TNMN 37

Chapter 37

As soon as Duke Whistler disappeared beyond the dining room door, the pressure that had been pressing down on the space transformed into a strange form. It was the open fury emanating from Crowler, who was seething like a volcano about to erupt.

“…My lady, are you in your right mind?”

Crowler asked through gritted teeth. Veins were still bulging on the back of his hands, but Alosha, the target of his anger, remained completely unperturbed. She elegantly put the last piece of steak into her mouth, chewed, and then widened her eyes as she spoke.

“Huh? I’m perfectly in my right mind. The breakfast was so delicious that I’m in a great mood!”

“That’s not the point right now! Who do you think you are to disrupt the Duke’s sacred morning routine?!”

When Crowler shouted loudly, the chef and maids standing in the corner flinched and exchanged nervous glances. But Alosha didn’t even blink—she simply wiped the corner of her mouth elegantly with her napkin. Instead, she smiled as if she found Crowler’s reddening face amusing.

“Disrupt? I gifted him a vibrant start to his day. You saw it too, didn’t you, Mr. Crowler? The Duke cleared a whole plate of meat. Why have you been starving him all this time when he eats so well?”

“Starving! The Duke doesn’t usually eat much!”

“How can a grown man of his stature be healthy if he doesn’t eat well? You’re neglecting your duties as an aide by not taking care of your master’s health.”

When Alosha clicked her tongue and shook her head, Crowler’s patience finally reached its breaking point.

“Right, we need to go out soon. Could you prepare a carriage for us?”

“Are you returning to the Nighton residence? A wise decision. After all, there’s no place as comfortable as one’s own home.”

“No, I have someone to meet at the Laos Trading Company.”

Not returning home, but the Laos Trading Company!

Everyone knew that the Duke’s household was connected to the O’Claire Trading Company—and she intended to go to the Laos Trading Company in a carriage bearing the Duke’s crest?

Considering people’s eyes and rumors, this was absolutely unthinkable.

“…….”

“Then I’ll leave it to you?”

“Ha! I’ll take my leave now! I’ll inform you when the carriage is ready.”

He seemed to have decided that continuing to converse would shorten his lifespan, as he roughly turned and stormed out of the dining room. The door slammed shut with a bang, perfectly reflecting his state of mind.

Alosha smiled brightly and spooned up the remaining soup. Watching the scene silently from the side, Kyle opened his mouth with a look of disbelief.

“That secretary was glaring at you with genuine hatred. I wonder why he dislikes you so much.”

At Kyle’s question, Alosha set down her spoon and narrowed her eyes.

“Who knows? I have a rough idea, though.”

“An idea?”

“Hmm, one is like a mother’s heart watching someone snatch away her precious, beloved son. He doesn’t want to lose the privileges he’s had in controlling every aspect of the Duke’s daily life.”

“They don’t seem far enough apart in age to call him a son, though.”

At Kyle’s words, Alosha shrugged.

“Or perhaps he’s in love with the Duke himself.”

At those words, Kyle’s face contorted horribly. Shuddering at the mere thought, he rubbed his arms and recoiled in disgust.

“My lady, that’s going too far. Both the aide and the Duke are men.”

“Oh my, Mr. Kyle. You shouldn’t have prejudices in this world. Love knows no borders, no age, and no gender.”

“…Is that a tenet of the Saebi faith?”

“Of course. We preach to love everyone.”

Alosha shrugged. Kyle shook his head with a look of complete exasperation, but inwardly, he was thinking something entirely different.

*’He couldn’t possibly hate her that much simply out of jealousy.’*

Alosha maintained the smile on her lips as she fell deep in thought.

Whenever she tried to change the story, the coercion of the original created events. She clearly realized that every time the story tried to deviate from its intended path, the will of this world intervened.

*’What can you do to me, original story!’*

Alosha had no intention of backing down in fear of the secretary’s territorial behavior or the unknown assassins. Rather, the more they tried to obstruct her, the more she would strike their weak points with unconventional methods. She had to force events to prevent the story from returning to its original path, and manipulate the emotional lines.

In that regard, Alosha had a much greater advantage than the original story. While the original had to worry about probability and maintain the established flow, Alosha, who had her own will, had the upper hand in the undefined parts.

Alosha narrowed her eyes. If the coercion was controlling the surrounding characters to push her out, she would just have to gather more allies and become an indispensable character in this novel.

