Chapter 90
“Ah, this is exhausting.”
The lowest-ranking knights of the Marquis’ household sighed, thinking about how grueling the afternoon would be, just like the morning.
“I’m on duty tonight.”
“I have tomorrow. Ugh, it’s tiring. So tiring.”
The knights sighed again, glancing at those ahead of them.
“I wish I could be a bodyguard knight who does nothing but lounge around. How nice it would be, with no duties at all.”
“Hey, keep quiet. After all, you’re a retainer of the young master.”
“Hmph, retainer, my foot. Look, while the young master and the young lady went on leave, they took plenty of household members with them, right? But the bodyguard knights just stayed behind in the mansion.”
“That’s true….”
One knight subtly glanced at Rude, recalling the strict orders he had barked at the training ground the previous day.
No matter what they said, Rude walked ahead with an unchanging expression.
“Greetings. Palace guard.”
A man in a palace guard uniform quickly approached the knights trudging along.
“New search instructions have come from above.”
“Instructions?”
“Yes. It seems that after searching for two days straight without finding anything, the opinion is growing that it’s not something that can be found on the streets of the capital. Therefore, it seems the mansion will also need to be searched.”
“The mansion? You mean a noble’s residence?”
“Yes.”
The knights began murmuring among themselves.
“Searching a noble’s mansion will stir up a lot of talk.”
“It’s an order from above. We hope the Marquis’ knights will take charge.”
One of the higher-ranking knights in the Marquis’ household immediately frowned.
Having the Arpedi Marquis’ household search another noble’s residence would only increase their enemies.
“Shouldn’t that be the palace’s responsibility?”
“Us? Didn’t the Marquis’ house offer tribute?”
The unspoken meaning was clear: if you had delivered properly, this wouldn’t have happened. The knight kept silent.
“Well, we’re not telling you to ransack it like a commoner’s house. Just casually inquire. Like, see if anyone suspicious has been around at this hour.”
“…Understood.”
“In that sense, we’ll accompany you during the Marquis’ investigation.”
“The Marquis?”
“It will look better if the Marquis’ house first undergoes the palace investigation and then searches other families.”
“That does… make sense.”
The knight nodded reluctantly, and a few palace guards joined their group.
“Let’s go!”
“The young lady said the guards would come at the appointed time. That’s when you, Rude, should step forward.”
Rude tensed up, recalling Julie’s words.
“Hurry up!”
By Baron Valrun’s command, the carriage carrying him picked up speed.
A second carriage followed them like a shadow, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Why are we going so fast?”
Bedol, unable to bear the carriage’s shaking, frowned.
“Why? We’ve rested long enough; it’s good to get home quickly.”
Belya hummed a tune.
Bedol glanced at her sideways.
“Hey, don’t you have anything to say?”
“I do.”
Belya smiled mischievously and leaned her head against the window.
“I’ll tell you everything once we get there.”
“Prepare to get scolded.”
“Alright. I’m scared.”
Even though she said she was scared, her expression didn’t show it, and Bedol reached out.
“Ah!”
“Get back in. Why are you sticking your face out like that?”
Bedol shoved Belya’s face into the carriage.
She frowned at his rough hands but silently accepted it as the dust from the road covered them.
“Let’s talk at home. For now, lie down.”
He remarked on her looking tired and closed the window.
Because the carriage was small, Su followed on horseback.
The borrowed carriage shook violently, but Belya stretched out on the floor as if it were nothing.
“I almost died like this in my previous life.”
Belya closed her eyes.
For a moment, she felt weightless amid the jostling of the carriage, as if she had lost her life.
That dreadful feeling seemed even more vivid today.
Perhaps it wasn’t a dream, perhaps not a nightmare, but now she understood some of the secrets of what had haunted her.
“Bane, Rene, and my brother.”
Belya turned her head toward the direction the carriage was going.
Valrun had brought her to that mansion, and Bane had kidnapped her.
There were Rene, Carlton, and Karin, and Bane coveted her power.
Belya rubbed her chest.
That sword, which had been ominous, had tried to protect her from Bane.
“Is that why I can’t awaken?”
Belya opened her eyes.
There were still many secrets.
The reason for her reincarnation, Rene’s powers, and the relationship between Valrun and Bane, among other things.
It was still complicated, and much remained to be discovered, but her mind was clear.
Belya stretched her arms toward the ceiling, opening and closing her hands.
Right now, she was alive.
And
“I am real.”
Belya whispered to herself.
She finally realized the truth she had doubted countless times.
Perhaps it was the last life she would have.
Transparent tears ran down the calm expression on her face.
The carriage raced swiftly toward the Arpedi Marquis’ mansion, a mix of joy and sorrow in her heart.
“Are we done here?”
The butler sighed after guiding the palace guards through the mansion and turned to them.
“Yes.”
“Bea is not here.”
“I know. It was just a formality.”
Knowing the Arpedi Marquis’ household was not small, the knight joked politely.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
“No problem.”
The butler, aware that the chaos was ultimately caused by his own household, kept his composure and returned the courtesy.
“Now, we’ll guide you to the main gate.”
Thud.
As the butler moved, a loud noise came from behind them.
“What was that?”
The sound came from the dense foliage at the back of the garden, making it hard to identify the source.
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”
“Shall we check it out? Didn’t we make your household change guard positions?”
“Yes. Well…”
“Then, let’s go together.”
The palace guards and the butler moved toward the sound.
“…What is that?”
Pushing through the bushes, a palace guard saw what looked like a wooden storage shed.
“Oh. That is the elder young master’s private storage.”
“You mean the young viscount?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
“There’s a storage space just for him?”
“Yes. Isn’t it quite large to be called a treasure storage?”
“This is where the young viscount keeps items related to his merchant business. Because the goods we handle are so expensive, occasionally the top-grade items are stored in the mansion. The young viscount manages that, hence the storage.”
“The garden is so dense that only family members could find it.”
“Exactly.”
The knight nodded and surveyed the surroundings.
“But there’s no guard?”
“There it is.”
“Ah! A magical barrier!”
“Yes.”
“Wow, so it really is top-grade. The maintenance costs must be enormous. Truly the Arpedi Marquis.”
The butler laughed proudly at the knight’s praise of the household.
“Well then, shall we proceed…?”
“Are those footprints?”
A knight who had been looking back spoke, scanning the area.
“Footprints?”
“Look this way. Footprints.”
“…Of course there are footprints. People pass through here.”
Feeling a sense of foreboding, the butler added quickly,
“There are marks of a large sack passing through here.”
“…Since it’s a storage area, that makes sense.”
“But didn’t you say only top-grade goods are stored here? If they’re in sacks, and seeing these marks, there must be a lot…”
The butler’s eyes widened as he realized something was wrong.
The knight’s gaze hardened as he approached the storage.
“Open it.”
“That’s the young viscount’s private space. The key is required.”
The butler blinked in surprise.
Something about the situation felt off.
“Then get it quickly.”
The palace guards went on alert.
“The young viscount isn’t in the mansion right now. Also, to access the key, you need permission for his office…”
“I have it.”
All eyes turned.
Among the household knights following behind, a brown-haired knight stepped forward.
It was Rude.
“Greetings. I am Rude, performing the duties of the young viscount’s bodyguard.”
“You are the bodyguard?”
The palace guard nodded knowingly.
It was common for a master to entrust keys to a trusted retainer when leaving the house.
