20. The Carriage to the Ranch
The weekend arrived after we finished preparing for our short trip.
It was a beautiful autumn day. The air was crisp, and there was hardly any wind. Only the high clouds drifted slowly across the sky.
Since the purpose of this trip wasn’t to flaunt our wealth, we only used one carriage.
Our family wasn’t one for ostentatious displays of wealth anyway, so this was just right.
Even though it was a trip, the ranch was in the outskirts of the royal capital, less than an hour away by carriage at a brisk pace.
Not that there was any reason to rush, but it wasn’t a long distance.
It was only an overnight trip. Even with extra clothes for riding, our luggage wasn’t excessive. The storage compartment at the back of the carriage had plenty of space, and everything was lightweight.
Since it was a short trip, we didn’t need any servants besides the coachman.
I considered leaving Ciel in charge… but then I would be the only one responsible for Leticia’s riding lessons.
…That would be too much of a burden.
We shouldn’t become too close.
I needed to keep my distance from my sister.
“I leave the rest to you.”
So, I left the butler, the head of the male servants, in charge of the mansion.
While I placed my complete trust in Ciel, the elderly butler was also a competent servant who had served the family since the previous generation, even though his role as assistant head of the family was less prominent.
As the head of the family, I boarded the carriage first.
Then, I immediately called for Ciel.
“Ciel, come sit next to me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Last time, my sister had taken the seat next to me.
I wouldn’t let that happen on this trip.
“Then I’ll sit in front of Elder Sister!”
Leticia declared as she boarded the carriage and took the seat facing me.
She grinned at me, looking utterly delighted.
…Perhaps sitting next to her would have been better, as I wouldn’t have to meet her gaze directly.
I had managed to maintain some distance, at least physically.
But my sister was relentlessly closing the emotional distance between us.
“…Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The reins were pulled, and the carriage started moving.
For a while, my sister watched the passing scenery through the curtained window.
The royal capital of Eustasia had many stone buildings, and the ground was mostly paved with cobblestones.
“I’ve hardly ever been outside the capital.”
I refrained from mentioning that some people considered the “back alley” where she lived to be ‘outside the capital.’
It had been a while since I had left the capital as well.
I always tried to maintain a broad perspective, carefully examining information gathered from both within the country and abroad… but because of my work, I was, in a way, tied to the capital.
My memories of traveling abroad for studies, when I was a little younger than my sister now, felt distant.
Now, I was a wall lizard, clinging to the stone walls of the capital.
Perhaps it was instinct, but something about my sister’s phrasing bothered me.
“…’Hardly ever’? So you have been outside the capital?”
My sister nodded slightly.
“Yes. I worked as a beater a few times.”
A beater… what?
“A beater… is that someone who… during a hunt, flushes game out of the bushes or… blocks their escape routes…?”
“Yes. They needed more people.”
I no longer suspected that we were using completely different words, me being from the upper class and my sister from the “back alley.”
We lived in the same world.
“It was a request from a noble, so the pay was pretty good.”
I had heard that sometimes young boys were hired for such tasks because they were cheap.
While rare near the capital, encountering wolves or bears wasn’t unheard of.
Even if it was just deer or foxes, cornered prey could be unpredictable.
――They could inflict serious injuries.
…It probably included hazard pay.
Even her “pretty good” pay was probably a paltry sum considering the risks.
The days when nobles were warriors on the battlefield were long gone.
In modern times, with a standing army and professional soldiers, the only vestige of that era was the system of granting noble titles to high-ranking knights of the Royal Knights.
A noble’s hunt could no longer be called training for times of war, a way to hone one’s skills.
Using beaters for recreational hunting, which wasn’t for training, pest control, or even food… seemed like nothing more than aristocratic arrogance.
My sister’s past was shrouded in mystery.
Even in [Moonlight Liberium], it was barely touched upon.
…It was almost as if it hadn’t been ‘defined.’
A ‘romance simulation game’ was probably a form of entertainment where the player projected themselves onto the protagonist and followed the story.
In reality, investigating someone from the “back alley” was extremely difficult.
Ironically, the fact that she wasn’t involved in any criminal organizations made it impossible to track her movements.
A single human life held little value in the “back alley.”
I couldn’t help but ask.
“…Leticia. What other kinds of work did you do?”
“Working at a bakery, all sorts of things.”
My sister smiled brightly.
I knew about the bakery.
I couldn’t tell her, but it was the ‘last trace’ we found during our investigation.
Even that was only because she happened to be working there at the time.
The fact that she was young and pretty, treated almost like a mascot, also helped.
…She was deflecting my question.
At her blatant evasion, I fell silent, unable to find the right words. Then, Ciel interjected.
“I’m sure there will be other opportunities to talk. …There’s nothing… special to tell.”
…Perhaps that was true.
If even the Vanderwaals’ renowned “shadows” couldn’t uncover anything… it probably meant there was ‘nothing’ to uncover.
She had no significant criminal record… and, conversely, no record of being a victim.
She simply existed…
Quietly.
Alone.
When the investigator honestly told me that further investigation would be costly, with no guarantee of results, even with an unlimited budget… I couldn’t continue.
The Vanderwaals had ample funds… but they weren’t infinite.
A background check was important, since I was granting her noble status.
But that was… over.
There was no need to delve further into my sister’s past.
At least, not politically.
Not for the scenario of [Moonlight Liberium].
There shouldn’t be.
“…If you want to talk about it, you can tell me.”
“Yes! …But there’s really nothing… important to talk about.”
My sister gave her usual smile.
Then, she looked out the window.
“I just… lived my life… that’s all.”
…Sensing a hint of sadness in her expression…
I hoped that someday, even if it wasn’t a dramatic story ‘worth talking about,’ an ‘opportunity to talk’ would arise.
Even if there was no such scenario.
Even if I wasn’t the one she confided in.
I hoped she would find someone she could talk to.
I couldn’t help but hope.
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