Chapter 45: How a Mercenary Lets It All Out (2)
Looking back, Allan showing up at night and offering her tea—something he’d never done before—was suspicious.
Still, Regina didn’t confront him right away. She needed time to assess the situation. Allan had always acted for Valentin’s safety, so she couldn’t just assume he was a traitor. That’s why she chose to quietly observe him.
‘But I can’t just keep watching forever. He hasn’t done anything suspicious lately…’
After thinking it through, Regina decided she would confront him directly before leaving the castle.
As she stood up from her chair, it scraped loudly across the carpet.
“I have to do something.”
In the Julius estate, it wasn’t uncommon for employees to live with their families. For example, there was the admin couple, the healer Allan, and the designer Joy.
Allan and Joy had known each other since childhood. They both came from Roten and often chatted when they ran into each other at the castle.
“Oh my god, what kind of question is that?”
Joy, enjoying her afternoon tea at a round table, wanted to dump hot water on Allan’s head. He was shaking his leg like a nervous puppy, and then suddenly asked if she thought Regina was suspicious.
“Just answer the question.”
“Get a grip, uncle. What could possibly be suspicious about her? You haven’t seen how much happier the maids have been since she started running the castle. Their pay went up, they’ve got better benefits, and they say she’s kind.”
Joy was well-liked and easily got along with the maids. She even spent time with them during her breaks. Allan’s question, which he had asked just in case, earned him a sharp scolding.
“She’s been doing everything she can without even taking a break. And more importantly, she takes care of her dresses like no one else.”
Joy was the daughter of Allan’s much older sister, so while they were technically uncle and niece, there wasn’t a big age gap.
“I was just… saying.”
He couldn’t explain everything, so he just sighed in frustration. It wasn’t like he wanted to suspect someone—especially not the lady of the house, who had worked so hard to clear out the rats.
But once the thought got into his head, he started noticing every little thing. Just seeing her alone with Valentin made him uneasy. And whenever he tried to speak up to Valentin, he got nothing but cold stares in return.
“Ever since you came back from the imperial palace, you’ve been kind of sensitive. You never used to say this kind of weird, baseless stuff. I still remember what you used to tell me—that believing in someone’s goodness is what makes us human.”
“…Have you ever seen someone not cry—even when they’re in pain so terrible it feels like their whole body is melting?”
What kind of talk was that? Joy frowned at the sudden strange shift in conversation. Allan sighed and took off his glasses.
“I have.”
He remembered a ten-year-old boy dragging himself out of a burning building—his skin melted, blood and pus everywhere—and still not shedding a single tear.
“Most people scream or pass out from that kind of pain. Or die from it.”
“Stop with the scary stories.”
Joy waved her hand, clearly done with the conversation. Allan put his glasses back on and closed his eyes for a moment.
All he could remember in that moment was the boy’s violet eyes—full of vengeance and emptiness—as he lay motionless in that ruined, charred warehouse.
Even now, that memory sent shivers down his spine.
‘That’s what the imperial palace is like.’
It’s a place where power rips apart people’s souls without a second thought. That kind of cruelty had completely twisted his values.
So even if it meant upsetting Valentin, Allan had to ask the hard questions. He couldn’t sit back and let his lord slip deeper into that darkness.
‘Or should I start looking for another mistress now? The castle’s in good shape. Maybe someone whose history is clean…’
Valentin’s opinion mattered most, of course. But Allan believed that if the worst could be avoided, then even a risky move was worth making.
“I just want to say this—don’t trust anyone too easily. In my experience, there are more bad people than good ones in this world.”
“…You’re really acting weird today.”
Joy gave up trying to understand him.
“Healer! The lady is asking for you!”
A maid called from a distance. It wasn’t common for Regina to seek him out, so Allan stood up with a puzzled look.
‘What’s going on?’
Allan had actually been in a great mood that day.
He’d just perfected a potion for deep wounds, had his favorite apple jam for breakfast, and except for the awkward talk with Joy, everything had gone well.
At least, until Regina visited the clinic and said she needed to talk.
‘Well… here we go.’
As soon as he saw her serious expression, Allan wanted to run.
He barely exercised twice a year, so he knew she’d catch him easily. Still, the pressure from just being in her presence made him consider trying anyway.
“Ma’am…? So, um… what did you want to talk about?”
“Healer Roten, I have something to ask.”
She was smiling, but it wasn’t a kind smile. Anyone with a brain could tell there were fangs hiding behind it.
“Wh-what would you like to ask?”
“That tea you offered me the first time you visited my room—it worked very well.”
“…Haha, did it now.”
Allan forced a nervous laugh. Regina narrowed her eyes.
She didn’t think of Allan as a traitor. She had watched him for days, and he hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.
“I’ll be direct. What did you put in that tea?”
“…Excuse me? What do you mean? I didn’t put anything in it—certainly not in your tea.”
But when Allan noticed her gaze shifting toward the shelf filled with potions, he sighed.
If he kept playing dumb, she’d probably walk over and open the cabinet right then.
He couldn’t fool her with some half-hearted lie.
“Oh no! Did the tea make you sleepy? I’m terribly sorry. I must have accidentally mixed in the sleeping draught I made for the duke.”
So he decided to go with a half-truth.
The potion really was a sleeping aid he’d made for Valentin, who sometimes couldn’t sleep from hunger. But it had never worked on him—it just sat on the shelf.
Regina stared at him without blinking. She could see the subtle tremble behind his thick glasses.
“So, you’re saying it wasn’t on purpose.”
Allan felt his shirt sticking to his back with sweat. Her stare was so sharp, it felt like it was cutting into him.
‘If I hadn’t mentally prepared, I probably would’ve cracked already.’
Before this meeting, he had thought he might test her a little. But the moment he saw her fierce eyes, he gave up on that.
“It’s the truth. This was entirely my mistake.”
Allan was just grateful that it wasn’t Thomas being interrogated right now.
Compared to that fiery, hot-headed knight, Allan could at least stay calm and act. He could pretend to be clueless if it helped.
“I truly apologize. At least it happened at night. If it had been during the day, it could’ve disrupted your work.”
“You say it so lightly. A mistake at night is still a problem. If I was knocked out, who would protect the duke?”
Regina’s irritation only grew.
She wasn’t just angry about missing her night mission—Allan’s relaxed attitude made it seem like he didn’t take it seriously.
What if he made the same mistake again, and an assassin attacked while she was unconscious?
“I understand it wasn’t on purpose, but this whole situation is still suspicious. If someone planned to drug me so they could target the duke… it would’ve been perfect timing.”
Allan’s smile faded. He didn’t like being accused of betrayal.
“Ma’am, I understand your concern. But I swear on everything I have—before God—that I would never betray you.”
“I don’t trust empty promises.”
“Then interrogate me however you want. I’m not lying. I’m not a traitor.”
It was only after Allan responded so seriously that Regina’s anger began to fade.
If he had kept joking, she would have pushed him harder. But his raw, emotional reply—his pride and sincerity—were what made her back off.
If he hadn’t shown that honesty, this conversation might not have ended here.
