Chapter 23: Outing (III) |
★★★
A few days later, dinnertime.
The meal was going on smoothly when Deheen started staring at the children long after having finished his own portion.
“What’s wrong?”
Dennis, the first to notice the gaze, wiped his mouth and questioned his father’s strange actions.
“Don’t you have something to inform me?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Deheen’s words were sharp.
He couldn’t hide anything; Deheen asking him in such a way meant that he already knew.
“…I apologize.
“I already knew you were going to town. Still, it was because I believed in you.”
Deheen pressed Dennis in a calm yet stern tone.
As a result, Esther and Judy placed down their forks and glanced at them.
“But to take Esther outside. What if something happened?”
“It’s my fault.”
Dennis admitted and apologized without offering any excuses. He was conscious of his own mistakes.
“I didn’t know that besides Judy, you could also cause this kind of accident. Why did you do that?”
“I wanted us to get closer.”
Deheen intended to scold him strictly and not tolerate any excuses.
Nevertheless, when he saw Dennis claiming that he wanted to be close to Esther, his heart softened.
“Hm. That was the wrong way, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, so I’m reflecting.”
“All right.”
After Deheen’s anger subsided, Judy ran wild in envy.
“What!?!? That’s nasty. Only the two of you went out together? I wanna go too!”
“Judy!”
Deheen called Judy’s name aloud and eventually granted him another lecture.
After a while…
Deheen lifted a glass of water from the table and gulped it down.
“Everyone, finish your meals.”
However, it was not an atmosphere where the meal would last long. Deheen slightly coughed, troubled by the gloomy atmosphere.
“Master, you said you were going to discuss ‘that’.”
“About? About what?”
Ben advanced closer to Deheen and whispered, ‘The celebration of the young masters.’
‘Ah.’
Come to think of it, the twins’ birthday was coming soon.
There were about three months left, but considering the preparation period, he had to start now.
The birthday party for the twins was the annual event that Deheen was most concerned about and held most grandly.
He tried his best every year so that they wouldn’t be discouraged not having their mother by their side.
“Dennis, Judy.”
As Deheen called for them, the two turned to him simultaneously.
“Your birthday is coming soon. What do you want to do this time?”
“Woah, it’s coming already?”
“Hmm.”
The fact that Deheen had just scolded Judy passed away as if nothing happened.
Dennis and Judy excitedly began discussing the concept of their celebration.
“Why don’t we wear a mask so they don’t know who we are?”
“That’s dull. Rather than that, let’s arrange a reading debate.”
“Are you crazy?”
Esther pretended to listen to the conversation between the two and earnestly pressed down her fork.
Today’s dessert was none other than her beloved cheesecake.
However, Deheen interrupted the conversation that was progressing well between the twins, believing Esther had felt left out.
“The celebrations we host are attended by many. I intend to introduce you then, Esther.”
Esther was about to place a slice of cheesecake in her mouth when she hardened.
“…Me?”
“Yes, I was wondering when I should announce you. It’s fortunate that the celebration has yet to arrive. Don’t you think so?”
“Aha… ha… Yes.”
Esther cried internally while pretending to agree with Deheen.
She had intended to live quietly without being introduced to anyone. She didn’t think this birthday would disrupt her plans.
“Then, I’ll have to find a tutor first.”
“I have selected a few candidates.”
Ben, as prepared as he is, had already arranged tutor candidates since the moment they had taken Esther.
As an anniversary also took part in society, it was essential for Esther to learn proper dance and manners to attend.
“I’ll give you the most suitable teacher. Three months should be enough time.”
Esther wanted to protest that she didn’t need any tutors, but now that she was in the grand ducal residence, there was no choice.
“Thank you.”
Of course, her innermost thoughts were entirely dissimilar.
‘Three months.’
Would she be alive until then?
No one knew what Esther was thinking of; everyone was looking forward to the birthday party that would be held in a few months.
***
After finishing his meal, Deheen headed straight to his room. He was intending to have a good rest.
However, Ben accompanied him today.
“What’s going on?”
“The man I sent to the temple is back.”
“What? When?”
“Just now. The report is a bit late because you were having dinner at the time.”
Deheen closed the door and relaxed on the sofa. Ben sat down across from him and reported what he had received.
“I have looked into it carefully, but they said that imprisoning a junior candidate had never happened.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, there is only a limited number of places where they could be locked up, therefore… if anyone is trapped, some would know.”
