“What is it?”
“Your Highness! It’sā¦ it’s a fire in the annex! The servants are putting out the fire now, Your Highness!”
Ashid’s eyes widened in surprise at the maid’s answer. He immediately ran toward the annex garden. There, he saw the building with thick black and acrid smoke billowing out, and knights and soldiers with buckets full of water running toward the fire. Fortunately, the fire had been mostly contained, with only a few embers left. Ashid’s sharp eyes carefully scrutinized the window from which the smoke was coming. It was Daniella’s bedroom.
“Your Highness!”
The butler, who had spotted Ashid, approached him and bowed. It seemed he had just come from putting out the fire, as his uniform was stained with soot and water. Ashid asked him in a cold voice, “Explain exactly what happened. Where did the fire start? What was the cause?”
“According to the maids’ testimonies, the fire started in the kitchen on the first floor. A maid put a kettle on the fire to boil water for tea but seems to have forgotten about it. The fire then spread to the second floor.”
“ā¦A fire that started in the kitchen spread to the Grand Duchess’s bedroom?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ashid looked at the burnt annex with a suspicious gaze. Since Daniella’s bedroom was directly above the annex kitchen, it wasn’t a completely unbelievable situation, but he was still suspicious. After all, Daniella’s bedroom was specially furnished with fire-resistant materials. No matter how strong the fire was, the furniture and carpets should have only been slightly charred. The fact that it was all burnt down meant that someone had tampered with Daniella’s bedroom beforehand.
‘Ha.’
Ashid let out a chilling, empty laugh to himself. He could easily guess who had dared to pull such a stunt in his townhouse.
‘It must be Duke Rodian or Marquis Cadogan. Or a plot by one of their underlings.’
The ‘gift’ he had sent to Marquis Cadogan a few days ago seemed to have been well-received. Still, to commit such an act in Daniella’s annex, of all places… Ashid, enraged, curled one corner of his mouth into a sneer and commanded the butler, “As soon as the fire is completely out, begin an investigation into this matter.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And the maid who started this fire, as well as everyone who is friends with her, should be immediately kicked out of the mansion.”
“ā¦Pardon? A-everyone?”
“Yes. Even if it was an accident, I can’t keep someone who almost put my wife in danger in my mansion. ā¦And I can’t rule out the possibility that she intentionally started this fire.”
“ā¦I see. I understand what you’re saying. I’ll kick them out and find out if anyone has approached them recently.”
The butler replied with a hardened face. Ashid nodded slightly and opened his mouth again. “Also, reinforce and thoroughly repair the main building and the Grand Duchess’s bedroom in it. There’s no law saying what happened in the annex today can’t happen in the main building.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Finally, make sure our conversation doesn’t reach the Grand Duchess’s ears. If she asks, tell her that today’s incident was just a simple ‘accident.'”
Daniella had just been attacked and injured by assassins a few days ago. There was no need to give her something else to worry about by telling her unconfirmed facts. Ashid thought so as he turned and headed back to the main building. He intended to see his beloved wife once more before returning to his duties.
A Faint Blush
Upon returning to the bedroom, Ashid told Daniella about the fire in the annex. Daniella, without much suspicion, believed him. With a face full of concern, she asked him, “Was anyone hurt?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief.”
Daniella sighed in relief and continued, “By the way, it seems I won’t be able to return to the annex even after I’ve fully recovered.”
“Are you disappointed by that?”
Slightly annoyed, Ashid asked her with a frown. It wasn’t like they were sharing the same bed; they were just in different rooms with a single door between them, yet she seemed to dislike even that.
Daniella shook her head, denying it. “No. It’s not thatā¦ It doesn’t matter to me, but I thought it might be inconvenient for Your Highness. You used to have this entire building to yourself, but now I’m using the bedroom and the reception roomā¦”
Ashid cut her off and said flatly, “It’s fine.”
“ā¦Pardon?”
“I’m not uncomfortable. Not at all.”
He reaffirmed his answer to the perplexed Daniella. Then, looking directly at her, he said, “It’s quite amusing to be with you. Even if it’s a little noisy.”
He was still unfamiliar with himself, whose mind and heart became simultaneously noisy whenever he saw Daniella. Still, being with her was enjoyable. He didn’t get tired of it. He wished this time could continue forever. Even if her heart wasn’t with him right now, Ashid hid his feelings and reached out to gently caress her long hair.
“So don’t worry about me and just keep staying here.”
He wanted to force her to stay in this bedroom if he could. He wanted to confess his one-sided love and ask her to accept his heart. But he couldn’t do that. He wanted to accommodate her as much as possible and not do anything she would dislike. Because then, her heart, which was with Adrian, might slightly turn toward him. If there was such a possibility, Ashid wanted to believe in it and do his best.
He held back his growing desire for her and briefly kissed the strands of her hair wrapped around his fingertips. “Well, I should be going now. You rest well.”
With those words, Ashid released Daniella’s hair and got up. He had a lot of work piled up, and he hid his regret behind an impassive face and quickly walked away. He felt that if he didn’t, he would never be able to leave this bedroom.
“ā¦Okay. Take care.”
Daniella stared blankly at Ashid’s receding back. A moment later, she was left alone, cupping her hands over her flushed cheeks.
“What is it with him? Why is he acting like thatā¦?”
She mumbled to herself, involuntarily replaying his words and actions.
A Despicable Betrayer
A few days later, Daniella, who had recovered, sat by the window and unfolded a letter that had arrived from the Aceland estate. The documents they found were letters exchanged between Duke Enchant and a maid from the Empress’s palace, as well as a letter between the Duke and Cyril Auburn.
[ā¦There are a total of five passages from outside to inside the Empress’s palace. Only one of them leads to the Empress’s bedroom, but the head maid won’t tell me, saying it’s confidential. If I can find out that passage, we can carry out the plan on the day Prince Ashid is staying in the Empress’s palace. ā¦- To Duke Enchant. Mrs. Bernard.]
[ā¦Unlike the young duke, I believe Your Grace will generously compensate those who have helped you. Please send the promised 3,000 gold coins through the spy in the North next month. Of course, you can add more if you’d like. ā¦- To Duke Enchant. Count Auburn.]
“ā¦You crazy bastard.”
She had only thought that he encouraged and instigated Ashid’s evil deeds, but it turned out he was a traitor who had sided with the Empress and Duke Enchant. Daniella cursed under her breath and crumpled the letter.
‘Gray said that after Ashid found out that he was giving him false reports and trying to kill me, he killed all of his family and servants with his own hands before jumping out the window. ā¦Like a betrayer, he just kept causing trouble until the very end.’
She couldn’t help but feel sorry for and pity Ashid, who had trusted such a man without knowing. Daniella moved her gaze in disapproval and glared at Mrs. Bernard’s letter.
How did her father even get these letters?! I understand him having his OWN letters, but these ? Where did they come from? How did he get them?