STM 113

That evening, as soon as the sun set, I left the room. I wanted to go to his room first, before Kun Tairok came looking for me.

Who would be waiting patiently? I stepped into the hallway, ready for battle, but as soon as I turned onto the winding path, my steps automatically stopped.

Outside the window, I could see a crowd gathered in front of the mansion. The sky was darkening, but I could guess there were at least thirty of them, as most of them were carrying lanterns.

Who are they?

What was curious was that they were all prostrating themselves, as if they were asking a favor from a higher-up. And they did it quietly. Perhaps that’s why no one had noticed the large crowd gathered there.

What on earth were they asking for? And from whom?

“Lord Lu.”

Fortunately, someone appeared to answer. Contrary to the calm manner in which he had called me, the butler’s approaching pace was considerably faster.

“Did you experience any inconvenience when you had your meal brought into your room?”

“No. I ate it all.”

When Tairok suggested I eat in my room while he was out for a bit, I nodded thoughtlessly. But now I’m starting to suspect it was because of those people. I pointed out the window.

“Who are they?”

The butler was silent for a moment, then answered calmly.

“They are residents of Kun. They are waiting because they have a petition for the Grand Duke.”

“Is there a problem with the territory?”

“No.”

The butler proudly reported, shaking his head.

“Since His Grace became the head of the Kun family, this place has become better. Everyone respects and follows the Grand Duke.”

“Then why are those people so desperate?”

I didn’t have high expectations for an answer. Even though I was his fiancé, I was still a stranger who showed up out of nowhere. The butler hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly.

“They are the families of servants who once worked at the castle. In the past, those who resided at Kun Castle were cursed, and none of them could return home. So, upon hearing of Salvation’s arrival, they gathered to ask that the curse be lifted from Kun Castle.”

… Ah. Suddenly, I came to my senses.

I knew I had to take responsibility for it the moment I lied about being Salvation, but I thought I only had to fool Tairok and deal with him. How naive that was.

“If you show yourself, it might cause trouble, so it would be better to go back to your room.”

“What is the curse that has been placed on Kun?”

“I don’t know anything about that, so I have nothing to say.”

That was something I was meant to hear from Tairok. I nodded and turned around, but I couldn’t move my feet as the butler continued speaking.

“Because no one who went there to confirm the curse ever returned. Except for the Grand Duke.”

Those who went to confirm the curse were probably those who jumped in to rescue their families who had never returned. It was impossible to estimate how many people had thrown themselves into the curse.

I turned my gaze outside again. As I slowly looked around, I saw that most of those silently pleading were elderly people, women, and children.

“They are people who have given up everything. They’ve heard the news of Salvation and are clinging to their last hope. So, even if it’s jarring, I hope you’ll be understanding.”

“…….”

There wasn’t much to say. It was only after a long while that he finally nodded.

“I understand.”

And then I walked in the opposite direction from my room.

“Where are you going?”

“For a walk.”

I waved my hand to indicate that he should not follow.

“I’ll go down the back stairs.”

Fortunately, I wasn’t stopped, but an escort followed me. However, in his haste to chase, he made one mistake: he didn’t bring a lantern.

The escort couldn’t keep up with me, perhaps because of their poor night vision. On the other hand, thanks to Mo, I had excellent night vision. So I walked without much thought, and when I came to, I was alone.

The reason I couldn’t go any farther was something even Mo couldn’t help.

[The fog is thick, making visibility difficult.]

Before I knew it, I was in a black magic fog.

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“It seems the Borhumi family still hasn’t given up their greed. They’ve declared that if there’s any chance of their divine beast’s return, they won’t give up their position as a divine beast family.”

Rick spoke quickly as he reported, but there was no sense of urgency. He’d expected this much. But the other families’ responses were the problem.

“Because of that, Montaine completely cut off support for monster hunting. As you know, Sarne didn’t provide much support to begin with, so it didn’t have much of an impact. But even if all the monster hunters in Tubain came running, smelling the money, it wasn’t enough…”

Only a day had passed since the White Branch meeting, yet events that should have unfolded over the next few months were sweeping through Tubain.

