TMRM 19

Chapter: 19

“What?”

My whispered voice was swallowed by the surrounding noise, so no one else heard it—but Kkamangi somehow did and replied.

[That sword… I don’t think it was made using only hardened steel.]

“What?”

My voice rose without me realizing it.

Brody, who had been talking with Treon, turned to look at me. Startled, I quickly lowered my voice and asked,

“What do you mean? What do you mean it wasn’t made using only hardened steel?”

[I mean the water.]

Kkamangi was referring to the water used to cool the heated sword.

[I don’t know much about metal, but I know water very well. If a sword made purely of hardened steel had been plunged in, the water should’ve been hotter. But the temperature when it touched the water was lower than what I remember.]

“Kkamangi… you even know things like that? Have you made a sword before or something?”

[I told you. I know everything there is to know about water.]

Wow.

Whoever sealed Kkamangi away clearly didn’t do it for no reason. Even while sealed, it was this impressive—so just how powerful would it become if the seal were fully broken?

When Kkamangi first said it knew about water, I hadn’t really understood what that meant. But now, I felt like I finally did.

“Madam, is something wrong?”

Treon approached after seeing me talking to Kkamangi.

“Uh—no. It’s nothing.”

For now, I’d better keep this to myself.

Cheating on the materials used to forge a sword…

How I should use this information required more thought.

In the end, we never got to meet Count Matech.

Instead, his second son hosted dinner for me.

“Haha. I’ve been quite busy lately, so we’re only meeting now, Duchess. My name is Tickle Matech.”

Tickle Matech was a young noble.

He looked about the same age as Treon, and his styled hair and sleek shoes made him seem like someone who cared a lot about appearances.

Though he greeted me, he didn’t bother with proper etiquette.

His sly smile and casual attitude made it clear he wasn’t treating me as a duchess, but rather as a young, ordinary girl.

From the moment we arrived, he’d been consistently dismissive of our ducal house.

“It’s nice to meet you as well.”

“I heard a new lady had entered the ducal family, but I never imagined she’d be such a lovely girl.”

In terms of status, I—his superior as a duchess—stood far above someone like him who didn’t even hold a title. Yet he spoke casually, without reserve.

Instead of pointing out his rudeness, I simply smiled brightly.

‘Fine. Keep underestimating me.’

The more someone looked down on you, the more their weaknesses showed.

“But where is the Count? Isn’t he the master of this castle?”

“My father had an important guest arrive. In any case, I handle all the dealings with Valfruga, so it’s fine. Shall we talk while we eat?”

At his gesture, the servants began laying dishes on the table.

I carefully watched both Treon and Tickle’s faces.

‘How should I bring up Treon’s story?’

Luckily, Tickle spoke first.

“Still, this is surprising. Usually Treon always comes alone.”

“You know our butler?”

I deliberately spoke in a more lively, innocent tone than usual.

I blinked my eyes naively and raised my voice, hoping he’d underestimate me even more.

“Treon always comes to handle the Valfruga ducal house’s business.”

“Your butler is amazing! Just coming here today was exhausting—I don’t think I’ll ever want to come again.”

At my childish attitude, he burst into laughter.

“Well, I’ve had a long connection with Treon even before this. We’re around the same age, so our paths crossed a lot.”

A meaningful smile spread across his face.

“How so? Our butler is always so stiff at the castle—I’m really curious!”

I exaggeratedly mimicked Treon’s stiff expression.

“Haha. Treon doesn’t exactly have the best personality. Well, we debuted in high society around the same time. Treon was very good at sucking up to power. He even caught the emperor’s eye and almost ended up working at the imperial palace.”

“Really?”

Sucking up aside, this was the first I’d heard of him nearly working at the palace.

I glanced at Treon, but he continued eating with perfect etiquette, as if he couldn’t hear our conversation at all.

“Be careful yourself. That pretty face of his—do you know how much he fooled around? It was pretty famous among us. Once, in the garden with a maid—”

“Tickle.”

Treon cut him off sharply.

“Mind your words. You’re in front of the Duchess.”

For a moment, Tickle glared fiercely at Treon. Then he slowly smiled and changed the subject.

“Ah, I slipped up. Of course—we must protect the Duchess.”

Wow. Just what exactly was he about to say about Treon?

One thing was clear now.

Tickle Matech disliked Treon.

There wasn’t an ounce of goodwill in the way he tried to belittle him.

Then what was Treon’s overly sharp reaction about?

