No matter how heavy the responsibility was, he couldn't go against his lazy nature.
The nobles who had come to live in magnificent castles and beautiful scenery gradually began to look elsewhere.
Those who were reluctant to give power to the Third Prince were the first to let go.
'Even if a problem arises, isn't it Lady Highclere who will be held responsible?'
It was a shame that he couldn't make it, but he didn't suffer any major losses because he had the shield of Dorothea Highclere.
Because of such calculations, no one opposed Richard so vehemently when he ran wild.
Why would she choose the Third Prince, who lacks ability compared to his greed, as her business partner?
Those who took a step back to watch the situation secretly laughed at Dorothea's judgment.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to pretend to listen to her and then, when the Lady senses that the results are going to be a mess, pretend not to be able to resist and grab his hand.
The castle was filled with a strange atmosphere, with each person's sinister intentions intertwined with the relaxed atmosphere.
Wood, who had carried the child to the room, asked with an uneasy face.
“Are you really planning to use that kid as bait?”
“If we don’t catch ‘them’ anyway, that kid is destined to be chased for the rest of his life.”
Seeing the assassins coming from all the way here to the capital, must mean that what the child witnessed was a sensitive subject that they should not show.
“If you care, why don’t you stay by my side?”
However, Wood declined the offer without hesitation, as Dorothea said lightly as if it didn't matter.
“It’s okay. I was just worried because you were a little kid.”
“I’m not mad. If you care that much, you can really keep that kid.”
Dorothea a generous master, so she doesn't mind if Wood does whatever he wants unless it is absolutely necessary.
“I know. You’re not testing me with something like this.”
His first retinue, who swallowed a sigh, added as he followed behind a slender girl whose height did not even reach his shoulders.
“You say you use that child as bait, but aren’t you always the one who takes on the most dangerous role?”
The mindset of noblemen treating others as long-term partners was creepily familiar, but this strange girl was different.
Even though she considers the pros and cons when making a deal, she ends up choosing the direction that will bring her profit rather than the 'good direction'...
Not once did she hide behind someone and just watch for her own safety.
No law allows one to commit evil deeds without a good reason.
Even though she used people as her errand boys and called them bait, bridge, and mine, she was always the one taking the biggest risk.
“So I will guard your back.”
Dorothea smiled faintly and walked away without saying a word at the honest words heard from behind.
Her feet, slowly crossing the hallway, stopped in front of the door to the corridor where many people were gathered.
The hearty laughter was heard through the crack in the door, and the strong scent of cigars and sweet wine wafted in.
At that moment, a maid who was pulling a cart filled with strong liquor and snacks bowed her head respectfully to Dorothea, who was standing in front of the corridor.
“The Count seems to be in a good mood.”
Benny, who had been following closely behind the maid, rolled her eyes anxiously and looked at Dorothea.
'I thought you'd hesitate for a day or so.'
Isn't the recovery too quick considering he was caught and threatened in his seat?
Dorothea gently urged him as he returned to the mansion with a surprisingly shameless face.
“Please, I hope that the therapist can give some relief to the nobles who must have been suffering from headaches due to being so busy with work.”
Benny's eyes widened at Dorothea's attitude, which not only looked at him without saying anything but also seemed to have no intention of stopping him from approaching the nobles.
He had been hesitating, but as soon as the maid opened the door, he straightened his back, smiled brightly, and went inside.
“I came here because the Count called for me. Is there anything that is bothering you?”
Beyond the open door, several nobles were seen lying with their eyes wide open.
A pile of shiny coins stood next to Richard, who sat at the head table fiddling with the dice.
“You are having quite a good time, Your Highness.”
Unlike Wood, who turned his head as if he had seen something he should not have seen, Dorothea watched the pleasure-seeker with amusement until the door was completely closed.
The eyes that scanned the pigs and dogs, who had temporarily put aside their humanity as if they were looking at some strange, exotic animal, sparkled.
It was at that moment that Wood, who was looking at her with a suspicious gaze, was about to say something.
“Thea!”
Dane, who had just finished sparring with Aiden and was a mess, stood in front of Dorothea with a displeased expression before he could even wipe away the sweat.
“What are you doing here?”
“No, it seems like everyone is having fun.”
Dane's face distorted as he guessed what the mixed smell was leaking out through the crack in the door.
Inside, laughter was constantly flowing out as if something was so enjoyable.
“Don’t even think about going in.”
“Don’t go in.”
