Chapter 261: The Daughter of the Navy Barony 1

When Liliana and her companions arrived at the Navy Barony, the ones who rode forward to greet them were Emilia, the daughter of Baron Navy, and Angus, the heir of Margrave Calvert. Perhaps because the party had already sent word that they intended to proceed directly to the monastery without dismounting in the barony, both were on horseback. Clad in men's attire, Emilia looked tense as she visibly fought to suppress her indignation, while Angus wore a wry smile.

Liliana found this peculiar, but the mystery was quickly resolved. After offering a welcoming greeting to Riley and the others as they leaned out of the carriage, Angus continued with a bitter grimace.

“Baron Navy was originally scheduled to greet you all here in person as well, but... unfortunately, an urgent matter came up—”

“Is that so? How unfortunate, but it cannot be helped,” Riley replied graciously.

The Navy Barony was not particularly large—in truth, it was merely a tranquil rural village. While not small enough that one could take in the entire domain in a single glance, it was compact enough that any emergency or unusual incident would be immediately apparent. Yet presently, Liliana and her party could detect not the slightest hint of trouble. Spread out before them was an utterly peaceful village scene—though 'peaceful' came with the rustic clamor of livestock cries and the pungent stench of manure pits.

Still, one could hardly interject to ask what sort of pressing business could possibly take precedence over a royal inspection, nor point out that there was zero sign of urgency in the air. Indeed, they could not let on that they suspected Baron Navy had simply fled to avoid the burden of entertaining the crown prince. If they voiced unfounded suspicions, it might compel them to mete out some form of punishment against the baron—the last thing Riley and his entourage wanted.

Riley graciously pardoned the baron's absence, and Liliana stood by with a pleasant smile. Reassured by their gentle demeanor, both Emilia and Angus visibly relaxed. Even so, a flicker of resentment lingered in Emilia's eyes. She was most likely furious with her father for dumping the dreaded task of dealing with royalty and high-ranking nobility onto her and Angus before making a clean getaway.

“—Baron Navy truly is quite the character.”

Riley leaned close to Liliana's ear to whisper the words. Liliana gave a small nod in return.

Indeed, regardless of differences in title, virtually all the nobles Liliana and Riley had encountered until now had fawned over them in hopes of currying royal favor. Even nobles belonging to the Grand Duke's Faction maintained impeccable surface courtesy toward the crown prince. For a baron to genuinely take flight simply to avoid them was a rare novelty.

“I imagine running away takes its own brand of courage,” Liliana remarked softly.

When Liliana replied, Riley nodded in agreement.

Despite risking potential punishment, having the nerve to flee merely to evade hosting royalty and high nobles was, in a sense, worthy of admiration.

(Come to think of it, the baron never made an appearance in the otome game either, did he?)

In both Riley's and Austin's routes, the monastery inspection event always took place. Baron Navy had definitely been absent back then too. While his name had never been mentioned, Liliana recalled the representative being someone much younger. That person had almost certainly been Angus.

Having concluded their greetings with Clyde as well, Angus and Emilia turned their horses around to lead the procession. After a short ride in the swaying carriage, they arrived at Navy Monastery.

Stepping down from the carriage, Liliana saw Angus calling out to the gate guard, who promptly scrambled into the monastery in a fluster.

While the monastery was a familiar sight to Liliana and Riley, it was Austin and Clyde's first time visiting. Though Austin maintained his stoic composure as an escorting royal guard, he observed the monastery with keen curiosity, much like Clyde.

Angus and Emilia, on the other hand, appeared entirely at ease, causing Liliana to blink in surprise. While Emilia was the daughter of Baron Navy, if she were to make a charitable visit, she should normally have gone to a convent for women. Liliana and Princess Edith of the neighboring empire had visited Navy Monastery previously, but that had only been permitted under the official pretext of an inspection while accompanying Crown Prince Riley and Prince Rowland. It had been strictly an exceptional circumstance.

If Emilia were visiting out of noble charity, she might have accompanied her father, but the aristocratic custom of patronal visits did not fit Baron Navy's reputation in the slightest.

Furthermore, Angus was the heir to Margrave Calvert; there was no obvious reason for him to be visiting Navy Monastery either.

Riley seemed to harbor the exact same doubt that had crossed Liliana's mind.

“Do you two come here often?” Riley asked.

“I have only been here once before, but I hear Lady Emilia visits quite frequently,” Angus answered.

Upon hearing Angus's reply, not only Riley but Clyde as well widened his eyes and turned his gaze to Emilia. Finding all eyes on her, Emilia blushed faintly. Looking bashful, she answered in a small, mosquito-soft voice.

“—To my embarrassment, this is the only monastery in the vicinity. Well... I often help transport the food produced in our village alongside the villagers.”

“Ah, I see,” Riley replied with an understanding nod.

Riley and the others nodded in comprehension. If she wasn't visiting as a lord's daughter on a formal patronal call, but rather delivering donations alongside the commoners of the barony, her presence made perfect sense.

“You certainly handle a horse well,” Riley praised her.

