Chapter 26
What’s the problem with an ugly lunatic intruder?
Well, for starters, it hurts my eyes—but that’s not the real issue.
This world is inside a novel.
People with notable skills usually have equally notable looks.
Whether in a good or bad way, that’s the norm.
So they’re either extremely handsome, extremely terrifying, or at least disturbingly shady-looking…
In other words, people with talent tend to have faces that stand out. But this lunatic? Not even close.
He was just plain ugly. Painfully ordinary. The kind of face you’d expect to belong to a background extra. Which logically means his skill level should also be extra-tier.
But then, he easily took down two soldiers from a duke’s household? That’s absurd.
‘Hmm?’
As I inspected the unconscious man, my eyes widened slightly.
Soon after, I picked something up near him.
It was a murky, blackish orb.
***
The Kropot mansion was in an uproar.
Naturally so. The lunatic didn’t just sneak into my bedroom—he had infiltrated Kropot itself.
That meant every single person in the mansion shared the blame for letting him reach my bedroom.
Especially the soldiers and knights.
“When did Kropot fall into such disgrace?!”
“Please calm down, Father.”
We were gathered in another room that would replace my wrecked bedroom—most of the wreckage was thanks to Enfi, of course.
Ethan tried to soothe the Duke, but the Duke’s icy expression was enough to freeze the whole room.
Sigh…
Guess it’s up to me.
“Sniff… it was so scary. Father, Ethan…”
Not that I intended to lighten the mood.
“I hope something like this never happens again.”
“It won’t. …I’m sorry, Elie.”
Reading the guilt on the Duke’s face, I sighed internally.
I almost died—but in the end, the situation turned out not so bad.
‘Because now the Duke and Ethan both feel indebted to me…’
This “debt” I gained from the incident—if I play it right, it could become a huge asset when I try to escape later.
With that calculation in mind, I kept pretending to be frightened and lowered my eyes.
Did I act a bit too well?
Someone suddenly held my hand. Startled, I turned and saw Ethan.
“It’s okay, Elie.”
“…”
“You might not believe me now, but… there won’t be any more danger for you in Kropot. I promise.”
“…Okay…”
I forced a smile toward Ethan, the “gentle big brother.”
What is this weird feeling—like a rookie actor trying to perform in front of a seasoned veteran?
…Well, he doesn’t know I’m just pretending, so…
‘He doesn’t… right?’
No need to stress myself out with paranoia. You’re doing fine, Princess Ann. I handled it well when Ethan suddenly appeared in my bedroom last time to test me.
I reassured myself and maintained my smile. Ethan quietly studied my face, then gently let go of my hand.
I instinctively covered the hand he had held with my other hand—just then, someone new entered the room.
It was Doctor Sarah.
“I’ve figured it out. This is a sleeping drug.”
“Sleeping drug?”
The lunatic—now to be called the intruder—had a suspicious powder on him when he was captured unconscious.
Doctor Sarah had taken on the job of analyzing it, and it seemed she had just finished.
“Then you’re saying the soldiers guarding the bedroom were knocked out after consuming a sleeping drug?”
“That’s likely. This particular drug… well, no physician would use it. It takes effect instantly and strongly, but has severe aftereffects. It’s typically made by alchemists.”
“How is it used? Do you diffuse it into the air?”
Ethan asked, but Doctor Sarah shook her head.
“No. It has to be either dissolved in water and drunk or inhaled directly under the nose.”
“I don’t get it.”
The Duke muttered to himself.
“Are you telling me I posted scarecrows in front of Elie’s bedroom?”
“…It is strange. You can’t force someone to take it unless they’ve already been subdued…”
The soldiers guarding my bedroom were unconscious when found, but they bore no signs of having been attacked. It didn’t even seem like they had been in a fight beforehand.
That part, I already knew. It had been quiet outside my bedroom the entire time until the intruder appeared.
Originally, I thought the intruder had silently taken them both down at once. But if that wasn’t the case…
I touched the orb I had kept hidden and opened my mouth.
“I have a request. Please contact His Highness, Kaiden Eos.”
***
Calling Kaiden to Kropot wasn’t as smooth as I’d hoped.
The problem lay with me—or rather, with Bella.
My request to send word to Kaiden was taken as a childish demand: “I miss my fiancé; please bring him to me.”
Reading the mood, I was startled. I mean, yes, I do need to see Kaiden as soon as possible…
But not for the reason everyone thinks…!
I tried to explain myself, but the misunderstanding wouldn’t go away easily. That’s when Ethan stepped in.
Trying to act like the supportive big brother, he took my side and offered to write a letter and have it sent to the capital.
…Of course, Ethan also seemed to believe I just missed my fiancé, but whatever. Doesn’t matter.
Thanks to him, a messenger pigeon was dispatched from Kropot to the royal palace in the middle of the night, and by dawn, Kaiden had arrived.
Those unaware of what I wrote in the letter were visibly shocked by Kaiden’s sudden appearance.
Let them be.
I brought Kaiden into the new room I was using, since my old one had been wrecked.
“You said you figured out the use of the orb—what do you mean?”
Skipping pleasantries, huh? Well, that’s fine by me too.
I handed him the orb, wrapped in cloth, as he sat across from me.
“This is…”
“It’s the same kind of orb, isn’t it? Looks that way to me.”
It looked identical in size and color to the one Kaiden had shown me before. Kaiden, staring at it, nodded.
“…Yes, it looks the same to me as well.”
“There was an intruder last night. I found this in his possession.”
I set the orb, still wrapped in cloth, on the table and continued.
“The intruder reached my bedroom without alerting a single person. How do you think that’s possible?”
“…”
“I believe he was aided by the orb.”
“You believe? So he didn’t confess to that?”
I slowly shook my head, feeling bitter.
“The intruder died. Not long after we captured him.”
While being dragged away by soldiers, still bound hand and foot, he regained consciousness—then bit his tongue and killed himself instantly.
Not gagging him right away was a clear mistake by Kropot. The Duke and Ethan likely felt even more indebted because of that.
‘But I didn’t expect him to commit suicide so quickly either…’
I suddenly remembered the word “faith” the intruder had muttered.
Maybe he really…
I considered a dark possibility and began to speak again.
“So everything I’m saying now is just speculation—but I’m sure I’m not wrong.”
“I’m listening.”
“This orb…”
Several phrases rang in my head.
I might not be able to quote them word-for-word, but they should still be mostly accurate to the original.
‘Ugh, is it broken? Why now, of all times…’
‘Can they see me?’
‘Am I actually visible? Why? This isn’t supposed to happen…’
“I believe this orb can hide both its holder—and anyone that person touches.”
“…”
“Including their appearance, presence, sound… everything. Perfectly.”
After speaking, I asked a question.
“The orb you showed me before—was that the one the kidnapper had during the missing persons case?”
“…Yes.”
Just as I thought.
Now everything made sense.
How the kidnapper, despite being sloppy, managed to avoid capture for nearly a year. How Killid, even though he knew exactly where and when the abductions would occur, failed to prevent them…
‘If the orb I suspect has this power… it explains everything.’
