IDHGA 13

Chapter 13

‘If you don’t want rumors to spread, go out somewhere and stay out.’

My aunt said that, putting my reputation aside, she would call for Ashird for the sake of my uncle as well.

She said it had been years since she’d seen my uncle take such a liking to someone.

Leaving me with such an absurd errand, yet showing such incomprehensible devotion to her husband.

I let out a hollow laugh and propped my chin on my hand, gazing out the window.

Following my aunt’s advice, I was currently outside, showing everyone that I was not at the Marquess of Wellington’s residence.

Timing my departure with Jenna to quietly slip out around the time Ashird would arrive, I pretended to go shopping—something I didn’t even enjoy—before entering a nearby restaurant for a meal.

Ignoring the stares of those around me, I finished my meal alone with composure, then went to a nearby café to enjoy a leisurely cup of tea.

Though enough time had passed that the sun was already beginning to set, my aunt, who had promised to send someone once Ashird had left, remained utterly silent.

Just how long was I supposed to stay cooped up here?

Unable to hide my boredom, I let my gaze wander over the passersby.

Being on the second floor, I had a clear view of the people coming and going on the street below.

I idly watched the bustling crowd for a while, until something suddenly caught my eye, and I couldn’t look away.

“……Father?”

A man was swiftly making his way through the crowd.

Though he wore a hat pulled down low over his head, the sword visible beneath it and his gait were far too familiar.

‘I heard he left early this morning for the palace…’

Having spent nearly his entire life confined to the North, he hardly knew any places or people in the capital.

Watching my father stride across the street, I shot up from my seat.

My aunt had warned me.

To be wary of my father.

She said he was a man who used underhanded and despicable tactics, impossible to read.

‘Then I need to find out, don’t I? Unlike my past life, how he plans to sell off his defiant daughter to the Crown Prince.’

I quickly exited the building and signaled to Jenna, who was waiting around the back.

“Jenna. Fetch my sword and a robe.”

“Where, where are you going, my lady?”

Startled by my urgent tone, Jenna hurriedly brought the robe and sword we always kept in the carriage.

I quickly draped the robe over myself to hide my face, grasped my sword, and spotted my father just passing between the buildings.

“Something urgent came up. If I’m not back by dinner, tell my aunt. Tell her there’s no need to prove that underhanded and despicable methods exist.”

“What? What do you mean, my lady!”

And with that, I dashed off after my father.

He might have succeeded in bringing down my aunt and ruining me before, but this time would be different. I would not stand by and watch Ashird get hurt again.

I barely managed to follow the seemingly endless path.

No, towards the end, I was practically running.

My father wove through alley after alley, constantly heading deeper and deeper in.

I walked and walked such a long distance that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I had left the city walls.

At the entrance stood a single guard with a sword, and several figures who looked like knights were loitering nearby, pretending to have no connection to the building.

Who was my father planning to meet here?

“So, is everyone who’s supposed to come here now?”

As I craned my neck, looking for a way into the building, a low voice reached me from not too far away.

“Ah. The numbers match, so probably.”

“Then shall we take a short break? We just need to leave one at the entrance, right?”

“Probably? He did say not to let our guard down, but taking a short rest should be fine.”

“Alright, let’s grab a quick bite then. I’ll go get the guys over there, you get the ones on the opposite side. And tell Jen on your way.”

“Got it. Understood.”

The two men, after murmuring amongst themselves, headed in separate directions and returned with the people scattered around.

They informed the guard at the entrance that the man who had just gone in was the last of today’s expected arrivals, and then disappeared into the distance.

They seemed quite lax, probably thinking no one would come to such a remote place.

From their conversation, I learned that there were more people inside than just my father and the Crown Prince.

At the same time, I realized I now had a chance to get inside.

When the group had moved far enough away that I could no longer see them, I rose from my hiding spot and approached the building.

“Halt. Who goes there?”

The guard at the entrance put his hand on his sword as I drew nearer.

But I paid him no mind, adjusting my grip on my sword within my robe as I closed the distance.

“Hello, Jen. Let me say in advance, I mean no harm.”

“What?”

And when I judged I was close enough, I sprang forward.

“I just need you to take a little nap.”

After dealing with the lone guard, getting inside wasn’t difficult.

After dragging the unconscious Jen inside the building, I crept forward, silencing my footsteps.

And then I was taken aback by the empty interior.

There was nothing but an empty space—no rooms, no stairs, nothing that suggested where a person might go.

‘……Father definitely went in here?’

I tore a strip from my dress to bind Jen’s mouth and hands, then slowly began to survey the area.

