I felt a very warm heat throughout my entire sleep.

In my half-asleep state, I saw Ascan’s flame and thought, “Ah, that’s why it’s so warm,” but I was too drowsy to wake up.

After sleeping for a long time as if I’d fainted, I opened my eyes and saw sunlight streaming into the room—how much time had passed?

‘Where is… Ascan?’

He was the first thing that came to mind, so I turned my head to look around.

No one was nearby, but the lingering warmth suggested his flame had remained beside me for a very long time.

I realized anew just how extraordinary Ascan’s power truly was.

The amount of magic power each person possessed varied greatly. Among them, only a very few could sustain their supernatural abilities for such a prolonged duration.

Even the magical stones I crafted required recharging before reuse—yet one person maintaining magical output for this long was truly astonishing.

‘Come to think of it, that chilly, shivery feeling I had last night is completely gone.’

Perhaps because I slept so warmly and soundly, all signs of a cold had vanished. In fact, I felt exceptionally refreshed and in great condition.

I stretched widely, then pulled the bell cord attached to my bed.

Soon after, Jelin entered the room upon hearing the sound.

“You’re awake, Miss? You seemed to be sleeping so deeply for the first time in a while—I deliberately didn’t wake you.”

“Is the schedule still okay? When are we departing?”

“I heard we’re planning to have lunch in the village before setting off. They’ll also buy emergency rations and let the horses rest until then.”

“That’s fortunate. Then we have some leeway.”

“Yes. Once you’re ready, I’ll call the doctor in—he’s waiting in the lobby right now.”

“Already?”

I had intended to have the doctor examine my injured ankle before leaving the village, but I hadn’t expected him to be waiting even before I woke up.

Seeing my surprised expression, Jelin answered with an awkward smile.

“Ascan—I mean, the Captain of the Imperial Guard—had already arranged early this morning for the doctor to come here.”

I noticed how Jelin corrected herself when saying Ascan’s name.

I wasn’t the only one in the Brellof household who recognized Ascan’s face. Jelin had also lived alongside him ten years ago, so his current appearance must still feel unfamiliar to her.

“You must have been very surprised to learn the Captain of the Kalua Empire’s Imperial Guard is Ascan?”

“Thankfully, Miss, you gave me advance notice, so I didn’t make a mistake… but honestly, I still can’t quite believe it.”

“He apparently lost all memory of that period—must have gone through some kind of accident.”

“Yes. I’m choosing to see it positively. What good memories could he possibly have from his time as a slave? Maybe forgetting was for the best. Now he’s a Count of the Kalua Empire and Captain of the Imperial Guard—that’s an incredible success.”

“…That’s true.”

Jelin wasn’t wrong. Though I felt a pang of regret that he’d forgotten all memories of me, perhaps this current situation was better in other ways.

“Still, when he wore a mask, it was fine—but now that his face is uncovered, I find myself glancing at him unconsciously.”

“Don’t worry too much about it. That’s only natural.”

Even if you didn’t personally know him, Ascan was simply so handsome that any woman would unconsciously be drawn to look at him.

Suddenly, I recalled attending the Imperial Ball ten years ago with Ascan.

Countless noble ladies stole glances at him, while he himself kept trying to hide, complaining how uncomfortable it made him feel.

─What’s so uncomfortable? Is it because of your status?

─I just dislike it. Those looks expecting something from me—I can’t give them anything, and I don’t want to.

Lost in this old memory, I found myself smiling unconsciously.

I’d thought I’d forever regret ruining Noxia and Rohel’s first meeting that day, but time truly was mysterious.

Ten years later, I could now look back on that day and smile.

‘I wonder… does Ascan still feel uncomfortable under other people’s gazes?’

So much time had passed. I was curious whether he’d changed during all those years—or remained exactly the same.

Shaking my head to dispel these thoughts about Ascan, I refocused.

I had things to do now. The doctor was waiting in the lobby—I couldn’t afford to keep dawdling.

“Jelin, help me up.”

“Yes, Miss!”

Jelin replied energetically and helped me rise from bed.

After finishing my grooming and changing into a dress, Jelin brought the doctor in from the lobby.

