“Coming to ask about it in the middle of the night seems to be quite important.”

Even with a somewhat sarcastic remark, Will stared intently at Stella, waiting only for the subsequent answer.

For a brief moment, Stella couldn’t gauge whether it would be better to tell the truth or omit the part about personally clearing it. The fact that Daelun greeted him warmly wasn’t conclusive evidence that he was a trustworthy person.

“Yes, it’s very important. I’ll ask again, even if it’s impolite. Did Princess personally clear the stone tower?”

“It wasn’t intentional, but I did clear it myself. The stone tower collapsed because it lost balance and toppled over in the wind.”

Stella didn’t mention anything about the earth fairies to Will.

Closer to the expected answer, Will, looking at Stella, had a more determined gaze. When smiling at Daelun, his hazel eyes, which had seemed warm, now glinted like blocks of ice.

“So, you could touch the stone tower.”

That was the crux of the matter. It seemed he couldn’t touch the stone tower. Perhaps it was related to why the earth fairies couldn’t touch it either. Stella now felt more at ease than before.

“Yes. It was just a stone. It wasn’t dirty.”

As Stella spoke, as if it was no big deal, the man nodded with an inscrutable expression, then brought the teacup on the table to his lips.
A brief silence hung between them. Meanwhile, the earth fairies had finished the cookies Stella gave them, eagerly waiting for the next ones with hopeful eyes.

Thunk.

The sound of placing the teacup on the saucer was particularly loud. Stella, unexpectedly, found herself holding her breath and slowly exhaled. She worried that the man might notice her tension.

“But is it really for the sake of a mere stone tower that you came all the way here at this hour?”

This time, Stella asked what had been on her mind all along.

“I needed what was inside.”

The response came immediately.

At the same time, the gaze directed at Stella seemed so earnest and threatening that she almost confessed the existence of the pickaxe she had voluntarily placed under the bed and was about to present it to him.

Stella hid her trembling hands under the table and smiled brightly.

“It’s strange. I didn’t see anything. As you might know, it wasn’t such a big stone tower.”

Stella, trying to ignore her rapidly pounding heart, replied with a forced calm. She didn’t even think about lying, but the response spontaneously came out.

What the Duke wanted was Stella’s pickaxe. How he knew she had it inside the stone tower was unknown. Also, why, despite knowing about the pickaxe, he didn’t touch the stone tower remained a mystery.
But the only thought currently filling Stella’s mind was the absolute determination not to let the Duke take the pickaxe away from her.

Even in this moment when she was smiling leisurely, her heart was racing towards the bedroom where the pickaxe was. Stella exerted all her efforts not to show impatience.

While Will was nodding as if he understood, Stella could sense that he didn’t fully believe her words. Stella was familiar with that kind of gaze.

It was the predatory gaze that persistently digs and delves until it finally obtains what it desires—a gaze Stella knew well.

For a moment, Kai’s mind was muddled, perhaps due to a short nap, and he felt disoriented as he headed to the military training ground late into the night.

The military training ground, which he thought would be deserted, was brightly lit with torches scattered throughout. Will stood alone in the empty training ground, illuminated by the blazing torches.

His figure standing motionless with the torchlight behind him looked particularly lonely.

Despite likely sensing someone approaching, he didn’t turn around, indicating that he was deeply immersed in his own thoughts.

While Will’s ability to focus on one thing was a significant advantage, it occasionally acted as a major disadvantage.

“What are you doing without sleeping?”

Kai’s words, spoken as if to freshen the air, finally made Will turn around.

“If an old man like me doesn’t sleep, I’ll become all skin and bones.”
Kai casually pulled out a practice sword and held it up. Even though it was a practice sword, the artisan had crafted it with care, and it subtly shimmered under the moonlight.

Approaching closer, Will appeared smooth and unruffled, not shedding a single drop of sweat. It seemed he had done nothing but stand there. Kai wondered what could have stirred the master’s heart.

“Did you just arrive?”

“Yes.”

“Where… have you been?”

Kai asked, glancing over as if prying. If Will spoke the truth, Kai would be pleased, but even if he didn’t, there was nothing Kai couldn’t find out. His eyes reached every corner of the castle.

Lost in thought, Will casually swung the practice sword he was holding, drying the blade. Unconcerned, he replied, “I went to Verdhura Castle.”

“Verdhura Castle? Why there?”

Kai asked with a puzzled expression at the sudden and vague mention. The subtle change in Will’s eyes, usually indifferent, caught Kai’s attention.