Because of that, Rick had been flooded with reports over the past few days. He had no choice but to follow Tairok as soon as he returned to the mansion.

Then, realizing that Tairok’s direction was not the office he always went to first, he shut his mouth.

Where are you going? He wondered, but he was too busy keeping up with Tairok’s quick steps to open my his.

As time passed, it seemed like the answer would finally be revealed. At the end of this path was a room.

Adeye Lu’s room.

A large question mark loomed in Rick’s mind. Why? Is there a reason he had to go there as soon as he got home?

However, Tairok, who had been walking ahead, stopped before reaching his destination. This was due to the report of the butler who was running quickly toward him.

“After dinner, Lord Lou went for a walk behind the mansion.”

Tairok suddenly stopped walking. There was a silence, a few seconds. But during that brief moment, the air suddenly turned cold.

Rick couldn’t understand why he felt this way. Then Tairok slowly turned and looked back at the butler.

“Why?”

Why? He could go out for a walk. Why ask the reason? While the butler was choosing his words, Tairok spoke expressionlessly.

“Li is not the type of person to move recklessly from day one.”

Rick’s mouth fell open at this. What else could it be? Everyone knew that Adeye Lu wandered all over Tubain looking for men. Yet, his master regarded Adeye Lu as a completely different person.

Why? Is he trying to change his reputation because he’ll become the Grand Duchess? At that moment, the butler answered.

“He was curious after seeing the people gathered at the mansion, so I explained the reason to him.”

Tairok’s cold gaze stared at the butler.

“Why?”

“I couldn’t lie to the person who would become the Grand Duchess, so I told him the truth.”

“Why?”

At the third repetition of the question, the butler seemed flustered. Tairok asked the butler, who was unable to answer, for more specifics.

“What gives you the right to decide whether or not to report something?”

Only then did the butler realize Tairok was truly angry and lowered his head. Rick, watching from the side, was again confused.

He’s angry just because of that? Because Adeye Lu heard something uncomfortable on his first day?

“I’m sorry. I spoke carelessly without thinking things through. I’ll be careful not to repeat this in the future…”

“So?”

The butler immediately stopped making excuses. He knew from experience that there was still something that had angered Tairok.

“Your Grace, if there is anything I am lacking, please tell me.”

“Why are they still there?”

Even without Tairok pointing, he could tell he was talking about the people in front of the mansion.

“We are persuading them, but they aren’t moving easily….”

“Did I ever give you a chance to explain yourself?”

The butler fell silent again, his face drained of color. Only then did Tairok turn his gaze outside and give an order.

“Take the three oldest of them and lock them in the dungeon. Don’t give them anything for five days. Don’t give them even a sip of water.”

The butler was so surprised that he fell to the floor and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

“Yes, it’s your fault.”

The butler froze in bewilderment at the cold response. Having observed Tairok for so long, he had become able to discern clearly when his master was angry, unlike others.

Because he was the kind of person who smiled even when angry. But now, in the situation where he wasn’t even smiling, it was quite dangerous.

If you just peeled away the layer of shining smile that people praised, you could see the cruelty without any filter.

The butler, realizing the gravity of the situation, closed his eyes. This wasn’t something that could be resolved with just a verbal apology.

“I too will go to the dungeon to pay the price for my crimes.”

Fortunately, the butler’s words were correct, as Tairok gave Rick a short order.

“Lock him up.”

“But Your Grace… Ah, no.”

Rick followed Tairok as he walked quickly, looking back at the butler who was still unable to get up from the floor.

He must have been shocked. He was so surprised himself. Honestly, he thought it was absurd. Lu had just gone out for a walk because he was a bit upset. What could possibly go wrong?

How can you cherish something so precious that not even a speck of dust can cling to it? Even if he’s Salvation, was this really necessary?

But soon this doubt gave way to certainty. Before Tairok could even leave the mansion to find Lu, the captain of the guard heard the news and hurried over with a soldier.