Chapter 55
“If there’s nothing, then forget it.”
When I didn’t respond, Chase checked the time and turned to leave.
“There is!”
He turned back toward me.
“I’m listening. Go on.”
I looked up at him with my eyes shining with anticipation.
“You know… there’s a man I want to find.”
But at that moment, Chase’s gaze turned fierce.
“What did you say you want to find?”
Did he not hear me properly? I spoke louder and more clearly.
“A man.”
Chase’s brows furrowed harshly, then relaxed again. He seemed to think for a moment, then opened his mouth as if he had found an answer.
“…You mean the stalker?”
I shook my head. There’s no way we can find Michael. That bastard is probably hiding somewhere very thoroughly right now.
“Then who?”
Chase’s voice sank lower and lower.
“I don’t know his surname. His name is probably Joel. I’ve never seen him in person, but he has brown hair and probably looks gentle. He lives in the North.”
And what else was there? It would have been nice if there was something distinctive, but the most I could recall was Joel’s name.
Honestly, even remembering that name had taken quite a while. In the original story, he was mostly referred to as the herbalist. I didn’t know his surname, but just recalling his name was something I could praise myself for.
“You think there’s only one brown-haired, gentle-looking man in the North? And what does ‘gentle-looking’ even mean.”
Is that so? But I really don’t know anything else. Was there any other distinguishing feature?
I furrowed my brows and searched my memory.
“Ah! And he’s poor.”
“Are you joking?”
“C-Can’t you find him with just the name? You’re the Grand Duke.”
It seemed like it should be possible.
He clicked his tongue.
“Why are you looking for him?”
Chase asked slowly, as if he was exercising all his patience.
“Because he’s someone I want to meet.”
“Hah.”
Chase let out a low laugh.
“I told you to say what you need, and you ask me to find a man.”
“You said I could make a request too.”
Chase strode over with his long legs and made me sit down in the chair. Then he braced a hand on the table and looked down at me.
Why is he suddenly acting scary again? Seriously.
“What are you going to do when you meet him?”
“Rather than doing something… that man is very smart.”
“Brown hair, gentle-looking, poor, and smart?”
What a ridiculous combination.
I could hear Chase mutter quietly.
“He once took the exam to enter the Mage Tower. He got a perfect score and had all the qualifications.”
“Then why didn’t such an impressive man enter the Mage Tower?”
“That’s because his eyesight was bad, so he failed the practical exam.”
Chase fell silent for a moment. Then he asked,
“You sure know a lot about a man whose name you don’t even properly know. How?”
“…”
Damn it. It would be suspicious if someone who had been locked away and abused in a corner of the mansion suddenly knew too much.
After thinking for a moment, I decided to use Felix as an excuse. It would be strange if I, who had never even been to the North before, knew about a herbalist named Joel.
“I overheard my brother… no, Felix, talking about it at the Grace mansion.”
Chase narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, then checked the time and turned away.
“That’s enough for now. We’ll talk later. And…”
“…Yes?”
“Don’t leave the castle alone.”
***
It was a peaceful afternoon for the first time in a while. Chase had gone to the capital, the Grand Duke’s residence was quiet, and today, there wasn’t even any mana fog. And honestly, even if there had been mana fog, I had no intention of going out.
If it was just mana fog and not a storm, the knights of the residence could handle it until Chase returned. And aside from his order to stay inside, I had no intention of leaving without him anyway.
If, by any chance, I ran into Michael, all my efforts so far would be for nothing.
With my stomach still full, I lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
After Chase left, a maid came and told me that the nutritional drink might make me drowsy, and sure enough, not long after returning to my room, my body began to feel sluggish.
“Will he find Joel for me…”
Like he said, there wouldn’t be just one Joel in the North. But I couldn’t remember his full name.
Letting out a low sigh, I buried my face in the pillow. The look in Chase’s eyes before leaving the dining hall had been somewhat ominous, so I wondered if he might not find him.
In the meantime, the effects of the drink spread throughout my body. Drowsiness poured over me as if I had been hit with a tranquilizer. Did that nutritional drink have sleeping pills in it? As I looked out the window at the blowing wind, I ended up falling asleep.
How much time had passed?
Suddenly, I woke to the sound of knocking.
Knock knock
“Miss Mage.”
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