Chapter 15: The Libellus Guild
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: The Libellus Guild
Blair stood on the outer edge of the balcony railing, looking as if she might fall at any moment.
She seemed caught off guard, clearly not expecting Lina to burst into the room.
Seizing the opportunity, Lina rushed forward and threw her arms around Blair’s waist.
“No! You can’t do this!”
“Lina, wait! It’s a misunderstanding. Let go of me first…”
“No! I won’t let go! If Your Highness dies, I’m dying with you!”
“That’s not what this is…”
“I don’t care! I won’t listen to a word until you climb back over! Please, get back inside right now!”
Finally, Lina burst into loud, sobbing tears. Even as she wept, she held onto Blair with a vise-like grip, hauling her back over the railing with surprising strength.
“Where were you planning to go without me? You can’t do this! If you’re going to harbor such dark thoughts, you’ll have to kill me first!”
“I told you, it’s nothing like that. Besides, we’re only on the second floor…”
But Blair’s words were lost on Lina, who was now a sobbing mess of tears and snot. Blair could only stand there, trapped in the maid’s tight embrace as her dress absorbed the tears.
It took a long while before Lina finally cried herself out and looked up.
“But… why would you even think of doing such a thing?” Her voice was still thick and nasal.
Blair scratched her cheek sheepishly and explained, “It really isn’t what you think. I just have somewhere I need to go in secret, so I was trying to slip out.”
Only then did Lina notice the fabric tied to the balcony railing. It was a makeshift rope, meticulously fashioned from bedsheets.
Lina gasped in horror.
“How could you be so reckless?! What if you’d slipped and fallen? What if you’d gotten hurt?!”
“It’s only the second floor, and there are bushes right underneath.”
Blair spoke with the confidence of someone who believed she had formulated a flawless plan, but Lina, having served her for so long, knew better.
Her lovely Imperial Princess might look gentle and demure, but she possessed a streak of sheer, unpredictable recklessness.
Lina pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a heavy sigh. Then, a sudden realization struck her.
“Wait… where on earth are you planning to go at this hour?”
Instead of answering, Blair offered a faint smile. It was dazzlingly beautiful, yet carried a distinctly ominous edge.
* * *
“This place is…”
Lina’s eyes went wide as she peered out the carriage window.
Having slipped out of the Ducal Mansion with Blair, they had arrived at the guild district, nestled deep within the back alleys of the Imperial Capital.
Blair pulled her robe’s hood low over her face and opened the carriage door.
“I’ll be right back.”
“If you aren’t back in thirty minutes, I’m coming in after you. I mean it!”
Blair had spent the entire carriage ride insisting that Lina could not accompany her, so the maid could only issue a stern warning and reluctantly stay behind.
Stepping down from the hired carriage, Blair stood before a certain building.
The Libellus Guild.
Of the countless guilds in the capital, Libellus was an information guild renowned for its unrivaled intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Taking a deep breath, Blair pushed open the door and stepped inside.
At first glance, the interior resembled an ordinary tavern. But the moment Blair crossed the threshold, the raucous chatter died down instantly, as if doused in cold water.
Dozens of eyes turned to size up the intruder who clearly did not belong.
Though the woman’s face was shrouded by her hood, the glimpse of her straight nose and soft, rosy lips was enough to tell anyone she was a striking beauty.
A burly, middle-aged man slammed his tankard onto the table with a heavy thud.
“Hey, who invited their sweetheart to the guild? Speak up.”
“Oh, I think she’s mine!”
“What are you talking about? She looks like my wife to me!”
The men began to jeer, claiming her as their own. Their crude, snickering laughter sent a chill down Blair’s spine.
Raised in the sheltered luxury of the Imperial Palace, she had never encountered a crowd of men displaying such raw, vulgar instincts.
But if she were the type to get scared and run away, she wouldn’t have come here in the first place.
Ignoring the jeers, Blair walked straight toward the bar in the center of the room. A few drunken patrons stepped forward, blocking her path, unwilling to let their rare entertainment slip away.
“Hey there, pretty lady. What brings you to a place like this?”
“I am here to see the master of this guild.”
“Our master’s a busy man. He doesn’t handle small-time business. Why don’t you tell us instead? We’ll get it done cheap and clean.”
“Come on, have a drink and tell us all about it. What’s got our little beauty so troubled she’d walk into a den of wolves?”
A man so drunk he could barely stand slung a heavy arm over Blair’s shoulders, pressing his body against hers. The stench of cheap alcohol and his unfamiliar, suffocating warmth made her skin crawl.
Keeping her composure, Blair firmly pried his arm off. She then pressed a ring into his palm.
“Bring me your master.”
“Ha!”
The man, his face flushed with drink, scoffed in disbelief. He was thoroughly displeased that she had ignored him, tossing him a jewel as if ordering a servant.
“Who do you think you’re dealing with, some stray dog?! You think we wag our tails just because you throw some coin at us?!” he roared, spittle flying from his lips. His massive frame and booming voice were intimidating enough on their own.
