Chapter 143
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The Louis she’d seen in her dream had clearly been lovers with Agatha, an ancestor of hers.
‘…Agatha?’
“Yes, she seems to be an ancestor of mine. Have you ever met the Pink Rabbit tribe?”
Ruby didn’t know where her tribe had lived or what they’d done before they hid away in the remote wilds.
Her intent behind the question was partly pure curiosity, but more than that, the words she’d heard from Agatha in the dream nagged at her, and she felt she had to get an answer from Louis.
But Louis stayed frozen still and gave no answer at all.
“Louis?”
‘Well… I’m not sure. Why do you ask about that woman?’
“…You really don’t know?”
‘No, I can’t recall anything at all.’
“Huh, that’s strange. My dreams tend to be fairly accurate.”
‘A dream, you say.’
“Yes, in the dream the two of you clearly…”
As she spoke, recalling the dream, she nearly blurted out unnecessary things.
“Never mind. If you don’t know, there’s nothing to be done.”
Narrowing her eyes, she briefly grew suspicious of Louis, who stared blankly at her. Had he really lost all his memories, as Paul said? Surely he isn’t just pretending not to know.
As Ruby felt let down by the unresolved question, Louis spoke.
‘I want to find a way to reignite the black flames. There are Serpent Tribe members held in the underground dungeon, so couldn’t we learn something through them?’
“Ah, so they were imprisoned there.”
‘Will you look into it for me? With the barrier you’ve set up, I simply can’t get in.’
“Hm, even if the barrier is inconvenient, please bear with it. I’m putting up with my own inconveniences too, after all.”
At her prim reply, Louis smiled fondly. Somehow there was a look of longing about it.
‘I wasn’t asking you to undo the barrier. I’m simply curious what they might know. The one who cursed me was surely the Serpent Tribe.’
“Hmm. That does seem right. From various signs, it seems the Serpent Tribe has been doing harm to the Black Wolf tribe for a long time.”
If Ivan could come to wield the black flames, that was good for her as well. Should they ever have to stand against the Lion tribe, the black flames would surely be necessary.
Wishing Ivan would be in less danger, Ruby told Louis she understood, then turned toward the manor. Just then, John and the servants who had eaten sweet potatoes with her appeared.
“Miss!”
John came running breathlessly and stood before Ruby.
“We finally found her!”
“Oh? You mean…!”
“Yes, the widow named Beryl!”
“Ah, wonderful. Where does she live?”
“Yes, as for which way her house is…”
John, who must have even drawn a map himself, took out a grubby piece of paper and explained in detail.
“It’s not a village close to the ducal house, so it took quite a while. Among the women named Beryl, two had lost their husbands, but one was well along in years, so I figured it wasn’t her.”
“Thank you so much, John.”
“Please, it’s my pleasure, Miss.”
“I can take this, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
Ruby quickly folded the paper and tucked it into her pocket. She was in a hurry, because she had to get back to her room right away and summon the Guardian Spirit before Ivan returned.
“But, um…”
John stopped her. With a face full of unease, he went on.
“Is Jack doing well?”
“Ah, you were there that day too, weren’t you, John?”
“Yes, I think I heard Jack’s name then.”
“Don’t worry. Jack seems to be running about lively again.”
She glanced with a smile in her eyes at Jack, who had come up beside her and was grinning. Then she added something that had just occurred to her.
“If you’re so worried about Jack, why not have a child soon?”
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