Early morning, with the snow that had fallen all night piled up gently.
Perdes left the Duke's residence through a secret passage.
Adele told him not to use the secret passage, but he had no choice.
As Adele's current agent, he would be escorted by at least two knights whenever he moved, and he couldn't show them the person he was going to meet.
He couldn't even tell her why he was meeting that person.
The reason Adele told him not to use the secret passage was because it was as complicated as a maze.
She told him not to use it because he might starve to death if he got lost, but it wasn't a problem for Perdes, who had already memorized the route.
The place Perdes, who had rented a horse from a rental shop, headed to was a shabby village at the edge of the outer wall.
The inner wall had already been cleared of all the snow that had piled up on the road, but the outer wall was still covered in snow.
Unable to ride any longer, Perdes stopped his horse and walked.
After walking for a while through snow that reached up to his ankles, Perdes stopped in front of a shabby house that looked like it needed repairs.
Jack could read and write very basic things, as he said, so he never dreamed that he could not read or write.
It was also unexpected that the Emperor had planted another spy, but it was okay.
Because the spy was something he just had to find.
To find the spy, Perdes asked Harness to bring him the handwritten declarations of the Duke's servants.
Then he showed it to Jack and asked him to choose a handwriting that was similar to the one he had copied.
After considering several possibilities among the handwriting selected in this way, the final suspect was identified as living in this house.
Perdes knocked lightly on the old blue door.
There was a loud crashing sound inside as if something was breaking, and then the door opened with the latch still engaged.
"Who...!"
The woman's face turned pale for a moment when she saw Perdes' face.
The moment Perdes saw that face, he was sure.
The fact that this woman was the culprit who delivered the Emperor's note to Jack.
The woman, who had been startled and stopped for a moment upon seeing Perdes, soon came to her senses and tried to close the door, but he was not one to just sit back and watch.
Perdes stuck his foot through the crack in the door and ripped the latch open violently.
The crudely made wooden catch did not serve its purpose and broke easily.
“Okay, just a moment!”
As Perdes opened the door and tried to come in, the woman shouted urgently.
“Oh, my little brother is inside. So let’s talk outside.”
Perdes tilted his head and stared at the woman.
“I see you know why I came, Rene.”
“...”
When Perdes called her name, Rene flinched, then slowly nodded her head while looking down.
“Why did you come?”
Perdes asked Rene to be sure.
Rene bit her lips as if it was difficult to answer, and said nothing.
“I guess we should go in and talk.”
“Me, me!”
When Perdes tried to go back in, Line spoke urgently but cautiously.
“I came here to deliver the note from His Majesty the Emperor to Your Highness.”
That was the right answer. Perdes stepped aside with his foot stuck in the crack of the door, signaling for them to come out.
Rene took a quick look inside the house and went out.
Her small, thin body shivered from the bitter cold without a coat on, but Perdes paid no attention to it.
“Why did you betray Adele Leopold?”
There was no need to care even a little bit about traitors shivering in the cold.
“... I didn’t betray her!”
Rene jumped up and denied it.
“I just wanted to give His Majesty the Emperor a note secretly...!”
“Don’t you think the word ‘secretly’ already smells suspicious?”
“That’s true, but...”
“And you didn’t just receive a note from the Emperor, did you?”
Perdes shook the envelope he had obtained in advance.
“You even sent a letter to the Emperor.”
Regular mail sent to the capital or distant places was collected and sent out all at once every Monday.
Rene took advantage of this and sent a letter to the Emperor on Monday, just two days before that.
However, due to heavy snowfall, the train service was halted, and all the letters that had been sent were returned to the post office, including the letter from Rene to the Emperor.
When Renr saw the letter that Perdes was shaking, her face turned even paler than when she had seen him.
“My story is written here in great detail.”
There was no story about Adele, but that must be because Adele was not here.
Perdes was sure that Adele's story had been told in a previous letter to the Emperor.
“There’s also the story about Jack. I mean, he keeps a close eye on me.”
“...”
“Can you still say that you didn’t betray her and simply passed on the Emperor’s note to me?”
Rene no longer denied it and lowered her head.
'Is it checkmate?'