Even though he had given a straight answer, Dane looked around as if he didn't like his cousin who would jump in whenever she got interested.
“Where are your friends?”
“Marilyn and Valerie are going to browse the nearby shops.”
“Uncle Colin?”
“My uncle went out with Count Kiel. Philip went with him.”
A look of puzzlement appeared on Dane's face.
Colin, who may be good at his job but lacks social skills, was unlikely to have any friendships with other nobles.
Besides, Count Spencer is known for being picky about who he keeps by his side, so how could someone like that go out with his uncle?
“I asked him to do me a favor. I asked him to please Count Spencer.”
If you want to win the favor of a young nobleman, you have to ask pretty young ladies like Valerie Germain or Marilyn Lehr.
It was an unbecoming request for someone as taciturn and stiff as Colin.
Before Dane, who had narrowed his brows as if he couldn't understand, could ask again, Dorothea took something out of her bag and handed it to him.
It was a handkerchief covered in blood-red letters.
“This again?”
"Yes."
“Can’t you start embroidering more ordinary things like flowers or initials?”
Dorothea gave the talisman of exorcism to her foolish cousin, who wanted a useless piece of cloth instead of the effective amulet she had worked on all night.
"Next time."
If she were to put the flowers scattered along the roadside into a cloth, how could a fake flower blooming from human hands be so beautiful?
If he wants to appreciate it, just look outside.
But Dorothea generously agreed to do it once in a while, since it was what her 'family' wanted.
“Okay, I promised, so I won’t forget.”
Dane, who had been repeatedly reassured, put the talismans full of blood-red letters into his bosom.
Then as if remembering something, he raised his head and asked.
“Is the 7th Prince still staying in his room?”
"Why?"
“I can’t figure out what his intentions are. He came down here using Marilyn as an excuse and it doesn’t seem like he’s approaching the nobles.”
Dane narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought as he tried to gauge something.
Although he was a warrior to the core and sometimes treated like an idiot by Dorothea, he was also a direct descendant of the Marquis and had received sufficient training, so he was not completely unaware of the situation.
He could easily guess that the 7th Prince had deliberately lured him here and used that as an excuse.
What he didn't know, however, was that Luke wasn't here to steal the ball, but to follow the forces he had been chasing all along.
“It’s okay. As for the Seventh Prince, he won’t be doing much for the time being. This morning, he simply had a glass of milk and scrambled eggs in his room, and then spent the whole time reading a book on military strategy. Baron Heylan came to talk to him, but he declined and stayed alone the whole time.”
“How do you know that?”
That's because this mansion was full of kind and affectionate servants who would tell her all sorts of news without her having to ask.
As Dorothea smiled silently, Dane's face became serious.
“Hey, the Prince can’t do that.”
"Yes."
“No. You, I told Uncle Aiden...”
No, that won't work.
Dane kept his mouth shut.
No matter how much he sensed danger in the relationship between the Prince and Dorothea, it was difficult for Aiden to get involved.
'If it were my uncle, he would first cut off my neck and then think about it.'
Even if he set a goal of having a Prince, he has to plan it step by step.
“Damn, I should go see Philip. You go back to your room right now. Huh?”
Dorothea, who had been staring blankly at Dane, who had suddenly started yelling and was quickly leaving the mansion, shrugged her shoulders.
“So where do you plan to go now?”
And she did a great job of leaving everyone else behind.
Dorothea gave a short answer to Wood's question.
“Now that we’re ready to hunt, it’s time to wake up the hunting dogs.”
The bodies of the dead hunting dogs that had been chasing the man who had come here were probably stored somewhere in the castle for investigation.
“It is time to find owners for the dogs that failed in hunting.”
The body of a fierce and loyal hunting dog that once rushed nimbly at its prey and bit its neck was limp and lifeless.
The bodies of the dogs, who were found dead with their tongues sticking out of their mouths, were better preserved than expected, perhaps because they were being examined.
“If you don’t know these dogs because they don’t have identification tags, that’s it. If the other person doesn’t acknowledge them, it will be difficult to find out who the dogs’ owners are.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
Judging by its thin belly, it was clear that he had starved it often so that it could put more effort into hunting.
Dorothea's hand, which had been caressing the already dull skin, pressed down on the firm skin of its stomach.
“Even if the owner abandons the dog that is loyal to him, the dog will not abandon its owner.”
“...”
“If the master doesn’t acknowledge it, I’ll have to make him acknowledge it.”
