Chapter Four: The Lonesome Peony
Chapter Four: The Lonesome Peony
ERNEST was greeted in the King’s office by Rodrick II and a surly soldier. Ernest knew the soldier, a man by the name of Derek Conquest who was two years his senior. At twenty-nine, he had attained the rank of major. They were about the same height, but Derek gave a far more imposing impression.
Perhaps “knew him” was a little too generous. Ernest had never actually talked to the man; he only knew his name and reputation. The green-eyed Conquest, with his short blond hair, showed not a hint of emotion. In all honesty, he was the most difficult sort of person for Ernest to deal with.
“Count Selden, I would like to request your assistance.” He didn’t look at all like someone asking for help. If this ended up being a personal request, Ernest would turn it down without listening to another word.
“We’d like to have you investigate an underground gentlemen’s club. We have reason to suspect that illegal gambling is taking place there,” Conquest explained without pausing to make sure Ernest understood.
A gentlemen’s club was a private social club where the elite gathered to discuss everything from politics to the arts. The club in question was run by Marquis Groves twice a week out of his guest house. That was where the illegal gambling was happening.
Gambling itself wasn’t forbidden in Hylant, but institutions running a gambling operation were taxed at a high margin. Something as minor as card games among small groups where the participants bet their own money were often overlooked. The difficulty was in determining where the line between “small groups” and “illegal gambling operation” fell.
The other problem was that illegal gambling dens were often a hotbed for other sorts of illicit activities.
It didn’t sound like all of the club members were involved in illegal gambling. The investigation had only gotten as far as learning that some small subset was involved. But the whole affair was taking place on the grounds of the powerful Marquis Groves, which meant members of the highest tiers of the aristocracy could be involved. That was why this needed to be a secret investigation.
“Illegal gambling? Isn’t that the military police’s jurisdiction, Major Conquest?” Ernest pointed out the obvious.
“There is little we can do without proof. But a competent man like you should be able to slip in and find some for us.”
That was it. They needed someone of high status to infiltrate the club for them. And if they were doing something illegal, they were bound to be hyper-reluctant about admitting someone involved with the military police. But refusing to admit a man from the upper classes would be equally suspicious, so they adamantly hid illegal activities from Major Conquest after allowing him membership. Sending anyone else affiliated with the military police or public security would have been equally fruitless. Thus, they asked Ernest.
“Well, I certainly am flattered you place such faith in me...”
“Faith? Is that what it is?” King Rodrick asked his longtime friend in feigned astonishment. Things were always casual between them, even though Ernest had served Rodrick since his youth.
“Why else would you ask me, Your Majesty?”
Though he was ever the loyal retainer, Ernest was uneasy to say the least. He prided himself on his gentlemanly nature, never chased skirts, and gave his all to his job in service to the king.
“Because you look just unassuming enough, that one would think if asked to join in on illicit activity, you would say yes just for the hell of it.”
“Your Majesty, you wound me! I am a good and honest man.”
“Of course I know that’s who you truly are. But this is how others might perceive you. That’s why we called upon you.”
“How others perceive me? What a thing to say!”
“You never realized anyone saw you that way?”
“I have not! What do you think, Major Conquest?”
Though they were lord and retainer, this sort of playful back and forth teasing was normal for them, a sign of their close friendship. Major Conquest merely watched the exchange without batting an eye. He didn’t laugh; rather, he seemed like he was ready to be dismissed. When Ernest tried to bring him into the discussion, he creased his brow in thought for several seconds before finally declaring—
“How should I know?”
—before returning to that same stoic expression.
Ernest and Rodrick immediately realized he was every bit as humorless as he seemed.
That’ll teach me to try and joke with Major Conquest, Ernest dryly noted.
❦❦❦
IF he was going to investigate an illegal gambling ring in the gentlemen’s club, Ernest’s first task was naturally to get himself invited into the club by one of its members. He would then need to pay the initiation fee and gain acceptance from the other members.
He needed to get a member with considerable influence to invite him into the club without asking for it directly. He also couldn’t allow his connections to the major be known, so he needed to make use of his own personal connections. But doing so was bound to take time.
And indeed, he became so busy with his secret mission, over half a month passed before he visited the witch’s shop again. During that time, he only sent two letters through his servant Tarrah, telling Yuuri he was busy. While Ernest’s letters were flowery, three-page love letters, Yuuri’s responses were cold and to the point. What she couldn’t convey in words, she conveyed with her gifts of tea leaves. Jasmine tea. Ernest’s favorite.
As he got to know Yuuri, Xingkaese tea became a common favorite in his estate, and thus he had plenty of Eastern-style teacups, several of which were procured through Watoh Company. And though Yuuri had taught him and his servants how to make the tea, the taste remained incomparable to what he drank at Yuuri’s shop. Still, his servants were some of the best around and conscientious to boot, so maybe it wasn’t lack of skill, but lack of something else.
For him, there was no greater tea than that consumed on the witch’s comfortable couch, in the company of the expressive witch.
❦❦❦
WHEN Ernest finally did have a day off, he naturally paid a visit to Yuuri’s shop.
Normally, he would just show up at the shop without warning, but this time he elected to send her a letter letting her know when he would be coming by. He had been so busy up to that point, and it was likely he would be equally as unavailable going forward; he wanted to make sure he caught her with what free time he did have.
In a stroke of good luck, it was a cloudy day, so Ernest could actually take Yuuri outside.
He strode down that narrow alley and gazed up at the brick shop, where he spotted a shadow just before it darted away. Yuuri must have been so anxious for Ernest’s visit, that she had been taking occasional peeks out the window to see when he got there. Just the thought made Ernest’s face break into a goofy grin.
“Miss Yuuri! Sorry to have kept you waiting!”
Ernest expected Yuuri to come running down the stairs and fly into his arms. Instead, she was standing in front of the shelf, trying to pretend like she was deeply involved in her work.
The days were still hot, so she wasn’t wearing her usual haori. To keep her neck cool, her hair was pulled up high on her head with the hair accessories Simon had given her the other day. She began to turn slowly, but Ernest could not wait. He threw his arms around her.
“I wasn’t really waiting, I ju—let me go!”
“Oh, come now! I’ve been so busy and tired!”