Perdes let out a small sigh. Even though he had caught the spy, he still wasn't in a very good mood.
This was especially disappointing for Rene, as she had once been Adele's personal maid.
'I'm glad she's not here.'
If Adele had known this, she would have been very hurt.
“...It’s all her fault, the young lady.”
As he was about to finish up, Rene raised her head and clenched her fist.
Tears gathered in her eyes, which had turned redder than her nose, which had turned red from the bitter cold.
“If she hadn’t fired me, if I hadn’t needed money so desperately, I wouldn’t have done this!”
“I heard she fired you out of the blue for no reason. But that doesn’t give you any justification for betraying her.”
Perdes crossed his arms and looked down at Rene.
“And maybe Adele knew you would betray her and send you away?”
“...!”
“A person who betrayed his master for money will be able to betray for any other reason.”
The tears that had been gathered in Rene's wide-open eyes flowed down.
“Sob, sob sob...”
Rene, who was sitting on the snow-covered ground, shook her thin shoulders and shed tears.
There was not a shred of sympathy in Perdes' eyes as he looked down at Rene.
“You said you needed money, so I’ll find you a job.”
At first, he tried to kick Rene out of the territory.
Do you remember Rene, who was once Young Lady's exclusive maid?
She was another spy the Emperor had hidden.]
...Did Rene betray me again?
I sent her out because I was afraid something like this would happen, but the future hasn't changed.
No, she didn't kill me, she just acted as a spy, so did that change anything?
I continued reading the letter Perdes sent with a bitter smile.
[The reason she became a spy was because of money. It seems that she took the hand the Emperor offered her because she needed money to feed her younger brother.]
Even back then, you betrayed me because of your younger brother.
[Of course, you don't have to worry now. I took care of it.
Don't ask how I solved it, I won't tell you.]
After that, it was just everyday talk. Nothing special.
This time, I thought it would be best to send the letter right away, so I picked up my pen right away.
Perdes told me not to ask, but I asked just in case.
It would be nice if you could let me know in the next reply, but it doesn't really matter if you don't.
I can go back to the territory later and see it with my own eyes.
Next, I should write about my daily life, which Perdes is so curious about.
[I took the grade-skipping test a while ago and was promoted to the 5th grade right away. Everyone is going crazy because I'm the only one who's made it to the 5th grade after only a year at the academy.]
In particular, Prince Philos and Instructor Logos were in an uproar.
Prince Philos, who knew how it was my birthday, came with a beautiful gift.
Of course, I did not accept the gift and instead asked for something else.
Prince Philos, who heard my request, was very embarrassed and said he would think about it before leaving, and I haven't heard from him for a week.
“It looks like it’s a rejection.”
Of course, it was natural to refuse since such a request came out of nowhere.
It would be convenient if Prince Philos complied with my request, but there was nothing to lose if he didn't.
Because there are other ways to do it.
If all goes according to plan, 'that person' will be here sometime in the middle of this year, so I should wait for that moment.
I was able to complete the letter thanks to my diligent hand movements while thinking about this and that.
I checked that there were no strange parts and sealed the envelope with sealing wax.
And just as I was about to tell May to send a letter, a guest arrived.
“Do you have a moment?”
It was Prince Philos.
I was thinking about him a little while ago, so when he showed up, I nodded my head in slight surprise.
“What’s going on?”
“For the past week, I’ve been thinking deeply about Young Lady's request.”
So, are you going to grant my request?
I waited for his answer with some anticipation, knowing that if Prince Philos helped me, I wouldn't have to wait too long.
Then Prince Philos looked at me with a determined face and said.
“I will marry Young Lady.”
...Yes?
Perdes left the Duke's residence through a secret passage.
Adele told him not to use the secret passage, but he had no choice.
As Adele's current agent, he would be escorted by at least two knights whenever he moved, and he couldn't show them the person he was going to meet.
He couldn't even tell her why he was meeting that person.
The reason Adele told him not to use the secret passage was because it was as complicated as a maze.
She told him not to use it because he might starve to death if he got lost, but it wasn't a problem for Perdes, who had already memorized the route.
The place Perdes, who had rented a horse from a rental shop, headed to was a shabby village at the edge of the outer wall.
