TNMN 33

Chapter 33

Riding in the carriage sent by Duke Whistler’s household, Alosha’s heart was fluttering with anticipation.

“For someone who nearly died at dawn, you’re humming a tune. I don’t know whether to call you strange or mentally strong.”

At Kyle’s words, Alosha smiled brightly and looked out the window. It was true that when she felt she was going to die, she was terrified, but now that it was over, she felt nothing at all.

*’Is this a side effect of possession?’*

Alosha rested her chin on her hand and thought.

Other people would probably be crying, saying “Thank goodness I’m alive!” and trembling in fear of another possible attack. But Alosha had already naturally transitioned to thinking, *’So how should I proceed now?’*

*’Today was really dangerous… but thanks to it, the storyline seems to be flowing pretty well, doesn’t it?’*

“I’m just mentally strong. There’s balance in everything in this world—when something bad happens, an equal amount of good is sure to follow.”

“Balance… is that a tenet of the Saebi faith?”

“Of course.”

At Kyle’s question, Alosha recalled her forgotten setting and smiled gently.

“I truly can’t understand you. Being able to smile even after a life-threatening danger because of faith in a god. And on top of that, the person you’re seeking protection from is that Duke Whistler?”

Though his expression showed slight irritation, Kyle’s voice carried concern for Alosha.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

He had tried to look stern to make her more cautious, but seeing Alosha still smiling brightly made Kyle hold his forehead and let out a long sigh.

“And I believe that if I’m in danger, you, as my guard knight, will protect me like you did this time.”

“You truly are a difficult person to understand, my lady.”

While Alosha and Kyle were talking, the carriage gradually approached a familiar mansion. When the knight confirmed it was the Duke’s carriage and raised his hand, the mansion’s gates swung open. Once through the main gate, the carriage moved much slower than before. Kyle looked out the window and furrowed his brow.

“Something’s odd.”

“What is it?”

“Look outside the window.”

Outside, soldiers of Duke Whistler, fully equipped with plate armor, were lined up on both sides of the road along which the carriage was passing.

“The welcome is a bit excessive, isn’t it?”

“It’s more threatening than welcoming. Look at the swords at their sides.”

When Alosha followed Kyle’s pointing finger, she could see longswords that looked too rough to be ceremonial. Alosha narrowed her eyes and scanned the soldiers’ expressionless faces.

“…It feels rather menacing today.”

Alosha said it lightly as a joke, but she felt the inside of her mouth go slightly dry. Even when she had climbed over the wall and been chased by guards, she had never seen so many soldiers at once. In the tense atmosphere, Kyle reflexively placed his hand on his sword hilt.

“Don’t. Don’t do anything that might provoke them.”

Normally, she would have smiled playfully and told Kyle it was fine, but now that she was creating events that weren’t in the original story, she wasn’t confident she would be safe.

“But…”

As Kyle made a protesting expression, Alosha shook her head.

“There’s nothing we can do. He is the infamous Duke Whistler, after all. You didn’t expect him to welcome us like an ordinary noble, did you?”

Before Kyle could say anything, the carriage jolted to a stop. The carriage door swung open, and a silent garden, as if even time had stopped, spread out before them. In the center stood a familiar figure in a black coat.

“Mr. Crowler?”

He slowly walked toward Alosha, looking directly into her eyes.

“You’ve arrived earlier than I expected.”

His polite but low, cold voice somehow sent a chill down her spine.

*’Something feels a bit off.’*

It wasn’t that she expected him to welcome her with open arms, but seeing Crowler make his dislike so obvious made her wonder if she had done something to earn his enmity. When Alosha showed signs of being flustered, Crowler erased his previously cold expression and smiled amiably.

“I heard there was quite an incident at your estate.”

Crowler placed his hand on his left chest and greeted her with a polite smile, but the gesture only made Alosha more uneasy.

*’He’s a completely different person from just a moment ago…?’*

Alosha forced a composed smile and returned Crowler’s greeting.

“The incident happened less than half a day ago. News travels fast.”

“We wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t sent that early-morning letter.”

