CHAPTER 48…..
“Just…”
Since she was in disguise anyway, if she claimed they were siblings, it would be accepted without much thought.
So it was better to give a vague answer and move on.
“We know each other.”
“Childhood friends?”
“Yes, something like that.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say the word “siblings.”
Hearing the half-hearted reply, the maid’s face seemed to show a trace of resignation.
She’s probably been working in this estate for quite a while. If I ask her about the Duke of Ignas now, maybe she’ll share something useful.
Now that the conversation had paused, this seemed like a good opportunity.
“But, the Duke of Ignas…”
“Shh!”
The weary-looking maid suddenly made a gesture for silence, hastily glancing around—
As if checking whether anyone was eavesdropping.
“You mustn’t say that name!”
“Pardon?”
“He’ll know you’re calling him.”
“You mean the Duke?”
“No—the Lord Ignas!”
She was referring to the divine beast.
While divine beasts were revered, it was unusual for them to be treated with this much secrecy.
If she knew Brimstone was sitting right on my head, she’d probably faint.
From the maid’s eyes, Linaria could see genuine fear—not a trace of teasing or mockery.
“In any case, it’s forbidden to ask about him. Don’t even mention him. Understood?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Now, go sweep, wipe, and clean thoroughly. This place is always short on people for cleaning.”
Only then did Linaria notice the ash and soot accumulated on the floor.
It was enough to make her doubt whether this was truly a ducal residence.
The corners of the estate were filled with soot, as if the place had been burned.
“Don’t miss a single spot—scrub every corner! I’ll be inspecting later.”
“Yes.”
The atmosphere in the estate was tense overall.
If even the servants avoided mentioning the divine beast, that said it all.
Is the Duke of Ignas the kind of man who rules through fear? That would be troublesome.
Thinking back, the Duke’s behavior in her previous life had been strange.
Even if Rusalka had asked him, Maximilian was still his rival in love.
A normal man would have risen against a rival, yet Ignas had remained silent.
From that, there were only two possible conclusions:
Either the Duke loved Rusalka so deeply—
—or he simply turned a blind eye to Maximilian’s tyranny because it didn’t concern him.
If his character was flawed, it would be better not to recruit him.
“Hey, hey—can I speak now? He’s nearby. Ignas!”
“Yes, go ahead. But…”
“Let’s go over there! Over there!”
She felt a sudden, light tug on her hair—impatient, as if urging her to move.
Thinking the divine beast meant to guide her to the Duke, she followed.
Is this it?
There was a door.
Knock, knock.
No answer.
Linaria opened it.
If anyone was inside, she could simply claim she was there to clean.
It was dark inside.
“Here! Here!”
The light spilling in from the hallway let her see the surroundings.
Nothing?
Could it be that the divine beast Ignas had brought her here, rather than the Duke himself? But there was no sign of the beast—or even any furniture.
Feeling along the wall, Linaria found a switch.
Click.
When the light came on, the interior was revealed—blackened with soot, far worse than the hallway.
In short, it was filthy.
A blanket?
There was no bed or table, yet a grimy blanket was mounded up on the floor.
A faint squirming—
Wriggle.
From under the blanket, a scrawny boy poked out his head.
He looked no older than his early teens and had the crimson hair symbolic of Ignas.
Is he, like Kaas, an illegitimate child?
Given his wretched appearance, she suspected abuse.
Illegitimate children were poorly treated everywhere, and she had no idea why the Duke had secluded himself.
“May I clean here?”
She stepped forward cautiously, hoping to assess the situation.
But the boy suddenly jumped to his feet—
And—
“Uh…!”
—ran off.
Noah fled.
The door had suddenly opened, and a strange figure had approached.
“Clea… n?”
He couldn’t understand what they said, but their voice sounded threatening, so he bolted.
Where am I?
It felt like he’d been running for ages.
The dazzlingly bright outside world was chaotic and overwhelming, like spilled paint everywhere.
Hot.
The sunlight beating down on his head was hot.
Hot?
The instant he realized it, his mind went blank.
He had to hide—hide from this heat.
But though his heart raced, his legs felt nailed to the ground.
Hiiiee!
“What are you doing just standing there?! Move!”
The sudden sound of wheels and a horse’s neigh stabbed into his ears.
Just as they were about to slam into him—
A strong yank pulled Noah back.
A soft cloth was thrown over his head, and the heat was gone.
