As the steady sound of hoofbeats subsided, the carriage stopped with a small jolt. At the following two knocks, Hugo, who was about to rise from his seat, casually instructed Leonardo.
"There are servants here. Should I dismiss them if you're uncomfortable? There aren't many."
"It's fine."
Receiving the answer, Hugo nodded and opened the carriage door himself to alight. The attendant who had been waiting right in front stepped back and bowed his head. Those lined up on both sides also politely bent their waists in greeting.
"Master, welcome back—"
'Huh?'
Though he had said there weren't many, Leonardo momentarily hesitated at the larger number than expected. Quickly counting heads, there were about twenty people. It was certainly a small number for servants managing a duke's villa. However, when he had received the key before, he had heard that no people would be sent for the time being, so he had naturally envisioned time alone together.
Though the situation would have changed since several months had passed since then.
"Come down."
Hugo, who had stepped on the ground first, extended his hand to Leonardo. His hesitant fingertips rested on Hugo's palm.
Leonardo, who had inadvertently received an escort down from the carriage, quickly let go of the held hand. As he began to be conscious of watching eyes, this situation felt alien.
It felt strange to be treated as the duke's one and only guest receiving VIP treatment, rather than standing beside the Commander as part of the expedition force that had joined the subjugation. He wondered if it was proper to receive such treatment in front of those of his own status, and worried whether his contact with His Grace might appear strange.
Whether knowing Leonardo's feelings or not, Hugo clenched and unclenched his empty palm while nonchalantly stepping half a pace ahead. Instead, he waved his hand as if telling the servants who were still bowing to withdraw.
As those who had been frozen like plaster statues scattered in an instant, only then did an affectionate voice speak up.
"It's fortunate the weather is good today. Much warmer, isn't it?"
Come to think of it, when boarding the carriage it had been quite chilly, but now a pleasant breeze was rustling. The words about this being the warmest place in the territory seemed to be true.
Leonardo, who had been looking up at the dawn sky, turned his eyes and answered.
"The cloud formations are similar to the south. I didn't know you had a place like this in your territory."
"I expected as much, but you really haven't even come near here."
Oops. His golden eyes, hit right on target, slyly turned aside.
"...That was—"
"Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since finishing the match."
Hugo, wearing a faint smile, appropriately changed the topic.
"Ah, that's true but..."
"Though it's a bit late, shall we have a meal first? Or would you like to wash up first?"
He had instructed them to heat the water, so it should be just right to enter now, Hugo added calmly. Leonardo had been rolling the words he had harbored all along on his tongue tip, but couldn't bring himself to voice them. With the servants' gazes peeking from behind right now, how could he say 'not that, but you first'? He regretted that he couldn't give anything but a dry answer due to many listening ears.
"...I'll wash up."
"Then I'll have them prepare so you can eat immediately after washing. Come here. Though it's not large in scale, the interior is complex so it's easy to get lost."
Hugo slowly led him toward the stairs while wrapping his arm around Leonardo's shoulder.
'...Not large in scale?'
Leonardo, moving his steps following him, looked up at the open stone gate.
Upon entering the entrance of considerable size, antique columns and ceiling of white and blue-gray spread out widely. Though the building itself wasn't very tall when viewed from outside, the ceiling wasn't low either. The refreshingly stretched interior view was vast enough for voices to echo, so objectively speaking, it couldn't be called small in scale.
Among them, the ceiling frescoes aged by time had faded to the point of being nearly erased. It seemed no restoration work had been done. From that alone, Leonardo guessed that this refined architectural structure held quite a long history.
"How old is this place?"
He asked without thinking because it was imbued with the wistfulness one might feel in historic buildings or old mansions. Though he had heard it was a place acquired relatively recently, someone's longing was steeped in it like a lingering echo.
Hugo, looking to the side, followed Leonardo's gaze and answered.
"Probably a few hundred years, or perhaps even more."
* * *
In the corner of the large bath filled with steam, a stone lion with its mouth wide open displayed its majesty. Hot water continuously gushed out from the lion's mouth. Leonardo, submerged in the bath up to his chest, playfully interfered with the flowing water stream with his hands.
However, soon he frowned deeply with his wet brow and struck the rippling water surface with his clenched fist.
Splash—
Small water droplets flew up and wetted his cheeks and forehead, which had turned red from the hot air. His already wet, curly golden hair was also thoroughly doused with bath water. Sweeping back his dripping bangs, Leonardo muttered alone as if annoyed.
"This isn't right."
The plan had gone awry. According to his original expectations, he shouldn't be alone in this ocean-like bath, but someone should have been there with him across from him. In the water like His Grace's home ground, he should have pretended to lose a few times before flipping the situation in the blink of an eye.
