By Zephyria 
Dinner was at the townhouse. Afterward, I chatted briefly with my younger siblings, who were reluctant to let me go.
Even if it wasn’t like today, we saw each other once a week, so there wasn’t much new to talk about. It was mostly just listening to the children chatter.
Talk of Karzentia’s Lair did not come up.
Following Rubel’s advice, I hadn’t told anyone about discovering the Lair. Not just these two children, but no one else knew. The Empress Dowager, too, had hidden the tiara she was given deep away and never brought it out again. Was she planning to use it for a grand celebration, or…
Asdel let out a loud noise.
“…Brother! Brother?”
“Hmm?”
“You were lost in thought again. Do you remember what I just said?”
“Ah, yes. What was it?”
“I asked if you’d like to go meet our parents when they return.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“…Fine. You can go now.”
“I’m sorry. I must have used up a lot of my energy today.”
He was quite sulky.
I ruffled the hair of the pouting boy. Perhaps it was because we were home now, or perhaps he didn’t have the energy left to push me away, but Asdel let me mess with his head without complaint.
Michael, who had been sitting on the opposite sofa with his legs crossed, flicked his toes provocatively.
“You need to ease up a bit, Brother.”
“On what?”
“Don’t try to cater to His Majesty too much. They say you’re praised a hundred times but then criticized once you falter.”
“It’s not exactly like that…”
“Isn’t it? You don’t need to be so anxious just because you were apart for half a day. His Majesty isn’t a child; he won’t die if he’s separated from you. You’re even attending etiquette lessons twice a week, which you never asked for.”
“I’ve told you multiple times that those lessons were my request, not Ruben’s.”
“Still.”
When I made a sound of gentle reprimand, Michael uncrossed his legs and sat up properly. But he didn’t let go of his sulky expression.
“It’s strange.”
“What else is?”
“It’s just… I feel like you’re being taken away.”
Thinking he was spouting nonsense, I beckoned him closer. But Michael no longer clung to me like a child. Instead, he sat where he was, covering his face with both hands and letting out a groan.
“Isn’t it usually the bride who experiences cold feet…!”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
But I knew one thing: I couldn’t just leave him be when he was acting this way.
I grabbed the sulking boy who was trying to run away and hugged him tightly to scold him. Michael squirmed in my arms, complaining that he should have been taught how to wield a sword too. When I offered to teach him now, he became even more upset, leaving me in a difficult spot for a while.
❖ ❖ ❖
Rubel returned as exhausted as ever.
As I opened my arms, Ruben nestled perfectly into my embrace from where he had been sitting on the daybed. The Sylph and Undine, who had been holding round, candy-like Spirit food in their arms, cried out in embarrassment and giggled, but neither of us paid them any mind.
“Were you very tired?”
“…Yes. There are more than a few lords who are subtly trying to claim the borders of the vacant territories as their own. We have the borders documented, but the capital is far away, and human greed is endless, so they often encroach on neighboring territories by using the terrain. We need to find new owners for these empty lands quickly.”
“That will be decided in this meeting, won’t it?”
“It will… I’ve carefully selected candidates who seem likely to get along well with the surrounding territories, but I feel I need to meet and observe them in person at least once, so I’m paying close attention.”
“Does the Emperor usually have to look after each and every Baronial territory like this?”
“Usually… perhaps not. But I want to.”
If you want to, you must.
I was used to Ruben being more meticulous than the others. I shifted my position so the boy could lean comfortably against my chest.
Gently massaging his cold fingertips with my warm hands, I asked, “If you’re that tired, perhaps some Acupressure and Blood Manipulation…”
“No.”
“…Why do you dislike it so much? It’s good for your body.”
He pulled my hand, which he had been holding, into his mouth and chewed on my index finger. I understood his displeasure, but I simply smiled, enjoying the moist sensation of his tongue against mine and the warmth of his mouth, so different from his cold hands.
In time with Ruben’s nibbling, one of the Sylphs, who had been licking a marble-sized Mana Stone, suddenly threw it down and raised both arms.
[I’m done! There’s no more!]
“Oh? Do you want more?”
[Yes! More! Much more!]
[Me too! Me too!]
“Alright.”
Spirits knew nothing of restraint or sharing. If I left a pile of Spirit food, they would inevitably fight over it, causing a commotion. Therefore, when I gave them food, I had to take it all myself and distribute one portion per spirit to prevent fights.
Each spirit took another portion of Spirit food and rolled around happily. Watching them, Ruben tilted his head and looked up at me. His gaze, so close, made the area around my lower Dantian tingle.
“How was Mika today?”
“It was ordinary. The Empress Dowager took a long time choosing the flower girl’s dress color, and I couldn’t tell the difference no matter how much I looked.”
“Olive green would have been good, as always. It’s a shame Lucilla didn’t suit green a little better.”
“You mentioned that too.”
“…Forget what I just said.”
