Reconnaissance (7)

It was still early morning, and the air, covered in frost, was chilly.

When Duke Marchez signalled with a nod, the fake duke, for the moment, calmed down and suggested they sit down.

With a worried expression, I took a step back and watched for any eavesdroppers, which had nothing to do with me as I stood guard by the entrance. We had had a long conversation just last night, so it was better to keep some distance and stay alert for a while.

After securing the space, I looked at Leonardo's back with a concerned heart, as a drama teacher. I had taught him harshly for hours… but I began to wonder if some of his facial muscles had already atrophied long ago.

Even Vittorio, who had woken up that morning, was startled when he saw Leonardo. "What— Is that… some kind of spell?" he asked. I think he was about to say "curse" but quickly stopped himself.

Having received a harsh critique for his full effort in acting, Leonardo was deeply discouraged.

He was simply practicing the brief line, "I hope you clearly explain the reason for sending this letter, Duke."

'But he did seem like a bit of an emotionless robot.'

Suddenly, Leonardo's shoulders slumped slightly. Ugh, his inner thoughts are leaking out. In a hurry, I showered him with compliments: 'You're great, you can do it, you're amazing,' when the fake duke asked a question.

"First, Lord Ertinez. Where did you find this letter?"

"I woke up and it was placed next to my pillow," Leonardo replied stiffly.

Of course, the letter was a forgery. I tried to follow the Marchez family's seal, but I ended up producing several odd scribbles instead.

For some reason, those failed attempts mysteriously disappeared into Leonardo's pocket, and in the end, the task of overseeing the forgery was entrusted to Raul. The only thing I contributed was choosing the phrasing for the letter.

The seal was carefully forged by Vittorio, who had a great memory, and Leonardo, who was skilled with a sword. They had carved the stamp, while Raul mimicked the handwriting from the back of a notebook Duke Marchez had torn up and given to him, asking for a monster drawing.

When I asked Raul why he knew how to forge documents, he simply replied, "If you know it, hit everything."

In the process, Raul had found my two-faced viper drawing and laughed at it, while Vittorio defended the drawing on my behalf… Leonardo, who had been quietly laughing, made a slight mistake while carving the seal, causing the Marchez family lion to unexpectedly gain a unicorn horn. But, anyway.

The result of all that effort is the letter that Duke Marchez is now examining with great seriousness.

Knowing all the ridiculous truth behind it, Leonardo found it increasingly difficult to maintain composure. Perhaps because he had restrained his emotions too much, his voice became tense and stiff.

Right? It can still be interpreted as him holding back his anger due to the urgency of the situation.

I glanced at the letter once more, which was sitting on the table. The words expressing condolences for the untimely death of the Countess. And a suggestion to talk sometime, as we seem to be in similar circumstances.

Publicly, it was said that the late Duke Marchez passed away due to old age. Since he had quite a bit of age, there was no suspicion about it. The current Duke is the grandson of the previous Duke.

On the other hand, the Countess of Ertinez is reported to have died suddenly of illness. If one did not know the truth, comparing her to the long-lived former Duke would likely feel quite disrespectful.

At that moment, the real Duke, who had seemed lost in thought just moments before, stepped forward.

"…Lord Ertinez, I hope you understand that we did not send this letter with any intention of disrespecting the Countess."

They didn't deny that they sent the letter. Are they planning to leave out the story of the masked figure from last night? Well, that's understandable.

If that's the case, then I should ask why the servant is stepping in, or if they had no intention of disrespect, why did they sneak into the barracks and leave the letter behind?

But before I could give any orders, Duke Marchez continued speaking.

"If it's not too forward, may I ask what the Countess looked like when she passed away? Did she refuse food and water, by any chance? Like those other cases."

What I didn't expect was that Duke Marchez was more direct than anticipated—without any circumlocution, he dove right into probing the cause of the deceased's death.

The fake duke was taken aback, and even Leonardo froze.

'What the… For now, Leo, just act like you're too shocked and angry to speak properly!'

I hurriedly gave instructions, but I was anxious, unsure whether Leonardo would be able to perform in this context.

Then, suddenly, a loose and smooth voice whispered in my ear.

「I swear, what would you have done without me, huh?」

Leonardo shot up from his seat and grabbed Duke Marchez by the collar. His stiff jaw and the cold, deepened gaze were clearly filled with anger.

"What the hell do you think you know to say something like that?"

