Chapter 84

"Oh, a carriage has come in."

After dinner, upon hearing the sound of a carriage, I looked out the window and saw that it was the Anderson family's carriage entering the grounds. Lord Clark was getting out of the carriage and walking quickly towards us. Jeff and I hurried to the front door.

Lord Clark, who had come to our house without prior notice, had dark circles under his eyes. It was the first time I had seen the eighteen-year-old Lord Clark looking so exhausted.

"Lord Clark, what happened?"

"I have been investigating the person who tried to attack you."

This was not something to be discussed in the hallway. I immediately led Lord Clark to the living room and told Versa not to enter the room until I called for her. Il was out, paying a visit to Lord Edward's house.

Lord Clark sat on the sofa and began to speak right away.

"You said before that the person who hired mercenaries to attack you. If the person targeting you used mercenaries, they mostly work on short-term contracts. So, if they lost track of you, they would likely retreat from Ashbury for a while. Mercenaries, whose main job is combat and protection, rarely engage in group searches."

"Indeed. If the mercenaries knew the location of this house, they would have attacked by now."

Lord Clark cleared his throat.

"Actually, I had a friend from the civil service, who handles immigration, show me the documents of people leaving the country."

Realizing what this meant, I was truly surprised.

"Lord Clark, even if you were to check the documents of people leaving the country, there would be a vast number of them. And it's quite something that your friend from the civil service showed them to you."

"I only checked the documents from the immigration office near the capital that you used. My friend from the civil service accompanied me to check them. He showed me the documents because..."

Lord Clark looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I used my father's position. The person handling immigration is from the Foreign Department, which means he is my father's subordinate. This is the first time I have so openly used my father's position... But Nona and you will eventually become part of my family. This is an emergency, so I have no qualms about using my connections. Ah, and by the way, I found out where the mercenaries went."

Lord Clark said this with a casual tone, but I decided to let it slide.

"I found records of a large number of mercenaries entering and leaving the country in a short period. Just from what I checked, there were forty-five. Forty-three of them entered and left from Randall. I sent our guards to chase the last group of six who left. The only clue we have is their appearance as listed on their identification, but the guards are confident they can identify the group of six mercenaries."

"Lord Clark, that's amazing..."

Nona was genuinely surprised, and so was I. I knew Lord Clark was intelligent, but I didn't realize he was so proactive.

"Early this morning, I received a message from the guards. The mercenaries entered the House of Lord Halloes in the Kingdom of Randall. Do you recognize the name, sir?"

"Lord Halloes... I don't recall anything specific at the moment, but I'll think about it carefully. Lord Clark, I am truly grateful for all the trouble you've taken. Thank you very much."

"Of course. I only cut back on my sleep a bit, so don't worry. Thanks to my father's position as Foreign Minister. If you remember anything about the House of Lord Halloes, please let me know. I can investigate further."

With that, Lord Clark was about to leave, but he stopped and turned back.

"Actually, I thought it might not be necessary, but I checked the House of Lord Halloes in the Randall Kingdom's noble yearbook. The second son of the House of Lord Halloes was removed from the noble registry twelve years ago. Something must have happened, but I couldn't find out the reason."

"Thank you. Please rest well."

After seeing Lord Clark off, I returned to the living room.

"Anna, do you remember anything?"

Jeff must have sensed something from my demeanor, but this was not something I could tell Nona.

"No, not really. Nona, it's late. Go to bed."

"But I'm already thirteen, and I still have to go to bed?"

"Sleep deprivation is the enemy of health and beauty."

"Ugh..."

Despite her grumbling, Nona obediently went to her room. Once we were alone, Jeff's face showed clear concern.

"Anna, you remember something, don't you?"

"I have had contact with the House of Lord Halloes. Thirteen years ago."

"Contact, not infiltration?"

