Chapter 49
Maya thought back to the troublemaking trio from House Pendragon who had come looking for her at the banquet.
She sighed, wondering how long they planned to cling to her.
It was only in this life that she had finally let go of her lingering attachment and escaped her family.
Maya hoped no one else would repeat the same mistakes she had made.
“You seemed to be in a similar situation,” she said cautiously, observing Tristan’s reaction.
Now that her position as the Grand Duchess had been formally announced and was known by everyone, her actions directly affected the reputation and honor of House Bayarden.
She couldn’t keep such matters from Tristan.
“If acting under House Bayarden’s name is difficult, I can do it alone,” she added.
Of course, if it would bring shame to the house, she didn’t intend to push the matter.
“I can help secretly, just on my own.”
“No, don’t do that. You are now part of House Bayarden. It’s only natural we share the same purpose.”
Maya had never tried to put down roots anywhere.
That was likely due to the environment she grew up in and the scars of her past.
If she wouldn’t set down roots on her own, then Tristan would nurture her like a tree—giving her sunlight and water—so that one day, she would take root naturally.
“Your intentions are now House Bayarden’s intentions.”
Still, Tristan was a bit concerned because Maya tended to trust people too easily.
He pondered a compromise.
“What if we invite Seren Baker to House Bayarden under the pretext of comforting her after the recent events?”
It would give Maya the opportunity to objectively assess Seren Baker’s character.
‘And if she’s not connected to her father…’
Then Seren Baker could become a valuable ally and companion to Maya.
‘It would be an ideal relationship to foster.’
If they dealt with Count Baker properly, and timed things right, Seren could potentially inherit the title of Count Baker.
It wasn’t common for a woman to inherit a countship, but Seren was a different case.
She was competent enough, and Count Baker had publicly expressed his intent to pass the title to her in the future.
If they could gain the Baker family’s wealth and connections, it would be a significant asset in toppling the emperor.
‘Yes, I will bring down Emperor Riserfield.’
Looking over the ledger, Tristan finally allowed himself to feel all the rage he had been suppressing.
Now it was time to create his own opportunity.
“I’ll meet her too.”
He had no intention of just letting Maya deliver a message. He would build a professional relationship with Seren Baker himself.
He wasn’t sure how Maya interpreted his words, but her expression was strange.
Odd.
What was there to misunderstand in what he said?
“Alright,” Maya nodded without hesitation.
“When Dossen returns, I’ll talk to him and arrange a meeting.”
“Yes. But Maya, what are you imagining? Your eyes… They’re giving me the feeling you’re thinking something wildly off the mark.”
“What? No, no way! I’ll just go wash up now!”
Maya waved her hands frantically and fled to the bathroom. Thankfully, Tristan didn’t follow.
‘He wants to meet Seren too?’
Had introducing her to Seren today sparked something?
‘Did he… like Seren?’
Seren was, objectively, a beauty.
Not only that, she had immediately realized Tristan’s identity as the Grand Duke in a crisis—she was sharp.
She even took initiative for Maya and Tristan’s sake in a high-pressure situation.
‘Should I give them space when they talk next time…?’
The thought that someone else might witness Tristan’s gentle side unsettled her.
Blub-blub. Maya sank halfway into the bathwater.
‘He’s so cute when he’s being boyish.’
It made her just a little sad to think someone else might get to see the Tristan only she knew.
‘No, think positively.’
They had taken care of the wolf monster—what a relief.
And most importantly, there were no casualties. That was something to be proud of.
Still, something lingered on her mind.
Pfft. Maya let out a breath and leaned back in the tub, staring up at the ceiling with a sulky expression.
“It was my first official event as the Grand Duchess of House Bayarden…”
She had even endured greetings from people she didn’t like just for that reason, but now she worried her sudden disappearance might spark unpleasant rumors.
‘I’ll have to confirm with Dossen later.’
She mentally reviewed her to-do list and gazed at the gem still clutched in her hand.
It shimmered like a ruby.
‘What is this?’
Could it be the remains of the monster?
It was too late tonight—she’d keep it safe and show it to Tristan tomorrow.
If needed, she’d talk to Kendrick as well.
“You really did great today. The power of House Bayarden was well displayed,” chirped the white dragon who had appeared beside her once the room quieted down.
“I do feel like my sense of self gets stronger whenever we take down a powerful monster.”
“Do you remember anything new?”
“Hmm… I remembered that the Demon King had four cherished subordinates.”
That was new.
“They were beings with power far beyond what normal people could handle.”
“…Was the white snake one of them?”
“Yup.”
Maya chuckled at the nonchalant reply.
“And the wolf from today?”
“Probably? The rest is still blurry. I only remembered that after killing the wolf.”
It was becoming clear—every time they defeated one of the Demon King’s monsters, the white dragon’s memories returned bit by bit, and Maya grew stronger.
Unfortunately, that was all the white dragon could recall for now, but even that was valuable information.
From both her previous and current life, Maya had narrowed down the Demon King’s four treasured subordinates to three monsters:
The white snake who had slumbered in the northern mountains.
The wolf who appeared in the southern capital palace.
The blue butterfly illusion beast from the west who had killed Kendrick in her past life.
The northern snake was the easiest to defeat. The wolf would’ve taken longer if it hadn’t suddenly surrendered midway.
Then the next monster would likely be the illusion beast.
As she reviewed where each had appeared, Maya had a sudden realization.
‘If I reverse the compass directions…’
First the north, then the south. If the butterfly shows up in the south again like before, the last one must appear in the east?
‘I don’t know what kind of monster is in the east, though.’
It was frustrating that she had died before learning about the fourth.
“My guess could be wrong, but…”
Her predictions were generally accurate, based on past experience.
‘And what’s up with this gem…’
Maybe the path would reveal itself as she continued forward.
After storing the gem carefully, Maya finished her bath.
Once the chaos settled, the banquet fizzled out quietly.
The royal knights, who had shown up late and drunk, were harshly punished.
Of course, Graham—who was well connected to Riserfield—was spared.
Riserfield recalled what Seren Baker had told him earlier that day.
“A black-haired man defeated the wolf and disappeared without a trace.”
Seren Baker truly lived up to her title as the queen of society. Even in front of the cold, intimidating Riserfield, she spoke calmly and clearly.
“Lady Maya said she couldn’t let him go and ran after him. Thanks to that, my life was spared, but I was left behind here. I’m sorry I couldn’t offer more information.”
Maybe that’s why… It was harder than usual to detect lies, as he often did with nobles.
‘Is she lying? Or telling the truth?’
Would someone dare lie to the Emperor?
Maybe Seren Baker was trying to protect Maya Pendragon.
Yet her words did seem plausible.
An intruder had certainly been present.
‘Did they even enter the restricted archive?’
The imperial library had a secret archive accessible only to three bloodlines:
The royal Ortagen family and the two dragon-blood houses that helped found the empire—House Bayarden and House Pendragon.
But House Bayarden had stayed in the north, and House Pendragon had lost its way, drunk on its fading glory. The archive had been forgotten.
Eventually, it became Riserfield’s private sanctuary, as he was the only one among them who frequented the library.
Later, when Riserfield entered the archive, he realized the ledger stored there was missing.
Who could have taken it?
‘It couldn’t have been Maya Pendragon.’
Reports said she had remained at the banquet the entire time.
‘Then who was it?’
