Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 145: At the Inn
Tauro and Aeris decided to stay at the Bacchus Pavilion, an inn recommended by the Garfish Company.
That evening, Aeris came to Tauro’s room. She clearly wanted to talk, so he invited her inside, offered her water, and sat across from her at the small table.
“…Thank you, Tauro.”
“It’s too early to thank me. We have only just begun.”
“I know. I was frightened about what would happen next. I suppose some part of me hoped that, while I was away, my mother would come to her senses and separate from Uwaakin. But she didn’t. Instead, he’s using the Van Dyne name as though it already belongs to him. I understand now that I can never reconcile with either of them.”
Aeris sighed heavily.
“Could your mother simply remarry Uwaakin and take control of House Van Dyne herself?” Tauro asked.
He had wondered why they were so determined to bring Aeris home instead of marrying immediately and claiming the house through the marchioness.
“It isn’t that simple. My father disappeared inside a dungeon and is presumed dead, but his body was never found. Without proof of death, the law requires a five-year waiting period before he can be formally declared dead. Rather than wait, it would be easier for them to have me inherit the title and then force me to marry Uwaakin. He could enter House Van Dyne through me and control the marquisate.”
“So they intend to make you their puppet.”
“My mother still controls the household as marchioness while my father remains missing. She can exercise most of the family’s authority in his absence. If she and Uwaakin had a child, they might eventually decide that I was only an obstacle.”
Aeris’s voice had turned ominous.
“Don’t raise that kind of flag.”
“A flag?”
“A bad omen. Sometimes saying the worst possibility aloud feels like inviting it to happen. Please don’t.”
“All right. I’ll be careful.”
Tauro didn’t want Aeris’s fears to become reality. Even so, the possibility troubled him.
If Aeris’s mother bore Uwaakin’s child, they might conceivably claim that the child was Aeris’s heir and then silence Aeris before she could expose the lie. Aeris hadn’t yet reached adulthood, but girls marrying and bearing children young wasn’t unheard of in this world. The story could be made plausible enough for those who wanted to believe it.
Tauro concluded that they needed to act quickly.
The following morning, a messenger arrived from the Garfish Company. The meeting with Count Connoen, Commander of the Royal Guard, had been scheduled for noon at Royal Guard Headquarters.
“Understood. Thank you for bringing the message.”
After the messenger left, Tauro turned to Aeris.
“Before the meeting, could we stop at the Adventurers’ Guild after breakfast?”
“Of course, but why do you need the guild?”
“I want to commission an investigation into House Van Dyne.”
“An investigation?”
“You’ve been away for more than a year, so even you don’t know what’s happening there now. We need current information before we make any further decisions.”
“You’re right. Let us visit the guild after breakfast.”
They went downstairs to the dining room, ate, and then spent the rest of the morning discussing the scope and conditions of the investigation request with the Adventurers’ Guild.
By the time the paperwork was complete, noon was approaching.
“We should head to Royal Guard Headquarters,” Tauro said.
“Yes. Let us go.”
They boarded one of the short-distance public carriages that formed part of the Royal Capital’s transportation network.
The carriage had a blue canopy and followed a fixed route, stopping in front of prominent buildings. To Tauro, it resembled a bus from his previous life.
It was only slightly faster than walking, but in a city as large as the capital it was extremely convenient.
“I’m becoming nervous. What if I can’t speak properly?”
Aeris sounded unusually uncertain as the carriage swayed along the road.
“We’re only going to meet him and explain the situation. You’ll be fine,” Tauro assured her.