The inner wall had already been cleared of all the snow that had piled up on the road, but the outer wall was still covered in snow.
Unable to ride any longer, Perdes stopped his horse and walked.
After walking for a while through snow that reached up to his ankles, Perdes stopped in front of a shabby house that looked like it needed repairs.
Jack could read and write very basic things, as he said, so he never dreamed that he could not read or write.
It was also unexpected that the Emperor had planted another spy, but it was okay.
Because the spy was something he just had to find.
To find the spy, Perdes asked Harness to bring him the handwritten declarations of the Duke's servants.
Then he showed it to Jack and asked him to choose a handwriting that was similar to the one he had copied.
After considering several possibilities among the handwriting selected in this way, the final suspect was identified as living in this house.
Perdes knocked lightly on the old blue door.
There was a loud crashing sound inside as if something was breaking, and then the door opened with the latch still engaged.
"Who...!"
The woman's face turned pale for a moment when she saw Perdes' face.
The moment Perdes saw that face, he was sure.
The fact that this woman was the culprit who delivered the Emperor's note to Jack.
The woman, who had been startled and stopped for a moment upon seeing Perdes, soon came to her senses and tried to close the door, but he was not one to just sit back and watch.
Perdes stuck his foot through the crack in the door and ripped the latch open violently.
The crudely made wooden catch did not serve its purpose and broke easily.
“Okay, just a moment!”
As Perdes opened the door and tried to come in, the woman shouted urgently.
“Oh, my little brother is inside. So let’s talk outside.”
Perdes tilted his head and stared at the woman.
“I see you know why I came, Rene.”
“...”
When Perdes called her name, Rene flinched, then slowly nodded her head while looking down.
“Why did you come?”
Perdes asked Rene to be sure.
Rene bit her lips as if it was difficult to answer, and said nothing.
“I guess we should go in and talk.”
“Me, me!”
When Perdes tried to go back in, Line spoke urgently but cautiously.
“I came here to deliver the note from His Majesty the Emperor to Your Highness.”
That was the right answer. Perdes stepped aside with his foot stuck in the crack of the door, signaling for them to come out.
Rene took a quick look inside the house and went out.
Her small, thin body shivered from the bitter cold without a coat on, but Perdes paid no attention to it.
“Why did you betray Adele Leopold?”
There was no need to care even a little bit about traitors shivering in the cold.
“... I didn’t betray her!”
Rene jumped up and denied it.
“I just wanted to give His Majesty the Emperor a note secretly...!”
“Don’t you think the word ‘secretly’ already smells suspicious?”
“That’s true, but...”
“And you didn’t just receive a note from the Emperor, did you?”
Perdes shook the envelope he had obtained in advance.
“You even sent a letter to the Emperor.”
Regular mail sent to the capital or distant places was collected and sent out all at once every Monday.
Rene took advantage of this and sent a letter to the Emperor on Monday, just two days before that.
However, due to heavy snowfall, the train service was halted, and all the letters that had been sent were returned to the post office, including the letter from Rene to the Emperor.
When Renr saw the letter that Perdes was shaking, her face turned even paler than when she had seen him.
“My story is written here in great detail.”
There was no story about Adele, but that must be because Adele was not here.
Perdes was sure that Adele's story had been told in a previous letter to the Emperor.
“There’s also the story about Jack. I mean, he keeps a close eye on me.”
“...”
“Can you still say that you didn’t betray her and simply passed on the Emperor’s note to me?”
Rene no longer denied it and lowered her head.
'Is it checkmate?'
Perdes let out a small sigh. Even though he had caught the spy, he still wasn't in a very good mood.
This was especially disappointing for Rene, as she had once been Adele's personal maid.
'I'm glad she's not here.'
If Adele had known this, she would have been very hurt.
“...It’s all her fault, the young lady.”
As he was about to finish up, Rene raised her head and clenched her fist.
Tears gathered in her eyes, which had turned redder than her nose, which had turned red from the bitter cold.
“If she hadn’t fired me, if I hadn’t needed money so desperately, I wouldn’t have done this!”
“I heard she fired you out of the blue for no reason. But that doesn’t give you any justification for betraying her.”
Perdes crossed his arms and looked down at Rene.