Since the doctor had already been waiting, there was no delay—he began the examination immediately.

After carefully inspecting my injured ankle, the doctor said,

“Fortunately, it’s not serious. With proper care, you should feel much better in a few days. Follow my instructions for treatment, and avoid wearing shoes until fully healed.”

Just in case, the doctor immobilized my ankle with a splint and wrapped it in bandages, then gave me several important precautions to follow.

As the examination neared its end, we heard a knock at the door—tap tap.

Jelin stepped out first and asked,

“Who is it?”

“It’s Jen.”

Upon hearing this, Jelin turned to me, silently seeking permission.

I gave a slight nod and said,

“Let him in.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Jelin opened the door as she replied.

Since the examination was just finishing, the doctor stood up and bowed.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Thank you for your efforts.”

As I spoke, I subtly signaled Jelin with my eyes. She immediately approached the departing doctor and handed him his fee.

Once we confirmed the doctor had left, I looked at Jen, who had entered the room, and asked,

“What is it?”

“A reply has arrived from Lord Orland.”

Jen respectfully handed me the letter he’d been holding.

Hearing it was from Orland, I quickly tore open the envelope and read its contents.

[Since you’ve met the page you’ve been searching for so long, I can’t possibly stop you from going to the Kalua Empire.

I’ve discovered a clue regarding the poison here, so I’ll likely be unable to move for a while.

Always take care of yourself.]

Orland knew my personality well. Once I’d reunited with Ascan, no one could have stopped me from coming to the Kalua Empire.

Unexpectedly, what caught my attention was the word [poison]—directly connected to the death of my mother, Charles.

‘Has Father uncovered some kind of lead?’

Orland had been tracking Charles’s killer for years. I, too, had been secretly assisting him by gathering information based on the original novel.

There were three main reasons why Charles’s death had remained an unsolved mystery for so long.

First, poison had been discovered at the villa where Charles was murdered.

But Charles’s cause of death wasn’t poisoning. Then who had brought the poison there?

Second, it was difficult to identify the intruders who had entered the villa that day. All witnesses were dead, and no evidence had been left behind.

In short, only exceptionally skilled individuals could have pulled this off. We’d searched every known assassin and mercenary group thoroughly, yet found nothing to this day.

Third, at the time of death, Charles’s body bore multiple stab wounds from a dagger, and the direct cause of death was excessive bleeding.

This was strange. If the skilled intruders had killed Charles, they wouldn’t have clumsily stabbed her multiple times.

From the wounds left on Charles’s body, one could easily deduce how the attacker struck and how experienced they were with killing.

Judging by the downward angle of the dagger wounds, the attacker was taller than Charles; judging by the force applied, likely male rather than female. Crucially, the technique didn’t resemble that of a seasoned professional.

Therefore, something didn’t quite match up with the skilled intruders.

Moreover, we couldn’t understand why they hadn’t used the poison. This opened the possibility that a third party, separate from the murderer, might have been involved.

The intruders had left virtually no trace, and the few pieces of evidence Orland had painstakingly uncovered were all inconsistent—making it impossible to pinpoint the culprit.

Though I felt many regrets that the novel remained unfinished, the greatest lingering regret was its failure to resolve the mystery surrounding Charles’s death.

‘Come to think of it, Father has been unusually busy lately. If he’s found a clue about the poison, could he finally be close to catching the murderer?’

While uncovering the killer’s identity would be joyful news, I also felt a twinge of worry for Orland’s safety.

The murderer had evaded pursuit by Orland, the Brellof household, and eventually even me—for years without being identified.

This alone suggested the murderer possessed formidable power and influence.

‘What if the murderer realizes what Father has discovered and threatens him first?’

Orland had assigned Jen as my bodyguard out of concern for me—but in this situation, perhaps Jen should be by Orland’s side instead.

Noticing my expression had darkened as I drifted into grim thoughts, Jen, who had been watching quietly beside me, asked softly,

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just worried about Father’s safety…”

I trailed off, then naturally turned to look at Jen.

Though his expression remained unreadable, there was no doubt about his loyal devotion to Orland.