When Yuuri genuinely tried to push him away, Ernest always complied. But she didn’t try as hard this time.
“Then why don’t you rest up at your mansion? Why come all this way just to disturb me so early in the morning?”
Yuuri was worried his exhaustion was from lack of sleep and overwork, which Ernest was fine with using as a convenient ruse.
“I can think of no better cure for my exhaustion than having a cup of your famous jasmine tea.”
“If that’s what you want, please let me go.”
This time he readily complied and headed right for his favorite spot. Yuuri disappeared into the back and before long, that gentle aroma was wafting his way.
“Is this a new cup? Is this camellia?” He had been drinking jasmine tea at the manor for so long, everything in Yuuri’s shop seemed new once more.
The teacup was so dainty that Ernest feared too strong a grip would crack it. The inside was the brightest white, forming a stark contrast with the dark tea. The outside of the cup was azure blue, with red and white flowers painted around it. These flowers were the same as those on Yuuri’s haori when he first came to her shop. Maybe it was just the strong impression their first meeting had left, but Ernest thought that color suited her best.
“It is very fragile. So please don’t drop it.”
“Were these a gift from Simon?” Ernest asked, causing her to furrow her brow.
“No! These were on sale at Watoh Company, so I bought them for myself!”
Ernest couldn’t understand why their conversation was upsetting her so. Maybe she felt spoiled somehow because her brother was always showering her with gifts.
“...Uhm, Lord Ernest, I have a favor to ask.”
“Well, that’s unusual. It might even be a first. Go on, ask away.” Ernest threw open his arms, as if to say, ask me anything, and it shall be yours!
“It isn’t like that,” Yuuri started, her jet-black eyes burning holes into him. Normally, getting her to be so forthcoming required a sacrifice of sorts, but that didn’t seem to be what she wanted this time.
“Oh, I see. Too bad. …Well, what is it then?”
“My brother gives me nice things, like these hair decorations. So I was wondering...what I could...give him in return? I have no idea...what boys like...”
Ernest had brought Yuuri the hair decorations from Simon last month. They were siblings, bound by blood, and yet they acted more like strangers than family.
Yuuri was merely asking him, if bashfully so, whether he would help her select a gift for her brother. It was a simple request. But Ernest felt a bit disappointed, perhaps because he too had given her gifts. The dress and jewelry Yuuri had worn to the dinner party last month, for one thing, were presents Ernest had bought specifically for her. He thought they might get in the way at her shop, so he kept them at his manor, but they were absolutely hers.
He was sure she must have known that, because of her small stature compared to the average Hylantian woman, he needed to have them custom-made specifically for her. He hadn’t done so in anticipation of a reward, but now that Simon was getting one, he couldn’t help but feel jealous.
“So you won’t help me?”
“Of course I will! It will be like a date! But you know, Lord Simon will be jealous!”
Ernest was being honest with Yuuri, and yet it caused her face to cloud over. She shifted her gaze downward, staring resolutely at the table.
“...Hm?”
All that lay on the table were the camellia teacups. They featured the same flowers as Yuuri’s haori, the ones he felt looked so perfect on her. The longer Ernest stared at the teacups, the stranger Yuuri seemed to act. He couldn’t figure out why her face kept getting redder.
Huh? Have I done something wrong again?
Had she prepared these cups just for him, only for him to be completely oblivious?
“Stop grinning like that...like you know everything,” Yuuri said in an almost whisper as he kept looking from Yuuri to the teacups and back again. He realized immediately he had been right.
“I’m not grinning like I know everything. Look again. I’m grinning like this because I’m genuinely happy.”
“It doesn’t look like that to me at all.”
First, his king said he looked like unassuming noble and now the woman he loved was calling him a know-it-all.
“How strange...”
“What’s strange?”
“Every morning, when I look at myself in the mirror, all I see is a good and honest man. ...But lately, I’ve been hearing the same things from my king as I have you. Tell me, what is it that displeases you about me, Miss Yuuri?”
“Your eyes, I suppose,” Yuuri stated, not realizing her words landed like a cruel punchline. She was being serious.
Ernest could only hang his head in silent despair.
❦❦❦
THE sky was thick with clouds. In any other season, such weather would have depressed most people.
But this was at the height of summer and just about everyone was grateful for a break from the sun’s blazing rays. Ernest and Yuuri were among those who welcomed the clouds.
Yuuri was different from most humans. But Ernest hoped that Yuuri, like her ancestors, could acknowledge her commonalities with humans in order to live among them.
Ernest grabbed his cane. Yuuri pulled on her hat, grabbed a parasol, and headed outside.
They made their way out of the narrow alley that led to Yuuri’s shop and followed the street to the main thoroughfare, lined with bustling storefronts and restaurants. As they were just shopping for a gift for Simon, it seemed unnecessary to use a carriage.
“A gift for Simon, eh?”
Ernest knew the truth that if the gift was from Yuuri, Simon would love it no matter what it was.
Still, Ernest tried to give some thought to who Simon was. He was a collector of all things Hinomoto and the son and heir of a prominent trader. They could try to find something different from his usual inclinations, but it seemed better to stick with his interests.
When Yuuri went out, she never wore clothes from Hinomoto. On the other hand, Simon almost always wore his hakama. Since his features were more Hylantian, it seemed his clothes were a way of affirming his Eastern heritage and relationship with his younger sister.
“What about something that goes well with his hakama? Like a pocket watch or a bag...hmmm.”
Ernest was deep in thought as Yuuri walked alongside him, smiling. Anytime he pointed out her smile, she stopped. So this time, he pretended not to notice, merely glancing over at her out of the corner of his eye.
“How about a hat? What sort of hats do people in Hinomoto wear?” Ernest asked, really just suggesting it because he had never seen Simon wearing one.
“A Hinomoto hat? I’ve heard Western-style hats are popular in Hinomoto right now.” Eastern items were popular in the West, so it made sense that Western wear was also popular in the Far Eastern country of Hinomoto.
Ernest wasn’t sure where to look for a hat that would go with Eastern clothes, but Yuuri seemed so taken with the suggestion that he felt it was the right way to go.
“So you’re saying it wouldn’t be weird to wear a hat with hakama?”
“Right.”
