~CMWDD 20~
Chapter 20
It was impossible to tell whether he was joking or serious. It sounded like a joke, too, since his voice carried a teasing tone and the way he rested his chin looked playful.
Yet, Count Odor readily agreed.
“Very well! Stay as long as you like.”
‘There’s no need to be happy about this! What am I supposed to do if you give me permission like that!’
Olentia unknowingly wore a deeply disappointed expression. The corners of her mouth drooped, and her shoulders slumped. Even with such a fine spread of food in front of her, she suddenly felt no appetite. Her emotions were swinging wildly.
Dimidius pulled his hand from his chin and spoke teasingly.
“You seem uncomfortable that you have to stay a few more days, Lady. Are you disappointed that I’ll be staying longer?”
In front of her uncle, she couldn’t exactly admit that outright.
Olentia quickly shook her head. For a moment, she thought she should put on a mask like Dimidius. Wearing one would be very effective at hiding her emotions.
‘I didn’t realize I was this disappointed… I have to be careful.’
She cleared her throat and forced a faint smile.
“I, too, am indebted to the Count’s mansion. There’s no reason for disappointment. If it pleases my uncle, that’s enough.”
Seeing her try to smooth things over, Dimidius nodded.
“Yes. Then I look forward to your continued favor, Lady Armeniaca.”
His words were unusually polite. Olentia gave a brief acknowledgment and then returned to her meal. When embarrassed, it was always easier to focus on eating.
After the uncomfortable lunch, Olentia remained in the garden, staring endlessly at the flowers. The daffodils with straight stems and yellow blooms were particularly beautiful; together they created a magnificent display. Olentia adored how modest flowers could collectively radiate such charm.
On a white table, flowers arranged by the mansion’s maids were laid out as tea. Olentia stood quietly, unable to sit and sip tea. She was waiting for a letter.
“When is it coming…? Is it even going to come?”
Finally, she voiced her foreboding thought aloud.
Olentia hated unease and frustration more than anything. If this letter were lost or delayed, she wouldn’t be able to tolerate it. She would certainly have to go directly to the dangerous Ancedo.
As she stood there, she noticed Bobby in the distance near the fountain. He hadn’t been visible throughout lunch, but now he was running toward her.
“Miss! Huff… huff… a courier has arrived for you at the Count’s mansion!”
Hearing even Bobby’s small voice, Olentia let out a cheer. If it was a courier, it must have been sent by Ancedo, which justified Bobby running all this way. He knew how eagerly she had been waiting for a reply.
A moment later, Bobby arrived and handed Olentia a white envelope. It was pristine, with no name or address written on it.
Olentia swallowed and pulled out the letter inside. Her heart raced wildly, and her hands trembled from holding the paper. Since Bobby was watching, she couldn’t afford to look suspicious—but she couldn’t calm herself easily.
Pretending to take a stroll in the garden, Olentia subtly turned toward Bobby and read the letter.
< I had no idea you were a client. Conveniently, among the magical tools arriving in four days, there’s one that can change gender. Let’s meet then. >
After reading just two lines, Olentia dropped the letter. It landed softly atop the yellow daffodils.
‘…Was that really a premonitory dream?’
There was no way it was a lucky guess. Olentia wasn’t that foolish.
She retrieved the letter from the flower bed, gasping heavily. She wanted to shout, but too many eyes were watching. She had to appear normal.
After carefully reviewing the letter, Olentia went up to her room on the mansion’s third floor. She felt dizzy and on the verge of collapsing. It had been a shocking event, and she was unsure what to do next.
Bobby, seeing her sitting dazed on the bed, asked in a worried voice,
“What’s wrong? Is it bad news?”
Olentia blinked several times before finally speaking.
“No. Fortunately, Ancedo says he has a proposal that might sway the archbishop’s opinion.”
“That’s good news, then!”
“Yes. But I think I’m not feeling well today. I’m going to lie down, so could you leave?”
She really wasn’t feeling well. The premonitory dream had startled her more than she could admit.
Once Bobby hesitated and left, Olentia finally exhaled deeply. The letter had the date and place of the magical tool exchange: four days later, at Ancedo’s residence, before moving to a secret location.
A secret location… what could it be?
Perhaps it was the room full of mirrors?
