Chapter 96

Click.

"What's with that face?"

The moment Edgar shut the door, a quiet voice reached him. The boy reading in the chair by the window flicked only his eyes toward Edgar.

Then he lifted his head, and his wavy black hair shifted with the motion. Blue eyes deep as a lake disappeared behind his lids for a moment, then narrowed into thin crescents as he broke into a bright smile.

Edgar couldn't understand the people who couldn't tell him and Edwin apart. Fine, they were twins, of course they looked alike. And people who'd only seen them a few times getting them mixed up, that made sense too.

But look properly and they were this different. For one thing, Edgar didn't smile like that.

"Edgar?"

"...Edwin. Did you know the Duke of Lambert had a younger sister?"

"A younger sister?"

Edwin set his book face-down on the table. Edgar checked the title. A foreign language, as always.

Edwin caught where Edgar was looking and laughed quietly.

"Have you been to the library at the Lambert estate? It's on a whole other scale. All kinds of rare books, too. The duke said we could read as much as we wanted as long as we didn't damage anything."

"That's nice."

"So, why the younger sister? You met her?"

"Just now, in the garden."

"Judging by that face of yours..."

Edwin gave a small hum through his nose and nodded.

"Sounds like she wasn't what you expected?"

"..."

"Well... all I've heard about the duke's sister is that she's in poor health. Ah."

Edwin tilted his head to the side and added,

"I also heard she's been staying at the Reichnek domain. If you ran into her in the garden, she must be up here. I guess a train ride isn't too much for her."

"..."

"Edgar?"

For all her bright greeting to Edgar, Adelheid hadn't been able to stay in the garden long.

When Edgar asked how she knew his uncle, Adelheid had started to say they'd met in the capital four years ago when a fit of coughing seized her. The coughing wouldn't stop, and her face went red with it. Far from easing, she couldn't get her breath at all; gasping and hacking, she waved her thin hand for help.

By the time the coughing finally eased, Adelheid was half unconscious. There was nothing Edgar could do in the middle of it. While the older woman who looked to be her nurse wiped Adelheid's face with a water-dampened handkerchief and helped her come back to herself, a servant pushed the chair.

The blanket that had been over Adelheid's knees had fallen to the ground. Before Edgar could pick it up, one of the servants still there moved faster.

I'm sorry, young Master Edgar.

...It's fine. Is Miss Lambert going to be all right?

This is the miss's favorite garden.

The servant didn't answer Edgar's question. Edgar didn't press, and left the garden.

"Edgar? Hello? What are you thinking about?"

"..."

"Didn't you say you were going to see the duke?"

When Edgar didn't say anything more, Edwin, apparently having lost interest in Adelheid, changed the subject. His eyes went to the envelope in Edgar's hand.

Edgar flipped the envelope over to show him the central bank's seal.

"I did."

"The bank?"

"Because of the accounts Father and Uncle left. He said to go to the bank and confirm it in person later."

"Yeah?"

Edwin took the envelope out of Edgar's hand. He skimmed the papers inside quickly, then tossed them onto the table with a bored look.

There was nothing in them that would cause trouble if anyone saw, but they weren't the kind of thing to handle carelessly either. Edgar sighed, straightened the papers, and slid them back into the envelope. Edwin gave a sheepish smile.

"Are you going to the bank?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"As soon as I can."

"Today?"

"I'll need a lawyer, so I can't."

"Ah, right. Still a minor, so of course you would."

Edwin, who had been quietly reaching back for his book, stopped short.

"Ah. Perfect."

"What is?"

"You don't have anything else to do today, right?"

Edwin didn't wait for Edgar's answer.

He grabbed Edgar's wrist and dragged him toward the door.

"Edwin?"

"Let's go home."

"...Home?"

"I was going to bring it up with you anyway — best to do these things while you're thinking of it."

"Home where?"

"Home where?"

Edwin stopped in his tracks as if he genuinely couldn't understand Edgar's question. Seeing his usually unflappable twin startled like that, Edgar felt he must have said something wrong and hunched his shoulders a little.

Undeterred, Edwin broke into a wide grin.

"The Bertholdt estate in the capital, obviously!"

---

The Bertholdt estate stood on one of the older streets of the Second District, a little way off the main commercial quarter. The outer wall stretched on and on.

Noble residences in the Second District didn't stand close together. This long wall enclosed a single estate. Beyond the high wall there would be sweeping gardens, and at the center a grand mansion would stand.

The Bertholdt estate had been like that too.

No — it still was. Locked gates and high walls, sprawling gardens that hadn't been kept up, a mansion stripped of its old dignity.

"Someone was looking after it?"

"What?"

"It's not as bad as I expected."

"...This isn't?"

At Edwin's remark, Edgar looked around, incredulous.

He didn't remember much of living at this estate. It had only been four years since he and his uncle had left for the domain. Coming up on five now.

He'd definitely spent more time here than at the domain. Even his father's face he wouldn't have properly remembered if not for the portraits. His father's faint smile and gentle voice had been buried under pitch-black shadow. Cold, and pain.

"Let's go in."

"Edwin, hold on—"

"It's our house."

