“I’m sorry, it would be less pleasant if I removed it.”

Instantly, her gaze changed.

“So, you’re that… woman from the South.”

Contempt was evident in her gaze towards me, a stranger.

I was taken aback.

What was this feeling?

It was as if she had already heard something bad about me. No, it was more than that.

“You’re sticking quite close to my brother, aren’t you?”

“!”

Something was off.

If she had heard about me, she should have known about the Duke taking poison for Arcadia. Yet, her attitude was…

I grabbed Arcadia’s arm, startled.

‘Stay calm, Commander.’

Then, as if to change the atmosphere, Infidel Nugent spoke up.

“Your Grace, a few days ago, the Duchess of Rahert sent a gift.”

‘A gift!’

“A gift from the Duchess of Rahert? That’s unexpected.”

The Duke’s voice deepened.

“Yes. She wishes to seek forgiveness for not being able to protect the North from the unfortunate disaster that befell the Southern Duchy, and sent a document transferring ownership of a pink diamond mine in the Central region.”

“Pink diamond mine. I see. Did you receive it personally?”

“No, I did not.”

“Then who did?”

“That’s…”

“I personally received it, Your Grace.”

Julia Nugent interrupted her brother.

“You did?”

There was doubt in the Duke’s voice.

‘So the gift has already arrived, and it’s with this woman.’

But a diamond mine as the only gift?

That couldn’t be all.

An uneasy premonition passed through me again.

“Yes, Your Grace. In the absence of a lady of the castle, being a lady and the only daughter of a noble house of the North, I was deemed the appropriate recipient. Perhaps a too formal delivery was seen as merely ceremonial.”

“Lady.”

“Yes.”

“The Duchess of Rahert doesn’t think of you as her equal, a lady.”

“!!!”

“Given that the incident involving the Commander and me was very public, reaching even the imperial court, your assumption to avoid formality is incorrect.”

“!”

‘Your Grace.’

The Duke had just issued a stern warning to Lady Nugent, signaling her to be cautious.

The white woman in front of me started to tremble with humiliation.

“Your words are wise, Your Grace.”

Infidel Nugent looked at his sister with angry eyes.

“Who brought the document?”

The Duke inquired, to which Earl Nugent replied.

“A messenger from the South, as I was told.”

“Where is he now?”

Julia intervened again.

“He returned to the South after delivering the document.”

“Returned? Immediately?”

“Yes. Right away.”

“Did you meet him personally? Earl Nugent, did you not see this man?”

“Yes… I apologize.”

Earl Nugent bowed his head. Julia also bowed slightly.

“I wanted to officially report to my brother, but he left immediately, so I was also taken aback.”

“What was he like?”

“Just an ordinary man.”

“An ordinary man. What was his position and name?”

“Drake, he said. Just a messenger…”

The Duke’s brow furrowed.

“Sloppy.”

At the Duke’s muttering, Lady Nugent’s shoulders trembled faintly.

An intuition told me.

‘There’s no way he just left the document and returned.’

I looked at Julia Nugent.

The white woman seemed to shine even brighter after the Duke’s warning, maintaining her graceful smile.

The inside of the Duke’s castle was even more grandiose and imposing than it appeared from the outside.

I was assigned to stay in a separate wing of the castle along with Brand and the other squires.

While official knights, Mobius, and Ergo had their own spaces in the main castle, squires like us used separate rooms in a sort of dormitory setting in the annex.

It was fortunate that the annex was right next to the main castle, and the stables were also here.

‘I can keep an eye on those coming and going. And Julia too.’

The room I was given had a direct view of the fourth-floor corridor of the main castle.
I entered the main castle under the simple pretext of meeting Arcadia.

I wanted to discuss Medea’s ‘gift’ with him.

“Is this about the right place?”

As I reached around the 3rd floor looking for Arcadia, I suddenly heard loud arguing.

“Julia! You naive foal!”

It was Arcadia.

The noise was coming from inside a room decorated with clear crystals, down the hallway.

“You’re the one who knows nothing, brother! I guarded this ducal castle even when you were away! I know more about the North than you!”

“What North do you know?”

“The real North! The one you, blinded by the Duke’s words, don’t know!”

“What did you say?”

“You’re the one who knows nothing!”

Julia Nugent growled furiously.

‘Julia Nugent.’

I coldly swallowed her name.

Then, feeling an unfamiliar presence behind me, I turned around.

There stood Lewine Axel.

She nodded lightly at me, her gaze not particularly warm.

She might have arrived before me and heard the quarreling siblings.

“Fine, let’s say you know the North better. But I know the South far better than you. You could be in danger! Let me show you a video.”

“A video?”

“A video my aide went through great trouble to obtain.”

“That girl is a spy from the South! Foolish brother!”

Bang— the door opened.

Julia Nugent stormed out.