Chapter 85

Jeff told me about His Majesty's proposal.

"Clark reported the information about the mercenaries he obtained to His Majesty first. Since the other party was a marquis from another country, it couldn't be kept secret from His Majesty. Then, my brother was immediately summoned. The Queen was also present."

"I see."

What do His Majesty and Lord Edward intend to do?

"His Majesty was worried about you. Therefore, at His Majesty's instruction, my brother is heading to the House of Marquis Halloes in the Kingdom of Randall. His Majesty will provide him with a letter of credence. His Majesty believes that my brother can resolve this situation peacefully."

"What did Lord Edward say?"

"My brother said, 'Leave it to me, you can rest assured.'"

"I see..."

The commander of the special task force is going himself.

Lord Edward will undoubtedly resolve this incident peacefully. He will gather irrefutable evidence and apply pressure so that the other party cannot deny anything.

However, I am hesitant.

"I don't want to trouble Lord Edward over my affairs. I can handle it..."

"Stop it. Besides, this is also the Queen's wish. Lady Delphine said she hasn't forgotten that you saved her life. Not only that, but you also saved the life of someone important to her, so the country will lend a hand."

The important person must be Ellie from the attempted poisoning incident, or perhaps the two princes.

"That's very kind of them, but..."

"What's the problem?"

"It's not a problem, but I feel guilty. It feels like I'm making Lord Edward pay for my past mistakes."

"My brother is your brother too. And since the incident involves an attempt to harm a member of the Asher family, it's only natural for the head of the Asher family to resolve it. There's no issue with that."

It's only natural for a noble to consider this a family matter.

"Your past was also mentioned. My brother seemed to have already suspected it, so he wasn't surprised. I was relieved about that. I wouldn't accept it if he suddenly said he didn't like you."

"I see. I understand. Then, I will leave this matter to Lord Edward."

"That's good. My brother will be accompanied by a large number of guards selected from the kingdom's army, but the visit will be private. It will be resolved more peacefully than if the country acted officially."

"Yes, that's true."

Perhaps because my response was hesitant, Jeff held my hands and looked into my face.

"If you're worried, I can go with my brother."

"No, that's fine. You have a mountain of work to do anyway."

"Anna, it will be fine. My brother will thoroughly handle the job."

"I suppose so. ...Yes, I understand. I will ask Lord Edward, so you can rest assured, Jeff."

"Phew, that's a relief. I was worried that you would insist on handling it yourself."

Since the House of Marquis Halloes doesn't know my current status, I want to handle it myself, but I know it's best to leave it to Lord Edward.

Lord Edward is being sent because if the incident becomes public, it will be widely known that a noble from the Kingdom of Randall attempted to assault the wife of the Deputy Minister of Military Affairs of Ashbury. This could lead to war.

There are many military officers and nobles who support the military who are eager for war. They are always looking for a reason to start a war.

"It's to resolve the matter peacefully."

"Thank you. I'm relieved to hear you say that."

The conversation ended there, and Jeff started his work, saying, "That's good."

The next morning, I went to the sheep farm after Jeff left for the castle.

Miles was inspecting the fence. Despite being in his late fifties or early sixties, he was strong and youthful in both physique and movement.

"Mr. Miles, you look well."

"I feel great since I started working here. Is there something you need today?"

"I have a complicated matter and a troublesome request."

"I owe you a favor. If I can repay it, I'll be happy to do so. I'd like to hear your complicated matter and troublesome request."

Miles and I talked while surrounded by sheep. Here, we can talk freely without anyone eavesdropping.

"Do you know about my background? Someone is trying to take my life because of one of my past jobs. They sent nearly fifty mercenaries."

"Fifty? The other party must be very wealthy."

"All I know is that the employer of the mercenaries is the House of Marquis Halloes in the Kingdom of Randall. The person I was involved with in the past is their second son, Silas Halloes. He is now a commoner."

"A former noble who is now a commoner, and from a marquis family."

"I want you to find out if Silas is alive, and if so, his whereabouts and social connections."

"I'm not an expert in such investigations or finding people."

I nodded slightly and continued.

