Chapter 184
“It’s worse than what the newspapers described.”
Muttering to herself, Eugenie carried the documents she had gathered from city hall back to her new hideout.
The reports had been mentioned off and on ever since articles began appearing about Alfred and Percival earning military honors. But hadn’t the media brushed it off as something like a seasonal rash?
‘And why is that tree pervert smiling like that…?’
It wasn’t even subtle—it was blatantly unsettling.
She couldn’t quite tell whether he was smiling at her in that suggestive way of his, or whether he had some other scheme in mind.
Still, the uneasy feeling he gave her faded for a moment as she focused on the local records. Eugenie’s reason for looking into Corbenic wasn’t anything grand.
‘I’ve never actually been here before. I don’t even know what’s around.’
Even while on the run, she needed information. At the very least, she needed to know the geography, so if it came down to it, she could flee on foot.
But as she flipped through what should have been nothing more than introductory documents, a strange light flickered in her amber eyes.
“This is odd…”
“What is it, Eugenie Norton?”
“This region… The family that supposedly owns it doesn’t make sense.”
She tapped the name written in the file.
“Cederrhos? I’ve never heard of a house like that…”
“…You can’t possibly know every provincial family by name.”
“What are you talking about? We learn this stuff at the Academy.”
Even if she was currently nothing more than a lab slave bullied by Professor Racquette, she had once been one of the Academy’s top students.
Among the general courses were heraldry and the histories of noble houses. Students memorized which families had controlled which lands for generations, so that when traveling later in life, they wouldn’t embarrass themselves with ignorant questions.
And as far as Eugenie knew, the northeastern region had long been divided among a handful of well-known houses.
‘There was no such thing as Cederrhos….’
And yet taxes were properly remitted to the imperial court, and the commoners here didn’t particularly concern themselves with who sat above them in the hierarchy.
“That’s strange. Then who exactly does this place belong to—”
She trailed off mid-murmur, a cold realization seeping into her chest.
Cederrhos… wasn’t that an anagram of Schroeder?
“…Wait.”
She whipped her head around so fast it practically cut through the air.
Ever since they had arrived in Corbenic, the tree pervert’s smile had seemed deeper, more knowing. And while he had been annoyingly talkative about other topics, he had gone completely silent whenever the subject turned to this place.
As if sensing she had caught on, the silver-haired man’s eyes curved behind his glasses, glowing with unmistakable delight.
“You knew what kind of place this was, didn’t you?”
“You’re quick. As expected, you’re fascinating…”
“Forget fascinating! Is this… under the jurisdiction of the Schroeder family?”
“You truly are a woman worthy of being the end of my five hundred years.”
“Spare me. Honestly.”
Sometimes silence revealed more than words ever could, especially when it came to this tree pervert.
‘And they’re not even using the Schroeder name openly. They’re holding it under an alias.’
A house wealthier than most, one that had even produced an empress—why would they need to hide like this?
‘But an empress doesn’t live forever… and you can see how his power has weakened.’
No family’s outward power remained absolute for eternity. They must have anticipated a day when they could be challenged, and prepared this disguise accordingly.
And if they had gone this far to conceal ownership, there was only one likely reason: mana stones.
“…To think I’d stumble into this while running away.”
Eugenie chewed her lip as she studied the map. Well, maybe this was a blessing in disguise.
‘The others are coming down from the Troys territory as quickly as they can… but it’ll take time.’
She was anxious about Napier’s condition and about what the missing Carter might attempt next.
Still, her husbands had insisted: Don’t risk anything while traveling. Stay in Corbenic a little longer.
Time, however, was not something to waste. If she had to wait… she might as well look around.
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