Chapter 10: Date(1)

The next morning.

As the saying goes, “Strike while the iron is hot,” I went to see Lia’s mother as soon as dawn broke.

My purpose was obvious: to request permission for an outing with Lia.

Why ask for permission? Because traveling from the Elevess County to the Reinhardt Barony takes over half a day by carriage, even at full speed.

If I took Lia to a place that requires a full day’s round trip without prior approval, her parents might mistake me for a kidnapper.

To prevent such a misunderstanding, I explained to Lia’s mother that the trip would take about three days, that it was at Lia’s request, and that I would protect her so thoroughly during those three days that no one could lay a finger on her.

“Hmm…”

Mary von Elevess, Lia’s mother, let out an ambiguous hum.

She alternated her gaze between me, sitting upright confidently, and Lia, who was fidgeting awkwardly.

Something seemed to be on her mind.

“Cain Reinhardt.”

“Yes, Lady Mary.”

“Taking Lia to the Reinhardt estate to see more of the world… that’s all well and good.”

Lia’s mother glanced at her.

“But Lia is the precious heiress of the Elevess family. If something unfortunate were to happen to her, you, Cain Reinhardt, as her escort knight, would not escape responsibility. You understand this, don’t you?”

“I understand. If anything happens to Lady Lia, I and the Reinhardt family will take full responsibility.”

There’s no chance of anything happening, but just in case, I threw in the Reinhardt family name as insurance.

Since I’m not the heir—my older brother is—he’d probably handle any fallout.

He’s capable enough to manage it.

…My brother would probably be furious if he heard such an irresponsible thought.

But Lia’s mother, hearing my assurance, nodded slowly.

“Very well. If Cain Reinhardt, the third son of the Reinhardt family, renowned for generations of martial prowess, makes such a promise, I can trust you. I permit you to take Lia.”

“Thank you. Then, Lady Lia, shall we prepare the carriage—”

“…Oh, wait. Lia? Come here for a moment.”

Just as I was about to stand, Lia’s mother beckoned her.

Lia scurried over, and her mother whispered something in her ear.

“—Got that?”

“Y-Yes, Mother…”

“…?”

What was that? Whispering so I couldn’t hear means it’s something I’m not supposed to know.

If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t care, but now I’m curious.

As I led Lia out of the parlor, I casually asked, “Lady Lia, what did you and your mother talk about?”

“…Y-You don’t need to know, Cain!”

For some reason, Lia blushed and dodged the question.

The more she refused to answer, the more curious I became, so I asked a few more times.

But she clamped her lips shut and shook her head, clearly determined not to tell me.

After three tries, I gave up.

Well, whatever.

It was probably just a typical mother-daughter conversation—something like “be careful on your trip.”

Though it nagged at me briefly, I brushed it off, gathered our things, and asked a servant to arrange a carriage.

Renting a two-horse carriage for a day costs about one shilling, and since we only needed it for half a day, we’d pay half.

But as a gesture of goodwill and a tip, I paid the full shilling.

“Oh, my! Thank you, Sir! I’ll drive as fast and carefully as I can!”

The grateful coachman bowed repeatedly before I sent him off.

I loaded the luggage into the carriage’s compartment myself.

Since it was just me, Lia, and her maid Maria, it took less than a minute.

“Get in, Lady Lia.”

“Thanks, Cain.”

Per imperial etiquette, it’s rude to let a lady board a carriage alone.

So, I held Lia’s hand to help her up.

Maria, standing behind, covered her mouth and giggled.

“Oh my, oh my! Holding hands with Sir Cain, Lady Lia? How nice!”

“Huh? Oh, n-no, it’s not…”

“…Enough chatter, Maria. Get in. We have a long way to go.”

I pulled Maria up into the carriage as well, and we sat across from each other—Lia and Maria side by side, me opposite.

Thud. I closed and locked the door.

Maria glanced at Lia and said, “I’m sorry, Lady Lia. You probably wanted to go alone with Sir Cain, but I butted in, didn’t I?”

“N-No, it’s fine. I’m glad you’re here, Maria. And I’m the one who should be sorry—you’re going through all this trouble because of me.”

“Oh, goodness! How is our Lady Lia so kind? But don’t feel too bad—it’s my job, after all.”

Listening to their banter, I knocked on the wall connected to the coachman’s seat, signaling we were ready to depart.

“Let’s go!” the coachman shouted.

Clunk. The carriage started moving forward.

The coachman’s promise to go as fast as possible wasn’t empty. We covered a half-day’s journey in just four hours.

The carriage left the Elevess mansion around 8:00 AM, so we arrived at noon, with the sun high in the sky.

