She would periodically walk past another maid, but they went by her in hurry, so no one ended up paying any attention to Lydia. ¡°Young lady, I feel the energy of a jewel. It¡¯s this way.¡± The coblynau went ahead and lead the way. He was a fairy skilled in finding where minerals were buried. After they passed through a door way at the end of a corridor, the grade of the interior suddenly changed. It was a hall with a magnificent, bright chandelier hanging from the ceiling and statues lined up against the wall, with high ceilings and long curving staircases that connected to the floor above. The colorfully designed mosaics tiles covering the entire floor added an irregular feel to the symmetric design, making visitors feel like they were suddenly thrown into a dream. It wasn¡¯t just lavish but very man-made and the decorations confused visitors¡¯ senses. ¡°Such bad taste.¡± Nico, who was invisible ever since they entered the building, suddenly appeared out of nowhere to voice his opinion. And then, he twitched his nose and started to wobble off in another direction. ¡°Wait, Nico, where are you going?¡± asked Lydia. P. 100 ¡°I smell something delicious coming from this way.¡± ¡°Oh, geesh¡­.., you always go off on your own at times like this.¡± ¡°Young lady, this way.¡± Lydia let Nico go, and followed the Coblynau deeper into the back of the building. They passed by countless doors, and eventually the fairy stopped in front of a particular door. ¡°Is it here?¡± Lydia softly and slowly opened the door. The inside of the room was brightly decorated with gold and silver. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone in the room, so she stepped in. P. 112 She said that in a hurry as she took off her apron and cap and rushed out of the building through the back door. ¡°My Lord, when your affair is found out, you shouldn¡¯t go and do something rash like coming up with an excuse.¡± The invisible fairy had taken one feather accessory from the doll''s veil and tried to show himself by waving it back and forth in front of Edgar. ¡°¡­¡­Uhh, you were,¡± ¡°Coblynau.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Because he didn¡¯t anticipate Lydia disguising herself as a maid and sneaking into here, Edgar was experiencing a small shock and was left standing in the doorway. ¡°The best thing to do is just keep apologizing.¡± ¡°Did you give that kind of advice to one of the Blue Knight Earls in the past?¡± ¡°I have indeed. I just cannot understand why on earth human men would go and have an affair when they know what kind of storm they have to go through when their wives find out.¡± So the Ashenbert family tree had henpecked husbands. ¡°I have to ask you one thing; did Lydia come here because she was worried about the cursed diamond? Or to find out the truth behind my rumored affair?¡± P. 113 If it was the later, then he thought he might have a chance. ¡°She came because of the cursed diamond. But, it is impossible for a lady not to be worried about the unfaithfulness of her fianc¨¦. Well, I hear there are those kind of cold engagements within society.¡± That was the problem. The positive feelings Lydia felt towards Edgar was under the categories of pity and kind meddling, and the root was her soft-hearted personality, so he wondered if her feelings had changed or grown into something different. He had the feeling perhaps her feelings haven¡¯t changed. And it looked like Edgar ended up making Lydia cry and hurting her. He thought it would be easy to make their engagement official. When he spent his time with her on a daily basis, he felt he wasn¡¯t being disliked, so he thought that he would be able to pull it through somehow. Even in regards to the doll, if he just explained its reason, she might come to an understanding. And yet, Edgar let her run off because he also lost his calm composure. Because he could still feel the twisting sound of the bone in Lydia¡¯s slender arm near braking and it made him loathe himself. * P. 114 ¡°Miss Carlton, what is the reason you have that on?¡± The Duchess, Lady Masefield had noticed the thick bandage wrapped around Lydia¡¯s left ring finger and made a worried frown. ¡°Oh, this, I was just a little clumsy. It isn¡¯t anything serious.¡± Since the ring couldn¡¯t come off, hiding it was her last resort. By doing this, she would be able to carry on without causing anyone to become suspicious. ¡°Oh, my goodness. You bone isn¡¯t broken is it? It is your ring finger, so if your finger thickens, you won¡¯t be able to wear your wedding ring.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m completely fine. And I don¡¯t have any plans to marry anyway,¡± replied Lydia in a hurry. She had been invited along with her father to the duchess¡¯mansion today. Her father¡¯s former teacher, who he respected, was the duke¡¯s cousin and was apparently paying a visit to London from Cambridge, so they were holding a very small tea party, and Lydia had come straight from the Ashenbert house to here, but it looked like her father had arrived before her. ¡°I¡¯m so happy that Miss Carlton was able to attend today. When it¡¯s all scholars, you know how the conversation immediately turns to a technical topic, yes? That is much too boring for me.¡± Perhaps, because of that reason, Lydia was first guided to the drawing room of the duchess and saw how she looked to have been eagerly waiting for Lydia as she closed the book she was reading. P. 115 The duchess escorted Lydia and they headed to the salon. As they walked, the duchess made a pleasant smile like she had just remembered something. ¡°So, you still don¡¯t have any intention of marrying. Ha-ha, it is such a spoil for me to be the only one to know that Lord Ashenbert is having such a difficult time.¡± Volume 5 - CH 4 P. 122 * P. 132 She hasn¡¯t seen the coblynau ever since she went with him to the harem. Most likely, the fae had gone to call its friends so that they could take care of the black diamond. Nico was no where in sight. Lydia had no idea where he was and what he was doing, but he had the frequent tendency to not come home for days after he discovered something enjoyable, so she wasn¡¯t worried. Lydia was in the garden gathering hawthorn berries that could be used to ward off evil spirits just when it started to rain lightly. ¡°Miss Carlton, you will get wet.¡± Raven held out a shawl for her. ¡°Did Edgar tell you to do that?¡± He remained silent, perhaps because she guessed right. Because Lydia hadn¡¯t been hiding the fact that she was avoiding Edgar since this morning, it looked like he was using Raven as the in-between. That¡¯s not going to put me in a good mood, thought Lydia. ¡°Please accept it.¡± ¡°Please tell him I don¡¯t need it. More importantly, Raven, weren¡¯t you yelled at by Edgar? For revealing to me of Madam Eve Palace.¡± He couldn¡¯t keep any secrets from Edgar, so if he was asked by his master, then he was sure to answer honestly. P. 133 ¡°He said if you would accept this, then he would forgive me.¡± Wha-what a nasty scoundrel. But, she gave up when she saw the desperate eyes of Raven, which easily let her see how determined he was in making sure she accepted the shawl, no matter what. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m sorry. You went through such a troublesome experience because of me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t feel troubled at all. Lord Edgar is periodically unreasonable because he urges me to put my efforts into thinking for myself, since I can only act when given orders.¡± What a convenient interpretation he came up with. His twisted personality is just unreasonable, is what it is. But, Lydia didn¡¯t want to throw cold water on Raven¡¯s feelings of trust and loyalty he had towards Edgar. Because the unreasonable and half-hearted and frivolous part of him seemed like it was actually helping Raven¡¯s conscious be released into independence. That¡¯s why she surrendered by taking the shawl and wrapping it around herself. ¡°Today¡¯s a little colder than usual.¡± ¡°Yes, since it is the turn of the season where it suddenly turns cold. I will make sure to put fire in the hearth.¡± When his business was over, he was quick to leave. P. 134 He probably didn¡¯t want to be troubled if Lydia were to question him something again. I should head back as well, thought Lydia and passed through the garden and under the tree doorway. Then she heard the talking voices of Edgar and Ermine from the open-windowed terrace. ¡°The servant of the duke¡¯s?¡± There was no particular reason, but Lydia hid herself. ¡°It seems he was found collapsed by the side entrance of Mr. Slade¡¯s club. We were able to find out his identity from one of the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ members investigating about the Duke Barkston family, who thought the male servant¡¯s face looked familiar, but the letter the boy was gripping in his hand was written by Jimmy begging for help.¡± ¡°Were you able to find out the location where Jimmy is held captive?¡± ¡°It is somewhere near the White Chapel.¡± ¡°And, how about the young boy?¡± ¡°It seems like he was put through a horrible beating, so he isn¡¯t in any condition to answer questions.¡± ¡°So, Jimmy might also be getting the same treatment.¡± Edgar appeared like he was in pain, like he was the one being tortured. And yet, what came out of his mouth next was surprisingly cruel. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that the letter could be Ulysses¡¯trap. What reason would there be for a boy to go through a near-death experience in order to save Jimmy? Because Jimmy is a petty thief that snuck into the duke family¡¯s house and got captured, right?¡± P. 135 She imagined that he wanted to go and rescue him immediately, but Edgar wasn¡¯t someone who could be moved by his emotions. That¡¯s why he sometimes appeared like a cold liar. Lydia still didn¡¯t know what he was really feeling in his core. ¡°Mr. Slade says he will still go and rescue the boy and has led a group of his men from the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ on the move.¡± ¡°Slade, huh. He is at the top of the group that doesn¡¯t like how I work.¡± Edgar seemed a little stumped as he tried to think of something. ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯ve heard Jimmy is an orphan from the slums and had been stealing all the time. Then he came to admire the ¡®Scarlet Moon¡¯ which was like Robin Hood¡¯s gang of thieves and he came offering his skills in stealing and so Slade let him join.¡± ¡°That is what I also heard.¡± Edgar thought about something even harder. ¡°Is there something that is bothering you?¡± asked Ermine. P. 140 She was sure it was Ulysses. ¡°Hey, Lydia, don¡¯t say something senseless like returning it to its owner. Because I don¡¯t think the master of those goblins was a decent owner himself. I¡¯m sure he had stolen it from somewhere.¡± He may be right about that. As Lydia thought about it, she looked back and forth from Kelpie to the diamond. Kelpie thinks that Lydia wants this diamond. It seems like he just happened to pick this up and he wanted to make Lydia happy. Lydia said she wanted the diamond only because she wanted to test Edgar, so it wasn¡¯t like she really wanted it. And besides, she was not fit for this diamond. But, if she had this, then Edgar would be able to prove his father¡¯s innocence to society. If he returned it along with the black diamond to the Royal family, then Ulysses and Prince won¡¯t be able to get their hands on it. Would he really give it to her? She glanced up to him to try to see what he might be thinking, but Kelpie put the necklace over Lydia¡¯s head and settled it down around her neck. He then inspected her and then tilted his head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a white clover look better on you?¡± Is that supposed to mean I''m not sufficient to wear the diamond? P. 141 ¡°Oh, well. If you like it, it¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°Yo-you¡¯re giving it to me?¡± ¡°In exchange, how about, cancelling your engagement with him and returning to Scotland?¡± Kelpie made a delightful grin. Well, there was no way he would give it away freely. Oh, no, what should I do, thought Lydia. It was a diamond that Edgar really wanted. He might just agree to annul their engagement. But Kelpie figured that if it was those conditions, then Lydia would accept. It was true, if he was asking her to leave the human realm right now and marry him, then she couldn¡¯t nod to that, but if it was just returning to Scotland, then to Lydia, that just meant she was going to return to her previous lifestyle. Kelpie must have thought if he was able to spend time with Lydia in the peaceful countryside like before, then he would be satisfied. ¡°It¡¯s not like you really want to marry that man, right? I can understand that you want to work as a Fairy Doctor and stay in the human world. But if you are just engaged to him just so you can void the promise to live with me, then let¡¯s just return everything back to a blank slate. This situation you¡¯re in, it¡¯s unnatural.¡± Most likely, it was just as Kelpie said. P. 142 Lydia should put back everything to as it was before, and after that, she should think about her future. This situation, of not knowing Edgar¡¯s true intentions, and become jealous and thrown around and having her feelings become jumbled up, was unnatural. ¡°I¡¯ll bring this up with Edgar.¡± ¡°Good, don¡¯t lose.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what part of it was a win or lose situation, but Kelpie patted Lydia¡¯s head in a rough shake to perhaps, cheer her on. He was rough and she felt he treated her as a child or maybe even a pet, but since he didn¡¯t have another hidden side to his character, she wasn¡¯t bothered by it. ¡°The rain, it¡¯s growing heavier. It¡¯s bad for human health if you get soaking wet, right. You should go home.¡± P. 150 ¡°Why don¡¯t you listen to what your heart tells you?¡± Lydia swiftly stood up and dashed over to the doorway. ¡°Am I not good enough? If I¡¯m going to have you taken away, then the diamond can just go to hell. Kelpie can have it for all I care!¡± Hearing his yell from behind her, but not knowing what to do, she ran out of the room. From where Lydia ran out and left him, Edgar didn¡¯t move and just slumped back onto the sofa. After a while, Raven came in and reported that Lydia had gone home early. ¡°It was not good news?¡± he asked. ¡°It was awful.¡± Without hiding his misery, Edgar rested his chin in his palm. ¡°It seems that Kelpie had found the white diamond ¡®Daydream.¡¯ He¡¯s saying that in exchange, I have to call off the engagement with Lydia.¡± ¡°Did you call it off?¡± ¡°Raven, even you think I would choose the diamond over her?¡± P. 151 ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry.¡± So he does think so. Then Lydia¡¯s reaction couldn¡¯t be helped, but for Edgar - who thought he had been openly showing his feelings for her - it was a depressing reality. ¡°Ahh, what is it that¡¯s wrong with me?¡± ¡°But, Lord Edgar, did you intend to choose Miss Carlton over the diamond?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite the harsh one aren¡¯t you?¡± To begin with, Edgar¡¯s way of thinking wasn¡¯t to choose just one of them. He needed Lydia. But, the diamond was also important. He couldn¡¯t let Ulysses get it. At these kinds of moments, Edgar knew what it was he had to do. ¡°It isn¡¯t like there wasn¡¯t a way that I could have gotten both of them.¡± ¡°Then, why did you make Miss Carlton run off?¡± Yes, exactly. If he had done it right, he would have been able to keep Lydia, and at the same time, be able to get the white diamond from Kelpie, but since she looked so unconcerned, it frustrated him to see how sure she thought he would choose the diamond. And he let his emotions take control and lashed out on her, but if he wanted to get both, then anyone would have said he did the most stupidest thing. P. 152 He had every intention of obtaining what he wanted and needed, so he didn¡¯t intend to let Lydia go. He didn¡¯t even need to rethink about that, as he was already decided on that matter, but it was so unlike him and a shock, for saying he¡¯d let Kelpie have the diamond. He was adept at lying. But, there was no point in a lie that didn¡¯t have profit. There shouldn¡¯t be any meaning in what he said to her before she left, but if what he said were to have just spilled out of him, it could have been what he was really feeling. As he remained confused, Edgar stood up. ¡°Raven, it isn¡¯t like she has escaped.¡± ¡°But, she left marks on you.¡± Raven held out a handkerchief. Good God, this was also unexpected. He was careful not to force himself on her, so lately, when Edgar would get close to her, Lydia hadn¡¯t put her guard up like before. However, if he was going to kiss her, there should have been a suitable situation than just now. And he had been holding himself back all this time, and yet, he did it at the worst possible timing out of all the situations he could have chosen. ¡°I couldn¡¯t hold myself back.¡± So annoyed and in a fret, he rubbed the blood that was oozing out of his cheek with the palm of his hand. P. 153 ¡°Ahh, maybe this really is the curse of the diamond.¡± Just then, Raven suddenly turned his head towards the window with a nervous look. And in the next moment, he swiftly stepped over to guard Edgar. ¡°Like always, that servant of yours is quick to notice.¡± By the time Edgar turned around, a young man with black wavy hair was sitting down on the windowsill like he had been there all along. ¡°What¡¯s up, Blue Knight Earl.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your business, Kelpie.¡± The water horse wore a faint grin but glared at Edgar. This fae was the one who had the white diamond that Edgar wanted so much. On top of that, he brought up the idea of bargaining to Lydia. He was the source of Edgar¡¯s depression. ¡°Hey, what did you do to Lydia?¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°It does. Since the diamond I have seems to be the blame. Ahhh, I picked it up intending to give it to Lydia, and yet it was something you were looking for. When I was a little worried and came to check things out, I find Lydia bright red in the face and running out of here and hear you saying a ridiculous thing like you want both Lydia and the diamond.¡± P. 154 Kelpie narrowed his black pearl eyes in a suggestive way. He had a seductive, perfect beauty. That¡¯s why Edgar didn¡¯t like this kelpie. To Edgar, his only weapon was his looks. He was well aware that on the inside, he was unfair, narrow-minded, had a jealous nature and was self-centered. For him to seduce women and make people his allies was all thanks to his smart talk and deceiving them with his looks. That¡¯s why he hated men who had a much more attractive face than him. If it was a human, then they were sure to have a fault, and if they were offensive and detesting, then he''d be satisfied by embarrassing them, but if it was a fairy, then there was nothing he could do. If the only reason for Lydia to be engaged with Edgar was so she could remain in the human world, then as for her personal feelings, she might actually have positive feelings towards Kelpie than Edgar, and that was another irritation for him. ¡°Lydia is my fianc¨¦e. There is no way I would exchange her for a diamond.¡± ¡°She wants to call it off. That¡¯s why it was such an ease for her to be able to bring this up with you.¡± True. That¡¯s why, Edgar became even more furious. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Then, how about a bargain with me. Let her go. If you can¡¯t, I¡¯ll give this to the another who wants this. A human with light blond hair; the one who looks like a young boy but can control fairies.¡± P. 155 Ulysses. Edgar looked straight back into Kelpie¡¯s eyes as he tried to think. He wanted the diamond, and Lydia. If he were to agree in annulling the engagement, then he would get the white diamond that Kelpie had. Even if he returned his relationship with Lydia to a blank slate, there was still a chance for him to win her over. But, was that really possible? He mulled that thought around in his mind. He lost his temper when Lydia brought up the suggestion of calling off their engagement, and made her cry, and yet, if she were to find out he bargained with Kelpie... Even if Lydia was a soft-hearted girl, that would make her never trust Edgar again. But she didn¡¯t trust him from the start. No matter what her feelings, there were plenty of methods to have her agree in their marriage. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± asked Kelpie. Kelpie made a grin like he was enjoying how he was able to play with him. Although he hadn¡¯t made a decision yet, Edgar¡¯s emotions made a mumbling response. ¡°Get out of my sight.¡± ¡°Hmmm, so that¡¯s your response?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not bargaining. Lydia is my fianc¨¦e!¡± P. 156 Kelpie tutted and then, vanished. At that same time, Edgar felt the strength in his body go out. He grasped the windowsill that Kelpie was on with both hands. ¡°Raven, what on earth am I doing.¡± He wasn¡¯t able to make a rash, clear-minded decision. He ended up letting the diamond go, that was hanging right in front of him. ¡°There is no problem. Lord Edgar, no matter whose hands it falls into, I will retrieve the white diamond. But, I can do nothing about Miss Carlton.¡± That could be true. However, Edgar was more befuddled about his own uncontrollable feelings, than wondering if it was the right decision or not to kick away the bargain with Kelpie. Volume 5 - CH 5 P. 157 * She felt her head pounding from a headache and a cold shiver run through her, probably because she was wet from the rain. For that night, Lydiaunusually went to bed early and as she was nearly drifting off, she was dreaming of being at her house in Scotland. The old house that was at the corner of the town was surrounded by a large garden. The garden was filled with grasses and trees that the fairies adored, so it had become the gathering ground and passageway for fairies and constantly the source of a busy commotion. From the second floor window, you could see the fairy rath that stood circularly mounded up on the earth in one part of the vast field of heaths. Fairies tend to come from there and spend some time enjoying themselves in one of their favorite locations, and then eventually go back there. Lydia sat by her window was looked out into the hill, and murmured to herself I¡¯ve home now. As she dazed about she won¡¯t be returning to that London anymore and was reminiscing oddly about how those few months were like a dream in her dream. P. 161 She, who didn¡¯t have hardly any experience in being with the opposite sex was flirted with and proposed to. She wondered what would have happened if she were to remain in London. I wonder¡­..if I would have gotten married. With that Edgar? How ridiculous. Sooner or later it was going to end up like this. It¡¯s all right, Lydia cheered herself again. It wasn¡¯t like I went through heart broke or anything. It was good that this happened before I fell in love with him. There wasn¡¯t even any chance that I would fall for him. He¡¯s a man that doesn¡¯t choose in who to flirt with. For no reason, Lydia traced her lips with her fingers and thought it was the greatest mistake of my life. He asked her why she couldn¡¯t understand him. Even to go as far as to say that he would let Kelpie have the diamond. That was surely a lie. Just his specialty of not doing what he says. And yet, why do I have to be the one to feel bad and guilty? ¡°Young miss, are you crying?¡± It was the coblynau¡¯s voice. She couldn¡¯t see him. ¡°What? I would never be crying.¡± ¡°Bow is telling me so. That the young miss¡¯ heart is wounded and she is in sorrow.¡± Lydia quickly lifted up her hand and realized that she still had on the moonstone ring. She wondered if she forgot to ask him to take it off and came home wearing it. P. 162 She didn¡¯t have anything to do with Edgar now. ¡°Coblynau. Would you take this off. He''s already agreed to annulling our engagement.¡± ¡°Oh, no, he still hasn¡¯t, young miss. You are only running away into a dream of yours.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want something like this. I don¡¯t have any intention of getting married.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I can understand your feelings. The earl is being quite the unfaithful one. However, young miss, you must not lose to the other women. Because you are the rightful fianc¨¦e of his.¡± Oh, who cares. Don¡¯t bother me. She might have hurt Edgar. But even Lydia was hurt. If it was just a marriage to keep his fairy doctor by his side and yet he was treating Lydia as someone¡¯s replacement and wanted her to comfort him, then that was just horrible. She had enough of the lies like he actually had serious feelings for Lydia. It wasn¡¯t like he was hurt at all, so don¡¯t pretend like you¡¯re hurt. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry, young miss. This old me will do something about it. Yes, indeed, so that the earl would treasure just you young miss. Please leave everything to me.¡± Her head was pounding. Her dream ended, and Lydia was half-awake when she heard the voice of the coblynau. But, she felt into a deep slumber once more. P. 163 And when she awakened, she noticed everything around her bright and sparkling. Ahh, it¡¯s because of the chandelier. A chandelier was covered with clear crystals reflecting the gas-lit flames and radiated luminously. Chandelier? By no means could there be such a light hanging in my room¡­. Lydia¡¯s trail of thought ended there, as she sprung up from her resting position. She had been lying down on a long, slender sofa. A transparently-thin curtain was blocking the view around her, but from the other side which she could see faintly through the cloth, she could tell she was in a spacious room that was filled with marvelous pieces of furniture. Lydia had a feeling she¡¯d seen this place before and was about to stand up, but the piece of cloth that was wrapped around her got in the way and she wasn¡¯t able to move freely. ¡°Wh-what is this¡­..¡± When she lifted up her arm, she heard a clinking sound, like metal hitting each other. The golden pieces of decorations that were woven into her sleeve and veil, were hitting against each other. It was an outfit like the princess of an Arabian knight. And on top of that: this room. It was Edgar¡¯s harem. And for some strange reason, Lydia was in place of the blond-haired doll that should have been sitting here and she even was wearing the doll¡¯s exotic costume. P. 164 It was a silk dress decorated with beads and embroidery. There was gold and jewels heavily sown into the cloth on the arm, legs and her hair, but her outfit was surprisingly thin and light. Lydia lifted up the curtain and gazed at herself in the near-by, big mirror like she was a strange, foreign animal but then realized she was wearing the black diamond necklace. ¡°What, what is the meaning of this!¡± P. 182 ¡°Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯ll take you.¡± He took off his coat and used it to cover Lydia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I think that will be difficult.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He leaned his head to the side curiously as he opened the main entrance door but the path was blocked with open, exposed rocks. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that the goblins had dug holes and made a path? This is their pathway and the fairy realm and human realm have become jumbled up with each other.¡± He seemed confused as he set his hand on the wall and combed his hair with his fingers. ¡°What can we do to get out?¡± ¡°We will have to wait until the goblins appear again. Only fairies can see the path of fairies. They are sure to know their paths, so I will make a bargain somehow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us here until then.¡± Lydia heard the two of them and she stepped back a few steps in caution. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything. But even if I was the one who said that you couldn¡¯t believe me, but I¡¯ll say it just for sake. You can rest easy, so go ahead and lay down on the sofa.¡± As Edgar said that, he took a look around the room and searched inside the cabinets. ¡°I never imagined that I would be left stranded in the middle of London. And it looks like there isn¡¯t any decent thing to eat in this room.¡± P. 183 It was a doll house so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Lydiadid as he suggested, then felt a cold shiver and pulled the front of the coat she borrowed tightly around her. ¡°Are you cold? That coat is quite thin. Looking wise it¡¯s quite thankful though.¡± She hurried to hide her stomach area with the coat. ¡°If I knew you were going to wear that, I should I put more requests in its design.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..Even so, why would you make a doll that looks exactly like your mother wear something like this?¡± If she thought about it, it was something that appeared quite strange. ¡°If I didn¡¯t make it an outrageous outfit, the doll looked even more like my mother and it was disturbing.¡± I guess that would be the normal reaction. He took a number of alcoholic drinks in a bottle that were placed in the room as interior accessories and some fruits that were again another interior decoration, he walked over to Lydia who was on the sofa. He sat himself down onto the carpet and opened the bottle of brandy and poured it into a glass. ¡°You¡¯ll warm up a little.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­..¡± Even as she took the glass, she had made sure to avoid from touching his fingers, so Edgar made a small sour smile. ¡°You would hug me, but you don¡¯t allow touching from my side do you.¡± P. 184 ¡°That¡¯s because¡­..¡± ¡°Because I kissed you without asking?¡± Lydia felt that her body temperature rose up dramatically and so she rounded herself. ¡°If Marquis Barkston is captured by the goblins, then he might be killed by Ulysses. And you haven¡¯t even pulled out all the information out of him that we wanted yet.¡± She purposefully changed the subject because she wanted to avoid the topic about the kiss with just the two of them. ¡°I was able to grasp the gist of it all. And the reason why that man was called Prince.¡± Just listening to that story, Lydia wasn¡¯t able to understand everything. But when she imagined that Edgar didn¡¯t have any intentions of revealing the information about what he had figured out about the heart of the matter regarding Prince, then she wasn¡¯t able to bring herself to ask him. ¡°You don¡¯t want to hear anything that has to do with me?¡± ¡°Is it all right for someone like me to find out?¡± ¡°I learned that nothing good comes out from when I keep things secret from my fianc¨¦e.¡± Because it might have turned out like this. Thought Lydia as she looked down at what she was wearing. ¡°I said I¡¯m not your fianc¨¦e.¡± She objected just for sake. Edgar didn¡¯t let that bother him and went on. ¡°In 1688, James II was exiled from England and escaped to France. Do you know that afterwards his descendants had seriously tried on two accountants to claim their succession to the throne and tried to invade into England?¡± P. 185 ¡°Yes.¡± As she replied, Lydia was remembering about how she had heard that King¡¯s name just the other day. Her father had been talking about the two diamonds that were the issue of this. They were the Royal family¡¯s diamonds, but she was told how they were lost during the commotion of the revolution and James II¡¯s exile. ¡°Bonnie Prince Charlie was the grandchild of James II and led an invasion into England to retrieve the throne but lost.¡± She remembered hearing that Jean-mary carried the blood of that man. ¡°Most likely Prince and oh, his descendants too¡­..anyways, I think that he might be closely related to Jean-mary by blood. He was after the Royal family¡¯s diamond, not because it was the legendary jewel, but I thing it was more like as its owner, and as the heir to Bonnie Prince, he was trying to claim as the Prince of Wales.¡± ¡°Prince of Wales¡­.¡± ¡°The male heirs of the Stuart family should have all died out, but if you go down the bloodline of the female, you would find out that it would be connected to a number of royal families and nobles in Europe. I¡¯ve heard that there are groups that claim that those are the rightful King of Englandand Scotland. But Prince, claims that he himself is the Prince, so he must be in a different organization from that.¡± P. 186 ¡°Do you think that he¡¯s planning to return to England?¡± ¡°Even if he is, I don¡¯t think it would be the same way as the old Bonnie Prince.¡± If Marquis Barkston and Jean-mary had married, then the two royal families would be mixed once again. That man said that that was plotted for the sake of Prince. Going against their plan, Jean-mary married Duke Sylvainford, but the plot didn¡¯t end there. ¡°So your family had the blood of the royal family in it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And several of them.¡± Most likely, that was the most ideal part for Prince. Because the child of Jean-mary and the duke was surely going to be born with a much more thicker blood of the royal family. ¡°That was the reason you were targeted? But, what was their intention for kidnapping you?¡± ¡°I guess it was to make the next Prince.¡± Make, she thought that was a strange way to say it. ¡°He didn¡¯t make his own son his heir? Even if he didn¡¯t have a boy, didn¡¯t he think there was more difficulty in making you his heir after he abducted you and made you came to hate Prince?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking that he wasn¡¯t planning to make me his heir under the normal meaning. They were under the strong belief that they were able to control the will of others how they liked. If I were to be in that organization for long, I think they were anticipating that I would lose my mind and they would be able to mold a new person that had the same way of thinking and feeling as Prince.¡± P. 187 Lydia was taken-aback. What on earth did Edgar witness at that place. He must have gone through a hundred times more torturing experiences at Prince¡¯s organization than the tragedy that happened at the duke house. But, even if she thought that, she wasn¡¯t able to imagine what it was. Even if someone like me were to hold him, in reality, wouldn¡¯t that really not be of any comfort to Edgar. ¡°That organization was originally, how would you put it, it had the characteristic of devoting themselves to magical practices and spells. Even if some heir of the exiled King came out claiming their right to the throne right now, it would be impossible to get succession to the throne. And yet, Prince is gathering the blood of the royal family once again and is attempting to make them his puppets. His methods are so odd like he is forcing to make one.¡± It was out of her boundaries of imagination. Lydia was gradually becoming confused. It was too bizarre of a story is try to be understood with her head that had a fever. She gulped down one mouth-full of spirits and gazed dazzlingly over at Edgar. He held a pear in his hand and masterfully peeled it with a knife. * The sound of the goblins digging their hole was making a tremendous rumbling vibration throughout the ground. Kelpie¡¯s sensitive mane was able to sense any small vibration that came to the water through the ground. ¡°What on earth are they doing, those little pests?¡± He wondered if they weren¡¯t planning on making the London underground full of tunnels and pathways. The hole they dug was cut off from the human realm and more closer to the fairy realm, but if they went on digging without being careful, it was going to affect the humans on the ground above them. Kelpie wondered if that was their actual goal, as he gazed at the white diamond that fainted sparkled even in the bottom of water. ¡°What shall I do with this?¡± The diamond that the master of the goblins was looking for was also something that the Blue Knight Earl was searching. However, that earl kicked away the bargain that Kelpie offered him. ¡°That man, is Lydia more important to him that this?¡± That was unexpected. Because, he was an earl that carried unending rumors of women with him. He was imaging that the earl just wanted to keep Lydia by his side as one to put in his group of female followers. P. 192 It should have been a temporary engagement where it benefited him and Lydia, who wished to stay in the human world. The clear glass-like diamond that was cut in a tear-drop shape was so transparent that it seemed like it could dissolve into the water as it kept its faint light of a silhouette. Even the devilish fairy Kelpie felt like there was a magic that seeped out of the jewel and almost sensed a fainting-like dizziness. While he stared at the jewel, he felt like someone had called him and so he lifted his head up. He had a feeling like it was Lydia¡¯s voice. He rose up to the surface of the water and transformed into his human form to walk up to the bank and listened carefully. It was Lydia¡¯s voice just like he thought and when he walked over to the group of trees, he spotted someone standing behind in a shadow of a tree. The person¡¯s reddish-brown hair flowed in the wind. ¡°Lydia, what is the matter?¡± ¡°Kelpie.¡± When he found her, Lydia came dashing over to him and suddenly threw her arms around him. ¡°What is it? Were you bullied by that earl?¡± Kelpie felt that she was trembling and carefully embraced her shoulders. He wasn¡¯t used to handling humans as other than his meals, so he take particularly caution with Lydia. P. 193 "I can¡¯t take it anymore. I want to go home to Scotland.¡± However, a feeling of tender loving care came rising up in the core of Kelpie¡¯s body that he never experienced before. The satisfaction that he felt when he ate humans only lasted for a short while, but the pleasing comfort that he felt when he was with Lydia wouldn¡¯t disappear no matter how much time passed by. ¡°All right then let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°But, Edgar won¡¯t annual our engagement. He¡¯s trying to force me to become his bride.¡± ¡°He¡¯s horrible,¡± said Kelpie, completely forgetting about the fact that he also had tried to force Lydia to become his bride. ¡°I really am not able to trust Edgar. I realized that fairies understand me much more than humans.¡± Her chamomile smelling hair came closer to his face. He felt the blood of the fae in her golden-green eyes. A human that was shared the magic of a fairy; that¡¯s why she is a fairy doctor. In Lydia¡¯s eyes, there might be some magic. He unexpectedly felt a thrilling shiver run up his body. ¡°Lydia, if your saying that, then I¡¯ll go have a talk with the earl. If he doesn¡¯t agree to calling off the engagement, then I¡¯ll bite off his head¡­., no, I mean, I¡¯ll protect you so he can¡¯t come close, so you can relax.¡± ¡°Really?¡± P. 194 It didn¡¯t feel bad to be depended on. When he recalled how adorable she was than usual, he didn¡¯t pay attention to the fact that she was leaning up so close to him which was unusual for Lydia¡¯s character. ¡°Hey, do you still have that diamond with you?¡± ¡°Eh, ah, yes. Do you want it?¡± She made a small nod. ¡°I was just thinking of throwing it away.¡± He put the necklace around her head. He thought it really didn¡¯t suit her, but when he saw how Lydia smiled so happily like never before, then he felt completely satisfied. However, just then the scenery around him shifted. Lydia¡¯s body melted away. ¡°Wh-¡­¡­¡± For an instant, everything around him went completely white, like his eyes were being burned from a light that was so unbearably bright. When his view gradually returned, he saw in his view of the park, there was a young boy of a man standing next to a tree that was a little ways away. It was him. The master of the goblins. ¡°Boy, what did you do?¡± He made a grin and held up the diamond necklace. P. 195 ¡°I¡¯ll let you know what the name of this diamond is. It¡¯s called Daydream. Gemstones and fairies all have their names reveal their character. I just brought out the power that this stone holds.¡± ¡°So you showed me an illusion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a vision you saw on your own. Your dream? Or your desire? I was wondering why a water horse kelpie was in London, but now I understand, you¡¯re after that fairy doctor girl.¡± Kelpie gave a menacing glare at the lad that was much more slender than that earl and seemed like he was able to snap in two with his bare hands. If he was just a regular human, Kelpie would be jumping in and taking a bite out of him, but he was a man that knew how to use fairy magic. Kelpie couldn¡¯t act recklessly. ¡°Boy, I heard that your going against that Blue Knight Earl.¡± As soon as the lad heard that name, his face twisted into a cruel, cold-blooded one. ¡°Ah, yes, since it¡¯s my duty to kill the earl.¡± ¡°Hmm, so you¡¯re going to kill him. How?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to slowly torture him and finish him off.¡± He had no reason to oppose. However, Kelpie was worried about Lydiawho was in close proximity to the earl. And besides, this boy was much more despicable than that stuck-up earl. And Kelpie felt that because he could see that this human had the power to communicate with fairies and considered them only to use as he pleased. Volume 5 - CH 6 P. 197 * The Nightmare is stirring. Lydia was resting while she was drifting in a slumber, and unbeknownst to her she was pulled into the grasp of the Nightmare. * Edgar, who was now alone, walked over to the hole in the wall dug open supposedly by the goblins. There was no point in staying in the same place. He took a candle in one hand, and decided to enter the hole. He imagined it would be cramped, but there was enough space for him to stand up and walk easily. It seemed like it adapted to the height of who was in it. He found out that the cave passageway, which walls were surrounded by rocks, continue far off into the distance. And when he turned around, there wasn¡¯t any sign of the hole into the Madam Eve Palace room that should have been behind him, only a rocky wall blocked Edgar¡¯s view. I see now. He was convinced that once someone leaves the previous place, they wouldn¡¯t be able to return to that spot. Which means he was only left with the option of going forward. Edgar turned back to the dark passageway and walked on. No matter how much time went by, the passage continued to be one single path. At one point, he made a mark with a knife on the wall on the right side of him. After he went on a ways, that mark appeared on the wall on his left hand side. ¡°Is this place the Moebius strip?¡± Maybe it was a mistake to let Lydia go, he thought, but there was nothing he could do to change that now. P. 211 Just when he was thinking what he should do next, there was a flickering light coming from up ahead. Someone¡¯s there. Is it Ulysses? ¡°Lord Edgar!¡± At the familiar voice, Edgar let himself relax. ¡°Raven, you were all right.¡± Raven came dashing up to him and then knelt down in front of Edgar. ¡°I am terribly sorry. Because I was away from your side unduly, I was unable to return.¡± ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s right, it was so troublesome without you.¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± Raven quickly asked back with a serious expression on his face, and moved his gaze to search if Edgar had injured himself anywhere. ¡°Well, I was alone with Lydia. And on top of that, she¡¯s wearing a thin piece of clothing, and she was weak from fever, so I had such a terrible time trying to hold myself back.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Uh-huh.¡± ¡°But, I have to say, women who have a fever are three times more seductive than they usually are. Her cheeks were blushed with pink, and she looked up at me with such moist, damp eyes, I could only think she was inviting me. Thankfully, I remembered how I was clawed yesterday, so I was able to refrain myself.¡± P. 212 Edgar crouched down to look into Raven¡¯s eyes who seemed to be confused even as his face was locked in an expressionless state. ¡°Did you see?¡± ¡°¡­..And you mean by?¡± ¡°Lydia¡¯s bellybutton.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± Seeing as Raven averted his eyes away from their eye contact, he must have taken a very good look at it. ¡°Forget that.¡± Even as he made a faint smile, he made sure that there was a strong hint of the meaning in his order. ¡°Yes.¡± Raven bowed his head. ¡°Oh I mean really! And I was wondering what it was you two were talking about so seriously about!¡± Behind Raven, there was a cat wearing a necktie and stood up-right on its hind-legs. ¡°Why, this is serious. Nico, if it was Raven, then well, I¡¯d forgive him, but if it was another man, then I would have to carve his eyes out.¡± ¡°More importantly, where¡¯s Lydia,¡± asked the feline fairy. P. 213 ¡°Kelpie took her out of here. It seems Ulysses is also in this goblin maze. And it seems like the goblins went after Marquis Barkston, and so the reason why Ulysses is making the goblins use the Madam Eve Palace and make it into a maze was so that he could capture the marquis. Although he still might not know that we have entered as well.¡± ¡°If it was the marquis, I have cornered him in a room filled with portraits and tied him up, but it seems like that room has also become a part of this maze, and once I stepped out, I was unable to get back into it,¡±explained Raven. And so Nico found Raven who was wandering around inside the maze and was leading him through the passageways. Edgar didn¡¯t know why Nico was here, but it seemed like since he was a fairy, he was able to figure out which way to go. ¡°So, Nico, which way is it to the exit?¡± ¡°It looks like there isn¡¯t any particular exit. And I don¡¯t have the animal strength like Kelpie to pound open a hole.¡± ¡°So it looks like our only option is to come in contact with Ulysses.¡± As he said that, Edgar stood up. ¡°It seems that the white diamond has gotten into the hands of Ulysses. And if that¡¯s so, then we need to think up of what to do from now. ¡­For the mean time, I want to have a talk with the marquis.¡± ¡°Are you going to use him, my lord?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­. Raven, will you trust me no matter what happens?¡± The young man looked back up at him curiously, but didn¡¯t hesitate to reply ¡®yes.¡¯ P. 214 ¡°Let¡¯s hurry to the marquis. Nico, you¡¯ll guide us right.¡± ¡°Gahhh, but I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near that Ulysses. There¡¯s a chance that he might come to where the marquis is, right?¡± ¡°But even you wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of here unless Ulysses opens up an exit, right?¡± Nico placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes with discontent, but he swirled around to face the other direction, and started to tread on as he swished around his tail. * The place where Lydia fell down into was where the goblins gathered into a circle as they were in the middle of a feast. The small, dirty room didn¡¯t look like it was part of that Madam Eve Palace. Which means the goblins could have dug a tunnel that connected to some other realm. She looked around to spot one of them picking up a bottle of spirits that was as big and tall as their height and chugged it down its throat like it was a fountain but then swiftly started to make a loud ruckus which sounded like a frog. They were completely drunk and only noticed Lydia, who had come crashing down to them, just when she quietly stood up and was trying to carefully hide herself. She watched as they all died down and their distorted faces turn to Lydia¡¯s direction one-by-one. P. 215 (Who are you?) (How did you come into here?) ¡°I¡­¡­I am a fairy doctor. Listen everyone, it¡¯s best you all don¡¯t come any closer to me.¡± Because her attire was different from was in her normal clothes, she didn¡¯t have her usual, hidden stash of hawthorns which had the power to ward off fairies. But still, the evil-spirited, small fairies must have been taken-aback by her saying she was a fairy doctor, as they all quickly backed away from Lydia. (It¡¯s the black jewel.) But another one of them whispered something unexpected. Lydia realized what it was referring to, and swopped up her hand to hide the necklace. (Isn¡¯t that the one that the master was looking for?) (Is that true?) (Oi, then what shall we do?) Lydia stepped over to the shadow of the hearth to hide her body and quickly took off the necklace and dropped and hid it into one of the pockets of the coat she was wearing. But, even if she hid it, she wasn¡¯t able to deceive them. How would she be able to out-smart the goblins? ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Please help me¡­¡­¡± Just then, she heard the faint voice of someone calling for help from the corner of the room. P. 216 She shifted her eyes towards that direction and strained to see what it was in that dark corner, and saw that there was a small boy surrounded by goblins and cowering in fear. He was so thin and spare of flesh, but she was familiar with his chalk white face. He was that bad-mouthed boy that she met at the earl¡¯s mansion library. He looked up at her with begging eyes and tried to crawl out of the spot he was in, but the strength in his body suddenly went out and his body slumped to the floor. Lydia kicked aside the goblins and rushed over towards him. ¡°Hey, you, uhh, Jimmy? Pull yourself together.¡± She remembered Edgar saying something about a boy being captured by Ulysses. Lydia decided she must save him and tried to carry him up into her arms, but then the goblins suddenly broke out into chaos. (Hey, stop that.) (You can¡¯t do whatever you please.) ¡°Ouch, what are you doing?!¡± One of them had poked Lydia¡¯s leg with a small shovel. ¡°¡­¡­.That jewel¡­.,¡± murmured the boy. ¡°These creatures said that I was a hostage so that they could trade me with the diamond,¡± he explained. P. 217 (That¡¯s right.) (The master said so.) (If you hand over that jewel, we¡¯ll give you that boy.) Oh, no, what should I do? thought Lydia. She was just borrowing it from Edgar. She couldn¡¯t go and hand it over to the enemy without his consult. But, she wanted to help Jimmy. ¡­..Oh, I know. Lydia came up with a good idea, and stood up so that she could look down at the goblins around her. ¡°So you¡¯ll give him to me if I give you this.¡± She opened up the palm of her hand and showed the goblins the black, sparkling stone. That¡¯s the one, cried out all of them. ¡°So, it¡¯s a trade then.¡± She made sure that they all nodded, and Lydia threw the stone in the other direction. All of the goblins panicked and rushed over towards it. In that moment, Lydia pulled the boy up-right. ¡°Now, hurry. We need to run, now.¡± She somehow managed to steady him up and pulled his hand and dashed through the door. There didn¡¯t seem to be any sound of the goblins coming after them, but Lydia wanted to get as far away from them as quickly as she could. P. 218 ¡°The diamond¡­.., you¡¯re crazy to hand over the diamond when it belongs to the earl.¡± Jimmy hobbled after her while he snarled at her in anger. And you were the one who said yourself that you were a hostage for the diamond. Lydia was silently surprised at how he still was keeping the stance of mocking her. ¡°That was just a piece of coal. The goblins won¡¯t realize that for a while.¡± ¡°¡­..Coal?¡± Near the area that Jimmy was lying down, there was a bucket filled with coal. Lydia had sneaked a piece of coal which was the same size as the diamond into the palm of her hand and that was what she used with the goblins. They had agreed to exchange Jimmy for what Lydia had showed them. ¡°So you tricked them.¡± ¡°Tricked them¡­.., it was to save you.¡± In a matter of time, they came into a darkly-lit passage way. There were buildings hovering over them on both sides. It was a path that went through a poor area of a city, with old and crumbling bricks, shattered glass and windows with broken slatted shutters and window frames lined unevenly on the walls of the buildings. But this place was also another part caught in the tunnels of the goblins, and so it wasn¡¯t like they had managed to escape from the maze. P. 219 Lydia started to get lost with the direction and when she stopped running, Jimmy snapped his hand away from her that she was leading. ¡°Where¡¯s the earl? ¡­¡­He should have come to rescue me.¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s here. We all separated to search for you.¡± But he only looked back at Lydia suspiciously. ¡°Did you steal the earl¡¯s black diamond?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you saying?¡± He suddenly held something pointing out of his closed fist and she saw that it was a piece of glass with a dangerous, sharp edge. ¡°You, you won the earl¡¯s favor and stole it from him, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you talking about?¡± P. 222 Ermine nodded solemnly. ¡°A number of the Scarlett Moon members were also looking for Jimmy, so I¡¯d wager that they were pulled into here and lost as well.¡± ¡°That boy, I hope he would be able to meet up with them.¡± ¡°For the mean time, let us both keep moving. I¡¯m sure Lord Edgar will be needing you.¡± I can bet against that. With Jimmy being so insolent towards her, she had lost all of her confidence. Making her wonder if her golden-green eyes and the fact that she could see fairies really gave off such a creepy impression. No, no, more importantly than that, I¡¯ve remained here because I am a fairy doctor. Lydia said that to herself in her head and pressed on through the tunnel with Ermine. As they walked, the decorations on her clothing started to make the rustling sound of tinkling and that bothered her. Making her wonder what Ermine was thinking when she saw that Lydia was wearing the clothing that the doll was wearing. I wonder if she thinks I came to investigate about Edgar having an affair. On top of that, I¡¯m wearing his coat. ¡°Uh, Ermine, about the clothes I¡¯m wearing, it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯m wearing this because it was my wishing so.¡± ¡°Yes, I can imagine that there was some kind of trouble that occurred. But, you were lucky that Lord Edgar was able to lend you his coat.¡± P. 223 ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Since it would be a good opportunity, he¡¯d think he might as well enjoy the view.¡± Lydia realized Ermine was actually the type of person who didn¡¯t have trouble saying such embarrassing things. ¡°¡­¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean this wasn¡¯t such a pleasant view?¡± ¡°He must have not had the confidence with ending it with just viewing.¡± Oh geesh. Lydia thought she needed to change the subject. As they had continued to watch through the complicated tunnel passages, there were a growing number of them ending in a dead-end. ¡°You know, I feel like the goblin¡¯s maze is starting to become smaller.¡± ¡°If that is true, I wonder what that means.¡± ¡°It looks like they are trying to gather everyone near the center.¡± If everyone who has entered this maze was gathered at the center, she wondered what it was Ulysses was planning on doing with them. As Lydia was thinking, a hole suddenly opened up under her feet. Ermine immediately noticed and grabbed Lydia¡¯s hand, but the ground under her feet gave out as well, and the both of them went falling down. The distance they fell was a short one. It wasn¡¯t that hard of an impact as it normally would be in reality, as the two of them were able to bring out their hands to softly land on the ground, but when Lydia tried to stand up, she felt the cold, piercing edge of a blade against her cheek and froze. P. 224 ¡°Welcome, young ladies.¡± A young boy of a man with faint blond hair with a grin on his face came into her view. ¡°Ulysses¡­..!¡± Ermine tried to go into a stance to attack, but Ulysses wrapped his arm around Lydia and pulled her right up next to him, making Ermine stop. ¡°Don¡¯t you move. You don¡¯t want the earl¡¯s woman to become a corpse, do you? Ohh, or is it, you would be more happy if she was dead?¡± A crowd of goblins appeared and circled around them. They were all screaming and shouting as they kicked and stomped down on Lydia¡¯s foot. They were barking furiously at her how the diamond she gave them was a fake. However, lucky for her, it seemed like Ulysses still didn¡¯t know that Lydia had the real black diamond with her. ¡°If it¡¯s a hostage you want, then take me. Let her go,¡± implored Ermine. ¡°Don¡¯t try to talk like you¡¯re a saint. I wouldn¡¯t mind if I kill her, you know. If I kill this girl and you claimed you tried to save her but it was impossible and went wailing to him, then I¡¯m sure the earl would forgive you.¡± ¡°Foolish nonsense,¡± calmly retorted Ermine, and that made the grinning Ulysses tut his tongue. P. 225 ¡°I see. No matter how many of his lovers die, it would be hardly possible that he would lay his fingers on Prince¡¯s old woman.¡± Even if he mocked her like that, the expression on her face didn¡¯t change. Lydia had heard that all of them were slaves. However, seeing how Ermine was burdened with a different kind of pain from Edgar and Raven, it made her crushed with pain and suffocation. ¡°Walk ahead of me. You want to see the earl, don¡¯t you? Fairy doctor, if you¡¯re walking around here wearing that man¡¯s coat, then I can guess he has come in to this maze as well, hasn¡¯t he? I¡¯ll take you to him.¡± Ulysses ordered Ermine as he still had the knife in his hand pointed at Lydia. Ermine looked worryingly over to Lydia, seemingly not sure what to do. If she went along with Ulysses¡¯ order, she must be worried if Lydia might go through a terrifying experience. ¡°Ermine, I¡¯m fine.¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t go on depending on Ermine. She was well aware that Ulysses might be here. Lydia wasn¡¯t able to understand their pain, but it wasn¡¯t like she remained here with the intention of becoming a baggage to them. After Lydia agreed with a firm tone, Ermine nodded and started to walk in the direction Ulysses pointed to. Volume 5 - CH 7 P. 226 * Carlton had been going on in dispute for thirty minutes with the gatekeeper of Madam Eve Palace. Only those who were members were allowed to enter, and on top of that, the gatekeeper wouldn¡¯t let him know if the Earl Ashenbert was a member and if he was inside or not. Carlton wasn¡¯t sure if a harem existed like the rumors or if there were women trapped inside, and if it were true he shouted that what they are doing was a crime, but the only reply was a polite ¡®We have nothing further to discuss. Please leave these grounds.¡¯ They were taking an absolute, strict code of secrecy. ¡°What are you going to do if my daughter was in there?¡± ¡°There is no way that she would be.¡± P. 236 ¡°Then let me make sure.¡± ¡°Will you like to become a member? You will need a referral from a current member and present the enrollment fee.¡± There were two gatekeepers with sturdily built frames, so they also must have the role of bodyguards. Their tone was polite but they stood up blocking Carlton with stone-hard coerce. Even if he were to breakthrough, Carlton and his scrawny frame would easily be tossed back outside in a matter of seconds. Just then, one of the gatekeepers spotted a parked carriage. One of them quickly rushed over to it and welcomingly opened the door. The one who came out of it was a plump, black-bearded man. ¡°Welcome, Mister Slade.¡± Carlton thought that name sounded familiar. He quickly rushed over to the man¡¯s side. He yelled out before he could be pushed aside by the gatekeeper. ¡°Mr. Slade? Are you perhaps the art dealer?¡± ¡°I happen to be so,¡± said the man in a suspicious tone as he turned around to Carlton. ¡°Umm, my daughter happens to be an acquaintance of the painter Mr. Paul Foreman, and I was told of you by Mr. Foreman. Oh, my name is Carlton. My daughter and Earl Ashenbert¡­.¡± ¡°What, the fairy doctor¡¯s father?¡± Surprisingly, it seemed like he got through more quickly than expected. P. 237 "To tell you the truth, my daughter hasn¡¯t come back home. I happened to hear that she might be here.¡± ¡°Miss Carlton? Here? Oh, no, that couldn¡¯t possibly be true.¡± For some reason, Carlton felt like the man appeared a little unnerved as he desperately denied the idea. ¡°Then I would like to make sure immediately. Isn¡¯t she with the earl?¡± asked Carlton. ¡°Ahhh, then let me go in and check.¡± This man, he might be going in and out of this place an acquaintance of the earl. Carlton became worried that Slade might not tell him the truth. ¡°Would it be possible for me to enter?¡± ¡°Oh, well, you see, about that,¡± ¡°The earl should be inside, isn¡¯t he? I would like to directly ask him. Even if Lydia is here or not, I couldn¡¯t let the idea of an unwed young girl is being pulled into a harem pass even if it were just a rumor.¡± It was just when he finished that line. A tremendous sound of something exploding came from inside the building. Even the startled gatekeepers turned around in surprise and dashed in a panic towards the building. Carlton thought this was his chance and stepped through the doorway, but even in the spacious entrance hall and the stairway that swirled up with a golden railing, there wasn¡¯t any sign of damage or disruption. P. 238 However, the chandelier was the only thing that was swaying from side to side. Slade was beckoning Carlton over, as he must have become nervous of entering inside by himself, not knowing what could be happening. ¡°The earl should be this way.¡± The hallway had a carpet rolled out over it and every inch of the walls and ceiling was covered with interior decorations. Slade stopped to stand in front of a large door that had a golden statue with jewels for its eyes. He knocked the door, but there was no answer. * Lydia kept on walking while surrounded by goblins. She felt the presence of Ulysess¡¯ knife on her back as she followed Ermine who was walking ahead of them. The goblins were guiding the way. In the dark dirt tunnel, only the lamp held by the goblins was the source of light. Eventually the path came to an end with an enormous bolder blocking their path. The path behind them was pitch black and impossible to make out anything, but seeing as the light didn¡¯t reach the far end, it could mean there wasn¡¯t any existing path. The maze of the goblins was slowly evaporating and steadily shrinking. Ulysess ordered the goblins with his chin and they started to pick at the rock bolder with their pickaxes. The rock cracked and crumbled apart to reveal a door. Ulysses ordered Ermine to be the one to open it. P. 240 After opening, there revealed a room filled with portraits hanging on the walls. All of the paintings were of Jean-mary. The room had such tall walls, and the wide ceiling was definitely one of the rooms from Madam Eve Palace. Which means this must be the harem of Marquis Barkston, thought Lydia, as she was dragged into the room by Ulysses. ¡°It seems I kept you waiting, Earl Ashenbert.¡± ¡°I was thinking about leaving because you were so late.¡± Like the master of the room, Edgar was sitting down on the center sofa with his legs crossed and turned his gaze to inspect Ermine and Lydia, then over to Ulysses, but he didn¡¯t change his expression what-so-ever, so it was unknown what he was thinking. Beside Edgar was Raven. ¡°Since this is such a rare opportunity, I would recommend you stay.¡± ¡°I had intended on sending Lydia home first.¡± ¡°I found her lost on her way so I brought her here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Um, I fell off,¡± explained Lydia. Edgar let out a sigh, as if he had understood while confused. Are you saying I¡¯m a nuisance? Lydia felt somewhat disappointed. Because she wanted to think he made Lydia go home with Kelpie, but in truth, he really needed her help. P. 241 ¡°Now then, lord, you should have the ¡®Nightmare¡¯ in your possession. Ever since it was taken away from me by you previously, I knew that you would use that black diamond whose whereabouts were unknown and use it to deceive Marquis Barkston.¡± Lydia was frighteningly nervous. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have come back. Edgar made Lydiago because he wanted to distance the black diamond from Ulysses and yet she came back bringing along the diamond with her. In order to fight with Ulysess, he should need a fairy doctor. But this might have been a bigger problem than that. Because Lydia was captured by Ulysess and she was unable to move. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll hand over the black diamond.¡± She realized that Ermine and Raven were signaling to each other by eye. Edgar must be aiming for the moment when Ulysses would be distracted with the diamond and try to restrain and hold him down. That might be possible if they were in the space of the human world. But that was impossible in this place. Ulysses was the master of this realm. He had the goblins under his subjection. If he were to get his hands on the diamond then he might immediately crush this space and make for an escape. ¡°No, you mustn¡¯t, Edgar, don¡¯t hand him the diamond!¡± cried out Lydia, desperately. P. 242 ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I made the decision of coming back here on my own. It seems whatever I do, it all backfires. This might be the power of the curse¡­. But, no matter what, don¡¯t give him the diamond.¡± ¡°What a noisy girl.¡± In an irritated attitude, Ulysses pinned his knife against Lydia. Everyone¡¯s focus fell onto that and Ermine used that opportunity to get close to Ulysses. She pulled out the knife she hid in her boot and tried to slash Ulysses with it. She tried to push Lydia behind her and break in between the middle of them, but Lydia still had her arm gripped by Ulysses and back away. However, in the next instant, Raven jumped into Lydia¡¯s view. Faster than Ulysses could react, a knife was thrown, aiming at his heart. Her eyes picked up the sight of blood flicking through the air. However, Lydiafelt the air around her and Ulysses loosen and warp for a moment. Raven was startled and drew his body back. As if they teleported, Lydia was still held under by Ulysses¡¯ arm and was pulled away from Ermine and Raven. The one with blood on her arm was Ermine. P. 243 Ulysses snickered. Edgar wasn¡¯t able to hide the shock on his face. ¡°Do you understand now, lord earl. Your group won¡¯t be able to adequately fight me in this place. Although I won¡¯t stop you if you desire to cut up each other.¡± And then, like he didn¡¯t care about Lydia any longer, he threw her aside. Ulysses opened his mouth to speak in an icy, cold tone. ¡°The diamond, if you please? If you don¡¯t hurry up and bring it out, I¡¯ll have all of you buried here and die together.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to die even if we get out, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°If you bring it out willingly, lord earl, I won¡¯t mind letting only you survive.¡± ¡°Do you think I would wish to be saved?¡± ¡°If you return to Our Highness¡¯ side, then you¡¯ll be sure to thank me.¡± Ulysses was calling Edgar, a traitor and an enemy who he loathed and hated, by an honorary title. But that wasn¡¯t because Edgar was currently an earl or because he was the eldest son of a duke family, but because he was connected in blood with the Royal Family. She wondered if Ulysses really might not have the intention of actively taking a part in killing Edgar. But Lydia couldn¡¯t think up of a way so everyone could survive without handing over the diamond. Edgar helped Lydia up on her feet and in a casual manner slid his hand over the pocket of the coat she was wearing. P. 246 ¡°And I should believe you?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t trust me, then do as you want. The diamond won¡¯t be delivered to the hands of Prince for eternity. Even before, you weren¡¯t able to find what I hid.¡± Lydia suddenly vaguely understood what she had to do if she were able to escape with the precious diamond. And after that, she was just going to have to negotiate with Ulysses. So that everyone could be saved. But Lydia wondered if she would be able to do such a thing. What if everyone were to be killed before that? It was just too much of a dangerous gamble. To begin with, she wondered if Ulysses would be interested enough to accept that deal. Lydia wondered if she should do as Edgar wanted her to. Still unable to decide on what she should do, she held her breath and watched at what Ulysses¡¯ reaction would be. ¡°Don¡¯t get tricked!¡± The voice that abruptly disrupted them was Jimmie who came walking out from Paul¡¯s side. The young boy apparently had came with them let out his voice in a desperate manner. ¡°Lord, you¡¯re being deceived by this witch! She works for the enemy so you shouldn¡¯t let her escape while she has the black diamond!¡± Jimmy knew that Lydia had the black diamond. And his plea had revealed everything to Ulysses. P. 247 Edgar pushed Lydia to hide her behind his back, however, it wasn¡¯t Ulysses but Jimmie who came charging towards their direction. ¡°Give back the Earl¡¯s diamond!¡± He grabbed ahold of Lydia but his strength was not the power that a normal child could possess. ¡°Stop it, Jimmie!¡± shouted Edgar. The boy was pushed aside and there was a moment of escape but Jimmie picked up a fruit knife that was in the room and held it out while glaring at Lydia. Ulysses let out his voice in laughter. ¡°Oh, now I see, so that¡¯s it. Jimmie, you are correct. You better kill her for the earl¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°Lydia!¡± When she turned at the sound of Edgar¡¯s voice, right next to her was Ulysses. He grabbed ahold of Lydia and held her tight so she couldn¡¯t move and turned her in Jimmie¡¯s direction. It was like he was offering her at the target of the knife. In that instant, Lydia witnessed Jimmie and Ulysses looking at each other and making a grin. P. 248 This boy¡­.., he¡¯s strange. Maybe he isn¡¯t a member of the Scarlett Moon? Just when she thought that, she noticed that the color of Jimmie¡¯s eyes abruptly turned red. Oh, my god, he isn¡¯t human? It was the red eyes of a demon hound. ¡°You¡¯re¡­., a Black Dog?¡± gasped Lydia. The boy was discovered of his identity and tutted his tongue as he transformed into a dog. ¡°So you¡¯re working for Ulysses!¡± The large dog covered with ruffled fur shifted his burning red, creepy eyes at her. He was a powerful fae that was known to ripe and tear apart humans. What was the way to ward them off? But Lydia couldn¡¯t come up with something, and before she knew it, Ulysses gave out an order to the Black Dog. ¡°Do it.¡± Kicking back the ground, the Black Dog jumped high in attack. There was no way to escape. In that instant, to Lydia¡¯s eyes, there was another black figure that jumped in between them. A black horse, with a body that was well more enormous than a Black Dog clashed and fought with the dog. ¡°Kelpie!¡± P. 249 At the collision of powerful magic crashing against each other, Lydia fell back onto Ulysses who was standing beside her. At the same time, her eyes caught a glimpse of a necklace chain dangling out of the pocket of his frockcoat. It¡¯s the white diamond necklace. Lydia reached her hand out. She grabbed ahold of the necklace as she got up to stand. Ulysses noticed that and tried to get it back, but Lydia unthinkingly threw it away from him. There was no one in the direction of where the necklace flew to. A number of the Scarlett Moon members moved to go pick it up, but someone already managed to get ahold of it ahead of them as he swapped it up. It was the one more person who had supposedly entered this maze, Marquis Barkston. Oh, no, that wasn¡¯t supposed to go to him. The marquis dashed out through the exit door. However, no matter what he did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from the maze of the goblins. Perhaps that must have been why no one went running after him. Kelpie and the Black Dog eyed each other menacingly once more. Breaking the air of tension, the both of them jumped at each other in attack. Taking that opportunity, Lydia¡¯s arm was grabbed by Edgar and she managed to get away from Ulysses¡¯ side, but strong winds were created by the tail of the water horse as he was thrashing about and that made Edgar and her both go flying up and banged against the wall. Just when she came to, Lydia saw someone gray-colored creature come tumbling down right in front of her eyes. ¡°Nico!¡± P. 250 ¡°C-couldn¡¯t he have done that after he let me down¡­..¡± The fairy cat wobbled up onto his feet, and from the looks of it, he must have been hanging on to Kelpie¡¯s mane but was shaken off. After he combed down his fur with his claws and fixed his necktie, he looked over to Lydia. ¡°Phew, did I make it in time?¡± Volume 5 - CH 8 P. 256 P. 268 ¡°Yes, excuse me, Professor.¡± Her father nodded back in a somewhat dazed manner, and Edgar offered his arm to Lydia and helped her walk up the stairs. ¡°Were you trying to make the earl agree that Miss Carlton should go back to Scotland? That is quite malicious for you Professor.¡± The duchess giggled like she found it hilarious. Carlton slumped his head in self-loathe. ¡°Anyone would become malicious. To have your own daughter cry like that, it¡¯s like I¡¯m the villain.¡± ¡°For a man and woman who have fallen in love, it¡¯s natural for the father to become the villain. But you should know that from your own experience.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­..quite an earache.¡± He was someone who had eloped and married his wife and was prepared to fall into the position where he wouldn¡¯t be able to complain anything about who Lydia chose, but he realized that unexpectedly, he wasn¡¯t able to accept his defeat with grace. But, fallen in love? Lydia and the Earl? Carlton thought he couldn¡¯t acknowledge that. ¡°The Earl just sees Lydia as different and not the same type that he is used to meeting.¡± ¡°That may be true. For now.¡± For now, huh. P. 269 "I apologize for ruining it even though you came to me for advice in how to make her end her job in working for the earl as peacefully as possible.¡± ¡°No, I was unable to back myself out of what I was saying, I might have nearly gone and seriously hurt Lydia¡¯s feelings.¡± As Carlton said that, he looked over to the stairs that the earl was walking down. The young man didn¡¯t stay long in Lydia¡¯s bed chamber and seeing as he came back down quickly, it could be interpreted that he was paying his respects to her welfare. This was a country where the average height was different according to the classes. Normally, nobles were all thin and smart, but he was exceptionally different. If it was a normal young woman, there was no way that she wouldn¡¯t become dazed if he were to approach her, and Lydia should share the same sense as any other young woman. I want to be with someone like father, she says? It wasn¡¯t like he completely believed her words, but Carlton couldn¡¯t help but think that that was just an illusion. *** P. 270 It was three days later when Lydia fully recovered and returned to work at her office at the Ashenbert mansion. To tell the truth, the more Lydia¡¯s health recovered, the more she was filled with regret at the extremely selfish and childish things she said to Edgar. Remembering at what she said: don¡¯t say you don¡¯t need me, was enough to make her twist and turn in embarrassment. She wondered if Edgar remembered what she said. She hoped that he excused it as blabbering nonsense from a recovering, sick patient. Anyhow, it was a bother to commute to work because of what she said, but her work should be pilling up by now, and after she defended Edgar so much like that, she wasn¡¯t able to tell her father that she didn¡¯t want to go to work, so she left her house for work as energetically as possible. However, after Lydia had locked herself in her office, she let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Young Miss, you shouldn¡¯t wear such light and thin clothing like that again.¡± The Coblynau spoke to her in a nonchalant tone. ¡°The Earl had also remarked that he had no intention of forcing his tastes of fashion onto you.¡± Oh, and just when the cause of all the problems was because of you little fairy. P. 271 ¡°Oi, Lydia, take a look at this.