“Perfect, I know just the shop! It’s not far from here, so let’s go!” He offered her his hand and, though she hesitated for a moment, she eventually accepted.
He was hoping the feeling that she was being more open around him wasn’t just his imagination. Maybe it was because it had been over half a month since they had last seen each other.
❦❦❦
IT was August according to the calendar, but the hat shop was already putting out its fall line of hats. The most popular women’s hats were all subdued colors like olive or grape. The men’s hats, however, didn’t appear much different from season to season, though the fabric did shift from cotton to wool.
After just one lap around the shop, Yuuri picked up a hat with a tiny checked pattern.
“For daily use, would a hunting cap work?” she asked.
As these sorts of hats were traditionally worn when hunting, they weren’t suitable for formalwear. But they were perfect for wearing about town, which seemed to be the same for Simon’s hakama.
They didn’t know Simon’s hat size either, and since the hunting cap wasn’t a tight fit, it was a safe choice. Ernest nodded and Yuuri gave him a shy smile. She hadn’t been this genuine since they met. Ernest thought that perhaps he was finally earning her trust. Though it was a bit awkward that they were bonding over her buying a gift for another man.
“Were you this gung-ho when you picked out those camellia teacups?”
No sooner had the words left Ernest’s lips than Yuuri narrowed her eyes on him. He knew his comment was unnecessary, but didn’t realize how it had hurt her.
She might have seemed sour, but he took her silence to mean affirmation. She turned her back to Ernest, comparing several patterns of hats. In the end, she bought the first hat she had picked up and the two exited the shop.
“Looks like it might rain.”
The clouds had thickened considerably since they left Yuuri’s shop, and it looked like rain was soon to follow.
And indeed, soon after they started walking, rain began to fall, landing with a plop-plop on the pavement and leaving grey splashes in its wake.
Ernest took the hatbox from Yuuri and covered it with his jacket in the hopes of shielding it from the rain.
“We better hurry!”
He quickened his pace while still keeping an eye on her. The pair darted into a café that appeared to be transitioning into its lunch rush.
“Cold, isn’t it? It’d be a shame for the gift to get soaked, so let’s wait out the rain and have some lunch.”
As they watched the sky from the café’s large window, the clouds seemed to be sweeping through at a fast clip. After some time, the rain started to let up.
They leisurely enjoyed their sandwiches and washed them down with a coffee. By then, the rain had let up.
Afterward, Ernest escorted Yuuri back to her shop. As they were about to part, she grabbed his sleeve, as if she had something she was trying to figure out how to say.
“What is it?”
“Thank you for everything today...and, well, you will come see me again, won’t you?”
This was the first time she had actually asked him to commit to another visit.
“Of course. But sorry, I’ll probably be busy for the next month or so.”
Yuuri nodded in understanding, but she seemed a little anxious to Ernest.
“If something happens, just come by my manor...all right?”
Yuuri had told him she needed blood at least once every three months. Up to now, he had been giving her his blood every month or two. And he knew there were times she would need it in between, such as when she caught a cold. But what would Yuuri do in such a situation without Ernest around?
“But—”
“You’re a single woman living alone, so I can’t exactly visit you in the middle of the night. But if you come to my manor, I can at least see you there after dark.”
Ernest thought it best he not come over during the day. Now, if Yuuri weren’t so skittish around him, if she really were ready, he would take their relationship to the next level in a heartbeat.
He thought meeting at night at his manor was the best compromise. His servants would be at the manor and able to vouch that he had conducted himself appropriately. But Yuuri couldn’t read his thoughts, so she merely stood there silently bewildered.
“Miss Yuuri, remember, you promised me, all right?” Ernest said, leaving her with those words as he exited her shop.
But it was only a week before they saw each other again. And rather than Yuuri coming to the manor for his help, it was Ernest coming to seek the witch’s expertise.
❦❦❦
ERNEST had been to the gentlemen’s club Marquis Groves was running twice since gaining permission to join. The gentlemen there, all united by similar interests, met twice a week and chatted the hours away amicably.
The men were diffused among the many rooms of the marquis’ second home. Each room was adorned with a nameplate bearing the names of various flora and fauna. The largest of these rooms was the lounge known as the Rose Room. Billiards tables were held in the Butterfly Room. And the library was in the Oak Room.
Even though many of the members were there to relax and play cards or billiards, the club as a whole was much classier than Ernest expected.
Ernest finally chose a room with paintings that were from the East, though he couldn’t be sure which country they were from. They were tall and made of a thin paper. The scenes depicting plants and animals were done in light colors. The first was a picture of barley swaying in the sun, the second depicted a long-legged bird, the third was a brown animal that looked similar to a mole, and the last was a flower reminiscent of a rose.
Ever since he met Yuuri, Ernest was having more and more opportunities to interact with Eastern culture. But artwork was still new to him.
“Welcome, Count Selden. How are you enjoying our club? I believe you’ll find all the men here are of exceptional quality. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding a conversational partner.”
The plummy voice belonged to his host, Marquis Groves. He was plump and completely looked the part of an affable old man, but if there really was illegal gambling going on here, he was likely at its helm.
“Indeed, I have already had quite an illuminating discussion of the classics. You have my gratitude for inviting me to your soiree.”
Ernest was a man of many interests, but had yet to focus on one in particular. Still, his focus today was not to stand out or give anyone reason to suspect him. He had picked topics of conversation in which he had at least a passing interest, but he wasn’t here for intellectual competition. All he wanted was to wrap this case up and be done with it.
And now here he was, face to face with the man who held the key. He had to figure out whether or not it was pure coincidence that they were meeting like this.
After Rodrick told him he seemed like the type to do something illegal if it looked like fun, getting into the club had been easy.
Just bringing up gambling out of the blue would be dubious, so Ernest chose a different tactic: asking about the paintings.
“Are these paintings from the East?”
“Indeed. Which reminds me, there have been rumors circulating of a certain noble running around with an unmarried raven-haired woman.”
Ernest had neither announced Yuuri as his partner nor attended very many social events. To the rest of the world, it was as if Yuuri had appeared at his side out of nowhere, and that was exactly the sort of rumor the members of high society loved. But Ernest had anticipated this.
“She is my lover. I hope to introduce her properly at a future event...” If his fears came to pass, that day might never come, but Ernest flashed him a convincing smile nonetheless.
