Chapter 82

"Since when are you interested in Mr. Lambert?"

Edgar looked at Edwin. He never could get used to Edwin calling him "Mr. Lambert." The current Duke of Lambert was a different person, but to Edgar, Grisha Lambert had always been the Duke of Lambert.

But that was only how it was for Edgar. To Edwin, he was just an interesting friend of their uncle's. Half of it was Edgar's own fault.

He'd told Edwin that the Duke of Lambert had later become their guardian, but he hadn't gone into detail about what had happened. It wasn't the kind of story you told a young child.

Still, the negative impression should have come through — and going by the way Edwin was talking now, it apparently hadn't stuck. Whether that was fortunate or not, he couldn't say.

"Interested, nothing."

"You didn't even like him. Or is it the Reichnek domain you were curious about?"

"Will the Reichnek domain be hot? Even if it's in the east, it's south of the capital. What should we bring?"

"We haven't even decided when we're going. And you're planning to take those?"

Edgar pointed out coolly.

"Even Uncle would tell you to pick one or two you'll actually read and leave the rest."

Edwin hid the stack of books behind him and stuck his tongue out at Edgar.

"You've been way too grown-up around Uncle. I have to act like a kid to balance it out."

"What?"

"You're fine, Edgar."

"Fine how?"

"Should I pack toys? Your bear was the first thing I packed."

Edwin picked up the bear he'd propped on top of the book pile and waved it around.

"What do you mean fine how... No. Never mind. And stop shaking it like that. Its neck is fragile."

"Should I put another safety pin in?"

Edwin poked at the safety pin stuck through the back of the bear's neck and laughed. Then, as usual, he lost interest right away and handed the bear back to Edgar.

Edwin said strange things on the regular. Were all kids that age like this?

"Put the books back where they were. You don't read them anyway."

"What are you saying? Where would you find a more diligent reader than me?"

Then again, Edwin had said all sorts of nonsense in the past too. At least once their uncle had brought in the magic researcher for lessons, Edwin had eased off on talking about magic.

"Anyway!"

Fed up with Edgar picking apart every little thing he said, Edwin let out a shout.

"Are you finally curious about the Reichnek domain now?"

"..."

"You okay with going there? If you're not, say so now. You've still got time to run to Uncle in tears and cling to him."

"Don't act like crying solves everything!"

"You don't get to say that."

"I only did it because I really had no choice!"

He knew perfectly well that burying his face in the bear and sniffling would fluster Uncle enough to get him just about anything. Edgar had used it to get himself out of awkward spots plenty of times.

But he wasn't actually a little kid, and doing it felt off — like tricking his uncle. It sat badly with him. Lately he'd been trying his hardest not to...

"And if I didn't want to go, I'd have said so right there."

Edgar stroked Nabi, who had wandered up beside him. It was a good thing this hotel had a garden. Otherwise Nabi would have been bored out of his mind.

"It's fine as long as it's not the Bertholdt domain."

"...As long as it's not our own domain, that's all it took?"

Edwin snorted, looking incredulous.

"Then why did you say no to the trip last time?"

"..."

"So you are interested in Mr. Lambert!"

"I told you, not really."

"Come on. That's not the face of 'not really.'"

"What face is that?"

"I can tell just by looking."

Edwin's grin was slyer than any child's had any right to be.

"Are you jealous because Uncle has a friend?"

"What? Why would I be jealous!"

"Aren't you upset Uncle keeps going off to see his friend? Isn't that what this whole thing has been?"

"Edwin. What on earth are you talking about?"

"It's okay, it's okay. You're still little, Edgar, so it's understandable you want Uncle to pay attention to just you."

Edgar loved his brother, but lately Edwin kept getting weird on him. Had the magic lessons alone not been enough?

Not that Benito Vogel's lectures were really magic lessons — they were closer to just... general history lessons. And not even limited to history. Edgar had wondered whether their uncle had hired a magic teacher or a tutor.

"Ah, Edgar, is it okay for Uncle to give me attention? I like Uncle too, but if you do..."

Edwin was so enjoying himself he wasn't even watching for Edgar's reaction, just rattling on.

Edgar knew any reaction would only egg him on further, so he waited for Edwin to wear himself out.

Well... Edwin's guess about him getting interested in "Mr. Lambert" wasn't entirely off the mark. After seeing that portrait, how could he not be curious about Grisha Lambert's bloodline? Of course he'd been curious. Which was why he'd asked his uncle about the blue cameo he'd seen at the art gallery.

"Then again, Uncle would probably just say, Uncle loves both Edgar and Edwin! Hey, Edgar. Are you listening?"

To his surprise, his uncle had answered easily. That suggested it wasn't such a great secret after all. There weren't many portraits of Waldemar Alharn, but they weren't hidden away either, and even after thirty-some years, plenty of people who'd seen the king's face back then were still around.

Anyone who'd ever seen Waldemar Alharn would recognize Grisha Lambert's face on sight.

