INDC 15

~Chapter 15~

I Only Need the Duke’s Child Episode 15. Guild Libelus

Blair was standing outside the balcony railing.

Precariously, as if she might fall at any moment.

Blair also seemed quite startled, as if she had not expected Lina to enter the room.

In that moment, Lina dashed forward and grabbed Blair’s waist roughly.
“No!

You can’t!”
“Lina, wait!

It’s a misunderstanding.

Let go of this first—”
“No!

I can’t!

If Your Highness says you’re going to die, then I’ll die with you!”
“That’s not what—”
“No!

Until you come back over here, I won’t listen to anything you say!

Come inside right now!”
At last Lina burst into tears while clinging to Blair.

Even while crying, she stubbornly held onto Blair and dragged her back as if hauling in a huge catch.

“How could you leave me behind and go somewhere alone!

Absolutely not!

If you’re going to think such terrible things, kill me first and then go!”
“I told you that’s not it.

It’s only the second floor, what could possibly—”
But Lina, sniffling and sobbing, seemed unable to hear those words.

Blair had no choice but to remain in her embrace and accept her tears.

Only after a long while did Lina finally calm down and ask Blair,
“Then why were you thinking something like that…?”
Her voice was still thick with tears.

Blair scratched her cheek awkwardly as she explained.
“It’s not what you think. I was just trying to go somewhere secretly.”
Only then did Lina notice the cloth tied to the balcony railing.

It was a rope made by firmly tying together the blankets from the room.

Lina was horrified.
“N-no.

That’s reckless!

What if you fell and got hurt?”
“It’s only the second floor.

And there are bushes below.”
Blair looked proud as if she had carefully planned everything in her own way, but Lina, who had watched her for a long time, knew.

Her lovely princess, though she appeared gentle, occasionally did reckless things.

Lina pressed her forehead and sighed, then suddenly thought of something and asked,
“By the way… where exactly were you planning to go at this hour of the night?”
Instead of answering, Blair simply smiled.

It was a dazzlingly beautiful smile, yet somehow ominous.
* * *
“This is…”
Lina’s eyes widened as she looked out the carriage window.

The place Blair had brought her after leaving the ducal residence was Guild Street in the back alleys of the capital.

Blair pulled the hood of her robe over her head and opened the carriage door.
“I’ll be right back.”
“If you don’t come out in thirty minutes, I’m really going to come looking for you.

I mean it!”
Blair had repeatedly warned her during the entire ride that she could not enter the guild together with her, so Lina reluctantly stepped back while making the threat.

Blair got down from the hired carriage and stood before a guild building.

Guild Libelus.

Among the many guilds, it was famous as an information guild unmatched in gathering intelligence.

Blair took a deep breath and stepped inside the guild building.

At first glance, the interior looked like an ordinary tavern.

The moment Blair entered, the noisy guild hall fell silent as if cold water had been poured over it.

They were examining the unwelcome guest who did not fit the place.

The woman had covered her face with the hood of her robe, but the tall nose and small reddish lips glimpsed beneath it were enough to reveal she was beautiful.

A burly middle-aged man who had been staring at Blair’s face slammed his beer mug down with a thud and shouted,
“Hey, who invited their lover to the guild?

Confess now.”
“Ah, I think she’s my lover.”
“What are you talking about?

She looks like my wife.”
The men teased one another, claiming Blair as their woman.

Even their snickering laughter felt frightening to Blair.

Having grown up as a cherished princess, she had never encountered a group of men exposing their raw instincts like this.

But if she had intended to be frightened and run away, she would never have come here in the first place.

Ignoring them, Blair walked toward the bar located in the center of the guild.

But the drunken men seemed unwilling to let go of such a rare spectacle and blocked her path.
“Hey, pretty lady.

What brings you here?”
“I came to meet the master of this place.”
“Our master is busy and doesn’t take on small jobs.

How about telling us instead?

We’ll handle it cheap and properly.”
“Have a drink with us and tell us slowly.

What kind of worries brought our pretty girl all the way here among these rough men without fear?”
A man so drunk he could barely control his own body slung an arm over Blair’s shoulder and pressed close.

The smell of alcohol and the unfamiliar warmth of his body sent chills down her spine.

Blair calmly took hold of the man’s arm and lowered it.

Then she placed a ring in his hand and said,
“Bring the master.”
“Hah!”
The man, his face flushed red from drink, let out an incredulous laugh.

Ignoring his words completely and simply placing a jewel in his hand as if ordering a servant did not sit well with him.
“Do you take me for some neighborhood dog!

Thinking I’ll wag my tail just because of money?”
The man shouted angrily, spitting as he spoke.

His large build and booming voice alone were intimidating enough.

But Blair did not retreat.

No, she could not retreat.

Thinking that the future she would share with Asiel depended on the guild request.

