The informant cautiously followed Laura, determined to achieve great things this time and proudly report back to His Excellency the Duke.
However, Laura's movements were disappointing this time as well.
That's because after staying at the inn all day, the place Laura went to when she left was a small antique shop.
Unlike the inn that was bustling with drunken customers, it was a small shop with few customers, so he couldn't go inside and see what was going on.
Fortunately, he didn't give up and kept peeking through the window at the shop door, so he could see that Laura had received a small package wrapped in paper from the owner.
And that was the end of Laura's journey.
This was because the next morning, she rented a carriage to return to the Duke's house.
His report to Duke Roderick was thin, as if his pledge to uncover the hideout of the heinous traitor Byron and return with pride was meaningless.
“I am ashamed, Your Excellency.”
“There’s nothing we can do. Don’t worry, you did your best.”
Roderick answered with a blank expression. It wasn't like he'd lost sight of Laura, and what could he do about it since she hadn't done anything special?
Even if the informant had missed her, he had no intention of writing a story because he had been told to prioritize not getting caught.
“Shall we delve into the antiques a little, Your Excellency?”
"No, that's fine. If the owner of that shop happens to be one of Byron's people, it'll just arouse unnecessary suspicion. You must have had a hard time following her all this time. Why don't you take a few days off?"
Roderick sent the knight back, who seemed ready to kneel, and checked the report he'd submitted once more. He'd received something from a small antique shop.
'There wasn't anything particularly suspicious in Laura's luggage when she returned.'
After Noah's birth and Aila's return, security was strengthened, requiring everyone entering the mansion to undergo strict checks. They even inspected their belongings and checked their person for anything hidden.
However, the female knight in charge of Laura's inspection reported that she had not found anything of note.
'... I'll have to go see Aila this evening and ask her what that thing Laura brought from the antique shop was.'
Roderick thought about this and put the report in a drawer and locked it. He was worried that another spy might find out that he was spying on Laura.
Behind-the-scenes efforts to catch those other spies were also underway, but caution was needed until they were all weeded out.
“Phew...”
He sighed deeply. He couldn't understand why he had to worry about enemy eyes even in his own space, where he should have been most comfortable.
He just hoped this would all pass quickly.
"Is your mother feeling better? I was worried, but seeing you back so early, it doesn't seem to be anything serious, which is a relief."
Lisa smiled softly and welcomed Laura back to the mansion.
"Stop pretending to be so unlucky and good. Just take care of yourself. Why are you pretending to know something when you don't? It's annoying."
Laura swallowed the words she could never say out loud and smiled brightly, as if expressing gratitude for the concern.
"You must have had a hard time while I was away, Young Lady. I'm sorry. Now that I'm back, how about you rest early today?"
“No, what was the hardship... I was comfortable thanks to everyone’s help.”
Laura's intention was to send Lisa away and be left alone with Aila, but Lisa, who had no idea that she had such a dark ulterior motive, waved her hand and declined.
‘...You have no clue.’
Laura sighed deeply in frustration. She felt nothing but the urge to get Lisa out of her sight, as she was constantly irritating and interfering with her work.
It seemed like it was all Lisa's fault that Aila, whom she had brainwashed so hard to keep, had become so weak-hearted.
Isn't it because Lisa was always right next to her and kept giving her useless compliments that this girl, who used to listen obediently, ended up like that?
Laura barely suppressed the urge to snap at Lisa and cast a determined glance at Aila. It was a plea to her to do something about Lisa.
"Yes, Lisa. You can go and rest for today."
And Aila, who wanted to hear Laura's story as soon as possible, quickly intervened.
“...I suppose so? Well, you haven't seen Laura in a few days, so I guess you need some time to spend with her. Then I'll be going now.”
Lisa smiled sadly and said goodbye before returning to her room. Left alone with Laura, Aila asked with an anxious expression.
"What happened? Are you able to talk to my father directly?"
"You've put me through so much trouble that I didn't have to. Is that all you have to say? I guess you've been feeling much better since I've been away for a few days. Your face looks much better."
