Chapter 17
Cecilia looked around the room with wide, blank eyes. Her palms were still sweaty from her tense confrontation with Pierre, yet the room she had been guided to was excessively luxurious.
Is this really the kind of room you give to someone you just suspected of being a criminal?
That thought crossed Cecilia’s mind, and she shook her head vigorously. She might have been the daughter of a lord with her own small estate, but this was clearly on another level. The room was larger and grander than her own, with a splendid chandelier and beautiful tapestries adorning the walls.
Even the furniture looked like it was made from polished, sturdy wood. If she sold everything in this room, it might be enough to fund a small estate for an entire year.
That thought alone made her feel even more intimidated. Cecilia slapped her cheeks.
“Come on! Since when did you let something like this get to you?!”
There were more important things to worry about right now.
Pierre’s proposition.
To be honest, when she first arrived, she had no idea how she would get out of this situation. But somehow, things had been resolved — at least for now.
If she couldn’t correctly identify one of the merchants Pierre brought in tomorrow, he could turn on her at any moment.
Cecilia pressed her forehead. She felt like a mayfly, living moment to moment. If she messed things up tomorrow, who knew how that pretty face of his would twist…
And if that happened, she might have to escape. Cecilia turned toward the closed door. It wouldn’t hurt to check for a possible escape route.
The mansion was at least twice the size of her own. It would be smart to familiarize herself with the layout in case of an emergency.
She had been acknowledged by Leo for her skills, so she was confident she could move around without getting caught.
If I do get caught, I’ll just say I was out for a walk. With that in mind, she quietly grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.
The door opened silently — and standing right beside it was a guard, staring blankly at her.
When Cecilia let out a soft sigh of frustration, he said politely, “If you need anything, please pull the bell cord. If you feel any discomfort, you may also inform me directly.”
Cecilia tried to come up with a convincing excuse to get past him, but the guard’s stony expression made it clear that wouldn’t work. Resigned, she muttered, “Okay,” and retreated back into the room.
She tried a few more times to escape through the windows or other doors, but there were too many guards posted everywhere. With no other choice, she eventually went to bed.
“Miss, are you all right?”
“Huh? Oh.”
Cecilia finally came to her senses at Moa’s voice. As the maid fixed her hair, she said worriedly, “Did you not sleep well?”
“No, I slept fine…”
Embarrassingly, being able to sleep anywhere was one of Cecilia’s talents. But despite her words, she looked tense.
And with good reason — she was about to meet the merchants Pierre had summoned. Last night, she had finally given up on escaping and instead tried to recall the names of merchants from her childhood. She could only list a few, and even then, she wasn’t sure she’d recognize them.
Sigh.
As she let out a deep sigh, there was a knock at the door. Soon, the same butler who had guided her to the room, Cain, entered along with a guard.
“It’s time to move.”
Cecilia nodded solemnly and followed him. She thought Pierre might accompany her, but he didn’t even show up.
Instead, she was guided alone to a reception room.
“Please wait here. We’ll escort the merchants in one by one.”
With that, Cain left the room. Cecilia had assumed someone — if not Pierre, then at least a servant — would stay with her. After all, she might try to fake familiarity with a merchant from Niberius.
But it seemed Pierre didn’t care for such trivial tricks. The room was vast and she was completely alone.
Having grown up surrounded by her noisy father, uncles, servants, and Leo, the silence made her feel unusually lonely.
“Well, here goes nothing.”
Cecilia shook her head and steadied herself. Just then, there was a knock. A man entered.
The moment she saw him, Cecilia’s eyes widened.
She interviewed the merchants one by one. Each conversation lasted between ten to twenty minutes.
Since it had been years, she thought that was a reasonable amount of time. She had even suggested it herself.
She had already spoken with five merchants. It felt like quite a bit of time had passed, and as soon as she saw the fifth one off with a smile, Cecilia clutched her head.
“This is bad. I don’t recognize any of them…!”
It didn’t matter how long she talked — they all seemed like strangers.
She tried focusing on their voices, asked about their hobbies or families, but it didn’t help. She couldn’t tell who she was supposed to identify.
Honestly, she had hoped that once she saw their faces, she’d remember. That naive hope was now falling apart — her mind just kept screaming, Who are you?
The real problem was, she couldn’t tell if these were people she had truly never met, or if she simply couldn’t remember them.
She couldn’t even rely on the conversations for clues. Apparently, all the merchants claimed to have worked with Niberius in the past, but none of them recognized her or tried to speak to her first.
It seemed Pierre had introduced her as someone from the grand duke’s house — not by name.
Sigh. This is a complete disaster.
Cecilia stood up abruptly. She turned toward the window and screamed silently, worried the guards outside might hear.
Was it too late to run?
She’d probably get caught. But maybe that was better than being dragged off as a criminal.
Her thoughts were growing more extreme. Then she noticed a tree just outside the window. It looked climbable, even in her current attire.
On instinct, she grabbed her skirts with both hands, ready to bolt.
Just then, a voice called from outside.
“Merchant number six is entering.”
The door opened at the same time, and a middle-aged man with thinning white hair walked in.
He paused when he saw Cecilia standing, clearly startled. But soon, as he looked at her face, his eyes widened.
And Cecilia’s did too.
Her brows furrowed as she squinted at him. As the man’s face came into focus, the strength drained from her clenched fists.
And then, from his mouth came a familiar greeting.
“Miss?”
“Haha. How many years has it been?”
He placed his fedora on the sofa and smiled warmly. Though older and more wrinkled than before, Cecilia recognized him immediately.
“Garfas.”
“Yes, Miss Cecilia. It’s been a long time.”
He, too, clearly recognized her.
Boar Garfas. Back then, he had specialized in rare minerals, and her grandfather had valued his discerning eye, even inviting him to the house for long chats beyond mere business.
Cecilia had called him “uncle” and grown fond of him, unlike her rough and noisy uncles. Later, she learned he had a daughter her age, which explained why he was so good with her.
After her grandfather’s death and during Niberius’s turbulent period, they had lost contact. It felt surreal to meet someone from such a distant past.
Things could have been awkward, but Garfas’s easygoing smile helped the conversation flow naturally.
He asked about the household, and Cecilia happily talked about her father’s quirks and hunting trips with her uncles. Time flew by.
At one point, she felt like she was talking to her grandfather again and found herself opening up.
Then, Garfas looked at her with a gentle smile and said, “Still, I never imagined I’d see you again in a place like this.”
“Yeah, I know. I never thought I’d see you here either.”
Garfas gave her a strange look and said quietly, “I heard rumors that Niberius is involved in this incident.”
Cecilia’s eyes widened in shock.
“You don’t actually believe that, do you?”
