I looked at Dory and the Count's group glaring at each other, and I tilted my head wondering what's going on.
Dory had always been aloof and had an attitude that seemed to be looking at everything, but this time he came down to the ground and confronted the Count.
When I looked at Cerulean, wondering if the Count had stepped into something that Dory cherished, I saw that he too was glaring at the Count with an unpleasant expression on his face.
I see. I'm not sure, but there must be a reason why both Dory and Cerulean feel uncomfortable.
So, I wanted to respect their feelings, but...
"Well, it seems like I'm going back to what you said, but I'm not a saint. That's why I won't be attending the First-class Saint selection meeting. As I said earlier, I have the seeds and tricks to make people smile. If you don't mind, I'll come with you." (Fia)
When I replied to the Count, Dory raised a voice of opposition before anyone else.
"Fia, you don't need to follow him!" (Dory)
Therefore, I tilted my head slightly towards Dory.
"Dory, we're here to make people smile, right? So, we need to hear his story first, then maybe we can do something." (Fia)
Dory immediately started to object, but he seemed to have changed his mind immediately, and had a bitter expression on his face.
"...You really know where to attack, questioning a clown's intentions!" (Dory)
"I'm still a capable disciple." (Fia)
When I retorted proudly, I was immediately retorted.
"No, I'm not praising you just now!" (Dory)
Dory's words were the same as usual, but his tone seemed stronger than usual, so I guessed there was something he didn't like.
After walking for a while guided by the Count, I saw a carriage with the Count's emblem parked on the waiting area.
It seemed difficult for all three members of the Count's family, Cerulean, Dolly, Curtis, and me, to ride in the carriage in front of us due to its size, so two of the Count's servants decided to pick up the carriage.
However, when we got into the Earl's carriage, it was smaller than they expected, so Cerulean and Dory told Curtis, "Get in the carriage!" and started giving me a strong look.
Well, there was obvious pressure from the King and a Duke. I was looking at Curtis, wondering what he was going to do, but as I expected, he completely ignored me, so I couldn't help but mumble.
"It's a big deal for Curtis to act like this when he knows who Cerulean is!" (Fia)
It was a small voice, but the Cerulean in question seemed to hear it, and replied with a shocked expression.
"It would be fine if it were someone else, but even if Fia said that!" (Cerulean)
Then, he suddenly looked away, so I rolled my eyes and thought, "Well, just like Dory, Cerulean also seems to be in a bad mood."
Apparently, both of them didn't like the fact that I didn't flatly refuse the Count's request.
However, even though they said that, I thought what I like about these two people was that they were worried about me and following me.
As I was smiling thinking about this, two people hated me and slapped me on the mouth, saying, "Your face is too loose," and "Fia is peaceful, isn't she?"
...People were nice, but it seemed like the problem with these two was that they have a bad mouth.
Well, after a while, we arrived at the count's townhouse and found it to be a splendid one.
Despite being built in the royal capital, there was a certain distance from the gate to the mansion, and the garden was well maintained.
So, when I exclaimed in admiration, "Well, that's a nice house!" Dory opened his mouth with a mocking look on his face.
"It’s less than half of half of the royal castle!" (Dory)
That's true, but compared to the royal castle, all the houses looked shabby, which made me feel disappointed.
However, on the other hand, I was relieved that Dory still had some reason left in him, since he didn't say things like "Compared to the Duke Alcott family."
After that, as soon as we entered the mansion, the four of us were ushered into the reception room.
It seemed that the two servants who parted earlier had already arrived at the Count's residence, and at the same time as the Count sat down on the sofa, they stood behind him.
Meanwhile, Cerulean, Dory, and I sat on the sofa across the table from the Count, with Curtis standing behind us.
Cerulean was the first to speak.
He was dressed as a child's clown, with his legs crossed and his arms folded, and he spoke rudely to the Count.
"As I said earlier, we are planning to go out to dinner. If you have something to talk about, please keep it brief." (Cerulean)
Looking at Cerulean, who continued to maintain his irreverent attitude, I thought he seemed to be in king mode.
However, when I thought of him as a "Rude clown," I didn't see any discomfort in his words and actions, so I thought to myself that maybe kings and clowns were similar professions.
Of course, if I said it out loud, I was likely to get a hundred times more retort, so I would just keep it to myself.
