‘It was something I ordered a while ago.’
She didn’t know what it was, but hearing that it was Ayla herself made her thirsty with curiosity.
“You’re not going to pout at my words right now, Cloud.”
“….”
Cloud, who is completely obedient to Byron, even opposes this because Ayla is still young.
Because the flow had already changed little by little since her last life, Ayla could not predict what would happen and looked at Cloud’s face with nervous eyes.
But Cloud didn’t seem to notice her earnest eyes at all.
“Cloud.”
“Yes, master.”
Cloud seemed to hesitate under Byron’s repeated pressure, eventually gave in and gave an understanding answer.
“Okay, then let’s eat.”
With a proud expression, Byron returned Ayla to her seat and started eating, but Ayla could not concentrate on the food at all.
What story was it? He gave Cloud instructions on what to do. That also related to her and her work.
As a result, she had no choice but to finish her dinner without knowing whether the food was entering her mouth or nose.
* * *
Her curiosity was answered within a few days. Cloud had provided the answer.
Even though Byron had returned to his normal life, it was dangerous to move right away, so Ayla, who had quietly spent a few days with an anxious mind, could not help but panic.
“… what’s this?”
Following Laura’s guidance, she entered the unfamiliar room where Cloud was waiting and asked in a surprised voice.
She obviously didn’t ask because she had no idea what it was. The only reason she asked was because she was unsure of why it had come at this particular time, yet the surroundings were all too familiar.
A glass vivarium containing live poisonous snakes and poisonous insects And various dried poisonous plants.
” Starting today, I’m going to study how to handle poison.”
Cloud opened his mouth darkly.
“… … poison?”
So suddenly.
She began learning how to handle poison when she was fifteen. She was almost on the verge of joining the dukedom.
Only after she had mastered most of the other skills did Cloud begin to teach her how to handle poison.
This was because handling poison was too dangerous for a child to learn.
But what is the reason for it being moved forward by three years?
“Yes. “These are instructions from the master.”
When Byron had stayed alone in his room for several days lost in his thoughts, asked what the instructions were, he found out that they were instructions to teach her poison.
‘For a mere twelve-year-old…’
In reality, it was okay since she had already learned how to handle the poison, but if she was really a twelve-year-old, it would have been too dangerous.
There is a law that prevents her from being poisoned by touching live poisonous insects and poisonous snakes.
“It’s dangerous, so you should never come into this room alone. You must train under my supervision. “You understand, right?”
Cloud seemed to be thinking the same thing and spoke in a solemn voice. Ayla nodded her head half-heartedly.
‘Was Byron anxious because of her mother’s illness? It makes no sense otherwise.’
Ayla was deep in thought.
If she was really anxious, it was because she was wondering whether it would be good news or bad news for her.
‘Maybe I can return to the Duke’s house a little earlier.’
Even now, if she shows that she is the perfect type of assassin Byron wants, perhaps she could enter the Duke’s house right away.
Then this tightrope walk would end. She was able to return to the arms of her parents, whom she missed so much.
‘But the problem is that I don’t fully know Byron’s plan yet.’
At this rate, even if she went into the Duke’s house and told them that Byron was planning to assassinate Roderick, she would not be able to prevent what would happen after that.
In addition, it was said that the Duke family had an informant after hearing Cloud and Byron’s conversation. She was her maid, so she had someone to watch out for besides Laura, who would be taking over the dukedom.
Byron was planning to join forces with many others. She shouldn’t find out who they are and who they are trying to attack.
So it had to be completely hidden until then.
‘Until I know everything about you, I will never be the excellent assassin you want.’
With that promise, Ayla clenched her fists.
* * *
Her first toxicology class was simple. All she had to do was memorise the names and effects of poisonous plants.
While ordinary toxicology is aimed at preventing and treating poisoning, the toxicology that Ayla was learning had a big difference in that it was aimed at harming people with the poison.
As if she wasn’t expecting much from the beginning, Cloud wasn’t upset when she confused the name of the poisonous plant or couldn’t remember its effect.
Of course, Ayla already knew all these things, but every time she made a mistake, she pretended to blame herself so much that Cloud had to comfort her.
And night came again.
Ayla, who was locked in the attic, decided to move tonight.