¡± Nico held out the newspaper for her to see. Just as usual, Nico had arrived to the Ashenbert mansion earlier than she did, and was enjoying his cup of tea served by Tomkins. Before she knew it, it seemed like the Coblynau had become his tea-drinking friend as well. ¡°What is it, another ridiculous gossip article?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Times.¡± She walked over to Nico and inspected one side of the newspaper he handed to her and read the largely printed words of ¡®Daydream¡¯ on it. End of Book 5 Volume 6 - CH 1 P. 8 *** ¡°Lord Edgar, Miss Carlton has arrived.¡± ¡°Is it that time of day already?¡± P. 13 Edgar returned home at daybreak and had just woken up now and took a bath. The spirits he had been drinking since midnight had finally gone out of him and his head was starting to clear up. He tried to remember what his plans were for today. ¡°Raven, how was Lydia¡¯s mood?¡± ¡°Normal, sir¡± replied Raven as he tied Edgar¡¯s necktie who was getting dressed. This dark-skinned young man was the Ashenbert¡¯s valet and a loyal servant of Edgar ever since they were in America, and although he was asked everyday about Lydia¡¯s temper when she came to work in the morning but he didn¡¯t make an annoyed expression. First of all, he had never shown a displeased face to Edgar, as he was the type to silently obey any kind of absurd command that he was ordered. ¡°Only she asked if you were late coming home last night.¡± ¡°Why did that conversation come up?¡± ¡°Because she had just passed by me when I was carrying your change of clothes.¡± Edgar slightly knitted his brows. If he woke up late, then it could mean he came back home late. It was almost like she suspected he had gone out to play for the night. ¡°I guess it could mean she wanted to see me as soon as possible.¡± P. 14 He said that in order to deny the bad feeling in him. ¡°I have a feeling that might not be so,¡± remarked Raven with no ill-will. Edgar knew Raven wasn¡¯t able to understand the delicate works of the human heart that had the characteristic of running from the bad and painful, but regardless if he was childish, Edgar felt a little offended and responded with retaliation. ¡°It is so. Lately, it has been wonderful with Lydia. When I invite her out, she doesn¡¯t show dislike anymore, and even when I hold her hand, she doesn¡¯t get angry, and she even looks like she¡¯s enjoying herself when she¡¯s with me, so I think we¡¯ve become like lovers a little more.¡± ¡°That is quite different from your previous lovers.¡± Raven pointed out that part sharply, however, Edgar let his comment pass. ¡°Just last Sunday, the two of us went to church together. I went to a church. I patiently listened to the service and spent tea time at her house after that. I¡¯m doing nicely with her father, and well, I still haven¡¯t brought up the topic of our engagement, but I think I have succeeded in showing my sincerity. Isn¡¯t that quite a pure and proper courting? If things keep going like this, I¡¯m sure that Lydia would come to accept our marriage.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Raven made a half-hearted reply, as he looked like he didn¡¯t think it would be that easy. But then, Edgar suddenly realized that Raven would answer anything close to the truth that Lydia might ask him. P. 15 Edgar thought a reminder would be a good idea and turned to face his valet. ¡°Raven, it just happens that last night I was playing seven bridges at Slade¡¯s club until daybreak¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it shouldn¡¯t be Raven who you should be making excuses to?¡± P. 34 With a dubious expression, Edgar looked over to the elder gentleman. ¡°What has happened about the marriage between you and my granddaughter?¡±asked the man. Blood boiled in Lydia¡¯s head again. ¡°Edgar! Y-you of all people¡­¡± ¡°Wait just a moment; I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Exactly how many have you proposed to?¡± grumbled Lydia. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. Besides, may I ask who you are exactly,¡± asked Edgar after he turned to the man. When the elder gentleman introduced himself, Edgar straightened himself like he was a little surprised. ¡°His Excellency the Grand Duke of Cremona? Weren¡¯t you in exile in the Netherlands?¡± The Principality of Cremona was a country name that even Lydia had heard of when she studied history, but she could only remember that it was a small country in the south of Europe. If he was in exile then that meant there could have been a revolution in his country or something. Or perhaps, they could have lost in a war. Recently, there was said to be some noticeable political movements in the European countries, and she has heard that there are quite some number of nobles who fled to England from the continent. ¡°You are well informed. Did you hear that from my grandchild?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know your grandchild. When you¡¯re in society, your name will eventually come up.¡± P. 35 ¡°Young Earl, I don¡¯t believe that the London society would still be talking about Cremona that disappeared seventeen years ago. I have been living quietly in the Netherlands till now. What did you do with Charlotte? After you sent me that ridiculous letter claiming that you¡¯ll be marrying her, I didn¡¯t hear anything from you. And after I came all the way here to England, you¡¯re escorting a different lady as your fianc¨¦e.¡± The elderly man¡¯s voice was calm, but his tone of voice didn¡¯t hide his anger towards Edgar. ¡°Letter? Are you saying that it was a letter from me?¡± ¡°When we were able to flee with just our lives, Charlotte was only three years old. She should have headed to America with my daughter and her husband, but their ship went shipwreck and I had thought everyone had died. However, it had said in the letter that only Charlotte had survived, and you were going to take her back as your bride to your country.¡± Edgar suddenly made an intensely stern face. Did he have something that came to mind? ¡°In other words, you didn¡¯t know that she was alive until you read that letter¡­.?¡± ¡°I would have no way of knowing.¡± Edgar thought for a moment and then spoke again. ¡°Then, why did you believe just by reading a letter that your granddaughter would be alive?¡± ¡°There was stamp pressed on it with a crest ring that only my grandchild should have had. What was the meaning behind sending along a wooden doll that was wearing a wedding gown?¡± P. 36 It¡¯s a changeling, whispered Lydia. ¡°Changeling?¡± The Grand Duke looked over towards Lydia. ¡°Uh, it is a fairytale well-known in Britain. A fairy would steal a human baby; in exchange they would leave a wooden doll. Even in cases when they take adults, there are times when they would leave behind similar replacements, so I think it¡¯s the same case with your granddaughter¡­..¡± Because when it was fairy magic, leaving behind a replacement in the human realm enabled the fairies to keep their human in the fairy realm. Suddenly having fairies come up in the conversation only made the Grand Duke make a puzzled face. ¡°The work of a fairy, you say. This must be one of your jokes as the Blue Knight Earl. So you¡¯ve stolen my granddaughter and made it appear like she was taken to the fairy world. When I investigated this, there truly was a young girl named Charlotte in America, and evidence she was kidnapped by somebody. Lord Ashenbert, your family apparently is described by the London society as one with ties with fairies. It had taken me time to uncover that the name of Blue Knight Earl in the letter was a noble Lord Ashenbert in England, but do you it is rude of you to not go by your real name?¡± Volume 6 - CH 2 P. 44 * There had been times in the past when Lydia felt awkward around Edgar, but she couldn¡¯t allow that awkwardness to make her skip work. Just like normal, Lydia came to work on time today. Because she was accompanied him to Windsor yesterday, she couldn¡¯t continue her work, now she needed to quickly investigate about the troubling changeling case. ¡°Miss Carlton, this area seems to be the problem.¡± The butler Tomkins spread out a map over the table. She was reluctant to ask Edgar about this, so she decided to ask the butler¡¯s help instead. She felt terrible for giving extra work to Tomkins, who took care of all the business affairs of the Ashenbert family and managing all the household servants, and open up his schedule for her, but he show any unpleasantness and gathered all of the necessary paperwork Lydia needed. The land was a small town located on a hilly area on the coasts of Yorkshire. P. 49 ¡°Is it a very particular place?¡± she asked. Since most of the Blue Knight Earl estates in England were put in the family¡¯s care because they couldn¡¯t be managed under a human lord. Most likely, this place had many fairy clan residents as well, and those residents were the cause behind the troubles, but that might not be the only reason. ¡°Fluorites are mined here. Blue Johns are the most heavily mined gemstones in England, and these are a reddish-purple. The ones called Freya are rare gemstones with a shine within them like the flame of a fire, but there is no record of them being mined for the past three hundred years. It seems they are an extremely hard find.¡± ¡°So normal gems can still be found. But there hasn¡¯t been any shipments of them for more than ten years,¡± said Lydia as she read the records. ¡°Every year, it is decided to mine only a limited amount. But lately, I hear that even when they mine, good quality gems that could be put on the market are not found. The number of miners has also decreased. They must be in the city factories where they can make more money.¡± ¡°Why is there a limit on the amount that can be mined?¡± ¡°That was decided by a previous earl who made a trade with the fairies. It is a minimal amount that wouldn¡¯t starve the town residents even in the year of bad harvest. You couldn¡¯t call it a wealthy town, but it hadn¡¯t suffered from any famine. If they were allowed to extract as much as they pleased, I¡¯m sure that the stones would have dug out long ago, so that could have been the cause of discord between the fairies.¡± P. 50 However, a changeling happened in this town. And ever since Lydia had been employed, she was also surprised that this was the first contact from this town asking for help. There hadn¡¯t been any issues all this time, and yet, how could there be a changeling happening all of a sudden? While Lydia was in deep thought, the door slammed open and Nico came racing in. ¡°Ahhh, I said stop it!¡± he cried. Even if he was in a panic, Nico hadn¡¯t forgotten to run on his hind legs. ¡°I said it would be fine if I could use just the tip of your tail.¡± The one who came following in after him was Edgar. And for some odd reason, he had the merrow¡¯s sword in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t kid me. I would never allow my beautiful tail be chopped off!¡± As Nico cradled his fluffy tail in his arms, he went diving under the table cloth. ¡°Come out, Nico. I¡¯ll give you anything you want to eat.¡± ¡°I will never trade my tail for food!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it just grow back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a lizard!¡± P. 51 Giving no mercy, Edgar pulled up the table cloth and stood ready with his sword. ¡°H-help me! Lydia!¡± At Nico¡¯s scream, Lydia made a sigh and stood herself up. ¡°Edgar, please don¡¯t go waving around a weapon in my office.¡± He let the sword drop to his side and looked over to Lydia with his usual gentle smile on his face. ¡°Good morning, Lydia. How was your injury from yesterday? Does it still hurt?¡± They had bickered just yesterday, and she wondered if Edgar had ever felt awkward. No, most likely not. He is not that kind of man. ¡°I already investigated the background of the two men who tried to harm you. Nothing to worry, I¡¯ve made sure they got a good taste of their medicine.¡± Huh? What are you thinking? ¡°Please don¡¯t go and go get revenge. ¡­.I¡¯m not bothered by it anymore.¡± ¡°Then will you forgive me as well?¡± That¡¯s a completely different matter, she thought. When Lydia fell silent, he made a little troubled face and tilted his head. * It was a book illustrated with beautiful pictures about a fairy story. The painter Paul had let her borrowed saying that although it is an illustration book made towards children, it¡¯s a typical fairytale. Edgar thought it was unbelieveable childish of him to learn about fairies from a picture book. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped since there weren¡¯t any books that seriously researched about fairies. The story of the picture book was a fairytale that anyone would have heard about when they were a child. The beautiful fairy bride made her husband swear to keep one promise. Something that he must not do, but from some accident, that promise was broken, and the bride vanished, never to appear again. It was just a small trigger, but Edgar felt that would also take away Lydia from him and he fell depressed and closed the book. It was his fault for making Lydia¡¯s feelings regress one step back, but rather, Edgar felt that it was Lydia¡¯s fault instead. Just because that boy had the power of a fairy doctor, Edgar had to be put through melancholy about not being related to in blood with the Blue Knight Earl. P. 60 He had realized that he wasn¡¯t able to protect Lydia. He wanted to beat the living daylights out of that man, who at one glance, appeared fifteen or six with an overbearing attitude. However, he must also be feeling the same thing towards Edgar. His only worry was that he wasn¡¯t able to anticipate what Ulysses¡¯ movements where recently. It appeared like he wasn¡¯t in London. But, it wasn¡¯t like he had returned to America. Edgar felt that he was just keeping quiet somewhere and waiting for the right time. For when his master ¡®Prince¡¯ would one day come to England. He didn¡¯t have any information as to when that would be and if they intended to set some sort of trap before that, and so for Edgar, the situation of him not being able to decide and move continued. That¡¯s why, he needed to set his heart pretty soon. To how far he was going to battle with Prince. Even if he were to lose everything he had in order to completely involve himself, he didn¡¯t know if he had the resolve to bring along Lydia all that way and take responsibility. He didn¡¯t know if Lydia would come along with him all that way. There was the possibility that the reason he was so fixated on Lydia because he had the naturally indecent attitude that was so deeply soaked into himself like it would be a waste for him to go and distance himself from a woman and there were moments when the thought that it would be easy for him if only Lydia would lose interest in him and go away by herself. P. 61 But, when the moment something like that were to even be close to happening, he would rush to go and try to stop her, and even he himself thought that it was incoherent. He tried to turn his focus away by opening up a letter that he had remained untouched. When he read the letter saying something about fairies, Edgar didn¡¯t read all the way to the end and folded it back up. That was because he knew it was a letter that should be passed on to Lydia. However, on this day, there was another part of the writing that made him open it up again. Changeling. Maybe it was because he was still bothered about what the Cremona Grand Duke had talked about last month. ¡°¡­.Please forgive me for sending you one letter after another. I was unaware that the Lord Earl had said not to attempt to retrieve your changed child and I became worried if my lord was put through discomfort at my letter asking for help. I had married into this family from another land, hence, I had not learned of the ways of this town, and was only in dismay at having my child stolen away from me. If it was the biddings of my lord earl that all of our town has our trust in, then there must be some meaning behind it that we common people could not imagine, but to have one¡¯s child taken away, as a parent, I feel heartbroken. I cannot understand why I must be put through this¡­.¡± Reading up till that part, Edgar was troubled about a certain suspicious part and thought hard. He had no recollection about saying to leave the changeling alone. He wondered if this town was loyally obeying the words that were spoken by the earl from many hundreds of years ago. P. 62 However, it writes like it wasn¡¯t the words of the earl from the past but like it was spoken by the current lord of the house. And, at that same time, he recalled about the Cremona Grand Duke¡¯s granddaughter was taken by the works of a changeling as the bride of the Blue Knight Earl. There could be someone who was claiming as the Blue Knight Earl long before Edgar had become earl. If that person didn¡¯t have the merrow¡¯s sword, he wouldn¡¯t be acknowledged by the nation as the Earl of Ibrazel, but if it was just to use the name, then it was possible. He thought it was a need to investigate this. Just at the moment when Edgar was nearly going to stand up, his butler appeared. ¡°My lord, you have a visitor.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°They would not name themselves.¡± From behind Tomkins who had on a completely lost look, Raven came into the room and went to Edgar¡¯s side and whispered something to him. Edgar nodded. ¡°Tomkins, I will have the dirty guests leave immediately, so there is no need for tea. Don¡¯t let anyone approach the drawing room.¡± P. 63 ¡°Understood.¡± Even if he thought it suspicious, the butler didn¡¯t let that appear on his face and strictly obeyed the instructions he was ordered. Now, what was left was for Edgar to throw out the uninvited guests. ¡°Raven, let¡¯s go.¡± Leading him who silently gave a nod, and entering the drawing room, there was a young girl and man waiting for them. The girl had her coffee-colored hair tied up in one without any intention of looking fancy, looked over to Edgar with her slightly slant eyes and opened her mouth. ¡°Hey there, Sir John. It¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, call me Edgar. And one more thing, it isn¡¯t Sir, it¡¯s Lord.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so. So, your name changed. It seems you¡¯ve gone quite up the ladder.¡± The young gal made a smile, and on her cheek there was a cute dimple made. However, with her attitude on taking over the whole sofa and sitting back overbearingly, was far from cute. Standing next to her with his arms crossed, there was a man who was easy to guess as her bodyguard in one glance. If he could recall, the huge, bear of a man hadn¡¯t shaved himself and had a beard on his face should be Pino, who the girl considered him like her younger brother. Setting himself down to sit on a chair, Edgar looked at both of them one at a time. ¡°Did you come all the way from America just to see me? Lota, you haven¡¯t changed a bit. It looks like Pino has grown quite tall and I could hardly recognize you, you¡¯ve transformed into quite the man.¡± The huge young boy, must have been trying to act like he was in a bad mood, as he only replied ¡°Thanks.¡± P. 64 Yes, young boy, this tall, huge man should have been still in his teens. If he could remember, he was the same age as Raven. ¡°Then, what is your business? Such proud pirates like yourselves didn¡¯t come to your old acquaintance just to seep some change from him, right?¡± Lota made a scowl like she didn¡¯t want him to make a fool out of her. ¡°You can¡¯t figure out why we¡¯re here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You remember Betty.¡± ¡°I never forget about women.¡± ¡°If I can remember, we first met you just after our old Captain had passed away. Betty, Pino and I, all three of us were raised by the Captain like we were siblings. Although, we aren¡¯t related by blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware. Only you were the daughter of the Captain, and wasn¡¯t Betty and Pino children who the Captain had picked off the streets? The two of you would periodically go out to the sea, but Betty wasn¡¯t the type of girl who wasn¡¯t meant to be a pirate. She had stayed in the harbor town and lived while she was left in the care of a hairdresser woman¡¯s house.¡± ¡°It would have been fine if that was how things remained. But, she met you, and that corrupted Betty¡¯s life.¡± Lota¡¯s shoulders slumped down, and instead, Pino opened his mouth to speak. ¡°It was best if she didn¡¯t learn about the crest. If she was targeted because she was a princess¡­.¡± Edgar remembered the crest that had an eagle and rose carved into it. The golden ring had a red stone, the size of a coin, embedded into it, and by the gifted hands of a craftsman, the crest had been carved into that. P. 65 Like there was a fire whipping and twirling inside it, it was a fluorite that gave a mysterious yellowish-mixed glow that appeared to sweep out from the darkness. Just by chance, Edgar had known what family that crest represented. When he was still living in the ducal house in England, he had heard that the dukedom that had that crest had collapsed and as all the family members of that royal family dispersed as they fled the country. P. 68 Thinking this was idiotic, Edgar stood up. ¡°I¡¯m quite a busy man, so you should leave while I can still take it as a joke. I don¡¯t want to make an old acquaintance garbage floating in the Thames River.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. It was you who told Betty that the one who possessed the ring was a princess. And, on top of that, you¡¯re the Blue Knight Earl? How could there be such a coincidence!¡± There was a knife gripped in Lota¡¯s hand. In the next second, Raven moved. Expecting him to go for Lota, surprisingly, he charged at Pino, and punched him and knocked him down with his legs. He pinned down the huge man who fell to the floor and twisted his arm so that Pino couldn¡¯t move. Edgar gripped Lota¡¯s wrist who had been watching all that happen in shock. ¡°While Raven was trying to stop you, was your plan to have Pino attack me? How unfortunate.¡± He took away the knife from Lota. ¡°Now that I think about it, Lota, the two of us haven¡¯t even held hands together.¡± ¡°Wh-what stupid thing are you talking about¡­.¡± ¡°You were always so indifferent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you were in a relationship with Betty.¡± ¡°But I was immediately jilted.¡± P. 69 ¡°That¡¯s because you bastard tried to make her drink alcohol that had poison in it!¡± "That¡¯s twisting the truth. Let me explain that in detail, in my bed chamber.¡± ¡°Lota!¡± shouted Pino, as he remained pined down by Raven. ¡°If you dare to do something to Lota, our crew isn¡¯t going to remain silent about it!¡± ¡°Lord Edgar, I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t any time to be playing around.¡± The voice who interrupted them was Ermine. What? He asked, still gripping onto Lota. ¡°It seems Miss Carlton has departed to Yorkshire on the first morning ship.¡± He immediately let go. ¡°Yorkshire? Why did she go to such a place?¡± ¡°It seems she was asked for help in regards to a changeling case from a town called Wallcave.¡± When Edgar realized that that was the small estate mentioned in the letter earlier, he felt a strange panic. ¡°Only the butler knew. He claims that he had mentioned it to Lord Edgar before.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear about that. Besides, there is no way that I would allow Lydia to go there by herself.¡± ¡°It seems Mister Nico is accompanying her.¡± ¡°Can you count him as one person?¡± P. 70 Its one animal, he strongly thought. And it was a cat that only had interest in his fur coat, whiskers and necktie or thinking about food. Lota went running over to Pino and tried to help him up. Watching that out of the corner of his eye, Edgar thought if there was a connection between the Blue Knight Earl who kidnapped Betty and the Earl who ordered the townspeople to remain silent about the changeling that happened in the small town of Yorkshire. When Betty disappeared, a wooden doll had arrived to the hands of the Grand Duke just accordingly to the changeling tradition. If there were to be a meaning behind that, then there might be a connection between the Blue Knight Earl who said to the townspeople to leave the changeling alone. ¡°Tomkins! Do you have documents in regards to the town of Wallcave?¡± When he called, his butler came dashing into the room with the papers in his hands. ¡°Their local products are fluorites? Occasionally, there are rare red and yellow colored stones that are dug up?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the crested ring of the Grand Duke family¡­¡­¡± murmured Lota. ¡°It seems like that mining vein has dried out presently. More importantly, my lord, I have remembered that I didn¡¯t have a good impression when it came to this town. At the time when I had sent out word that my lord would be inheriting as the Earl of Ibrazel, there was no reply from only this town.¡± Even if they had a lord of the manor, it was a lord who they didn¡¯t even see the face of. Especially, in the case of the Ashenbert family, the family would be absent in periods of hundreds of years, and on top of that, the lord of the house must have hardly ever visited his lands. P. 71 Even for Edgar, there were still many estates that he hadn¡¯t visited yet. And yet, since almost all of the lands returned a happy, friendly reaction towards Edgar must probably be because they were lands that had many fairy residents, and so the Wallcave town must have been a problematic land from the beginning. And it was there, that Lydia was heading to. As the fairy doctor of the Lord of Ibrazel. What would happen if she were to come in contact with the Blue Knight Earl that kidnapped Betty? ¡°Tomkins, you said Lydia departed by ship?¡± ¡°Yes, since Mister Nico dislikes railroads, she said that if it wasn¡¯t that seriously inconvenient, then she would use a ship. Since, well, fairies do loathe iron.¡± ¡°Which ship did she get on and what time did it depart? Can you verify its route through the ship company?¡± Tomkins hurried and left so that he could find that out. ¡°Where is your ship?¡± ¡°At the bay of The Wash. Since the Thames River is managed with a strict entry code.¡± ¡°Good timing. It¡¯s your turn. You are pirates, so you wouldn¡¯t be riding on some slow ship, right.¡± ¡°Huuhh? Don¡¯t make fun of us. Even a clipper couldn¡¯t catch up to it.¡± P. 72 ¡°I doubt it.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Oh, well. We¡¯re not going after a clipper. If you want to find out about Betty, I think it¡¯s best if we join forces.¡± * It was a ship that bore a flag she never saw before. An eye on a black field; how creepy. And it was unbelievably fast. The narrow neck of the thin ship went ripping through the waters, like it was gliding on top of it. Just when she thought that, in a matter of seconds, it had shoulder-to-shoulder with the ship that Lydia was riding. She could see the tiny crew members in the distance as they moved about accurately to move the sails so that they wouldn¡¯t miss any gust of wind. ¡°Hey, Nico, it doesn¡¯t look like an England ship, does it. It doesn¡¯t have a national flag; I wonder where it came from.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a pirate ship?¡± ¡°What, surely not.¡± And, just when she giggled, there was the blast of a gun that ran through the air. Volume 6 - CH 3 P. 80 * Slipping out of the inn in the small harbor town, Edgar walked to a pub alone. This was a country where people would go to different places to drink according to one¡¯s social position, but this was the closed pub that was located to the inn, built with the old-fashioned style where the entrance were divided. Just beyond the small partition, he ordered for a beer as he listened to the bustle and clamor of the working-class. On this side, the seats were filled up in a sparse manner but still relatively quiet. For a while, he drank by himself, but then Ermine eventually appeared. ¡°Will it be all right if I join you?¡± ¡°Did you come to keep an eye on me?¡± ¡°Yes. If you become drunk and start flirting with women and Miss Carlton witnesses you taking one to an inn, then you wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with a good lie. ¡°If it¡¯s about what happened just a while ago, then I wasn¡¯t lying.¡± ¡°I will let that one settle as that.¡± Making a sour smile, Edgar let the beer flow down his throat. P. 87 ¡°But, Lydia wouldn¡¯t even allow me a light kiss.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it wouldn¡¯t be light.¡± It means that hearing it by rumor and seeing it yourself is completely different. ¡°Really, I feel completely disgusted with myself. Lydia said she feel adjusted with the human world. That gave me the feeling like she might leave to the fairy world at this rate because of my fault.¡± * ¡°Are you a scholar?¡± Oh no, this is just a pastime for me.¡± ¡°I hear you are gathering fairytale stories.¡± ¡°I was thinking of writing a book about folklore.¡± * P. 108 Volume 6 - CH 4 P. 116 P. 128 Raven approached her and looked out the window, and with his usual emotionless tone, said ¡®Yes, you are right.¡¯ But still, he didn¡¯t take his eyes off from the scenery outside so he must have sensed something. ¡°Uh, you don¡¯t seem to be break out and enjoy yourself. Do you not like alcohol?¡± By talking to Raven, Lydia tried to push out the feelings in her that she wasn¡¯t able to understand. ¡°No matter how much I drink, I cannot get drunk. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t particularly have the desire to drink.¡± ¡°I see. ¡­.Oh, yes, if I think about it, there really isn¡¯t anybody who wants to drink tea so much they can drown.¡± When Lydia made a smile, he stared at her like he was always looking at something unusual. At first, she didn¡¯t have any particular business and just smiled at him, and he would look at her like this. As he was someone who grew up treated as a tool to kill people, it must have appeared strange and peculiar for Lydia to smile at him or talk to him like she would act to a normal person. Before, she didn¡¯t know what he was thinking and became tense and nervous just by being near Raven, but lately, Lydia was put at ease at his serious personality. Unlike Edgar who was a liar and who was hard to understand what his true intentions were, even if she couldn¡¯t read his expression, it was because he was honest, actually much too honest. P. 129 ¡°Now that I remember, Raven, you should also know about Betty, right. What sort of girl was she?¡± Raven snapped his eyes away from her like he jumped in reaction and only said ¡®I do not know¡¯ and tried to leave the room. His guard has gotten tougher. If it was before, he would have replied, as there was no mistake that he was strictly taught by Edgar not to reveal anything about his women. Lydia grabbed onto his coat to stop him. ¡°Wait listen, it isn¡¯t anything like that. In order for him to ask about her to the fairies, I don¡¯t know any of her characteristics at all.¡± ¡°I think he really doesn¡¯t know. The only female characteristic he could have remembered was that she was wearing a skirt. ¡­..Was what I heard from Edgar before.¡± It was Lota. As Raven silently bowed to the female captain of the pirates, it seemed like he was not pleased about that assessment and so opened his mouth to correct her. ¡°No, when it comes to Lord Edgar¡¯s lovers, it wasn¡¯t that I was unable to remember them, it was just the women kept changing so fast I hardly was given any time to remember each one.¡± Lota laughed. Raven didn¡¯t understand why it made her laugh, and as she was slapping his shoulder he looked dubious. P. 130 "You haven¡¯t changed. More importantly, your master was calling for you downstairs.¡± Hearing that, in exchange with Raven who rushed to leave, Lota walked over to the window sill where Lydia was. ¡°Sorry for the men making such a commotion.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I don¡¯t mind it being lively.¡± ¡°You know, I had been thinking that you didn¡¯t know anything about Edgar as you were with him, but I see that¡¯s wrong. You know what happened to him in the past. No wonder you didn¡¯t act so surprised when you came across pirates.¡± I did feel surprised, thought Lydia. But, when she was by Edgar¡¯s side, she learned that things one would think couldn¡¯t possibly happen do in fact happen.¡± ¡°In regards to Edgar, it isn¡¯t like I know all that much about him.¡± ¡°But, you¡¯re engaged to him.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t a real engagement. There happens to be some circumstances, and besides, I don¡¯t have any intention of marrying him.¡± Hmmm, replied Lota, with a look like she was long ago realized that. ¡°I was having the feeling like the two of you didn¡¯t have the air of engagement with you. Regardless with him, you seemed to be keeping more distance.¡± ¡°He¡¯s like that with any kind of woman.¡± P. 131 Making a short chuckle, Lota stared over at Lydia. ¡°With me, I had been watching how Betty fell in love with him and was hurt, so I know it¡¯s none of my business, but I was a little concerned about you.¡± Lydia wondered if she meant that if Lydia were to fall in love with Edgar, then she would end up being hurt. ¡°Betty was hurt?¡± "She wasn¡¯t the type of girl to be wounded by one or two broken loves, but with him, it seemed like she was hurt in various meanings. Not long after they jilted, she suddenly said that she was going to leave America and go to where the Grand Duke was. The three of us grew up together and it didn¡¯t matter what our background was, but it was just when we had a talk that we weren¡¯t going to separate from each other.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why did they jilt? Edgar doesn¡¯t seem like the type to end it from his part, , so it was his cheating that was the reason after all?¡± * In the grassy weeds and thickets where the clan of dobies lived, Nico sipped the thick mushroom alcohol as he was taking part in their banquet. (So then, Mister Nico, did the fairy doctor come in regards to the changeling.) P. 140 (Although I think it¡¯s useless. Even if it was a fairy doctor, there is nothing the doctor could do against a Wyrm that was revived by the Blue Knight Earl.) ¡°That Blue Knight Earl, what kind of man is he?¡± Nico licked off the trickle that was clinging on to his whisker. (I don¡¯t know.) (I was able to get a quick glance. When he was brought the Wyrm¡¯s bride.) ¡°Bride?¡± (That¡¯s right. The Blue Knight Earl not only awoken the Wyrm but also gave it a bride.) ¡°That would be a human, young girl wasn¡¯t it.¡± (Of course. Dragons from the old days prefer young women, and like it more if they are a noble princess.) So the granddaughter of the Grand Duke of Cremona who was said to disappear wasn¡¯t made into the bride of the fake Blue Knight Earl but was made to be the bride of the Wyrm. Well, that sure is misfortunate, thought Nico. But if it was a girl who that Earl lost interest in, then there¡¯s the possibility that the Wyrm, who wouldn¡¯t cheat at all, must appear like a better male to her eyes¡­¡­.or possibly not. ¡°So, what kind of man was the Blue Knight Earl?¡± (He was wearing black clothes.) ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s all you know.¡± P. 141 (Like I said, I only got one quick glance. But, if it was the Wyrm¡¯s bride, then she might know.) ¡°But the bride is near the Wyrm, isn¡¯t she. How am I supposed to ask her.¡± (She comes out of its caves sometimes. Since she wants to eat human food. She seemed like such a poor little thing, so we sometimes bring her food sometimes.) ¡°So, that would be the time when we could meet her.¡± (Yes, that¡¯s right, we¡¯ll be taking food to her just around daybreak. Since it¡¯s the day of the spring tide. It¡¯s when the Wyrm¡¯s power weakens. And so, the princess is able to get near the border of the cave.) When Nico heard that, he rushed to stand up. ¡°Daydreak. Wait. I¡¯ll bring the fairy doctor.¡± Lydia was going to stay awake and wait, but as she passed the time on the sofa she had apparently fallen asleep. It was still dark, but when the tip of a furry tail swatted the tip of her nose, she sneezed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°¡­..Nico? Oh, no, was I asleep?¡± ¡°More importantly, Lydia, I found out the location of the princess!¡± ¡°Princess¡­¡­?¡± P. 142 ¡°Betty, was what I think her name was? The princess who was said to be kidnapped by the Blue Knight Earl. It seems like she was made into the bride of the Wyrm.¡± Lydia stood up like a spring. "Is-is that true?¡± ¡°It seems like once a month, there¡¯s a day when she comes out of the Wyrm¡¯s cave. If we don¡¯t hurry, we¡¯re not going to make it.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go immediately. Ohh, but, hold on a moment, I need to go to my room and get my coat.¡± Morning outside could get quite frosty. Even if Lydia was in a room with a hearth, it was quite chilly for her as she was sleeping. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting in the hall.¡± She rushed up the stairs and ran into her bed chamber. As Lydia swung open the closet, she thought that the dress she was in would be hard to move around. It was a dress to make her appear when one was on an elegant vacation trip, but Edgar¡¯s true character was revealed so quickly, and when she thought about it hard, there was no necessity to be finely dressed. A place like the Wyrm¡¯s cave was sure to make any dress become dirty in a matter of time. When Lydia decided to change out of her current dress, she pulled out her normal wear from her trunk and pulled off the fluttering, soft dress. Once she got off the crinoline, she stepped into a skirt over her one petticoat. P. 143 When she tried to button the top of the dress, there was a sound by the window. ¡°Nico, would you wait just a few more¡­.¡± She thought that Nico was urging her faster. However, at the end of Lydia¡¯s view when she turned around, she saw that kelpie grinning back at her. ¡°Hey, Lydia. You disappeared suddenly so I was looking for you.¡± ¡°Wait, Kelpie! Don¡¯t come in without asking, I¡¯m changing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m interfering you getting changed.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have any common sense?¡± ¡°Common sense?¡± He was a horse, on top of that a fairy, so there was no way he would. Instead of explaining, Lydia decided it was best for her to get quickly changed. Since to Kelpie, there wasn¡¯t any difference in undergarments and clothing. ¡°I can sense the smell of smoke. Something¡¯s burning somewhere,¡± murmured Kelpie. At Kelpie¡¯s words, Lydia rushed over to the window as she buttoned up her dress. But it was too dark and she couldn¡¯t see a thing. At that same time, she heard the blast of gunfire. P. 144 Ohh, no. I wonder if Edgar and everybody are all right. But, there wasn¡¯t any time to wait for their return. I need to let someone know that I¡¯m going to go search for Betty. Lydia attempted to leave the room. ¡°Hey, is going outside as you¡¯re changing a part of human¡¯s common sense?¡± Ohh, geesh. At times like this, being a woman is so bothersome. Not being allowed to go outside dressed improperly. On top of that, women¡¯s clothing tended to come with a number of buttons more than one could bear. As Lydia was in a hurry, she called for Kelpie. ¡°Would you help button up my back.¡± ¡°Huhh?¡± Lydia was in a rush in buttoning her sleeve. ¡°Hurry, please give me a hand.¡± In a somewhat tiresome manner, Kelpie came up to her. ¡°What is this, what am I suppose to do?¡± ¡°Put them through the holes. ¡°That¡¯s just too tiresome¡­.¡± P. 145 Volume 6 - CH 5 P. 152 * ¡°Kelpie, you have to turn back! I must return to rescue Lota and Nico!¡± Still clinging onto Kelpie¡¯s mane, Lydia protested to him, but he didn¡¯t turn back at all. P. 168 ¡°Umm, I¡¯m Lydia. I came with Lota to come and rescue you.¡± ¡°Lota? You¡¯re lying, Lota would never come here.¡± * The passageway that was in the mayor¡¯s house was connected to a small underground room that was made like it was dug out of a rocky wall. Edgar and the others entered it with torches in their hand and their eyes were captured at the sight of a reddish-purple glow that reflected the light of the fire and filled the whole space around them. There were numerous big and small relief sculptures and pieces of art that were made of fluorites. There were some in the lord¡¯s house, but every one had the characteristic of elegance and vigorous dynamics in its beautiful curved lines. It must be the style that is passed down from master to apprentice in the workshop of this village. Fluorites are not expensive jewels, but this village had flourished by the limited rate of flow must have been because they could put added value onto them as pieces of art. However, he heard that that tradition had come to an end around the beginning of this century when the amount of extractable fluorites had sharply decreased. Edgar walked over to one of the reliefs and squinted to inspect the sign in its corner. ¡°Scarlett Moon?¡± He thought it would be a sign, but that was what it said. Scarlett Moon was the secret organization that made an alliance with Edgar to fight with Prince. The Blue Knight Earl who appeared three-hundred years ago, Julius Ashenbert¡¯s lover and illegitimate child was involved in a decorative art family guild and had founded the organization. However, when their descendants were murdered by Prince who feared the return of the Blue Knight Earl, the remaining artists pledged revenge and banded together to form an organization called the ¡®Scarlett Moon.¡¯ P. 170 ¡°Scarlett Moon¡± meant Flendolyn in Gale. That was the first Earl of Ibrazel, the Blue Knight Earl¡¯s child¡¯s name who had fairy flowing in the child¡¯s veins. Julius Ashenbert¡¯s illegitimate child also had the middle name of Flendolyn and he heard that that child¡¯s descendants were also the same. In other words, the ¡°Scarlett Moon¡± indicated the collateral bloodline of descendants who were connected to the illegitimate child of the Blue Knight Earl. ¡°So there were descendants of the Blue Knight Earl who inhabited this village as craftsmen.¡± ¡°There is another seal of the Scarlett Moon on this one. The years they were made are mostly the beginning of this century,¡± said Ermine who had been inspecting them one by one. Edgar thought hard. ¡°So that means around that time, the descendants of the Ashenbert family were here.¡± ¡°Lord Edgar, please look at this.¡± The object Raven picked up was a letter box that was decorated with fluorites. It seemed like it was the work by the same person, but since it had scratches and black stains unlike the other ones must mean that it was a personal item. P. 171 There was a letter left inside it. It seemed like a letter that was sent in praise of his works. For a moment, Edgar¡¯s eyes stopped on a signature. It was signed ¡®Cremona.¡¯ It was the Grand Duke of the dukedom Cremona. The letter from the grand duke was about praising the works, and there was no where in the writing that particularly stood out, but Edgar knew about the fluorite that had the Cremona dukedom¡¯s seal in it. It was a rare freya that only could be dug here. The seal-engraved ring that Betty had might have been one of the works of this craftsman. He shared the blood of the Blue Knight Earl. On the other hand, the princess of Cremona was kidnapped by the man who called himself as the Blue Knight Earl. He wondered if this case was started because of this craftsman and the freya seal ring. So that he could verify the craftsman¡¯s name, Edgar inspected the letter¡¯s addressee. ¡°Ulysses Barrow¡­..¡± Ulysses? ¡°He was the savior of this village.¡± The mayor appeared himself from behind the door he was hiding in that was behind them. He was carrying a hunting gun. Raven made a stir like he was aiming for an opening to strike, but Edgar made him wait with a look at his eyes. P. 172 ¡°To be exact, Mister Barrow was one of two siblings. The older brother was a craftsman and the one who was the savior was the younger brother with the same name who came here later on.¡± ¡°What do you mean by savior?¡± ¡°Although this village was ripe with fluorites, we were only able to dig up a limited amount every year. Even if we tried to dig up more, the fairies would hide them. While that was happening, only he was able to communicate with the fairies and was said to be able to procure the lacking amount of fluorites.¡± The mayor seemed like he wanted to talk about this. Most likely, to make his claim that he was right. ¡°In the beginning, didn¡¯t the Blue Knight Earl decide the amount of fluorites that were needed by this village and made a trade with the fairies? And yet, what do you mean there was a lack of fluorites?¡± ¡°How can you say that the amount that was determined by the earl in the past will be sufficient in any era? Our village at the time was just barely going by. We were all in trouble.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think that the amount of fluorites were not enough. In the beginning, if you were to dig out too much, then the mining vein was sure to drain out, so did the villagers also agree to the bare minimum amount? What was needed more than that had to be taken care by yourselves.¡± Like he didn¡¯t want to hear that, the mayor continued his own claim. ¡°Mister Barrow had gone by made it so that we could freely dig up the fluorites that the fairies were getting in our way of. We singled out the stones that had a stronger red to them and if we lied that they were freyas, we were able to sell them at a higher price. To put labor in acquiring the artistic skills to make sculptures is ridiculous. If we shatter them and are able to get even a little shard that is red, then we can make a much larger profit than turning it into a piece of art.¡± P. 173 ¡°Ever since then, this village has been deceiving your lord and continued to fraud and sell fakes.¡± ¡°The earl will never appear. Even the butler, Mister Tomkins who manages the fortunes of the Ashenbert family knows that no freyas can be dug up, and so if we don¡¯t report to him, he doesn¡¯t become suspicious. For fake freyas to go about the market was normal from the past, so Mister Barrow took particular care in making sure they were sold so that it wasn¡¯t found out they were related to our village.¡± ¡°And he went around acting like he was the lord here.¡± ¡°He carries the blood of the Ashenbert family. What problem could there possibly be?¡± ¡°If he is the descendant of the illegitimate child, then he cannot inherit the title.¡± ¡°More than the title, this village needed the amazing power that was in the blood of the Ashenbert family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­And the older brother who was in craftsmanship? He would surely object to his younger brother.¡± By looking at the number of sculptures that had love poured on them, he couldn¡¯t believe that the older brother would allow his younger brother¡¯s method of shattering them into pieces. The mayor only made a barely small grin, but seeing how the tradition of the artwork of this village had suddenly disappeared, it was easy to imagine what had happened. P. 174 Most likely, he must have been killed by the hands of his younger brother. ¡°Mister Barrow would periodically visit the village and made it so that the fairies couldn¡¯t get near the mining grounds. The second Barrow who took after him was the same and possessed magical powers. If we did as Mister Barrow said, then everything would go well¡­. Everything was going well, until yesterday.¡± ¡°One of the infants of this village was stolen, and you ordered the parent to give it up, and only share the profits with only one portion of the village? You are quite the tyrant.¡± ¡°In order to get freyas, it couldn¡¯t be helped that the infant was sacrificed. Mister Barrow visited this land two years ago saying that he would be able to awaken the dragon Wyrm that could create a true freya. Thanks to him, we will be able to mine the flaming fluorite.¡± Awaken a dragon? Did he say dragon? The mayor twisted his lips at the confused Edgar. ¡°Lord Earl, if you claim to be the true Blue Knight Earl, then you just need to defeat the dragon on this land. Just like the earl had done in the past.¡± It seemed like he wanted to say it was impossible for him. P. 175 ¡°The villagers in the past had given up freyas in order to make the harm done by changelings go away. They begged the earl to defeat the dragon. However, our new lord did the opposite of that. Because he possessed that much power, he had the right to be the lord of this land. Since no one other than Ulysses Barrow has inherited the power of the earl.¡± He wondered if it was the Ulysses he knew who came to this village two years ago. The right-hand man of Prince and the who was after Edgar¡¯s life. There seemed to be no mistake that that Ulysses was the descendant of the illegitimate child of the Blue Knight Earl. The descendant of the collateral bloodline of Julius Ashenbert should have been all killed off by Prince who saw them as a danger. However, most likely, by Ulysses going over to Prince¡¯s side, he was able to survive. No only did Prince get his hands on the one who possessed the power of the Blue Knight Earl, but also killed off all the other descendants. In order to make that power his own. Which means, it was Prince who wanted the freya to go all the way to even awaken a dragon. ¡°Where is the freya? It still shouldn¡¯t have fallen into the hands of Ulysses.¡± ¡°That is a stone of immortality, only those who carry the Blue Knight Earl¡¯s blood can handle it. With you, just like that merrow¡¯s sword, it would just be a useless rock.¡± As he aimed the end of his hunting rifle at them, the mayor slowly stepped backwards. There was one more door in the back of the room. When he opened that door, he suddenly turned around and went running off. P. 176 Immediately, Raven went after him. Edgar continued. There was no mistake that the mayor had the freya with him. The reason he was taking time here when he should be escaping must have been to take the freya with him. Most likely, it was hidden in a room that was hidden behind the wardrobes. At the end of the underground tunnel, it opened up to a natural limestone cave. Sea water had gotten into it, making a bay that had a small boat floating in it. The mayor jumped in and they saw him rowing off, but by the time Edgar and the two had reached the bayside, the boat was already at a distance too far from the bay to reach by hand. * ¡°The Wyrm¡¯s rose? I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯ve never seen any grass or trees growing inside this limestone cave.¡± Betty was guiding Lydia to the place she said was her house. It was a stone house that stood in the middle of a cavern. That awkward sight made Lydia realize that this was the territory that was casted under the spell of the Wyrm. ¡°I said that I couldn¡¯t live without a human house. And then in the next morning, this was here. But, it¡¯s shaped like a house, but everything inside it is made of rock. A stone bed and a stone chair. Well, since the Wyrm doesn¡¯t want to come in to such a cramped place like this, then that itself should be a pleasant relief for me.¡± She had Kelpie go search for Lota and Nico. Lending a hand to Betty, the two of them pushed open the heavy stone door and entered inside, and just like she said, it was a room that was filled with stone. ¡°Uh, Betty, about your food, were you eating only the things that were being brought to you from the dobies outside?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because the Wyrm¡¯s food is only rocks. I thought I was going to starve to death.¡± Which means Betty still hasn¡¯t put any fairy food in her mouth. If Lydia was able to take her out of here, she would be able to take the girl to the human world. P. 182 ¡°It¡¯s all right, Betty. You¡¯ll be able to escape from here. Kelpie is going to find Lota and bring her here, and then we¡¯re going to leave immediately.¡± Betty still had a look of distrust, like she couldn¡¯t believe that, and set herself down on the stone chair. ¡°I consider that all of this happened as a punishment to me. Because I made a big lie. That seal-engraved ring, I¡­. That¡¯s right, the fire-colored fluorite, that earl was after that.¡± ¡°Earl¡­..¡± ¡°A young boy who called himself the Blue Knight Earl. He looked like he was younger than I was, but he was strangely mature.¡± ¡°Did he perhaps have faint blond hair?¡± Betty nodded. Its Ulysses, thought Lydia. Before two years ago, when Betty claimed to have been brought here, Ulysses must had come to this village at the order of Prince before Edgar had gotten the title of Earl and was claiming himself as the Blue Knight Earl. The involvement between Prince and the Blue Knight Earl was still a mystery to her even now. Even if it was a coincidence that Edgar, who Prince tried to make his puppet, had become the Blue Knight Earl, she wondered if that was going to be a savior to Edgar or not. Or perhaps, was it going to make him sink deeper in the fight between Prince like it was his destiny. She didn¡¯t want that to be so. Lydia had given her help so that Earl would become Earl, because she believed that was the method that would save him. P. 183 I have to pull myself together. I have to be the one to stop what Ulysses is doing. ¡°That boy is a magician. He had awakened the Wyrm¡¯s sleep by using a fire-colored fluorite. He said that if the Wyrm wakes up, then the same type of fluorites like that crested ring would be able to be dug up.¡± ¡°I see. So your crested ring was what he was after. Even though you departed from America and left your close friends so that you could meet your grandfather, the Grand Duke of Cremona.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t me. I¡¯m not the real princess of Cremona. I¡¯m just a daughter of a pirate. Because I stole only hat ring!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right, Betty, because that was something I gave to you.¡± Lota was standing in the open stone doorway. ¡°I had always been thinking that you were living a peaceful life by the Grand Duke. And yet, because of that red fluorite, I didn¡¯t know you were brought to a place like this¡­..¡± Lota entered into the stone house slowly, and she appeared to be alone. She must have been wondering around the cavern and had come to this place. Oh, goodness, where on earth is Kelpie searching? More than that, what does Lota mean, she gave the crested ring to Betty? P. 184 Lydia kept her mouth closed as she watched the two of them at the sudden unexpected story. ¡°I stole it. No, I was thinking of borrowing it in the beginning, but I took it out on my own and was showing it off to everyone around me. And then, John told me that it was the crest of a royal family and in a matter of time, someone who said he was a messenger of the grand duke appeared and said that he was looking for the granddaughter who had the crested ring, and by then, I had just ended my relationship terribly with him and was feeling horrible, and Papa had just died, and I thought it didn¡¯t matter if I lose everything if I could become a princess, and so I betrayed even you, and said that it was my ring.¡± ¡°You were saying that you hated pirates, so I thought you wanted to become a princess. I preferred the style of pirating, and that¡¯s why I considered that I gave the ring to you. But, afterwards I was told by that man John. You thought that Pino and I were together?¡± Volume 6 - CH 6 P. 193 * The ocean water was cold, and it slowly healed Kelpie¡¯s mane and skin that was fanned by the souring heat of the Wyrm¡¯s fire. P. 216 For a creature like him that lives in fresh water, it couldn¡¯t be said that salt water was a comfortable environment, but it was much more livable than being on land. Sitting down on the bottom of the sea, Kelpie was silently feeling how the magic was returning to his body. When he recovered, he needed to quickly return to where Lydia was. If she were to ripe apart the rose, then who knows what was going to happen. As Kelpie was thinking that, he looked over towards the female figure that was lying right next to him. That was because she slowly sat herself up. ¡°You finally woke up.¡± She looked at Kelpie questioningly, and then she inspected the area around them. She was the female cross-dressed servant of that earl. If he remembered, her name was Ermine. ¡°It really is true that you don¡¯t have realized grasped the selkie fairy side of you yet. Your swimming was not good at all, so that¡¯s why you would do something like get knocked out by a rock sinking down on your head like a human would.¡± ¡°This is¡­..?¡± ¡°The bottom of the sea. I say that, but we¡¯re really near the bottom of the Wyrm¡¯s cave, really.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Why I saved your life. If you went sinking down as you are unconscious, then you would have bolder come piling up onto you.¡± P. 217 She stared at the aggressive fairy water horse suspiciously. It must have been something instinctual. Kelpies will kill any creature and eat it. They are feared by fairies as well. Even if she knew that he was a strange water horse that didn¡¯t see the human girl Lydia as food but with affection, she wasn¡¯t able to believe that she was rescued. ¡°Why did you help me.¡± ¡°If I said it was to eat you, then would you believe me? If I left you alone, then I thought Lydia would get angry at me. Although if you¡¯re saying that you¡¯ll give me an arm as thanks, I won¡¯t refuse.¡± Because that couldn¡¯t be taken as a joke, Ermine had lost her chance to say her thanks but it seemed Kelpie didn¡¯t mind that at all. She tried to stand up but her head still seemed to be dizzy as she sat back down. * ¡°It¡¯s a forest,¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t help but mention. It was just when they came out into an awfully vast open cavern. In that space, there were a vast number of icicles made of limestone standing next to one another. P. 223 Their vast numbers made a white forest, filling up the space and blocking their view. The ceiling was even further up and they were unable to see it because of the smoking vapors. ¡°So the wild roses might be somewhere deep in there.¡± Even Edgar made a stunned face as he looked up. ¡°It¡¯s sure to be here.¡± Lydia knew it. If the faint sound of the water droplets that dropped from the ceilings overlapped each other, it seemed like they were in the middle of a drizzle. The water droplets that soaked up lime dropped to the ground which piled and piled up to make the stone pillar higher and higher. It was a forest that made with the help of nature and took a countless amount of time and Lydia marveled at them with amazement. Edgar went walking over to one of the limestone towers that was nearby and knelt down by it. It was a limestone rock tower that was only just barely at the height of a person. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s just that I thought it looked like a finely-carved statue.¡± Lydia looked to see it and gasped. Inside the stone, it looked like there was a baby with its arms and legs curved in mended into it. ¡°Th-this is a real baby! This must be Martha¡¯s baby that was put through the changeling.¡± ¡°What? But it looks like the baby is turned to stone.¡± P. 224 ¡°The Wyrm¡¯s magic is casted over it. But, the baby is still warm, means the baby is alive. I have to hurry and save it.¡± Standing up, Edgar made a knitted his brows as he inspected the forest.¡± ¡°Are you saying that perhaps, all of these pillars here are people?¡± ¡°¡­..I don¡¯t know. The dobie had said that the Wyrm turns people into stone and then eats them, but either way, the older ones that have turned into stones completely cannot be saved anymore.¡± Lydia looked at the stone pillar and made a cross sign with her hand over her chest. ¡°So from the old days, the Wyrm had eaten people like this and that¡¯s how it made the freyas.¡± In order to break that evil cycle the Blue Knight Earl of the past had sealed away the Wyrm and saved the villagers, but in return the villagers should have accepted that they were never going to be able to mine for any more precious freyas. And yet- ¡°In order to make money, I can¡¯t believe they would sacrifice people again¡­.¡± ¡°It seemed like it wasn¡¯t about making money, but more like it had some kind of different use than that. The mayor had said that it could only be handled by a person who carried the Blue Knight Earl¡¯s blood in them.¡± It was there he stopped his sentence and suddenly changed the subject. ¡°By the way, Lydia, do you know of a way to defeat a dragon?¡± ¡°A Wyrm cannot be defeated. That¡¯s why I am looking for its rose.¡± ¡°But, there are heros who have defeated dragons in stories from long ago. Like St. George, ohh, but that was against a dragon with wings. Anyhow, the old Blue Knight Earl had put the Wyrm to sleep in the past. And I was wondering what kind of method that was.¡± P. 225 The Blue Knight Earl had magical powers. He was able to go back and forth between the fairy realm and human realm and was the lord of the land who governed over the living beings in both worlds. It was most likely, that the one who carried his blood was only able to defeat the Wyrm. Even the dobie had said that. However, Edgar was thinking if there was any other method. ¡°Dragons are powerful, enormous and mysterious. But, you know how they say there is always a weakness? Looking at the examples from all times and places, the thing that can defeat a dragon is someone who acquires a special weapon or someone who has found a weak spot.¡± He pulled out his sword from its sheath on his waist belt. The merrow¡¯s sword glistened. ¡°I have a weapon. It¡¯s a sword that doesn¡¯t stand inferior to fight with a dragon and is a sword that has once defeated the Wyrm before. And yet, even when I use it, I¡¯m not able to cut any fairy. But, what if I find its weak spot? Then even a normal human should be able to defeat it.¡± P. 228 ¡°I am. The one who awakened you is a fake. However now, I will not let that fake do as he pleases. I will have you sealed away once again.¡± Facing the merrow¡¯s sword in front of it, the Wyrm must have become precautious as its ring around them widened. ¡°Edgar, let¡¯s escape. While the threat of the sword is still working.¡± However, he gripped onto the sword like he was about to start a sword fight. ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m going to do this. If I don¡¯t, then I won¡¯t be able to become the real Blue Knight Earl.¡± ¡°What are you saying, in the beginning you wanted just the name¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I was the one who gained the name. Because it was me and not him, I will fulfill my duty.¡± ¡°Him?¡± The Wyrm might have sensed the magic in the sword as it kept its glare on the sword and remained still. ¡°Ulysses. He carries the blood of the illegitimate child of the Blue Knight Earl.¡± ¡°I-Is that true? ¡­.Then, the reason why his power of controlling fairies wasn¡¯t normal was because it was the power he inherited from the Blue Knight Earl¡­..¡± Then there was no way a mere fairy doctor could be a match for him. ¡°Even he should have tried to get his hands on the sword. But since he wasn¡¯t able to, Prince must have thought that the Blue Knight Earl¡¯s sword no longer exists. However, this is in my hands. Me, who has no magical powers or any ties with the Ashenbert family.¡± P. 229 ¡°Edgar, behind you!¡± The Wyrm moved its tail. Edgar, who turned around evaded it as he blocked it with his sword. The tip of the sword grazed its tail. However, it only clashed with the Wyrm¡¯s hard scale and only made a sound like it was clanged against a stone. The Wyrm must have made sure that Edgar wasn¡¯t able to bring out the power of the sword, so it hunched its body back getting ready to make its next serious strike. Its two front legs covered with sharp nails approached the air above them. Together with Lydia, he ran into the stone pillared forest. The Wyrm¡¯s front legs crashed down a number of the pillars. When they hid themselves in the shadows of the endless number of pillars, the Wyrm brought its head up high in order to look for the two of their sight from high above. ¡°You keep hiding.¡± Edgar was about to go out once more. ¡°It¡¯s impossible, stop it already.¡± ¡°If I defeat that, then you wouldn¡¯t have to break off the rose by your hands anymore, right? Then you won¡¯t have to be put in danger.¡± ¡°You would die.¡± P. 230 Lydia desperately tried to cling on to his arm. However, he only turned to look at her and didn¡¯t hesitate in making a smile. ¡°I want to make the merrow¡¯s sword mine. It would be too arrogant of me to wish to marry you when I nothing to protect you from fairies or magic, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, even if you don¡¯t marry me, that wouldn¡¯t trouble you.¡± The Wyrm found them. It opened its mouth wide and headed straight for their direction. Lydia and Edgar bolted out in a run. However, the stone-pillared forest suddenly ended and a stone wall blocked their path. ¡°There¡¯s a cave opening there!¡± As soon as they dashed in, the Wyrm¡¯s fangs sank into the place they were just at. ¡°If I could just find its weakness,¡± murmured Edgar as he checked outside. She looked out to search the Wyrm¡¯s body, but there were no signs of something like that on it. Like the Wyrm was trying to crumble down the tunnel that the two of them ran into, it slammed its body against the stone wall and threw around its tail covered in hard scales to crack the bedrock. ¡°Is the weakness something that you can see and find?¡± P. 231 The quake was so hard and violent that Lydia had to sit down. ¡°The color of the scale might be a different color.¡± Then, she remembered something. ¡°That¡¯s it, the freya!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°The freya that Betty had, was apparently needed in order to awaken that Wyrm. Which means, that it might be somewhere on the Wyrm¡¯s body.¡± I see, said Edgar and started to think up of something. ¡°If it was that red, then it should stand out.¡± Inspecting it for the time being, they couldn¡¯t see it anywhere. However, it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy to find a red stone the size of a coin from the whole monstrous body of the Wyrm. And its stomach and back was hard to see. ¡°Now that I recall, I¡¯ve heard that the Wyrm has the tongue of fire. I thought that was because it blew fire out of its mouth, but maybe, the freya might be on its tongue.¡± She just lightly mentioned the possibility, but Edgar gave a deep nod and stood up. ¡°The tongue, huh¡­. Then, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± ¡°Wait, what are you going to do if that¡¯s wrong. You¡¯ll be eaten in one gulp.¡± P. 232 ¡°I¡¯ll believe that you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°But-¡° He turned to Lydia and took a lock of her hair and kissed it. ¡°Lydia, I truly do wish to marry you. This is a test for that, so I have to go.¡± So to Edgar, this was a test he set for himself. To Lydia, she didn¡¯t know if him winning against the Wyrm could be counted as proof of his love. She just thought that it was a man¡¯s logic. But, Lydia could understand that he was trying to change himself for Lydia¡¯s sake who had an ability different from humans. His wish was to be able to use the merrow¡¯s sword so that he wouldn¡¯t take advantage of Lydia¡¯s ability, and truly protect her. Before she knew it, Lydia had thrown her arms around his neck. She stood on the tip of her toes and pressed her lips lightly against his cheek. As she scrambled to back away from him, she was surprised at herself and turned red in the cheeks, but managed to say, ¡°¡­¡­.Don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Thanks.¡± P. 233 He didn¡¯t make a joke at her or got carried away, and only said that word because, he himself, was extremely surprised. Edgar exited out of the cave in the wall out into the space where the Wyrm was thrashing around. The Wyrm who noticed, took precaution as it stopped its violent behavior. Oh, no. Is the tongue really the weakness? She was so scared she couldn¡¯t watch. Lydia nearly took her eyes completely off, when she noticed something shining near the top of the cave she was in. She squinted her eyes. It was a faint green color and looked liked some kind of bud of grass. A plant? Wait, is that, the rose? She made a quick glance over towards Edgar. The Wyrm was standing up, ready to make a strike any second. If she could tear the rose, then the Wyrm¡¯s magic would be weakened. It¡¯s movements should slow down and that should be of help to Edgar. When Lydia came to that idea, she raced over towards the stone wall. She rolled up her skirt and tied it in place and set her foot on a rock that was sticking out. As she kept on sliding and nearly falling, she slowly climbed upwards. She desperately reached her hand out towards the rose bud that had spread its thin roots out through the cracks of the rocks. P. 234 This wasn¡¯t the time to care about the spiky thorns, and so just when she was about to reach it, her foot lost its grip and Lydia went rapidly tumbling down. Volume 6 - CH 7 P. 235 P. 252 ¡°Then our hearts are one.¡± Lydia was troubled at how to respond, but Edgar didn¡¯t pay any heed and continued to speak. ¡°I¡¯ll never let you go.¡± In the next second, the moonstone gave out a shining bright light. The light of the moonstone was so bright that one could tell even with their eyes closed as that white light filled his view. Edgar felt her hand softly grip his hand back and he opened his eyes. He was feeling how Lydia, in his arms and her golden-green eyes that were facing him were like a precious treasure. *** ¡°Yes, I mean really, I have no idea how it happened, but in the next moment I was standing in front of the landlord¡¯s house.¡± In one of the landlord¡¯s rooms, Lota was resting down in a bathtub that was set out in front of the hearth and spoke as she blew out a puff of smoke from her cigarette. P. 253 ¡°That¡¯s because the changeling magic was broken. Remember, Lota how you exchanged with Betty and was made the changeling. That¡¯s why you were naturally returned to the place where you were meant to be,¡± said Lydia as she dried her hair that was just washed with a towel. ¡°That was easy for you. As Pino and I were walking together, we were being followed by frightening monsters.¡± * In the old days, the Blue Knight Earl was begged by villagers and sealed away a dragon Wyrm. And he must have hidden the fire fluorite, freya that was its weakness somewhere in the village. P. 272 The one who came later was the brothers that carried the earl¡¯s blood. They knew where the dragon¡¯s freya was and that if they used it, it would once again awaken the dragon. The older brother only used his talent for sculptures to increase the value of the fluorites. However, the younger brother was different. It seemed like the red fluorite, freya that the dragon creates has another special use to it. The mayor claimed that it was the stone of immortality and it could only be handled by those who carry the blood of the Blue Knight Earl, but Edgar didn¡¯t know what kind of method it was to gain such an outcome, so didn¡¯t know if it was true or not. Anyhow, the younger brother had revived the dragon and thought to once again make it so that freyas could be mined. The older brother who sensed the danger in that had entrusted the only fluorite that was able to revive the dragon to the far away Cremon dukedom. Molding it into a ring that had the crest carved into it. Before he was killed by his younger brother. The young man Ulysess that Edgar knew, could he be the son of that younger brother? He gave the impression like he had gone through special education and brain-washing, but he still must be a part of the bloodline. Anyhow, Ulysess who became a pawn for Prince still carried the blood of the Blue Knight Earl and wasn¡¯t killed because he turned his allegiance to Prince. And then he searched and found the fluorite that was sent to the Cremona dukedom in secret, and revived the dragon. P. 273 In the end, it looked like the freya was carried out of the village. The two villagers that Ermine was talking about still was no where to be found. If that stone ends up in the hands of Prince then I wonder if that would make him not die. I wouldn¡¯t want that to happen, thought Edgar. Putting that aside, mysteries kept on increasing. Even if the dragon was defeated, it was mostly thanks to Lydia and for Edgar who couldn¡¯t bring out the power of the merrow¡¯s sword against a fairy, there still was no guarantee that he could keep on fighting. And it still was unknown what he should do with Lydia. Edgar was standing out on the balcony as he looked out at the sea which the morning sun reflected out over and he shivered in cold and entered back into the room. It just when Raven came in to announce that the morning meal is ready. ¡°Lord Edgar, I will be going to the village postal office, but do you have any other duties for me?¡± ¡°Postal office? To do what?¡± ¡°To send out the letter that Miss Carlton asked of me.¡± ¡°Who is the letter addressed out to?¡± Even if he thought he was breeching her privacy, when it came to Lydia, he became too curious and ended up asking. P. 274 ¡°To her father, Professor Carlton. It seems she is informing him that she will go back to Scotland from here and will be spending the holiday with him.¡± That was a complete bolt from the blue. Holiday? Echoed Edgar back to him. ¡°She said she got the approval already for an early Christmas holiday. Did you not approve of it?¡± I have never heard that. With his coat in his hand, he tried to hurry out of the room. ¡°Um, Miss Carlton has already departed long ago.¡± ¡°You let her go?¡± There was no fault in Raven. However, Edgar was completely confused. Why, why, why was the only thing that came to his mind. ¡°I haven¡¯t approved for time off for the holidays. Why didn¡¯t you give me any word of this?¡± ¡°It was still dark before morning. If he was told he didn¡¯t have to wake his master, then your loyal servant would take the word of your fianc¨¦e Lydia.¡± Without giving a knock, Lota came into the man¡¯s private courters. And then she held out a piece of paper in front of his eyes. ¡°The holiday request form of Lydia¡¯s. I¡¯ve made sure to hand it to you.¡± ¡°¡­..But it¡¯s still November.¡± ¡°It seems like you put her through hard work, so shouldn¡¯t she have the right to rest for a month and a half until Christmas is over?¡± The strength had completely disappeared from his body, and Edgar slumped down onto the sofa. P. 275 ¡°Besides that, why is it you that she entrusts to submit her form?¡± ¡°Because I was the one who suggested the idea to Lydia. About the idea of getting a holiday break from here and spending some time away from you. I pushed that once you have the idea, it¡¯s best she go through with it before she was talked out of it.¡± ¡°Whaat?¡± His open mouth didn¡¯t shut back closed. ¡°It¡¯s because I let it slip to Lydia that you might have become a little more decent. But, don¡¯t you feel that you haven¡¯t changed that much since the time with Betty? I felt the guilt of making Lydia become depressed.¡± Lydia was depressed? She didn¡¯t show any such signs, so Edgar had no idea what Lota was talking about. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t make any slips or blunders with women, but I was wrong.¡± That made him irritated, and so he raised his brow and glared at Lota. ¡°Or is it, that you can¡¯t think calm and straight when it comes to Lydia?¡± ¡°You go and get in other people¡¯s love affairs, and what is it that you want to say?¡± ¡°Till late in the night, there were quite a number of fairies partying in her room. Although I could only see the black-wavy haired one and cat, it seemed quite lively and loud so there must have been quite a number of little ones there too. So, I thought why you weren¡¯t there with her.¡± P. 276 ¡°I had said to Lydia that it¡¯s best she rested. Shouldn¡¯t she be tired?¡± ¡°Yes, she did go through a hectic day for someone. She needed to save Betty and me, and Martha¡¯s baby, everyone all at once, and she couldn¡¯t turn to anyone when it came to fairies.