When the Count and his two servants heard Cerulean's words, they looked uncomfortable, but they seemed to have the composure of their age and turned to me without making any comment on the boy's bad manners.
"Lady Saint, I have a daughter, and she is a saint. She was born with a weak body, but since last week she has suddenly become unwell, and for the past few days she has not been able to get up from her bed." (Peiz)
I was about to reply that that would be difficult, but Dory spoke up before I could.
"Well, I feel sorry for her! However, there's no way we can help as we are strangers. As I said earlier, if the sick person is a saint, she can heal herself, and if the patient is a member of the earl family, there're a lot of contacts. Well, instead of a troupe of clowns, you should look for a more respectable saint! Or is this family poor enough to live in?" (Dory)
I tried to reprimand Dory, asking what he would say, but Cerulean agreed before I could do that.
"Dolly, aristocrats live on appearances, so even if they were poor, they would still say, "Yes, that's right." However, since he is acting like a clown, there is no doubt that he is poor and has no help. At the very least, since he's asking us a favor like this, he must be shameless." (Cerulean)
My eyes widened in surprise, wondering why these two were always so quarrelsome.
However, when I saw both of them unable to contain their anger, I tilted my head to the side, sensing that something was wrong.
It's true that both of them were free-spirited, but even when they said something sarcastic, they should do it in a more euphemistic way, and they'd never said anything that directly hurts anyone before.
While I was wondering what on earth was irritating these two, Count Peiz seemed to have reached the limit of his patience and let out an irritated voice.
"No matter how weak of a clown you may be, don’t you think your words are a little too much? It’s probably because you don’t understand the meaning of what you're saying or its impact, but it’s still shocking!" (Peiz)
Well, the Count complained right in front of me.
Of course, there was no doubt that these two had bad attitudes, but since the Count was in the position of asking for a favor, I had a hopeful belief that no matter how angry his attitude was, he would be patient and put up with it.
Sorry, Cerulean and Dory aren't the type to put up with complaints. I have to do something...
"Ah, that's right! The two clowns have a bad mouth, don't they? But people like them!" (Fia)
I tried to make a loud noise to take control of the situation, but Dory raised an even louder voice.
"Y-you've shown your true nature! People like you only care about themselves! Or maybe they barely even care about their families? In any case, negotiations will fall apart! We're going home!" (Dory)
Dory said as he stood up and jutted his chin out mockingly.
Seeing this, I decided that this was no good and grabbed both of his arms.
"D-Dory! This isn't a children's fight, please stop!" (Fia)
Or rather, someone please stop it.
Normally, when one person got heated up, the other one cooled down... but when I looked back at Cerulean, he had a defiant look on his face.
"Ha, I may be a dumb clown, but I do understand the meaning of what I’m saying! What I’m saying is that what you’re doing is hopelessly shameless! Or, have you forgotten what happened 10 years ago?" (Cerulean)
No, I thought to myself, this was far from calm, but the words he spoke caught my attention.
"10 years ago?" (Fia)
Were Cerulean and Dory acquainted with Count Peiz for such a long time?
Of course, it would have to do with their relationship as the King and a Duke.
And while I was thinking that, Cerulean spoke even more to the Count, who remained silent.
"Don't let me tell you that you forgot! The same line that Dory said earlier was thrown at Duke Alcott ten years ago! 'If you're a saint, you should heal yourself.' Because she couldn't do that, it was clear that Duke Alcott was desperately asking for it... But I was there, and I remember your face as well! You didn't even say a word!!" (Cerulean)
"What, we met 10 years ago!?" (Peiz)
When I saw a Cerulean as a child, I immediately thought that it must have been a baby 10 years ago, but then I remembered that Cerulean looked like a 19-year-old back then.
Then, it occurred to me that Cerulean was talking about Duke Alcott's sister who died ten years ago.
As a result, when I looked up at Dory, he had a stern look on his face.
From the expression on her face, I thought that Dory, like Cerulean, was also remembering what happened 10 years ago.
As if confirming my prediction, Dory spoke in a fierce tone.
"That's right! In other words, if she's a saint, she must have completely agreed with the idea that she should heal herself! Or maybe she thought it didn't matter because it was someone else's problem. Either way, it's the same thing. Please don't change your opinion just because something happened to you!!" (Dory)