By Zephyria Two knights lined up and came forward to greet the arriving carriage. After facing each other, one on the left extended his arm and respectfully opened the door of the carriage.
Shoes without a speck of dust touched the ground, and a man armed with a snow-white uniform appeared.
It was the glorious return of the Duke, the sky of old Logia and the lord.
“Congratulations on your safe return―!”
The knights in blue and white uniforms saluted with precision, echoing throughout the mansion’s front yard. Startled, the birds in the nearby forest fluttered their wings and soared into the sky. Hugo, adjusting his attire, took a small breath and scanned the crowd lined up in front of the neat stone pillars.
There were more than three times the usual number of people who came to greet him. The mansion surrounding them was so well-maintained that it was hard to believe the owner had been away for months.
The scenery wasn’t much different from what he had seen before leaving, but perhaps because he had returned from a life-threatening expedition, the faces of the servants were a mixture of worry and joy.
“Welcome home, Master.”
The butlers, including the head butler, approached and bowed at a 90-degree angle. Hugo didn’t particularly like noisy welcomes, but today he patted their shoulders and responded with a gentle smile.
“I’m back.”
One of the butlers who had served him for over 20 years furrowed his brow, his eyes glistening with tears. Hugo chuckled softly and comforted him, then headed towards the mansion’s main door with Flynn, who had stepped out of the carriage after him.
The guards opened the door in sync with his pace, and the servants waiting inside bowed respectfully. He felt that the atmosphere inside was subtly stiff today. He assumed it was because they were more on edge than usual, welcoming their master after a long absence.
Hugo crossed the spacious hall and ascended the curved staircase along the carpeted floor. A butler hurried over and stuck close behind him, asking.
“Master, have you had your meal?”
“Not yet. I’d like a light meal in about 90 minutes, mainly protein. Before that, sort out the letters and packages that have arrived for me.”
“Yes, I understand. Were there any injuries or discomforts during the expedition? I informed the physician in advance upon hearing the news of your return today.”
“I’m fine, but have him come for a check-up in the evening. Has anything happened at the mansion in the meantime?”
“No, nothing within the mansion. However, there is a letter that requires confirmation. I will bring it to your office immediately.”
Hugo nodded in response as he climbed the stairs and handed his uniform jacket to Flynn. Flynn bowed and turned to walk down the hallway to the side. Usually, it was customary for the head butler to assist the Duke who had returned from a long trip, but he seemed to have something urgent to attend to, as he disappeared in the same direction as Flynn after a brief greeting.
A butler’s fate is to have more work than he can handle. Hugo, not paying much attention, entered the Duke’s office located in the main building. The office in the mansion was at least four times larger than the Legion Commander’s office in the Council. Even with a crowd of attendants following him in, it didn’t feel cramped or crowded at all.
Unbuttoning his sleeves and wristwatch, Hugo quietly watched the three or four attendants carrying letters and packages.
“The clothes and luggage sent by the Council this morning have all been received, laundered, and organized. Also, Lord Drake Duncan sent some gifts as a preliminary greeting regarding the meeting in six days.”
“Gifts? Meeting?”
Hugo, leaning against the desk in his vest, placed the watch he had taken off on the surface and asked back.
“What do you mean?”
The butler bowed lightly and continued.
“About ten days before you departed for the peninsula, Lord Drake Duncan sent an invitation to a banquet. He said he had arranged a place to promote unity among the nobles, but I understand that the banquet itself was postponed when you expressed your inability to attend due to the expedition.”
Hugo, belatedly remembering, rubbed his face and replied.
“…If he postponed the schedule, it means I have to attend. What are the gifts?”
“He sent wine, cheese, and white sable fur along with the invitation. We have finished checking the components and quantity and are storing them in the warehouse without opening the packaging. What would you like us to do?”
He wanted to focus on taking care of the mansion and the territory for a while, but it was time to show his face since he had been away from his position as Duke for so long. Moreover, Drake Duncan was, to put it nicely, one of the main pillars who played a big role in solidifying the unity of the Imperial Faction. To put it badly, he was one of the stagnant, rotten waters of the old nobility.
The banquet he hosted for the sake of unity, which was in charge of the evils of noble culture, was also an irregular venue for consolidating the solidarity among the Imperial Faction nobles. Since an elderly person who liked to wear hats was doing what he should be doing, it was polite to attend this time. There was no reason to refuse, and it was a good opportunity to investigate Loren’s pursuit privately.
Hugo rolled up the cuffs of his shirt and said with a reluctant expression.
“Send all the bribes back, and I’ll attend the banquet. Did you say six days from now? I’ll have to sort out the internal affairs by then… Ah, I’ll have to entrust this too.”