¡± She was correct. Lydia tried to do it on her own and was prepared that she might not be able to return. That¡¯s why Edgar thought he definitely didn¡¯t want to leave her by herself. Even if he didn¡¯t have any power to fight against fairies, he believed he could stay by Lydia¡¯s side at least. And then he realized. That last night, she was all alone. ¡°I had thought that you would stay by her side. Since the two of you broke through the danger together, then all the more you are the only one who knows all the trouble she went through. I had imagined that you were flirting with her and then Lydia would completely forget about all the frightening memories and I thought that would make her relaxed and be able to rest.¡± Edgar could only remain silent. However, it wasn¡¯t like he thoughtlessly made her be by herself. He was thinking about shortening the distance between him and Lydia all at once, but he hesitated because he felt like he still didn¡¯t have the right to do that. He wasn¡¯t able to retrieve the freya and still didn¡¯t know what kind of mysterious power it held. He didn¡¯t know how he was going to continue protecting Lydia against Ulysess who carried the blood of the real Blue Knight Earl. P. 277 He didn¡¯t want to let her go and yet he wasn¡¯t able to step in towards her. Lydia was willing to face him heart-to-heart but Edgar had ran away. ¡°Lydia had a smile on her face. She said that fairies are the only ones that would stay by her side.¡± She had come back because she decided to believe in humans, in Edgar, but it was fairies who were beside her. That¡­..was sure to hurt her. ¡°That girl, because she could see fairies, I heard that she was made fun of a lot. But, just like that she must have always smiled about it. I wish that Lydia would become happy with a man who she considers the most dearest. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t entrust you as you are right now with Lydia.¡± ¡°Are you considering yourself as Lydia¡¯s guardian?¡± ¡°As a friend. Lydia is not like Betty. You seduce her with such thin feelings, but from her point, she only has one of the two options of rejecting you or seriously loving you.¡± Her words were bitter through and through. Lota looked to be completely enraged with Edgar. Thin feelings, that¡¯s not how I feel. Even if he thought that, he couldn¡¯t retaliate, and so Edgar was left to remain alone. ¡°Shall I go after Miss Carlton?¡± asked Raven, who apparently was still remaining where he was. ¡°¡­..No, right now, I don¡¯t feel like I can properly seduce her.¡± P. 278 Raven bowed and left the room. It was definite that he gained a step closer to Lydia. And with that, Edgar thought that he might change her destiny and that made him unnerved. He was completely half-hearted. Because he wasn¡¯t making the his choice, and when they were thrown inside the magic of the fairy, Lydia had gone out for Edgar¡¯s sake so that he could let go of her hand. He pledged to his heart because he wanted to save her, and if it was for Lydia, then he wouldn¡¯t lose to the illusionary magic of the fairy, but it was Edgar who made her make that kind of lie. He wanted to protect her but he was hurting her. At this rate, she was only going to go through alienation in the human world, and on day she might leave his side. ¡°What should I do?¡± Even if he asked himself about what to do, he just couldn¡¯t think about making himself put distance between her. In the end, he was thinking about how he could make this misconduct of his erased. And as he thought, if it was a holiday break then she would be coming back, right? P. 279 Afterword Volume 7 - CH 1 P. 8 * Folding the letter back up and putting it away into a small wooden chestnut box, Lydia let out a small sigh. Ever since she became the fairy doctor of the Earl of Ibrazel, Lord Edgar Ashenbert, it was the first time she was away from him for a long period of time. P. 10 She forcibly got a long holiday break and was spending it in Scotland far away from London in her family home near Edinburgh, but Lydia was strangely not able to remain calm. That must be because there were letters arriving practically every day from Edgar. He was an earl who didn¡¯t hesitate to treat Lydia as his bride-to-be, and she couldn¡¯t completely believe his sweet words and she ran away, not know what to do from the fear that she might fall in love with him. Because he was a renown philanderer who schooled himself with numerous relationships with women. Even with this letter, she didn¡¯t how much she could believe it. But once she read the letter that was sent, Lydia would relax the muscle in her cheeks at just the little happenings in London and feel pain in her chest when she felt Edgar¡¯s loneliness of not having any family members, and her heart was wavered by his unusually serious words. Edgar in the letter gave the impression of sincereness and honesty. He seemed like a totally different person than the Edgar she normally knew as bold and haughty and like a noble, and according to the person become a beautifully handsome malicious devil. But Edgar had a delicate and lonesome part about him, and because of that Lydia was dragged into living in London and commuting to his estate there and had let it remained that she was his ¡®fianc¨¦e.¡¯ On her left hand, she wore the moonstone ¡®engagement ring.¡¯ It could only be removed by Edgar and yet she came back home here forgetting she was wearing it. But still, this moonstone which apparently possessed fae magic was made so that ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to see by the mining fairy Coblynau who was its caretaker. P. 11 So it was able to go unnoticed by her father and the people in the town. After Lydia¡¯s father, who was her only family member had attended a party that was held from New Year¡¯s Eve to the New Year, claimed that he wanted to do a geological survey while the university was closed and so was on a trip to Northern Europe. Lydia, who was left to stay, was in a situation that if she felt like going to London she could leave anytime, but her feelings weren¡¯t decided and so she was spending her time slowly. She stepped away from her desk and approached the window and whipped the fogged glass with the tip of her fingers. The sky outside was covered with low gray clouds and it appeared like the afternoon was going to approach daybreak from an earlier start. The glass window that was out to take the open air was frozen over so cold like ice and when it came in contact with the air of the room that was warmed by the hearth, it didn¡¯t take any time in becoming clouded again. When she whipped away the fog one more time, she saw the faint reflection of herself with her reddish-brown hair set to flow down. Her eyes were a golden-green, and could see fairies that ordinary people could not. Her eyes, which were spurned by the townspeople who also called her a witch, were glaring back at her through the mirror like they were ready to pick a fight. Because she couldn¡¯t believe that it was her that Edgar said he was thinking about in the letter he sent, and so Lydia wasn¡¯t able to easily face him heart-to-heart. ¡°Lydia, are you perhaps waiting for a letter from him?¡± The one who appeared in her doorway was a young girl who had her coffee-colored hair carelessly tied up in a ponytail. P. 12 ¡°What, oh goodness, Lota, what are you saying? That¡¯s impossible.¡± She rushed to deny it, but Lota still looked apprehensive. Lota was a former pirate but decided to live in London for a while after meeting her real-life grandfather, but she appeared in Lydia¡¯s town a few days ago by herself, saying she wanted to spend some time with her friend. ¡°But you know, at the same hour of every day, you go and stand by the windowsill. Right when it¡¯s time for the mail to arrive.¡± ¡°Oh, really, I didn¡¯t notice.¡± ¡°Look, it¡¯s the postman!¡± In a flash, Lydia pushed her cheek against the window, but realized what she was doing when the snickering Lota said ¡°Jus----t kidding.¡± Turning red, she pouted her cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s mean.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry, but it isn¡¯t something you should hide.¡± Lota patted Lydia¡¯s shoulder, but she let out another sigh. ¡°It¡¯s just a letter was arriving every day and lately none arrived, so I was a little worried. He might have gotten sick or injured.¡± The letter Lydia had read earlier was a letter that had arrived a while back. ¡°Edgar? Sick? Injured? No such thing. More like this is sure to be one of his schemes.¡± P. 13 Lota sat herself down on a chair and crossed her legs. Even if she decided to live with her grandfather, she couldn¡¯t get rid of the masculine way she carried herself since she used to be a captain of a pirate crew. ¡°Scheme?¡± ¡°He knows that if he stops sending letters then you would get worried. Just like how you are now. So he¡¯s trying to lure you to cut your holiday short and return to London.¡± That made sense. Lota was an old-time acquaintance of Edgar and knew exactly how criminal and flirtatious he was. I was about to be tricked. Lydia tried to collect herself and stepped away from the window thinking she wouldn¡¯t dare wait for anymore letters. However, as soon as she heard the ring of the bell used by the post man, she went running out of the room. She dashed out into the garden and shoved the wooden gate open to get to the mailbox. She saw a white envelope poking its head out and tried to pull it out, but a fluffy haired gray-colored cat snatched it away from her. ¡°It¡¯s finally here, this is for me.¡± ¡°Nico, you write letters?¡± Seeing Lydia giving him a look of surprise, the fairy cat standing on his hind legs on top of the post box puffed out his chest arrogantly. ¡°Writing letters is what gentlemen do.¡± P. 14 He was a fairy who liked to wear neckties and groomed his fur with a comb and walked around copying the gestures of a gentleman. He was Lydia¡¯s childhood friend and partner, but because he spent so much time with humans he could read and write. Out of all the fairies Lydia knew, he was the most human. However no matter how he tried to copy, he would always be in the body of a longhaired gray cat, and so the more human he acted, the more strange it appeared. ¡°Miss Carlton, Mister Nico, would you please listen?¡± P. 20 If the noble, handsome Edgar, who was sought-after from women throughout London society, seriously claimed that he was only interested in her, then she wouldn¡¯t mind considering it¡­¡­ But after she came to her senses now and recalled how she had desired so much from him for even a second, she realized how vain and dreaming she was. Every person is born with what they could and could not do. We should all live within our own capacity. Living quietly with fairies was the best life for Lydia. ¡°No Miss, a married man¡¯s philandering is like a disease. As long as you treat him with deep love, his sickness will be cured and he will come to love only his wife¡­..¡± said Coblynau as he continued to pull Kelpie¡¯s hair. Something like that could only happen in a million years. Besides, why do I have to be the generous one? ¡°If you are worried about his adultery, then it is best that you return to the earl. Miss shouldn¡¯t be the one cheating with a kelpie.¡± ¡°Hold on, that¡¯s a good idea. Lydia, if you want to get back at the earl then I¡¯ll help,¡± offered Kelpie. ¡°You don¡¯t have to!¡± ¡°Then please return to London,¡± argued the coblynau. ¡°Hey, shortie, don¡¯t stick your nose into other¡¯s affairs. Lydia isn¡¯t going back to London ever again.¡± Kelpie picked up the coblynau. The mine fairy must have feared he would be eaten. The blood rushed out of his face and he fainted. P. 21 ¡°Oh Kelpie, don¡¯t be mean to him.¡± ¡°Hey everyone, tea is ready!¡± yelled Lota. Nico was the first one to jump down from the mailbox and ran to the door. Small fairies came bustling out from some bushes. Even Coblynau awoke and jumped out of Kelpie¡¯s hand to escape to tea. ¡°Human food isn¡¯t really that filling,¡± murmured Kelpie as he also entered the house. * When he woke up in the morning, Paul Foreman saw a young man with brilliant golden hair standing before him. ¡°Good morning, Paul,¡± said the visitor. If this man didn¡¯t speak, people would think he was a sculpture. He stood with his back straight and held a top hat and walking stick in his hand. He was a perfect example of beauty. His soft, gentle smile enhanced his perfectly carved face and there wasn¡¯t a crease or wrinkle in his high-end slick suit. But the background behind him was terrible. Why was he was standing in such a cluttered room? Paul was a painter so his artistic sense couldn¡¯t allow such a beautiful specimen to stand in such a filthy room. Why is a noble like him in such a horrible place like this? No, maybe I¡¯m still asleep. So Paul closed his eyes tightly, but when he opened to glance up to see the man¡¯s mesmerizing ash-mauve eyes staring back at him, he finally realized that this man was the real life Lord Ashenbert. ¡°M-My Lord¡­., why are you¡­., no, I mean, forgive me for being dressed like this,¡± P. 27 Paul jumped out of his bed covers. Even if he stood up on his mattress, his naturally wavy hair was in a straggly mess and since he slept in the clothes he wore from the previous night out with his drunkard friends, he was in complete disorder. ¡°Since I didn¡¯t get a reply at the door, I took the liberty and came inside. You didn¡¯t lock the door so I was worried that you might be dead.¡± Dead?! That opened up his eyes. ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m terribly sorry to make you worry. I had a little too much to drink, and I returned at day-break and had been asleep all this time.¡± ¡°I see. You saved yourself by not being home last night. I heard there are some violent robbers breaking into homes recently, and there was a chance they were targeting you.¡± P. 38 The girl didn¡¯t stop crying as she nodded back to the earl¡¯s question. ¡°Then would that mean your master is also a fairy?¡± She shook her head, but it was unclear if she meant no or she couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°My lord, I think it¡¯s best to ask for Miss Carlton¡¯s help.¡± Paul didn¡¯t become surprised when he¡¯d see a real fairy now-a-days, but even if he was a painter who specialized on fairies, he wasn¡¯t an expert about them. He knew that the fairy doctor Lydia was taking a long holiday to enjoy Christmas in Scotland, but the end of the holiday was approaching. ¡°Are you saying that I call her back to work? Then no.¡± ¡°Huh, but why?¡± ¡°If its work, then the responsible Lydia would gladly return, but I don¡¯t want that, I want her to return because she misses me.¡± ¡°But she hasn¡¯t shown any signs of coming b¡­¡± Paul nearly finished his sentence but clamped his mouth shut. This was a man could have any woman he beckoned for, any girl would be dazzled if they spent a minute with him, but for some reason Lydia was the only girl who he couldn¡¯t win over. The earl was going around exclaiming that she was his lover, but they were anything but that. P. 39 Paul wasn¡¯t aware why the earl permitted her return to Scotland, but he wasn''t using his usual forceful approach like go getting her himself but seemed to be planning his next move extremely carefully. Paul felt cold sweat after remembering what happened when people pointed that out to him this past month. What followed was a ticked-off, bitter man. He would fool everyone with a friendly smile at first but when he opened his mouth he unleashed cold, stinging remarks. However at the moment, it didn¡¯t look like his temper was sullen. He overlooked Paul¡¯s comment. ¡°Anyway I¡¯m on my way to meet Lydia. But I don¡¯t want to talk about work.¡± ¡°So you finally decided to go and see her?¡± Paul wanted to jump from joy. ¡°I received a report from my investigator that Lydia is heading to Mannor Island. Since it''s one of my estates, she¡¯s practically saying to me she wants to see me.¡± He hired an investigator. That means he¡¯s having someone report to him what she¡¯s doing. If she wasn¡¯t the one who told him, then she must have no idea that the earl was planning to greet her. In contrast, she might have not told him because she didn¡¯t want to see him¡­. Paul didn¡¯t have the courage to say that out loud. ¡°Then could you take along this young lady and have Miss Carlton talk to her?¡± ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t going to take about work, didn¡¯t I? Besides, what if Lydia misunderstands me bringing along another woman?¡± P. 40 ¡°Uh, then I will accompany you,¡± offered Paul. ¡°No. I¡¯m going to spend some time alone with Lydia. I have to use this opportunity and make amends.¡± It seemed like he could only become brave when he was walking on his own territory. ¡°Paul, until Lydia returns it¡¯s your responsibility to look after this girl.¡± ¡°What, bu-but, she¡¯s a fairy. How am I supposed to take care of a fairy?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you to figure out. Oh, it¡¯s almost time for my train.¡± The earl took out his pocket watch and checked the time with the happiest smile no one had seen for a month. ¡°Now then, make sure to take caution just in case Ulysses is still after you. You must hurry and pack your things. If you need anything, go to my head-maid Harriet, she will take care of the rest.¡± Volume 8 - CH 1 P. 10 [Forewarning to all about Fairies. If you spot a fairy ring, DO NOT step inside it] Those were the words printed on the large sign, and Lydia patted it down after she stuck it on a hedge along a small road a little ways from town. ¡±Well, that should do it,¡± Lydia said to herself. People chuckled as they passed behind her. The Carlton oddball daughter finally lost her mind. She could hear their whisper but disregarded what they said and made a second inspection of her sign. [For any directions regarding fairies, please contact Lydia Carlton, at House Number 5 on Mommi¡¯s Tree Alley.] ¡°Chin up! If any fairies cause trouble, I am the only one who can solve it in this town,¡± Lydia motivated herself. She came up with this idea, to seriously pursue this job, only about a month ago. Up to that point, most of the towns people haven¡¯t realized that the misfortunes or accidents were fairy pranks, and when Lydia pointed them out, they only snorted at her. ¡°And when you solved them, your oddball name will spread even more,¡° said the voice that came from above in the tree branches. The one that was sitting on the branch was a long-haired gray cat. It jumped down to the ground and stood up on it¡¯s hind legs. It even wore a fancy tie around it¡¯s neck. P. 11 ¡°Lydia, your mother was indeed a fairy doctor, but that was a long time ago, it¡¯s a different story now. I can understand if it was a remote area where humans shared their lives with fairies but not in a rising town like this,¡° he said. The cat who spoke freely and could disappear at will, was not really a cat, but a fairy. He supposedly has lived longer than Lydia but he grew up with her as a childhood friend. And as he said, it was the middle of the 19th century, where railroads spread across all of England, and factories were sprouting up everywhere and people¡¯s lives improved dramatically with the advancement in industrialization. At the same time, it was the era when fairies were thought of as characters in bedtime stories and their existence has slowly become forgotten. ¡±But even in this town, there are plenty of fairies. And they cause plenty of trouble. So, don¡¯t get in my way, Nico,¡° said Lydia. So I have to post these signs all over town. Besides, the summer solstice is near. The fairies¡¯ pranks are sure to increase. Just like how her mother was when she was still alive, in order for Lydia to be acknowledged as a fairy doctor, it was necessary to advertise at this time of year. She was only just a sixteen-year-old girl, but Lydia thought of herself as the most knowledgeable about fairies in this region. She was able to see fairies since birth, and naturally became experienced with them. Consequently, she now had more fairy acquaintances than human. So she thought that her ability was most useful only in a job like this. Just then, she heard the sound of shredding paper coming from behind her. She turned around to see that there was a group of children ripping off her posters. P. 12 ¡±What are you doing? Stop that!,¡° she shouted. ¡°Aah! Lydia got angry! She¡¯s going to curse us! Hair will grow out of our bellybuttons!¡± The children dashed off. As they were running, they continued to shout about cursed hair growing from strange places. ¡°I will have the fairies pinch naughty children like you!¡° Of course, saying such things would only lead to the prankster¡¯s parents becoming even more apprehensive about her. ¡°Could you really make hair grow?¡° came a male voice. ¡±Yes, do you want me to make you into a fur ball as well?!¡° she snapped, thinking it was another mischief-making youngster, and whipped around to face him, but the one standing there bewildered, was a unfamiliar young man. Surely not a residence of the town, he wore a black frock coat, and carried a leather suitcase in one hand and an instrument case in his other. By his worn out hat and English, she could tell he was a respectable gentleman from the middleclass. He bent down to pick up one of the shredded pieces of poster. ¡°Would this Lydia Carlton be you?¡± asked the young man. ¡°¡­Yes. Would you please move aside? I want to fix my posters.¡° I can¡¯t get discouraged from behavior like this. Thinking ahead, she brought along extra sheets just in case of these kinds of situations. P. 13 ¡°What does this ¡®Forewarning of fairies¡¯mean?¡° questioned the man. ¡°Exactly as it says. If you hear the voice of a fairy, you have to ignore it. Or else you¡¯re going to regret you opened your mouth.¡± ¡°Are you saying that there really are fairies?¡° he asked. ¡°Uh, may I make certain of something. Are you asking me this to make a mockery out of me?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I just thought what a mysterious poster this is.¡± It seems like he has no other intentions. ¡°Fine, then.¡± Lydia pulled herself together and spread a poster on the ground and started to paste glue on it with a brush. ¡°You¡¯re from England aren¡¯t you? Here in Scotland, there are fairies all over the place. Just as common as the rats in London. But, most people don¡¯t have the ability to notice them, hence, posters like these are incomprehensible to them.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself to believe in me.¡± Even to people who take the time to honestly listen, I can only be stubbornly unreasonable. To be like mother who had such an open heart and serviced everyone, I will need to train myself even more to be sufficient, she thought. Unable to paste the poster up straight, Lydia was struggling to align it and since it was quiet behind her she thought the young man had already left. P. 14 But, after pasting it up right and taking a breath as she stepped back, there was another voice that asked ¡°Are you finished?¡± ¡°Wh-What are you doing?¡¯ she said after turning around and finding him still there. ¡°Hmm? I was waiting for you of course,¡± he replied with a genuinely expression. ¡°¡­and what purpose is keeping you here?¡± ¡°Do you know of Mr. Ballet¡¯s residence?¡± ¡°Anyone knows it. You can ask someone on the main street.¡± And when Lydia started to walk off, the young man followed her. ¡°You are not going to guide me there?¡± ¡°Better not. If you are seen walking with me on the main streets, rumors will fly around that you are some sort of eccentric.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Because I will be in this town for only three days,¡± he said. *** The moonlight painted the hill a silvery white; Lydia exited the town streets and followed behind the cat that was trotting along on his hind legs up the grassy dirt path. In the distance, Lydia was able to see a fuzzy bundle of lights swarming together. It was the flock of fairies. In the middle of it, there was a human figure lying down on the ground. Passing by Nico, Lydia ran toward it. She jumped into the light swarm, swinging around an ash branch in one hand, making the fairies scattered away like flies off a fruit. In the field lighted only by the moon, Ian was left lying asleep holding onto his violin. ¡°Mister, wake up! Are you alright?¡± To Lydia¡¯s voice, he slowly opened his eyes. He smiled angelically as if unaware that he was in unnatural, dangerous situation. P. 22 ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. ¡­I was dreaming the most curious dream. Yes, it was like I was surrounded by fairies¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream.¡± ¡°Huh? ¡­Now that you mention it, where are we? It was a beautiful moonlit night and I was taking a walk¡­¡± ¡°You stepped in a fairy ring, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ah yes, there was a mark of a circular light on the ground. I didn¡¯t know what it was and so I was curious. ..So that was a fair ring. It¡¯s the first time I ever saw one.¡± It seemed Lydia¡¯s warning on her flyers had no effect. ¡°So that means I was captured by fairies?¡± he questioned. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°And so you came to rescue me.¡± ¡°Luckily, I came just in time before they took you to the fairy world¡­ Oh, but have you had anything taken?¡± ¡°No, nothing. I have my violin and my two hands. If something else was taken, it doesn¡¯t matter. I know! Let me play you a song as my thanks.¡± He must be a placid person for acting like this when he had just been so close to never coming back to this human world. P. 23 But most likely, even if he was taken to the fairy world, he would be able to be happy as long as he could play his violin. Smiling as he stood up, Ian was beautiful as he prepared his instrument. Standing up straight in the grassy meadow, he bathed in the moonlight. The light showered his tall enhancing figure as he set his bow on the strings. The music that came out was like a dream. It¡¯s ¡®Moonlit Night,¡± thought Lydia. It was the first time for her to hear it but this song which was the main song for the concert was easy to guess from it¡¯s brilliant tune that melted into the moon night. Lydia listened, closing her eyes, sitting on the grass thinking how the music sparkled like silver to her ears. The music abruptly ended. He had stopped the bow, tilting his head in confusion, looking at his instrument. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Lydia. ¡°This isn¡¯t it¡­ Not like this, I can¡¯t get the usual sound.¡± ¡°What, really? I thought it was marvelous as it was.¡± ¡°But something¡¯s missing. What that is, I don¡¯t know quite myself.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s it!¡± shouted Lydia, standing up. ¡°What is?¡± P. 24 * Ian¡¯s concert was held in an outdoor theater just as the moon began to rise up again in the sky. P. 34 ¡°Nico, you told him that? Th-That means you appeared in front of him like that?¡± ¡°I made sure to stand on all fours.¡± ¡°If you talked than the act would be meaningless!¡± ¡°Oh who cares, Lydia. By the way, he was the one who carried you home after you were thrown out of the queen¡¯s ball. That letter, I handed it back to him. He was a little surprised, but that was all. I did also explain what happened, just in case.¡± ¡°But, that sort of exchange¡­ He will never to able to play the ¡®Silver Moon Night¡¯ ever again!¡± moaned Lydia. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± said a voice. Ian stepped out from behind a stone pillar of the theater. ¡°I was so nervous to try to please the queen that it was the best performance I ever had. Most likely I won¡¯t be able to play as good as tonight¡¯s ¡®Silver Moon Night¡¯. I¡¯m satisfied as long as it stays in the hearts of the people who came tonight.¡± ¡°Mister Reynolds¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Lydia. I don¡¯t have anything missing now. In fact, I¡¯m certain that from now on I¡¯ll be able to play better than ever. That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t lose anything either.¡± His smile made her so happy but also made her heart stink just a little. ¡°Oh yes, this,¡± Lydia remembered and held out the rose. P. 35 ¡°Your performance was beautiful. I¡¯m so glad I was able to listen to it¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say this right, but just one rose wouldn¡¯t be enough to express my excitement, more like I want to give you a ton of elderberries.¡± Wiping her wet eyes, Lydia¡¯s desperate words must have reached him. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m honored,¡± he said. They parted after shaking hands. Carving the warmth of that hand in her heart, Lydia walked her way home with the cat beside her on his hind legs. ¡°By the way, Lydia. Only fairies would be thrilled to receive elderberries. You need to learn human etiquette.¡± She must have felt good that night as she didn¡¯t feel like stamping down on that fluffy tail of his. End Volume 8 - CH 2 P. 38 [Inquiries regarding fairies are always welcome. Fairy Doctor, Lydia Carlton.] The client was an elderly woman. Wearing a slightly ostentatious saffron-colored dress and a fur cape, this woman appeared alone on Lydia¡¯s doorstep around sunset. ¡°My goodness, so you were proposed to by a fairy?¡± gasped Lydia to the woman smiling like a pure young girl. ¡°That¡¯s right. I would love to accept it. But my whole family disagrees with me. I cannot understand how marrying a fairy could be improper at all.¡± ¡°Yes I see, but there have been a few arrangements that were done in the past.¡± It¡¯s been so long to have such an actual job consultation. Lydia was excited and inched forward in anticipation. ¡°So, may I ask what sort of suitor he is?¡± ¡°He only appeared as a handsome young man to my eyes, and he did seem very different at first. But even after learning that he wasn¡¯t human I wasn¡¯t that surprised.¡± Then it looks like he isn¡¯t a brownie or hobgoblin that could be living around here. ¡°Mrs. Hadley, for a start, could you introduce me to your suitor? I could be a liaison for you two and try to convince your family.¡± P. 39 ¡°Really? That would be wonderful! Such a relief. I¡¯m so glad I came to visit you.¡± The woman took Lydia¡¯s hands into hers. Lydia was thrilled with satisfaction. Stories about fairies proposing to humans were usually heard with young girls. But there were still so many different kinds of fairies in the world. If there was a fairy who found this pure old lady so adorable, than she could understand how such a fairy would want to propose to her. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go fetch us some tea. So please, make yourself comfortable. We¡¯ll discuss the details while enjoying some refreshments,¡± offered Lydia slowly standing up. I need to get all the details exactly. This is such a joyous opportunity. It might be finally be my first step to be acknowledged as a fairy doctor! For the public, fairies only were characters in children¡¯s bedtime stories. If it was not too long ago, then nobody would have doubted their existence. But when it rolled into the 19th century, with all the drastic changes in industry, all the people of England who had been neighbors with fairies, had forgotten such beings, with rapid speed. But Lydia knew that they all still exist. Spotting them constantly and hearing their voices wherever she went. Someday, like her late mother, Lydia wanted to become a Fairy Doctor that people depended on and become well respected for her good deeds. At this point, she still was an amateur but she had plenty of motivation. ¡°That old woman, she better not be senile,¡± came the voice from above the shelves. A biscuit floated up into the air. P. 40 Just as her eyes followed it, a side of it was bitten into. The one with the voice that appeared, licking his lips for any crumbs, was a long haired gray cat. He sat down on top of the shelf and crossed his hind legs. The cat straightened his favorite tie and combed through his whiskers that he was so proud of, and looked down at Lydia. ¡°Nico! that¡¯s bad behavior!¡± shouted Lydia. ¡°But you know, in your own case, even if you can see fairies, you don¡¯t have an eye for people.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about humans, than as a human of course I¡¯d know !¡± Lydia puffed out her words as she poured hot water into a pot. ¡°But so far, the previous client was a self-proclaimed angel. Before that was a self-proclaiming spiritualist and you believed in all their crazy fantasies and already failed miserably. Even that old lady, with her story of being proposed by a handsome fairy man, sounds like one of her dreams,¡± said the gray cat as he waved his long tail. He was Lydia¡¯s childhood friend and was in fact, a fairy himself. But regardless, he had no pleasant comments to give. Besides, it wasn¡¯t convincing when a cat that didn¡¯t act like a cat was trying to persuade you something. ¡°This time, surely it¡¯s a true request. Because there are fairies that can transform into human form, you know.¡± Just then, the front door bell range repeatedly, almost vehemently. ¡°Oh my, another visitor? Nico, would you prepare the tea?¡± ¡°What~! You overwork fairies too much.¡± Paying no attention to the complaining cat, Lydia rushed to the front door. P. 41 When she swung the door open, a portly gentleman stood at the door, taking off his hat. ¡°I believe my aunt has paid you a visit.¡± ¡°Umm, do you mean Mrs. Hadley?¡± ¡°Pardon me,¡± he said and entered the house. After spotting the old woman sitting in the drawing room sofa, he grabbed her arm roughly. ¡°Aunt Ruth, please stop such foolish behavior. Talking about fairies and marrying one, you are the laughing stock of the town.¡± ¡°Hold on just a moment! Please don¡¯t judge like that. Catching the eye of a fairy really isn¡¯t that unusual,¡± claimed Lydia to the sudden intruder. The gentleman stared at Lydia with a look of disbelief. ¡°I see. I¡¯ve heard that the Carlton daughter is an oddball, but it seems the rumors are true. Someone like you would be able to converse with a senile old woman.¡± ¡°I am not senile. Who are you? Would you please left go of me,¡± said the lady. ¡°What are you talking about? Aunt Ruth.¡± ¡°I know! my father has sent you, hasn¡¯t he? Because he can¡¯t seem to left go of the prospects of marrying me off to that family that runs the bank.¡± P. 42 ¡°Good God!¡± cried out the man and turned towards Lydia. ¡°As you can see, my aunt thinks of herself as a young debutante.¡± ¡°Uh, but, that shouldn¡¯t mean her story about a fairy proposing was made up..¡± But the man, without consent, started to drag the woman out. ¡°Unfortunately, young miss, if you continue to speak of fairies, it¡¯ll make me doubt your sanity.¡± ¡°But I am a fairy doctor! A professional about fairies, so please if you would just listen to me..¡± ***** The next day, Lydia immediately headed to the river, located at the edge of town. There wasn¡¯t anybody at the riverside where its reflection mirrored only the cloudy gray sky, making it even more dismal. Lydia, along with Nico, cautiously approached the water¡¯s edge while careful to spot any sight of unnatural ripples on the water surface. ¡°Oi, Lydia, there¡¯s somebody there.¡± P. 46 Holding down her hair that was blown around by the strong winds, she squinted into the distance, to see a figure standing by the riverbed. ¡°Mrs. Hadley! What are you doing here?¡± It was the visitor from yesterday. Lydia dashed over to her. Covering her gray hair with a shall, Ruth Hadley lifted her face from her gaze from the water surface. ¡°My, Miss Carlton. Please forgive me for leaving yesterday. It seems like my father won¡¯t approve my marriage with a fairy.¡± ¡°Um, about that, I¡­¡± ¡°But, I was so thankful for your kindness. You were the only one who believed me.¡± ¡°Mrs. Hadley.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ruth. Please call me Ruth. I want us to become friends.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± * It was half a century ago. Ruth grew up in the Highlands, the area where water-horses were said to live. The young Ruth met a water-horse who happened to be in his human form and both fell in love. But she already had an engagement her father made, and on top of that the man disappeared from her, fearing the time when she¡¯d come to find out he was ferocious fairy of human eating kind. But even after many years, he still couldn¡¯t forget her, and thinking that now was the only time since a human¡¯s lifespan was so short and followed the river back to this town. The younger brother kelpie told Lydia that Ruth had not forgotten about him. She kept the snow crystal that he gave her. He was overjoyed at their reunion and proposed to her immediately but still couldn¡¯t tell her that he was a water-horse. He was soft spoken and had graceful manners. Unlike his older brother, he was more slender but he too had the perfectly sculptured beauty. These two water-horses were now in the Carlton house. P. 50 Of course, they were in human form, but Lydia couldn¡¯t stop thinking how unreal this seemed to herself. But in reality here in front of her were two gorgeous handsome men, one silver-haired man sitting politely with his hands resting on his thighs and one black-haired man leaning back in a chair with his feet on the table in an arrogantly, daunting manner. And they¡¯re horses. Horses!, she bitterly muttered, for no reason. The younger brother carried the unconscious Ruth to this house and she was currently resting in one of the bed chambers. Lydia was listening silently to the water-horse¡¯s story. ¡°Fairy Doctor, I will leave this land. I shouldn¡¯t have come here in the first place.¡± ¡°Oi, you are alright with that?¡± shouted the older brother fairy. ¡°Brother, weren¡¯t you opposed?¡± ¡°As kin, I oppose. In any case, humans die too quick after all. Even if we take them to the fairy world, there still is their lifespan. But I saw how you were suffering all this time. To watch you continue to be heartbroken is unbearable.¡± ¡°Well now, so you do have a good side,¡± said Lydia. ¡°Of course I do. How low were you thinking of this great kelpie?¡± P. 51 P. 60 In that moment, the silver kelpie trotted forward. He transformed gracefully into a beautiful human man as he neared them. ¡°Ruth, you haven¡¯t changed one bit. All I see is the shape of your soul. If I truly don¡¯t frightened you, then would you please spend your remaining time with me?¡± Squeezing the snow crystal in her hand, Ruth replied with a faint nod. Then she turned to Lydia with a smile on her face and softly hugged her. ¡°Lydia, thank you¡­ I¡¯m so happy that we became friends¡­.¡± Unraveling her arms and silently backing away, Ruth slowly walked over to him. As she got closer, the light that was surrounding the water-horse spilled over onto her and turned her gray hair into a bright red, and Lydia watched with watery eyes, as an energetic young lady was embraced by the man¡¯s arms. * ¡°And you had just made a human friend. Yet you have to send her off to the fairy world,¡± said the gray cat sitting on a chair, twitching his whiskers as if they were enjoying the fragrance of the tea rising up from the cup he held in his front paw. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do about it now. It was for Ruth¡¯s sake.¡± P. 61 ¡°So you gave up making human friends and decided to increase your fairy friends instead?¡± asked Nico glancing suspiciously over to the black wavy haired man crunching down on biscuits. ¡°What is this. Such wimpy food.¡± Lydia, shaking her hands that gripped the teapot, knitted her brows on top of a frown. ¡°Why are you here in the first place, kelpie!¡± ¡°Well my younger brother went off to the new frontier with his bride. As for me, it¡¯s quite boring now¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean that you have to come to my house!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve started to be interested in humans as well.¡± ¡°Even if you were to observe Lydia, she might not equal to an actual human being¡¯s standard.¡± ¡°What? Nico! What does that suppose to mean?!¡± shouted Lydia. She didn¡¯t realize that soon enough, people would be whispering about the Carlton daughter who was having a loud conversation with only a cat in her house. The End Volume 8 - CH 3 P. 64 ***** ¡°Edgar, what is the meaning of this!¡± Lydia, who had been waiting for him when he returned, came charging into the entrance hall, and pressed the young earl who was the master of this mansion for an answer. ¡°Oh, hello, Lydia, your angry face is such a charming sight. By the way, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°About the opera. I said I wasn¡¯t going. And yet, I was told by Ms Harriett that I need to dress because that¡¯s in my schedule. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Um-hmm, since you said that you wouldn¡¯t go last week, I changed it to today.¡± When I say I wouldn¡¯t go, that means I won¡¯t go whether it¡¯s last week or today! Was what she really wanted to scream, but Lydia was made her keep her mouth shut every time she was met with Edgar¡¯s quibble. And besides, the reason he didn¡¯t let her know until the last minute was so that he could force her to accompany him. As rage boiled in her head, she thought it was pointless to be toyed by him, and so Lydia followed after Edgar into the gentleman¡¯s room. P. 68 ¡°I told you that I¡¯m not comfortable in going to lavish places. If you want a woman to accompany you, then you should just invite an aristocrat¡¯s daughter. There wouldn¡¯t be a girl who would refuse your invitation.¡± He whipped around to face her. ¡°Then, why is it that you don¡¯t want to go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­., isn¡¯t it in a foreign language? Then I wouldn¡¯t understand it anyways.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s Rossini¡¯s La Cenerentola. Although it¡¯s in Italian, the story is Cinderella that you¡¯re familiar with. And I¡¯ll interpret it for you by your side, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± ¡°But¡­.¡± A place like the opera house was a place where aristocrats would gather and introduce themselves to each other, might be a place that was too heavy a load on a country girl¡¯s shoulders like hers. And yet, Edgar was apt to bring Lydia along to gatherings of the upper class. Apparently, he wanted to make a cognizance of her as the private fairy doctor of his earldom to the upper class, but she felt he just wanted to show her off because she was a rare sight. Edgar Ashenbert had the title of Earl of Ibrazel. In the current 19th century, it was rare for someone to believe that the earl actually had his estate in the land of the fairy world, but at least, faeries who accepted him as their new lord were living on his estate that was in England. P. 69 For Edgar who couldn¡¯t see faeries, Lydia was hired as the fairy doctor who would handle everything dealing with fairies. It hadn¡¯t been that long since her employment, but Lydia had been escorted by Edgar since then and has been introduced to several aristocrats. Fairy doctors were specialists who knew anything when it came to the fae, and it was their job to solve the troubles that erupted between them and humans, and they were once all over England, but now practically extinct. That¡¯s why this job was difficult to be understood by people. And most of the people would look at her like they were looking at the rare sight of a fairy. Gradually, she began to think that there might be no point in forcing herself in come out in front of the public, and so she found it a great bother to go to the opera house. But Edgar still seemed like he was going to continue persuading Lydia who was shrinking away from the idea. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me go alone? You¡¯re saying you¡¯re okay with me being laughed at for being jilted by my partner? I need to enter the London high society for the first time without any support or patron. I agonized over how a fledgling like me could leave a lasting impression to the people of the upper class society, and I thought that if I had you by my side, then I could confidently go out, and yet you¡¯re going to abandon me.¡± This man¡¯s level of coaxing people by threatening or pretending to cry wasn¡¯t the average level. Furthermore this man had the looks like a prince and made any women become his puppet. P. 70 For a man like him who was pasted the level of unreserved and confident, but more like became the center of the crowd whenever and whenever he went, it was hard to imagine that he would become faint-hearted just at the thought of going to the opera house. ¡°Please don¡¯t say you won¡¯t go.¡± And yet, she was fully aware of what he was thinking, but Lydia some how wasn¡¯t able to turn him away after he pleaded her like that. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to act like a noblewoman.¡± ¡°All I ask is to sit and smile,¡± he said and immediately called for the head maid, which meant he took Lydia¡¯s vague reply as her consent. ¡°Harriett, wasn¡¯t there a lime green dress that I had ordered. The color the same as Lydia¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s troublesome if she goes as the same color as a certain noblewoman who dominates the ton, but we¡¯ll be safe if we go with that.¡± I can¡¯t believe you have to consider such a detail like that. Lydia didn¡¯t know if she should be in awe or shocked at how quick Edgar was to do his research. ¡°Lydia, will that one be alright?¡± But now, Lydia could only give up and nod. Lydia was being dragged along with Edgar to different places, and told that this was part of her job, so she was supplied with dresses to go out as many as a lady. However, even after it had been a while, she suddenly worried about something. P. 71 ¡°Now that I thing about it, I never had myself measured, so how were you able to have them make them?¡± ¡°The tailor¡¯s wife had nearly the same stature and height as you.¡± ¡°So she was the same size as me.¡± ¡°And so, I asked them to shorten the breast and waist seven inches.¡± Huh? ¡°W-Why would you know something like that!¡± ¡°One could guess that somehow or other.¡± One couldn¡¯t normally guess that, somehow or other. This philanderer man was absolutely unbelievable. Lydia¡¯s head felt dizzy from shock or maybe it was embarrassment. The one who entered the room was a young man with hazel-colored skin. It was Edgar¡¯s loyal servant. ¡°Lord Edgar, you had forgotten this in the carriage.¡± Raven placed a small Margaret bouquet onto the table. ¡°Oh, yes. I had found a flower girl who was rumored at the Covent Garden whose flower game is said to have a great mark.¡± ¡°Was she as the rumors said?¡± asked Raven. ¡°Yes, she surpassed the rumors.¡± ¡°So you already tried it?¡± asked Lydia. P. 72 ¡°No, the flower girl was black-haired and tender-hearted, and very cute.¡± So you were more interested in that part of the rumor? ¡°But unfortunately, she already had someone she fancied.¡± He handed the bouquet to Lydia and plucked out a Margaret from it. ¡°Oh, well, I have you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just hired as a fairy doctor, and I¡¯m not your toy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cold as already. Then let¡¯s try the flower game. To test if you will fall in love with me or not.¡± Lydia didn¡¯t even want to reply and so turned her head the other way, but he started to pluck the white Margaret petals one after another. As he alternately repeated ¡®fall in love, not fall in love,¡¯ she couldn¡¯t help but be a little interested even though she thought lightly of this flower game. ¡°Falls in love.¡± Right in front of Lydia¡¯s eyes, he plucked the last petal and gave her a winning smile. ¡°Does it seem like the flower game¡¯s magic is going to work?¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­It would never work.¡± It was just when she turned around to leave. Something wiggled up against Lydia¡¯s foot. S-Snake! When she figured out what it was, Lydia let out a horrified scream and jumped over to Edgar who was beside her. P. 73 P. 74 ¡°Noooooooo! Get it away, throw it ooooout!¡± Raven was swift to capture it, but Lydia¡¯s legs were still wobbled. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of snakes?¡± ¡°Why is there a snake in a place like this!¡± ¡°It must have lost its way into here. But it¡¯s alright, it¡¯s just a small snake.¡± She was about to lift her head, but seeing that Raven was still standing there with it in his hand, she swallowed down another scream. ¡°W-What are you doing! Hurry up and toss it out!¡± ¡°Lord Edgar, may I throw it out?¡± He was conscientious and calmly asked his master. ¡°Hmmm, well, I¡¯d like to stay like this a little longer,¡± Hearing that, Lydia finally realized that she was clinging onto Edgar. But Raven was still beside them and holding onto the snake, so she couldn¡¯t move. ¡°Hurry up already-------!¡± Edgar gave his permission, and Raven finally tossed the snake out the window. After breathing a sigh of relief, she rushed to left go and get away from him who she was gripping onto, but Edgar slipped his arm around her back as if reluctant to part from her and whispered to her: P. 75 ¡°Was it better if I had them shorten your measurement one more inch?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your waist.¡± Lydia whipped her hand out to slap him, but Edgar, who let go of her, was swift to evade her attack. ¡°Miss Lydia, please let¡¯s start the preparations,¡± said the head maid who returned with the lime green dress in her hands. Lydia flashed a glare at Edgar who was grinning at her and left the room along with the head maid. ¡°Oi, Lydia, there¡¯s something I spotted,¡± said the fairy cat Nico by her feet. He was Lydia¡¯s partner, and normally walked up on his two hind feet and wore a necktie and cared about his appearance. However, right now, he deliberately was walking on all-fours to not make the head maid suspicious and whispered to Lydia. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I briefly saw a fairy come in from outside.¡± ¡°¡­..Did that fairy, perhaps, played the prank with that snake?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Even if that were so, if it was a fairy that played a prank to that level, then it could just be a hobgoblin that lived around this area. P. 76 It wasn¡¯t an evil fairy. However, it was unforgivable to Lydia for releasing a snake. ¡°Nico, find that fairy and make sure to capture it.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s too much work.¡± Even if he was her partner, he was this kind of character. ¡°I let you know while I was at it, so be careful.¡± The capricious fairy cat said those last words and in a poof, he vanished. * In the end, Lydia didn¡¯t have any time to spare for the fairy who released the snake. Right after she was done getting dressed, she was brought to the Theater Royal Covent Garden by Edgar. She was escorted to a box seat along with him, and she found out that that was a special seat for the duchess, Lady Masefield, of course, after she was escorted to that seat. She fumed ¡®You kept this away from me as well!¡¯ in her head, but it was too late to do anything about that now. If there were going to join the graceful lady duchess of the opera house, then they would draw the attention from the other seats. P. 92 ¡°Lydia, are you hurt?¡± asked Edgar turning around as if nothing happened and throwing away the knife in the ditch. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­.¡± You must be the more dangerous one to look out for. She took his offer and used his hand to stand up. Just then Lydia spotted the pixie from the shadows of the crates. The fairy threw away the rock it was holding with its hands and raced after the escaped man. ¡°More importantly what happened? You just suddenly ran off like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that pixie. It was the one that threw the rock at the man to scare me off.¡± Now that she thought about it, Nico said that the snake from earlier appeared along with the presence of a fairy, which could mean that it was that pixie who could have done it. That just made it even more confusing for Lydia to know why she was chosen as a target. ¡°Pixie?¡± ¡°The fairy that was messing with Hugh. I wonder if this could be related to the flower girl?¡± mumbled Lydia in thought. P. 93 ¡°It must be. Even Hugh said he played the game with the Margaret he bought from the same flower girl. Which means that the flower girl whose always accurate must have the help of a fairy whose doing all this after-care.¡± ¡°So the fairy plotted this situation just like the game where you would fall in love with me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite a forceful approach.¡± Either way the prank toward Hugh doesn¡¯t look like they were to help his love. In his case where however many times he does the game, the fairy might have been fooling around so that the love never blossoms. But then why would it need to do that sort of thing to Hugh. ¡°Oh no. That means I should have protected you from the danger by getting injured? Then you could have fallen for me.¡± Lydia was being serious but Edgar was being optimistic. ¡°I would never fall for you!¡± ¡°Anyways, could you sit down right over there.¡± Why? But then she noticed that the shoe Edgar picked up was hers. She realized that one of them must have slipped off when she tripped. After having Lydia sit down on one of the stone steps of the building, he knelt know in front of her. ¡°Did you get cut by a rock? There¡¯s blood.¡± "Uh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± P. 94 Paying no heed, he took her ankle into his palm and wrapped a handkerchief around the cut. As she had him slip on the shoe she gazed at the golden eyelashes that were facing down, and she couldn¡¯t help for her heart to start beating faster. If he just wouldn¡¯t say anything to tease others, and if he wasn¡¯t a rake and woman chaser, she could honestly have thought him as attractive. But then again, that wouldn¡¯t be Edgar. ¡°This is like one of the scenes of Cinderella. The moment they find the owner of the shoe that was found.¡± Yes, Edgar was someone who would say something like this at any opportunity. ¡°You are the one, the princess I¡¯ve been looking for.¡± ¡°¡­Please stop with the silly acting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to play along.¡± You expect me to call you prince? That kind of embarrassing play was impossible for Lydia. It was a weird feeling, being gazed up by him who was kneeling down before her and chuckled to her reaction. It was as if she really was a princess. The one he was looking at wasn¡¯t her usual self, but felt as if it was a special girl under magic. But his sweet words were not from his heart. If she were to succumb to it, it was obvious that she would end up in some unimaginable state. P. 95 ¡°There was no glass slipper or pumpkin carriage for the opera Cinderella,¡± said Lydia, somehow managing to fight off the giddy feeling. The prince in the opera didn¡¯t look for the girl he fell in love with a slipper, but one of the matching pairs of a bracelet. That was a promise that came out on stage, that he would surely find Cinderella, no matter who she was, or what she looked like. It was the true, loyal love between two people that didn¡¯t use the power of magic, something that achieved the destined love of the Cinderella story. ¡°It¡¯s bad to be under the influence of magic. Wouldn¡¯t you agree? I wouldn¡¯t want my love to be toyed around by a fairy who¡¯s playing pranks.¡± Her voice ended up being strong because she didn¡¯t want to be swallowed up by the air around the two of them. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t look away when Hugh¡¯s love is being interrupted by a fairy too.¡± I¡¯m a Fairy Doctor. It¡¯s my job to help those who are in trouble because of fairies. ¡°So you¡¯re going to ignore about us right now?¡± ¡°More important, we need to find that fairy and capture it¡­¡± But fairies are so fast, they wouldn¡¯t be easy to capture. P. 96 When it comes to fairies, Lydia¡¯s mind tended to be occupied with only that and she had already forgotten about the sweet air that was between them and was engrossed in deep thought. Edgar decided to give and stood up, then looked up as if he spotted something. ¡°Hey, here comes Nico.¡± A gray colored cat was walking on his two back legs along the top of the brick wall. Usually when in open sight, he would pretend to be a regular domestic cat, but this happy gray feline must have been in the company of spirits, stopped in his tracks as he noticed the two of them and sat down on the wall and craftingly crossed his legs. ¡°You¡¯re cat sure is different.¡± Even though he witnessed Nico walking on two feet he still just thought of him as a cat that plays tricks. ¡°Hey Lydia, isn¡¯t it a beautiful moonlit night.¡± It must have only sounded like a cat meowing to Edgar, but Lydia breathed a heavy sigh at Nico for periodically forgetting to act like a cat. He must have been drinking with his fairy friends at some pub, but if it was realized that he was a talking cat and cause a commotion, she worried that he might end up being sold off to circus. Nico loved to drink and usually took caution in his appearances to look like a gentleman, but right now he only resembled an old man as he yawned and straightened his necktie. P. 97 Although Lydia wanted to discuss a few new matters, she changed her mind since she couldn¡¯t waste time dealing with a drunk. ¡°Edgar, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°What about him? Don¡¯t you need to take him home as well?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll manage on his own.¡± ¡°Hey Lydia, I just remembered that earlier this morning I spotted someone entering the Earl¡¯s mansion. It was definitely a pixie.¡± Lydia stopped dead in her tracks. ¡°Pixie?" ¡°Yup. According to the story of the hobgoblin at the pub, that fairy is in love with a flower girl. When a man who buys a flower from her and tries to woo her, it tries and sticks that man with another woman.¡± That means, Edgar really did flirt with her. Lydia flashed a glance at him. If that was why Lydia ended up being the target then it was all because of Edgar. ¡°It sticks onto a Margaret, and apparently does other nasty things too. It was with the flower girl over there just earlier, but it messed around with the girl¡¯s flower she was using and changed her result by pulling out the petals.¡± ¡°That one! Where did you see that fairy?¡± Lydia rushed off in the direction Nico pointed. And Edgar was right behind her. P. 98 ¡°Lydia, where are you going?¡± ¡°To find that pixie. It was that fairy who was messing around with the results of everyone¡¯s flower game. Yours and Hugh¡¯s.¡± ¡°If only you would spend half of the spirit you have for your work for me.¡± Lydia wasn¡¯t paying attention since she was in a hurry. ¡°There it is.¡± They stopped in the alleyway leading out to the main street. The customers that came out of the opera house had already left the area and so the place was nearly deserted so they had no trouble spotting the girl who was sitting down on the foundation of the colonnade. The flower girl had her basket of Margarets placed beside her, and it seemed she was playing the flower game as there was a small pile of white petals scattered around her feet. The pixie was sitting on top of the girl¡¯s lap. Obviously she didn¡¯t see the creature. The fairy arbitrarily plucked out a petal from the flower in her hand, and when the girl got to the last petal she breathed a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s the girl who the popular flower game girl, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Is there a fairy with her flower?¡± P.99 ¡°There is. It has feelings for her so it messes around with the results of the flower game for itself. But what I don¡¯t know is why it would fool around with Hugh¡¯s game and make the results come out as bad.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be because he¡¯s wishing for mutual love between him and the flower girl.¡± ¡°Eh? But then the girl that he¡¯s in love with is¡­¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s her.¡± ¡°Re-really? But he said he didn¡¯t see her face. And why would you know that.¡± ¡°She had on the same red ribbon that came into the hands of Hugh. I saw her hair tied up into two ponytails when her hat flew off from the wind, but one of her tails didn¡¯t have a ribbon tied on. That¡¯s why I knew right away that she was Hugh¡¯s love when we were shown the ribbon at the opera house.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say anything about the ribbon to Hugh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s much more fun to watch others in a lost to look for each other.¡± ¡­.This man is unbelievable. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± ¡°It sounded like honesty to me.¡± Edgar hunched up his shoulders in a ¡®really?¡¯ tone. P. 100 ¡°No matter what, I figured that Hugh already knew it was her. He¡¯s a singer you know. Even if he didn¡¯t remember the face, wouldn¡¯t he remember her voice? And remember he said that however many times he did the game it came out as love not. If it says he was dumped then doesn¡¯t that mean he has playing the game with only one person in mind?¡± ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t he introduce himself?¡± ¡°He¡¯s afraid of her reaction. He seems to be aware that he doesn¡¯t give a good impression to ladies, and the game always came out not in his favor, and so he has no courage.¡± ¡°I see...... Either way, since she looks so distressed while doing the game, that must mean she must have someone she¡¯s thinking about as well.¡± ¡°It could be Hugh you know.¡± Surprised to hear an idea she would have never imagined, Lydia looked up at Edgar. But now that she thought about it, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to not fall in love with the one who helps a girl from a drunk without hesitating for their own safety. ¡°So there¡¯s a chance that the two of them could be deeply in love with each other? Oh, but she doesn¡¯t know who in the world Hugh not seeing his face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a speculation if they love each other, but I think that since he comes to buy flowers from her so often, she might have already figured it out that the man who helped her was actually Hugh. Because remember there was a wound on his hand made from that incident. It¡¯s the wound that she wrapped her ribbon around, so she could have speculated the possibility already.¡± ¡°Since she¡¯s not coming out to him even though she¡¯s noticed, then she must have been frightened as well.¡± P. 101 If she didn¡¯t have feelings for him at all, wouldn¡¯t you want to make sure who it was who rescued you and say your thanks? ¡°The fact that she only ties on the one remaining red ribbon but hides it with her hat does seem like she wants him to realize it¡¯s her but she¡¯s too afraid.¡± If that¡¯s true, then if only one of them would take the first step then their love might be united. I see! Both of them are being interfered with the fairy and only don¡¯t have enough confidence. Then as a Fairy Doctor Lydia must do something about this situation. ¡°No matter what, I have to stop that fairy from making any more trouble.¡± Lydia stepped out into the street and approached the flower girl. The pixie disappeared in a flash again but she didn¡¯t bother and cautioned the girl. ¡°Excuse me. You really shouldn¡¯t believe the results of that game. A fairy¡¯s playing tricks with it.¡± ¡°Fairy?¡± The girl eyed suspiciously to Lydia. ¡°Uh, you know how you always get the same result no matter how many times you repeat it? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s strange?¡± ¡°¡­.Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Fairy Doctor. I¡¯m here to tell you that you¡¯re being followed around by a pixie fairy. It looks like the fairy cares for you but at this rate whoever you fall in love with the fairy will come in between you two and tear you apart.¡± P. 102 ¡°Fairy Doctor?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a specialist in fairies. She can see them and knows how to handle them too,¡± spoke up Edgar from behind. ¡°Ah, the sir from that morning¡­. Oh yeah, I forgot to hand you your change.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright Sara. Thanks to your flower fortune game I was able to spend a wonderful day with her.¡± The flower girl, whose name was apparently Sara, looked at Lydia curiously. ¡°Oh I see, she¡¯s quite the beauty but her head¡¯s hollow. Then it must be a lot of trouble for you Sir to try to tell her your feelings.¡± ¡°Hey, I am not at all stupid! I just came to talk to you to help you. If it¡¯s a pixie then there¡¯s no trouble trying to scare it away. All you have to do is give it something that belongs to you.¡± But the girl only stood up angrily. ¡°Are you trying to mess with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, it¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°Even so, it¡¯s none of your business. If there¡¯s a fairy that¡¯s looking after me, then it¡¯s trying to tell me with through the game that I should give up, right? If I have to give it up anyway, then it¡¯s better that the results always tell me so.¡± P. 103 ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re not going to find out his feelings and give up?¡± shouted Lydia grabbing onto Sara¡¯s flower basket to not let her go. ¡°I said it¡¯s none of your business. I¡¯m planning to quit selling flowers and go back home in the countryside anyway.¡± ¡°Oh so you¡¯re really giving up. Then it would be alright if I asked you out?¡± ¡°Edgar, what are you saying at a time like this!¡± ¡°Sir, didn¡¯t you prefer this fairy something lady?¡± ¡°Yes I do. But she¡¯s never returned my feelings. If you¡¯ll be with me then she might become jealous.¡± ¡°I will never be jealous!¡± * It was just around the time when the night was soaking in; Sara was standing under a street lamp watching a shadow come out from the back door of the Opera house. ¡°Young lady, do you have any flowers left?¡± Feeling her heart speed up to the usual voice, she turned around. ¡°Yeah I do,¡± and she handed out a Margaret, which was accepted by a hard-faced man no where near matching to have an elegant white flower. But he was cute when he smiled and his voice was soft and kind. The two of them only exchanged words of thanks and goodnight. But for tonight Sara took the plunge and asked a question. ¡°Is that flower, for your lover?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I live by myself so I thought of taking a flower by with me.¡± ¡°Oh,¡­I see.¡± After that Sara didn¡¯t know what to do, and even he spoke no more. She regretted asking such a thing and was about to take off. P. 106 ¡°Well, goodnight¡­¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t take off your hat, even at night.¡± It was so sudden. Sara wondered for an instance if he wondered if there was a red ribbon under this hat. But there is no way. If so, it would be normal to just ask. He hadn¡¯t noticed about Sara, and that she was the girl from that time, so there was nothing to worry about. Because he must have the company of finely dressed ladies every day. ¡°My, my hair, I didn¡¯t fix it.¡± ¡°¡­..Sorry, it was weird of me to ask.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m not bothered.¡± ¡°¡­Well then,¡± Goodnight. He said awkwardly and quickly walked off. Sara took a deep breath. It won¡¯t matter since she won¡¯t see him anymore. In time she¡¯d forget about him. She looked up to the impressive building and repeated to herself that as long as she could see him singing on stage, then that would be the best happiness she could hope for. P. 107 * It was sad to think that even though they thought for each other they have to keep it in their hearts and give up. Lydia thought to herself that she couldn¡¯t stay silent and watch as everything was messed around just for the whim of Edgar. But then, what would make Hugh Hogarts not be deceived by what Edgar plans to do and make him want to tell his feelings to Sara. Sara may also have feelings for Hugh, is only a speculation of Edgars, and Lydia doesn¡¯t have any relationship with him to be able to say something so rash. At least if Hugh didn¡¯t believe in the game that was being played by the fairy and could build his confidence. After much thought, Lydia decided to go and visit Hugh the next day. Hugh came out in between his practices to meet Lydia, and she told him that there was a fairy that is on the flowers of the flower girl and that the fairy was the one playing with the game to make only the bad results end up as the last petal. Being told about fairies again, he was her a suspicious look, but remembering that she was in the company of the Duchess, he must of thought he couldn¡¯t say anything rude to her and made the effort to listen to her story. If she were to seriously try to give advice about fairies, people would think of her as a freak. But Lydia was used to that. P. 108 Whatever they thought of her, if it was necessary she would still tell them. ¡°So my lady, what do you propose I do?¡± ¡°I believe that you¡¯re being too quick to decide that your love will never prosper. If you wouldn¡¯t rely on the flower game¡­, no, if you are so worried about the flower game, then please try doing it with a different flower. If it¡¯s a flower without the fairy with it, then there shouldn¡¯t be bad results that come with it.¡± ¡°A different flower? So you¡¯re saying to not use a flower that was bought from that flower girl?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I have one right here.¡± Lydia took out a Margaret that she bought earlier from a different flower girl. There was no mistake that the pixie was no where in sight. He took the flower silently, and plucked out one petal, and started to chant love me, love me not. When he said ¡®loves me¡¯ along with the last petal, Lydiatook a deep sigh of relief. ¡°See, you shouldn¡¯t be determined by the pranks of a fairy.¡± But he didn¡¯t change his glum expression. ¡°Do you know, my lady, that apparently most Margaret flowers have an odd number of petals. If you start with ¡®loves me¡¯ then most of the time it ends with same ¡®loves me.¡¯¡± Eh?! Lydia was shocked and rushed to count with her fingers. Sure enough, if the numbers of petals were an odd number then it would be ¡®loves me not¡¯ when you start with ¡®loves me.¡¯ P. 109 If you were to test your fortune to see if they loved you or not, then most everyone were sure to start with ¡®loves me.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s why I always start with ¡®loves me not¡¯¡­ It isn¡¯t the fairy¡¯s fault that it comes out not in my favor. It could be that I just haven¡¯t come across an odd numbered Margaret, and I¡¯ve been selfishly thinking that it may somehow bring me luck just like a four-leafed clover.¡± Lydia realized that Hugh was rather relieved that the game¡¯s results always came out bad. Being in the daily life of battling for a part as a singer would give no one time for love. On top of that it was unimaginable for him, as a man who was feared at first glance by women, to be the one to tell his feelings first. The flower game¡¯s bad results distanced him from the agony of worrying about how he would tell his feelings or if he would be refused. She wondered if the fairy¡¯s pranks harden his negative feelings even more. Even though he probably could have already used an even numbered Margaret. ¡°But even when you finally found an even numbered Margaret but she¡¯s already gone, then wouldn¡¯t be lucky at all¡­¡± ¡°Gone?¡± ¡°Ah, nothing¡­. I meant in case.¡± Once Lydia became silent because there was nothing else she could say, Hugh excused himself since he was in the middle of practice. P. 110 ¡°Miss Carlton, is there anything wrong?¡± When she was standing by herself, the Duchess called out to her from the window of her carriage. ¡°I happened to spot Hugh and you from the main street.¡± With invitation, Lydia climbed onto the carriage of the Duchess, and told her about the fairy being in love with Hugh¡¯s love and interfering with them. And yet he still thinks that he would never catch his love. He¡¯s become negative so much that he¡¯s purposefully making bad results because of there being odd numbers in the flowers of a Margaret. She breathed a heavy sigh as she spew it all out. The Duchess smiled kindly to her. ¡°One¡¯s opportunity isn¡¯t from a game or fairy or the words of others. In the end people can only act upon what they decide on.¡± ¡°Then, do you believe that he¡¯ll end up giving up till it¡¯s too late.¡± The Duchess looked out to the far skies. ¡°Do you remember about how I told you I chose my marriage on a flower game? The result that came out because of the fairy¡¯s prank always came out as the other man, the soldier.¡± ¡°Eh¡­, is, is that true? Then why did you end up marrying the Duke?¡± P. 111 ¡°I came to figure it out as I was playing the game. That I was hoping for the result to be my husband.¡± One¡¯s true feelings couldn¡¯t be changed from your fortune told or by a fairy. Then what is there that I can do. Does this mean I can¡¯t do anything more. There¡¯s no doubt that a fairy¡¯s the one that butting in. ¡°I heard you say that the duty of a Fairy Doctor is to help those in trouble with fairies. Then Miss Carlton, there¡¯s nothing for you to feel bad about, even if you couldn¡¯t solve a couple¡¯s quarrel. You just need to watch over them.¡± ¡°Watch over¡­?¡± The old noblewoman chuckled softly. ¡°Hugh has another part to perform the day after tomorrow. Would you care to accompany me?¡± Lydia didn¡¯t have the experience to refuse an offer of invitation from a Duchess. Besides that day was surely when Edgar was going to take Sara to the Opera house. At the very least I could keep my eye out on Edgar and the fairy, those who dare to interfere with a couple¡¯ love. So that the fairy doesn¡¯t interfere with Hugh¡¯s performance and so Sara doesn¡¯t fall victim to Edgar. ¡°Thank you, I would be delighted,¡± replied Lydia, brimmed with determination. P. 112 On the day of the performance, Lydia asked the Duchess to hand a hawthorn seed as a charm to ward off fairies to Hugh. Apparently the Duchess told him that it was a lucky charm for him on stage and to make sure to keep it with him until the stage was over, so the fairy shouldn¡¯t be able to harm him. Not having to worry about that, Lydiaturned her eyes to the box seats that were on each side of the theater. She didn¡¯t see Edgar yet but the seats were nearly full. ¡°If it¡¯s about the Count, then you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Eh¡± jumped Lydia turning to face the Duchess. Lydia took it into consideration and decided it was best to hide the discrediting rakish character of Edgar and so she hadn¡¯t revealed about how he had invited Hugh¡¯s secret love. Yet it was as if the Duchess was aware of everything. ¡°I was asked by him to invite you to today¡¯s opera.¡± ¡°By Edgar? But, but, he¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°He¡¯s bringing the girl who Hugh is in love with? If you think of the Count as a frivolous woman chaser, then he said he wants you to have a better opinion of him.¡± P. 113 But it¡¯s an unchangeable fact that he¡¯s a frivolous rake. ¡°He¡¯s says he wants me to look up to him, but how could one give him good marks when he¡¯s flirting with the woman Mr. Hogart cares for? Whenever Edgar sees an attractive woman he needs to dress her up and escort her around,¡± said Lydia sourly. ¡°Was bringing you along also his amusement?¡± chucked the Duchess. ¡°I, I may not be cute, but it must be because I just happen to be conveniently in his reach.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. If you weren¡¯t around I think he would flirt with her whether she was Hugh¡¯s love or not.