Morning came, and she opened her eyes. She woke up early, as usual. She saw Kendrick sleeping soundly with his eyes closed. Stella found Kendrick annoying, as he seemed to have taken a taste for teasing her lately, so she unnecessarily pinched his cheek lightly. His red eyes, which usually gave others a sense of intimidation, were hidden by his eyelids, making him look much gentler. Admiring his smooth skin that looked effortless and his high nose bridge, Stella playfully touched the bridge of his nose.
"If you weren't handsome, I would have just..."
'I'm supposed to grab the nose and twist it.'
Even in his sleeping face, he exuded an aura that made him impossible to treat lightly.
As if he had heard Stella's words, the corners of Kendrick's mouth curled up crookedly.
'Weren't you sleeping?'
Startled, Stella withdrew her hands behind her back.
"Are you still upset?"
Kendrick took Stella's hand. The inner double eyelid hidden between her eyelids looked particularly sophisticated today.
"Kendrick has never been toyed with by anyone else, right?"
One of his eyebrows curved as if asking what it meant.
"Come to think of it, it seems like Kendrick was always the one solving problems every day."
Stella pulled away from his grasp and prepared to go to the study. She tied her purple hair up tightly.
"I've never been involved in any strange controversies, either."
Kendrick was silent. When she turned around, he had a peculiar expression. He looked a little surprised, too.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because you shine like this even after waking up."
Kendrick let out a low laugh at her words.
"Then what's the point? I'm just playing into your hands every day."
"Yes? When did you say that?"
"It's always like that. Always."
Stella smiled, following Kendrick's lead. It was this kind of tenderness that had made her fall deeply for him in her previous life. Her heart used to sink whenever she saw an unexpectedly sweet side of him, who was always cold, elegant, and intelligent.
'Back then, I never imagined Kendrick would become this sweet.'
Stella felt a strange sensation.
Shortly after, good news arrived. Kendrick’s thorough and brilliant baiting strategy was excellent. A clue to the culprit was found in no time.
"Look at this photo."
It was Skyle who brought the photo.
"This is the woman, right? The woman who said Anton Geron was likely the culprit."
He came to see Stella, unable to shake off his excitement.
"Yeah. I think that's right."
Stella nodded awkwardly.
'It's not perfectly accurate since it's a photo, but looking at the eyes and the bridge of the nose, it's definitely that woman.'
However, something was puzzling.
"Is there a problem with this photo? Lady Decrit is all alone."
"That's why it's even more suspicious."
Skyle raised his index finger and poked the photo.
"They say this place is all private rooms. Perfect for sharing secrets. Plus, I heard the president of the Rumor Daily left not long after the Lady Decrit arrived."
"So you deliberately left with a time delay."
"Yes."
This time, the situation was different from Anton Geron's. Since Anton Geron met the president of the Rumor Daily in a public place, it was suspicious to consider him the culprit. However, Lady Decrit reeked of suspicion right from the choice of location.
'I suspected it might be Lady Decrit, but to think she actually did something like this.'
Stella clutched the hem of her skirt tightly. Just thinking of the Lady Decrit made her feel as though she were caught up in something bad. She felt uneasy and nervous for no reason.
'It's not that she holds a grudge against you.'
She wanted to resolve this matter quickly, too. It actually turned out for the best. She wanted to take this opportunity to root out any lingering unease related to Lady Decrit.
'What on earth is the relationship with Kendrick?'
Of course, it won't be easy. Stella finished thinking and looked up at Skyle.
"Then what happens going forward? Are we just going to wait and see a little longer?"
"The Imperial Knights will come to visit.$
Stella held the photo in her hand and looked at it closely.
"It will be difficult to make an arrest based on this one photo alone. Do you have any other evidence?"
"We can just look into it first."
Skyle also briefly spoke about the operating policy of the restaurant where they met. He said that since the restaurant operates on a reservation system, the answer would become clear if they investigated under whose name, how many people, and how the reservations were made.
"If all else fails, we can just arrest the president of the Rumor Daily and make him confess."
Skyle looked at Stella with eyes full of enthusiasm. He even placed his hand on the back of Stella's hand with a warm expression.
"You don't have to worry anymore."
Stella felt that Skyle was completely absorbed in playing the 'big brother' role he hadn't been able to for a while. That must be why he was acting so affectionately without even realizing it. She held back a chuckle.
"Brother, you've gotten so affectionate?"
Skyle withdrew his hand, feeling embarrassed by Stella's words.
"Affectionate? What do you mean?"
It was already evening when she was talking with Skyle. Kendrick came to visit after hearing that Stella was still in the study. Stella thought that Kendrick must have heard the news about Lady Decrit as well. However, he only engaged in ordinary conversation and did not mention the matter.
'Haven't you heard the news yet...?'
