Chapter 62
“Lady Viola told me to deliver this to you.”
Randall took an envelope from inside his clothes and handed it to Isaiah.
Isaiah slit it open with a knife, and inside was a sheet of paper with a sweet scent.
[The Marquis of Platters and the Empress had a fight.
The Crown Prince is gathering archaeologists.]
Only two lines were written. Isaiah rolled his eyes to Randall.
“Is this all?”
“Yes.”
Next to the final words ‘gathering archaeologists’ was a red, thick lipstick mark.
It was definitely from Viola Crewdop—
but did she really find only this much information?
Isaiah tilted his head and brushed his fingers lightly over his lips.
“What about information on Brodyshengster?”
Randall didn’t answer. When Isaiah frowned, Randall finally spoke in his heavy voice.
“Lady Viola told me to give you only this.”
At Randall’s cold answer, Isaiah snorted.
“You’re really strict with calculations. Fine.”
Isaiah stood, lit a candle, and burned Viola’s sweet-scented letter.
It turned to ash quickly and scattered through the air.
Randall watched until every piece disappeared, then lowered his head and vanished from the room.
Isaiah leaned out the window where the messenger had jumped out and shook his head.
“Where do they even find monsters like him?”
He clicked his tongue, watching Randall easily climb over the mansion wall.
Knock, knock—someone tapped at the door.
“Come in.”
As soon as he spoke, the door opened. The visitor was Kailen.
Isaiah raised both brows in surprise, and Kailen closed the door while roughly brushing back his hair.
“There’s too much talking.”
“Pff—”
Isaiah burst into laughter at his words. Kailen walked closer to him while Isaiah tried to cover his mouth but still turned red from laughing.
“Did Viola’s man come here?”
Isaiah finally stopped laughing and nodded, then sat on the edge of the bed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Well… hah… I’m just amazed by your acting skills. How many people in the world know what you’re really like?”
Isaiah imitated Kailen politely listening to the very talkative Count Brodyshengster.
Kailen threw his gloves at Isaiah, then sat heavily in the chair where Isaiah had been sitting earlier, crossing his legs.
Isaiah shot him a glare after being hit in the face by the glove.
But Kailen ignored it and urged him to share the information Viola sent.
Isaiah picked up the gloves from the floor and tossed them back.
“The Marquis of Platters and the Empress fought. And Ferdinand seems to be gathering archaeologists.”
Kailen leaned to the side, resting an elbow on the armrest.
The Marquis of Platters and the Empress… fighting?
They had always been close.
What could have happened between such a tightly bonded father and daughter?
Kailen tapped his thigh with his finger.
Maybe it was about money.
He recalled Adam Pobik, hiding deep inside Winterford Castle under the knights’ watch.
It seemed this incident needed deeper investigation.
Then Kailen moved on to the second piece of information from Viola.
Ferdinand gathering archaeologists…
Ferdinand usually acted on whim and impulse.
This was very unlike him.
It would be better to investigate separately.
What kind of archaeology?
How many people?
Depending on the details, Kailen would know whether it was something to ignore—or something dangerous.
Kailen nodded and stood up, but Isaiah called after him.
“Doesn’t something feel strange?”
He scratched his head and looked around Isaiah’s room.
“We came here because of His Majesty’s decree, but you know it too. Who really sent us here.”
The room they were staying in was a beautifully decorated guest room.
Far nicer than the room they stayed in when signing the contract with the Grand Duchess.
“Ferdinand would never tell them to treat us this well, and this level of hospitality didn’t come from that foolish Count Brodyshengster either.”
Kailen’s gaze drifted out the window.
The Count had politely excused himself from the dining room.
Before coming to Isaiah’s room, Kailen had received a report from Caspian: the mansion surroundings were quiet.
Too quiet.
Kailen had checked multiple times, but found nothing suspicious.
“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to the border village early. We’ll understand once we see it.”
Isaiah nodded. Kailen turned and left the room.
He entered his own room next door, threw his coat onto the sofa, and sat on the bed while removing his clothes.
He had traveled a long distance, so he should be exhausted—
but because he had stayed so tense, he didn’t think he could fall asleep easily.
He considered soaking in a warm bath, then shook his head.
The uneasiness he felt when leaving Winterford Castle still lingered inside him.
He wished morning would come quickly.
They needed to check the damage in the border village, catch the mercenaries who were raiding between the Liveryden Empire and the Ober Kingdom, negotiate with the Ober King, and return.
He didn’t know what kind of trap Ferdinand might have prepared.
He only hoped his half-brother’s attention stayed on him,
and that April and the Grand Duchess would remain safe inside Winterford Castle.
And so, on the first night after arriving at the border, time crawled by slowly.
When things run smoothly, it means someone is doing their job well.
In Winterford Castle, without Kailen here, that “someone” was… me.
“I can’t do this.”
“You must.”
So cold. So heartless.
Dylan handed me even more documents just as I threw my hands up in surrender.
I glared at him and flipped through the papers irritably.
The amount of work Kailen had been handling was enormous.
He had only given me a portion of his duties, but at first I thought Dylan was lying.
“You’re doing this because you want to torture me, right?”
“Why would I?”
His answer—and the way he looked at me—stabbed straight into my chest.
“When do I have to finish all this?”
“As soon as possible.”
I pressed my lips together tightly to stop myself from accidentally cursing, and started reading the documents.
The content wasn’t difficult to understand,
but the amount… and the weight of responsibility…
Every signature I put down could change small or big things in Winterford.
So I checked everything carefully, thought about better solutions, lost time, and the work kept piling up.
“Alright. For today, please finish just up to here. I’ll review the rest first and reorganize them to make it easier for you.”
Dylan took half the papers back, bowed, and left my office.
After dinner, another hour passed.
The small hand of the clock pointed to 8.
Another night of overtime.
Tomorrow morning, I had a schedule.
I was going to meet the people Doo-doo recommended and the new hires chosen through interviews.
“Sigh…”
A long sigh escaped.
It eased a bit of the heaviness inside me.
I went back to work.
I didn’t know how much time passed when—
Creak— the door opened.
I had sent Mia home early tonight after she had stayed with me until late for several days.
Was Mia back?
I lifted my head—
but the one who entered was April.
“Your Highness?”
In her pajamas, clutching her favorite stuffed toy, April peeked her head in.
“Eri… what are you doing?”
She pushed the heavy door with her small hands and came inside, waddling toward the sofa.
“You came alone?”
“Mm-hm!”
Leah, who was always by April’s side, wasn’t with her.
April climbed into her usual seat and rubbed her eyes.
I stood up.
The clock above the fireplace showed it was already past 10.
“Can’t you sleep?”
I sat next to her and asked.
April’s little head shook strongly side to side.