If my eyes weren’t mistaken, there had to be some kind of hidden mechanism here.

Not every building would have such a device, of course, but right now I couldn’t think of anything else.

I carefully began to feel along the floor and walls with my hands and feet.

Unless there was some mechanism here, there was no way a person could vanish so completely, nor any reason to station knights to guard the perimeter.

I was feeling around the walls and floor for a while, searching for an entrance, when—

*Click.*

My toe caught on something.

When I pressed down on the floor, I heard a faint sound, like a mechanism moving somewhere.

‘Right. Of course.’

There was no way a suspicious place like this wouldn’t have a secret passage!

As I was smiling with satisfaction, a section of the floor slowly began to rise.

The floor, which seemed to be lifted by some kind of turning spool, stopped, leaving just enough space for a person to slip through. I could see stairs leading down into the gap.

Thinking that the main culprits who had ruined my life were down there, plotting in secret, and that I needed to eavesdrop and devise a countermeasure, my throat suddenly felt dry and my heart pounded.

I took a small, deep breath and slowly stepped down.

Descending the stairs, which felt like those of an ancient, gloomy castle’s dungeon, I found a long corridor below.

‘Would they normally dig this deep for a building’s basement?’

Given the depth I had descended and the corridor stretching out ahead, it seemed the underground area was quite extensive.

I looked at the rows of rooms lining the corridor as I slowly walked along.

Most of the doors were closed, and there was no sign of life.

‘……Could there be stairs leading further down, besides this floor?’

With my hand on my sword hilt, I was walking cautiously, alert to my surroundings, when I heard a *thump* from somewhere.

The sound seemed muffled by the doors, but it was clearly the sound of something striking down.

Or maybe something colliding.

‘Is it from inside there?’

I quickened my pace, while also checking for places to hide in case of an emergency.

As I moved further in, other sounds began to reach me more clearly.

The murmuring I had heard became sharper, clear enough for me to distinguish a few voices.

“So, are you saying that moving now is dangerous?”

“Your Highness. I understand your feelings, but the important thing is that we cannot ignore what is visible. Forcing a marriage with Lady Mason would be akin to handing the Aristocratic Faction an opening.”

*Ha.* I barely managed to suppress a hollow laugh that almost escaped.

All this secretive gathering in such a quiet place, and they were discussing something so trivial?

I gritted my teeth, suppressing the urge to storm in and smash everything to pieces.

“But didn’t you also say that the Duke of Fontaine received another invitation to the Marquess of Wellington’s residence? The Marquess of Wellington maintains a neutral stance, so if the two of them were to join hands, it would become troublesome.”

“That’s true, but the Marquess of Wellington is a cautious man. He is not someone who would engage in deep discussions after just two meetings.”

Among the voices, I could hear my father’s, and the Crown Prince’s.

And one other, unfamiliar voice.

Was this all they had gathered to discuss—their plan for me to marry?

It was truly absurd.

“More important than them joining hands, is the possibility that if they do, the Marquess of Wellington would become neither Imperial nor Neutral.”

“The Marquess of Wellington plays a pivotal role in the Neutral Faction. Since the five great noble families, who should have been the core of the Neutral Faction, split in two and began fighting, the center has shifted to the Marquess of Wellington’s house…”

“Then, we should keep an eye on the Marquess, but also… how about trying to recruit the Duke of Fontaine to the Imperial Faction?”

“That would be the best method, but as you know, the Duke of Fontaine belongs to none of the factions—neither the Aristocratic, the Imperial, nor the Neutral. Because he often represents the views of both the nobility and the common people, many mistakenly believe him to be part of the Aristocratic Faction, but in reality, he belongs to none.”

“But people see him as part of the Aristocratic Faction, so they’ll think that if he gets close to the Marquess of Wellington, he could either be persuaded or become a target for persuasion themselves, is that it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Fortunately—truly fortunately—it seemed not everyone in that room was a fool. They began to discuss not just my marriage, but the ripple effects it would cause.

From the content of their conversation, it seemed they were the leaders of the Imperial Faction.

Probably Harriett, Ertel, and the other key nobles of the Imperial Faction.

After listening to their discussion for a while, I began to lose interest.

Though the topic was my marriage, even the Crown Prince couldn’t afford to take on such risks and force me into it. And judging by their concern over the consequences, they seemed to have judged that a forced marriage was out of the question.

‘Not much of a gain, then.’

Just as I was about to turn away—

“Oh, by the way, what happened with that prisoner exchange request from the Ferric Continent last time?”

A topic that made my ears perk up reached them.