Chapter 16

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 16

Chapter Title: Enoch's Return

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With rough hand movements, Enoch untied the letter bound to the pigeon's ankle and read the soft handwriting.

Greetings inquiring after his well-being, snippets of daily life, and a few light questions.

A faint warmth seeped into his previously dry expression.

"Pen."

"Here it is."

His adjutant Ched, who always carried a quill and short stationery, swiftly handed them over.

Using his sturdy gauntlet as a base to keep his handwriting from getting messy, he pressed down firmly as he wrote, then neatly folded the letter and tied it to the messenger pigeon's ankle.

The pigeon, stuffed with water and snacks, circled once overhead before vanishing into the sky.

"What did Madam say?"

"She wants me to hurry back."

"Whoa."

Second Vice-Captain Huber Carwen let out an involuntary exclamation before quickly clamping his mouth shut. Enoch was staring at him.

"Ahem. So, how shall we handle the matter, my lord?"

"……."

Enoch slowly tore his gaze away and looked down at the retainers once more. The hand encased in its cold gauntlet stroked his chin.

It would be cleaner to replace the heir while he was at it.

"From now on, the new Deputy Baron Dache is the second son. Execute the eldest."

"Please spare me, family head! Family head……!"

The knights dragged the eldest son away. Enoch tossed the family seal to the second son, who had suddenly inherited the position.

"I hope I don't have to make a second trip, new Deputy Baron."

"……I'll keep that in mind. I won't disappoint you."

Excluding the families that had secretly sided with him.

Having made examples of the three branch family heads who had directly opposed him by replacing them, Enoch finally set off on his return journey.

In his pocket were the four letters he had received over the past ten days.

Four days later, when he arrived at the capital, the moon had long since risen.

After passing through the gates, as he slowly rode along the quiet boulevard, Enoch tugged lightly on the reins to halt his horse.

"Is something wrong, my lord?"

"The first mansion."

Realizing he meant the First Noblesse Mansion in the capital where Agatha was staying, Vice-Captain Huber Carwen answered promptly.

"It's been quiet since our family took over the guard duty."

"No. I heard it was lit up."

"Pardon?"

"I'd better check."

Enoch sent back all but five or six of the knights who tried to follow him and turned his horse directly toward the First Noblesse Mansion.

It had been two weeks since Enoch left.

The wedding was now about a week away.

In that time, Agatha had decorated the ceremony hall, fitted her wedding attire, prepared the reception, and packed for the trip to Palavi Island to fulfill the imperial decree.

On top of that, she had kept watch on any potential moves from her relatives and continued small-scale social activities.

Thanks to the Aratus family's active cooperation and exchanging opinions via letters with Enoch, there were no hitches in the preparations, but it wasn't an exaggeration to say the days blurred together every time she opened and closed her eyes.

Not to mention overseeing repairs to the new house and reviewing negotiations with the Mainucor Empire alongside her vassals.

Even late into the night, the First Mansion blazed with light like day.

Agatha was half-asleep, one hand holding the last letter from Enoch and the other clutching a document on wedding progress.

"Miss. Wouldn't it be better to retire to bed?"

Allen, the head steward of the Noblesse family, carefully suggested as he set down a cup of warm tea. Agatha pressed down on her eyelids.

"What time is it?"

"It's nearly 2 a.m."

"Got it. Just let me finish this."

"……."

The steward gave her a doubtful look.

As always, after pocketing the letter and signing the bottom of the read document, Agatha naturally reached for the next one and gave an order.

"Allen. It sounds noisy outside. Go check."

"……Understood."

Unfortunately for her, the excuse was real. The mansion was in unusual commotion for this hour of the morning.

Assassins, perhaps?

With the Aratus Knights and the imperial knights assigned by the emperor guarding discreetly, there was no need to worry.

Thanks to that, Agatha could finish the remaining documents without interruption.

She had just signed the last one and reached for the slightly cooled teacup when it happened.

"You tell me not to overdo it, yet here you are."

"……!"

