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Deep in the night, while Berengella slept.
Theodore exited the townhouse and met a Guild informant, who was wrapped in a black cloak and wearing a mask.
The informant somehow seemed to have grown in size compared to when he first met him.
“Uh… Polaris? Are you the same person who accepted my request?”
“No. My name is Alias. The difficulty of the request was high, so I, as the chief informant, took over.”
Cian heard about Rachel’s intentions from Katie.
‘So, Rachel is planning to lure Theodore in and trap him like a bug?’
‘Yes. She’s thinking about bribing the guild informant. Anyway, all we have to do is make that adulterous man come to the mansion. It’s really annoying seeing spies wandering around.’
Cian thought for a moment, then shook his head.
‘That won’t be necessary. I’ll take over the request. I’ll speak to Lady Rachel, you need not concern yourself with this matter any further.’
‘Your Highness will personally take over the request? Why…’
Katie, who was quick-witted, cut off her own sentence.
He knew what she was implying.
Since it was an information guild that ran on money, she could just buy they off with a reasonable amount of money, so why did he say he would take over the request directly?
Why did he not just hand over the request, but go to see Theodore in person?
If he had to make an excuse, he could’ve said that Sigar had ordered him to keep an eye on Theodore, but he didn’t.
Cian and Katie both knew, Cian would’ve gone out of his way even without that as a reason.
Something in Cian’s mind stirred, threatening to emerge.
While Cian was pondering, Theodore was also seriously thinking about something as well.
“Why is it so hard to get information on Rachel? Did Rachel hide somewhere difficult to find?”
“There was a good reason for that.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Explaining the reason for the increased difficulty is not part of the request. I’ll have to charge you an additional 2 gold.”
“What, two gold?”
Theodore, who had been stripped of his title, lands, estates, and home, could not afford such a sum. He could barely afford the five gold fee for the commission, having sold a pair of Berengella’s earrings.
“Why do I have to pay extra for something like that? Isn’t this a scam?”
“It’s an information request, and we charge extra for anything relating to information.”
“Fine, just report the results of the request!”
“Alright, you said you wanted hear news of Lady Rachel. Lady Rachel has moved out of Elrosa’s mansion and into a new one, where she is living happily with her son.”
Silence fell over the alley after Cian finished speaking.
Theodore frowned.
“And?”
“That’s it.”
“Are you crazy? How is that all there is? You’re supposed to tell me where she’s moved to, and whether she misses me!”
“The information about where she’s moved to is related to why the difficulty of the request has increased. You’ll need to pay 2 gold for the additional information and an additional 5 gold to provide the location.”
“What? I have to pay an additional 7…… 7 gold?”
“Also, if you want to know what Lady Rachel thinks of the client, Theodore, please pay an additional 3 gold.”
Ten gold!
That amount could only be raised by selling all of Berengella’s remaining earrings and necklaces. It was also 10 months’ rent for their townhouse.
“Why is it so expensive?”
“Information requests are the most expensive among guild requests.”
“Ha. I always wondered how lowly people like you could make a living. You’re living by stealing money from good people?”
Lowly people? Stealing good people’s money?
He’s the one spending a lot of money, obsessing about his wife who left him.
Cian resisted the urge to remove the mask.
He hadn’t intentionally charged more because he was Theodore. He was just charging the correct amount of money to meet the guild’s rules. He took pride in his guild and his job as a guild informant.
“If you’re not willing to pay …… I’ll just leave.”
“Ahhhh no! No! Wait! Wait! You’re so temperamental.”
Cian held out his hand without saying a word, and Theodore kept swearing.
In the end, Theodore went home and retrieved all of the remaining earrings and necklace, even the ones from Berengella’s sleeping body, and gave them to Cian.
“Lady Rachel moved to the mansion closest to the western exit of the imperial palace.”
“A mansion? How did Rachel get that?”
“It’s a mansion that the emperor has personally bestowed out of pity for her situation. No one can enter without permission, the number of guards is high, and their skill level is outstanding, so the difficulty of the request was high.”
“Really?”
“Normally, it’s heavily guarded, but at noon, when the guards change, you can slip in under the north wall of the mansion.”
The message was to arrive there at that time. Giving away information without paying extra was suspicious, but Theodore didn’t notice.
