“Penelope Sinesse was famous for being incompetent, ill-tempered, and greedy, but she stole the credit from the Marquess of Sinesse and received the title of Countess herself.”

“Ah... really?”

“And then she said, ‘I don’t want to be called Countess Sinesse when there’s already a Marquess Sinesse,’ and changed her surname to Noart. At the same time, while the Marquess of Sinesse was away at war, she used all sorts of dirty tricks to take his wealth too.”

“Wow.”

I nodded in admiration at Ray’s explanation.

“That kind of bloodline is very familiar to me. My uncle and aunt are exactly like that.”

“And yet, she hated that ‘Noart’ came from ‘Sinesse’, so she desperately tried to erase that fact. That’s why most people don’t even know about it now.”

Ray continued explaining in a calm tone.

“And when she was about to blow through all the fortune, Caliban Noart stepped in and bailed her out—but demanded marriage in return.”

“Even the part where she fell into some bizarre narcissism and squandered all her wealth is disturbingly familiar. I guess this really is my bloodline.”

In the end, it was essentially a bought marriage, and that’s probably why everyone says Grandpa ‘bought his title.’

As I nodded deeply, Linna blinked and cut in.

“But the Sinesse Marquessate has always been known for being rational and elegant.”

Even if someone had a reputation as a total delinquent, with her basic education, she still knew way more about noble houses than I did.

“They’ve even stayed completely neutral and apart from central politics...”

“The current Marquess of Sinesse really is that kind of person.”

Ray crossed his arms and explained.

“That’s why he drew a clear line with the Noart family and lives as if they were complete strangers.”

They were definitely living like strangers. I’d never once heard the name ‘Sinesse’ in the Noart household.

As I nodded again, Ray let out a shallow sigh and said,

“But think about it. The Marquess of Sinesse is someone who values honor and trust—do you think he has any goodwill toward the Noarts?”

So basically, Grandmother was such a rotten person that the Sinesse Marquessate ended up bearing the weight of her sins.

“We were only planning to rest for a couple of days before heading out anyway.”

Ray, clearly exhausted, rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Now that I thought about it, we’d been constantly on the move this whole time.

We’d barely arrived at the villa when we wrapped everything up way too quickly. So it really did seem best to rest for a couple of days at the marquessate before moving on.

‘It’s a long way to Arhad too.’

I stared out the dark window, lost in thought.

Naturally, my next destination was Arhad.

Right now, I had three marks on my thigh. Only one remained. Only one lesson from the Temple remained as well.

‘Love...’

Yuta must have hidden the meaning from me by saying, ‘Follow your feelings naturally,’ but of all the emotions, that one was the hardest to feel certain about.

Especially after that last encounter at the hotel—I’d been forced to confront my feelings even more clearly.

‘I’ll go right away.’

Propping up my chin, I made up my mind.

‘I’m going to Zahid and I’ll tell him directly.’

In a way, it was the emotion I’d known longest, yet I was expressing it last. That made my heart strangely restless.

‘I’m coming soon, Zahid.’

Even if some danger was lying in wait in Arhad, I would definitely go and help him—no matter what.

‘Yuta-oppa must be there too.’

Come to think of it, it had been a long time «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» since I last heard from Yuta.

I had no idea what kind of situation Yuta and Zahid were facing in Arhad.

‘I wonder what it’s like now. Is everything going according to plan? In any case, I want to go see for myself as soon as possible...’

While I repeated my resolve over and over in my head, Ray kept talking.

“Anyway, once we’re at the Sinesse Marquessate, it’s probably best to keep Rosie’s identity under wraps and leave quietly. There’s no need to stir up bad blood and create drama.”

“Got it. You sure act all high and mighty for someone who goes around digging up people’s pasts.”

Linna replied with a sulky voice.

Ray, still pressing his eyes, furrowed his brow.

“Lady Linna? Why the sudden informal tone...?”

“You started it.”

She cut him off flat, just like that. Linna was insanely bold, even in a situation like this.

“And calling it digging into someone’s past is a bit much. This is proper intel gathering...”

“If Rosie, who’s family, doesn’t even know it, and even I, a noble lady, don’t know it—then it’s practically insignificant. How do you even remember something like that? Ugh, so creepy.”