“I take it you’re also interested in books and paintings from the East as well, Count?”
“It is something I hope to explore further, but at this point, I’m little more than an amateur.”
“And what of the Eastern girl? Perhaps she could teach you?” the Marquis asked, his eyes fixed on Ernest.
Ernest couldn’t figure out why the Marquis would bring up a woman when they weren’t allowed in the club. He must have an ulterior motive.
“My lover? She was born here in Hylant, so she isn’t very well-versed in Eastern culture. She certainly couldn’t keep pace with someone as knowledgeable about artwork as you are,” Ernest said. The truth was, he didn’t know how much Yuuri knew on the subject. At the very least, she was familiar with the items Watoh Company traded.
At any rate, the fact that the Marquis, who might very well be the leader of the illegal gambling ring, was interested in her concerned Ernest. It made him want to steer the conversation away as quickly as possible.
“I suppose that is understandable. Though such beauty is wasted on one with no interest in their own county’s art and literature,” the Marquis said, shifting his gaze to the paintings once more.
“Eastern artwork can easily be changed out to suit the season or occasion,” he explained, pulling the attached cord. He then rolled the thin paper up into a tube.
“It’s so different from Hylantian art.”
“Indeed. Those exclusively familiar with Western art would deem these works barren and flimsy and overlook it, but it seems you are different, Count Selden.”
The marquis seemed pleased with Ernest’s reaction and he nodded to himself as he strode away. Ernest suspected he truly did love art as much as he said. And Ernest had had his first successful attempt at getting closer to the man behind everything.
After his conversation with the Marquis, he spent some time getting to know the other members before going home.
On his way home, he spotted Major Conquest, but carried on, pretending not to know him.
❦❦❦
BEFORE retiring for the night, Ernest sat with a glass of wine, considering his next move.
“Mmm...what should I do? And then, there’s that painting...”
Ernest had observed the marquis’ shifting expressions the whole time. It was likely that the marquis had spoken to Ernest specifically because he had become aware of Ernest’s interests in the East. But he seemed comforted upon learning that Ernest was not nearly as knowledgeable as he.
“I can’t get Miss Yuuri involved...” he said, wishing nothing more than to end this annoying reconnaissance mission so he could go back to his carefree days of lounging around Yuuri’s shop. “The problem is that it’s a gentlemen’s club. Ah well, I guess I should go ahead and ask her.”
A week earlier, Ernest had told her to come find him if she needed anything, but it was he who was in need of her expertise. He would have to swallow his pride.
❦❦❦
THE next morning, Ernest neglected his duties and headed for Yuuri’s shop. He had been acting on the King’s orders to investigate, so it wasn’t as if he were skipping work and thus had nothing to feel guilty about.
Ernest threw open the door, prompting Yuuri to pop up off the couch and find herself eye to eye with him. She had been napping on the job again, certain no one would be dropping by. He suspected the reason someone as conscientious as her was always napping was because, like she had told him, the bright sunlight made her sleepy. Having superior night vision was usually characteristic of nocturnal creatures. Ernest suspected that Yuuri’s ancestors were also creatures of the night.
“Hey! It’s been about a week, hasn’t it, my little witch?!”
“I-I th-thought you wouldn’t be coming around for a while...!” she accused in a daze.
Ernest’s shoulders drooped. He thought she would be happy to see him. “Yeah...I have something to ask you about.”
“What might that be?” She checked her hair to make sure it wasn’t messed up, likely remembering the first day they met. She cleared her throat then sat up, making room for him on the couch. He took his usual seat beside her.
“I’m on a secret mission right now, investigating an illegal gambling ring.”
“Uhm, please don’t tell me about your secret mission, I don’t want to get caught up in anything dangerous.”
This would be the second time she was being dragged into state secrets. This time, Ernest had prior permission, but Yuuri’s face clearly showed her disdain.
“It’s all right, you’re already involved,” Ernest said and then dove into an overview of everything that had happened up to that point.
“Those paintings stick out to me for some reason. Maybe they’re some sort of password hint or hiding a hidden door or something? I feel like I’ve seen something similar offered by the Watoh Company. It’s a painting on thin paper that can be rolled up and stored away.”
“That’s a hanging scroll. Both Hinomoto and Xingka have them.”
Ernest had several sheets of paper on the table to show Yuuri. He had drawn pictures of what he had seen the night before at the marquis’ second home.
“Are these supposed to be...a rough wave and a sunrise?”
“It’s supposed to be the sun and a field of barley.” Ernest’s quick pen sketches weren’t successful in replicating what he saw. After all, what Yuuri thought were waves was supposed to be barley dancing in the wind.
“And is that a dinosaur?”
“No, it’s a bird! And this is the face of a mole peeking out from the grass.”
Ernest was an even worse artist than he thought. He needed another way to get his point across.
“Lord Ernest, you’re a terrible artist! Hehehe!” Yuuri laughed, unable to hold back any longer.
It was actually the first time he’d heard her laugh so openly.
“Why does that make you so happy?”
“I just think it’s endearing to actually see you showing some weakness.”
In other words, she needed to see he was human. He decided not to voice his discovery and let her enjoy the moment a little longer.
“So what do you think about these pictures? I tried to draw what I saw on the scrolls at the gentlemen’s club. Do they mean anything to you?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think Hinomoto has barley fields. I believe rice is far more common. And I’ve never seen any paintings of dinosaurs except in museums.” Maybe she was just that amused by Ernest’s art skills, but it was rare for her to do something as silly as keep calling the bird a dinosaur.
“Hey! I told you, it’s not a dinosaur! It’s a bird with a red head!”
“Bird with a red head? That’s likely a crane. They’re seen as good omens back east.”
“All right, how about these flowers that look like roses?”
Yuuri stared at the pictures. “It seems like a chrysanthemum or something similar...but the shape of the flowers makes me think of peonies. Peonies are common on kimono. In fact, I think I have one. Wait a moment.”
Yuuri disappeared off to the second floor and returned a moment later, carrying a haori he had seen her wearing back when the weather was colder.
“Ahh, that’s it, that’s it!” Ernest exclaimed, looking over the haori with large red flowers. The flowers looked exactly like the ones Ernest saw in the salon.