At Riley's compliment, Emilia's blush deepened. While some noblewomen practiced horseback riding and hunting, they were a distinct minority. A woman riding on horseback clad in men's clothes, as Emilia did, was exceedingly rare. She was likely embarrassed, yet Liliana felt a distinct wave of déjà vu watching the scene unfold.

(This is the dialogue when the crown prince's affection level is high...)

Of course, this conversation alone did not guarantee she would enter Riley's route, but the likelihood was exceedingly high. Another possibility was Austin's route. While Clyde's route could not be entirely ruled out, it was safest to assume she was heading down either Riley's or Austin's.

(It will be quite troublesome if she goes down either of their routes...)

Liliana sighed inwardly.

Emilia needed to be steered toward the hidden character's route. To achieve that, she had to enter Prince Rowland's route from the neighboring empire rather than Riley's or Austin's.

Yet the human heart was not something one could control. Just as you could lead a donkey to water but could not force it to drink, manipulating someone's feelings was impossible without resorting to forbidden magic.

(I suppose I must devise an alternative measure after all.)

Grappling with a prickle of frustration, Liliana rallied every ounce of her rationality.

To avert the destruction of the world without relying on Emilia, Liliana had to choose one of two options: prevent the hidden character from appearing, or stop their rampage. Yet despite turning it over in her mind ever since realizing the possibility of the hidden character's emergence, she still had not come up with a viable plan.

Riley glanced over at Liliana, who was stifling a sigh, though she failed to notice. Just as a hesitant Riley parted his lips to speak, the guard returned with the abbot in tow. Looking visibly flustered, the abbot hastily offered Riley a deep, respectful bow.

“Your Highness, please forgive me for keeping you waiting!” the abbot apologized frantically.

“Do not fret over it. I am sorry to take up your time when you are so busy,” Riley replied gently.

“Perish the thought, Your Highness!”

As Riley graciously reassured the utterly humble abbot, Liliana turned her gaze to the youthful monk standing just behind him.

The young monk stood rigid, completely unable to conceal his nervousness. Just as Liliana wondered if he might be the one, the abbot stepped aside and gestured toward him.

“This is the monk who transferred here from the monastery in Margrave Calvert's domain. If you would care to discuss the details inside, might I trouble you to follow me this way?”

“Very well,” Riley agreed.

Following the abbot's lead, Riley and the others stepped inside the monastery. They were escorted to a reception room in a wing they had not entered during Liliana's previous visit. Though modest in construction, it was decorated with somewhat presentable furnishings compared to the rest of the facility. While far from luxurious, the effort to warmly receive guests was evident.

Once Riley took a seat on the sofa, everyone except the guards followed suit. Though the space was a bit cramped, there were fortunately enough seats for all. The simple sofas were firm, but considering this was a monastery, they were more than adequate. Navy Monastery seemed reasonably well-off.

“Now then, if we may get right to the point,” Clyde began.

It was Clyde who initiated the conversation. Their primary purpose in visiting Navy Monastery was to question the monk who had transferred from the monastery in Margrave Calvert's domain regarding his experience with the Black Death. Though Margrave Beverly Calvert had never confirmed it outright, the nervous monk standing before them had undoubtedly resided at the monastery in the very village struck by the Black Death.

“May we first ask your name?”

“Ah, forgive me! I have neglected my manners. My name is Dieter,” the young monk stammered.

“Brother Dieter, please forgive our abrupt summons. It must have come as quite a shock.”

Clyde spoke in a soothing tone to ease Dieter's nerves. Looking sheepish, Dieter cast his eyes downward and gave a slight shrug.

“Yes... to be completely honest, I was startled.”

Brother Dieter appeared to be a remarkably candid young man—perhaps even pleasantly rustic. Clyde seemed equally impressed, his practiced social smile softening into a genuine one.

“His Highness also mentioned that you introduced something called patchwork to this monastery, and that you work with great devotion.”

“Oh, heavens no, it is nothing so grand! I—I am only doing what anyone in my position would.”

Having nearly slipped into an overly casual tone, Brother Dieter hastily corrected his phrasing. Feeling overwhelmed under Clyde and the others' scrutinizing gazes, he blushed and hurried to explain himself.

“Um, the truth is, I was an orphan raised in the monastery in Margrave Calvert's territory, and I became a monk right there... So, well, I have never had many opportunities to speak with people from the outside world. If... if I have committed any breach of etiquette, I sincerely apologize.”

“Please, pay it no mind. Neither I nor His Highness are the sort to take offense at trivial matters. It may be difficult given the circumstances, but we would appreciate it if you could answer our questions with an easy mind.”

Dieter seemed deeply moved by Clyde's reassurance. Smiling gratefully, he offered a quiet “Thank you very much.” Then, quickly composing his features, he added with renewed nervousness:

“If it is within my ability to answer, please ask whatever you wish.”

“That is very reassuring. What we wish to ask about are the events that occurred at the monastery where you once lived in Margrave Calvert's domain.”

Dieter swallowed hard. As he turned a solemn gaze toward Clyde, Clyde gave him a reassuring nod.

—-

Toc