Episode 87
Sylvia was momentarily speechless, surprised by Cesar’s unusual demeanor.
Then, the choked cries for help snapped her back to reality.
“Cesar, why are you here?”
“Sylvia, you told me too late. I rushed here as soon as I heard Lily was sick, and why is this… vermin impersonating Lily and in your mansion?”
He was smiling gently at her, as usual, but his words were sharp as thorns. Sylvia cringed, feeling like this was all her fault.
“…I’m sorry. It’s all because of me.”
Cesar, after silently looking at her for a moment, turned his gaze to the collapsed spy.
“P-please spare my life…”
“I don’t know what kind of despicable group you belong to, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone beg for their life in this situation.”
His mocking voice was chillingly cold.
The spy winced in pain, as if pierced by his words, and desperately tried to think of a way to survive. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t come up with anything.
She had failed the mission, so she would be killed even if she returned. Even if she was spared here, it would only be temporary, and the interrogation would be agonizing.
She decided it would be better to die quickly and was about to swallow the poison hidden under her tongue when a strong hand forced her mouth open.
“You were begging for your life a moment ago, and now you’re trying to die. How dare you try to take your own life? Impersonating Lily and causing this mess is incredibly unpleasant to me.”
Cesar’s eyes, as he pointed out her impersonating Lily’s appearance, were as menacing as a murderer’s.
He gestured lightly, dispelling the disguise, and commented,
“You didn’t use magic. Well, knowing my relationship with Sylvia, you wouldn’t have used such crude magic.”
Cesar gagged the spy to prevent her from committing suicide and asked a few questions.
“Nod if it’s true, shake your head if it’s false. Do you know where the maid, Valerie, is?”
The spy nodded.
“Did you infiltrate this mansion to harm Sylvia?”
Knowing there was no point in lying, the spy nodded. Cesar continued,
“Then would you tell me about the group you belong to? I’ll spare your life if you do.”
As the spy hesitated, Cesar smiled brightly. Then, the sound of shattering glass pierced the air.
“That’s a shame. I was going to kill you if you shook your head. I’m barely holding myself back right now.”
In fact, Cesar was surprised he was still sane. He had let his guard down for a moment, and the woman who had been in his grasp was now in a life-threatening situation. How could he not be furious?
It was a testament to his self-control that he hadn’t killed the spy in front of him yet.
Sylvia, sensing that something was wrong, shouted,
“Cesar!”
“Sylvia, don’t interfere. I won’t spare you either.”
“I’m telling you to stop because you shouldn’t kill her! Calm down. Your mana is out of control.”
Sylvia, looking at the shattered glass, seemed anxious. Cesar, trying to compose himself, stood up.
“I’m sorry, Sylvia. I have to go.”
“Where are you going? We have to find Lily.”
“That’s why I’m leaving. It’s faster for me to find her than to listen to uncertain answers.”
He recognized the type of poison she had hidden under her tongue and could roughly guess which back-alley guild she belonged to.
It would be faster to interrogate his own informants and then go rescue her. He also had ways to find out where Lily had been taken.
Of course, if Lily knew, she would be horrified.
‘Ouch! That stung! What did you do?!’
Her pouting and complaining with her red lips had been quite cute.
He had pretended to be clueless and replied,
‘I don’t know.’
‘I won’t let you off the hook if you cast some strange magic! I have rights! That tracking jewel was also a violation of bird rights!’
‘Bird rights…? You speak nonsense. And your trust in me has hit rock bottom? That makes me sad.’
He had kissed her pouting lips, and she had calmed down, though still grumbling. It was endearing.
She was so naive, yet surprisingly perceptive at times. But what could he do? She kept causing trouble and attracting unwanted attention whenever he took his eyes off her.
He had to take measures to ensure her safety, so he could finally relax.
However, he was worried that Lily, sensitive to tracking magic, would be furious and resent him if she found out. So he had only cast a weak tracking spell, just enough to sense if something was wrong.
