Chapter 99
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99
"Will we succeed this time?" Leopold asked in a low, sinister tone as the Chief Lady-in-Waiting approached. "Will we finally be able to kill that bastard?"
"Does Your Majesty know what the Marquis overlooks? No, what he is incapable of comprehending in the first place?"
"..."
"The heart of a parent who has lost a child. The Marquis cannot understand the desperation of someone willing to burn everything they have to achieve their goal. How could he, when he has never received such love? No matter how great a person is, they are bound to measure the world through their own lens."
The Chief Lady-in-Waiting's eyes flashed.
"Do not worry. We will succeed this time. And even if we fail, the rift between the surviving Marquis and the Royal Union will only widen, meaning Your Majesty will still hold the upper hand. You hold both the best and second-best cards."
Leopold's laughter grew louder at her calm words.
"Then, I shall take my leave."
As the Chief Lady-in-Waiting turned to depart, her skirts fluttering, Leopold muttered, "Do you know why I appointed you as my Chief Lady-in-Waiting? You, whose origins are a complete mystery, appearing so suddenly one day."
When she paused, Leopold took a long draft of his drink.
"Oscar never even attended the Academy. You were the one who constantly warned me about that young wolf, telling me to kill him while we still had the chance. Besides my late father, you were the only one who ever said that to me."
"..."
"I figured you must hold a deep grudge against Reinhardt, even if I didn't know why."
The Chief Lady-in-Waiting turned back to face him.
"I work solely for Your Majesty's glory. I only saw that the young Marquis was destined to become an obstacle to your ambitions; I would never dare act on personal interest."
Leopold grinned, baring his teeth as he put a cigarette to his lips. As the acrid smoke billowed out, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting began to cough reflexively. Leopold clicked his tongue softly at the sight.
"I've never met anyone as sensitive to smoke as you. In any case, bring me good news."
The King, who had much to discuss with Count Jerome, turned away, but then called out to her again as if he had just remembered something. He gave a casual command.
"Tidy up my room before you leave."
It was an ambiguous, code-like command, but the Chief Lady-in-Waiting did not question it.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Leaving the audience chamber, she headed straight for the King's bedroom, moving as silently as a palace ghost.
A statue, identical in shape to the Double-headed Eagle at the palace entrance but smaller in size, came into view. Beyond it, an antique rosewood door welcomed her.
Opening the door revealed a small audience chamber with impressive rosewood walls. Due to the palace's maze-like layout of interconnected rooms, she had to pass through two more similar doors before finally reaching the King's bedroom. The room was bustling with maids tidying the bedding.
Three large floor-to-ceiling windows facing the back garden were wide open. Opposite them, four maids were busy securing fresh sheets on a tall canopy bed. The new duvet was placed neatly on a rosewood sofa, while two other maids, carrying a pile of blankets from the previous night, bowed to the Chief Lady-in-Waiting before exiting.
Her sharp gaze settled on a screen in the right corner of the bedroom. She could sense a human presence behind the exotic embroidery.
She signaled the maids, who immediately stopped their work. Though they had looked like ordinary servants just moments before, they now stood with the menacing aura of soldiers.
The maid who had slept with the King the previous night had been trembling behind the screen, unsure of what to do. When the Chief Lady-in-Waiting appeared without a sound, the maid gasped, unable to even scream. The sight of her head appearing over the screen was one of pure terror. The palace ghost looked down at her with an inhumanly cold expression, then called over a trusted aide and whispered:
"Handle this quietly. Take her out of the palace and send word to the young lady of House Jerome."
"Understood."
"I will be away on business for a few days. Write up a report on this matter and make sure to leave clear evidence."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, and the woman staying at Reinhardt Manor. Once the Marquis leaves, his forces will be divided and surveillance will inevitably loosen. Use that opportunity to get close to her."
Having delivered her covert orders, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting slipped out of the King's bedroom.
*
About an hour later, a carriage departed through a secret back gate of the palace. Inside sat the Chief Lady-in-Waiting, her entire body concealed beneath a black hood. As if trying to shake a tail, the carriage wound through the city streets for a full hour before finally reaching the banks of the Rotten River, which marked the capital's boundary.