¡± In the box seat that she turned her eyes to, there was a familiar blond hair young man who appeared. Edgar was wearing a gray evening coat flawlessly and was easy to spot even in a place like this that was filled with people. Naturally one¡¯s eye went to the woman by his side. Sara was wearing a red dress; it didn¡¯t hide her vivacious nature, yet showed off her grace and charm. One could expect as much from Edgar who was always confident that he could make his escort become the greatest lady; no one in this crowd could imagine that Sara was a flower girl from the lower district. P. 114 Watching them from afar, she could tell that people¡¯s eyes were focusing on Sara. Lydia was amazed at herself for being able to stand to be by Edgar¡¯s side up until now. But at the same time, she did feel envious of Sara. It wasn¡¯t anything like jealousy though. ¡°Look, do you see how her hair is?¡± Directed by the Duchess, she focused her eyes to see that a red ribbon was decorating Sara¡¯s glossy black hair. That was the only accessory for her hair and it felt like it was a little on the plainer side, but that rather drawed more attention. It was the ribbon that she didn¡¯t want Hugh¡¯s eyes to see by hiding it from him under her hat. Edgar must have smartly convinced her and had her put the ribbon on, but Lydia thought that that wasn¡¯t enough to make her rethink that he was doing it for the sake of Sara and Hugh. Hugh might notice her red ribbon but would that make him more positive towards this love. He was so determined to keep his feelings away from her. ¡°Now Miss Carlton, let¡¯s wait and hear the song for the destined lovers.¡± Paying no heed to Lydia¡¯s worry, the opera ''La Cenerentola'' began. Forced to work as a maid by her two older sisters, Cinderella happened to meet and a prince and fell in love. P. 115 P. 116 But she wasn¡¯t aware that he was the prince and thought of him as a regular servant. Lydia recalled that when Sara and Hugh met, they also didn¡¯t know anything about each other. This story reminded her of the two¡¯s situation. Eventually, Hugh made his appearance for his part in the chorus. There were no pranks made by the fairy today, so the play went along smoothly. Hugh also looked like he was performing well and sang joyfully. Sara gazed at him intently. Hugh must have noticed as well. He kept on glancing over to the direction of where she sat in the box seat. The scene switched to the royal court. Cinderella made her appearance beautifully dressed. The two sisters couldn¡¯t have imagined that it was their younger sister. The fake prince prevented Cinderella from leaving, but then Cinderella revealed that she was in love in the servant. Then the servant that appeared in front of them was of course the real prince. She removed one of her bracelets, one of an exact pair. P. 126 Just as usual he ends up just playing around with Lydia¡¯s reaction. But. Oh, well. ¡°Oh yeah. I still had work to do,¡± remembered Lydia stopping with the ribbon in her hand. And she moved her head around in search. ¡°Pixie, you¡¯re here aren¡¯t you? I have a present for you from Sara.¡± A small red haired creature appeared on a tree near the streetlamp. Even when Lydia approached it, the fairy didn¡¯t try to escape. It tilted its head slightly sad, and after accepting Sara¡¯s red ribbon, it disappeared. ¡°Is it finished?¡± ¡°Yes, that fairy will no longer cause any more trouble with the flower games.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s hold hands.¡± ¡°Huh, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°About how you would comfort me.¡± I thought that topic was over? Paying no heed, Edgar took Lydia¡¯s hand into his and started to take a walk. Oh well, thought Lydiawho was already starting to be soft on Edgar. She had forgotten all about how he was a man who would take advantage of any opportunity if she would go easy on him. P. 127 *** The next day, when Lydia went to work at the Ashenbert house, immediately Edgar came into her office. ¡°Lydia, let¡¯s go to the boat race at Thames river,¡± he said so optimistic as usual. ¡°Edgar, how many times do I have to say that I¡¯m here to do work?¡± ¡°People need breaks every now and then you know.¡± ¡°¡­..Will you let me work for once!¡± Lydia suddenly was overwhelmed with melancholy. But that was nothing to make Edgar stop there. ¡°Then do you want to try a game with a flower?¡± ¡°Again? There are no more magical flowers.¡± ¡°Even better then, we can decide equally.¡± He pulled out a Margaret from a vase that was set in the room. "For you to go along with me for a whole day today. Or for me to listen you whatever you say. Which do you want?¡± asked Edgar, smiling devilishly and awfully confident somehow. P. 128 With a startle, Lydia remembered. Hugh had said that most of the petals of a Margaret have an odd number. Does Edgar know about that as well? ¡°All right, but I¡¯ll be the one to do it!¡± Surprisingly Edgar said ¡®Go ahead¡¯ without a struggle and handed the Margaret to her. Lydia cautiously started from ¡®Do as I say.¡¯ But the last petal was, ¡°Do as you say?¡± Eh? Why is it even-numbered? ¡°Edgar you tampered with this flower!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have pluck out one petal before you handed it to me?¡± ¡°Then do you want to try it again?¡± Lydia exited the room and chose a Margaret from a flower vase that was set on the table in the hallway. And she did the game again, but the result was still the same. In desperation, she kept on trying with one flower after another in a different room. For some reason, every single one of them had an even-number of petals. P. 129 ¡°Lydia, it¡¯s useless however many times you do it. You have to do as I say. As promised,¡± chucked Edgar standing in front of Lydia, blocking her as she was running round to different rooms. ¡°This is strange. There isn¡¯t a fairy anymore, but the number of petals are all even-numbered.¡± ¡°Are you referring to how most Margarets have an odd-number of petals? I heard that Hugh told you that. The Duchess told me. I was aware that there was such a rumor, but you shouldn¡¯t swallow everything. When all were counted, there was the same number of evens and odds.¡± Counted? ¡°Good god, then all the Margarets in the house¡­¡± ¡°All of them are even-numbered, so it¡¯ll be the same however many times you do the game.¡± Most likely all the servants in the house were made to count them since morning. I can¡¯t imagine what he¡¯s thinking. ¡°Margarets are a fair flower. That¡¯s why the game¡¯s also fair. So then Lydia, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the most unfair!¡±shouted Lydia. But it was no doubt that another day of Lydia was going to be spent away by Edgar. END Volume 8 - CH 4 p. 132 *** ¡°Lydia, what are you reading?¡± To the unexpected voice, Lydia slammed her book shut. She hadn¡¯t realized that someone had entered the room; the man who was standing by her side was the lord of this estate, Edgar Ashenbert. P. 135 Lydia, who was a Fairy Doctor, was a girl hired by this man who had just recently attained the title of the Earl of Ibrazel (the fairy world.) It had only been a few months since she had come out of the countryside in Scotland, and was now hired to help Edgar, who was completely clueless when it came to fairies, by racking her brain on how the fairies who lived on his lands could coexist with humans in peace. But putting that aside, Lydia constantly kept her guard up around Edgar who was standing smiling pleasantly at her and then hid the book from his sight by hiding it behind her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she said. But the book was immediately taken away from her with one swift movement of his hand. ¡°A romance novel? Oh, so you read these kinds of books.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t mine. Someone dropped it here. I think one of the maids might have forgotten it.¡± It was thought, nowadays, that it was improper for unmarried young women to be interested in the opposite sex. Lydia was aware that adults who had good common sense would frown at such things like this currently popular romance novel. But she also knew that it was very popular amongst young women. Although she heard about it, because she spent more time with fairies than with people, she never had an opportunity to read the book. That¡¯s why she felt that it was even more improper to read it openly in front of others. ¡°Is it interesting?¡± P. 136 ¡°Huh? I-I don¡¯t know. I flipped it open just now. Oh, someone might be looking for it, so I should hand it to Mr. Tomkins." Lydia got it back from Edgar and tried to leave the room. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious? About if the two of them in were successful in their runaway?¡± She stopped in her tracks. Of course I¡¯m curious. I just got to the scene when they strengthened their resolve and promised to elope. She was so engrossed in the story that she didn¡¯t even notice that Edgar had entered the room. But why did he know the plot of this book? ¡°Isn¡¯t eloping dramatic? Even if they¡¯re opposed by everyone around them, don¡¯t you think it means that they lived up to their love? It proves how strong their bond was to each other.¡± He wore a finely tailored flock coat with a silk necktie pinned down with a sparkling yellow crystal. That man narrowed his ash mauve eyes and peered over to Lydia with them. A strand of his shining blond hair dangled down onto his forehead. If an aristocratic with a handsome face like that smiled in front of a woman, even Lydia couldn¡¯t help but for her heartbeat to beat rapidly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you dream of something like this?¡± P. 137 ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really is a lot of work to make an elopement successful. There will be an even more difficult trial awaiting the two of them. If they were to fail¡­.¡± ¡°Huh, what happens?¡± ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d definitely succeed. Would you like to take a try?¡± Edgar had his hands on her shoulders before she had realized it but Lydia snapped back to her senses. ¡°¡­.You sure know a lot with what goes on in the book, don¡¯t you? So the one who must have left it here¡­¡± ¡°If only you would become a little bit more curious about love; I thought you might understand how wounded my feelings would were.¡± She gapped at him with her mouth wide open. ¡°But do try to read the rest of it. Once you know how such a passionate love ends, then you might want to try and elope with me.¡± ¡°I would never want to elope, and never with you!¡± Lydia pinched the hand that was on her shoulder with all her strength. It was normal for Edgar to always treat her like he was playing with her. He¡¯d treat Lydia like his lover and try to sway her by speaking sweet words to you, but she thought of it as something more like his habit. P. 138 It was in his nature to make advances towards women who he met, regardless of who it was. It wasn¡¯t as if he seriously thought Lydia as special. She was fully aware of that, but Lydia couldn¡¯t help but be swayed around by what he said. Like hell he would feel wounded. Besides, Edgar wasn¡¯t a man who was as serious and loyal like the hero in the story. Lydia yelled out at him to stop joking around with her and pushed him away. But I¡¯m still a little curious the ending was¡­. Anyways, today is Sunday. I don¡¯t need to commute to work to the earl house, which means it¡¯s my day-off, so that I don¡¯t have to see Edgar¡¯s face. And yet why do I have to remember what went on between Edgar and I even though I¡¯m here at home. Lydia stood up to try to shake away the sight his face that filled her head. She happened to see Nico come in from the window. Nico was a fairy who had the form of a cat. He jumped down onto the floor and stood up on his hind feet, putting his paw on his hip and looked up at Lydia. ¡°Hey Lydia, there¡¯s a strange trespasser in front of the window.¡± Nico, who was her friend, pointed with his fluffy gray tail instead of gesturing with his hand. P. 139 Beckoned, Lydia looked down to the ground from the window in her room, and saw that the crouching figure leaning against the wall of her house was a pale-faced man. But that wasn¡¯t what Nico meant as strange. It was the one who was by the man, that figure had long, flowing hair and wore clothing that dragged along the ground; it was a white-colored woman whose body appeared to be transparent and floating in the air. With fingers that were more colorless than white, she was stroking the crouching man¡¯s cheek lovingly. ¡°¡­A fairy?¡± Even if it was the kind of fairies who couldn¡¯t normally be seen by people, they showed up clearly with Lydia¡¯s yellowish green eyes. She leaned over the windowsill to try to get a better look, but the fairy vanished like a cloud. Lydia rushed out of her room, sprung down the stairs and out the front door, and when she got outside, she approached the man who was crouched down on the side of the street. It was a young man who was crouched down, looking sick in the face with cold sweat pouring out of him. "Excuse me, are you all right?" "Ah, I''m fine. I just felt dizzy all of a sudden," said the man under a groan with his eyes opening just slightly. He wore a dark red flock coat which seemed a bit on the gaudy side, but maybe because of his kind androgynous face, he didn''t give off any indecent impression. "This house here happens to be my family¡¯s, so you could come in to take a rest. Staying here on the stones is awfully cold, isn''t it? It won''t make you any better." P. 140 He still showed a bit of hesitation, but the man eventually nodded and used the wall to steady himself up. The man''s name was Lloyd. After drinking a sip of the mint tea she offered, that must have calmed him down and he breathed a sigh in relaxation. "Thank you, you really saved me. I''m so lucky to have been rescued by such a nice young lady." "Even if it wasn''t me, it would be normal to help others in need." "Here in London, even if someone was extremely sick on the road, people would first be suspicious of such a stranger." Being reminded that, she realized that she might have been too careless. It was Sunday but her father, who is a scholar in Gemology, was out of the house on his rounds to gather gem stones. But Mr. Lloyd still looked so tired that he couldn''t stand up, and when he smiled, he gave a completely harmless impression and didn''t look dangerous at all. "Haven''t you been feeling sick like this for a while now?" He looked at her curiously. "Yes, actually I did. How could you guess that?" The ghostly figure she got a peek at early, that was definitely the cause of his problem. For now, there was a hobgoblin in this house so no other new fairy could come in. P. 141 P. 142 Lloyd was starting to look better now, probably because he was away from the influence of that fairy. But if she were to suddenly tell him that he was possessed by a fairy, he would be sure to think she was crazy. Even now, there were fairies who lived alongside human as their neighbors, but times were coming into the middle of the 19thcentury, and there were no longer any people who believed in their existence. But Lydia was a fairy doctor. It was her job to solve problems between humans and fairies, so she could only tell him the truth. ¡°Your life source is being sucked away by a fairy.¡± It wasn¡¯t Lydia, but Nico who suddenly spoke out, as he lay on the sofa pretending to be a cat. As Nico was looked at from Lloyd like he wanted to believe it was his just imagination; Nico sat up straight on the sofa. Just like a human, Nico smartly crossed his hind legs and proudly leaned back against the backrest and after fixing his necktie with his front paws, he grinned up at Lloyd. ¡°¡­A-a cat talked¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a cat.¡± ¡°Uh, Mr. Lloyd, he¡¯s actually a fairy. And uh, so¡­¡± ¡°If you were able to figure out that I was the one talking so quickly, that¡¯s because you¡¯re possessed by the fairy and that puts you halfway into the land of the dead. It means you¡¯re also tied to the fairy realm.¡± P. 143 ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m possessed by a fairy¡­?¡± asked the confused Lloyd, but it looked like he had accepted that Nico talked. ¡°The fairy is a beautiful woman. Mr. Lloyd, does that sound familiar to you?¡± He suddenly covered his face with his hands like he just remembered something. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­, but that was a dream¡­.. I always see the same dream. There¡¯s a beautiful woman with me, and she would say she loves me....¡± ¡°That would definitely be a Leanan s¨ªdhe. They are a fairy that becomes the spiritual lover of a human being and slowly drains them of their life force.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s going to happen to me?¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t answer right away as she was hesitant if she should tell him that he wouldn¡¯t have that much time left. Leanan s¨ªdhes were said to grant the human who became their lover a godly and inspirational talent in the arts. There could have been a number of renowned artists who had Leanan s¨ªdhes as their lovers and even though they met an early death, they left behind many marvelous pieces of art. Even so, this lover was only a nuisance for men who had no interest in the arts. ¡°Human, didn¡¯t you accept the Leanan s¨ªdhe as your lover?¡± If you didn¡¯t then the fairy should have moved on and wouldn¡¯t appear before you,¡± said Nico again. ¡°Accepted¡­., but this was in a dream. If a man was approached by a beautiful woman, uh, well, it would be like being condoled when you¡¯re depressed.¡± P. 144 It seemed like he had accepted the proposal of love from theLeanan s¨ªdhe. Although one could say it was very difficult for a normal human being to be able to refuse a fairy¡¯s charm. ¡°Then all that¡¯s left for you is to just live happily ever after with the fairy. Your life will be filled with total bliss, even though it¡¯ll be a short one.¡± All the blood drained from the man¡¯s face, and he slumped down with an even more sick face than when they first saw him. However, it was Lydia¡¯s nature to not pass-by people who were in trouble with fairies. * ¡°Mr. Lloyd is an employee of the cigarette shop on Kings Way. There is no mistake that he is the man that is approaching the lady Norma of the Browser family.¡± Edgar, who arrived home, listened to Raven¡¯s report who sent Lloyd home, and made a crease in his brow. At Lydia¡¯s house, when he heard the name Lloyd and remembered the story that Browser told him the other day, he had a bad feeling. First of all, this with this man named Lloyd, and his acquaintance with the nub of the problem daughter was because he was squatting down in front of her house from not feeling well, which was exactly the same in Lydia¡¯s case. P. 150 Lydia¡¯s family, the Carltons, were not particular wealthy, but looking from society in general they would appear to live in comfortable well-to-do circumstances. For this man who was aiming to marry with a daughter from a wealthy family, there was a possibility that she would become the next target in case he failed with the Browser daughter. ¡°Thank god I stopped by Lydia¡¯s house. That feeling of wanting to see her must have been me sensing the danger she was in.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Surely.¡± Raven, who gave his responses with a blank look, knew that Edgar was listed on the blacklist at Lydia¡¯s house. It means that compared to the possibly sick Lloyd, Edgar, who came when the man of the house was absent, was actually the more dangerous visitor. Even the housekeeper had been checking in the room while he was enjoying a happy moment talking with Lydia in the drawing room to make sure nothing was amiss. ¡°Raven, did you make sure and tell Lloyd that Lydia already has a man like me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Just to be safe, Lydia needs to be told to not get involved with Lloyd.¡± ¡°I¡¯m to tell her?¡± P. 151 ¡°If I said it, then it¡¯ll only sound like I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°It sounds like jealousy.¡± Although his emotions were still underdeveloped, he was sharp sometimes. ¡°¡­.Raven, it looks like you still can¡¯t tell the difference between jealousy and the deep love I have for thinking what¡¯s best for her.¡± He, who humbled himself earnestly, wasn¡¯t able to distinguish that which was his master¡¯s sophistry. * The next day, Lydia came to work to the Earl house, and hearing that Edgar was no present, thought she would be able to spend the morning calmly. When Edgar is around, she couldn¡¯t make good progress in her work, and when he periodically had his schedule open, that was a disaster. All day, Lydia would become his playmate. Of course Lydia wasn¡¯t aware that it wasn¡¯t that Edgar happened to have nothing in his schedule but he was opening his schedule to spend time with her. Anyway, if he¡¯s not here that was convenient. Lydia looked over to Raven who was bringing her tea. P. 152 ¡°Excuse me, Raven but didn¡¯t you drive Mr. Lloyd home yesterday? Could you tell me where his house is?¡± She was worried about Lloyd who was still possessed by the Leanan s¨ªdhe. From her observation yesterday, she was sure Raven had said something to Lloyd by Edgar¡¯s order, and although Lloyd didn¡¯t come to see Lydia, at this rate, he won¡¯t be safe. ¡°I cannot tell you,¡± responded Raven in a rigid tone. So Edgar ordered him this too. ¡°Why is that? He is someone I am helping.¡± ¡°I think its best to not get involved with him. He made rumors with women that are not pleasant to the ears.¡± He did have the looks and aura that could make women warm up to him; but. ¡°Does your master have the right to judge the rumors of other women? And besides its not like I¡¯m curious about him in that way, I¡¯m just worried about him as a Fairy Doctor. He¡¯s possessed by a fairy sprite!¡± ¡°Lord Edgar only wishes that Miss Carlton doesn¡¯t get hurt out of his deep love for you.¡± His reply was so dignified which could mean that Edgar had taught him to lie in order to camouflage. And because she could guess that, Lydia became furious. P. 153 ¡°Where in that man is any deep love? And besides, the fact that he didn¡¯t take you with him when it¡¯s morning proves that he¡¯s off playing with a woman!¡± It must have been the truth, as Raven was silent for a few seconds, and quickly said ¡°He was busy,¡± and played ignorant. Busy? But being Edgar¡¯s valet was his job. ¡°Why does he not like that I¡¯m around other men so much? I am not his possession!¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me.¡± The young man whisked out of the room, he must be taking precaution so that he wouldn¡¯t widen the tear in his story any further. So he was with a woman. Lydia became even more enraged. Lloyd is a poor man that¡¯s been enchanted by a fairy. I can¡¯t let Edgar get in my way! Lydia¡¯s zeal must have worked, because Lloyd unexpectedly came to pay a visit to Lydia¡¯s house. P. 154 ¡°Ah Miss Carlton, it was just as you said. A fairy appeared!¡±he cried out, as soon as he saw her. He looked to be in frantic distress, and seemed like he rushed here as soon as he was done working. ¡°Uh, please calm down. Let¡¯s talk inside, please come in,¡±said Lydia trying to calm him down and invited him into the drawing room. He had more strength in the way of his walk but still had a white tired expression on his face. ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m sorry about the last time. Did the servant of the Earl Ashenbert say something threatening to you?¡± But he didn¡¯t seem to be scared at all, and as if he had forgotten about such a thing as he tilted his head. ¡°Oh yes, right, right. I was told that if I played any tricks on you, I would be made into a stuffed animal and put on display at the British Museum. He has quite a good sense of humor.¡± Humor? She was sure that half of it was serious. ¡°The Earl must have special feelings for you. But there should be no need for him to be jealous of me just because you treat him coldly.¡± His tone didn¡¯t sound sarcastic, so he was either bold, or insensitive. If Edgar were to hear this, Lloyd wouldn¡¯t be pardoned with by being made into a stuffed animal. But whatever anybody said, Lydia was the only one Lloyd could rely on after he became aware that he was possessed by a fairy. P. 155 He must have had no time to spare worrying about the threats from the Earl. ¡°More importantly Miss Carlton, the fairy! I was trying not to sleep yesterday but she appeared again. Even if I hid in the closet, she¡¯d pass right through the door. What should I do?!¡± Not giving time even to sit down in a chair, as soon as he entered the room Lloyd went back to the topic. Lydia decided that they wouldn¡¯t have time for gossip so she also replied. ¡°I thought about it but what would be best to ward off the Leanan s¨ªdhe would to get married. I recall that you said you were a bachelor.¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­marriage?¡± There was confusion swirling in Lloyd¡¯s pleading eyes. Even though there was no other option, Lydia gave a deep sigh thinking it over. Getting married wasn¡¯t something that could be done at first thought. ¡°So there isn¡¯t any other way?¡± ¡°There are cases when the Leanan s¨ªdhe would shift their attention to another man, but I¡¯m sure we can¡¯t wait for that to happen? What¡¯s definitely sure is that they only attached to bachelors.¡± Slumping down, he pondered over that in his head. P. 156 ¡°I¡¯m sure the biggest problem would be a marriage candidate.¡± ¡°Actually there is a woman I¡¯m in love with. But her family won¡¯t approve of our marriage¡­¡± * Mr. Browser watched satisfyingly as his daughter Norma was invited by the Earl Ashenbert and was leaving to go out happily. For his introverted daughter whose only hobby was horse riding, it seems she finally understood that a man from the aristocracy would willingly go along with her hobby. With Lloyd, he was sure he never even rode a horse. P. 161 In his eyes, it looked like Norma was surrendering to the Earl¡¯s charm. Of course she would. The Earl was much more suited for his daughter than that a greedy man like Lloyd. ¡°I wonder what the Earl thinks of Norma. Have you heard of anything?¡± Browser asked Norma¡¯s governess who just appeared before him. ¡°He spoke of her as an honest and pure young lady.¡± ¡°Does that mean we have a chance?¡± ¡°She is a lady that I educated. There is no gentleman that wouldn¡¯t be pleased with her,¡± she replied proudly. Of course that¡¯s true, thought Browser. ¡°But the Earl has so many female acquaintances.¡± ¡°All of them are just playmates. It doesn¡¯t look like there is one to make him consider marriage.¡± Once she cuts off her train of speech, the governess meaningfully lowered her voice. ¡°Although, there is one, I hear that he is courting a young woman the same age as my lady.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a rumor, but it¡¯s the daughter of a professor that the Earl deeply admires, and she was even written in the gossip papers as his true love. But she isn¡¯t from the high society, so I don¡¯t think he¡¯s serious.¡± The governess said so, but the part about her being the same age as Norma, was a worry for Browser. P. 162 The Earl Ashenbert had only recently arrived aback in England, and as he lived overseas for a long period, he didn¡¯t seem to priority the family background to his marriage partner. And, if it was a daughter from a family who had ties with the Earl, then it isn¡¯t a terrible difference in their social class to make it hard for marriage. ¡°What is that woman¡¯s name?¡± ¡°I think it was Miss Carlton.¡± Browser snapped up and darted his eyes to the table beside him. All the letters addressed to Normal were first sent to him, her father. Of course that was because he planned to slip out the letters that were from Lloyd. There was an unfamiliar addressee¡¯s name on one of the letters in the pile, but since it looked like the name of a woman, he thought it may be a new friend of Norma¡¯s. Once again he picked up that letter. The addressee¡¯s name was Lydia Carlton. He didn¡¯t hesitate to cut open the seal. In it, there was a letter from Lloyd asking Normal to meet him. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Did Lloyd have some kind of ulterior motive by approaching this girl who was acquainted with the Earl? It would have been great if Lloyd would just give up on Norma and go off with this girl on a runaway wedding or something, he thought, and was about to rip the letter, when he stopped to think it over. P. 163 Maybe this could be useful. I¡¯ll go to the meeting place of the letter and see Lloyd, thought Browser. * It wasn¡¯t long for Lloyd to come to Lydia¡¯s residence, who completely believed that his letter arrived safely to the hands of Miss Norma, to report that she agreed to his plan to elope. Even through all of this, Lloyd was still getting drained of his life force by the fairy; the quicker the marriage the better. Hearing that their departure was tomorrow night, Lydia breathed a deep sigh of relief for now. All that was left was to watch over and hope that the elopement of the two were successful. Of course she did want to answer to Lloyd¡¯s hope as he thought that Lydia¡¯s assistance was absolutely necessary. That day, Lydiamade up her mind and sneaked into Edgar¡¯s study. She wanted to look for the romance novel from earlier to get information that might help Lloyd¡¯s elopement. As she searched the shelves of the bookcase, she quickly spotted the familiar blue book cover. She was relieved as she gripped the cover to pull it out from the shelf, but as soon as she yanked it out all the books that were on the same shelf came falling out like an avalanche. P. 164 ¡°Ahhh!¡± Lydia jumped back in surprise and at the spot where her feet were, a small pile of books came crashing down. Lydia stood in shock and disbelief but then came the number one voice that she didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°Welcome to my study.¡± It was Edgar, who was supposed to be gone and not in the house. Lydia panicked at being discovered of her entry into his study without permission. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m so sorry, I¡­., I had just barely touched it. Umm, I couldn¡¯t help it, the door was open a crack...¡± ¡°If it was you, then you¡¯re always welcome to come into my study, or my bedchamber.¡± As he had approached her, he must have noticed the book that was in Lydia¡¯s hands. He smiled with a grin like he found something signifying. ¡°That was booby-trapped so when you pull that book out, the rest of them come falling out all at once.¡± Huh? ¡°¡­For what purpose?¡± ¡°In the case you become interested in eloping, I thought that you would naturally be curious as to what happens in the rest of the story.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you thinking?!¡± ¡°So, if I heard a loud commotion, I could arrive at the scene of the crime immediately and catch you.¡± P. 165 Catch me?! Lydia felt like he compared her to some wild bird caught in a trap. He walked right up to her and she tried to back away but he only cornered her into the bookcase. ¡°Who are you casting for your eloping partner?¡± He spoke in a deep, melting voice to her, as he played with Lydia¡¯s reddish-brown hair, twirling around with his finger. ¡°You have to say me, or I won¡¯t let you borrow that book.¡± ¡°I have no interest in eloping. A friend, yes, my friend is thinking about eloping, so I thought I should know the process so that I could think of anyway I could do to help.¡± Edgar¡¯s expression suddenly became very forbidding. ¡°You didn¡¯t happen to meet Lloyd again did you?¡± Why did he know?! ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to you. I decided I¡¯m going to celebrate his marriage. That¡¯s right, Mr. Lloyd loves a woman who he is seriously considering to marry. You surely did talk bad of him, but he isn¡¯t that bad of a person.¡± ¡°Lydia, if a man said he had a lover then most women would let their guard down. You can¡¯t fall into a trap set by a man who says that he isn¡¯t doing well in his relationship and tries to be alone with you seeking for your advice.¡± ¡°Tha-that¡¯s something only someone like you would think up!¡± P. 166 ¡°I¡¯m worried. You¡¯re so soft-hearted and so kind to others, I¡¯m worried you might be deceived by a bad man.¡± There is no more of a bad man than you. ¡°You look at yourself. Why don¡¯t you stop tricking young women?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tricking anybody.¡± ¡°Fine, then the marriage arrangement between the daughter you¡¯ve been seeing for a while must be going well, congratulations.¡± Saying her fill, Lydia slipped past him. But he rushed to grab Lydia¡¯s arm with a worried expression. ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t know who you heard it from, but there¡¯s no such marriage arrangement.¡± ¡°The maids here were rumoring about it. An impressive gentleman came here directly with a gracious dowry, asking you to take his daughter¡¯s hand in marriage, didn¡¯t he? And so that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been seeing that daughter every day now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong, I was just asked to cheer up a daughter of an acquaintance of mine. I already told them that I have someone I have serious feelings for...¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know you had someone like that.¡± ¡°Lydia.¡± He looked unusually troubled which made Lydia feel victorious. ¡°But telling a lady that you have a lover, is just a step in trying to win her down, right? Then, good luck.¡± P.167 For Lydia who was always being talked down, she thought she was successfully able to counter-argue with him. Shutting the door forcefully, she exited the study refreshed but once she returned to her office, she suddenly felt her anger rising. He really is such a womanizer. But I wonder if it¡¯s a real marriage arrangement. It wouldn¡¯t be any surprise for Edgar, who was now an Earl, to have however many marriage arrangements lined up before him. No matter what kind of sweet talk he threw at her, Lydia didn¡¯t think that she had a special attraction that could win against an aristocrat¡¯s daughter. And thinking those things in her head, the more and more she thought about it, she wasn¡¯t feeling any bit refreshed but for some reason started to become depressed. More importantly, she needed to learn a bit more about eloping. Lydiasoftly opened the book. On a shining moon night, the two of them slipped out of their homes and meet up with each other. From there, their long escape journey began. The carriage pulled by four horses galloped across the town streets. How many more miles is there till we reach Scotland? The pursuing party that followed them to break them apart slowly crept up behind them in their carriage. By engrossing herself in the story, Lydia tried to take her mind away from her depressed feelings. P. 168 * It¡¯s unbelievable how soft-hearted Lydia is to want to help out on an elopement, mumbled Nico, as he slipped through the fence. Getting down on all fours pretending to be a feline, he passed by the lane swiftly walking over to the brick colored building. He made sure no one saw him as he climbed up on to a windowsill of the mansion where Lloyd¡¯s lover apparently lives. ¡°Nevertheless, making the departure tonight is just too sudden.¡± He wanted to wait until the moon came out to departure and promised to meet up with her in a place in the outskirts of Londonto escape being noticed. At that time, Lloyd also asked for Lydia to accompany him to there. When it came to the Lady Norma, he was apparently being watched, and so if he got on a hack to get out of London by himself, there was the possibility that their elopement plan would be figured out immediately. If Lydia accompanied him, no one would imagine that he would try to elope with Lady Norma with another woman with him. And how Nico came in all of this, was that he was supposed to make sure that the daughter of this house was safely able to sneak out of the house without being seen by anyone. P. 169 Lydia asked him to help her if something happened as if so easily, but Nico thought to himself how would I help in what way. All he could do was wish that the daughter didn¡¯t screw up anything. ¡°Oh bother, I don¡¯t want to do this.¡± Peeking into the room where light was spilling out, there must have been some sort of banquet starting as there were crowds of people making conversation with each other. There were a number of young ladies, but you could immediately judge who was Lady Norma. She was a girl who gave a plain impression, and listened and responded with a shy expression. She was dressed extravagantly, but appearedlike she didn¡¯t fit in with the lavish people and place. Even the invited young men went past the main host¡¯s daughter, maybe because she didn¡¯t stand out or they had no interest in her. For a girl who was completely used to that sort of treatment, maybe Lloyd was different. Even so, she continued to just sit in the chair. If she didn¡¯t leave pretty soon she wouldn¡¯t make it in time, but she still didn¡¯t show a hint of a hurry. ¡°Huh?¡± Just then Nico noticed the blond young man that walked up to the girl and pressed himself up to the window. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Earl?¡± P. 170 With the soft composure and perfect smile, he lowered his face to girl and whispered something to her. There was no mistake, it was that rake. Edgar was already a popular figure in the high society of London. It seems like this house is also high class, so it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if he were invited to their ball. However, if he was interested in Lady Norma and was following her, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to slip out of the house. ¡°Oh, no, this is bad.¡± Nico circled over to the terrace, and from an open window slipped inside. When he was about to head over to the open hall they were in, he heard a voice come from a different room. ¡°My lord, so did Mr. Lloyd promise to never appear in front of the young miss ever again?¡± ¡°Who knows, he kept quiet, but must have understood.¡± The one that was called lord must be the lord of this house, Browser. The woman was not a servant, more like at a position of the daughter¡¯s governess. ¡°Although he was surprised that I showed up at the secret location where he was suppose to meet up with Norma.¡± Huh? Nico, tilted his head in confusion. Did this old man get his hands on the letter that was suppose to call our Norma and open it. ¡°I told him that Norma showed me the letter. And that she has a brilliant proposal and is deeply in love with her suitor the Earl Ashenbert and that she has long forgotten about Lloyd.¡± P. 171 P. 172 ¡°Did he believe that?¡± ¡°I let him see Norma from afar. That was just when the Earl invited Norma to horseback riding in Rotten Row. Seeing the two of them having fun, he must have realized that he has her no longer.¡± Wait a minute. Lloyd didn¡¯t make the promise with Norma to elope tonight? ¡°That is a relief to hear. Besides he was a man who approached the young miss aiming for her fortune. He wouldn¡¯t linger on one target once he¡¯s figured that he has no chance.¡± Wanting the fortune? Nico pricked his ear up to listen closer. ¡°Good god, I heard that there were con-artists for ages who tricked young rich daughters into eloping to live lavishly off their money or fortune, but I never imagined my own daughter would become a target.¡± ¡°Now that I remember, Mr. Lloyd seems to be approaching the young lady that was rumored with the Earl once.¡± ¡°That is a different matter, it was nothing to do with me who that man runs off with.¡± Said Browser irresponsibly, pulling the edges of his mouth up slightly. That, oh no, could that be Lydia? Hmmm, Nico stood up on his back legs and folded his arms to think it over. Lloyd said to Lydia that the Lady Norma had agreed to his elopement. Then why did he lie. P. 173 Even now, if he knew that she wasn¡¯t coming, then that means he was headed to the outskirts with Lydia. That means, he plans to take Lydia with him in place of Norma Before his life is sucked away by the Leanan s¨ªdhe, Lloyd needs to marry someone in order to save himself. Lydia didn¡¯t have a fortune compared to the Browser family but for Lloyd right now, his life was more important than inheriting a fortune. ¡°That¡¯s right, he did seem like the type to take the liberty and get over-familiar with women and once Norma is out of the picture and he sets his eyes on Lydia who happened to show him her kindness, then I shouldn¡¯t taking my time right now!¡± It was just when he was about to turn to dash out from the door¡¯s shadow. Someone suddenly grabbed a hold of the ruff on Nico¡¯s neck. He was dangled up off his feet. ¡°I finally found you, you little pest. How dare you flip over the pudding that took so much time to prepare!¡± The woman looked like one of the kitchen maids, and she started to walk off with the Nico dangling by his neck. ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t me!¡± He struggled to get free by moving around his legs but the maid didn¡¯t loosen her grip. ¡°I¡¯m not a cat! Hey let me go! You¡¯ve ruffling my fur!¡± Even if he yelled with all his might, to the maid¡¯s ear it only seemed to sound like a cat that was howling its head off. ¡°Good lord, I should throw you into the washing pot.¡± P. 174 ¡°No, stop it,¡± Nico searched the area to look for an escape. And then his eyes stopped on Edgar who was in the landing of the stairs. Being alone together with Norma who he must have lead away from the hall, he seemed to be in full flirting mode. He whispered something into the young girl¡¯s ears who was flushed red in her cheeks as her hands were held by his. ¡°Hey Earl! Come over here and help me!¡± Edgar just moved his eyes toward Nico and the maid¡¯s direction. But, simply ignoring the cat, he turned back to the girl. He even put his hand on her shoulders casually. ¡°Oh fine, so women are more important! ¡­.You scoundrel, flirt! You don¡¯t care what happens to Lydiaat all!¡± ¡°Excuse me, miss.¡± Just then he heard Edgar¡¯s voice stopping the maid. ¡°That cat is a pet of mine that I brought along, is there a problem?¡± Being called a pet, Nico felt humiliated and sick, but seeing the maid who immediately dropped him and left after meekly excused herself which made the chagrin lift off his chest a little. ¡°Nico, was there something that happened to Lydia?¡± But then he was only picked right back up by Edgar at the scruff of his neck. P. 175 ¡°Hey don¡¯t pick me up.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Lydia?¡± This egotistical Earl, wouldn¡¯t make a concession for Nico in times like this. Reluctantly Nico remained held at the scruff of his neck like a cat and spoke humiliatingly. ¡°Lloyd told Lydia that he made a promise to elope with the daughter of this house tonight and asked for her help. That man, he¡¯s possessed by a fae, and he¡¯ll die unless scares away the fairy by marrying someone, and so Lydia¡¯s being soft on him. Right now the two of them should be heading to the spot that he was going to meet up with the Lady Norma in the outskirts of London.¡± ¡°Elope from now? She¡¯s here right now and doesn¡¯t seem to be preparing to go, besides the ball is about to start.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why that Lloyd is hoodwinking Lydia. Because he figured he couldn¡¯t marry that girl, he must be planning to take Lydia with him and force her to consent to marrying him¡­¡± Nico was suddenly tossed away. Edgar half-forcefully asked his pardon from the dumbfounded Lady Norma and swiftly headed to the entrance hall. Nico got up and scurried after him. The hackney carriage that was carrying Lydia and Lloyd, left the London town buildings and was going along a wooded dirt road. P. 176 In between the short trees, the round white moon was slowly creeping its way up into the darkening sky. Lydia looked up at it with the strange feeling that this reminded her of the eloping scene that was in the romance novel. For Norma, this would be the romantic trip that she dreamed of. ¡°I hope that she snuck out safely.¡± Lloyd had a nervous look the whole way, and sat silent with his eyes fixed on the landscape outside the window. She was told that further along this road, there was a noticeable spot that had two high trees standing together. Apparently, that was the meeting place that had also came out in the novel. Lydia was planning to watch off the both of their departures and head back to London. ¡°Mr. Lloyd, are you feeling all right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. But, the fae, is still near me, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s come inside the hackney¡­¡±whispered Lydia.¡°If she heard about the elopement, she might try to interfere, so even if you meet with Miss Norma, you mustn¡¯t talk about it.¡± He was able to nod back to her, but then just stared towardsLydia. Just then, Lloyd¡¯s expression suddenly turned grief-stricken and mournful. ¡°Miss Lydia, there is something that I must apologize to you for.¡± P. 177 ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°To tell you the truth, Norma isn¡¯t coming.¡± Surprised, Lydia bent herself forward. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what happened?¡± ¡°She must become happy with the right man that she deserves. And because I thought so, I realized that I needed to give her up.¡± ¡°But, then you wouldn¡¯t be able to fend off the Leanan s¨ªdhe.¡± ¡°Yes, but then, I¡¯m all right with that. As long as she¡¯s happy.¡± From his expression, she could see his unwavering resolve. But, if he thought so, then why did he talk to me like he was going through with this runaway. There didn¡¯t seem to be a point of going all the way and taking Lydia out of London. Just as she was sensing something suspicious, Lloyd reached over and grabbed Lydia¡¯s arm. ¡°I have a favor to ask you. Miss Lydia, please give up your courtship with the Earl Ashenbert.¡± ¡°Eh, what, what are you¡­¡± ¡°Norma apparently has an arrangement with the Earl. And it looks like she¡¯s built feelings for the Earl, I saw the two of them looking happy, enjoying horseback riding with each other. She seemed so much happier than when she was with me.¡± P. 178 Oh my god, was the woman that Edgar had been seeing lately, Miss Browser? ¡°Sir Browser may think of me as after her fortune and wealth, but I truly had sincere feelings for Norma. I just wanted him to know only that, but then he say that I should take you, for Norma¡¯s sake, and said that I should try to separate you from the Earl.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not, there¡¯s nothing between me and Edgar¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. More or less, it seemed like the Earl was just teasing you. But, then what I plan to do, shouldn¡¯t be something that would hurt you that much. Anyway, as long as the Earl loses his interest in you, then there¡¯s a chance that the arrangement with Norma would work out well, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Lydia had not idea what Edgar was planning on doing in his approach of the Lady Norma. She had a feeling like she wanted to think he had the intention of just playing around and flirting with her, but Lydia just took in a deep breath to calm herself down. ¡°What are you planning to do with me?¡± ¡°Please come along with me for just a while longer. Just that. I have no intention of harming you in any way.¡± It looks like he planned to do a sham elopement. P. 179 If Edgar was offered an arrangement by the Browser family, then he would have found out that Lydia was purloined by Browser¡¯s servant who was monitoring Lloyd. If Edgar were to hear that Lloyd, who had approached Norma to elope with her, changed his target to Lydia, then even he would believe it. Perhaps if someone had the tile of Earl, then one could assume that his feelings would disappear for a girl who tried to elope with another man. Yes, Edgar might give up. On a girl who wouldn¡¯t listen to his warnings and warm up to a man after other¡¯s fortune and become interested in eloping. But Lloyd wasn¡¯t after money. But just because he was pure and sincere, this was becoming a misfortunate situation for Lydia. Misfortunate? It was just that Edgar might loose interest in Lydia, that¡¯s all. ¡°I¡¯ll drop you off at the next town. You can still return toLondon by train.¡± So no disgraceful rumors about an unsuccessful elopement would spread and so that this would only reach Edgar¡¯s ears as just rendezvous escape that lasted a few hours. If it turned out like that then Lloyd thought that Lydiawouldn¡¯t be that hurt. That¡¯s right, who cares if Edgar¡¯s attitude changes. It just means that he was indeed that low of a level frivolous man. P. 180 Lydia went over that in her head, and tried to focus her attention away from the prickle that she felt paining her heart. She only wanted to help Lloyd as a Fairy Doctor. She had no regret. Since she wasn¡¯t able to help him, then she wouldn¡¯t mind at least giving her hand in helping Sir Browser understand his serious, earnest feelings. It was just when she thought that. ¡°¡­..Was I wrong?¡± ¡°Huh¡­.?¡± ¡°Oh, no, Uh, Miss Lydia, please don¡¯t cry.¡± I¡¯m crying? Lydiaflustered and rushed her eyes. ¡°Oh, no, was there someone you love in London? ¡­..No, it must be the Earl, isn¡¯t it? You really care about him¡­¡± ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t! There is absolutely no way of that happening.¡± But even Lydiadidn¡¯t know the reason why her heart was so bothered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I had no intention of hurting you.¡± Alarmed and thrown off balance, Lloyd dropped his head into his hands. Then lifted it back up. P. 181 P. 186 Lydia grabbed onto Edgar who had the scruff of Llyod¡¯s shirt in his hand to stop him. ¡°No, don¡¯t hurt him, Edgar! Mister Lloyd just seriously loves Lady Norma. He thought if her feelings had switched to you then he was going to give up and do as Sir Browser said for her sake!¡± ¡°Hey, Lydia, the Leanan s¨ªdhe is..¡± The one who interrupted was Nico. He must have accompanied Edgar as he stood atop of the carriage roof and pointed to the sky. Like she was carrying the moon on her back, a female figure was floating softly in the air as her long, white hair was waving in the wind. She must have heard about eloping and marriage. The fairy that purposefully made her body appear to human eyes came floating down to land in front of Lloyd. It looked as if there was light glowing under from her pale white skin and she was wearing an extremely thin vale that looked almost transparent. She was so beautiful but also had a lush and sultry air about her. She looked at Lloyd with her eyes that were clear as a pond and he stood frozen. Even Edgar was standing in amazement as his grip on Lloyd went loose as he seemed to be awe-stricken in the sudden appearance of something that was like not of this world. The Leanan s¨ªdhe slowly lifted up her arms as if she was going to wrap them around Lloyd to embrace him. P. 187 ¡°No, Stop!¡± cried out Lydia. The s¨ªdhe was going to take control of Lloyd¡¯s will and take him away somewhere. So that he wouldn¡¯t be able to betray her. ¡°Mister Lloyd, you mustn¡¯t look at the fairy!¡± However, Lloyd couldn¡¯t fight back from the power of the fairy and weakly lifted up his hands. ¡°Please wait, don¡¯t take him!¡± Just then, there was a young woman who came running out of the tree shadows as she shouted out towards them. It seemed like she had come on horse-back by herself and must have been watching them secretly from all this time. She snatched Lloyd¡¯s hands which were about to touch the Leanan s¨ªdhe like she was stealing them back and stood in between them. As she stood trembling, she didn¡¯t let go of her grip on his hands as she looked back at the fae with strong resolve in her eyes. ¡°Th-this person is my fianc¨¦! It¡¯s useless for you to possess him!¡± Norma, whispered Lloyd in a weak cry. ¡°I was so surprised when the earl was talking with a cat. Oh, yes, I couldn¡¯t believe that a cat would talk, but it was indeed talking, but the thing I was more surprised about was what it said, that you were possessed by a fairy and nearly dying¡­ So after that, I questioned my father. He told me everything and so I came as fast as I could after the earl.¡± P. 188 ¡°But, Norma, you looked so happy when you were with the earl, and so I thought you might have forgotten about me¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to believe me? From the beginning, I had told the earl that I already had someone I loved. And so he advised that it was best that we should pretend like we are enjoying each other¡¯s company so that we could let my father¡¯s guard down. And as we did, he was kind enough to advise me on my worries.¡± That was completely a method he was using to put her guard down. Edgar, who was saying negative things about Lloyd, would have no such intention of helping him out. Lydia had that thought, but this wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking of sarcastic things about Edgar. Because, the Leanan s¨ªdhe had grabbed ahold of Lloyd¡¯s shoulder. Norma resisted by clinging onto him. Lloyd too, must have finally made up his mind and let out a strong, firm yell. ¡°¡­¡­L-let go of me! I¡¯m in love with Norma. I¡¯m going to marry her!¡± A strong tornado-like wind erupted out of no where. The fairy¡¯s long hair wrapped around Lloyd like they had a will of their own which was so strong that his hand was nearly going to be pulled away from Norma¡¯s. ¡°Leanan s¨ªdhe, listen to me!¡± cried out Lydia. P. 189 ¡°Please, please let that man go. You¡¯re a being who should find a man whose pledged his soul to the arts, aren¡¯t you?¡± As Lydia wobbled from the wind, she continued on. ¡°There is sure to be a man who desires you as his muse more than a human woman!¡± She thought she saw the s¨ªdhe had looked over to her for an instant. She felt the tension of the fairy magic loosen, which made Lydiathink that the fae had understood her and so she relaxed; but. ¡°But still, she really is a beauty.¡± She heard Edgar¡¯s whisper. ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t say anything unnecessary,¡± panicked Lydia. In an instant, the wind had fallen and that was because the Leanan s¨ªdhe turned her face to look over to Edgar. Lydia felt cold sweat rush out of her. Oh, no, she might plan on switching over. Just as she feared, the fairy gracefully turned herself around and was slowly heading over to their direction. Lydia didn¡¯t think and her body reacted by grabbing onto Edgar¡¯s arm. ¡°No! Don¡¯t come! You absolutely can¡¯t do that! This man is my¡­..¡± P. 190 Once again, the tree leaves in the area rustled and shook and the sound of heavy winds sounded like they were circling around them. Lydia stood ready in fear of another gust of wind that might hit them and gripped onto Edgar so that he wouldn¡¯t be taken. Just when she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her as if they were protecting her, everything went silent. In the dark crossroad path in the forest, the Leanan s¨ªdhe was gone and no where in sight. * * The light of the moon made the shadow of the horse stretch out long across the side of the road. Lydia had her waist cradle by one of Edgar¡¯s arm and was so unbelievably close to him. She wanted to resist but she couldn¡¯t allow herself to push him away. Because, she was on top of a galloping horse. The carriage was used to carry off Lloyd and Norma after the driver was slapped awake and now currently heading to Scotland. Lydia was left with the option of going home with Edgar and since she couldn¡¯t ride a horse by herself, it was inevitable that the situation would turn to this. A little ways behind them, Raven was riding another horse with Nico. She wondered if it was a better idea to ride with Raven, but even if she asked for something like that, her request probably wouldn¡¯t be considered. P. 191 ¡°I wonder if the two of them won''t be followed and will be able to peacefully have their wedding,¡± said Lydia, as remaining silent was too unbarably embarassing for her. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to tell Sir Browser to not to anything pointless like going after them.¡± Edgar¡¯s tone of voice had a little bit of irritation in it, which could have been because he still had a grudge about Browser telling Lloyd to take Lydia with him. Edgar should have been asked to turn Norma away from Lloyd, but since he ended up helping them elope, then that means it wasn¡¯t that much of a deal to him. More like he probably was going to demand an apology from Browser with an overbearing attitude. ¡°By the way, Lydia, what were you going to say back then?¡± Out of the blue, he leaned down to whisper suggestively into her ear, which made Lydiaflinch up at the air from his breath brushing up against her hair. ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± She tried to play dumb just for sake. ¡°When you protected me from the fairy. I¡¯m your lover?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.My employer.¡± Edgar made a frown like he was a little unsatisfied and suddenly picked up the horse¡¯s pace. Lydia wasn¡¯t used to riding on a live horse at all, so that alone surprised her and so she tightened her grip on Edgar¡¯s coat. P. 192 ¡°No, go slower! I¡¯ll fall off!¡± ¡°If you answer me honestly.¡± It probably wasn¡¯t that fast of a speed, but to Lydia, it felt like they were cutting through the wind. ¡°That was¡­, I was just saying it to ward off the Leanan s¨ªdhe!¡± ¡°I see. I guess I¡¯ll have to have you hold on more tightly.¡± ¡°You mean brute!¡± He snickered as he tightened his arm around her to hold her pressed up to him. He didn¡¯t speed down, and yet, with just that gesture she didn¡¯t feel any insecurity of falling down. ¡°While I¡¯m being mean, maybe I should slay you away like this to Scotland. What do you think about having a eloping wedding at your hometown?¡± ¡°What are you thinking!¡± She panicked because there were times when Edgar would actually go through with the jokes he said. When she imagined that, she started to feel like the road was different from the way she came. Lydia swiftly turned her head about. After she spotted the Londoncity buildings beyond in the distance as they loomed up like shadows under the moon light like they were welcoming them, she relaxed, but at the same time, had a small feeling like pity that they were nearing their arrival soon. P. 193 She thought, if it was for a little while longer, then an outing in a moon-lit night wasn¡¯t going to be that bad. P. 194 Cover of this story when published in Cobalt magazine in February 2006 issue Volume 8 - CH 5 P. 196 (1) What I wish to forget The Christmas carol that was being sung by the children could be heard throughout the park surrounded by the desolate, wintery groove of trees. The boys and girls were wearing the same new winter coats and singing enthusiastically. The audience could tell from their unsteady voices rising up to soak into the cloudy sky that they had practiced diligently for this day. Ever since this morning, ladies and gentlemen had gathered under the fir tree that stood out in the open space to listen to the singing children. "Lord Ashenbert." Edgar¡¯s name was called and so he turned around. His eyes found a lady wearing a fox-fur scarf and a pearl brooch walking towards him and so he greeted her with a warm smile. The lady looked up to glance at Edgar¡¯s golden hair and blushed at the cheeks. She lowered her eyes down in embarrassment however keeping a smile on her lips and in a cute manner, folded her hands together. P. 197 "My lord, thank you for participating in this donation. Thanks to you, the children from the orphanage will be able to spend a warm Christmas." The ones who were singing the song with all their heart were children without parents. And the ladies and gentlemen who had gathered here today were people who came to make a donation for Christmas. Yes, today was Christmas. Perhaps due to the sense of guilt they felt from their daily lives, there were a multitude of private charities and philanthropies happening, and the people in the upper class who lived their lives normally in great extravagance tried to satisfy their guilty conscience by giving away a small amount of money. Of course that was not a bad thing. It enables everyone to spend their Christmas in peace and comfort. "I¡¯m glad I could be of some use, Lady Emily. In fact, I was more touched in your devotion to this charity." "Oh no, this is nothing¡­., what I can do for the children is limited. All I really have done was occasionally pay a visit and read books to the children. But even if that¡¯s all I can do I still feel that there must be something more I can do for them." "You are a saint." When he narrowed his ash-mauve eyes and appeared like he was touched from the bottom of his heart, Ms. Emily¡¯s rosy cheeks turned even redder. Edgar was well aware how he appeared in front of others. He was blessed in looks and knew the right timing to show his noble upbringing and education in his art of conversation. P. 198 He felt there didn''t exist a woman who wouldn''t find him pleasant on their first encounter, and it wasn¡¯t that difficult for him to stage himself so that would happen. It hadn¡¯t been that long since he came to know this heiress, but it seemed like she was infatuated with him. And that didn¡¯t make him feel unpleasant, so he was able to put on a show as it was needed. "Um¡­.., would you care to stop by the tea party that will be held after this? There is a small show planned." "Yes of course." To his answer, she made an innocent smile filled with joy. He liked young woman who had their guard down. From here it would go according to his wish which gave him a good feeling. When a young lady brought up in a good family was educated to not give a second glance to a man from a different class would change her attitude upon hearing that he was a noble, he found it funny but adorable. She had no idea what Edgar had done in America. "Oh Lord Ashenbert, I had no idea that you were interested in saving the children less fortunate." To the interrupting voice, Ms. Emily made a face like she woke up from a dream. The one who appeared was a lustrous noblewoman who carried a rose aroma about her. She was the flower of society, who captured everyone¡¯s eyes with her shining beauty that stood out even in the cold atmosphere of the trees. P. 199 To the appearance of such a woman, the younger lady drooped her head as if she yielded to the more powerful, and lightly bowed and left. "I happen to like children." "Oh, even boys?" "Marchioness Lady Blanwick, please don¡¯t twist around my pure words. Today is Christmas." "If you truly love children, then you should hurry and marry." "Yes, as soon as my bride is chosen." "Then I must have interrupted you. That young lady just now, was she your target?" "Who knows?" When Edgar feigned ignorance, she brought her slender fingers hidden under white gloves and brought them up to her red lips that made a smirk. She was a noblewoman who couldn¡¯t help but attract the attention of men around her by just one of her natural movements. So for a woman like her to begin a conversation with a young earl who had dazzling good looks and was the center of scandals regarding his female acquaintances, it was no surprise that they became the center of attention of the people around them. However those gazes were shifted to the children to applaud them for finishing their carol song. The two of them started to walk off to get away from the crowd of people. "That was Ms. Emily from the Postner family. She is diligent in her charity activities, a young lady who wants to do what is right to the point of moral cleanliness. I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t allow any ugly vices like adultery." P. 200 "I¡¯m a man who prefers to have her jealous. Having a wife that is too tolerant is not my taste." "I wonder if it ends with just jealousy." "That is the problem." Ms. Emily kept on peeking over to them as if worried. Pretending not to notice, Edgar made an elegant smile toward the marchioness. "Shall I verify that for you? You can find out if her love for you will vanish instantly or if she is so infatuated about you that she becomes jealous." They stopped their tracks by a bush and she turned around to face Edgar. She drew her face close to Edgar like lovers would and whispered into his ear. "Or if she isn¡¯t the woman you are after then wouldn¡¯t it be the nice thing to do by telling her that she has no hope?" "Is that for my sake? Isn¡¯t it because you wish to drive away your young lover that you grew tired of?" Besides Emily, Edgar had been feeling a different pairs of eyes watching him. The young man who had been recently rumored with Marchioness Blanwick was following their every move from the corner of the park. He was the only one who had a look of despair on his face while there was laughter and excited voices coming from the center of the park where warm milk-tea and Christmas presents were being passed out to the children. P. 201 "Is that wrong of me?" He didn¡¯t hate married noblewoman who enjoying romance like a game because he would be able to play along with that game as well. If the two of them pretended to be romantically close and showed off a kiss or two then that poor young man would realize that the Marchioness¡¯ favor had completely faded from him. As a game it would surely be delightfully enjoyable. And it was clear as day that she wanted someone to play around with, so if he were to give in to her invitation he wouldn¡¯t be bored at all tonight. A one-night-love with a beautiful woman without any after-trouble. It wasn¡¯t bad. However if Edgar were to continue doing such things he came to the idea that Lydia wouldn¡¯t return to him. Edgar¡¯s fianc¨¦e or the woman Edgar wanted to marry wouldn¡¯t believe him even when he promised that he wouldn¡¯t cheat and so she asked for her Christmas vacation and returned to her home countryside. He wondered what she was doing in Scotland right now. He was trying not to think about her but he couldn¡¯t help it. "I appreciate your offer, my lady, but I believe I couldn¡¯t live up to your expectations." "Oh how unfortunate." P. 202 She replied in a tone that didn¡¯t sound like she was disappointed at all. "Then I shall ask for your help on another occasion, Lord Ashenbert." She seemed so indifferent. That¡¯s why Edgar wanted to argue that having a relationship with women like her shouldn¡¯t even be considered cheating but Lydia would not be convinced with that. In a small town south of Edinburgh, there were enormous rocks that stood on the ground behind the rows of clergy houses next to the church from the past. Lydia had spent much of her childhood there and played around in those grassy fields. She heard that those lonely rocks which stood in the grassy plains were remains from the prehistoric times and the rocks weren¡¯t only placed on the grass plain but existed at the outskirts of town or hilltops but since the grassy plain rocks were the closest to her house it was the perfect playing ground for Lydia when she was a child. There were always small fairies mingling around the rocks. There was a mysterious energy that lingered around that area which connected the fairy world and the human realm together and it appeared like the rocks were mitigating the natural warp or distorted power that remained in that location. Long ago, there was someone who recognized that distortion and if that was the reason they placed these powerful stones here, Lydia was put at ease at the thought that someone like her wasn¡¯t peculiar at all. P. 203 Thanks to that, she could believe she was someone who was absolutely needed to the human world even though she was able to see fairies that were considered fantasy in human society and possessed the ability as a fairy doctor to communicate with them. But before she found out that the number of people who could see fairies was extremely low, Lydia had been playing around with fairies thinking all children were did so. Apparently when she would go out to play, she would step slightly into the fairy realm and would fade out of view from people¡¯s eyes and was told by her father later that he went around desperately searching for her. If it was her mother Lydia was found immediately and she wondered why that was as a young child but she realized that the world she and her fairy doctor mother could not be seen by her father and the townspeople a few years after her mother passed away and became mature. Remembering that, Lydia came to the same place today. It was Christmas morning, and she came by the grassy plain since she had just gone to nearby church with her father and listened to the sermon. It must be the time when the small fairies were sleeping, or perhaps they were hiding because it was Christmas as she couldn¡¯t find any small fairies about. Lydia walked in a circle to the back of the rocks and rested herself against the stone wall. This place was indeed peaceful and relaxing. When she came here she would feel like this world was accepting of her. This enormous planet was so motherly and magnificent that it felt it was engulfing her along with the human world and the fairy realm and made her worries seem so small and insignificant. My worries¡­ P. 204 The root of Lydia¡¯s worry was the engagement moonstone ring that was on her ring finger and her eyes would always be led to it. She was still engaged to Edgar due to his whim and now she could not take it off. The ring shouldn¡¯t appear to the human eye due to fairy magic but now she wished that they used their magic on her so she couldn¡¯t see it. Since I¡¯m not Edgar¡¯s lover. When she was with Edgar in London she felt accepted as a fairy doctor so much that she had forgotten about these rocks. She wanted to forget about that as well. "Hey, no one is here." Lydia heard a voice and moved her head around to face it. She hadn¡¯t noticed until now but saw that there were two people, two young men standing on the other side of the rocks. It seemed like they couldn¡¯t see Lydia who was in the shadows of the rocks from their side. Or perhaps they couldn¡¯t see her because she had stepped into the otherworld already. "That¡¯s strange. Mr. Carlton said to bring her back and we¡¯ll find her somewhere around here." Who is it? thought Lydia as she leaned her head to the side. It seemed like the two men was asked by Lydia¡¯s father and came to look for her but she never saw them before. P. 205 Lydia¡¯s father should be at the clergy house. The pastor was one of her father¡¯s friends and her father had stopped by to greet him but their conversation looked like it would take a while so Lydia decided to take a walk. "Hey, what kind of girl is this Lydia? Is she good-looking?" One of the men asked the other, so she felt hesitated to go out to meet them now. "Hmm, maybe she might not?" What? thought Lydia as she unconsciously made a frown under furrowed eyebrows. However that would make the young man who just spoke an acquaintance of Lydia. She leaned out once more and quietly took a peek at them. "But Andy, you haven¡¯t seen her for quite some years now right? If you met up with your childhood friend, normally you¡¯d wish she had become really beautiful right?" Andy? Which means, he was the third son of the pastor family. "You say childhood friend but it wasn¡¯t like we got along or were close or anything." After she made a good hard inspection at him, she realized that his face which looked back at everything like he was bored and his halting way of speaking was familiar. She remembered hearing that he entered a boarding school far away and so it had been a while since she saw him in town. He might have returned home for Christmas a number of times before but the two of them were not close that they would make the effort and see each other. "She is a strange girl so she didn¡¯t hang out with the others in town." P. 206 "What do you mean strange?" The unfamiliar other man seemed to be curious about Lydia and he looked like an energetic young man with distinct facial features. "She claims she can see fairies. Her mother came from a very rural part of the country and did things similar to a magician." Not a magician, she was a fairy doctor. "So what are you going to do if she was pretty?" "What do you mean what I would do?" "Your life in a school with only men is still going to go on. The only time you have to spend with a woman is during the holidays. The girls that we saw at the church service just a while ago who I thought looked good all said they were engaged. Anywhere you go, the pretty ones are going to be taken away quickly. But this girl you¡¯re talking about, if she is who you say she is, is probably not sold yet. Andy, if you aren¡¯t interested in her, then lend her to me. You can¡¯t take back your word after you find out that she was pretty all right?" "Guy, were you not listening to what I was saying?" "Even if she was a little slow up here, it would be fine as long as she was pretty." "But she¡¯s really plucky." "Stupid and plucky? Even better." P. 207 "It¡¯s not something nice like that. When there was a family who was going through a long time of bad luck, she said it was because they cut down the tree in front of their gate. Isn¡¯t that a little creepy? The landowner didn¡¯t publically criticize or slur her because she was the daughter of the renowned Carlton family, but she was a little troublemaker going around saying stuff like that." Hearing the conversation of the two, Lydia was finally starting to feel aggravated and so she jumped out of the rock shadow. "Andy Millar! I will have you know that I have no recollection of ever causing you any trouble!" As she gave Andy a glare she also made a threatening glance to the other. "And besides, I am not a stupid and plucky girl!" P. 208 (2) What to remember "What a peaceful Christmas. Don¡¯t you think so, Raven?" On his way to the Bostner residence, Edgar asked his valet as she watched the scenery go by outside his carriage window. His valet, a young man with bronze skin, who sat next to him, replied "Yes" in his usual calm and indifferent tone of voice. The houses on the street corners were decorated with holly trees and mistletoe. The window displays of the shops and the people who were looking at them as they walked by looked happy as they smiled even more than usually. The last time Edgar experienced this kind of Christmas was before the incident 9 years ago when his parents were killed. The last Christmas he spent in England according to his memory was at the family manor house where there was a large Christmas tree decorated with sparkling Christmas ornaments. There were also countless candles placed around the whole manor which had bright ribbons and flowers decorating the candle base and a mountain of presents were stacked below the tree. They had ginger cookies and mince pie, roast turkey and Christmas pudding. From the large cut glass bowl there was the sweet smell of stewed fruits punch. P. 209 What surrounded all of that was the smiles from his family and friendly acquaintances. Even his father, who was usually stern and serious seemed like he was smiling. The band to perform the music and a stage with the puppet play and all the festive and merry things could all be prepared by the present Edgar now. However the people from his memories no longer existed. The only person who remembered that sight was Edgar. "Last year¡¯s Christmas was horrible, wasn¡¯t it?" "¡­..Yes." Edgar was captured in a prison cell and waiting for his execution and Raven was trying all he could to rescue Edgar. Out of all his comrade friends, the only ones who survived were Raven and Ermine. "When you think of it that way it¡¯s really quite unbelievable. I can¡¯t believe this is reality." He felt that way probably because Lydia wasn¡¯t by his side. Because Lydia, who had offered her hand in helping Edgar become earl, wasn¡¯t here he was felt like his position was an illusion. "The girl named Lydia, I wonder if she really exists. I worried if the time I spent with her was all my imagination." P. 210 "It is reality, Lord Edgar." Being told that flat-out by Raven he felt relieved. However Edgar was thinking about the possibility that Lydia would not return at this rate. If she were in Scotland, she wouldn¡¯t be involved in the troubles Edgar would bring with him. She wouldn¡¯t have to be put through the danger that would arise if she participated in the battle between Edgar and his nemesis. He just had to remove her from the position as the private fairy doctor of the Ashenbert family. Lydia probably wouldn¡¯t even complain and accept it even if it was an unreasonable discharge. From the beginning it was like she was forced into being hired against her will. Edgar kept thinking that he needed to make a commitment, to solidify his resolve. "Raven, don¡¯t you think that the young miss Emily of the Bostner family we are going to visit has feelings for me?" He tried to change the subject, but that didn¡¯t mean he stopped thinking about Lydia. The man named Guy Nash apparently attended the same boarding school and was the roommate of Andy. He didn¡¯t return to see his family during this Christmas holiday and Lydia wasn¡¯t in any position to know what his reasons were in visiting his friend¡¯s house, but she was told by her father on their way home that his family relationship was very complicated. Even so, what was the meaning of calling someone stupid? Lydia couldn¡¯t let go of her dragging bad temper as she held the wrapped goose meat in hand walking to the riverside a distance away from the town. As Lydia came near the water, the water surface moved and rippled and a black horse appeared from the river. "Hey, looks like it¡¯s been a bad day for you." The kelpie murmured in an irritated tone as he stuck out his head out of the water surface. "It¡¯s Christmas. To us humans, this is a wonderful day." "To me it¡¯s horrible. The sound of the bell is so annoying and if I even try to get near the town, there are those holly trees or mistletoes or disgusting charms that get in my way." P. 219 To kelpie, who was an unseelie court fairy, everything that was going on during Christmas. "But I brought a Christmas present for you." Lydia held out the wrapped goose meat. Kelpie transformed into his human form and walked up to the riverside where Lydia was standing and carelessly took it. "Hey it¡¯s dead. I¡¯d rather eat it when it was alive." "Don¡¯t complain." "Well, I¡¯ll still take it. See you." Surprisingly, he took it without a fight and returned back into the river. It looked like Kelpie really didn¡¯t like the Christmas air. Darn, I thought I could have a chat with him just for a bit. Feeling slightly disappointed, Lydia turned around to walk back on the trail by herself. Christmas is a wonderful day. But every year, since the fairies would go into hiding, Lydia would feel a little lonely. Even the seelie court fairies didn¡¯t come out of their hiding places that much. In the end, Lydia wasn¡¯t able to get refreshed by a change of pace and so returned to her family home. When she walked through the kitchen from the back door, she smelled someone baking a pie. For the Carlton family Christmas dinner, their female chef was working so busily. P. 220 There was white steam rising up out of the large pot with warm pudding in it which filled the kitchen in a white fog. Since the Carlton family house usually was empty, the housekeeper and chef who they hired to come and work for a few days were preparing the Christmas feast for their own families as well. Because of that, there was an unbelievable amount of dishes and drinks that a father and daughter could not possibly eat. It was like they were preparing for a grand party. It was a peculiar thing, but the smell of delicious food had the effect of calming one¡¯s emotions and so simply, Lydia was starting to feel better. "Lydia, is that you?" She heard her father¡¯s voice and so she headed towards the drawing room. "Yes, Father, I¡¯m back¡­.." However she stopped in her tracks without thinking at the doorway because she saw a man who was not her father, a young man in the room. It was Guy. The root of Lydia¡¯s bad feeling turned to face her and innocently said "Welcome home." "You, you! What are you doing here?" P. 221 "He was kind enough to carry in our Christmas tree." In the direction her father pointed there was a fir tree that stood so tall it was nearly touching the ceiling standing in the middle of the room. "Since there is only a young daughter in the Carlton family, I heard that you wouldn¡¯t have prepared a tree that requires quite a lot of strength to carry. That¡¯s why I brought an extra one from a clergy house." Indeed it had been a long time since her family had prepared a Christmas tree. It was impossible for Lydia alone to bring one and her father had just returned from his job in London two days ago. "If you don¡¯t hurry up Christmas is going to be over. You should help out with putting on the ornaments." I understand now what his business is here, but help out? Who does he think he is? "I wonder how many years it has been since there was a tree in our house. Lydia, don¡¯t you think this Christmas is going to be a festive one? You should thank this young man." Even if she was told so by her optimistic father, Lydia was still vexed. "Oh, thanks is not necessary." "The tree ornaments, those should be stored in the back shed. Let¡¯s go and search for them. Lydia, could you make some tea for Mr. Nash." Most likely, her father must think that there weren¡¯t any men in this town who would deliberately get close to Lydia with any ulterior motives. It was true that all her life, there wasn¡¯t anyone who approached Lydia who was rumored to be the town oddball. P. 222 That¡¯s why his attitude seemed to be saying that Lydia, who didn¡¯t have any close human friends, should get along with Guy. When her father didn¡¯t waste any time to walk out of the room, Guy smiled at Lydia who remained standing in the room frowning as if he was trying to soothe her temper. "I¡¯m sorry about what I said earlier. I didn¡¯t mean to say anything bad about you. In other words, this is my gesture of apology." "Thank you very much for the tree. But we can¡¯t have Pastor Millar and his family¡¯s important guest waste his precious time helping us out. I will do the rest, thank you, by myself." "Oh, so you are upset? But you know, the one who said all that was Andy, and it wasn¡¯t me right? I didn¡¯t know what kind of girl you were so I was just responded to make conversation." That might be true. "You know I always thought that Andy fellow didn¡¯t have a good eye in women, but now I know that he didn¡¯t have good taste ever since he was a boy. He had such a cute neighbor like you but he was so stupid in not getting along with you." This man is sure full of himself isn¡¯t he? He reminds me of someone, thought Lydia. "You¡¯re not going to follow your friend¡¯s advice? I might be a crazy girl who is out of my mind." "Then explain to me how you are out of your mind. I am interested." P. 223 "I have no responsibility to satisfy your curiosity. I am not a giraffe or elephant." "That wasn¡¯t my intension¡­., well, gosh." He looked like he was troubled. That part of him was a little bit more cuter than a certain someone who would talk someone into something and left no room for mistakes. "It¡¯s just that, well, I wanted to make sure what kind of girl you were with my own eyes." P. 230 He was the only fairy who would participate in the human''s Christmas celebration. Thanks to Nico who was like that, the Christmas which was originally going to be celebrated by father and daughter would usually become quite festive and loud but when a cat who would use a knife and fork at the dinner table would participate, it was natural that they weren''t able to invite other people. Of course, Lydia wasn''t the kind of person who want to invite other people to her Christmas which her father was normally absent, and her father wasn''t the type of person to come up with the idea of inviting since he enjoying a quiet meal. "Oh yeah, that pastor son, he sure is strange," said Nico, as he perked his ear to listen to the talking voices coming from the front door. "What do you mean strange?" "He told that younger sister of his that a fellow named Guy is most likely at the Carlton''s house trying to flirt the daughter of that family. He even advised her that she should go bring him back as soon as she could." "Nico, you were listening to their conversation?