The fake duke sprang to his feet, trying to stop Leonardo's hand, but Duke Marchez raised his hand to block the imposter's approach. A monocle fell to the floor. The Duke responded with words squeezed out in a strained voice, as if his throat were tightening.

"I know very well, which is exactly why I'm saying this. Pretending to be family, blending in effortlessly, and… by the time I realized, it was already too late…"

"Your Grace!"

As Leonardo released the fake duke's collar with a thud, the imposter staggered back, and Duke Marchez' double, supporting him, stepped in. Even Leonardo, who had been so enraged, seemed shaken by the confrontation, taking a few steps back. I hurriedly approached, pretending to support him.

As I grabbed his arm, Leonardo slid his hand down and clasped mine, slightly bowing his head as if remembering something from the past. It seemed like a subtle plea for reassurance.

Yet, through the strands of his disheveled azure hair, his narrowed eyes were gleaming. In that brief moment, I caught a glimpse of one corner of his mouth twitching upward.

An awkward silence fell over the room as everyone seemed to collect their emotions. I tightly grasped Leonardo's original hand and whispered.

'How… have you nearly exhausted your chances to act?'

「Yeah, yeah, nice to see you too. Your welcome was rather lacking. Were you planning to send me off forever?」

The real Leonardo muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Though his tone was teasing, I knew that with the mention of the Countess' death, he had stepped in to help us despite the uncomfortable situation.

I finally expressed my thanks, albeit belatedly. I squeezed his hand firmly, as a substitute for a handshake, and the real Leonardo gave me a wry smile.

'It's good to see you. Thanks to you, I'm still alive. Honestly, you made me misunderstand first. You were acting like a ghost, ready to settle old scores before passing on, right before leaving El Dante.'

「Old scores? I don't know what that means, but do you think I'd lend this fine body of mine just for one little favour?」

The real Leonardo sneered and whispered.

「The old man, my frustrated brother, and little Celestina are safe now, but there's still that unlucky bastard left.」

'…Godric?'

「Yeah.」

He responded briefly before straightening up. Meanwhile, the real Duke Marchez, who seemed to have recovered quite a bit, picked up his monocle and adjusted it.

「And strangely enough, once I left El Dante, my mind cleared up again.」

The real Leonardo added this and returned to his conversation with the Duke. For a moment, the words lingered in my mind.

Right now, we were in an intermission phase, where all the characters regain their free will. If this was a period of regaining autonomy, it would apply to the real Leonardo as well.

The real Leonardo, with a defiant attitude as if it were etched into his very soul, alternated his gaze between Duke Marchez and the fake duke, asking:

"What's this about? You're calling him 'Your Grace'?"

It was a sharp comment on the fake duke's mistake in addressing him. Duke Marchez nodded willingly and clarified.

"I have unintentionally concealed the truth until now. I am the true head of the Marchez family, the last remaining legitimate Marchez."

"Ha."

"I would like to properly introduce myself and have a proper conversation, Lord Ertinez."

Reluctantly, as if acknowledging the situation, the real Leonardo sat back down. The atmosphere became much calmer.

"As you may have deduced already, the circumstances of the late Duke Marchez' death are not as publicly stated. It was not a natural death due to old age, but rather, he died while in a state of metamorphosis… Furthermore, we suspect foul play."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow defensively.

"Foul play? What's the basis for this claim?"

"Lord, didn't the Countess of Ertinez also not attend the young king's succession ceremony seven years ago?"

At this, Leonardo's fingers twitched slightly. He didn't respond, but the Duke nodded as if understanding.

"Grandfather, or rather, the late Duke Marchez, also attended that event. And something changed. He returned as one who had undergone metamorphosis. I'm certain of this because I directly learned it during the process when he attacked me, resisting all the way through."

Duke Marchez openly spoke about the time when his transformed grandfather had tried to devour him, with no embellishments. It seemed that having met someone in a similar situation, the doubts from the past had transformed into certainty, and his demeanour was unrestrained.

"Even outside the Duke's lands, there were knights guarding him, and my grandfather was no fool who could easily fall victim to something twisted."

A long silence settled over the room. Quietly, I exchanged a glance with the real Leonardo and, at last, took a step forward. As if it had always been a secret I carried with me, I placed the on the table.

Duke Marchez' expression was tinged with confusion.

"What is this…?"

Without hesitation, Leonardo spoke in a dry tone, revealing our most powerful card.

"It's proof that the Count's family has harboured the same suspicions over the past seven years."