“Annie. Bring me a quill pen, ink, and parchment. I need to write a reply immediately.”

“Yes, miss.”

Annie quickly retrieved them from the drawer and brought them to me. Unfolding the parchment, I wrote the Duke’s name at the top, then composed a single line letter.

Afterwards, I put it in an envelope, sealed it tightly, and handed it to Annie, saying:

“Tell the Duke that I absolutely will not accept a refusal reply.”

“Yes, I will.”

Annie nodded her head and then left my bedroom with the letter.

A day and a half after I replied to the Duke’s letter.

After finishing a simple dinner, I changed into a comfortable dress and sat on the sofa looking out the window. The setting sun dyed the whole sky red. As the sunset faded and darkness fell, I rose from the sofa. Turning to Annie standing beside me, I said:

“Annie, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it, miss?”

“Let’s switch dresses, you and I.”

“What?”

“Wrap your arm in bandages just like me, and pretend to be me sleeping in my bed tonight. Can you do that?”

At my words, Annie cried out in horror:

“H-how could I dare to wear your dress and lie in your bed pretending to be you? I can’t do it! What if the Duke or Miss Danae comes looking for you?!”

“Then absolutely do not open the bedroom door, and say ‘The young lady seems to have a bit of a cold, so she took some medicine and went to sleep.’ Just hold out like that. I’ll be back before dawn at the latest, so you only need to keep it up until then.”

“What? What are you saying? Where on earth are you going alone at this late hour?!”

“I’ll explain later. So hurry and lend me your dress. We don’t have time for this right now.”

I urged Annie impatiently. Annie rolled her eyes as if she didn’t know what to do. Then she sighed deeply and said:

“…You promise you’ll return safely, right?”

“Yes. I promise.”

“You must keep that promise.”

Annie said that, then took off the worn dress she was wearing. I handed her the dress I was wearing and changed into Annie’s dress. A few minutes later, I had completely transformed into the appearance of a maid. I put on the outdoor robe Annie held out, then said to Annie lying on the bed:

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“…Please, please be careful and come back, miss.”

I silently nodded my head.

After that, I safely passed through the back door of the mansion, avoiding the eyes of the maids in the annex. It was thanks to taking advantage of the gap when security was concentrated there during the Duke and his daughter’s dinner time. I passed through the alley where darkness had fallen and headed for 12 Royal Street. Then I saw an old wagon stopped ahead on the road. I immediately approached the wagon and knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

Then the wagon door slowly opened, revealing Duke Elliot Haven dressed in a plain navy uniform and a hooded long robe.

I took the hand he held out to me with a stony face and climbed onto the wagon, saying:

“Thank you, Duke.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The Duke replied briefly as he closed the door. Soon the wagon departed at a rapid pace.

I glared at the Duke, who was staring out the quickly passing window with an expressionless face and arms folded, and said:

“Are you that angry that I said I’d join you in this matter?”

Hearing my words, the Duke slightly furrowed his brow and met my gaze, saying:

“Do I look angry?”

“If not, then what? To me, it looks like ‘It’s really annoying and unpleasant that someone I wish would stay out of it has followed along, even going so far as to disguise themselves.'”

I retorted in a slightly sharp voice.

At that, the Duke’s eyes widened slightly. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if unsure what to say. Then he let out a deep sigh and said:

“It’s not like that. …It’s just.”

“Just what?”

“A normal lady would say ‘Since I came up with the strategy, I’ll leave dealing with the assassin to you,’ but I couldn’t quite understand why you would insist on coming along, taking on various risks.”

“…What?”

“Isn’t that right? We have to stop the leader of a skilled assassin’s guild that has moved without a sound until now. Even a decently trained knight would want to avoid that mission if possible. Yet you volunteered to go there yourself.”

“…That’s.”

“There are countless cases of precious lives lost because they couldn’t stop a single assassin, even with several skilled guard knights. So what confidence do you have to jump directly into an assassination scene when you’ve never held a sword or learned magic?”

The Duke furrowed his brow as if he truly couldn’t understand.

I felt my head go blank at the Duke’s words. I asked him with a dazed expression:

“So you’re saying you’re worried about me?”

