~Chapter 93~
Even though he wore a robe, the person looking down at Rosa gave off an unusual aura.
Rosa straightened her staggering body and cautiously spoke.
“Who…”
“After all the help I gave you, you can’t even recognize the ally right in front of you. How foolish.”
Hearing the elegant yet scolding words, Rosa immediately realized who he was. It was like a light went on in her head.
“Is… is it you?”
She didn’t know his face or his name.
One day, a letter had been delivered to her while she was troubled with estate matters. It offered solutions.
At first, she ignored and doubted it because there was no sender’s name. But when she tried following a few suggestions, the situation changed.
By following the instructions, it always ended up benefiting the estate. Over the years, Rosa came to trust the letters completely.
This time, she had followed his letter’s advice again—only to end up in prison.
“Are you here to help me again? For you to come in person… I believed you would.”
Her eyes were full of desperation as she moved her body toward the open door.
“Show me the way. The Duke is bewitched by an outsider and won’t listen to me.”
“Outsider?”
When she called the Duchess an outsider, the man gave a mocking smile. Rosa quickly spilled more information.
“I followed your instructions. The commoner woman has had the master’s child. I’m working to attach a scandal to the Duchess, so soon—”
“Ah…”
“Truly useless.”
“…What?”
The man, whose voice carried both reproach and dignity, lightly shook his head.
“The commoner woman is not pregnant.”
“…But…”
Rosa had suspected this herself but pretended not to know, wanting to give him good news.
“A scandal for the Duchess? You don’t even know how loved she is in the estate.”
“That can’t be true.”
“Hah… I’ve wasted my efforts on someone this useless. All the time I’ve spent is wasted.”
When the robed man turned away, another man in black stepped forward and drew his sword.
Realizing she could die here, Rosa quickly bowed her head.
“No! I can still be useful. Anything—give me any task!”
The robed man raised a hand, stopping the sword.
“You’ve already proven you’re useless.”
“You know how much I’ve accomplished with the small bits of information you’ve given me. Please give me another chance.”
“Watch your address,” the man in black snapped, but the robed man raised his hand again to stop him.
“Hmm… Do you know of any hidden passages in the mansion?”
“If you mean hidden passages…”
“You don’t know?”
“I do! I’m the head maid. I know this mansion better than anyone.”
“Good. Then bring me the Duke’s seal.”
“…The seal?”
“It’s not a difficult task. I’m offering to overlook your mistake in return. Isn’t this generous?”
“Yes… Thank you.”
When he stepped aside, Rosa stumbled forward desperately.
She couldn’t understand the sudden situation or guess who they really were.
Following their orders, Rosa went outside and scanned her surroundings. Seeing servants around, she took a less-used path.
Even as she moved her heavy legs quickly, her mind was full.
Bring the Duke’s seal?
Who was that man?
Even just standing, he radiated elegance. His shoes were spotless, and the glimpse of white trousers looked perfectly tailored.
Had such a person really been advising on estate affairs and even meddling in the Duke’s family matters?
A sudden thought struck her—the button on his sleeve. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but any citizen of the Empire would know that symbol.
It was the Imperial family’s crest.
‘The seal is a trap.’
Rosa’s hurried steps slowed.
Why would someone from the Imperial family help the Duke’s House? The Imperial family was an enemy to them.
What would they use the seal for? Fear began to creep in.
More than that, she realized she had done too much without knowing it was under Imperial orders.
“What have I done…” she whispered so quietly no one could hear.
She had grown too used to his help.
She didn’t know exactly what the consequences would be, but she could guess it would greatly harm the Duke’s House.
‘I have to tell the master.’
Her lifelong loyalty to the Duke’s House overcame her fear.
Rosa changed her path from the office to Rishar’s room.
She could have tried to sneak there unseen, but her unease kept growing.
It was better to risk being caught than to keep silent. Even if something happened to her, she had to pass on the message.
The Imperial family had planted many things in the estate, and she needed to tell where the records were kept.
At that moment, the man in black threw a dagger at her back.
“Kugh!”
The unbearable pain pierced her through, making her collapse.
“Did you want to tell the Duke who locked you up the truth? If that loyalty had been toward me, you could have lived a while longer.”
Even though he had shown her the Imperial crest on purpose, Rosa had still chosen the Duke—costing her the few hours of life she could have had.
“You…”
“Your devotion has been very useful. Thanks to you, we learned it was possible to disrupt the beasts’ ecosystem. The experiment was a success.”
What was he talking about?
Rosa cried silently, unable to understand his words, but still unable to close her eyes.
“Do you remember recommending those berries that grow even in low temperatures?”
Rosa’s eyes shook violently.
She had wanted to help the Duke solve the problem of work and food shortages in winter. Even though magic stones brought gold to the House, she had wanted the people to improve their lives.
One day, she received a letter with seeds and information about winter berries. If ground magic stone powder was planted with the seeds, the plant could grow roots even in frozen ground. This was only possible in the Gwinted estate, where magic stones couldn’t be sent outside.
But now he said it was linked to the beasts’ abnormal growth?
The pain in her heart was deeper than her wound.
The robed man—Kyelus—waved his hand.
“I’ll let you go without more pain.”
It was meaningless mercy—she had already felt unbearable pain.
The sword moved silently, and before the head maid’s eyes lost their light, they vanished into the darkness.
Hamon came to the couple’s bedroom with lunch, but was startled to see maids still guarding the door.
“You skipped breakfast, but shouldn’t you at least eat lunch?”
“The master ordered us not to go in unless the Madam calls first.”
“That’s unreasonable.”
“We’re worried too, but we have to obey the master’s orders.”
While the others lowered their heads helplessly, Bianca spoke.
“But maybe she’s too sick to pull the bell cord.”
At that, Ellie’s face paled and she looked at Julie, who bit her lip anxiously.
“This is when we should be taking care of her.”
Even with Bianca’s firm words, Ellie and Julie just stared at the door.
They stood restlessly, straining to hear any sound from inside.
“I’ll come back with snacks.”
As Hamon turned away, Bianca stepped toward the firmly closed door. Before anyone could stop her, she turned the handle.
“Bianca!”
Ellie and Julie’s eyes shifted to the inside as the door opened. The room, usually softly lit by magic stone lamps, was dark.
“Are you crazy? Close it, or you’ll be in trouble.”
“My lady’s more important.”
“She’s important to me too, but the master’s orders are absolute in this House.”
“Not to me.”
“Bianca!”
Bianca stepped inside, and Ellie reluctantly followed.
Thick curtains covered every window, creating a cozy darkness. In the middle of the room, Ancia was sleeping peacefully on the large bed. As the maids approached, the magic stone lamps lit automatically.
To their relief, Ancia looked calm and well.
As Ellie adjusted the slightly rumpled blanket, she noticed opaque magic stones scattered across the bed.
“Why are there used healing magic stones here?”
