Ashika’s tone was sharp. Given the circumstances, Nile scratched his cheek and avoided her gaze.
“Well, not really…..If you want to imprison someone, you should first install sturdy windows. They were so rotten that they fell off when I tapped them.”
“That was the third floor.”
“This is also the third floor.”
“Hah….”
She felt both dumbfounded and embarrassed. In response to Ashika’s sharp reaction, Nile cautiously observed her mood.
“You’re not curious about my trick. I came here because I wanted to talk, and isn’t that what you want too, Young Duchess?”
Ashika’s heart softened at his dejected voice. How could he be so willful? Nile was a man impossible to figure out.
Ashika shook her head as if resigned.
“Fine, let’s talk. Why don’t we start by revealing the truth?”
Ashika straightened her back while draping a shawl over her shoulders. She never expected such an absurd encounter in her bedroom, but she couldn’t just run away screaming. Above all, she wanted to hear what this man had to say.
Nile let out an exaggerated sigh and began to speak.
“In the Grand Duchy, there’s a village where patients with a serious illness live together.”
“Serious illness?”
“A very rare disease called keratinization disease.”
“If it’s so rare, how are there so many patients? If they’ve created a separate village, it must have been around for a long time. Why am I hearing about this for the first time?”
Igraine was one of the two central pillars managing the Grand Duchy. It was incomprehensible that she had been unaware of such an important issue until now.
Nile’s expression darkened.
“Because the people of the Grand Duchy are hiding it thoroughly. They fear that if the truth gets out, the Imperial Family won’t leave them alone this time.”
“It would be better to reveal it and ask for help. It might even generate sympathy that could lift the blockade on the Grand Duchy.”
The Grand Duchy that had lost its master. Once it was the culprit that shook the empire, and now it was a land thoroughly ignored.
The Grand Duchy, Arkpella, once had influence rivaling the Imperial Family as the foundation of the empire’s establishment. But eventually, that very power caused it to fall out of the Emperor’s favor.
Forty years ago, when the Grand Duke of Arkpella was weakened by illness, the Emperor’s army attacked the Grand Duchy, and overnight the Grand Duke’s castle was reduced to ruins. The charge was treason.
It is said that no one survived that night at the Grand Duke’s castle. There were rumors that even the Emperor, who led the army, barely survived after being injured.
Despite the charge of treason, people secretly criticized the Emperor for the tragedy at the Grand Duke’s castle. About the horror of that night when not even a single animal was allowed to survive, let alone people.
Not stopping there, the Emperor imposed travel restrictions on the people of the Grand Duchy. Nobles from the Grand Duchy were even forbidden to leave their domain. And the management of this was delegated to two houses adjacent to the Grand Duchy: Igraine and Talion.
A full forty years had passed since then. Public opinion that the measures against the Grand Duchy were harsh had existed for a long time, but no one dared to come forward and oppose the late Emperor’s will.
Nile shook his head at Ashika’s words.
“The opposite is more likely. It’s not contagious, but it’s still spreading.”
Nile’s answer was even more puzzling. Doubt clouded Ashika’s face.
“If the disease is spreading, you should suspect it’s contagious. Isn’t that why they created a separate village? Or perhaps you know the cause?”
“We have speculations, but they’re vague. Everyone thinks of this disease as a curse.”
“A curse?”
“Yes. The curse of the Grand Duke’s castle.”
Ashika’s eyes widened in surprise. Nile continued with a grim expression.
“All the people who got sick used to live near the Grand Duke’s castle.”
“That’s impossible. The people closest to the Grand Duke’s castle are the knights of Igraine and Talion.”
“I don’t know the conditions for contracting the disease, but there have been stories about the curse for a long time.”
It was just a rumor-like story. The Grand Duke’s castle, which had stood firm alongside the empire’s history, was reduced to ruins overnight, so it wasn’t strange for any kind of talk to emerge.
But the people who had been oppressed all along were afraid that if the disease became known, the entire area might be burned down.
“So you’re from that village too?”
Ashika scrutinized Nile with a sharp gaze. Calm gray hair and grayish-blue eyes. His clothing was simple, but unlike when he was confined in the villa, he looked neat.
“You’re a noble, aren’t you?”
Nile’s expression stiffened for a moment.