My body, supporting the boy, trembled slightly with laughter. Ruben pinched my side, but it didn’t hurt at all. After watching the sulking boy for a moment, I kissed his forehead a few times. His sharp gaze quickly softened.
“Ah, and I saw Ivan.”
“Mmm.”
“He said that if you’re curious about Benjamin and Marianne’s situation, you should go see Marianne.”
“…Ah.”
“He said you’d understand the reason if you asked Rubel, and that he would pretend not to know. What’s going on?”
“….”
Only then did the boy release my hand. Even rubbing my damp index finger with my thumb, the tingling sensation didn’t easily disappear. I left it as it was and met Rubel’s gaze.
Rubel didn’t hesitate for long and opened his mouth readily.
“Young Lady Philodendor… is indeed easier to meet than Lord Claudian.”
“Hmm?”
“The Young Lady is at the Marcus father and son’s jewelry store right now.”
A jewelry store? Why there?
“The promise with the gnome should have been fulfilled by arranging the contract with a human.”
“That’s right. However, the person who will become the master of that Spirit is an outsider. A craftsman who became a commoner in his grandfather’s generation and dedicated himself to his livelihood, Sam Marcus.”
A promise made to a Spirit cannot be broken.
I recalled the mark left on my hand from when I rashly promised to grant a wish to Nadi’s Spirit. Spirits would whisper about the brands they’d left on each other and, at some point, play a mischievous trick.
Marianne, who knew this fact very well, arranged the contract between Sam Marcus and the gnome less than a fortnight after discovering Karzentia’s Lair.
Rubel let out a soft sigh and shrugged his shoulders.
“I think Young Lady Philodendor played her cards very well this time.”
“Played her cards well?”
“She promised Iver Marcus 500,000 gold first, then woke Sam Marcus and Vivian Grimbswein together to test them immediately.”
“What?”
“What do you do to prevent someone’s betrayal?”
“…You treat them well, usually…”
“How well? Do you smile kindly, comfort them, and encourage them?”
“Mmm.”
“The best method is to trust the person you suspect. If you can’t trust them, you must at least pretend to. Authority comes from trust.”
Before I could ask further, Rubel continued his explanation in a calm voice.
“Do you know who receives the highest salary in most noble households in Sierren?”
“…I wonder?”
“It’s the person who holds the most keys. If the master of the house is male, it’s usually the Chamberlain, and if the master is female, it’s usually the Head Maid. Keys represent the authority to disburse wealth, a symbol of trust, and honor itself.”
“And that has to do with this….”
“Honor is not something Young Lady Philodendor can bestow, so she gave them a lot of money first. To prevent them from stealing the wealth and fleeing.”
Karzentia’s gnome wanted a contract with Sam Marcus. And that gnome was the only Spirit that could grant immediate access to Karzentia’s Lair.
Karzentia’s Lair was a relic of immense value, and no one knew the exact amount of treasure within. Therefore, no matter what thief entered, neither Rubel nor I could know.
For Rubel’s sake, the trap Marianne set for Sam Marcus was as follows:
“If a bill of exchange exceeding 50,000 gold is registered under one’s name, they are immediately registered in the Nobility Yearbook department as a quasi-noble, even without a title, and come under the Empire’s scrutiny. Furthermore, Sierren Empire banks do not allow cash withdrawals exceeding 1,000 gold per month, regardless of the recipient. If Iver Marcus were to exchange all the bills of exchange he received from you and try to flee abroad, it would take him over 41 years.”
“…Ah…”
“All bank transfer and withdrawal records are documented. Now, all transaction histories Iver Marcus makes through the bank will be recorded, and I will be able to monitor if he is conducting any suspicious transactions.”
“…Do the Marcus father and son know that?”
“The Marcus father and son deal in precious metals, so they have many bill transactions. They must know about the banking system. Moreover, Young Lady Vivian Grimbswein was by their side. She has now received a substantial compensation in exchange for transferring the rights to land that cannot be effectively controlled, and naturally, she received the compensation in the form of bills of exchange, so she is in almost the same position as the Marcus father and son.”
“…Oh, so, that… that’s Marianne’s test?”
“She already informed Iver Marcus that compensation was promised, and asked the other two if they needed compensation too. Young Lady Philodendor asked them if they could repay the trust worth 500,000 gold, and Sam Marcus and Vivian Grimbswein replied that they would not harbor ill intentions without any particular constraints.”
I recalled the appearances of Sam Marcus, who had been consistently polite, and Vivian Grimbswein, who had acted coyly and aloofly. To my eyes, they had seemed merely flustered and ungreedy, but it wasn’t like that.
“Honestly, 500,000 gold per person is a sum too tempting to refuse, yet they specifically refused, citing the Empire’s grace. However, I am worried.”
Rubel smiled wryly.
“Sam Marcus seems to have understood well… but Iver Marcus is a bit of a concern.”