According to the premonitory dream, Ancedo would go to that mirrored room to look at the embezzled money. She hadn’t seen the money itself, though, as the scene changed.
If the exchange location was the building with that room, he might indeed be retrieving the church’s embezzled funds.
Olentia clasped her now-chilled hands together, thinking seriously.
‘Should I tell my uncle?’
She had no hesitation about the corpse search, but this required caution. If she informed Count Odor and the matter escalated, Ancedo might notice and back out. She had heard that catching the culprit was more likely during a stakeout.
Her head ached as if it would split, and a sigh escaped her lips.
“Ha… still, it’s an opportunity.”
Although dangerous, approaching as a client could reveal a lot, including the building’s location.
Moreover, she couldn’t stop thinking about the premonitory dream where she cried at Morin’s grave.
She had clearly said then,
‘If only I had met Ancedo and resolved it, none of this would have happened!’
She regretted not seizing the chance to meet him. She had to go and resolve it properly. She didn’t want to create a situation to regret. Morin’s life depended on it.
Olentia safely burned the letter before standing.
Having left Bobby behind, she immediately thought to track down Morin. To locate her, she first needed to visit the information guild in the Odor domain.
Changing into more practical clothes, Olentia left the main building and headed to the carriage. The driver tilted his head upon seeing her alone.
“A maid or a knight isn’t accompanying you?”
She had once been humiliated on Shine Street for going without a knight, but she had no choice now.
Olentia flung open the carriage door and said,
“I need to move stealthily. I need your help.”
Meanwhile, Dimidius watched Olentia fussing in the garden from inside the house.
“So even now, there are people exchanging letters.”
Hearing him, Killen bit his lip as he reviewed densely written documents.
“Should we investigate that too?”
“No. We’re already busy investigating Thomas’s death. Lady’s movements are my responsibility.”
Killen seemed extremely busy lately. Handling everything alone, without other aides, was surely not easy.
While searching for the corpse, Count Odor’s team had reported the disappearance of Thomas, the Odor parish administrator. Thomas was likely to be found in the Centmi River.
Killen scanned the papers and told Dimidius,
“We’ve learned something new. The last person to see Thomas said he was with a priest from Odor Parish Church named Ancedo, age 34, highly trusted by residents of Odor.”
“The more trusted they are, the more suspicious they seem… get more details.”
“Yes! Understood. By the way, what about Lady Armeniaca?”
‘What about her?’
Dimidius paused to think.
He had been startled at lunch today. The wound on Olentia’s neck from the train incident had healed completely. It wasn’t a large wound, but it should have taken a while to heal.
The conclusion: Olentia had displayed self-healing abilities. She revealed all her powers related to divine energy.
Dimidius spoke resolutely,
“I’ll watch and monitor her until the end. If Lady Armeniaca is in danger, I’ll be in trouble too.”
A moment would come when her power was needed. Though she had only recently awakened her demonic powers, that moment would surely arrive.
Of course, he had no desire to see her lose control. Still, if necessary, he wanted to hold her hand.
At the information guild, Olentia obtained Morin’s information fairly easily. It wasn’t particularly difficult.
She deliberately didn’t ask about Ancedo, suspecting he might have used the Odor information guild as well.
“So it really is a doll workshop?”
Morin was a small-time artisan. It was strange that such a civilian had limited-edition, very expensive hairpins.
Had Ancedo, her ex, gifted them?
Olentia arrived at the doll workshop, which was filled with stuffed animals. Morin was working alone on dolls.
“Welcome!”
Morin put down her work and greeted Olentia. She wore the same hairpin as before.
Olentia decided not to mention Ancedo or the mirrored room, fearing she might be thrown out. Instead, she casually looked at the dolls.
Animal dolls dressed in dresses or suits were incredibly cute.
“Could I order a doll wearing my dress?”
Morin, staring at her, perked up.
“Ah! You’re the young lady from the Armeniaca family I met at Odor Parish Church, right?”
It seemed no one in the Odor domain didn’t know her.
Olentia smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“Yes. Everyone seems to know.”
“Of course. You’re Count Odor’s niece. News spreads fast here.”
Despite her somewhat haughty appearance, Morin was bright, friendly, and approachable. This made conversation easier, and Olentia felt more confident.
“I’d like a rabbit doll. Also, I have a few questions. Can we sit and talk?”
