STM 154

“Head Butler, how’s the matriarch?”

Solongo lowered her voice and asked the butler, who had just emerged from the Adeye matriarch’s room. Perhaps due to overexertion over the past few days, Lantuya had been lying in bed since noon that day.

“She has a bit of a fever and her breathing is rough, but it doesn’t seem like a situation for much concern.”

Ah, it’s just like when she’s normally tired. I shouldn’t disturb her since she needs rest, right?

She stared at the room door for a moment while she hesitated. It felt like she should report the news that just arrived. Actually, it wasn’t a major problem.

A problem suddenly occurred with the carriage while they brought Priest Sidro, so they had to stop their journey in the morning. Sidro insisted that he wanted to rest under a roof. The problem was that the place where the carriage stopped happened to be near the Adeye home, and Sidro specifically wanted to rest there.

Such stubbornness crossed the line even for an important priest. But she could understand his curiosity because the Adeye home was famous for being grand and vast. Anyway, it didn’t matter if he stayed at the Adeye home since a delay in his movement was a good thing. The Adeye residence was also spacious, so they had a separate annex even if a crowd of guests arrived.

Yet, she couldn’t get rid of that foreboding feeling. She knew the reason; it was because of Sidro’s unexpected personality.

She received several reports on Sidro after they decided to bring him, and they were all similar. Sidro demanded too much and wanted special treatment. She thought he was innocent because he lived in the countryside, but he turned out to be an arrogant and greedy man. As Solongo was thinking about Sidro a voice interrupted her.

“Chief Aide, is something wrong? The healer said she’ll sleep until evening once the medicine takes effect. She’s awake now if it’s urgent, do you want to go in?”

Solongo looked at Lantuya’s room door again at the butler’s question and shook her head. Yes, nothing will happen since Sidro is only staying in the annex.

“No. It’s nothing much.”

Solongo shook her head and then remembered one thing, so she called the butler back.

“Oh, I just heard that Lord Lu’s attending Montaine’s party. He might not be able to stop by our side because it was a sudden decision. But just in case…”

“Yes. I’ll tidy the room in case he comes.”

The butler smiled.

“I really hope Lord Lu comes. The matriarch would like it.”

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The second visit to the imperial palace felt different from the last. It just felt like a well-kept old building back then since I came during the day, but it looked grand now with all the lamps after sunset.

“Montaine’s acting like they already took the imperial throne.”

I entered the entrance with Greek-temple-style high pillars as I heard Haas grumble beside me. Only Montaine’s people guarded and guided here today, even though they said the temple manages this place. Well, it doesn’t matter who takes this place. Meeting Sarne’s informant was what mattered to me now.

I had to get there on time because the informant told me to meet at a specific time in a palace location. The problem was that nobody should see this contact. So I made a simple plan. I’ll pretend to be hurt and leave shortly after I attend the party. I walked down the long hallway behind the guiding servant while Haas whispered beside me.

“Will you really let me touch the club if I do as I’m told?”

That’s right. He requested a look at the club as a condition for following me this time. I nodded immediately.

“So trip me well at the right time.”

“Of course. I’ll put a slipping spell right under your feet.”

“Yes, slip… what?”

“You told me to trip you.”

“Just come in later and hook my foot. Don’t crack my head open.”

“Ha, I’m a mage, so why should I use my body when there’s a spell…”

“I guess you don’t want to touch the club?”

“Tripping others is my specialty.”

I entered the central hall where the party was held after I got Haas’s promise. However, I didn’t need Haas’s help to leave the party hall, contrary to my expectations. The noisy party hall went quiet in an instant and all eyes focused on me when I appeared. It wasn’t friendly interest.

Of course, I didn’t care. I had too much to do for that. Instead, I slowly looked around them all so Mo could remember everyone gathered here. Then my gaze stopped at one spot. I met Ma Hoiga’s eyes. His look was cold, but strangely, that was all. It didn’t contain hatred or resentment.

Why? He should hate me to death since I took Tairok away. I smiled at him as I wondered. Then, the reaction I wanted finally appeared. His eyes filled with murderous intent in an instant. Yeah, this is it. I was satisfied then and moved my feet.

Tack, tack.

It was so quiet that my footsteps echoed among all these people. I asked Mo while I walked through the crowd like I was the main character.

‘Did you find Grand Duke Sarne?’

[He’s 15m away at the 4 o’clock direction.]

That means the informant came here too.

I stopped in front of the snack table I targeted and looked down as if I was wondering what to eat.

A murmur filled the room as soon as I showed my back, like someone had pressed a play button. I heard my name everywhere. Most of it was mockery and laughter, but I heard no sound right next to me. Nobody came within a certain distance of me.

It’ll be too obvious if Haas trips me like this. I started to eat snacks as I wondered if I should just let him use that slipping spell. It was sweet, greasy, and salty. Why is there no proper spicy taste when they like such strong flavors? I grumbled, but I soon finished almost all the food on my plate because I was hungry. Meanwhile, still no one approached, as if people had promised to ignore me as a group. At this rate, I could just disappear on my own and nobody would know…

“Ah!”

“Oh my, what is that…!”

Shocked gasps erupted from everywhere suddenly. I turned my head as I chewed the last pie and then I froze. People’s eyes directed toward a person who looked like a knight at the entrance. He was in armor and armed, which didn’t fit the party, but that wasn’t why people screamed.

It was because of what the knight held in his hand. He clutched brown hair. The hair’s owner only had a head left. The knight walked ahead, approached Grand Duke Sarne, and knelt.

“Grand Duke, I executed the traitor who leaked Sarne’s secret information as you ordered.”

“The leaked documents?”

“Here they are.”

The knight pulled a folded document from his chest and handed it over politely. A few people breathed a sigh of relief when the knight’s identity was revealed, but everyone still was shocked by the situation.

But he brought a person’s severed head into the middle of a party hall. I thought I was probably the only one who knew the reason. Grand Duke Sarne opened the paper to check it and ordered the knight. But his gaze directed at me in the distance.

“This man dared to betray Sarne and side with the enemy to hand over an ancient document. Strengthen the surveillance more in the future. Don’t let dirty moles dare to sneak in.”

Flames suddenly rose from Grand Duke Sarne’s hand as he ordered the knight. A sneer spread through Grand Duke Sarne’s eyes like the burning flames. The mockery was for me. So I could also guess whose head was in the knight’s hand. It must be the informant who was said to own Kun a favor.

But I didn’t feel resentful or angry that he outdid me.

I had more questions.

Why did Grand Duke Sarne have to dig such a trap? And why does he smile so satisfyingly as if I’m his target? It wasn’t that he’s disappointed because Tairok didn’t come. A sense of foreboding that something was wrong pierced through my body. Mo’s notification confirmed this feeling.

[Ma Hoiga’s been looking this way ever since the knight appeared.]