"There is an expert in gathering such information in the Kingdom of Randall. He is my acquaintance. Usually, I send a letter and money in a small package and receive a reply by letter, but it takes months to get results. So, I want you to go to his house. I'm not forcing you. If you refuse, I won't complain."

"I'll go."

Miles answered immediately.

I bowed in gratitude for his quick decision.

"Thank you. You can wait at a hotel until he provides the information. This is a matter I can't entrust to anyone else, so I came to you with this request."

"Is the person I'm going to see your personal information source?"

"Yes. He is an independent information source, not affiliated with any organization."

"You must trust me a lot to entrust such an important matter to me."

"I have never doubted your character, even though I once suspected your motives for approaching me six years ago."

After hearing my words, Miles looked up at the sky for a moment, then returned his gaze to me.

"Thank you for trusting me and asking me for this favor. This will help alleviate my regret."

"Miles, you were only following orders. I fled the country with Nonna for my own reasons. You have no reason to regret it. Regret is only poison."

"...You're right. Regret is indeed poison. I'll take this matter. You can rest assured. I'll leave as soon as possible."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. I'll inform the abbess that you will be away. We can say, 'Miles' sister is sick, so he went to check on her.'"

"Yes, that's clear. I'll leave it to you."

I handed him a note with Silas' age and physical characteristics, a note with the address of the information source in the Kingdom of Randall, and a letter detailing the request to the information source.

The letter to the information source is written in code in case it falls into the wrong hands.

Miles took these and headed towards the building for the farm manager, probably intending to leave immediately.

I informed the abbess that Miles would be away and returned home. I had some things to think about.

Thirteen years ago, when Silas was nineteen, he illegally read and copied the contents of the Eagar-Hagel Treaty long before it was signed. He was offered a large sum of money as a reward.

Silas, feeling liberated after completing the job, boasted to me about it while drunk. "The piece of paper I copied is worth five hundred gold coins," he said.

While Silas was deeply asleep, I disappeared with the paper.

Silas lost his noble status a year later. I often wonder why he wasn't silenced.

The House of Marquis Halloes must have used considerable influence.

The person who moved Silas must have been someone from the Kingdom of Randall who viewed the alliance between Eagar and Hagel as a threat. I heard that the special forces of Hagel searched for Silas' employer but couldn't identify the mastermind.

"At the time, Lancome said, 'Perhaps a major player, unknown to the King of Randall, was involved.'"

Silas was just a low-level perpetrator.

What has been bothering me is why they hired fifty mercenaries to kill just me.

I never showed Silas my combat skills, nor did I ever hint at them.

Silas must have thought I was just a polite and friendly country noble's daughter.

Why would his family hire fifty mercenaries to kill just me?

It seems that someone who knows my combat skills is involved in this matter.

Lord Edward will surely remove even the smallest seed of malice from the House of Marquis Halloes.

However, I doubt he can identify the person who knows my true capabilities.

The real reason for the mercenary incident must be hidden in a place not visible on the surface.

Moreover, I can't ask Lord Edward to find that person.

If I do, I might be labeled as a 'troublesome person who causes problems for my brother' and be eliminated. I can stay as Jeff's wife because my positive contributions outweigh my negatives.

If I cause so much trouble that it's decided I should not exist for Jeff's sake, what will happen to me and Nonna? Both Lord Edward and the King of Ashbury, who are powerful figures, care deeply for Jeff.

I must not forget this.

If Jeff realizes that his brother and mother think, "If Victoria is harmful, she should be eliminated," he will abandon everything and flee with me and Nonna to another country.

I want to avoid this as a last resort, and it would be difficult to escape from those two.

I must prevent a situation where Jeff abandons his brother, mother, and country for my sake and spends his life in exile.

Now.

The person who tried to eliminate me must have wanted to ensure my death at all costs, using fifty mercenaries.

As long as that person exists, even if the House of Marquis Halloes is suppressed, there will be a second or third assassin. Nonna will likely be targeted eventually.

Therefore, I intend to go to that person to protect myself and my family.

If they wanted to eliminate me, I will make them realize that they must also be prepared to be eliminated.