So her suspicion was correct. For some reason, Crowler was wary of her—no, it felt more like hatred.

“I truly apologize for that. But when something like that happens in what should be the safest place—my own home—the only person who came to mind was the Duke.”

Alosha looked at Crowler with a fragile expression, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

*’That detestable woman.’*

He never imagined the assassin he had sent would fail. Crowler looked at the man behind Alosha, radiating ominous killing intent.

*’That bastard must have messed up my plan. I should have killed him while he was in prison…’*

Crowler bit his molars hard to suppress his anger and smiled.

“I see.”

Crowler nodded and turned to look at the servant standing quietly behind him.

“Escort the guests inside. The Duke is waiting.”

It was a short, concise command. The servant immediately bowed and approached the carriage. The soldiers made way without a single break in formation, but their menacing gazes followed Alosha and Kyle until the very end.

Alosha stepped out of the carriage and followed the Duke’s servants toward the mansion’s entrance. Every time the gravel crunched under her feet, the stares from behind felt more distinct. Crowler took a step behind, gazing at Alosha’s back. Her slender shoulders and dignified demeanor, unwavering even among the menacing soldiers, irritated him.

*’How dare she set her sights on the Duke?’*

The daughter of a Count’s family with a brother who was the well-regarded Imperial Knight Commander. Looking only at her qualifications, she might have enough merit in the marriage market—but if she was to stand beside Duke Whistler, that was a different story. At minimum, she should come from a Marquess’s family, and her appearance should be as beautiful as the dignity one could feel just by seeing her walk from afar—that was Crowler’s opinion.

*’Know your place.’*

Crowler’s gaze as he watched Alosha’s back was filled with open displeasure. The servant leading the way stopped in front of the entrance. The massive doors opened, and cold air flowed from inside. Unlike the garden, the interior was excessively quiet. In the silence that seemed to swallow even the sound of footsteps, Alosha instinctively steadied her breathing.

“Please enter.”

Alosha took a short breath and stepped forward first. Even inside the mansion, the atmosphere was menacing. The servants wouldn’t even look her way, yet she could feel their gazes—was that just her imagination?

“It seems there’s more surveillance than last time.”

“So you feel it too, right?”

So the gazes Alosha had felt were definitely not her imagination. Kyle walked directly behind her, not a single step away. He had taken his hand off his sword, but he was close enough to draw it at any moment. Feeling that subtle tension, Alosha deliberately straightened her shoulders and didn’t slow her pace.

As they walked further down the corridor, the Duke’s residence’s unique interior came into view. She could see some decorations she hadn’t noticed last time, and old oil paintings hanging on every wall.

“You seem to have redecorated.”

“…Yes.”

Trying to lighten the mood, she spoke to Crowler, but his answer was short and curt.

*’What is this? Is it just my imagination? The atmosphere feels like he really hates me…’*

Alosha tilted her head, then smiled again and spoke to Crowler.

“When I came last time, everything was so hectic I couldn’t look around properly. Did you choose all of these, Mr. Crowler?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it! No wonder this mansion is so elegant and befitting the Duke’s reputation—it’s all because of your touch, isn’t it?”

“…….”

She praised Crowler with all sorts of flattering comments, but he didn’t even glance her way, let alone answer. At the awkward moment, Kyle approached and whispered softly near Alosha’s ear.

“Did something happen with that man? Rather than treating you like a guest, it seems…”

“He seems to hate me, doesn’t he? So I’m not the only one who feels that way?”

The faint hope that the threatening welcome, the servants’ subtle glances, and Crowler’s deliberate coldness might all be her imagination was shattered by Kyle’s words.

*’But why me?’*

She hadn’t done anything bad to that man, so being hated for no reason didn’t feel good. Alosha let out a short sigh and followed Crowler, who was walking ahead without looking back. Reaching the familiar door at the end of the corridor, Crowler stopped, cleared his throat once, and knocked on the door.

“Duke, Lady Alosha has arrived.”

After announcing to Duke Whistler beyond the office door, Crowler opened the door and looked at Alosha with a blank expression.