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest and waved his gray tail from side to side as if to say it was involuntary. "I had no intention of it turning out like that, but humans who can''t see us fairies don''t even pay attention to the fact that we are right there and go on starting a conversation as they like so I can''t help it." That was true. "The reason why Guy shows any interest in me is just curiosity. So Andy must have wanted Guy to not come to our house so often for his and his younger sister''s sake." P. 231 "They why would he bother and come all this way to say sorry about the trouble?" "Maybe he was just taking Father in regard." And so, from a young age he would tactfully be able to make the adults think of him as "a perfect child." "That''s what I don''t understand. In the end, he just personally feels nervous about you right. And yet, he''s more troublesome and worse than the humans who say bad things to your face because he would do those kind of things when there were teachers or adults around. And yet when it was just you kids, he would go around the adult''s back and call you an oddball and strange." Because Nico would hear those things and let her know about it, Lydia had never felt confortable about Andy since long ago. Or else, she would have thought he was just someone who didn''t like her or hate her, but was just someone indifferent about her situation or character. However, it wasn''t like she couldn''t understand why Andy would feel unconfortable about her. Because their first encounter was horrible. From a young age, he was the type of boy who feared to a point of fixation about the sin of corrupting to the temptations of the devil, more because of his own personality more than the fact that he was born as a pastor''s son. During a certain occasion, his parents had nearly found out he had done a childish prank, and he was fighting against the temptation that he didn''t want to be scolded and the feelings of guilt about telling a lie. P. 232 Andy was thinking about what he should do as he entered the grassy fields that spread out outside his family''s yard and approached the stone ruins. However Lydia was there and apparantely she had tried to place a curse on the young boy who had played a prank with a horribly terrifying face. From Lydia''s point of view, she was just playing with some fairies and Andy suddenly walked in on them. The fairies who were dancing in a circle were suddenly interrupted with a boy stomping in and ruining their circle had turned on him by started to climb and pinch all over his body and so she just tried to scare them away. Since Andy was just a child, he had felt the pain from being pinched by the fairies and on top of that he was able to see the brownish shadows that were jumping around Lydia. He believed that Lydia was a witch and become horrified and cried for the Lord''s mercy and scurried back home. Lydia had no idea until what age he continued to believe that she was a witch, but as a boy who was calm and good-mannered in front of adults, he couldn''t accept the fact that he was scared by a girl the same age as him and went running home and so he must have thought it better if she was a witch. At the same time, by thinking that Lydia was a crazy, strange child, he must have come to the conclusion that there was no magical powers to be scared of. That must have been why he went around spreading the rumor about how crazy Lydia was to his friends and didn''t want them to come in contact with Lydia. P. 233 And apparently it was Andy who was the one to make one of his friends write a love letter as a prank to Lydia. "Well, he just hates me, so there''s nothing I can do about it." Lydia stood up. The voices who were talking by the front door had stopped, and since she heard the sound of the door closing, she thought that Andy must have gone home. "Is that some sort of charm spell?" However, he was right there. From the other side of the garden plants, he was peering down at the ground that Lydia had covered back over with dirt with suspicious eyes. ".....Yes, that''s right." He was looking down at the ground with such a deep frown that one would have thought he was going to make a sign of a cross with his hands on his chest any moment. "Weren''t you talking to someone?" "Yes, with a fairy. Do you have a problem with that?" Nico was already done on all four feet and pretended to be a cat and scurried off and so Lydia came up with the best response she could. Andy glared at her with a look of scorn and pity at her. "Fairies, huh. I see you haven''t grown up at all." "I see you also haven''t changed from how you talk bad about others." P. 234 He must have become disgruntled since he went silent. "You shouldn''t believe what Guy had said. That fellow says what is convenient for him and is like that to everyone.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that to your sister and not me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Well, that¡¯s true but you look like you aren''t used to being told stuff like that.¡± What? Because I don¡¯t look like the type of girl who is used to being approached by men? Does he mean that I would jump to believe that what he said was true? Instead of losing her temper, Lydia stared at him because she was dumb-founded. Why must I be told this by him? Even though that might be true. She was twisted around Edgar¡¯s finger because she wasn''t accustomed to a man¡¯s approach. But she didn''t have to be told to not take what he said seriously. She knew that and yet she was nearly on the verge on believing him and becoming scared of that, Lydia asked for a holiday vacation and escaped to Scotland. He would take Lydia¡¯s hand like it was natural, kissed the locks of her hair and speak sweet words to her. He gazed at her with such soft, warm eyes and smiled gently to her and would take any opportunity when she lowered her guard to embrace her closely. When she was approached with that much persistently, then she couldn''t blame herself to think he might serious, but if she just exchanged a few routine remarks with someone, she wouldn''t become conceited and pretentious. P. 235 There weren''t that many men around who would be convincing enough that she would like to believe in him for even a second. Besides Edgar¡­¡­ Unconsciously, Lydia let her eyes fall down to the moonstone ring. It was a ring that Edgar put on her finger. And now it became an engagement ring that only he could remove. Its glistening brightness always reminded her and did not allow Lydia to erase Edgar¡¯s presence from her daily life even though they were far apart. ¡°You have nothing to worry about. I have someone I am seeing.¡± Andy opened his eyes wide with his mouth falling open. She wondered why he would be so surprised like that, but Lydia gradually came to realize what she had just said and turned into a panicked state as she felt herself turning bright red. ¡°Um, uhh, when I said seeing I meant, we still aren''t, I was just asked¡­¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± On the contrary to Lydia¡¯s flustered reaction, Andy was able to regain his calm. He looked like he was suspicious of her. Like she was just coming up with lies. ¡°What? Yes, it¡¯s true. Um, ¡­..he¡¯s a villain I met in London¡­.., no I mean, anyway it¡¯s true!¡± P. 236 From bad to worse, he looked like he became even more suspicious. ¡°Are you just being pompous?¡± Oh, this man is really annoying. ¡°It¡¯s not a lie!¡± Lydia couldn''t stop herself from becoming adamant. Putting aside what Edgar was really trying to do, it was true that he proposed to her. ¡°Hmm, well good for you then. I should go inform Guy.¡± Andy left after ending their conversation with a tone that he didn''t believe her the least bit. Lydia was left with an embarrassing feeling lingering in her chest. (3) What to wish from the heart ¡°My lord, your guests have arrived,¡± announced the butler who appeared at his office at 2pm. Edgar didn¡¯t like how the letter he was writing was coming out and he rolled it up into a ball and lifted his head up. ¡°The dinner preparations are complete. We can begin anytime you wish.¡± ¡°Tomkins. From an objective point of view, don¡¯t you think that Lydia is an attractive woman?¡± The butler was completely used to his master suddenly bringing up the topic about a woman out of the blue and so he didn¡¯t show any signs of surprise. He straightened himself by stretching his round body as tall as he could and spoke. ¡°Yes, I do agree.¡± ¡°Lydia thinks that she doesn¡¯t suit any man¡¯s interest, but I think that there is no such thing.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Even if she says she was called an oddball in her hometown, there might be a man or two who might secretly have feelings for her.¡± P. 238 ¡°If there were, it would not be a surprise.¡± ¡°Which means, the reason why she hadn¡¯t been romantically involved with anyone or asked to be was because there could be a man who was interfering with that.¡± ¡°Like my lord?¡± "Me? When?¡± ¡°You had accidentally lost the Christmas card you were handed by that gentleman at that near-by park who was an acquaintance with Ms. Carlton.¡± ¡°Ohh, that was just a bad wind that blew the letter out of my hand and made it fall into a puddle, so it wasn¡¯t like I lost it. Although his writing has surely faded.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± ¡°Anyway Tomkins, that shameless man who is in Scotland might fall in love with Lydia who returned home after a long while all over again and might want to suddenly tell her his feelings. That might just happen.¡± Edgar had been thinking if he could find out by writing to her if she had been approached by any man, or invited to stand underneath a mistletoe but he couldn¡¯t stop from writing like he was full of jealously or possessive over her and so he gave up. P. 239 Even if he discussed this with Tomkins there was no answer to his problem, but he didn¡¯t want to bottle up all those negative thoughts he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about. ¡°Then what kind of reply would Lydia said. If she decides to court that man, then I would completely be heart-broken. On top of that, I might be abandoned by Raven.¡± ¡°Raven, sir? Why would he turn his back on you, my lord?¡± ¡°He said that he wants to serve Lydia.¡± ¡°I would agree with him completely.¡± ¡°I know, could you and Raven go and talk to Lydia. So that she would marry me.¡± ¡°My lord, my family the Tomkins have served this earl family for generations and have loyally protected one rule of our house. It is we must not refuse the order of the earl. If I am given an order that is impossible, then I must ask you to allow me to quit.¡± Tomkins said that to him in such a serious tone no one could laugh. In other words, convincing Lydia was impossible to accomplish. ¡°¡­..I¡¯m kidding, Tomkins.¡± Edgar was only left to take back his suggestion. ¡°I was aware, my lord.¡± P. 240 His butler who made a devilish smirk seemed to be joking as well. Edgar combed his fingers through his golden blond hair and slumped down lifelessly back onto the back of his chair. Suddenly it became so hilarious that he started laughing by himself. It was useless to think about Lydia who was in far-away Scotland. Edgar did not have any resolve to put distance between Lydia on his own, but if he were to be heart-crushingly rejected, then that might be a chance to give up and move on from Lydia. If it were something that was going to happen in an undeniably far location, there was no way he could do any futile resistance or interfere. ¡°Let¡¯s start the Christmas party.¡± Edgar stood up. In the beginning, he didn¡¯t have any idea if he had the resolve to keep Lydia by his side or instead, he was all right if Lydia would feel disgusted and walk out on him. The Christmas dinner was going to start from lunch. And today the guests who had gathered at the Ashenbert house were bachelors who had nothing to do on Christmas. Those who didn¡¯t have family, or those who were estranged with their family members, or those who were lonely nobles from overseas. So it was those rogue outsiders who Edgar had been well-acquainted with on a regular basis from the ton that had gathered for today¡¯s gathering. P. 241 Even Paul, who was Edgar¡¯s friend and a painter and not from the upper-class, was also participating. Since it was just a gathering of well-acquainted friends, once the eating started, it started to feel like a home-party more than a formal dinner. By the time they put the knife in the turkey, there were quite of number of wines that had been opened, and when the meat juices along with the nuts and dry fruits that were boiled together started to pour out, the adults started to holler out in loud voices like giddy children. Their discussion about what was best, gravy sauce or cranberry sauce for the roast turkey never ceased. The Christmas dishes that were by the recipe book brought out his childhood memories. He believed that the Christmas table that was the same every year would always continue. ¡°Hey, Edgar, let¡¯s do a party at my place next year.¡± ¡°No, Lord Ashenbert, my cook is quite impressive, if I say so myself.¡± ¡°You two, are you planning to be bachelors next year as well?¡± ¡°Of course. If you were to make the mistake of getting married, we would never be able to attend such a swinging party. I would never want to be cowering in the corner at my wife¡¯s family house.¡± ¡°Then you just need to marry a woman who has no family,¡± said a female guest. ¡°So someone like you?¡± P. 242 ¡°Oh my lady, if you wanted to marry me you just had to say so.¡± ¡°I was suggesting to Lord Ashenbert,¡± she replied. ¡°Oh my, looks like you have been rejected. What will you do, earl?¡± ¡°It sounds like a good idea, but your son is making a forbidding look.¡± ¡°Son? Well, I don¡¯t have any memory of giving birth to one, besides he is 6 years older than me.¡± ¡°Your son-in-law, Mother.¡± When everyone burst out laughing, Paul, who was sitting next to Edgar, was the only one with a puzzled look on his face. Edgar whispered into his ear that those two are lovers, but he must have been drunk and couldn¡¯t think straight as he smiled while saying ¡°Oh marvelous.¡± There was plenty of liquor poured onto the special Christmas pudding and lit with a candle fire. When there were small blue fires placed on the table and filling the room with a sweet smell, the party became even more lively and mirthful. In the middle of all that bustling and boisterousness, Edgar decided to have the serving waiters go stop working early. Christmas was a day that was special for everyone. There was sure to be a party for just the servants only in the corner of the house from now. ¡°By the way Edgar, I heard that there were a number of families that wanted to invite you to their party, but why did you refuse all of them?¡± P. 243 By the time they switched from the dining room to the salon, everyone was already acting relaxed like they were in their own home and were indulging a cigar to their liking. The vast plates of dishes and sweets that couldn¡¯t possibly be eaten were probably going to be completely consumed as everyone was going to enjoy drinking throughout the night. ¡°They are all families who have young marriageable daughters. It would be unfair of me to just choose one, right?¡± ¡°I see, if it were a bachelor earl who had no family, then there was plenty of reason to want to become family with you. ¡° ¡°So, earl. Who is your main target? We are all placing a bet. On who was the girl who made you serious about her to make you break up with all of your playmates and clean your act.¡± ¡°Hmm, so who are you betting on?¡± ¡°Now we can¡¯t say that in front of you. Oh, I know, Paul, let¡¯s have you join the bet as well.¡± ¡°What, oh no, I¡¯m fine¡­.¡± ¡°Why is that? You can join with just one pound. We already have more than 20 people betting. Wouldn¡¯t this be a little earning opportunity for you?¡± Paul already knew who Edgar¡¯s target was and that his relationship with her was encountering a dangerous point. He couldn¡¯t be blamed if he didn¡¯t want to waste his money on a useless bet. P. 244 ¡°Then let me bet on Paul¡¯s behalf. On Miss Lydia Carlton.¡± Edgar tossed a one pound silver coin onto the table. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Hey, is there anyone who bet on that girl?¡± ¡°No, no one.¡± ¡°Edgar, is she your main interest?¡± ¡°Wait, everyone. This is Earl Ashenbert we are talking about, he¡¯s surely planning to have some fun by twisting around our bet. You always leave us in the dark.¡± Edgar made a sour smile and stood up. ¡°Then let me excuse myself. I¡¯m going to drop by the servant¡¯s party,¡± he said as he left the room thinking in a sloppy attitude that if he could win that bet, then he wouldn¡¯t mind giving everyone a present of 20 pounds each. Normally, the simple and plain butler¡¯s private room had become the party location for today. He started to hear the cook¡¯s violin performance that was slightly off-key. The singing voices and clapping hands and the light dance steps that echoed through was more of an old town and cocky feel. Ermine noticed he had come and walked over to him. Even she seemed like she was having fun more than usual. P. 245 ¡°Lord Edgar, please enjoy watching the dance in this seat.¡± ¡°Thank you. By the way, it seems like Raven isn¡¯t here.¡± ¡°Yes, he seemed to not be that enthusiastic about a party and so he decided to retreat to his own room.¡± Raven would gladly do any kind of job if it was for Edgar, but it seemed like he didn¡¯t think that it was necessary to deepen his relationship with his fellow workers. ¡°Shall I go call him?¡± ¡°No, today, everyone should be where they keep most comfortable.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± As Edgar gazed at Ermine¡¯s carefree, child-like smile, he thought he never imagined he would be able to spend another Christmas with her like this ever again. She had given up her own life once before and so she might not be smiling from emotions from the bottom of her heart, but he was fine as long as she never had to go through another sad, tormenting experience again. In order for that to happen, Edgar wanted to do everything he could. ¡°Ermine, let¡¯s dance.¡± He took her hand and walked out into the middle of the dance floor. When they were in America, the parties they attended with the people from the older, dark province of town were always like this. Even the dance styles that the upper-class would consider improper and vulgar felt endearing to Edgar. P. 246 When they smoothly danced the steps in the lower-class dance, there was a cheer that erupted from the servants. The cook¡¯s violin¡¯s tempo built up more speed. The young maids as well as the experts joined and left the dance circle in turns. When everyone started dancing, the floor became packed with people that is was a little difficult to move around smoothly, but no one was bothered about that. No one cared if their steps and turns bumped into other people or they stepped on other people¡¯s feet. Edgar eventually left that lively area quietly and walked downed the grand staircase of his palace home by himself. He did all the things for Christmas that he needed to do. But there was one thing that was missing. Lydia wasn¡¯t here, by his side. There was nothing that could be done about that. But as he thought so, he took his coat and opened the front door. The sky was completely dark now. The fog that was faintly hanging over the city was extremely cold and immediately cooled down his forehead that was sweating from dancing around so many people. He pulled up the collar of his coat and quickly walked out into the main street, picked up a carriage and had it head to the Carlton house that was near the university. P. 247 Lydia and Professor Carlton were in Scotland. He was well aware that there was no one there, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from coming. He got off the carriage at the corner of the block and took a little walk on the street. There was only one residence that didn¡¯t have its window lit up so he was able to tell which house was Lydia¡¯s immediately. Their resident housekeeper must have taken time-off and was visiting her own family. The window to Lydia¡¯s room was black and empty, and when he imagined the possibility that her room won¡¯t be occupied and her window lit ever again, he felt a pain in his chest. He was terrified by the thought that Lydia might leave. But he couldn¡¯t go and try to bring her back. He was more petrified at the thought that she might become unhappy or become a victim because of him than her not being by his side. But even so, he couldn¡¯t throw away his wish to have her in his arms reach. When he approached the stone-steps in front of the entrance door, the mistletoe wreath that was hanging above the door swayed when a soft, cold breeze blew by. P. 248 Even though night had fallen and it was completely dark, the candles that decorated the tree helped brighten the room and the fire in the hearth was burning warmly. Lydia had spent a lovely dinner with her father and Nico, and was now resting comfortably in her mother¡¯s favorite rocking chair as she listened to her father who was reading a book. Nico had enjoyed a belly-full of the holiday meal and completely drunk was now snoring on the floor by the warm fireplace. His slobbered mouth was hanging wide open and the rest of his body lay sprawling out over the floor, but this sloppiness was very like Nico, who normally tried to act like a gentleman. Every so often, his whiskers would twitch. He then would lick his lips. Lydia grew tired and sleepy as she watched Nico¡¯s happy-looking face as he seemed to be having a dream where he was eating something. The cozy, rocking sway of the rocking chair was also relaxing and she recalled that her mother would often take a nap on this same chair in the past. Lydia was filled with soothing warmth like she was sitting on top of her mother¡¯s lap. When she closed her eyes, her heart returned to when she was a little girl. When her mother would start to doze off, her father would immediately notice and he would softly cover her with a warm blanket. Sometimes, her mother would only pretend to fall asleep and waited for her husband to bring a blanket for her. P. 249 Her father would then slowly tie-toe out of the room and then her mother would open one of her eyes to have a peek. ¡°Why?¡± asked the young Lydia. ¡°Because I want to make sure that I¡¯m loved more than his rare, precious rocks.¡± * ¡°Lord Edgar.¡± P. 257 P. 258 Hearing Raven¡¯s voice, Edgar felt his conscious being woken up from his slumber and opened his eyes. There was a black-haired young boy of a man who was inspecting him with worry as he lay sitting down on the stone steps of the Carlton family¡¯s London home. ¡°Are you all right, Lord Edgar?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Raven, you came to get me.¡± Even if he may be wearing a thick overcoat, that couldn¡¯t stop him from shivering from the bitter cold and even when he stood up he felt his body whine with a squeak. When he counted the rings of the church bells, he found out not much time had passed, but the miserable, gloomy feeling that forced him to come here was gone, and he felt surprisingly relaxed. ¡°How did you found out I was here.¡± ¡°Lord Edgar, I don¡¯t mind who ever she is. I will serve the lady who you have chosen.¡± Raven suddenly said that in a terribly formal tone, so he must have pitied Edgar who was left with the only option of coming to Lydia¡¯s empty family house to think about her. He smiled sourly as he figured out he was sympathized. Even as he said he loved her, he wasn¡¯t able to go see her or bring her back, and so Raven had been in a bad temper when he saw the cowardly Edgar who tried to distract himself with another woman, but if Lydia were to leave him, then Raven must have decided he would forgive his pathetic master. P. 259 ¡°I was having a dream. I have a feeling like Lydia was in it. I might have tried to kiss her.¡± ¡°Did she throw her hand at you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was dreaming just now, but I can¡¯t seem to remember how it was.¡± Only he was sure he saw Lydia¡¯s golden, green eyes at a very close distance. He might have been slapped by her, but he had a feeling she didn¡¯t close her eyes that easily for him. Even in Edgar¡¯s dream, Lydia was like herself. He thought as he departed from the Carlton residence. Raven had said he would give up Lydia if she were to leave, but for Edgar to give up on Lydia felt much more difficult than Raven or he himself had ever imagined. ¡°Oh, but I love a woman who doesn''t let her guard down.¡± * When she inspected the post box, she found that another letter had arrived from Edgar today. Picking up the letter that was arriving every day since she took time off of work, Lydia thought he sure doesn¡¯t get tired of doing this, but deep down she felt relieved that she hadn¡¯t been forgotten by him. P. 260 When she threw her eyes towards the front gate, she spotted the Christmas mistletoe branch that was left hanging on the gate arch even though it was Boxing Day after Christmas. As Lydia stared at it, her heart suddenly felt in disarray and her heartbeat started beating madly. The memory of the dream had completely vanished so Lydia had no idea why. But that unknown also brought a peaceful, gentle sensation along with it. ¡°Hello, Miss Carlton.¡± When she turned to face the voice, she saw Guy was waving at her from the other side of the hedges surrounding her house. ¡°Oh, hello. Thank you for yesterday. Thanks to you we were able to spend a wonderful Christmas.¡± When she honestly told him, he looked back at her in a surprised face as he smiled. ¡°I heard you have a lover?¡± The lie she told Andy must have been told to him, she thought as she didn¡¯t give a direct reply back. ¡°I was told by Andy that he has radiant blond hair and he¡¯s supposedly very good-looking so I don¡¯t have a chance.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That tree, it was actually something that Andy wanted to bring to your family¡¯s house.¡± Lydia had no idea what Guy had suddenly said so she tilted her head to the side in confusion. ¡°Apparently he cuts down one extra pine tree than the number he was asked to every year. The pastor always asks him why there is one extra left, but Andy must have been worried because he knew the reason why your family wasn¡¯t able to decorate a Christmas tree. But every year, he wasn¡¯t able to deliver it to you.¡± P. 261 ¡°But Andy doesn¡¯t want to deal with me, so he goes around calling me strange and an oddball¡­..¡± ¡°That¡¯s where he¡¯s wrong and he can¡¯t think straight. Since he lost the opportunity to become friends with you during childhood, maybe he didn¡¯t want anybody else to become friendly with you? That¡¯s why he was feeling quite annoyed with my attitude deep down. But last night, he said he was going to take a walk by himself and no one could stop him, so I thought that he finally decided to apologize to you, but he must have given up very quickly as he came home right away. And so, he came to give me a warning that the Carlton daughter was unavailable.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± The Andy that Lydia pictured always had a look of boredom and looked at her like he saw something evil. But since that was his only reaction towards her, she was able to believe what Guy said about him immediately. ¡°That twisted personality of his won¡¯t be fixed that easily, but it seems like he¡¯s decided to fight off people like me for the sake of you and your blond lover from now on, so please forgive him.¡± That was Guy¡¯s last words as he walked off looking satisfied. ¡°Did I ever tell Andy that Edgar was blond¡­¡­?¡± As Lydia leaned her head to the side again, she pulled up her shawl to protect herself from the icy, cold winds and turned around to head back into the house. P. 262 From the trunk of one of the planted evergreen trees, small fairies started to come outside. They picked up the silver coins and walnuts that Lydia had left in the ground the night before, and they formed a line and headed towards the grassy fields with happy, lively voices. The laughter of the fairies that sounded similar to the rustle of the tree leaves, eventually mixed with the sound of the wind and gently reached Lydia¡¯s back as a rustling sound from the swinging mistletoe wreath. Volume 11 - CH 1 The year¡¯s social season had come once again. Under her Majesty the Queen, London had welcomed the weather of spring, it was a time where fresh blooming flowers competed with one another in the liberated season. In one place was a mansion owned among the land of the nobles, where, one after the other, people gathered at the city¡¯s official residence. Though it was a long time before the grand banquet would begin, those who had not visited the city in a while, for the sake of having ¡°first meetings¡± with members of nobility, these people were also mixed in with the others for the purpose of attending drama recitals and concerts. Tonight, in the hall of the first-class hotel¡¯s lobby, as usual, held an Irish harp performance. In the waiting room of the hotel, everywhere one could hear the cheerful, open laughters of young girls dressed in gorgeous dresses. And in the midst of it all, they were unable to calmly stand still while their eyes constantly moved about. This was the first time the young girls had entered the social season for the year. Until now, these girls had been carefully educated and isolated in preparation for this moment. Starting from now, they were to make appearances at social gatherings in hopes to seek their own marriage partners. Despite saying that, even if there was a favored man found, the young girls were prohibited from confronting the other party directly. It was the norm for their parents or other relatives to introduce the young women with understanding on their behalf. For to introduce oneself at the time proved to be rather difficult. So in the end, recognition of a marriageable target had to be approved by the parent. However, when a charming, handsome man they didn¡¯t know appeared, everyone will still nervously look forward to striking a conversation with him. "Hey look, is that Earl Edgar Ashenbert? ¡± The whispers of the young girls were disturbed by that statement, and suddenly, emerging into their view, was a striking, eye-catching young man. He was a young Earl who¡¯d held the rare feudal title as the Blue Knight Earl. And after 300 years, the young earl finally returned to England to manage his family home, giving a very mysterious impression to others. With comparably sparkling, golden hair, a smooth,elegant voice, and beautiful stance, almost no one could resist being attracted to him. So to speak, no matter what he did, he was a very compelling character. And in the moment one were to meet his eyes, he would return with a perfect smile, hence all the ladies could not help but involuntarily follow his figure. However, they could only follow him with their eyes. He was just by their side for a very short time, and so their fantasy of mutual love was gone in the blink of an eye. And with those results, they then became clearly aware their dream was impossible. "Then again, I heard that Earl Edgar had recently become engaged, did you know?" "Oh, I heard that too. ¡± "Is it true? The rumors came from the words of the major newspapers, but there¡¯s no credibility.¡± ¡°My aunt heard from an insider that the Earl was at a jewelry store on Bond Street. He was ordering that the words ¡®Dearest'' was to be embedded onto a necklace.¡± "So it really is true..." The young girls sighed one after the other. No matter how much they yearned for the person, he had already chosen another. They couldn¡¯t resent him either and therefore could only appear disappointed. ¡°However, is it not that daughter who is always associated with the Earl?¡± ¡°But before, there were also rumors of it being that songstress. ¡± ¡°It''s impossible for a songstress to marry an earl. The one in the rumors is more likely to be the banker¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°That woman has already decided to marry someone else. Moreover, if the engagement is true, then that person must be someone of nobility. ¡± ¡°That is a good point, so who on earth is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the necklace¡¯s carved initials were L.C. Could that be her name?¡± "It must be a very beautiful woman. ¡± ¡°Ah, but rather than to marry for beautiful appearances, family background is just as important. For the woman to be betrothed to the famously loose Earl Edgar, she must certainly be a daughter of quite an outstanding figure. ¡± The young girls¡¯ eyes carried over in the distance towards a group of ladies surrounding the Earl. ¡°It is me. I am the one engaged to Earl Ashenbert. ¡± ¡°... Eh.. Lucinda, is it really you?¡± ¡°When did you and the Earl know of each other?¡± ¡°At the New Year¡¯s dance party. ¡± ¡°But how could this be, because you are ...¡± As the young girl hesitated to speak, Lucinda reluctantly gave a small smile. She knew what the girls were going to say. Her mother was not of noble birth, it was not suitable for them to be together, seeing as Edgar was someone who had a profound history of origin. ¡°Even if our statuses do not match, we can also get married. My mother said that I haven¡¯t done anything shameful. Moreover, we have been in constant touch with each other, and a few days ago, he proposed to me.¡± Surrounded by her friends who were dumbfounded, she held a proud smile on her face. Her name was Lucinda Constable, whose initials just happened to be L.C. She heard from a friend of the initials and arbitrarily fabricated the story of her being the one to own the initials. ¡°The engagement has yet to be announced to the public. I did not think the jewelry shop was to accidentally reveal it. Therefore, all of you, please remain silent for the time being. ¡± * Girls who dreamed of marriage, even if they had yet been decided of a partner, had already painted a picture in their hearts of their perfect love. The wedding dress colors were most common hues of various whites and silver. When Her Majesty the Queen had married, she wore a pure-white formal dress, with an orange bouquet of flowers, as it was said that in the language of flowers, the Carnation was the symbol for "everlasting love.¡± Legend also had it that if a bride was to wear blue jewelry during the wedding day, then she¡¯d always remain happy. Also, tying blue ribbons behind the socks, along with decorative- luxurious lace cuffs, all meant that the couple could finally embark on the road leading to the wedding. The Wedding banquet was to be held at a top-grade party Hall, to make the journey of the wedding all seem like a part of an ideal dream. (I didn¡¯t even add the nonsense with the ¡°flower¡± lol and instead just continued on with the translation¡¯s other part. hope that¡¯s doable. It was really confusing otherwise.) In order to have the ideal wedding come true, the groom himself was also important, of course. But the other party was to have clear knowledge of their partner¡¯s status as well as property. Looking at those young girls who intended to marry, even those who had only been presented in this year¡¯s social gathering, the future plans for marriage was clearly envisioned in their minds. And at such a matter, this was not rare at their age. However in Lydia¡¯s mind, she didn¡¯t have the slightest ambition nor understanding of a perfect marriage. She decided to get married because of the matter three weeks ago. Because she believed that her feelings of just wanting to be with him was not false. However, in reality, she couldn¡¯t quite the true feeling of ¡°wanting to get married¡±. For young girls who have just been engaged, during this period of preparation, unlike those girls she was not in the mood to be happy. In Lydia¡¯s heart, she was only confused. Even if she was asked what sort of wedding ceremony she planned to hold, she couldn¡¯t think anything of it. After all, the matter of getting married, until recently, was not something she could so simply and excitedly decide on. Even if a marriage partner was to suddenly appear miraculously, to get married even in this circumstance, she felt it was unimaginable and instead something in the distant future. As she absentmindedly pondered over that, her fianc¨¦ had already been standing there, smiling warmly at her. She was in one of the mansions of London¡¯s nobility, and to be exact, in the manor of Earl Edgar. ¡°Lydia, this sort of formal dress I feel is clearly very suitable for you ..¡± In Earl Edgar¡¯s manor, surrounded by the elegant parlor appliances of the living room, a being who gave a noble impression with his ash-mauve eyes, was hotly gazing at her in place. At their feet was a velvet carpet which laid underneath the luxurious ceiling, with addition to the priceless, artful paintings which hung from the walls. Nearby the windows were blinds decorated with velvet curtains. There was no other who could create this contrasting decor but one person. Embellishing the room with elegant style and character was the Earl, Lydia¡¯s fianc¨¦. On the table were piles of wedding dress designs and fashionable models of gowns. Just the mere look of it, most would feel very weary. However, he very happily selected each piece one-by-one, as he carefully held it out for Lydia to see. Ever since their decided engagement, compared to Lydia who didn¡¯t know where to begin, her father took her place instead to smoothly and steadily prepare everything. "Ah yes, it¡¯s very nice, but..." With there being so much lace, in the end, exactly how much money must he have. ¡°Is this a little too ordinary? To show a little more lace is also good. Or maybe having a pearl embroidery is perhaps better?¡± Pearl? This sort of formal dress wasn¡¯t something a daughter of a commoner could wear. At any event, this wasn¡¯t something the Carlton family could openly wear for show. "If you give that for someone like me to wear, the feeling of a formal dress would be lost.¡± Lydia stepped to one side and flashed a look at her father who was sitting at one side nearby. ¡°There won¡¯t be such a matter, isn¡¯t that right, Professor Carlton? Lydia is very beautiful. She has enough beauty to capture anyone¡¯s attention, and she should be more confident with herself, don¡¯t you also agree?¡± ¡°Eh? ... No... that ...¡± Looking at her father¡¯s vague answer, Lydia began to worry in a sweat. ''If I had known it would be like this, I might not have agreed to marry so quickly. '' A couple days ago, Lydia and her father together visited the Duchess of Maysfield, consulting her of the essential preparation for marrying into an aristocratic family. Because Lydia¡¯s mother died a long time ago, and with her grandmother having passed away a few years back as well, there was no other older women Lydia could discuss this matter with. Moreover, at that time, her father also played no role for marriage since he¡¯d been so oblivious. The Duchess was quite close to Edgar and was very understanding. Even though she was pleased to consult them, from the beginning, she urged them that they need only to depend on the Earl. They need not to worry about other extensive matters. Because she was marrying into the Earl Ashenbert family whose roots were of aristocrats, the value of the bride¡¯s dowry was also quite demanding similar to the Earl¡¯s status. So when her father heard of such large astronomical figures, he became very perplexed and burdened. As a result, Lydia who had yet to even dream of a wedding, began to recognize the reality of it. ¡°Goodness gracious, Earl. To speak of her wearing that wedding dress, it would be like squandering money on the dowry of all the civilian brides. ¡± Once hearing her father say such things, Edgar seemed to finally understood his concerns. ¡°Professor, so long as Lydia can come live together with me in this manor, that enough is so blissful. Therefore, as for the clothes and dowry and whatnot, all will be prepared by us. You only need to prepare along some personal clothing, for it is fine.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what the wife of the Duke Maysfield had also told us, but as the father...¡± (Ahhh okay, I see what you mean by how it makes sense to say ¡°rely on the real¡±. Some raw translations contradict so much!) ¡°For you to consider a reasonable range of values is fine, matters pertaining to money can be truly difficult. So Professor, I completely understand your feelings.¡± Lydia¡¯s father was a man who rigidly adhered to the rules. He was someone who had a scholar¡¯s equally big heart. Rather than as a father''s pride, his mind was on this matter: "If her mother was also still living, she will not ask others to help prepare her daughter''s wedding.¡± In the view of Edgar¡¯s mind, he was certainly hoping to dress Lydia well, just like the brides of other Earls... However, he didn¡¯t intend to brush off her father¡¯s requests either. "I understand. Then, I will use whatever I can from the time I had gotten married, in order to prepare well in advance for the wedding. When speaking of the bride¡¯s dowry-- from the round table to the linen cloth-- all the necessary, daily-life essentials were to be considered. Essentials such as new clothing, shoes and hats, other women accessories as well as make-up, were all things that required preparation beforehand. Volume 11 - CH 2 "I''m so sorry for springing this on you so suddenly, Lydia." The Duchess of Maysfield exclaimed to Lydia during their afternoon tea. The Duchess of Maysfield was an elegant old lady who, for some reasons unknown, adored Edgar, and she treated him as if he was her own grandson. Not long after Edgar had arrived at England, everyone had thought that he had purposely curried the Duchess'' favor to showcase his status as an Earl in the social world. However, since Edgar had also treated the Duchess like family, everyone wouldn''t think that the Duchess was being used." Of course, this may also be because of Edgar''s flirtatious ways. The Duchess of Maysfield had already decided to appoint herself as Lydia and Edgar''s guardian, even before Lydia and Edgar, who had clearly expressed his love for her, had spoken their vows. Because of this, Lydia was to stay at the Duchess'' manor for only three days to learn the social etiquette of a noble lady. "I have not taught you anything, yet I''m sending you off to somewhere you are unfamiliar with¡­" "No, it''s fine. I was to be sent there in a week''s time anyways." Lydia had already planned in advance that she was to travel to another noble woman''s manor with the Duchess of Maysfield next week. Due to the fact that Countess Othred was well known for teaching young noble ladies social etiquette, the Duchess of Maysfield had planned on letting Lydia stay with the Countess for a short period of time. However, the Duchess had just received word of her eldest daughter''s sickness this morning, so she has to pay her a visit. They weren''t sure when the Duchess would return to London, and Lydia''s lessons could not be postponed for any longer, so Lydia had decided to depart earlier than scheduled, and start her bridal training at Countess Othred''s mansion. "Countess Othred is not only humble, but kind as well. Not to mention, she has repeatedly expressed her excitement at your arrival. I''m sure that it will not be a problem if you depart early." "Understood. Please do not worry about me anymore. I hope that your daughter gets well soon." "Thank you, Lydia. However, since I have to send a telegram in advance, I wonder if you can depart for Somersetshire tomorrow?" Somersetshire is a small county far away from London, in the west parts on England. Lydia was suddenly reminded of the fact that she wouldn''t be seeing Edgar for a while. But then again, they hadn''t seen one other ever since she had refused to visit him. They haven''t met ever since Lydia had refused to make her debut with him. Ever since their engagement, he often came to visit her despite the fact that he wasn''t invited to. However, he had never tried to visit her here. Perhaps he had thought that it was best for them to not meet for the moment. "Lydia, if you have the support of Lady Othred, your debut will be much smoother. Good luck." Lydia suddenly lifted her head. Now that she thought about it, Edgar must have already discussed the matter of her debut into society with the Duchess. That must be why the Duchess was so adamant that Lydia have her bridal training under another noblewoman. Edgar didn''t suggest her debut into society on a whim, so he most likely wouldn''t ask for Lydia''s forgiveness. Now that she understood, her anger at him disappeared. This allowed her to realise that her fiance was a noble. And not just any noble, she was getting married to an earl. It didn''t matter whether having a commoner bride will shame Edgar or not, Lydia was going to try her best to enter the noble society. If she fails, she won''t be able to stay by Edgar''s side. He had already tried his best to help Lydia. As he couldn''t give up his title as the Earl of Ibrazel, he had to try to help Lydia become a noble if he were to stay by her side. "I understand. I will do my very best." She suddenly felt so motivated that surprised even herself. She wasn''t even confident that she will be able to do well, to be honest. The Duchess smiled. "Wonderful. I look forward to it. Oh, and you have to bring a maid with you to Somersetshire, but since I have to go to Derbyshire, I don''t have anyone to spare." "If so, I don''t mind going alone." Lydia had come all the way from Scotland all alone, so she didn''t think anything of going to Somersetshire. However, she was immediately shot down by the Duchess. "You are a precious young lady that Professor Carlton had entrusted to me. I simply cannot do something so shameful such as making you travel alone before marriage. Luckily, there''s a maid that is planning on moving to another mansion in Somersetshire, so I''ll ask her to accompany you to Countess Othred''s mansion." Lydia noticed that even though she was fine with travelling alone, she was not supposed to show it in front of others. "Lydia, Earl Ashenbert thinks that you''re fine just the way you are. He didn''t send you here to change you - just for you to learn the social etiquette and mannerisms of nobles. That doesn''t mean that you''re not allowed to be independent. It just means that you have to be more pleasant in front of others. That''s it." "Yes¡­ I understand." However, it was hard to please everybody. Could she succeed? What if she couldn''t please Lady Othred? She felt distressed, and suddenly the desire to see Edgar before her trip welled up within her. But she hesitated. Just as Edgar thought, Lydia still didn''t have the confidence to step into the noble society with her head held high. If she were to see him now, would he think that Lydia was surrendering? Even though they already understood each other''s feelings, even though they were already engaged, but Lydia simply couldn''t imagine going to her partner for help when she was distressed or lost. In the end, Lydia had departed with a maid the next day, without seeing Edgar. Outside the carriage window, the calming scenery with green hills quickly passed by. Even though Somersetshire was a county in England, it was a place were many legends of fairies originated from. It may be Lydia''s first time in this place, but she still felt some sort of sense of familiarity. Because she could feel the presence of fairies whenever she sees green hills and woods. "You were born in Somersetshire, right?" Lydia asked the maid sitting across from her in the carriage. Apparently, she quit working for the Duchess of Masefield to work at her hometown. "Then, do you know about the red legged Danish fairies?" Although the girl had cocked her head to the side in surprise, she still nodded. "I''ve heard about it from my great grandmother. She said that they hid their treasures in a secret place, and that one will be rich if he or she finds that treasure." "That''s right. Because they are chatterboxes, they will often accidentally reveal the location of their hidden treasure. However, it''s wiser to pretend not to know anything even though you''ve accidentally learned anout their secret. In return, if you promise to keep it a secret, then you can request for a wish to be granted in exchange." "That''s a myth, Miss." That''s right. People that actually believe in fairies have been declining nowadays, so Lydia merely smiled mysteriously. One can only negotiate with the Danish fairies when he or she knows where they hid their treasure. One must not make a widh if one didn''t use the secret to exchange for it. That''s because the fairies'' magic will affect the person. If he or she were to simply blurt out their wish, the mischievous fairies will cast spells that have unpredictable results. That''s why, it''s best to pretend not to know anything even after having accidentally having heard of it. Although she didn''t know whether the maid''s grandmother was the one who told her those things, but she was sure that the maid didn''t really care. "But Miss, aren''t the Danish fairies vikings in actuality? If there were vikings who lived here before, maybe their treasure really is hidden somewhere in this area." "The Danish fairies are not vikings. In fact, although they are often misunderstood, the Danish fairies are fairies that are related to the Danu tribe." "Eh?" It seems that she had brought up the wrong topic. Just as Lydia wanted to change it, the conductor appeared, causing her to let out a sigh of relief. They must be close to the station. "Miss, the carriage is really behind schedule! " The young maid exclaimed as she alighted the carriage and spotted the clock. "You''re right! You''ll have to take the next shift then." The maid''s new master''s mansion was at the next stop. The original plan was for the maid to accompany Lydia to Countess Othred''s mansion as she waited for the next shift. However, if she was to do so now, she might miss it. "Yes, that''s right. That is the last shift¡­" The maid said apologetically, and Lydia hadn''t had the heart to make the poor thing accompany her to¡­ After all, she heard that the mansion was only around one hour away from the station, so Lydia decided to take a carriage there alone. At least the maid offered to accompany Lydia just until the carriage arrived, and that she will see her off. Volume 11 - CH 3 Lord Constable was also going to be at the table of the evening banquet. Edgar, of course, knew that. That being said, there was no reason to shy away from it. Although Edgar was unhappy to see his face, he needed to wait for Madame Oughtred before the appearance of another important guest. Therefore, before meeting, Edgar intended to rightfully go to the banquet in the dining room. First seated was Lord Constable who, with sharp eyes, suddenly glared at Edgar as he spoke. ¡°Earl Ashenbert, how unexpected it is to see you here. Have you changed your mind? If you plan to grovel to me, so that my elder sister and I could reconcile, you may as well speak your words.¡± -- --Oh goodness. Edgar laughed inside. ¡°Speaking of which, you and Madame Oughtred are siblings. However, this was allegedly detested and ignored by the late Mr. Oughtred.¡± The Lord Constable obviously became enraged, but he also refuted. ¡°It was only my sister who became estranged from me.¡± ¡°But, now that you want to face her and reconcile with your estranged sister, what do you mean? Rumor has it that you took a fancy of Madame¡¯s property.¡± "Did you just insult me?" ¡°I¡¯m merely speaking from rumors of the city streets.¡± ¡°For what reason did you approach my sister? I heard that in this world, there are unscrupulous people who will seduce middle-aged widows for fame and fortune.¡± ¡°My fiancee will be in Madame Oughtred¡¯s care in a few days. So I came to say hello. ¡± Even though Constable heard rumors of a fiancee, when it was uttered as a fact by Edgar himself, Constable went silent. He was probably shocked that the rumors were true. In that moment, he thought he could quietly eat the meal. ¡°So unexpectedly shameless!¡± Lord Constable again began to make noise. ¡°Having a fiancee on one side while calmly flirting with my daughter--¡± ¡°Or your daughter may not be writing down the truth in her diary? Speaking of diaries, because no one would see, there could also be casual imagination included.¡± ¡°If nothing had happened, such as promiscuous matters, she would not have imagined it.¡± ¡°Indeed. Since she has never done an indecent thing or have an indecent imagination, because your daughter must truly be on the proper side, doesn¡¯t the side with imagination sound better in comparison?¡± Lord Constable¡¯s cheeks flushed red. At that moment, he stood up. ¡°Not pleased. Lord Ashenbert, I will not let this matter go.¡± Abandoning his speech, Constable suddenly stopped eating his meal to leave. Edgar didn¡¯t like to make enemies in society, but there was no other way. All in all, regarding this matter, Edgar was purely innocent. And even if he wasn¡¯t, for Edgar, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to remain on the proper side anyway. More or less, there were solutions to this. Even if the problem escalated, Edgar knew how to strike back and he could make the other party disappear from society. It was only because he didn¡¯t want the event to spread to Lydia¡¯s ears. Finally, with great difficulty, Lydia gradually believed in him and his sincere love, but it was likely going to be impossible now. However, there was still a few days before Lydia would arrive -- or Edgar so still believed. ¡°I can finally enjoy the meal.¡± Edgar then called out to the butler to select him a glass of champagne. ¡°Yes, this is fine wine. Worthy of Madame Oughtred¡¯s mansion.¡± ¡°You do me too much honor.¡± ¡°The dishes are also very good. However, since the widow withdrew from society, the banquet was not even held. Ah, what a pity. The skill of the chef and the hospitality of the servants, all of it cannot easily compare with other mansions!¡± ¡°Despite the lack of a grandiose event, the flow of guests who come to respect and admire the Madame is ceaseless. We work in order to simply not tarnish the Madame¡¯s reputation.¡± The butler, though modest, expressed a face of joy. If one wished to live comfortably in someone else¡¯s home, other than the homeowner, obtaining a favorable impression from the servants was the right way to go. Furthermore, Edgar calculated that, if their impression of him was good, he could insist on Constable being arrogant as well. Lord Constable¡¯s impression could indeed become worse. Servants are not to be belittled. Opinions of the senior servants working for years could even influence the masters¡¯ thoughts. Even if the content of Lucinda¡¯s letters became a problem, he also wanted Madame Oughtred to feel that Edgar¡¯s words were genuine. ¡°Can you give me a little more of this basil sauce?¡± The butler picked up the glass vessel and at the server, who stood blankly in a daze, he winked at him. However, the server did not immediately notice. ¡°Billy.¡± The server beside him cried out under his breath, surprised as he regained his senses. It seemed as if he was completely unused to work. The server finally came to the side. With the stiff movement of his hand gestures, the server¡¯s spooning was also quite clumsy. Edgar stared at the firm hand, feeling as though the sauce was slightly not evenly spread. Those hands, not matched for servants, was a hand that was clearly used to handling weapons. * For Annie who was combing Lucinda¡¯s hair, her sincere hand gestures carefully grasped the hairbrush. ¡°Wait a minute, the pain!¡± The young maid jumped in fright, slightly bowing her head. The movement was obviously slow, so what was so wrong? Lucinda worried as if it burned. ¡°Help me hang more beautiful hair curls. I want to see Earl Ashenbert.¡± When the Earl needed to visit here, Lucinda had already investigated in advance. The relationships between noble families were intricately linked. When he visits a family and his associates, whenever there was a discussion, there were always some people who knew of these things. Of course, because people pay attention to any notable affairs of the Earl Ashenbert, they could actually go inquire about ¡®who were those he became intimate with¡¯ or also ¡®where servants go for exchanges, which were growing more and more complex¡¯. Therefore, when Lucinda especially found out of Earl¡¯s agreed arrangement to visit Madame Oughtred, Lucinda knew the news was a good opportunity. She hurriedly changed her travel schedule, all in order to run into the earl. ¡°Annie, it¡¯s not this hair ornament. I said it was coral!¡± Annie searched nervously for the coral hair accessories. Useless maids. However, Lucinda actually very much liked this recently hired girl. ¡°Indecisive¡± Annie was not so bad. The best thing was, this girl was not too talkative. Lucinda made up the whole matter regarding the story of the diary. She deliberately allowed her father to see, intentionally having him believe she and Earl Ashenbert were meeting each other. With such a secret, Annie would not expose it. Letting herself be marked in the Earl¡¯s eyes, with an impression that someone cheated the pitiful girl. Just by being robbed of her lips made her quiver. That sort of face probably arouses more sympathy. Lucinda faced toward the mirror with a smile. A weak and fleeting smile was perfect. Lucinda very clearly understood that this smiling face would show herself to be quite beautiful. When venturing out to society, her beauty would surely arouse the attention of men. ¡°Annie, though for you, you won¡¯t have any luck, marriage is a competition. It¡¯s a victory to marry a girl who makes everyone else jealous. If the husband is outstanding, only then can you gain the respect of others in society.¡± The maid who found the coral hair accessory quickly placed it in Lucinda¡¯s hair. ¡°Of course, not only status, but having good looks is also important. If so, Earl Ashenbert is impeccable. He is secretly admired by many women.¡± Lucinda stood up. This time, she was in front of the dressing mirror to inspect her skirt. With a swift spin, the organdy ruffles of the skirt rose and fell gently. ¡°However, to wait will make it impossible for us to get acquainted. Especially with the Earl of Ashenbert, all the women he spoke to, one after another, he had only spoken a few words to them. Therefore, just relying on this brings me ahead of them by several steps.¡± Getting into a marriage envied by everyone, this could bring value to herself before anyone else. For the people who thought that those with mothers of inferior status would never have a good marriage, Lucinda was going to make them regret it. When she was informed that Earl Ashenbert¡¯s fiancee held the same initials as her, it was in that moment that she fabricated the lies and opened up her opera play. Even just immersing herself in the vision of everyone¡¯s envy was very satisfying. Anyway, it was too late for her to escape from this. In any event, she could only try to make this dream into reality. She initially planned for her aunt to act as a matchmaker. However, now she had no hope for that because her aunt then fell ill. Therefore, Lucinda could only then rely on herself to try. ¡°The remaining problem now is his fiancee.¡± But Lucinda heard from rumors that she was not of nobility. Therefore, she still couldn¡¯t inquire who the girl Earl Ashenbert was going to marry from the rumors. ¡°But against a low-class woman, that is no competition.¡± Regardless which side her mother was from, Lucinda was still undoubtedly the daughter of a Count. No matter what you think, you¡¯re always valuable. Also, her aunt Countess Oughtred was part of the Royal Court as well. A powerful person. Lucinda believed that the love of a gentleman could only depend on the appearance and status of the woman. * After Edgar finished his meal, he just returned to his room where he then saw Miss Lucinda was inside. Although it was used as a dressing room for meetings, this was still without a doubt a gentleman¡¯s private quarter. Even with a maid, most daughters would not stay in this place. Volume 11 - CH 4 ¡°Lydia, you knew Earl Ashenbert right?¡± While Lydia was about to return to the mansion from the rose garden, Lucinda smirked as she stood in her way. ¡°Eh¡­ um, I guess¡­¡± "Then, the residence you previously served at was the Earl''s friend''s household? So you became the Earl''s mistress?" Mi--mistress¡­.? What on earth is she talking about?, thought Lydia, as her cheeks grew red. However, Lucinda remained indifferent. ¡°What a pity, was that why you were fired? How could he fool around with a maid? Although these things happen quite often, it¡¯s why undisciplined maids aren¡¯t welcome in any household wherever they go.¡± "No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°No need to hide it, you know. I won¡¯t report this to my aunt. ¡± It seemed that Lucinda hasn¡¯t discovered that Madame Oughtred isn¡¯t in the mansion yet. Lord Constable didn¡¯t want his daughter to worry, which is why he decided not to tell her. Since she specifically said that she wouldn¡¯t tell anyone, this meant that Lucinda had a plan. She smiled as she drew closer to Lydia. Then, as if to tell a secret, she whispered: ¡°You see, my father doesn¡¯t approve of my engagement with the Earl. That¡¯s right, it seems that he won¡¯t forgive the Earl as he wrote a letter to him, that I secretly received, saying that he proposed without his permission.¡± Then, it wasn¡¯t Edgar. ¡°So that¡¯s why my father doesn¡¯t want to meet him. He didn¡¯t even want to sit and have a meal on the same table with him. Besides, I can¡¯t depend on my Aunt because she¡¯s ill.¡± ¡°I see...¡± ¡°So in saying that, Lydia, can you please explain to my father how much the earl adores me?¡± ¡°What!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be good if you say something like that. If he listens to someone else, maybe his viewpoint will change. ¡± As a weakness, Lucinda was planning to take advantage of Lydia¡¯s role as a maid. Having a love-rival was a nuisance to Lucinda, so she wanted Lydia to bring Lucinda and Edgar together. By doing this, Lucinda was attempting destroy the relationship between them. Lydia remember that originally, she was only being fooled around by Edgar. Lydia fell silent and this time, even she felt unconvinced. Despite how she was clearly the one getting married, she was being perceived as someone who was being played with. Was it because of her current identity as a maid? Just for how long will she need to endure this? But Madame Oughtred also wasn¡¯t here. If Lydia resigned as a maid arbitrarily, she won¡¯t be able to earn the Madame¡¯s support and that may disappoint Edgar as well. Moreover, she wanted to save Virginia the gardener and was also concerned about Madame Oughtred whose whereabouts were unknown. At any rate, since fairies were related to that situation, she can¡¯t simply leave. However, she didn¡¯t want to obey Lucinda. ¡°He said that I¡¯m the only one in his heart¡­¡± Lydia accidentally blurted out. As Lydia is now, she could only rely on Edgar¡¯s words. Regardless of whether she should believe it, as long as she held onto this, she will not allow Lucinda to do as she pleases. Immediately, Lucinda face turned red. Furious, she quickly raised her hand and slapped Lydia¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re just a maid, remember that.¡± Originally, the noble daughter was a commoner. Lydia was confused as her face was distorted because of hatred. Then, Lucinda and the silent maid left. ¡°Are you alright, Miss Lydia?¡± Just as Lydia began to walk, a voice came from the top of the stairs. A young man with brown skin was looking down at her from above. ¡°¡­. Raven, you¡¯ve been watching?¡± ¡°I was just passing by from here.¡± Since he said that, it must be true. Besides, he must have seen her getting slapped. ¡°Lord Edgar wants to talk to you, so I was searching for you. ¡± ¡°I will not return.¡± Lydia walked out and Raven followed her from behind. ¡°The dangerous person could perhaps still be inside the mansion. We don¡¯t know if someone, who pretends that there is nothing against you, may unknowingly attack you. ¡± ¡°If it was an intruder coming from outside, they would have fled already, furthermore there¡¯s no suspicious woman with black hair who entered this residence. ¡± ¡°Miss Lucinda also has black hair. ¡± ¡°How is that possible? A niece wouldn¡¯t attack her own aunt. ¡± Even though Lydia remembered her saying she wanted to borrow the Regard necklace or something, there is no reason for her to steal it. ¡°As relatives, they don¡¯t get along with each other since originally they were on bad terms and as outsiders we do not know what kind of conflict they had with each other.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what makes him so afraid, it¡¯s alright for both of you to return. ¡± ¡°Lord Edgar is only afraid that Miss Lydia might face danger. ¡± Raven thought this sincerely. Edgar¡­ if he felt that way, then Lydia was very happy despite the stinging pain that lingered from Lucinda¡¯s slap. Although Edgar was not at fault, she was not at ease. Lucinda looked down on Lydia and believed that Lydia would never be as noble as she is. Even if she wasn¡¯t a maid, entering noble society will surely be difficult the way Lydia is now. ¡°¡­. I can¡¯t return. ¡± ¡°Then, please at least quit your job as a maid and reveal yourself as Lord Edgar¡¯s fianc¨¦e. ¡± If she made it clear, will Lucinda give up? But by revealing her identity, she will be denied of Oughtred¡¯s education. Lydia believed that as long as she was silently diligent, despite how she was unfamiliar with the work of a maid, she would will be able to overcome obstacles once she entered the unfamiliar noble society. Perhaps Madame Oughtred wants to ascertain this. ¡°The Madame isn¡¯t here. I can¡¯t just quit my job as a maid.¡± ¡°Please do not be so stubborn. If you are not close by Lord Edgar¡¯s side, I cannot always keep an eye on you.¡± Furious, Lydia stopped in her tracks. What do you mean stubborn?! ¡°This is what Edgar wanted, as long as I accept Madame Oughtred¡¯s education to behave as a lady, will he be satisfied? Now he wants me to stop this, what does even that mean!¡± Lydia started to walk quickly again but Raven didn¡¯t give up. He caught up with her and caught her arm. ¡°Let go of me. ¡± ¡°No, please come with me. ¡± ¡°I¡¯m very busy.¡± ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± The person who appeared from the courtyard was Billy. Raven turned to Billy, still not letting go of Lydia¡¯s arm. ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re not a servant here, are you?¡± ¡°I am Lord Ashenbert¡¯s valet. ¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. The Earl who has a reputation for being a womanizer, even his servant is a playboy, unexpectedly pursuing the household¡¯s maid.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not like that, Billy... I know him. ¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. ¡± Raven planned to take Lydia with him to leave. Billy casually seized Raven¡¯s shoulder. Raven immediately turned around, which resulted in Billy losing his grip and tightly grabbed onto Billy¡¯s arm. ¡°Raven, stop!¡± Lydia screamed, as she was worried that the chief waiter¡¯s arm will instantly break. But Billy lifted his knee to kick as a counterattack. Raven swung around, dodging the kick against his back, Billy hurriedly turned around and they silently glared at each other. The tension between them was relieved at last since the housekeeper appeared. ¡°Lydia, what are you doing? I was looking for you just then. You don¡¯t have time to rest!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Mrs. Boyle. ¡± Lydia glanced at Raven. ¡°Please Raven, don¡¯t report this matter to Edgar. ¡± Lydia whispered and quickly left with the housemaid, so Raven no longer pursued her again. * ¡°Remember that!¡± Lucinda had said that, not as a mere parting shot. From that day on, Lydia was being ignored by other maids, as there had been backstabbing gossip spreading around. It seems that the rumour was, ¡°She was fired because she had licentious relationships with men.