Yet Blair did not flinch.
She couldn’t afford to back down. Not when her entire future with Asiel depended on this very request.
Clenching her fists to hide her trembling, Blair stood her ground and met his gaze.
“You’ve been in this business long enough to know better. Surely you understand how foolish it is to slaughter the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
Meeting Blair’s gaze from beneath her hood, the man flinched. A strange, undeniable authority radiated from the fragile woman’s eyes.
He wasn’t the only one who felt it. The surrounding guild members, sensing the sudden shift in the air, began exchanging uneasy glances.
If nothing else, her sheer confidence convinced them she was a high-profile client they couldn’t afford to lose.
One of the members slipped away to the second floor, returning a moment later with another man.
“Are you the lady who asked to see me?”
Blair looked at the newcomer, then spoke.
“No. I wish to speak with the master.”
“I am the master of Libellus.”
“Is deceiving your clients in this manner standard practice for Libellus?” As she spoke, Blair’s gaze shifted toward the bartender quietly wiping a glass behind the counter.
He was a handsome man with wavy brown hair, gentle green eyes, and a pleasant air about him.
“I wish to place my request with the true guild master of Libellus.”
Behind his round spectacles, the bartender’s eyes flickered with surprise. A look of amusement washed over his face, and he smiled.
“May I ask how you saw through it?”
“When I demanded to see the master, everyone instinctively glanced in your direction to gauge your reaction. Yet you simply stood there, listening.”
“You have keen eyes.”
The man chuckled and cast a brief glance at his subordinates, who had so carelessly given him away. They quickly averted their eyes, looking sheepish.
Setting down his glass, the bartender stepped out from behind the counter.
“Let us speak in private.”
Blair followed him to a plain, unassuming room on the second floor.
Once they were alone, the man bowed politely.
“Allow me to introduce myself formally, Duchess. I am Mikhail Kines.”
Blair stiffened. He knew her identity. On second thought, it would have been far more concerning if the head of an information guild didn’t recognize the face of the Imperial Princess.
“…That scene downstairs. You were testing me.”
“I wanted to gauge the depth of your desperation, Your Grace. Those who risk coming to me are usually desperate enough to pay a handsome price. My apologies if I caused any offense.”
“It is fine. It only proves you have the confidence to execute your work flawlessly.”
Despite Mikhail’s audacity in testing her—an Imperial Princess and the Duchess of the realm—Blair remained perfectly composed. Beneath her soft voice and calm gaze lay a sharp, unyielding edge. It was the natural authority of someone born to rule.
'I suppose she was born to be a princess after all,' Mikhail thought with a faint smile.
“Libellus will certainly live up to that trust,” he replied. “Now, would you care to share the details of your request? The more specific you are, the better we can serve your goals.”
At the mention of business, a sharp gleam returned to Blair’s violet eyes.
“I have three requests.”
Blair held up three fingers as she spoke. It was a habit she had developed when talking to Asiel, but Mikhail, unaware of this, simply found the gesture endearing.
“Three requests? It seems Libellus is about to become much wealthier.” It was a lighthearted jest, born of absolute confidence that his guild would never fail.
Blair began to list her demands.
“First, secure a small villa on the outskirts of Argenta, the capital of the Kingdom of Clania. I will also need a new identity to live under once I discard my current name.”
She had no intention of settling down permanently, but traveling constantly while pregnant would be too difficult. She planned to remain in Argenta until she gave birth to Asiel.
'Since Argenta is the capital, it will be easier to find skilled doctors and secure any necessary supplies.'
Mikhail was inwardly astonished. An Imperial Princess was declaring her intention to discard her name, which meant she planned to sever ties with the Ducal Family as well. He was deeply curious about her motives but knew better than to pry.
“Second, I need men to be linked with me in a scandal. Four or five should do. They must be absolutely trustworthy and capable of keeping a secret.”
“In that case, it might be best if I personally act as one of them. It would make it easier to report our progress to you directly. Would that be acceptable?”
“If you do not mind, then yes.”
Blair nodded readily. If the guild master himself was willing to play a part, it would certainly make the ruse more credible.
Mikhail smiled warmly. “And when would you like this scandal to break?” He had grasped her plan instantly. Dealing with a true professional made things remarkably efficient.
“Six months from now.”
“We will have to begin preparations immediately, then. And what is your final request?”
Blair reached into her inner pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. Drawn upon it was a crest—the very same one she had seen engraved on the dagger of the intruder who had killed her before her regression.
“I want you to find the person who owns a dagger bearing this crest.”
Mikhail studied the drawing intently before slipping the paper into his own breast pocket.
“I will do my utmost to bring you the answers you seek as quickly as possible.”
With their business concluded, Blair made her way back to the first floor.
Having observed Mikhail’s deferential treatment, the guild members had finally pieced together her high status. They bowed their heads deeply as she passed.
Leaving the bowing crowd behind, Blair stepped out of the guild. At that exact moment, a shadow that had been watching her from the darkness vanished.