Laura crossed her arms and glared at her with a cold expression.
Aila, who didn't want to get into an unnecessary war of nerves with Laura, simply said what she wanted.
“...I’m truly sorry and grateful. It’s all thanks to you. You know I can’t do anything without you.”
“You always say that. You always take care of Young Lady Lisa...”
Despite Aila's words of praise, Laura continued to stare at her with a sharp gaze.
“That’s...The Duke and Duchess asked me to take good care of the daughter of the benefactor who found the Princess. You know that, right?”
As Aila suppressed her rising irritation and tried to please Laura, Laura finally shrugged her shoulders, as if she was a little satisfied, and took a small hand mirror out of her bosom and handed it to Aila.
"What's this?"
"...That's a magical communication tool that allows you to communicate from a distance. It's incredibly rare, and you can't find it anywhere, even if you wanted to. But since you wanted to see my master, he gave you special permission to use it."
Why are you making such a fuss over something that isn't even yours?
Aila was taken aback by Laura's attitude, but it was indeed a curious object, so she accepted it cautiously.
Even in the Peles Empire, this magical tool was so rare that only a few people had ever seen it, let alone known that it existed.
Thanks to that, Laura was able to pass the security check without any problems.
“How do you use it? Oh, is this the operation button?”
Aila was looking through the magic tools when she found a round button and tried to press it, but Laura grabbed her wrist urgently and stopped her, preventing her from doing so.
"Not now! The days are getting longer these days, so it's still light. Someone might show up unexpectedly... Everyone, you should all get up early."
"Yes."
It was when Aila nodded and took good care of her hand mirror.
A knock at the door signaled an unexpected visitor. Startled, Laura hurriedly signaled to Aila to quickly put the mirror away.
"Who are you?"
“It's me, Miss.”
The voice coming from outside the door was none other than Butler Lester's.
"What's the matter?"
“Oh, the master called Laura. They said she was here, so I came to get her.”
“...His Excellency the Duke, me?”
Laura blinked, her eyes wide with confusion. She'd been called by Ophelia several times, but this was the first time she'd heard Roderick call her.
Because of this, Laura, flustered, had to think of tens of thousands of things in that short time: whether her identity had been discovered, whether there had been some mistake.
‘No, I don’t think I made a mistake...’
But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't seem to find anything that would catch her, so she was just confused.
"Yes, why don't you hurry and go? His Excellency is waiting."
“Oh, yes! I’ll go quickly.”
When Lester urged her again, Laura had no time to think about anything else and had to go find Roderick.
Aila just stared blankly at the scene. After seeing similar situations over and over again, she had a rough idea of what was going on.
“Then I will go now, miss.”
And as if to support her guess, Lester opened one eye and closed it with a kind smile.
A short while after Laura and the butler left, a noise was heard from within the wall, and the secret archway opened with a creak, and Ophelia walked in.
“Mother, welcome.”
As Aila greeted her with a smile, Ophelia frowned and sat down next to her daughter.
“You’re not even surprised anymore.”
“No, I was a little surprised. My mother always called Laura over, and my father came into the room... but today it was the other way around.”
Aila covered her mouth and chuckled softly, as if she found the situation amusing. Then, Ophelia calmly explained the situation.
"As you said, I always called Laura. I changed it because I was worried the child might get suspicious if the same situation kept happening. By the way, aren't you waiting for your father to come instead of me? It seems like father and daughter have become much closer lately. You train together every morning, and it seems like you only act up in front of your father..."
Ophelia pretended to be upset, saying that she felt left out.
"That's why I drink tea with my mother every day! I often go to see Noah too... I love you so much, and yet you say things like that."
And then, as if to quell her anger, Aila pouts and grumbles, feigning resentment. She's joking back at her mother's joke.
“What? You’re quite a bit, aren’t you, my daughter?”
Ophelia laughed cheerfully and pretended to pinch her daughter's nose.
When she first came to this house, Aila was always so timid, but now she seemed to have brightened up a lot and even knew how to joke around with jokes, which made Ophelia feel good.
