I silently observed Zen, who was following the carriage. It was obvious even without words that he was extremely angry.

Right now, I was on my way back after stopping by the Royal Guard’s interrogation room to hear various pieces of information from Andro.

Until I spoke with Andro, the connection between the people who broke into the villa on the day Charles was murdered and Cains remained uncertain. That was why I had secretly slipped out of the mansion without telling Zen.

‘Now that it’s confirmed Cains is involved, I intended to return and explain everything.’

If only this outing had gone smoothly, I wouldn’t have needed to sneak out again—but of all times, I got caught right at the end.

I arrived back at the mansion alongside Zen, who was practically generating icy gusts of wind.

As soon as I stepped into the room, Jerin approached me as if she had been waiting. But upon noticing Zen standing behind me, she grew visibly uneasy.

“Oh, you’re back, Miss.”

“You got caught by Zen? How did he find out?”

“Well, I came looking for you because I had something to report to you….”

Jerin began answering cautiously, glancing around, but Zen—who had remained silent until now—spoke up, cutting her off before she could finish.

“Now that we’ve arrived somewhere no one else can overhear, please explain why you left the mansion without telling me.”

Zen had patiently waited until we reached a place where no one could eavesdrop.

Within the Calua Empire, the safest place was my own room—the most heavily guarded location by the Brellof family.

Since things had come to this, there was no point in delaying. I had already resolved to explain everything upon returning today anyway.

“This will take a while. Both of you, sit down.”

I seated them both in chairs and began explaining step by step.

How I had been investigating the true culprit behind Charles’s murder—and how I had secretly tracked down a former mercenary named Cains, whom I suspected.

I skillfully omitted the part about obtaining hints from the novel, but constructed my explanation coherently enough that no one would suspect anything.

Zen listened quietly to my story. But his expression kept shifting, clearly reflecting the whirlwind of emotions brewing inside him.

“…Andro told me who broke into the villa that day. Ascan said he’d have the Royal Guard apprehend them—so just wait a little longer.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Zen immediately opened his mouth as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

“Why did you keep this secret from me?”

“Because it was obvious you’d report it to Father.”

Orland was currently investigating the poison. I didn’t want to cause unnecessary confusion with unconfirmed information.

Zen’s face hardened. He clearly understood my reasoning and couldn’t bring himself to argue against it.

“…But there’s a major flaw in your reasoning, Miss.”

“Flaw?”

“You haven’t even considered the possibility that the Royal Guard’s commander himself might betray you. Aren’t you placing too much trust in him?”

A wary glint flickered in Zen’s eyes. Just like when we first left the Arwen Empire, he still clearly distrusted Ascan.

I shook my head firmly.

“If you can’t trust Ascan, then trust me. I trust him.”

Faced with my resolute attitude, Zen didn’t press further—but his eyes still held a sharp edge, suggesting he hadn’t fully accepted it inwardly.

“Even if everything you say is correct, wandering alone through the Calua Empire is far too dangerous.”

“I know.”

“You must take this even more seriously. No matter how skilled you are with magical engineering weapons, your body is still that of a fragile woman. The moment you allow an opponent to attack you, you’ll be in danger.”

I’d heard this so often from Zen since my days in the Arwen Empire that my ears had calluses.

Though my magical engineering weapons were so powerful that ordinary people couldn’t even approach me, if by some chance an enemy managed to get close and strike, I’d be vulnerable.

I was someone who operated powerful weapons—not someone who had trained her body.

In short, my offense was high, but my defense? Practically nonexistent.

While using magical engineering weapons, it didn’t matter—but physically, I was utterly ordinary compared to trained fighters.

That’s why I’d developed the bracelet to compensate for this weakness—pulling magical engineering weapons toward me.

‘…Zen’s so worried, I can’t possibly tell him I’ve modified the bracelet.’

Creating a bracelet capable of summoning magical engineering weapons at will wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

I’d modified my only existing bracelet to steal Calspelliver—so currently, I couldn’t use that ability at all.

‘Ascan offered to set up a workshop for me, but unless I return to the laboratory, making a new bracelet will be difficult.’

