Chapter 69
The next day, the maids were thrown into a small commotion when they discovered the princess’s bed was empty.
Even after searching every corner of the room, they could find no trace of Chloe. Flustered, the maids went straight to the child’s mother, Melissa.
“Chloe is missing?”
“Yes. I was certain she was lying in bed when I checked, but now… where could she have gone?”
As Melissa listened to Linda’s report while walking quickly, her steps suddenly came to a halt in front of a door.
“Melissa?”
This was the only room in the castle where a child of Chloe’s age slept—a room Chloe had visited more than her own yesterday.
After a brief hesitation, Melissa carefully opened Zion’s door.
In the dim darkness, her eyes fell upon two small shapes rising from the bed.
Silently entering, she saw the children sleeping soundly.
The two children, lying face to face, were lost in such deep slumber that they seemed unaware the morning had come.
“Oh my…”
Linda, who had followed her in, gasped quietly at the sight of Chloe and Zion.
“My goodness, they really do look like angels…”
“Shh.”
Melissa pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for quiet, then carefully closed the door behind her. Yet a small smile lingered on her face as she turned away.
“That was close.”
Chloe, who had bolted from Zion’s room as soon as she got up, wiped her forehead and let out a relieved sigh.
It was fortunate that Zion had overslept.
“If he hadn’t, all the work I did this morning would have been for nothing…”
Recalling the morning’s events, where she had barely kept her promise, Chloe coughed loudly.
Getting out before Zion woke up had been a success.
So now…
“Linda!”
Recalling today’s plan, Chloe dashed toward the maid with determination.
“Pack my picnic bag!”
“Your picnic bag? Where are you going?”
“Yes!”
Chloe gave a mischievous grin to the puzzled maid.
“We’re going somewhere really fun, so make sure to put lots and lots of tasty things in it!”
Early in the morning, in the Duke Leander’s office where the curtains had been fully drawn, Lucian studied reports densely packed with writing.
“I apologize. We pursued the culprits by any means necessary… but this is the best we could do.”
Even after mobilizing every informant, the spy who had infiltrated the Leander family could not be caught.
They had thoroughly examined even the corpse’s mouth, but even the poison the spy had used had completely vanished.
The forces that had disadvantaged the Arus family through the Magic Stone Merchants, and those who had schemed against them as though ordered by the Leanders—both had vanished as if cut out with a knife.
Lucian lowered his gaze as he meticulously read through the reports handed to him by his aide.
Although they had failed to catch the spy, it wasn’t a total loss.
The other spies hidden within the Leander and Arus families had ultimately been expelled.
However, they too had chosen suicide immediately upon being discovered.
Who could be behind all this?
Frowning, Lucian opened the report sent from the Arus family.
The word “mastermind” naturally brought to mind the head of the Grevis family: Sanraider Grevis.
The head of the house to which all these spies belonged, seemingly orchestrating the rift between Leander and Arus.
Yet, despite strong suspicions, there was no physical evidence or justification.
Why would Grevis, known as the continent’s conscience, do such a thing?
Why would he want division and conflict?
And to do so for such a long time, so relentlessly?
Lucian tapped the final page of the report, lost in thought.
It was said that the Leander family had secretly made an agreement with Grevis even before Lucian’s grandfather was born.
To maintain peace across the continent, to detect plots from other races that might trigger war, Grevis had trained spies and transferred them under certain conditions.
“They never made a single mistake,” the record said.
For over a century, they had been both capable and trustworthy spies.
True to the reputation of Grevis, they had never lied.
“Yes, that had been the case…”
But now, even the documents in the archives could no longer be fully trusted.
Was it true? Had they really been loyal to Arus and Leander?
Lucian’s thoughtful gaze fell on the report before him.
The report sent by Arus for information-sharing confirmed the same thing.
A secret agreement with Grevis that had begun long ago.
Capable spies who always told the truth.
Yet the intrigue that began as soon as Leander and Arus split…
Information that Chloe’s mediation had made him privy to.
The two families trusted Grevis’ spies so thoroughly that they would have never known otherwise.
“…Wait.”
Lucian’s hand froze as he considered the child’s presence and influence.
He quickly sifted through the reports to find Arus family history.
His memory was correct.
Both the previous heads of the Leander and Arus families had died before reaching their full lifespan.
Though the timing of their deaths differed, it was not uncommon in the world of beastmen.
“But…”
Yet his instincts screamed that this was no mere coincidence.
Slowly, Lucian reached for the bell to summon his aide.
When the aide arrived swiftly, Lucian spoke in a low voice:
“Check what was happening in other territories when the previous heads of the Leander and Arus families died. Leave no incident out—everything.”
His green eyes gleamed sharply, full of purpose.
“All right.”
Clutching the straps of a fluffy, sheep-shaped bag, Chloe stood before the massive door with sparkling eyes.
“This is the head’s office, right?”
Gripping the bag tightly with both hands, she wore an expression full of curiosity.
The first step to obtaining information about Grevis was to infiltrate Ian’s office.
All the information would ultimately gather in the head’s office.
Everything she needed would be there.
“But getting permission to enter a place like that without raising suspicion won’t be easy.”
So there was only one way.
Recalling what she needed to say, Chloe took a deep breath and firmly knocked on Duke Leander’s office door.
The knock echoed sharply, like acorns falling on the floor, and the door flung open.
“Who…! Ch-Chloe?”
The aide, surprised to see a small child, was met with Chloe’s cheerful greeting.
“Hello! Might the head be in here?”
“He’s here, but what brings the princess—”
“Chloe?”
From inside, a voice Chloe had hoped to hear rang out.
“Our nephew, busy sleeping in, what could possibly bring him here this early?”
Leaning sideways to look past the aide’s legs, Chloe spotted Ian inside the office.
He was sitting idly with his feet on the large desk.
“Target acquired!”
Chloe’s eyes sparkled as if she had discovered treasure upon confirming her uncle’s presence.
“Good morning!”
At the clear, cheerful greeting, Ian’s lips twitched slightly upward.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask a favor?”
Chloe, putting on a serious expression as planned, addressed her uncle.
“I went through something really, really big yesterday, and it changed my perspective.”
“Changed perspective?”
“Yes. From now on, I want to study hard so I can be someone who can protect myself.”
Clutching the straps of her fluffy bag with both hands, Chloe looked directly at Ian.
“I really want to become that kind of person.”
Tilting his head slightly, as if encouraging her to continue, Ian listened as Chloe boldly said:
“Could you… be my role model?”