However, Laura's movements were disappointing this time as well.
That's because after staying at the inn all day, the place Laura went to when she left was a small antique shop.
Unlike the inn that was bustling with drunken customers, it was a small shop with few customers, so he couldn't go inside and see what was going on.
Fortunately, he didn't give up and kept peeking through the window at the shop door, so he could see that Laura had received a small package wrapped in paper from the owner.
And that was the end of Laura's journey.
This was because the next morning, she rented a carriage to return to the Duke's house.
His report to Duke Roderick was thin, as if his pledge to uncover the hideout of the heinous traitor Byron and return with pride was meaningless.
“I am ashamed, Your Excellency.”
“There’s nothing we can do. Don’t worry, you did your best.”
Roderick answered with a blank expression. It wasn't like he'd lost sight of Laura, and what could he do about it since she hadn't done anything special?
Even if the informant had missed her, he had no intention of writing a story because he had been told to prioritize not getting caught.
“Shall we delve into the antiques a little, Your Excellency?”
"No, that's fine. If the owner of that shop happens to be one of Byron's people, it'll just arouse unnecessary suspicion. You must have had a hard time following her all this time. Why don't you take a few days off?"
Roderick sent the knight back, who seemed ready to kneel, and checked the report he'd submitted once more. He'd received something from a small antique shop.
'There wasn't anything particularly suspicious in Laura's luggage when she returned.'
After Noah's birth and Aila's return, security was strengthened, requiring everyone entering the mansion to undergo strict checks. They even inspected their belongings and checked their person for anything hidden.
However, the female knight in charge of Laura's inspection reported that she had not found anything of note.
'... I'll have to go see Aila this evening and ask her what that thing Laura brought from the antique shop was.'
Roderick thought about this and put the report in a drawer and locked it. He was worried that another spy might find out that he was spying on Laura.
Behind-the-scenes efforts to catch those other spies were also underway, but caution was needed until they were all weeded out.
“Phew...”
He sighed deeply. He couldn't understand why he had to worry about enemy eyes even in his own space, where he should have been most comfortable.
He just hoped this would all pass quickly.
***
"Is your mother feeling better? I was worried, but seeing you back so early, it doesn't seem to be anything serious, which is a relief."
Lisa smiled softly and welcomed Laura back to the mansion.
"Stop pretending to be so unlucky and good. Just take care of yourself. Why are you pretending to know something when you don't? It's annoying."
Laura swallowed the words she could never say out loud and smiled brightly, as if expressing gratitude for the concern.
"You must have had a hard time while I was away, Young Lady. I'm sorry. Now that I'm back, how about you rest early today?"
“No, what was the hardship... I was comfortable thanks to everyone’s help.”
Laura's intention was to send Lisa away and be left alone with Aila, but Lisa, who had no idea that she had such a dark ulterior motive, waved her hand and declined.
‘...You have no clue.’
Laura sighed deeply in frustration. She felt nothing but the urge to get Lisa out of her sight, as she was constantly irritating and interfering with her work.
It seemed like it was all Lisa's fault that Aila, whom she had brainwashed so hard to keep, had become so weak-hearted.
Isn't it because Lisa was always right next to her and kept giving her useless compliments that this girl, who used to listen obediently, ended up like that?
Laura barely suppressed the urge to snap at Lisa and cast a determined glance at Aila. It was a plea to her to do something about Lisa.
"Yes, Lisa. You can go and rest for today."
And Aila, who wanted to hear Laura's story as soon as possible, quickly intervened.
“...I suppose so? Well, you haven't seen Laura in a few days, so I guess you need some time to spend with her. Then I'll be going now.”
Lisa smiled sadly and said goodbye before returning to her room. Left alone with Laura, Aila asked with an anxious expression.
"What happened? Are you able to talk to my father directly?"
"You've put me through so much trouble that I didn't have to. Is that all you have to say? I guess you've been feeling much better since I've been away for a few days. Your face looks much better."