The Duke let out a snort of laughter and replied:

“Why, am I not allowed to?”

I opened my eyes wide in disbelief and exclaimed:

“No, who expresses worry in such a nasty way?”

“Nasty? Me?”

“Isn’t it? Who suddenly tells someone to stay out of it!”

“Then how should I have said it? Should I have said I’ll handle it, so you just watch quietly?”

The Duke shot back in an indifferent voice. I lost my words and stared blankly at him, then just shook my head.

‘There’s a limit to being clumsy with expressions and being direct.’

I was about to ask if he couldn’t have spoken more kindly, but I gave up.

How should I put it, I felt deflated. I didn’t know a duke could be this poor at speaking nicely. I felt foolish for getting angry at his letter a few days ago. I sighed and said:

“…Alright. Thank you for worrying about me. But I had no choice because I’m absolutely necessary to prevent Viscount Miles’ assassination.”

“…What exactly is this situation where you’re absolutely necessary?”

The Duke immediately asked. I replied with a grim expression:

“That man trying to assassinate the Viscount, ‘Death’s Pursuer’ Roylot, is a master of disguise. If he sets his mind to it, he can transform into anything. Whether male, elderly. Even a child or woman.”

“…What? I don’t understand how that’s possible.”

“He’s small for a man, large for a woman, with indistinct features. Plus he’s skilled in disguise. Someone seeing him for the first time wouldn’t suspect his face is a disguise at all. They’d just think he’s a passerby or a servant of the mansion. Sometimes they even mistake him for family or a lover. That’s how victims met their deaths without even realizing he was an assassin.”

“…”

“The only ones who can recognize his disguises are Duke Yusten and the Duke’s butler, who have observed him closely for a long time, and Danae and me. That’s why I said I’d go out there despite the danger.”

“…I see.”

The Duke nodded slightly, muttering to himself in response to my calmly continued words.

Just then, the running wagon came to a stop. The Duke immediately pulled up the hood of the robe he had taken off and said to me:

“Hearing your explanation, I understand to some extent. But that doesn’t mean I want to praise it as a good choice.”

“What did you say?”

I retorted angrily.

The Duke got out of the wagon first, then looked straight at me and said:

“Stay by my side until that Roylot fellow appears. If you don’t like that, receive protection from my knights. And the moment that guy appears and attempts assassination, my knights and I will stop him, so you run to the wagon without looking back. Understand?”

“…”

“Answer me. Do you understand?”

“…I understand.”

When he urged me, I answered with a dazed expression.

Only then did the Duke hold out his hand to me as if escorting me. I absently took his hand and got out of the wagon. His ungloved hand was very large and hot. The moment I realized that, the moment my feet touched the ground, I hastily shook off his hand. The Duke looked at me as if seeing something strange, then moved his steps.

“Duke. This way.”

As we were walking down a main road in a quiet suburban town with mansions scattered here and there, following the Duke, a voice called out to us from an alley.

It was the Duke’s knights. I approached them with the Duke, who like them was dressed inconspicuously as a knight. The Duke hid his body in the shadows of the alley like them and asked directly:

“Was there any trouble until I arrived?”

“No, Your Grace.”

“No word from those pursuing Viscount Miles? Where is the Viscount now?”

“According to the news Sir Roger just sent via falcon, the Viscount passed through the 4th gate a short while ago.”

“That means the Viscount will arrive here within 20 minutes at the latest. …Don’t let your guard down at all. Understand? Don’t let anyone approach the Viscount easily.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

When the Duke commanded, the knights all answered in small voices.

I also nodded my head slightly along with them. As I thought about the Viscount arriving here soon, I started to feel nervous. As I was taking deep breaths to calm those feelings, the Duke suddenly grabbed my hand lightly.

Then he put me behind his back and said:

“This way, you’ll be able to safely watch the Viscount and anyone approaching him.”

“…Duke.”

“Don’t let your guard down. You haven’t forgotten what I said earlier, have you? If anything happens, abandon me and everyone here and run away.”

“I understand.”

I swallowed dryly and answered. Then I put on the hood I had taken off to cover my face.