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“Who are you?”
“We are friends of Lady Alicia. If you show her this, she will understand.”
From inside the carriage, Alicia opened the door and stepped down.
“My lady—”
“My lady, where are you going…!”
Daisy and Annie tried to stop her, but Alicia was much quicker.
Juan, realizing what was happening behind him, took the handkerchief the masked figure held out.
Alicia approached, looked over the handkerchief once, and said,
“Clear the area.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
At Juan’s signal, the knights maintaining the perimeter stepped back.
“You too, step aside.”
“Lady Alicia…”
“This won’t take long.”
Juan slowly backed away under Alicia’s confident gaze.
With a wave of her hand, she urged him even farther back.
Only when Juan had moved a good distance away did Alicia turn to the two figures.
“Master Pelmen. Congratulations on becoming the Master of Croa.”
“Thank you, milady.”
Alicia was curious where the key to the master’s room had been.
She also wanted to know what hardships had come with finding it—but she stayed silent.
She simply congratulated the girl who had finally faced a pain she had avoided for eight years.
Alicia’s smile faded as she asked,
“How did you know I’d be passing through here today?”
Celebration was celebration—but questions needed answers.
“……”
Bran and Judith exchanged glances and stood.
Bran disappeared into the shadows, and Judith spoke in a hushed voice.
“Milady. The ones who attacked the villa today were hired by Count Combat. We detected the attack targeting the villa and tried to contact you, but I was too late.”
Judith’s voice was soft.
Even sweet, her whisper was kind and gentle.
“Count Combat?”
“Count Bill Combat has two daughters. He had been pushing for a marriage between his second daughter, Lily Combat, and His Grace the Grand Duke of Tessen. But since His Grace became engaged to you much earlier than planned, the Count likely wanted to remove you and install his daughter in your place. Tessen is a harsh land, so they probably intended to disguise it as an accident.”
Lily Combat had originally been Reichardt Tessen’s sixth wife.
Due to the changed circumstances, it seemed she had acted faster than before.
“What’s the price for this information?”
“Price? No, not at all. We’re telling you this because we’re your friends now, milady. Though I’m ashamed we were late.”
There was a strange cheerfulness in Judith’s voice.
It made Alicia wonder if they had known in advance but purposely arrived late.
It felt like if the mask came off, a giggling face would appear underneath.
“I really want to smack you with a fan.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, did I say something?”
While Alicia and Judith were chatting, Bran returned.
Beside him were several more masked individuals.
They dropped off enemies wearing similar assassin gear, then vanished into the shadows again.
There were six bodies lying on the roadside.
“These were the strike team. We didn’t catch the arsonists. The strike team’s mission was likely to capture, not kill, but their skills were far above expectations, and we failed to apprehend them.”
“Are these your gifts to commemorate becoming Croa’s friend?”
“Yes, indeed.”
Judith was about to formally offer something, but Alicia spoke first.
“Thank you. Next time you get information, I hope you’ll pass it along sooner, Master Pelmen. I’d like to commission you to track the movements of six houses: Greitz, Heronimo, Strahl, Morrow, Kopf, and Combat. The price doesn’t matter—name any amount.”
At the mention of those houses, Judith’s expression hardened.
“Commission? It’s not a job—it’s a favor for a friend of Croa.”
“Don’t be late.”
“I won’t. Oh, and the embroidery with the custom design you gave me—it should be finished by spring. The deposit is ten thousand gold, and it’ll be fifty thousand once complete.”
It was an outrageous price for embroidery.
“……”
Alicia stared at Judith in silence.
“My embroidery is expensive. I’m a certified successor of traditional techniques. And the design is super difficult.”
Even with the mask on, it was obvious Judith was smirking and teasing.
Alicia reached into her cloak and then pulled her hand back.
She held a small pouch.
She casually handed it over to Judith.
Judith flinched slightly but pretended not to be surprised as she accepted it.
“It’s Grey Pearl sea pearls. There are fifteen pieces inside—should be worth at least thirty thousand gold. Use the rest for snacks.”
Judith’s hand holding the pouch became noticeably more polite.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Until next time, Master Pelmen.”
As Judith approached the forest, Bran and the masked figures came to escort her.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Alicia turned to Juan.
He was standing at a distance, but their eyes met instantly.
Alicia gave a small nod.
Juan immediately walked over to her.
“Throw it into the villa tower.”
Alicia said quietly as she returned to the carriage.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Juan stood before the collapsed masked figure and responded.
No detailed orders were necessary.
As Alicia boarded the carriage, the soldiers under Juan’s command loaded the masked attackers into the cargo wagon.
“We’ll resume our journey.”
Juan returned to Alicia’s side and spoke.
Alicia nodded silently.
“Move out!”
With a loud command, the group resumed their route toward Tessen’s main castle.
Alicia exhaled slowly.
Her body swayed gently with the motion of the carriage.
She looked at the handkerchief she still held and let out another deep breath.
Many things were changing.
Someone who should have died was now alive.