“Jen, how about you stop worrying about me and go to where Father is?”

My suggestion seemed to surprise him—his eyes briefly flickered with emotion. But it was only momentary.

“Lord Orland commanded me to protect Miss Tanashia. Especially now that you’re heading toward the Kalua Empire, I cannot abandon you.”

“You know what Father is doing now, right? If he’s uncovered something about the poison, the culprit won’t stay idle.”

“…I only follow Lord Orland’s orders.”

Jen didn’t budge. As I’d expected, obeying Orland’s command clearly took absolute priority for him.

“Sigh… I guess there’s no helping it. Fine, I understand.”

I gave up on sending Jen away. But my concern for Orland’s safety remained unchanged.

I immediately took out paper and pen and began writing.

[Master, please send Father the latest weapons including the K39 immediately.]

In my laboratory in the Arwen Empire, Barnen and Matela were stationed.

Anticipating unexpected situations like this, I had granted both of them authority to transport magical engineering weapons before leaving.

I decided my first priority should be arming those currently guarding Orland with the magical engineering weapons I’d created.

I was about to hand the letter to Jelin and instruct her to send it to my laboratory, but Jen, who had been watching quietly beside me, spoke first.

“Shall I send this letter to your laboratory, Miss?”

“Oh, would you?”

Since handing it to Jen would be faster, I passed him the letter.

Watching Jen’s actions now, I understood—he hadn’t shown it outwardly, but he was clearly worried Orland might be in danger.

As Jen turned to leave the room, I said to his retreating back,

“If you’re worried about Father, why pretend otherwise?”

“…That’s different from obeying orders, Miss.”

Leaving only those words behind, Jen disappeared from the room. I could tell he was hurrying to deliver my letter to the laboratory as quickly as possible.

Somehow, his parting words lingered in my mind. That distinction he drew—between personal concern and obedience to orders—perhaps perfectly captured Jen’s character.

At that moment,

Jelin cautiously approached me as I sat alone on the sofa and said,

“Miss, a letter just arrived via messenger bird—you should probably check it.”

The paper in Jelin’s hand was red.

Since we had agreed to use red paper for urgent messages from informants, I quickly unfolded it and read.

[I investigated the matter you mentioned and found a man who previously worked in the Kalua Empire’s mercenary corps. His name is Kains, age…]

The letter continued listing detailed personal information about this man named Kains.

Since we’d found no leads for so long within the Arwen Empire, I’d also instructed informants I’d planted in the Kalua Empire—while searching for Ascan—to investigate this matter, just in case.

From the novel, I knew a brief description of one of the intruders who had entered the villa on the day Charles died.

One of the intruders fought wielding two swords—unusual, since most fighters used only one. He held a sword in each hand.

Moreover, the text specifically mentioned he had tied red cloth around the hilts of his swords.

Summarized: One of the intruders was a skilled dual-wielder who peculiarly bound red cloth around his sword hilts.

We’d searched for men matching this description, but until now, found nothing.

Yet for the first time, we’d found a potential match within the Kalua Empire.

‘Should I inform Father?’

I quickly shook my head. I felt it was too early to tell Orland, who was currently investigating the poison.

I should first confirm whether this former mercenary named Kains caught in our information net truly had any connection—only then would it be timely to inform him.

‘Better not distract Father unnecessarily.’

Orland conducting his own investigation, and I conducting mine—then combining our findings later—was clearly the best approach.

Though unintentional, since I’d followed Ascan to the Kalua Empire anyway, I could now personally investigate this former mercenary named Kains.

Having made my decision, I began writing on a blank sheet of paper.

[Investigate the whereabouts and current location of the former mercenary Kains.]

This message was intended for all informants currently stationed within the Kalua Empire.

I immediately handed the paper to Jelin and said,

“Since we’re on the move, the messenger birds will take time to locate us. Deliver this right away.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Jelin took my order and dashed out of the room.

Left alone, I limped toward the window.

Looking outside, I saw the Imperial Guards and members of the Brellof household busily preparing at the entrance for our journey.

I now had one more reason to go to the Kalua Empire.