¡± Lydia was immediately questioned by the housekeeper. Although she denied it, it seemed the housekeeper didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Since I have no authority to fire a maid, I¡¯d have to keep you hired you until the Madame comes back. But I will not allow you to dishonour the dignity of this household.¡± She had said it in such a firm tone, clearly indicating that if she had the authority, she would¡¯ve fired Lydia herself. However, in spite of what he was doing or whether he was working in silence, he made people think he was pondering other matters. But the matters he thought about were how to promote his own status, definitely wanting to make a huge profit. In fact, in order to continue being wealthy, he even boldly took the title at hand. ¡°Edgar, even if you plow the fields, you don¡¯t even look like a farmer.¡± It was precisely because he was such a person that he had been able to return to noble society. Looking at Edgar, Lydia thought that everyone had their own place in society that suited them. ¡°It¡¯s like no one would even notice that I¡¯m your fiance.¡± Edgar¡¯s hand came to a stop and he looked at her in surprise. ¡°We¡¯re going to get married. Regardless whether others believe it or not, is it not real to us?¡± ¡°Real... sometimes, I would think, is this really happening to me? The matter of marriage, I have little understanding of it.¡± Lydia was only here because Edgar wanted her to stay by his side. Therefore, she wanted to respond to it with the attitude of accepting his marriage proposal, but her awareness and feelings in becoming a countess were too weak. Lydia stood up. She thought about how she couldn¡¯t just let Edgar do all the washing and wanted to at least lend a hand. Therefore, Lydia dragged away the cauldron that he was washing. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this, you should sit down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had enough rest.¡± ¡°Watch out over there. ¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Not noticing the ground-level difference, Lydia tripped over and fell. Ah, what are you doing! You can¡¯t even do the assigned work. Lydia was unable to immediately stand up. It wasn¡¯t because of the pain in her foot, but it was because her limbs gave out from exhaustion. However, Edgar who was frightened, quickly ran to carry Lydia and sat her down on the stone wall near the trees. ¡°Is it a sprained ankle?¡± ¡°I--I¡¯m fine..¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little grazed isn¡¯t it?¡± Edgar knelt in front of Lydia. Because his hands were touching her ankle, she became anxious. But compared to that, Lydia was suddenly frightened when he looked up and caught her eyes which expressed a hint of resentment. He was perhaps still angry at Lydia¡¯s excessively weak attitude. ¡°I¡¯m sorry....¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to enter the nobility. Therefore... there is still some time to annul the engagement...¡± Lydia got scared halfway. She was afraid of reactions such as disappointing him, disgusting him, truly cancelling the engagement and after feeling regret from speaking of it, her body became tense. Although he did not reveal the kind of responses Lydia feared, he still stared at her in anger. Suddenly, the hand touching her ankle slid upward. The skirt hem lifted, exposing her fair legs that should not be seen in public. Lydia gasped. Edgar¡¯s warm hand wrapped around her knee and stopped. A man¡¯s hand moving up from a woman¡¯s ankle to her drawers was a serious matter. It was so unexpected that Lydia was frozen and couldn¡¯t speak. He stared at Lydia. ¡°What are you thinking about now? Are you thinking of running away from me? Don¡¯t you need me? So when you are enduring hardship, am I useless?¡± Edgar lowered his head, laying a kiss on Lydia¡¯s knee across the fabric. Then, he painfully whispered, ¡°Do these hands only bring you unhappiness? No matter how many times we¡¯ve kissed and touched, I don¡¯t understand how you feel. Although I hope to have more of you, you would not think so, right?¡± Regardless, his words, hands, and once again his gaze toward Lydia all felt passionate. Lydia was still unable to withstand the same passion that burned inside her, even if she breathed with all her strength. ¡°¡­No, even if you don¡¯t need me, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡± He gently withdrew his hands. Volume 11 - CH 5 Chapter Five. The two of them with their misunderstandings Lydia couldn¡¯t fall asleep, as she was pondering over various incidents all night long. Edgar wanted her to return tomorrow. Although not one matter had yet been settled, she couldn¡¯t give up on the gardener and Madame Oughtred. However, regardless of what circumstances she discovered in the end, she was unable to handle it sufficiently. Moreover, not only was Lydia losing the will to resist Edgar''s words, as well as the determination to strive alone, she pondered that if she stubbornly persisted now, it may hurt Edgar more. Regarding this, she felt uneasy and hesitant. The reason why she spoke of annulling the engagement was because she hoped Edgar would refuse. Although he really did do this, Lydia also knew that her words hurt his heart. ¡°What are you thinking? Are you thinking of running away from me?¡± She never thought about wanting to escape from Edgar''s side; at the time, she thought that her knee was actually small enough for him to cover with his hand. What did she need to do in the end, in order to become the woman he was hoping for? Lydia believed that by she accepting Madame Oughtred''s education, she would become that kind of lady. But although she tried hard, it was to no avail which made her feel increasingly unworthy of Edgar. Granted that the sky began to turn white, Lydia''s heart remained incapable of deciding whether she wanted to leave here or remain. ¡°Hey Lydia, wake up!¡± Nico beat the sunroof while calling her name. Lydia lazily sat up. ¡°....I¡¯m up already.¡± ¡°I found the place where the Danish fairies are gathering. Come quickly.¡± Once Lydia heard these words, she hastily threw aside her blanket, immediately changed her clothes, and left the room. After that, she followed Nico who went to the courtyard, continued on from the patio and entered an elegant and refined study room. ¡°You see, this room has fairy footprints everywhere, and there are many new ones. Those guys seem to enter and exit this place frequently.¡± For Lydia, completely catching sight of the fairy footprints was a little difficult, but because it was Nico who said that, it can¡¯t be wrong. Here, in the former Earl''s study room, it seemed as if time had stopped. It was arranged very neatly as if not even a speck of dust remained. But from years of using the armchair and Victorian desk, one could infer the predecessor''s character. ¡°The Danish fairies seem to have contact with each generation''s master of this household, so wouldn''t they recall the previous master and only assemble here?¡± Madame Oughtred had no children, so her deceased husband''s title, the Earl, ought to be passed on to her husband''s relative. Although Lydia didn''t know whether that relative felt reminiscent of the land their ancestors'' had lived in until now, for the fairies, acknowledging that the relative kept away from this piece of land due to the Earl family''s master was very difficult. Regardless, perhaps the Danish fairies had previously thought that at any rate, they wanted to leave this residence. What kind of contract did Madame Oughtred and the Danish fairies agree upon? If the Madame let the fairy act as a substitute as they waited in the residence, then what was she doing there again? Whatever wish the Madame had, was it necessary for her to depart from the fairies beforehand to borrow their power to accomplish it? Lydia thought while she looked around the room. The portraits that were arranged here, were they the people that formerly lived in this mansion, that the Danish fairies were extremely close to? If that''s really the case, the possibility of fairies appearing here frequently wasn''t strange. Finally, Lydia¡¯s line of sight stopped at a painting. Within the painting was an upper-class woman, whose style of attire was slightly old-fashioned and even used a rose garland as a necklace. Unexpectedly, Lydia had the impression that each type of flower combined and became a necklace. The gardener Virginia wore a garland necklace that was the same. Regardless of the type and size of flowers, even the colors¡¯ arrangement order were also the same. What is going on? The decorative garland that was on the former lady, without the slightest degree of wilting, was worn on Virginia¡¯s chest? Was it Virginia who made a garland that was similar in appearance? Again, what was this for? No, perhaps for those who simply saw it believed that they were real flowers, but in fact, those were fake flowers. ¡°Could it be...the Regard necklace...?¡± Lydia murmured to herself. The roses were crimson rubies, the leaves were green emeralds, the amaryllis were scarlet garnets, not to mention, the grass were violet amethysts and the white roses were diamonds. Removing the first letter of each gem¡¯s English name and putting it together became ¡°REGARD¡± --- this message expressed respect and love. In that case, could this be Madame Oughtred¡¯s secret necklace? Virginia once said that, as long as you wore the garland around the neck, you could enter the fairy rose garden. Furthermore, the flowers and the fairies¡¯ essence were originally very similar in meaning, in other words, through the flower¡¯s power, it was relatively easy to find the entrance to the fairies¡¯ rose garden. However, if that rose garden was this household¡¯s secret [necklace] handed down from generation to generation, then even if the necklace was ready to permit one to enter the Danish fairies¡¯ rose garden as proof, it wouldn¡¯t be strange. Lucinda once said the flowers were used as a theme for precious stones. The butler also said that it was usually worn on the body, as it would be a very conspicuous article. "Nico, I got it.¡± "What? Got what?" The gardener Virginia, is Madame Oughtred. Therefore she, because the fairy driven her away from the room and replaced her identity, was unable to leave the rose garden. The Regard necklace was not stolen. Rather, it was Madame Oughtred who was wearing it all along. ¡°About the Madame¡¯s Regard necklace, I already know where that thing is, let¡¯s go and confirm it.¡± An upper-class woman personally tending to a garden and considering it as a hobby wasn¡¯t uncommon, let alone she still possesses the ability to make the roses bloom. Presumably, she used a calm hand to personally manage the rose garden. ¡°Wait, Lydia, where do you want to go? If Virginia is Madame Oughtred, the things that Lydia should do here ought to be very clear. Lydia had the mind frame of taking everything and placing it onto this one clue and ran out. As a result, she nearly bumped into a figure who suddenly appeared at the study room door. Therefore, she stopped. ¡°Good morning [or You¡¯re early], are you working already?¡± That person was Billy. He used his hands to block the door exit, as if to prevent Lydia from leaving. Not knowing whether or not he heard the dialogue from a moment ago, Lydia minded this a little. Although Nico''s speech sounded like a cat calling for the majority of people¡¯s ears, Lydia unexpectedly was thought to be speaking strange thoughts to herself by people. ¡°You''re very early, too.¡± ¡°I just wanted to call you, can you follow me for a bit?¡± ¡°Uh, I have a little work before that. ¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be quick. In fact, there was a maid who picked up Lucinda¡¯s brooch. She said that it was probably because she didn¡¯t return it immediately that caused you to be suspected, therefore she would like to apologize to you.¡± ¡°Ah, so it was like that¡­¡± ¡°Can you go and see her?¡± A maid who was in charge of various jobs only had this current moment of freedom before work, thus Lydia nodded her head. She used her eyes to hint at Nico to wait a bit for her, and proceeded to walk out of the room together with Billy. ¡°Mr. Nico, breakfast has already been prepared. Did you want to sleep in this kind of place?" Once he heard the word ¡°breakfast¡±, Nico immediately opened his eyes. He was by the edge of the study room¡¯s window and waited for Lydia until he fell asleep. It was because the chairs here were quite comfortable. ¡°Engg~~ it¡¯s Raven... My belly is hungry. How strange. What about Lydia? She still hasn¡¯t returned?¡± ¡°I am also trying to find Miss Lydia.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s right, she was called out by the servant known as Billy. He said something about a maid picking up Lucinda¡¯s brooch.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± The voice was not from Raven. Rather, Edgar appeared at the doorway. He seemed to be looking for Lydia together with Raven. ¡°Nico, after Lydia was taken away by Billy, it should be unlikely that she wouldn¡¯t return, right?¡± Edgar¡¯s expression drastically changed as he grabbed Nico. ¡°Stop it, put me down... Argh, really, you, with that kind of jealous man attitude, not excusing anyone who gets close to Lydia, you should also restrain yourself a bit.¡± ¡°Did they say anything else? Did it have anything to do with the matter of Madame Oughtred¡¯s gems?¡± ¡°She did, she said it. Lydia, that girl, she suddenly said something, that she knew where the Regard necklace was.¡± After hearing Nico¡¯s answer, Edgar clicked his tongue. He proceeded to release Nico, as if he were throwing something out. ¡°Raven, find Billy and Lydia. Go now, immediately.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What are you doing?! Don¡¯t throw me out! This love-jealous petty man!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not being jealous, Lydia is in danger.¡± Edgar seemed to be very anxious as he said this. Lydia followed after Billy and arrived at the rear of the stable. However, there was no maid who allegedly picked up Lucinda¡¯s pins. Volume 11 - CH 6 ¡°Lord Edgar, the preparations are complete.¡± Raven whispered, as he entered the room and carefully closed the door. Lydia drifted off to sleep next door. Although she was out of earshot, Raven still made sure, probably because Edgar did not want Lydia to hear. For Lydia¡¯s matters to be considered, hasn¡¯t Raven grown considerably? Little by little, he was obtaining human-like emotions and adapting to his peaceful life. This was why Edgar felt guilty when ordering him to assist in the preparation of such cruel matters. However, Edgar had not yet been liberated from his battle of life and death, and Raven was his soldier. He understood that Raven intended follow him no matter where he went. Edgar believed in his bond with Raven, for that his orders were absolute as his master. Edgar spoke. ¡°Has Annie shown fear?¡± She is not very scared. Rather, she appeared firm and resolute, and continued to pretend that she cannot speak.¡± ¡°In that case, let me threaten her a little.¡± Surely, this was a method that Lydia hated. But to Edgar, only such method was possible. In order to protect his comrades and defeat his enemies, the most reliable method should be selected. So far, he had always done this and will always do this in future. Even if they were only just a group of thieves, he planned to eliminate them completely. ¡°In addition to that, Lord Edgar, this--¡± Raven held up to show Edgar red hair. It seemed to belong to Annie. ¡°Did you strip it off from the scalp of her head?¡± ¡°....It¡¯s a wig.¡± As one would expect, it seemed that he still cannot comprehend jokes. ¡°So that would mean Annie is...¡± ¡°Black haired.¡± Finally, all matters came to light. Annie was the one who intruded into Madame Oughtred¡¯s room. Lucinda hid the jewelry box in order to put the blame on Lydia again. ¡°Raven, you did well noticing it. This determines the plan.¡± Raven paused awaiting Edgar¡¯s orders on what was planned. But Edgar suddenly murmured something else. ¡°Raven, has Lydia grown to love me more than I expected?¡± Raven seemed tired of responding as he silently looked at Edgar. Although he was partly talking to himself, it seemed that in order to find excuses, Edgar continued. ¡°Lydia is doing her best for me right now by staying here. She did not give up and despite going through so much hardship, she is still trying to become the fianc¨¦e I¡¯ve been hoping for.¡± Of course as a fairy doctor, she was perhaps very worried about Madame Oughtred who had been kidnapped by fairies, but she definitely continued to be a maid for Edgar. Thinking of himself as someone who gradually became precious to Lydia, he shouldn¡¯t be conceited. Lydia said that she was unable to be accustomed to being his fianc¨¦e and had always thought that Edgar wanted her be more pure. It seems that Edgar was too impatient. Understanding these passionate emotions still needed more time but such frustration made one feel attracted to it. ¡°The theories of love are really unreliable. Who said that the one who loves more, loses? Lydia would certainly love me as much as I love her.¡± As long as it was to protect Lydia, anything will be done. Despite his arrogant desires descending onto himself, who received the curse, only this feeling could dispel that desire. Whether it was for the sake of lovers, family, comrades or for whomever to fight for, he wanted to believe that he will not stray from that path. ¡°Well then, shall we begin?¡± Edgar stood up. As they approached Lucinda''s room, they could hear her shouting as it resounded throughout the corridor. ¡°What on earth is the matter? Where¡¯s Annie? Father, can you please ask the butler to hurry up and find her?¡± ¡°She will be back soon.¡± ¡°But she just went to change the water in the vase and hasn¡¯t come back. Although she has a habit of slacking off sometimes, it will soon be noon. I can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± Just then, Lucinda cried to Edgar because she was terribly worried that the maid hadn¡¯t come back, but in reality, even when the maid wasn¡¯t here, she did not seem to be the type of person who would cry. ¡°Although she didn¡¯t speak of it, I was very good to her! But she certainly made a fool out of me!¡± Edgar stood before the door. Without knocking, the door opened. Lucinda ran out and was stopped when she bumped onto Edgar. ¡°Earl Ashenbert... what can I do for you?¡± Just then, she quickly turned away. She probably just remembered how she was expelled out of the room. However on the other hand, thinking that Edgar might chase after her, she glanced imperceptibly towards him, with expectation. ¡°You were quite disrespectful before, Lady Lucinda.¡± Having heard this, she suppressed a smile and then frowned. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the first time I received such an insult. The Earl actually stood up for a maid.¡± This lady liked to act no matter where she went. Edgar also suppressed a smile and said mysteriously¡­ ¡°In order to express my apologies, I¡¯ve helped you find your maid. But it was quite troublesome.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Annie? What was that girl doing?¡± ¡°She took your jewelry box containing your jewels. But she didn¡¯t have the jewelry box with her, so perhaps she hid it somewhere else. On where it might be hidden, it¡¯s currently being investigated.¡± ¡°Lucinda, Annie wanted to run away with your jewels?¡± Lord Constable, who was surprised, drew closer to her. ¡°Yes...umm.¡± As Annie was almost being treated like a thief, Lucinda seemed to be unexpectedly impatient. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we need to ask Annie about it.¡± ¡°Earl Ashenbert, my daughter has given you trouble. Where is Annie?¡± Up until now, Lord Constable had never shown a modest attitude like that before. Perhaps it was because he believed that Edgar had tracked down Annie for Lucinda. ¡°This way. I will not let her escape so I¡¯ve sent someone to guard her. Will you come with me?¡± Then Edgar brought the two of them to the most secluded room of the mansion. Almost no one would come here. Therefore, even if there was a little disturbance, it would be as if nothing happened. Edgar casually opened the door for them to enter and waiting beside the fireplace was Raven, who had started the fire. ¡°Annie...¡± It¡¯s no wonder Lucinda¡¯s complexion went pale. Annie was tied to a chair and was looking down with a pale complexion. Raven¡¯s ¡°light¡± threats seemed to be effective. To only give direct pain, wasn¡¯t torture interrogation. Rather than the reality of pain, people imagining the endless horror feared experiencing it instead. That¡¯s why things such as torture equipment deliberately looked extravagant without much of a threat. If someone were to explain to you so you could imagine vividly when you are disobedient, he could still harm you even without lifting a finger. ¡°So, Annie your master is here to see you. Would you like to beg her to save you?¡± Lucinda and Lord Constable were silent at this anomalous situation. Her head was caught, and she was unable to move as she looked into Edgar¡¯s eyes. With horrified eyes wide open, what did she see? Edgar did not know. Was it a demon? He understood because he had encountered this kind of situation several times. At this moment, the outcome was clear. ¡°No... please stop! Save me!¡± The burning iron rod hadn¡¯t even touched her face and she cried out. ¡°I--I didn¡¯t do it! I don¡¯t know where her jewels are! In any case, it¡¯s all fake!¡± Once she began to talk, she believed that she would be given mercy, so she continued to speak. ¡°Anyway, it was all surely hidden by her! Ah, and it was also a lie when she said the brooch was stolen the other day!¡± Lucinda deliberately spread bad rumours about Lydia. Annie, following Lucinda¡¯s command, had placed the brooch in Lydia¡¯s room. The various kinds of Lucinda¡¯s hidden plots, Annie spoke of it gleefully. In addition, the initials on the letters that were the same as Edgar¡¯s and the events of Lucinda meeting the man in the evening written in her diary, were all fabricated to deliberately allow her father to discover it. Annie had exposed them all. ¡°Stop... shut up, Annie! Don¡¯t speak of such groundless lies!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! After all, you were looking for someone who couldn¡¯t speak because you didn¡¯t want to let others around you to discover what you were doing, right? "Didn''t you often say that every time a maid was about to reveal your schemes, turning her into the villain and chasing her out was becoming troublesome?" Lord Constable tightly grabbed onto Lucinda¡¯s shoulders who turned pale. ¡°Lucinda, is that right? The fact that you and Earl Ashenbert have been in contact is...¡± ¡°Umm...Father...¡± ¡°Come with me!¡± Feeling embarrassed after having understood the situation, Lord Constable wanted to Lucinda away as if to escape. ¡°Lord Constable, what will you do with Annie?¡± ¡°That woman is fired. Do whatever you want.¡± He had returned to his normal behaviour. ¡°She has not yet spoken on whereabouts of Miss Lucinda¡¯s jewels.¡± ¡°Anyway these are cheap goods.¡± After confirming that it was fake, Edgar was surprised. But such things are not important. Edgar continued to interrogate Annie... ¡°In that case Annie, the jewels of Miss Lucinda do not concern me. I want to inquire about the ivory jewelry box. The Regard necklace was hidden in there by Madame Oughtred. Was it because she realized that it will be stolen?¡± Annie and Lucinda suddenly looked surprised and Edgar pretended that he didn¡¯t notice it. As Lord Constable was mad, it seemed like he didn¡¯t hear those words just then. Lucinda was immediately dragged by her father and left the room. But with this, they had both set foot into the trap that Edgar had set up. Lucinda will certainly go and take out the jewelry box that she hid. Annie and her comrades will aim for that time. Of course, it was fabricated that the Regard necklace was intentionally hidden, but it seemed that they believed it. Using this approach, Edgar planned to round up all the thieves and catch them in one swoop. ? * By the time it was evening, Lydia who began to get up, had somewhat regained some energy. Oatmeal was immediately brought by a maid exclusive to attending to guest rooms. This maid did not maliciously spread gossip as it was an older woman. Mrs. Boyle had probably selected maids that had not been in contact with Lydia. Lydia stirred the oatmeal just in case to check for any foreign substances. After confirming that there were none, she finally place it in her mouth, relieved. As her fatigue alleviated, she was able to think clearly and so she began to concern over the matters in relation to Madame Oughtred. Tonight was a full moon. Something needed to be done by dawn, but Edgar said to wait until all the thieves were eliminated. Anyway, Lydia still had not yet figured out the most important matter which was the Danish fairies¡¯ secret. She was just feeling absentminded until she saw light. If Madame Oughtred¡¯s Regard necklace, which was the symbol of their gratitude, was permitted into the Danish fairies¡¯ rose garden, then the necklace were jewels of the Danish fairies. Lydia thought it was the Danish fairies¡¯ gift to Madame Oughtred as a way to express their trust. Moreover, the extremely-hated mankind had entered the Danish fairies¡¯ rose garden. The fairy that Lydia encountered felt angry as it thought that she wanted to steal something. In that case, this could be interpreted to mean that their treasure was hidden in the rose garden. But where exactly would their treasure be hidden in the rose garden? By digging up the grounds, would the jewels come out one by one? There was only one opportunity to trade with the fairies. A mistake cannot be made. Lydia¡¯s thoughts eventually reached a dead end. As expected, Madame Oughtred can¡¯t be rescued as it may be impossible to trade with the Danish fairies. Feeling a loss of confidence, Lydia¡¯s feelings of giving up slowly grew within her. Nevertheless, she wanted to do as much as she could as a fairy doctor. There should still be something she could do even if she couldn¡¯t save Madame Oughtred. As Lydia thought that, she recalled the matter with the blue roses. Madame Oughtred said that the blue roses will bloom when the moon rises tonight. Come to think of it, a guest will be arriving at the mansion today. It must be Madame Oughtred¡¯s friend, whom she made a promise with to see the blue roses. She read the letter that informed her that the blue roses will bloom and came over on this day. The Madame told Lydia that if she were to ever meet her, she wanted her to tell her friend that the blue roses have bloomed. But perhaps it was still possible for that her friend to see the blue roses now. Volume 11 - CH 7 After walking into glass greenhouse, the thick and dense greenery had covered Lucinda''s line of sight. She headed towards the depths of the greenhouse, loathing the humidity and the plants¡¯ intense fragrances that she was completely unfamiliar with. She remembered hiding it under the base of the massive ivy ahead. Lucinda approached that tall conspicuous plant, then crouched down and rummaged through, trying to find the bottom of the ivy. She used her hands to clasp the case. The beautiful jewel case was decorated with ivory fretwork carvings, just this alone was worth considering as a piece of art to be appreciated. Used to conceal Madame Oughtred¡¯s Regard necklace, it was indeed suitable. The bottom of the case surely had a double tier design, or there was a mechanism that would open up from an unexpected area. Lucinda confirmed this in many ways, like shaking the case, turning it over and so on, but ultimately, she still couldn¡¯t find the Regard necklace. ¡°Do I have no other choice but to break the case?¡± Although this was beautiful and considered to be an ornament, it was used as a jewel case and was expensive itself. However, the necklace ought to be more precious, and Lucinda thought that no matter what, she wanted to wear the Regard necklace. Even if she wasn¡¯t able to meet with her aunt, as long as the necklace was found, it could be borrowed. It didn¡¯t matter despite this being her aunt¡¯s jewel case, as she could say that Annie broke it. She was already asked to leave here; in any case, a person who wasn¡¯t present had no way to explain themselves. In order to break the jewel case, Lucinda looked around, then saw a flower bed enclosed by a stone wall. Hitting it should be able to break it. As Lucinda stood up and lifted the case over her head, she heard the sound of leather shoes behind her. She was startled and planned to turn around, then was caught from a person behind her. The jewel case accidentally dropped from her hands, and although the cover came off, it wasn¡¯t damaged. ¡°So this is the jewel case adorned with the Regard necklace.¡± A man picked up the jewel case and sneered towards Lucinda, who was caught. When she noticed, she was already surrounded by several unfamiliar men. ¡°W-who are you guys¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hey, quickly break it and confirm its contents.¡± The man in front of Lucinda, whose mouth was covered, took the ivory jewel case and threw it against the stone wall. The fragments burst out in all directions. The crowd of men gathered around the broken case, carefully inspecting the case¡¯s bottom, the inside of the cover, and places with possible small cracks. Finally, a man among them muttered: ¡°¡­It¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°The Regard necklace isn¡¯t anywhere.¡± What? ¡°Was it you who hid it? Hey, where did you hide it?¡± Lucinda, who had a knife against her by someone, was frightened. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­.I don¡¯t know¡­. Save me¡­.¡± ¡°Hey Annie, what¡¯s this about? Didn¡¯t this girl hide the necklace?¡± Annie? Astonished, Lucinda gingerly stole a glance at her. Standing before her was a black-haired woman. After seeing her appearance, she was sure that it was Annie. ¡°I just wanted to ask. What¡¯s the matter? Miss Lucinda, if you know of the necklace¡¯s whereabouts then hurry up and speak, or else I¡¯m going to humiliate you. ¡°...Annie, why would you¡­¡± ¡°You want to ask, why the expelled maid would be together with these guys? They¡¯re my comrades, we planned to steal in this mansion.¡± ¡°Y--You¡¯re the thief...?¡± ¡°More or less. The reason why I approached you was in order to enter this mansion without being suspected. When I was temporarily hired here in the past, I was driven out because I stole a few coins. At that time, I heard that there were many expensive gems here.¡± Afterwards, Annie changed the color of her hair, pretended that she couldn¡¯t speak, and assumed her position as Lucinda¡¯s maid. If she was a guest¡¯s maid, neither the butler nor the head maid would investigate her experiences and cautiously observe her. In addition, Annie always lowered her head, so no one would recall that she resembled the temporarily hired maid. ¡°I knew you wanted a maid who did not speak, so I decided to perform the role. Don¡¯t you think the acting was cleverly done?¡± The previous Annie, who would only tremble when she was cursed at by Lucinda, now unexpectedly changed into a person who seemed to show disdain for Lucinda, laughing as she poked fun at her. Annie and the thieves eyeing the jewels were unexpectedly accomplices! An impatient man hit Lucinda, who was speechless. ¡°Where is the Regard necklace? If you don¡¯t know, then staying here is useless!¡± Lucinda, who fell to ground, dragged her body wanting to escape, but was surrounded by the men. "I beg you, Annie...save me. Didn¡¯t I give you biscuits several times?¡± Annie smiled and laughed as she stepped on Lucinda''s skirt. ¡°Oh~~ wasn¡¯t that you throwing your leftovers on the floor then ordering me to pick it up? Are you a fool? The more I remember it, the more I wanted to get my revenge.¡± ¡°How troublesome, do you want to kill her or not?¡± At present, Lucinda could only sob incessantly. "Hey thieves, it ends here!¡± Suddenly, a voice was heard. Several familiar people appeared at the entrance of the greenhouse. They were the servants of this mansion. For some reason, they were all holding pistols. Furthermore, that slender figure with golden hair was¡­... "You¡¯ve already been cornered! It¡¯s futile to resist so drop your weapons!¡± Although the one who said this was a short-haired servant, Lucinda¡¯s eyes only saw one person. ¡°Earl Ashenbert ......!¡± However, although she wanted to stand up, her shoulders were held down by Annie. She pressed a knife against Lucinda¡¯s face, saying... ¡°Damn it, so that¡¯s how it is. Everyone, we¡¯ve been deceived by that aristocrat!¡± What did she mean? ¡°Saying that the Regard was hidden in that jewel case was a trap.¡± ¡°You finally noticed.¡± The handsome Earl exposed a shallow smile, and Lucinda gazed at him, her mind full of confusion. It was a lie, that the Regard necklace was hidden in the ivory jewel case? Earl Ashenbert deliberately lied? He knew Lucinda hid the jewel case. He also knew that Lucinda would take the jewel case after hearing about this matter, and knew that Annie¡¯s comrades would follow closely after her. He exposed the matter of Annie being able to speak, because he knew that Annie was a member of the group of thieves. While Annie took Lucinda hostage, who was at a loss, she retreated backwards. ¡°Bastard! You don¡¯t care what happens to this girl? You should be the ones to drop your weapons!¡± A man yelled out among them, his other companions seemingly gaining the courage and assuming this position. Regardless, the servants still held their pistols as they gradually approached closer. Annie¡¯s hand that held the knife began to use force, thus Lucinda panicked. ¡°D-don¡¯t come here! I will be killed! Earl, save me!¡± Lucinda believed that she was quite suited for him, but the Earl exposed a smile at her miserable screams. But that smile wasn¡¯t directed towards Lucinda, rather it was towards Annie. ¡°Annie, it¡¯s useless even if you do that kind of thing. Shouldn¡¯t you be quite clear about that?¡± Annie, whose name was called, trembled. She probably recalled the scene where the Earl approached her with scorching iron tongs. Lucinda also felt afraid. At that time, Earl Ashenbert hardly retreated from committing such cruel acts. Now, he clearly told Annie that even if she held a hostage as a shield, it was useless. It meant that no matter how Lucinda was in the end, he wanted to catch Annie and these men. Just as Lucinda realized that Annie felt afraid, she was also unable to make a sound. ¡°Lieutenant, hurry up and take action.¡± He urged him on indifferently. ¡°However, the hostage¡­¡± ¡°You must choose your master¡¯s safety or the hostage¡¯s life. Even if it¡¯s only a split second, you guys can¡¯t be at all loss, right?¡± ¡°.......I understand.¡± As they began to step forward, the sound of shattering glass was heard from behind Lucinda. Just as everyone thought that a shadow jumped in, the man in front of Lucinda was kicked down. Subsequently, the shadow seized the opportunity to pull Lucinda away from Annie. At the same time, a brawl unfolded all around. Once the gunshots sounded, Lucinda held her head. But she was immediately pulled up by the man who jumped in just now. This brown-skinned youth was Earl Ashenbert¡¯s valet. ¡°Hurry up and get out!¡± The youth pushed Lucinda out of the greenhouse from the place where the glass had broken, then she ran away without looking back. Even if she wasn¡¯t abandoned by the Earl, she was unable to think it would be like this. She used her hands to touch her neck, which felt painful, and discovered that she was bleeding. Incognito? But... ¡°Excuse me, isn¡¯t the Madame¡¯s name Alexandrina?¡± ¡°Yes, her name is Alexandrina Victoria.¡± ¡°Whaat!? T-the Duchess is¡­!¡± Lydia¡¯s hands were stuck to her cheeks, and her whole body went stiff. That¡¯s can¡¯t be, I carelessly spoke a bunch, as if I threw up grievances... But also, I didn¡¯t see her off. ¡°This way, I have already introduced my fianc¨¦e, and Her Majesty has seen you. Next, as long as you grandly take this special invitation card, then entering the court will be easy.¡± ¡°Bu--but social etiquette...¡± ¡°As long as you know the basics that will be fine. As soon as Madame Maysfield returns, she will teach you without delay again. Furthermore Lydia, the one whose manners are receiving attention shouldn¡¯t be you, but rather me. After all, I must invite the lady which Her Majesty the Queen had noticed to dance.¡± Haven¡¯t I seen that kind of scene? That dream¡­ was a dream that matched reality? Not knowing why, Lydia felt dizzy. ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, it¡¯s okay to let him deal with it for you. Aren¡¯t the two of you getting married?¡± Recalling the words of Duchess Brightbery, Lydia couldn¡¯t help but be thankful for her consideration. ¡°In short, this time you can now announce your engagement to the public, but Lucinda will be quite remorseful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, she only liked my outward appearance, nothing more.¡± What, liking outward appearances, didn¡¯t he feel quite strange saying these words himself? In other words, Edgar deliberately ruined Lucinda¡¯s dreams with regards to appearances? ¡°Uh, Edgar...¡± ¡°What is it? ¡°Umm... it can wait until later.¡± In any case, she could not ask him what he did to Lucinda and Annie in front of Madame Oughtred. But the Madame seemed to have misunderstood and smiled, as she left the room to let them talk alone. ¡°You wanted to be alone with me sooner?¡± ¡°A--as if.¡± ¡°But I hoped that I would be alone with you sooner.¡± Edgar leaned forward towards her, and as if it was an old habit he pulled the reddish brown hair that only he compared it to the color of caramel. ¡°Hey, why did Annie take Lucinda hostage? Furthermore, she was afraid and said that she would be killed with Lucinda by you.¡± Edgar played with Lydia¡¯s hair he had picked up with his fingertips while feigning ignorance. ¡°Because of a little accident.¡± An accident? Edgar, this man would have planned for an accident to occur, therefore this sentence was unconvincing. As coercing Annie into making a dangerous promise was the same, he in no way would show his enemies mercy. Edgar, who was unable to abandon his callous side, always maintained this state of being able to immediately fight when something suddenly happens. Even now, his body and mind still hadn¡¯t settled into the peaceful daily life. Perhaps even now, he wasn¡¯t only thinking of marriage. So to say¡­ could it be that... ¡°Edgar, you wouldn¡¯t... have known of Her Majesty the Queen coming here, right¡­¡± ¡°How could I have known?¡± He replied with a big grin. That¡¯s absolutely a lie. In the end, where exactly did this man get state secrets? This, on all kinds of levels, made Lydia dizzy. ¡°This good fortune is standing by our side.¡± Indeed, he still gets carried away. Lydia lifted her gaze, and that familiar smiling face was before her. This kind of shameless cheerful smile was perhaps the style most like Edgar. His old enemy had already undoubtedly died, but he threw himself into battle. Although Lydia still didn¡¯t know the reason, she hoped that she would be able to understand and support him without the slightest hesitation in that moment. She earnestly hoped that whether it was being tactful or distressed, there would inevitably be one day that he wouldn¡¯t need to conceal anything under that smile. And because of this, despite Lydia lowering her head, unable to convey her happiness and gratitude for receiving the Regard necklace, she still felt that being needed by Edgar was her own wish, thus as always, she nervously used her hand to grasp his in response. [1] Japanese T/N: Following the Japanese spelling of Dearest, ¥Ç¥£¥¢¥ì¥¹¥È (Di-ah-re-su-to). Which is why there is no jewel starting with an E included. Volume 12 - CH 1 P. 10 P. 24 He still wasn¡¯t a human, so his heaviness and the touch of his softness and warmth was an illusion. Even if she thought that, he seemed like a read baby. The fairy baby smiled at her with a little embarrassment and grabbed ahold of Lydia tightly. ¡°Mother has such a nice smell. It¡¯s just like I had dreamed.¡± When he told her something like that, then she wasn¡¯t able to bring herself to say he had the wrong person. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mother.¡± ¡°But, you see¡­..¡± ¡°So then, you really don¡¯t want me?¡± His big blue eyes became wet and shining with tears, which made Lydia panic. ¡°No, fine, I¡¯ll go. Let¡¯s go on a picnic!¡± ¡°Raven, make the preparations,¡± said Edgar without giving a pause. Still holding the basket, Raven had been silently watching how everything was going, but at that, he bolted up to stand. * P. 25 It wasn¡¯t like she hated Edgar. Even Lydia acknowledged, for the time being, that he had good traits to him beside his looks. To Lydia who had only been close to fairies and been seen with looks of strange and odd by the people around her, it was genuinely happy to her to be acknowledged of her power as a fairy doctor. He was someone who proposed to her for the first time in her life, and when she thought this was going to be the first and last opportunity for such a thing, then it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t feel any beating of her heart. However, no matter what, she wasn¡¯t able to believe that he had serious feelings for her. To Edgar who had been juggling and switching many women up till now, love must be something that quickly cools down. She guessed that it wasn¡¯t feelings of love but more that he was using the option that would tie down the fairy doctor who was an important figure to the earl family to this house forever. Even if he did gain the title of Earl of Ibrazel, Edgar doesn¡¯t have the power to come in contact with fairies. Since he is relying on Lydia in regards to everything when it comes to fairies, it could be that he felt just an employer-worker relationship wasn¡¯t strong enough. That¡¯s why in order to get married with Lydia, even if Edgar were to declare that he ¡®cut his ties with his female ¡°friends¡±,¡¯ she couldn¡¯t possibly believe him. Because, just a few days earlier, Lydia heard him having a serious conversation with a certain woman. P. 26 ¡°So, I was just being fooled around with.¡± It was just when she was passing by the doorway of Edgar¡¯s office. Lydia heard those words spoken that she couldn¡¯t possibly ignore, and so she couldn¡¯t help but to stop. It was the voice of a young girl. ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. Only that, a flower of love can¡¯t keep blooming on forever. If you were able to spend your time beautifully, then it would be the best for both to search and find a new love before that love loses its color.¡± There was no mistake that the voice who she was talking to in that conversation, that sounded like he was soothing and coaxing with his talk, was Edgar. ¡°It was because I was from the lower birth, wasn¡¯t it? I shouldn¡¯t have believed the words that class didn¡¯t have anything to do with it¡­¡± ¡°Class has nothing to do with it when falling in love. But, because thinking of your sake, it means that ending the relationship is the only option. Making you into a mistress wasn¡¯t the wish is the reason. Could you understand that?¡± A m-mistress? She felt shocked at hearing such a frank word used, but Lydia thought it wasn¡¯t right to be listening to such a thing like this, and so she rush to get away from that spot. However, just when she heard the sound of a door slamming open with a loud force, a girl in a maid uniform went running out with her hands covering her face. P. 27 The girl realized Lydia was there and rushed to face away, and since it was the first time to see her face for Lydia, she guessed that the girl must be a newly employed housemaid. Lydia was dumbfounded at how he could fool around even with a servant, but as time went by, gradually she felt anger build up inside her. Even if he said he was serious and flirted with her, but immediately got tired of her and changed his mind, then that means he was half fooling around, playing a game. Edgar was showing himself like he had affections for Lydia, but his proposals and everything else must be just a temporary whim of his. If she were to take it seriously, then there was no mistake that she would be put through a terrible experience. Lydia reminded herself that anew once more, and pledged to herself that she was going to have a more assured, resolute attitude towards Edgar. And yet. Because of the appearance of Til, in the end, things were turning out like Edgar wanted. She wondered why things could have turned out like this, and took a glance over to him beside her with a feeling of resignation. He must have been watching her the whole time, as their eyes met immediately. Compared to Lydia¡¯s hair which was described as dirty, rusted-iron, his bright blond hair, which she envied so much, floated in front of her eyes by a breeze. P. 28 Edgar gave her a gentle happy smile, and it gave the impression like he was feeling pure joy at just being able to gaze at Lydia, but she couldn¡¯t imagine where it was about her, that was so apparently head-strong, unattractive appearance of her, that he could look at. ¡°It¡¯s quite the pleasant sunshine we¡¯re having. Even the singing of the birds sound like they are congratulating us,¡± he whispered to Lydia in a quite personal close distance as they sat themselves down on a blanket that was laid out in the shadow of a tree. Before she had realized it, he was holding her hand. ¡°Um, Edgar, shouldn¡¯t we stop in trying to use that little boy? We don¡¯t have any sure idea of what lies ahead, and it¡¯s questionable if I¡¯m really going to become a mother anyway. And besides, he still isn¡¯t a human, so he should return to where it is he belongs.¡± ¡°If we show him how close we are to each other, then Til would feel relieved and want to go home, I¡¯m sure.¡± Lydia wasn¡¯t able to escape from the deceitful crook that snuggled up to her. That was because she couldn¡¯t allow herself to push Edgar away as usual while they were in front of Til. ¡°For his sake as well, couldn¡¯t you try to feel like you are enjoying being together with me?¡± I guess I have no choice, but if she let herself give in like that just a little, he would take advantage of that opportunity. She was well aware of that, and yet when the gentle sunbeams that were streaming through the leaves would wave and rustle, the color of the ash mauve eyes that gaze at her would slightly change, making Lydia shaken and confused. If it were a real couple in love then this area near this small lake that was located beyond the forest out of the city, then they would be able to submit themselves to a romantic mood. P. 29 Mingling among the hill berries bushes, there was a haze of small light yellow flowers that was a nice sight to the eyes. The dark green-colored lake was surrounded by thickets and groves of small trees and the tree leaves and plants and flowers reflected in the water surface and gave a decorative, magical atmosphere that isn¡¯t seen in the city parks. It was a perfect place for a small picnic that was near enough to London. Have you brought a woman to this place in the past? was the kind of mean question that came up to her mind, but Lydia somehow managed to hide it in the back of her mind. Till was enjoying himself by chasing after a butterfly and running around. If she were to start a fight with Edgar here then he wouldn¡¯t want to go home at all. However, when Lydia was going to be quiet, then it was natural for Edgar to want to get ahead of himself. ¡°Lately, we haven¡¯t had that much time to spend together.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been seeing each other¡¯s faces every day.¡± ¡°Going out together has been a long while. I¡¯ve been having small affairs and didn¡¯t have any time. But you know, please don¡¯t think that I¡¯ve been ignoring or forgetting about you.¡± ¡°No big deal, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to compensate for everything, so you can cuddle up to me all you want.¡± I could never do such a dangerous thing. P. 30 However, like he aimed for the timing when Till was looking towards their direction, he removed Lydia¡¯s bonnet and placed a kiss on her head. ¡°Till, come over here now. Let¡¯s have lunch.¡± His attitude was if a light kiss was a daily part of their lives in such a natural way, as he called for little Till. ¡°Yees, Father.¡± Till, who came running over to them, held out a white flower to Lydia. ¡°This was growing over there by the bushes. I thought Mother was sure to like it.¡± It was an adorable lily flower. It was an early bloomer, but that could be Till using fairy magic to make it bloom. Of course, she didn¡¯t dislike it at all, but it must be a flower that Till like instead. As Lydia was thinking that, she quickly changed her expression that was made sour because of Edgar into a smile. In a place lit bright by the sun, Raven was setting out a simple table and chairs. On the table that was covered by a tablecloth, there were white plates and glasses that were taken out from the picnic basket and grape wine was being poured into them. Edgar took Lydia¡¯s hand and helped her up and in a mastered natural movement, he escorted her to the table. For little Till¡¯s sake, there were a number of cushions that were put one on top of each other on a chair, and then Raven gently picked him up and sat him down in it. There was cold meat, herbed sausage and cheese, pickles and oiled herring and colorful gooseberry gam and honey. P. 31 It must have been a rare sight, as Till looked as he was having fun watching everything on top of the table. ¡°Oh, Mother, what is this?¡± It was indeed a peculiar feeling to be called mother, but when Till made a carefree smile to her, Lydia made a smile somehow again. That¡¯s right, if this boy can feel relieved, then he is sure to return back to his friends. Even if she really was or wasn¡¯t his mother, that was the only thing that Lydia could do right now. ¡°It¡¯s a baked apple. Do you want a bite?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m still not a human yet, so I¡¯ll just have milk.¡± With both of his hands, he grabbed ahold of his glass, and put his lips to it with a delicious face. ¡°I want to hurry up and get born so that I can eat the same foods as Father and Mother.¡± ¡°That would be nice. If you were to be born, then the three of us should come back here again. Right, Lydia.¡± ¡°Eh? Oh, yes¡­.¡± ¡°Really? I can¡¯t wait. It¡¯s a pity that I won¡¯t be able to remember about today.¡± Just for an instant, Till made a sad, lonely expression. Perhaps he couldn¡¯t fight back the fear that that kind of time might never come. ¡°¡­¡­.We¡¯ll remember it.¡± P. 32 Lydia said that so that she could relieve him. And then, it was Edgar who looked happed as he agreed. Somehow or other, she still had the feeling like she was trapped in his scheme. ¡°And so, Lydia, when do you want to have our wedding?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh, you know, we still are only engaged and still haven¡¯t made anything specific, but I¡¯m starting to feel like I want to hurry up and get married. Since we have this opportunity, wouldn¡¯t it nice if we decided on the date in front of Till here?¡± ¡°That, that is¡­.¡± Since Till would look up to Lydia with eyes filled with expectations, so even as she was made irritated at Edgar¡¯s doings, she could only make a stiff smile. ¡°Edgar, let¡¯s first enjoy our meal!¡± I¡¯ll get even with you once Till goes home. As she secretly glared at Edgar, Lydia brought her glass to her lips. When she looked up, she saw there were hazy clouds passing by in the blue sky. If she were to exclude Edgar¡¯s plot, it was quite the peaceful picnic. As long as she didn¡¯t put Edgar in her eye of vision, then any day would be peaceful¡­¡­ Even if she were to think that, she wasn¡¯t able to take her eyes off of Edgar all this time. P. 33 As for that reason, she had a feeling like she knew why, but she didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it. A breeze passed by the tops of the trees. As she watched the apricot flower petals dance dancing around, but then suddenly a trickster gust blasted through and blown off Lydia¡¯s bonnet. It flew up in a swirl and the pansy-colored ribbon got caught on a tree branch. ¡°Oh, no, in such a high place.¡± It was Raven who immediately tried to go and retrieve it, but Edgar stopped him and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s all right, we¡¯ll go and get it.¡± ¡°Huh, what do you mean we?¡± ¡°Till, will you give me a hand for your Mother¡¯s sake?¡± Till energetically made a nod, and Edgar effortlessly picked him up. He carried the infant on one arm like he was a feather, and that made him appear unusually masculine. He had a slender build, and gave a strong impression of elegance and that of a nobleman. With one spoken word, he could move and make people submissive, and she was impressed at his traits of a ruler, but she had the feeling like he had nothing to do with a closer, simpler masculinity. His treatment of her as a lover and his sweet words always made Lydia nervous. It could have been the first time that she felt such a relaxing, comforting masculinity from him like this. Was he a person who could properly protect and help grow small, fragile little ones? What on earth was he thinking, thought Lydia as she hastily took a deep breath. P. 34 Edgar walked over to where it was right under the branch where the bonnet was caught and stopped. And then, he set Till on top of his shoulders. ¡°How is it? Can you reach your hands to it?¡± ¡°Ummm, just a little more.¡± Till stood up on his shoulders. It would be a disaster if his feet were to slip. Lydia forgot that he was a fairy and watched in suspense. ¡°You know, it¡¯s all right. Edgar, make him stop.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop now, Till.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I can reach it.¡± It was just when his tiny hand grabbed the end of the ribbon. His body wobbled to the side. ¡°Ahhh, watch out!¡± She thought he was going to fall. Lydia kicked herself off the chair to stand up. However, Edgar¡¯s hand had grabbed a tight hold on Till¡¯s body that appeared like he was going to fall. Still with his grip on him, he twirled the youngster around in circles. Till was circled around in the air and was letting bursts of laughter. He was grabbed onto as he was twirled around in the air like he was flying through the air, and instead of becoming afraid, he was enjoying it. Even when he was hung upside-down, he was enjoying himself. He had complete trust that Edgar wouldn¡¯t drop him. P. 35 P. 36 Then Till was finally set down on the ground and he flapped his delicate wings which were useless to fly as he was still laughing with pure delight. ¡°Edgar¡­.., what were you doing? What were you going to do if he got hurt!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I had a good grip on him.¡± ¡°But he nearly fell!¡± * ¡°What is this thing. He¡¯s standing up and walking.¡± When Lydia came to work the next day, Till came into her work office immediately. It seemed like he couldn¡¯t bring himself to go home yet, so he had spent the night at the earl house. She heard that Edgar wasn¡¯t here on some business, so he must be bored. The one who spoke up in a puzzled voice after seeing Till was Lydia¡¯s partner, a fairy cat who could walk on his hind feet. ¡°Wow, a cat talked!¡± ¡°Whoa, a baby talked!¡± The two of them who were the same height, both stood standing up straight as they looked in surprise at each other. In the work office in the earl house, Lydia stopped what she was writing, and thought it was sure a strange sight as she watched them. P. 38 ¡°Uh, just to let you know, Nico, he is a sprite of a stork. He isn¡¯t a human baby yet.¡± Nico curved his head around to take a look at Till¡¯s back. ¡°You¡¯re right, so he¡¯s a stork fairy baby. Why is he here?¡± ¡°Mother, this cat is wearing a necktie.¡± ¡°Mother, you mean Lydia?¡± ¡°Things are a little complicated. Oh, Nico, I¡¯m in the middle of work right now but would you play with Till for a little while?¡± Because she was made to accompany Edgar yesterday, she wasn¡¯t able to finish her work at all. ¡°Whaat, I have to babysit.¡± ¡°Mother, I can play with this cat.¡± He was much more understanding than Nico. ¡°I am not a cat! Be careful about that, Stork.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a stork either! Because I¡¯m going to become a human soon.¡± ¡°Huh? A fairy becoming a human? I never heard of such a thing.¡± ¡°A cat wouldn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a runt fairy who just got born. If you can keep up with me then I¡¯ll play with you.¡± Nico slipped out through the door with his slim body. Till went dashing after him as well. P. 39 ¡°Be nice to each other!¡± As Lydia shouted out to them, she sat down to her desk again. In their place, a maid came into the room. She placed a new letter asking for the help of a fairy doctor on the corner of the desk. ¡°Thank you.¡± As Lydia said that and looked up, she realized that the young maid was the girl who was in Edgar¡¯s office yesterday. The girl kept her face down as she made a little bow. She looked like she wasn¡¯t in good spirits, and Lydia guessed that might be because of Edgar¡¯s cold harsh treatment. And then, as the girl was about to leave the room, she suddenly stumbled and crouched down on the floor like she was going to fall. ¡°Oh, you! Are you all right? Shall I go call for someone¡­.¡± However, she grabbed ahold of Lydia¡¯s arm as if to stop her. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll get better in no time¡­.¡± Lydia figured that if the head maid were to find out the girl would be yelled at, so she decided that the girl should rest here for now. Just when Lydia was going to lend the girl her should and help her up, someone else gave out their hand. The one who picked up the maid girl was Raven. P. 40 ¡°Where shall I set her down?¡± He was just his usual self like he was talking about some piece of luggage. ¡°Oh, could you lay her down on that sofa.¡± He promptly did as he was told. ¡°Thank you, Raven. Um, I¡¯m going to have her rest here for a bit.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s best for her to have something to eat. Lately, Connie hasn¡¯t been eating anything.¡± ¡°What? Is that true?¡± Lydia thought that the girl might not be able to let food down her throat from the shock of her lost love, but then, in the next moment, there was something that got stuck in her mind. He was someone who was nearly indifferent to anyone else than Edgar, so why would he notice something like a maid not taking her meals. ¡°Why do you know something like that?¡± ¡°I was ordered to keep an eye on her.¡± In other words, by Edgar? Lydia became irritated, and she left the maid named Connie by herself and pulled Raven out of the room. In the hallway, she lowered her voice to talk to him. ¡°What is that, what do you mean? It¡¯s distasteful to monitor the woman he casted off.¡± Raven seemed like he didn¡¯t understand her meaning, as he tilted his head to the side. P. 41 ¡°I happened to hear it. Just when Edgar was bringing up ending their relationship to her. To go and put his hands on a servant, and then cast her aside, it isn¡¯t something a gentleman would do!¡± ¡°That is not true.¡± ¡°What is not true! He said that his feelings for her died down to her face!¡± Raven didn¡¯t move one inch keeping a face like he was upset. He was a young man, who had a small build and of Asian descent, but before this job, he was an exceptionally skilled bodyguard. When she was glared by him, it made Lydia a little nervous and she eased her body back. However, he must of just been thinking about something in his head. It seemed like he was thinking things over in his mind for quite some time as he remained silent, but eventually, he opened his mouth. ¡°He was talking about me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Lord Edgar had been talking to her in my place.¡± ¡°Y¡­¡­You were with Connie?¡± That¡¯s impossible. She could only think that it was a statement to cover for Edgar. In the first place, Raven wouldn¡¯t talk to anyone unless that was something necessary for his job working under Edgar. Lydia wondered what kind of conversation he would have with a lower ranking maid. And besides, she had clearly stated that there was a class difference between them. P. 42 Lydia tried to calm her fuming rage somehow and took in a deep breath. Even if she took out her anger on Raven, it was meaningless. Because the one who was to blame was Edgar. ¡°Anyhow, would you mind bringing her some warm milk?¡± Making a nod, Raven walked off, and Lydia turned her heels to return back to her office. Connie slowly lifted herself back up and looked over at Lydia. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Miss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. But it¡¯s not good for you to not take your meals. I can understand that you are feeling bad after a romantic breakup¡­..¡± ¡°Why do know about that?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I just happened to hear when you were talking.¡± "¡­..I see.¡± ¡°Um, try to feel better.¡± Was the only banal thing she could say. Connie drooped her head and dabbed the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief. ¡°I believed in him¡­, I think I can¡¯t fall in love with a man anymore¡­.¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes were completely locked onto the girl¡¯s handkerchief. The silk that had lace in it, was a high rate one that a gentlewoman would use. One would think that it wasn¡¯t something a maid girl could buy, but then it could have been given to her by Edgar. More than getting upset at Edgar, Lydia felt an unrecognizable pain in her chest and then her eyes fell to the embroidery on the handkerchief. P. 43 A pure white lily flower. It was the flower that Till gave to Lydia. He said that he thought Lydia would like it. What if, it was the flower that this maid liked? A girl who distrusted men. Who lived and worked in the earl manor. The conditions were met. Perhaps, Till¡¯s future mother is¡­.. ¡°Here is the milk.¡± When Raven appeared, Lydia vigorously stood up. ¡°Raven, Edgar has come back hasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Just as she heard that, she went rushing out of the room. The place where she went running into, was Edgar¡¯s office. If it was his private time during the day, then he was sure to be spending it here. Lydia just barely made a knock on the door before opening it, but then Edgar just made an unaffected, pleasant smile as usual and stood up to greet her. P. 44 ¡°Hello, Lydia, good timing. I need to find a nanny for Till, so I was thinking about asking for your opinion. Because don¡¯t you think it needs to be someone who can get along with you, right?¡± Huh? A nanny? ¡°I don¡¯t care about something like that!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need a nanny? But you will have the duty as a countess, so you aren¡¯t going to be able to spend all of your time with our baby.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, I¡¯m not Till¡¯s mother. It¡¯s Connie, the maid.¡± ¡°Connie? The newly employed maid?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, Edgar, marry her.¡± ¡°Lydia, what on earth are you talking about?¡± ¡°It seems after she was rejected by you, she can¡¯t trust men. At this rate, Till won¡¯t be able to be born. Everything is your fault, so you should take responsibility. Since, she still has feelings for you.¡± ¡°Hold on just a moment, I have nothing to do with her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless to try and act as if you don¡¯t know. You were talking with Connie here about ending your relationship.¡± Ohh, he said as he made a sigh like he felt exhausted, which made Lydia feel like something was tearing in the center of her chest. P. 45 You are the worst kind of rake. She should have known that, but why, out of all the times, does she have to get the feeling like she was hurt. ¡°If it¡¯s about that, then you¡¯re mistaken. Lydia, I¡¯m not the one who was in a romantic relationship with her, but it seemed like their breakup was getting complicated and tangled up, so I served as the go-between ¡­.¡± ¡°I-it was you? It was you who made Raven say such a thing! You must be out of your mind to make Raven say an easily seen through lie like he was in a romantic relationship with a maid.¡± ¡°Raven said that? He said that he was the one who was her lover?¡± ¡°He was doing his best for your sake.¡± ¡°So, it was because I told him to keep quiet. ¡­.Well, well, he sure has come quite a ways to be able to think up something so daring as that.¡± Even though he says he told his servant to keep quiet, he didn¡¯t show any signs of guilt of conscience. And furthermore, it isn¡¯t the sort of time to be pleasantly surprised. ¡°Anyhow, you were the one who made Till acknowledge that you are his father, so even if Connie is from a lower-class birth, you have to make it work out somehow and officially marry her, you know? Don¡¯t you understand that? Aren¡¯t you good at doing something like covering up and disguising her identity?¡± Lydia was even more irritated at Edgar¡¯s nonchalant attitude, and couldn¡¯t help but speak in a harsh, threatening tone. And then, Edgar must have become offended, as he knitted his brows like he was in a bad mood uncharacteristically. P. 46 ¡°Do you seriously think that?¡± ¡°¡­....If she remained hurt, then it isn¡¯t fair for poor Till.¡± ¡°So you believe that I¡¯m that kind of man? You couldn¡¯t think that it was some kind of mistake?¡± But, it¡¯s Edgar we¡¯re talking about. He was someone who was good at lying and deceiving people. She was backed up against the wall by Edgar who came walking over to her. If she was approached by him in this situation, it was dangerous. Lydia instantly thought that she needed to run and she tried to step backwards, but Edgar grabbed her arm with a tight grip. That grip was unusually strong and painful. She became afraid, but it appeared like he was the one who was feeling pain, so Lydia didn¡¯t have any idea of what she should do and remained being pierced by his glare. ¡°If I did as you said, then would that make you satisfied? I have been saying that I attracted to you, and yet you say that I should marry a different woman? Does that mean you don¡¯t care about my feelings?¡± Feelings. ¡°You are the one who isn¡¯t thinking about my feelings at all. I¡¯ve been refusing so many times, but you went ahead and said I am your fianc¨¦e and pulled Till into this¡­. But, that does mean that you were in a relationship as you were putting on a good face to me, right?¡± If she said something like this, then it would anger him all the more. Even if she thought that, there was distrust towards womanizers inside Lydia so big that she couldn¡¯t anything about, and so she thought it was unreasonable that Edgar would get offended. P. 47 ¡°You just want to make a girl who happened to catch your attention to do as you want. You are sure to become tired of me in a matter of time. If we were to get married, you know that it won¡¯t be easy to separate, right? Even if your feelings die out, do you think that there wouldn¡¯t any harm since you could tie down a fairy doctor? And besides, are you saying that you want me you quietly watch as you go around and fool around with other women?¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t stop herself before she finished what she said. Suddenly, he let go of her hand like he became exhausted. ¡°¡­.All right. Then, I¡¯ll go and propose to her or whatever. You can go and tell her yourself.¡± Those words of his that sounded so cold, brought a sharp pain to Lydia more than her arm that was just gripped very tightly. Rather, she felt suffocated and went running out of the office. ¡°If that¡¯s what you really want!¡± Edgar¡¯s voice which was thrown at her, still ringed in her ears even after she returned to her office. Connie was nowhere on the sofa, and so Lydia slumped down to sit on the sofa by herself. Edgar said that he was going to propose to her. This way Connie won¡¯t remain hurt, and eventually Till will be born as the child of the earl family. P. 48 It was just that the setting at the calming picnic of yesterday was going to be something that Lydia won¡¯t be able to participate ever again was all. It wasn¡¯t going to be Lydia anymore that was going to find out about an unexpected side of Edgar at an unanticipated moment. This is stupid. That¡¯s a future that couldn¡¯t possibly happen in the first place. P. 50 Till honestly responded with a nod. ¡°Even yesterday, when Mother wasn¡¯t here, he played with me. We played pirates - when I came with a slayed pretty lady, the captain would give me a reward.¡± ¡°The captain¡­.?¡± ¡°Father.¡± She thought that Edgar''s idea of playing games probably wasn¡¯t good for a child''s education. However, Lydia wasn¡¯t in any position to opinion about that. ¡°Edgar likes you as well. That¡¯s why it¡¯s all right even if he isn¡¯t your father.¡± ¡°Then, does Mother like Father Edgar?¡± He was a flirt and irresponsible, but there were times when she could admire him. That¡¯s why, she faintly realized that she wasn¡¯t able to completely push him away. ¡°Then would you two be good with each other from now on?¡± However, that could be why she couldn¡¯t forgive the part of him that fooled around with women. Lydia bended her legs to kneel down and took both of Till¡¯s hands. ¡°To tell you the truth, your real mother isn¡¯t me. I actually don¡¯t live in this house, you heard that your mother lives here and came here, didn¡¯t you?¡± P. 51 Till made a puzzled expression and titled his head. ¡°There¡¯s a girl named Connie who works as a maid here. I think she is the one who you came to see.¡± ¡°She''s my mother?¡± ¡°She almost near complet distrust with men, but I think it will be all right. She happens to have feelings for Edgar. And well.. it seems like he also bending towards getting back in a relationship with her, so I¡¯m going to go and tell her that in just a little bit.¡± I need to talk to Connie as soon as I can, but even though Lydia thought that, her body still wasn¡¯t able to stand up. Ohh, I still have my work from this morning left unfinished. It would be all right that I do it after I get that work done first, I¡¯m sure. She thought that as if in excuse. I have been saying that I was attracted to you, and yet you say that I should marry a different woman? She wondered if doing this was really the best thing. She wondered if what she was doing was denying Edgar¡¯s feelings. What he said sounded like it came from his heart - without any time to act. When she got confused like that, she became more and more unable to stand up. She couldn¡¯t even realize that Till had soundlessly left the room. P. 52 * I thought that when I''m born, the first moving thing I see would be my mother. Till was still a stork spirit and wasn¡¯t a human baby, but when he awakened in this earl manor and opened his eyes a crack, the first thing he saw was Lydia and in that one glimpse, he immediately liked her. She was looking down into him and made such a gentle smile. He was sure that she was his mother. However, Lydia said that wasn''t true. If she was saying that, then Till¡¯s mother must be the girl named Connie. But more than that, Till felt pain at seeing how Lydia looked. She appeared so happy yesterday, but today she seemed in pain. Father Edgar says he wants to marry Mother Lydia. He definitely said that yesterday and Till has only heard the name ¡°Lydia¡±filled with love come out from his father¡¯s lips. He never heard the name Connie. But his mother named Connie loved Father Edgar and Father had gotten in a fight with Mother Lydia and now wants to marry Mother Connie. P. 53 And the one who seemed in pain was Mother Lydia. In order for Till to be born as a human, he came here so that the one who was going to become his mother wouldn¡¯t lose her feelings of love for another. If Connie was Till¡¯s mother, then he needed to make sure that she doesn¡¯t lose her feelings of love. However, he didn¡¯t want Lydia to be made sad because of him. Till couldn¡¯t imagine loosing that smile made for him at their first meeting. ¡°Connie, if you¡¯re going on an errand, then make sure to come home without making any other stops.¡± Till heard a voice and stopped on one of the stairs and peered down from the shadow of the rails. ¡°Yes, Miss Rain.¡± A young maid gave a quick reply to an elderly house keeper and was just about to exit from the kitchen door. She must be Connie who Lydia was talking about. She was a girl with black hair and around the same age as Lydia. However, no matter how much Till stared at her, there wasn¡¯t any kind of deep emotion that rose out of him. He didn¡¯t know if a human baby was able to recognize any blood relationship just by looking at someone. Only that to Till, who was a stork spirit, the very first smile that was made for him was the sign of a mother who he could snuggle up to. It was a strong impression that couldn¡¯t be changed that easily. Till followed after Connie. P. 54 Yesterday was such a nice weather, and yet today, there was a light drizzle falling in London. The people passing by on the streets had their hats on deep to hide from the rain and didn¡¯t pay any unnecessary attention as they walked with hasty steps. For Till who was making himself invisible, it was natural that nobody noticed him. In the moment Connie stopped before crossing a road, Till approached her from behind and sprinkled some fairy magic powder on her. Connie hadn¡¯t noticed anything, but with this, she was sure to lose her way back to the earl manor and would end up going around in circles in the same place. While she was lost, he was going to have to ask for Father Edgar and Mother Lydia to reconcile with each other again. Till hurried back to the earl manor. The area around his wings felt unusually heavy, probably wet from the rain. * Even when it turned to afternoon, Lydia still wasn¡¯t able to bring herself to talk to Connie and she made it seem like she wasn¡¯t able to put a stop to her work, yet her work pace wasn¡¯t moving along at all, she made a sigh as she gazed at the garbage bin that was filled with rolled up papers with her writing mistakes. P. 55 Just them, a butler with a panic-look came running into the room. ¡°Miss Carlton, there is an emergency. The young mister Till was found lying on his side by the kitchen door¡­¡­¡± ¡°What, Till?¡± When she went dashing after Tomkins where he guided her, she saw that the small baby was laid to rest down in a wide, open bed. Till was cowering his body together and looked as if he was feeling terrible. ¡°Till, what''s wrong? Do you not feel all right?¡± Lydia sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke gently to him, but he didn¡¯t make any response. ¡°Mister Tomkins, where is Edgar?¡± ¡°He still is out and hasn¡¯t returned. It was just when we sent out a messenger to inform him.¡± ¡°Oh, no, what do I do¡­, oh, a doctor¡­¡± ¡°Will it be right to call for one?¡± Tomkins rapidly blinked his eyes that were set far apart with a look of confusion as he knew that Till was a fairy. There was no way a human doctor would know about any fairy illness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must be quite shaken up.¡± She was the Fairy Doctor and yet she had no idea of what to do and that was infuriating for her. But still, Lydia tried to hurry and think up of something. P. 56 There had to be a reason why this happened to Till. If she were able to pinpoint that, then she was sure he would recover. Just a while earlier, she talked to him that there was no mistake that a maid named Connie was his real mother. He might have gone to meet Connie, and if that were so, there was a possibility that she knew something that could have happened to Till. ¡°Mister Tomkins, I¡¯m sorry but could you go call for a maid named Connie.