It was at this moment that Dorothea's hand lifted from the dog's body, accompanied by a cryptic remark.
The hardened stomach skin flinched, then began to rise and fall smoothly as if it had regained its breath.
“Get up. We must go find your master.”
The hunting dogs jumped up from their seats with heavy breathing, tilted their heads up, and howled at their masters who had abandoned them.
Wood sighed quietly as he saw the ferocious hounds rushing out the open door, brushing past Dorothea and Wood.
“Can you bring the dead back to life?”
“I didn’t revive him. I just gave his body to the demons.”
The evil spirits who wanted to possess the body would have rushed in excitedly as soon as the path opened, but they would be overwhelmed by the last evil cries of the soul that had seeped into every corner of the body.
“The strongest memory these dogs have, the instinct to return to their owners, remains and moves their bodies.”
After tonight, even that movement will eventually stop.
“They are foolish people who don’t know that sitting in a dead body will only drain their strength and end the day.”
Wood followed Dorothea out of the empty interrogation room, mumbling something completely unintelligible.
The Seventh Prince was seen following behind the hunting dogs as they left the mansion across the garden.
“The Prince is following you.”
“Yeah, I guess he's been waiting for an opportunity all along.”
From the beginning, she knew that he wasn't the type of person to just sit quietly in his room after hearing her few words.
Perhaps he had been paying close attention to Dorothea's every move during their stay in the mansion.
He would have been ready to move as soon as he realized that Dorothea had entered the room where the hounds were kept.
'Anyway, I heard you have a hasty personality.'
She told him to wait.
Luke was obsessed with the details behind this series of events, even though he didn't know what was going on.
It didn't matter to him how Dorothea made the dead dogs look alive, or how they found their owners.
Because the only thing that would be meaningful would be the fact that he could find those he was pursuing.
“Okay, then we should go too.”
“I'll bring the horse.”
Dorothea, who was waiting for Wood to head to the stable, suddenly bent down and picked up a heavy stone at her feet and held it in her hand.
Wood, riding a black horse, reached out his hand to her as she repeatedly threw and caught the stone in her hand.
Dorothea, who was naturally carried in Wood's arms and mounted on a horse, gestured with her hand to indicate the direction, and the horse carrying the two began to gallop quickly.
The nobles who had come to live in magnificent castles and beautiful scenery gradually began to look elsewhere.
Those who were reluctant to give power to the Third Prince were the first to let go.
'Even if a problem arises, isn't it Lady Highclere who will be held responsible?'
It was a shame that he couldn't make it, but he didn't suffer any major losses because he had the shield of Dorothea Highclere.
Because of such calculations, no one opposed Richard so vehemently when he ran wild.
Why would she choose the Third Prince, who lacks ability compared to his greed, as her business partner?
Those who took a step back to watch the situation secretly laughed at Dorothea's judgment.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to pretend to listen to her and then, when the Lady senses that the results are going to be a mess, pretend not to be able to resist and grab his hand.
The castle was filled with a strange atmosphere, with each person's sinister intentions intertwined with the relaxed atmosphere.
Wood, who had carried the child to the room, asked with an uneasy face.
“Are you really planning to use that kid as bait?”
“If we don’t catch ‘them’ anyway, that kid is destined to be chased for the rest of his life.”
Seeing the assassins coming from all the way here to the capital, must mean that what the child witnessed was a sensitive subject that they should not show.
“If you care, why don’t you stay by my side?”
However, Wood declined the offer without hesitation, as Dorothea said lightly as if it didn't matter.
“It’s okay. I was just worried because you were a little kid.”
“I’m not mad. If you care that much, you can really keep that kid.”
Dorothea a generous master, so she doesn't mind if Wood does whatever he wants unless it is absolutely necessary.
“I know. You’re not testing me with something like this.”
His first retinue, who swallowed a sigh, added as he followed behind a slender girl whose height did not even reach his shoulders.
“You say you use that child as bait, but aren’t you always the one who takes on the most dangerous role?”
The mindset of noblemen treating others as long-term partners was creepily familiar, but this strange girl was different.
Even though she considers the pros and cons when making a deal, she ends up choosing the direction that will bring her profit rather than the 'good direction'...
Not once did she hide behind someone and just watch for her own safety.
No law allows one to commit evil deeds without a good reason.
Even though she used people as her errand boys and called them bait, bridge, and mine, she was always the one taking the biggest risk.
“So I will guard your back.”