Arriving at the Reinhardt estate earlier than expected, our group followed my lead, dropped our luggage in the guest rooms, and headed to the bustling village streets via carriage.

“Thank you, Sir! If you need a coachman for the return trip, call me anytime!”

I paid the coachman five pennies and sent him off. Looking around, I took in the familiar sights of the village.

We were standing about thirty minutes from the Reinhardt mansion, in the liveliest street of the barony’s most prosperous village.

“Wow, Cain! So many people! These are all under your father’s rule, right?”

“Yes, but please keep your voice down to avoid drawing attention.”

“Oh… sorry, Cain.”

“No need to apologize to me. Just lower your voice a bit…”

I was gently cautioning her to avoid disturbing the villagers going about their work when Maria, listening nearby, giggled.

I wasn’t sure why, but our conversation seemed to amuse her.

“…Ahem, oh! I almost forgot—Lady Mary gave me a task this morning, and it slipped my mind!”

Chuckling softly, Maria suddenly spoke in an exaggerated tone, glancing at us.

It was blatantly theatrical, but Lia didn’t seem to notice, looking surprised.

“Huh? Really? Maria, Mother gave you a task?”

“Yes, she told me this morning, but I forgot. I need to go take care of it now…”

Maria shot me a pointed look and winked playfully.

“Sorry, Sir Cain, but could you escort Lady Lia while I handle this errand?”

“…Sure, that’s my job.”

“Oh, thank you! You’re a blessing, Sir Cain.”

I don’t know what errand she could possibly have in a stranger’s town, not the Elevess County, but if she’s stepping aside, that works for me.

I nodded in acknowledgment, and Maria called out, “Take good care of Lady Lia!” before disappearing somewhere.

Left alone with Lia, she glanced at me cautiously and asked, “Um, Cain?”

“Yes, Lady Lia?”

“Maria’s gone… Should we get going? Y’know, for our… d-date…”

“Yes, our date. Got it.”

I extended my hand.

“Let’s go on our date, Lady Lia.”

“…Okay, let’s go!”

Lia smiled brightly and took my hand.

I have two goals.

First, to lift the Curse of Misfortune that’s slowly eating away at Lia’s body.

Second, to find and eliminate whoever gave Lia the necklace imbued with the curse.

Naturally, the priority is lifting the curse.

The reason goes without saying—if left alone, Lia won’t survive ten months.

Not only would that prevent me from seeing Lia grow into the empire’s greatest beauty, but it would also hinder my mission to stay by her side and gather as much information as possible.

So, Lia must live a long, long life, no matter what.

Thus, I’ll use every means possible to lift her curse.

Then, I’ll track down the culprit who gave her the necklace and uncover their motives.

It’s not certain, but circumstantial evidence suggests the person who tampered with the necklace likely holds the key to Lia’s “villainess awakening.”

After all, at this point, Lia is just an innocent ten-year-old who hasn’t wronged anyone.

For someone to gift her a cursed necklace, it can’t be out of simple resentment.

They must stand to gain something from her death.

Who could that person be? A relative of Lia’s? Someone who knows her? Or perhaps…

“…Um, Cain.”

Someone tapped my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts. It was Lia.

Standing beside me, she spoke with a troubled expression.

“I’m just asking, but… we’re here for a date, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Is something wrong?”

“Wrong…?”

Lia stared at me intently.

Her expression suggested she had a lot to say.

“There is something wrong, Cain.”

“Yes, Lady Lia?”

“Who in the world… goes on a date in a place this gloomy?!”

She gestured with her chin, and I followed her gaze.

There stood a massive, ominous black iron gate, looking suspicious at first glance.

This was the entrance to the underground labyrinth “Lyrinthos,” mentioned in the original story but yet to be discovered.

Hmm, just as described in the story.

The gate is so dreary it makes even me feel depressed. I was briefly unsure, but this is definitely the right place.

Satisfied, I let out a hum and glanced at Lia.

She looked utterly reluctant to enter, her face showing clear distaste as she met my gaze.

“Cain, I don’t want to go in there. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“That won’t do. You and I have something to do inside, Lady Lia.”

“Something to do…? Wait, you don’t mean…”

For some reason, Lia’s cheeks began to flush as she echoed my words.

I took her hand.

Flinch!

Startled, Lia hesitated.

“Lady Lia, I know this is sudden and might be confusing, but do you trust me?”

“W-Well… yeah, I do, but…”

“Then just for one hour—no more, no less. Follow me without a word.”

I held her hand tightly.

“You won’t regret it.”

“…Okay.”

Lia nodded obediently.