¡± When Lydia suddenly thought of that and said so, the butler nodded and left the room. After a while, the house keeper Harriet appeared. ¡°Connie has left on an errand and still hasn¡¯t returned.¡± As Harriet said that, she wobbled her big, plump body like she wanted to complain about something. ¡°And I had said so many times for her not to go and make any stops. I¡¯m sure she has gone to the manor that she was previously working at and prowling around that area. My goodness, it¡¯s always like this when I send her out on errands.¡± ¡°The manor she previously worked at? I wonder if she wants to go back there.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t be able to return because she was fired. If a maid has come to be close with the son of the house, then it¡¯s natural that the lord of the house would kick her out.¡± Lydia was completely taken by surprise and stared gapping at Harriet. ¡°Connie, she was with the son there¡­.?¡± ¡°Oh, why, yes, she is quite an honest and open girl, but it seems like she¡¯s quite susceptible to falling in love and has made numerous problems at all the places she has worked. The son of the previous house was an acquaintance with our lord and he came asking for our lord¡¯s help because she said she would rather die than break her relationship with him. It was just when the young son had gotten a marriage offer and if this maid issue were to prolong, then the son said he was going to be kicked out of the family by his father¡­. That is quite a terrible thing in itself; you are aware, that a maid kicked out of her post will have a terribly difficult time finding employment anywhere without proper papers? Since it is a matter of life and death for a girl who doesn¡¯t have anyone to rely on, there isn¡¯t any surprise that she would cling on the thought of suicide.¡± P. 57 ¡°Then Edgar did that for the sake of his acquaintance and her-¡± ¡°He made it so that he hired Connie, and became the bridge between them so that there wasn¡¯t any troubles caused from their breakup. Our lord can be that kind of a person, but he wouldn¡¯t do anything that would hurt a girl who is in the weaker position. Even the son seemed like he wasn¡¯t able to hold his head up in the presence of my lord after that.¡± Edgar had said that it was her misunderstanding about any breakup with Connie. So that wasn¡¯t a lie. And yet, she went and blamed everything on Edgar. ¡°Ohh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve gone on and blabbered on and on unnecessaringly. I will have someone go fetch Connie. I¡¯ll let you know when she has returned,¡± said Harriet. Even when Harriet left the room, Lydia wasn¡¯t paying attention and was completely shocked at herself about coming to such a conclusion so quickly. There wasn¡¯t any point in bringing together Connie and Edgar, and that only gave the both of them a sense of displeasure. P. 58 To prove it, she had gotten in a fight with Edgar. On top of that, Till had even gotten sick, and Lydia didn¡¯t have any idea in what to do. She felt so sick of herself and couldn¡¯t relax and as she was going around in circles in the room, Till opened up his eyes a crack. ¡°¡­¡­..Mother Connie won¡¯t be coming back home today. Because she has gotten someone else she likes, she has gone to go see that person.¡± She had no idea what he was talking about. This morning, she wasn¡¯t even able to eat anything because she hadn¡¯t recovered from the pain of a broken heart, and now she has a new love interest? ¡°That¡¯s why, Mother Lydia, please get married with Father Edgar¡­ Don¡¯t you like Father?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you saying. I¡­.¡± And then, Lydia realized something and gripped Till¡¯s hand. ¡°Till, what have to done to her?¡± Even as he made a suffocated face, Till tried to make a smile. ¡°Even if I¡¯m not Mother¡¯s child, I still like Mother.¡± ¡°¡­.So you used fairy magic?¡± If that was so, then Connie must have lost her way and wasn¡¯t able to return. There were many places in London that were dangerous, and there was a drizzle that was coming down. P. 59 If it were to turn dark at this rate, then there might be something awful that could happen to her. There could of already been something that happened to her, and if that were to be so, then Till won¡¯t be able to be born. Perhaps, it was because of that, that Till had become this sick. He closed his eyes again, unlike falling asleep, Till looked as if he had lost consciousness and there were so many of his feathers on his fragile back that had fallen out. At this rate, he might die. ¡°Lydia, how is Till?¡± It was Edgar¡¯s voice. It seemed like he came in a hurry, as Edgar came into the room still with his hat and stick in his hand, and Lydia went dashing over to him in a rush like she was going to cling onto him. ¡°Edgar, what should I do¡­,it¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t think about Till¡¯s feelings and gone and said that Connie was his mother.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, Lydia. Everything will be all right.¡± Edgar said that even though he should have had no idea of what was going on. Even when she was cradle gently in his arms, she had no time to spare to feel any embarrassment as usual, and as she felt relief instead at his strokes that combed her hair to relax her, Lydia continued to spill out her words. ¡°Till had come to like me and was coming to be affectionate towards me and yet¡­.¡± P. 60 ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°But, such a small child is sure to feel hurt if he were suddenly told he has the wrong mother. And yet I¡­.¡± ¡°Now, listen, Lydia, if you go and get upset like that, then Till won¡¯t be able to relax. No matter what kind of sickness it is, it¡¯s important that he can rest in peace.¡± Lydia realized something and snapped her head up. ¡°Oh, I remember now, I have to go find Connie. She¡¯s caught in fairy magic and can¡¯t find her way back. If she doesn¡¯t return back safely, then Till will die.¡± However, Edgar didn¡¯t let his arms off of Lydia and remained so as he called for Raven. ¡°Let¡¯s have him go.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t, I have to go, he¡¯ll be caught in the fairy magic with her and lose his way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, you have to stay here.¡± Edgar moved his eyes and looked over towards Till, and saw his small tiny hand which grabbing tight onto a strand of Lydia¡¯s hair unconsciously. ¡°I¡¯ll go with him.¡± By Raven¡¯s footsteps, Nico appeared without anybody noticing as he said that. If it were Nico, then he would be able to help Connie return who was caught in the fairy¡¯s magic. P. 61 But for him, who tended to find like that bothersome, it was rare that he went and offered his own hand to help. ¡°Thank you, Nico. You were also worried about Till as well.¡± ¡°Nnn, when we were playing, and I had jumped from the balcony to the roof, he wasn¡¯t able to keep up and fell.¡± ¡°Whaat, goodness, Nico,¡± ¡°Well, even this runt is a fairy, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem if he were to just drop.¡± But it looked like he was still bothered by it. ¡°So, let¡¯s go, Raven.¡± As Lydia saw off the two of them leave, she went over to Till and sat down. * ¡°Lord Edgar, I have returned.¡± She moved her eyes loosely around the room at the sound of Raven¡¯s voice. Lydia was still leaning up against Edgar, but he didn¡¯t try to let her go, so she decided that it was all right to stay like that. ¡°Ahh, Raven, good work.¡± P. 66 From just those words, Raven had taken the hint that his work was done and gave a bow and quickly left the room. Connie the maid who was standing beside Raven was left by herself, and as she remained there with no idea of what she should do, she looked at Edgar and made a timidly, nervous bow. ¡°Um, my lord, I am terribly sorry. For some reason, I had gotten lost and was able to get back.¡± It seemed like she was in frights that she was going to get yelled at when she was brought before the lord of the house. ¡°I have no intention of firing you. More than that¡­.¡± ¡°Is that true? Oh, thank goodness!¡± Connie seemed to relax as she let out an energetic voice. She had a completely different impression from when she was in bad spirits this morning, but all was all right as long as she felt better. Lydia finally remembered that she had the girl brought back for Till¡¯s sake and so she stood up. ¡°Connie, I have been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Oh, Miss, thank you for what you had done earlier. I feel much better now. Because, I think I will be able to start a new love!¡± ¡°A new love?¡± Lydia was surprised at what the girl suddenly said. It was just this morning that the girl was depressed as she was thinking about the lover who abandoned her. Isn¡¯t it just a bit too quick. P. 67 ¡°He had been watching me for a little while now so I had been thinking about him, but when I had fallen down in miss¡¯s room, he had brought me some milk, and I thought what a nice person he is. Even just now, when he came to fetch me, he would look at me strongly as he didn¡¯t say a word. Although, he¡¯s a silent type, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s someone who can think of someone with all his heart!¡± Could she be meaning about Raven? Raven had only been ordered by Edgar, and so wasn¡¯t that why he had been keeping an eye on Connie. And furthermore, even about the milk, that was because Lydia asked him to do that. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. Although love is important, work is also important.¡± When Edgar said that, she must have gotten embarrassed about how overly excited she was, and solemnly made a ¡®yes¡¯ reply. Lydia was completely stunned as she watched Connie leave the room. ¡°Is this all right? She¡¯s under the wrong impression of Raven.¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any harm? Before Raven can realize Connie¡¯s affections, I think that her love interest will have swithed to another man by then.¡± ¡°B-but, oh, oh yes, I had Connie come back because she was the one who was going to be Till¡¯s mother.¡± It was just when she was going to rush out and call for Connie. ¡°Lydia, it looks like Till is going to wake up.¡± She turned around at Edgar¡¯s voice and saw that Till was sitting up on top of the bed and had a grip of the covers and looked at their direction intently. P. 68 He wasn¡¯t showing any signs that he was sick. Other than how his lightly pigmented hair looked like it had grown a little longer, he appeared the same. Was what she wanted to think. However, Till was different from how he was before. In place of his weak-looking wings where his plumes had fallen out, there was a pair of large wings that looked as if they were as long as his height. They were magnificent stork wings that had black wind breaking feathers. ¡°I, I wonder what has happened to me¡­.¡± It looked like Till didn¡¯t know what was going on as he tried to turn his head around to check his back. ¡°I-it will be all right, Till. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± Even though Lydia didn¡¯t know what was going on, she came running over and tried not to make Till fearful. ¡°He must have turned into an adult, I¡¯m sure.¡± Edgar said half-heartedly. ¡°Adult, but he still has the body of a baby.¡± Lydia lowered her voice and argued back to him, but there was another voice that came from the window. ¡°It is just as the lord earl says.¡± Right by Nico¡¯s side, there was a stork bird resting its wings there. The one who must have spoken just now, looks to be that stork. P. 69 P. 70 ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± Murmured Till. ¡°What, he¡¯s Till¡¯s grandfather?¡± ¡°He says he¡¯s the head of their clan. It seems like he had been going around searching for the little runt. When I was searching for the maid, I happened to come across him, and when I mentioned about the runt¡¯s sickness, I had him come back here with me.¡± Nico puffed out his chest with pride in his accomplishment. ¡°That little one is not sick. It¡¯s just that his chick plumes were replaced.¡± The stork jumped off of the window and hobbled over to where they were and spread out one of his wings and craftily made a bow. ¡°Lord Blue Knight Earl, and my lady, Fairy Doctor, I¡¯m terribly sorry for the trouble that was caused on you. We stork fairies originally do not have any parent birds. However, when we are chicklings, it seems that the little ones are susceptible to loneliness that they do not have parents when they witness a stork parent and child. And it was there that it had become the norm for the rest of us to say to them that they can gain kind parents when they eventually become human babies. Although, of course that is superstition.¡± ¡°Superstition? Then, I wonder where the superstition that a stork comes to deliver a human baby came from.¡± When Edgar leaned his head to the side, the elderly stork replied solemnly. ¡°That is because when we take the form of a human, we are only able to transform into a baby.¡± P. 71 In one blink of an eye, the elderly clan head turned his shape into that of a newly born infant. ¡°There have been a number of humans who have witnessed us in this form when we were mingling with storks from the past.¡± ¡°¡­.I see.¡± The clan head immediately returned back into his stork form, but Till still remained in his baby form and was put in shock from finding out he couldn¡¯t become a real human. ¡°Grandpa¡­.., then, it was a lie that I was going to become the child of this family?¡± ¡°You were an exceptionally lonesome one, so I wanted to let you have that dream. If it were this Blue Knight Earl family, then I thought there would be no harm in you coming to take a look now and then and so I told you, but it seemed like one of our clan members had played around with you by coming up with the lie that your mother had no trust in men.¡± Which means, Connie also wasn¡¯t Till¡¯s mother. ¡°You understand now, now that you are no longer a chickling. You have to become a fine stork spirit now.¡± Being told so by the head clan elder, Till made a lonesome ace and looked up towards Lydia. Till had completely grown up in such a short timeframe, so he must have a good understanding of this. However, it wasn¡¯t like his sad, lonely feelings were going to disappear with reason. Lydia didn¡¯t think but embraced Till in her arms. P. 72 ¡°It will be fine for us to look after Till! Until his feelings are set, he could live here with us¡­ Right, Edgar?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Mother, murmured Till in a hush. Lydia thought please don¡¯t go so soon. However, he eventually let go of Lydia and stood straight up and looked over to their direction. ¡°Father Edgar, Mother Lydia, thank you very much. Although it was a short while, it felt like I had become the real child of this family and it made me so happy.¡± With a face that could nearly cry, he said that with a smile and he spread out his freshly reborn wings out wide. He no longer was a child. There was no way to keep him from leaving his nest. ¡°Goodbye. I hope the both of you don¡¯t fight anymore.¡± There was an abrupt gust of wind that must have been made from the beating of the stork fairy¡¯s wings. Lydia closed her eyes for a second, but what she saw when she opened her eyes again was the sight of two storks who were flying in a circle in the air outside the window. Eventually, the two of them disappeared off into the clouds were floating in the sky after the drizzle in the horizon. Lydia still wasn¡¯t able to accept the sudden parting, as she picked up the feathers that had fallen on the bed. She felt so lonely and couldn¡¯t move from the window side she was standing by. P. 73 She felt the presence of Edgar standing behind her. He spread his arms out around to embrace Lydia and cradled her along with Till¡¯s feather lovingly. ¡°It will be all right.¡± Lydia was supported at his words. ¡°Although it was a short while, Till was indeed our child.¡± ¡°Yes¡­.., you¡¯re right.¡± Unusually, Lydia gave a nod with the feeling like their hearts were one. Because Till had been with them, she was able to be honest in front of Edgar. Inside Lydia, his presence had indeed increased. From now on, she was going to trust him a little more, and thought that she wasn¡¯t going to easily start a fight with him. Since, the symbol of happiness, a stork fairy had come flying down to them¡­ ¡°I was so happy when you said that the two of us would look after Till. I thought you could have come to acknowledge me just a little.¡± ¡°¡­.Yes.¡± ¡°Did you start to want an adorable baby?¡± ¡°Yes¡­.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll help you with that whenever you want.¡± P. 74 A soft kiss was planted on her ear, and Lydia finally realized the meaning of their conversation and turned bright red. She became so embarrassed and flustered, that blood had risen to her head and the honest feelings that were in her just now blown away, and she had used all her strength to slap away Edgar¡¯s hand. ¡°No, thank you, that will be unnecessary!¡± Volume 12 - CH 2 P. 76 * Around that same time, the girl who was being brought up in Edgar and the men¡¯s conversation: Lydia Carlton was just relaxing by herself in the drawing room of her house after Edgar had finally left. He had said that he had somewhere to go in the evening, but Edgar suddenly said he would accompany Lydia home and came climbing into the carriage, but when they arrived at her family¡¯s house, he said ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if I take a little rest¡± and suddenly made his way into her family home. Unluckily, her father wasn¡¯t home and although her housekeeper was supposed to keep her eye on any visiting bachelors, Lydia ended up being stuck with him and had to keep him company. P. 80 On top of that, when it came to her father being absent, it was natural for Edgar to get ahead of himself. ¡°Did you know that it gives me such bliss by your eyes gazing at me like that?¡± I am not gazing. ¡°It is so charming and adorable how you become so red so quickly.¡± ¡­..Isn¡¯t it almost time you have to go? ¡°If you say that you want me to stay a little longer, then I will forget about today¡¯s scheduled meeting.¡± It¡¯s not like I want you here¡­.. ¡°Well, then, how about if you kiss me, I¡¯ll leave.¡± When she didn¡¯t hide how upset she was at how much he got ahead of himself, he just smiled as if nothing to fear and finally lifted himself up from his seat. Only- when he was about to leave he still didn¡¯t forget to place a kiss on Lydia¡¯s hand. Actually, for Edgar to act so sweet and how he came into Lydia¡¯s house was a daily part of their routine. However, from Lydia¡¯s point of view, his open affections and how he treated her like his every day, only made her feel flurried and confused. Edgar was the kind of person who was especially popular with women, and since he was a flirtatious rake who enjoyed that, it made him all the more hard to handle. P. 81 Even though she was asked for her hand in marriage, Lydia thought it would be terrifying to take a rake¡¯s proposal seriously and the more his attitude appeared more serious, then she wasn¡¯t able to refuse him steadily like she previously could. Anyhow, Edgar had already left. It felt abrasive and irritating to be thinking about him even after he was gone. Lydia decided to go to her room and so left the drawing room and climbed up the stairs. And then, she heard some lively, laughing voices coming from her room on the second floor. When she opened the door, she saw that there were small little fairies who wore green-colored clothing and were all gathered in a circle and dancing in front of the hearth. They merrily dance as they sang and chanted. It was a banquet where all the hobgoblins had gathered to participate. The one who was in the center of them was the fairy cat who had been by Lydia¡¯s side ever since she was born. ¡°Nico, what are you doing!¡± ¡°Hey, there, Lydia, do you want to join us for a drink?¡± His appearance was that of a long-haired gray cat, but he could speak like a human and was twirling around in circles on his hind feet. He was wearing a necktie and liked to act like he was a gentleman, but his drunkenness and his staggering, swaying gait made him look just like an old man. For some reason, there was a barrel of scotch that was set down by the windowsill. The fairies must have carried it here, but she couldn¡¯t imagine if there could possibly be something more mismatched as a barrel of spirits in a young girl¡¯s bed chamber. P. 82 Thanks to it, there was an immensely strong smell of spirits in her room that could make one feel nauseous. ¡°Oh, I wish you wouldn¡¯t go ahead and start a feast in someone else¡¯s room.¡± Even when Lydia came stamping into her bed chamber, the hobgoblins continued to joyfully dance. They were a kind that hated to be seen by humans, but it seemed like they were fine since they knew that Lydia was a Fairy Doctor. Lydia had a born trait - the ability to communicate with fairies. She decided to become a Fairy Doctor by using this talent that she shared with her late mother. From the past, in this country of England there were humans who were able to get close to fairies and their secrets by gaining the trust of fairies, and lent their knowledge so that human and fairies could live in harmony. However, coming into the middle of the 19th century now, perhaps due to society not believing in the existence of fairies no longer, the task of a fairy doctor had become difficult for people to understand. Fortunately, Lydia was hired by Edgar who possessed the title of the Earl of Ibrazel, the Fairyland but was completely clueless and had no knowledge about fairies, so she was spending her days busy with work. Because she had been spending all her youth with fairies, she was constantly labeled as an oddball, but Edgar was one of the rare people who properly understand her. Only, it was a problem how he would try to flirt with her every time he saw her face. ¡°But, the thing was, Lydia, a nightingale kept on saying it wanted to meet you.¡± ¡°Eh? Nightingale?¡± P. 83 Nico fixed his eyes towards the barrel of scotch, but Lydia couldn¡¯t see anything. She got closed up to it and squinted her eyes to look closer. (Hel--lo, are you Lydia, the Fairy Doctor?) She heard a fair, beautiful voice that rang out like a bell. When she pushed her face closer to the corner of the barrel, she saw something like a three-inch clear, glass sculpture figure faintly move. She could barely make out a young girl who had a pair of dragonfly-shaped wings. Even if it was Lydia, who was able to see fairies clearly, this visitor was tiny and on top of that half-transparent, so she couldn¡¯t see very well. Because of that, they were called ¡°Nightingales¡± as in figure-less fairies from the past by fairy doctors. Of course, they weren¡¯t really nightingale birds. Since they possessed beautiful voices, nightingales were sang in poems; and it was a rare sight for people to see them as they only chirped and twittered in the night. That was why it wasn¡¯t a surprise that most people didn¡¯t believe that it was a figure-less fairy that was actually singing. In reality, a nightingale fairy sings with a marvelous voice. Their singing contains fairy magic so it has the power to bring to surface the happiness, sadness and all other kinds of emotions in people¡¯s hearts and disturb them. There might have been some poets from the old ages who could have heard the songs of the figure-less fairies singing as they mingled in the singing of the nightingale birds. P. 84 To the Fairy Doctor Lydia, she could understand that the pint-sized little fairy in front of her eyes was one of those. However, she didn¡¯t know that Nico had this kind of friend. ¡°How, what a rare fairy, where did you come from?¡± asked Lydia. (From the forest. This is my first time in the outside world. Nico was kind enough to lead me out.) ¡°Did you know? If one is sung a song by a nightingale, their drinks become especially delicious!¡± Said Nico, and then lovingly caressed the barrel, which means that was the reason they he brought along a nightingale to this banquet. (In exchange for singing at this banquet, Nico said that he would introduce me to you.) In a cheerfully good mood, Nico narrowed his eyes and nodded. Lydia was starting to feel something bad coming on. Because she had gotten the strange little feeling like Nico had agreed to hand over Lydia in exchange of his wish being granted. In the first place, even though he claimed he was Lydia¡¯s partner, he was immediately wired in by food and was a boneless cat and disappeared when danger was before them. ¡°Do you have to see a Fairy Doctor for something?¡± (Oh, no, I just wanted to come and be of use for a girl like you. What a poor little girl, who doesn¡¯t know the feelings of falling in love!) P. 85 ¡°Wh-what do you mean poor, little¡­..¡± (Why, yes, you seem like the type who is worth the trouble of teaching. I¡¯m able to tell with just one look at that person. I can tell just how small of a little child your love for another is. But, everything will be all right; time isn¡¯t needed for one¡¯s love to grow. As long as you come across a wonderful meeting!) Lydia took a step back at an ominous feeling at where this was heading. ¡°Um, excuse me, Nightingale, I¡¯m actually quite fine at how things¡­..¡± (No, you can¡¯t! I will swear on my faith on this mission that I can grant you your love!) bursted out the * The nightingale bird sings the song of love. Just like that myth, the little fairy saw herself as an expert in love affairs, but for Lydia who had to have this little fairy follow around after her could only see as a nuisance. She left the next day to go to work to the Ashenbert mansion as usual, but the calamity had already begun. ¡°Good morning, Miss Carlton.¡± Edgar¡¯s valet made his usual morning greeting to her. P. 86 ¡°Good morning, Raven.¡± Even when Lydia had greeted him back, he wouldn¡¯t even faint a smile but that didn¡¯t mean he was in a bad mood but normal for him. This dark brown-skinned young boy of a man would do anything if it was for his master, but he was so emotionless to the point that it would be difficult for him to smile even when he was told to do so. He didn¡¯t show any signs of interest beside Edgar but he didn¡¯t make any mistakes in who it was he needed to show respect to as that was Edgar¡¯s intention. So to Lydia, who Edgar treated as his ¡®fianc¨¦e,¡¯ he treated her with considerable respect and paid attention to her needs. Even now, he had just passed by but he went through the trouble and opened the door to Lydia¡¯s work office. However, when Lydia was about to enter the room, she unexpectedly tripped where there was obviously nothing. With that falling motion, she was going to crash into Raven, but then unexpectedly he swiftly evaded her. Lydia had nothing to grab ahold to so she went falling flat onto the carpet. ¡°All you all right, Miss Carlton?¡± Thanks to the soft cushion of the Ashenbert mansion¡¯s carpet, she didn¡¯t feel any pain or got hurt, but she made a sour smile at Raven¡¯s instant decision in evading the situation of being grabbed onto by Lydia and the sight of her clumsy, ungraceful position as she got herself up. ¡°Yes¡­.,I¡¯m all right.¡± P. 87 Yes, Raven¡¯s consideration was only for Edgar and didn¡¯t always come out in Lydia¡¯s favor. He had the idea that he shouldn¡¯t easily allow himself to touch the fianc¨¦e of his master. Being grabbed onto was out of the question. ¡°Please watch your footsteps.¡± He only left those words and left. (Oh, my goodness, what a horrible man! If a woman were to nearly fall, wouldn¡¯t it be normal to steady her up?) Lydia heard the nightingale¡¯s voice and swiped her head towards the source. ¡°Excuse me, but was it you that made me fall just now?¡± (And I thought he was a good man. Lydia, he isn¡¯t right for you, don¡¯t even consider him.) ¡°Raven isn¡¯t like that!¡± (Yes and isn¡¯t he a little bit too young? That¡¯s right - a man who is older than you and can lead you would be more suited for you.) ¡°Please, would you listen to what I¡¯m saying?¡± (Oh, how about him?) ¡°Eh?¡± When she eerily turned around, there was Paul standing before the opened doorway. P. 88 Lydia didn¡¯t know if she should feel relieved or not - that it wasn¡¯t that flirtatious Earl who undoubtedly was the worst suitor, but quickly put on a smile. ¡°P-Paul,¡­¡­good morning.¡± This painter, who Edgar had closely acquainted with, had been spending some nights here in order to paint a picture that was going to be hung in this palace¡¯s grand hall. ¡°Good morning. Um, would you be able to spare me a few minutes?¡± As he said that, he looked around the inside of the room curiously as he must be searching for who Lydia had been talking to. P. 100 ¡°As expected from a nightingale, she sounds like a poetic Romanticist,¡± teased Nico. He slovenly made a yawn, which showed how disinterested he was. However, she didn¡¯t have any time to be angry at Nico. ¡°Excuse me, Nightingale, but couldn¡¯t you make your counseling a little simpler?¡± Anyhow, it was impossible for her to ask for a kiss. However, to have this spirit remain stay was too much trouble. Lydia joined her hands together and tried to appear like she was pleading with the fairy, which made Nico mumble ¡°Can¡¯t believe you call yourself a Fairy Doctor¡±but she couldn¡¯t pay him any attention. (You¡¯re so weak-hearted. Oh, well, fine. I¡¯m the ally of any timid girl in love. I¡¯ll make sure to teach you how to create a romantic atmosphere that will make him want to kiss your lashes. First of all, take him out to the city today.) That sounded easier compared to a kiss. (And then, while the two of you enjoy some window shopping, you will coax him for a gift!) She couldn¡¯t possibly do something as impudent as that. However, the nightingale continued explaining her plan to the nervous Lydia. (To a man, there isn¡¯t anything happier than to be asked for a gift from a woman!) * When it turned to evening and it closed up to the time when Lydia had to go home, she finally made up her mind and called for Raven and asked him to deliver a message to Edgar. She came up with the glossy excuse that she wanted him to help her look for a birthday present for her father and thought of the idea to invite him to the city with her. However, in that moment, it seemed like there was a visitor in the mansion¡¯s salon. Raven, who was asked to deliver this message had told her that but still said that he would go and ask his master. Thinking that since he was in the middle of greeting a guest, Lydia thought of canceling her message but Raven, who was loyal only to Edgar, must have been told to report anything if it was related to Lydia. After a while, Edgar came to Lydia¡¯s office. "Sorry to make you wait, Lydia. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Eh! What about the guest?¡± She couldn¡¯t help it to be shocked, but Edgar didn¡¯t seem to be bothered and took her hand. ¡°It¡¯s just someone who gathers at someone else¡¯s house for no particular reason. They aren¡¯t worth being treated as a guest. They¡¯ve gone ahead and started a card game.¡± P. 102 "But, um, I¡¯m sorry. I went and asked you something so sudden.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a favor asked by you, I¡¯d be happy if it was every day. There¡¯s no need to be modest.¡± But, this wasn¡¯t the only thing that she was going to ask from him. Even though she couldn¡¯t bring herself to ask him to ¡®kiss her eyelash,¡¯ to ask for a gift from him was also something quite difficult for her. She worried if she was going to be able to succeed in this. As Lydia continued to mull things over in her head, they headed to a shopping area in Oxford Street. ¡°It¡¯s the first time for the two of us to go out like this.¡± She was taken out to all sorts of places by Edgar and made to accompany him in his entertainment, but he was right about it being the first time to go shopping together. But, inside Lydia¡¯s head, that wasn¡¯t what was on the top of her mind. She wasn¡¯t able to come up with a good method about of hinting for a present. ¡°So, weren¡¯t we going to look for something that could be a good present for Professor Carlton?¡± ¡°Eh? ...Oh, yes, it¡¯s going to be my father¡¯s birthday soon. I was wondering about how gloves might be a good idea.¡± ¡°Then, there¡¯s a good shop just ahead.¡± She was already starting to feel like she had failed. She should have had him accompany her in buying herself something. If it was a gift for her father, then no matter how she thought about it, there was no opportunity to ask it from Edgar. P. 103 She secretly made a sigh as she looked at the crowd around them. Even under chilling sky that was quickly growing dark, the main street which cut through the eastern and western part of London was filled with people and carriages and it was so crowded that it was causing a commotion. The walkway that went along the shops were occupied with people who came to take a look or came to shop and each of them would stop their pace in front of the show window brightly lit. There were even suspicious-looking precious metals lined up in an unorganized fashion on table booths competing with each other. At the end of Lydia¡¯s sight of vision, there was a male and female pair walking closely to each other and went straight into a jewelry shop. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the two of us should go and buy a wedding ring from here?¡± He might have noticed that she was following that couple - who obviously looked like it was right before their wedding - with her eyes. Then came such a jesting remark from Edgar¡¯s mouth. ¡°Wh-what on earth are you saying.¡± She quickly denied him, but wondered if she were to nod here, then that might win her a present, but then she realized what she was imaging, and was shocked at how improper and vulgar she was thinking. It was crazy of her to think that in exchange with driving away the nightingale, it would mean Edgar was going to be shadowing her for the rest of her life. ¡°I¡¯m joking. I was just thinking how nice it would be if that kind of day would come,¡± he said as he smiled and took Lydia¡¯s hand and made it wrap around his arm. He made it seem so natural in how he treated a woman as a lady which would always make her feel daunted. P. 104 ¡°The desire I have right now is I want you to allow yourself to be coddled by me more.¡± Lydia had no idea if all of his lines like this were something he said to anybody or if she was the only one. And yet, for now, because she was the one who made this invitation to him, she thought it might be considered rude if she were to walk too far away from him and so left her hand on his arm and walk alongside him. Occasionally, her eyes caught the sight of her reflection in the glass window. For her to walk along a man like this who wasn¡¯t her father appeared very peculiar to her. For Lydia, who grew up in the countryside, she wasn¡¯t comfortable in big crowds of people. On top of that, she wasn¡¯t with her father but a complete stranger, and yet why on earth was she making such a relaxed face. Was it because Edgar was so good at escorting her? Lydia was unconscious about the part of herself that was relying on him as a man, and so was just wondering why that was in curiosity. And then she drifted off in a train of thought. If she were to accept his proposal, then spending time like this together would become a daily routine. Surprisingly, it didn¡¯t feel unnatural. ¡°Oh, what do you think that shop is?¡± She turned her face toward a show-window where music came streaming out so that she could take her attention away from that uncomfortable fantasy. P. 105 When they approached it, there was a clown figurine playing an organ as it moved humorously about. ¡°It looks like a mechanical music doll.¡± Edgar also peered down towards the back of the glass. There were a number of different kinds of dolls lined out. ¡°Yes, it is a music doll. How adorable¡­ I wonder how something as small as that could move like that.¡± ¡°Would you like to have them show you?¡± ¡°Eh,¡­.No, that¡¯s all right.¡± It wasn¡¯t the time to be enjoying this outing. Once she bought her father a present, the two of them should go choose a letter paper. And she could say something like a little pretty postcard as something to commemorate today¡­. Because Lydia was thinking up something like that, her mind was half in the clouds. ¡°Since we came here, let¡¯s go take a look. If there is something you like, I would love to give you that as a present. In memory of today.¡± ¡°Eh!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that surprised.¡± That was so unexpected that she was completely astonished. It was perfect timing. P. 106 However, Lydia suddenly felt timid. The unnecessary worry filled her mind that she might have made a greedy look on her face. ¡°Wh-what are you saying. ¡­.I can¡¯t receive a gift without any particular reason.¡± At the same time she felt pressed, Lydia responded with her usual closed mind attitude and although she realized that she was the one who ruined her own plan, it was too late. On top of that, she even got disappointed at Edgar¡¯s sourly made smile. I¡¯m such an unendearing girl. At this rate, there was no way that the atmosphere between will become something so sweet enough for him to want to touch her eyelashes. First of all, it was impossible for Lydia to try and pretend to coddle up like a girl in love. She started to walk off with a state of mind of resignation. Even when an oddball girl, who had been spending all her time with fairies from her childhood, had reached her marriageable age, she had never received the affection of a man. Lydia had always thought that she didn¡¯t have any appeal at all. Edgar was a natural rake who didn¡¯t chose or distinguish who it was he flirted, and so he would treat her as a lady, but even if she did as the nightingale said, there was no way that she would be able to win the heart of a man. Lydia¡¯s goal was supposed to be to drive away the nightingale, but now, as she was lost at what she was to do, and only thought on her mind was it was impossible to have Edgar come to fall in love with her. P. 107 * (Oh heavens, and everything was going perfectly, yet what are you doing?) exclaimed the nightingale, as she wailed about how the shopping outing turned out as a failure. Still remaining feeling depressed, it was just at the time when Lydia returned. ¡°I would never be able to do this. I won¡¯t be able to ever fall in love. I think that no matter how hard you try, it¡¯s impossible. Would you please just give up?¡± begged Lydia. Even if it took some time, and even if it caused inconvenience, Lydia only felt that she was only left with the option to wait until this whimsy fairy would tire out and leave. (Don¡¯t be stupid. If your love does not end well, I will perish and disappear!) As the nightingale floated in the air like a cloud, she suddenly burst out in tears. Even that was a real bolt out of the blue for Lydia. Nightingales were whimsy counselors of love. Her pride might not forgive if she failed, but Lydia had never heard of the fairy cease to exist. P. 108 ¡°What are you talking about? Is that a particular condition that comes with your kind?¡± Pulling Lydia¡¯s reddish-brown hair, the nightingale attempted to wipe her tears. (I made a promise with the Lord of the Forest. He was the one who made me into a nightingale. I am not able to leave his forest, in exchange, he promised to give me a lovely singing voice.) ¡°You weren¡¯t born as a nightingale?¡± asked Lydia, as she reluctantly lend out her hair. (I was a young girl in love. My health was frail and weak and my life ended very early, but the heat of my love born from my eyelashes didn¡¯t disappear, and so I became a nightingale in his forest.) He had the power to change the course of someone¡¯s soul. The Lord of the Forest must not be human. (But a nightingale¡¯s mission is to fulfill the love of a young girl. There is only the Lord in the Forest. That¡¯s why he gave me one condition. If I were to leave the forest, then I needed to fulfill the love of the young girl who I meet first. If I cannot complete that, then I won¡¯t be able to return to the forest and will perish.) How awful, Lydia thought, as she twisted her brows. The one called the Lord of the Forest, gripped this Nightingale¡¯s life in his hand and was making it so that this fairy wouldn¡¯t be able to leave his side. Even how he made her into a nightingale must have been because he wanted to monopolize her voice. Her beautiful singing voice was to stage his forest. P. 109 (Oh, Lydia, I will need to go back to the forest soon. I was only planning to go out for a short while, and so I came out without giving a word to the Lord. As long as I found a lonely young girl, I thought it wouldn¡¯t take me long to make her happy. And so I wouldn¡¯t have to disappear¡­..) That was because Lydia was completely useless. She didn¡¯t know that this fairy was under such desperate circumstances. However, she did feel a burning rage towards the Lord of the Forest. More than anything, the reason why this nightingale was facing such danger was because of the magic he had casted on her. (Ohh, but, I just became a nightingale and don¡¯t know anything. I won¡¯t be able to fulfill Lydia¡¯s love and melt into the air and die!) The nightingale still had large tear drops coming from her eyes, which soaked into Lydia¡¯s hair. A Fairy Doctor was one who lent their helping hand for humans and fairies. Lydia thought to herself, I must do something. ¡°F¡­¡­.fine, Nightingale. I¡¯ll try a little bit harder.¡± [A kiss on my eyelash] It seemed like that was the only thing that was going to save this fae. The fairy that looked like a glass sculpture floating like a cloud faintly trembled as if in delight. (Really? Oh, thank goodness!) However, in opposite to how happy the fairy appeared, Lydia remembered what happened yesterday and felt gloomed. ¡°But¡­¡­,it¡¯s too difficult for me to say something like a kiss. Ohh, isn¡¯t there any other good idea?¡± P. 110 Even if she tried very hard, she couldn¡¯t say what she couldn¡¯t say. If she tried to do something out of her compatibility, then she would only end up digging a deep hole for herself. Yesterday¡¯s failure had pierced into the back of her mind. The nightingale finally let go of Lydia¡¯s hair and as she furiously beat her wings and came fluttering up right in front of her eyes. (Oh, yes, Lydia, would you bring your suitor near the edge of the forest. The power of his magic should work harder. If you two are able to hear my singing voice, then he¡¯s sure to place a kiss on your eyelash!) A kiss on an eyelash. She couldn¡¯t think that just that would be able to change someone¡¯s feelings in an instant. However, to the nightingale, it seemed like that was the most important thing. Then, putting aside if Lydia was going to be able to make Edgar feel serious about her, as long as he ¡®kissed her on her eyelash,¡¯ then that was supposedly going to save the nightingale. Edgar was in his office. When Lydia came dashing in, he raised his eyes from his book and immediately made a delighted smile. ¡°Good morning, Lydia. It looks like you are feeling well this morning. It looked like you were slightly tired yesterday, so I was worried.¡± ¡°Um, Edgar, thank you very much for yesterday.¡± P. 111 ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Standing up, he came walking over towards Lydia. ¡°And so, where do you want to go today? Didn¡¯t you come to invite me again?¡± ¡°Eh, oh, n-¡­..¡± She was about to say no, but rushed to clamp her mouth shut. She came to give him an invitation, so what was she doing by coming out refusing it. If she went along with Edgar¡¯s pace, then she was nearly going to let her usual rigid, stubborn and refusing side rise to the surface. Lydia hurried so that she could evade that at all costs. ¡°Yes, um, so, it isn¡¯t like I could thank you, but would you like to go listen to the nightingale¡¯s song tonight?¡± And then, he made a subtle questioning look. ¡°It¡¯s quite an interesting nightingale. I hear it¡¯s a beautiful song.¡± ¡°Is that so, where is that?¡± ¡°At the Nightingale Forest. In Piccadilly.¡± She told him the location where the forest was that she heard from the nightingale just earlier. ¡°¡­¡­Do you mean the Nightingale House?¡± ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t know. Anyway, once we go there, we¡¯ll find out.¡± P. 112 The magic forest where the nightingale lived. It seemed like the entrance to there was located somewhere in Piccadilly. At this point, it was Lydia¡¯s duty to invite Edgar there. All was left was to make sure she didn¡¯t try to escape from the embarrassing situation, or not to say anything that would ruin the atmosphere, and if she could just be careful about that, then everything should go smoothly. However, Edgar made a frown like he found something difficult about that and peered down to Lydia. ¡°To listen the nightingale¡¯s song - do you know the meaning of what that is?¡± Huh? She couldn¡¯t stop herself from reacted in an unnatural surprise because she thought that he saw through her about her plan for a kiss. She worried if Edgar figured out the motive behind this invitation of hers. When someone heard the nightingale¡¯s song, there might some kind of spell or charm that would create a desire in someone to kiss another¡¯s eyelash or something like that. Unlike Lydia, who was dull and inexperienced when it came to love, Edgar was pretty familiar with things like charms or fortune-telling that women in love happened to like. As Lydia turned red in the cheeks in panic, she swiftly turned her eyes away, but that reaction seemed like she was proving she had a lustful desire ¡­.no, ulterior motives. She heard him let out a confused-sounding sigh. ¡°Lydia, with what happened yesterday and me being invited from your side, is different from normal. No, I actually felt happy. Like maybe you are trying to open up to me. But, now isn¡¯t the time to be so thoughtlessly optimistic. Was there something that happened?¡± P. 113 If she were to tell him, then the Nightingale¡¯s love guidance would end in failure. That means she will disappear. ¡°No-nothing. I just wanted to listen to the nightingale¡¯s song together.¡± That¡¯s why she rushed to deny. ¡°¡­.With me?¡± * ¡°Hey, Lydia, there¡¯s something wrong with the nightingale! She just suddenly crouched down and¡­.¡± When she returned back to her office, Nico came dashing up to her in a frantic commotion. ¡°..turned into an egg!¡± P. 116 "What!¡± Right in front of Lydia¡¯s wide eyes, Nico held it out in his two front paws. On top of his pads there was something round about the size of a pearl. Maybe it could be the step in the process before she vanishes. ¡°Ohh¡­..,is it because I screwed up?¡± ¡°You screwed up? If it was to lead that earl to some place, couldn¡¯t any woman have done that?¡± Lydia thought that most likely he was exactly right and that made her all the more depressed. Why can¡¯t I do anything right? ¡°Nico, what should I do?¡± Although the nightingale was a troublemaker, the fae was just doing what she desperately could so as to not disappear. She overreacts and believes what she only wants to believe and says things like kissing eyelashes and asking for gifts which no one would agree that such a thing would help to win the heart of anyone¡¯s beloved, but as a friend to any girl troubled with love, she was honestly trying to bring up Lydia¡¯s spirits. She couldn¡¯t allow herself to silently watch a good-willed fairy disappear like this. ¡°I know, the Lord of the Forrest¡­.! He has control over her fate, so he could surely help her if he wants it.¡± ¡°What! But you¡¯d be going against a who-knows-what-kind-of-thing he is.¡± ¡°At any rate, Nico, lead me to the forest.¡± P. 117 ¡°I don¡¯t want to. It isn¡¯t a normal forest.¡± It looked like this shallow-hearted cat was getting ready to run for it and hurried to make way to the window. ¡°Hold on right there. Then just tell me where it is. Where exactly is it in Piccadilly?¡± ¡°Inside a building. I happened to be walking alone the top of the buildings and went into one of the windows I passed by on a whim. I don¡¯t really remember the exact spot.¡± ¡°All right. Then, I¡¯ll try and call out for it.¡± ¡°Lydia, it¡¯s dangerous to get unnecessarily involved with it.¡± In such a rush that Nico¡¯s warning didn¡¯t even reach her ears, she had already run out of the room. When she arrived to the east-side of Piccadilly, Lydia pushed her way through the busy crowd that filled the circus area between Regent Street and Shaftesbury and searched the streets around her like a lost visitor from the countryside. Even if she peered up, there were only rows of tall buildings with signs hanging from them and the circus was filled with carriages coming and going. This main street was the busiest shopping and amusement area and of course, there wasn¡¯t any sight of anything resembling a forest. It seemed like it wasn¡¯t going to be a normal forest and Nico said that it was inside a building. She wondered which building it was. ¡°¡­¡­The Nightingale House?¡± P. 118 Lydia¡¯s eyes happened to come across a sign written with that name. Not sure if this was just coincidence or if the place was a related to the forest, she approached the building. From the windows where fine-quality curtains hanged, she caught a glimpse of a magnificent blooming flower arrangement even though it was in the middle of winter. On the inner side of those glass windows, there must be so many in-house grown flowers decorating the interior. The curtain at the entrance, the massive door and even the door boy who was stationed before the entrance, all said this was an expensive place. In her vision that was dimmed gray with fog and smoke, there were puffs of snow that were starting to fall down from the sky. Without any particular reason, Lydia peered up. On the wall of the building that had the name Nightingale House, there was the words Coffee House and the era of the precious century. When she looked up towards the top in front of the building, the door boy made a cold glare at her. Sensing from the atmosphere of the place, it was the social gathering spot for the upper class. It wasn¡¯t a place where a girl like her would come all by herself. Walking a little ways away from that spot, Lydia stopped to gaze at the building once more and no paid no attention at the curious eyes from the pedestrians passing by her; she decided to call out to the Lord of the Forest. ¡°Lord of the Nightingale Forest, can you hear me? I am a Fairy Doctor; I have something to talk to you about your nightingale.¡± All of a sudden, it wasn¡¯t like she felt any wind, but the snow in the air blew around her in a whirlwind. That distracted her attention for a second, but then she noticed that the hustle and bustling noise of people around her had stopped. At that same time, Lydia saw that she was standing by herself in a dark forest lit only by the moon¡¯s light. P. 119 Instead of the stone-made buildings that were lined up around her just earlier, there were trees that stood so high they touched the night sky. There wasn¡¯t any smoke from chimneys that coated the sky, but the branches that were covered with leaves. ¡°What about the nightingale?¡± Lydia hurried to turn around to see a young boy standing alone by himself. He was wearing an outfit lined with extravagant lace that you would only see worn nowadays in a play. ¡°Are you the Lord of the Forest?¡± He was a boy who looked younger than Lydia, around the age of fourteen or fifteen. However, when he came walking over to her, Lydia noticed that she was the actual shorter one. ¡°What business do you have, young lady? It seems your age of love is still quite young.¡± ¡°Age of Love?¡± ¡°This is the Nightingale Forest. It is a world that was born from when it was given that name, so in this forest, everyone takes the form that matches how old they can love.¡± The boy¡¯s blue eyes and rosy cheeks looked as if he had come out of a painting. He was a being so beautiful and pure. The only thing she could tell was he wasn¡¯t a ghost nor a fairy, but an entity that lived in a magical and godly realm. Being in front of a boy like that, even as she was alarmed at how she could only take the form of a young child, Lydia remembered she had important duty and cleared her throat. P. 120 ¡°The nightingale is close to dying. Please could you save her? If it were you, you would be able to do it. It¡¯s much too heartless of you that she should have to disappear if she doesn¡¯t succeed in guiding someone¡¯s love. I want to ask you to stop tying her down with that kind of magic.¡± ¡°All right,¡± he simply replied. However, Lydia went completely stiff because his small faint smile looked like he was hiding rage. ¡°I can¡¯t stop her if she wants to leave this forest. But my forest needs a nightingale. Then would you come here as her replacement?¡± Oh, no, she thought, I might be in trouble. ¡°That¡¯s impossible for me. Since, well, I¡¯m in a form like this, ¡­..I don¡¯t know love. I wouldn¡¯t be able to become a nightingale.¡± As she said that, Lydia fumbled to search for the ash tree branch that she had hidden under her coat. Will a charm against fairies work on him? ¡°Oh really? It¡¯s true that your heart is young. But, do you really not know love?¡± Suddenly, there was terrible circling wind of snow that came blowing into the moonlit night forest and completely darkened Lydia¡¯s vision. P. 121 * ¡°Lord Edgar, I have made sure all of the rooms in Nightingale House have been safely reserved.¡± Nodding at Raven¡¯s report, Edgar was thinking if that really was all right. Ever since Lydia left the Ashenbert mansion, she hasn¡¯t returned. Of course she hasn¡¯t returned to her own house. All he could find out was that she headed towards Piccadilly but that was all. On top of that, Nico was nowhere in sight. If it were possible, he wanted to reserve every last hotel and inn in all of London that lovers used to meet. There was no guarantee that Lydia would invite another man as a last resort. She looked like she was desperate and would do anything. There had to be a reason which couldn¡¯t reveal to make her say something like that. "Just might be able to bear it, huh.¡± Even if it were a level of that degree, if he was chosen and asked such a favor, then maybe he should have done as she asked. However, to Edgar, she was a girl who he wanted to marry. He was seriously proposing to her, and yet, he was told ¡®this should be easy for you¡¯ and it was true that her comment of him made him slightly depressed. ¡°Lord Edgar, are you planning to return to becoming a frequent customer of the Nightingale House ¡®again¡¯?¡± P. 122 ¡°¡­¡­Raven, I only reserved it for the sake of Lydia.¡± ¡°So that was what made Miss Carlton go missing.¡± He wondered if Raven was thinking that the reason why Lydia went missing was because Edgar forced himself onto her again. With a sigh, he rested his cheek in his palm. If things were going to turn out like this, then he thought it would have been better if he were to wait a little more and see what her intentions were. He might have even been able to accompany her to the Nightingale Hall. However, if he was seduced by her there like earlier, then he didn¡¯t have the confidence that he could stop himself. Even though she said that it wasn¡¯t like she couldn¡¯t bear him as she had her eyes closed so tightly like that and was shivering all over was arousing for him, proved that his taste went out of the boundaries of good taste. Because he thought that, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to forget his morals and use that good opportunity and take advantage by accepting her. At any rate, he couldn¡¯t allow something bad to happen to Lydia. He couldn¡¯t stay still and wait any longer. Standing up from his chair, Edgar walked over to Raven. ¡°Raven, I¡¯m going to have you come along with me to the Nightingale House.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Before that, there needs to be some preparations done. Call for the housekeeper Ms. Harriet and have her help you put on a dress.¡± P. 123 Raven was one who didn¡¯t let his emotions appear on his face, but there was no mistake that he went completely frozen. Edgar smiled inwardly in at his successful payback to Raven¡¯s unconscious stabbing statement. ¡°For the sake of my honor, make sure to perfectly dress like a woman so you aren¡¯t found out as a man.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­., but why?¡± For him to unusually ask the reason for Edgar¡¯s order, could mean that he really didn¡¯t want to do it, but Edgar had no intention of withdrawing it. If it were Raven, with his slim body and boyish face, then there would be no problems for him to look like a woman. ¡°Now listen, Raven. It wouldn¡¯t make any sense for me to go and reserve all of the Nightingale House and then end up going there by myself, is there? But having said that, if I were to escort a woman there it would only be the source of a big misunderstanding. Do you understand?¡± In regards to the Nightingale House, there was something else that was on Edgar¡¯s mind. Lydia is a Fairy Doctor. If there were something that made Lydia desperate, there was no mistake it involved fairies. Bringing out the bottomless soft-heart side of herself, the normal pattern up till now was she went a made a more fumbling mess out of the problem because a fairy was related to the matter. He came to the conclusion that it was the same situation this time and also thought hard about the mysterious painting that related to the Nightingale House. A nightingale sings from the painting at night. P. 124 He only thought it was a joke slapped onto hackneyed expression to use in inviting the opposite sex, but if there really was a magical phenomenon that occurred, then that meant there could be a link with Lydia inviting him to go listen to the nightingale song. The painting in question had the title [Nightingale¡¯s Forest] and it depicted the middle of a deep forest lit up by the moonlight with a young boy sleeping in the woods by himself. The young boy, who was wearing a Baroque-styled clothing lined with abundant lace and gold braiding, had the moonlight shown on his white cheeks giving off an alluring aura similar to the attraction to a beautiful woman, making him appear not like a human, but more like a magical spirit. Beside the boy and the moonlight, there was a choking amount of grass and trees that overlapped each other so much it made one feel the steamy, warm air given off by them, but surprisingly, there was no shadow nor shape of the nightingale. A Nightingale was a small bird who no one can see. Only its singing voice rings throughout the forest. That¡¯s why there was no sight of the small bird and only the painting of a young boy who lay resting as he listened to the nightingale¡¯s song. Beside that interpretation, there was another anecdote to this painting. Long ago, in a certain wealthy family, there was a daughter with a terribly weak health and a painting that hanged on the wall in her bed chamber. The daughter didn¡¯t know the outside world and so she fell in love with the boy in the painting. She came to wish that she could go into the forest. Eventually, she passed away and only her soul became a nightingale. And from there, in the depths of the forest, she continues to sing her song of love for the boy¡­. However, even this might just be a made-up story in order to bring out the romantic mood in people. This could have nothing to do with Lydia. P. 125 P. 126 But still, Edgar was in the room where the painting was hung and sat down on a silk finished sofa and waited by himself, listening for the nightingale¡¯s song. He wondered if this could count that he had accepted and was going through with Lydia¡¯s favor who asked him if they could both listen to the nightingale¡¯s song. To tell the truth, that was the real reason he came tonight. Most likely, what she was wishing for didn¡¯t have the same meaning as the rest of society. Then for the sake of her goal, it was necessary for Edgar to go into the [Nightingale¡¯s Forest] and if he came here and did this, he wanted to believe he could make a point of contact with her. He stayed still and waited, listening carefully. The bustling noise of Piccadilly and the chatter of the coffee house must not be reaching this room on the upper floor, as it was awfully quiet. Needless to say, on this floor there was only Edgar and Raven, who was standing by in the next room. Resting his body against the back of the sofa, he closed his eyes. And then ¨C a light breeze of wind flowed by and he thought he felt it blow through his hair. It wasn¡¯t possibly for wind to blow in a closed room. Just when he thought that ¨C he heard the sound of rustling tree leaves. Edgar immediately opened his eyes and saw he was in a forest that was only lit up by the shine of the moon. P. 127 It was the same landscape as the one in the painting that he was looking at up till now. The only difference was there was no sight of the young boy, only the waving branches of the tall trees were the same. At the same time he stood up, the sofa which was the point of contact with the Nightingale House vanished. ¡°Edgar¡­..?¡± While he remained standing at a complete loss of words, he heard a familiar voice. ¡°Why are you in a place like this?¡± The one who was looking at him from behind one of the trees with a look of surprise was - without a doubt - golden-green eye-colored Lydia. Edgar slowly approached to her as she looked so nervous and unsure. ¡°I came to listen to the nightingale¡¯s song. Didn¡¯t you invite me, saying you wanted to listen to it together?¡± ¡°But¡­.¡± ¡°If it was your favor, you know I said I wouldn¡¯t refuse.¡± That position Lydia was wishing for should still belong to Edgar. Because he thought for the two of them to be able to meet here was proof of that, he was able to make a smile from the bottom of his heart as he knelt down to take a better look at her. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you acting surprised?¡± P. 128 ¡°I am surprised. I¡¯m suddenly in the middle of a forest.¡± ¡°Not that.¡± ¡°About how you look awfully young?¡± Lydia had escaped from the Lord of the Forest and had lost her way in the forest alone. And just as she came to stand by the side of the lake, she was finally able to get a look of herself in the water¡¯s reflection, but was disappointed at how she only looked around ten years old. ¡°In this place, everyone apparently changes to the age of how young or mature they can love someone. ¡­.But for me to come out like this - isn¡¯t it horrible.¡± ¡°You were so cute from such a young age.¡± ¡°¡­.You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± ¡°You think so? I hope I don¡¯t look too old.¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t help but burst out in giggles. It was this side of Edgar that saved her. No matter what kind of situation, he didn¡¯t change. His foolish attitude and light hearted way of talking would make her feelings become relaxed. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Lydia.¡± At this eyes that looked so sorrow and his soft, gentle words, Lydia was almost made to cry but made an honest nod. However ¨C she didn¡¯t know how to get back. If they were found by the Lord of the Forest, then she might be made into a nightingale. P. 129 There was no way Edgar would know the way back, but he held her hand and led her to walk straight ahead like he was guiding a lost child. She turned this into such a mess that was sure to have troubled him, and yet his attitude didn¡¯t change and he treated her so kindly. ¡°Um, Edgar, I¡­..it wasn¡¯t like it was unbearable for me. At that time¡­¡± ¡°When I embraced you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.But, it¡¯s just¡­.., I don¡¯t know how to say it.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand. You need time.¡± When the both of them stopped, he looked down to the child Lydia and whispered I¡¯m sorry. ¡°It¡¯s all right to go slowly. Though there will be times when I become a little impatient. But, if you are willing to become an adult little by little for me, then I¡¯ll wait as much as you need.¡± As they faced each other, surprisingly, she didn¡¯t doubt one word he said. She even didn¡¯t doubt that she would become an adult for Edgar¡¯s sake. In that moment, Lydia didn¡¯t know that her height was slowly growing and she was changing back to her original body. As they gazed at each other¡¯s eyes, she felt the distance between the two of them grow a little closer. ¡°What is it that I should do?¡± ¡°Eh¡­.¡± P. 130 ¡°Things turned out like this, because I wasn¡¯t able to do as you wanted, right?¡± A kiss on an eyelash. That was probably what was going to bring life back to the nightingale. She could return to this forest. If that happens, then the two of them would be able to get out of here. But. Just thinking about that made blood rush to her face. ¡°Is it such an embarrassing thing to do? But I can¡¯t force you if you can¡¯t say it. I¡¯ll just do all the things that would make you embarrassed¡­.¡± ¡°N-no! Wait, I¡¯ll tell you¡­.¡± However, before Lydia was able to say anymore, the trees around them suddenly burst of rustling noise from the wind. The young boy who appeared along with the powerful whirlwind took a look at the Lydia who was no longer a small child and Edgar who was standing next to her and made a grin. ¡°It isn¡¯t like you don¡¯t know how to love. Then even you would be able to become a nightingale.¡± Edgar pulled her up against him and glared at the young boy. However, Lydia was taken aback at the powerful magic that was wrapped around the young boy and could only think how they had nowhere to run. (Stop!) Just then ¨C she thought she heard the voice of the nightingale. (Lord of the Forest, please do not force me out!) P. 131 Right in front of Lydia¡¯s eyes, a small, tiny fairy appeared floating in the air. It was a lively Nightingale, showing no signs of being on the brink of death. (Please do not make another girl into a nightingale. Please let me remain here!) ¡°Nightingale! Are you all right?¡± (I¡¯m so sorry¡­.., Lydia. I changed into an egg because I became tired and fell asleep. But I thought I was going to vanish if I remained like that. Because he had said he casted his magic on me. That¡¯s why I was surprised when I opened my eyes and felt so refreshed and how I was brought to you by Nico and was able to enter the forest. I didn¡¯t even think that I was able to freely go in or out like this.¡± ¡°Then, the Lord of the Forest wasn¡¯t tying down the nightingale by his magic?¡± said Lydia. The Lord of the Forest made a frown and lowered his eyes to the ground like a child whose tricks were found out. ¡°If I said that, then I thought that Nightingale wouldn¡¯t go off and leave here. Even if she were to leave, I thought she would just take care of one girl¡¯s love trouble and immediately return¡­ But my magic doesn¡¯t work on her at all. ¡­¡­Because I had fallen in love.¡± ¡°Love? ¡­.You ¨C in love with the nightingale?¡± He lifted his eyes to gaze at the nightingale and said. ¡°That¡¯s right. But no matter how much I express my feelings for you, you wouldn¡¯t answer to them. You wouldn¡¯t tell me how I could become your lover.¡± P. 132 The nightingale looked flurried as she hanged her head. (But I¡­..) ¡°Hold on just a moment, Nightingale. You just said that you wanted to stay by his side just now. ¡­.Which means you¡¯re also in love with him?¡± (That¡¯s¡­., I¡­¡­) So they are in love with each other? So it was just Lydia¡¯s misunderstanding how she thought the poor nightingale was being threatened by the Lord of the Forest. She was invited out by Nico and left the forest, but she only wanted to return back as soon as she could. ¡°If you are just pretending to be a coquette with me, then you don¡¯t have to. You just don¡¯t want to say it to me, don¡¯t you?¡± Lydia realized that the fairy was just too embarrassed to tell him. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say ¡®kiss me on my eyelash.¡¯ To the nightingale, that was the only method to share each other¡¯s feelings. And yet, she wasn¡¯t able to tell that to the Lord of the Forest. Lydia gazed at Nightingale who was now bright red and trembling her wings. What a terrible love counselor. Acting like you know what you''re doing, while all this time you were being such a coward in your own love. Lydia was also a coward. However, even if she wasn¡¯t able to fall in love, she wondered if she could give a helping push in someone else¡¯s love. P. 133 ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, Lord of the Forest. She is in love with you,¡± said Lydia, in her place. ¡°It¡¯s her eyelash. Please give her a kiss on her eyelash.¡± (Aahh, Lydia! What are you saying!) The nightingale went into a flurried frenzy and went buzzing noisily around Lydia. ¡°You were the one who said to do the same thing to me.¡± (Y-yes, that¡¯s true but¡­.) ¡°Nightingale, is that how to become lovers?¡± As he asked her, the Lord of the Forest gently reached out his hand to the flying fairy. ¡°So you will return to me then?¡± Even as she couldn¡¯t calm down, batting her wings restlessly, she finally resigned herself to go up to the young boy and landed down to sit on top of his palm he had held out. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what¡¯s behind all of this, but it seems things have calmed down, so the both of us should take our leave.¡± Edgar, who had been watching how things were unfolding silently, said that in a tone like he wanted to leave this scene as fast as he could. ¡°Would you mind telling us the way back?¡± He started to walk off as he pulled Lydia along, to the direction the Lord of the Forest nodded and pointed to. (Lydia, thank you.) P. 134 She heard the bell ring-like voice of the nightingale reach out to her from behind. (I didn¡¯t realize it at all. Even without a kiss on an eyelash, the two of you were already¡­.) In just a blink of an eye, Lydia and Edgar were both standing in front of a painting that was hanging on the wall. It was a painting of a familiar forest and boy. The singing voice of the nightingale still echoed in their ears. ¡°A kiss on an eyelash, huh. So that was the key to solve all this?¡± As Edgar chuckled in amusement, he reached out his hand to touch Lydia¡¯s cheek. ¡°You seemed so embarrassed, so I thought it was something much greater than that.¡± ¡°Eh, ¡­.like what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too embarrassing, I can¡¯t say.¡± The two of you were already lovers¡­¡­ She wondered if that was the last thing the nightingale said. Even as she denied herself that there was no way of that happening, Lydia felt the brush of his breath come on her eyelash. Most likely Lydia must have made a face that looked like she was bearing it with all her might. There was no need for her to endure it and be kissed, and yet she didn¡¯t move and kept her eyes closed. P. 135 * [Earl Ashenbert with two flowers in both hands at the Nightingale House.] It was the next day that there was such a title printed out in the tabloid papers. Edgar had not been uninvolved with any scandals lately, so for him to come out of the Nightingale House with two ladies with him must have been an open target for an article in the gossip papers. It is said that all of London knew that the top of the restaurant was an inn for lovers who didn¡¯t want the public to see them, but Lydia didn¡¯t know that. That¡¯s why Lydia even didn¡¯t know what the reason was for Raven to dress like a woman, and found out the reason only on the next day why she needed to exchange hats with Raven when they had exited the building. Thanks to the bonnet that had a veil attached to it, she was able to hide her face and hair and so only Edgar was written in the papers. In the drawing room of the Carlton residence, Nico was reading the tabloid papers he held spread out before him, which was making Lydia want to faint as she knew the real story behind it. ¡°Well, you know, she sure was a troublesome nightingale.¡± She glared at Nico as she thought Who was the one who brought her in the first place!? ¡°Nightingale? What are you two talking about?¡± P. 136 Her father came into the room and Lydia rushed to rip the tabloid papers away from Nico. However ¨C her father took a quick glance at that and only shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It seems like the Earl is as always.¡± ¡°The professor had already read it,¡±whispered Nico into her ear. Why did you leave this out where he could find it!? It was Nico who brought in vulgar papers into the Carlton house as her father was someone who would never buy them. ¡°Um, Father. This is sure to just be another forged article.¡± Before she knew it, she was coming up with an excuse like she was covering for him, and that made her father make a surprised face. ¡°No, if it was Edgar, he would do this kind of thing. But, lately I have a feeling he¡¯s been pretty decent in what he does, I mean maybe¡­.¡± ¡°Geez, if it were to just drive away a fairy, then she could have picked out anyone to give love counseling to. And yet she quickly chose the Earl as her only one and was so desperate to invite him, you really don¡¯t know when to just give up more than that nightingale.¡± Nico¡¯s mumble, in a tired tone of voice didn¡¯t reach Lydia¡¯s ears at all. END OF SHORT STORY Volume 12 - CH 3 Lord Constable was also going to be at the table of the evening banquet. Edgar, of course, knew that. That being said, there was no reason to shy away from it. Although Edgar was unhappy to see his face, he needed to wait for Madame Oughtred before the appearance of another important guest. Therefore, before meeting, Edgar intended to rightfully go to the banquet in the dining room. First seated was Lord Constable who, with sharp eyes, suddenly glared at Edgar as he spoke. ¡°Earl Ashenbert, how unexpected it is to see you here. Have you changed your mind? If you plan to grovel to me, so that my elder sister and I could reconcile, you may as well speak your words.¡± -- --Oh goodness. Edgar laughed inside. ¡°Speaking of which, you and Madame Oughtred are siblings. However, this was allegedly detested and ignored by the late Mr. Oughtred.¡± The Lord Constable obviously became enraged, but he also refuted. ¡°It was only my sister who became estranged from me.¡± ¡°But, now that you want to face her and reconcile with your estranged sister, what do you mean? Rumor has it that you took a fancy of Madame¡¯s property.¡± "Did you just insult me?" ¡°I¡¯m merely speaking from rumors of the city streets.¡± ¡°For what reason did you approach my sister? I heard that in this world, there are unscrupulous people who will seduce middle-aged widows for fame and fortune.¡± ¡°My fiancee will be in Madame Oughtred¡¯s care in a few days. So I came to say hello. ¡± Even though Constable heard rumors of a fiancee, when it was uttered as a fact by Edgar himself, Constable went silent. He was probably shocked that the rumors were true. In that moment, he thought he could quietly eat the meal. ¡°So unexpectedly shameless!¡± Lord Constable again began to make noise. ¡°Having a fiancee on one side while calmly flirting with my daughter--¡± ¡°Or your daughter may not be writing down the truth in her diary? Speaking of diaries, because no one would see, there could also be casual imagination included.¡± ¡°If nothing had happened, such as promiscuous matters, she would not have imagined it.¡± ¡°Indeed. Since she has never done an indecent thing or have an indecent imagination, because your daughter must truly be on the proper side, doesn¡¯t the side with imagination sound better in comparison?¡± Lord Constable¡¯s cheeks flushed red. At that moment, he stood up. ¡°Not pleased. Lord Ashenbert, I will not let this matter go.¡± Abandoning his speech, Constable suddenly stopped eating his meal to leave. Edgar didn¡¯t like to make enemies in society, but there was no other way. All in all, regarding this matter, Edgar was purely innocent. And even if he wasn¡¯t, for Edgar, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to remain on the proper side anyway. More or less, there were solutions to this. Even if the problem escalated, Edgar knew how to strike back and he could make the other party disappear from society. It was only because he didn¡¯t want the event to spread to Lydia¡¯s ears. Finally, with great difficulty, Lydia gradually believed in him and his sincere love, but it was likely going to be impossible now. However, there was still a few days before Lydia would arrive -- or Edgar so still believed. ¡°I can finally enjoy the meal.