"Marquis Aratus has arrived."

A man's low voice sounded, followed by Allen's belated announcement.

Agatha stared blankly for a while at the man standing in the silently opened doorway.

"……Enoch?"

His attire felt rougher than when they first met.

A dust-covered black robe, leather gloves reinforced with steel, clothes faintly stained with blood, and sturdy military boots.

His already sharp jawline looked even more cutting from the forced march.

He clearly looked like he'd come straight here after returning, leaving Agatha flustered as she rose from her seat.

"What brings you here so late? Is something wrong?"

"……."

The man, who had been standing a bit awkwardly, soon sighed and politely knocked on the office door.

"Sorry for the rudeness at this late hour. May I come in?"

"Of course. Allen, bring some warm tea."

"Tea is fine. I plan to head back soon."

"Ah, yes. Then have a seat here."

Agatha guided him to the office sofa. Sitting across from her, he simply gazed at her silently for a long while.

"Um, did your trip go well?"

"Yes. I wrapped it up neatly, so there shouldn't be any noise for a while even if I'm away longer."

"That's a relief."

Still, why had Enoch come to the mansion at this hour?

Of course, she wasn't displeased, but she couldn't shake the worry that something might be amiss.

After glancing at the desk behind the sofa for a bit, Enoch finally spoke.

"You look even more worn out than before I left. Has work piled up?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Agatha gave an awkward smile and touched her cheek.

She had hoped to look pretty since it had been a while.

But sleeping at dawn every day wouldn't do wonders for her face.

"Work is plentiful, but I hate letting it pile up. If I don't check things that day, problems crop up later sometimes, and I have to fix them……."

She had to manage this massive family alone, so there was always plenty to do.

If she didn't handle it bit by bit, times like this—when special events arose—turned into ordeals.

Of course, relatives constantly causing issues made smooth sailing a distant dream anyway.

But it felt embarrassing to bring it up to someone who had just returned from a grueling tour visiting multiple families in two weeks.

"You must be tired. Go rest soon. I'll walk you to the entrance—"

"Agatha."

"Yes?"

This was the second time he cut her off.

"If it's all right, could I hear about your schedule tomorrow?"

"……? Sure, of course."

Curious about how things had progressed in his absence?

Letters had their limits, so Agatha explained her schedule tomorrow, weaving in the overall direction of the tasks.

Enoch listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

"I see. It's very late, so allow me to escort you to your room."

"No need. I can—"

"It's dawn already. Exchanging greetings in the hall seems too late for that."

True. It was true, but…….

As she meekly placed her hand on his offered arm, Agatha couldn't shake the feeling that their roles were reversed.

In the end, though she was the host, Agatha ended up being seen off to her quarters by her guest. She bid Enoch farewell at her door.

He didn't leave until she had gone inside.

Allen, the head steward of the Noblesse family, watched the scene warmly and bowed politely.

"Thank you for your help, Marquis."

"It was something I'd have done even if you hadn't asked."

She had said he'd been constantly busy since rising from his collapse. He probably hadn't shown it, but he'd pulled many all-nighters too.

"I saw some things on her schedule tomorrow that I could handle in her place."

"Shall I compile them?"

"I'll come early in the morning. Don't wake Agatha. Bring all documents needing approval to me."

"Understood."

Receiving the servants' courteous send-off, Enoch mounted his horse again.

Only now did he think he understood why Agatha was pushing herself so hard.

'No one around her to rely on.'

She must have handled everything alone until now.

Because no one else would do it.

Along with that, he finally grasped the subtle sense of kinship he'd felt toward her.

When he had lost both parents in an instant and been thrown onto the battlefield—wasn't he the same back then?

And now, unlike him who had gained power and clawed his way out of that mire, she remained oblivious to her own problems, her face serene.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

As he turned his horse, leading his knights, Enoch gripped the reins tightly.

If he hadn't known, that would be one thing—but now that he did, he had no intention of leaving it be.

Agatha was his wife now.

And he wasn't fool enough to repeat a past failure.