Chapter 32
While Elshunine was reading the letter and growing flustered, it was suddenly snatched away.
Killian had used divine power to quickly take it.
“Killian, is something going on lately?”
Elshunine asked carefully, but Killian didn’t seem affected in the slightest.
“No. It’s nothing to worry about.”
Though his eyes were cold, his reply was surprisingly gentle.
This was the version of Killian who had been oddly kind to her lately, and Elshunine stepped back, feeling slightly uneasy.
‘What is this? Was there a part in the original story where nobles sent letters like this to Killian?’
She searched her memory thoroughly but couldn’t recall anything like that.
‘Did I forget?’
As she tugged at her blue hair, deep in thought, Killian burned all the letters and sat down on the sofa. As if the letters had never existed, he brought up a completely unrelated topic in a calm tone.
“You must’ve been bored being alone at the estate while I was away at the temple.”
“Huh?”
Bored? Not at all.
She hadn’t had a single moment to be bored.
Thanks to Killian being busy after returning from the temple, Elshunine had been able to focus completely on her business—if anything, it had been a productive time.
Dealing with Killian, who had suddenly gone soft on her, was much more exhausting than anything else.
“Ahem! Not at all. There was plenty of food at the estate, and Mikhail was around, so I wasn’t bored.”
“Really?”
Killian tilted his head as he watched Elshunine wave her hands and respond.
“Well, that’s good then.”
Then, after a short pause, he spoke softly.
“Shall we go to the forest together? It’s been a while.”
The forest.
Elshunine’s eyes widened at that word.
The large forest right behind House Haunbert.
It was the place where she and Killian had first met, and also a place filled with memories from Killian’s childhood.
That’s what he meant.
The autumn sunlight streamed lazily through the wide hallway windows. Elshunine walked down the hallway with a serious expression.
‘Why would nobles be protesting against Killian?’
Though she had been surprised when Killian suddenly suggested going to the forest, this matter was even more pressing.
A pile of letters had been stacked on the table.
All of them anonymous.
‘This is a custom in the Empire reserved for noble families who have committed serious offenses.’
Had Killian recently caused some kind of scandal?
Though the tradition could serve as a warning for truly disgraceful acts, it was often used as a political tool—hiding behind anonymity to pressure a family.
No matter how powerful a house was, receiving a wave of such letters would make them tread more carefully in politics and social circles.
‘Is someone pulling strings?’
A white-haired man with a benevolent face briefly flashed through her mind—Seamus.
‘If it’s him, this would make sense.’
With her arms crossed and lips pursed, she frowned.
Receiving that many protest letters would unnerve anyone unless they had nerves of steel. But as expected of the male lead, Killian didn’t seem rattled at all.
‘I almost worried, but it looks like he’s fine.’
Aside from observing her reaction when the forest was mentioned, he didn’t seem concerned about the letters at all.
‘Killian doesn’t need comforting. I should look into what’s going on.’
“Mikhail.”
“Yes?”
Mikhail, who had been walking ahead, turned around. For some reason, he had started looking at Elshunine with increasing admiration lately.
“What is it, Lady Elshunine?”
“By any chance…”
Elshunine continued walking as she lowered her voice.
“Has anything happened with Killian recently?”
“Anything? Like what?”
Mikhail tilted his head, looking completely clueless.
“Hm. No, never mind.”
Right. Someone as oblivious as Mikhail wouldn’t know even if something had happened. Elshunine gave up quickly and walked past him.
‘Gold said he won’t be around for a while.’
Gold had taken a few days off to catch up on work at the Golden Tower after helping with her business.
Since the branch office matters were mostly wrapped up, she hadn’t exactly given him a break—rather, she had assigned him a task.
‘Huh? All of a sudden?’
‘Yes. Go to the place I mentioned and bring this back.’
‘Ugh…’
He had complained that she was exploiting a child, but she had kicked his butt and sent him off to the Imperial Palace two days ago.
‘With those two out of the picture, I have nowhere to get information from.’
Just as she was staring out the window deep in thought—
“Huh?”
She spotted someone leaving House Haunbert.
A face she had grown quite familiar with lately.
Though he wouldn’t feel the same.