Dorothea smiled faintly and walked away without saying a word at the honest words heard from behind.
Her feet, slowly crossing the hallway, stopped in front of the door to the corridor where many people were gathered.
The hearty laughter was heard through the crack in the door, and the strong scent of cigars and sweet wine wafted in.
At that moment, a maid who was pulling a cart filled with strong liquor and snacks bowed her head respectfully to Dorothea, who was standing in front of the corridor.
“The Count seems to be in a good mood.”
Benny, who had been following closely behind the maid, rolled her eyes anxiously and looked at Dorothea.
'I thought you'd hesitate for a day or so.'
Isn't the recovery too quick considering he was caught and threatened in his seat?
Dorothea gently urged him as he returned to the mansion with a surprisingly shameless face.
“Please, I hope that the therapist can give some relief to the nobles who must have been suffering from headaches due to being so busy with work.”
Benny's eyes widened at Dorothea's attitude, which not only looked at him without saying anything but also seemed to have no intention of stopping him from approaching the nobles.
He had been hesitating, but as soon as the maid opened the door, he straightened his back, smiled brightly, and went inside.
“I came here because the Count called for me. Is there anything that is bothering you?”
Beyond the open door, several nobles were seen lying with their eyes wide open.
A pile of shiny coins stood next to Richard, who sat at the head table fiddling with the dice.
“You are having quite a good time, Your Highness.”
Unlike Wood, who turned his head as if he had seen something he should not have seen, Dorothea watched the pleasure-seeker with amusement until the door was completely closed.
The eyes that scanned the pigs and dogs, who had temporarily put aside their humanity as if they were looking at some strange, exotic animal, sparkled.
It was at that moment that Wood, who was looking at her with a suspicious gaze, was about to say something.
“Thea!”
Dane, who had just finished sparring with Aiden and was a mess, stood in front of Dorothea with a displeased expression before he could even wipe away the sweat.
“What are you doing here?”
“No, it seems like everyone is having fun.”
Dane's face distorted as he guessed what the mixed smell was leaking out through the crack in the door.
Inside, laughter was constantly flowing out as if something was so enjoyable.
“Don’t even think about going in.”
“Don’t go in.”
Even though he had given a straight answer, Dane looked around as if he didn't like his cousin who would jump in whenever she got interested.
“Where are your friends?”
“Marilyn and Valerie are going to browse the nearby shops.”
“Uncle Colin?”
“My uncle went out with Count Kiel. Philip went with him.”
A look of puzzlement appeared on Dane's face.
Colin, who may be good at his job but lacks social skills, was unlikely to have any friendships with other nobles.
Besides, Count Spencer is known for being picky about who he keeps by his side, so how could someone like that go out with his uncle?
“I asked him to do me a favor. I asked him to please Count Spencer.”
If you want to win the favor of a young nobleman, you have to ask pretty young ladies like Valerie Germain or Marilyn Lehr.
It was an unbecoming request for someone as taciturn and stiff as Colin.
Before Dane, who had narrowed his brows as if he couldn't understand, could ask again, Dorothea took something out of her bag and handed it to him.
It was a handkerchief covered in blood-red letters.
“This again?”
"Yes."
“Can’t you start embroidering more ordinary things like flowers or initials?”
Dorothea gave the talisman of exorcism to her foolish cousin, who wanted a useless piece of cloth instead of the effective amulet she had worked on all night.
"Next time."
If she were to put the flowers scattered along the roadside into a cloth, how could a fake flower blooming from human hands be so beautiful?
If he wants to appreciate it, just look outside.
But Dorothea generously agreed to do it once in a while, since it was what her 'family' wanted.
“Okay, I promised, so I won’t forget.”
Dane, who had been repeatedly reassured, put the talismans full of blood-red letters into his bosom.
Then as if remembering something, he raised his head and asked.
“Is the 7th Prince still staying in his room?”
"Why?"
“I can’t figure out what his intentions are. He came down here using Marilyn as an excuse and it doesn’t seem like he’s approaching the nobles.”
Dane narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought as he tried to gauge something.
Although he was a warrior to the core and sometimes treated like an idiot by Dorothea, he was also a direct descendant of the Marquis and had received sufficient training, so he was not completely unaware of the situation.
He could easily guess that the 7th Prince had deliberately lured him here and used that as an excuse.
What he didn't know, however, was that Luke wasn't here to steal the ball, but to follow the forces he had been chasing all along.
