Among the candidates for knight guards, there was an assassin mixed in.
Eliya felt indifferent as she watched the assassin charging at her.
It wasn’t the first time.
There were many other ways to infiltrate like this.
Eliya didn’t even need to react.
Her view was obstructed.
By the maid, Ria’s, back.
Then a disconcerting sound of skin being torn and bones being sliced echoed cheerfully.
Blood flowed onto the floor.
Eliya saw blood flowing into the area Ria hadn’t covered, yet felt apathetic.
The groans of the candidates could be heard.
“Miss, are you alright?”
Ria asked while turning back.
“Yeah.”
Eliya replied nonchalantly.
“Sir Gawain.”
“Yes, Miss.”
He answered while wiping the blood off his sword.
He was the one who had cleaved the assassin in one stroke.
“Clean up and come up to the office.”
“Understood.”
Because they accepted candidates regardless of their status, incidents like this were bound to happen.
Eliya knew it, and so did the Bevel family.
No one felt the need to point it out or improve it.
After all, it was futile.
As long as Gawain was here, no one could kill Eliya.
Unless they had undergone some special training for a long time.
Thus, Eliya also let this environment be.
If she traced the assassin back, she could better define her enemies.
Such incidents weren’t uncommon, but there was an unusual element today.
All the candidates had been screened by Narcissi.
In other words, one could blame Narcissi for the assassination.
‘She couldn’t have possibly inserted an assassin herself.’
She was a predictable human, but not foolish enough to use such an obvious trick.
That an assassin emerged among the candidates screened by Narcissi was just too blatant.
Narcissi knew that assassinating Eliya like this was impossible.
Yet, why mix in an assassin?
It was quite the absurd justification.
This meant that it was a ploy from an intricate force that Narcissi couldn’t filter out.
‘Assassin Guild…’
Like the Information Guild, a difficult force to handle.
A cold blade in the continent, moving only on someone’s request.
‘But the one sent from that side can’t be this sloppy.’
Although not from the Assassin Guild, it was an agent sent by a force that could deceive Narcissi’s eyes.
‘An undercover organization, perhaps.’
The Assassin Guild was only used for sure executions without failure.
They were highly skilled, and employing them came at a great cost.
Hence, most organizations operate internal groups for dirty work instead of relying on the Assassin Guild.
Such groups are called undercover organizations.
The Bevel family had one.
An undercover group called “Black Spot.”
‘But she couldn’t have moved Black Spot.’
Like most undercover groups, they acted solely on the orders of the head of the family.
Black Spot effectively belonged to Balak.
Even Narcissi couldn’t move it privately.
‘Who could it be that wishes to kill me?’
No particular person came to mind.
I couldn’t recall doing anything to earn a personal grudge.
But as for Bevel’s enemies?
If someone were trying to take revenge by targeting the most vulnerable bastard—meaning me?
If the goal was to eliminate a dangerous wizard’s seed to weaken the Bevel family’s power?
Even then, no specific person or force came to mind.
It wasn’t because there weren’t any.
It was that there were too many, making it impossible to specify.
‘A force that has an undercover organization and yet knows little about Bevel’s internal affairs. The list is growing…’
I had previously dug into the backgrounds of past assassins several times, but none provided meaningful information to her.
With so much work already, this was just irritating.
Before reaching the office, Miguel hurried over.
“Miss…! Are you hurt!”
“Miguel. What are you doing, acting so improperly?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just…”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m truly relieved.”
Miguel let out a deep sigh, as if to express his relief.
Eliya silently looked up at him.
She recalled Judas from last time.
Judas looking down at her as she lay collapsed.
That uncomfortable expression remained an unsolved riddle.
Just now, Miguel’s expression was similar to what Judas had.
‘It’s similar, but somehow different….’
Judas worried for Eliya.
But Miguel was worried about his position when something went wrong.
Eliya couldn’t pinpoint the difference.
“Miss? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
After a brief hesitation, they arrived at the office.
Gawain was already there.
Eliya instructed them briefly.
“Of course, the previous identities must be a disguise. Find out where they were brought from. Especially make sure not to miss any evidence that it was selected by the Duchess.”
Perhaps Narcissi, with only her blonde hair and blue eyes, could be cleared from suspicion.
What mattered was justification. Always.
“Yes, understood.”
“And Sir Gawain, report.”
