Chapter 31
The week that Cashwood had mentioned had come to an end.
“He said he could find her in a week. I wonder if he’s found Helen by now.”
Raylenne spent her days in restless anticipation. She wanted to ask Caverion about the progress of the search, but he had been so busy lately that he was hardly ever around.
As the sun set, Raylenne prepared to head to the back alley where Cashwood was. The alley came alive with light only in the evening, so she had to wait until nightfall. This time, she told Janie in advance that she was going for a night walk and then headed to the stables.
While walking, she heard someone call her name.
“Raylenne?”
She stopped in her tracks and turned around to see someone she did not want to meet.
“Father.”
It was Duke Ergen. He seemed to have just returned from an outing, as he was accompanied by a line of attendants and guards. Ever since the war ended, the Duke always took several guards with him whenever he went out. Perhaps his guilt was overwhelming him, knowing he didn’t have the strength to protect himself like Caverion did.
With a wave of his hand, Duke Ergen dismissed his attendants and guards, who bowed and then dispersed. Alone with Raylenne, the Duke scrutinized her.
“Where are you going at this late hour?”
“I am taking a walk around the estate. I feel like my stamina has declined, so I am trying to move around a bit.”
“And what do you do during the day?”
“I refrain from going out during the day because the sunlight is too harsh. I feel like it’s damaging my skin.”
Raylenne answered his questions without any sign of tension. Her natural responses seemed to satisfy the Duke, who did not find her behavior suspicious. Though she wished to end the conversation quickly, the Duke lingered, forcing her to continue the small talk.
“Where have you been, Father?”
“I went to the Imperial Palace to discuss your marriage.”
Raylenne suppressed the urge to frown.
“How is my marriage proceeding?”
“The Crown Prince is eager, but the circumstances are not in our favor.”
Duke Ergen rubbed his temples as if weary. It seemed things were not going well. Given the nature of a royal marriage between the Crown Prince and a noblewoman, many would have their say. Additionally, many within the palace were wary of Duke Ergen.
This was good news for Raylenne. Once Aiden’s matter was resolved and the true culprit who had tried to harm her was caught, she planned to learn more about Crown Prince Harbian. She needed to know exactly what kind of person he was to decide whether to oppose the marriage.
The Duke’s words, indicating that the marriage plans were encountering obstacles, gave her relief. It meant she had more time to investigate the Crown Prince.
“Until then, take good care of yourself. We must not let His Highness change his mind.”
By “taking care,” he probably meant maintaining her appearance and health. Raylenne inwardly scoffed.
‘He speaks as if it’s a command.’
She marveled at her mother’s endurance for having married such a heartless man. Raylenne then recalled an incident from a few days ago when the Duke had visited her room. It was the night she returned late from meeting Cashwood in the back alley. When she asked Janie if anyone had come looking for her, Janie had replied:
[Not exactly looking for you… The master asked where you were because the lights were off in your room.]
[When I offered to tell you he had come by, he said it wasn’t necessary.]
Raylenne doubted that the Duke had just happened to pass by.
“Did you come to my room a few days ago?”
The Duke’s eyebrows rose slightly at her question.
“It was the night I went for a late walk. I heard you came looking for me.”
The Duke frowned and then spoke slowly.
“…I saw that the lights were off early, so I was concerned you might be unwell again.”
Raylenne instantly recognized the lie. This was the same father who hadn’t even asked if she was okay when she had been bedridden for days. And now, he was claiming to have checked on her because her lights were off?
‘I’d bet my wrist that’s not true.’
However, she kept her sarcastic thoughts to herself and smiled outwardly.
“I see. I forgot to ask the next day why you had visited.”
The Duke stared at her for a moment before abruptly turning away.
“Make sure to return soon from your walk.”
“Yes, Father.”
She wasn’t sure if he even heard her reply. Once the Duke was inside, Raylenne resumed her walk to the stables.
Upon arrival, the stable keeper, Kelvin, recognized her immediately and ran over.
“Good evening, Miss Raylenne!”
He seemed to have guessed that her purpose for coming so late was the same as last time, and his eyes gleamed with excitement. Raylenne responded to his expectation by handing him a ring she had brought.
“I need your help again tonight.”
“Of course, Miss.”