“Cranes and peonies are treasured motifs in Eastern art. So I can’t really say if these pictures alone offer any obvious hints.”
He couldn’t say for sure if there was anything other than the peonies and the crane. And he could find nothing else of note in those two pictures.
“Miss Yuuri, would you be willing to have a look at the scrolls? I tried to draw them, but it seems that won’t be sufficient.”
“P-Pardon? Well, if it’s just to have a look...”
“Yes, just have a look. You’d be all right with that, wouldn’t you?”
The problem was how to get a woman into a gentlemen’s club. Ernest looked Yuuri over from top to bottom.
“What is it?”
“Yes, I think this will work out just fine... I’ll come for you at 2 o’clock, the day after tomorrow. I’ll have everything you need then. All right?”
“All right.”
There was a way after all. But if he told Yuuri what that was, he knew she would refuse. So for the time being, the deceitful count kept his plan to himself.
❦❦❦
YUURI’S infuriated shrieks echoed all over the manor’s guest room.
“You liar! You didn’t say anything about this! I am an adult woman!”
Ernest stood just outside the door, trying to calm Yuuri’s rage, or at the very least, prevent her from fleeing.
“It’s all right. It’ll look perfect on you. You’ll be the cutest—nay, the best looking boy around! You really will be cute in that attire, I guarantee it.”
“......”
“What a horrid thing to say to a lady! Your parents would be ashamed!”
This time it was Tarrah berating Ernest in Yuuri’s stead.
If it were up to him, Ernest would have absolutely preferred Yuuri in a stunning dress. His desire for normalcy paled in comparison to hers.
“I...c-can’t...breathe!”
“Miss Yuuri, please forgive me! Please bear with it a little longer!”
In order to make Yuuri look more like a boy, they needed to bind her breasts with cotton wraps and pad her height a bit. Just imagining what was happening on the other side of that door made the corners of Ernest’s mouth twitch up.
“I bet you’ll be the cutest page there is! Your master’ll be pleased!”
Ernest opened the door in anticipation. Yuuri stood in her boy disguise, trembling in front of the mirror. The blouse trimmed with lace, the brass-buttoned vest, the culottes...and those long legs stretching out from beneath. Her hair had been plaited into a braid, with ribbon swaying from the ends.
“Miss Yuuri, you’re so lovely. You’re a convincing boy, from your head to your toes.”
“You seem more excited about this than the dress you gave me,” Yuuri intoned, her anger having subsided, leaving her eyes lifeless like a dead fish.
A page was a young servant tasked with assisting a nobleman and carrying their belongings. Many were expected to reflect the tastes of their lords, and so pages from foreign lands had become increasingly common.
Many of the members of the gentlemen’s club brought their own attending pages and servants. Thus, Ernest thought this would be the best way to sneak Yuuri into the club.
The braid emulated a style he’d seen on an official from Xingka. Most Hylantians wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between someone from Xingka and someone from Hinomoto anyway. At any rate, she looked the part of a page from the East.
“You deceived me,” she hissed.
The problem now was that, girl or boy, Yuuri was no longer a child. She was a nineteen-year-old woman. It was only natural that she would be furious.
“Now, now, I did say I would have everything you needed. I didn’t say anything about it being a dress. If that is your wish, then I can take you to all the fancy parties your heart desires!”
“What my heart desires is to go home!”
“Miss Yuuri, if you help me, we can finish this whole matter up right away. And I will reward you handsomely for your assistance!”
Yuuri couldn’t hide her reaction when the word “reward” was brought up. After hesitating for a long moment, she found she could not avoid the temptation.
“Just this once, all right...?”
She decided this was her repentance for taking his blood.
But Ernest would have given her his blood without anything in trade. Their relationship had taken on a different shape from before. She liked their prior arrangement of witch and client though. It was simpler. So she willingly took on this foolish errand.
“I promise. Ah yes, and since you will be serving as my page, I will need you to refer to me as ‘master,’ got it?”
“M-M-Ma-Mas...te...?” she bit her tongue while trying to get the word out.
It was, after all, what Tarrah called Ernest. But coming from Yuuri, it sounded less like a servant and more like a subservient wife. Her face flushed scarlet.
“You can’t make any mistakes when we’re really there. So you’d better practice now.”
“No! I’ll say it when I have to.”
Ernest and Tarrah then set to work teaching Yuuri the functions of a page.
With his deep connections to Watoh Company, no one would be suspicious of Ernest having a page from the East. And bringing along a new boy would be perceived as the result of previously failed pageships. Noblemen tended to swap out servants as much as clothes.
It was a good thing Yuuri didn’t notice how much Ernest was enjoying having her tie his tie or put on his jacket like a new bride, or she might have fled.
❦❦❦
“THIS way, Saizoh!”
Saizoh was Yuuri’s fake name. They could have used her real name, as Yuuri was also a boy’s name in Hylant, but there was a good chance that members of the gentlemen’s club knew of her name. And if nothing else, they might find it in bad taste that Ernest employed a page with the same name as his lover.
Saizoh was Yuuri’s great-grandfather’s name. He had been the first head of Watoh Company, the one who had brought his family all the way from Hinomoto.
And yet, Ernest felt the name didn’t fit her. To him, any name other than “Yuuri” felt unworthy.
“Yes, Master. How may I serve you?” she asked in boyish tones.
She was showing a great deal of bravery. As promised, she was fully committed to playing the part of a young boy now that they were here.
Many Westerners had little knowledge of common heights or features for people from the East, so they had no way of guessing Yuuri’s true age or gender.
The pair made their way through the foyer and headed for the Rose Room, where the scrolls in question hung.
“There, Saizoh. Do you see? Are those not paintings from your homeland?” Ernest was unintentionally making a spectacle of himself. Of course anyone would recognize art that reminded them of their homeland.
“Wow! How lovely! Master, we call these hanging scrolls in my homeland!”
Yuuri was trying her best to play the part of an eager young page. She was adept at looking after Ernest and his belongings, but the rest was so clearly faked. Ernest sighed, hoping she would get the hint to tone down the chipper attitude.
“Oh, so you must know a lot about these, then! Tell me, what is that bird there?”
“Hehe, I haven’t a clue, m’lord!”
