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Chapter 5…………………………
Late at night, Radian fumbled across the tabletop by moonlight. Her pale, slender fingers found a couple of matchsticks. Scratch—with a sharp sound, sparks flew, and the room brightened instantly. The flame from the match caught the oil wick, settling into a steady glow.
“Phew.”
With a soft breath, Radian blew out the match. The charred black stick gave off smoke and the faint smell of sulfur. She glanced around the now brighter room.
Today was one of the days the Duke had gone to visit the Imperial Palace. Sometimes he even slept in his office there, so the fact that he still hadn’t returned this late at night meant there was a good chance he would spend the night at the palace again.
Whenever the Duke went to the palace, Radian’s husband, Iriot, would also go out. And whenever his destination was the House of Baron Seth, he inevitably stayed the night there too. Back then, she had thought it was simply because they were close friends—that men needed time to talk among themselves. Radian ground her teeth.
Either way, tonight was the perfect opportunity to search the Duke’s office. The Duke always took his personal knights with him to the palace, meaning the office security would be weaker than usual. Radian slipped her small feet into her slippers.
Tap, tap. The soft rabbit-fur slippers muffled against the red carpet as she walked forward guided only by a small candle. Most parts of the castle were illuminated with mana stones, but there were none near her room. Truly petty. Muttering under her breath, Radian headed downstairs.
The first place she visited wasn’t the Duke’s office, but the food storage room. It was located near the dining hall on the first floor. Only the knights outside the castle walls were standing guard; inside, everyone else had long gone to bed, and the castle was eerily quiet.
Holding a lantern lit by candlelight, Radian carefully searched through the pantry shelves. White eggs, apples, bread, and other foods were neatly arranged in rows. After a moment of hesitation, she placed some bread and apples into a small basket.
She casually polished an apple on her nightgown before taking a bite. Crunch. Sweet, tangy juice burst across her tongue. The delicious flavor naturally made her mouth water. As she chewed while walking down the hallway, Radian suddenly stopped, tense.
The Duke’s office was very close to the kitchen. If she got caught, she planned to pretend she’d simply gotten lost while looking for the kitchen to warm up some food.
Even if she were discovered, no one would easily suspect that the foolish, pitiful Radian was plotting something inside the Duke’s office. Taking a deep breath, she carefully pulled the door open.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t locked.
Thinking the Duke was less cautious than expected, Radian peeked inside to see if anyone was there. The room was pitch dark, empty as a mouse hole. Slowly, she pulled the door open wider.
Creeeak—
The sound seemed unusually loud. The vicious lion carving on the doorknob looked as though it might leap out and bite her throat at any moment. Thump, thump. Her heart pounded violently, as if she had just sprinted at full speed. Slipping through the crack, Radian quickly and carefully shut the door behind her.
Thankfully, the office was empty. She let out a sigh of relief. Worried that the lantern light might leak outside, she approached the window and drew the curtains. Shhhk. Velvet curtains covered the windows.
Raising the lantern, she saw bookshelves filling an entire wall. Narrowing her eyes, Radian scanned them, but nothing seemed unusual. Lowering her gaze, she noticed the desk piled high with documents. She picked up the stack on top.
“Request for troop mobilization to subjugate monsters…”
It was an ordinary notice ordering nobles to dispatch soldiers because monsters had recently begun appearing frequently near the border.
Radian’s expression darkened noticeably.
Later, it would be revealed that the reason these monsters appeared was because the As Empire in the Arctic region had been deliberately summoning them to destabilize the two empires.
That incident would ignite major conflict and eventually war. Though everyone expected the As Empire to lose quickly due to its barren land and lack of resources, they instead used dark magic to seize not only the Toki Empire but even the capital of the Kria Empire.
For the As Empire, it was a miracle.
For Kria and Toki, it was a catastrophe.
Radian had died before the war ended, so she didn’t know how it ultimately concluded, but even if left alone, this ducal house was highly likely to fall.
And she didn’t want that.
She wanted revenge carried out by her own hands.
Acting as though nothing had happened, Radian set the document down and continued rummaging through the others.
“Weapon repairs… farm tax rates…”
Most of them were simple matters—the kind the Duke probably approved just by glancing at the title. Tax percentages for the year, monopolization rights for certain specialties. Still, Radian memorized everything. Someday, it might prove useful.
She had been reading the stolen documents for quite some time when she heard unmistakably male footsteps approaching.
Startled, she looked up.
The hallway lights were brightly lit, leaking through the crack beneath the door. Whoever it was had confidently turned on the mana stones, meaning they weren’t a sneaking midnight visitor like herself.
“Phew…”
‘The Duke.’
