Chapter 21
“Laslo!”
Priscilla was staring at Laslo with a face as pale as a ghost. Or rather, her eyes were fixed on his hand, which was tightly gripping Kain’s neck.
Fearing that Laslo might apply even the slightest additional force, Priscilla didn’t dare step into the room. She swallowed hard, involuntarily. Behind her, the three Owls, guards disguised as maids, were clutching small, concealed weapons in their hands.
But Laslo showed no reaction.
“How annoying you are, Priscilla.”
At those words, Priscilla felt a surge of anger ripple through her veins for the first time. No matter how vile Laslo was, she had never expected him to stoop to this level. Seeing him use a child as a tool was entirely different from merely imagining it.
“Release Cain now!”
“You dare give me orders?”
“…”
“Priscilla.”
“…Please.”
“Well, well, I’ve lived to see the day when you bow before me, Priscilla.”
Priscilla, who had always been haughty and proud.
She resembled his noble partner, which was why Laslo had kept her by his side. And now, here was Priscilla, bowing before him.
Laslo, who had never expected her—who always cared so much about her pride—to stoop so low, raised the corner of his mouth in a mocking smile.
Priscilla, bowing for the sake of a child. That alone was enough to make her reconsider her actions.
“You’ve given me quite an amusing spectacle.”
“…”
“Don’t try to destroy my family again.”
Priscilla’s hands, as she bowed her head, were clenched tightly. Laslo saw this and let out a soft laugh, then released his grip on Cain’s neck. Priscilla let out a sigh of relief, her suppressed breath finally escaping.
But Laslo was still standing in front of the child.
Priscilla bit her teeth hard.
‘How did he know?’
Had he discovered that she was hiding three Owl assassins under the guise of maids? Or that she was plotting with Erika to remove him?
What exactly did he know?
Priscilla gripped her dress tightly, the soft fabric crumpling under her force.
‘I need to drive him out before he takes further steps.’
That was what Priscilla had to do now. To achieve that, Erika needed to act decisively.
Erika, who shared Laslo’s blood.
Laslo’s daughter, who was skilled at setting traps with precision. Thus, Erika’s alliance with Priscilla meant she had already devised a meticulous plan.
She needed to figure it out quickly to deliver a decisive blow to Laslo during the regular meeting.
Laslo was domineering, but he showed some leniency toward Erika. Priscilla planned to use Erika as a weapon.
‘I need to talk to Erika.’
At the very least, she needed to know how to proceed.
Originally, Priscilla had planned to set the stage herself, but the situation was different now.
It would be better for Erika to act than for Priscilla to move herself.
Tap, tap.
Priscilla halted her thoughts at the sound of footsteps and raised her head. Her face reflected a mix of relief and anger. She thought Laslo was finally leaving Cain’s room.
But Laslo was still standing in place, looking at Priscilla with an amused expression.
Or rather, he was looking at Erika, who had just arrived behind Priscilla.
Laslo smiled elegantly and took a step forward.
“Have you finished everything I ordered you to do, Erika?”
“…The palace was in chaos, so I stopped what I was doing and came, Father.”
“So, you disobeyed my orders?”
“I feared something had happened to you, so I rushed here, but it seems that wasn’t necessary.”
Laslo laughed. Erika smiled with the same elegance.
What a perfectly matching smile.
* * *
The chaos was only just beginning.
‘Yes, it’s time to start.’
On her way here, Erika had heard the details of the incident from Ril. Of course, Ril had rushed over at the start of the events, but he had managed to grasp the situation in general.
And when she faced the situation herself, it became even clearer.
The chaos was like a drop of water falling into a calm sea. The ripples gradually spread until they became a raging wave. A powerful, massive wave, difficult for those unprepared to withstand.
Everyone in the Ginever family sensed it instinctively.
The father had threatened Cain. That alone was enough to spark rumors among the palace servants. No matter how loyal the servants were to Priscilla or how well-trained they were to keep secrets.
As they say, the birds hear the words of the day, and the rats hear the words of the night.
