“Aagh!” 

The assassin screamed and covered his eyes. Sarah didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly pulled Ciela away from him. Seizing the moment, Calix struck the blinded man down with his sword. As the commotion died down, silence returned to the now chaotic room. 

“Are you all right?” 

“I’m fine, but the room is a mess.”

“That can easily be fixed.”

Calix said nonchalantly as he carefully inspected her neck. Although there wasn’t a single scratch, his gaze lingered on her neck, unwilling to move. 

“You understood their code earlier. Do you know who they were?” 

He had originally planned to keep the last one alive for questioning, but seeing her taken hostage had made him lose control of his powers. Instead of answering, Ciela picked up one of the sword scabbards that had fallen among the masked assailants. 

“The bat emblem engraved on the scabbard is a mark of the dogs of the Marquis Arcel.”

As someone who frequently appeared as an ally of the heroine, it wasn’t difficult to remember their identity. They were individuals who followed only the orders of the Marquis Arcel. 

“Judging from their comment about the target being absent, it seems that they wanted to deal with Turbin.”

It was likely that Turbin had gone to the Marquis and provoked him severely. Ciela dropped the scabbard back to the ground. 

‘The Marquis is hiding something from me.’ 

Turbin’s earlier screams echoed vividly in her mind. This was no time to linger. 

“Calix, I think we have to meet Turbin.” 

As if expecting this, Calix held out his hand to her. 

“Let’s go to the Duke’s villa together.” 

Following his lead, Ciela soon found herself in the Icarus Duke’s mansion. The damp, oppressive air of the underground sent shivers down her spine. Sarah stayed behind to wait above while Ciela accompanied Calix deep into the underground chambers. 

As their footsteps echoed through the silence for some time, they finally came upon Turbin, leaning against the wall, resting. 

“…….” 

Turbin, his gaze unfocused, reacted belatedly to the approaching presence. His eyes darted between Calix and Ciela before he suddenly grabbed the iron bars as if to break them. 

“Ciela! P-Please, get me out of here!” 

He begged desperately, his voice trembling. 

“This place is terrible! Please, help me! I beg you!” 

Though his limbs appeared unharmed, his face was unnaturally pale and mottled. 

‘Can someone’s face deteriorate like that in just half a day?’ 

As Ciela stepped back, startled by his unexpected reaction, a man standing silently beside the cell adjusted his glasses with a deliberate movement. 

“Who gave you the audacity to speak so disrespectfully?” 

“Ah! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Turbin stammered, immediately crouching down. 

Turbin, shaking uncontrollably, backed away from the iron bars in an instant. His anxious behaviour drew Ciela’s attention to the man who had frightened him. As she studied the bespectacled man’s appearance, a realisation struck her. 

‘He is Calix’s aide.’ 

The dark circles under his eyes, as dark as a manhole, matched the description in the book perfectly. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady-no, Miss Ciela. I am Rune, advisor to His Grace, the Duke of Icarus.”

Rune said with a friendly smile and bowed politely. Despite his politeness, Calix gave him a sharp look, probably because of his loose tongue. 

“I have heard rumours of a skilled mage and advisor at Calix’s side for a long time. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Rune.”

Though they briefly exchanged words about the fairy’s curse, the more pressing matter at hand cut their conversation short. Maintaining his friendly smile, Rune gestured towards Turbin. 

“He has promised to tell you everything, Miss Ciela. Feel free to ask him anything you need.” 

…What on earth have they done to him? 

Ciela glanced at the harmless-looking Rune before shifting her gaze to Turbin. Whatever he had been through wasn’t her main concern. She simply nodded. 

“I’m here to hear the truth you mentioned yesterday.” 

“B-Before that, can you let me out of here?” 

“It is in both our interests that you speak correctly. Isn’t that right, Rune?” 

“You are absolutely right. It’s best to avoid unnecessary embellishments.”

“Although it might be entertaining if he doesn’t speak clearly.”

He added with a twinkle in his previously lifeless eyes, which now shone predatory like those of a hyena. 

Turbin shivered violently as the memories of what he had endured in the cell flooded back. Desperation gripped him as he hastily opened his mouth. 

“I will speak! No, I will speak! I swear!” 

Turbin clung to the iron bars, snot dripping from his nose. 

“The thing Marquis Arcel is hiding… is…” 

His voice, shaking as he tried to hold back his sobs, echoed through the underground prison. 

“…the legacy the late Marquis Arcel left you.” 

Ciela moved closer to the cell. Her blue eyes flickered intensely in the damp, shadowy confines of the underground prison. 

