Chapter 29
‘Boundaries’ could naturally close over time, but by then, the damage caused by monsters would be too great.
So, of course, they had to be forcibly closed—and for that, holy water was essential.
Once a boundary consumed holy water, it closed instantly. As a result, the monsters—cut off from the otherworldly link—would also weaken.
Jonathan Blanche wanted to obtain the amber-colored crystals that were produced during that process.
So far, around 20 boundaries had emerged.
Five crystals had been sent to both the Imperial Family and the Holy Nation for research. The remaining ten were stored by the Grand Duchy of Ackliff.
Upon learning that Jonathan Blanche wanted the amber crystal, Sebastian immediately checked the stock upon returning to the Grand Duchy.
Fortunately, the ones kept in Ackliff had not been stolen.
Which meant the leak must have come from either the Imperial Family or the Holy Nation.
‘Either the Marquis stole it boldly, or he obtained it with the help of an accomplice.’
As Sebastian’s thoughts deepened—
Knock, knock.
A knock came from outside the office.
His hand, which had been idly rolling a crystal, stopped.
“It’s Milord, young master.”
“Come in.”
After confirming the visitor, Sebastian locked the amber crystal in a drawer with a key.
Then, he straightened his posture.
Milord, who had now entered, walked straight to the desk and bowed respectfully.
In his arm was a file of moderate thickness.
With a respectful gesture, Milord placed the file in front of Sebastian and opened his mouth.
“There’s a message from the Shadow.”
Sebastian nodded slightly, as if he’d been expecting it.
But then a faint trace of irritation flickered in his red eyes.
“For something that took so long, isn’t this a bit thin?”
“Seems there were no significant findings. The Shadow appears to have spent extra time digging deeper because of that… but they didn’t seem to uncover anything noteworthy.”
“Hm.”
“It’s probably because the young lady has been sickly since childhood and lived only within the estate. She rarely left the mansion.”
Sebastian skimmed through the papers halfheartedly as Milord spoke.
“Any close friends?”
Milord shook his head.
“She didn’t socialize. As a result, there were no peers she was close to.”
“So, no special bonds.”
Sebastian clicked his tongue lightly and dropped the file onto the desk.
Then Milord, as if remembering something, added:
“Ah, there was one thing that stood out.”
“What is it?”
“She changed nannies frequently as a child. But a few years ago, after bringing in a new nanny, she never changed again.”
“You mean… she’s strongly attached to her current nanny?”
“That’s a fair assumption.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.
That didn’t make sense.
“Then why didn’t she bring the nanny along?”
Erica was still young.
If she had to bring someone to the Grand Duchy, it should have been the nanny, not the head maid Bongfizhu from the marquisate.
Hearing Sebastian’s remark, Milord too seemed to realize the oddity, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Now that you mention it, that is rather strange.”
“Hm.”
“Well, people have their reasons. Perhaps the nanny had a reason she couldn’t leave the capital.”
“That’s possible.”
Sebastian went quiet, lost in thought.
He knew not everything in this world happened for a reason.
Even so, something about it bothered him.
‘Am I overthinking it?’
Sebastian let out a deep sigh and rubbed his forehead.
Thinking about Erica reminded him of the conversation they’d had a few nights ago.
“It’s not like I knew monsters would appear.”
“Then why did you make the carriage stop?”
“I… I was just scared.”
She hadn’t explained it well.
It seemed like she struggled to find the words to convince him.
Eventually, unable to come up with a proper excuse, she just told the truth.
Sebastian could swear—he hadn’t seen a single trace of deceit in her face.
“At first, the horses seemed agitated.”
To Sebastian, it had been a vague answer.
“The horses grew nervous, and then I started feeling uneasy too. I got goosebumps all over and just had this strong feeling that we shouldn’t go any further.”
In other words, she was saying her senses were sharp…
‘Even seasoned knights who’ve trained for years struggle to expand their intuition.’
So how could a ten-year-old girl who knew nothing about swords have such a sense?
There must be another explanation. Sebastian’s best guess was the “blessing” Erica had received from the old priest.
Blessings imbued with divine power affect people in different ways.
Some became healthier, some luckier.
So perhaps Erica’s blessing allowed her to better commune with animals.
‘Animals are more sensitive to danger than humans. That would explain it.’
If the blessing was influencing her, it would also explain why the Ackliff warhorses—known for being aggressive toward everyone but their masters—were so gentle with the girl.
At that moment, Milord’s voice dropped in again.
“Young master, what should we do? Should we dig deeper?”
Sebastian took a long breath.
“…Put it on hold for now.”
He still seemed unsatisfied, but decided to leave it there for the moment.
Leaning back in his chair, Sebastian closed his eyes.
And on the inside of his eyelids appeared the face of his mysterious, red-haired young wife.
The rest, he figured, he could judge for himself—by watching her up close.
Erica only returned to her room in the afternoon.
‘Hm? The door’s open?’
Were the maids cleaning?
Unconsciously, Erica held her breath and tiptoed closer.
Peeking through the slightly open door, she saw three or four maids inside her room.
They were standing in front of her wardrobe.
‘Uh… Should I not go in right now?’
Even though it was her own room, Erica hesitated.
She had already been introduced to the staff thanks to Vincent and Lady Alma.
She’d memorized most of their names.
But aside from Joanna and Walter, she hadn’t really talked to anyone. No—that wasn’t quite right. It was more accurate to say she hadn’t tried.
Partly because Erica was naturally shy.
But also because of something else.
Every time the staff saw her, they would flinch, exchange glances, and fall silent.
Sometimes, they even whispered behind her back.
“That’s her, right?”
“Yeah. Just like the rumors said…”
“Shh. She’ll hear you.”
Their voices were so quiet she couldn’t hear the details, but still…
Having grown up walking on eggshells in the Blanche marquisate, Erica found it hard to ignore.
‘Maybe it’s because I went down to the kitchen on the first day…’
She regretted it.
Even if the bell cord had broken, she should’ve just waited until someone came.
That would have been more like a proper noble lady.
But it was too late for regrets.
She had already asked Vincent not to scold the maids, but from a manager’s perspective, it was probably something that couldn’t just be overlooked.
He must’ve issued a strict warning to all, and that naturally wouldn’t have made the staff feel good toward her.
Since seeing each other only made things awkward, Erica naturally started avoiding them.
‘Looks like they’re cleaning. Should I come back later?’
Though it was her room, she worried her presence might pressure the maids.
Just as she turned to leave as quietly as she came—
She heard one of the maids whisper:
“Look at this. Isn’t it seriously strange?”
