Chapter 18: How a Mercenary Acts Like a Duchess (1)

Valentin, with his large build and broad shoulders, couldn’t bring himself to reach out and pet the cat’s belly. Unable to watch any longer, Regina gently took his big hand and guided it toward the black cat.

At first, Valentin seemed to hesitate at the soft texture of the fur—but then, he completely froze.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“I am. I feel like if I touch it the wrong way, I’ll get hurt.”

He was barely touching the fur, yet worried about getting hurt. Regina let out a soft laugh. She had thought him to be a strange and unpredictable prince, but right now, he just looked like a big kid.

The feel of the fur was unfamiliar to Valentin, so he quickly pulled his hand back. The clever black cat looked up at him with bright eyes, keeping a small distance between them.

“You said you were looking for a map, right?”

“Yes. Old castles like this usually have secret passages or traps.”

“Hm… Maybe there’s something fun hidden.”

Valentin stood up and walked to the bookshelf. He pulled something from his pocket—a ring engraved with the seal of House Julius.

The seal had one eagle and a large shield, similar to the royal crest of two eagles and two crossed spears.

Julius I—Valentin had been the first owner of that seal.

When he brought the ring close to a red book, the bookshelf turned into a puzzle board, and the books into pieces. The books moved aside, creating an empty space where a hidden vault appeared.

“How interesting.”

This admiration came from Valentin. Regina, who had been watching the bookshelf with a blank look, finally noticed the sparkle in his eyes.

“Have you seen magic before?”

“A few times.”

She had heard that the royal court wizard often used magic during royal banquets and events.

But judging by his curious reaction, it seemed like he was seeing it for the first time. Allan’s words echoed once again in her mind.

“There aren’t many maps for such a big castle.”

“That’s true.”

Valentin pulled three maps from the vault. But even those were in poor condition. He spread them out on the large table in the center of the room.

But with all the rips, stains, and faded ink, only one map had any usable parts left.

“There’s something marked on this office, too.”

While closely examining the map, Regina walked up to the largest painting in the room. She pushed it slightly to the side—and behind it, a hidden passage appeared.

“A secret passage.”

“It leads to the next room. I should remember this.”

Regina scanned the rest of the map for any other markings, then rolled it up. She decided to save the rest of the investigation for later.

“You’re done already?”

“I memorized most of it. In this situation, it’s too risky to keep the map outside the vault.”

As she handed the map back, Regina’s eyes wandered around, looking for the black cat that had disappeared. Valentin followed her gaze briefly but quickly looked away.

---

 

Night had fallen over the castle, leaving it eerily quiet and cloaked in darkness. Inside, the duke and duchess—both plagued by madness—stood facing each other across the dim corridor.

Regina was in her chamber, reading the files Allan had given her.

She wondered if it was right for a doctor to share such personal details so freely. But her insistence on truly understanding her charge outweighed any sense of propriety. She didn’t blame Allan for lacking discretion.

Maybe it’s all public knowledge now, she thought.

She needed to grasp the timing of his seizures, so she could respond properly if another one struck.

As the duchess, protecting him meant being thorough. The broader the scope of the assignment, the more meticulously she had to prepare.

They really do just label him as mad, she mused.

That sounded like propaganda—perhaps she was being too cautious. She reminded herself that she had seen his fits with her own eyes.

She studied the neat handwriting and turned the pages slowly, then exhaled softly.

The key symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, seizures, insomnia, nightmares.

She knew he took medicine every night—probably a sleep aid—and around noon, something to calm his nerves.

His body was worn down by daily pills. That realization stirred a small pang of sympathy, as quiet and haunting as the lonely carriage she’d seen on her first day.

But is there any medicine for hallucinations and delusions? Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen him seeing or hearing things.

It didn’t take long to read the diagnosis, but understanding Valentin’s behavior in light of it took more time.

I can stop his seizures by restraining him—but how should I respond to hallucinations and delusions? I don’t have a clue.

She wished she’d asked Allan more questions in person.

Choosing a quiet spot to concentrate, she put the papers down and drew her sword.

The marble corridor between the rooms was chillingly cold, like walking through fresh winter snow barefoot. Shoes smashed the stillness of the night, while bare feet would have stung.

The servants—she called them rats—had to be careful. They crept along the hall, tiptoeing to avoid detection.

What would they be doing at this hour?

That tactic worked well when the cat wasn’t around as a guard.

“I came to check if you were sleeping comfortably…,” one servant offered weakly.

“At night? If you need anything, ring the bell.”

Regina had caught servants prowling the hall at dawn these past few days. They always turned pale when confronted in darkness, offering the same excuses.

She wanted to kick them out, but she lacked justification—they were barely loitering.

How irritating.

After entering full alert mode, she’d only observed them on the first and third nights.

Some had listened at doors. A braver one peeked inside. If any dared to enter with a weapon, the assignment would be over. Killing a man who took meds every night would be easier than sneaking around this marble hall.

The many pockets in a maid’s uniform and apron could easily hide a small dagger. Regina gave a cold look to a woman still in service dress well past quitting time.

“Stop sneaking down this corridor. Unless it’s the bell, don’t come here.”

“Ma’am, we do this in most castles. We check if the water by the bedside is empty.”

She was shameless—an arrogance born of poverty.

Regina stepped closer in the darkness, determined to imprint the maid’s face forever. Her lips were tightly pressed.

A cat’s presence usually frightened rats. The maid gulped nervously, shoulders hunched.

“Do you realize we’re alone in this dark hall?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, I could punch you, toss you out the window, and there’d be no witnesses.”

Humans—even without animal instinct—have intuition. The maid, surprisingly perceptive, realized Regina wasn’t bluffing.

“I was a mercenary. I don’t care about that stuff. Don’t come snooping here at night. Not before I bury you.”

Her voice froze the maid’s chin. Regina showed no gentleness, not even to a lowly servant. She needed to show that the corridor was a forbidden zone—for Valentin’s safety.

“Well, that’s one more thing you’ll annoy me with.”

Suddenly, the door opened, and Valentin’s figure appeared in the gap. His voice was quiet but carried softly down the hall.

“Did we wake you?”

He shook his head. Regina thought of his insomnia record. When had he been watching? She hadn’t noticed him before.

“No… I heard another voice.”

Another voice? An assassin she missed?

Regina glared. The maid trembled in the haunted quiet.

Valentin raised his hand and pointed behind the maid.

Her long bangs covered her eyes, so she didn’t know whether he’d been watching her. That ambiguity gave weight to his words. The maid went pale.

“She’s crying behind you. A little girl calling ‘sister, sister’ in tears.”

“Hiiik!”

Unlike Regina, the maid panicked—her secrets had been exposed. She sobbed, “How did you know?”

“So be careful. Unless you want to end up like she does.”

The maid watched the space beside her, then down at the sword in Regina’s hand. She lowered her head and fled in terror.