“If you think that just because I’m a young duchess, I’ve only met nobles, you’re mistaken.”
Most of the members of the United Trading Company, which had a tight grip on the empire’s distribution, were wealthy commoners. Ashika, who managed the trading company, met such people most often, aside from the nobles in social circles.
Of course, they were different from poor commoners, but no matter how wealthy they were, they were still different from those born as nobles.
“I’m just a noble in name only. I ended up going to that village while collecting information about the disease.”
It was hard to tell from Ashika’s expression whether she believed him or not. Nile continued with a tense face.
“Then a healer from the capital approached the rare disease patients, offering them a chance for treatment.”
“Are you saying a healer visited the Grand Duchy and made such an offer? Does that make any sense?”
“Of course, it didn’t start in the Grand Duchy. First, they approached a patient in Duke Talion’s territory. After hearing the news, people from the Grand Duchy began to move together.”
Ashika realized one important fact from Nile’s story.
“Were people from the Grand Duchy coming and going to Talion’s territory?”
Nile was silent for a moment before speaking again. His face was somewhat puzzled and cautious.
“You didn’t know? The travel ban on the Grand Duchy has been in place for over 40 years. It’s not strange that during that time, at least one hidden path to a nearby territory was created.”
Ashika frowned, deep in thought. The story was convincing, but it was unsettling to just accept it as “that could be the case.”
‘Why Talion’s territory of all places?’
While Igraine was guarded by hired knights and soldiers, Talion was directly managed by the previous Duke, Neoren.
‘And yet he allowed such an obvious loophole?’
Suddenly, she became suspicious. What had Neoren been doing after sending Drushia to the capital?
“If this becomes known, it won’t just be Talion that’s in trouble. After all, the Grand Duchy is the responsibility of both Igraine and Talion. And on top of that, the issue that the people of the Grand Duchy have been hiding all along will surface.”
It could become a bigger problem than expected. It was impossible to predict how far the repercussions would spread if this became known.
“If you knew it was that dangerous, why did you come all the way to the capital?”
“Because those people have no hope. You know that too, since you’ve tried to obtain the medicine.”
“Ah.”
The medicine was incredibly expensive. Getting medicine for a single dose cost more than a commoner’s living expenses for a year. If one had to take such medicine once a month, it would be practically impossible to continue treatment.
“Then what about the Grand Duke’s castle story you first told me? You said you came from there.”
Nile hesitated before answering.
The ruins were completely sealed off by the Emperor’s order. Entering the Grand Duke’s castle meant defying the imperial decree and could be considered treason, a serious crime.
“There’s definitely a hidden story in the Grand Duke’s castle. I went there to find out what it was.”
“Soldiers and knights would be guarding it, how did you…”
Ashika was about to say she couldn’t believe it, but then closed her mouth.
He was a man who had silently infiltrated a high noble’s mansion in the heart of the capital. No matter how strict the security, getting into the Grand Duke’s castle in the middle of a desolate ruin would have been nothing to him.
“This is ridiculous. It’s just ruins anyway, what was there to check?”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course. What did you confirm by entering the Grand Duke’s castle, even defying the imperial decree?”
“That’s…”
Nile became lost in thought as he moved. With a somewhat anxious face, he paced around the room. Despite his injury that must be causing discomfort, he seemed to have forgotten about it.
“I’m not sure what I saw either.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth. Why did the late Emperor specifically order the Grand Duke’s castle to be sealed? Was it really necessary to go that far when it was already in ruins? Have you never thought about it?”
“Well…”
She had thought it might be some kind of symbol. To create ruins under the charge of treason and preserve them as an example. But what if that wasn’t the case?
“And was it really the late Emperor who reduced the Grand Duke’s castle to ruins?”
Ashika’s eyes widened.
“What did you see at the Grand Duke’s castle to say such a thing?”
“Just ruins. Yes, ruins. But it was…”
The man who had remained calm even while losing consciousness due to his injury now looked confused.
“Something felt a bit strange. This is just a feeling, so it’s hard to explain in words.”
Seeing Nile becoming increasingly unsettled, Ashika sighed.
“It’s getting distracting, would you sit on that chair?”
“Ah, yes.”
Even in the midst of his thoughts, Nile obediently brought a table chair and sat down.
