VDBO 12

Chapter 12

I ran my fingers quickly along the uneven stone wall.
This alley was definitely the right one. Somewhere around here, there should be a gap…

“Ah.”

Fortunately, I found it without much trouble. When I pressed with my fingertips, one of the bricks shifted outward slightly, like a button. I gripped the tightly wedged brick and pulled it out, and behind the thin brick, a small wooden drawer-like compartment came out with it.

Inside was an old, tiny metal key.

I quickly took it out, slipped it into the hidden pocket of my dress, and restored the brick to its original position.

I didn’t know what the key was for.
It could be the key to a treasure chest, or perhaps a door to some hidden space.

What I wanted was to meet the owner of this key.

Just as I turned to leave the alley before Ian returned, my expression stiffened and I stopped.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

I asked without turning around.

Ever since I entered the dessert shop, I had felt someone’s gaze following me.

When I came back out, I thought the feeling had disappeared and assumed it was just a passing glance—but it wasn’t. A lingering gaze that stuck so persistently only meant two possibilities.

They either knew Carvella Ludwig…
or they knew Blake Ariandel.

The latter was far more likely. At this rate, they might even follow me all the way home.

I didn’t want to make enemies this early by involving Ian, and this was something I could handle myself.

I turned around to check who it was—and let out a small sigh of relief.

“……”

Unexpectedly, it was a familiar face.

The man took a step closer.

“You changed your hair color.”

His tone was one of certainty. I tilted my head slightly.

Why was he here, though? Judging by his plain clothes, it seemed neither of us wanted to reveal our identities. It had been dark back then, even with lanterns lit… Should I just pretend I didn’t recognize him?

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

I spoke as if acting, but he tilted his head and immediately denied it.

“That can’t be.”

Honestly, I didn’t really care whether he recognized me or not. He didn’t know my real name anyway. And we were bound to meet again at the banquet.

“What makes you so sure?”

“There’s no way I could mistake you.”

He sounded completely convinced.

“So?”

I stepped closer to him. I could see his ears turning red.

Why couldn’t he hide his emotions at all?

“You’ve been watching me this whole time, haven’t you? I didn’t know stalking was your hobby.”

“That’s not—”

His face flushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. I took another step closer—close enough to sense his scent.

“Then what is it?”

I was now close enough that if he lowered his head, our lips would touch.

Just as he was about to say something—

A dagger was suddenly pressed against the side of his neck.

At the same time, Valery’s expression froze coldly, and I stepped back.

Ian had returned.

Rather than looking offended by the blade at his throat, Valery let out a small laugh. His hand had already been resting on the hilt of his sword for some time.

“Step back, my lady.”

“Put it down.”

I didn’t want bloodshed here.

If Ian didn’t stop now, Valery’s escorts would intervene as well. They were surely watching this place. The fact that they hadn’t acted yet almost felt like consideration for my sake.

Ian obediently lowered the dagger at my command.

Now that Ian was here, I couldn’t stay any longer.

Reluctantly, I passed by Valery, who clearly had more to say.

Tap.

He grabbed my wrist.

It seemed he still wanted to speak, but I gently shook his hand off with my other hand.

“See you soon.”

I said it like a farewell.

I could feel his gaze on my back, but I didn’t turn around.

“Miss Blake.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know Mother’s orders. Don’t point your blade at just anyone. If you ruin things, will you take responsibility? Can’t you even tell the difference?”

I scolded him deliberately—so he would never think I had protected him.

“I apologize. However, I will report today’s incident to Sir Schvalt.”

“Go ahead. Sir Schvalt probably won’t say anything anyway. If anything, your guard assignment might change.”

“……”

When he didn’t answer, I turned to face him.

Ian’s expression was much more rigid than before.

“You still don’t understand, do you? My safety isn’t part of Mother’s objectives. Do you know that? For her, only the results matter.”

Ian seemed to know far too little about my mother.

“……”

“Don’t worry. I won’t do that again. I just wanted to confirm who he was.”

“……Understood.”

Mother was in the North, and Sir Schvalt was far too busy, so I ate dinner alone. Ian stayed nearby, but he never joined me at the table. Sometimes, I wondered if he even ate at all.

Instead, a thick stack of documents was placed beside my meal.

They contained information on various nobles. Memorizing all of it before the banquet would require chewing it down and swallowing it whole. Even though I remembered the original story, it had been too long for my memory to be precise.

I even took the documents into the bath with me. Leaning forward in the tub with my chin resting on the edge, I muttered and memorized nonstop.

Ian sat on a sofa in the central hall, waiting.

Inside the house, he avoided doing anything that might displease the young lady, so whenever she was given personal time, he stayed here.

That was when he heard the sound of a carriage outside.

Looking through the window, he recognized Schvalt’s carriage.

Ian stood up to greet him.

“The young lady is bathing.”

“Ah, I see. Is she adjusting well?”

“Yes.”

“Then I suppose I’ll wait until she’s finished.”

The subordinates who arrived with Schvalt were carrying many belongings—it seemed they had brought items that hadn’t been prepared yet.

Ian silently followed Schvalt.

Schvalt sat on the sofa and loosened his tie. Leaning back comfortably, he called for a maid.

“Bring me some water.”

“Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”

The maid blushed and hurried off.

“Nothing happened, right?”

Ian had every intention of reporting today’s events. He always had, and always would. That was his purpose.

But—

“……Yes. Nothing happened. The young lady had her outfit tailored and stopped by a café briefly.”

There should have been more to say, but that was the end.

The corner of Schvalt’s lips lifted slightly.

“I see. Nothing happened. You’ll need to protect her with your life.”

His chilling voice pierced Ian’s ears.

Of course. There was no way he didn’t know.

Cold sweat streamed down Ian’s back. He bowed deeply in remorse.

“……I will remember that.”

I heard that Sir Schvalt had arrived while I was still in the bath.

I threw on a thick bathrobe, roughly wrung the water out of my hair, and went outside. The maid insisted on drying it properly, but I took a towel and headed straight to the living room.

“When did you arrive?”

Schvalt and Ian were both there—so he must have already been briefed on today’s events.

“Did you eat the cake?”

I turned to ask Ian.

“Yes, I did.”

“That’s a relief.”

After glancing at Ian briefly, I turned back to Schvalt.

“What cake?”

“Oh, on the way here, I saw a cake that looked good, so I bought it for Ian. I felt like I hadn’t done anything for him since he became my guard.”

I shook my hair dry and sat on the sofa.

Schvalt puffed out his cheeks and complained in a sulky voice.

“You’ve never bought cake for me.”

I knew he was exaggerating on purpose. He seemed to think I was still a child.

I let out a small laugh.

“Did our relationship require something like that?”

“Of course it does.”

“Then I’ll buy you one next time, Sir Schvalt.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Come sit closer. Lucellai had something to tell you.”

“Mother? She won’t be able to come for a while, right?”

“You sound like you were hoping for that.”

At his teasing tone, I smiled lightly.

“Of course not. I miss her.”

Schvalt smiled and handed me a letter with two fingers. I accepted it and sat down.

The contents were brief—another checklist of people I needed to approach at the banquet, and a short note at the end telling me to be careful.

She usually didn’t write things like this.

Without realizing it, I traced that part with my fingers.

After exchanging a few more words, Schvalt left right away.

“Ian.”

Only after a long while, once Schvalt’s carriage had departed and I returned to my room, did I call for Ian.

“Yes, my lady.”

Ian appeared like a shadow and knelt before me.

“I was in such a hurry preparing the dresses that I forgot to prepare something important.”