The Agail Duchess’s funeral was held simply and quietly.
The body was placed in the center of the garden.
Servants of the Agail family and Shadow Knights took turns offering white lilies.
Rynelle stayed by her deceased mother’s side, watching the lilies pile up.
With each lily placed, Rynelle felt the weight of her mother’s absence in this world.
She felt neither joy nor sadness, just an overwhelming emptiness.
It was as if a person she often saw in her daily life had vanished.
If she detached the fact that she was her biological mother, the Duchess was just that kind of person to Rynelle.
‘Can we really call ourselves family…?’
Even though a blood relative had passed, she felt nothing.
Just the day before, a sorrow she couldn’t explain had washed over her, but not today.
Having already let go in her heart, her empty chest felt neither cool nor comforting.
‘Professor, I miss you…’
Somehow, she found herself looking for someone who wasn’t family at the funeral.
It was inevitable. There wasn’t a single memorable moment with her mother.
Instead, short though it was, memories with Daniel swirled in her mind.
In a situation where she felt she should consider him family more than her own parents, Rynelle couldn’t help but smile wryly.
This thought was only exacerbated by her father’s complete absence from the mourning.
As the funeral dragged on into the afternoon, Rynelle finally stepped away from her mother’s side.
Leaving the cleanup and body transport to the funeral home, Rynelle gracefully exited the mourning room.
If it had rained, she might have squeezed out tears from her gloomy heart, but the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight.
On a day this beautiful, immersed in a tearless funeral, Rynelle frowned at the reality.
She regretted not following Daniel.
“Miss.”
“What is it?”
“I apologize for the late report. I have delivered the pouch you entrusted to Professor Daniel.”
“What was his reaction?”
“At first, he showed resistance, but after checking the contents, he asked me to convey his thanks for your kindness.”
“Pfft…!”
Rynelle couldn’t help but imagine Daniel’s reaction.
Just a moment ago, Rynelle had been frowning, but now she wrapped her arms around her belly and started to laugh.
It seemed that there was never a dull moment when she was with him.
Feeling much better, Rynelle drew a satisfied smile on her lips.
“Good job.”
“I have one more thing to report.”
“What is it?”
“The Duke said he has something urgent to discuss with you.”
“Father?”
“Yes.”
“Got it. Please tell him I’ll head to his office right away.”
“The Duke is not currently in his office. He’s in another location, and it’s rather inconvenient to reveal, so I’ll guide you there.”
“Lead the way.”
As Judas turned away, Rynelle frowned.
It felt suspicious. She strongly sensed it was a scheme to lure her out, but Rynelle accepted the guidance.
After all, he had been working in the mansion for over 15 years, and there were knights hidden in her shadow.
Moreover, unless he intended to take her to the nearby forest or an isolated spot, Judas was heading toward the mansion.
Rynelle relaxed her tense expression and eased her suspicions.
“This way.”
“This is the utility room, right? You say my father is waiting for me here?”
“I can’t provide further details. If you follow me, you’ll understand.”
It was the servants’ break room and a storage area for various supplies.
Since it was a place the Agail Duke would never set foot in, Rynelle remained skeptical.
However, Judas diligently adjusted a shelf tucked away in the corner of the utility room.
He moved the jars containing spices, pulled down an empty shelf, and then…
The wall in the corner of the utility room began to shift aside, revealing a descending staircase.
It didn’t appear to lead to the brewery in the basement.
“I can’t believe there’s a hidden space here…”
“Follow me.”
Judas took a torch hanging at the staircase wall and led the way.
Despite her unease, Rynelle followed him.
Her father couldn’t possibly be unaware of such a space hidden within the Agail Mansion.
Setting aside her doubts, Rynelle slowly descended, drawn by the light.
The staircase wasn’t long, but an endless passage lay ahead.
A faint light seeped in from the opposite side, and the air didn’t feel heavy, indicating it connected to the outside.
Rynelle concluded it was created for emergency situations like fire or collapse.
“You’ll meet the Duke if you go a little further.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Why did you lie to me?”