Kelvin eagerly took the ring and put it in his pocket before going to fetch the carriage. Watching him move swiftly, Raylenne thought to herself,
‘I really like this arrangement.’
Her jewelry box was overflowing with such trinkets. The original Raylenne had rarely gone out, so her only hobby seemed to have been collecting jewels and dresses. Given the wealth of the Ergen family, it was nothing to give a ring to keep the stable keeper’s silence.
Kelvin soon brought the carriage around. Before getting in, Raylenne asked him,
“Has anyone noticed or asked about my late-night outing last time?”
Kelvin rolled his eyes in thought.
“Hmm… No, no one has, except for your father’s chief attendant.”
Her father’s chief attendant…?
Raylenne’s expression of puzzlement was quickly noticed by Kelvin, who added, “Master Dmitri, your father’s chief attendant, always checks the carriage logs at the estate every weekend.”
Seeing Raylenne’s hardened expression, Kelvin hurried to explain, “Of course, you were well-disguised as a guest that day, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
However, Raylenne’s furrowed brow did not easily relax. It wasn’t because she feared that Duke Ergen had discovered her late-night outing. If the Duke had known, he would have surely questioned her about where she had been. He had not shown any suspicion or curiosity when they had met earlier, accepting her excuse of a night walk without any hesitation.
What troubled her was the realization that the Duke seemed to be paying more attention to the estate than she had thought. It was particularly concerning that the chief attendant himself was monitoring the carriage logs, which meant reports were being made directly to the Duke.
“Is this surveillance?” she wondered. She didn’t know what exactly he was monitoring, but for the chief attendant to be checking personally, it seemed to be of significant importance.
She recalled something the Duke had once said:
[If you ever act disrespectfully to the Crown Prince or cause a scene about leaving the estate, then…]
Raylenne remembered there had been a time she had tried to leave the estate, though she didn’t know the reason.
Raylenne asked Kelvin, “Has the chief attendant always managed the logs?”
“Yes, but he used to check them only at the end of each month. Lately, he’s been checking more frequently.”
Raylenne found it even more strange that the frequency had increased recently.
Kelvin suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! Now that I think about it, didn’t you go out recently with a maid?”
Raylenne easily recalled the one time she had taken Helen to the magical greenhouse.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“At that time, the chief attendant saw your name on the log and hurriedly ordered a carriage to be brought out.”
“And then?”
“He seemed to follow the carriage you were in. I thought he had something urgent to tell you.”
Raylenne now understood the truth about that day.
‘So, he was tailing me.’
In a normal family, this might be seen as a father’s concern for his daughter with social anxiety. However, Raylenne knew Duke Ergen had no such affection for her, making it suspicious. The only clear fact was that Duke Ergen was monitoring her movements. Perhaps he was worried she might attempt to leave the estate again, as she had in the past.
The thought of being secretly watched was unsettling. There were so many people she couldn’t trust, both within and outside the estate: the Bedeusian family, Helen, Helis, and now even Duke Ergen.
Raylenne sighed deeply. On the bright side, it was better to be aware of this now than not at all.
Watching Kelvin closely, she considered, “In that case, I could place my own person in there.”
Raylenne asked Kelvin, “Kelvin, how much is a stable keeper’s salary?”
Kelvin scratched his head at the sudden question. “Um… why do you ask?”
“Just tell me.”
“It varies a bit, but usually around 50 benian a month.”
While she didn’t fully grasp the economy of this world, she knew one of her rings was worth at least a hundred benian. She had already given Kelvin two rings, which amounted to several months’ salary for him.
Now she understood why Kelvin had been so attentive and forthcoming with information. “If you erase my name from the logs and inform me of anything suspicious, I’ll give you a ring every month.”
Kelvin’s eyes widened in shock. “What kind of suspicious things?”
“Anything unusual you hear in the stables, or if any strange or notable people visit. Even things you hear from other employees.”
Any information could be useful. Today’s conversation about the logs had inadvertently revealed that her father’s chief attendant had been tailing her.
“Understood. I’ll do that,” Kelvin replied, nodding with a bewildered expression.
Before boarding the carriage, Raylenne stood still for a moment, gazing at the estate. The desolate landscape of the estate seemed more oppressive than usual tonight.
