***

Unlike the strict security of the western tower, the path there wasn’t quite as rigorous.

Since Astrid’s sleep was a secret, only a select few elite knights guarded the tower.

Of course, that didn’t mean it was easy to sneak to the western tower unnoticed.

Especially for two children with conspicuously shining heads that stood out in the darkness.

Leticia habitually kept pulling at the robe that dragged on the floor. The robe Chamuka had lent her was too big, making it uncomfortable to move.

“……”

Chamuka, hiding in the wall’s shadow, stared intently at Leticia standing beside him. Then he grabbed Leticia’s wrist which was tightly gripping the hem of the robe.

“What is it?”

Leticia, who had been craning her neck to look at the path behind the wall, turned her head.

Chamuka put his index finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Then he used the dagger strapped to his waist to cut off the hem of the robe.

The expensive fabric was cleanly cut by the blue-gleaming blade.

“…!”

Leticia’s eyes widened, having been moving carefully to avoid dirtying the borrowed clothes.

‘What a waste!’

Though she kept her voice down, her lip movements must have been visible as Chamuka responded.

“It’s fine.”

“It wasn’t a good length for stealing… but it looked expensive.”

“Stealing?”

Leticia laughed quietly.

After all, what else could you call their plan to retrieve the second prince’s coffin carefully stored in the Western tower?

Though it was an impulsive plan decided just tens of minutes ago, Chamuka had actively agreed to it.

“How did you get the coffin out in the first place?”

“I didn’t get it out. While my father was away in the Empire, I was in charge of it inside the western tower. I just… impulsively took it away.”

‘I’m still young after all.’ Chamuka added in a very small mutter, like a monologue.

From those words, Leticia noticed that Chamuka disliked his emotional side.

‘I wonder if he dislikes what we’re doing now too?’

Having thought that far, Leticia immediately grabbed Chamuka’s hand and ran out from behind the wall’s shadow.

Then just don’t give him time to think.

Since there wasn’t much security here anyway, they just needed to be careful of any potential patrols.

Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone around. Once they entered the forest, they felt even more at ease. There were more places to hide now.

Leticia approached the towering tower while stealthily hiding behind trees and bushes, still firmly holding Chamuka’s hand which he hadn’t found the timing to let go of.

The knights surrounding the tower could be seen from afar.

Facing the tight security that wouldn’t let even a squirrel through, let alone children, Leticia asked Chamuka.

“When do the knights rest?”

“Even though they work in three shifts, security never gets lax when knights rest.”

“Three shifts… You said before that other people can’t enter the tower, right?”

“Yes.”

While Chamuka was staring not at the tower but at his captured hand, Leticia let out a small exclamation and grabbed Chamuka’s robe.

“Lord Chamuka. Then the knights outside don’t know whether Tan is inside or not, right?”

“Probably.”

To begin with, the Grand Duke didn’t share what happened inside the tower with the knights. In fact, most knights didn’t even know what was actually in the tower.

“Then how about you pretend to carry Tan inside?”

“After yesterday, Father probably ordered them not to let me enter the tower either.”

That’s why they had to hide themselves to come here.

“But what if you take Tan? Since His Grace said Tan needs to be in that tower, couldn’t you use the excuse of bringing Tan there to get inside?”

“But Tan should already be inside.”

“The knights don’t know that, right? So I can pretend to be Tan.”

Leticia crouched down and covered herself with the robe.

“Like this. Just hold me well so I’m not visible and insist I’m Tan. Since you’ve often taken Tan around, wouldn’t everyone believe it?”

Even though Chamuka was quite capable for his age, he wasn’t skilled enough to break through the knights, so they had no better options.

Finally, Chamuka took off his own robe as well to wrap Leticia tightly and lifted her with both arms.

“You should stretch out your limbs. You’re smaller than Tan, so you need to look bigger.”

He could feel movement inside the robe. Chamuka thought it was somewhat ticklish.

“Like this?”

“Yes. Now be quiet, we’re going.”

Chamuka approached the tower while carrying Leticia wrapped tightly in cloth.

A knight spotted Chamuka and gave a silent bow.

Chamuka asked as usual.

“Where’s father?”

“He’s inside the tower.”

When he tried to enter naturally, the knight blocked him.

“I apologize, but His Grace has forbidden the First Young Master’s entry.”

“I know. I’m just going to drop Tan off quickly.”

“Please hand them over here.”

To this firm response, Chamuka questioned.

“They’re asleep, so are you going to carry them?”

Only the Grand Duke’s family members were allowed to touch Tan.

As the stern knight showed signs of difficulty, Chamuka immediately pressed on.

“Don’t enter the tower. Don’t let Tan go outside alone. Those are your highest-priority orders, right? I don’t think restricting my entry is more important than those.”

Based on past experience, this wasn’t wrong. The knight thought for a moment before speaking.

“Very briefly, First Young Master. Please don’t let His Grace catch you.”

Chamuka just nodded and opened the tower door.

After entering and closing the door, Leticia poked her face out from the bundle of cloth Chamuka was carrying.

“Please put me down.”

At the whispered request, he bent down to set her on the floor, and Leticia sprang up.

“Let’s quickly find it and leave. Where does His Grace keep the coffin?”

“This way.”

Chamuka climbed the tower with familiarity.

Though Leticia was a bit out of breath from fatigue, they soon reached the floor just below the top of the tower.

As Chamuka opened the door, he said.

“Mother is on the floor above. This is Tan’s room right below, and the coffin is here too.”

“Wow…”

Rather than a room, it looked more like some kind of laboratory.

Cabinets full of glittering glass bottles, mysterious stones, and piles of books stacked in one corner.

It looked like the wizard’s workshop she had only imagined.

She looked around while following Chamuka.

‘This might be Lady Astrid’s laboratory.’

The light from various hanging lamps reflected off the strangely colored glass bottles and stones, giving the whole room a dreamlike quality.

“…The coffin’s gone.”

“It’s not in its usual place?”

Leticia poked her head out from behind Chamuka.

In the center of the room. The floor, bathed in a bluish light, was sunken inward, but nothing was on it.

Whether it was a serious matter that the coffin wasn’t in its original place, Chamuka muttered with the most unsettled expression Leticia had seen from him so far.

“It should be here. If he was going to put it somewhere else, there was no point in taking it from me in the first place…”

That expression was tinged with anxiety.

At this, Leticia instinctively reached out as if to check the empty floor. Her hand touched the sunken floor.

At that moment, the tower shook.