“That’s uncertain, but since multiple people fled from the fire scene, there’s a strong possibility it was one of them.”
It was a strange situation. Both the large-scale fire at the poorhouse and people fleeing the scene immediately after the fire broke out.
Drushia furrowed his brow and stroked his chin.
“People receiving treatment at the poorhouse fled as soon as the fire started. They can’t all be arsonists, and they were there because they needed help.”
Why did they run away? Where did they disappear to? Who started the fire at the poorhouse and why?
“The security forces are searching other poorhouses. They should be able to find the escapees soon.”
“But why specifically Lady Igraine’s carriage?”
“Pardon?”
“Most people being treated at the poorhouse are commoners with nowhere to go, right? Even if they were fugitive criminals, they wouldn’t dare think of boarding a noble’s carriage.”
“The runaway might have connections to the Igraine duchy.”
There was only one conclusion Drushia could draw from the current situation. He couldn’t help but smile at how things had become so entangled.
“One thing is certain. I’ll have to meet Lady Igraine.”
The two aides closed their mouths with somewhat tense expressions.
“Send an official letter to Lady Igraine. Tell her I’m requesting a meeting.”
Mihail’s eyes widened. An official letter from the House of Talion to the House of Igraine. And requesting a meeting, no less.
Though he didn’t dare say it aloud, the thought “Is this really necessary?” was clearly written on Mihail’s face. It wasn’t as if he would interrogate a high-ranking noble, and meeting her would likely just result in a battle of nerves. It might be better for the aides to handle communications.
But Drushia seemed to have already made up his mind. His face, which had been subdued all along, finally showed some life. With an enigmatic expression, he muttered to himself.
“I need to make sure she has no way out.”
****
The old archives occupied most of the sunniest spaces in the annex. It was a place that served as both a repository for a vast variety of books and a storage room for all kinds of documentary materials.
Among these, the place Ashika found was the first-floor library, which housed more than half of all books published in the Empire. The bookshelves on the walls reached the high ceiling, making a ladder essential to retrieve books from the top.
Ashika carefully leaned against the ladder, making sure not to step on the hem of her dress. She had already sent the archive attendant away, saying she wanted to be alone.
She precariously hung onto the ladder, scanning the books near the ceiling with her eyes.
‘There’s too little information about my mother.’
Ashika’s mother was the eldest daughter of an obscure count’s family with no territory or wealth. Weive himself had arranged the strategic marriage for his son, but why he chose such an obscure family remained a mystery both then and now.
‘A noble family not even in the genealogy records.’
Her mother, who died shortly after giving birth to her daughter, was said to be the last descendant of that family. As a result, Ashika had no relatives on her maternal side.
She brushed back her long flowing hair in frustration. She tried to understand what was happening to her, but finding answers seemed impossible.
‘I can’t even ask anyone about it.’
If she brought it up, it would be the perfect story to be treated as mentally ill. What would happen if rumors spread that the sole heir to the duchy might be insane?
‘Collateral branches would rush in to propose alternative heirs.’
If Ashika was deemed problematic, even Weive would find it difficult to continue supporting her.
‘What’s important to Grandfather is the family. He might even adopt from a collateral branch.’
That was the worst-case scenario she could imagine. So for now, she couldn’t ask others for help. She had to deduce the situation on her own.
‘There were no hereditary diseases on my father’s side.’
The House of Igraine had been an unremarkable, trouble-free family for generations. Native to Tridelia, they were more skilled in business than politics, steadily accumulating wealth through various enterprises and trade.
They lacked even the mysterious founding myths that most other families had. It was a family so unremarkable that it was almost monotonous.
‘But why is this happening to me specifically?’
After anxiously scanning book titles, one caught her eye.
“The History of Marriage Alliances?”
It was on a bookshelf quite far from the ladder. Ashika stretched out her arm to reach the book. As she stood on tiptoe to close the precarious distance, just as her fingertips were about to touch it—
“Ah!”
She slipped from the thin ladder rung. Her body lost balance, collided with the ladder, and fell down. Fortunately, it wasn’t very high, so the impact wasn’t severe, but the way she sprawled on the floor was undignified.
“Ouch, that hurts.”
Ashika rubbed her elbow where it had hit the floor and swallowed her tears.
This was unimaginable in normal circumstances—both hanging from a ladder herself and falling from it to roll on the floor. Ashika was unaware of how her own behavior had changed.
‘Good thing I sent the archive attendant away earlier.’
She was just raising her upper body when there was a rustling sound as her necklace spilled out. It was the necklace she’d never taken off and had almost forgotten about.
Unconsciously, she grabbed the necklace to push it back inside her clothes but paused.
“What’s wrong with this?”
The diamond-shaped pendant had a blue-purple gemstone embedded in it. One in the center and two on each side facing each other, making five in total. However, something had changed from before.
“When did this break?”
One of the small facing gemstones was completely cracked and looked like it might crumble. Like that jewel she’d seen at the imperial palace. The texture under her fingertips was smooth, but the gem, full of spider web-like cracks, had already lost its luster.
“This wasn’t such a fragile gem.”
Out of curiosity, she had even tried scrubbing it with diamond earrings. Even then, the jewel hadn’t received a single scratch. How had it broken now?
A clue that seemed within reach yet remained elusive flickered in her mind.
“Necklace, rare gems. Rare raw stones…”
Ashika stood up, forgetting her pain. After hiding the necklace inside her clothes, she began scanning the library shelves again from the beginning.
“Origins of Mysterious Powers, Founding Myths, Legends and Treasures, Cursed Gems… Could it be this?”
While she was absorbed in the new clue, the door to the archives opened. Knocking sounds had been heard for a while, but due to the distance from the bookshelves to the door, she hadn’t heard them.