“It’s okay. As for the Seventh Prince, he won’t be doing much for the time being. This morning, he simply had a glass of milk and scrambled eggs in his room, and then spent the whole time reading a book on military strategy. Baron Heylan came to talk to him, but he declined and stayed alone the whole time.”
“How do you know that?”
That's because this mansion was full of kind and affectionate servants who would tell her all sorts of news without her having to ask.
As Dorothea smiled silently, Dane's face became serious.
“Hey, the Prince can’t do that.”
"Yes."
“No. You, I told Uncle Aiden...”
No, that won't work.
Dane kept his mouth shut.
No matter how much he sensed danger in the relationship between the Prince and Dorothea, it was difficult for Aiden to get involved.
'If it were my uncle, he would first cut off my neck and then think about it.'
Even if he set a goal of having a Prince, he has to plan it step by step.
“Damn, I should go see Philip. You go back to your room right now. Huh?”
Dorothea, who had been staring blankly at Dane, who had suddenly started yelling and was quickly leaving the mansion, shrugged her shoulders.
“So where do you plan to go now?”
And she did a great job of leaving everyone else behind.
Dorothea gave a short answer to Wood's question.
“Now that we’re ready to hunt, it’s time to wake up the hunting dogs.”
The bodies of the dead hunting dogs that had been chasing the man who had come here were probably stored somewhere in the castle for investigation.
“It is time to find owners for the dogs that failed in hunting.”
***
The body of a fierce and loyal hunting dog that once rushed nimbly at its prey and bit its neck was limp and lifeless.
The bodies of the dogs, who were found dead with their tongues sticking out of their mouths, were better preserved than expected, perhaps because they were being examined.
“If you don’t know these dogs because they don’t have identification tags, that’s it. If the other person doesn’t acknowledge them, it will be difficult to find out who the dogs’ owners are.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
Judging by its thin belly, it was clear that he had starved it often so that it could put more effort into hunting.
Dorothea's hand, which had been caressing the already dull skin, pressed down on the firm skin of its stomach.
“Even if the owner abandons the dog that is loyal to him, the dog will not abandon its owner.”
“...”
“If the master doesn’t acknowledge it, I’ll have to make him acknowledge it.”
It was at this moment that Dorothea's hand lifted from the dog's body, accompanied by a cryptic remark.
The hardened stomach skin flinched, then began to rise and fall smoothly as if it had regained its breath.
“Get up. We must go find your master.”
The hunting dogs jumped up from their seats with heavy breathing, tilted their heads up, and howled at their masters who had abandoned them.
Wood sighed quietly as he saw the ferocious hounds rushing out the open door, brushing past Dorothea and Wood.
“Can you bring the dead back to life?”
“I didn’t revive him. I just gave his body to the demons.”
The evil spirits who wanted to possess the body would have rushed in excitedly as soon as the path opened, but they would be overwhelmed by the last evil cries of the soul that had seeped into every corner of the body.
“The strongest memory these dogs have, the instinct to return to their owners, remains and moves their bodies.”
After tonight, even that movement will eventually stop.
“They are foolish people who don’t know that sitting in a dead body will only drain their strength and end the day.”
Wood followed Dorothea out of the empty interrogation room, mumbling something completely unintelligible.
The Seventh Prince was seen following behind the hunting dogs as they left the mansion across the garden.
“The Prince is following you.”
“Yeah, I guess he's been waiting for an opportunity all along.”
From the beginning, she knew that he wasn't the type of person to just sit quietly in his room after hearing her few words.
Perhaps he had been paying close attention to Dorothea's every move during their stay in the mansion.
He would have been ready to move as soon as he realized that Dorothea had entered the room where the hounds were kept.
'Anyway, I heard you have a hasty personality.'
She told him to wait.
Luke was obsessed with the details behind this series of events, even though he didn't know what was going on.
It didn't matter to him how Dorothea made the dead dogs look alive, or how they found their owners.
Because the only thing that would be meaningful would be the fact that he could find those he was pursuing.
“Okay, then we should go too.”
“I'll bring the horse.”
Dorothea, who was waiting for Wood to head to the stable, suddenly bent down and picked up a heavy stone at her feet and held it in her hand.
Wood, riding a black horse, reached out his hand to her as she repeatedly threw and caught the stone in her hand.
Dorothea, who was naturally carried in Wood's arms and mounted on a horse, gestured with her hand to indicate the direction, and the horse carrying the two began to gallop quickly.
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