“And maybe Adele knew you would betray her and send you away?”
“...!”
“A person who betrayed his master for money will be able to betray for any other reason.”
The tears that had been gathered in Rene's wide-open eyes flowed down.
“Sob, sob sob...”
Rene, who was sitting on the snow-covered ground, shook her thin shoulders and shed tears.
There was not a shred of sympathy in Perdes' eyes as he looked down at Rene.
“You said you needed money, so I’ll find you a job.”
At first, he tried to kick Rene out of the territory.
However, since it would be a hassle if Rene reported to the Emperor that she was a spy, Perdes decided to keep her within his reach.
“Work freely in the Pura mines and earn the money you so desperately want.”
[To Adele Leopold.
By the time the snow melts and this letter arrives, a year will have passed and it will be Young Lady's birthday.
Happy New Year and happy birthday.
I wanted to send a birthday present along with it, but the Academy said they don't accept registered mail, so I had no choice but to just write a letter.
Instead, when I come back, I'll give you a nice gift all at once, so look forward to it.
...I thought a lot about whether I should tell Young Lady this, but I think it would be better to tell you.
“Work freely in the Pura mines and earn the money you so desperately want.”
***
[To Adele Leopold.
By the time the snow melts and this letter arrives, a year will have passed and it will be Young Lady's birthday.
Happy New Year and happy birthday.
I wanted to send a birthday present along with it, but the Academy said they don't accept registered mail, so I had no choice but to just write a letter.
Instead, when I come back, I'll give you a nice gift all at once, so look forward to it.
...I thought a lot about whether I should tell Young Lady this, but I think it would be better to tell you.
Do you remember Rene, who was once Young Lady's exclusive maid?
She was another spy the Emperor had hidden.]
...Did Rene betray me again?
I sent her out because I was afraid something like this would happen, but the future hasn't changed.
No, she didn't kill me, she just acted as a spy, so did that change anything?
I continued reading the letter Perdes sent with a bitter smile.
[The reason she became a spy was because of money. It seems that she took the hand the Emperor offered her because she needed money to feed her younger brother.]
Even back then, you betrayed me because of your younger brother.
[Of course, you don't have to worry now. I took care of it.
Don't ask how I solved it, I won't tell you.]
After that, it was just everyday talk. Nothing special.
This time, I thought it would be best to send the letter right away, so I picked up my pen right away.
Perdes told me not to ask, but I asked just in case.
It would be nice if you could let me know in the next reply, but it doesn't really matter if you don't.
I can go back to the territory later and see it with my own eyes.
Next, I should write about my daily life, which Perdes is so curious about.
[I took the grade-skipping test a while ago and was promoted to the 5th grade right away. Everyone is going crazy because I'm the only one who's made it to the 5th grade after only a year at the academy.]
In particular, Prince Philos and Instructor Logos were in an uproar.
Prince Philos, who knew how it was my birthday, came with a beautiful gift.
Of course, I did not accept the gift and instead asked for something else.
Prince Philos, who heard my request, was very embarrassed and said he would think about it before leaving, and I haven't heard from him for a week.
“It looks like it’s a rejection.”
Of course, it was natural to refuse since such a request came out of nowhere.
It would be convenient if Prince Philos complied with my request, but there was nothing to lose if he didn't.
Because there are other ways to do it.
If all goes according to plan, 'that person' will be here sometime in the middle of this year, so I should wait for that moment.
I was able to complete the letter thanks to my diligent hand movements while thinking about this and that.
I checked that there were no strange parts and sealed the envelope with sealing wax.
And just as I was about to tell May to send a letter, a guest arrived.
“Do you have a moment?”
It was Prince Philos.
I was thinking about him a little while ago, so when he showed up, I nodded my head in slight surprise.
“What’s going on?”
“For the past week, I’ve been thinking deeply about Young Lady's request.”
So, are you going to grant my request?
I waited for his answer with some anticipation, knowing that if Prince Philos helped me, I wouldn't have to wait too long.
Then Prince Philos looked at me with a determined face and said.
“I will marry Young Lady.”
...Yes?
Support Novellate!
thanks! hello?? i am pretty sure she DID NOT ask you to do that, philos!!
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