chapter 19
“State your identity.”
The knight guarding the front of the council chamber asked sternly.
At that, Elda replied with a bright smile.
“I’m Maid Elda. I’ve brought the refreshments requested by the head maid.”
The knight’s sharp gaze swept once over Elda’s face, then over the tray in her hands.
“Hm.”
Then naturally, his eyes landed on the man standing behind her.
It was Suon—disguised as a shabby laborer—holding a massive pile of firewood in both arms, so high it obscured his face.
The knight asked suspiciously,
“…And who is that behind you?”
“Oh, him?”
Elda introduced him calmly.
“He’s a firewood attendant named Shawn, called in along with me.”
“A firewood attendant? I don’t recall seeing a servant of that size in the main building.”
“As expected of a knight of the main hall! Your eye for detail is amazing! Actually, both Shawn and I work in the annex. We were called by Head Maid Olga to help out just for today. Right, Shawn?”
At Elda’s natural prompt, Suon silently nodded and recited his prepared line.
“They said… the meeting room is cold… so I brought additional firewood… brought it.”
“……”
“……”
Watching the situation unfold from inside Suon’s clothes, I almost bit my tongue.
‘…Suon. What is that terrible acting?’
It was amusing to discover that my usually perfect favorite had something he wasn’t good at—but unfortunately, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Sure enough, a reasonable suspicion began to form on the faces of the two knights.
“……”
“……”
As the uncomfortable silence stretched on, I slowly peeked my head out and braced myself.
‘If it comes to it… I’ll just knock them out with my fangirl skills!’
Just then, a commotion came from beyond the door.
“—!!!”
“—No—!”
It sounded like voices were being raised in anger.
“Oh! I think it’d be best to deliver the sweets and warm firewood quickly. If we delay any longer, not only us but even you knights might get dragged into trouble!”
At Elda’s words, the two knights exchanged stiff glances before stepping aside.
“…Very well. You may pass.”
Creak—.
As we entered, the shouting from beyond the curtain grew even louder.
“Well done, Maid Elda. Now go hide in a corner.”
“Yes, Miss Lin. I’m glad I could help!”
Instead of entering the meeting hall, Elda stepped aside near the door.
Before she moved away completely, I quietly stuffed a few of the snacks from the tray into my arms.
‘I’ll share these with Suon later.’
Looking up at him, I said,
“Alright, Suon. Shall we go?”
Suon nodded.
Then, setting down the pile of firewood he had been carrying, he strode straight into the meeting room.
Inside, several vassals were gathered around a large table, arguing chaotically.
“Even if we find another supplier starting today, there’s no way we can secure that much supply in such a short time!”
“Then what are we supposed to do? No one can guarantee when or how we’ll recover the lost supplies!”
“Let’s not get too heated and wait a little longer. Didn’t they say Her Grace has dispatched knights to search the entire territory?”
“I’ve been saying from the start that we should’ve assigned knights to escort the merchant group! But no one listened!”
“What do you take the Northern Knights for—street mercenaries? We’re already short-handed guarding the borders!”
At the head of the table, the Grand Duchess sat with a cold expression, tapping her fingers lightly.
Watching this, Suon said cynically,
“Seeing how things are going, there’s no reason to delay.”
Step. Step.
As Suon revealed himself, all eyes in the room turned toward us.
“Hmm? Who might you be?”
“How dare a mere servant—!”
“Wait… gray hair… and blue-gray eyes?”
The vassals’ gazes, initially filled with suspicion, gradually turned to shock.
“C-could it be…?!”
“The one from the annex…?!”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
The attention that had been focused on Suon shifted all at once to the Grand Duchess.
She, too, looked startled by his unexpected appearance, her cold expression tightening.
Suon gave her a perfunctory, insincere bow.
In the tense atmosphere, the Grand Duchess spoke in a cold voice.
“The young lord of the annex. If I recall correctly, you were advised to remain there for recuperation. Why have you appeared here?”
Her tone made it clear—you are not welcome.
But Suon ignored it and addressed the vassals instead.
“You’re looking for the supplies embezzled by Merchant Leader Noel, aren’t you?”
“…!!!”
“…!?”
At his words, the vassals’ eyes sharpened.
“How would the young lord of the annex know that?”
“Do you… know something about it?”
Suon pulled out two letters and tossed them onto the table.
“Evidence of the supplies’ location—and proof of the merchant leader’s fraud.”
“N-no—!”
“Is that true?!”
Several vassals shot to their feet in disbelief. The others, after glancing at the Grand Duchess, followed and began examining the letters.
A moment later—
“Th-this is…!”
Everyone looked at Suon in shock.
He continued coldly,
“Knight Garen Jade is still at the site. If you want to secure the supplies and detain the remaining culprits, you’d better dispatch knights immediately.”
With that, Suon turned to leave.
Seeing him try to exit so plainly, I panicked and whispered,
“Wait, Suon! You can’t just leave like this!”
He paused and looked at me.
“If we’re going to leave, we should at least make sure we get proper credit and a reward!”
“……”
Just then—
“Stop right there.”
The Grand Duchess’s voice cut through the room.
Suon turned back to face her.
She wore a faint, dangerous smile.
“Young lord of the annex, answer me. How did you obtain this information?”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“We’ve deployed knights across the entire territory and still found no leads. And yet, a young lord who has been resting in the annex somehow obtained all this?”
The atmosphere, which had been heating up, turned tense again.
Some vassals—likely on the Grand Duchess’s side—quickly added,
“Her Grace has a point. This is indeed suspicious.”
“Shouldn’t we first verify the authenticity of those letters?”
I frowned deeply.
‘Oh, I see. So now you’re trying to frame Suon?’
It seemed the Grand Duchess had no intention of letting Suon shine by solving the North’s problems.
“…Is that really what matters right now?”
Despite being interrogated, Suon’s tone remained cold and mocking.
“Before questioning the source and authenticity, shouldn’t you reconsider what the highest priority for the North is?”
His sharp reply caused a crack in the Grand Duchess’s smile.
She lowered her voice.
“Are you daring to lecture me on priorities? I, more than anyone, have the safety of this duchy in mind. That is why investigating a young lord suspected of conspiring with outsiders against the duchy’s interests takes precedence.”
She sneered at him as if he were an insignificant upstart.
“By the laws of the North, I order that the young lord of the annex be imprisoned in the underground dungeon. Immediately.”
“T-that’s…!”
“Hmm.”
The sudden escalation made the vassals exchange looks.
Those aligned with the Grand Duchess looked pleased, the neutral faction looked troubled, and others silently observed with sharp eyes.
Among them, an elderly elder spoke up courageously.
“Your Grace, with all due respect, accusing the bloodline of the late Grand Duke without due process is not right. It will set a dangerous precedent, both internally and externally.”
“Oh? Then how about you guarantee him—with your family and position on the line?”
“…That…”
The Grand Duchess dismissed him with a sneer and urged the knights again.
“What are you waiting for? Carry out the order.”
The knights guarding the room stepped forward with hostile intent.
They hadn’t drawn their swords, but their attitude already treated Suon like a criminal.
Peeking out, I clicked my tongue.
“Tsk. So we’re really doing this, huh?”
I had already expected things might turn out this way.
Then Suon’s voice came down quietly from above.
“Lin, don’t step in.”
It was a strict warning—too many eyes were watching.
I nodded quickly and lied,
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry, Suon.”
I cracked my knuckles.
Anyone who messed with my favorite… was going to regret it.