Edwin hopped down from the carriage and ran to the front gate. Edgar managed only to tell the Lambert driver to wait there before chasing after him.

At the front gate was a heavy chain and lock. Exposed to wind and rain, they were thick with rust, but they hadn't forgotten what they were for. Just as Edgar was about to call after him, Edwin pulled an old-fashioned key from his pocket.

Clank.

The lock fell with a heavy sound.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Hm?"

"The key."

"I asked Mattheus for it when we were coming up to the capital. Mattheus said the place would need work if we were going to live here, but... I mean, we won't be living here until we're adults, will we?"

Edwin talked fast, giving Edgar no room to break in, as he pushed the gate open. The rusted gate creaked with an ugly sound. As it moved, dust rained down. It was obvious how long it had been since anyone had come here.

Edgar stuck close behind Edwin. In his vague memories the garden had always been beautifully kept, but now it was half dead plants and half unidentified overgrowth. The tile path leading from the gate to the house was cracked and ruined.

"I guess Uncle didn't really keep on top of this place either."

Edwin clicked his tongue.

"He can be surprisingly thorough about things, so I thought he'd have kept it up in case we came back."

Edwin pushed open the door of the mansion without hesitation.

The moment the door opened, dust rose in a pale cloud. Even through a coughing fit, Edgar couldn't take his eyes off the interior. Thick sheets covered what few pieces of furniture remained, and broken materials from who knew where were scattered across the floor.

"Or maybe... who knows what someone did in the meantime. Uncle wouldn't have had reason to come up to the capital. Looking at the state of it, it seems like something was being done."

"What are you talking about, Edwin?"

"Hmm..."

Halfway up the stairs, Edwin turned back and grinned brightly.

"Never you mind, Edgar!"

"...What do you mean, never mind?"

"Just what I said. Edgar, do you want to live here later?"

Even knowing Edwin was changing the subject, Edgar let it slide again.

"Not sure."

"Yeah?"

"As long as we're under the Duke of Lambert's guardianship, we can't live here anyway. Once we're old enough to enter the academy, we'll be in the dorms."

"The duke would probably say we could keep living at the Lambert estate!"

"I don't want to be a burden."

"Ha ha, Edgar's stubborn about the strangest things."

Undeterred by his twin's glare, Edwin laughed. The high sound echoed eerily through the empty corridor. Edwin, apparently finding that funny, laughed harder.

Edgar shook his head and followed him. There was no hesitation in Edwin's steps up the stairs, though who knew where he was going.

"But I want to go back down to the domain."

"...The domain?"

Edwin's laughter cut off.

However much he acted like he didn't care, his uncle's death must have shaken Edwin too. Edgar took the chance while Edwin's pace slowed and drew up alongside him.

"Yeah. I'm Count Bertholdt now, whether I like it or not. I'll go back to the domain."

"...I see."

"What?"

Did Edwin want to stay in the capital?

Just a moment ago Edwin had said Edgar was stubborn. Edgar caught himself, realizing he'd been making decisions to suit himself.

"Do you want to stay in the capital? You can do whatever you want, Edwin. I'm just saying what I want."

"What are you talking about?"

Edwin practically jumped.

"I'm going wherever Edgar is."

"But if you don't want to—"

"When did I say I didn't want to? All I need is Edgar."

"Edwin..."

"Don't tell me you're trying to leave me behind?"

"What? No!"

"Ah, I knew the day would come when Edgar leaves my side, but already? No, Edgar. Grow up a little more slowly."

"What are you even talking about..."

When Edgar humored the silly joke with a suitable response, Edwin's feet stopped. He turned and looked back down the corridor they'd hurried through.

"Still, we should get the estate cleaned up."

"Here?"

"Yeah. Even if we go down to the domain, leaving this place as is isn't right. It's the Bertholdt estate. Our name's on it."

"...That's true. I was planning to write to old Mattheus anyway, so I'll mention it."

"We can't just leave it to someone else, though — we have to come by ourselves often, don't forget!"

"Of course."

Only after hearing Edgar confirm it did Edwin seem satisfied; he grinned and opened a door.

"...!"

Only when he saw inside did Edgar realize which room Edwin had come to. Dust piled thick, everywhere the signs of a place untouched by human hands. But no matter how many years passed, Edgar could never forget this room.

Even if he forgot everything else — even if his father's face was already fading — the time the family had spent together in this room—

He hadn't forgotten.

His father's bedroom.

In the short time they'd lived at the Bertholdt estate, his uncle hadn't used this room. This tidy bedroom would have been preserved exactly as his father had last left it.

On the nightstand beside the bed lay a fallen picture frame. Turning the frame over revealed the portrait of a noblewoman. Two small twin brothers clung to her. Edgar recognized his younger self at once.

Then this woman was—

"Edwin. Look at this."

There weren't many portraits of their mother. Finding this one alone made the visit to the Bertholdt estate worthwhile.

"...Edwin?"

Edwin, who would normally have come running, was quiet.

Edgar raised his head. Maybe Edwin had found something too.

"Edwin!"

At the sight of Edwin standing in the middle of the room, Edgar recoiled and ran to his twin brother.

Blood was dripping from Edwin's hand.