“My Lady.”
“Ah, Julma.”
“You weren’t in your office, so I looked for you.”
Ashika put the book she was holding back on the shelf. Somehow, she didn’t want anyone to know what information she was searching for.
“If you needed a book, why didn’t you ask the archive attendant to bring it to you?”
“I had to find something myself.”
On a nearby table lay volumes of books too heavy to hold with one hand. Julma’s gaze unconsciously turned to the stacked books.
“Major Houses of the Capital, Noble Genealogies, History of Empire’s Representative Territories, History and Legends of Noble Families… What is all this? Are you trying to check information about noble families from the founding of the Empire?”
“Isn’t it good to know in advance? I want to choose a proper family this time.”
“Are you saying you’re choosing a fiancé while looking at history books?”
Seeing Julma’s incredulous face, Ashika subtly covered the books she had been looking at with her body.
“It’s not something I should leave entirely to Grandfather. There might be little-known family traits or hereditary diseases.”
Why did her serious explanation seem awkward? Julma carefully tried to fathom her master’s intentions.
‘Maybe it’s because she has no romantic experience.’
A lady who searches through noble family trees to scout her next fiancé—no matter how you look at it. Julma felt frustrated.
“Invitations have increased notably lately. Wouldn’t it be better to attend a ball instead?”
“It hasn’t even been a month since the broken engagement. I should observe mourning for at least three months.”
Ashika said this while standing up.
“I’ve been in the archives too long. I should go outside.”
She subtly changed the subject, feeling Julma’s gaze. Though it felt like an excuse, Julma quietly followed. As they left, Ashika didn’t forget to ask the archive attendant to tidy up.
Ashika left the annex and turned toward the garden pathway. It felt refreshing after being surrounded by the smell of old books.
“By the way, what was so urgent that you came to the archives?”
“Ah, yes.”
Julma suddenly remembered his forgotten purpose.
“A letter has arrived from the House of Talion.”
Ashika stopped abruptly. Her face, mixed with surprise and doubt, waited for what would follow.
Julma took out the letter from his breast pocket and held it out.
“A messenger came by just now. It is indeed a letter from the House of Talion.”
Ashika didn’t immediately take it, but looked down at the letter Julma was holding out. It felt strange to see the Talion seal on the envelope and her name written in an elegant hand.
‘He wrote it himself.’
She recognized it at a glance. Despite having only seen his signature on agreement documents, she knew the handwriting that wrote her name was Drushia’s.
“Aren’t you going to check it?”
This was the first contact since the incident at the meeting. Even though it was just a letter, her heart was pounding.
Ashika took the letter with a tense expression. She wanted to go somewhere quiet and open it alone, as if it were her own secret.
‘What am I thinking?’
Finding her own desire amusing, Ashika broke the seal and opened the letter right away. Her face immediately hardened.
“He’s proposing a direct meeting?”
“He wants to meet, doesn’t he?”
Julma’s voice got louder. It wasn’t common for the Duke of Talion to send an official letter to the Young Duchess of Igraine requesting a direct meeting.
“Julma, hasn’t the issue of building construction in the Grand Duchy been resolved?”
“Yes. They’ve agreed to the newly calculated costs.”
“Since we’ve resolved the winter budget execution issue as well, the next official meeting should be next spring.”
“That’s right. There’s been no other contact from the Grand Duchy.”
Wondering what this could be about, Julma’s face also showed perplexity.
Ashika hadn’t been managing the Grand Duchy affairs for long.
Weive’s last meeting with the previous Duke of Talion was 14 years ago, right after the accident. He had been extremely reluctant to face Talion.
Since then, the management of the Grand Duchy was handled by aides from both sides, and issues like garrison troops, supplies, and administration were dealt with routinely.
The problem arose 5 years ago when Drushia himself, rather than Talion’s aide, appeared at the negotiation table. Drushia relentlessly pushed Igraine’s aide, who had no authority and could only flounder each time.
After being unilaterally dominated in the negotiation process repeatedly, Ashika finally stepped in herself. It was from the year she came of age, four years ago.
He was so meticulous during negotiations that Ashika had to stay up at night collecting information about the Grand Duchy and preparing a month before each meeting date.
‘He was an irritatingly persistent man.’
But this time, things had gone too easily. That seemed strange, and now this.
“It’s unlike Duke Talion to request a meeting without stating his purpose.”
Ashika agreed with Julma’s opinion. She let out a sigh without realizing it.
‘Why do I feel like my debt keeps growing?’
From the mistake she made at the imperial palace, to handling the security force matter on her own, to receiving help with Coral’s problem. And then showing an unseemly side of herself at the meeting place.
That was why she found it difficult to readily accept the request to meet.
‘What if he brings up that issue belatedly?’
He was always unpredictable, striking when least expected. Simply avoiding him seemed the best option. If she refused to meet, what could he do?
“Shall I reply?”
“Since it’s an official letter, the refusal should also be official. As for the reason for declining… say that I’m resting due to fatigue from a series of incidents.”
Even as she spoke with displeasure, her hand holding the letter was careful. Julma tried to take back the now unnecessary letter, but Ashika didn’t let go. Julma awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Shortly after Julma left, the sound of urgent footsteps approached. Coming from the direction of the main gate was Jeanne.
“My Lady.”
Ashika quickly looked around. After confirming that no other servants were nearby, she spoke.
“How did it go?”
“They said he’s awake. What should we do?”
“I need to see him in person. I’ll prepare and come down, so have a carriage ready. One without the family crest.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After giving instructions, Ashika hurried to her room. By the time she finished preparations and left the mansion, it was just past noon.
