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Chapter 20
When he was young, he often played with wolves that came down from the mountains. Even wild animals, once familiar, didn’t recklessly attack people. Sometimes they wagged their tails more gently than dogs.
As long as one didn’t cross the line, they could remain friends.
But someone had crossed that line inside this gentle woman.
“I—I—I’ll do it! I’m really good at kicking a ball!”
“No, leave it to me! I have the biggest feet here!”
Just yesterday, the mercenaries had shown killing intent toward Karia as if ready to attack. But at the sight of two large gold coins, they flipped their attitudes in an instant.
She had once believed that loyalty bought with money was meaningless, but now she realized—it was a surprisingly rational way to secure cooperation, even with strangers.
“Duchess, please stop them! If this keeps up, I’ll have no choice but to draw my sword!”
Ansen shouted desperately, sweat pouring down as the burly men closed in on him. But Karia simply folded her arms and stood by, watching silently.
No way… Did I cross the line too? What did I even do?!
Ansen had received crash-course knight training. This was his first time serving as a noble’s escort, so he had no idea what mistake he had made.
Jurin Baltos had told him: “Just quietly follow behind her. If she asks for help, help her.”
So that’s what he did. When she got in and out of the carriage, when something heavy needed lifting at the orphanage, even during menial labor. Since she hadn’t asked, he just stood around like a sack of barley.
But I was nice today, wasn’t I?!
Baltos had specifically warned him not to upset her, so he had even forced himself to act playfully—a thing utterly against his nature. And yet, this was the thanks he got?
He felt so wronged that tears nearly welled up.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Ah…”
A low but clear voice cut through the noise.
The one who spoke was cloaked from head to toe, his face hidden by a hood. Though he wasn’t especially large, his presence radiated a strange pressure.
At his appearance, the mercenaries immediately parted to make way.
He drew his sword with a flourish, then crooked a finger at Ansen—an unmistakable provocation.
And of course, hot-blooded Ansen Miller, who only had his strength to boast of, didn’t ignore the taunt. He unsheathed his blade.
“How dare a mere mercenary challenge a knight!”
He always grumbled about quitting, but truthfully, Ansen was quite proud of his hard-earned knighthood, obtained despite being born a commoner.
Compared to him, mercenaries were just ruffians living day to day. He was convinced there was no way he could lose.
“Urgh!”
But the moment their swords clashed, Ansen’s prejudice shattered.
At the first strike, he realized he couldn’t match the man’s strength.
At the second, he saw no opening to counter.
At the third, Ansen was flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.
The man kicked Ansen’s dropped sword away into a corner, then pulled the tie from his robe and bound Ansen’s arms.
“W-what are you doing?!”
Then, lifting Ansen with ease, he slung him over his shoulder. With his arms bound and his body immobilized, Ansen struggled desperately, but the man’s grip was iron.
He carried Ansen outside and tossed him onto a saddle like a sack of grain. Just as panic widened Ansen’s trembling eyes, he glimpsed the man’s lips through the parted robe—a smooth, mocking smile.
“Whatever you did, kid, maybe you should’ve at least been handsome. You’d get away with a lot more that way. Tsk.”
“W-wait a minute!”
The man smacked the horse’s rump. Startled, the beast bolted off, neighing loudly. Ansen’s fading screams echoed again and again.
“Good to see you again.”
Dusting off his hands, the man returned to the tavern and pulled down his hood. He flashed Karia a bright smile. She quickly turned her head away, afraid that if she kept staring at his face, her composure would crack.
He chuckled softly at her reaction and presented the results of his job: a fine black-lacquered chest filled with large gold coins.
“Noble Duchess of the venerable House of Pandeon, did my work satisfy you?”
“…So you knew all along.”
“We’re rather well-informed.”
He shrugged casually. He hadn’t needed to reveal that, but he wanted to earn her trust.
After all, she wasn’t bothering to disguise herself—clearly, she had no intention of hiding her identity. And since large sums of money would be exchanged, building some rapport seemed wise.
If she changed her mind and went elsewhere, he’d lose out. Though, he doubted she would.
So he kept smiling warmly, the kind of smile that easily won people over.
“I like it. The deadline was met, and the source is reliable. Can I entrust you with more?”
“Of course. As much as you want.”
“And how much gold do you think I’ll bring next time?”
Her words hovered between joke and provocation. She finally met his eyes and smiled back, knowing she couldn’t afford to look weak.
“You’ve switched to honorifics now.”
“Ah…”
“It sounds nice. Being addressed respectfully by a lady makes me feel like a true gentleman.”
His playful reply hit her like a jab. She had accidentally slipped into formal speech, just as she did with Guilford, whose name kept haunting her thoughts.
She forced herself back to focus.
She suspected there might be some connection between him and Guilford, but with nothing certain yet, she couldn’t afford to drop her guard.
“As befits someone born with such golden hair, it seems you have quite the affinity with gold. So… what do you plan to do with all this money?”
“Well. First, I’d like to buy a decent carriage.”
“I can get you one at a fair price.”
At his quick reply, Karia’s brow twitched slightly.
She hadn’t intended to take all the coins with her, but he was already speaking as though it were natural for her to leave them in his care.
“You’re rather resourceful, aren’t you?”
“Noah.”
“…Noah?”
“My name. You can’t keep calling me ‘hey you’ or ‘mister.’”
Karia let out an involuntary laugh. Guilford’s face, paired with the name Noah—the two men had never gotten along, and the thought made her chuckle.
Strangely, just hearing his name dispelled the unease she’d felt around him. Truth be told, his playful nature suited Noah better than Guilford anyway.
For the first time, she could look him straight in the face.
“Oh, and about that thing I mentioned before… Can I make a request?”
“What thing?”
“Background digging.”
At her words, Noah widened his eyes, surprised.
“Have you caught a whiff of something shady behind your husband?”
“Not interested in that. Someone else.”
“Someone else?”
“There’s another person I’m curious about now.”
He thought it over, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Karia frowned slightly at his unexplained amusement. Seeing her displeasure, he quickly covered his mouth and turned away to stifle it.
“…Why laugh?”
“I didn’t expect you to be so straightforward.”
“What?”
“Pardon me, but information on me doesn’t come cheap.”
He narrowed his eyes with a knowing look.
Karia blinked at him twice, baffled.
What on earth is he misunderstanding?
“I was talking about the Duchess Dowager of Pandeon.”
“…Eh? The Dowager?”
“She’s been embezzling small amounts from the family over a long period. I want to know where she hid it. Can you find out?”
She handed him the records she’d compiled by combing through six years of Pandeon’s ledgers, tracing the Dowager’s embezzlement.
The amounts skimmed each month suggested she must have spent or invested it somewhere. Finding out where would give Karia a powerful card to play.
Of course, if these documents ever leaked, the family would be the laughingstock of society. But Karia didn’t hesitate to give them to Noah, despite this being only their second meeting.
If it made them a joke, so be it. She’d already decided to sever ties with Pandeon—its honor meant nothing to her now.
“That won’t be too difficult.”
“Good. Then consider it settled.”
Noah, perhaps embarrassed by his earlier assumptions, dropped his fake smile and clicked his tongue. Honestly, Karia preferred that candid expression over the constant feigned grin.
She rose from her seat, heading for the door. Halfway there, she stopped and turned back slowly.
“…So how much does information about you cost?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Decide by the next time we meet—and let me know.”
With a faint, enigmatic smile, she left, her words lingering in the air.
No one could tell whether she was joking or not.
But Karia had never been more serious.
And she was even willing to pay a fair price.
Well, judging from how nervous he’d been over thirty thousand gold, she wasn’t sure how high the number could go…
