After worrying over it, Erika decided to tell Juno. Of course, not the whole story.
Only the minimum information about how Zen had pushed her inside Harold’s room, and then had talked about how the 2 people who were rumored to be dead were still alive.
Although she had omitted quite a lot of it, the subject were more than enough to make Juno raise her eyebrows.
「That’s why, I want it to be investigated whether Clara and Colette are really alive or not」
「Understood ~. I’ll immediately make the arrangements ~」
Although Juno had just returned from the town, she once again went back. Since Juno herself couldn’t move very far from the mansion, she had to request the scouts to go and investigate in the Brosch village.
And even as she was going to the town, Juno was continued to think. Listening to Erika, Juno had felt a big sense of discomfort.
(Would a thing like Harold-sama not noticing a third party hiding in the room even happen ~?)
Harold was powerful enough to easily sense the presence of Juno, whose livelihood was spying. Was it even possible that such a person would overlook Erika, who didn’t even have the ability to kill her presence.
The answer that Juno deduced was a no.
The possibility that Harold had intentionally leaked this information to Erika, that is, to the Sumeragi side, was quite high. Why he had leaked the information, which was concealed from the people around him, to the Sumeragi, even she was unable to grasp his real motives for doing this.
If that were the case, then right now, she was moving as Harold would want her to. When she thought like that, Juno was bitterly regretting it.
(At that age, he makes one feel bottomless dread ~. If he were to grow up, what kind of ingenious scheme would he come up with ~)
She didn’t know whether to anticipate or fear that future figure. If he became an ally, there wouldn’t be many people who would be as reliable as him.
Not only was he resourceful, at that age, he had even learnt the sword. Even the word prodigy would be thought of as too lukewarm.
But if in case they became enemies, undoubtedly, he would be a formidable one. To the extent that if he were to be killed while he was young, they could reduce their future losses remarkably.
He could become a big enough threat for them to think like that.
Regarding Harold’s behavior, it couldn’t be helped that Juno had given such a judgement.
It couldn’t be called unchildish. Putting adults to shame- even that wasn’t enough.
It it was only to that level, there was no way he could lightly toy around with Juno and move around without Tasuku seeing through his true motives .
Even if that wasn’t what Harold himself had aimed for, it could be said that it was inevitable that the other party would perceive it as such.
And Harold’s biggest mistake was manipulating the degree of affection and due to being too desperate to adhere to the original work, he had neglected his own assessment from the surroundings. Even though he himself understood that his behavior deviated from children within his age group, but to be mindful of it and acting prudently just because of that, he had no leeway with either time or mind or manpower.
In a way, it was a very probable situation.
But if here, he had become properly aware of how he was assessed and what it meant to be thought of like that, he could have avoided stepping into predicaments due to being unprepared. If he had thought of wanting to avoid this kind of development, he could have.
And also, it was fatal for him to not investigate Erika and Juno’s aim even though he felt that their very abrupt long-term stay was inexplicable.
If an explanation was needed, then this was due to the negligence Harold brought upon himself, exactly because he knew that in the original work, Erika hated injustice and going around the truth. He had never thought even in the least bit that she or her attendant would act like spies.
If he had paid close attention to Erika and Juno’s movements, if he were to become aware that the information about Clara and her daughter being alive had gotten out, at the very least, the possibility of the situation falling into this state would have been low.
As a result of magnificently ignoring all these various factors, Harold would foolishly choose the move of heading to the Sumeragi territory once again out of his own will.
The start of it was when close to 3 weeks had passed from when Erika had come to learn of Clara’s survival, that is, when about a month had passed since Erika had started staying in the Stokes mansion. It was a command given out by Harold’s father, Hayden.
「I should go to the Sumeragi house?」
Like the other day, after Hayden had asked Harold to come to his study, the subject he talked in a serious manner was about how he wanted Harold to escort Erika, who wasn’t feeling well, back to the Sumeragi, and how this time, he wanted Harold to stay over at their place to deepen their relations.
The former was just a front while he