“Yes. The weapon found in hand was a small razor blade. Upon examination, there was no poison on the blade.”
It was one of the usual weapons used by assassins coming to kill Eliya.
Razor blades, poorly shaped stone knives, glass shards—easy to acquire and carry.
“It appears that when they checked their belongings, they hid it under the sand after dropping it, then retrieved it at an opportune moment. There are no other special matters.”
“Okay, got it. Replace all those who were responsible for checking today’s belongings.”
“I will do so.”
I didn’t need to mention Gawain’s pay cut.
He’d know without needing to say it.
“Miss, there is something I must say.”
Miguel respectfully bowed his head.
“Go ahead.”
“The family members of the Bevel family have arrived. The Grand Duke is joining for breakfast…”
“No thanks.”
“Understood.”
Eliya gazed out the window with half-closed eyes.
Her family, whom she hadn’t seen in months except for Narcissi, had come to celebrate her birthday.
They had arrived early compared to other guests, but she didn’t want to see them.
“So annoying….”
After all, they probably didn’t come to sincerely congratulate her.
“Make sure today’s events don’t leak out.”
Gawain, Miguel, Ria.
Her three closest subordinates.
They weren’t allies.
They were chosen by her family for monitoring purposes.
So, they couldn’t stop her family’s knowledge from spreading.
But her best bet was to delay it from leaking to the outside.
Miguel and Gawain left.
Eliya had breakfast in the personal restaurant.
Exquisite dishes filled the table.
Yet, the servants continued to bring food until the table was overflowing.
Eliya scanned the feast with indifferent eyes.
Food that some would never taste in their lifetime.
Just selling a handful could allow someone to survive for months with its value in spices.
She was nobility.
Upper class, a ruler, and rich.
Today was no exception.
For her birthday preparations, some families spent amounts they would never get to use in their lifetime.
So many gifts had arrived that they needed separate storage.
Among those gifts were numerous rare items that one individual could never touch in a lifetime.
So, she wondered.
According to recent studies, wealthier people tend to be happier.
The poorer, the opposite.
So why wasn’t she happy?
What even is happiness?
Never once has she thought herself happy.
She didn’t know what being happy meant.
Must she be happy?
Is it wrong not to be?
She thought she once felt something resembling happiness, but now that feeling was blurred from memory.
Though she lived in confinement, it was a colorful time filled with vibrant shades.
When she tried to recall it, it dissolved in a gray fog.
Mainstream disciplines and cultures emphasize happiness.
They portray happiness as an absolute value to be worshipped.
Eliya couldn’t comprehend it.
Expensive, delicious food.
Rare and precious metals.
Valuable gifts.
None of it brought her happiness.
It had been that way for some time.
In her world, color had vanished.
A world divided by shades of monochrome.
A landscape faded with dense clouds and mist.
“I’m done eating.”
She placed down her spoon.
She had only sipped a few spoonfuls of soup.
Barely moistening her throat.
She had no appetite.
It wasn’t because it was her birthday.
Nor because she was attacked by an assassin on her birthday.
She was always like this.
*
What should I gift Eliya?
The contemplation didn’t take long.
No matter how hard I thought, there was no way I knew what gift would satisfy Eliya.
But I didn’t settle for something half-heartedly either.
“I’ll go with this one.”
Richard said, looking at the gift while coaxing.
“…Judas. Uh, well. The lady is definitely young. Uh. But, that’s a bit….”
What I chose was a doll.
A long, stretched-out, sleeping black cat plushie.
It oddly resembled Eliya, which was why I picked it.
The only difference was that it was peacefully asleep with its eyes closed.
Such a serene look was rarely seen on Eliya.
So, it was a gift meant to suggest she live a bit more peacefully.
I also held the stereotype that dolls were good gifts for children.
‘It looks just right for hugging or cuddling. Soft too.’
Imagining Eliya with the doll….
I couldn’t fathom it.
Well, after all, I wouldn’t even get to give it to her.
“I’ve already made my decision.”
Eliya was mentally mature, so she might dislike it.
The same would apply if I picked another gift.
I wandered around, but this was my best choice.
In my eyes, it was the best.
“…Fine. It’s your money, what can I say?”
Richard ultimately couldn’t bend my determination.
Anna seemed like she wanted to stop me but didn’t speak up.
The wrapped gift was fairly presentable.
