Chapter – 04
“As expected. He’s sent his men out to find Evelyn.”
“The Marquis Hetheus sent people? Even though it’s obvious it could be a trap?”
“Yes. There are traces everywhere showing he’s deployed his forces.”
“So that means…”
“He wants to find Evelyn at any cost.”
At first, the marriage seemed like a mere formality, but it turned out their connection ran deeper than expected. Just as Hans had said, it was good that Evelyn had been brought along.
“Will it be alright? The Marquis Hetheus is ruthless. If he finds out you’re keeping her…”
“Don’t worry. I know him better than anyone.”
Though her face was hidden behind a mask and robe, she had clashed swords with the marquis several times.
Unlike Casian, who had been trained properly in swordsmanship, the Marquis Hetheus’ fighting style was wild and unrefined.
In strength, Casian had the advantage, but technically, the marquis was one step ahead. He exploited gaps in Casian’s defense with fluid, varied techniques.
Even though it was a battle, it felt like a playful duel. If only he weren’t an enemy… If only he could be recruited.
But for the stability of the empire, the Marquis Hetheus had to be captured.
“How is Evelyn’s condition?”
“She’s past the worst. Thankfully, her recovery is fast. Otherwise, she would have died by now.”
At this moment, she could move around, but when first seen, she had been on the brink of death. She would still need steady care, but the immediate danger had passed.
Matthew’s chest tightened as he recalled the terrifying moment. After finishing the remaining records, he handed the parchment to Casian.
Casian’s eyes stopped at one line in the medical record.
“Her veins are blocked… Does Evelyn have some kind of special ability?”
Blocking veins is generally done to seal someone’s power. But Evelyn showed no trace of aura or magical energy. She was just a frail lady.
Whatever the reason, she had to recover. She was too valuable to not be used at the right time.
“Cost doesn’t matter. Make sure she recovers.”
At around the same time.
“Marquis, there’s a reply from the intelligence request.”
The knight’s voice echoed across the grand hall.
Those inside the door fell silent, then nodded in approval.
“Let him in.”
At the marquis’ command, Mode hesitated before stepping through the door. As a low-ranking agent sent by the head of intelligence, Mode had come alone to the criminal guild run by the Marquis Hetheus, clutching the parchment and trembling.
“Do I really have to go in?”
“Then who will?”
A look of disdain was thrown at him, as if he were an insect on the street. With no choice, Mode forced his shaking legs to move and stepped inside.
The guildmaster’s office reflected the long time spent by the marquis: a space full of grandeur. Diamond-studded candlesticks, ebony desks, neatly arranged high-quality parchment and ink, pens of every kind—all priceless.
“Bring it here.”
The man seated on the high chair gave a gentle smile and a slight nod.
Though it seemed benevolent, Mode felt his fear deepen. Carefully, he placed the parchment in the man’s hands, then scrambled back and prostrated himself on the floor.
The man’s voice grew deeper as he read the report.
“Another failure?”
Crack.
He crumpled the parchment, stood, and approached Mode.
“Do you think I gave you fifty thousand crowns just to bring me this?”
“We tried! But the results—ugh!”
“Effort doesn’t matter. What matters is bringing me my Bel.”
Bel. His fiancée, Evelyn.
He grabbed Mode’s jaw and summoned the knight who had been outside.
“Take him to the basement.”
“Yes, boss.”
“W-wait! Let me contact the boss again!”
“Don’t worry. He’ll get the same treatment.”
Mode’s desperate pleas went unheard as the man locked the door and returned to his desk.
He opened a drawer with a click. Inside was a portrait of Evelyn.
He took it out, carefully caressed the frame, and muttered softly.
“Bel… where are you?”
“Ma’am~ How are you today?”
“Any headaches, or has anything come back to mind?”
As Evelyn’s dedicated maids, Rose and Mary bombarded her with questions as soon as they saw her.
Tilting her head, Evelyn replied calmly.
“Well… I don’t really know.”
“Hmmm, I see.”
“Oh dear, another failure today, I guess.”
The two’s shoulders slumped. They had received a secret mission.
A few days ago:
“Mary, Rose. I have an important mission for you.”
Summoned with serious faces, the girls swallowed hard and waited.
“This mission is very important. Complete it, and you will be promoted to full maids with pay increased fivefold.”
“F-five times?”
“Yes! Enough to live comfortably for two years!”
“You can refuse. But if you do, you must take a memory-erasing potion and return as if nothing happened.”
They could either keep the secret and earn a fortune or erase their memory and go home.
After some hesitation, Mary and Rose accepted.
“We’ll do it!”
“Me too!”
No matter how hard it would be, they had to complete it for the promotion and the fivefold pay.
“Currently, the Selrdian princess is staying on the third floor of the main building.”
“What?”
“She believes she is the wife of the Marquis Hetheus.”
“E-e-e?”
The news hit them like a storm.
“The northern witch is here?”
“The villain who laid waste to the south pretending to be the mistress?”
Hoping it was false, the grim expression on Sophia’s face offered no relief.
“So, the princess and the Marquis are pretending to be a married couple?”
“Oh, how romantic!”
“Rose! Focus! This is not a novel! We must deceive the princess and capture the Marquis Hetheus!”
“But… it’s wrong to do that to a woman who already has a partner!”
“…Sometimes, for the greater good, it must be done.”
“The most important thing is the Hetheus family. Remember that, Mary! And Rose!”
Sophia’s warning concluded, and she dismissed the two.
Forced into service as Evelyn’s attendants, Mary and Rose now scrutinized her with sharp eyes.
“Hmmm… I wonder what’s for breakfast today?”
Despite all this, Evelyn remained completely at ease.
“Ma’am, really, nothing comes to mind?”
“Not a thing?”
She couldn’t give the same answer every day, so the maids meticulously noted everything, trying to extract clues.
Evelyn rested her chin in thought, then smiled brightly.
“Nope. Nothing.”
Mary and Rose’s hopeful faces fell in disappointment.
“Is that so…”
“Another failure today, I guess.”
Seeing them disappointed made Evelyn feel the same.
‘I guess I should be glad I can at least read and write.’
She scratched her cheek awkwardly, and the maids eagerly pulled out parchment to record every detail of her day.
“Oh, you’re scratching your cheek!”
“Quick, write it down!”
Evelyn’s smile grew.
‘Casian really likes me, doesn’t he?’
Though he couldn’t visit often due to work, he still received updates on her life through the maids.
Now, where could Casian be?
“Where’s my darling?”
“Your darling? You mean the Marquis?”
“Mary… My darling isn’t anyone but Casian.”
“Ha-ha, of course.”
“Then why did you let go of my hand, Mary?”
