You could say he returned because it was his hometown, but it was still a bit suspicious.
I asked for confirmation.
“Is this his hometown?”
“No. He’s from the Kingdom of Fortia. I heard he was a wandering pilgrim who settled here.”
“Lucas is also from the Kingdom of Fortia.”
So, the two of them indeed had a connection. I wouldn’t be able to know more unless I asked them directly.
Tyros remained silent, respecting my need to think.
What should I do now?
Seeing how carefully the priest treated Lucas, it seemed he had good intentions rather than malice.
If they meet, will that priest try to help Lucas?
‘…Let me think about this.’
I’m not sure if I should let them meet.
Honestly, if Lucas starts running wild because he feels he has an ally, I’m not confident I can control him.
Even if he does, our territory is remote, so it would be hard for him to influence the Imperial Court or the Kingdom of Fortia, but you never know.
If it were Lucas, he might actually pull off such an incredible feat.
I slowly opened my mouth.
“For now, be careful not to let them meet, and let’s watch him for a while.”
“Is that okay?”
“I don’t have to go to the temple for a while, and I have no reason to call him. Unless, of course, he comes looking for us first.”
‘As if he would come looking after leaving like that.’
If he comes back, it must be for money.
There’s no way a priest would do something that doesn’t pay.
He probably wants to get a share in exchange for helping Lucas.
Then I can just watch, and if I feel he’s becoming a threat, I can report him to the temple or the Imperial Court.
Even if it’s treason in another country, since he helped a traitor, even if it’s not the death penalty, he’ll receive some light punishment or disciplinary action.
Since Lucas is my slave, if I say I’ll handle the punishment myself and hide him away, I can deal with the priest alone—perfect.
Good. I decided to go with this.
“Leave the priest alone unless something special happens. It would be a big deal if the temple gets angry for no reason.”
“Got it. I’ll just keep track of his movements.”
That should be fine. I nodded in approval.
Once the conversation ended, Tyros resumed his training.
People said he had been working hard lately, and it was true.
He had always been diligent, but it seemed his current effort was because of Lucas.
If he was influenced for the better, that was fortunate.
Perhaps he might even become stronger than Lucas and win against him.
I watched him immerse himself in training and then turned away.
Now, it was time to catch the attendant.
When I went to the office, the people who served me were lined up in a row.
I had already dismissed the attendant and servants who assaulted Lucas.
Today was the time to find the attendant who almost got Lucas killed by failing to deliver the message to me.
Everyone looked nervous, but there was one person who was especially anxious.
I walked in front of him and looked at his face.
“I heard that yesterday, a knight asked an attendant to deliver a message to me, but someone skipped it.”
I had already found out from the knight who that attendant was.
I had also asked the butler what kind of person he was.
His usual work performance was never a problem.
However, he was reportedly close to the attendant who assaulted Lucas.
In that case, this could not have been a mistake.
I didn’t need to ask why he did it.
It was likely for a similar reason as the attendant who assaulted Lucas.
“I don’t know if it was a mistake or if you skipped it on purpose, but thanks to you, I almost had to clean up a corpse yesterday. I’m sure I already told you that he is a gift from His Majesty, so be careful.”
The attendant, receiving my gaze directly, broke out in a cold sweat and stuttered, “I-it was definitely a mistake. I was out of it. I will make sure it never happens again.”
“If you have a complaint against me, say it now.”
“How could I dare? It really was a mistake.”
“Then that means you are incompetent. I will reassign you to a place that suits you.”
I turned around without hesitation, and he shouted urgently.
“H-he is a slave! He does not fit your status as a Count!”
It seemed he decided to choose the label of “disobeying orders” instead of the label of “incompetent.”
If it were me, I would have chosen the label of “incompetent.”
There is no place in this castle for an attendant who doesn’t follow orders.
I turned around slowly. “Did you intentionally not deliver the message to me?”
He said, with a face that didn’t feel even a shred of remorse.
“He was acting cocky, so I just wanted him to have some time for self-reflection. I had no intention of killing him.”
“But he almost died. Don’t you think so?”
“…”
“Get out of this castle. I hope you realize your fault and reflect on it.”
The butler grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the office.
Even as he was being dragged away, he shouted loudly as if he were aggrieved.
“Wait a minute! Count! Just a moment!”
I don’t know what he found so unfair.
Someone almost died.
But it bothered me that he was making a scene as if his getting fired was a bigger deal.
I watched him coldly, and when I turned my gaze, the remaining attendants were shrinking back, reading my expression.
“The reason I gathered you here is that I have a request.”
“…”
“You may have complaints against me. You might not like my actions. If so, tell me through the butler. I may not be able to accommodate everything, but I will consider it. From now on, I hope there will be no more cases of disobeying orders or assaulting others.”
“Understood.”
“Sorry to call you when you’re busy. You may go back to your posts. Thank you all for your hard work.”
The attendants bowed and left the office.
I just hope there won’t be any more incidents like this.
Since two people left, the atmosphere must be strange; should I suggest they have a dinner?
Of course, I’d just provide the money and tell the butler to take them.
Scarlett, who had been watching this from the beginning, said, “You have it tough. If it were me, I would have just let him die.”
There were many reasons why I couldn’t do that, but I couldn’t speak of them, so I just smiled. Scarlett looked at me with pity.
“Just say you like him if you like him.”
“I didn’t expect even you to have such a misunderstanding.”
“If it’s not that, it’s even more of a problem. If you don’t even like him, why go that far?”
There were many reasons…
No, why are these siblings so interested in me and Lucas?
😂 these two shipping them so outright is killing me