And now, that dormant energy was stirring. It was a sign that something was wrong.
He gritted his teeth and turned to Sylvia.
“Sylvia, I’ll send compensation for the broken glass later. The spy infiltrated the Veronica mansion to target you, so you can interrogate her, right?”
“…Yes. But Cesar, is Lily really alright?”
“She was fine until a while ago, but it seems like something happened. Make sure she’s kept alive. If anything happens to Lily, I won’t be able to stomach the thought of that woman dying peacefully.”
With those words, Cesar disappeared.
Sylvia wiped away her tears, recalling his words. Crying and blaming herself wouldn’t change anything.
She glanced at the spy Cesar had bound and gagged and then left the room without hesitation.
She cherished the people in her mansion. So she always forgave their mistakes, big or small, telling them to do better next time.
And this was the price of her leniency. Someone precious to her, who cared only for her, was in danger.
“Miss Sylvia, we rushed here because we heard a commotion. What happened?”
Sylvia calmly addressed the approaching knights,
“There’s a woman bound and gagged inside. Lock her up in the dungeon and keep her under strict surveillance. She impersonated my maid and infiltrated the mansion.”
The knights’ expressions hardened, and they bowed their heads. Their mistress’s daughter had almost been harmed.
Sylvia watched the knights enter the room and then spoke to one of them, the captain of the Veronica County’s knights,
“Sir, inform my father of this situation.”
“Understood. I’m deeply ashamed and apologize for this happening. Perhaps we should have been more thorough when hiring new staff…”
Sylvia’s voice turned cold at the implied criticism of Valerie.
“No. The new maid did nothing wrong.”
“What do you mean, Miss?”
“No one realized she had been replaced. None of the guards who escorted us back from the auction house noticed anything strange, which allowed a spy to freely roam the mansion.”
“But Miss, that’s…”
“And that’s not all! Cesar just visited our mansion. Did any of the knights know about that?”
The knights carrying the woman stopped at Sylvia’s raised voice.
“I’ve been lenient because I cherish the people in this mansion. I forgave their mistakes, overlooked their lax security, and trusted them as my people. And my parents also treated the knights and servants generously, following my wishes.”
The more she spoke, the more Sylvia felt sorry for Lily. She had put Lily in danger, simply because she was precious to her. And she hadn’t been able to protect her.
She had been careless, knowing that Lily, as a maid, had no one else to rely on. It was her mistake.
“I’m disappointed in the entire knight order. For failing to properly protect the person you’re supposed to serve and the mansion you’re supposed to guard, for being so lax that you let a spy infiltrate.”
The knights remained silent as Sylvia, who loved and cherished them more than anyone, raised her voice in anger. There was nothing wrong with her words.
“And for the Captain of the Veronica County’s knights to shift the blame for this negligence onto a powerless girl.”
“I apologize, Miss Sylvia.”
“I’ll inform my father of this incident myself. There will be a major reshuffling of the staff at the mansion. Keep that in mind.”
Sylvia turned around, her usual gentle smile gone.
She had been too lenient, enjoying being surrounded by and loved by people. Unaware that it was eating away at her.
Left alone, Sylvia summoned her spirits. The pain from the earlier forced dispel was intense, but she gritted her teeth.
She considered herself blessed to be able to wield spirits. So she hadn’t been greedy. She had been satisfied with summoning a few low-ranking spirits and hadn’t aspired for more.
But she couldn’t be complacent anymore.
“I have to change. I have to become stronger to protect my people.”
Recalling Heron’s teachings, Sylvia pushed her limits, pouring all her energy into summoning a spirit.
And that day, for the first time, a mid-level wind spirit appeared before her.
Gasping for breath amidst the excruciating pain and dizziness, Sylvia pleaded,
“Anything is fine. Even the slightest whisper on the wind… just bring me news of Valerie.”
If everything had happened because of her, she had to take responsibility.