Even if Priscilla caught every rat, there was bound to be some foolish servant in the palace trying to cling to Laslo’s coattails. Or perhaps an ever-watchful eye planted by Laslo himself.
‘Everyone is busy spreading gossip with caution.’
It was better for chaos to reign than for calm to prevail. That way, important matters could be covered up more easily.
At the very least, the truth of her alliance with Priscilla needed to remain hidden.
So, for now, she had to openly ignore Priscilla in front of her father. That wasn’t difficult.
She and Priscilla had always ignored each other, and even after their alliance, that behavior wouldn’t change.
Erika quickly scanned the room. Cain’s eyes were red, indicating he had faced a real threat. Erika took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on her father.
“…Why is everyone in this room? Was there an attempt to kill the child?”
“Well, there was no such thing when I arrived.”
“Then we should strengthen the palace’s security. With skilled knights.”
“…And that’s your opinion?”
“Isn’t Alpha precious? He must be protected.”
And who should he be protected from, Father?
At her words, Laslo laughed and took another step toward her. Then he nodded toward Cain.
“Who do you intend to appoint to guard this room, Erika?”
“…Someone I trust.”
Laslo glanced at Ril standing behind her and gestured toward him. Erika didn’t bother turning around, instead staring directly at her father.
“Do you intend to appoint this knight?”
“Ril is someone I trust.”
“Then do it.”
“Very well.”
Laslo backed off more easily than she expected. He looked between her and Priscilla, then left Cain’s room with a mocking smile.
Something was suspicious.
‘He’s not the type to let go of his suspicions so easily.’
He was definitely still suspicious. Erika frowned and turned to Ril.
“Ril, you heard, didn’t you?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“I’m counting on you for a while.”
“Understood.”
Ril nodded lightly, then entered the room and began speaking with the maid there.
Erika turned to look at Priscilla, who hadn’t said a word since her arrival.
“Priscilla.”
“…Yes, Erika.”
“We’ll talk about this later.”
Meaning, stay quiet in your room until the regular meeting is held. My intention was to visit you at the right time.
Priscilla understood my words, covered her eyes with her hand for a moment, then nodded.
“You mean I should repent for my actions. This time, my mistake was significant, so I’ll follow your words obediently.”
She meant she would wait quietly in her room.
I nodded toward the three maids behind Priscilla. The three moved in unison, supporting Priscilla as she left.
Finally, the chaos subsided. Now, only I remained in front of Cain’s room.
“Phew…”
God, how exhausting.
In a short time, I had thought so much that I felt a headache coming on. I pressed my forehead hard with my hand. Did I have a fever? Or was my hand cold? My forehead felt hot under my hand.
‘What did I do to feel this exhausted?’
I took a deep breath, gave Ril a light nod, and headed to my room. I felt Mary following me quietly from behind. I didn’t know when Mary had gotten so close to me, but it seemed my attention had been entirely focused on my father and Priscilla.
“…Mary.”
“Yes, my lady. You’re exhausted today.”
“…Yes.”
But the good thing is that there are people I trust in this family. I closed my eyes and rotated my neck in a full circle. To ease the headache and shake off the drowsiness creeping in after the tension subsided.
“My lady, shall I give you a massage today?”
“Oh, would you?”
“You worked outside the house today and went through a lot of papers, so your neck and shoulders must be stiff.”
“So that’s why I was feeling this stiffness?”
“Of course! I’m great at massages, aren’t I?”
Mary, well, was very good at massages. At first, she wasn’t at all. But for some reason, the more she practiced, the better she got, until I couldn’t relieve my stiffness without her massages.
‘Surely, I had a hand in developing Mary’s skill.’
I trained every day and came back with muscle aches all over my body, so the most Mary could do was give me massages.
And now, that “most” was a source of great happiness.
Yes, just endure a little longer.
That determination gave me the will to keep going. And now, I found myself renewing that determination.
In my room, the papers were still piled up as they were. Mary and I sighed at the same time.
“My lady, let me massage you first.”
“Alright, let’s do it.”
Because I’ll be spending the night dealing with papers, it seems sleep won’t be in my future.
And there are things to think about.
When and how should I visit Priscilla?