“Explain in more detail.” 

“He… He wanted me to transfer the late Marquis’ inheritance to him, using the fact that a married couple can manage each other’s assets.” 

Turbin, who had instinctively begun to speak informally, quickly lowered his head and corrected himself under Rune’s sharp gaze. 

“In return, Marquis Arcel promised to help me earn my father’s forgiveness.” 

“If he paid such a large sum, it means that the late Marquis left me something even more valuable. What did Marquis Arcel entrust to you to give you such a task?” 

“If I steal the inheritance, my father will know the whole truth. How can I do that?”

Given Count Turtlik’s personality, he would have Turbin removed from the family register immediately if he knew the truth. The inheritance of the late Marquis Arcel might be considerable, but it couldn’t compare to the security of living under the support of the family. That was the decision he made at the time. But none of that matters now. 

Ciela rubbed her face with her hands and looked at Turbin through her fingers. His anxious, fidgety behaviour spoke volumes. 

‘It seems he has nothing more to say.’ 

Just as she turned to leave, thinking her business was done, 

“Ciela!” 

He called to her, desperation thick in his voice. He had to beg her to get him out of there. She was the only lifeline he could cling to, even if it was a rotten rope. 

Turbin reached through the iron bars and tried to grab her, but before he could touch her, Calix grabbed his wrist. 

“Don’t you dare reach out with those filthy hands.” 

“Aagh! Let me go, please!” 

Turbin struggled desperately, feeling as if his wrist would snap at any moment. His panicked movements stopped abruptly as he met Calix’s piercing red eyes, glowing with a menacing intensity. The sheer weight of killing intent pressed down on him, rendering even his survival instincts powerless. 

Turbin swallowed slowly, his mind blurred with fear. When he came to, he was alone. There was no one to save him. 

* * * 

Ciela had intended to visit the late Marquis’s lawyer immediately, but it proved unnecessary. Calix, who had interrogated Turbin earlier, had already summoned him. 

“The trial will last about a week.”

“Thank you for coming, even at this late hour.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just doing my duty.” 

The lawyer smiled faintly, the fine lines on his face creasing slightly. As the former lawyer of the late Marquis Arcel, he was genuinely pleased to see Ciela again after such a long time. Thinking of young Ciela and the late Marquis, he spoke softly. 

“I am glad to see that you have overcome your grief. If the late Marquis knew, he would surely be happy.” 

Hearing these words, Ciela looked up sharply from the documents. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Marquis Arcel himself told me.” 

The lawyer began to tell her everything that had happened. 

After the death of the late Marquis, the current Marquis Arcel explained the situation, saying that Ciela was so shocked by her grandfather’s death that she had a seizure at the mention of his name. So he couldn’t even mention the inheritance to Ciela. 

“Every year I wrote a letter to His Excellency, the Marquis, requesting a visit to the Arcel estate, but each time I was told that you were still unwell and therefore not allowed to visit.”

“I was very worried about you at the time.”

‘So that’s how he blocked the lawyer’s visits.’ 

Ciela let out a dry laugh and played with the ends of her hair. This time she didn’t feel a wave of anger. It was as if she had swallowed bitter coffee, leaving only a lingering bitterness on her tongue. 

‘Now I understand why he acted the way he did.’

How much it must have bothered him that the late Marquis’ inheritance was going to her – someone who wasn’t his biological daughter or the late Marquis’ true grandchild? 

“Is something wrong?” 

The lawyer, who had belatedly noticed that her expression was unusual, asked with concern. 

“Could you keep it a secret from Marquis Arcel – my father – about the inheritance the late Marquis left me?”

“Are you saying…” 

“And, if possible, I’d like you to start asking him about my well-being again from time to time, like you used to.”

Although her mind was reeling, Ciela remained steadfast in doing what needed to be done. The lawyer’s face grew heavy. He wasn’t stupid enough not to understand why she was making such a request. From the depths of his faint, distant memories, he recalled the worry that the late Marquis Arcel had often revealed to him. 

“I wonder if the child will be all right when I’m gone. 

“I’ll do as you ask.” 

“Thank you for agreeing.” 

“It’s not a difficult request. More importantly, the late Marquis left you a considerable sum in his will.” 

Since it was common knowledge that Calix was Ciela’s lover, the lawyer had no objections when the Duke instructed him to bring the documents and will regarding the late Marquis’ inheritance. 

“It seems that the late Marquis had many things he wanted to say to you during his lifetime.” 

The lawyer handed her a box containing the will. 

“Would you like to read it now?”