"Where was I…? Ah. Yes."
Ett exhaled softly, her thoughts returning to the present as though drawn back again.
"Eru, come here."
"…"
The small bird did not answer, of course.
It had taken him a full month to recover from his injuries, and another fortnight before he could so much as steady himself without faltering. Even now, though he could walk briskly, Ett found little comfort in leaving him unattended.
Thus, she had him settled within a small wooden contrivance, something between a perch and a wheeled seat, crafter at her quiet order. With measured steps, Ett guided Eru along the garden path.
The roses stretched before them in silence.
Black.
Every petal, every bloom, steeped in darkness as though the night itself had taken root in the soil. It was a strange beauty, monochrome, but it didn't displease her.
"Lovely, very lovely."
Though it is the only flower added in this imperial garden, it's fine. Well, it could be creepy, but hey, it's her first time seeing something like this, so it's rather fascinating.
She was used to the usual color of roses.
Ett hummed. Seeing a familiar tune, she could remember.
Eru shifted slightly.
Heh, this guy wanted to walk.
No buddy.
At times, she wondered whether she had become the servant rather than the master in this arrangement.
"You know what, Eru, you remind me of those videos I watch."
Eru just looked at her.
"Cats are the boss of their furry parents. You seem to be getting their little guy."
Except, you're a bird.
A faint smile touched her lips.
So be it.
This little creature had suffered enough.
Its tongue would never return, she was certain. Whatever had been done to it in the Ostenian Duchy had been deliberate, precise.
Cruel.
Good thing, Eru possessed intelligence. Although there is a limit, he learns, and quickly at that.
"Eru," Ett said, her tone lighter now. "I do not know how long it will take for your master to find another way of talking to me."
"???"
"I said I won't rush you to learn new ways to speak to me."
She gestured to herself and Eru, "Talk, talking. Another way to speak, with each other."
"Maybe…your claws….eh?"
Ett paused.
Eru stumbled to jump down as Ett caught him. "What do you want to say?"
Instead, Eru moved to the side where there was an empty bed for gardening.
Eru's claws moved.
Not clumsy. Not uncertain.
Deliberate and slow.
Faint markings appeared, scratched with surprising clarity.
Ett stilled.
The word formed.
'Ett'
She blinked.
"…You already know?"
The claws moved again. 'Yes'
A quiet breath escaped her.
"I see. That's awesome."
Ett raised her hand in a gesture unfamiliar to this world, even so, a bird.
A thumbs up.
"Well done."
"…"
"It means…very good," Ett added. "You have done well."
Her gaze lingered on the bird, thoughtful.
So…the former Ett even prepared for this? Wow, haha, just wow. An emergency measure in the event the bird is rendered voiceless?
How far ahead had that woman seen?
Even in her absence…she continued to act.
Ett shivered.
Fascinating woman, still, it makes her shiver from surprise.
"Impressive," she murmured. "Truly."
Then, as though struck by sudden thought, she leaned forward and pressed a light kiss against the bird's head.
"You are the most obedient creature."
Eru stilled.
"…"
"A clever one as well."
"???"
"What else did she teach you?"
Ett asked.
The claws scratched once more.
'I don't know'
Ett huffed quietly.
"Of course."
Ett tilted her head slightly.
"Then tell me this, did you find something there?"
A brief pause.
Then—
'Yes.'
The answer that followed was fragmented, conveyed through slow, deliberate marks.
'Guren'
'You'
'Eyes'
'Gold'
'Deep'
'1 2 3'
'Death'
'Hungry'
Enough to understand.
Enough to disturb.
Torture.
Confinement.
Little kids are being taken and women. So, it's not just an auction of antiques but an ambiguity of all sorts.
There were even floors, people starving, and then dying. Somehow, Ett understood Eru quite well.
And yet despite it all, the bird had found places hidden beyond even the maps that the maps had once provided to Akan.
Ett's expression cooled.
In short, the Duchy concealed more than it revealed.
Far more.
"I see."
Yet Eru started to write again.
'Sleep'
'With You'
"Oh, you wanted to sleep already?"
Eru paused, looked at his words and claws, then at her, tilting his head and staring at her for a moment before she started writing again.
'Yes'
"Alright."
Ett's tone softened, but her thoughts sharpened.
"Your Grace."
The voice interrupted the moment.
Ett straightened slightly, seeing the person walking towards her, he bowed.
"Greetings, Your Grace."
"Gammarad."
She guided the small wheeled seat towards a table set, some distance away from the main path.
"Allow me, Your Grace,"
She did not refuse.
"Very well."
