Chapter – 08

Rosemary Riotium. Bihan Kaisus first began to recognize that name during the debutante ball. In truth, the very beginning of it had been strange.

Bihan was fundamentally indifferent to others, and especially to women—he felt an innate aversion. He had never paid attention to any woman before.

“The Honorable Gerard Riotium Fior, Viscount, and Miss Rosemary Riotium, enter!”

The doors that only opened for the protagonists of that year’s debutante event swung wide. That announcement was probably the last one.

Among all the debutantes that year, none had a more prestigious name than Riotium, so naturally, she was the main focus.

The usually cynical and rigid Gerard Riotium occasionally praised his younger sister. She was the only weakness of the Riotium Count who had never bowed to the Emperor. Everyone was curious and eagerly awaiting Rosemary Riotium’s first official appearance.

Naturally, everyone at the ball, including Bihan, turned their gaze to the stairs.

“Ah…”

Who would dare call her the ‘flower’ of the Riotiums? How could she ever be a flower that would one day wilt or break easily? Bihan could still vividly recall the proud, confident gaze she had carried.

Perhaps she might even possess greater strength than Gerard Riotium, the future count. It was the kind of thought that crossed his mind.

She seemed to shine anywhere she went, capable of exerting her power in any situation.

The gaze that had been momentarily stolen was quickly buried in the commotion and the people around him, yet Bihan could still recall her name afterward.

“Your Excellency, we confirmed that Earth Foundation representative Lennon entered a building owned by the Riotium Count last night. We suspect the Count or Viscount Fior is behind the Foundation, so we’ve assigned people to watch them…”

“They didn’t manage to get anything, did they?”

“…Yes, Your Excellency. I apologize.”

“Kyle, I did not authorize assigning people to the Riotiums.”

Under Bihan’s cold gaze, the man standing before him hurriedly dropped to his knees.

“I’m sorry! I overstepped my bounds.”

Bihan had always ordered investigations into matters related to Eclat Adrian by any means necessary, so Kyle naturally assumed he could act preemptively.

Normally, Bihan would have scolded him for failing to obtain any useful information, but this was different. The Riotium Count family was not a matter to be treated lightly.

Since the Riotium Count, once a pillar of the Imperial faction, had turned against the Imperial family, the Riotiums had become stronger and more cautious, always on alert. There was no family Bihan had to be more careful around.

“Kyle. Transfer the command authority you held to Michelle.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Even after losing his position in an instant, Kyle bowed as if grateful.

It was a lenient punishment. Those working in this guild had already placed their lives in Bihan’s hands.

Had Kyle defied Bihan to the point of death, he would have accepted it without complaint.

“The Earth Foundation and the Riotium Count family…”

The Earth Foundation had appeared out of nowhere. A foreign-born commoner had registered as its representative, likely as a means of establishing a foothold in the empire.

However, it didn’t seem to handle large sums of money, nor did it appear connected to the nobility, so Bihan had previously ignored it.

He began to take interest after investigating Eclat Adrian.

“Eclat was born in the Eastern slums?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. He was born and raised there until Baron Adrian took him in. However, during that time, his mother…”

A thorn in the side of the capital. A headache for the Imperial family. The Eastern slums—the lowest of the low—were Eclat Adrian’s birthplace.

And oddly, the Earth Foundation focused its welfare activities specifically on the Eastern slums, as if that area was their target.

Bihan began to observe the Foundation carefully. In the process, he discovered a connection to the Riotium Count family.

“….”

At that moment, Rosemary Riotium from the debutante ball came to Bihan’s mind. Logically, he should have thought of the Riotium Count, yet her name naturally surfaced instead.

Officially, the Riotium heiress hadn’t appeared anywhere since the debutante ball, allegedly due to illness.

Though he couldn’t logically justify it, Bihan had already given orders.

“Investigate the Count’s daughter carefully, not the Count or Viscount Fior.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“This way.”

Bihan followed his subordinate, Kyle, walking through the Eastern slums, usually quiet and lifeless, but now slightly different.