“I swear it’s not a lie. The Duke is genuinely beyond this passage.”
“Do I look like someone who’d fall for that? If it were my father, he’d roughly reveal the location of the secret passage and tell me to go there myself. He wouldn’t bother calling me for something so inefficient.”
“……”
“Moreover, if you genuinely intended to deceive me, why would you still hold that menacing aura?”
Judas lowered his head and let out a deep breath.
He pawed at the ground several times and then raised his head, giving a grin that resembled a rogue rather than the ever-composed butler he was.
“Okay! I admit this was my mistake.”
“You’ve finally woken up. How did you hide that foolishness for ten years?”
“Does that really matter? Are you still not grasping the situation?”
“Are you admitting you are the one who killed my mother?”
“Anyone who hears that would misunderstand. The Duchess took her own life. She committed suicide before I could even kill her.”
“Either way, you’re still linked to her death.”
Rynelle began to awaken and channel the mana within her body.
Her hair rippled like heat waves as a pitch-black aura enveloped her.
“Did I get you mad?”
“Not really. I just dislike your condescending attitude.”
Without invoking a spell, Rynelle conjured a small flame on her palm.
It looked as if it was aimed at Judas, but she turned her palm downward and let the flame drop.
The slowly falling fire was carried by the wind, landing on her shadow.
Her shadow devoured the flame like a living creature.
“Gahaaah!”
Then, from within Rynelle’s shadow, a man engulfed in flames burst forth.
A middle-aged man, dressed like a butler, rolled on the floor.
However, the flames didn’t extinguish, and the man turned to ash as he was consumed.
“How did you know?”
“I realized right away when I saw the knights, who should have jumped in to protect me, remain still. I’ve been through something similar before.”
“You’ve got a strong will. The Shadow Knights could’ve been caught in the flames.”
“A knight who fails to protect their charge has no value. Dying at my hands would be an honor for them.”
“This is a grievous mistake. We lost someone skilled like Ruphon.”
Ruphon was a powerful individual who infiltrated others’ shadows and slaughtered all within.
Had Rynelle not seen through the deception, she would have become a victim herself.
Proving she wasn’t just some naive lady, Rynelle cleverly dealt with Ruphon.
“The next one to burn will be you. Are you sure you can watch that calmly?”
“I’m fine. The person I mentioned earlier just arrived here.”
“The person?”
“Didn’t I mention it earlier? The Agail Duke is nearby.”
“My father isn’t here!”
“Of course, I’m not referring to Ruphon Agail.”
“What do you mean…? Cough?!”
The shadow that had expelled Ruphon rose fluidly, grabbing Rynelle’s neck with one hand.
Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, Rynelle summoned her mana.
She commanded her shadow to release her, yet it remained locked around her throat.
The control over one’s shadow typically belonged to the original owner.
However, as Rynelle tried to release her mana to manipulate her shadow, it failed to obey her.
It was as if her shadow was serving someone else.
“W-What…?!”
“Why isn’t your shadow listening to you? Well, it’s because the Duke is controlling it, and he’s several levels above you.”
“Ugh…”
“You’re holding up quite well. Though meaningless resistance.”
With the shadow preventing her from breathing for a prolonged period, Rynelle’s vision slowly grew dim.
Until her last moment, she fought to unleash her magic.
Just as she nearly completed the spell after much ado, the shadow broke her right arm.
Severe pain shattered her concentration, and someone’s image flashed in her mind.
‘P-Professor…’
In the end, Rynelle’s vision blacked out, and her consciousness faded away.
Her body fell limp like a deflated balloon, sprawled on the floor while Judas clicked his tongue at the sight of her fainted form.
“Please take a short nap. When you wake up, you’ll meet the true Agail Duke.”
Like carrying a sack of rice, Judas hoisted Rynelle and walked through the passage.
Throwing the torch behind him, he extinguished the flame as shadows enveloped them.
Meanwhile, rumors swirled that an inexperienced professor from the Academy had appeared while grabbing the current head of the household by the collar in the Agail Mansion.
