CH 45

Cassis nervously threw the papers away.

Agasa was contemplating the cause of his anger, seeing the head of the household who had become more angry these days.

He must have been suspicious.

“Agasa. How is the situation with the Eillian family under investigation?”

It was the right timing.

After all, Cassis was thinking about that too.

“As a result of the investigation, he’s not engaged in other business or social activities, and he seems to be living a dead life.”

“Investigate the Eillian family’s illegal slave trade.”

“Did Your Grace feel the same way?”

They had no serious interest in slavery.

Until this time, he was nothing more than a yellow-headed beast whom Billishia liked that he wanted to kill.

However.

“Focus the investigation on that kid named Sian. In particular, find out what kind of trading process the yellow hair came to.”

Agasa bowed his head, happily accepting Cassis’ order.

And after a few daysㅡ

“There is no information at all.”

“What?”

Agasa, who couldn’t hide his bewilderment as much as Cassis, frowned.

“Literally. I searched Viscount Shrek’s mansion, yet there were no papers pertaining to a slave named Sian.”

Agasa continued with a look of hurt on his pride.

“My personal opinion is that there is no ledger written in the name of the slave at all.”

While listening to the aide’s explanation, Cassis’ eyes grew cold.

Agasa’s words now meant that Sian was no mere slave.

“Where does his wife live, you said?”

Cassis asked.

Agasa, who recalled that cold, low voice from the past run, slightly averted his gaze.

“She lives in Delta.”

“Did she run away? Or did she originally live there?”

“It seems that she ran away. She must have heard the news of her husband and fled to the mountain valley.”

The Delta region was a port city overlooking the sea.

Her ulterior motive was obvious as there was a free country across the sea.

‘Viscountess Shrek is a broker who brings slaves.’

Viscount Shrek would have been in charge of buying and selling the slaves his wife had brought in.

Cassis recognized the heavy seat of the head of household.

That Vallois was involved in this absurd thing.

It also disproved Cassis’ neglect of Vallois.

“The distance.”

Thus, he intended to meddle in everything related to Vallois.

“Half a day.”

“Then prepare the carriage. I’m leaving now.”

Cassis got up from his seat and swung the jacket for going out in plain view.

“Tell Billie that I went to a banquet.”

It was a week since Sian worked as a servant.

***

That time.

“So what is this for?”

A peaceful afternoon.

Under the moderately bright 4 o’clock sunlight, I could hear the snoring of a bird.

After that, the Guide only slept.

But.

Blub, blub, blub.

…Pop!

Seeing it fall asleep while blowing bubbles made it seem to be recovering.

Hmm.

“Bird head. Rest for as long as you worked hard.”

I stared at the Guide, who was sleeping peacefully, and returned to the main topic.

Pieces of iron were strewn across the bedroom floor.

Now I was figuring out the correct answer to the quiz given by Sian.

“He told me to put it together like a puzzle, though.”

He definitely said there was a meaning to the sculpture.

At first, it was simple curiosity, but as I collected iron pieces, I became greedy thanks to the outline of the correct answer.

“…Hmm.”

Possessing the mind of a great detective, I narrowed my eyes.

I rubbed my chin with two fingers.

“It’s like a flower. It’s like a whirlwind.”

I do feel something.

I don’t know exactly what shape it is.

So far, I’ve received a total of 4 pieces of ironf rom Sian.

However, it was difficult to infer the correct answer as the empty part of the piece still occupied 3/2 of it.

“I’ll ask Sian to give some hints later…”

“Billishia.”

“Yes?!”

What. The tiger will come if I say it?

I glanced around at the sudden voice, yet it was still just me and the bird in the bedroom.

It was definitely Sian’s voice.

‘Who is that?’

Although I heard a clear voice, no one was there.

I put the scraps of iron I had collected into my pocket and went on alert.

“Billie.”

“Who are you! P-Perhaps. Are you the sender who gave me the letter?”

Since the bird is injured, it could have come down directly from the spirit realm.

It was a perfect guess.

“Hap.”

I jumped up from my seat and held the bird in my arms.

And, with the intention of calling the knights, I secretly left the bedroom door open.

“Anyway, I kept reading the letter, but why do they keep lecturing me? Could they be my parents?!”

[The sender will roast you and boil you, chirp!]

At that time, the warning of the birdhead.

‘It said the sender would roast me and boil me.’

Frightened, I shuddered and screamed.

“Kyaaak!”

“Billie.”

“Kyaaaaaaaaak!”

It was then.

As I was covering my mouth at the eerie voice, a white hand protruded from the frame of the window.

“Are you the one who wrote the letter?”

