Chapter 10

10. Michael Alberden

Outside the food warehouse, several carts were lined up. Adelaide slipped between the kitchen attendants carrying trays and entered the storage room.
 
Jensen was talking to a strange man. It was Sycamore Venture.
 
Unlike a few days ago, Sycamore had dyed his hair brown, and he could have been mistaken for a real grocer.
 
Adelaide greeted him with a smile.
 
“Welcome.”
 
“Thank you for entrusting me with this, Your Grace.”
 
Their eyes met, and Sycamore smiled meaningfully. Adelaide returned the favor with a light smile and turned to the chef.
 
“What is the condition of the ingredients?”
 
“Everything is of the highest quality, including many fish and spices that are hard to find here.”
 
The head cook, who had been promoted to head chef, replied in a reminiscent voice. It was clear he was delighted to finally have access to premium ingredients after always using inferior ones.
 
“Make sure you don’t miss anything, and if you do, tell him.”
 
“I will.”
 
When the cartloads were almost all carried to the storage room, Jensen stepped out.
 
“May I see the bill?”
 
“Here it is.”
 
Jensen handed over the invoice and pushed up his glasses. Sycamore spoke unchalantly.
 
“That’s 500 cels per quarter.”
 
“Five hundred cels?”
 
The chef gasped at the price, which was nearly double what he was used to. At their reaction, Sycamore adds.
 
“It may seem expensive, but the results will be more than worth it.”
 
That was true. Sycamore had come to offer his support, and hesitating over a mere 500 cels would be foolish.
 
Adelaide, who had made up her mind but needed someone to back her up, turned to the chef.
 
“What do you think?”
 
“It’s expensive, but… considering the quantity and quality, it’s not an unreasonable price.”
 
“Right.”
 
Adelaide nodded, satisfied that she had the answer she wanted.
 
“I’ll make the contract. We’ll talk about the details when we get inside.”
 
“Okay.”
 
“Jensen, tell Elaine that we have company and to bring out some refreshments.”
 
“Yes, My Lady.”
 
Adelaide led Sycamore into the parlor. Once she confirmed that no one was listening, Sycamore spoke first.
 
“You somehow figured it was me.”
 
“If you’re that clueless, you don’t deserve to be hired, Sycamore.”
 
“Are you feeling alright?”
 
“You’ve seen …….”
 
“It’s so loud, I couldn’t resist looking.”
 
She was embarrassed, feeling like a mere chef had attacked her after making such a confident threat.
 
“That made it easy for me to make the decision.”
 
Sycamore said it with a subtle smile. Adelaide raised an eyebrow.
 
“The Duke seems to value you a lot. Even though it could have been a situation where he could have been stabbed with a knife, he jumped in without hesitation.”
 
“You’re exaggerating.”
 
“Exaggeration?”
 
“The Duke is a man of great grace, and I’m sure he would have done the same if it were someone else in danger, not me.”
 
“Well, that may be true.”
 
She coughed, feeling a little faint.
 
“Excuse me.”
 
The conversation was interrupted by Elaine’s arrival with refreshments. Elaine set down her teacup and squinted at Sycamore.
 
“Thank you. You can leave now.”
 
“Do you have anything else for me to do?”
 
She replied calmly, despite the obvious ploy.
 
“The weather is warming up, so it would be good to take out the spring clothes and wash the winter ones.”
 
“Now……?”
 
“Yes, since we’re talking about it, let’s also change the curtains and sheets. Margaret is sick, so you’ll have to work harder.”
 
“…….”
 
With a sigh, Elaine, burdened with chores, left the reception room with a disgruntled expression.
 
Sycamore, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, spoke up.
 
“She’s a curious maid.”
 
“I’ll be sending her away soon, but I’m afraid she knows too much, and I’m reluctant to send her to her new master.”
 
“I see.”
 
The answer was short and sharp, but it was enough.
 
Elaine would die as soon as she was cast out of the castle.
 
And Sycamore would make sure it was done so neatly that no one would even know she was dead.
 
Sipping her tea, Adelaide changed the subject.
 
“By the way, about that bill you showed me earlier, is it really 500 cels?”
 
“Is that too much for you?”
 
“It seems like too cheap a price for hiring someone like you.”
 
“The butler seems to have a different opinion.”
 
“Well, he’s the one in charge of the castle. Never mind, say as much as you need to.”
 
Sycamore straightened up and sat down.
 
“I don’t need money.”
 
“You don’t want anything in return?”
 
“No. I said I wouldn’t take money, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t take anything in return.”
 
“Then…… what do you want in return?”
 
“When all is said and done, give me the heart of the man who slaughtered my family.”
 