¡± Edgar then called out to the butler to select him a glass of champagne. ¡°Yes, this is fine wine. Worthy of Madame Oughtred¡¯s mansion.¡± ¡°You do me too much honor.¡± ¡°The dishes are also very good. However, since the widow withdrew from society, the banquet was not even held. Ah, what a pity. The skill of the chef and the hospitality of the servants, all of it cannot easily compare with other mansions!¡± ¡°Despite the lack of a grandiose event, the flow of guests who come to respect and admire the Madame is ceaseless. We work in order to simply not tarnish the Madame¡¯s reputation.¡± The butler, though modest, expressed a face of joy. If one wished to live comfortably in someone else¡¯s home, other than the homeowner, obtaining a favorable impression from the servants was the right way to go. Furthermore, Edgar calculated that, if their impression of him was good, he could insist on Constable being arrogant as well. Lord Constable¡¯s impression could indeed become worse. Servants are not to be belittled. Opinions of the senior servants working for years could even influence the masters¡¯ thoughts. Even if the content of Lucinda¡¯s letters became a problem, he also wanted Madame Oughtred to feel that Edgar¡¯s words were genuine. ¡°Can you give me a little more of this basil sauce?¡± The butler picked up the glass vessel and at the server, who stood blankly in a daze, he winked at him. However, the server did not immediately notice. ¡°Billy.¡± The server beside him cried out under his breath, surprised as he regained his senses. It seemed as if he was completely unused to work. The server finally came to the side. With the stiff movement of his hand gestures, the server¡¯s spooning was also quite clumsy. Edgar stared at the firm hand, feeling as though the sauce was slightly not evenly spread. Those hands, not matched for servants, was a hand that was clearly used to handling weapons. * For Annie who was combing Lucinda¡¯s hair, her sincere hand gestures carefully grasped the hairbrush. ¡°Wait a minute, the pain!¡± The young maid jumped in fright, slightly bowing her head. The movement was obviously slow, so what was so wrong? Lucinda worried as if it burned. ¡°Help me hang more beautiful hair curls. I want to see Earl Ashenbert.¡± When the Earl needed to visit here, Lucinda had already investigated in advance. The relationships between noble families were intricately linked. When he visits a family and his associates, whenever there was a discussion, there were always some people who knew of these things. Of course, because people pay attention to any notable affairs of the Earl Ashenbert, they could actually go inquire about ¡®who were those he became intimate with¡¯ or also ¡®where servants go for exchanges, which were growing more and more complex¡¯. Therefore, when Lucinda especially found out of Earl¡¯s agreed arrangement to visit Madame Oughtred, Lucinda knew the news was a good opportunity. She hurriedly changed her travel schedule, all in order to run into the earl. ¡°Annie, it¡¯s not this hair ornament. I said it was coral!¡± Annie searched nervously for the coral hair accessories. Useless maids. However, Lucinda actually very much liked this recently hired girl. ¡°Indecisive¡± Annie was not so bad. The best thing was, this girl was not too talkative. Lucinda made up the whole matter regarding the story of the diary. She deliberately allowed her father to see, intentionally having him believe she and Earl Ashenbert were meeting each other. With such a secret, Annie would not expose it. Letting herself be marked in the Earl¡¯s eyes, with an impression that someone cheated the pitiful girl. Just by being robbed of her lips made her quiver. That sort of face probably arouses more sympathy. Lucinda faced toward the mirror with a smile. A weak and fleeting smile was perfect. Lucinda very clearly understood that this smiling face would show herself to be quite beautiful. When venturing out to society, her beauty would surely arouse the attention of men. ¡°Annie, though for you, you won¡¯t have any luck, marriage is a competition. It¡¯s a victory to marry a girl who makes everyone else jealous. If the husband is outstanding, only then can you gain the respect of others in society.¡± The maid who found the coral hair accessory quickly placed it in Lucinda¡¯s hair. ¡°Of course, not only status, but having good looks is also important. If so, Earl Ashenbert is impeccable. He is secretly admired by many women.¡± Lucinda stood up. This time, she was in front of the dressing mirror to inspect her skirt. With a swift spin, the organdy ruffles of the skirt rose and fell gently. ¡°However, to wait will make it impossible for us to get acquainted. Especially with the Earl of Ashenbert, all the women he spoke to, one after another, he had only spoken a few words to them. Therefore, just relying on this brings me ahead of them by several steps.¡± Getting into a marriage envied by everyone, this could bring value to herself before anyone else. For the people who thought that those with mothers of inferior status would never have a good marriage, Lucinda was going to make them regret it. When she was informed that Earl Ashenbert¡¯s fiancee held the same initials as her, it was in that moment that she fabricated the lies and opened up her opera play. Even just immersing herself in the vision of everyone¡¯s envy was very satisfying. Anyway, it was too late for her to escape from this. In any event, she could only try to make this dream into reality. She initially planned for her aunt to act as a matchmaker. However, now she had no hope for that because her aunt then fell ill. Therefore, Lucinda could only then rely on herself to try. ¡°The remaining problem now is his fiancee.¡± But Lucinda heard from rumors that she was not of nobility. Therefore, she still couldn¡¯t inquire who the girl Earl Ashenbert was going to marry from the rumors. ¡°But against a low-class woman, that is no competition.¡± Regardless which side her mother was from, Lucinda was still undoubtedly the daughter of a Count. No matter what you think, you¡¯re always valuable. Also, her aunt Countess Oughtred was part of the Royal Court as well. A powerful person. Lucinda believed that the love of a gentleman could only depend on the appearance and status of the woman. * After Edgar finished his meal, he just returned to his room where he then saw Miss Lucinda was inside. Although it was used as a dressing room for meetings, this was still without a doubt a gentleman¡¯s private quarter. Even with a maid, most daughters would not stay in this place. Volume 12 - CH 3.1 ~Father¡¯s secret~ The pure white veil seemed to have been directly woven using snowflake petals. Along the unfolded edges of the lace, the words ¡°pure of heart¡± were embedded in a lovely floral pattern. This lace veil was cut out from cloth filled with kind feelings, carefully sewed one stitch at a time using embroidery thread, with many hours spent to create it. Whether it was the warm white color or texture, it did not have the slightest feeling of it being old. Lydia stroked the unfolded lace while sighing in admiration. Just by slightly touching the delicate lace made it sway like waves. If she wore it and let the veil gracefully cover her hair, would even the slightest gestures seem both elegant and dignified? ¡°It¡¯s very beautiful, Father. Was this Mother¡¯s bridal veil?¡± ¡°Yes, this was from your mother...... she also received this veil handcrafted by your grandmother.¡± Lydia¡¯s father, Frederick Carlton, narrowed his eyes and gazed at the lace which seemed as thin as snow, reminiscing the past. ¡°But grandmother was still willing to bless the marriage, despite Father and Mother eloping?¡± With a simple and short veil, no matter what kind of dress was paired with, it would be suitable. Even though this veil was fairly short, weaving such a lace presumably cost a lot of time, so grandmother must have begun weaving it bit by bit ever since Mother was young. This was the first time Lydia imagined her compassionate grandmother. She barely knew her mother''s relatives, partly because her mother had died young, so she had no opportunity to ask about matters relating to her home or family. Besides, even if she asked, she probably wouldn¡¯t hear anything remarkable. Lydia felt that ever since her childhood, whether it was her mother or father, it seemed that they have severed their relationship with her mother''s relatives. Despite that, she knew that her parents didn¡¯t hold any grudges against her mother¡¯s relatives, also including the old friends recalled in their hearts that no longer existed. Because of this, Father remembered the veil during the time Lydia was going to get married, and had arranged for the veil to be sent to London, which was kept in their hometown in Scotland. ¡°Well...... yes, your grandmother was the only person to truly pray for your mother''s happiness.¡± As long as she wore the veil, Lydia could then step onto the red carpet with her mother and her grandmother¡¯s blessings, the latter whom she had never met. Although Lydia had always been unable to bring about the sense of reality of getting married, as long as she thought this, then she would feel a slight delight in her heart. Lydia, who just accepted a marriage proposal, held the bridal veil and thought of her mother. Lydia followed her father to live in London, who left Scotland due to work. Lydia heard that the Northern lands that was her mother¡¯s hometown was actually very far. When she pressed the veil close to her cheek, Lydia seemed to sense the odor of the cold sea breeze from the Northern country. ¡°Father, how did you propose to Mother?¡± Up until now, Lydia had asked him several times, but he had always evaded the question. Now that his daughter is engaged, he may be willing to answer. Lydia asked, full of expectations. But her father still had a bewildered expression and took off his glasses, flustered. ¡°Oh dear, that is a thing of the past.¡± Then, as if requesting help, he called out to the housekeeper, who just happened to pass by the room. ¡°Ah, Mrs. Cooper, how are dinner preparations coming along?¡± ¡°Master, it¡¯s no problem, the hotel¡¯s cuisine just arrived, and the decorations of the dining room have also been finished.¡± Tonight, the Carlton family was going to host a dinner party for Lydia¡¯s fianc¨¦, who was invited to come and eat. Having said that, only a total of three people, her father, Lydia and her fianc¨¦ will be dining together. Although he often visited Lydia¡¯s house prior to the engagement, and Lydia and her father accepted his invitations to have dinner at his mansion, now, as the two have been formally engaged, this was his first time formally coming to the Carlton house to have a meal. Thus, this dinner will not be regarded as an ordinary meal, because Lydia¡¯s fianc¨¦ was an aristocrat. Although this fianc¨¦ wasn¡¯t a picky person regarding the dishes on an ordinary family¡¯s dining table, the Carlton family frequently dealt with the upper class, thus they believed that attention to forms of etiquette couldn¡¯t be tossed aside. Now that he was invited to dinner, they had to entertain him using the formal mannerisms of dining. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether the Handel¡¯s hotel dishes will suit the Earl¡¯s tastes.¡± Father anxiously stared at Lydia. ¡°He is normally used to eating high-class French cuisine so I suppose it¡¯s okay to occasionally eat something uncommon, right?¡± The Carlton family wasn¡¯t of the upper class, but was still regarded as well-off and had a certain social status; with regards to the middle class people, this house¡¯s dining hall was quite popular. It was only natural that the Carlton family hired a chef, but all in all, she was a chef who wasn¡¯t an expert in formal dinners or in banquet dishes. And because of this, although they had only invited one person to dinner, Father unconsciously began to panic. ¡°Is that so¡­¡­ Ah, perhaps it is, in any case, the Earl probably isn¡¯t interested in the cuisine.¡± He looked at Lydia, and said this rather forlornly. With regards to Father, the time to invite his only daughter¡¯s fianc¨¦ to come and dine simply wasn¡¯t a time to enjoy the cuisine. ¡°So, the young lady should more or less go and prepare, you must dress more luxuriously than the main meal.¡± I¡¯m not a delicacy. Lydia thought, while her father nodded, urging her to get up. ¡°If you are more eye-catching than the cuisine, you might as well be devoured because the Earl is like a wolf.¡± Not knowing when, Nico came to their side and stood on his hind feet. This fairy cat that gracefully swung its furry tail was Lydia¡¯s friend who remained by her side from birth. He was a cat-type fairy who originally came from the distant Northern lands with her mother, yet he considered himself as a gentleman; apart from always fastening his bowtie, he was also quite particular about food and wine and always put on an act. ¡°Oh Nico, you also don¡¯t know how Father proposed to Mother, do you?¡± Lydia asked Nico as they walked up the stairs side by side and returned to her room on the second floor. ¡°Well... I''ve never heard of it.¡± Ultimately, Lydia was still unable to inquire about how her father proposed. ¡°Why does he need to hide it like this? It¡¯s already a matter from twenty years ago, would he still feel embarrassed?¡± ¡°Generally, I think it isn¡¯t the problem of being embarrassed, as even the talkative Aurora had never let it slip.¡± This seemed to be a secret between the two. ¡°Anyways Lydia, why did you want to ask this?¡± ¡°Because I wanted to know what Father said that made Mother decide to part forever from her parents and hometown.¡± Although Lydia already decided to get married, her sense of reality in being married into a noble family was getting stronger, thus confusing her more. Moreover, Lydia¡¯s fianc¨¦ was rumored to be a constant scandalous philanderer in society. Though she believed Edgar when he said he needed her, she really wasn¡¯t completely without unease. So she wanted to know how her father¡¯s words supported her mother¡¯s spirits, and how having that made her determined in marrying him. However, this wish seemed incapable of being achieved. Because her father intended to bring this to his grave. (1) The encounter Fairies only existed in fairy tales. Frederick Carlton used to think that. But people can dream. Everything, including all the wonderful, beautiful, or scary things, people couldn¡¯t stop dreaming of those in their imaginations who did not belong to this world. Therefore, Frederick was deeply interested in all kinds of incredible legends passed down for generations and was not the kind of person who would laugh at people when they claimed to see fairies. But he also did not anticipate in his dreams that he would go as far as to step into the realm of the unimaginable. Nevertheless, whether or not it was the fairy¡¯s doing, it wasn¡¯t clear to him. Because he was left with rather vague memories, he was only able to see it as an illusion. He remembered losing his way. Not knowing whether or not it was coming close to nightfall as he was roaming about the gloomy wilderness, it was not easy to find the historic ruins. Before long, he managed to find it. The historic ruins were a group of rock formations towering on the ground, and those standing stones were made of smoky quartz. The hazel crystals were like a glass of Scotch whisky, and was the finest smoky quartz through its high transparency. Such huge crystals stood tall, side by side on the ground. When looking at the crystal, he always felt that the light radiated from within, making the lights and shadows of the stone gently sway, transforming into a prismatic light. The ray of light was reflected upon the sky. He looked up in wonder and could not help but think that this was fairy magic. Frederick did not understand why he had such an intuition. More than anything else, the vivid sight of the prismatic colored light was seared into his memory, but when suddenly looking back, his mind was distracted. He seemed to have forgotten something important there. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought that it was a dream. It was probably a dream. As he noticed that, it was when he was already sitting by the roadside at the outskirts of the village. He remembered that no matter how much he walked, the village was unseen. Since he wanted to take a little rest, he sat down on the grass. Despite him only wanting to rest his feet, he accidentally began to nap. He thought that only an hour had passed, but when he returned to the inn in the village, he realized that six hours had actually passed. The inn owner said he got caught up in fairy illusions. The local residents inevitably believed that fairies existed, and that losing one¡¯s way on familiar pathways was reportedly a frequent matter. He encountered fairies. In that case, that felt very nice. Even if it meant that he was dreaming, it was very romantic. However, there was only one thing Frederick could not understand. At that time, he seemed to have picked up a small fragment of smoky quartz, and after a long period of time had passed, he accidentally discovered this fragment at the bottom of his coat pocket. It wasn¡¯t completely a dream? It happened when he was still a student. One day, Frederick went with his Professor to a remote island to assist in the geological survey. As Frederick had not returned after having been sent to work, he wandered outside for several hours, so he was questioned by his seniors on where he ran off to enjoy himself, and they considered his wonderful experience as a clumsy excuse. During his brief stay there were endless things to do, so there was no free time for a mere student. His friends said that the smoky quartz standing stones were too conspicuous; if they truly existed, a thief would have certainly stolen it by now. He thought his friends were right, and did not confirm if the island existed and left. Despite having this stuck at the back of his mind, he was swamped with work later on as a university student later on; he banished the matter of the smoky quartz to the corner of his memories. Five years later, Frederick obtained a degree in Cambridge and became a mineralogist. Now at the age of twenty eight, he still studied at Cambridge and used the status as a research fellow to be a lecturer. The reason why he suddenly remembered those past events was because he just had a chat with his colleagues about England producing smoky quartz crystals. The smoky quartz was only produced in the Scottish Highlands, but his colleague said that he saw the same huge smoky quartz on small islands far away from those Scottish Highlands. The crystal on the island that was placed in some clan head''s mansion was an item carefully safeguarded by their ancestors for generations. According to legends, it was a gift from the fairies, and the clan head also claimed that there still ought to be similar things on the island. In the Highland area of the islands, were there people that existed who still weren¡¯t aware of the smoky quartz veins? If that were truly the case, then the standing smoky quartz stones that Frederick saw were real. Because the conversation reminded him of his past experience, regardless of whether he was standing from a personal or academic position, he still had a great interest in it. He was going back to that island once again. Although he had decided this, he could never spare the time. This time, the university''s summer vacation was coming up soon. The island was located at the far end of Scotland. In all likelihood, the English had difficulties having other impressions of this island. The sea breeze that blew from the Atlantic Ocean directly swept across the islands, making it a barren land difficult for vegetation to grow on. Even Frederick, as a Scottish person, found it hard to believe that this area was part of Scotland. Speaking of which, for someone who lived in the Southern Lowlands, it was said that the Northern Highlands was like a different country. In addition, regardless of whether it was the language or culture, it was all distinctive. Located in a distant point of the Highlands, there was an archipelago made up of numerous islands in the sea; no one probably believed that people lived on them. However, Frederick once again arrived at an island within the Hebrides archipelago. Despite the largest town on the island being a port city due to the rising of the fishing industry, if you advanced from the local land to this island, there will be a feeling of being suddenly separated from the human world. The carriage continued to travel along the wilderness where there were no human figures, no livestock, no decent roads, and nothing similar to a forest with any plants growing. The standing stones suddenly appeared on the empty horizon, making Frederick feel strangely curious as if he were entering a different world. The scattered megaliths of the United Kingdom were similar to these randomly arranged landscape-like giant stones, which Frederick¡¯s hometown also had. He once heard in his childhood that it was the fairy''s lair and afterwards it was known to be a historic relic of ancient mankind. In any case, the standing stones were filled with mystery, as no one knew what they were. Frederick thought about this on the carriage. After reaching the small village a couple of hours later, he found that it appeared to have not changed since five years ago. It was probably always like this for hundreds of years. The white walled inn and the pub owner with his smoking pipe on the first floor were also the same as it was five years ago. He was completely unable to determine whether or not this red-faced wrinkled old man had aged in five years. ¡°Excuse me, are there any rooms available?¡± The boss glanced at Frederick, who was only carrying a bag and dressed fairly light for a traveler, then quickly spoke something. It was Gaelic. Just then, Frederick remembered that only the boss¡¯s eldest son was able to speak English fluently in this inn. He couldn¡¯t understand Gaelic. Just when he was worried about what he ought to do¡­¡­ ¡°He said to please wait a little more if you wanted to stay, as they prepare the room first.¡± This was spoken in beautiful English with no Highlander accent. A woman sitting towards the side of the inner pub smiled and looked at him. She had a Scottish tartan scarf covering her hair, and was wearing a gray skirt without any decorations. Because her clothes were honestly too simple, he couldn¡¯t help but feel she was an older lady. But upon turning around, her features were quite young, approximately twenty years old. Frederick usually never paid any particular attention to other people''s appearances, but even he knew that this person was a considerably outstanding beauty, and the girl¡¯s smile didn¡¯t have the least bit of displeasure. The inn owner handed him a beer and went up the second floor. Then the girl approached and sat next to him. ¡°You are English, right?¡± Full of interest, she appraised Frederick, probably thinking that he was a dull man rather than a strange one. Frederick hadn¡¯t had a haircut recently, so his hair was unkempt, and was wearing round eyeglasses, which weren¡¯t pleasing to the eye. Although his fingers had formed calluses from writing so much for a long time, there was no muscle in his arms. His unironed shirt had faded from washing and his coat was wrinkled, so he didn¡¯t look to be a man with a decent occupation. Since Frederick was twenty eight years old, his mentors, colleagues, his parents and relatives were concerned over marriage, and so at parties and other occasions women had been introduced to him. But the women who were introduced to Frederick at parties and other occasions would assess him in a split second for the most part, assuming an attitude of wanting to leave as soon as possible. Many people approved of his great success in research, but he also knew that this was not something that could attract women. Therefore, Frederick couldn¡¯t help but be confused at her intense gaze. ¡°No, umm... I''m Scottish.¡± ¡°Someone from the lowlands? The people in this region think that as long as you¡¯re not a Highlander, then you¡¯re English.¡± From the edge of the scarf you could catch a glimpse of her pale hair that was almost fair as her skin. Her eyes were light blue. The more one advanced towards the Northern islands, the more one would frequently see tall, blonde haired, fair skinned people who bore conspicuous characteristics of the Nordics. They are descendants of the Celtics who speak Gaelic, and who also possess the thickly mixed blood with the Nordic Vikings. ¡°I am Aurora McKeel. Pleased to meet you.¡± She cheerfully extended her right hand to him. ¡°Ah...... hello, I am Frederick Carlton.¡± Her hand was extremely delicate; she should be a girl who came from a wealthy family. The pendant that shone on her bosom was an aquamarine, which wasn¡¯t some cheaply-priced ore. ¡°McKeel¡± is one of the family names among the major clans on this island. In the Scottish Highlands, clan heads act as landlords; therefore, due to the clan hiring tenant farmers, they would also have the same family name. But from her speaking English, it seems that she isn¡¯t a tenant farmer, but rather a relative of the clan head. ¡°Why have you come to this remote island?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ to see the standing stones.¡± ¡°You like historic ruins?¡± Volume 13 - CH 1 ¡°It¡¯s that carriage, Fergus.¡± Having heard this, Fergus leaned out of the window. From the hotel room, the hat shop entrance across the street could be seen clearly. There were two girls that just happened to get off from the halted carriage. ¡°It¡¯s Earl Ashenbert¡¯s family carriage.¡± Fergus did not possess the pertinent knowledge, not knowing how to distinguish the coat of arms decorated on the box on both ends of the carriage, but since the companion beside him said so, then there was no mistake. Although this man was his father¡¯s subordinate, Fergus believed that he would be able to come in handy, and let him accompany him on this trip. ¡°....So Patrick, which one were you speaking of?¡± Fergus¡¯s aim was only one girl. He had investigated that she should be riding in the Earl family¡¯s carriage and coming to this hat store to receive an ordered item. If possible, Fergus wanted to take a look at her first before speaking to her directly. As he thought that, the girl before his eyes. However, he did not anticipate that two similar aged girls took the carriage. ¡°Unfortunately, I also don¡¯t know which one is Miss Lydia Carlton.¡± ¡°I like blondes, but those two are different.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I heard that Earl Ashenbert is blonde.¡± ¡°Oh? ¡­.is that so? No, that¡¯s not it! I have no interest in blonde men!¡± ¡°But Fergus, don¡¯t you want to know what kind of man he is?¡± ¡°Uh, well... I guess I want to know. ¡± This man, Earl Ashenbert, was Miss Carlton¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so it was only natural that Fergus was curious. ¡°According to the newspapers¡¯ descriptions, they say he has conspicuously good looks, and became society¡¯s favorite once he returned to England. Moreover, although he was young, he was savvy, he¡¯s a person that aristocracy can¡¯t ignore. Despite him having scandals with many women in the past, receiving attention by the general masses, he suddenly issued an engagement shortly after, surprising London¡­¡± ¡°No need to say it aloud. I¡¯ve read those articles countless times.¡± Over the past few days, they collected articles regarding Earl Ashenbert. It piled up like a small mountain on the table in the middle of the room. However they haven¡¯t been in London for long, thus they haven¡¯t seen the Earl himself yet. The Earl was so well known to be a philanderer that even the articles gave frank advice on the Earl¡¯s marriage as they seemed to raise issues and serious warnings. They seemed to be full of adjectives other than ¡°handsome¡±, making Fergus somewhat angry without knowing why. It¡¯s not about a man¡¯s looks, it¡¯s sincerity! Fergus thought. In any case, because these articles were concerning Miss Carlton¡¯s fianc¨¦¡¯s reputation, he felt displeased. No, feeling displeased was inevitable. Because to Fergus, this man was his rival. ¡°In reality, the more the rumors are spoken, the more the person himself certainly won¡¯t be some amazing guy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Patrick calmly agreed. Although Fergus once again turned his head towards the window, the girls¡¯ figures had already disappeared into the store. Both girls were dressed neatly. Despite being unable to see their features clearly from a distance, Fergus imagined that she must be a beautiful woman. After all, she wanted to marry the publicly known playboy, therefore she ought to be beautiful. ¡°If you¡¯re beginning to have expectations prior to meeting, you¡¯ll ultimately be disappointed.¡± Patrick splashed Fergus¡¯ fantasies with cold water. ¡°You really are a cool-headed man.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. ¡± This wasn¡¯t a compliment. ¡°However, it¡¯s inevitable to look forward to this, I want to see the woman who originally should have become my fianc¨¦e.¡± Previously, there was a woman who left the village and eloped with a stranger. If she had a child, then that child will have the same clan¡¯s bloodline as Fergus. Suppose that child is a girl, perhaps the entire clan can be saved. After discussing this thought, Fergus inquired about the news half a year ago, and found that she seemed to be in London. Fergus came here from distant lands. In fact, he roughly knew the man¡¯s name and occupation, who took away the clan¡¯s girl twenty years ago, fortunately he found that name in the newspapers. It was concerning the news of Earl Ashenbert announcing his engagement. The bride was named Lydia Carlton, the eldest daughter of Frederick Carlton --- holding both the position of a Professor at the University of London and a member as a mineralogist of the Royal academia. There was no mistake. Fergus needed to bring back the girl who inherited the clan¡¯s special blood. * * * Lydia and her good friend Lota went out together, and when they returned home, it was already dusk. Father had also returned to the house early, which was rare. Apparently there were guests that came to visit Father. The housekeeper said that they were talking in the living room, so Lydia asked to housekeeper to bring tea to her room on the second floor afterwards, and then went up the stairs with Lota. ¡°Lota, will you be staying for dinner?¡± ¡°Is that okay? There are guests here.¡± ¡°It seems the guests unexpectedly paid a visit, and should be leaving very soon. Besides, I also dragged you everywhere with me to go shopping.¡± ¡°I had a good time. Luckily Edgar lent us the carriage, it made our trip smooth.¡± Lota entered Lydia¡¯s room, took off her hat, she relaxed and stretched. ¡°Well, I went through all the trouble to come here, so I¡¯ll treat myself with a meal.¡± ¡°Ah, do you need to contact your house? We can ask someone to help you send a letter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, I already spoke to Grandfather. He said that even if I haven¡¯t returned in two weeks, he doesn¡¯t mind.¡± Lota was the granddaughter of the exiled aristocrat, the Grand Duke of Cremona. Because she was brought up by pirates, she was incapable of resembling the usual quiet, ordinary young lady, but the Grand Duke had also been turning a blind eye. Because Lota¡¯s personality was straightforward, even if Lydia was a different kind of girl who was very close to fairies, Lota still wanted to be her friend. For Lydia, Lota was a precious human friend. While she sat, she and Lota looked at each other and laughed. ¡°Fortunately, the hat was made according to your wishes.¡± ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t buy the other thing that I wanted.¡± Lydia recalled this and sighed at the same time. In fact, today she went out in order to select a gift for her fianc¨¦. ¡°Choosing a gift for men is really difficult. Father is someone who would be happy no matter what he received, so I didn¡¯t think it mattered, but Edgar only uses things that he likes.¡± ¡°Actually, I feel that as long as you choose it, he¡¯ll be happy regardless of what it is.¡± Is that right? Lydia recalled Edgar in his everyday life. Not only was he dressed in high-quality goods, all his tastes were also outstanding. If Lydia chose a gift within her affordable range, would he feel happy? Because of this, Lydia once considered wanting to buy an item that wouldn¡¯t be used frequently in front of people, yet even if she tried to think, she couldn¡¯t understand what men would want. All in all, accepting the proposal and waiting until now to give a gift, wouldn¡¯t the lapse in time be too great? Although Lydia also knew that a woman who had received an engagement ring would give some sort of commemorative gift to the man, but because her ring was the fairies¡¯ special Moonstone ring, rather than saying it was given by Edgar, it would be better to say that it was received due to a fantastic opportunity. Thus, she accidentally forgot about the human traditions. Lydia remembered it after engagement had been publicly announced. She had received a gift from Edgar before, it was a necklace that used the English initials of the jewel names to spell out ¡°Dearest¡±. At the same time, she received compliments from everyone, also noticing that the necklace represented Edgar unable to pour his feelings into the ring; that was purely due to him giving this item as evidence of the engagement. ¡°Really, in spite of everything, I can¡¯t even think of one gift that would make Edgar happy, I should be a failure of a fianc¨¦e, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. That guy is gaining a lot just from you having agreed to marry him. It¡¯ll be fine as long as you smile sweetly after receiving many gifts.¡± ¡°I--is that so?¡± ¡°Let me know if he complains, I¡¯ll ruthlessly punch him.¡± Volume 13 - CH 2 Lydia presently knew nothing; she only heard that Edgar¡¯s old enemy whom he fought for a long time --- Prince, had already died. But she felt that Edgar hadn¡¯t felt settled since the war ended. The organization fighting together with Edgar until now, ¡°Scarlet Moon¡±, was also the same. The fairy painter Paul, Edgar¡¯s friend, who was also a member of the organization, spoke to Lydia, who was visiting the Earl¡¯s mansion. ¡°The Earl is still requesting that Scarlet Moon scout out Prince¡¯s surviving subordinates.¡± When Lydia was waiting for Edgar in the residence¡¯s living room, she met Paul, who had just come. Both people hadn¡¯t seen each other in quite a while. She asked Paul, who was just about to leave, to stay. He was still the same, and frankly acted as Lydia¡¯s companion, as someone to talk to. ¡°In other words, although the Prince¡¯s organization lost their important leader, they retained their strength as before?¡± ¡°Yes. They seemed to have not lost any unifying force due to the Prince¡¯s death. ¡± ¡°Ulysses is also still alive, right.¡± Ulysses is Prince''s trusted aide, and is a person who directly conflicted with Edgar every time. ¡°Yes, although his location isn¡¯t clearly determined, he seems to have gone into hiding with the organization¡­.. After all, he controls the fairies. Raven seemed to see two hooded crows often, I heard that the fairies that had set a contract with Prince were of that shape... Those were the reincarnations of the war goddesses. Although the goddesses were originally a trinity, the Prince only obtained two. Currently there was no need to be afraid, but perhaps they were monitoring the activities of Edgar¡¯s faction. ¡°So, Edgar¡¯s still taking precautions?¡± If it¡¯s concerning fairy matters, then he could have discussed this with me. Lydia thought this and knitted her brows. Paul saw this and quickly said cheerfully: ¡°But you don¡¯t need to be so worried. Probably¡­ well you see, I think it¡¯s because right now the Earl has to prepare for the wedding, an important event, so he will be cautious in all aspects as he doesn¡¯t want to disturb you.¡± Paul probably believed that he mustn''t say any words that would make Lydia upset while this important period of marriage preparations was in progress. ¡°Ah~~ yes, Miss Lydia, I sketched several new paintings to congratulate the both of you on your marriage, and now I¡¯ll be in the process of confirming the room¡¯s dimensions. It seems that the paintings will also be decorated in your room, so I will definitely complete a fine work of art.¡± Lydia clearly knew Paul was being sensitive towards her, so she replied with a smile. ¡°Oh my, I really look forward to it.¡± Recently, regardless of who she came across, her surroundings were all brimming with a congratulatory atmosphere. Regarding this, it was only natural that Lydia felt very grateful, but compared to her mind filled with thoughts of getting married, she was concerned about many other matters even more. Although she had planned not to interfere with matters relating to Prince until Edgar confessed, completely knowing nothing made her feel uneasy. Moreover, she was also worried about the two people who appeared at her home yesterday, and whether or not it would cast a shadow on her and Edgar¡¯s marriage. Despite making a firm resolution to not have any sort of relations with them, something was happening in the fairy world. This also made her extremely worried, and she felt that she seemed unable to not get involved. Was it necessary to ask Edgar to discuss more on these sorts of things with her? Even if she intended to understand Edgar, there were still many matters she did not know about between them. ¡°Mr. Paul, do you have someone that you like?¡± This abrupt question made Paul open his eyes wide. ¡°Ah, no, um, I¡¯m very unfamiliar those sorts of things.¡± ¡°Then, I ask that you imagine your ideal woman.¡± Because Lydia earnestly asked, he was helplessly forced to close his eyes. Painfully wrinkling his brows, he was probably trying hard to imagine. ¡°Can I ask you to imagine a scene of that woman giving you a present?¡± ¡°...Yes.¡± ¡°After opening it, what¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°Umm... a hedgehog or something¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ah, um, uh... I only carelessly thought this up¡­ Ahh I don¡¯t know why I said that, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Paul went into an awful panic, as it looked as if he surprised himself. ¡°B-but you know, Miss Lydia, is this not an unexpected delight? I would think that sending me a gift that would make me laugh, seeing my startled appearance and a laughing woman also isn¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°Yes¡­. I guess that it really isn¡¯t bad.¡± If our hearts were connected and we understood each other''s feelings, will I be able to come up with a wonderful gift? Perhaps, I don¡¯t have to think too strictly. Lydia¡¯s felt somewhat relaxed, and exchanged a smile with Paul. ¡°You seem quite happy.¡± Lydia, wearing a frank smile, turned towards Edgar, who suddenly appeared in the living room. After he saw Lydia, he narrowed his eyes as if he saw something radiant. ¡°I was just asking Mr. Paul what his ideal woman was like. ¡± ¡°Ohh? He¡¯ll dodge this kind of question every time, did you get anything out?¡± ¡°I heard more interesting things.¡± Lydia took Edgar¡¯s extended hand her and got up, and Paul stood up immediately afterwards. ¡°Earl, excuse me, I must leave first.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m counting on you to paint beautiful works of art.¡± After seeing Paul off, Edgar left the living room together with Lydia. ¡°Because you will be here in the future, I had the room slightly remodeled, today I wanted to let you have a look.¡± Lydia nodded, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was odd, because Edgar walked towards a corridor that was different from his usual direction. ¡°Um, my study is over here.¡± He halted and stood still, gazing at Lydia with a perplexed expression. ¡°....I¡¯m not talking about your study, it¡¯s the place where you¡¯ll live in the future. Up until now, I was alone, so the biggest bedchambers suite in the mansion was not used, but I¡¯m going to decorate that place into our private room afterwards.¡± ¡°Eh, i-is that so.¡± Come to think of it, it would be obvious that she was going to live in this mansion after marriage. Yet she practically hadn¡¯t thought about and considered this. Lydia couldn¡¯t help but feel astonished and slight self-loathing. Edgar continued walking as if he already pulled himself together. After ascending the private staircase at the end of the corridor, Lydia arrived at an area where she had never set foot in before. Edgar lead her into a dressing room which had just been finished decorating. This tone was a light blue, a very well decorated elegant room. The wallpaper had a clear design and the identical-colored sofa gave the same kind of invigorating impression. Although the room¡¯s colors were bright, perhaps it was due to the effectiveness of the detail in the wooden accent texture of the decorations and furnishings that could make people feel calm. Looking up, the ceiling¡¯s relief paintings were just as magnificent, Lydia couldn¡¯t help but gasp. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yes....¡± Lydia looked utterly entranced, so much to the point that she was unable to speak a line of her thoughts. Edgar held her shoulders, dropping a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the curtains, tablecloths and so on, as long as you ask, don¡¯t hesitate to speak to me. After all, this is your room.¡± ¡°My room? In every case, thinking of luxury makes me feel that it isn¡¯t real.¡± Edgar shrugged his shoulders slightly. ¡°I want you to soon feel that you are actually getting married.¡± ¡°I have.¡± ¡°However, Lydia, you haven¡¯t asked me anything. For example, speaking of the room¡¯s decorations, don¡¯t tell me that after you become this house¡¯s Countess, that you plan to sleep in the study? Also, the church formalities, what to do on our honeymoon and so on, you don¡¯t care?¡± Indeed, Lydia had not thought of any matter that Edgar spoke of. However, hasn¡¯t Edgar also not briefly mentioned of this? She currently just found out that the room was being remodelled. Moreover, she was also actively trying hard in moving towards the path of marriage. The dowry and dress had already been chosen. As she used the status as Edgar¡¯s fianc¨¦e to participate in aristocratic social gatherings, she also would find time to be taught etiquette by the Duchess. What truly needs to be said was that Edgar prepared everything earlier, and Lydia merely conducted herself according to his wishes. ¡°I did ask for something didn¡¯t I? Yesterday, I asked if there was anything you wanted.¡± ¡°...In other words, you¡¯re still in the stage of worrying about the engagement gift?¡± Edgar, as if he was shocked sat down heavily on a nearby chair. ¡°Therefore, I noticed that we need to discuss this more.¡± ¡°I see. Perhaps it really is necessary. Then, let¡¯s talk. I think it¡¯s about time we establish a marriage date.¡± ¡°Although that is also very important, I¡¯m more concerned about the matter with Prince. ¡± Edgar frowned a little. Lydia sat by the window side and gazed outside. ¡°I heard that the goddess¡¯ reincarnation of a hooded crow may have been watching you closely, even I didn¡¯t know about this matter.¡± ¡°If your mind is full of fairy matters, surely you will ignore the marriage matters to worry over them instead, right?¡± ¡°Was this why you didn¡¯t say anything to me?¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised, she turned to Edgar and said: ¡°If something happened to you, wouldn¡¯t marriage be the last thing on our minds?¡± ¡°They absolutely can¡¯t do anything, but merely loiter around, nothing more.¡± ¡°Surely you don¡¯t know that!¡± ¡°In any case, you don¡¯t need to think about so unnecessary things.¡± ¡°Unnecessary things? I am clearly a fairy doctor, yet you want me to just think about the marriage?¡± ¡°Lydia, if possible, I want you to do according to what I say at this current time.¡± Edgar¡¯s words seemed to dissuade her from acting willfully and this somehow made Lydia feel uneasy. So far, Edgar greatly respected Lydia as a fairy doctor. Moreover, he clearly didn¡¯t understand fairy matters, so if there was anything fairy related, he would discuss it with Lydia. But why did he speak with that tone of voice? ¡°Edgar, you¡¯re still hiding something from me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ever since after the Prince died, Lydia felt that he somewhat seemed preoccupied. She told herself to wait until the day that Edgar takes the initiate to talk to her about it. However, the reason why he even hid the appearance of the hooded crow from her, was it related to the matter of him not speaking out? ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything from you.¡± Volume 13 - CH 3 Lydia and Raven had already been missing for two days. Volume 13 - CH 4 The mistletoe pattern that glowed in Lydia¡¯s hands exuded a brilliant silver light. Even if this new pocket watch¡¯s writing on the surface could only be clearly seen under the candle light, the wooden engraved decorative patterns on top was also beautiful charm against evil spirits, so Edgar would surely like it. Lydia had been worried about the pocket watch that had fallen into the pond a few days ago and therefore, she thought of it as an engagement gift for Edgar. Although Lydia hurriedly went to the pocket watch shop and managed to buy one, when she carefully thought about it again, she felt as if she was still unable to give the gift to him. And there would be no meaning whatsoever to give it to him before ¡°Lydia¡¯s¡± appearance could be recovered. However, she did not know when she would be able to return back to her original appearance. Perhaps she won¡¯t be able to come back again. There hadn¡¯t been any progress, and she couldn¡¯t think up of any good ways. It seemed like it was another day wasted, and the sound of rain made Lydia increasingly depressed. The rain that had fallen since dusk became increasingly violent as it beat against the window. Occasionally, there had been strange flashes in the distant sky. Recalling the thunderstorm that she came across during the tea party, Lydia¡¯s mood became even more depressed. Fortunately, the thunderstorm was only heard from a vague distance, so even if she was alone now, she wasn¡¯t particularly afraid. The sounds of the clock in the hall chiming blended in with the sound of the rain, signalling the approach of late evening. Edgar still hadn¡¯t returned. Lydia wasn¡¯t prepared to rest, thus she quietly waited in her own guest room. Lately, she had not seen Edgar¡¯s figure. The mansion was quite extensive, and he was always running errands. Even if not being able to meet was quite normal, Lydia felt a lot of pain. Lydia thought that even if she took a glance and if possible, she also wanted to tell him ¡°good night¡±. Therefore, she hadn¡¯t changed her clothes and was like this, waiting all along. Because she carefully tried to listen to the rain, and tried to discern the sound of the carriage, she pretended to occasionally just pass by in the hall. With that, she felt she¡¯d be able to see him for sure. However, he still had not seemed to come home yet. Lydia stood up, determined. Holding a candle light in one hand, she left the room, went towards the depths of the corridor, and walked up the private stairwell. When Edgar brought her here, it was only a few days ago, but to Lydia it felt like it was so long ago. Lydia thought as she opened the door to the bedchamber. Within the dark, the distinct light blue blended, like the feeling of being lured into the sea. Lydia entered the room, placed the candlestick on the table and slowly looked around. ¡°Will I be able to live here?¡± Before when she stood in front of Edgar, she felt endlessly shy and so was not able to reveal her happy emotions so straightforwardly. As she looked around the room, she unknowingly began to feel excited; in her heart, she even began to look forward to getting married soon now but even then, she just wasn¡¯t able to change such feelings into words. However, it was her sincere hope to somehow at least convey these special feelings to Edgar. Lydia went to the front of the chest. She opened the uppermost drawer, and quietly put the silver watch inside. Perhaps I¡¯ll never be able to set foot in here again. She hated herself for having that kind of thought, and was slowly unable to leave the room, simply gazing at the pocket watch. When the rainy conditions became worse, Edgar returned to the mansion. He had been sitting in the frequented club for a long time and thinking about what Patrick said the whole time. Were Liz and Ulysses in correspondence? Ulysses was a person who used the Unseelie court as servants. But, Patrick said that it really wasn¡¯t a goblin or some small fairy lingering by Liz¡¯s side, but rather it was a fairy with stronger power. In the moment that Patrick and the fairy saw each other, its presence faded away. Although he didn¡¯t see it clearly, it seemed to be a powerful fairy who could transform into a human appearance. Was Liz aware that there was an Unseelie Court following her side? She didn¡¯t seem to be a person who was good at lying, or was she putting on an act? Within the hall in the dead of night, Edgar set foot on the stairs, and went directly to his room. If Liz seriously knew Lydia¡¯s whereabouts, he would do anything to make her tell. But Edgar did not trust Patrick at all. If he wasn¡¯t able to first determine whether or not Liz was a friend or foe in this situation, he didn¡¯t have the confidence to thoroughly force any interrogation on her. If by any chance she arbitrarily asserted that she was not related with Lydia, so as a result any clue couldn¡¯t be obtained, was he willing to become a villain? But once he started to press for an answer, he couldn¡¯t stop midway. In order to be resolute, Edgar required a little more time to consider things again. (Earl, you don¡¯t seem well.) He soon saw the decoration of flowers in the corridor floating in the air. ¡°You know the reason, Coblynau.¡± Edgar sighed heavily and said that at the same time. (You mean the matter with Miss Lydia? Hehe, then let me bring your spirits up.) ¡°Please leave that for next time. ¡± He had no intention to stop and walked straight past the vase. (Why don¡¯t you go to the master bedroom and take a look?) Edgar was unconsciously startled. When looking back, the flower had already fallen down on the floor. Coblynau seemed to have disappeared. What¡¯s in the master bedroom? Edgar broke into a run without thinking about another thought. If he had calmed down, then he would have realized that it was simply impossible, yet he thought that it was Lydia who had returned. That was his and Lydia¡¯s room. He believed that it was impossible for another person to go in. As he quickly opened the door, he saw a swaying person¡¯s figure waiting in a dark corner. The room only had a candlelight, thus it was hard to avoid regarding the person¡¯s figure as Lydia. ¡°Lydia...¡± He ran over and embraced her. Her slim shoulders and rigid body due to being at a complete loss, that was the Lydia that he knew. He was unable to maintain his self-control and kissed her. For as long as his lips had been kissing hers so anxiously, Lydia also firmly kept her lips sealed against his, not responding the least bit, and thus compelled to keep the same attitude. Edgar called her name over and over again. He even felt that her hair had the fragrance of chamomile. But when she slightly moved the surface of her body so as to face the candlelight, the light shined on her and Edgar was shocked. He didn¡¯t need to move away from her in order to immediately confirm; standing there wasn¡¯t the caramel color-haired Lydia, rather it was a young girl with brunette hair. Edgar slowly left Liz, who was gazing at him. ¡°Why.... are you here¡­..¡± Liz, with a look of disappointment, lowered her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I thought you were Lydia.¡± Feeling as if he were suddenly pushed into prison, Edgar leaned on the walls, exhausted. ¡°Um, I......¡± ¡°If you¡¯re angry, then slap me.¡± She still hung her head, not raising her hand to slap him, nor planning to leave. Edgar started to feel very anxious. He knew perfectly well that the one to be admitting any mistake is him, that he was the one to commit wrong, yet he could not tolerate Liz staying in there. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hit me, then can I ask you to get out?¡± This time she looked up surprised. ¡°This is the room prepared for Lydia.¡± Although she nodded to him, she wanted to approach Edgar. In order to stop her, Edgar spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please forget what happened just now, the person I embraced was Lydia.¡± Liz stopped and was silent for a moment, apparently unharmed, and spoke with a firm tone. ¡°Then let us regard it as such.¡± Volume 13 - CH 5 Lydia opened the door gently and after making sure that nobody was in the corridors, she secretly slipped out of the room. Now was the time when the servants were resting. She went down the staircase without being found by anyone. There also wasn¡¯t anyone in the hall below. Now is the time! Just as she prepared to run to the entrance in one breath.... ¡°Liz, were you going to head out?¡± The sound of Edgar¡¯s voice came from behind, and she almost lost her footing on the staircase. Lydia grabbed the handrail, sparing no effort to support herself up, and turned her head. ¡°Y-yes, I wanted to go for a walk.¡± As if to prevent Lydia from escaping, Edgar went around her and obstructed the path ahead, then grinned and said: ¡°Just in time. Would you like to head to the countryside now for a change of mood?¡° Because of what happened last night, Lydia could not help but feel suspicious towards Edgar now. She originally believed that Edgar would never again speak kindly to Liz. ¡°Uh, but........¡± ¡°I want to apologize to you. Last night, I became too overwhelmed by my emotions and thus behaved in a very disrespectful manner.¡± He lowered his eyes as if he felt apologetic from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Lydia....my fianc¨¦e, suddenly went missing. Although I¡¯ve told acquaintances that she had returned to her hometown, the fact of the matter is, something must have happened to her and she wasn¡¯t able to return. I didn¡¯t have any clues, so I vented my anxiety towards you.¡± ¡°Liz¡± didn¡¯t understand why Edgar would say all this, so she merely listened in silence. ¡°Perhaps she is similar to you and lost her memories. As long as I think of this, I regret hurting you even more.¡± Edgar sorrowfully frowned deeply. Lydia thought that perhaps this was his true feelings, and her chest couldn¡¯t help but feel tight. But at the same time, she felt afraid. The person who stood in front of her was not the Edgar she recognized. Even though he was smiling, there was a cold atmosphere. ¡°Please allow me to apologize for last night. Can you give me a bit of your time?¡± Edgar took her hand as if nothing had happened. Unlike last night, he perfectly treated Liz as a lady, and because of this, Lydia understood even less what Edgar was thinking, and was at a complete loss. Edgar had still not seemed to have realized that Liz was Lydia, but he did understand that Liz had a favorable impression of him. Moreover, Liz was clearly seducing Edgar yesterday; thinking back now, with regards to Lydia, that kind of behaviour was sufficient enough to make her faint on the spot. Could it be that Edgar wanted to use Liz to replace Lydia now? This is troublesome. Following him like this would be very dangerous. Lydia¡¯s mind undoubtedly understood, but she was unable to shake off Edgar¡¯s hand. Perhaps this time, he will discover her. Lydia couldn¡¯t restrain the faint anticipation in her heart. If she were to flee from Edgar¡¯s side like this, she may not be able to come back again. Even if it was an insignificant possibility, she wanted to give it a try, as this was to be expected. In the end, "Liz" and Edgar boarded the carriage together. Last night¡¯s downpour had finally stopped in the early morning, and the sunlight occasionally appeared from between the clouds. Edgar, in order not to let Liz feel bored, chatted about pleasant topics along the way. Nevertheless, perhaps he did this in order not to give Liz the opportunity for her feelings to change. Up until yesterday, Lydia desperately wanted to make Edgar discover her true identity, but she discovered that the more she did so, the more it brought about a negative influence on each other. Therefore, she was forced to courteously respond to what Edgar said. As long as one viewed Edgar with this slight distance, then it would become very clear that Edgar was a dazzling person. The shiny, blonde hair underneath the top hat fluttered in the breeze and glistened under the sunshine. He clearly had an appearance such that one could use a metaphor of purity, yet those ash mauve eyes inexplicably stirred up emotions. If he were to gaze at someone without meaning, then it would make them have the misconception that they were the most important, causing others to believe that perhaps this was his unique expertise. With that, the majority of young women ought to fall in love with him instantaneously. Did this kind of Edgar really want to apologize to ¡°Liz¡±? Lydia couldn¡¯t make out what ideas he had in his mind at all. Even as they had become engaged, Lydia still had trouble thinking of a gift that would make him happy, let alone the fact that he flawlessly repressed his emotions in front of Liz, who was an outsider. Therefore, it was only logical for Lydia not to comprehend what he was thinking. The more Edgar stared at Lydia, the more she found it hard to believe that he was her fianc¨¦. She even believed that she was ¡°Liz¡±, who was unable to receive Edgar¡¯s attention no matter what she did, and that ¡°Lydia¡±, who was very special to him, was another person. This was probably the real current situation. The body that was here was Liz, and there was no way to become Lydia. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be cheerful. Sure enough, is it because you didn¡¯t want to come out with me?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ no, that¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re absent-minded, looking up at the sky like that.¡± Lydia mumbled ¡°sorry¡±. She felt that Edgar was seemingly a bit displeased. ¡°If you head forward more, there¡¯s a place with very beautiful scenery, have you been there?¡° ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my first time.¡± ¡°I see, so you do remember something.¡± Lydia was shocked and covered her mouth, but Edgar smiled indifferently. ¡°Uh, how strange, I feel as if it¡¯s the first time coming here.¡± She wanted to play the fool, but Edgar, whose whole face was filled with doubt, suddenly leaned over and said: ¡°Liz, I want to understand you more, for instance, what your true identity is." Lydia was startled. The name ¡°Lydia¡± was already at the corner of her lips, but Edgar had never considered that possibility. Edgar was seemingly going to pursue Liz and tenderly smiled, gently holding her hand. ¡°Why did you want to rush in front of my carriage? Why did you say that you didn¡¯t remember anything? What¡¯s your purpose in approaching me?¡± His tone was very gentle, but the questions thrown out were actually intense. ¡°Did someone order you?¡± ¡°.....Eh, by order you mean.....¡± ¡°For instance, being threatened by Ulysses and such?¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Lydia realized that an intense anger instantly flashed in Edgar¡¯s eyes, and that she misspoke again. ¡°I see so you do know Ulysses.¡± Although Lydia¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t grasped with a lot of force, she was unable to draw back with her strength. ¡°Was it Ulysses who took Lydia away? For what reason?¡± The carriage door was blocked by Edgar, and he was coming closer. Lydia didn¡¯t know what to do. She only knew that she was suspected by Edgar and was being considered an accomplice of the criminal who took his fianc¨¦e away. ¡°You will tell me.¡± Fingers soothingly touched her cheek. If there was a little resistance, then he would probably twist and break her neck. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Lydia desperately shook her head, but Edgar¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change the least bit. "...... Everything you know, you will tell me. Have no fear, if Lydia is saved, you will be saved. ¡° As the underlying small minion? Edgar was obviously threatening Liz. He decided that no matter the means he must make her to speak. ¡°No, I don''t know anything at all!¡° Lydia was shaking her head, but Edgar¡¯s grim expression didn¡¯t change the slightest. ¡°No matter who, they will say so at the beginning, but it¡¯s just the start.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, I¡­¡­ I am not your enemy.¡± Before she knew it, the carriage had stopped. She realized that her shoulders were trembling. She was afraid and sorrowful to the point of not knowing what to do. ¡°......I beg you, Edgar, please recognize me! You know who I am!¡± He frowned. ¡°Close your eyes and feel with your heart, as long as you do this, you will know. You¡¯ve clearly said this before!¡± Edgar seemed caught up in contemplation, probably because Lydia¡¯s reaction and the enemy spy¡¯s reaction when being interrogated weren¡¯t too similar. ¡°I.... won''t run away. I believe you¡¯ll realize, so please close your eyes for a moment.¡± Lydia begged him, and he did as such, grabbing her hand and closing his eyes. I must calm down. Lydia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She grasped Edgar¡¯s hand in return, confirming those warm and slender fingers. Lydia knew it was a hand that was familiar to her. Although Liz wasn¡¯t similar to Lydia at all, that was only in appearances; in fact, regardless of her palms, fingertips, hair, ear, and lips, all of it was Lydia, thus he ought to have taken notice. Volume 13 - CH 7 The three, including Lydia, headed towards the sea. This was because Fergus said that the sun giant clan would be helpless in that area. But even if they left the forest, there was still a vast plain before their eyes. Although they considered the sun, that was positioned quite low, as the target to go straight forward, it wasn¡¯t clear whether or not they were headed towards the sea in the end. They avoided the plains, walking only along the areas where many trees grew. ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s still really strange.¡± Just as they walked toward the edge of the forest, Lota spoke and squinted her eyes, because the thin clouds illuminated rays of light between them. ¡°You see, the height of the sun hasn¡¯t changed since we left the rocky region where the giant was staying. I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s sunrise or sunset. If it was sunrise, the position should become higher: if it¡¯s sunset, then it should sink down.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± After Lydia confirmed the position of the sun once again, she mumbled. ¡°Right now, this place is in eternal light, this should be the Trow¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°What, then will it always be daytime?¡± ¡°Yes, before I was captured by the Trow and wandered around everywhere, the sun was just about that high. This isn¡¯t the Trow¡¯s land, so be on the lookout and make sure the sunset isn¡¯t coming.¡± Giants loathe the sunset and the sea. Although this was perhaps their weakness, whether it was human or any fairy clan, they were no match. ¡°When the sun is swallowed by the sea for the third time¡±...... The Trow¡¯s immortal body will die. What does this mean? If she didn¡¯t solve this riddle, Lydia would probably be unable to return to Edgar¡¯s side. ¡°Lydia, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lota looked back at her. The reason why Lydia stopped her footsteps was because she felt as if she heard Edgar¡¯s voice. But there¡¯s no sign of him anywhere, I must have misheard. Lota pulled Lydia¡¯s hand, and she continued walking once again. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright, it¡¯ll be difficult for the giant to find the wooden staff amongst the forest with many grown trees. Nico, Raven and Edgar will definitely think of a way.¡± Lota tried to cheer Lydia up, probably feeling that Lydia was very restless. ¡°Besides, Lydia, even if the giant finds the wooden staff and uses magic, I won¡¯t leave you alone, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± Although Lydia felt happy because Lota was grasping her hand firmly, she thought to herself that it was impossible for her to that. If Lota was taken to the giant¡¯s country, her lifespan would be reduced. ¡°Do you want to take a break? I¡¯m tired.¡± Lydia deliberately let go of Lota¡¯s hand and then leaned against a thick tree trunk. ¡°Say, I also don¡¯t know how long we must walk before we reach the beach. Although you can¡¯t feel hungry or thirsty in the fairy world, you can actually get tired.¡± Lota had also stretched, then casually sat beside the tree roots. ¡°Hey, Lydia, there is one way that can make you not bound by the engagement ring.¡± Fergus stood in front of Lydia; rather than saying that he just thought of these words, it would be better to say that he had been thinking for a long time before he spoke out. ¡°That is to accept my proposal.¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Although Lota immediately refuted, Fergus held out a single hand toward Lydia who was leaning against the trunk, then continued speaking: ¡°The reason why the ring that was important to you was snatched away by the giant, is because it¡¯s the engagement ring? As long as the engagement is rescinded, then it¡¯s merely an ordinary ring, and the Trow won¡¯t be able to use magic to kidnap you.¡± ¡°......That¡¯s impossible. Besides, feelings can¡¯t be changed like that so easily.¡± ¡°However, that Earl wasted the chance for you to return to the human world.¡± That hit the mark. Surprised, Lydia looked up at Fergus. ¡°Think about it, then you¡¯ll understand. I heard that the Kelpie that took you away is a fairy that you¡¯re acquainted with?¡± If it was a fairy she knew that would want to return Lydia to the fairy world, it would be quite difficult to accomplish without a ring, so he thought that Lydia would consider using changeling magic. Worthy of being the McKeel clan head¡¯s eldest son, he seemed to possess relevant knowledge of fairies. ¡°If it was me, then I would have recognised you. A fianc¨¦e who disappeared because of being involved in a fairy incident, and then there¡¯s an unfamiliar woman with him and getting close to him, perhaps he would be suspicious. Then again, that guy claiming to be the Blue Knight Earl obviously knows that Lydia is a fairy doctor, yet he hadn¡¯t thought about the possibility of a changeling, this really is too strange.¡± However, this was inevitable. Even Lydia didn¡¯t think that Edgar would notice that she used changeling magic. She only expected that Edgar would intuitively know that she was by his side. ¡°Furthermore, the Trow won¡¯t give up on you. Even if you return to the human world, they will still kidnap you. Even the Earl, who couldn¡¯t make out a changeling, could he find ways to confront the giant? While the giants had once laid an agreement to not kill members of the McKeel clan, they will easily kill other humans. If it¡¯s us then it¡¯s possible to make a deal with the giants.¡± Edgar may get killed by the giant. Lydia noticed this point, and couldn¡¯t help but become afraid. Despite her hoping that Edgar would come and save her, and her wanting to meet with him, if he came here, it may lead to an uncontrollable situation, because he would sometimes handle matters recklessly. ¡°Fergus, that¡¯s enough.¡± Lydia couldn¡¯t answer. Lota wanted to stand in front of her, but Fergus pulled Lydia over to him with a jerk, whose heart was uneasy. His red hair nearly came across Lydia¡¯s cheek. Lydia was surprised. The man that would to do this to her would only be Edgar. Lydia had only touched Edgar¡¯s blond hair, and it was only with Edgar¡¯s ash mauve eyes that were at such a close distance, as she met his eyes when gazing at each other. The ice-cold eyes with hidden emotions was the last memory of Lydia and him touching. As that recollection swept past her mind, she felt dazed because of Fergus¡¯ passionate gaze. During her confusion, unable to move, there was something flashing in the sky. A silver ray of light beamed straight down. ¡°Whoa!¡± In the moment that Fergus yelled as he jumped backward, a special sword pierced into the ground where he originally stood. It was the treasured Merrow¡¯s sword. ¡°W-what is this......?¡± Fergus wanted to take a closer look at the sword when a voice suddenly appeared from deep in the woods. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! I forbid you to touch my things.¡± It was Edgar¡¯s voice. Astonished, Lydia stared fixedly, deep into the forest. The shadow of someone was slowly approaching. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to skewer him from the top of the head?¡± After Edgar muttered, the sword began to answer: (I thought you were joking.) The sword then disappeared, and Edgar stood from a distance slightly away from Lydia. She saw Raven and Nico running over from behind, together with Patrick. Patrick overtook Edgar and ran to Fergus, but Edgar was still standing in place, looking at Lydia with a somewhat sad expression. ¡°Lydia...... you¡¯re safe.¡± He indeed called out Lydia¡¯s name. It was truly a reassuring voice, the familiar and gentle voice that made Lydia want to cling to Edgar on impulse regardless of being seen by the others. But she couldn¡¯t because she was grabbed by Lota, who was beside her. Did she think that if Edgar noticed Lydia just now doing something with Fergus, he wouldn¡¯t accept her? She clearly knew that it wouldn¡¯t be the case, but when she was still ¡°Liz¡±, the feeling of embracing Edgar and being pushed away came again, making her more fearful. ¡°Come on, hurry and go, Lydia.¡± Lota urged her, but Lydia was unable to leave her. ¡°B-but Lota...... tell me, do I truly look like Lydia right now?¡± ¡°What? What are you saying?¡± ¡°Is there anything different?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t. Right, Edgar?¡± Edgar saw Lydia appearing as if she wanted to run away, so he felt very troubled. Normally, he would definitely try leaning over and hug her regardless of everything, but now he didn¡¯t do such a thing. Lydia increasingly felt that he wasn¡¯t like usual, certainly because there was something different about herself. She didn¡¯t know that Edgar found out that Liz was her at that time and didn¡¯t know that he felt heartache for this reason. ¡°Lydia, we were able to meet again, aren¡¯t you relieved?¡± ¡°Hey Edgar, let me first make this clear, the matters just now, Lydia did nothing wrong, it was that guy who insisted on coming near her.¡± Lota seemed to think that Lydia was afraid of Edgar¡¯s misunderstanding. ¡°I know Lydia can¡¯t love a man other than her formal fianc¨¦.¡± After Fergus heard this, he suddenly looked back and said: ¡°What formal fianc¨¦, you didn¡¯t even know about the changeling magic.¡± Then he used his passionate gaze from a moment ago to look at Lydia. ¡°Lydia, think about it carefully. I am not asking you to decide between the Earl and I. Rather, I want you to choose between being forced to be the giant¡¯s bride and returning to the island with me!¡± Edgar walked towards Fergus. He pushed aside Patrick who tried to protect Fergus, then he roughly grabbed onto Fergus¡¯s shirt. ¡°I will never let her become the giant¡¯s bride, I came to defeat it.¡± ¡°What? This is why the English are unbearable...... You simply do not understand fairies, and how impossible it is to defeat the Trow. ¡± Fergus snorted contemptuously. ¡°Then do you want to bet your head as the stake? If I win, the next eyesore will be you.¡± ¡°Fergus, don¡¯t get provoked.¡± Patrick spoke out to stop him, but Fergus wasn¡¯t willing to back down. ¡°Suit yourself, you¡¯ll be killed at any rate.¡± ¡°Edgar, stop it.¡± Lydia wanted to stop him, thus she left Lota¡¯s side. But she still couldn¡¯t take the initiative to touch Edgar, so she was only able to worriedly look at the two glaring at each other from behind. Just then, Lydia felt a strange sensation that struck her like having her hair pulled, causing her whole body to get goosebumps. ¡°It¡¯s the Trow¡¯s magic......!¡± Nico yelled. Instantly, a gust of wind blew. Just as he thought that, the gust swept up the trees, reduced the vortex range that surrounded them and pulled everyone in. While the leaves and dust seized their field of vision, the wind¡¯s spiral seemed to have determined a target and caught Lydia. The giant found the wooden staff, and was using his magic to kidnap Lydia. Edgar grabbed her in the moment that she was almost carried away by the wind, but her body was already floating in the air. Edgar was clearly here, yet Lydia felt the ring¡¯s pull. This was because she faced Edgar with hesitation. Although she understood, she didn¡¯t know what to do. Despite this, Edgar still didn¡¯t let go of her hand, so the both of them were swept in. If this continued, Edgar would also be brought to the giant¡¯s side, perhaps he will be killed by the giant as Fergus said. Lydia didn¡¯t want this, at the same time, she extended her other hand towards Edgar. Not long ago, Lydia¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t able to reach Edgar at the fort¡¯s riverbank, but now, she forcefully held on. He wrapped his hands around Lydia¡¯s body, hugging her, and as she leaned against his chest, the wind suddenly calmed down. The two of them were suddenly released from the wind, falling to the ground. Lydia, bore the pain of her hit knee and raised her head, but apart from grassland, there was nothing all around. Edgar caught her, so the magic that linked Lydia with the ring lost its effect before she was brought back to the giant¡¯s side. ¡°Lydia..... if I could, I¡¯d really like to maintain this current state, but now, perhaps it can¡¯t be done.¡± Edgar said painfully. Lydia pushed down on him. ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± After she hastily moved away, Edgar carefully got up like he was in pain. Once she looked, she found that Edgar¡¯s chest was bleeding, and that the blood had already spread to his vest. ¡°You¡¯re hurt!¡± ¡°That, it¡¯s merely a wound that split open slightly, nothing more.¡± ¡°But...... oh no, does it hurt? Is the wound very deep?¡± Lydia was flustered, at the same time, it was because she didn¡¯t know what ought to be done and wanted to cry. Edgar saw her like this, and smiled without knowing why. ¡°Thank goodness...... you¡¯re still willing to be worried for me.¡± She felt a pair of hands touch her cheeks and lifted her eyes, but because she saw something dazzling, her heart skipped a beat. She saw the person she wanted to see, and also wanted hold Edgar in her joyous mood, but as expected, she was still a little afraid, so she couldn¡¯t do it. Compared to this, she felt that Edgar¡¯s hands seemed particularly hot. ¡°Edgar, do you also have a fever?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± He gently pulled back the hand stroking Lydia¡¯s cheek, was it because he didn¡¯t want her to know that he his fever had heightened? Saying that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, was simply a lie. Lydia was even more worried. ¡°How did you get hurt?¡± Volume 14 - CH 1 The London sky was unusually cloudless.