“You don’t? Hahaha!”
Yuuri tried to look like she was genuinely amused. The two of them quickly moved away from the scrolls before anyone became the wiser.
They mingled with the other members for a bit to avoid arousing suspicion before making their way to the Oak Room. This room housed the library, which included a great deal of books on artwork. It seemed their host had a great affinity for works of art. The pair wandered further in until they were out of earshot.
“Have they moved the scrolls?”
“Hey, not so close……!”
They couldn’t risk being overheard, so Ernest thought it was obvious they would need to lean in close.
“We don’t have much choice. Were you able to figure anything out?”
“Those pictures all share a similar motif: they’re all images from Hinomoto playing cards called hanafuda. I used to play it all the time with my grandfather.”
“Hanafuda, eh?”
That word had little meaning for a Hylantian like Ernest.
“Silver grass beneath the moon. A bush warbler by the sea. A sake cup and a chrysanthemum. And the peony with—wait. The one with the peony was the only one that wasn’t right.”
While the other images came in pairs, only the peony had been painted alone.
Marquis Groves had said it himself: in the East, scrolls were changed out to fit the season. Ernest believed that much was true. But if it was, why did he have the feeling the Marquis was still hiding something?
“So what about the mole and the bird that I saw?”
“The crane is paired with the pine tree. The animal you called a mole was likely the boar with the clover. But isn’t it strange? The bush warbler is meant to herald spring. It’s out of season.”
“I knew I could count on you, Miss Yuuri! We’ll think about the rest later. For now, we need to kill some time here so it doesn’t arouse suspicion when we leave.”
For now, establishing the hanafuda connection, as well as the four matching prints and the two that were off was more than enough. They needed to leave the scrolls alone for now before anyone involved in the gambling ring started to catch on.
They returned to the Rose Room, and Yuuri left to fetch Ernest a drink. It was only then that he became aware of the eyes on her. Several pairs of them, in fact.
I shouldn’t have brought her. I mean, it wasn’t like I was trying to show her off, but still...
Her knowledge relating to the scrolls had been invaluable. But bringing her here had attracted a great deal of unwanted attention, and he regretted it. He lacked any sort of affection for young boys, so he hadn’t noticed it earlier, but there were many unseemly stares in her direction. The looks on their faces filled Ernest with disgust.
Yuuri was stopped on her way back to him by someone as she balanced a tray with his glass on it.
“You there. Careful or you’ll drop it. Here, allow me.”
The man clearly had approached her with ill intent. Ernest knew that and yet he elected to watch the scene unfold instead.
Yuuri didn’t only stand out when she wore the page’s uniform. When she walked about town or even among high society, she always seemed to attract an abundance of attention. This sort of thing was bound to happen, and Yuuri needed to learn how to deal with it.
“Thank you for your concern, m’lord...but this is my job, so please, do not trouble yourself,” Yuuri said calmly, giving a polite bow before attempting to pass.
“No need to be bashful. Give it here.”
“Huh...?”
The man attempted to yank the tray out of Yuuri’s hands. Caught off guard, she accidentally lost her grip on the tray and the glass toppled to the ground.
“What are you doing?! You’re a servant! How dare you defy me!”
From how Ernest saw it, it was his fault.
Ernest never would have expected someone who had been admitted to an exclusive club acting so childish. For Yuuri, it was nigh incomprehensible. Unable to watch anymore, Ernest rose, attempting to come between them when—
“If you were trying to garner his affection, I’d say it was a genuine failure. And anyway, no man should be vying so for a child’s affections.”
A large, sturdy man managed to get there before Ernest did. It was Major Conquest, who had apparently infiltrated the club as well.
He dumped alcohol all over the man’s head and then crushed the glass. The glass shattered with a smash and blood began to flow from Conquest’s hand.
“Well? Have you cooled off now?”
“Hrk...”
One look from Conquest, his eyes pregnant with a silent rage, had the man quaking. Not only was Conquest a muscular military man, but the man had just watched him split his hand open crushing a glass barehanded with not a hint of pain.
Clearly outmatched, the rude nobleman turned and ran.
“Major, fancy meeting you here. You have my thanks for saving my page.”
Even though he was undercover, Major Conquest had saved Yuuri. For the cool-headed workaholic Ernest knew him to be, this was indeed a surprise.
“Oh, Count Selden. If you’re this boy’s master, it’s your responsibility to protect him from harm.”
Saying he was just about to do so seemed unbecoming, so Ernest merely tried to laugh it off.
Ernest was suffering from his own poetic justice, as the part of the prince rescuing Yuuri was played by someone else while he rested on his laurels.
“Oh! Please let me treat your wound!”
Yuuri took Conquest’s hand and stared at it.
“I’m rather thick-skinned, so it’s not a major concern. See, it has almost stopped bleeding.”
Any normal person would’ve needed stitches for such a wound, but as Major Conquest had insisted, his wounds had already begun to seal. Fortunately, it seemed as if the minor injury was almost healed.
“No, please let me have a look! You might have shards of glass in your hand.”
Yuuri got water, a clean towel, and some tools and set to work treating his wounds. She really was an incredible witch.
“Yu—Saizoh is really skilled at rendering first aid. Ah yes, and Major Conquest, I’d like to do something to thank you for saving him. Please, come by my manor tomorrow, even if you cannot come until after work.”
Ernest was attempting to pretend as if they had just met and that inviting him to his manor was a show of gratitude. If he wanted to tell the Major about the scrolls, it would be faster with Yuuri present. He could try to drag her to the palace, but he was positive she would shut down there.
“Very well. I am off tomorrow, so it will be in the morning.”
“Shall we be off then, Saizoh?”
“Yes, Master. ...Major Conquest, thank you very much for your help.”
Despite all the trouble, Yuuri had once again helped Ernest finish his task. As he thought about his promised reward, he led her out of the club.
❦❦❦
THEY were in the carriage, headed home.
Ernest thought back on the sight of Yuuri treating Major Conquest’s bloody hand. Questions started to flood his mind.
Who knew she could handle treating wounds so easily?
From the first time Ernest had offered her his blood, to even the time when she had been sick, every time Yuuri caught sight of his fresh blood, her eyes flared with desire. It was as if she were intoxicated merely by the sight of his blood.
