Chapter 26
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26
Grand Duke Baden knew nothing—not who had built the vault Oscar coveted, nor what lay inside it. His unease only grew. To make matters worse, the assassination had failed.
His royal father had always said, “A Reinhardt is a wolf. And a wolf is not a dog. It knows neither loyalty nor obedience. It moves only for its own purpose.”
He had left a final command: never let the lone young wolf grow to maturity.
“Never let the lone young wolf grow to maturity.”
And yet, killing him had seemed unnecessary; he was bound to die on his own. His house had fallen, and his own mother had abandoned him. He hadn’t even attended the academy, a path taken by even the lowest of nobles. Eventually, they had all but forgotten he existed.
It had been a fatal miscalculation.
“So, where is the Marquis now? Is he still in Pelfe?”
“No. The Marquis's train is reportedly on its way to the capital. However…”
“However?”
“A young woman of unknown identity is accompanying him. From all accounts, she is no mere maid, and the situation is said to be… unusual.”
“A woman?”
As Leopold’s interest was piqued, Count Jerome bowed even deeper.
“Yes. I will investigate further and report back.”
The king clicked his tongue sharply at the promise of yet another investigation, but a flicker of perverse curiosity lit his eyes.
That Oscar von Reinhardt was bringing a woman with him?
It was the first meaningful thing to come up in this tedious, useless conversation.
*
Around that time, Seo-ah was trembling with anxiety inside a magnificent carriage, completely unaware that her existence had piqued the interest of the King of Luxen himself.
Just a short while earlier, the smoothly running train had stopped again, somewhere that wasn't a station. Then, they had abruptly told her to get off.
When she asked if this was a station, they simply said they would be traveling by carriage from now on. If she knew anything about the situation, she might have protested, but knowing nothing, she had no choice but to do as she was told.
A sturdy-looking carriage was waiting for her when she stepped off the train. The train departed, and Abel extended a hand, urging her to get in quickly. All her belongings had been moved, leaving her no choice but to board.
Seo-ah held her breath and climbed inside.
The carriage’s interior was just as well-appointed as the train's. She pressed herself against the window as Abel climbed in and sat opposite her. Soon, the carriage set off.
Staring at the unfamiliar scenery, Seo-ah asked as calmly as she could, “How much farther to the manor?”
“We'll be there in about twenty minutes.”
Giving a small nod, Seo-ah secretly wiped her sweaty palms.
Surrounded by people she couldn’t trust, every minute felt like an eternity. Unlike the endless grasslands from before, the carriage was now passing through an arid land dotted with rocky outcrops. Here and there, she could see old, unpainted houses, and then suddenly, a cluster of homes large enough to be called a village came into view. When she saw children playing among them, her racing heart calmed a little.
“Is this Vies, the capital of Luxen?”
At Seo-ah’s question, Abel glanced outside and replied, “No. We're still outside the capital. We'll be crossing the Rotten River soon. That river marks the capital's boundary. Once we cross it, we'll be in Vies.”
A short while later, just as Abel had said, a river came into view.
Seo-ah pressed close to the window, watching the clear water flowing beneath the bridge. She had never seen such a high bridge in her life. She briefly wondered how such a thing could have been built, but the city that greeted them the moment they crossed the river was enough to make her forget even her anxiety.
In Vies, the Pearl of Norfolk, a city of culture and art, nothing was carelessly made—not even a common streetlight. Lampposts shaped like leaves and flowers stood at the intersections, each with a flower basket hanging from its center.
Along the raised sidewalks, a long line of beautifully decorated shops stretched on. People came and went freely from the stores, while others sat chatting at tables in sunny outdoor cafes.
But it was too soon to be impressed.
After passing through the long shopping street, the view suddenly opened up to a wide plaza. The carriage paused for a moment before entering the circular space. As they rounded the plaza, which felt more refined than flashy, its main feature revealed its magnificent form.
Atop a towering pillar stood the bronze statue of a man on horseback. With one hand holding the reins and the other a longsword, the man stared straight ahead with a stern expression. The shadowed eyes beneath his military cap exuded an intense, dark feeling.
“It's the statue of His Excellency, the late Marquis Reinhardt.”
Startled by the sudden voice, she turned her head. Abel gestured toward the window with a glance.
“The late Marquis…?”
“His Excellency's father.”
