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“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.