WPVMVA Chapter 19

 

“Huh?”

Inside the drawer lay a key with a small piece of parchment folded and tied to its head.

Daniella immediately knelt down in front of it and unfolded the parchment attached to the key.

[First. The treasure vault of the townhouse. Beneath the treasure of the Fire Goddess.]

‘What does this mean?’

Daniella furrowed her brows and tilted her head in confusion. Just when she thought she had finally found a clue, it turned out to be frustratingly vague.

‘Now that I think about it, the Duke of Encanto enjoyed riddles and childish wordplay like this. This was why Ashid had such a hard time finding the letters the Duke left behind.’

And now, it seemed it was her turn to face that difficulty.

After staring at the clue in thought for a moment, Daniella stood up. As she did, Mela rose with her and asked,

“Did you find it?”

“No. But I think I’ve found a lead.”

* * *

Leaving the Duke of Encanto’s office with Mela, Daniella sent for the head butler, George, once more. When she ordered him to take them to the Duke’s treasure vault, he led the two to the underground area of the main building.

At the bottom of the stairs, a thick iron door stood in their way. After dismissing George, Daniella turned to Mela and said,

“Understood, madam.”

Daniella opened the iron door and stepped inside. At that moment, the magic stone lamps embedded in the walls automatically lit up. The treasure vault was quite spacious, yet it was cluttered and disorganized, with various objects piled up in heaps.

‘Where do I even start?’

For the second time, Daniella felt a sense of helplessness. But giving up wasn’t an option. She resolved to start by searching her immediate surroundings and began examining the nearby items.

She had just picked up a roughly carved statue, then reached for a damaged wooden box when—

“Did you find it?”

“Ahhh!”

Startled by the voice suddenly whispering into her ear, Daniella let out a scream and collapsed onto the floor.

Huddling warily, she looked up to find Ashid gazing down at her, a slight frown on his face. Clutching her chest, she snapped at him.

“You scared me, Your Highness!”

“I was just as startled. I nearly went deaf from your scream.”

“Well, that’s because you suddenly appeared without making a sound and spoke out of nowhere! Good grief. Anyway, why are you here? And what’s with that outfit?”

Daniella eyed him skeptically from head to toe. He was dressed in a tight-fitting black shirt and pants, with a dagger strapped to his waist—more like a mercenary or soldier than a knight. Ashid simply shrugged.

“I couldn’t rule out the possibility that you’d keep some of the Duke of Encanto’s belongings for yourself, so I came to keep an eye on you. And as for my outfit, it’s because it would be troublesome if my political rivals found out I was here with you.”

“…Oh, is that so?”

Daniella responded with a hint of sarcasm. She had long known he didn’t trust her, but hearing him say it so bluntly stung more than she expected.

Suppressing her irritation, she turned away from him and resumed her search. She opened the wooden box only to find it empty, then moved on to examine other items nearby.

As Ashid stepped closer, he asked,

“The treasure of the Fire Goddess?”

“What?”

His cryptic words deepened the crease in Ashid’s brow. Daniella quickly summarized what had happened earlier.

Ashid stroked his chin in thought and muttered,

“…The treasure of the Fire Goddess, huh.”

“Do you have any idea what it might be?”

“…Not sure. What I do know is that in our empire’s mythology, the Fire Goddess ‘Saliente’ is always depicted as a lizard.”

“Really? What about the treasure? Is there any legend linking the goddess to a treasure?”

Intrigued, Daniella pressed on.

Ashid pondered for a moment before answering.

“Saliente is not just the Fire Goddess—she’s also the guardian of homes and kitchens. So instead of treasure, most myths involving her are about children or mothers. Myths about treasures are more commonly associated with the creator god Ashillana or the god of war and adventure, Kelia.”

“…Hmm.”

Daniella let out a low hum.

Fire Goddess. Treasure. Home and kitchen. Children. Mother.

She repeated Ashid’s words in her mind, deep in thought.

Then, suddenly, her gaze landed on a cupboard against the treasure vault’s wall. It was filled with old dishes, rustic-patterned teapots, and rusted iron cauldrons, all stacked haphazardly.

At that moment, a realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.

Half-doubting herself, she turned to Ashid and asked,

“Your Highness, you just said Saliente is the goddess of fire and the guardian of homes and kitchens, right?”

“…Did you figure something out?”

“This is just a guess, but… wouldn’t a goddess of the kitchen consider cooking utensils her treasure? Things like an iron cauldron, a kitchen knife, or a teapot?”

Ashid’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. In a dazed voice, he murmured,

“That makes sense… Now that you mention it, I recall a statue of a lizard sitting atop an iron cauldron at the central temple of Saliente in the capital.”

“Then that must be it!”

Daniella exclaimed excitedly.

Without hesitation, she approached the cupboard, reached into a rusted iron cauldron on the shelf, and pulled out a small box. Holding it up for Ashid to see, she opened it to reveal a bundle of letters, each sealed with the Duke of Encanto’s family crest.

Ashid, who had unknowingly stepped closer, remarked in astonishment,

“…You found it.”

“We can’t be sure yet. We need to open the letters and check the contents first—”

Just then, the walls began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

In an instant, hundreds of precariously stacked plates tumbled from the shelves, and from the other side of the cupboard, a sharp dagger shot straight toward Daniella.

Caught off guard, she froze on the spot.

“Damn it, Daniella!”

Ashid cursed and shouted.

In a swift motion, he deflected the incoming dagger with his own and lunged toward Daniella, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.

Had he been even a second late, the dagger would have pierced his shoulder. Instead, it embedded itself in the opposite wall. Meanwhile, the cascade of falling plates shattered against the stone floor, some landing on Ashid’s back and shoulders.

Daniella remained dazed in Ashid’s arms, her mind struggling to process the surreal situation.

Ashid grimaced in pain but reassured her,

“…I’m fine. The letters are safe, too. More importantly, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. But what about you, Your Highness?”

“I said I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

His tone was gruff, but his voice betrayed his pain. His hands were grazed and bleeding from the shattered porcelain.

Daniella winced with guilt. This had happened because she hadn’t been careful. She was about to apologize when—

“What was that noise?”

A voice echoed faintly from upstairs. It was the butler, George.

“Shh.”

Reacting instinctively, Ashid tightened his hold on Daniella, signaling her to stay quiet. He didn’t want anyone in the mansion to know he was here. That was precisely why he had changed his attire.

Daniella nodded and pressed her lips together.

Then, from upstairs, another voice spoke.

“The young lady must have triggered a trap.”

Daniella immediately recognized the voice—it was the maid who had greeted her upon her return to the mansion after being expelled from the Crown Prince’s palace.

George sounded concerned as he said,

“Surely she hasn’t found what the master hid, has she?”

“Impossible. Our foolish, uncultured young lady couldn’t have deciphered the master’s clue. She was probably rummaging through the vault for valuables and got herself into trouble.”

“…Yes, that must be it.”

“Even so, we should inform him right away. Let him know that the young lady visited the mansion today.”

Their footsteps faded as their voices died away.

Then, in a cold voice, Ashid spoke.