Blair hid her instinctively trembling hands by clenching them tightly and faced the man.
“You have worked in this field for a long time, so you should know better than anyone how to behave.

How foolish it is to cut open the belly of a goose that lays golden eggs.”
The man who met Blair’s eyes beneath the robe hood flinched.

From this slender woman’s gaze, he felt a strange, irresistible pressure.

Apparently he was not the only one who felt it, as the guild members watching exchanged glances after sensing the unusual atmosphere.

Whatever else they might not know, seeing the woman speak with such confidence made them certain she was a major client they must not lose.

One of the guild members who had exchanged glances went upstairs and soon returned with another man.
“The lady wanted to see me?”
Blair looked at the man once and spoke.
“No.

I wish to speak with the master.”
“I am the master of Libelus.”
“Is deceiving clients like this the rule of Libelus?”
As she said that, Blair’s gaze shifted toward the bartender who was wiping glasses behind the bar.

He was a handsome man with a kind appearance, curly brown hair, and green eyes.
“I will make my request to the guild master of Libelus.”
Behind round spectacles, the man’s eyes paused for a moment, then he smiled as if amused and asked,
“May I ask how you knew?”
“When I asked for the master.

Everyone glanced at you from the corners of their eyes, but you merely listened.”
“You have sharp eyes.”
The man smiled gently at Blair, then glanced at the subordinates around him whose sideways glances had been exposed.

They quietly avoided his gaze.

The man set down the glass and stepped out from behind the bar.
“Let’s move somewhere else.”
Blair followed him upstairs to a room on the second floor.

The room he led her to was an ordinary empty chamber.

Once they were alone, the man bowed politely.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly, Duchess.

My name is Mikhail Kynes.”
Blair flinched.

The man knew her identity even though she had not spoken it.

But thinking about it, if the head of an information guild did not even recognize the face of a princess, that would be far more unreliable.
“…That situation earlier was you testing me on purpose.”
“I wanted to see how desperate you were.

Those who seek me despite the danger pay a price equal to that desperation.

My apologies if it offended you.”
“It’s fine.

It simply means you’re confident you can handle the task you accept.”
Despite Mikhail’s rude behavior of testing her—a princess and duchess of the empire—Blair replied calmly.

But her soft voice and gaze carried both tolerance and a hidden edge.

A demeanor that granted leniency while simultaneously overwhelming the other.

She looked completely natural commanding those beneath her.
‘So she truly was born a noble princess.’
Mikhail smiled and replied,
“Libelus will repay that trust accordingly.

Now, could you tell me the details of your request?

The more specific you are, the more we can help achieve your goal.”
At the mention of the request, light appeared in Blair’s violet eyes that had remained calm until now.
“I have three requests.”
Mentioning “three,” Blair raised three fingers.

It was a habit she had when speaking with Asiel, though Mikhail, unaware of that fact, found the gesture rather cute.
“Entrusting us with three requests.

Libelus will grow even richer.”
It was a joke born from confidence that the guild would never fail a commission.

Blair began listing her requests.
“First, find me a small villa near Agenta, the capital of the Kingdom of Klania.

And a new identity to live under, abandoning this name.”
She did not intend to live in one place forever, but traveling from place to place while pregnant would be difficult, so she planned to stay in Agenta until giving birth to Asiel.
‘Agenta is the capital of the kingdom, so it will be easy to find skilled doctors and necessary supplies.’

Listening to Blair, Mikhail was inwardly surprised.

The princess said she would abandon her name.

Which meant she intended to leave the ducal house as well.

He was curious about the reason, but he had no right to ask that far.
“The second is that I need men to be involved in scandals with me.

Around four or five.

They should be trustworthy enough to keep secrets.”
“In that case, it would be best if I personally participate as one of them.

So I can report the progress from time to time.

Would that be acceptable?”
“If you are willing.”
Blair nodded readily.

If the guild master himself stepped forward, it would be all the more reliable.

At that, Mikhail smiled faintly.
“Then when would you like the scandal to break?”
Just from a few words, Mikhail had already grasped her plan.

It was convenient how quickly a professional understood.
“About half a year from now.”
“Then we must prepare as quickly as possible.

Now, what is the final request?”
Blair took a slip of paper from her inner pocket and handed it over.

On the paper was a drawn symbol.

It was the emblem carved into the dagger of the assailant who had killed her before her regression.
“I would like you to find the person who carries a dagger engraved with this symbol.”
Mikhail carefully examined the symbol on the paper before slipping it into his pocket.
“I will do my best to provide the answer you want as soon as possible.”
After finishing the conversation, Blair went down to the first floor.

The subordinates, who had vaguely guessed her identity from Mikhail’s attitude toward her, finally bowed deeply.

Blair left the guild with their farewells behind her.

At the same time, the shadow that had been watching her disappeared.