Laura crossed her arms and glared at her with a cold expression.
Aila, who didn't want to get into an unnecessary war of nerves with Laura, simply said what she wanted.
“...I’m truly sorry and grateful. It’s all thanks to you. You know I can’t do anything without you.”
“You always say that. You always take care of Young Lady Lisa...”
Despite Aila's words of praise, Laura continued to stare at her with a sharp gaze.
“That’s...The Duke and Duchess asked me to take good care of the daughter of the benefactor who found the Princess. You know that, right?”
As Aila suppressed her rising irritation and tried to please Laura, Laura finally shrugged her shoulders, as if she was a little satisfied, and took a small hand mirror out of her bosom and handed it to Aila.
"What's this?"
"...That's a magical communication tool that allows you to communicate from a distance. It's incredibly rare, and you can't find it anywhere, even if you wanted to. But since you wanted to see my master, he gave you special permission to use it."
Why are you making such a fuss over something that isn't even yours?
Aila was taken aback by Laura's attitude, but it was indeed a curious object, so she accepted it cautiously.
Even in the Peles Empire, this magical tool was so rare that only a few people had ever seen it, let alone known that it existed.
Thanks to that, Laura was able to pass the security check without any problems.
“How do you use it? Oh, is this the operation button?”
Aila was looking through the magic tools when she found a round button and tried to press it, but Laura grabbed her wrist urgently and stopped her, preventing her from doing so.
"Not now! The days are getting longer these days, so it's still light. Someone might show up unexpectedly... Everyone, you should all get up early."
"Yes."
It was when Aila nodded and took good care of her hand mirror.
A knock at the door signaled an unexpected visitor. Startled, Laura hurriedly signaled to Aila to quickly put the mirror away.
"Who are you?"
“It's me, Miss.”
The voice coming from outside the door was none other than Butler Lester's.
"What's the matter?"
“Oh, the master called Laura. They said she was here, so I came to get her.”
“...His Excellency the Duke, me?”
Laura blinked, her eyes wide with confusion. She'd been called by Ophelia several times, but this was the first time she'd heard Roderick call her.
Because of this, Laura, flustered, had to think of tens of thousands of things in that short time: whether her identity had been discovered, whether there had been some mistake.
‘No, I don’t think I made a mistake...’
But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't seem to find anything that would catch her, so she was just confused.
"Yes, why don't you hurry and go? His Excellency is waiting."
“Oh, yes! I’ll go quickly.”
When Lester urged her again, Laura had no time to think about anything else and had to go find Roderick.
Aila just stared blankly at the scene. After seeing similar situations over and over again, she had a rough idea of what was going on.
“Then I will go now, miss.”
And as if to support her guess, Lester opened one eye and closed it with a kind smile.
A short while after Laura and the butler left, a noise was heard from within the wall, and the secret archway opened with a creak, and Ophelia walked in.
“Mother, welcome.”
As Aila greeted her with a smile, Ophelia frowned and sat down next to her daughter.
“You’re not even surprised anymore.”
“No, I was a little surprised. My mother always called Laura over, and my father came into the room... but today it was the other way around.”
Aila covered her mouth and chuckled softly, as if she found the situation amusing. Then, Ophelia calmly explained the situation.
"As you said, I always called Laura. I changed it because I was worried the child might get suspicious if the same situation kept happening. By the way, aren't you waiting for your father to come instead of me? It seems like father and daughter have become much closer lately. You train together every morning, and it seems like you only act up in front of your father..."
Ophelia pretended to be upset, saying that she felt left out.
"That's why I drink tea with my mother every day! I often go to see Noah too... I love you so much, and yet you say things like that."
And then, as if to quell her anger, Aila pouts and grumbles, feigning resentment. She's joking back at her mother's joke.
“What? You’re quite a bit, aren’t you, my daughter?”
Ophelia laughed cheerfully and pretended to pinch her daughter's nose.
When she first came to this house, Aila was always so timid, but now she seemed to have brightened up a lot and even knew how to joke around with jokes, which made Ophelia feel good.
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