Chapter 18
Traces (2)
The flower crown around Lucis’s head and the bracelet tied to his wrist seemed to have been made by Marek and Mari.
Lucis looked at them once with a satisfied smile, then again with a delighted grin.
It seemed the tribute that humans had offered him pleased him very much.
“Princess, your smile is so pretty!”
“Princess, you’re soooo cute!”
The children were completely captivated by Lucis’s heart-stopping smile.
And the more they praised him, the higher Lucis’s nose tilted with pride.
“Do you really like being adored that much?”
Sia chuckled softly, tapping his nose. Lucis hunched his shoulders and laughed, kikikik.
When I came closer, the children were startled and quickly bowed.
“Hello, Count!”
“Count-sama!”
Instead of replying, I ruffled both children’s heads and went over to Sia and Lucis.
“Welcome back. You’ve worked hard.”
“Worked hard? All I did was ride in a carriage.”
“Hmhm.”
Lucis looked at me with a smug expression.
“Why that face?”
I smiled faintly and stroked his cheek. As always, it was as soft as cotton candy.
Even as Lucis’s eyes curved like crescent moons under my touch, he stubbornly kept that smug look aimed at me.
Of course, I knew exactly what that expression meant.
Perhaps because I was the one who had designed Lucis, his expressions were far easier for me to read than for anyone else.
-
I am this great of an existence.
-
So treat me with even more reverence from now on.
That’s what his face was saying. His cheeks brimmed with a smile so satisfied it looked like he was stuffing them with pride.
“Kuhuhu… who on earth did you take after to be this cute?”
I lifted Lucis from Sia’s lap and held him in my arms.
When I pressed my forehead against his, a mix of baby scent and floral fragrance tickled my nose.
Lucis raised his little hands and patted my cheeks.
‘This is good.’
This moment was so good.
If the words “happiness” and “peace” could take on form, scent, and touch, it would surely feel like this.
I had solved much already, but there were far more problems yet to resolve and countless days ahead still to endure.
Yet this very moment was precious beyond compare.
“Mm…”
Lucis pulled the flower bracelet from his own wrist and seemed to want to give it to me.
But when he couldn’t find a proper place to put it, his little hand wandered before finally hanging it on my left ear.
“Ahahahaha.”
I burst out laughing at such a trivial gesture.
“Thank you, Lucis.”
“Kikikik.”
Looking at the child’s dazzling smile, I renewed my resolve once again.
I would grant both myself and this child an ending different from the original story.
We would live happily for a long, long time.
* * *
Two days later.
A long procession of carriages departed from the lord’s castle.
Every direct and collateral relative of House Mausoleum, their attendants and maids, the knightly order and their squires—
Altogether, the grand procession numbered over five hundred people.
What was more astonishing was that every single one of them was either on horseback or in a carriage.
This family really is richer than I imagined.
In this world, horses were more expensive than automobiles on Earth. Since they were living creatures, their upkeep cost was astronomical.
On Earth, even commoners could own cars. Here, however, horses were entirely out of reach for peasants.
So the sight of hundreds of horses moving in unison was a spectacle rarely seen.
Adventurers on the road and farmers in the fields stopped to gape open-mouthed.
One guard in a nearby territory even thought war had broken out and hurried to call his captain.
“Count Mausoleum! We were told by our lord that you’d be arriving.”
This happened on the third day of travel, when we reached Leticia, the territory where we’d be staying the night.
“Our lord is waiting for you. Please, this way.”
We were warmly received as we entered the land.
Leticia was one of the cities located between Mausoleum’s domain and the imperial capital.
Because of this, countless merchants and goods passed through, making it wealthy and large. Naturally, it leaned politically toward Mausoleum.
House Mausoleum’s territory stretches vertically so long that there are several cities like this.
This was one reason why even the Church, which openly loathed Mausoleum, could not move directly against us.
There were simply too many mouths tied to Mausoleum, and no religious institution could afford to ignore the masses.
“Count!”
The Lord of Leticia was already waiting at the castle gates, arms open wide to greet us.
At that, I called out to my siblings.
“Simon, Sia.”
“Hm?”
“What?”
“You two can entertain him in my place.”
“‘Him’? Who?”
“Lucis?”
“No. Lucis is playing with me.”
I tilted my chin toward the lord outside the carriage window.
“Him. That one.”
“Him…?”
“The Lord of Leticia?”
Simon and Sia widened their eyes in shock.
Meeting another lord was normally the duty of the family head—
especially with a territory as large as Leticia.
“What are you surprised for? When I officially become Count and family head, you two will act as my representatives.”
I made it sound casual, but there was another reason.
I’m still not used to this world’s noble etiquette.
Seymour may have been a scoundrel, but that reputation only applied inside House Mausoleum.
If the heir apparent showed ignorance of noble etiquette in front of outsiders, it would lower the family’s dignity.
Better to avoid the situation altogether.
Claiming I was tired from travel and sending my siblings instead might earn me the reputation of arrogance, but it wouldn’t damage the family’s dignity.
House Mausoleum had ruled as a family of villains for far too long to lose face over mere arrogance.
A villainous family with dignity—that was the setting.
