I returned to the ventilation shaft, finding a flat spot to sit.
Only then could I take a deep breath.
‘He remembers me.’
The joy was unspeakable.
After retracing the secret passage and emerging from the well, I immediately returned to the castle’s underground. Being confined, I couldn’t afford to be away from my assigned area for too long, to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
Sitting on a haystack, I reviewed my conversation with the Duke, ensuring I hadn’t made any mistakes.
Suddenly, I recalled something Arcadia had said.
“If you want to create confusion, you have to go this far.”
Disruption – what was he disrupting?
“He said it was tough to break the stubbornness of the Southerners who kept trying to come this way.”
According to him, Rahert wanted the banquet at the Blue Star Castle, but the Northern Duke didn’t agree. Arcadia negotiated with the South to move the banquet from the castle to the main building.
Given Rahert’s character, he must have planned everything the moment the castle was opened to the North, including the banquet.
‘This might be a disruption to the South’s prepared plans.’
Ah.
Could the ‘disruption’ mean shaking the stage set by the Southern Duke suddenly?
Changing the stage inevitably introduces variables in controlling the new scenario.
Perhaps the North had come prepared for something like this. No, not perhaps – they must have. It’s only logical.
Can I contribute even a drop to their preparations?
Northern Duke, Zion Belphegor.
May he emerge as the final victor, rescuing me from this hellish Rahert household, to be the rope that leads me to a new world.
I cautiously scouted the main building’s kitchen.
Poisoning could be done in many ways, but the easiest is through food.
As Rahert’s dog and a half-faced girl, I was known in the castle, allowing me to lurk around. Of course, my status as a future assassin was top secret.
“Ugh, disgusting. Can’t she leave?”
“Don’t freak out, you’ll mess up the food!”
The kitchen staff didn’t hide their disgust upon seeing me.
My face, so grotesque.
The realization hit me anew, leaving a dryness in my heart.
Though I longed to cover my melted left face, the only mask I had was made to cover the right side.
Medea had never allowed me to reveal my original face, always hiding it behind a mask.
“Don’t be ashamed of your real face. You’re not grotesque at all,” she would say, always keeping my true face hidden.
Now I understood why. The face behind the mask is my true self, the genuine granddaughter of the Emperor.
Dinner was approaching.
Shaking off my thoughts, I hid on top of another building with a view of the kitchen. No one seemed out of place, but I couldn’t be certain.
‘There are too many comings and goings.’
Then I saw the Freckled Caterpillar carrying a plate. A chill ran down my spine.
The castle’s secret passages connect to each ceiling. I moved silently through them, finally arriving above the banquet hall.
Through a small vent, the blindingly white tablecloth and endless marble table came into view.
Northern Duke Zion Belphegor and Southern Duke Kramnel Rahert sat side by side at the narrow end of the table, the head position.
Perhaps to show equality, they sat next to each other, facing forward.
By etiquette, as the guest and victor of the victory ceremony, the Northern Duke should sit in the head position, but Kramnel did not abide. Typical of him, wrapped up in his sense of victimhood towards the Northern Duke.
Next to Duke Rahert, on the wide side of the table, sat Medea Rahert and her younger brother, Kahen Rahert. Beside Zion Belphegor was Arcadia Nugent.
I waited for the Freckled Caterpillar amidst the bustling crowd. If he entered the banquet hall, I was ready to set off smoke from above to signal danger.
Medea’s voice, gentle as a spring breeze, reached my ears.
Despite the distance, my acute hearing as a Sword Master missed no sound.
“It’s a pleasure to see you, Sir Arcadia Nugent. Without such an occasion, how could we sit down for a meal together?”
To the untrained ear, it sounded like a warm welcome.
But I knew better. Her words implied, ‘How could someone like you dare to dine with me if not for this opportunity?’ It was an elegant way to express her contempt, implying that someone of Arcadia’s status, a mere second son of a Northern Count, would never dine with her otherwise.
“Indeed, it’s an honor, Lady Medea. An opportunity I wouldn’t have had if I were still on the battlefield in the South.”
Arcadia replied, his voice a blend of courtesy and refinement. His tone, slightly higher than the Northern Duke’s, resembled the anticipation of early spring after a long winter.
“We’re grateful for your valiant efforts,” Medea replied softly.
‘Grateful,’ indeed. Even the Empire’s toddlers would scoff at that.
Everyone knew he was forcibly dragged into the South’s web.
Yet, Duke Belphegor’s smile held no mockery or anger.
The conversation shifted to Rahert.
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