Thump, thump.

“Hm? I’m Xian.”

Suddenly, the blond hair poking out through the window was disorganized by gravity.

“…”

I sighed as I looked at Xian, who was smiling bashfully without knowing anything.

“Are you sneaking in now?”

“Mm. When you’re outside, Miss Lisa and the knights accompany you. ”

Sian quickly entered the window and landed on the floor with a sound, thud.

“I have something to tell between the two of us.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sian was a person of interest these days because of me and Dad’s work.

I didn’t want him to get scolded again.

The bedroom door and curtains were all closed at the behavior that anyone could see suspicious.

But it was a move unlike Sian.

His expression as he glanced at the pieces of iron was a little displeased.

Of course, the moment our eyes met, he smiled.

“…As of today, I have stopped being a servant at Vallois.”

Thump.

“S-Such a serious thing…”

One of my legs went wobbly at the sudden confession.

I came to my senses and eagerly held Sian’s hand.

“…Suddenly?”

After thinking for a moment, I shut my mouth in shock.

No way.

“Did my dad threaten you to quit?”

When I gasped in anger, he shook his head vigorously.

Then he grabbed my hand tightly and didn’t let go.

To the extent his body temperature permeated my skin.

As if the reason he was leaving here wasn’t because of me.

“…I found my parents.”

His lips seemed to tremble slightly as he spoke the first words, but I thought it was because Sian liked it so much.

“Your parents?”

“Yes. My parents live a little far from here. That’s why I’m going to leave today.”

Ah. Then I understand.

You lost your parents and now you have found them.

‘But I don’t know anything about Sian after all, even on the day we parted.’

I tried to erase my bitter feelings and forced a smile.

“Congratulations. Then, after finding your parents, make sure to stop by Vallois Castle with them.”

“…You know, Billie.”

“Why?”

“I will keep my promise.”

Sian lifted the hand I held first.

Was he sad about getting separated from me?

His dark eyes, raised with his head lowered, looked uneasy.

‘If he’s going to see his parents, I’m sure he’ll like it, though.’

There was an impenetrable thick fog in his cold eyes.

“…You must keep it too.”

“Of course!”

Sian’s unsteady smile brightened at my confirmation.

“Do you want to have lunch together? You should fill your stomach well before leaving.”

“Alright.”

‘Since he’s leaving far away, I need to feed him generously.’

I was walking holding Sian’s hand to ask Higgs right away.

“Sian?”

It was then.

The warmth of his body temperature that had been held together disappeared in the wind.

I looked back with empty hands.

Sian wasn’t there.

***

“Sian?”

I couldn’t believe it.

A person disappeared in an instant like this?

‘I couldn’t even greet him properly?’

Thinking I was wrong, I turned and looked around.

Yet Sian was nowhere to be found.

“…”

As soon as I understood the situation, vain emotions broke through the solid wall and attacked my brain.

I didn’t understand.

He was a friend whom I thought was close.

I lived 100 lives as the daughter of a villain, but Sian was the first friend I had without any calculations.

I was so surprised that my thinking circuit stopped.

We were going to eat right away.

I was going to open the bedroom door and go to Higgs with Sian.

“Princess?”

It was then.

I heard Lisa, who checked me through the open door, hurriedly walking.

“Princess, why is your expression like that? What’s wrong?”

“Sian isn’t here.”

“Yes?”

Lisa asked back at the answer without context, but I couldn’t hear it.

I just looked at the disappeared Sian with a surprised focus.

“Sian is gone. He just went away.”

I grabbed Lisa’s sleeve and muttered.

“Yellow hair? I must have met him in the hallway today.”

“Sian just left. He said he was leaving today, so we decided to eat something delicious together, but he just suddenly disappeared. He disappeared before my eyes.”

“Princess.”

“…”

“Princess?”

I was holding on her tight

It felt like he disappeared between my fingers when I opened it lightly.

If that’s the case, I shouldn’t have opened my heart.

If Sian was going to leave like this, I wouldn’t have to be considerate.

“Huwaaaaa!”

I was so surprised that I burst out crying.

At some point, I felt Lisa’s arms pressing my cheeks.

“I will definitely find that brat and make her bow at your feet, Princess. Although the Princess has shown so much generosity, that brat must be punished.”

“…”

“Don’t cry, I’ll be sure to catch him. Let’s go eat cake together.”

Lisa, who was muttering in a low, gentle voice to my crying, blinked her eyes.

“Princess?”

It was then.

Surprised, Lisa spat out a curse.

“Damn it.”

Realizing that I had disappeared in her arms, Lisa hurriedly ran down the hallway.