The smile from earlier was gone. His eyes were filled with nothing but hatred and rage.
 
A chill ran down the nape of Adelaide’s neck.
 
Would he know that she was there when Elkius gave the order that day?
 
“Very well.”
 
Anyway, the price will not be paid unless the job is successfully completed. Even if the job is completed safely, there is no guarantee that Sycamore and she herself will be safe.
 
Adelaide readily accepted the offer.
 
“I’ll take my leave.”
 
Sycamore drained the rest of his teacup in one swift gulp and stood up.
 
“I will bring food supplies once every two weeks.”
 
“I see. I’ll send someone to the store if I need to contact you.”
 
“As you wish. Is there anything else you would like me to do?”
 
“Next time, please send me a bottle of wine made with Tolaca fruit.”
 
Sycamore frowned. Adelaide urged him to answer gently.
 
“It won’t be hard for you to get it, will it?”
 
“I can get it, but…….”
 
Sycamore, who figured out Adelaide’s plan just by asking her to get Tolaca wine, became silent.
 
It is little known that Tolaca fruit can cause toxicity when it comes in contact with Nerium leaves.
 
This is because Tolaca fruits are bitter and astringent, so they weren’t considered edible, and the toxicity wouldn’t manifest unless someone had been taking Nerium leaves for a long time.
 
So it wasn’t a common way to poison someone.
 
“I don’t want my client to die as soon as I sign the contract.”
 
“Don’t worry about it. I also value my life.”
 
“……I see.”
 
Adelaide rose to her feet as the last item was finalized.
 
The conversation had dragged on too long. Since there were people in the castle keeping an eye on her, she still needed to be cautious.
 
“Thank you for coming. Please leave now.”
 
“I’ll see you soon.”
 
Adelaide returned to her room after dismissing him. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had solved one of her biggest problems.
 
With Sycamore on board, her maneuvering space had significantly expanded.
 
Even if she couldn’t be sure how cooperative he would be, as long as their goals aligned, they wouldn’t let go of each other’s hands until they achieved their objectives.
 
‘Though I can’t guarantee what will happen once the work is done and its purpose disappears.’
 
We don’t know how long it will take to get there, so it’s not something we need to think about now.
 
‘Now that one obstacle has been overcome, the next one…’
 
Before her second gamble with her life, Adelaide went out onto the terrace to cool off her tangled hair.
 
The breeze that blew through her hair brought with it the smell of fresh grass.
 
The crisp breeze signaled the end of winter, and she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them.
 
“….Your Grace?”
 
She met Callion’s gaze, who was standing on the adjacent terrace.
 
Why was he here? At this time, he should have been either training on the training grounds or working in the office.
 
“They told me to go outside for a minute to change the curtains.”
 
As if reading her thoughts, Callion spoke softly.
 
As it turned out, that was Callion’s room.
 
His room was only one room away from Adelaide’s.
 
Considering that the middle room was the couple’s bedroom that had never been used, it was like the next room.
 
Although he spent most of his day in the office or training grounds, he seemed to sleep in his room.
 
“Why did you come out without a coat when it’s chilly?”
 
“I like the sunshine; I’ll be inside in a minute.”
 
“How’s your wrist?”
 
“Oh. It’s much better.”
 
Adelaide rolled up her sleeve to show him the wound. The purple-black bruise had faded considerably.
 
“Lucid greeted you in the morning, didn’t he?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“He’s a smart guy, so he’ll be helpful.”
 
“Thank you for your concern.”
 
Adelaide gave him a half-hearted bow and fastened her collar.
 
“Then…… I’ll go inside first.”
 
“Do you have anything to tell me?”
 
“What?”
 
Callion shook his head as if he didn’t know what to say.
 
“No. Go on in.”
 
⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜
 
Adelaide quickly left the terrace. Callion, who had been watching her from where she stood, turned his head towards the castle gate.
 
Unlike many castles that had gates for people and gates for goods, Tiflis Castle had only one entrance. This was to prevent enemies from sneaking in.
 
Callion watched the wagon carefully as it exited the gates. It had come in loaded with groceries and was leaving the castle empty-handed after unloading its goods.
 
It was the grocer she had met with earlier that day.
 
Julian did some background checks and found nothing unusual about the grocer, other than the fact that he’d been in business for about seven years.
 
But there must be a reason why Adelaide chose that man’s store among the many grocers.
 
Callion wondered what that reason might be. As if feeling a piercing gaze, the man at the head of the procession turned around.
 
The face was familiar.
 
‘Where had I seen him before? ’
 
He tried to recall the man’s identity, but he couldn’t.
 
As he turned away, a name flashed through his mind, as if he were being overly sensitive.
 
“……Michael Alberden?”