Episode 26
Lorei Merkle had many duties inside the castle. From the visible tasks like keeping the castle comfortable for Sophia, to the behind-the-scenes responsibilities like managing the staff.
Whenever new servants arrived, the very first thing she did was gather them all in an unused drawing room and give them a brief warning.
“Sophia Benny is alive.”
Everyone who heard those words, spoken with a gentle smile spread across her face, stared at Lorei with hollow eyes as if their souls had been taken.
“You must not be rudely shocked by this fact, nor must you speak of it to anyone else.”
“…”
“Do not allow any guards or soldiers into Rosent Castle, where Sophia Benny resides.”
The order was absolute. It could not be refused or disobeyed.
After all, it was a spell cast not by anyone else, but by a mage.
After delivering her message and stepping out of the room, Lorei came face to face with Lucion, who had been leaning against the wall, waiting for her.
“It’s been a while. I only heard you were alive—I didn’t think I’d actually see you again.”
“That’s my line. I didn’t expect you to enter the castle as a servant.”
“How would I have known? I came because I was ordered to.”
Lucion shrugged as he replied. Lorei watched him quietly, trying to determine whether he was telling the truth. When she saw that he was, she lost interest and turned her gaze away.
Unlike Lorei, who had turned her head, Lucion had a lot he wanted to ask her.
“Sophia Benny.”
“…What about her.”
“Is she really Lord Lancel’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
At her answer, his expression darkened.
“Then she must also be his daughter.”
A bitter, rage-tinged laugh escaped his lips. It was a reaction she had expected ever since he arrived at the castle.
There was no point continuing the topic. Lorei, instead, turned the conversation to something else she was curious about.
“More importantly, why did the Aros family send servants here?”
“You think I’d know?”
“Ah… Right. He’s not the type to share plans with anyone.”
Realizing that, she decided there was no point in continuing the conversation further.
Well, there was one question that might actually yield something useful.
“You picked the attendant they sent, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t pick anyone who’s trained in combat, right?”
She asked, recalling the few servants who’d seemed a little off earlier in the drawing room.
Lucion paused at the question. He certainly hadn’t selected anyone trained in swordsmanship. But there were two people—two he hadn’t picked himself.
Still, since that person had chosen them directly…
“No, there shouldn’t be anyone like that.”
There shouldn’t be, obviously.
Physical combat—especially swordsmanship—clashed with Lorei’s magic. Those who wielded swords were unaffected by her spells, which was why Sophia had no guards by her side.
Servants’ mouths could be silenced. But not guards’.
No matter how tight-lipped a guard might be, there was always a chance. And that chance was too dangerous. Sophia’s existence had to remain secret.
Now convinced there would be no issues with the new servants, Lorei checked the time and realized it was time to see Sophia.
“It’s time for the young lady’s tea. Come with me.”
Because of the recent incident where Sophia collapsed, the lord of the castle, Bled, had ordered that another attendant be placed by Sophia’s side. Lorei chose Lucion for the role.
They’d known each other for years, and she knew he would never harm Sophia Benny—no matter what.
As they walked toward Rosent Castle, Lucion asked many questions.
It was his first time serving as an attendant, so he asked about the rules of the castle, what to watch out for, what he must not do, and so on.
When Lorei started to get tired of answering, he asked one last thing.
“Does Sophia Benny… resemble Lord Lancel a lot?”
“…You’ll know when you see her.”
It was a vague answer, and it didn’t satisfy Lucion’s curiosity.
When he finally met Sophia, Lorei noticed a faint flicker of discomfort in his expression.
Cruelly enough, there wasn’t a single trace of the woman all mages had once loved in her appearance.
After putting Sophia to sleep and leaving the room, Lorei received a letter from Lucion. He didn’t say who it was from, but since Lucion had delivered it, she could immediately guess the sender.
“Sophia Benny.”
“…”
“This time, you better do it right. Or else, just like last time…”
“I know.”
Without much reaction, Lorei brushed off his hand and opened the letter.
[To my dear Rona,]
[In about a month, I plan to give Lancel’s only child the birthday gift I never managed to. Make sure she doesn’t die before then. I’m telling you to protect her.]
Even the way he brought up death in a sentence about a birthday present was strange. Not to mention that her birthday had already passed long ago. And why wait a month?
