~Chapter 9~
Well, I kind of understood why he was panicking.
Still, if you really think about it, it wasn’t completely by chance that we met.
Jin Blake came to the Estella territory looking for clues about his master.
And I was on my way to the capital to find my nephew.
So, it was kind of like we had a shared purpose and happened to bump into each other by an amazing coincidence.
That’s why I decided to tell myself that I didn’t need to feel guilty about dragging Jin into this mess.
“Haha… Lady, are you really okay with all this?”
Jin asked with an awkward laugh, clearly annoyed.
His face basically said, “How can you be so chill when I’m freaking out over here?”
“It’s a secret from the guild, Lady.”
“But your office is this big?”
At my comment, Jin coughed and started giving this long-winded explanation.
“The guild thinks this is just an office.
I take private requests, but I also handle guild ones regularly.
So, they probably don’t know. Haha.”
Yeah, sure.
As if they really don’t know.
If they really don’t, then Jin must be insanely competent—and I just lucked out big time.
“Anyway, my business isn’t the point right now, so let’s move on.”
Jin started fiddling with his fingers, clearly thinking hard.
That made me nervous.
I had a bad feeling about what he was going to say.
“I think it’s time we talk seriously.
Are you ready?”
As he said that, I swallowed hard—trying to look as calm as possible—and gave him a small nod.
Then Jin finally spoke.
“If your sister didn’t die by suicide but was murdered… and if my master really was the Crown Prince’s close aide… then it means someone was targeting them.
My master was murdered, too. And it was… pretty brutal.”
“…”
“Your sister’s body was cremated right after it was found.
The Estella family arranged it in a real hurry.
Did you know about that?”
I gave him a slightly awkward smile.
“Unfortunately, I’m not exactly in the loop when it comes to family matters.”
“That’s unfortunate.
If you had known something, it could’ve helped us find your nephew.”
Jin clicked his tongue like he really meant it.
Then he walked over to a big desk and yanked down the map hanging on the wall, spreading it out in front of me like a boss.
“Your sister’s body was found in an abandoned house near the capital, in the Leton Church Territory.”
I just stared blankly at where his finger was pointing.
Honestly, I had rushed out so quickly and was so focused on finding the male lead (my nephew), I hadn’t really looked into Raniell’s situation at all.
But why Leton Church Territory? Why there? It felt totally random.
“Why that place?”
“That’s exactly what we need to find out,” Jin said, rubbing his chin like he was deep in thought.
“So, Lady—do you think your sister was murdered or do you believe it was suicide?”
That was a question I had to think about.
But deep down, I already knew the answer.
Raniell was murdered.
There were too many things that didn’t make sense for it to be suicide.
Sure, being a single mom could’ve taken a toll on her mentally.
But this was the same woman who endured life at the Estella family and made it all the way to the capital.
That’s not someone who would just give up and take her own life.
Raniell wasn’t weak.
“Murder.”
“Any suspects come to mind?”
“There are a few.
The Crown Princess’s people, or maybe Prince Endymion if he found out about my nephew.
Or it could be some third faction entirely.”
At that, Jin snapped his fingers like something clicked.
“First off, I’m pretty sure the Crown Prince and Prince Endymion don’t know about your nephew.
The Crown Prince hasn’t done anything since Raniell died.
Even if he was moving in secret, searching for his one and only son? No way that wouldn’t have left some trace.”
He frowned and continued.
“Same for Prince Endymion’s side.
Honestly, he had no reason to kill Raniell.
She was a stain on the Crown Prince’s name.
If anything, he’d use that against him—not murder her.
And again, if he had killed her, he’d have to know about your nephew.
But no one’s even looking for the kid.”
“So that just leaves the Crown Princess or this unknown third group?”
Jin shrugged.
“Even saying it was the Crown Princess is kind of iffy.
She comes from the ultra-pious Evans family, famous for their devotion to Leton Church.
You think someone like that would commit murder inside Leton Church’s own territory?”
I tilted my head.
“Maybe that’s exactly why.
If she’s such a devoted believer, no one would suspect her of committing murder there.”
Jin gave me a look like I just said something ridiculous.
“Still, it doesn’t add up. Most nobles wouldn’t risk murdering someone inside Leton territory.
They’re too afraid of the consequences—even ordering a hit there is rare.”
“So, someone else killed her?”
“…Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking for now.”
Jin squinted at me like he was suspicious, then cautiously asked,
“Lady… you’re not some kind of spy sent from somewhere, are you?”
“…Are you serious right now? What kind of question is that?”
I was honestly dumbfounded.
Why was spy talk coming up all of a sudden?
“No, no! I didn’t mean anything bad! You’re just… very different from other noblewomen.
I meant you’re sharp.
Please don’t misunderstand.”
He nodded politely.
The more this guy talked, the more confused I felt—he sounded trustworthy, but also kind of sketchy.
The definition of a walking contradiction.
“Anyway, your beautiful maid will be in disguise to investigate where your sister stayed, so I guess we’ll need to head to the Leton Church Territory ourselves.”
I nodded.
We couldn’t just randomly search for the male lead.
We had to start with Raniell’s death.
That was the logical step.
I bit my lip.
A third faction, huh…
Maybe I took this too lightly.
I didn’t think things would spiral this big, this fast.
“Hey… that group, whoever they are—are they dangerous?”
Jin’s eyes went wide.
He scratched his ear a few times, then gave me a mischievous smile.
“Hmm? Sorry, what was that?”
“Ahem… I said, are they dangerous?”
Jin raised one eyebrow like, Was that even a question?
“My master was a platinum-rank mercenary.
That means he wasn’t the kind of guy to die easily, especially not by accident.”
“…”
“And don’t you think it’s a little late to be asking that question, Lady? You’re already in danger just by having that child in your care.”
I clicked my tongue at his words.
“Honestly, I still don’t really know what your deal is. But…”
Suddenly, Jin’s usual carefree tone turned serious.
“I just hope you don’t change your mind.
Because once you’re in, there’s no backing out.
And I think you know better than anyone just how serious this is.”
—
I tied my hair up.
The Leton Church Territory—
The only region in the Empire not controlled by the Emperor, ruled instead by the High Priest.
Because Leton Church is the Empire’s state religion, this place actually had better public safety than the capital.
But as someone who used to be a modern person in my past life, all I could do was sigh at the mosaic tiles covering the ground.
I couldn’t help wondering how many slaves had to work and die to lay all of them.
I frowned a little as I stared at the massive white temple.
For now, the priority was to find clues about Raniell.
If she had even a bit of foresight, she would’ve left something behind for her son—the Crown Prince’s child.
And if she didn’t?
Then I’m screwed, obviously.
I silently prayed that Raniell had left behind something.
“Hm, the body’s already been cremated by the Estella family, so there’s no way to ID it, and it’s already been two years… I doubt we’ll find any traces.”
Jin was sitting cross-legged on a bench, chin in hand, lost in thought.
But did he really have to sit like that in front of a noble like me?
Come on, I am still a lady.
“Could you at least try to act more proper?”
Jin tilted his head and replied,
“Huh? Proper? I’m a mercenary, you know.”
