“…Ah, sorry for staring.”
“It’s alright.”
I smiled nonchalantly and rolled up the paper. Killian, seemingly unaware of my agitation, took the paper I handed him.
“I’ll be going now.”
With Killian seeing me off, I hurried back to the mansion. I figured this way would be better than taking a detour.
I didn’t even bother waking the dozing gatekeeper who was leaning against the wall. I simply slipped my hand into his pocket like I’d done countless times before and pulled out the key.
Creeeak.
The heavy iron gate groaned as it opened, and the gatekeeper jolted awake in a panic. I ignored his puzzled gaze—as if demanding an explanation despite having been napping—and tossed the key back to him before heading straight to Siegfried’s room.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Ariel. The one who bandaged your handkerchief earlier.”
“…Wait a moment.”
There was a brief rustling sound, and then the door opened halfway.
Siegfried appeared, his eyes bleary with drowsiness. It seemed I’d woken him. Even with his hair tousled like that, his looks were still absurdly stunning.
His expression was slightly disheveled as he blinked, unfocused. But as soon as his vision cleared and he saw me, his brows furrowed.
“…Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Two in the morning? But that’s not the important part right now.”
“It is important. Go to sleep.”
“Just a second!”
Siegfried tried to abruptly end the conversation and shut the door, but I quickly stuck my arm inside. He inhaled sharply, startled.
“What are you doing? You almost got yourself hurt.”
“Your Highness, have you ever borrowed money from anyone?”
“What?”
“Actually, I think I might’ve seen your portrait somewhere…”
“Go to sleep.”
Siegfried didn’t even bother to hide how annoyed he was.
I wanted to explain more about my encounter with Killian.
Killian had mistaken me for a maid of the count’s house and kept asking questions about the mansion. He even mentioned Siegfried, calling him a distinguished guest.
Siegfried had lost his carriage and entourage on the way south. Maybe he’d run out of money and borrowed some from Killian?
If so… could Killian be a loan shark?
…Probably not. Either way, someone was secretly looking for Siegfried, and this wasn’t something I could handle on my own. That’s why I came all the way here—to help the male lead a little.
“Wait, I met a strange man at the tavern—”
“So what? Are you planning to rant like a drunk?”
Siegfried looked completely uninterested in hearing what I had to say.
Please, just listen for a minute. Sob.
Despite the desperation in my eyes, he pushed me out and closed the door.
I knocked a few more times, but the door never opened again.
In the end, I had no choice but to return to my room. I changed into my pajamas and lay down on the bed, but I still couldn’t sleep—my curiosity kept me wide awake.
Why did Killian have a portrait of Siegfried? Was he also an important character in the novel?
But if that were the case, I should’ve remembered something about him when I met him. Was he just a background character? But then why would some extra be carrying around a prince’s portrait?
…I was still piecing things together when—
Something brushed past the half-open window, left ajar because of the heat.
“…What was that?”
I bolted upright. A ghost…? No way. Come on, seriously. Ghosts don’t exist.
I crept toward the window, clutching a candlestick in case it was a ghost—I was fully prepared to beat it. I poked my head out and looked around.
But, of course, there was nothing out there. No such thing as ghosts.
Relieved but still wary, I was about to close the window when—
Thud!
Someone suddenly clamped a hand over my mouth.
“Shh.”
The voice sounded oddly familiar. I blinked rapidly and soon recognized who it belonged to.
I glared at the man who had pushed past me and entered the room. After checking the surroundings with a sigh, he looked down at me in relief, then widened his eyes in surprise.
“We meet again.”
“Mmgh mmph!”
“Hm?”
He tilted his head, then removed his hand from my mouth.
“What did you say?”
“Let go and then I’ll talk!”
As I expected—it was Killian.
“Aha.”
“What do you mean, ‘aha’? What are you doing here?”
“What about you, Ariellia—what are you doing—”
“There he is! Get him!”
Killian’s words were drowned out by the loud shouts of knights approaching. He clicked his tongue in frustration and leapt out the window.
Moments later, knights holding torches appeared. Spotting me peeking out, they called out.
“My lady! Did you happen to see a suspicious person?”
“He went that way.”
I pointed exactly where Killian had disappeared into the darkness. The knights nodded politely, apologizing for disturbing me at such an hour, and took off in pursuit.
What in the world just happened? Any trace of sleep had now vanished completely.
I stood by the window, waiting to see if the knights would return, when I noticed something on the floor—several dark red bloodstains. …Could Killian have been injured?
Or maybe he hurt someone else?
But this place was guarded by knights. Then what the heck…? Just who is Killian? Is he actually some kind of assassin?
The knights returned a while later, muttering in frustration. It seemed they hadn’t caught him.
If I’d known this would happen, maybe I should’ve chased after him myself. I memorized all their faces. I’ll tell Abucion tomorrow to run them ragged in training.
Shaking my head, I finally went back to bed.
The next morning, I could feel the unusual tension in the air the moment I woke up. I quickly got dressed and stepped into the hallway.
Shortly after I left, a couple of maids entered the room to clean. They screamed when they saw the dried bloodstains.
“Kyaaa! My lady!”
“Oh, that’s not mine, so don’t worry.”
I popped the door open and reassured the panicked maids. They looked me over to confirm I wasn’t hurt, then teared up.
“We—we were so shocked…! We just heard this morning that an assassin broke in last night!”
“Really? That must’ve been scary.”
“How can you be so calm, my lady?! And what is that blood?!”
“Probably the assassin’s. Looked like his.”
“Pardon?!”
I left the fainting maids behind and headed downstairs.
By now, Siegfried should be piecing together what I told him last night. I planned to find him and smugly say, See? I told you so!
But first—I needed food. I was starving.
As I made my way toward the dining room, I noticed the parlor door slightly ajar. Were the maids cleaning in there? I dismissed the thought quickly, but just as I passed the door, a soft, pleasant voice halted my steps.
“…It must be Asa’s doing. Is anyone hurt?”
“Thankfully, no. Though it’s unfortunate that we have virtually no eyewitnesses of the intruder.”
They were discussing the mansion’s security.
The low, smooth voice belonged to Siegfried. The one answering his questions was Abucion.
I leaned against the wall, eavesdropping while wondering when I should walk in. Their conversation flowed without pause, making it hard to find a good moment.
Should I just eat and come back later?
BANG!
“Who’s been lurking outside all this time?!”
The parlor door slammed open, and Siegfried stormed out, clearly angry. Our eyes met a beat later. His violet eyes, barely containing his frustration, locked onto mine—and I flinched away from the wall.
His gaze followed my movement, and he raised a fine eyebrow.
“What are you doing here?”
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
I gave a sheepish smile and bowed awkwardly. Siegfried folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe, his posture exuding irritation.
