SDIV 24

Chapter 24

“Asila’s movements?”

“She’s been getting massages at the White Mansion yesterday and today.”

“With her personality, there’s no way she’s just sitting still like that. She must’ve already done something and is pretending to relax. Send out more informants and investigate.”

“Yes, sir!”

Deneb’s fingers tapped irritably on the corner of the desk, filled with displeasure.

Morning

All morning long, Deneb’s brow was furrowed like a crumpled piece of paper. It showed no sign of easing. With a murderous aura on his face as if he was ready to kill someone, it wasn’t surprising that his attendants trembled in fear—even the maid who had just stopped by to clean.

Dahliana, the maid, barely finished her cleaning, hiccupping in fear at Deneb’s terrifying atmosphere. Once she left his office, she praised herself for surviving another day and dragged her heavy body to the staff cafeteria.

The butler, who saw her, asked worriedly.

“Dahliana, why do you look like that?”

She burst into tears and cried out miserably,

“His Grace’s face is so scary! I’d rather work in the laundry room—please let me switch!”

Laundry was usually avoided because it made one’s hands crack and blister. The butler was quite taken aback by her plea, since there were already too many people saying they couldn’t work because they were scared of the Duke.

“There’s only one way.”

With a resolute expression, the butler decided to go find Arin.

“So… I came to ask if you could talk to His Grace.”

Arin looked dumbfounded.

“Even if I say something, it’s not like he’ll listen.”

“If we say something, our heads will roll.”

“…”

The butler’s deep voice echoed in Arin’s ears like a haunting bell: heads will roll.

Even if Deneb had only partially turned dark, he was still very much a villain. His violent temper and harsh punishments were unchanged.

The white-haired butler dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief and pleaded,

“Lady Arin, I’m really… struggling. The attendants, maids, even the cleaning staff keep quitting. I don’t know how I’m supposed to run this estate.”

The more he spoke, the faster he dabbed at his eyes.

“…I’ll try talking to him.”

“Thank you so much.”

His eyes were red from rubbing them with the handkerchief. With a sniffle and a bow, he left the 2nd Knight Division’s office.

Outside, the butler neatly folded his now-dry handkerchief and tucked it into his pocket.

“Sorry, Lady Arin. I didn’t actually cry, but running this estate is truly hard.”

Watching the whole exchange from inside, Lemaine shook his head.

Arin was sharp in many ways, but oddly soft when it came to her people. This time was no different. Seeing her miss the obviously fake tears and dry handkerchief, Lemaine chuckled silently.

“Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.”

Despite appearances, the butler had run the Altair estate for decades. He wouldn’t cry over something like this.

Either way, Arin couldn’t refuse the butler’s request and headed to Deneb’s office.

It was just as she’d heard. Deneb sat in his office radiating tension and fury.

“Hmm. Your expression doesn’t look good. Something wrong?”

“Nothing.”

His curt reply left Arin at a loss for words. But after three years with Deneb, she could read his expressions as easily as a book.

She’d heard the former Duchess Asila had returned… That must be what was troubling him.

Even Arin thought Asila was a headache.

Thanks to the original novel, she knew all the internal affairs of the Altair family.

Six years ago, the Altair family had no idea that the Emperor would discard them the moment he consolidated power. The Altair dukedom had been a founding ally and loyal guardian of the royal family for generations. Their faith in the imperial house had been strong and unwavering. They believed they were too valuable an ally to be cast aside.

But the Emperor shattered that trust when he ordered Altair to marry Asila.

Altair had deeply loved his late wife and never considered replacing her. That’s why he initially rejected the Emperor’s command to marry Asila.

The Emperor, displeased with the increasingly powerful Altair family and their refusal to obey, began to diminish their influence by empowering sycophants. Then, feigning goodwill, he extended a hand to Altair, claiming they hadn’t been abandoned.

