Chapter 32: The Conspirator Behind the Enemy part 1
Why did they do it? Was it because they had no lingering attachment to the title of ‘Eina,’ or perhaps they felt no need to act? Was it one of the two?
‘Something about this feels off.’
Dorothea, Dottricia, Tiana.
Kassel mentally recited the three distinct names in succession. After the ball ended that day, he shared a carriage ride back to the Duke’s estate with the Duchess.
Casually, he asked, “Mother, about Tiana’s silk robe. Was it true no one recognized it when she first came to Eina?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s something she must have cherished from childhood. It’s natural she brought it with her since it’s hers. We personally made it for her when she was young and sent it to the temple. There’s no way we wouldn’t recognize it.”
“Was it discovered by the maid who did the sewing back then?”
“No. Someone was sorting through clothes and found a fabric too small and delicate to be ordinary, so they brought it to the Head Maid. It was fortunate I happened to be nearby and met with the head maid at the time.”
The situation seemed too coincidental to Kassel. Of all the times, why did they bring it forward while his mother was with the Head Maid? And why rummage through someone’s belongings at that particular moment?
It felt like someone had already scoped out the item and waited for the right moment to act.
Kassel suspected this series of events might be the work of an internal informant.
‘I’ve left the estate unattended for too long. Four years spent at the border, assuming everything would remain peaceful. How foolish of me. Knowing both my parents lose all reason when it comes to Tiana, I should have taken charge from the start.’
His hands curled into tight fists, unseen. He reassured the Duchess, promising to bring Maurice back to the estate and handle him appropriately when the time came.
The newly placed insignia of the knight commander on Kassel’s shoulders didn’t reflect the burden of responsibility; instead, it emanated resolve. When it came to the matters ahead, he was determined not to allow any regrets.
* * *
Elsewhere in the Mage Tower…
Fay sat absentmindedly near a window on one of the upper floors.
“…ay? Fay?”
“Huh? Oh, Holtdayne.”
Fay had recently learned that the Klein Ducal family had found their long-lost daughter.
To be fair, she’d vaguely sensed it. The undine she’d left near the Silphia House had stopped returning a few days after Dottt visited the area. Not long after, maids stormed the house, seized some of the belongings, and locked down the surrounding area.
She figured there were two possible outcomes: either Dott had been cast out, or she had pulled some stunt to reclaim recognition as the Duke’s daughter.
It turned out to be the latter.
That was the extent of the information the undine had managed to uncover before returning to the spirit realm, drained of its energy. Fay didn’t summon it again since the effort would be wasted if Dott was already in the Klein estate as the recognized daughter.
This only meant one thing: Dott was finally extending her claws. What Fay had vaguely anticipated was now dangerously close to unfolding.
Fay wasn’t idle, though. She sent three of her four Fine Echo to the vicinity of the Grace Monastery, instructing them to alert Number Four if they sensed anything suspicious and extinguish any fires immediately. Fay was prepared to rush in if necessary.
Dott, now reinstated as the Duke’s daughter, could set fire to the monastery at any time. Fay’s growth as a water mage had made such preparations possible.
When Fay first arrived at the Mage Tower, the four Fine Echo together weren’t even a fraction as capable as the undine. Back during her regression, the storm Fay summoned had only been possible because the four Fine Echo amplified her will. Alone, they were insufficient.
Now, they could manage tasks independently, thanks to Fay sharing her water magic with them, a significant improvement.
Holtdayne, unaware of Fay’s swirling thoughts, muttered, “By the way, I haven’t seen Sir Lucius around much lately.”
“He’s probably at the library.”
Fay replied dismissively, though she had felt his absence deeply. While Momo still stayed near her, Lucius, Momo’s master, had been conspicuously avoiding her.
Although his room remained directly across the hall, the door was always firmly shut. Where it had once been left ajar, allowing her glimpses of him reading, it was now closed as if to block her out.
Lucius spent his mornings at the library and vanished elsewhere by the afternoon. Fay’s routine, which involved research in the mornings and selecting books after lunch, no longer aligned with his.
It was only now, with the abrupt shift, that she realized how much he had previously adjusted his schedule to hers.
‘Why is he avoiding me? Did I do something to upset him?’
Fay felt troubled.
During her time at the Grace Monastery, her naturally timid and docile personality had led her to encounter situations like this on more than one occasion.
People who were initially drawn to her lovely, soft pink hair would quickly become disenchanted by Morgana’s somberness and inflexible nature, leaving her just as quickly as they had come.
I know… I know my personality tends to be overly single-minded. Wasn’t it true? Even after returning from death, the path I chose was to abandon everything rather than fight to uncover the truth and reclaim my position. Yes, I’m pathetic. I know how terribly flawed I am, but I’m still trying to change. I’m trying to be better than I was before.
……
(T/N: Aww, Fay 😢 that hit me real hard)
