Chapter 6 – Part 17

Eli, Emily, and Leton were all gathered in the office.

Today was not a day for external affairs but for dealing with paperwork.

“This came from the steward?”

Emily asked, reading one of the letters.

“Yes. If there’s nothing special, collect them separately and check them against the reports later.”

“Okay.”

Emily listened to Eli’s words and placed the letter in the pile where she kept all the letters related to the estates.

Eli sat beside Emily, answering her questions and helping her with tasks she didn’t understand, trying to get her to handle the work herself as much as possible.

“It’s a letter from the Earl of Ron. He says not to worry about Eve at the estate.”

Eli nodded.

He’d already put the pieces together when they’d talked about the marriage. They’d been warned of the rumors, so they’d used the marriage as an excuse to escape and head to the estate early.

“He informed me in advance that they would hold the wedding at the Earl’s estate. It’s probably to confirm if we can attend.”

Emily nodded.

It was about whether they could attend the wedding.

“What do you think your reply would be?”

“Um… I guess I’ll send a message saying I’ll attend? It’s Eve’s wedding after all.”

Eli nodded without giving a definite answer.

Was this not it?

Emily got lost in thought, unsure of what to do if it wasn’t the answer her brother wanted.

“Who will attend?”

“The whole family……?”

Emily replied as if it were obvious, but then realized the family situation and quickly shut up.

Her mother had been expelled, and her brother had been making noise about succession and health issues.

So, the only person who could go was…

“I guess I’ll have to attend by myself.”

“That’s right. It’s a good opportunity to announce that you’ve become the official heir of the Marquis of Grit.”

“…Will I be able to do well?”

She asked, worried about the stares and reactions she’d face without her brother.

“It’s a celebration, so don’t be nervous.”

Even with Eli’s advice, Emily was already nervous.

“Leton will accompany you, so don’t worry.”

Leton nodded at Emily in agreement.

When Eli finished Emily’s training and went back to Zenfield, Leton wasn’t going to come with him, and he’d even stuck by her side at Zenfield the entire time.

“I told you, Leton will be assisting you from now on… … ”

At that moment, there was an urgent knock on the door, and it swung open.

It was the kind of knock they use when they have news that must be delivered urgently.

“Marquis, the knight…”

“I will deliver the message myself.”

Eli jumped to his feet at the ominous familiarity of the situation.

“Your wife is in danger, Marquis.”

The man who had burst into the office was Tyrus, one of the men Eli had assigned to protect Ruby in Zenfield.

“What has happened to Ruby?”

His mood immediately turned sour.

It was because one of them had promised to come to him if something happened to Ruby.

“I’m not sure about the details. I immediately set off when I saw someone intruding into My Lady’s residence.”

“Did you identify them?”

Eli’s eyes quickly sharpened.

“No, I didn’t identify the intruder, but it wasn’t a normal break-in. They were heading straight for your wife’s room and breaking things as if they were trying to disguise themselves.”

“We need to leave immediately.”

Ruby had never been attacked while living in Zenfield, and Eli had already concluded that there was no one capable of attacking Ruby after investigating all the households in Zenfield. So, the attack must have come from outside.

“Prepare your horses.”

Eli’s words were barely out of his mouth when Leton ordered the servant behind him.

* * *

Ruby opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

”Where am I? ‘

As Ruby wondered why she was in this strange place, she realized that someone had broken into the mansion and brought her here.

She was staying at Eli’s mansion as usual.

She had gotten used to sleeping at Eli’s mansion and had fallen asleep for a while.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

“Mmm…….”

The noise made Ruby sit up slowly, and she heard the sound of glass shattering.

Suddenly, Ruby’s mind snapped to attention.

The sudden silence only made the intruder’s presence more obvious.

She looked around for something that could be used as a weapon and grabbed the candlestick she could still swing; its wick had nearly burned out.

Despite the chill in the air, her hands felt sweaty as she gripped the candlestick.

Ruby slowly made her way to the doorway, putting a little more strength into her hands.

The door opened before her hand could reach the doorknob.

“This…….”

Ruby’s voice was muffled by the handkerchief covering her mouth.

Her body suddenly stiffened and tensed as she remembered the last thing.

There was no one in the room with her, no one tying her down, nothing.

What’s more, judging by the way she’d jerked her upper body out of the way, she’d been gently placed here and covered with a blanket.

Although it was strange, she didn’t have time to think deeply about it.

It was an unremarkable mansion, except that the view from the room’s window was of a dense forest.

Ruby climbed out of bed carefully and quietly.

She had barely touched the floor when the door opened.

Surprised, Ruby grabbed the pillow next to her and pushed it forward. It wouldn’t be of any use, but for now, she felt that holding onto something would calm her down.

The man’s opening of the door seemed momentarily slow, and Ruby decided to lunge at him rather than wait for him to fully enter or hide. It was too late to hide somewhere.

“My Lady ……!”

She succeeded in surprising the man and knocking him back, but she was soon caught.

“Let go of me! Let go of me!”

Ruby struggled against the man holding her arm.

“Let me explain.”

“Who are you, and why are you doing this to me?”

The soothing words didn’t stop Ruby from trying to break free.

“I was hired by the Marquis of Grit.”

Only at that did Ruby stop moving.

“Who?”

When Ruby’s struggles subsided, the man released his grip on her arm and gestured for her to calm down with both hands.

“I am a knight in the Marquis’s employ.”

“You’re ……?”

Ruby prodded him, as if to ask him to explain further. Still suspicious, she pushed the pillow toward him.

“The Marquis has asked me to guard you in case of danger.”

“Does that mean I am in danger?”

“While you were sleeping in Lord Grit’s mansion, there were intruders in your residence.”

Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise.

“As soon as I found out, I brought you here for your own safety. We apologize for putting you to sleep to bring you here quietly.”

He bowed respectfully.

“This is the place the Marquis has arranged for your safety. It’s difficult to even know there’s a mansion here because it’s surrounded by forests.”

What looked like a dense forest from the window was actually a forest.

“Why would Eli go to such lengths?”

“Because your location is exposed to the Kingdom of Cains.”

“The Kingdom of Cains?”

Ruby asked, frowning.

“I’ve never even been there.”

“I understand.”

Suspicion deepened in Ruby’s eyes.

“The Kingdom of Cains is in the middle of a civil war right now, and they’re spying on princes in other countries. One of them is Sorvan Pinel.”

“……Sorvan?”

“Yes.”

“Viscount Sorvan…… Del”

“Yes. He’s a prince of the Kingdom of Cains.”

What is this about? There was too much information swirling around, making her head spin.

“Explaining everything would be complicated. Due to recent movements in the kingdom, which seemed suspicious, orders were given to protect the mistress, who had frequent contact with Sorvan Pinel.”

“You mean …… to Eli?”

He nodded.

“And Eli was aware of that?”

“Yes.”

Since when? Does that mean Sorvan was approaching her on purpose?

But soon Ruby shook her head.

Their meeting seemed too natural for that. She had approached Sorvan herself, after all.

“Ruby, you can’t trust just anyone.”

So that’s why he said it, she realized.

“My men are looking into the situation now. I’ve also contacted the Marquis, so he should be back soon.”

“And Dominic?”

“She’s okay, thankfully. She was safe with Aaron at his home. My men have been there and spoken to him.”

Ruby patted her surprised chest.

“Dinner is prepared downstairs. If you’d like to eat here, I’ll bring it to you.”

“I’ll go downstairs.”

The man’s explanation was plausible, but not exactly believable.

She thought she’d at least familiarize herself with the layout of the mansion, just in case.