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Chapter 14
“Ahem… e-excuse me?”
Creeeak. The sound of old hinges echoed as the door opened, revealing a dimly lit interior.
“Is anyone here…?”
Mary cautiously stepped inside, her shoulders drawn tight.
What is this? Miss said all I had to do was hand over a handkerchief.
But how am I supposed to hand it over if I can’t even see anyone?
Did Mr. Kerner take a wrong turn? That seems unlikely…
Why is there no one here? It’s not even nighttime—why is it this dark?!
Just as she was debating whether to go back outside and consult Mr. Kerner—
“State your affiliation.”
“Eek!”
What?! There was no one here just a second ago!
Mary froze in shock as a man she hadn’t noticed suddenly appeared.
N-no way… is that a knife?!
She was too terrified to move her head, but the cold sensation pressed against the back of her neck was unmistakably the edge of a blade.
“A simple trespasser? I asked why you came here. Answer.”
“H-hic! I—I’m…! I’m a maid! I came on an errand for Miss Lillian…!”
What kind of place treats visitors like this?!
If she acted suspicious in the slightest, she felt certain she’d be killed on the spot.
Afraid the man might lose patience and strike, Mary hurriedly blurted out—
“H-here!”
She thrust forward the handkerchief Luciana had given her.
“……”
The man—whether he was the proprietor or something else, she couldn’t tell—accepted it silently and examined it with care.
A white handkerchief embroidered with pink lisianthus flowers.
Just as His Excellency described.
The man beneath the black hood was Rick, a knight entrusted with delivery under Licht’s orders.
Even he hadn’t been told what the item contained—only that it was important.
That was why he had greeted Mary so harshly. Any leak to the outside would have been unacceptable.
“You are the designated trading partner. Please forgive my earlier discourtesy.”
“?!”
That’s it? That’s the apology?!
Ignoring Mary’s stunned expression, the man retrieved a box that had been carefully hidden inside a safe and handed it to her.
“Ugh!”
It’s heavier than I thought…!
Just what in the world did my lady order?
Mary stared down at the brown wooden box she now held with both hands. It looked ordinary enough, but the lock embedded in it made clear it was anything but.
“Our business is concluded. You may leave.”
“W-wait—!”
After placing the handkerchief atop the box, the man began pushing Mary toward the exit.
Though it looked like he was showing her the way out, it was closer to being forcibly escorted.
What…?
Did I just get kicked out like an intruder?
She had run countless errands while serving Luciana, but she had never been treated so absurdly in her life.
S-sniff… Miss Luciana…
Did I do something to upset her? No… that can’t be it, right?
Still clutching the box protectively, Mary trudged back to the carriage.
Click.
“Your Excellency, you summoned me?”
“Ah, Logan.”
Licht turned from the window where he had been gazing outside.
The man before him—soft brown hair and amber eyes—had a warm, approachable demeanor, the complete opposite of Licht’s cold presence.
“How did the matter I asked you to look into turn out?”
Licht wasted no time getting to the point.
That day—the origin of all this trouble. The badge Luciana had left behind, belonging to no one. An unsettling remnant.
It was an item Licht was secretly investigating.
“As ordered, I visited the information guild and traced its origins, but unfortunately, nothing significant turned up.”
“Nothing at all?”
“I regret that this is the case.”
“…Tch. So they’re deeply buried in the shadows.”
The Tristan Guild Logan had visited was notoriously difficult to access and costly—but their information was precise.
Failing to identify the group tied to the badge meant they operated quietly, in small numbers—or possibly as an unofficial organization privately employed by a noble.
I’ll need more evidence before confirming the latter.
If that were true, it would be troublesome indeed.
I’ll have to select a small group from the knights and order a back-alley investigation.
This setback was within expectations, but it seemed things would be more exhausting than anticipated.
The net can be tightened gradually—methods don’t matter.
With only one clue, impatience was inevitable. Still, Licht chose to wait patiently for the moment to strike.
“…Was the item delivered without issue?”
“Ah—yes. I actually ran into Rick on my way here. He said the task was completed smoothly.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Perhaps because the topic had shifted—
A clear voice. Soft dimples. Bright, golden eyes.
Before he knew it, Licht’s thoughts were filled with Luciana—whom he had tried so hard to ignore.
“Are you all right? You look unwell.”
“!”
Damn it. Did I let it show?
“…I’m just tired. Pay it no mind.”
“…If you say so.”
It certainly didn’t look that way.
Logan observed Licht quietly as he forced his expression under control.
For someone so rarely shaken… whoever’s behind that badge must have seriously unsettled His Excellency.
Since the secrets of the ducal house were known only to the butler family that had served House Casio since its founding—now led by Godwin—Logan assumed it was merely some foolish upstart provoking Licht.
They’ll regret it, no matter how this ends.
With that thought, Logan silently offered a brief prayer for the unfortunate enemies who had chosen the wrong target.
“I’ll take my leave, then.”
“Very well.”
After placing the documents he’d brought onto the desk, Logan left the office.
“Haa…”
The moment he was alone, Licht shut his eyes, trying to dispel the lingering presence in his mind.
“Remove everything I gestured at. Get it all out of my sight.”
“…E-everything, sir?”
For the past two days, Licht had allowed nothing that reminded him of Luciana to remain nearby.
That included colors resembling her. As a result, every painting in the ducal corridors containing pink or yellow—regardless of value—was sent straight to storage.
Longing for his mate deep in his bones, yet struggling so foolishly.
Anyone who saw it would laugh.
“……”
Licht knew it too. These desperate, ridiculous efforts might work for now—but in the end, they were meaningless.
Still, this was the best he could do. Otherwise, he didn’t know when the instinct waiting for his weakness would devour him whole.
To be consumed by instinct and submit obediently to his mate like a dog—
He had never wanted that. Even imagining it filled him with disgust.
“…How absurd. That in a situation like this, the only person I can trust is her.”
Forcing her image from his mind, Licht closed his weary eyes.
Trapped in a dead end, the only possible escape was Luciana’s research.
Even if it was research conducted long ago, what were the odds of completing—within a short time—an achievement no one else had ever managed?
Yet for his own sake, Licht had no choice but to stake everything on that fragile hope. That was why he had sent her every resource that might aid the research.
Her true rut hadn’t begun yet—but once it passed, how would things change?
Would he still be able to maintain his sanity?
“…It has to succeed.”
Before he finally surrendered to the imprint.
So that he would not repeat the long, painful tragedy carved deep into his heart
