🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 4
“Young Master, are you awake?”
The servant waiting outside noticed movement and stepped into the room. Having grown accustomed to the life of a knight, being attended to like this felt incredibly awkward. I had to suppress the urge to dismiss everyone immediately. I also knew full well that, while this man technically held the title of knight, it was little more than a title.
“Yeah. I’m awake.”
The two servants bowed their heads before entering the room. What stood out was that both of them had the sturdy builds of knights or mercenaries.
“It seems the tea party at Count Aaron’s estate that was scheduled for this afternoon has been canceled.”
“I see.”
I had already planned something else for today anyway, so if anything, the cancellation worked in my favor. But perhaps they mistook my brief reply for anger, because both servants suddenly looked flustered despite their imposing physiques.
“We understand you’re disappointed about missing the tea party during your rare vacation, Young Master, but the Count’s family doesn’t mean any offense. It’s just that after seeing His Highness yesterday, word spread that he wouldn’t look favorably upon anyone holding even a small tea gathering, so they hurriedly canceled it.”
“That’s right. Quite a few nobles are saying they’ll refrain from attending social gatherings for the time being.”
The cancellation itself wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but the explanation that followed caught my attention.
So they’re watching the Crown Prince’s reaction… That means the Second Prince and all his followers have definitely been dealt with.
It wasn’t a bad sign.
I did my best to keep my expression blank, as though none of it concerned me.
“It’s fine. I already had somewhere to go today.”
“You have other plans? Could it be you met someone who caught your eye at yesterday’s funeral?”
Hearing that, I had no choice but to admit the concerns the attendant had voiced yesterday were completely justified.
Just looking at this body, it was obvious it would attract romantic scandals wherever it went. Since this fool had deliberately gone around meeting people, it wasn’t surprising that even I had heard rumors about what a notorious troublemaker Aila was.
“Nothing like that. I just have somewhere to be. Are you going to leave me like this?”
I deliberately spoke in the arrogant tone a spoiled young master would use.
The servants exchanged glances before bringing over a basin and washing my face themselves.
Seriously? He’s not a child anymore, and people still wash his face for him?
The other servant poured fragrant oil over my long silver hair little by little while brushing it.
I had never wanted to know the secret behind how this silky silver hair was maintained, yet now I knew.
“Young Master, Sir Ian should be arriving shortly. Wouldn’t it be best to go together?”
So Ian was the attendant from yesterday.
From the sound of it, he was probably the only person capable of talking back to this delinquent or stopping him, even a little.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t take an attendant to where I was headed.
“I’ll think about it after getting dressed.”
“Yes! We’ve brought the outfit you originally planned to wear today, along with your casual clothes.”
Apparently he had intended to dress up for the tea party.
But I needed to sneak into town unnoticed, so there was no way I could wear formal clothes. Naturally, I chose the casual outfit.
Then I saw it.
Wasn’t this guy supposed to be a knight? No… even if he weren’t, who in their right mind would wear something like this?
The fact that the entire outfit was white wasn’t the real issue.
The biggest problem was that, from my perspective, it barely covered anything.
It was supposedly “modest,” with extravagant frills everywhere, but the countless jewels hanging from it only made it look even more gaudy.
No one would ever mistake it for everyday clothing.
“No. I asked for casual clothes, not party attire.”
Thinking the servants had made a mistake, I held my aching head.
The servant with the short hair immediately panicked.
“M-My apologies! This is the newest design from the tailor you usually visit for your everyday clothes, Young Master. We thought you’d be pleased.”
In other words, Aila actually wore this ridiculous nonsense on a daily basis.
I desperately resisted the urge to clutch my head and lecture everyone about the dignity a knight should possess.
As long as I was borrowing this body, I couldn’t overreact.
“Today I’d like to wear the plainest clothes you have. Something that wouldn’t attract attention even if I went into town.”
“Young Master… surely you aren’t planning to go after the commoners this time…?”
The servant stared at me in utter disbelief.
I didn’t even need to hear the rest.
He was obviously asking if I intended to seduce commoners now.
Trying to convince him otherwise would only waste time.
“Are you always this talkative? If so, just leave. I’ll get ready myself.”
I felt a little guilty for sounding harsh toward people who had done nothing wrong.
Then again, it was rather rude for attendants to interfere this much in the first place.
Though, considering the kind of man this body’s owner was, perhaps he deserved comments like that.
“My apologies. We’ll fetch another outfit immediately.”
The final outfit the servant brought still clung tightly to my body and was decorated with subtle gemstones, but compared to the first one, it was a tremendous improvement.
Satisfied enough, I quickly sent the servants away.
There’s no way I can go into town wearing the clothes this fool normally wears.
Suppressing my presence, I slipped into the wardrobe and searched the deepest corner.
Hidden beneath layers of dust in a place no one bothered to clean, I found several ordinary-looking clothes by my standards, crumpled into a heap.
There was also a hat nearby, which saved me the trouble of looking for one.
He’s still a noble’s son, but this should at least be convincing enough.
Unlike my former body, which specialized in concealing its presence and blending into crowds, Aila’s body was sluggish and felt unnecessarily heavy.
Still, he was shorter than I had been, and his frame was much more slender.
If I mixed into the crowds and concealed my silver hair with a disposable magical hair dye, I should be able to move around unnoticed.
