Chapter 16 

After dinner, Elena retreated to her room to enjoy a rare moment of peace and quiet.

“Miss, you have a visitor.”

She had just pulled a book from the shelf and was heading straight to bed, intending to lose herself in reading with a cup of tea Haran had brought. But just as she was getting comfortable, Haran returned to the room.

“For me?”

“Yes, someone is here to see you. Even when the master asked what business they had, they insisted it was you they needed to see.”

“…If they wanted to see me, they should’ve come through the knights. And at this hour?”

“Exactly. I was about to send them away, but just in case, the master told me to check with you first.”

There was no one who should be looking for her. And even if there were, it was unlikely they’d come all the way out to the Saulliren estate. At most, they’d apply for a visit in Ridwan.

It was only a single day of leave. How could they even know she was on vacation?

“I’ll head out right away.”

“Then I’ll show the guest to the parlor.”

Once Haran left, Elena adjusted her clothes and stepped out, still wondering who this visitor could be. No matter how she thought about it, there was no one who would come all this way to see her.

Reassuring the concerned Baron and Baroness Saulliren that everything was fine, Elena entered the parlor alone. She had made up her mind not to involve the Saullirens, no matter what happened.

“Are you Dame Vened?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I thought so. You resemble someone I know…”

Sitting on the sofa was a man whose appearance was suspicious at first glance. He wore a hat pulled low to hide his face, only making him look more dubious.

“So, what brings you to me?”

“Ah, by any chance, do you know Tyrtan Vened–?”

“How do you know that name…?”

Elena hadn’t even introduced herself, yet this man was already bringing up Tyrtan’s name.

After the fire, Tyrtan had completely vanished, and Elena had searched high and low for him. Whenever she had spare money or earnings, she frequented the guild like it was her own home, chasing down the slimmest rumors about him.

All she’d managed to learn was that he was somewhere in Tussla. And now, out of nowhere, someone she didn’t even know the name or face of was speaking his name.

“Now that I look closer… you really do resemble Tyrtan.”

“You know my brother?”

Elena, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up at the implication that the man had seen Tyrtan in person.

Where, when, and why? Was he doing well? Where and how was he living? And why hadn’t he come to see her?

From the time she turned thirteen and officially became an adult, there had been no contact from him. Surely, he would’ve known she was living at the Saulliren estate. Yet he disappeared completely, as if he had abandoned the world.

There were times she resented him. Times when she hated him. Especially in the moments when she had to shoulder the burden of their parents’ deaths and the tangled mess involving that man, Van Nizena, all on her own.

She needed Tyrtan, more than once or twice. If only he could’ve shared some of the weight, it might’ve let her breathe easier.

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about Tyrtan. He’s in Tussla right now.”

Tussla?

Elena’s eyes widened in shock at the man’s words. It matched everything she’d learned, everything Van had discovered through Quirea. That meant he really did know Tyrtan.

Her heart pounded. Her breathing quickened, heat rushing through her limbs. Finally, concrete information right in front of her.

“I see.”

But she struggled not to show her excitement. She still didn’t know who this man was. She couldn’t afford to act rashly.

What if he was working for Van? What if he planned to use her to get to Tyrtan?

Countless possibilities flooded her mind, urging her to stay calm.

“Well, regardless of being Tyrtan’s sister, I can’t just share everything I know here and now…”

The man took a folded note from his coat and placed it on the table between them.

“I’d prefer if we could speak further in this location.”

“All right. I’ll consider it.”

“I’ll await a positive answer. Truthfully, we won’t force anything if Dame Vened doesn’t want it… It’s just… he seemed pitiful. We wanted to help.”

A twitch appeared at the corner of the man’s mouth. Elena studied his shadowed face carefully, trying to gauge his true intent. Did he really mean ‘help’? Were his people truly indifferent if she refused?

“I appreciate you bringing news of my brother. It’s a relief to hear he’s safe.”

There was no point in confronting him while she was still emotionally charged. Elena took a steady breath and gave a respectful nod.

“I’ll be waiting.”

The man tugged his hat lower and stood.

Could she really trust someone who hadn’t even told her his name?

After he left without waiting for a farewell, Elena opened the folded note. It was an invitation. Not an official one as there was no seal. Only an address, indicating where she should go.

“Elena, who was that gentleman just now?”

“I stayed quiet like you said because the atmosphere didn’t feel right…”

Now that the man had left the estate entirely, Baron and Baroness Saulliren, who had quietly watched the meeting from a distance, finally approached and asked.

“He’s someone from the knights.”

Elena felt sorry for lying to them, but she couldn’t involve them in her personal matters.

“I see.”

Thankfully, they didn’t press further.

Elena nodded, trying to push down her guilt. All she wanted at Saulliren estate was to forget everything and rest peacefully. Linking her arms with theirs, she walked with them toward the drawing room.

* * *

Late at night, when everyone else had gone to bed, Elena sat alone in the drawing room, staring into the fire she’d lit herself. 

The flickering flames mirrored her own state of mind, neither hot enough to harm others, yet still fire, burning with a frightening glow. They flew about aimlessly, as if lost, looking as though they’d burn out before ever achieving their goal. She pitied those flames.

Thanks to Laura and Haran, she no longer panicked just from seeing a fire like this. As a child, even the sight of a fireplace had frozen her in place, made her cry.

“Elena, are you all right?”

A voice called out behind her, and Elena turned to see Laura draped in a shawl, sitting gently beside her. She brushed it off like it was nothing, but she must have noticed the strange atmosphere earlier.

“I’m fine. Just… things are complicated.”

Laura rested a soft hand on Elena’s shoulder. The warmth eased some of the tension building inside her.

“Is it because of the man who came today?”

“Yes. Ah… by the way, that ball you mentioned at lunch, who’s hosting it?”

Elena kept her eyes fixed on the fire. She couldn’t bear to look at Laura after lying to her, even as she continued the conversation.

“That? It’s hosted by Count Pirard. Why?”

So it was him. No wonder the invitation felt so off.

“I’m thinking of attending.”

“Really? But… you don’t need to push yourself. We’re not particularly fond of the hosts either.”

Laura turned and looked at Elena, gently running her fingers through her hair.

Bottling up her feelings was something Elena had always done. She had as a child, and she still did now. Laura worried that, someday, that weight would crush her. And now, it seemed like she was doing it again, carrying a burden no one else could see.

“I’ve found a reason to go.”

Elena hugged her knees and buried her head in them.

“If it’s because of something we said earlier…”

“No. It’s something else.”

She murmured just loud enough for Laura to hear.

Count Pirard was a cousin of Marquis Masen Chariot, an enemy of Van. If what the man said earlier was true, they didn’t just know of Tyrtan, they might be directly involved.

If she wanted to save him…

Then she, a knight of Ridwan, might need to take the enormous risk of aligning with the Marquis’s faction. At the very least, it was a better choice than the Van Dragon faction, protected by the Holy Kingdom.

She had to admit it now that she couldn’t achieve her goal alone anymore. And so, despite her unease, Elena made her decision.

She would attend the ball. 

* * *

Attending the ball meant she’d have to be away for an extended period.

Just the travel time between Anhal and the capital was enough to require a long leave. The problem was Van.

If she could apply for leave through Pantherman like she had in the 7th Division, that would’ve been manageable. But now that she was standing in for Quirea, she had to request it directly from Van.

“Vened, I entrusted you with an important task. And now you suddenly want extended leave? What are you thinking?”

“I’m sorry.”

As expected, he wasn’t easy to deal with. In fact, he looked like he might burst into a string of curses at any moment.