Chapter 25
“…Why do you want them?”
Priscilla slowly opened her fan and hid her expression behind it. But no matter how hard she tried to conceal it, her shock had flashed across her face for a moment, and even if it vanished quickly, it didn’t escape me.
I turned my gaze to the three Owls standing behind Priscilla.
The Owls might look foolish during the day, but at night they transformed into terrifying predators. Fast, never missing their target, and more often than not, professional killers.
In other words, their abilities as assassins were outstanding.
‘They can hide in darkness, erase their presence, and their individual skills are extraordinary.’
That’s why I needed to test their capabilities. It would help me prepare for any future emergencies.
And I also needed to know just how loyal they were to Priscilla.
If their relationship with her was purely transactional, I might be able to win over these precious Owls for myself.
‘Mary would be discovered the moment she left my side. Ril is too large; he’d be noticed immediately. Arin too. And Kob is currently busy working in Father’s office.’
With a shortage of people who could operate in the shadows, if these Owls joined me, everything would become much easier. So I would use them to test both their loyalty and their skills.
And to disrupt Father’s plans as well.
I shifted my gaze back to Priscilla and slowly drew a smile.
“I have a job for them.”
“…Be more specific, Erika.”
“You seem to have forgotten, so focused are you on Father, that the fox will arrive soon. Shouldn’t we prepare?”
“…Ah, how careless of me. I completely forgot about that fox for a moment.”
Yes, Delamont. I had forgotten about that fox.
Priscilla repeated his name slowly several times. Then she lowered her fan and smiled innocently, as though covering her displeasure with a bright expression.
And no wonder.
Delamont, Father’s long-time aide and his only friend. He had contributed greatly to the affairs of House Ginever. Thus, despite being merely an aide, he wielded power nearly equal to the family head. But that didn’t last.
Because…
‘Three years ago, his health suddenly deteriorated, and he left for treatment.’
He had aged alongside Father, yet Delamont had always been frail. I remember the palace always kept his medicine on hand.
He could have retired due to his health, but he loved Ginever.
Or rather…
‘He loved using Father to wield power.’
Especially after Mother’s death, his arrogance had grown worse. Father knew of his excesses but turned a blind eye.
That was why Delamont enjoyed tormenting me, the sole heir, and amused himself by insulting Priscilla.
Neither Priscilla nor I could stand him.
But beyond our personal hatred, there was another reason he must not be allowed into the palace.
‘His authority is far too great to be called merely Father’s right arm.’
Thus, he must be prevented from attending the regular meeting and supporting Father’s opinions. Even after being away from the family for three years, some of the elders still feared him. There was no need to provoke the elders Priscilla had already persuaded.
In short…
“We must clip the fox’s wings before he rules like a king.”
I looked at Priscilla as I spoke. Her bright smile had vanished.
“Very well. But I can handle this myself. There’s no need to lend you my daughters.”
“There’s another matter, Priscilla.”
Priscilla took a sip of her cold tea and covered her face with her fan again, her eyes fixed on me.
“Tell me what it is.”
“One of my men is guarding Cain, so I’m short-handed. Ril is my most trusted knight.”
“…I see.”
“Don’t you think so?”
“…Take them, then. But make sure you deal with the fox.”
“Is there any doubt?”
“I trust you, Erika.”
Priscilla’s voice was calm as always. But the hand gripping the armrest was pale from the force, as was the one holding the fan.
I looked at her for a moment, then raised my eyes to the three Owls and nodded slightly. They bowed to me and left the room.
‘What quick understanding.’
If I returned to my room now, they would already be waiting there. That was what my nod meant.
I glanced at Priscilla once more, then left her room.
I needed to move quickly to set a trap for the fox.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the Hydra caravan, activity was in full swing.
People were energetically loading boxes filled with goods onto the wagons. The previous gloomy atmosphere had vanished, replaced by lively voices. Whether they were checking the merchandise or carrying it, smiles filled everyone’s faces.
Only one person was scowling.
That was Didier, who had been watching all of this alongside Adrian from early morning until sunset.
Days had passed since Didier arrived at the Hydra caravan, yet all he had done was read books in the room Adrian had given him. He showed neither boredom nor complaint.
But Didier, as a guest of the Hydra caravan and Erika’s future fiancé, was not someone who should be left alone.
So Payt, Adrian’s secretary, had suggested to Adrian:
– Don’t neglect your guest too much. Even if you don’t like him, he’s a guest she asked you to take care of.
– When did I say I don’t like him, Payt?
– Really, you seem far too interested. Someone might think you want to kill him. Anyway, what if she hears we neglected him?
– Ah, that would be annoying.
After thinking for a long while, Adrian pointed at Payt, who approached, blinking curiously.
– Let’s do this. I’m going to inspect the goods being sent to Erika. He can come with me.
– Oh, brilliant idea! I’ll bring him right away!
It was a disaster for solitude-loving Didier, who had woken before dawn.
And now…
Didier was following Adrian like a shadow, casting indifferent glances at goods that held no interest for him, repeating the same thing countless times.
Adrian knew Didier was bored. So he deliberately inspected things that didn’t need checking two or three times, intentionally dragging out the time, curious to see Didier’s reaction.
But Didier remained sullen and silent. Adrian grew bored first and spoke.
“Normally, our caravan supplies most of the goods to House Ginever. No other caravan can match our delivery capacity. But since it’s for Erika, we have to be thorough.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. That’s why Erika keeps me by her side.”
“…From now on, I will be the one by her side.”
Adrian laughed loudly, then grabbed something from a box and tossed it to Didier. Didier looked at it in confusion.
“Do you know what this is?”
Didier examined the object. It was a small box. When he opened it, a sparkling gem lay inside.
“If you truly want to stand by her side, shouldn’t you at least have a ring to put on her finger?”
“…”
“You didn’t even think to prepare something like this.”
Didier frowned, snapped the box shut, and threw it back to Adrian, who caught it skillfully and returned it to its place.
“If you want, I can arrange one for you.”
“I have plenty of these at home.”
“Really? Very well, then.”
Adrian smiled mysteriously. The gem he had shown was a rare magic stone.
Adrian’s curiosity about Didier’s home, which apparently possessed such jewels, grew. His eyes gleamed, then he tossed another item to Didier.
“Then how about this one?”
“…”
Didier caught the box and opened it. His eyes widened. He fell silent and stared at the gem inside.
It was a jewel that shimmered with a silvery light, as though it contained strands of Erika’s hair.
Adrian spoke first.
“I’ll give you this one specially. It’s no use to me.”
“…”
“Oh, looks like you’re enchanted.”
“…Will you really give it to me?”
“I don’t say things and take them back.”
“…Thank you.”
Adrian frowned, glanced at Didier, then turned his head away. Didier gazed at the gem for a long time, then closed the box and clutched it carefully to his chest. His face was filled with longing and happiness.
He looked toward Adrian, who was now farther away, then gripped the box tightly and headed to his room.
A little while later…
Feeling the emptiness behind him, Adrian turned around. Didier was gone. He burst into loud laughter.
“I forgot to tell him, but he already left.”
That gem was a little mischievous.
Adrian let out one last laugh and vanished from the spot in an instant.
