Chapter 73

"Clayud, do you know where we are?"

"Of course. We're near Opal."

I could tell Clayud was grinning mischievously from his tone.

Opal sighed in exasperation.

"How do you plan to get back?"

"Are you telling me to go back already after we just met?"

"Clayud, don't be silly. We're right in the middle of enemy territory."

"Well, officially, it's our territory, you know."

Clayud's grumbling made Opal suppress a laugh. Her eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, could make out Clayud's figure by the starlight. She felt like leaning on him, but Najya's stirring made her pull herself together. She didn't want to wake Najya, who must be tired.

"How long have you been here?"

"About five days? When I heard Opal was heading to the Duke's territory, I rushed over. I knew you'd definitely inspect the mines around here. They've been short-handed for years, so I got hired right away."

Clayud grinned in response to Opal's whispered question. He looked like a miner now. Despite recently looking every bit the Duke, he seemed to fit in here, perhaps because of similar experiences in the past. Clayud never talked about his past in detail, but it was clear he had endured a lot. And he was still risking his life now.

"…How many people have you sent here over the past few years?"

"Who knows?"

"I hope I'm doing my part well as a decoy."

Clayud took Opal's hand and kissed it gently, as if apologizing. Her hand was rough and calloused.

"Clayud, are you really okay?"

"I'm fine. You must have known I was coming and left the window open, right?"

Opal turned her back to Clayud, who had deliberately answered a different question, and sat down on the bed. She patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit.

"I just prepared for the worst. The window rattles. I didn't really think you'd actually come."

She had hardly expected it, but Clayud had always liked surprising her. So, just in case, she had opened the window a little without making a sound.

"Here, this is a letter for you. I had to read it first, sorry."

"Thank you, Clayud. It's not bad. I told them to do that in case I couldn't read it myself."

"…Thank you, Opal."

Clayud handed her two letters, hugged her, and then stood up. He quietly made his way to the window.

"Be careful, Clayud."

"Don't worry. I've been trained by a princess since I was a kid. It's just a shame I can't pull off a heroic rescue."

"Oh, I'll be ready next time."

Clayud, still straddling the window frame, pulled Opal close and kissed her. Surprised, her cheeks flushed, and Clayud looked at her with a serious expression.

"I'll definitely save you."

With that, Clayud stepped onto the window frame, stood up, and leaped out. Opal peeked outside and saw him disappear onto the roof.

"Who would have thought you'd come through the roof?"

"Najya, you were awake?"

"Of course I woke up. But I made sure to turn my back. I didn't see anything."

Najya covered her eyes with both hands to emphasize this. Her cute gesture made Opal laugh. She was actually worried about whether Clayud had safely descended from the roof, but she had to believe he was fine.

"I'm sorry for the noise."

"There's no need to apologize. I was excited to see the master! Just as you said!"

"Yes, he really does take risks."

"I'm sure the master thinks the same about you."

Najya's casual response hit the mark, and Opal had to suppress another laugh. Laughing at this hour would raise suspicion. The effort to hold back her laughter made her eyes well up, but she attributed it to her attempt to control her laughter.

No matter how strong she appeared, she was truly worried. More than anything, she was concerned about Clayud's safety. The situation was far from safe, but he was nearby and trusted her to fight alongside him.

"Are you okay? Can you go back to sleep?"

"Yes, I'm good at sleeping."

Opal, getting back into bed for the night, asked Najya. She received an energetic response. After saying goodnight again, Opal kept her eyes open, staring into the darkness.

(With the information that the anti-royalists are about to rise up, the king intends to act before that. He used me as a decoy at the right time.)

She had been overthinking it, but it was actually quite simple. Despite the manpower shortage, Clayud was easily hired because many spies had already infiltrated. That's why she wasn't opposed when she came to the Duke's territory—this place. However, from his attitude, it was clear that using Opal was a difficult decision for Clayud. Even in the darkness, she could see the pained look on his face. Since she had made him look like that, she really needed to give Alessandro a good punch. Then, making him bow and express his gratitude might be a good idea.

(That's right. If he thinks I'm just a pawn, he's dead wrong.)

She knew who the letters from Clayud were from without checking. She wanted to read them immediately, but she had to wait until it was light. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, Opal closed her eyes and tried to sleep.