Deheen’s eyes sank deeply.
He recalled Esther’s behavior that stormy evening.
Even on second thought, it was an act that couldn’t have come out unless she was abused. Something must have happened.
“Who had the name Rabienne?”
“That’s… Only one person in the temple was named Rabienne.”
“One? So it’s the Duke of Brions’ daughter?”
Deheen frowned and gripped the armrest with one hand.
“Yes. That’s right.”
At Ben’s words, Deheen openly showed his displeasure. That was how much Brions was his least favorite kind of person.
One of the most rotten human beings who always cared about the imperial family and temple, only taking accord of his interests. That’s how the Duke of Brions was.
Even so, it could not be ignored that Brions was a duke.
“However, it seems difficult to assume that the daughter of the Brions family and our young lady had any contact in the temple.”
Ben worked to solve the problem and find a point of contact, but no one remembered the junior candidate.
Reason being, Esther, an orphan, and Rabienne, a duke’s daughter, never seemed to be associated with each other.
“And when I searched, Lady Rabienne was called the next saint. It doesn’t make sense for such a person to abuse our lady in the temple.”
Ben’s statements were all reasonable.
Deheen assumed that the Rabienne Esther mentioned was not that of the duke’s family.
However, the more he listened, the more he could not get rid of the uncomfortable feeling.
“You mean there’s nothing more we can find out at the temple.”
“Yes.”
In the end, they didn’t find out anything regarding Esther’s trauma.
Deheen was overcome with frustration. He wanted to know what the hell was going on and what Esther had gone through.
“Is there anything else?”
“That’s… I’ve been conducting some more research, and I’ve encountered this information.”
Ben pulled out the data, steadily emphasizing that it was very difficult to obtain.
“It is a record of the place where Lady Esther lived before she reached the temple.”
“That was left?”
“Yes. This is the data I found from locating the priest who acquired her at a bargain price and brought her to the temple.”
“You must have had a hard time.”
Deheen quietly praised Ben, his hardworking assistant.
Ben’s face, which appeared fatigued, seemed to be noticeably brighter.
“Hurry up and tell me.”
“It was said that Lady Esther had been found in Herstal in the south. It is a rather small estate, though there was a temple. Consequently, it was said that the slums were under the control of that temple.”
That was all he found out, but considering Esther was a junior candidate, it was a miracle he did so.
“Then I’ll have to go there.”
“It’s been six years already… Even if Your Grace goes now, will you be able to ascertain information there?”
If thought rationally, Ben was right. Memories of a child who had been sold for a few bucks couldn’t have remained.
Nevertheless, Deheen somehow felt that he must stop by the place.
“I’ll have to go to see that myself. I’ll be there personally, so execute a proper schedule.”
“My lord? That’s a little…”
“Then shall we send someone to leak Esther’s information out?”
“…No.”
“Herstal isn’t that far away, so I’ll be fine.”
Ben nodded at the remark.
Although Herstal was in the south, it was easy to stop by if one went down the river from Tersia.
“Well, that’s enough for now… You said there was a tutor candidate, correct?”
Deheen stopped Ben from leaving the room. Ben sat on the sofa once again and began reporting.
“Yes, there are about five.”
“Which of them graduated at the top of the academy?”
“All five are top students.”
When he heard the word ‘top student’, Deheen let out a slight smile. In fact, Ben was also a top student.
“Good. Choose from among them the most skilled tutor who can help Esther in many ways, including social etiquette and dance.”
“Of course, only… There is a tutor who is on the top of my list, but he’s already hired.”
When Ben uttered the end of his words, Deheen’s speech grew sharp.
“Who took him beforehand?”
“Well, a Count. I believe they paid quite the amount.”
Deheen smirked and crossed his legs gracefully. His extended legs folded one over one.
“Then say you’ll double the money they’re paying now.”
“D-Double? But it’s still too unconventional…”
“I have plenty of money. It’s more important for Esther to have a good tutor.”
“I will contact him.”
Deheen inserted stress on Ben so he could succeed no matter the cause.
He didn’t say anything, but they’ve been together for ten years. Ben could read it all from Deheen’s gaze.
“Bring him by any means. Also, I’ll put the twins with him. That will be six times the amount he is currently earning.”
“…Yes.”
This was Deheen Tersia, who had no interest in educating his children. Working was all he could do.
But he changed like this.
Ben had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last of the sudden changes.