Episode 66

I carefully observed the man instead of reacting with a scream.

“…….”

Unlike the first time I had seen him, he was now dressed in a fully buttoned, formal uniform.

With his neatly swept red hair and a face that could easily be mistaken for an aristocrat’s, there was little to distinguish him from the other noble heirs present.

Only the slightly older appearance compared to the others and the chilling sharpness in his red eyes set him apart.

“Interesting.”

The man smiled, seemingly entertained by my scrutinizing gaze. He appeared thoroughly amused.

“You’re no ordinary maid, after all.”

“It seems your subordinate who visited the duchy didn’t realize that either.”

“That’s because I didn’t bother to inform him that the maid was actually a lady of the house.”

He grinned.

“The most valuable secrets are the most expensive information. Such things aren’t shared lightly, even with trusted subordinates.”

“So, you knew all along.”

I wasn’t surprised. He was, after all, the head of the Empire’s most renowned information guild. A level of cunning like that was expected.

“Hair like yours isn’t exactly common.”

He reached out, toying with the ends of my hair as if tempted to unravel it completely.

His persistent fiddling finally caused a strand to fall loose, and he brought it to his lips, pressing a light kiss to it.

“Really?”

My incredulous tone elicited a chuckle from him.

“Why such a reaction? I’ve gone through the trouble of finding you here. The least you could do is offer some appreciation, if not respect and admiration.”

“What’s the point of flattery when I already know you didn’t come here for anything good?”

At my curt response, his laughter deepened, his amusement palpable.

“Anyway, what brings someone like the guild master to this place?”

“Asad. You can call me Mr. Asad.”

He shamelessly introduced himself. I stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“So, Mr. Asad, aren’t you worried about being caught?”

“The one in trouble isn’t me, Lady Reinhardt. Sneaking into Oracle disguised as a maid and being caught alone in this garden with a man—neither of those scenarios would do your reputation any good.”

“Aren’t you here to discuss something else?”

I interrupted, signaling for him to get to the point.

Sliding out of Asad’s grip, I freed myself from the feel of his firm chest pressing against my back. It had been far from pleasant.

‘Chris never made me feel this kind of discomfort when we rode together.’

I bit back a bitter taste in my mouth, irritated at the thought that even now, Chris was on my mind.

Asad shrugged as if conceding to my impatience.

“Fine. I came to confront you directly, Lady Mindia.”

“You’re bold, using my name without permission.”

“From what I’ve seen, you don’t particularly enjoy being called a Reinhardt. Otherwise, why go to the trouble of pretending to be a maid and sneaking into Oracle?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. He smirked again, clearly enjoying himself.

“That’s what makes it so amusing. The term ‘Lady Reinhardt’ used to exclusively refer to Aria Reinhardt, but now it’s split between you and her…”

“Enough. Just say what you came to say. Let’s settle this.”

Crossing my arms, I stared him down. Asad shrugged again, the picture of casual arrogance.

“Where should I start? Breaking into the guild without notice and posing as a maid to steal information?”

“Disguised infiltration is a method your guild often employs, isn’t it?”

“Then there’s the matter of sending a forged Oracle letter to Servitan Reinhardt.”

“To be honest, I think the advice in that letter was something you’d have given yourself.”

Asad tilted his head with a crooked smile.

“And what makes you so sure?”

“Because any guild master worth their salt would prefer to deal with nobles who can at least manage their affairs competently.”

“…….”

“If anything, I did the job you should have done.”

His sharp ruby eyes bore into me, as if he wanted to dissect me on the spot. I met his gaze head-on and asked coolly.

“Why? Did he complain to you?”

“He’s not the type to complain, which is the problem. That man is petty but hates showing it. Instead of confronting someone, he’d rather quietly cut ties.”

I nodded in agreement.

“So, has Servi silently ended his dealings with you?”

“Not completely. But we haven’t been spared from losses either.”

“…….”

“We’re still debating how to recover those losses from you.”

Asad ran his tongue lightly over his lips, smirking.

“Perhaps spreading a scandal about you would soothe my mood.”

He took a step closer, his posture suggesting he was prepared to trap me and deliver the worst humiliation a lady of society could endure.

I tilted my head slightly, observing his approach.

“You don’t seem like you actually came here to spread a scandal.”

“And why do you think that?”

“If you wanted to, you wouldn’t need to confront me in person. You could’ve done it easily through rumors or newspapers.”