‘He doesn’t have a shred of caution.’
It was because of such a natural attitude that Ashika also lowered her guard. He had an unassuming manner, like young nobles who would speak familiarly at a ball, not like a stranger.
“Then was the reason you sought me out because of the Grand Duke’s castle? The knights manage the Grand Duke’s castle, and I have no authority over the knights. If it were the Duke of Talion, I might understand…, Ah!”
A sudden realization dawned on her.
“Could it be that you weren’t looking for me at all?”
“Well…”
Nile tensed up while sitting in the chair. His demure attitude, like a child waiting for punishment, made her want to laugh.
“I see. For that reason, you would have tried to meet the Duke of Talion, not me. If not for your injury.”
In response to Ashika’s incredulous reaction, Nile hurriedly explained.
“That was my initial thought, but I changed my mind.”
“Why? Because you thought I’d be easier to deal with than the Duke of Talion?”
“No!”
Now Nile was visibly flustered.
“It’s more of a practical reason. There are already plenty of skilled knights there, and it would be difficult for me to prove my usefulness. And as you know, the cost of medicine is beyond what I can afford.”
“Ah, that medicine.”
Though the Talion ducal family had substantial wealth, they were always tight on resources due to the large number of soldiers and knights they maintained. They wouldn’t have been willing to bear the cost of expensive medicine to save one unknown person. In comparison, for Igraine, it was just a minor expense, worth not even a speck of dust.
“Then what can you offer me? What makes you think you’d be more useful to me than to Talion?”
Nile studied Ashika’s expression. He seemed careful not to offend her.
“I can be your hands and feet.”
During the few days Nile spent at the villa, he learned that Ashika operated outside the control of her grandfather, the Duke of Igraine. He also realized that Ashika, unable to move the knights, had limited manpower at her disposal.
This was not uncommon. Even between the current head of a family and the heir, there was a balance of power, and not everything was shared.
“What I need most is the medicine. If you just promise me that, it’s enough.”
This was practically like handing over a leash. For Ashika, it was a good opportunity that she had no reason to refuse. However, there was a problem.
“I can’t help with the issue of the Grand Duke’s castle. Violating an imperial decree would lead to punishment equivalent to treason. Moreover, it’s a problem involving both families.”
Nile nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes, I understand. I won’t make unreasonable demands. If you have any information about the Grand Duke’s castle, sharing it with me would be enough.”
“Why are you so curious about the Grand Duke’s castle?”
It was already in ruins. What could there be to dig up in a place where not even a single rat was said to have survived?
“I believe this disease started there. If we find the cause, we might find a way to cure it.”
“Didn’t you say there’s medicine? Isn’t that the cure?”
“No. It only slows the symptoms. This disease has no known cause or cure.”
Ashika looked at Nile’s grim expression. There was something more than desperation in his expression. Something he couldn’t share with someone he’d only met a few days ago.
‘Let’s stop here.’
There was no way this was the full story about the Grand Duchy. But Nile wouldn’t reveal all his cards at once either.
Nile had precisely offered what Ashika wanted. To unravel the accumulating questions, she needed help, and it had to happen outside of Weive’s view.
“Can you get me out of this mansion without anyone knowing?”
“What? Are you planning to flee in the night?”
Nile’s eyes widened in surprise. His expression, which openly displayed his emotions, seemed quite novel to Ashika. He didn’t seem like a bad person, as he had consistently claimed.
“I want to go out alone, but my guard knights would never let me go by myself.”
This was the immediate problem Ashika faced.
Her rare appearance with black hair and black eyes, along with Jeanne who was quite noticeable, made them stand out. Sorry to Jeanne, but she wasn’t sufficient as a companion for moving discreetly.
“Of course it’s possible, but where are you planning to go?”
“I’ll tell you later. For now, come back to the mansion tomorrow morning. Enter properly through the main gate and look for my assistant Julman. Then do as he instructs.”
Once she made her decision, the next step was swift.
Nile, who had been looking somewhat dazed, nodded. Having gotten what he wanted, he intended to follow Ashika’s instructions for the time being.
Thus, the two reached a certain agreement, and Nile quietly exited through the window as he had entered. Watching his soundless movement, Ashika quietly clicked her tongue.