After quickly passing through a stone-paved street lined with tightly packed shops, the carriage drove onto a bridge over the river. At that moment, sunlight, no longer blocked by the buildings, pierced the carriage like a sharp spear. Sitting by the window, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting frowned at the blinding glare.
Below the high bridge, the blue waters of the Rotten River churned with white foam as a flock of black birds skimmed its surface.
As the carriage reached the halfway point of the bridge, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting, who had been staring blankly at the water, rummaged through a black bag and pulled out a silver case. Inside the worn case, cigarettes lay neatly lined up. With practiced ease, she took one out and placed it between her lips. The woman who had always maintained a rigid, upright posture slowly relaxed, letting her head rest against the carriage seat and tilt toward the window.
She inhaled the smoke deeply, her body completely at ease, as the corners of her lips curled upward. The person who had reacted as if she were allergic to cigarette smoke was gone. A languid thrill coursed through her as she trembled, surrounded by smoke that spread through the air like ink bleeding into water.
"Ha..."
Though her face was the same, she had become a completely different person in an instant. Her gaze, her actions, and the very atmosphere around her had flipped entirely.
Upon closer inspection, however, it wasn't just her behavior that had changed.
The most fundamental force that moved the world was called mana. Among living things, those who could feel it were rare, and those who could manipulate it were rarer still.
Beasts that manipulated mana were called demonic beasts; humans who did so were called mages.
Had someone highly sensitive to mana been watching, they would have noticed that the flow of mana within her body had shifted.
As the mana's flow changed, the very bones and flesh that made up her body altered ever so subtly. It wasn't a drastic transformation—no eyes appeared from nowhere, nor did her nose completely change shape. But she had definitely changed, just as the terrain gradually shifts when the path of a river is altered.
She smirked as she watched the cigarette slowly burn down.
"Seriously, holding this back is the hardest part."
A much deeper voice mingled with the smoke and dissolved into the air.
*
Meanwhile, Barbara, having seen Oscar off, still had work to do.
"No. Go back."
"...Why?"
First, she had to block the path of Abel Sting, who was as obnoxious as they came.
He was dressed so meticulously for this early hour that he was almost blinding. Barbara unconsciously clicked her tongue as she toyed with the bottle of contraceptive pills in her pocket. Abel's expression twisted, as if he had taken her reaction personally.
"I really don't understand, Senior."
"..."
"Is this some kind of... team competition? Do you seniors tally up each team's performance at the end of the year and throw a party or something?"
Abel Sting was probably the only person who would dare mention a "team competition" to Barbara Wald. Her subordinate Wolves bared their teeth in outrage.
"Watch your mouth, you bastard!"
"I told you, didn't I, you son of a bitch? Shut the hell up unless you're going to do my job for me."
Barbara dismissed her Wolves before the commotion could escalate. Abel completely ignored the men glaring at him as they backed away.
"Why on earth are you getting in my way?"
"I'm not getting in your way. She's just sleeping right now..."
Before Barbara could finish, Abel scoffed.
"You've got to be kidding me. Is she the Marchioness or something? You won't even let me near her just because she's sleeping?"
At his surprisingly logical sarcasm, Barbara gestured for her retreating Wolves to return. Abel went ballistic at the sight. She pinned the struggling Abel Sting down with sheer force and turned away. The utterly obnoxious man shouted louder with each passing second as the Wolves blocked his path, before they finally dragged him away.
Abel truly couldn't understand why Barbara was acting this way. From his perspective, he was being unfairly obstructed. Since she had no logical excuse, there was no way to convince him. And she couldn't exactly explain her reasoning, either.
That was why Barbara had let his "team competition" comment slide, pretending not to hear it. To be completely honest, she was just as confused as he was.
Yesterday, after Oscar had returned home and disappeared into his room, Simon had approached her as she stood frozen before the door. Gliding over like a shadow, he had reported in a voice only she could hear.
"He attended the exhibition for Count Jerome's daughter."
"Why?"