CH 44.1

Irvan frowned at his cheeky comment, then shook his head. He had no other choice. “All right, I’ll join. Tell them to go there and wait,” he said.

“Yes, sir!”

Irvan gazed at Roham rushing quickly out of the annex, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed.

“What’s wrong?” Emma said. She approached him slowly, gently buried her chin on his wide shoulder.

He lowered his gaze to fixate his eyes on her. “Monsters have appeared in the Lojak region. It must be a wave or a sign of a wave because they keep reappearing,” he began, with bitterness in his voice. “I must be stationed there if I want to eliminate all of them. It may take more time than we had expected…”

“I’ll calmly wait here.”

When Emma cracked a soft smile, Irvan stared blankly at her face, then he laughed miserably. “If only I could put you in my pocket and take you with me,” he said.

“Seriously?”

Irvan lightly nuzzled her nose and nodded when she jokingly asked. “No… I can’t. It’s too dangerous. Stay here, where you are safe.”

His fingers on the top of Emma’s head ran smoothly through her hair. Irvan, who had been caressing Emma for a while, let out a sigh of regret, packed his commander gear, and left the annex.

***

A visitor visited the annex after Irvan left with the Knight Order.

“How about staying in our house, for the time being, madam?” Baron Berne offered. Her unexpected guest was the old aristocrat who always had a strict, solemn air around him. “Will that be okay?” he said.

Emma was pleased with his kind suggestion. Even so, she was nervous with Irvan’s absence from the castle. Collin especially was in the back of her mind. After that scuffle with Irvan in the dinner hall, she was sure he’d sharpened his ax in preparation. That’s why it was better not to run into him, but who Emma can meet inside the Van Wert Castle was solely at the mercy of Countess Karina. And since even Countess Karina obviously was not that amicable with her, Emma couldn’t feel at ease one way or another.

“Master Irvan said you might get lonely, Miss Herman,” he said. “He has instructed me to take action so that you can get along well without any inconvenience during his time away. From what this old man thinks, it would be more comfortable for you to move to my home. How about it, madam?”

Baron Berne hadn’t come to her without a reason. It was because of Irvan’s arrangement. Emma was thankful for his thoughtfulness despite his hectic schedule.

“I will do that,” she nodded. “I am really grateful for your invitation, Lord Berne.”

Baron Berne smiled benevolently at her kind words.

“I cannot guarantee that it will be very comfortable, but you will definitely have more freedom than staying here. It will be your first time in Reshire, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’ll be good. You can look around the famous places in Wert City.”

“Oh, uh, by the way…”

When she was about to leave, she was at a loss on how to obtain permission from Countess Karina. When the happy expression on Emma’s face suddenly turned gloomy, Baron Berne quickly spoke, as if he had read her thoughts.

“Master Irvan has already taken action on that part. All you have to do is pack some clothes and see the countess before we leave,” he said, to Emma’s utter relief.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to repay you, My Lord,” she replied.

“You’re welcome. Evelyn will like that a lot. Because she seems to like you, Miss Herman.”

Emma hurriedly packed her bags while the smiling Baron Berne waited for her.

***

“Hmm, right. I heard that.”

Emma went to the office to get permission from Countess Karina. The latter was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, rummaging through thick files as if she were the busiest person in the world. She looked over at Emma through her glasses and dryly said as she stared at her,

“By the way, if you’re not in a hurry, please have dinner this evening before you leave.”

“Huh..?”

As soon as Emma’s shoulders froze at the random comment, Countess Karina quickly took the initiative and repeated her words. “Wait in the castle until dinnertime,” she said.

Emma, however, was reluctant. She opened her mouth after hesitating for a moment. “Uh, but Irvan said he got permission – ”

The countess nodded offhandedly. “Yes, yes. You’re going to Baron Berne’s home. He said you’re to  stay there until he returns. I know that. You can stay there after tonight’s dinner in the Van Wert castle.”

The countess spoke gracefully, without any undulation in her words. After speaking her piece with finality, she shifted her eyes back to the papers with an air of business around her. Her outward attitude was clearly to drive other people away, but Emma couldn’t leave like this.

‘Attend dinner?’

If so, she would without a doubt run into Collin again. This time Irvan was gone. Moreover, Collin must be grinding his teeth over the last encounter. Emma’s head was in a daze just imagining what would happen in a place without her strong, sturdy shield.

As her lips shook from nervousness, she mustered the courage and said,  “…if I can, I want to just leave without attending dinner, Lady Karina. While it’s still bright outside.”

“Hmmph.”

The countess slammed the pile of papers down onto her desk with a loud sound. Emma gasped at Karina’s abrupt action meant to clearly show her displeasure.