"Yes. The second son of the House of Lord Halloes was getting close to a noble from the Kingdom of Haggle, trying to obtain information about the treaty between the Kingdom of Haggle and the Kingdom of Iegal. Because of suspicious activities by a noble, I was chosen for the mission."

I wondered how much of the story I should tell.

At the time, I was twenty and had already been making significant progress as an agent. The head of the House of Lord Halloes was forty-three, his eldest son was twenty, the second son was nineteen, and the eldest daughter was seventeen.

"I posed as a viscount's daughter visiting her relatives in Randall from Haggle and became close to the eldest daughter. I was set up to meet her at a tea party, and we quickly became friends. I was invited to her home and soon became close with the family of the House of Lord Halloes."

From there, I acted to become close to the second son and searched for evidence that he was working with a noble from Haggle to obtain information. I obtained the evidence and quickly withdrew, but it wasn't a pleasant story to tell Jeff. I wondered how much I should share.

The second son I became close to was removed from the noble registry, likely because of me.

It was common not to be given information about the target after withdrawal, and I didn't go to Randall for several years afterward, but I was curious and had checked on the House of Lord Halloes. The second son, who had not obtained significant information due to my early report, had become a commoner.

I had been told to forget all completed missions by Lancome, so I had forgotten about the House of Lord Halloes. Thirteen years later, I was targeted, likely because I was seen in Randall.

(I had avoided all gatherings of nobles. It must have been bad luck to meet in a city of hundreds of thousands of people.)

I had always thought that I would eventually be punished for my past as an agent, but now, with Nona and her friend's family involved, (the punishment came in the form I least wanted).

"Anna? What's wrong?"

"Jeff, this is my fault. I will take care of it."

"But—"

"No. I can't let you face danger alone. Let's end this conversation for tonight. Okay?"

"...Okay."

Il returned.

"Lord Edward asked me to take care of his younger brother's family."

"Anything else?"

"No, not really. But he was worried about Victoria."

"Thank you. Take good care of them from tonight, Il."

"Yes, I will."

Il went to the guest room he would be using.

After that, Jeff and I drank the tea Versa had made as if nothing had happened, and the topic turned to Lord Clark.

"Clark did a great job."

"To narrow down and act within just ten days and achieve results is not an easy task."

"He is a worthy descendant of the Fitcher family. His maternal great-grandfather was a historian of the ancient Aestem Empire. At the time, scholars who studied the culture of fallen countries were considered useless. However, his great-grandfather's research revealed the knowledge of water supply construction from hundreds of years ago, which eventually proved very useful in this country."

"What a distinguished family. Did Bernard inherit the qualities of that scholar?"

"It seems so. His brother also enjoys working diligently on documents."

"What about Eva?"

Jeff chuckled.

"Eva is unique among the Fitcher family. She is cheerful, active, and can't sit still. She is often compared to her grandmother's side of the family."

"What kind of family is Jeff's grandmother from?"

"A long line of military officers. The line ended a long time ago. They all died during a major epidemic."

"I see. The military tradition was passed down to you."

"Maybe. But I don't dislike paperwork."

"I know. You are as excellent at desk work as a civil servant."

Jeff blushed, and I found his expression endearing.

The next day, after Jeff went to the castle, I told Il about what Lord Clark had investigated.

"Wow. He really went all out. His dedication to Nona is impressive."

"I didn't expect him to investigate to such an extent. I am very grateful."

"What about Victoria?"

"I am part of the Asher family now. This is not a problem I can solve alone. I will consider it after hearing Jeff's judgment. If they seem to be targeting Nona..."

"Victoria, please always let me know if you plan to take action. The second son of the House of Lord Halloes was punished for trying to steal information from another country. You don't have to bear the responsibility alone, as you were following orders."

"I know, but—"

I understand, but that is my logic.

To the people of the House of Lord Halloes, I am the hateful person who ruined their son.

That night, Jeff returned and told me about the proposal from King Conrad and Lady Delphine.