But now beside Leonardo were only two rubber ducks floating along with the small waves. As if mocking him, a yellow and blue pair swam harmoniously on the water surface. When he squeezed the soft rubber with his hand out of frustration, the duck cried out with a squeak.
The toy's scream echoed in the dome-shaped glass ceiling draped with the night sky. It was a perfect place to enjoy the starlight pouring through the round hemisphere and be intoxicated by each other's breathing. But what was the point when there was no one to recite the origin of that Taurus constellation or what it meant?
Before he could subtly suggest entering together, His Grace had brought him to the bathroom entrance and then turned away saying he would check the condition of the dining area. Along with words not to stay too long as blood vessels might dilate and cause nosebleeds again.
Since someone so perceptive was clearly pretending not to know, he must have had much to prepare, so he appropriately held his tongue.
"Should I have said I wanted octopus dishes for no reason..."
A voice full of regret flowed out like a sigh.
Actually, having a meal facing each other was what mattered, regardless of what the menu was. He felt a bit regretful that he seemed to have created elements His Grace had to worry about.
'It's damn spacious.'
Complaining about the uselessly vast space, Leonardo released the duck he had been holding. The two that recovered their shape flowed leisurely along the current. They tumbled down under the fierce waterfall and disappeared for a while before floating up and moving toward an even larger bath.
Following that trajectory, he cynically looked around the interior, which was extremely antique. Besides the central large bath, there were winding stepped baths at both ends with different levels. Goddess statues that seemed to come from mythology created an endless circulation structure while tilting the jars held in their arms.
Thanks to this, the natural oil fragrance filled the huge great bath to overflowing in all directions. Leonardo, becoming intoxicated by that scent, suddenly buried his head in the water. Stretching his body like a mermaid and kicking through the current, a streamlined golden wake was drawn in the middle of the bath.
Suddenly, words the shop owner in Riverside Town had said came to mind.
'If you're submerged in clear water imbued with purifying energy, some obsessive thoughts will fall away.'
'Is this such a place?'
Strangely, his left shoulder, which had seemed weighed down by something, became much lighter. Though that didn't mean the lingering attachment of passion settled in one corner of his chest would just drop away.
Leonardo held his breath and blankly looked up at the sky from underwater.
Separate from losing his purpose, he somehow felt his heart becoming peaceful.
After washing and coming outside, a powder room that he hadn't noticed when entering due to his distracted state stretched out long. That place filled with antique mahogany furniture had an entire wall of mirrors, and his belongings left outside and new clothes were neatly placed on the console table.
Leonardo, dropping water droplets from his wet hair, picked up the clothes. It was a silk blouse with detailed embroidery. When he had randomly picked clothes His Grace had prepared at the residence in Libertas before, it had a similar design to what he wore at that time.
You know. The kind that looked like what a frail youngest son of a noble family would wear.
"Is this a preference?"
At this point, it was a reasonable suspicion. Does he like the pampered prince style? That's far from me.
Leonardo, who had dried all the moisture from his body in an instant, put on the prepared clothes over his steaming body. They fit perfectly as if measurements had been taken. The undergarments and bottoms also had no tight or loose parts, making him a bit afraid of how the size was known.
Covering his mottled nape with the provided handkerchief and gathering his belongings to go outside, it was just then.
"...?"
The artifact signaled and sparkled. He immediately opened it just the size of his palm and rummaged through the items inside. Among them, a communication magic tool caught his hand, and checking it, there were three connection attempt records.
The sender was all Tergio.
Leonardo, raising one eyebrow, was about to press the connect button but hesitated. Though he didn't know what it was about, he worried he might hear unnecessary talk at an important moment. Though he had known from before, Tergio held a very negative view of him remembering Agrizendro and cherishing his belongings.
The surface reason was clear. Don't get involved with the head of the imperial faction. He was too conspicuous, a different being from birth than them, and the feelings he harbored for him were longing for another form of life he could have lived, not entirely directed toward him.
He was someone who had tried to control even the form of emotions, so he would be quite worried about his business partner who hadn't returned long after the test match ended. He would probably be nagging about where he was, worried there might be some kind of meeting with the Commander.
Leonardo stared blankly down at the magic tool with sunken eyes, then shoved it into the artifact as if throwing away his thoughts.
Soon he nonchalantly smoothed his hair, but Tergio's voice continued to linger in his ears.
'He could become an enemy. Be on guard.'
Leonardo muttered irritably to the mirror.
"I know, I know too."
Just then, a presence was felt outside the nearby door. Then polite knocking sounded twice.
Knock knock—
"Excuse me. If it's alright, may I guide you to the dining area? The Duke is waiting."