With my playful words, my uncle's face turned blue again.
My uncle apologized to Ian once again.
"I'm sorry."
"Anyways."
If I said more, I thought my uncle would crumble, so I quickly started explaining the situation.
"When I go up to the capital, I will officially dispatch the Imperial Order."
All of them were in consultation with Robert in advance.
"Because all the evidence is in Caronda, so we need an official investigation by the Knights."
In fact, more complex strategies were hidden, but it seemed that it would not be burdensome for my uncle to say this for now.
"Please keep an eye on the prison until then."
"Okay."
My uncle answered resolutely.
"I'll take care of it myself."
I thought I could trust my uncle who hadn't had a stock stolen for more than 20 years.
"In order to be taken safely to the capital, we must make sure that no one commits suicide, and above all else, that they're not attacked by others. Be sure to send it to the capital in an intact state. I think it would be more reliable if my uncle would accompany me. May I ask you a favor?"
"Leave it to me. It's time to use some of the gold I've collected so far."
My uncle nodded.
"Now, I should hire countless people in the lord's castle to protect all of them only in prison."
"It's a waste of money."
"…That's true. But it's for my family. I'll bet everything on me so that your efforts will never be wasted."
I smiled and nodded.
As I personally experienced my uncle's thorough work while staying at Caronda for two days and one night, I thought I could trust him.
"They cannot interfere with my niece's future."
Whenever my uncle brought up the word "niece," his eyes shined with joy.
"Ha… Everyone said my niece was pretty too."
"Isn't it just because of the black magic thing earlier?"
"I'm sure there's that, but anyway, hmm."
I laughed jokingly and said, pulling Ian's arm.
"Then we will…first, go to our room and check the data."
"Let's have dinner together. Come down to the restaurant."
My uncle also spoke politely to Ian.
"It's shabby, but I'll prepare dinner."
Now, starting tomorrow, my uncle would be very busy.
This was because the young people of Caronda, whose black magic was lifted, would return.
It was hard to imagine how much work there would be.
So this evening was the last time to talk and eat leisurely.
My uncle went down to the basement to check the prison one more time, and Ian and I went up to the room.
I took a deep breath and closed the door.
Although he hadn't expressed it in the meantime, Ian had something to say.
"I looked around a bit…"
Ian said with a sad expression.
"There was nothing that could be used as evidence of a connection with Prince Carlon. I'll look there again, but I think it's best not to expect too much."
"…Ah."
On the way back to the lord's castle, Ian's face was darker than usual, so I had already guessed it.
One problem was solved, but my heart was much heavier than yesterday.
"The handwriting is all different, and the expressions are vague, so I guess…"
I interrupted Ian's next words.
"Ian…"
There was something more important than that now.
"Can I ask you a favor…?"
I spoke slowly with the heaviest heart I've ever faced Ian.
Perhaps because he had never seen me so discouraged, he looked at me with surprised eyes.
~*~
(3rd person pov)
Leslie and Braden were having a cozy dinner together.
"Ian is staying out overnight?"
"Yeah. I'm sure he's doing something just and boring."
They didn't even wonder because worrying about Ian meant nothing.
It was clear that he was someone who would do well on his own anyway.
"I had tea time with Aaron yesterday and said I didn't know how Ian would change if he was in a relationship."
When Leslie spoke indifferently, Braden glowed and enthusiastically responded to the pleasant topic.
"Really? I was always curious about that too."
Braden continued to talk seriously.
"We don't know as much about Ian as we think."
"But it's not our fault."
Leslie shrugged and said.
"Because we would never know. For example, it's like a drinking habit. No one knows Ian's limit on that."
That was right.
This was because Ian's drinking capacity was so strong that he had never been drunk before.
Of course, he didn't enjoy drinking much, so he didn't force himself to drink much.
"I know. We don't even know about our son's drinking limit."
"I'm not good at drinking…"
Leslie looked at Braden and said little.
Unlike Leslie, whose face gets red from a single drink, Braden certainly can handle a lot of alcohol.
Braden has not been drunk for a while, but so far, he has been drunk only twice, and both times it showed the same symptoms.
"It's fascinating, but when I get drunk in a mess, time suddenly seems to go back to the past. I don't remember anything then."
"I'm sure Ian is similar. Come to think of it, Ian seems to resemble you more on this matter."
Leslie said with sparkling eyes, and Braden also nodded and changed the subject back to Ian's love life.
"Ian… Roughly speaking, if he meets a woman he likes, he will end up dating in a non-fun manner."
Braden raised an eyebrow and added.
"But don't you think it will be different if he finds a woman he really loves?"
"Hmm, he resembles you in this also."
Leslie tilted her head and said.
"Ian is just a swordsman, but he's also a strategic tactician… Wouldn't he probably slowly fall in love himself? While the other party doesn't even notice."
Braden couldn't help but smile embarrassedly as he recalled his past love affairs.
Because Leslie described his method as a spider waiting for its web.
"If the opportunity arises, he will seize it by any means. Even if it's a weakness, he'll use it."
"Hmm."
Braden nodded slowly.
"Shall I change my words? It's not about taking advantage of weakness, it's about being willing to take the hand that your opponent has reached out because it's difficult."
After he had been silent for a while as he thought it was too beautiful to say, he picked up a fork again and added low.
"Of course, he will never let go of that hand."
"He won't let go?"
Leslie shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes softly at Braden.
"That person who asks for help will pull him in so hard that he won't be able to get out."
~*~
(Annabelle's pov)
I was not a human being without any conscience, but it was not easy to ask Ian for help either.
Until not long ago, we were in the worst relationship in the world.
However, we seem to have gotten a little closer as things continued to get entangled recently, and hadn't we also done "cooperations" a few times?
Moreover, no matter how much I thought about it, there was only one way.
"I know that my level of shamelessness is enormous. I'm so sorry but…"
"Never mind that."
Ian calmly cut me off.
"Just tell me what your request is."
"It's…"
When I tried to bring it out of my mouth, my hand trembled a little.
In fact, from the moment I saw the note, my mind went blank and fear came to me.
And the more I thought about it, the scarier I felt.
"If things don't go well and we can't put Crown Prince Carlon in prison this time…"
So it was just in case the interrogation of Lanella and Rayburn did not produce very good results.
I slowly knelt in front of Ian.
"May I ask Duke Wade to protect my father, mother, and Aaron's life…?"
Since earlier, I had decided to ask Ian for a favor if he remained.
Ian was embarrassed and quickly grabbed my arm and tried to get me up, but I just hung on to his leg.
"Please… If you don't like me, think about your relationship with the Rainfields…"
What I was afraid of was not a notice of murder aimed at me.
It was because I didn't think he would finish with only me as a target.
Rainfields did not have a knight's squad like the Wades, nor was it a noble family that others couldn't easily touch.
The crown prince's power was not something that could be prevented by money.
Suddenly, Rainfield could have been accused and ordered the dispatch of the Imperial Order.
In the meantime, even if I removed them, I could not complain of unfairness because I was a commoner.
No matter how high the status of commoners has risen now, it would not be comparable to the imperial family.
However, there was no other way to hire a lot of mercenaries.
But the Wades were different.
First of all, the Wade Knights were overly superior to the Imperial Knights.
"If you tell me to never appear in front of you again, I will do it… I will also abstain from the swordsmanship contest… You can even hit me, but please…"