While Stella was briefly out, she cautiously brought up the subject with Kendrick.
"Kendrick."
His gaze slowly shifted to Stella.
"I heard the news. I heard the culprit who spread the rumors has been caught."
Kendrick's expression darkened. Stella could tell why Kendrick hadn't brought it up first.
"I'm ashamed."
He felt sorry for Stella.
"I can't believe my acquaintance has caused you such harm."
Stella widened her eyes and denied his words.
"What are you talking about? Why would Kendrick apologize?"
Kendrick's expression was still grim.
"I'm fine. It wasn't really something I was worried about."
He smiled as if relieved. However, the somber atmosphere hardly improved. Just then, Skyle returned. Kendrick's expression seemed grim to him as well.
"Duke, is something wrong?"
Stella also nodded discreetly.
'Unlike yesterday, there isn't a hint of a smile. And today, there isn't even a hint of playfulness. It's definitely strange.'
Since the suspect had been caught, Stella had expected Kendrick to enter the bedroom with a smile. However, the situation was the exact opposite of what she expected.
"Why?"
"Your expression looks really bad."
"No. I was just so surprised."
Surprised?
'That makes sense.'
Since he must have known Lady Decrit even before coming to the capital, it is surprising that she committed a crime, no matter how strained their relationship was. Just as Stella was silently trying to understand Kendrick's feelings, someone knocked on the door. As it wasn't that late yet, they allowed them in.
"I have something important to tell you, Stella."
"Is something wrong?"
"We have received word from the Imperial Family. Um..."
Kendrick's expression changed at the mention of the royal family. His voice grew slightly louder.
"What is it? Tell me right here."
"It is said that the Imperial Family has just arrested Lady Decrit. Lady Decrit has requested a meeting with Lady Stella."
Stella tilted her head in puzzlement.
"To me?"
"She has something she absolutely must tell you. However... it is a message she specifically asked me to convey 'urgently' only to Stella..."
Stella had a vague idea of why Lady Decrit had called her.
'She must have been trying to talk about that back then. The reason Kendrick left to study abroad so early was.'
Stella glanced at Kendrick. He looked pale.
"Don't go."
"Yes?"
"It's dangerous."
Stella was deep in thought. Skyle chimed in from the side.
"It is not my place to get involved, but since I am with the knights, they won't be able to cause any harm. If you are really worried, it might be a good idea for me to go check it out with you."
He seemed curious as to why Decrit wanted to meet Stella. Kendrick shook his head.
"There isn't much time left until the selection of the Imperial Writer. I'll take care of Lady Decrit. You just need to focus on your writing."
"I'm fine."
He was about to add that he wanted to hear what was going on. But Kendrick gestured to the servant.
"Bring that."
'What...?'
The servant answered immediately, as if he knew what Kendrick was going to order.
As the servant left, Kendrick smiled at Stella.
"You can look forward to it."
And, without caring that Skyle was right beside him, he stroked Stella's head with eyes full of affection.
"From now on, you just look at and listen to good things. I'll take care of the rest."
Shortly after, a servant brought in a huge quantity of books. There appeared to be at least fifty volumes.
"What is all this?"
Stella asked in surprise. Skyle also looked surprised.
"I prepared this for you."
Stella looked through the books. She was well-versed in most of the books recently published in the Empire. Therefore, she expected there would be many overlaps with what she already possessed. However, they were all things Stella did not know.
"These are books that haven't been translated into the Empire yet. I hired someone separately to translate them."
"I'm going to be buried in books."
She missed the timing to speak next while checking the books. It was also difficult to express her disappointment with Kendrick for giving her such a surprise gift.
"Thank you."
Even after that, Stella tried to tell Kendrick that she wanted to go meet Lady Decrit.
"Kendrick. I mean Lady Decrit."
"Don't worry about that. I hear the Imperial Knights are investigating diligently. All the strange rumors about you will disappear."
"No, that's not it. You know, about when she said she wanted to see me back then."
"Ah! Did you enjoy dinner tonight? I personally sourced the ingredients that I thought you would like."
However, every time that happened, Kendrick changed the subject.
"...Of course it was delicious."
It was also his firm expression that he did not want the topic brought up again.
'Anton Geron said that back then. He said that Lady Decrit seemed to have multiple identities.'
Stella wondered why Kendrick was going to such lengths to prevent her from meeting the Desecret lady.
'Does Kendrick know that, too?'
Stella poked Skyle in the back as he was flipping through a book next to her.
"Skyle."
"Why?"
"Does visiting someone imprisoned in the imperial prison leave a record?"
“You're staying. Why? Because you want to go?”
"If you weren't handsome, I would have just..."
'I'm supposed to grab the nose and twist it.'
Even in his sleeping face, he exuded an aura that made him impossible to treat lightly.