Thus, I felt anxious.
‘If it looks good to me, won’t it look like trash to a noble like Eliya?’
That unease grew as I met with my companions.
“Oh, just by looking, it seems pretty good!”
“Surprisingly, she might actually like this.”
The comrades who arrived first at Eliya’s Mansion threw in their comments.
Hearing that it was a doll made them all wear sour expressions.
“Gifts, well. The intention matters. Uh.”
Dillon struggled to wrap my choice in a positive light.
Following Anna’s lead, we entered the mansion.
Where it was usually quiet, it was filled with people, bustling.
The sight of luxurious and extravagant carriages lined up was magnificent.
The guests who visited the mansion were equally dazzling.
All could be seen as noble gentlemen and ladies dressed in splendid suits and gowns.
They were laughing and chatting, casting puzzled looks at our group with furrowed brows.
Such gazes seemed to say why such things were here.
Thankfully, with Anna guiding us, we seemed to be recognized as guests.
Without her, I felt we would’ve been chased away.
A few of my companions felt intimidated, but Richard and Dillon encouraged them.
“What are you guilty of? Stand tall, you lot.”
“We’re properly invited guests. No need to feel small.”
I felt proud as I frequently visited this place.
“Lord Judas, the lady’s gifts are received in one location. We should head there first.”
Anna said.
Given the number of gifts, it wouldn’t be feasible to receive them one by one.
Gifts, appearances. What my companions said.
Whether Eliya accepted it or not didn’t matter to me; it wasn’t a concern.
“Is this the gift for the lady?”
The butler inspecting the day’s gifts looked me over coldly, curling his lip.
“Isn’t that the girl living in the annex?”
“That’s right.”
“Since the lady temporarily took you in, you think you’ve become someone worth something?”
He spared no effort to reveal his genuine thoughts.
Mocking me outright.
“Know your place. Do you even understand where this is?”
“Yes. Anna, the maid.”
“Get the stinking little vermin out. If there’s any theft, you’ll be held responsible.”
Anna was indeed a maid.
Her authority in this mansion was quite low as well.
So it was reasonable for her not to retort.
“I’m sorry. We’ll take our leave.”
“Tch. The way the lady maintains this place… pretending it’s something grand…”
He mumbled under his breath, walking away.
I could barely catch what he said, not that it mattered.
“I apologize, Lord Judas. I had no idea it would become this intolerable.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s not Anna’s fault.”
Though my mood was soured, I held back as it was inevitable.
The mood among my companions darkened.
Some kept looking back with fierce glares.
The butler who chased us away smiled politely at the other nobles.
“Stop staring. You’ll get in trouble.”
Dillon rationally advised, and we followed Anna towards the central hall of the mansion.
The place where the birthday girl, Eliya, was expected to appear soon.
But…
“Hmm.”
Someone blocked our way.
With voluminous blonde curls and a widely flared dress, she was a typical noblewoman.
Her cold blue eyes looked down on us.
“Oh, what a disgusting smell. It seems a sewer rat is wandering around. How on earth is mansion management going…?”
Flapping her fan, she muttered to herself.
Then, upon spotting me, the corner of her mouth twisted up.
It was the unmistakable sneer of disdain.
“Well, given this place’s history, I suppose a sewer rat wouldn’t be out of place, would it? Is this really a noble’s birthday party or the sewers…?”
“…….”
I had endured until now.
The whispers of nobles behind me, the butler dismissing my gift.
That much I had somewhat expected, so I just held it in.
And dealing with the bold cowards speaking behind their backs was tiresome too.
But it wasn’t just about that.
We were Eliya’s guests.
Special guests who wouldn’t normally even be allowed here.
It would be disrespectful to Eliya if we caused a scene.
To keep a measure of respect for the one who invited us, I just put up with it.
Enduring meant it was different from being indifferent.
To hold back also meant I was angry.
Yet with such a blatant provocation, I couldn’t just let it slide.
I had no intention of maintaining composure when this noblewoman stood in my way and taunted.
Who this woman was, from which family—such details didn’t concern me.
“Excuse me, ma’am. What did you just say?”
The lady’s blue eyes widened in surprise.
“A, a, a, ma’am…?!”
Her lips trembled as she spoke, clearly in disbelief.
Onlookers around us gaped at me, astonished.
I had no thought of stopping there.
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