Chapter 91

91

I felt much more grateful and happy than I had expected when Jhen congratulated me. It must be because he is someone whose sincerity is transparent. Formal congratulations don’t move anyone, but heartfelt congratulations can touch a person.

"Thank you so much, Viscount Delacroix. For coming all the way to congratulate me, and even bringing a gift..."

"Haha, no problem! It’s only natural between friends!"

I was more moved by him calling me a 'friend' than by his gifts or flowers, as there were few people in my life I could call friends.

"...Thank you, really. Please come in. Hand the flowers and the gift to the servant."

"Ah, yes!"

The servant, noticing the situation, quickly took the flowers and the gift. I instructed him to place them in my room and then led Jhen into the parlor.

As expected, the air inside the parlor was chilly.

"...Ahem."

Jhen cleared his throat awkwardly. He greeted the three men who were glaring at him with a relaxed smile.

"Hello, Duke Valentine. How have you been?"

"...I’ve been well. Viscount Delacroix seems to be doing well too."

Theodore answered Jhen’s greeting gruffly. He also glared at Jhen, but compared to Owen and Hessen, he was more tolerable. The latter two looked like hyenas ready to tear Jhen apart.

"...I didn’t know Lily would befriend Viscount Delacroix. That’s quite surprising."

Owen said, sounding amazed. Hessen, sitting next to him, just glared at Jhen without a word. Jhen, unfazed by their rudeness, smiled and greeted them warmly.

"Seems we became friends by chance. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you both here."

"Nice to meet you, my foot... Freeze to death..."

The atmosphere in the parlor turned icy when Hessen rudely muttered, refusing to acknowledge Jhen’s greeting.

However, Jhen didn’t get angry. He just widened his eyes and laughed in a slightly bewildered manner.

"Hessen, it seems you don’t like me being here. But this visit was permitted by the head of the Valentine household."

In other words, 'The master of this castle is Theodore, so why are you acting territorial?' It was a subtle rebuke.

I was surprised that Jhen could use such rhetoric. After all, he is a noble. For some reason, I had come to think of him as a shepherd boy wearing a straw hat, wandering through a meadow, or perhaps a shepherd dog...

"Viscount Delacroix is right. If you have any complaints, take them up with me."

...To my surprise, Theodore backed Jhen up. But in a way, it made sense. He knew that today’s plan had to succeed.

"This is surprising. It seems Lily isn’t the only one who has befriended Viscount Delacroix?"

"..."

Owen asked, testing the waters, and Theodore, looking slightly irritated, lifted his teacup. After taking a sip, he answered.

"It’s a personal friendship."

"Ah, I see?"

Owen’s question was met with silence from Theodore, who ignored him. Owen’s cold gaze shifted between Theodore and Jhen. ...As expected, Owen suspected a close relationship between Delacroix and Valentine.

'That’s why I hesitated to involve Jhen.'

After all, Delacroix might suffer a loss. Despite knowing all this, Jhen agreed readily. ...I’m not sure if the Duke of Delacroix approved, though.

'I have to make sure today’s plan succeeds for Jhen’s sake.'

It seemed like the right time to bring up the topic, so I smiled and spoke.

"The banquet will start in 30 minutes. Why don’t you three go to the banquet hall first? I’ll show Viscount Delacroix around the Valentine Castle gardens."

It’s common for the lady of the house to show the gardens to first-time guests. A well-maintained garden is like the face of the household, and it can leave a good first impression on guests, so noblewomen often put a lot of effort into it.

Of course, the person who has been maintaining the Valentine Castle gardens is not me but Lady Seymour, but Owen and Hessen wouldn’t know such details, so it wouldn’t matter if I pretended I did.

"That sounds like a good idea. Do that. I’ll handle the Everett heirs."

Theodore beat Owen and Hessen to the punch. Since the head of the household agreed, the guests had no reason to object. They just glared at Jhen and me with sharp eyes.

"See you at the banquet hall, brother, Hessen."

I smiled and said to them, then left the parlor with Jhen.

* * *

'I hope Theodore can buy us some time.'

Jhen and I stopped in a secluded spot in the garden. ...This is where the real work begins. We have about 25 minutes left. We need to successfully execute today’s main plan within that time.

"Lily, are you ready?"

"Yes, let’s go."

Nodding at Jhen’s question, he smiled and summoned the spirit. Ventus appeared in the air, causing a golden wind to swirl around us. When I opened my eyes after closing them once—

We were in the rear garden of Everett Castle.

"Fortunately, no one is around."

"Yes, but we might be seen by a patrol guard, so use this."

I changed my appearance using a transformation magic tool and did the same for Jhen. This way, we looked like servants of the Everett household. ...The problem is that we might run into the actual servants we’re impersonating. So we need to be extra careful.

'At least, thanks to Ventus’s power, there won’t be any magical traces left behind.'

While teleportation devices are convenient, they often leave traces. Spatial magic is much more complex and large-scale than people think.

That’s why, even though we wanted to sneak into Everett Castle, we couldn’t use a teleportation device for fear of leaving magical traces.

However, the power of a spirit is pure and natural, leaving no traces. So there’s no risk of being caught.

'It’s a stroke of luck that Jhen offered to help... No, befriending him was a great stroke of luck.'

I felt even more grateful to Jhen. But I’ll express that later; now is the time to hurry and execute the plan. Time is running out.