As if he had heard Stella's words, the corners of Kendrick's mouth curled up crookedly.
'Weren't you sleeping?'
Startled, Stella withdrew her hands behind her back.
"Are you still upset?"
Kendrick took Stella's hand. The inner double eyelid hidden between her eyelids looked particularly sophisticated today.
"Kendrick has never been toyed with by anyone else, right?"
One of his eyebrows curved as if asking what it meant.
"Come to think of it, it seems like Kendrick was always the one solving problems every day."
Stella pulled away from his grasp and prepared to go to the study. She tied her purple hair up tightly.
"I've never been involved in any strange controversies, either."
Kendrick was silent. When she turned around, he had a peculiar expression. He looked a little surprised, too.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because you shine like this even after waking up."
Kendrick let out a low laugh at her words.
"Then what's the point? I'm just playing into your hands every day."
"Yes? When did you say that?"
"It's always like that. Always."
Stella smiled, following Kendrick's lead. It was this kind of tenderness that had made her fall deeply for him in her previous life. Her heart used to sink whenever she saw an unexpectedly sweet side of him, who was always cold, elegant, and intelligent.
'Back then, I never imagined Kendrick would become this sweet.'
Stella felt a strange sensation.
Shortly after, good news arrived. Kendrick’s thorough and brilliant baiting strategy was excellent. A clue to the culprit was found in no time.
"Look at this photo."
It was Skyle who brought the photo.
"This is the woman, right? The woman who said Anton Geron was likely the culprit."
He came to see Stella, unable to shake off his excitement.
"Yeah. I think that's right."
Stella nodded awkwardly.
'It's not perfectly accurate since it's a photo, but looking at the eyes and the bridge of the nose, it's definitely that woman.'
However, something was puzzling.
"Is there a problem with this photo? Lady Decrit is all alone."
"That's why it's even more suspicious."
Skyle raised his index finger and poked the photo.
"They say this place is all private rooms. Perfect for sharing secrets. Plus, I heard the president of the Rumor Daily left not long after the Lady Decrit arrived."
"So you deliberately left with a time delay."
"Yes."
This time, the situation was different from Anton Geron's. Since Anton Geron met the president of the Rumor Daily in a public place, it was suspicious to consider him the culprit. However, Lady Decrit reeked of suspicion right from the choice of location.
'I suspected it might be Lady Decrit, but to think she actually did something like this.'
Stella clutched the hem of her skirt tightly. Just thinking of the Lady Decrit made her feel as though she were caught up in something bad. She felt uneasy and nervous for no reason.
'It's not that she holds a grudge against you.'
She wanted to resolve this matter quickly, too. It actually turned out for the best. She wanted to take this opportunity to root out any lingering unease related to Lady Decrit.
'What on earth is the relationship with Kendrick?'
Of course, it won't be easy. Stella finished thinking and looked up at Skyle.
"Then what happens going forward? Are we just going to wait and see a little longer?"
"The Imperial Knights will come to visit.$
Stella held the photo in her hand and looked at it closely.
"It will be difficult to make an arrest based on this one photo alone. Do you have any other evidence?"
"We can just look into it first."
Skyle also briefly spoke about the operating policy of the restaurant where they met. He said that since the restaurant operates on a reservation system, the answer would become clear if they investigated under whose name, how many people, and how the reservations were made.
"If all else fails, we can just arrest the president of the Rumor Daily and make him confess."
Skyle looked at Stella with eyes full of enthusiasm. He even placed his hand on the back of Stella's hand with a warm expression.
"You don't have to worry anymore."
Stella felt that Skyle was completely absorbed in playing the 'big brother' role he hadn't been able to for a while. That must be why he was acting so affectionately without even realizing it. She held back a chuckle.
"Brother, you've gotten so affectionate?"
Skyle withdrew his hand, feeling embarrassed by Stella's words.
"Affectionate? What do you mean?"
It was already evening when she was talking with Skyle. Kendrick came to visit after hearing that Stella was still in the study. Stella thought that Kendrick must have heard the news about Lady Decrit as well. However, he only engaged in ordinary conversation and did not mention the matter.
'Haven't you heard the news yet...?'
While Stella was briefly out, she cautiously brought up the subject with Kendrick.
"Kendrick."
His gaze slowly shifted to Stella.
"I heard the news. I heard the culprit who spread the rumors has been caught."
Kendrick's expression darkened. Stella could tell why Kendrick hadn't brought it up first.
"I'm ashamed."
He felt sorry for Stella.
"I can't believe my acquaintance has caused you such harm."
Stella widened her eyes and denied his words.
"What are you talking about? Why would Kendrick apologize?"
Kendrick's expression was still grim.
"I'm fine. It wasn't really something I was worried about."
He smiled as if relieved. However, the somber atmosphere hardly improved. Just then, Skyle returned. Kendrick's expression seemed grim to him as well.