It was the Duke’s sigh she heard.
This was far earlier than he should have returned. Biting her lip, Radian frantically wondered where to hide. Her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst. She tried recalling the excuse she had prepared earlier, but panic erased it completely from her mind.
The footsteps stopped directly in front of the office door.
Just as Radian moved to hide beneath the desk—
“Mmgh!”
Someone suddenly covered her mouth and dragged her into a display cabinet. The coldness of the hand clamped over her nose and lips sent chills down her spine.
‘Who is this!?’
Rolling her eyes to the side, she saw a man staring at her with one finger pressed to his lips. Even in the darkness, his blue-gray eyes conveyed a clear warning.
Quiet.
Instead of asking who he was, Radian raised both hands and nodded slightly to show she would stay silent.
The man slowly lowered his hand.
The cabinet was cramped and uncomfortable, and the inability to breathe loudly made it suffocating.
Click.
The Duke entered the office. Through the narrow crack in the cabinet doors, Radian could see confusion flicker across his face.
“Did I leave the door open?”
At the Duke’s mutter, Radian flinched.
His confusion quickly turned to suspicion, and the office lights flared brightly. Though only silhouettes were visible through the faint light entering the cabinet, Radian recognized him immediately.
Mikael.
A young man with shaggy silver hair nearly white in color. Though merely a commoner servant, he was clever and efficient, which was why Iriot entrusted him with many tasks.
Nineteen years old—an adult by this world’s standards—but his nearly 170-centimeter frame and soft chubby cheeks still gave him the appearance of a boy. Normally, he had a gentle expression, but Radian had once overheard maids whispering about how, when he smiled and his eyes disappeared completely, their hearts skipped a beat.
Because of his name and appearance, he was nicknamed the little baby angel of Scanan Castle.
So why was he here now?
Inside the Duke’s office, no less.
Judging by the Duke’s suspicion, Mikael must have picked the lock himself.
Unable to hide her confusion, Radian stared at him. Mikael smiled faintly, but his eyes looked like those of an assassin who could stab straight through someone’s heart as he watched the Duke.
For a long while, the Duke thoroughly searched the office. He shuffled through papers and carefully checked whether any books were missing. When he pulled out the chair and inspected beneath the desk, goosebumps crawled over Radian’s skin.
If she had hidden there instead…
She didn’t even want to imagine it.
After checking behind the curtains, the Duke began opening the display cabinets one by one.
Clack, bang.
Rattle, bang.
Clink, bang.
The sounds of cabinet doors opening and shutting continued.
As the Duke drew closer to the cabinet where the two of them hid, Radian’s eyes darted anxiously.
What would happen if he found them together?
The punishment would be far worse than if she had been discovered alone.
If he misunderstood this as some secret affair between them, the knights would probably kill them without a trace. And even if they survived, the Duke’s suspicions would never disappear.
As Radian imagined their miserable future, the Duke finally reached their cabinet.
She covered her mouth with both hands, suppressing a scream.
Clack.
Rattle, rattle, rattle.
But fortunately—or unfortunately—the door didn’t open. Mikael must have locked it from inside. Frowning, the Duke tried several times before seemingly giving up.
But just as relief washed over her—
BANG!
The cabinet doors flew wide open.
Under the bright light, the two of them were completely exposed.
Radian froze like a statue, screaming silently inside. The Duke stood barely ten centimeters away, his breath brushing directly against her skin and sending shivers across her body.
She nearly screamed, but no sound came out.
What she couldn’t understand, however, was the Duke’s reaction.
Despite Radian and Mikael standing right before him, he only frowned slightly. There was no sign of anger or shock.
Could it be—
Turning her head, Radian gasped sharply.
Mikael, who had been pressed tightly against her moments ago, had vanished without a trace.
W-What?
Still staring in confusion, she suddenly saw the Duke’s hand reach directly above her face.
Eek.
Radian shrank back, even holding her breath so that nothing would touch him.
The Duke’s hand swept around near her a few times before finally grabbing a large liquor bottle and withdrawing.
Bang.
The cabinet door shut without warning. The loud noise nearly split her ears, and Radian quickly covered them with her palms.
Holding the bottle loosely in one hand, the Duke locked the cabinet and left the office.
Until the sound of his footsteps completely faded, Radian couldn’t take a proper breath.
“Puaaah…”
It felt like surviving a scene straight out of a horror thriller movie. Radian trembled violently, goosebumps already covering her arms.
“What exactly were you thinking?”
“Mother of—!”
Mikael, whom she had thought disappeared, was suddenly pressed close against her again. Though his bangs covered most of his face, his sharp gray eyes were glaring directly at her.
