The black piercing embedded in the back of his hand, Creed had no doubt what it meant.
It was proof that he was a member of the Dawn’s Eye.
Moreover, it was one of the marks that could only be obtained by someone who had earned significant trust within the Dawn’s Eye.
In fact, the reason Creed did not have such a mark on the back of his hand was simply because he had not yet offered his daughter, Sylvia, and therefore had not fully gained their trust.
“I, I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
However, Creed chose to pretend not to know after seeing the piercing on Kyle’s hand.
Despite the awkward tone of his acting, and even though he had widened his eyes at the piercing just moments ago, he had now begun to make excuses after belatedly understanding the situation.
At that, Kyle let out a faint sneer and, before speaking, used his magic to cast a soundproof barrier around them.
From now on, there would be no ears to hear, so he could speak freely. It was both a consideration and a prompt.
“There’s no need to pretend you don’t know. You do understand what this means, don’t you, Lord Eleonore?”
“…So, you too?”
“Yes, I am also a member of the Dawn’s Eye.”
“…!”
As Kyle’s confirmation came, Creed’s eyes sparkled.
Could it be that this young man, not even of age, was a member of the Dawn’s Eye and had earned enough trust from them to bear such a mark?
“I apologize for not acknowledging you earlier. As you may know, we, despite knowing each other as compatriots, must pretend not to know one another…”
“So it was true.”
When Kyle mentioned the unspoken rule of the Dawn’s Eye, as he had heard from Vermilion, any lingering doubts on Creed’s face disappeared.
However, one question remained in Creed’s mind.
If he truly was a member of the Dawn’s Eye, why was he revealing it at such a peculiar time?
“I understand why you hid it. But why reveal it now? That part still puzzles me.”
“It’s simple. I am here to help you, Lord Eleonore.”
“Help me?”
“Are you not trying to save your wife?”
“…You knew that much?”
Creed nodded cautiously, suspecting that someone at the top had informed him of everything.
The reason he had allied with the Dawn’s Eye was indeed to save his wife, whom he had sworn to love for his entire life.
No, to be precise, he had sworn to do so, but that was somewhat in the past.
“Yes, just as you said. But how exactly do you plan to help me?”
“It’s simple. As I mentioned earlier, your daughter seems to trust me quite a bit.”
“Yes.”
“Using that trust, I will make her sleep for a moment, and in the meantime, you can bring in a sorcerer. If I step aside, they will surely think that Lord Eleonore accomplished everything on his own.”
“I see, that’s simple.”
Although Creed expressed it that way, he found Kyle’s plan quite satisfying.
Most of all, the fact that Kyle would step aside to avoid stealing credit showed his admirable character, which pleased Creed immensely.
Where did this lucky fellow come from?
“Then, what do you want in return? You can’t be saying all this out of pure goodwill.”
However, that was one thing. Creed firmly believed that there was no such thing as a free favor, so he expected that Kyle must have something he wanted in exchange.
And this was the very moment Kyle had been waiting for.
Normally, when someone said such things, they would bow and say they didn’t need anything in return to increase trust, but Kyle had no intention of doing that.
No, to be precise, that approach would be detrimental in dealing with the man sitting in front of him.
Instead, asking for a small favor would relieve the burden in the heart of someone like Creed Eleonore, who believed there was no such thing as pure goodwill.
“Then, may I ask for two things?”
“Let me hear them, and I will decide.”
Two things seemed to be bothering Creed, who nodded with a somewhat passive attitude.
Kyle tilted the teacup in front of him and quietly opened his mouth.
“The first is less of a request and more of a shameless demand… Do you remember the price I asked for in exchange for giving me your daughter, as we discussed before?”
“Yes, I remember. Didn’t we agree on one-tenth of the taxes from the Lyard County?”
“I’d like to amend that a little. Because of my lack of worldly experience, I asked for too much at the time.”
“Heh, so you have that side too. I thought you were asking for an excessive amount.”
When Kyle replied with an embarrassed expression, scratching his cheek, Creed let out a laugh that was close to a sneer.
It was such an absurd amount that even Creed had wondered if this man was out of his mind.
Of course, the position of head of the Lyard family was heavy, but the initial demand was unreasonably high.
Typically, negotiations start with a small offer and gradually increase to find a compromise.
“So, how much are you thinking of lowering it to?”
“Five percent. Exactly half.”
“Well, that’s fine. Even that amount isn’t small.”
Although the reduction was significant, Creed nodded readily.
One-tenth was too excessive, but five percent was still a substantial amount.
Moreover, considering that this money would not go to the Eleonore family but into Creed’s secret pocket, it was more than enough.
“And the second is simply to answer my question.”
“Oh, what is it?”
A sudden question—was it important enough to use one of the negotiation cards?
As Creed showed interest, Kyle’s friendly smile disappeared, replaced by a calm voice.
“…Sir Eleonore, if your wife recovered right now, and you could return to a good relationship with your daughter, would you go back to the past?”
The answer came without a moment’s hesitation, and Kyle nodded, pretending to remain composed.
Perhaps he had known all along.
It was just a truth he didn’t want to face.
Sylvia had been waiting for the two men’s conversation to end when Mel, her mother’s maid, approached with news, prompting her to hurry to the drawing room.
By the time she arrived, Creed had already left, and only Kyle remained, standing by the balcony with a somewhat bitter expression.
Watching him, Sylvia carefully took a step forward.
“Prince Lyard…?”
“…Ah, forgive me, Lady. I didn’t realize you’d come.”
“N-No, it’s fine. Did your talk with my father go well?”
“Yes, it ended well. He’s quite a cheerful man.”
Though he spoke those words, his eyes were not smiling.
Whatever had been discussed in this room, Sylvia instinctively knew it hadn’t been a pleasant conversation.
Just as she was about to speak—
Swish.
“P-Prince Lyard…!? T-This hand…?”
Suddenly, Kyle’s hand reached out and gently stroked her head, making her freeze, blushing.
Was this some sort of unexpected mental attack?
Or had something been stuck in her hair?
Before she could figure it out, Kyle’s hand slid down, softly caressing from the crown of her head to the side of her hair.
“I’m sorry, Lady. I just… wanted to do this.”
His voice, tinged with bitterness, left Sylvia staring up at him in a daze, unable to do anything but nod.
She didn’t know what conversation had taken place here, but she could tell it hadn’t been pleasant for Kyle.
At the same time, she realized the emotion he felt toward her was pity.
However, what Sylvia failed to notice was that beneath that pity lay the emotion of love.