And yet, when she treated Major Conquest’s injuries, she acted perfectly normal, without a hint suggesting that she was fighting back such powerful bloodlust.
As he turned the image of her drinking his blood over and over in his mind, a thought occurred to him. Maybe his blood had a special effect on her.
I’m sorry, Yuuri. This is all because I have a bad case of being mischievous when it comes to you...
Overcome with guilt, he bit the inside of his cheek. A metallic taste filled his mouth. He gazed over at Yuuri, who was likely steeped in her own thoughts.
She stared back at Ernest for some time and her eyes began to glaze over. Without realizing it, she reached out for him, before coming back to her senses and trembling in shock. She yanked back her outstretched hand and balled it into a fist on her lap.
Clearly struggling to calm herself, Yuuri looked everywhere except towards Ernest, from the curtains to her balled fists.
“Lord Er...nest...could we please open a window?”
“Why? You’d catch a cold from this chilly night air, so I’m afraid not.”
He was being even more wicked than usual. He knew damn well why she wanted to open the window.
“Uhm...are you injured?”
“Hm? Oh, well, I just cut the inside of my cheek from all the shaking and swaying of the carriage. It’s all right, it’s not that big of a cut.”
It was impossible to imagine anyone cutting themselves from the gentle motion of the count’s carriage.
“Your cheek?”
“What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”
Ernest pretended to not know what was wrong and sat next to her, trying to get a better look. Her breathing was ragged, as if she had just been running. And her eyes were dilated. In a way, it made her adorably pitiful.
“It’s just...the blood...”
“Ah, I’m sorry Miss Yuuri, I didn’t realize your ability to smell the blood of others was so strong.”
He did realize it, but he decided to feign ignorance.
“I...have to get out! I can’t...take the smell of blood any longer!”
Yuuri shoved Ernest away. It was a weak shove, likely because all of her strength was tied up trying to resist her baser instincts.
“You can have a taste. Come here.”
Yuuri’s body quaked in surprise. She was reaching her limits. Her quivering hand gently brushed his lips. Ernest, in turn, took her chin in his hand, trying to bring her face closer.
They were so close that either could feel the other breathe. Then, Yuuri took Ernest’s hand in hers and—
“O-Ouch!” Ernest yelped.
Yuuri had bit the base of his thumb while he was distracted. Her will so eroded by the scent of blood, she made no attempt at being gentle.
“Yuuri...?”
Yuuri lapped up every drop of blood from his wound before it had a chance to spill. She glared up at him, tears welling in her eyes.
Had she figured out how he had tried to use her vampiric traits to bait her into a kiss?
Her angry eyes seemed to be saying, “this is all your fault!”
It was a painful lesson in not being so careless. But at least it reminded Ernest that being with Yuuri was never boring.
She gulped, clearing her throat, and her face became slack as she gazed lovingly up at Ernest.
He was food to Yuuri and he would do well not to forget it.
“Hey, how come you were okay looking at the Major’s blood earlier?” Ernest asked, stroking her head and knowing that he wouldn’t get an answer while she was feeding.
If something happens to me, then Yuuri will...
It was a realization that had been slowly creeping its way into his mind ever since the day he visited Yuuri’s grandparents’ graves. Yuuri’s grandmother had followed her grandfather in death. Clearly, it was because she had lost her food source.
Ernest had intended to be Yuuri’s prey, but somehow, it was the other way around. From the moment he allowed her to drink his blood, he took her life into his hands. He was her sole source of support.
“Oh, my little witch. This was all my foolishness. Please forgive me. I’ll make it up to you. With something greater than flowers on a cloudy day or the starry skies. Perhaps we can pick up where we left off then?”
Stealing a kiss from the girl drunk on his blood was no fun. And kissing in the carriage with Yuuri still dressed as his page made it even less romantic.
Ernest lamented that he had such pride in being a gentleman. Yuuri had fallen silent for the most part. He knew if he did or said something she didn’t like, she would let him know. But her silence gave him the freedom to reflect out loud.
“What do you think? Where shall we go?”
“Nowhere. I’m going to sleep. Good night.”
Ernest wasn’t sure at which point she had started paying attention to what he was saying, but her refusal was clear. She laid her head in Ernest’s lap and closed her eyes.
She rejected Ernest so readily and then acted so sweet toward him. It was times like this that made him wonder just who was toying with whom.
“...That’s too bad. Sweet dreams, Yuuri,” Ernest said, trying out her name without the pretext of a title.
Yuuri gave no response and, soon after, the carriage filled with the sound of her snoring.
❦❦❦
YUURI showed up at breakfast the next morning wearing the summer dress Ernest had prepared for her.
It was a flowery dress with more frills than Yuuri was accustomed to. Ernest liked Yuuri in male attire, but in the end, he preferred to see her in something cute and girly. A silly grin stretched across his face as he internally applauded himself on his taste in clothes.
“Well, good morning there.”
“Good morning. Why didn’t you wake me up last night?”
“You seemed to be sleeping so peacefully. And you’re light, so it was no problem. Still, you sure can sleep in, Miss Yuuri. You really are like a cat.”
Yuuri had gone straight to bed the night before without supper and slept straight until morning. He had expected she would wake up hungry and so ordered his servants to make her a light snack, but Yuuri never touched her food.
“I was just tired from all of the excitement yesterday.”
Yuuri refused to look at Ernest as she took a seat across from him. As she had missed dinner the night before, a large breakfast of pancakes topped with honey and apples had been prepared for her. The sweet smell enticed her appetite.
She dove into the pancakes like her usual self, cutting off big bites and shoving them into her mouth. As she did, her expression softened. Ernest could tell just how much she enjoyed the meal by looking at her face.
“Lord Ernest, is it really all right for you to skip work two days in a row?”
Her question didn’t seem to be some thinly veiled jab or joke. She appeared genuinely concerned. So of course, Ernest was playful in his response.
“How rude, Miss Yuuri. Our toil yesterday was part of my job, as is my meeting today with Major Conquest.”
Despite all the fuss, Ernest was taking his time, enjoying spending the morning with Yuuri. Thus her observations weren’t completely unfounded.