He picked up the watch he had placed on the surface again. Then, he raised it to eye level and carefully examined the second hand moving every second. He scanned each of the interlocking parts, such as the solid mainspring, balance wheel, and gear train, and handed it to the butler.
“I’d like you to call a craftsman to have it inspected.”
“Did it break during the expedition?”
The butler, well aware of the significance of this watch, took it with a flustered look. The second hand was moving properly, and there was nothing wrong with it on the surface. But Hugo, narrowing his eyes, muttered while gently rubbing his lower lip.
“It’s not broken. It seems like someone cast magic on it.”
“Pardon?”
Hugo recalled the last kiss with Leonardo, reliving the sensation of that time. He had been aware that Leonardo had a strange obsession with his watch, but the suspicion soon turned into certainty while they were exploring each other’s lips in the waiting room.
For some reason, Leonardo had clearly touched his watch intentionally. With his flirtatious lips and sweet whispers, he had completely shaken his mind.
If it was a honey trap, it was a success. At that moment, he was helplessly captivated by him. Becoming a greedy and foolish man, completely losing the will to resist.
But he had no idea what Leonardo had done to the watch. It was even more so because there were no problems in terms of appearance or function. However, his magic power and his gut feeling made him suspect that he had fallen for the cunning fellow’s trick.
‘It’s clear he cast magic…’
Hugo recalled the situation when Leonardo asked about his watch before, and he vaguely avoided giving him a clear answer. At the time, when he subtly prevented him from touching it, saying it was a gift from someone precious, he remembered Leonardo asking again, ‘Who, your lover?’
At that time, their relationship was neither close nor deep, so he remained silent and smiled at the sudden personal question. If Leonardo misunderstood this watch as a symbol of a love affair because of that, it was a part that could be overlooked as a cute jealousy. But if that wasn’t the case, the story would be a little different.
“It’s nothing much, just tell them to check it out in case it’s my mistake. If there’s nothing wrong, bring it back as it is.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The butler unfolded the pocket square on his chest and wrapped the glass of the watch with a soft cloth. In the meantime, the attendants who had finished sorting the mail lined up in front of Hugo, bowed, and left the office.
The butler was also about to step back, giving his last greetings while carefully holding the watch. Just as he was about to step out, the head butler, who had seemed quite busy since earlier, appeared at the door.
The head butler gestured to the person who was about to leave and quietly entered the office where only Hugo remained. Then, he quickly closed the door and sighed.
“You seemed busy, is something wrong?”
Hugo greeted him casually, opening one of the letters nearby with a letter opener. The contents were an invitation to a ball hosted by a certain Count’s family. It was a kind of public courtship sent in the name of the heir who was of marriageable age, so he didn’t read it further and piled it up to the side.
The head butler, who quickly approached him, carefully took something out of his inner pocket. He maintained his composure, but his complexion, leading his old body, was slightly flushed.
“I apologize, Master. About an hour before your arrival, a messenger dispatched by the Imperial Secretariat visited.”
Hugo’s hand, which was about to open another letter, stopped. The opener, which was neatly cutting the paper, momentarily went astray and cut off the end of the enclosed letter. But Hugo’s rigid eyes failed to notice it, and only slowly rolled his frozen gaze to the head butler.
Then, his gaze reached the golden envelope in the butler’s hand. His lips twitching, he lowered his voice and reached out his hand.
“…Here.”
The butler handed over the envelope politely and turned to step back quickly. Soon, the place where his steps stopped was in front of the office door. As if guarding the tightly closed door, the head butler stood with his hands behind his back, silently like an inanimate object without eyes and ears.
The blue eyes, confirming the distanced butler, scanned the surface of the envelope. The golden pattern, symbolizing the blazing sun, flickered like a mirage as if to blind the eyes.
Hugo’s breath, scattering over it, was as cold as precarious thin ice. The Emperor’s seal was stamped on the firmly hardened wax. When Hugo touched the end of it, the sealing wax, recognizing the subject, fell off neatly.
Rustle, the sound of paper scratching in the silent office where not even a breath could be heard was very loud.
Hugo took out the imperial order from the envelope with an indifferent face. His thick Adam’s apple slowly moved up and down.
Before long, the movement of the eyes scanning the contents became prominent above the shaded eyelids. The content was simple, but its weight was quite heavy.
Noon in six days. Carseil Palace, Aurasian.
A low sigh landed silently on the letters. The tense gaze did not fall from the short sentence.
It was a message from His Majesty the Emperor that he had received in a long time.
The feeling that blood was not circulating in his fingertips must have been a delusion.
Summons Order