80.

“…”

I pressed my lips together, struck by the truth.

Liam, having suddenly learned about his master’s intimate night with his lover, struggled to hide his appalled expression.

Dante added slyly.

“Rest well in bed today.”

“Th-thank you…”

…Did he really have to be so blatant with Liam right there?

With that, Dante left the room.

“Sigh…”

I finally let out a sigh of relief.

‘I really thought I was caught.’

Benedict had faithfully prepared the “insurance” I mentioned.

Before attending the auction, he had sent a red-haired woman dressed exactly like me to the Kamano Hotel.

It seems the alibi was successfully established.

The surprising part was.

‘I never expected the coachman to be a woman.’

The coachman wore loose clothing that concealed her figure and a hat pulled down low.

She just looked like a small-built man.

Even I, who was with her, didn’t recognize that she was a woman, so others surely wouldn’t either.

I had the coachman wear a wig and mask, and dress up in a gown.

Then I sent her near Benedict to act as me.

After the auction ended, during the confusion, I slipped out of the auction house.

I stopped by the Pamier Pie House and instructed them to send a new coachman to the auction house, then headed straight to the boarding school.

‘Anyway, it seems I’ve mostly escaped Dante’s suspicion…’

Now it was time to retrieve the Heart of Winter.

* * *

A few days later.

I successfully received the Heart of Winter from Benedict.

Holding the large sapphire in my palm, which emitted a cool glow, made my heart race wildly.

‘No, I still have things to do.’

I forced myself to calm the excitement that kept rising.

‘Before returning it to Lucian, I need to verify if it’s really a magical artifact.’

…Still.

I looked down at the sapphire ring with trembling eyes.

Finally, holding the Heart of Winter in my hand…

‘Not much longer now.’

I gripped the ring tightly.

Then.

I secretly visited an appraiser.

And he gave me the answer I desperately wanted.

“It is indeed a magical artifact.”

The emotion I felt when the detection tool for sensing magic turned red was indescribable.

Finally, the time had come.

Returning to the boarding school, I immediately opened the birdcage.

I tied a small note to the pigeon’s leg and released it into the sky.

Watching the white pigeon’s silhouette disappear into the distance, my heart swelled with emotion.

* * *

Flap!

The separate building where carrier pigeons are raised and trained.

Through the open window, a white pigeon swiftly flew in.

“Coo, coo.”

The pigeon perched on its roost and cooed softly.

Someone waiting there fed the pigeon and removed the note tied to its leg.

It was Benedict.

He glanced at the note briefly.

“Hmm.”

His violet eyes gleamed with interest.

He quickly wrote a new note and tied it to the pigeon’s leg.

Then, he released the pigeon back through the window.

* * *

A few days later.

I stepped into the Baker Shop once again.

“Thank you so much for arranging my stand-ins.”

I first expressed my gratitude to Benedict.

The woman sent to the Kamano Hotel to create an alibi and the coachman who acted as my stand-in at the auction.

Without that insurance, I would have been in serious trouble.

Benedict smiled slyly.

“Well, since I charged the cost to you, it doesn’t matter. But did you get back safely?”

“Yes, I think the Marquis didn’t notice.”

“That’s a relief.”

Benedict nodded and looked at me directly.

“So why did you want to meet today?”

“I have a new request.”

“A new request…”

“I need you to create a new identity for me.”

For a moment, his violet eyes gleamed with surprise.

“A new identity? Why do you need that?”

“Because…”

I took a short breath.

I had been waiting a long time to say this.

“I’m going to leave the boarding school.”

“…”

Benedict looked at me with an unreadable expression.

He seemed a bit surprised, yet somewhat satisfied.

Watching his reaction, I quickly calculated in my head.

‘I’ll first ask him to help me escape.’

This would keep Benedict busy arranging a fake identity and escape route for me.

In the meantime, I planned to escape on my own.

Considering the original storyline, it would be best to sever ties with all three male protagonists, including Benedict.

‘Besides, Benedict… at least he’s someone who keeps his word with his clients.’

Due to his pride as an informant, he wouldn’t leak my escape plan to Dante.

After a moment of silence, Benedict asked.

“Why do you want to leave? If you stay with Marquis Offenheir, you could live in luxury for the rest of your life.”

“Do you really think that’s true?”

I asked calmly.

“…That…”

Unlike his usual eloquent self, Benedict seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

I continued coldly.

“Do I need to explain how empty it is to live a life begging for someone’s love?”

“…”

“Everything I have.”

I clenched my fist tightly.

“It’s all just things the Marquis has given me.”

“Lady Lepherian.”

“So my life could crumble at any moment with just one whim of the Marquis.”

It was the truth.

My current life was like a tower built on sand.

Any moment, when the waves come crashing in.

It would shatter into pieces and disappear.

I didn’t want to live such an unstable life anymore.

And.

“The Marquis doesn’t love any woman.”

I smiled faintly.

“So, it’s about time I ended this life.”

I repeated the excuse I had given Lucian.

And added.

“But that’s the emotional reason. There’s also a practical reason.”

“May I ask what that is?”

“I’m currently working as a manager at Rose Cross boarding school, and I know many secrets about the school.”

I looked directly into his violet eyes.

“As long as I know these secrets, the Marquis will never let me go.”

“Are you saying…”

For a moment, Benedict’s eyes were filled with shock.

“Your guess is probably correct.”

I nodded lightly.

“Rather than letting me go, wouldn’t he kill me to keep my mouth shut?”

“…”

Benedict’s expression grew serious.

After finishing their conversation,

Elze walked out of the shop with calm steps.

Benedict silently watched Elze’s receding figure through the window.

‘…She’s planning to leave Marquis Offenheir.’

To be honest, helping Elze was quite a risky endeavor for Benedict as well.

If things went wrong, he could end up at odds with Marquis Offenheir.

Dante Dessaby Offenheir.

A high-ranking noble of the empire, a man with imperial blood, and an arrogant figure.

Also, a man who held the underworld of the empire under his feet.

Benedict’s merchant instincts were screaming at him to refuse Elze’s request immediately.

Yet, the strange thing was.

‘I have no desire to refuse.’

On the contrary, he felt an eagerness to ensure Elze’s escape succeeded.

 

[I am currently working as a manager at Rose Cross boarding school, and I know many secrets about the school.]

Her amber eyes, shining with intelligence.

[Wouldn’t it be better to kill someone who knows these secrets, rather than letting them go?]

That calm voice, casually talking about her own death.

…For some reason, it lingered in his memory.

Moreover, the sight of her trying to let go of her hold on Marquis Offenheir’s hand…

‘I like it.’

A faint satisfaction gleamed in Benedict’s eyes.

However, there was one part that bothered him.

[The Marquis doesn’t love any woman.]

[So, it’s about time I ended this life.]

For a moment, Benedict narrowed his eyes.

Who would look at a woman they don’t love with such an intense gaze?

A gaze filled with an overwhelming possessiveness, as if wanting to devour her from head to toe.

But.

‘Well, it’s none of my business.’

Benedict shrugged lightly.

There was no need for him to inform Elze about that part.

“A new identity and an escape route…”

Benedict muttered to himself, then lifted the corner of his lips into a smirk.

“This requires some careful planning.”

Although he didn’t realize it himself,

his face was filled with a satisfied smile, like a well-fed predator.