Isabella's attitude was not very wise in a ballroom filled with local nobles who were closely related to each other through blood ties or cooperation, and not in the imperial capital where many nobles stayed.
"So it's nothing but surprising."
Because it shows unpredictable things every time.
She said to his face that she would not accept 'favors' because she could not pay the price and at the ball... She defended him against numerous nobles.
Although she is good at ballroom dancing, she doesn't seem to be immune to male escorts.
"Until she manages to escape from here without my eyes."
Was the problem that she was rushing things just in case?
Eric couldn't figure out where the cracks occurred in the plan that she thought was perfect.
"I don't understand how on earth she got out of the building."
The man who had been standing silently suddenly opened his mouth. Looking at his furrowed eyebrows, it seemed like his pride had been hurt by being toyed with by a noble lady.
"Even if you search the entire building, from the small warehouse to the laundry room, if you can't find her, it must mean that she has escaped somewhere. We even took charge of the design of this building. There is no such thing as a secret passage."
"Rather... Why don't we investigate those who visited without invitation yesterday?"
Eric paused at the words of his aides nearby.
The black-haired man who greeted him last night with a relaxed expression came to mind. She was also a woman in a maid's uniform who went out in the carriage with him. Someone asked him if he had similar thoughts.
"Doesn't it bother you that Daniel Stokes is here?"
"No. He is excluded."
"Still, it's better to find out..."
"No. We shouldn't get caught for no reason. If he thinks about his fanatical subordinates, it's best not to clash with them as much as possible."
It was uncomfortable, but since he didn't have any special grudges with the other person, he couldn't intrude on them carelessly.
"Besides, I confirmed that it was the face of the maid accompanying me."
There are things that cannot be hidden no matter how much disguise you put on.
She and Isabella had different basic structures.
She kept her head down, but that was understandable considering Eric's notoriety.
However, what left a deep impression was the gray hair that closely resembled the color of her eyes.
Eric muttered, leaning back.
"I was curious what color her eyes were."
Hands covered in calluses. Feet covered in scars.
She was a completely different kind of person than the 'beautifully groomed' Isabella. Eric shook his head lightly to break his thoughts and opened his mouth.
"The gates are sealed, so take good care of Hugh Blake. It's the only knight she brought with her when she came over from the principality. If we hold him in our hand, she might come back to me for him."
Since blood is blood, It may be possible to callously throw it away. Should she just skip him and find out more about Isabella?
That was the moment when Eric thought so and stood up. Someone was out of breath and urgently looked for him.
"We're in big trouble!"
When a man with a dark stain under his chin entered, an acrid smell assaulted his nose.
A look of embarrassment was evident on the face of the man who came limping towards him as if he was in a hurry and not even wearing his shoes properly.
"Yes, there is a fire in the upper warehouse."
Eric stood up suddenly.
"Hundreds of bags of wool were completely burned."
"Nonsense. Why does a normal warehouse catch fire?"
"It's not just that. In the first place, weren't the warehouses where the wool was piled up built in separate locations to prepare for any accidents that might occur? But the warehouse on the opposite side also caught fire around the same time!"
"Someone set the fire?"
"Whoever!"
Eric, who was standing next to his angry subordinates, seemed to be thinking about something and raised his head.
"Are there any warehouses left that haven't burned down yet?"
"Yes?"
"Is there a warehouse left that hasn't caught fire?"
The man who was rolling his eyes and thinking about the soft question quickly nodded.
"Ha, there is one place left. It'll be okay. That place will never burn..."
"Go there."
"Isn't that where the fire is going?"
Eric shook his head at the subordinate who asked in confusion.
"There is no way to save wool that is already on fire and burning brightly. Above all, the person who started the fire in the warehouse intentionally made it known that this fire was 'made by someone.' By setting fire to distant warehouses simultaneously at the same time."
And the meaning of the fact that only one warehouse was left behind was clear.
"The other person is calling me."
If you don't come there, I will burn the last of your wool.
"In that case, I will call everyone I can. Let's go together."
"No. There's no need for that."
There was a coolness in Eric's gray eyes as he took his outerwear and left.
"Because I think I know the person who started the fire."
He guessed he underestimated her too much.
***
It was cool inside the warehouse.
I measured the time by looking up at the vent at a height that could not easily be reached by human strength.
News of the fire should have reached Eric's ears by now.
He must have also realized that this was my work.
[What are you going to do if he doesn't come here?]
"He will come. Because it's not a stone head."
I sat on a fluffy wool sack and played with the mace I had received from the mercenary while waiting for Eric.
Although it was sturdy, it was definitely too heavy for me to swing.
A dagger would be better.
While I was muttering and waiting tirelessly, someone knocked politely on the warehouse door.
Knock knock.
I answered while quietly looking at the closed door.
"Come on in."
Creak...
The face of the man who opened the door and walked in was very familiar.
Until last night, we were holding hands, making eye contact, and dancing wonderfully at the ball.
"Oh my, Isabella. I didn't know you were here. You suddenly disappeared and I was worried."
I came down from the woolen sack, looking into the blowing snow.
Although the outfit was shabby, the other person was polite, so I couldn't help but do the same.
"I'm just grateful that you were so worried about me. Actually, I was busy playing with fire a little last night. As you know, Baron."
Eric's eyes were curved like a bow as he looked at me.
"It was quite loud for a joke."
"I unintentionally caused harm to the Baron. Please forgive me."
He nodded slowly at my soft words. Then he answered in a voice full of laughter.
"Sure. Of course, I forgive you. Because no object can be more precious than Lady Isabella. Aren't you the eldest daughter of the noble Count Brium family?"
A soft smile was directed at me.
Laughter broke out between the teeth.
Look at this guy?
"You knew from the beginning that I was a descendant of the Count of Brium's family, right?"
Eric nodded with a smile.
"Personally, I was very interested in the affairs of the Count Brium family."
He took a step closer and kindly explained.
"The mercenary guild and the intelligence guild are inseparable. Information guilds often filter out a lot of shadowy information through the mercenary guild. That's why I invested a huge amount of money as soon as I became the owner of a merchant and was the first to take over the mercenary guild."
He reached out and smoothed my hair.
"Thanks to that, we learned that someone wanted information about the tragic accident that occurred in the House of Count Brium. An incident so old that it has been forgotten from people's minds."
At Isabella's request, Rainier went to the Intelligence Guild to investigate her past.
She knew nothing about her murky past.
As a result of not carefully hiding actions that would have her identity, it reached the ears of those who were paying attention to the matter.
To someone like Eric.
"As I researched the person I was looking for information from, the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together one by one. Your age, your appearance, and how it spilled over into the principality."
"..."
"And about the last name 'Harper' you used in your introduction."
"I guess our first meeting wasn't a coincidence either."
Eric answered with a smile, his eyes shining as he looked at me.
"I'm really curious. How on earth were you able to figure out my plan and toy with me so brilliantly?"
Even though I was wearing a single chair, the gaze examining me was extremely sharp.
Through the gap in the open warehouse door, people could be seen tightly guarding the outside of the warehouse.
Among the loyal subordinates who would immediately rush in here as soon as Eric said 'come in', there would be a group of people who tried to attack me in the ballroom.
If I got caught up in this man's plan without knowing anything...
+Two series are out now! If you like mystery, horror, and historical genre, you can check it out!
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