“Right. I still have that person.”
Elshunine smiled faintly.
While Killian was briefly out, Elshunine set Ashray as a stand-in and quickly left House Haunbert, heading to the White Trading Company.
From there, she took a carriage toward her destination.
‘The Imperial Court of Justice.’
It was the place she had once relied on to arrest the Harwa Trading Company under the patent law.
After a long ride down the wide Imperial Palace Avenue, she arrived at a secluded area with a gloomy-looking building.
It looked so ominous, she even questioned whether this was truly part of the Imperial Palace.
This was the Imperial Court of Justice.
As she got out of the carriage, Elshunine pulled down her mask and scanned her surroundings.
‘Tch. Killian said he’s going to the temple today, so he won’t be here.’
Though it was now under Killian’s command, the Court of Justice was originally a direct royal institution.
But eight years ago, after the Five Stars saved the Empire and only Killian remained, it was transferred under his authority.
Not because Killian wanted it.
‘They just wanted to bind him more tightly to the Empire.’
To remind him that, as the sole duke and loyal servant of the Aeterna Empire, he belonged to them.
To tie a leash around him, however they could.
‘Still, thanks to that, Seamus can’t get his hands on it.’
If it had fallen into Seamus’s hands, the Court’s powers would’ve been abused for his personal gain.
“Whew. This place really is desolate.”
The building was bleak and creepy. Even though it was under Killian’s command and carried a sacred and dignified reputation, its role in judgment and enforcement gave it a grim atmosphere.
The employees all looked worn-out and gloomy.
One man stood out especially—dark circles, and an even gloomier face—crossing the deserted garden.
Elshunine dashed over.
“Ahem.”
“…”
“Ahem, ahem!”
“…”
He was skinny, but walked incredibly fast—almost like teleportation. She followed right behind him, clearing her throat repeatedly, but the man ignored her.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
“Excuse me!”
Last time, she had come through formal channels to report the Harwa Company, so she had met him in the assistant’s office. But this time was unofficial—she had to grab his attention somehow.
Elshunine let go of some of her “White Mask” dignity and shouted:
“Oh! Look! A vanilla parfait floating in the sky!”
“What?! Where?!”
The hollow-eyed man, who had been walking briskly without looking back, froze. He immediately craned his neck and scanned the sky.
“…Looks like a cloud shaped like one? Whoa, how is it shaped like that?”
“…!”
At last, the man turned to her.
His face darkened as he realized he’d been tricked. His navy-blue eyes flared slightly with irritation.
‘Wow. He’s gotten scary.’
He used to be cuter than Mikhail.
Elshunine smiled calmly, recalling his younger self.
“What do you want, White Mask of the White Trading Company?”
His tone was cold and stern, and even though he recognized her identity, he didn’t seem fazed.
‘Probably because he’s working under Killian.’
He seemed to have lost all his childhood innocence. Elshunine brushed off the thought and got to the point.
“Ah, I came regarding the Harwa case from last time.”
“That case is closed and no longer in my hands.”
He swiftly pulled glasses from his jacket pocket, put them on, and flipped through a small notebook.
Snap. The notebook closed with a click.
“So please leave. I’m busy.”
As he turned away, she called out:
“I came to thank you for your help that day. I brought a vanilla parfait as a gift.”
“…”
He stopped dead.
Then he slowly turned his head, staring at the box in Elshunine’s hand—the one holding the vanilla parfait.
“Oh, I’m from the nation of fine taste, and I run a small business. This is from a famous parfait shop in the southern village of Churre—”
“Come in.”
He swiftly took the box from her and nodded. His long finger pointed somewhere inside the bleak building.
Elshunine knew—it was the assistant’s office she had visited before.
“Let’s hurry. The parfait might melt.”
He had always had a weakness for desserts.
Mikhail became Killian’s knight. The boy before her—Kael—had become Killian’s assistant.
They were the boys she herself had taken in and placed by Killian’s side.
‘He hasn’t changed.’
Last time, she had only seen him briefly due to the urgency of the Harwa case. But this time, they would finally have a proper conversation.
As Kael carefully led the way, cradling the box with both hands as if it were sacred, Elshunine followed slowly behind.