Reckless or ill-mannered behavior wouldn’t fly, but arrogance and pride certainly would.
That was the way of Mausoleum.
Sooner or later, this will be their duty anyway.
Once I retired, greeting nobles and building connections would inevitably fall to Simon and Sia.
Whether I started them early or late hardly mattered.
Meanwhile, I’ll just spend time looking at jewels with Lucis.
In short—I was dumping the responsibility on them while I slacked off.
* * *
Simon and Sia were suddenly thrust into entertaining the Lord of Leticia.
At first, the lord was displeased that Seymour hadn’t appeared, but soon enough he laughed and chatted with them at length.
Their talk ranged from light jokes and gossip to serious topics like local politics and regional affairs.
After two hours, the siblings were finally shown to a guest chamber.
“…”
“…”
They sat in silence, dazed, as if a storm had just passed over them.
Even as children of a great house, this was the first time they had spoken one-on-one with another lord—
a man old enough to be their father.
Their own father had always taken Seymour to such meetings, never them.
So much so that they could hardly recall what they had said or heard just now.
Simon was the first to break the silence.
“I… I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”
Still half-dazed, Sia answered.
“No, you were fine. Completely fine.”
“Really? I didn’t say anything unnecessary?”
“If anything, I just listened too much. You saw how the lord’s face was all stiff when Seymour didn’t show, but by the middle he was smiling. You did well enough.”
“Really? …Phew. Thank goodness.”
The siblings quietly went over the earlier conversation in their minds.
And slowly, they began to realize what had just happened:
they had gained a connection.
Only two hours of conversation, but already the Lord of Leticia was within their network.
Not every noble kept a residence in the capital or spent their life at parties.
Those like Leticia’s lord, who kept away from high society and focused on their lands, could only be connected with through direct visits like this.
“…Brother.”
“Yeah.”
Seymour had yielded such an opportunity to Simon and Sia.
And Leticia wasn’t just any place—it was a strategic hub between Mausoleum’s domain and the imperial capital.
If, hypothetically, Leticia’s lord became closer to Simon than Seymour, then in the event Simon ever rebelled, the lord could cut communications with the capital and aid him.
“…Ngh.”
Sia buried her face in her knees. Simon gently held her shoulders.
The siblings no longer resisted the tide of emotion crashing over them.
Instead, they accepted it, trembling with joy.
“You really… have changed.”
Simon patted Sia’s shoulder, calming his own heart as well.
Even the last of his doubts was swept away.
“Brother… you’ve truly changed.”
Seymour’s words, telling them to attend the reception in his place—
those few words contained his trust and affection for his siblings, and his promise that things would be different from now on.
It was the best proof he could give that he had truly changed.
* * *
After passing off the reception duty, I retired to my guest chamber.
“Shiny, shiny.”
Lucis was playing with the jewels we’d brought from the territory—purchases from the tailor, Andre.
I wonder if Andre is preparing well.
I had already sent him ahead to the imperial capital, since he insisted on studying the latest fashion trends there before the Black Dragon Assembly.
He’s the most passionate about it himself, so I shouldn’t need to worry.
Lucis was practically drooling as he fiddled with the gems.
Dragons all loved treasure, but Lucis in particular seemed especially fond of jewels.
At this rate, if a kidnapper lured him with a gem, he might just follow without hesitation.
“Hm…”
I sat down beside him with a playful glint in my eye.
But Lucis didn’t even notice me. He was too absorbed, picking up each jewel one by one and gazing at it.
I slyly reached for one of the jewels.
Immediately—his gaze snapped to me like lightning.
When I slowly moved the gem toward my pocket, Lucis’s lips twitched.
As I slipped it halfway inside, his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth.
“Grrr…”
When I took the gem back out, the growling stopped.
But the moment I tried to pocket it again, his teeth flashed once more.
“Grrr…”
He made no effort to hide his desire. I burst out laughing and returned the gem.
Just like that, the growls vanished, and his eyes sparkled as he admired it again.
“Kuhuhu…”
Seeing him like this, I couldn’t help but ask:
“Lucis. Do you like jewels more, or me more?”
At my childish question, Lucis tilted his head, then pointed a tiny finger at me.
I felt pleased, but my playful mood wasn’t satisfied yet.
“Then what if there was a jewel as big as me? Which would you choose—me or that?”
“Ooh…”
His eyes went wide. Then, crossing his arms, he began pondering seriously.
“Hmmmm…”
He even furrowed his brow in concentration, which made me laugh again.
If someone gave him a jewel mine as a gift, I had no doubt he’d happily marry into their household.
* * *
When I returned from a quick trip to the washroom, chaos had erupted.
“Young Master! The little one is missing!”
The spot where Lucis had been sitting was now scattered with jewels rolling like pebbles.
“Lucis? Lucis!”
“Little one! Where are you?”
Everyone—head butler, servants, knights—ran frantically in every direction searching for him.
Thankfully, the missing-Lucis incident was resolved within five minutes.
Someone appeared, carrying him in their arms.
“It’s been a while, Count Mausoleum. …Ah, you’re still just the young heir, aren’t you?”
Lucis had his face buried in the woman’s white hair.
“May I have a word with you?”
It was Irina Ishtar.
