“Wait up, Solis! Please stop!” I cried.
“She’s right, Lord Solis. There are stairs that way, so it’s a big no-no. Let’s get you changed first,” Mrs. Holly added.
“Goo!” Solis replied cheerfully, whether he understood us or not. But despite that, he didn’t stop moving. Rather, he was even speeding up. But then, someone suddenly stood in his way.
“Lord Solis, you aren’t allowed to go any farther.”
“Goo? Gah?!”
Kelly stood before the stairway with her arms spread, blocking the way. She’d arrived at the perfect moment. Solis was caught off guard and seemed to realize he was at a disadvantage, losing his earlier momentum and crawling slower.
“Now come, let’s return to your room.” Kelly caught Solis and picked him up. He looked resigned and relaxed his whole body; he must have given up on escaping.
“Thank you, Kelly,” I said, running up to her. She was always reliable.
“Please don’t mention it. I’m glad I could protect Lord Solis.” Kelly gently handed Solis over to Mrs. Holly.
Mrs. Holly thanked Kelly and returned to the nursery with Solis and the maids. I stood there, watching over everyone.
“It seems that Solis ran away because he didn’t want to get changed,” I said.
“When his diaper is being changed, he often scurries off when he finds the opportunity. Perhaps this is an extension of that,” Kelly replied.
By the way, Mrs. Holly’s son was also in the nursery, but unlike Solis, he obediently let himself get changed. I’d never seen him run away.
As I looked at Kelly, I noticed that she seemed to be unusually deep in thought. She had emotions like everyone else, though their exact nature was incredibly hard to discern.
“Kelly? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing,” she replied after a short pause.
“That’s fine then, but if there’s something troubling you, you can come talk to me anytime.” I was concerned about the uncharacteristically hesitant way she’d replied.
Defi came walking from the other end of the hallway, so our conversation was interrupted for now. He had light blue hair, gray eyes, and tanned skin, which were unusual looks for a Desnimer. He’d once worked as a spy for Prince Rivage Myzahn. After a lot of twists and turns, he was now under our protection as a guest of our estate. He wasn’t employed as our servant, but he’d taken the initiative to help with work, and before I knew it, he’d taken on a role like a butler. Although he’d declined before, we were currently considering whether we should officially hire him.
Defi was very competent at his job and possessed the rare magic absolute release, a very powerful kind which could nullify the effects of all magic. Just like me, he kept his magic a secret, and only a select few knew the truth about it, myself included. Everyone else thought his magic was just the ordinary kind of release. Regular release magic was rare but useless in everyday life, since it could only undo the seals placed by sealing magic, which rendered people unable to use mana.
“There you are, Lady Agnes.”
I stopped when Defi called out to me and examined him. His expression had become a little softer than before. I’d be happy if that was thanks to his life here in Sutrena.
“What’s the matter? Do you have business with me?” I asked.
“Yes. Lord Nazelbart sent a message that the final stage of the levee repairs should be completed ahead of schedule.”
Defi was talking about the levees along the river at the southern part of Sutrena. Our territory was often hit by storms, so naturally, levees had been constructed on the river that ran along the southern border. They were valuable structures, so they were inspected periodically and were also repaired or improved as necessary. However, parts of the levees had been damaged during the recent major storm, so those areas were currently being repaired one by one. Repairs along the embankments of the small river near town had already been completed. The current repairs concerned the large river along the border. Once work there was done, the next step would be to reinforce the levees along the ocean.
Looking over each embankment is hard work, but we can’t just leave them as they are.
The ocean levees hadn’t shown any serious damage up to now, but after the recent storm, they had been scheduled for a safety reevaluation. The levees had been designed while taking into account the location and necessary durability. Things like height, width, and shape had been discussed at the fortress in advance, and repairs had already been completed, so it seemed that the only step left was for me to reinforce them with my magic. This was an important duty for me and my absolute reinforcement.
If I just use my magic once, the levees should no longer take any damage. My absolute magic was a secret, so everyone thought my magic was actually just matter reinforcement.
“After this, Lord Nazelbart will apparently return to the estate. Do you think you will be able to leave with him?” Defi really was working like a skilled secretary. If he was okay with it, I’d like to employ him as our head butler.
“Yes, I will. After the damage from the previous storm has been repaired, I just need to apply the finishing touches with my magic. I’ll do my best.”
As I was talking to Defi, I heard Dunk loudly neighing outside the window. She was as full of energy as usual.
“Oh, speak of the devil. It sounds like Lord Nazel has returned. I’ll go and welcome him.” I raised the skirt of my casual dress, ran down the closest staircase at full speed, and dashed into the garden through the rear entrance. This is poor etiquette for a noblewoman, but it’s fine since only Kelly and the others are watching!
When I reached an open area, I saw Dunk slowly descending with Lord Nazel on her back.
“I’m home, Agnes.” Lord Nazel’s gentle, refreshing, beautiful voice drifted down.
“Welcome home, Lord Nazel,” I replied.
Lord Nazel smoothly jumped down from Dunk, came up to me, and spread his arms wide.