Alosha steeled her resolve and rose from her seat. Of course, to Kyle’s eyes, she probably just looked like a spoiled young lady excited about going out.

—

Crowler eventually provided her with one of the Duke’s carriages. Though it didn’t bear the Duke’s crest, it was a solid and suitably luxurious-looking carriage.

The carriage stopped in front of the massive building of the ‘Laos Trading Company’ located in the center of the capital. Alosha stepped out of the carriage and strode confidently inside. After confirming Alosha’s face, the guide led her to the VIP reception room without asking any questions.

The heavy oak door opened, and a man behind an intricately crafted desk looked up. Along with a familiar handsome face, rational eyes met Alosha’s and curved beautifully like crescent moons.

“Lady Alosha.”

The charming man smiled brightly at Alosha, rose from his seat, and approached her in a single step. Taking Alosha’s hand, Emil bowed and kissed the back of it.

“I heard you went through a great ordeal—I’m truly relieved you’re safe.”

“Ah… yes.”

“But I’m quite disappointed. After such a big incident, you headed to the Duke’s residence instead of coming to me.”

With a genuinely disappointed expression, Alosha nearly apologized.

“Step away from the lady.”

Just as Alosha was about to be completely won over by Emil’s sweet voice and gentle tone, Kyle pushed Emil’s shoulder with his scabbard.

“You look familiar. I believe I’ve seen you at the Imperial Palace a few times.”

Emil smiled with an amiable expression, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop below freezing in an instant. Emil lightly brushed off his pushed shoulder, maintaining his composed smile. But the eyes of Kyle, who met his gaze, gleamed like those of a fierce beast. Alosha could only watch the power struggle between Kyle, who had been through everything in the Imperial Palace, and the merchant lord who controlled the continent’s purse strings.

“I’m curious why someone from the Imperial Knights is following the Nighton lady like a shadow. And riding in Duke Whistler’s carriage, no less.”

Emil’s sharp observation made Kyle frown. As if dismissing Kyle, Emil turned back toward Alosha. His voice was even sweeter and more intimate than before.

“I doubt Duke Whistler knows how to properly care for a delicate and lovely lady like you. Isn’t your residence dark and the room too cold? Not a suitable place for someone as warm and radiant as you. If you had come to my trading company, I would have made sure you lacked nothing…”

He spoke in a sweet voice, as if whispering to a lover, with an expression of genuine regret. She had thought he was a man who moved strictly by calculating profit, but she couldn’t help the corners of her mouth lifting at his words.

“My lady, your chin is about to hit the floor.”

“Ahem…”

Kyle’s words snapped Alosha back to her senses, and she wiped her mouth and cleared her throat. Watching Kyle and Alosha, Emil changed his demeanor and looked at Alosha with a serious expression.

“I’d hate to be rude, but you didn’t come all this way just to see my face, did you? May I hear the real reason you made this trip?”

Alosha sank deep into the plush sofa Emil had guided her to. After a moment of hesitation on where to begin, she let out a short sigh and started speaking.

“Since you know I’m staying at the Duke’s residence, I assume you also know about the assassins who came to the Nighton Count’s estate?”

“I am aware. In the Empire, any commotion tends to spread far and wide on the wings of little birds.”

“If you knew, then this will be quick. Do you happen to know the identities of those assassins?”

At Alosha’s question, Emil shook his head with a regretful expression.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that information yet. The dead were disguised as vagrants or wandering mercenaries of unknown identity, and the one who got away left a trail that was far too clean. Even our trading company’s information network hasn’t been able to identify the source.”

At Emil’s answer, Alosha narrowed her eyes. The Laos Trading Company, the empire’s best source of intelligence, didn’t know. This meant not a lack of information, but that someone had thoroughly erased it.

Alosha clasped her hands together, rested her chin on them, and spoke with a serious expression.

“Mr. Emil, I believe the Imperial Palace is behind this.”

At Alosha’s words, Emil’s eyes wavered before he let out an incredulous laugh and waved his hands dismissively.

“My lady, that’s going too far. The Imperial Palace? Why would His Majesty the Emperor target the young lady of the Nighton Count’s family, one of his loyal subjects? This is too far-fetched.”

“Is it? The assassins struck the very night I grew close to Duke Whistler and freed His Majesty’s close associate from the Duke’s prison.”

“…….”

“With all this circumstantial evidence, can you explain why it wouldn’t be the Imperial Palace?”

At Alosha’s logical words, Emil’s gaze grew complex.