“What do you mean by important matters…?”

In response to Kisa’s cautious question, Seiyard shook his head.

“I’m not sure either. It wasn’t written that far. Well, I’m an outsider now anyway.”

Kisa stared blankly at the breakfast in front of her and murmured quietly.

“It’s still too sudden. We didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Whether departing at dawn or in the morning, it’s only a difference of a few hours.

Even if they rushed, the journey to Favela Monastery would take several days.

Even in winter, it was hard to understand why he set out on such a long journey in the early dawn before sunrise.

‘Moreover, he seemed quite excited about our wedding.’

The image of him asking what she specifically wanted as a wedding gift while having tea together was clear in her mind.

“That’s true.”

Seiyard agreed with Kisa’s words almost too easily.

“Whatever the reason, it seems an important matter came up that required Brother Vicius. I’m disappointed too.”

And that was it. Seiyard naturally changed the subject, and Brother Vicius was not mentioned again in their conversation.

While doing her best to agree with Seiyard’s words, Kisa thought about the man who had disappeared from this mansion so quietly at dawn today.

That night, as Seiyard worked late, Kisa lay alone in the guest room bed, staring at the ceiling.

Was Brother Vicius really heading to Favela Monastery now?

If she wanted, Kisa could send someone there in a few days to inquire about Brother Vicius. To see if he was safely alive.

‘No, that doesn’t get to the root of the answer.’

Favela Monastery is a closed place, and the abbot is very friendly towards Seiyard.

If it were Seiyard, he could easily hide it even if Brother Vicius was missing.

Even if Vicius was fine, it wouldn’t completely resolve the doubts Kisa harbored.

Her suspicion that he was Seiyard’s accomplice was just her own deduction.

Kisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

…It was time to make a decision.

She was quite aware of her own limitations.

‘I’m not a detective.’

Even if Seiyard really was a murderer, if he was determined to cover up his crime, Kisa would likely not even find a clue.

He was smarter than Kisa, had a higher position, and was more capable.

‘Come to think of it, unless there were unavoidable circumstances, he wouldn’t have left behind anything that could be evidence.’

Anyway, for those reasons, there were two paths before Kisa now.

The path of considering him a murderer despite lack of evidence, and the path of believing in his innocence despite suspicions.

The suspicions were enough. Now she had no choice but to make up her mind and push forward in one direction.

‘But…’

There was one place Kisa needed to check before that.

Over the past few days, while staying at this mansion, she had carefully observed Seiyard’s surroundings.

The day after spending the night together in his bedroom, after Seiyard left first, no one found it suspicious that Kisa lingered there longer.

She also thoroughly searched his office under the pretext of watching Seiyard work as usual, when he was away for meetings and such.

As for the treasure vault of Hillan, which was no different from a large safe, she had checked inside it earlier today.

Seiyard, who finally had some free time, seemed to feel bad for leaving his lover alone and gladly indulged her curiosity about what treasures the Hillan family had.

While pretending to be engrossed in looking at various paintings and jewels, she thoroughly examined the surroundings but couldn’t find a single suspicious item.

To be honest, Kisa felt she had done as much as she could up to this point.

There was a possibility that he had hidden things in other places like bank safety deposit boxes or Hillan Castle in the territory, but those were out of her reach for now.

‘Well, keeping evidence of murder far away from oneself is dangerous too…’

Anyway, there was no place in this mansion that Kisa hadn’t examined. Except for one.

“Please promise me that you will not open this room no matter what happens.”

The secret room. The place where Seiyard’s deeply personal secrets lay dormant.

Recalling Seiyard asking her not to open that room, Kisa gritted her teeth.

At the time, surprised by the unexpected request, she hadn’t clearly promised that she would.

However, by not raising any questions afterwards, it could be said she had given tacit consent.

“…”

Thinking about breaking that promise made her feel guilty.

Imagining Seiyard’s disappointed face if he found out made her mouth go dry and feel anxious.

But she had to do it.

With even Brother Vicius suspiciously disappearing, she couldn’t just stand by as if it were someone else’s business.

‘Should I have stopped him back then?’

She was filled with belated regret, wondering if she should have somehow prevented him from staying at the mansion.