As always, he was an enigma.
Still, he never said anything without reason. His instruction to “protect her” felt especially weighty—like something really was about to happen soon.
Contrary to the letter’s ominous tone, the only thing that happened to Sophia was that she caught a cold.
Lorei had told her to rest because she looked unwell, but the next day, the incorrigible young lady insisted on going out.
Well, she was still young—so perhaps that was expected…
“You should’ve stopped her.”
“Isn’t it more strange to ignore a request from the young lady?”
When Lorei pointed out that he should’ve stopped her to protect her health, Lucion just looked at her like she was the strange one.
Was this really the same guy who claimed to hate Sophia? At this point, Lorei wondered if someone had peeled off Lucion’s skin and was impersonating him.
“Oh, by the way, there’s a huge flower in the garden. Scared the life out of me…”
“You don’t still believe flowers will eat you, do you?”
“Lancel always told me that story—how could I not believe it?”
Lucion replied as if it were obvious.
He was noticeably softer than when he first arrived at the castle. Back then, he’d been tense and clearly reluctant. But now, he seemed almost comfortable—even capable of smiling.
Though only when talking about or to Sophia.
“Hey, do flowers that change color when you touch them really exist?”
Since he’d always been terrified of flowers and never got close to them, he knew very little about plants.
Lorei wasn’t much of a gardener herself, so it took her a moment to answer.
“I think so? I remember Edmund once grew a flower like that… was it called Salia?”
“Salia? Ah… I think I know it. But there’s no way something like that would be in this castle.”
Edmund wasn’t even here, so there was no way that flower could be either. Especially Salia. Wasn’t that one of his original creations?
The only way to get seeds for it was from him directly. There was no chance a flower like that would be growing in the Rosent castle garden.
That night, Lorei roamed the halls, checking for unlocked doors, open windows, and any other security concerns.
As she walked, she sensed movement—and turned toward the source. It was Sophia, stepping out of her room, likely unable to sleep.
“Young lady?”
“…Lorei?”
She shone the lantern lightly on Sophia’s face—it didn’t look good. Her cold must’ve worsened after going out earlier. Lorei made a mental note to scold Lucion later.
“You don’t look well. Should I bring you some tea?”
“I’m fine. Just water. I came out for water.”
It was clear she was just being considerate.
“Alright. Please wait in your room. I’ll bring it.”
“Just water. Got it?”
As if she expected Lorei to bring something else, Sophia firmly repeated her request.
Of course, there was no way Lorei was going to obey that. She nodded obediently, sent Sophia back into her room, and closed the door.
Now, time to investigate the direction from where she’d sensed movement earlier.
The left hallway—where Sophia had looked before noticing her. Lorei lifted her lantern and stepped forward.
After walking for a while, she stopped. The sky was covered in clouds, leaving no moonlight. The only light in the hallway came from her lantern.
She looked up—toward the ceiling on the right.
At the same moment, a blade flew at her. She instinctively dodged, but it grazed the back of her right hand. The lantern shook like a wave, but stayed lit.
“I don’t recall letting in any rats.”
It wasn’t meant as an attack. The intruder must have known not to reveal their identity. They’d tried to put out the lantern to mask their presence. They failed, but she had looked away briefly—likely giving them a chance to flee.
But there were no footsteps. No sound of escape. A normal person wouldn’t hide in a ceiling corner shrouded in darkness.
So someone trained in combat had entered as a servant. The realization made her furious.
Clicking her tongue, Lorei picked up the small blade on the ground and hurled it straight ahead.
“Urgh…”
A muffled groan.
They tried to suppress it, but in the deathly silent hallway, it rang out like shattered porcelain.
Lorei hadn’t spotted the intruder in the darkness by coincidence.
Born under a moonless night and raised in rooms with no light, mages like her had long since adapted to such darkness. To her, this was barely dusk.
She walked forward and spotted drops of blood on the floor. A clean hit. The wound might be shallow or deep, but tomorrow, someone would be bearing that injury.
All she had to do was find them.
Wiping the bloodstain with her apron, Lorei finally turned to do what she came for—prepare something for her mistress.
Tea would take too long. Not wanting to keep her up any later, Lorei chose a warm glass of milk.