"Duke, is something wrong?"
Stella also nodded discreetly.
'Unlike yesterday, there isn't a hint of a smile. And today, there isn't even a hint of playfulness. It's definitely strange.'
Since the suspect had been caught, Stella had expected Kendrick to enter the bedroom with a smile. However, the situation was the exact opposite of what she expected.
"Why?"
"Your expression looks really bad."
"No. I was just so surprised."
Surprised?
'That makes sense.'
Since he must have known Lady Decrit even before coming to the capital, it is surprising that she committed a crime, no matter how strained their relationship was. Just as Stella was silently trying to understand Kendrick's feelings, someone knocked on the door. As it wasn't that late yet, they allowed them in.
"I have something important to tell you, Stella."
"Is something wrong?"
"We have received word from the Imperial Family. Um..."
Kendrick's expression changed at the mention of the royal family. His voice grew slightly louder.
"What is it? Tell me right here."
"It is said that the Imperial Family has just arrested Lady Decrit. Lady Decrit has requested a meeting with Lady Stella."
Stella tilted her head in puzzlement.
"To me?"
"She has something she absolutely must tell you. However... it is a message she specifically asked me to convey 'urgently' only to Stella..."
Stella had a vague idea of why Lady Decrit had called her.
'She must have been trying to talk about that back then. The reason Kendrick left to study abroad so early was.'
Stella glanced at Kendrick. He looked pale.
"Don't go."
"Yes?"
"It's dangerous."
Stella was deep in thought. Skyle chimed in from the side.
"It is not my place to get involved, but since I am with the knights, they won't be able to cause any harm. If you are really worried, it might be a good idea for me to go check it out with you."
He seemed curious as to why Decrit wanted to meet Stella. Kendrick shook his head.
"There isn't much time left until the selection of the Imperial Writer. I'll take care of Lady Decrit. You just need to focus on your writing."
"I'm fine."
He was about to add that he wanted to hear what was going on. But Kendrick gestured to the servant.
"Bring that."
'What...?'
The servant answered immediately, as if he knew what Kendrick was going to order.
“Yes. I understand.”
"You can look forward to it."
And, without caring that Skyle was right beside him, he stroked Stella's head with eyes full of affection.
"From now on, you just look at and listen to good things. I'll take care of the rest."
Shortly after, a servant brought in a huge quantity of books. There appeared to be at least fifty volumes.
"What is all this?"
Stella asked in surprise. Skyle also looked surprised.
"I prepared this for you."
Stella looked through the books. She was well-versed in most of the books recently published in the Empire. Therefore, she expected there would be many overlaps with what she already possessed. However, they were all things Stella did not know.
"These are books that haven't been translated into the Empire yet. I hired someone separately to translate them."
"I'm going to be buried in books."
She missed the timing to speak next while checking the books. It was also difficult to express her disappointment with Kendrick for giving her such a surprise gift.
"Thank you."
***
Even after that, Stella tried to tell Kendrick that she wanted to go meet Lady Decrit.
"Kendrick. I mean Lady Decrit."
"Don't worry about that. I hear the Imperial Knights are investigating diligently. All the strange rumors about you will disappear."
"No, that's not it. You know, about when she said she wanted to see me back then."
"Ah! Did you enjoy dinner tonight? I personally sourced the ingredients that I thought you would like."
However, every time that happened, Kendrick changed the subject.
"...Of course it was delicious."
It was also his firm expression that he did not want the topic brought up again.
'Anton Geron said that back then. He said that Lady Decrit seemed to have multiple identities.'
Stella wondered why Kendrick was going to such lengths to prevent her from meeting the Desecret lady.
'Does Kendrick know that, too?'
Stella poked Skyle in the back as he was flipping through a book next to her.
"Skyle."
"Why?"
"Does visiting someone imprisoned in the imperial prison leave a record?"
“You're staying. Why? Because you want to go?”
"..."
Stella nodded silently.
"Don't worry. I wrote this down just in case. Even the Duke cannot access it without a valid reason."
Stella's face lit up. If that were the case, she could have quietly gone and met Decrit without telling Kendrick.
"Will you come with me?"
'I don't want Skyle to know about that.'
"I'll go alone."
"Yes, then."
Stella went to see Lady Decrit the very next day. Upon entering the prison, a place completely different from where Anton Geron had stayed unfolded before her. The bars were tight, the temperature was chilly, and the bed visible beyond her looked hard. Nevertheless, she greeted Stella with a relaxed smile.
"I knew you would come, Lady Stella. But you're a little late."
Stella also controlled her facial expression accordingly. She didn't get too nervous, but she kept a blank expression while keeping her eyes focused.
"So, did Kendrick block you from coming as I thought?"
However, Decrit caught Stella off guard.
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