Even if Grisha Lambert really was Waldemar Alharn's... secret son, or whatever else, well. There wasn't much Edgar could actually do about it. Put Grisha Lambert forward as king? Something like that? He had no intention of doing anything like that, and even if he had, Edgar was eight years old. He'd been in a child's body long enough to know that nobody listens to an eight-year-old.

"Edgar? Edgar!"

Even if he figured out the Duke of Lambert's parentage, all it would amount to was, ah — that's why people kept coming after the Duke of Lambert. And that was where it would end.

Which meant nodding to his uncle's suggestion of a trip to the Reichnek domain had had absolutely nothing to do with the Duke of Lambert.

It was very simple.

Uncle wanted to go.

"Don't ignore me!"

Edwin protested, aggrieved. Seeing that pouting, on-the-verge-of-tears face, Edgar patted the spot beside him. Edwin plastered himself against Edgar's side at once, then lay down with his head pillowed on Edgar's thigh.

Edgar hadn't meant for him to lie down. But he didn't complain — he just ran his fingers through his twin's hair, enjoying the tickle of it between them.

"...Edgar."

Edwin had been quiet for so long Edgar had assumed he'd fallen asleep.

At Edwin's voice, Edgar's hand slowed a little.

"When did you start being interested in Mr. Lam— ow!"

"Go to sleep."

Edgar let go of the tuft of Edwin's hair he'd bunched up in his fist.

But Edwin had no intention of sleeping. He fidgeted against Edgar's knee, fiddling with his hands. Edgar couldn't see his face, but he could picture the expression exactly. Where had he gotten this stubbornness from?

"It's a family trip."

"Well, yeah."

"Uncle wants to go, and there's no real... reason to say no."

"..."

"Uncle hasn't been able to go anywhere freely because of us."

"He's been going out plenty, though. He went out today too."

"He said it was for work."

Their uncle had put on the suit that was starting to look familiar again today.

The reason for the outing, which he usually just summed up as "errands," he'd given more precisely today. He'd said the people from his northern base were coming to the capital and he was going to meet them.

"He still went out, though!"

"Uncle would be bored if it was just us."

"Why bored?"

"All we ever do with him is... let him watch us do stuff, or take walks in the garden..."

Edgar had thought his own days were monotonous enough, but their uncle's were worse.

Edwin had nothing to say to that; he closed his mouth.

"And Uncle didn't say so, but he really wants to go — you could see it on him."

"...You think?"

"I do."

Edgar said it firmly, before Edwin could get a word in.

Their uncle wanted to go on this trip. When he'd said "family trip," an unmistakable excitement had come through. Edgar knew it. He also knew Uncle bringing up a trip at this particular moment had to have another reason behind it. He'd even picked a destination in the domain of the Duke of Lambert — the same duke who had lent them the little house and probably this hotel too.

Edgar still didn't know what Linda had originally done for a living. He didn't know what had actually happened at the door that day. It wasn't that he hadn't asked. It was that no matter how many times he asked, the adults wouldn't tell him.

Something serious had happened. Even without the adults saying so, there was no way not to know.

"It's not like we're leaving Uncle behind... we're going together."

"Because it's a family trip."

"Right. And honestly, I don't want to stay stuck in this hotel either. The little house was stuffy too."

"Well..."

Edwin nodded, unable to argue with that.

"And I've never been to the Reichnek domain..."

"And it's not near the Bertholdt domain, so Uncle will be fine with it?"

"Yeah."

Edwin wriggled around to turn over. Under his messy hair, a pair of blue eyes peered up half-lidded.

"Is that really your only reason?"

"That's what I said."

If a trip was enough to put their uncle at ease, that was reason enough.

Edwin had told him he'd already prevented their uncle's death, and Edgar had agreed, to a point. But the person who had killed — who would kill — their uncle was still out there, alive.

He didn't know what had led up to their uncle's death last time... and as things stood right now, there wasn't really anything he could do to help him either...

If playing the part of a naive, oblivious child was the only way to keep their uncle's mind at ease, then living as a young child wasn't such a bad thing.

"I heard Mr. Lambert has a younger sister."

"Adelheid?"

"Ha."

Edwin's eyes crinkled into a mischievous grin.

"So you know her."

"..."

"She'll be at the Reichnek domain right now, I bet."

"...How do you know that?"

"I asked Uncle."

"..."

"Want to meet her?"

"Not really..."

"Really?"

"..."

"Your face isn't 'not really'!"

Edwin cackled with laughter.

"I heard she's two years older than us. They said she's a good rider — I'm going to ask her to show us!"

Edwin sprang up.

"Nabi! Let's go for a walk!"

"Woof."

"Grandma Linda!! Do you have any treats for Nabi?"

Edwin thundered out of the room.

"..."

Edgar sat there blankly.

Adelheid. He'd forgotten about her. Of course, she'd still be alive now.

Was she healthy? He didn't know. The only Adelheid Edgar knew was a sick one, lying in bed.

When had Adelheid gotten sick? What if she wasn't sick yet? Even if she'd already caught it, what if she wasn't weakened yet?

How was he supposed to look at a girl who would die of an illness a few years from now?