'23 minutes left.'

I kept track of the time in my head as Jhen and I headed from the rear garden to the main hall of Everett Castle.

A guard was stationed at the small entrance to the main hall, which servants often use, but we didn’t get caught because we were disguised as servants.

'This is going smoother than expected. What floor is Owen’s room on?'

Jhen asked with his mouth, and I glanced at him, answering the same way.

'The third floor. We need to stop here first.'

I led Jhen to the cleaning supply closet.

I filled a bucket with water and handed it to Jhen, then grabbed a broom and a few rags.

'Pretending to clean will make us less suspicious.'

'Ah, I see.'

Owen doesn’t entrust the cleaning of his room to just anyone. And the two servants we’re impersonating are trusted by Owen. So even if others see us heading to Owen’s room, they won’t be suspicious...

'The problem is if we run into someone who knows these servants are elsewhere... or the servants themselves...'

My mouth was dry as we carried the cleaning supplies to the third floor. If we get caught, it’s over. We’d have to capture any witnesses. But Father and Owen would soon notice something was amiss...

'So we absolutely can’t get caught. This has to be a perfect crime...'

We finally reached the corridor on the third floor where Owen’s room was.

"Hey? What are you doing here? Didn’t you finish cleaning in the morning?"

Unfortunately, we ran into someone who knew these servants. I could feel Jhen tense up beside me. In contrast, I remained calm and spoke matter-of-factly.

"We need to clean again today. Owen doesn’t like even a speck of dust. Especially after he returns from an outing, his OCD gets worse."

"Ah... That’s true."

The person seemed to accept my explanation, nodding. It looked like we’d get through without any major issues. As he passed by us, he joked.

"You guys always take naps at this time. I thought you were holed up in your rooms sleeping again! Finish the cleaning quickly and get some rest! I’m off."

"Ah, okay."

He chuckled and walked down the stairs. Once he was out of sight, Jhen finally relaxed. I, who hadn’t been overly tense, patted his back calmly.

'Come on, we need to hurry.'

'Yes.'

We communicated with our mouths and headed to Owen’s room. Fortunately, the servants we’re impersonating were taking naps in their rooms, so there was no risk of being caught. We still needed to be careful, though.

'14 minutes left...'

Time was running out. We needed to search Owen’s room within this short time to find solid evidence.

'Now is the perfect opportunity while Owen is detained at Valentine Castle.'

We wouldn’t have been able to attempt this at any other time. So we can’t miss this chance. I opened the door and entered Owen’s room.

'...Same old taste.'

That was my immediate thought upon seeing the room. I dislike Owen’s taste as much as I dislike him, and I was reminded of that fact.

Indeed, Owen’s taste is the worst.

"Wow, it’s all black..."

Jhen looked around the room, seemingly surprised, and muttered to himself. I nodded expressionlessly and replied.

"He’s been like this since he was a child."

"Since he was a child?!"

Owen is 24 years old, only three years older than me and the same age as Theodore, but he was extraordinary even as a child.

To put it bluntly, he was a creepy person. He didn’t show fear at the sight of dead animals, even as a child. ...The same went for dead people. He was generally emotionless and seemed unable to empathize with others.

Even Father, who boasted about Owen’s maturity, was not normal.

'Hessen, at least, seems more human.'

I looked around the room, which was entirely black, and said.

"Let’s divide the room into two sections and search separately. I’ll take this part, and you take the rest, Jhen."

"Got it!"

Owen wouldn’t leave important items just anywhere, but it’s worth a try.

If we find solid evidence, it will definitely help us gain the upper hand.

Taking a deep breath, I focused and began thoroughly searching my assigned area.

* * *

"Lily seems to be doing a good job as the hostess?"

The parlor, now left with the three of them, was filled with a cold atmosphere. Owen’s lazy voice cut through it.

"More than enough."

Theodore answered expressionlessly, showing no weakness. His face was as calm as if he could remain indifferent even if a knife were thrust at him. Owen, seeing this, smiled slightly and reached for the chessboard between them.

Then, he swept his hand across the board, ruining the game.

Theodore’s eyebrows twitched, and he frowned, glaring at Owen.

"What are you doing?"

Owen, unfazed by Theodore’s sharp question, lit a cigarette and answered nonchalantly.

"Lily Everett. She can become a Queen when she reaches the last row, but until then, she’s the weakest Pawn."

He picked up a white Pawn and placed it on the board, continuing. Hessen, watching the scene, muttered, "That kid is talking nonsense again..."

"I’ve known this fact for a very long time."

"..."

"You’ve only known Lily for about two years, Duke Valentine."

Theodore’s eyes turned fierce. Like a male animal’s instinct, he seemed to sense something from Owen’s words and attitude.

"You don’t really know what kind of person Lily Everett is."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I’m her brother. I raised her and shaped her."

Owen’s voice was filled with raw possessiveness. Theodore clenched his fist on the table.

"You seem to be out of your mind. She’s your sister."

"Are you in your right mind?"

Owen chuckled and slowly stood up. His relaxed demeanor was like that of a well-fed predator. He stretched and then made a sudden proposal to Theodore.

"Want to spar? Duke Valentine."

"What?"

"To loosen up a bit before the meal."

Despite the suddenness of his proposal, he wore a very natural smile.

However, that smile also looked very dangerous.