All he’d need to do was leverage Oracle’s vast network. A single whisper from his guild could turn any baseless rumor into accepted truth.

“Your demeanor is oddly polite for someone here to take revenge.”

“Your standards for politeness are rather low.”

“Think back to the first time I met you.”

As I gestured to his polished, expensive uniform, Asad chuckled, his eyes narrowing with amusement.

“Such a blatant look. It’s almost thrilling.”

“Your words remind me of someone else, which ruins the mood.”

“Oh dear. Do I remind you of someone unpleasant?”

Yes, he reminded me of the Crown Prince, whom I had only recently evaded.

There was something equally dangerous about Asad, a sense of calculated threat that matched the prince’s.

‘Why do these dangerous people keep finding their way to me?’

At least Chris wasn’t like this. For the third time today, I thought of Chris and held back a sigh.

Still, even dangerous individuals like Asad could be useful.

“So, you want compensation for your losses. Is that your point?”

“Do you think you can offer compensation exceeding what we lost in our deals with the Reinhardt duchy?”

“Of course not. Not yet.”

Asad’s lips twisted into a smirk at my confident response. I smiled back sharply and added,

“But if it’s information…”

I pressed a fingertip lightly against his chest, pushing him back a step.

“Who knows? I might surprise you.”

Asad stared down at me, a mocking whisper escaping his lips.

“Do you really think you can outpace the information guild in gathering intelligence?”

“We’ll see.”

His eyes glinted with cold curiosity, reptilian in their focus.

“To be that fast, you’d have to be some sort of oracle or prophet.”

“Nothing so grand.”

Though his guess was startlingly close to the truth, I maintained a calm façade.

“For example, I imagine you’ve recently heard that the Queen of the Kingdom of Ulrico is pregnant?”

Ulrico bordered the northwest of the empire.

‘If the original story holds true, this is when it happens in Ulrico.’

Asad flinched slightly, the first sign of real surprise.

“Well, I’ll admit your information network is impressive. That couldn’t have been easy to find out.”

And for good reason.

The King of Ulrico had not publicly announced the Queen’s pregnancy. His paranoid nature made him fear that rival nations—or even the empire—might attempt to assassinate his heir.

Only a select few in Ulrico’s court and the guild master of Oracle knew the truth.

‘Because…’

“You must already know since you’re a distant relative of the Ulrico royal family,” I said.

Asad raised an eyebrow. “You knew about that as well?”

This knowledge came courtesy of my death in my previous life.

The Oracle guild master had been indicted alongside the Duke during the rebellion charges. It was during that trial that his identity as a distant relative of the Ulrico royal family had been revealed, stirring controversy.

Though his connection was extremely distant, to the point where he was practically unrelated to the current Ulrico king, the mere fact of foreign blood was enough to create a scandal.

‘Of course, both the guild master and the Duke were eventually cleared of all charges, so it didn’t matter much in the end.’

However, the Queen of Ulrico’s pregnancy had played a role in the events of the original story.

The King of Ulrico, upon the birth of a prince, had felt emboldened enough to defy the empire, only for Crown Prince Albert to crush their rebellion in a display befitting a male lead.

“The Queen will give birth to a prince. The kingdom will rebel against the empire,” I stated plainly.

“You sound like some kind of fortune teller. Are you claiming to be a prophet who sees the future?” he asked with a smirk.

“No. And even if it’s a princess, the result will be the same.”

“Why?”

“What Ulrico needs most right now is a healthy and legitimate heir. Once an heir is born, it’s not a stretch to predict that the King of Ulrico will no longer submit to the empire.”

There was a reason I deliberately brought up the King of Ulrico.

First, to demonstrate that my intelligence network was on par with his.

Second, to show that I had the insight to interpret events, positioning myself as a viable business partner—not Servi, but me.

‘Ultimately, to make him betray the Reinhardt duchy.’

But Asad unexpectedly shifted the conversation.

“Lady, are you afraid of Ulrico attacking?”

“What?”

“Your fingers tremble every time you mention Ulrico.”

“…It’s irrelevant. What matters now is something else.”

“Such as?”

His crimson eyes focused on my hands, their attention so unwavering it bordered on obsession.

I clasped my hands together, hiding my fingertips, and let out a long sigh before redirecting the conversation.

“How long do you think the Reinhardt duchy will remain a good partner for you?”