Chapter 216: To the Rowell Family
“Here it is!”
“This must be your great-aunt’s mansion, huh.”
After dispersing the refugees outside the city walls, the cavalrymen who had driven them away volunteered to guide us. This was after they understood that we were not official envoys of the state but rather Lieselotte came on a personal matter.
It seemed that Lieselotte’s great-uncle, or more precisely, her great-aunt’s late husband, was quite a famous figure in the Kingdom of Galar. Upon learning that Lieselotte was his great-niece, the cavalrymen’s eyes sparkled with eagerness as they pleaded to be allowed to guide us.
The mansion we were brought to was smaller than I had imagined. Enclosed by a fence, it appeared to consist only of a two-story main building and a small garden. I couldn’t see the back of the main building, but it was clear that the estate was not of the size one would call a grand mansion.
Also, just like the city walls, the estate showed signs of age, with ivy crawling over the walls and fence. There were also cracks in some parts. Frankly, it did not look like the residence of a famous person.
Tigar and Decius seemed to share my opinion. Tigrl, whose emotions were easily read on his face, was visibly frowning. Hey, isn’t he aware that people will be watching us from inside the mansion? That’s too careless… I must remind him later.
As I was thinking about this, a female servant appeared from the mansion’s door. She was probably in her sixties? Her white hair, which gave the impression of old age, was tied back in a single bun, and her long, narrow slit-like eyes gave off a sense of intelligence. Her posture was straight, showing no signs of weakness.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed she held a sword cane in her hand, clearly indicating her knowledge of martial arts. This was not merely at an amateur level, but rather, she emanated the aura of a seasoned warrior. The term “female version of Mika” seemed fitting to describe her.
“Welcome. Are you the party of young lady Lieselotte Herzfeldt?”
The servant inquired in a matter-of-fact tone to confirm whether the group was led by Liselotte. Even though she was aware of the family crest on the carriage and expected Lieselotte’s visit, she seemed unfamiliar with Lieselotte herself.
In response to her question, Chris who had stepped down from the coachman’s seat, handed her a letter. After asking for permission with, “May I see this?” she read the contents, then carefully folded the letter back and bowed deeply.
“Please forgive any rudeness. Welcome to the Rowell household. My apologies for the late introduction; my name is Gina, and I am a servant in this house. Please, come this way. Thank you cavalrymen for guiding them here.”
“Much obliged! We will now return to our duties!”
The cavalrymen saluted Gina with a look of respect. It was unusual for them to show such deference to a servant. This only went to show that Gina herself might be a person of considerable standing. Clearly, this woman was no ordinary individual.
And who was Lieselotte’s great-aunt to employ someone like Gina? For the first time, I felt a genuine interest in the mistress of this old mansion. I only intended to briefly show my face as the head of the hired guards, but I decided to engage in conversation if they asked me to.
Meanwhile, Gina led us inside the mansion. Surprisingly, there was a stable as large as the main house itself. With more than ten stalls, it was disproportionately large compared to the size of the estate.
However, the stable was empty with not a single horse tethered. The sight of the vacant stalls gave off a desolate feeling. The eerily silent stable was clean, but a faint animal odor lingered around, perhaps a remnant of a time when it was bustling with many horses.
Since the stable was empty, we had our pick of stalls and chose the ones nearest to the entrance for easy access. During this time, Apao selected the stall next to Weiss’s. The two horses seemed to be getting on very well without my knowledge, as they were rubbing their noses together and rubbing their heads against each other.
After tying up the horses, we were led inside the mansion. Gina, who had maintained a stoic demeanor, raised her eyebrows in surprise as three children besides Liselotte got out of the carriage.
However, the fact that she did not make a sound of surprise made me feel her pride as a servant. Lieselotte greeted Gina with a smile and then she followed behind her while holding Lappy’s hand.
“Well, we’ll be waiting outside then.”
“We’ll be ready to go shopping at any moment.”
As hired guards, we lacked any form of identification to vouch for our identities. So it was only natural to be viewed with suspicion, especially for someone who was hiding the lower half of his face with an iron mask. Therefore, it was decided that only one person should meet the mansion lord. So as the leader of the group, I was the one to go.
However, Lappy who was holding hands with Lieselotte, was allowed to accompany her. This was because Lieselotte was reluctant to part with her. While Lappy was a smart girl, she was still quite young. It was unrealistic to expect her to engage in a constructive conversation with the mansion lord alone. Therefore, it was ultimately decided that someone else would join Lappy as well.