Was it simply that he didn’t want me meeting someone like that?

Was he just trying to keep me from being looked down upon by the Matech family?

If so, his reaction had been far too sensitive.

We finished our meal in an uncomfortable atmosphere and returned to our respective rooms.

Though I was exhausted from traveling all day, I couldn’t fall asleep.

Late at night, when everyone else was asleep—

Wasn’t this the perfect time for suspicious conversations?

Kkamangi and I pressed ourselves against the wall connected to Treon’s room and listened carefully.

“Can you hear anything?”

At my question, Kkamangi nodded.

Divine beasts had exceptional senses.

There was a reason everyone in the original story had gone crazy trying to form contracts with them.

Once, rumors had spread about the conditions to obtain a certain divine beast, and it nearly sparked a major conflict.

I didn’t need to be greedy for another one—having Kkamangi was more than enough.

I’d been fighting drowsiness for a while when—

[Master. He moved.]

“Hng…!”

I shook my head and slapped my cheeks with both hands.

I’d almost fallen asleep.

Fearing I’d be discovered if I followed immediately, I counted to ten in my head before slipping out of my room.

Just as I stepped forward after seeing Treon disappear around the corner—

“Madam? Where are you going?”

“!”

Startled, I turned around to see Butcher standing there.

He glanced once at me, then once down the corridor where Treon had vanished.

In an instant, he grasped the situation.

“You’re following Treon, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

This really wasn’t the time.

If I kept talking to Butcher, I might lose Treon entirely.

Anxiously, I kept my eyes fixed on the hallway.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll escort you.”

“You knew too?”

“I saw him sneak out while everyone was asleep, so I followed as well. I placed a tracking spell, so you can relax. Treon’s clever, but he’s terrible with mana.”

“……”

“You didn’t need to come out yourself. You could’ve just ordered me. Where are your shoes?”

“I rushed out and forgot them.”

“That’s why you should’ve told me.”

“But you and Treon are friends.”

And I’m an outsider.

Butcher was a loyal retainer.

From the first day we met, he treated me properly as the Duchess, never once being negligent.

At the same time, he was Treon’s friend.

Both of them were born in Valfruga Ducal Castle and grew up together.

I didn’t think Butcher would betray me—but sometimes, people choose to turn a blind eye to a close friend’s wrongdoing.

Between me, who hadn’t even been here three months, and a childhood friend, how many people would truly take my side?

Butcher chuckled softly after hearing my words.

“Of course, Treon is my friend. But Madam is my master.”

He knelt on one knee before me.

“If you ordered me to bring you Treon’s head, I would obey immediately. Because that is my duty.”

He curved his eyes as he extended a hand.

“I’ll escort you. This isn’t Valfruga territory—it’s dangerous for you to wander alone. Right now, I’m your guard.”

“…Okay.”

I let myself lean into Butcher.

He lifted me effortlessly into his arms.

“I’ll handle things like this. Madam only needs to give orders from somewhere soft and safe.”

“Fine, just hurry up and catch Treon.”

As I clung tightly to him, Butcher winked with one eye.

“Don’t worry. Tracking, assassination, and information gathering are my specialties.”

The moment he took a step while carrying me, my view shifted instantly—as if we’d leapt through space itself.

“W-what was that?!”

“Mana. And Madam—when you’re tailing someone, you shouldn’t make such loud footsteps.”

“You heard me?”

I’d even raised my heels and tiptoed as quietly as possible.

“It’s my profession.”

Confidently, Butcher followed Treon without being noticed.

Along the way, Treon passed several servants.

As if they’d been informed in advance, none of them stopped him.

Finally, Treon stopped in front of a door.

The ornate door carved with grape vines hinted at the status of whoever was inside.

Either Count Matech himself—or Tickle Matech, whom we’d met at dinner.

“It doesn’t seem like anyone’s nearby. It’s almost as if they deliberately cleared the area.”

Butcher whispered as he set me down.

Everything was getting more suspicious.

He felt along the tightly shut door, and it opened soundlessly.

Impressive.

“Did you learn that in the secret organization too?”

“Of course. Everything comes in handy.”

I remembered how, when Butcher was first introduced, they’d said he was an unprecedented genius even within the secret organization.

We peeked inside through the slightly opened door.

Unlike the dark hallway, the room was brightly lit.

A cabinet filled with liquor bottles. A desk piled with documents.

And—

Tickle Matech sitting on a sofa.

Treon kneeling before him.

“I’m sorry.”