“There’s something I suddenly have to do.”

“Something you have to do?”

“Well… It’s personal, so I can’t tell you the details.”

“Personal matters?”

“Yes. So, I want to take charge of managing the Duke’s garden again.”

I pondered all day yesterday.

How could I smoothly approach Duke Laverion.

Certainly, the best way was under the pretext of managing the garden.

My statement about delaying my studies seemed quite shocking; Kaern remained silent for a while.

I followed his silence to give him time to think.

After a while, Kaern’s lips, filled with a questioning gaze, finally moved.

“Are you really not going to study abroad? You said you really wanted to go.”

“Yes. I still want to go very much, but there’s something I must finish before that.”

“And you won’t tell me what it is?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t talk about it right now.”

“Harena.”

“All I can tell Kaern is that to accomplish that task, I have to take charge of managing the Duke’s garden again.”

“Well, that’s…”

Kaern sighed deeply, seeming frustrated, and then fell into thought.

Seeing him in agony, I briefly considered whether it might be better to tell him everything.

However, since I had already planned everything out, impromptu actions were out of the question.

Seeing that he wasn’t refusing as decisively as before, he might actually give his permission.
I restrained my impulses and carefully organized the tasks to be done next.

Perhaps due to the urgent goal of saving Kaern, my mind was much clearer and fresher than usual.

“Alright. Do as you wish.”

As expected, Kaern accepted my request.

“I’ll be careful not to disturb you while you work.”

“However.”

Kaern sharpened his gaze and stared at me intently.

“Even if it’s a trivial matter, it’s fine. If anything happens, let me know immediately.”

“Even the slightest thing?”

“Yes. Just promise me that.”

“Yes, I promise. I’ll let you know.”

I beamed at him, vigorously nodding my head up and down.

Seeing me like that, Kaern couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Then, while you’re here, let’s take a look around the garden today.”

“Let’s do that.”

After finishing the conversation with Kaern, I left the mansion.

Then, as usual, I wandered around the garden, exploring here and there.

“There must be some clue somewhere.”

But my mind was entirely focused on finding the place where the dead words were stored, poisoned by the venom.

However, knowing the location didn’t mean I could approach recklessly.

The security had become stricter, with many knights guarding the mansion.

Carefully avoiding their gaze and moving around cautiously, I found nothing suspicious.
“Nevertheless, I achieved today’s goal for now.”

It would be good to take one more step, but rushing could lead to mistakes.

So, with the thought of needing to plan the next steps more concretely, I returned home.

The next day, I visited Duke Laverion’s mansion early in the morning.

Remembering that I had assured Kaern I wouldn’t disturb him with greetings, I headed straight to the garden.

Since I had always managed the garden alone, there was no one around to observe my actions.

“I need to quickly find a place with information to move on to the next step.”

I wondered how many flowers I had been scrutinizing amid such concerns.

“Sigh.”

As I sighed deeply, thinking today was another futile effort, a familiar voice from outside the garden caught my attention.

“This way.”

“Yes. I understand.”

The familiar voice pierced my ears, and although I couldn’t see the face when I overheard the conversation, I remembered the voice.

“This voice…”

As soon as I saw the red hair, I could definitively identify who it was.

“He was Kaern’s adjutant.”
His name was Logan Lewis.

He was someone I often saw beside Kaern, so he didn’t seem unfamiliar.

The man with red hair gave orders to the knights accompanying him and distanced himself from the group.

I raised my head and carefully observed his retreating figure.

“Where is he going?”

Somehow, I had a hunch that following him might reveal some clues.

Quickly brushing off the dirt from my hands and hiding my presence, I followed the man.

Not long after, he entered a small building, far from the main mansion commonly used by the Duke’s people.

It didn’t look like the most well-maintained building among those in the Duke’s estate, and it didn’t seem to be used in typical circumstances.

Before entering the building, I tried to assess the interior, but the curtains on the windows prevented me from doing so.

“Where could this be?”

Although I had a strong desire to investigate firsthand, blindly entering could risk exposure to others.

However, I couldn’t linger outside indefinitely.

“It won’t work. I’ll have to come back at night.”

During the day, with its brightness and many people around, I couldn’t search the mansion.

Therefore, it seemed only natural to move under the cover of night when I could hide myself better.

Since staying there any longer increased the risk of being discovered, I hastily returned to the garden.
And as if nothing had happened, I finished tending to the garden as usual and then boarded the carriage to go home.

After a light dinner, as the world was shrouded in darkness, I prepared to go out again.

“Miss, are you going out alone this night?”

Amy asked me with eyes full of concern.

“Yeah. I’ll briefly visit the bookstore in the lively district.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll accompany you.”

“No, I want to go alone quietly.”

“But…”

Despite my repeated insistence, Amy frowned, not quite agreeing.

“I’ll be careful. Don’t worry and rest.”

“…Alright. Just stay in well-lit places, not dark ones.”

“Yeah.”

Leaving Amy behind, who continued to nag until I left, I rode the carriage to the bustling district.

As soon as I arrived at the bookstore, I told the coachman to wait because I planned to stay for quite a while.

Inside the bookstore, a few people were browsing books, engrossed in their own affairs.

Glancing at them briefly, I slipped out through the back door and caught a carriage used by the citizens.

After getting off near Duke Laverion’s mansion, I carefully headed towards the back to avoid being noticed.

Usually, noble mansions were surrounded by high walls, making it impossible for anyone to enter easily. There was no way to pass through except for the official entrance.
However, even if I didn’t know other places, I was well aware of the secret entrance of Duke Laverion’s mansion.

“I never thought I’d use the information Adelia gave me for something like this.”

Adelia used to sneak out of the mansion secretly from time to time.

I once asked her why she did that, as it was her own house, and she could confidently come out.

“It’s fun!”

“What?”

“It’s exhilarating to sneak out secretly.”

Her answer at that time felt both absurd and childish.

Anyway, because of that, I had waited for Adelia several times in front of the secret passage.

Of course, I had also followed Adelia through the passage, both outside and inside, so I knew this path better than anyone.

The secret passage was located about 100 meters away from the mansion, sponsored by the Duke.

There was a large, ancient tree at the location, and beneath it was the entrance to the secret passage.

“Sigh.”

After releasing a tense breath for a moment, I cleared the leaves and branches under the tree.

Then, a small wooden door, barely large enough for one person to enter, revealed itself.

Creak.

As I opened the door, the dim interior was faintly illuminated by the moonlight.

However, the light disappeared as soon as the door closed, and nothing could be seen.

“Where was the lantern?”

Running my hand near the entrance, I found the lantern without much difficulty. And easily, I had the lantern in my hands.