Chapter 169

A secret chamber, lit only by candlelight with no sunlight to speak of.

Seated solemnly at the center, Camille waited. One of her ‘Silver Moon’ operatives knelt and delivered the report.

“Your Highness. The one who killed Lord Wells was Lord of Tropur.”

“Lord of Tropur? That wretch? Isn’t he in prison too?”

Camille’s brow furrowed. The “Lord of Tropur” referred to the man who had until recently governed the region but had since been stripped of his title and was awaiting sentencing for deceiving his superior lord.

Tropur was a region that generated stable profits, and the former lord’s family had lived there comfortably for generations. It was understandable that he might have held a grudge against Lord Wells, who had ruined him. But how could someone already imprisoned have managed to discreetly murder another prisoner and make it look like suicide?

The operative added,

“It appears he had help from ‘Shadow’.”

“Ah.”

Camille’s twisted smile returned.

“Yes, of course. Who else in Bistor could defy my lovely moonlit eyes and act without permission?”

Every prominent noble family raised their own secret soldiers and shadow operatives to handle covert matters. Of course, if the emperor asked, they would vehemently deny such things.

But among these operatives, two legendary factions stood above the rest: Princess Camille’s ‘Silver Moon’ and Cledwyn Maindulante’s ‘Shadow’.

The names of these groups weren’t common knowledge—hearing of them required considerable access to information. But among those in the know, their reputations were unmatched.

As one of those at the pinnacle, Camille had complete confidence in her operatives’ skills. She had poured an immense amount of money and care into building them. And she was equally confident in her own capabilities.

So for ‘Silver Moon’ to be keeping an eye on the Wells case meant the incident was worth watching. If exaggerated properly, Lord Wells’ crimes could explode into something monumental—which, in turn, meant a golden opportunity for the imperial family to claim some of House Wells’ vast wealth. Thus, when Lord Wells suddenly died while supposedly being closely monitored, Camille had been furious.

“What’s the Grand Duke thinking with that pretty head of his? Is this a provocation? Payback? Because I took his toy?”

The “toy” she referred to was, of course, Nerys Truydd. That damn Adrian had promised to bring her over, only to hand her to House Elandria instead…

Camille fell silent, tapping the armrest of her chair rhythmically.

After a moment, she came to a conclusion.

“The grace period is over. That girl must die. That useless Adrian got me tangled up in this for nothing.”

Though she had already punished Adrian plenty, her anger resurfaced. A subordinate, noticing Camille’s scowl, asked cautiously,

“Will you not use her?”

“If she were just clever, I might have. I’d use her until she broke. But there are too many things about her that bother me now.”

As the head of the imperial investigation corps, Camille had already seen Nerys in person—though Nerys hadn’t known. She’d done so using a secret imperial passage unknown to the outside world.

Though Nerys had played the obedient role and endured the investigators’ questioning, Camille could see it in her eyes. That one was dangerous.

The duke, thinking he was smart, was too foolish to recognize it. He had no idea how precarious the situation was.

Camille had also grown tired of House Elandria lately. But at least they were people she could “use until they died.” So she gave her order.

“Kill Nerys Truydd the next time she enters the palace. And once she’s dead, retrieve her as intact as possible.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The man bowed low and disappeared.

❖ ❖ ❖

As usual, a carriage from House Elandria pulled up in front of the imperial palace. Nellusion stepped out first and offered his hand kindly to Nerys.

“Stay strong today, Nerys. It won’t drag on much longer. Our family is going to formally request the investigation be closed—there’s been no new evidence, and this has gone on too long.”

“Yes, Brother. I’m really happy you came with me today.”

It had been a week since the duchess took Valentin and returned to her family home.

Nellusion had been filling in for his mother’s usual appearances in society. Today, he had another gathering at court to attend.

With no funds from his in-laws and a daughter now back with her family, the duke could expect no financial support from them. Both he and Nellusion would suffer under financial pressure and a packed schedule for the foreseeable future.

A few days would pass, then the next phase would begin. Nerys was satisfied that everything was falling into place as planned—but she knew better than to let her guard down just yet.

The duchess had taken her daughter and left. That alone was already half the battle. Nerys doubted the woman would ever return to House Elandria.

Right now, she was torn between suspecting her husband or her own family of having killed her brother.

It had been Nerys who first planted that doubt in the duchess’s mind. But what truly drove her to separation had been the words of her head maid.

A maid who had served the household for years was effectively part of the family. In high noble houses, senior staff like chamberlains and head maids often took more pride in the house’s reputation than the nobles themselves.

And yet, that head maid had whispered small things into the duchess’s ear. Just enough to tip her over.

‘Oh dear, why is milady so upset? Nerys said that? Well, I know I shouldn’t say this, but… it kind of makes sense to me.’