His vision was blocked, but simply not feeling the sun was enough to make him exhale the breath he’d been holding.
There was the scent of soap.
“There’s a manor right ahead.”
The curses of the coachman who’d nearly run him over faded, and a woman’s voice spoke beside him.
It must have been her who had covered him with the cloth.
She guided him.
“Just bear with it a little longer.”
The hand gripping his arm was trembling slightly—probably from nearly witnessing a death.
Yet her voice held no fear. It was gentle, as if to reassure him.
Perhaps that was why—
“What’s your name?”
—that he asked a question he normally wouldn’t.
“…Annayo.”
Chasing after the boy who had bolted, Linaria heard a cry like a scream from a maid who’d been hanging laundry.
“My lord!”
The filthy boy she’d just met wasn’t an illegitimate child.
He was the Duke of Ignas himself.
Damn.
What on earth was going on?
Linaria swallowed back a curse.
“The Duke has gone outside!”
“What do we do?!”
The servants murmured in panic.
Yet no one moved to stop Noah.
“The Duke’s seen sunlight!”
“Shouldn’t we be running away?”
From their whispers, it sounded like the Duke was neither allowed outside nor permitted to see sunlight.
But still, no one stepped forward.
Regardless of their size or position, every servant seemed only concerned with their own safety.
There was nothing to think over.
This mess seems to have happened because of me.
Linaria snatched a sheet from the laundry and ran.
Then—
“Damn it! Are you suicidal? Watch where you’re going!”
Ignoring the coachman’s curses, she wrapped the boy in white cloth.
A moment later, he would have been hit by a carriage.
Even though he wasn’t someone she knew, her heart pounded in her chest.
There was no time to think about the situation; her mind was blank when suddenly, from under the cloth, came a voice.
It was as youthful as his appearance.
“What’s your name?”
“…Annayo.”
It wasn’t strange that Anna’s name came to mind at that moment.
After handing Noah over to the real maids, Linaria quietly left the estate with Kaas.
Returning home wasn’t difficult.
That boy is really the Duke?
His appearance—like that of an abused child—wasn’t something she could easily forget.
There was only one reason it had struck her so hard.
Namely—
“Isn’t the Duke of Ignas the same age as Lord Brimstone?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve heard too.”
Hearing Linaria mutter to herself, Anna nodded.
If Anna said so, and Auguste had called Noah his friend, they must be the same age.
Yet Noah looked unmistakably like a child.
It wasn’t simply that he had a youthful face—his body itself had not matured.
Come to think of it, the Tower Master is over 200 years old but still has the appearance of a child.
Perhaps Magnus would know something.
“Did your visit to Brimstone Manor go well?”
“Oh—yes.”
Anna’s kind question made her remember that the divine beast Brimstone had vanished halfway through the trip.
“The Duke welcomed me as well. I think it was worth going. Good night, Anna.”
“Yes, good night, my lady.”
Anna turned off the light and left.
She tried to sleep right away, but tonight her eyes were wide open and her mind alert.
Recently, Linaria had been sleeping more than usual—not only at night, but taking naps during the day.
Whether it was because of her nap earlier or the many thoughts on her mind, she kept tossing and turning.
Eventually, she decided to get a drink of water—only to find the jug empty.
Since I’m up anyway, I’ll take a short walk. Walking might tire me out enough to sleep.
The corridors, in the middle of the night when everyone slept, were dark and silent.
As she headed downstairs, she suddenly stopped.
Someone’s…
—following her.
Changing direction, she returned toward her bedchamber.
A servant wouldn’t be skulking after me like this. Could they be after my life?
Whatever their intentions, they couldn’t be friendly.
Even in Brimstone’s household, long-serving coachmen and aides had been spies planted by Leviathan.
There’s no reason Obel couldn’t have the same problem.
Recently, they had hired new servants, and perhaps something had been overlooked in the process.
Feeling the hair on her neck stand on end, she tried to walk as naturally as possible.
The presumed assassin kept following, maintaining a certain distance.
Her pace quickened.
Kaas!
The only person she could call for help right now was Kaas.
She rushed into his room—
But the moment she closed the door and turned—
“….”
She was too startled to speak.
He was standing with his back to her, looking as though he had just finished bathing.
Had he been fully dressed, she wouldn’t have been so flustered.
But he was bare-chested.
Wearing only a choker.
