Chapter 10
Two dark shadows stretched long behind Edmund.
“You called, Master.”
“Did you call us, Master?”
Tale and Rail.
They were twins, refugees from a village that had been mercilessly wiped out by the monsters of the Zeder Forest. Having survived in a nearby cave, they were nearly eaten by monsters before Edmund saved them. Since then, they had sworn loyalty and became his direct subordinates.
Tale was assigned to the subjugation force, while Rail was tasked with protecting Lilien. This was their first proper meeting in nearly nine years.
Edmund, gazing out the large window that brightly illuminated the dark office, leaned against the glass and looked at the twins. He gestured at them with his chin.
As if waiting for this moment, Tale smirked and pointed at Rail, mocking him.
“As you know, this idiot was spacing out and almost died from the vaporized poison scattered by an assassin from the guild. Pathetic. If we had arrived any later, he would have turned to stone and died.”
Rail glared at Tale fiercely, his eyes burning with anger.
“You bastard, can’t you speak more respectfully? I wasn’t dying—I just took a little nap!”
“That’s even worse, isn’t it? Falling asleep while guarding Lady Lilien? Do you think that’s what you were assigned to do? And for your information, I am speaking respectfully to our master.”
“You should speak respectfully to me too, you brat! I’m the older one by a minute!”
“What did you just say, you little—?! I told you before, the medical records were wrong. I am the older one!”
“No, I am!”
The twins lunged at each other, grabbing at each other’s clothes.
But then—they both froze.
A chilling aura crawled up their spines.
Slowly, they turned around.
Golden eyes, sharpened like those of a raptor, gleamed in the darkness.
Their faces turned pale as they instinctively clung to each other.
“I love you, brother!”
“I love you more, brother!”
Forever together. Smack. The twins planted exaggerated kisses on each other’s cheeks before glancing nervously at Edmund.
Years ago, Edmund had warned them that if they fought one more time, he would personally toss them into a monster’s mouth.
They had laughed it off as a joke.
And as a result, they had nearly ended up in the afterlife together.
The terror of dangling by their collars above a gaping monster’s jaws was something they could never forget.
Sighing, Edmund ran a hand through his silvery hair, his expression one of irritation. With his eyes closed and brows furrowed, he spoke.
“Report.”
“Yes, sir!” The twins immediately straightened up. Rail spoke first.
“According to the guild master’s testimony, the client who ordered Lady Lilien’s assassination was indeed Countess Buell. She was completely drunk when she placed the request. Considering how secretive that guild is, it’s surprising that a noblewoman even knew about them.”
“And then?”
“She returned the next day after sobering up and tried to cancel the request. But the assassin had already been dispatched, and in a panic, she personally saved Lady Lilien.”
Rail shuddered at the chilling thought of what could have happened if she hadn’t.
“The guild master’s additional report suggests that she might have used the Elixir of Forgetfulness. Since she regularly takes an antidote, she realized the poison’s effects when she suddenly collapsed.”
Edmund’s brow twitched as he asked, “What was the reason for the assassination?”
“It seems to have been an impulsive act while drunk. Apparently, this isn’t uncommon. Some people, intoxicated, act on their grudges and hire assassins.”
“A grudge?” Edmund narrowed his eyes. That word didn’t suit his sister at all.
“Have you determined the motive?”
“Well…” Rail scratched his head awkwardly.
“Lady Lilien is too kind to even hold a grudge against a pigeon in the plaza, and she has no financial dealings with the countess, who is notorious for being a nouveau riche. There’s no logical conflict of interest. The only possibility left is… a love affair.”
“A love affair?”
Realizing Edmund’s cold gaze on him, Rail quickly backtracked.
“Of course not! While Lady Lilien often feels lonely, she has never shown interest in romance. She longs for friendship more than anything. But I do regret the times I wasn’t by her side—when I visited you or when she suddenly left for that border trip.”
Rail glanced at Edmund nervously before hesitantly suggesting, “Shall we investigate Lady Lilien’s activities during that time?”
Tsk, Tale clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“So in the end, you don’t know why Countess Buell wanted Lady Lilien dead? Useless.”
Rail clenched his fists in frustration but couldn’t refute him. Tale wasn’t wrong.
Nine years of peace had made everyone around Lilien complacent.
If Tale hadn’t returned the night before and administered the antidote, Rail might have already been dead.
By the time he woke up, Lilien had already returned home—with Etricia.
Damn it. The sense of inferiority gnawed at him.
“What about Count Buell?”
“Oh, that guy stinks of something rotten,” Tale said, wrinkling his nose and waving his hand as if to clear an imaginary stench.
“Currently, he’s Count Buell, but before marriage, he was Devon Dien. He inherited wealth, but there was widespread suspicion.”
“Suspicion?”
“The former Count Buell died suddenly. People whispered that no father in his right mind would leave his fortune to a future son-in-law over his own daughter. But since he denied any wrongdoing, people hushed up.”
Tale glanced at Edmund cautiously.
“So, what do we do? Kill both the guild master and the countess?”
Thud. Rail took this opportunity to kick Tale’s thigh. “You idiot! Why do you think Master spared the guild master and kept that woman in the mansion? He wants them to feel safe and be watched.”
“You would have died if not for me…!”
Tale sprang up, grabbing Rail’s collar, and round two of their fight began.
Edmund, watching them indifferently, fell into thought.
He had been preparing to return from the forest when he became uneasy about Lilien’s lack of communication.
Then came a strange report.
‘Lady Lilien has brought a guest. She claims the person saved her from being trampled by a horse in an alley…’
What? A noble’s residence burned down? And she took in a witness?
The more he listened, the more the events seemed too perfectly aligned.
By the time he returned, he had barely managed to save Rail.
And found that Etricia Buell, the woman who had ordered his sister’s death, was peacefully asleep in his home.
His teeth clenched.
He had intended to kill her immediately.
But time slipped by as he observed her.
He had no excuse to expel her.
And before he knew it, his naive sister had already given her trust to that woman.
Looking out the window, he saw Lilien cheerfully explaining her garden to Etricia, who listened with a warm smile.
Tsk. Edmund scowled.
“I can’t kill her. Not yet.”
