Chapter 43

Ashbury Castle. North Tower.

"Hey, come over here for a moment."

The person known as the 'Head of Administration' handed over documents regarding the conduct of the Marquis family to a subordinate.

"You can put this away now. The son's behavior was quite bad as well."

"Yes. We started the investigation after the incident at the ball, but it was fortunate that we were able to learn about the conduct of the Marquis and his son."

The Head of Administration had a troubled look on his face.

"Why can't the Marquis understand that his actions only breed the anger of the common people and resentment towards the nobility? He was such a capable man."

"The son was also quite problematic. Not only did he frequent underground gambling dens, but he also owed a significant amount of money to shady people. If he had inherited his father's position, he would have been taken advantage of."

The Chief, twirling a glass pen between his fingers, listened.

"Probably because of that gambling. They likely made him win big at first with cheating. The son was capable at his job too. Why did they both end up like this?"

It's the height of folly for a noble to incur the resentment of the common people. How many royal families have disappeared throughout history due to the accumulated anger of the people?

"By the way, have you found the red-haired woman yet?"

"No. The man who attacked her was motivated by personal grudges, so we don't know why she was freed. This makes it difficult to narrow down the search area, making it hard to find her."

"I see."

"Perhaps someone who harbors a grudge against the Marquis helped her. Also, we haven't found the whereabouts of his sister. According to neighbors, she was in a very poor mental state, so in the worst case, she might not be alive. It's possible she's with her brother, but we don't have any leads yet."

The Chief stopped twirling his pen on the desk.

"I see. Understood. That man did have mitigating circumstances. However, the place where the crime was committed was just too bad."

"Yes."

The department the Chief oversees is located in the north tower of the castle, which is the least sunny part. It is far from the glamorous departments like the Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Finance departments.

Three departments are housed in the north wing: the 'Repair Department' on the second floor, the 'Document Management Department' on the third floor, and the 'Institutional Maintenance Department' on the fourth floor.

However, in reality, these three departments are one, and they are known as the 'Third Knights' by those who only know of them through rumors. This is not their official name.

The true nature of the Third Knights is kept highly secret, and only a handful of people know the truth. Even the ministers are not fully informed, only aware that such an organization exists.

The head of the Third Knights is the Chancellor, but the one who actually runs it is the Chief of the 'Institutional Maintenance Department.'

While the heads of other departments are called ministers, the Chief of the 'Institutional Maintenance Department' is simply called 'Chief' or 'Department Head,' and is generally perceived as the head of a neglected department.

The current Chief is a purebred civil servant, chosen for this position due to his sharp intellect, high ethical standards, keen insight, and ability to avoid conflicts with anyone.

His social skills are such that the First Prince says, "If you want to know something from the social circles, the Chief is the quickest way to get it." He probably means it sincerely, not as a joke.

His insights are so accurate that they make the Chancellor feel uneasy.

He often refers to his department as a "troublesome place where all the messy work is dumped," but despite his complaints, he is very engaged in his work.

When no one is around, he takes out a locked drawer and retrieves an envelope labeled "Pending," from which he pulls out three documents.

One is the investigation report on Victoria Sellers, ordered by His Majesty. Another is the report on the mysterious woman from the ball incident, and the third is the report on the prison break.

"All young women... and all since she entered the country."

The man, with his silver hair streaked with white, sighs as he runs his hand through it.

According to the report from the Kingdom of Randall, Victoria Sellers is white. However, the report on Victoria Sellers contradicts some of the information he personally knows.

The report states that Victoria Sellers' parents are "unknown," but he has heard that they died in a fire. If there was a fire and their deaths were confirmed, it would be unlikely for them to be listed as "unknown."

Regarding horses, she apparently learned from her brother in the military, but the "real" Victoria Sellers has no brother.

"You let your guard down, Victoria."

The Chief looks at the documents with a troubled expression.

And one more thing. His intuition tells him that the red-haired woman who helped with the prison break might be Victoria Sellers, but there is no evidence.

Still, if all three incidents involved Victoria, why did she come to this country? And why did she help a death row inmate in a way that benefits her nothing?

"I'd like to ask her directly."

He casually suggested to his cousin's husband, the Earl of Anderson, "If Clark is struggling with his language skills, why not hire Victoria as a language teacher? It must be tough for her with reduced income until her uncle's injury heals."

He wanted to keep her close. He likes Victoria. She is the one who helped his brother Jeffrey out of his mental prison. He wants to support Jeffrey and Victoria's relationship if possible, but there are too many uncertainties.

She is probably running from something. Depending on the reason, he might want to protect her, but depending on the reason, he might have to hand her over to the authorities.

If she has committed a crime, he doesn't want to cause a diplomatic incident over a foreigner.

After pondering, Edward Ashbury decided not to share his suspicions with the Chancellor yet.

Until now, he has often shared his thoughts with the Chancellor and His Majesty, saying, "Please consider this possibility."

"But the Chancellor is impatient. He might say, 'Just find a reason to exile her.'"

He has a habit of running his fingers through his hair from front to back when thinking.

He then put the three documents back into the envelope, locked it in the drawer. He knows that a simple lock won't make much difference to the people here, but he likes to lock it if there is one.

He then called another subordinate.

"How is the report from Mr. Miles? Oh, it's going well. Then leave him be. Thank you."

How much has his brother noticed? At the very least, he must have realized that she is not just a commoner.

(I hope Jeffrey doesn't do anything rash.)

For a moment, his face showed concern for his overly kind and devoted brother.

---

Victoria continues to care for Nonna.

Nonna seemed to have caught a flu. She had a high fever and a severe cough.

She lay in bed, her face flushed and breathing heavily. She had no appetite and only sipped a little water or weak fruit juice. Remembering the past flu outbreaks from Lady Eva, she felt a dark foreboding.

(It will be okay. Nonna is strong.)

She kept repeating this to herself, but it was her first time caring for a sick child. She couldn't tell if Nonna would get worse or recover. She soaked a warm cloth in cold water, wrung it out, and placed it on Nonna's forehead, and changed her clothes if she sweated. It was frustrating that she could do so little.

"Vicky, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? Nonna, you don't need to apologize. Getting sick is not your fault. Try to sleep well so you can get better soon."

"Okay."

The fever and cough were persistent, but around the fifth day, her fever broke, and she showed signs of appetite. Her cough and breathing were still wet and raspy, but they were becoming more stable.

"Nonna, it looks like you're winning against the illness."

"I'm not feeling so bad anymore."

"Really? That's good. Just keep eating and sleeping well, and you'll get better."

"I want to eat apple pie."

"Let's wait a bit. Your stomach might be shocked."

Ten days after the fever started, Nonna had fully recovered.

(But, traveling by horse is still not possible.)

Victoria made this judgment.