The materials required to craft the bracelet were numerous. Gathering them all would obviously take an enormous amount of both time and money.

More than that, I didn’t want to say anything because I feared Ascan might feel guilty.

I chose to modify the bracelet because I wanted to help him. It was my own decision—I didn’t want anyone else feeling sorry for me.

‘No choice. Even if I can’t summon weapons, I can still use them—I’ll just have to be extra careful.’

I could always make a new one once I returned to the Arwen Empire’s laboratory. There was no need to rush.

As I organized these thoughts in my head, I looked at Zen standing before me.

I knew very well that he was worried about me. From the novel, I also knew he carried trauma from losing Charles.

Though I was a noble and Zen was a commoner—our statuses different—I didn’t want to withhold an apology.

“Zen, I’m sorry I left without telling you. But it was unavoidable, and in my judgment, I didn’t do anything excessively dangerous. Please let it slide just this once.”

Zen’s expressionless eyes widened slightly. Then, as if resigned, he let out a quiet sigh.

It wasn’t proper for a noble to apologize to a mere bodyguard. He was the one who received orders; I was the one who gave them.

Truthfully, I had no obligation to apologize to Zen for acting on my own whims.

“Please withdraw such undeserved words. I’m relieved you weren’t harmed, but as the person responsible for your safety, I must always prepare for the worst-case scenario.”

“I know.”

“Even if I let this pass now, if something like this happens again, I’ll have no choice but to report it to the Lord and take whatever measures necessary.”

“Understood. Aren’t you happy I’m even asking you to quietly overlook this incident?”

I chuckled softly. Then, a sudden thought popped into my head, and I spoke again.

“By the way, what was your original reason for coming to find me? Was it about Father?”

At my question, Zen’s expression—which had slightly softened—darkened again. He nodded faintly and replied in an even lower voice.

“Contact with the Lord has been severed.”

“What?”

It was completely unexpected.

I jumped up from my seat in shock. Zen spoke again, as if urging me to stay calm.

“There’s no need for major concern. If the Lord were in danger, we would have received word immediately. Right now, the entire Brellof family intelligence network in the Arwen Empire is mobilized—it seems contact has merely been temporarily interrupted.”

“What does that mean?”

“It appears the Lord has likely uncovered the source behind the poison. We won’t know for sure until we receive further contact, but it seems connected to the Pelmira family in the Arwen Empire.”

“Pelmira?”

The Pelmira family was a count’s house governing a region of the Arwen Empire.

Regional nobles weren’t necessarily weak in power—the Pelmira family was famous enough that merely mentioning their name would ring bells.

“You mean… the Pelmira family planted the poison at the villa on the day Mother died?”

“At this point, it’s still speculation—but judging by the Lord’s last message, the likelihood is very high.”

It was shocking.

I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams that the Pelmira family was connected to Charles’s death.

‘Why on earth?’

From the Pelmira family to the former mercenary Cains—

The more people tied to Charles’s death surfaced, the deeper I felt myself sinking into a labyrinth.

I pressed my throbbing temples. I couldn’t leave everything related to Charles’s death solely in Orland’s hands.

Normally, Orland was the most level-headed person—but when it came to matters involving Charles, he might lose his rationality. Someone needed to watch over him.

Right now, I had to remain in the Calua Empire to capture those who broke into the villa that day and uncover who gave the orders—I couldn’t leave immediately.

As I anxiously racked my brain—

Suddenly, a face I’d forgotten until now popped into my mind.

‘Noxia!’

Noxia Brellof was currently in the Brellof household.

If anything happened to Orland, Noxia could act far more swiftly than I could from here in the Calua Empire.

Moreover, tasks requiring verification within the Arwen Empire—to catch Charles’s true murderer—were gradually piling up.

“Zen, I need you to explain the entire situation to Noxia. I’ll write a letter myself—can you deliver it secretly to Noxia at the Brellof estate?”

“To the young Miss?”

“Yes.”

Truthfully, in my eyes, Noxia had always seemed like a child. Perhaps that’s just what having a younger sister was like.

But Noxia wasn’t the novel’s heroine for nothing.

Ten years ago, when I was suffering after parting from Ascan, it was Noxia who stood firmly beside me, supporting me.