‘It would be dangerous if Byron came suddenly, but we can’t waste time forever.’
Although she couldn’t be completely certain because this was an outlier, she was still able to take action.
She has no choice but to take risks, even if it means taking the risk of getting caught.
If Byron was in a hurry and anxious, she had to move quickly too.
‘If we keep an eye on Byron’s movements, we might be able to deal with an unexpected situation.’
In any case, only Laura had the key to open the lock on her door, and it would take time for Byron to get Laura to open the door. In the meantime, she can just return to her room.
After making up her mind, she opened the secret safe, changed her clothes, and left the room.
The night was quiet, and the night air she smelled for the first time in a long time was truly sweet.
Ayla moved silently under the cover of darkness and, as she always did, settled down on a tree overlooking the window of Byron’s room.
Byron seemed to have completely returned to his former self, drinking alone with the lights on in his room.
‘Go to sleep now.’
Ayla continued to look anxiously inside the window and think.
If she had known this would happen, it would have been better to wait in hes attic a little longer and come out later at night, to the point where he regretted it.
Still, the view of the night sky looking up in the cool night breeze was beautiful.
There was no leisure in her life.
Even when she was deceived by Byron and lived only for her revenge.
And now, back in the past, she lives only for her own revenge.
Even this kind of nonsense may not be so bad sometimes.
While thinking that, she was looking at the twinkling starlight and moonlight.
The lights went out in Byron’s room, and he lay down in bed.
Finally, her chance had come.
Ayla had been watching Byron’s movements for a long time after he had fallen asleep, sneaking into his room, assuming that he was completely asleep.
‘I wish I could find new clues.’
Not something like a letter written in a vague code.
Hoping to get some solid information, Ayla looked at Byron’s desk. However, the desk where letters and documents were clearly piled up before was, for some reason, clean and organised today.
‘… … Did you clean it? It’s a shame.’
She tried opening the desk drawer just in case, but the drawer couldn’t be opened because it was locked with a key.
‘Do I have to go back like this without having gained anything?’
That’s too bad. Ayla bit her lip nervously and looked around her. As her eyes became accustomed to the darkness, she began to see the scenery in the room a little more clearly.
While Ayla was looking around, she noticed something she had never seen hanging on the wall next to his desk.
She glanced at Byron to see if he would wake up, then walked closer to the wall.
‘This… Is it a map?’
Ayla looked closely at the map hanging on the wall, relying on the moonlight.
She didn’t know much about geography because she had been wandering around since she was young, not knowing where she was, but this was clearly a map of the Peles Empire. It was because she saw a familiar place name.
Things like Venator, the capital of the empire, where she returned to live as a duke, or the Weishafen dukedom in the far north
Ayla glanced at Byron again and looked at the map closely. In the moonlight, she could catch a glimpse of X’s all over the map.
The journey from the capital, located in the centre of the empire, to the westernmost tip of the empire seemed to be indicated by an arrow.
‘It’s got the date written down.’
Next to each X was a date. The date of the first stop after leaving the capital was about three days away.
What does this map mean?
She moved her finger along the arrow, being careful not to touch the map. Meanwhile, a rustling sound was heard from behind. Byron seemed to have moved.
‘Shit.’
She couldn’t understand why someone who rarely woke up once he fell asleep would do so all of a sudden.
Ayla was embarrassed but quickly hid under the desk. If Byron even discovered her, it would be a disaster for her.
The rustling sound didn’t stop. Instead of just tossing and turning for a moment, it clicks. She also heard the sound of someone getting off the bed and stepping on the floor.
Thump, thump, Surprised by the sudden situation, her heart began to beat so loudly that it seemed as if it would burst through her ribcage. The sound of her heart made her afraid that her location would be discovered.
‘Please please……!’
She closed her eyes tightly and prayed. Byron lay down on the bed again, breathing evenly, hoping that she would fall asleep.
But her wish did not come true. She was hiding behind a desk, and now she could hear his slow, pacing steps getting closer and closer.
‘No. Please don’t come…’
Because of her sensitive hearing, the sound of those small steps felt like they were hammering nails into her skull.
The sound of Byron’s footsteps came closer and closer, and eventually, it came within a stone’s throw of her.