‘And didn’t His Grace do this and that? I didn’t say anything at the time, but it really was too much. Milady, if this were any other household… people would say you’re being used. He only takes your family’s money and doesn’t respect you…’

The duchess wasn’t foolish for listening to someone she trusted completely.

She just didn’t realize her head maid had already been paid off.

Or that her staff had already decided to leave her behind.

‘Of course they had.’

Who would serve a master who ignored their suffering just because her daughter pouted a little? No servant would remain loyal to such a woman.

Nellusion, overwhelmed these days, smiled genuinely at Nerys’s warmth. He hadn’t seen her properly in a while—they no longer ate together as a family.

“I’m happy to be with you too, Nerys.”

Joseph, nearby, watched the cheerful master with a troubled look.

As always, the imperial investigator was waiting. Though not one she often saw, Nerys recognized him from one of the rooms where she’d been interrogated.

“Lady Truydd.”

The investigator greeted her respectfully. Nerys returned the gesture and turned to Nellusion with a bright smile.

“Will we be going back together after this, Brother?”

“I’m not sure. I might be longer than you. If you finish early, let Joseph know and go ahead.”

“No way, I’ll wait for you.”

After all, this was a chance to get a feel for the palace’s atmosphere. Nerys spoke fondly as if she simply adored Nellusion, and he smiled sincerely.

“Well, I’ll feel bad if you wait. See you later. I’ll try to be quick.”

“Okay!”

Once their conversation ended, the investigator began walking. Nerys followed.

The snow that had blanketed everything for weeks had finally stopped. The sky was clear and blue. Under that sky, Nerys imagined the Elandria estate engulfed in flames.

In reality, it already ‘was’ burning.

A few moments later, the investigator turned down a different path than usual—one where no one passed by.

“This isn’t the way to the investigation office, is it?”

Nerys asked lightly. The investigator turned around. In his hand was a sharp dagger.

It happened suddenly, but Nerys wasn’t surprised. She had always expected this. Hadn’t she lived through it once before?

“Her Highness must be terribly bored lately, meddling in matters she should leave alone.”

The investigator—or assassin’s—expression twisted into a sneer at her jab.

Elite assassins often came to worship their masters. With lives constantly on the line, emotional bonds were inevitable.

‘Silver Moon’ and ‘Shadow’ stood out because their members were fanatically loyal, ready to die for their masters without question.

‘Silver Moon has particularly harsh indoctrination, too.’

Nerys remembered just how brutally Camille treated her subordinates in her past life. Even with the threat of death looming over them, they remained unwavering. It bordered on religious zeal.

“The Duke said you’d say that too.”

The assassin—likely from ‘Silver Moon’—didn’t confirm his identity outright. But he watched Nerys’s calm demeanor closely and delivered a rather theatrical line.

“Being cast aside by your own house, you must’ve made a lot of enemies. Don’t trouble the nobles anymore. Die here.”

So, you’re pinning this on the Duke?

A clever move. Even if Nerys survived or someone overheard, it would seem plausible. Just like Camille.

With no more words, the assassin lunged.

‘Clang.’ The dagger was instantly deflected.

This assassin had likely trained for over a decade—he wasn’t just anyone. He took up a defensive stance, eyes wide in disbelief.

Something black suddenly blocked Nerys’s vision.

A black-haired man had stepped in front of her, his ceremonial court sword—meant to be purely decorative—held like a veteran’s weapon. He smiled gracefully at the would-be assassin.

“The Duke seems more capable than I thought. He managed to hire a direct subordinate of Princess Camille as an assassin.”

“You…”

It wasn’t unusual for the Grand Duke of the North to appear in the capital. But for him to appear ‘now’, ‘here’…

The assassin’s eyes filled with murderous intent. If he was caught by Cledwyn Maindulante, he wouldn’t survive. He had to at least land a blow—until other ‘Silver Moon’ members arrived.

‘Slice.’ A heavy sound. Something dropped over Nerys’s head, blocking her vision again.

Cold, but oddly comforting. It was Cledwyn’s black cloak. Moments later, Dora’s voice rang out. (T/N: Let’s goooooooo! Her Knight and shining armor has arrived! Impeccable timing Cledwyn!)

“Are you all right, my lady?”

“Get this off me.”

Cledwyn’s voice followed, issuing the order.

Nerys brushed the cloak away. Dora, awkwardly standing before she could clean up the corpse, wore a stiff expression. Cledwyn wore an odd smile.

Glancing at the lifeless body, Nerys said calmly,

“Thanks for the timely rescue, but I’m not so delicate I can’t look at a corpse. More importantly, his comrades will arrive soon. Come this way. If the fight spreads, we’ll be blamed for carrying weapons inside the palace.”

“This way?”

Before Cledwyn even finished his question, Nerys had ripped a candlestick from the wall.

With a click, the wall silently slid open.

At first, Dora and Cledwyn looked dumbfounded—but as the competent people they were, they wasted no time and followed Nerys inside.