Thinking about it coolly, the chances of evidence of murder being in an ordinary room rather than a safe were slim.

But before making a final conclusion, she desperately wanted to do everything she could.

Whichever path she chose, she didn’t want to leave any more regrets if possible.

Now that she had made a decision, the means were the problem.

‘How should I enter the secret room?’

As she was wondering if she needed to get the brass key from Seiyard again, there was a knock at the door.

Soon after, a low voice followed.

“Kisa, are you still awake?”

It was Seiyard.

“Come in.”

At Kisa’s answer, Seiyard opened the door and entered the room.

He gestured to stop Kisa as she tried to get up and approached the bed.

“I apologize if I woke you.”

“It’s alright. I was just lying awake because I couldn’t sleep.”

“Is it because of nightmares?”

“Of course not. My nightmares have decreased quite a bit since coming here. I’m still excited from seeing the inside of the treasure vault earlier.”

“If I had known you would like it this much, I should have shown you sooner.”

Kisa looked at Seiyard’s silhouette beyond the darkness and spoke.

“By the way, how did your work go?”

He had been holed up in his office with Gilliam since after dinner, saying a sudden matter needed to be discussed.

From the looks of it, the atmosphere seemed serious and not likely to end soon, so Kisa had come to the guest room instead of Seiyard’s bedroom.

“Actually, that’s why I’ve come to see you at this late hour, despite the rudeness.”

“What? Did something happen?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The raw material issue that’s been giving me headaches these past few days is causing trouble again. This time, I need to go to the warehouse where they’re stored and check their condition myself.”

“Where is that?”

“Our family’s territory.”

That was quite far from the capital.

“When are you leaving?”

“I plan to depart as soon as dawn breaks. Gilliam will be accompanying me.”

“…Will it take long?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely return at least a week before the wedding, no matter how late it gets.”

Seiyard stroked Kisa’s hair gently and said in a soft voice.

“If you wish, you can continue staying at this mansion. No, I’d like it if you would.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kisa felt something metallic touch her hand.

Seiyard had placed something in it.

“I entrust this place to you while I’m gone. As the future mistress.”

She could immediately tell what the object in her hand was by its shape.

The brass key.

The item Seiyard had once given to Kisa and then taken back, a symbol of the authority of the Duchess of Hillan.

This key could open every door in the mansion.

Every door…

As Kisa remained silent under its heavy weight, Seiyard gently kissed her lips.

The kiss wasn’t very long. His lips, which parted leaving a lingering regret, moved again.

“I’ll take my leave now. I’d like to stay with you longer, but since I’m leaving early in the morning, I’m concerned about disturbing your sleep. Please sleep in tomorrow.”

What a kind person. This man who is putting aside his own desires and withdrawing quietly out of consideration for Kisa who is up late.

Overcome with affection, Kisa embraced Seiyard as he was about to leave.

“Please return safely.”

He then wrapped his arms around Kisa’s back.

“Of course.”

Afterwards, the two shared each other’s warmth in the darkness for a while.

On the day Seiyard left the mansion early in the morning, Kisa spent a day no different from usual.

The next day was the same.

Until two days had passed since he left, no special incidents occurred.

It was still cold, but the weather was clear without a speck of dust, and there was no news of people who had left for unexpected reasons returning.

In the middle of the night, as she secretly left the guest room and walked down the corridor, Kisa thought.

‘By now, they must be quite far from the capital.’

Even if they suddenly turned back, it would take at least two days to arrive.

During her stay here, she had roughly figured out the movements of the servants who roamed the mansion at night.

The Hillan mansion had rather strict rules, so there were hardly any people wandering around privately other than for designated duties like locking up.

This was especially true in areas lined with important places like the Duke’s office and bedroom.

If one loitered around such places needlessly, they were likely to be suspected as a spy sent from another family.

Anyway, for that reason, no one interfered as Kisa came out with a lamp and reached the front of Seiyard’s office.

Her destination was a room a few doors down from the office.

Kisa took out the brass key she had brought and carefully inserted it into the hole and turned it.

The lock opened very simply, and the door moved smoothly without making a single creaking sound.

A moment later, she swallowed dryly and illuminated the dark room with her lamp.