I knew very well how bold and capable she was. If anything happened to Orland, she was the only person I could truly trust to handle it.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Zen also nodded in agreement with my suggestion.

“Though communication with the Arwen Empire isn’t smooth right now, since it’s not just anywhere—but the Brellof household—I believe it’s possible.”

“From now on, if any news arrives from Father or Noxia, inform me immediately.”

“Understood.”

I hurried toward the desk—to write a letter explaining to Noxia everything currently unfolding.

As I sat down and picked up my pen, I heard Zen’s voice calling me.

“Miss.”

When I turned my head, I saw Zen staring at me with a serious expression.

“I promised the Lord I would not die before Miss Tanashia. Don’t even think about leaving me behind next time, no matter where you go.”

Though brief, his words carried the weight of Zen’s loyalty.

Orland truly knew how to pick good people.

From the novel, I knew Zen’s past. Orland had taken in the young boy on a whim—but if he’d made any other choice, he would have deeply regretted it.

“I won’t.”

Even after my reply, Zen’s face remained expressionless—but having known him so long, I could sense he felt inwardly reassured.

Jerin, who had been silently watching, also seemed guilty for having deceived him earlier. She brightly offered, pulling out a cookie box she’d unnecessarily hidden away:

“Um, would you like some cookies?”

Though Orland’s severed contact weighed heavily on my mind, Zen’s words suggested it wasn’t a dangerous situation—so I pushed aside my anxiety.

I’d taken every possible measure available to me here in the Calua Empire; now, all I could do was wait for Noxia’s reply.

But I couldn’t just sit idle—I began working on what needed to be done here.

Namely, altering Calspelliver’s exterior appearance.

The workshop Ascan had arranged for me was quite satisfactory. It wasn’t far from his mansion, and it was a cozy, sunlit space.

He’d also provided all the necessary magical engineering equipment—perfect for studying Calspelliver’s magical formulas and modifying its appearance.

Zzzt, zzzt.

First, I changed the scabbard’s blood-red color.

I pondered what color to choose—then recalled Ascan holding the sword and firmly decided on black.

Thus, I altered the exterior color and the shape of the magic stones, and concealed the magical formulas engraved on the blade so they wouldn’t be visible externally.

Of course, before hiding them, I copied all of Calspelliver’s numerous magical formulas into my notebook.

Even as someone hailed as a genius in magical engineering, many of the ancient scripts were unfamiliar to me. This wasn’t something I could master in a day or two.

I planned to continue studying the ancient scripts in my notebook whenever I had spare time.

Deeply absorbed in my work, I suddenly heard a light tapping sound on the table—as if someone were knocking on a door.

Curious, I looked up—and saw Ascan standing there, having somehow entered the workshop without my noticing, silently watching me.

“Ascan?”

“How focused were you, to not even notice someone had arrived?”

“You could’ve made some noise.”

“Do you really think I didn’t?”

I awkwardly scratched my nose and laughed—realizing I hadn’t noticed at all, even though Ascan had blatantly walked into the workshop.

I’d often been told that when I focused, I wouldn’t notice even if someone carried me off.

“Did you come to check how much progress I’ve made? The exterior’s changed a lot—you’ll be surprised when you see it.”

I reached into the magical engineering machine to retrieve Calspelliver.

“No. I came to see you. Not Calspelliver.”

At his words, my hand instinctively froze mid-reach. I stared at Ascan with wide, startled eyes, lips parted silently.

I hadn’t expected him to come at me so bluntly.

His directness—as if he didn’t believe in playing hard to get—left my mind momentarily blank, unsure what to say.

“When was it ever acceptable to hover around me, only to grow neglectful once you’ve claimed me as yours?”

He delivered a line straight out of a tragic heroine’s script.

“I—I never…”

I was flabbergasted. In an instant, he closed the distance, gently pulled my hand away from Calspelliver, and firmly interlaced all ten of our fingers together—leaving not a single gap.

Looking down at me with a mischievous smile, Ascan clasped both our hands tightly.

“Then say it. Say you missed me.”

Heat shimmered in his eyes, which held only me.

“Say you’ve been going mad from missing me.”