❦❦❦
MAJOR Conquest made his appearance at the appointed time, and not a moment sooner. When Ernest and Yuuri came to meet him in the parlor, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He was shocked at his own shamelessness. Perhaps anyone might do the same, after seeing the face of a boy they had saved the day before on a girl.
“Thank you for everything yesterday. How are your injuries?”
Yuuri seemed oblivious to his shock, only worried about his injuries.
“...Count Selden?”
“Yes?”
“Now you’re dressing your page in women’s clothing? You’re despicable!”
Yuuri finally figured out why Major Conquest seemed so uncomfortable: he still thought Yuuri was a boy.
“Oh, no. I’m not a boy. I had to wear that disguise because, as a woman, I wouldn’t be admitted. This is what I normally look like, more or less.”
“That’s right. Her name is Yuuri Watoh. I thought you might have figured out that she was working with me.”
Despite his misgivings, Conquest had not conducted the requisite background check on Ernest because the King held him in such high regard, and who was he to second guess the king?
“So you are Yuuri Watoh? Please forgive the misunderstanding.”
Yuuri accepted his apology with a gentle smile.
“I’d like you to rescind your false allegations. I am not despicable.”
“Count Selden, allow me to say this.”
“What?”
“Forcing a woman to dress in boys’ clothes is just as despicable, just as much a perversion, as forcing a boy to dress as a woman. How is it you do not understand this?”
Ernest thought that the major was every bit the boring man he suspected him to be. The two were unlikely to ever become friends. But he was well aware of just how awful what he had done was, so he wasn’t angry with the major for pointing it out. Being despicable was still much better than being a bore.
“You’re so harsh, Major. At least I chose clothes that looked good on her, right? And it was only because she was with me that I managed to find a clue.”
“A clue?”
“Miss Yuuri, please explain these to the Major.”
Ernest pulled out a set of hanafuda cards, the same sort he hadn’t even heard of until yesterday. Yuuri’s mouth fell open in shock.
“Wh-Where did you get those?”
“While you were asleep, I asked Simon to help me procure a set. I told him the game looked fun and he was all too happy to help. He has everything, doesn’t he?”
“What a relief.”
When Yuuri said “What a relief,” what she really meant to say was, “What a relief that you didn’t break into my shop and steal mine.”
Ernest had his own magical tool for getting into Yuuri’s shop. So he couldn’t really complain. It was, after all, something he felt rather guilty about.
Yuuri laid the cards out on the table.
“There are four cards for each of the twelve months. Everyone has a different play style, but in general, these are the cards with the highest value.”
The card with the highest value for January was the card depicting the pine tree and the crane. The second card depicted a thin sort of paper known as a tanzaku, on which poems or wishes might be written. The remaining two January cards had pine trees on them. The more simplistic the design on the card, the less points it was worth.
“Ohh. So the picture I thought was the sun and a field of barley was actually the August pampas grass card. It’s perfect for this time of year, right?”
“The crane and the boar are January and July, and those are February and September.”
“Could it mean the 17th and the 29th? In other words, those are the days of the month they gamble. The 17th has already passed this month, so maybe they were shifted to suggest the 29th instead.”
Conquest had no idea about hanafuda, but with the cards as visual aids, he was finally beginning to understand. The first scroll was to indicate the month, the second and third represented the date. As long as one knew what the cards indicated, it was actually a fairly clever password.
“That’s actually deceptively simple.”
Many things from the East had ballooned in popularity, but hanafuda was still relatively obscure.
There were already so many ways to play with Hylantian playing cards that few people probably had the desire to learn a whole new game on a separate deck.
In the end, it was a unique way to display the information for those who knew what to look for. And it was befitting a man who loved art as much as Marquis Groves did. All he would have to do was tell those he wanted to include how to decode the dates.
“The only question that remains is the fourth scroll, that lone peony...”
Ernest turned the idea over in his head. The only thing on that scroll was the peony. What meaning was hidden within that image? June was the month of the peony.
If he stuck with the rules they had already decoded, then it must denote time. It was highly unlikely they would meet at 6 in the morning, so it had to be 6 at night. But there must be some reason why the butterfly didn’t appear in the image.
“The one with the peony is the only one that doesn’t make sense. It’s all by itself. ...Where could the butterfly be?”
As Yuuri spoke, something finally clicked in Ernest’s mind. The plates that hung alongside each room in the gentlemen’s club! What was written there...?
“That’s it. The butterfly flew away.”
The billiards room in the marquis’ second residence was called the “Butterfly” Room. That’s where they were meeting.
And that was the end of Ernest’s part in the investigation. Now that they knew when and where the illegal gambling would be taking place, the military police could handle the rest.
“I knew you would be able to help, my little witch!” Ernest patted Yuuri’s head.
Part of it was that he wanted to praise her for her part in solving the mystery. But he also wanted to show off the special bond he felt they had. Of course he knew Conquest had no romantic interest in her. But still, he wanted to show that she was his, through and through.
“Please stop that! M-My part’s over now, right? ...I would like to go home!” The scarlet-faced witch demanded, dodging Ernest’s hand. She looked like she was ready to run out the door, so he grabbed on to her.
“Wait! I’ll take you home!”
“Count Selden, I’d like to meet with you regarding our next steps.”
“Next steps? But my part is over. I leave the rest to you, Major Conquest. The physical side of things is outside my realm of expertise.”
“What do you mean? We need you to infiltrate and learn who else might be involved. That was your task, was it not? This is where the important work begins.”
In other words, even if the military police raided the next meeting of the illegal gambling ring, they would only be able to take down those who were present. That was why the Major wanted Ernest to continue his infiltration and gain further intelligence.
“Seriously...?”
No matter how long Conquest spent in the gentlemen’s club, he was unlikely to be invited into the illegal gambling ring. That’s why he had no choice but to have Ernest continue investigating.
“I’ll just be going then. Please excuse me, Major Conquest, Lord Ernest.”
“I appreciate your help.”
Yuuri gave a light bow before exiting the room.
Even knowing what the scrolls meant, it would be unnatural for Ernest to just show up to the gambling game without being invited. But if he didn’t see it through, then putting Yuuri in all that danger would be for naught.
Knowing he would be away once more, Ernest was glad he had given Yuuri her reward.
It would be another month before Ernest’s life returned to normal.