* * *
Climbing out through the window, I quietly slipped out of the mansion and headed into town.
On the way, I stopped at a shop and bought a magical dye that would turn my hair brown for half a day.
It definitely reduced the number of lingering stares.
For reasons I couldn’t quite understand, about two people still seemed to be following me, but after weaving through a maze of alleys, I managed to shake them off.
Probably men hoping to get involved with Aila… or street thugs looking to squeeze some money out of him.
Not giving it much thought, I entered a modest restaurant where the townspeople were scattered throughout the dining area.
The place doubled as an inn and was called <Song of the Sun>.
People usually came here for one of two reasons.
Either they were genuine guests…
Or they were here to meet someone.
“Welcome! What would you like to order?”
“I’d like to stay in the room at the end of the fifth floor.”
I placed one gold coin and one silver coin on the counter.
Although the inn was well maintained, it mostly served commoners, making those denominations rather unusual.
“Ah! Certainly. Please have a seat for a moment.”
A short while later, the young attendant returned with a single key.
Instead of heading for the stairs, I walked back outside.
Naturally.
The inn only had four floors.
After passing through two more alleyways, I stopped before a weathered door.
It looked like nothing more than an abandoned house—or perhaps an old storage shed.
I inserted the key into the lock and turned it.
I already knew what this place really was.
“Kevin. Open the door.”
I climbed the stairs and knocked on the ceiling three times in a steady rhythm.
A figure suddenly appeared.
“I’m impressed. It isn’t easy to find this place. How did that Aila manage to track it down?”
It was the information broker, Kevin.
No matter how carefully I had disguised myself, I couldn’t fool his eyes.
Then again, if he were the sort of man who could be tricked by such a simple disguise, I would never have sought him out in the first place.
When I remained silent, he narrowed his eyes and slowly looked me up and down.
“You’ve got the key, so I assume you came through <Song of the Sun>… Though very few people know that route.”
“I came to buy information, not to be investigated.”
“My apologies. I let my curiosity get the better of me. Please, come inside.”
The interior hadn’t changed much since my last visit two months ago.
After confirming no one else was present, I took a seat.
Beneath his worn hat, Kevin’s eyes gleamed.
“You don’t seem like the Aila I remember.
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
What information are you looking for?”
“I’ll keep it brief.
Tell me what happened to the Second Prince, and what happened to His Highness the Crown Prince and the Seyers family.”
I placed a pouch of gold coins on the table.
After giving it a quick inspection, Kevin grinned.
“So… who’s your target this time?
His Highness?
Someone from the Seyers family?
Either way, you’re aiming high.”
I frowned.
Kevin immediately raised both hands in surrender.
“My apologies. Occupational habit.
I’m also curious how you managed to reach this place without using the method I personally taught.”
In other words, he was displeased that someone had found his hideout without his permission.
He had always treated me politely, so I hadn’t realized he had this side to him.
“I’ve paid the price, so answer my questions.
If your information proves reliable, I’ll tell you who showed me this route.”
“So they even taught you how to handle me.
Very well.
Honestly, this isn’t even information worth charging for.
The Second Prince committed treason and has been imprisoned alone in the underground dungeon.
He’ll be executed soon.
His Highness is heartbroken after losing the knight he cherished.
As for the Seyers family, they publicly claim they merely fulfilled their duty, but in truth, they seem to be extremely furious over Sir Tienas’s death.”
“The Seyers family is furious?
Isn’t it a knight’s duty to die protecting their liege?
The Seyers family should know that better than anyone.
Besides, Tienas wasn’t even someone who played an especially important role within the family.”
“How should I know the private affairs of nobles?”
No, I’m the one who knows their private affairs better than anyone.
That was exactly why I couldn’t understand their behavior.
“Or are they only pretending?”
“At least according to the information I possess, they have no reason to put on such an act.”
I let out a long sigh before asking the question I had been putting off.
“And His Highness?
Isn’t he satisfied now that his political rival has been eliminated?
I’m not asking for the official version.
I want the information that’s closest to the truth.”
What I meant was:
Was he merely pretending to mourn because it served some hidden purpose?
To me, that was the only explanation that made sense.
His Highness might genuinely feel some regret over my death.
He might even mourn the loss of a useful subordinate.
I’d even dared to hope for at least that much.
But the way he had behaved—like a man driven mad—
Unless there was another reason, I simply couldn’t believe it.
“No, not at all.
His Highness’s grief is entirely genuine.
Since you seem unconvinced, let me share another piece of information.”
A mischievous smile spread across Kevin’s face.
“After the funeral, His Highness had a major confrontation with the head of the Seyers family, Duke Darian.
Do you know why?”
There was no way I could.
Knowing Kevin’s habit of dragging things out, I patiently shook my head.
“His Highness declared that he would not return Sir Tienas’s body.
The Seyers family repeatedly demanded that the body be handed over through the proper channels, but he simply kept saying, ‘I cannot permit it,’ before turning them away every single time.”
My mind went blank.
“What?”
“So it’s certain that a conflict has arisen between His Highness and the Seyers family.”
“That benefits no one…
Why would His Highness possibly…?”
The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
My thoughts were in complete turmoil.
If I didn’t ask, I felt like I might be sick.
“Well… isn’t the answer obvious?”
Kevin shrugged.
“Perhaps…
he was in love with that knight.”