“Okay. I need to go find her right away. Then next question. Did Rachel miss me? She must’ve missed me. Maybe she sighed or cried in secret somewhere people couldn’t see her!”
Cian smirked.
Each letter was worth one gold, so he pronounced each letter clearly.
“No.”
* * *
On a sunny afternoon, Rachel and Graham spent some time on the training grounds of the new mansion.
Graham moved slowly while holding a wooden sword that was longer than his arm.
“Graham, what are you doing?”
Graham grinned as he moved the sword with concentration.
“Drawing stars in the air!”
And indeed, the way the tip of the sword moved made it look like he was drawing stars in the air. The sword tip never wavered or faltered, but moved with great precision.
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“If you practice drawing in the air with your sword like this, you’ll be able to use your sword better, Master told me!”
“Really? Your master teaches you a lot of things.”
“Yes! He’s really cool! I’m going to be just like him when I grow up.”
“Mommy thinks Graham will be even cooler than him.”
“Really? Wow!”
Graham giggled with excitement, but he didn’t let go of the sword. He was really enjoying practicing his sword skills.
At that time, a worker came up and spoke politely.
“Miss, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest? Who is it?”
“Princess Dolorosa Dicarsignac.”
Dolorosa?
Rachel’s eyes widened at the unexpected name.
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
She wondered how a child could visit alone, unchaperoned, no matter how close the mansion was.
She was puzzled, but couldn’t turn down a visit from her future daughter-in-law. She was very happy to see the child who’d come visit them first.
“Let her in, please. Prepare tea and snacks in the parlor.”
“Of course.”
Dolorosa’s visit made Graham stop drawing stars in the sky and tense up.
“Why would …… she come by herself?”
“I don’t know, maybe she wants to be friends with Graham, and now that she’s your neighbor, she came to say hello.”
“Umm…….”
Rachel tilted her head, noticing that he didn’t seem too pleased.
“Why, do you not like Princess Dolorosa?”
“That’s not it. I just feel a little… Uncomfortable.”
Was he embarrassed?
He seemed to have warmed up to Cian, but not to Dolorosa.
Well, even in the original work, he didn’t open his heart easily.
Graham didn’t look too pleased, but he packed up his sword and other training equipment.
The two met Dolorosa at the entrance to the mansion. Surprisingly, the child was riding a white horse as tall as Rachel!
Graham froze in shock and Rachel was speechless.
It would’ve been difficult for a child to walk to the house, even if it was right next door, as they were both large mansions, but here she was on horseback! Riding alone at such a young age was very impressive.
Dolorosa quickly dismounted.
“I apologize for coming unannounced, Lady Rachel.”
“No, thank you for coming.”
“How’ve you been?”
“I’ve been well, thanks to you.”
“As I was taking my horse for a walk, it occurred to me that Lady Rachel decided to live here. I came to say hello. I hope you don’t mind that my father didn’t come with me?”
“Of course not. Princess Dolorosa, you are always welcome.”
Dolorosa smiled brightly when she was given permission to visit. The child’s gaze flickered to Rachel’s arm.
She tilted her head, but didn’t dwell on it too much. What mattered was Graham and Dolorosa, not Rachel.
She was planning on setting up a lot of delicious food in the living room, and if they behaved themselves, finding a reason to leave for a moment. She felt like a matchmaker.
“Follow me, please. I’ll show you to the parlor.”
“Thank you.”
She was about to lead the children into the mansion.
“Pooh!”
A sneezing sound was heard, and one of the bushes lining the exterior wall of the mansion shook.
“Ouch!”
Rachel was startled and pulled Graham and Dolorosa into her arms. Unlike Dolorosa, who jumped into her arms, Graham shook off his mother’s hand.
Dolorosa’s eyes widened in his arms. Her cheeks flushed.
Graham raised his wooden sword and stood over Rachel, protecting her.
“Who’s there!”
“Hehehe.”
There was a strange sound and the bushes started to move. A moment later, a boy’s face suddenly popped out. He held a leafy branch in each hand.
“Uh… Hello everyone?”
“… Who are you?”
Graham asked, and Dolorosa shouted.
“His Royal Highness Crown Prince Atreille!”
The Crown Prince? The same Crown Prince who was upset because his birthday banquet was ruined?
Rachel and Graham blinked in confusion while Atreille laughed.
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Thank you!
Oh no, who let this boy wander unsupervised!!