Episode 9
Knock, knock.
Ron froze in place just as he stepped into the office. His red eyes swept over the empty desk.
“Whereâs Ayle?”
“She hasnât come in yet. Maybe she went over to the Audit Team?”
Mien, who had been looking in the mirror, replied casually. Ronâs brow furrowed sharply. To move to the Audit Team, sheâd need the captainâs approvalâhis approval. There was a procedure for that, so as Mien said, it wasnât possible for her to just transfer without a word.
But Davidâs the type to move someone first and deal with the paperwork later.
The problem was that David, the Audit Teamâs leader, had an enormous appetite for talent. If he saw even a glimmer of ability in someone, his eyes would light up and heâd snatch them awayâready to deal with the consequences later.
Ronâs gaze swept over Ayleâs desk again.
Still⊠sheâs not the type to leave without saying a word.
Sensing something odd, Ron headed straight for the Audit Team.
“Ayleâs not here. I havenât even gotten an answer from her yet.”
At the Audit Teamâs office, David looked at Ron as if wondering why he was even looking for Ayle there. Ron felt both relievedâsince heâd half expected thisâand puzzled. If she wasnât here, then where on earth was she?
Ron tilted his head and turned to leave, when Davidâs sly voice followed him.
“By the way, Marquessâif you see Ayle, tell her that if she joins our department, Iâll double her salary.”
“You think sheâd be tempted by that?”
“She totally seems like the type who would.”
WellâŠ
Ron couldnât immediately think of a rebuttal, so he clammed up.
Given what he knew of Ayle, she would probably go, wide-eyed, saying, âDouble?!â Not to mention that the Audit Team offered far better perks than her current post.
With a sharp snort, Ron left the Audit Team without even saying goodbye. Since she wasnât there, the next place to check was her quartersâjust in case she was sick and had collapsed.
Yeah. Sheâs been losing sleep getting ready for the audit. It wouldnât be strange if she fainted.
Nodding to himself at this plausible theory, Ron headed straight to the dormitory.
“Ayle? She didnât come back last night.”
Luckily, her roommate was still home. Introducing herself as Rose, the woman stared at Ron with her mouth agape, but quickly composed herself.
“I figured it was because sheâs been working late a lot. Did something happen to her?”
“She hasnât shown up today, so I came to check.”
“No way. Sheâs not the type to just skip work without telling anyone⊠well, okay, she is, but lately sheâs been coming in regularly.”
Ayle had once skipped work for two months straight without permission. Midway through speaking, Rose seemed to remember this fact and hastily rephrased her words.
Ron nodded in agreement. Ayle did have a history of absenteeism, but lately she had been working so hard she barely even went home. For her to suddenly not show up didnât make sense.
And she didnât come back last nightâŠ
That made things even more suspicious.
What was the last thing she did yesterday?
“The Second Prince?”
Heâd sent her to deliver the audit results to the Second Prince, telling her she could head home right after. And now she was missing.
Heâd have to check the West Palace.
“Iâll look for her myself.”
Ron didnât even respond to Roseâs goodbye as he strode off. Rose, watching his broad back recede, squealed and hurried off to brag to the maids about their conversation.
If Count Poison asked whether I was on the Second Princeâs side, Iâd have to say absolutely not. Iâd claim that I didnât even know what he looked like, only that his name was Rohail. Not just claim itâit was the truth.
How could I make him believe in my innocence? I was mulling it over seriously when the carriage came to a stop.
Hopping down, I noticed the knight whoâd been offering his hand awkwardly withdrawing it. Was that supposed to be some sort of escort? Totally unnecessary when I was getting off, not getting on.
The two men who came to get me were both knights. Iâd seen so many of them lately that I could now tell at a glance who was and wasnât one. For example, that unnecessary gesture of offering a hand to help someone downâthat was pure knight behavior.
Outside, night had already fallen completely. The Countâs mansion blazed with light against the pitch-black darkness.
How many lights did they hang up? Thatâs enough to buy a whole estate.
Unlike in Korea, where we used electricity, this place used magic stones. Magic itself had been abandoned ages ago, but stones imbued with magical power still existed in abundanceâor so they said.
The important part was that these magic stones were insanely expensive. Every single light there was worth as much as a jewel.
Of course, the palace where I worked had them lying around like pebbles on the street.
âŠNot that they were mine.
“The Count is waiting for you.”