Seo-ah turned to look out the window again.
Now that he mentioned it, she thought she could see a resemblance. Especially in that shadowed, intense gaze.
A father immortalized as a statue…
“Then is that building behind it the Reinhardt manor?”
“No.”
His voice was strangely sharp as he replied.
“It's the royal palace.”
The royal palace of Luxen.
Seo-ah held her breath, intimidated by Abel's intensity, and gazed at two tall pillars crowned with strikingly impressive golden, double-headed eagles.
The carriage circled halfway around the plaza and turned onto another street.
A long road was lined with the same broad-leafed trees she had seen in Pelfe. They drove down the tree-lined road, ran alongside a river for a time, and finally, after passing an ancient cathedral said to have been built a thousand years ago, the Reinhardt manor appeared with startling suddenness.
Beyond a high wall topped with iron bars stood tall, leafy trees.
Swaaaaaa.
Through the window of the stopped carriage, Seo-ah watched the leaves rustling wildly.
The carriage, which had paused, passed through the slowly opening gate. As it entered the shade of the dense trees, she had the illusion of sinking beneath the surface of water. Even with the window closed, she felt she could feel the chill of the shadows.
On either side of the path, the grounds unfolded into what could only be called a forest. Between the black shadows cast by the densely packed trees, light broke through in scattered patches, making the green grass below appear vivid, as if cloaked in a golden reflection. Then, as if by magic, the moment they passed the forest's edge, Seo-ah let out an involuntary gasp.
“Whoa.”
At that, Abel smiled, speaking as if boasting about his own home.
“Welcome to the Reinhardt manor.”
As if the forest’s shade had never existed, a wide-open space, like a vast plain, overwhelmed her vision.
Two buildings of magnificent size stood facing each other. Between them, a garden in the distinctive style of East Norfolk—decorated with flowers, grass, and fountains—was laid out like a painting.
The carriage followed a path at the edge of the garden toward the building directly ahead, gradually slowing to a complete stop. Looking out the opposite window, she saw a middle-aged woman standing at the entrance.
Abel stood up first, and the door was opened from the outside. The chill of the shade and the cool scent of grass drifted in. As she followed him out of the carriage, Abel, who had already disembarked, extended his hand again. Realizing he meant to help her down, Seo-ah whispered softly.
“I'm really all right.”
“…”
His repeated, subtle attempts to take her hand had all come to nothing. Abel let out a short laugh, and the Wolves nearly died holding their breath. The only reason they didn't glare at each other was because of the middle-aged woman who had come out to greet them.
“Welcome. We are pleased to have you at the Reinhardt manor.”
She was a woman with an air that made one wonder if this was what cold steel would look like personified.
With silver hair that looked gray at a glance and eyes the color of indigo, she wore a severe black dress tailored like a suit. An aura of lean strength emanated from her, as if all unnecessary parts had been obsessively stripped away, leaving only the essential.
Seo-ah's gaze met those deep indigo eyes.
There was something familiar about that gaze—emotionless and transparent, and for that very reason, it felt stronger than anyone's. Seo-ah clasped her hands and offered a small greeting.
“Hello.”
She felt the woman’s gaze on her as she lowered her own.
Barbara, the old wolf who guarded the Reinhardt manor, watched Seo-ah with emotionless eyes, while the young wolves, including Abel, held their breath.
The wind stirred between the Wolves and the Outsider.
Barbara was the first to move.
“I have received word from His Excellency. Please come in.”
Barbara turned and shot a glance at the Wolves. At that, the men, who had been standing at attention like disciplined soldiers, scattered back to their posts.
As Barbara started walking, Seo-ah, who had been watching the hem of her black skirt, lifted her head and followed.
The building, magnificent from a distance, was even more overwhelming up close.
On either side of the main entrance, which was taller than two grown men, stood wolf statues carved from black stone. The statues, as large as actual wolves, were so lifelike they seemed ready to leap forward at any moment.
The farther she went past the wolf statues and into the manor, the more the temperature seemed to drop.
Would the temple of a god who rules the underworld feel like this?
Unlike the manor's ivory-colored stone exterior, the interior fixtures seemed to be crafted from a stone as black and glossy as a raven. The wide, long staircase, the delicately wrought banister visible even from a distance, and the very floor beneath her feet—everything was black.