“All this was done by the Foundation?”

“Yes. The Earth Foundation is carrying out repairs in preparation for this year’s rainy season.”

Though the houses still looked ready to collapse at any moment, traces of repair were visible.

This wasn’t something a charity organization pretending to do good could manage.

At the end of the street, people from the slums had gathered in a small clearing. Bihan pulled his tattered cloak tighter and observed from afar.

“A soup kitchen…”

*”Yes. It’s a free kitchen set up by the Foundation. And over there…”

“It’s fine. I’ve seen it.”

There she was—Rosemary. Her jet-black hair tied back in a single braid swayed lightly with her movements.

Her simple attire and confident movements made her seem more like a noble-born knight than a young lady of high birth.

She was personally handing out food to the slum residents, laughing brightly and conversing with them. It was clear she had done this countless times before.

“Since when?”

“From the early days of the Foundation’s activity. We were aware of the depth of her illness and never associated her with the knight-like activities. I apologize.”

Bihan couldn’t take his eyes off Rosemary. Though she was small and thin, she didn’t appear fragile at all.

Was her claimed illness just a pretext to avoid an engagement with the Duke?

“She’s been coming out here frequently…?”

Kyle hesitated, sensing Bihan’s scrutiny, but Bihan furrowed his brow and shook his head.

“Have you found out anything about her illness?”

“The Count family’s physician is tight-lipped, so nothing has been confirmed. However, no special medicine is being administered at the Count’s residence, and the physician only visits for routine checkups.”

Either she had recovered, or she had lied. Bihan leaned toward the latter.

She had used her ‘illness’ as an excuse to reject the Duke’s marriage proposal and avoid society. A month of rest would have sufficed for the sake of family appearances.

Yet she had stayed away for over a year—Bihan couldn’t understand why.

If there were another reason she couldn’t appear in society, what could it possibly be?

“What are these men doing here?”

A voice from behind made Bihan turn. Two children were staring at the suspicious figures in tattered cloaks.

“Ah…”

“We want to eat too, right?”

“It’s free! You don’t have to pay!”

“Marie-sister, Dean-brother, and also… from good people, so you can eat too.”

To the children, all they saw were two mysterious people with cloaks; suspicion didn’t cross their minds. Bihan smiled faintly and nodded.

“Thank you for letting us know.”

The children’s faces lit up, and they ran toward Rosemary, shouting about how they did something good and wanted praise.

Rosemary warmly embraced them, and her gaze briefly met Bihan’s, who was standing at a distance.

Even though he knew she couldn’t see his eyes under his hood, Bihan felt as if they had made eye contact.

Bihan threw the documents he had verified into the fireplace: the Earth Foundation, and Rosemary Riotium.

Whether it was the Riotium family’s will or her own, one thing was certain: Rosemary was the one driving the Foundation.

She was bringing the first light to the Eastern slums, the most devastated of all.

“Rosemary…”

He had come to respect her—no, admiration was closer. Not just reverence, but a desire to think of her constantly. He wanted to help her.

“Your Excellency, Kyle. You called?”

“Ah, there’s something to take care of. Send a donation to the Earth Foundation.”

“If this is your order, not the butler’s… you intend to do it anonymously, right?”

Instead of answering, Bihan handed Kyle a check with the amount written on it. Kyle’s surprise was hidden behind a bowed head.

“Understood.”

“Also…”

Bihan hesitated briefly, staring at the documents, and asked what he truly wanted to know:

“…I understand today is the day the young lady regularly visits the slums.”

“Yes. She will be in the slums today as well.”

Bihan nodded. Kyle, who was unsure whether he was overstepping, decided to trust his instincts this time.

“Today, the young lady went to the slums alone. The Count’s household staff accompanying her entered the Foundation office.”

“Go.”

After Kyle left, Bihan, who had been flipping through documents, finally set them aside and stood up.

He grabbed his tattered cloak from the corner of the office and headed toward the stables.

From a morning meeting, a mage had predicted rain in the afternoon. That was why…

Bihan set out toward the slums where Rosemary would be.