“Altair, I’m arranging this marriage with Asila because I trust you. Isn’t a blood alliance a great thing?”

“I shall follow the Empire’s sun.”

Altair, renewing his shaken loyalty, obeyed the Emperor’s order. But the imperial family had another plan—to push Altair and Deneb aside and seize control of the dukedom for themselves.

Knowing all of this, Arin wanted to lighten Deneb’s burden.

“You’re troubled, right? When you’re stuck, sometimes a walk helps refresh the brain. Want to go out?”

Deneb stared at her pointing toward the window. She was used to his gaze now and met his eyes steadily.

He raised one brow and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

It didn’t take them long to head outside. All Deneb had to do was cast a confusion spell to hide his identity.

The Bustling Market

“Deneb, want a skewer?”

Before he could answer, Arin skipped over to the stall.

“Oh, Lady Arin! You’re back again?”

“Hello! Boss, you have the special spicy one, right?”

“Of course. How many would you like?”

“Two salt, two spicy, please.”

With practiced ease, she bought the skewers and cheerfully returned to Deneb. He knew she had grown stronger, but she still looked so fragile to him.

“Careful.”

“I’m not a kid. I won’t trip.”

Arin unwrapped one of the spicy skewers and held it out to him.

“This is my favorite—pork rib skewer. Try it!”

Deneb looked from the spicy, fragrant skewer to her mischievous face. With her cheeky grin, she looked like a playful child. Unable to resist, he decided to eat it.

He placed his hand over her small one, gently pulling the skewer toward his mouth. He took a few bites before letting go.

Arin watched him, expecting him to struggle with the spiciness.

Instead, he calmly licked the sauce off his lips and muttered,

“My tongue burns. You like pain, huh… You really have unique tastes.”

Was it just her imagination, or did that sound weirdly suggestive? Arin felt the urgent need to invent a brain-cleaning spell.

They wandered through the market, munching skewers, under the bright blue sky. Arin hoped he was enjoying himself as much as she was.

A Small Bread Shop in an Alley

“How can a loaf of bread cost 4 coopers?!”

“We had no choice. The flour price went up.”

“That’s not an excuse! It doubled in a week!”

A shabbily dressed man was yelling at the bakery owner. Behind him, a little girl looked like she was about to cry.

“Daddy… I don’t want bread anymore.”

Hearing her, the man picked her up in his arms. His name was Kun, a day laborer who worked job to job just to feed his child. Feeling ashamed, he reached into his pocket.

“No, Daddy will get you bread.”

He paid 4 coopers and bought a soft roll. The girl took a bite and smiled brightly.

Kun bowed to the baker and disappeared into the alley.

Deneb, watching from afar, felt a chilling premonition. He had a gut feeling this had something to do with Asila. His eyes sharpened.

Just then, a strange, cold presence crept in from the alley.

Sensing it too, Arin dashed forward. A father’s desperate scream rang out.

“Lora! No—AARGH!”

A little girl was being attacked by several large bugs—over 30 centimeters long, with hideous antennae.

Kun tried to punch them away, but the bugs avoided his blows and crawled toward the bread in Lora’s hands.

Deneb swiftly drew his sword and slashed. A wave of dark energy sliced the bugs into pieces. Thankfully, Lora was unharmed.

Arin gasped in horror.

“You can’t kill cockroaches like that! They lay eggs!”

Disgusted by her own words, she frantically rubbed her arms.

She mimed pulling something from her pocket and brought out disinfectant and ointment from the system.

After treating Lora, she sprayed disinfectant everywhere, then scorched the area with a fireball—just in case.

Deneb chuckled at her horrified reaction and called over Lora and Kun.

Bowing low and shielding Lora, Kun cautiously approached, wary of their power.

“We won’t hurt you. Come with us.”

It sounded more like a threat, and Arin quickly stepped in to explain who Deneb was and why they were being invited. Hearing her explanation, Kun finally breathed a sigh of relief.