Chapter 67
“His Plan (2)”
‘Along with the whistle, I’ll give the customer a teleportation stone. One leads to the Esperos Grand Duke’s castle, where Rebellia Piace is being held instead of her, and the other to this Tower.’
‘Ah, a travel scroll? That’s easy to carry but not good for long distances. Well, if you don’t believe me, you can check with another mage.’
‘The problem is how you’ll trick Rebellia Piace. I can’t help with that part.’
‘Isn’t that obvious? Honestly, it’s more believable for you to show up with a whistle—saying you knew I’d been kidnapped in her place and offering help—than for a suspicious Tower Master to suddenly appear claiming he wants to help.’
Heidi’s eyes narrowed deep in thought.
Laperre Wizard.
At first, she felt suspicion seeing him smile so slyly, but once their talk ended, she thought there was nothing strange in what he said.
He simply saw the situation more clearly than she did and used it, which only made her wary.
‘Maybe the Tower isn’t really the guardian of peace like people say… Maybe they’re the center of power struggles. In fact, Laperre only agreed to help after I promised him half of Zeros’ territory…’
Suddenly, a thought struck her and her eyes widened.
‘What if Delphian finds out I offered Laperre half the territory? Worse, what if he learns it was for killing someone?’
She pictured Delphian’s golden eyes filled with shock and disappointment.
‘No, never. Delphian must never know this, no matter what.’
Heidi bit her nails again, anxiety gnawing at her.
‘I thought once Rebellia died, everything would be solved!’
“A-ah, my lady, you’re bleeding!”
Rani’s startled voice pulled her back to reality. She looked down. Her nails were torn again, blood seeping from the tips.
“Ha…”
“Are you all right?”
Rani handed her a handkerchief nervously. Heidi nodded vaguely, though she knew this was a bad habit. She always chewed her nails and lips until they bled whenever her nerves took over.
She wrapped the handkerchief around her fingers and let out a sigh.
Outside, the summer sunlight grew hotter and people wore lighter clothes.
‘No need to worry. He won’t tell Delphian. He said it himself—if he gets involved in killing, he’ll be sent to the Tribunal.’
She looked at her bleeding fingertips, staining the white cloth.
‘So stop doubting. Once I hand over the whistle, all these headaches will vanish.’
She clenched her dress and steadied her heart. Laperre’s face came to mind again.
‘The date? Not that important. But fine, I’ll give you that service too.’
‘What do I mean? Exactly what I said. Since you’re worried the Grand Duke might find out, I’ll make sure he’s out of the way for a while.’
‘Remember: it’s not enough to give her the whistle—you must make her blow it.’
Heidi glanced at the small wooden box beside her. Inside was the whistle Laperre had given her.
‘Deadly poison. Even a drop could put not only goblins but also orcs to eternal sleep.’
If it could kill monsters instantly, then Rebellia Piace, just an ordinary noble lady, would collapse the moment the whistle touched her lips.
For a second, Heidi pictured Rebellia falling pale and lifeless.
‘It can’t be helped. I just want to live like a normal person now.’
She closed her eyes and opened them again. No hesitation remained.
All that was left was to meet Rebellia on the date Laperre gave her and make her blow the whistle.
“Ugh, so tired.”
I blinked blankly, my head resting on a sunlit desk in the library.
It had been two days since Calliere’s half-confession, and ever since, I’d been avoiding him.
Of course, I couldn’t avoid him completely, since my room was still the small one next to his chamber.
“Well, can’t be helped. I failed to switch rooms.”
Two days ago, Mei had boldly gone to ask Calliere if I could change rooms while he recovered, but came back rejected right away.
‘S-sorry, my lady.’
“Well, when she came back with an invitation to eat instead of approval, I knew it wouldn’t work.”
I stared at the drifting clouds outside the window.
Warm sunshine, a cool breeze, birds chirping—everything seemed to say I should be outside instead of stuck in the library.
“…But why am I still here?”
I shook my head. I already knew the reason.
It was because his words—the confession—made me aware of my own feelings.
“Seriously, I’m hopeless.”
I thumped my head against the desk in frustration.
I could’ve ignored the realization, but the real problem was that I kept being shaken by every little thing he did.
“What am I supposed to do…”
I muttered and closed my eyes again. Warm sunlight pressed against my eyelids, and drowsiness crept over me.
To avoid running into him, I’d been coming here at dawn and only returning after sunset—living like a test-taker for the past two days.
‘But once Calliere recovers and leaves his chamber, this won’t work anymore. What then?’
As my consciousness faded into sleep, a shadow fell over me—like someone blocking the sun.
The shadow stood there silently, as if watching me for a long while.
Finally, I lifted my heavy eyelids.
My blurred vision cleared, and I saw a man standing against the sunlight.
“…Lord Laperre?”
“Been a while, Lady. How’ve you been?”
His chuckling greeting filled me with sudden joy.
“Of course, I’ve been fine. But Lord Laperre, you still show up without a word, as always.”
“That’s my charm. Doesn’t it make me ten times more welcome?”
“Your shamelessness has only grown.”
“And that’s also part of my charm.”
His unchanging banter made me smile.
Then, noticing his oddly heavy expression, I asked carefully:
“…Is something wrong? Your face looks…”
“Lady.”
“Yes?”
“It’s time for you to leave.”
My heart dropped with a thud.
