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Chapter 26
With even the castle servants joining in, the work progressed smoothly.
As the person overseeing everything, Ronin was constantly being called from one place to another. Before long, she was even busier than the servants doing the physical labor.
“Your Highness, what should we do with this fabric? It would make an excellent carpet, but it would also be perfect for curtains, so we can’t decide…”
“Ah, this cloth is actually too thick for curtains. I think it would be best used as carpets for the center of the first and second floors.”
“Your Highness! We’ve run out of medicinal tea and need to brew more. Is this the correct mixture of ingredients?”
“Let’s see… Yes, that should be just right. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Your Highness!”
“Yes? What is it?”
It truly never ended.
Even as she began to feel the limits of her stamina creeping up on her, she refused to stop.
“Ah, so this was the problem. In that case—”
“What is the meaning of this commotion?”
The one who interrupted Ronin as she was solving yet another problem was a low, solid voice.
The voice, as imposing as the northern fortress walls themselves, echoed throughout the central hall, and the very atmosphere changed.
The bustling hall fell silent in an instant.
Looking over the floor plans, Ronin slowly raised her head.
At the top of the central staircase stood a single man.
It was obvious that he was the owner of that voice.
Step… Step…
With only a few words, he had completely taken control of the room.
He descended the stairs one step at a time, his gaze fixed firmly on Ronin.
Thud.
After reaching the bottom, the man stopped directly in front of her.
Standing nearly two meters tall, his sheer presence alone was overwhelming.
His black hair was cut short just above his eyebrows, while behind it a long braid, intricately woven, extended neatly down to the middle of his back.
Most intimidating of all was the deep scar running across his left eye.
Even with only one remaining eye, he pierced straight through whoever stood before him.
Once his gaze met yours, it was nearly impossible to look away.
Caught in that stare ever since he appeared, Ronin quietly drew a slow breath.
Even though we’re standing face to face… it feels like he’s still looking down at me from dozens of steps above.
That was how overwhelming the man’s presence was.
Completely dominating the atmosphere, he asked,
“Who allowed outsiders into the castle without permission? Where are Lady Wyndham and Conrad?”
His voice was even colder than before.
Someone hurriedly tried to ease the tension.
“Sir Galahad, the thing is—”
“I am not interested in excuses. Therefore… the child of House Alistair will explain exactly how this came to pass.”
Even that was no easy task.
Ronin swallowed hard.
Seeing that, Galahad curled only one corner of his lips upward.
Yet because of the fierce look in his eye, it hardly resembled a smile.
It was more like a beast baring its fangs before a hunt.
Standing before him was all Ronin could manage.
So this is Galahad…!
Ronin had heard of him before.
He was the pride of the North—the knight said to send five or six monster heads rolling across the ground with a single swing of his bastard sword.
His presence is unbelievable. My arms and legs are trembling…
Ronin couldn’t sense pheromones, so this pressure came entirely from Sir Galahad’s sheer force of presence.
Barely managing to part her lips, she answered,
“My greetings are late, Sir Galahad. It seems you already know who I am, so I’ll spare you the introduction. As you suspected, I am the one who allowed outsiders into the castle. They are merchants whom I personally permitted to enter—”
“Permitted?”
Galahad cut her off effortlessly.
“And who, exactly, granted you such authority? Since when?”
He slowly looked around the hall.
Half the faces were unfamiliar.
Half were people he recognized.
The sight caused his expression to harden.
When he’d first heard that the little rat had brought people into the castle, he’d thought the inevitable had finally arrived.
When he’d later heard that the illness everyone believed to be endemic had somehow been resolved, he couldn’t understand what the rat was plotting.
Now, he’d assumed, the creature was finally revealing its true colors.
His plan had been to tolerate it for the moment and confront Alistair once undeniable evidence appeared.
Instead, events had taken an entirely unexpected turn.
The people Alistair had brought into the castle were merchants and craftsmen.
The wagons they had pulled inside were filled not with explosives, but with food and building materials.
The men acting under Galahad’s orders had inspected everything thoroughly, yet found nothing suspicious.
It was strange.
Still, he had been convinced something suspicious would eventually surface.
His suspicions had only deepened after learning that Alistair was spending the dowry rather than anyone else’s money.
Yet no reports ever arrived saying that the little rat had done anything underhanded.
Even more surprising, reports claimed that Lady Wyndham—who should have been keeping a close watch on the little rat—was instead moving around together with it.
What exactly are you thinking?
What is your true purpose?
There was only one way to find out.
He would have to investigate personally.
“Not only have you brought complete strangers into this castle, you’ve also privately employed the castle’s servants. Perhaps such things are commonplace in the Capital, but they are not in the North. Misunderstandings like this can easily end with someone’s head hanging from the castle walls.”
Gulp.
Ronin swallowed at Galahad’s ominous warning.
For the first time, her clear sky-blue eyes wavered ever so slightly.
Watching the frightened Ronin shrink back, Galahad silently admitted something to himself.
No wonder people are so easily captivated by that face.
Ronin Alistair possessed a beauty capable of winning over complete strangers and softening even openly hostile people.
With looks like that, calling her a flower without fragrance is meaningless. Though Alistair and Charles themselves must be burning with frustration.
But that was all she had.
If beauty alone was her only possession, she would eventually be exploited and trampled upon.
And once she outlives her usefulness, she’ll simply be discarded. Alistair probably knows that better than anyone.
That was why she was trying so desperately to sharpen her claws.
If she were to fall, she intended to drag down the ones who had abandoned her as well.
Despicable people. I can’t allow that.
Leofric had stood beside the First Emperor ever since the founding of the Ermengarde Empire.
Though the nation was now unstable because rats gnawed away at its foundations, it was hardly weak enough to be manipulated by rootless opportunists.
With that conviction, Galahad gave a firm order.
“Everyone, stop what you’re doing and return to your assigned duties! The child of House Alistair will handle cleaning up this mess herself. As for the outsiders, throw every last one of them out of the castle.”
The servants hesitantly began to move.
At that moment, Ronin, who had been standing with her head lowered, finally spoke.
“One moment, Sir Galahad.”
Standing before him, Ronin looked like a child facing an ancient tree.
Although her expression remained resolute, she could not hide the trembling of her body.
Even so…
She did not step back.
“They have accepted payment from me.”
She paused before continuing.
“One silver coin each.”
At those words, the servants quietly exchanged nervous glances.
Don’t tell me… were we deceived?
Were we never supposed to accept that money?
Galahad himself was equally shocked.
The household servants, receiving separate payment for work done on behalf of the family?
Both the people accepting the money and the person giving it could only have some hidden motive.
At least, that was the only conclusion he could reach.