And perhaps, somewhere unknown to her, someone who should have lived had died.
She felt like she was passing through a pivotal point.
More changes were sure to come.
Amid the subtle tremble in her heart, Alicia exhaled once more.
The fire at Lilizet Villa caused a major stir.
Fortunately, it was extinguished within twenty minutes.
Only the outer wall of the villa’s tower was slightly damaged, and overall damage was minimal.
There were no reported casualties.
The Grand Duke of Tessen claimed it had been an accident caused by negligence, but no one believed him.
The people of Tessen were shocked that a fire had even occurred at the villa.
Though only part of the noble residence was affected, they mourned the damage.
They also feared the misfortune that had befallen the future Grand Duchess.
The Grand Duke had often been attacked.
Though he never lost a battle or a war, death and suffering always trailed beside him.
That’s why people pitied the woman betrothed to him.
When the Imperial Family bestowed glory and splendor upon the future Grand Duchess, there had been envy and jealousy, but mostly concern.
They had foreseen this very misfortune.
And in the end, cruel disaster did strike the poor Grand Duchess of Tessen.
“Her Highness, the Grand Duchess, who’s said to be as angelic as they come—why did she have to get engaged to the Grand Duke…”
“Such a pitiful woman. Tessen is truly no place for people to live.”
“They call it the Land of Death for a reason. For a fire to reach Her Highness… tsk tsk.”
Under the bitter gazes directed toward Tessen, the worry and sorrow of its citizens deepened.
The calmest person regarding the fire at Lilizet Villa was Reichardt.
When told there were no casualties, he said that was enough.
Still, he ordered that the arsonists be tracked and eliminated, and for a solid preventive plan to be devised.
The aftermath of the fire was not so simple.
The outer wall of the Emerald Tower had been blackened.
The 300-year-old arborvitae trees planted around the tower had all burned down, leaving the villa staff disheartened.
They were grateful the fire had been discovered quickly, but ashamed it had happened at all.
It could have been a major disaster.
Had anything happened to the future Grand Duchess staying at the villa, no one wanted to imagine the consequences.
They felt they would never have forgiven themselves if something had gone wrong.
Alicia, on the other hand, remained unfazed about having been the target of a fire attack.
She felt relieved when told that restoring the damaged tower would take time but was not difficult.
Meanwhile, a group of anxious faces had gathered at the front of Tessen’s main castle, peeking in with worried expressions for Alicia.
She was surprised by their reaction.
Henrik had told her the visitors would be happy just to see that she was well, so Alicia went out onto the tower terrace near the outer wall and waved to them.
Since Reichardt had become Grand Duke of Tessen, this was the first time the outdoor terrace had been opened.
The small clusters of people quietly peering inside suddenly swelled in size.
Alicia was even more surprised.
She wondered—who was she to receive all this attention?
She continued waving from the terrace for a while.
When Alicia finally finished greeting the people and stepped into the dining room, Reichardt was under siege.
On his right were Henrik and Jamie; on his left, Connie.
He was surrounded by the Rens family, with Roderick and Juan standing politely in front of him.
At first glance, it looked like the two knights were giving a report to the Grand Duke.
But a closer look revealed that they were bombarding him with a non-stop stream of words.
They chimed in with each other so frequently that Reichardt’s expression had turned ice cold.
Dinner itself was peaceful.
Though Reichardt’s attendants frequently glanced at him, it was a calm meal.
Reichardt ignored the countless eyes discreetly watching him.
Once the meal was over and tea was served—
“Lady Alicia.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
Reichardt spoke without lifting his gaze from the teacup.
“Until repairs at Lilizet Villa are complete, how about staying here at the main castle? With the construction ongoing, outsiders will come and go, making security difficult.”
“I’ll do that. I’d like that.”
Alicia replied with a smile.
‘This means I can go hunting every day!’
“Stay with your attendants in the Tech House. Henrik and Connie will guide you on how to use it. Also, starting in two days, access to the Breguet House will be restricted. Please refrain from leaving the Tech House as much as possible.”
Reichardt’s stern words brought silence to the dining room.
Alicia froze momentarily.
As others fell into thought, she blurted out in a panic—
“Huh? Then, can I not… take a… walk?”
She had almost said “go hunting.”
Reichardt, watching her, let out a faint chuckle.
“You won’t be able to, even if you want to.”
As he said this, his smile deepened.
It wasn’t a smile filled solely with joy, pleasure, or happiness.
It carried ambiguity.
“Your Grace?”
Like a child deprived of a toy, Alicia called to Reichardt with a pout.
She had finally gotten to stay at the main castle—yet no hunting?
She didn’t want to believe it.
“Alicia.”
“Yes?”
“Be sure to lock your door when you sleep.”
She responded quickly to his call, only to receive a completely unrelated warning.
“Yes…”
Alicia replied flatly.
“I haven’t finished my work, so I’ll return to my office. I’m glad you’re unharmed. You must be tired from the sudden move, so please rest.”
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