* * *
Outside of the Imperial Palace and the ducal estate, this was the safest place.
If not for her handwritten letter, the knight guarding the front gate would have thoroughly searched the entire carriage.
“Sir Nertian?”
Elizabeth entered the room with surprise written all over her face upon hearing of the unexpected visit.
The letter she had received was one Sylvian had gotten after befriending the duchess—meant to be used only in urgent situations.
“Everyone out.”
The moment she stepped into the room and saw the small figure seated beside Martius, she ordered all her maids to leave.
“My lady—”
“He is someone I personally summoned. It’s fine. Everyone, leave us.”
The maids hesitated, uneasy about leaving a knight alone with an unidentified guest, but Elizabeth did not budge.
The hooded figure did not move until the last maid left the room.
“…Sylvian?”
At Elizabeth’s cautious question, Sylvian pulled back his hood.
“Have you been well, Elize?”
“Oh, heavens.”
Seeing his sunken cheeks and exhaustion, even worse than when she’d last seen him, Elizabeth rushed forward and pulled him into an embrace.
“What happened?! Are you hurt anywhere?!”
She had been worried sick ever since hearing about the kidnapping.
Her tears flowed freely.
Pat, pat.
“I’m okay. I’m not hurt anywhere.”
Karl had only used his mouth and hands—there were no injuries. It didn’t matter.
Even being used by someone else—that was a wound he could push through, thanks to his extravagant past life.
Apart from a lingering guilt toward Zeroth, he could treat it as nothing more than a bite from a stray dog.
Sure, he resented Karl. But he had taken some pleasure in it too.
Now, he would use this opportunity to fully win over Zeroth’ heart, just as he had originally intended.
“My lady! We must contact the Duke—!”
Grab.
“No. Elize, think about why I came here.”
“You’re not going back to the ducal estate?”
“No, I will. But not yet.”
Elizabeth, who had been crying tears of relief as she held him, stepped back.
“How can I help you?”
“You just have to hide me safely. And keep in contact with Martius for me.”
Sigh.
Elizabeth got up and sank into the sofa across from him.
Ever since the Duchess disappeared, the capital had been in chaos.
Duke Graham hadn’t drawn his sword, but he roamed the capital with a murderous aura.
Everyone was uncomfortable, but they sympathized with his grief — or rather, feared death — and obediently opened their doors.
She was curious where Sylvian had been all this time and why he’d come to her of all people, but he didn’t seem likely to tell her.
“But you’re not allowed to do anything dangerous.”
“I don’t want to go through anything terrifying like this again either. But we have to catch the culprit.”
That sounded like something the Duke would take care of, but faced with the determination in Sylvian’s eyes, Elizabeth let out a shallow breath and stood up.
“Wait a moment. Sylvian, put your hood back on.”
Just in case a servant pretended to enter the room by mistake, she took precautions.
Elizabeth headed to her bedroom, slipped a few artifacts into her pocket, and returned to the sitting room with a calm expression.
“First of all, Sylvian, you should change your appearance.”
It was a gift from Aihin to be used in emergencies, but she had never needed it—until now.
“Take this, young lord. You can use it to send and receive short notes.”
If it passed through too many hands, it would surely arouse suspicion.
Even if it was to help the Duchess, Elizabeth had no desire to face the Duke’s wrath later.
“Then I’ll take my leave. If I stay too long, strange rumors will start to spread. Please take good care of my brother.”
Martius gave a deep bow, hugged his brother tightly once, and left the room.
“Elize, I’ll definitely repay your kindness.”
“I’ll remember that. How about changing your appearance to match my tastes while you’re at it?”
Sylvian had been planning to take on Hanseong’s appearance, but nodded when he saw the sparkle in Elizabeth’s eyes.
“I’d like your hair to be pink, about this long,” she said, gesturing, “and your eyes to be the color of a spring sky.”
Her demands were absurdly specific.
She gestured to his chest, and Sylvian couldn’t help but laugh.
“And right now, you look too delicate, so make your face a bit rounder. Like a boy who still has some baby fat.”
Sylvian let out a small laugh as he put on the earring, recalling her precise instructions.
Wasn’t this a crime if he did it himself?
Still, if it brought her joy, that was enough.
He adjusted his height slightly to match the new face.
“Kyaa!”
“Elize!”
“Gasp!”
At her scream, an urgent knock sounded on the door.
“I’m fine! So don’t worry!”
The maids, noticing the excitement in her voice, exchanged looks.
‘What? What happened? The knight just left. What’s going on?’
“You’re so cute! Oh my, will you be my little brother?”
“Ugh, Elize!”
Overcome with excitement, Elizabeth hugged Sylvian tightly.
“Ack!”
“I’ll say that I took in the child Sir Nertian wanted to sponsor. He’s a commoner and a beta.”
“You’re good at controlling your pheromones now, right?” she asked. Sylvian nodded.
“It’s a high-grade artifact, so even most mages won’t notice. Just try not to go outside.”
“I don’t plan to. I’ll stay only until the culprit is caught.”
“Don’t think of this as a debt, Sylvian. We have to maintain the closest friendship, remember? I’ll call you Roze now.”
More than anything, the idea of catching the villain filled her with a sense of thrilling adventure she’d never experienced before.
Elizabeth, hiding her true feelings behind a bright smile, even gave him a name.
When she rang the bell on the table, the maids quietly entered.
“Gasp!”
“……”
They hadn’t recognized him with the hood, but now a perfectly cute boy stood before them—completely matching their young lady’s tastes.
‘So that’s why she screamed.’
“This is the child I’ve decided to sponsor. He’s a commoner and uneducated, so there’s much he needs to learn.”
“Will you be sending him to the academy?”
“He’s quite handsome, so he could even join a theatre troupe.”
At the young lady’s comment, the boy’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
“Is the child a girl?”
“He’s a boy.”
“Oh my, I’ve never seen such a cute boy before! And he’s a beta? He looks like he should be an omega!”
Any suspicion they had about the Duchess’s brother suddenly appearing vanished.
“I’d asked him to find a child I could sponsor. It seems he remembered, even in the middle of all this chaos.”
“Ah… then, could it be…?”
“Yes, he said he found the child while traveling around the capital.”
And just like that, a tragic backstory was born.
Sylvian looked completely flustered, as if overwhelmed to be in the presence of such noble ladies.
“Where should we assign him a room?”
“He’s my sponsored child, so it’s best to keep him near my room. It would seem too cold to put him in the annex, don’t you think?”
“You’ll have to pay attention to him a lot at first, so that’s for the best.”
Excited by the thought of seeing the boy often, the maids agreed with Elizabeth’s suggestion.
They’d been startled by the Duchess’s brother’s sudden visit, but were now touched by the knight’s thoughtfulness in finding a child for their young lady.
* * *