As Gammarad took hold of the chair, Ett glanced upward, squinting faintly.
"…I neglected to bring a parasol."
Just as he said that, a shadow fell across her.
Ett looked at the shadow.
Gammarad stood near, broad-shouldered.
"Lovely."
If only she could say thank you so easily while being Ett. Lovely, should suffice.
On the other hand, Gammarad cast a glance around the garden.
No servants.
As usual.
Yet, they were a distance away enough to hear when Her Grace could summon them.
Which, of course, she never did until he came.
"Finally."
Ett seated herself at last, exhaling softly.
"Ah…"
Relief.
Simple, fleeing relief.
"Commander,"
She said, resting her arm lightly against the table, "Will you take refreshment?"
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Grace," he replied, bowing his head, "but I have no need."
Ett's gaze lingered on him.
This is so common with servants in these times.
"Very well."
She did not press it further.
Instead, "Then speak, how fares the matter I have given you?"
"The restructuring of the militia proceeds, though not without difficulty. Additional revisions have been made to the training framework, particularly in accordance with the so-called 'units' Your Grace proposed, if I am not mistaken. Finding someone that befits such a unit, however, remains… not so finely."
Ett's brows furrowed.
"In what manner?"
"There are fewer among the pure-blooded Adiand populace willing to join," he said carefully. "In contrast, those of mixed lineage, or newly naturalized subjects, present themselves in greater number."
Ett's gaze lowered slightly.
So.
It surfaced here as well.
A division, subtle yet persistent.
Not unlike—
She exhaled quietly.
History, it seemed, repeated itself regardless of the world.
"One of the reasons those Adiands think they'll be locked up like you."
"…"
Gammarad cannot refute that.
"Never mind. However, we must be vigilant as always," she said. "As long as they are suited for the post, cough, ugh, and true at that, then that is fine."
She doesn't care if they are foreigners or not.
Besides, there's brainwashing.
"As you command."
Ett tapped her fingers lightly against the table.
"Orphans." She added.
"Your Grace?"
"Those without guardians, those that are abused," she clarified. "And those whose bond to their families is strong yet met a tragic fate."
Understanding dawned on Gammarad.
"Understood."
"Yet take heed," Ett continued. "A man who has lost what he holds dear may serve with unmatched devotion, cough…or turn with equal favor toward vengeance."
"I will remember."
Gammarad paused, "If I may speak."
"You may."
"Your Grace…this method…"
"Is familiar?"
She asked.
"…Yes."
Ett nodded.
"It is merely practical."
He said no more.
Right, Adiand royals value usefulness above all. Cruel as it may be, it serves its purpose.
Her Grace… didn't change.
Though it seems she knows more now of the hearts of people…in a very dangerous way.
"Anyway, what of the nobles?" she asked. "And the serfs who exceed their post?"
"We have identified several," Gammarad replied. "Investigation continues."
"Good."
Her tone cooled.
"Proceed thoroughly. Coordinate with the new Marquis of Isolet. If there are external ties, I would have them revealed."
Isolet's network would prove useful.
Information was, after all, the most valuable currency.
"It shall be done."
"Put all your findings in my study."
"Yes, Your Grace."
He bowed deeply.
"Alright, let us stay here for a while."
"Then, I shall withdraw."
Ett hesitated for a moment.
The matter of the Ostenian Duchy lingered at the edge of her thoughts.
"Mmm…"
She waved a hand lightly.
"Go."
Best to withhold it, for now.
"I have spoken more than I ought," she muttered once he had gone.
Her breath felt…thin.
Drawn.
"…Troublesome."
She reached out, idly stroking Eru's feathers.
"One step at a time,"
She murmured.
There was much yet unresolved.
Akan remained absent.
Franz occupied elsewhere, maybe procuring medicine for her weak for her useless self.
Then there is Eru, who is still trying to recover.
And Guren—
Ett exhaled faintly.
That child bore more burdens than all of them combined.
He would endure.
He always did.
Aw, what is this? Is she feeling motherly now? Heh.
"…Ares," she muttered suddenly.
Ah.
No.
Not yet.
He was still adapting to his duties, still entangled in the household's rhythms.
And, if she were not mistaken, distracted.
A maid.
How...predictable.
Ett shook her head faintly.
"Another matter for another day."
"Hello?"
She paused.
Ett's gaze shifted.
A child stood a short distance away, well-dressed, composed, though his smile carried a trace of hesitation.
Young.
Near Guren's age.
Noble-born.
Ett studied his face.
Familiar.
Very familiar.
Yet…she could not place it.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Since when," she murmured, almost to herself, "were you there?"