Even upon hearing that I, the most suspicious-looking of the bunch, would represent our group, Gina remained unfazed and continued to lead us through the mansion. I noticed then that she made no sound as she walked.
Indeed, Gina was not just an ordinary servant; she might also be serving as the mansion lord’s guard. It was possible she was akin to Hilda or Chris for Lieselotte. This thought made sense of Gina’s strong aura, which was uncharacteristic for a mere servant.
As I mulled over these thoughts, Gina opened the door to one of the rooms. It seemed to be a reception room with an elegant rectangular desk placed in the center of the room sandwiched between two long sofas.
“Oh my, oh my, welcome! It’s been a while, Liese. When was the last time we met… How many years ago was it?”
Seated on one of the sofas was a lady wearing black attire. My innate knowledge, which has been within me since I was born, told me that this was a mourning dress. I had heard she lost her husband and it seemed she was still in mourning.
The lady, who seemed to be around the same age as Gina, stood up and greeted Lieselotte with a warm smile. Though I could only see her from behind, Lieselotte seemed to be smiling back.
“The last time I met you was four years ago, great-aunt.”
“Ah, yes, four years. My, how you’ve grown into a fine young lady.”
Saying this, the lady gently stroked Lieselotte’s head. After a moment, she crouched down to meet Lappy’s gaze while tilting her head curiously.
“And who might this cute girl be? I’m sure you didn’t have a sister…”
“She’s part of the group we hired to escort us on the road. She’s quite strong, despite how she looks.”
“I’m Lappy. I’ll protect Liese.”
“Oh my, how reassuring.”
When Lieselotte introduced Lappy, the latter proudly declared that she would protect Lieselotte. I felt like holding my head in my hands at Lappy’s manner of addressing the noblewoman, but Lieselotte’s great-aunt seemed to take it positively and even stroked Lappy’s head.
After patting Lappy for about the same amount of time as Lieselotte, the noblewoman stood up and turned her gaze towards me. Although her face wore a smile, I could feel a strong intent to scrutinize me from the depths of her eyes.
“And may I ask who you are?”
“My name is Antares. I have been entrusted with the task of escorting the young lady from the Kingdom of Harlasia.”
Hilda and Chris’ eyes widened in surprise at my smooth and courteous tone of greeting. Hey, what do they think of me? We were the lowest ranks in the imperial army, where not knowing how to speak politely could lead to unpredictable consequences. It was a skill one had to learn, whether one liked it or not.
Next, the noblewoman’s gaze shifted to the iron mask covering the lower half of my face. It must have piqued her curiosity as well. I knew that if I were in her position, I would be equally concerned.
“I wonder why you’re wearing that mask?”
“My face is scarred and disfigured due to an old injury. Please forgive me.”
“Great-aunt, Sir Antares wears the mask out of consideration for us. I have confirmed this, so I kindly ask that you not press the matter further.”
At this point, Lieselotte stepped in to offer me support. She knew that while I could hide my eyes and forehead, there was nothing I could do about my mouth. She probably took that into account when supporting me.
Lieselotte’s voice was free from any tremor of nervousness or guilt. Instead, she managed a smile that was tinged with a hint of trouble. Lieselotte, who was a kind-hearted girl, seemed to find this level of deception easy; perhaps she had this trait because of her noble upbringing.
“Is that so? I apologize for asking about something so unpleasant. What is the name of your mercenary group?”
“We don’t have a name as a mercenary group. We are a gathering of individuals who lost their homes due to the chaos of war and are wandering together as a family.”
“So that’s why there’s such a young girl with you.”
This was the backstory Lieselotte and I had agreed upon for our group. It was meticulously planned down to the smallest detail with Lieselotte and Decius, ensuring we could answer any probing questions. Even if we faced tricky inquiries, it wouldn’t be a problem.
The lady, who had been looking at Lappy, soon turned her gaze back to me. I braced myself for a barrage of questions, but surprisingly, she simply acknowledged, “I understand.”
“A smart girl like Lieselotte has requested your services. There is no need for me to interfere further. Gina.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Please prepare rooms for the guards.”
“Understood.”
Upon receiving the lady’s instructions, Gina bowed respectfully and then left the room. It seemed we had overcome the most difficult part of our visit. I silently breathed a sigh of relief in my heart.
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TN: I forgot really, but I believe I read once that Weiss was mentioned to be a female horse (not sure though). But if that’s the case then Apao ain’t playing around.
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