I was escorted to the reception room. A dazzling chandelier overhead, the air thick with the scent of flowersâit was grand, luxurious, and clearly expensive. But it wasnât my style.
Sure, being rich and idle was my dream, but I preferred a clean, understated aesthetic. This was more of a âLook at me! Iâm filthy rich!â kind of decor.
Seated on a lavish sofa was a middle-aged man. Even without asking, I knew this was Count Poison. When he saw me, he smiled faintly. Contrary to Ronâs description of him as a viper, he had a kindly face.
“Please, sit. Iâm Lucas Poison, for better or worse the head of the Poison family.”
“An honor to meet you, my lord.”
Not that it was particularly pleasant or honorable, but I smiled as I shook the hand he offered. Offending one of the Crown Prince factionâs big shots was the last thing I needed.
Not that I want to curry favor either.
Still, survival came first.
“Do you know why I called you here?”
“I can guess.”
“Then letâs get to the point. Whatâs your relationship with the Second Prince?”
Whoa. Didnât expect him to come right out with it.
I thought nobles liked to beat around the bush. Maybe Ron was blunt because he was a knight, but perhaps here they all just spoke plainly.
Suppressing my stray thoughts, I answered.
“Iâve never met His Highness.”
“But youâve been going in and out of the West Palace.”
“I go there to deliver reports on the Knightsâ budget usage. Following instructions is the proper duty of a governmentâno, palaceâemployee. But Iâve never met him in person.”
“So you go there and just come straight back?”
“No. I speak with His Highnessâs attendant.”
“Attendant?”
“Yes.”
Thereâs this really handsome attendant, you know.
I almost added that, but thought better of it. This wasnât the kind of place for idle chatter.
Count Poisonâs expression turned strangeâso strange I couldnât quite describe it.
Why? Did I say something wrong?
“An attendant, you say. You talk with the West Palaceâs attendant and then leave.”
“Yes, thatâs correct.”
“Would this attendant happen to have black hair and red eyes?”
“Oh, yes, thatâs him.”
And incredibly good-looking, too.
When I nodded, Count Poison chuckled under his breath. It sounded a little like a sneer, which didnât sit well with me.
“And his name?”
“Excuse me? Oh, itâs Mishi.”
“Mishi.”
Another little smirk. What was with him?
“Do you know the Second Princeâs full name?”
“I heard it was Lord Rohail.”
“Yes. Rohail.”
Was he fishing for the full name? If I remembered right⊠maybe Rohail Cassian? Ron had mentioned a middle name once, but I couldnât recall it. Hopefully not knowing it wasnât a capital offense.
“Itâs late tonight. Why not stay here?”
“No, thank you. My roommate will be waiting for me.”
“Hmm. But the palace gates must be closed by now.”
Oh.
Right, the gates closed in the evening. How had I even gotten out? Ah, rightâconnections. In that case, maybe those same connections could get me back in.
As if reading my mind, Count Poison chuckled.
“Iâll have a guest room prepared. Stay the night.”
So much for reading my mind.
Count Poison turned out to be surprisingly gentlemanly. For a mere low-level palace worker, he offered a guest room, a warm bath, and a delicious dinnerâand even prepared a full breakfast the next morning.
“If you leave now, youâll be late.”
Maybe it was because the bed was so soft, or because my accumulated fatigue hit me all at once, but Iâd slept like a log. And after that feast of a breakfast, I was definitely going to be late.
Theyâll let it slide after everything Iâve done lately.
Since I was already late, I decided to go all in and leisurely enjoyed the ice cream dessert.
“The carriage is ready, miss. Once youâre finished, weâll escort you to the palace.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Smiling at the polite butler, I returned to my ice cream.
Or rather, pretended to. Actually⊠no, I really was focused on itâit was that good. Wealthy counts sure didnât skimp on quality.
Still, I wasnât foolish enough to be swayed by a soft bed and a good meal. After nearly twenty years in the Korean workforce, I knew that when someone shows you kindness, it means one of two things:
They think youâre a sucker, or theyâre the sucker.
And Count Poison was definitely no sucker.
Heâs trying to butter me up, but fat chance.
âŠThough for someone immune to buttering up, I was already on my third cup of ice cream.
Well, the Countâs family was rich enoughâsurely they wouldnât mind.
After finishing, I stepped out into the garden, where a footman opened the carriage door for me. A knight standing by offered his hand, but I ignored it and hopped up on my own. The step was high, but I wasnât wearing heels, so it was no trouble.
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