Linna shrugged with an aloof expression.

“Normally, when someone mentions the Sinesse Marquessate, people just think of it as a key transportation hub on the Renda River, or a family that’s earned the Temple’s deep trust since ancient times. Isn’t that it?”

“I just know more because I’m a genius, obviously.”

“What kind of genius can’t even get top marks at the Academy?”

“Maybe because I almost died in an earthquake on the first day?”

“...”

Linna and Ray seemed to abandon all formality at once, glaring at each other like they were ready to kill. The fact that Ray refused to back down was hilarious in its own way.

And so, the carriage carrying us all rumbled along toward the Sinesse Marquessate.

* * *

The Sinesse Marquessate was an old-fashioned estate located in the midstream region of the massive Renda River, which cut across the continent.

It wasn’t lavishly decked out like the Noart estate, which looked like it had money poured all over it, but it had the distinctive dignity that comes from long history.

“Oh.”

And as soon as we entered the mansion, Ray gasped in admiration at a large tapestry hanging on the wall.

“That’s... isn’t that the tapestry personally gifted by High Priest Otteron 500 years ago?”

Ignoring Linna’s muttered “show-off,” Ray continued in a smooth voice.

“As expected of a family that’s loyally remained beside the Temple since ancient times. I’m not entirely sure, but wasn’t this the one they received after urgently sheltering High Priest Otteron from heretics?”

The Marquess of Sinesse, standing at a distance, slowly nodded.

“That’s correct. Thank you for recognizing it.”

“I’d only heard about it from my tutors... but it’s truly magnificent.”

Ray offered his noble-style admiration as his eyes carefully scanned the tapestry.

“But what’s this? It’s right in the center, so I assume it’s the most significant piece of the tapestry.”

“Ah.”

The Marquess of Sinesse’s eyebrows rose.

I also held my breath and stared at the center of the tapestry where Ray was pointing.

Linna tilted her head and chimed in.

“Pebbles? But there are two?”

I knew what they were. I had actually seen them before.

The Marquess of Sinesse replied slowly.

“I believe they’re Sacred Relics.”

Ray and Linna’s eyes widened in shock.

Ordinary people knew Sacred Relics existed, but rarely got to see one in person.

“They’re also called ‘twin stones.’ One is the Relic of Strength, the other the Relic of Time.”

With a rather weary expression, the Marquess of Sinesse explained slowly.

I stared fixedly at the Relic of Time I’d once used—and the Relic of Strength, which the current High Priest had used.

They were nearly identical in size and shape, deserving the name ‘twin stones,’ but upon closer look, the engravings were different.

“And the inscription below...”

As Linna squinted and leaned in, the Marquess gave a faint smile.

“It’s written in the ancient tongue. So no one can interpret it.”

“Ah.”

“Since it’s a treasured heirloom of our family, I’ve personally been trying to decipher it—searching everywhere for someone who can.”

“Hmm.”

Ray narrowed his eyes and asked,

“If it’s in the ancient language, can’t you ask a high-ranking priest? I thought the Sinesse Marquessate traditionally had close ties to the Temple.”

“Ah...”

The Marquess of Sinesse gave an unreadable smile and replied,

“I understand my grandfather committed a grave sin against the Temple. As penance, we’ve voluntarily endured a long period of hardship.”

Then, with a more distant tone, he added,

“That’s why the Temple in our marquessate is currently vacant. We don’t have any resident priests. If any of you fall ill, we’ll have to call a physician instead. Will that be alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”

Linna replied brightly.

“But my maid is a precious child.”

Clinging tightly to my arm, she said this as if neither tapestry nor Temple mattered in the slightest.

“I’m even considering adopting her. Please treat her with the dignity befitting the Idra name while we’re in your manor.”

Adoption...?

Linna, you’re younger than me...

Even I was at a loss for words, but the Marquess of Sinesse simply nodded politely and said,

“Understood. If you wait here, the butler will soon escort you to your rooms. It’s already past midnight, so please rest well.”

He slowly blinked his blue eyes and sighed softly.

“My apologies, but this old man will excuse himself first. I’m too old to stay up so late.”

The fatigue on his face was unmistakable, and we could only nod. After all, we had ridden back on horseback, so it was only natural to be exhausted.