Chapter 56.2
Chapter 56.2
***
As they reached the carriage, a knight approached Ricardo. He must have been waiting, as he spoke urgently as soon as he recognized Ricardo.
“Vice-Captain, I have something to report regarding Gilbert Auid.”
“…Gilbert?”
Ricardo’s voice lowered slightly at the name. He glanced back at her, and she offered a nonchalant smile, feigning ignorance.
“I’ll go ahead to the carriage.”
“I apologize, my lady.”
She shook her head at Ricardo and approached the carriage alone. It was only a few steps; he didn’t need to apologize.
Glancing back, she saw Ricardo and the knight move a short distance away to talk. It was likely about Gilbert Auid, the knight who had colluded with Pazl, so they seemed to be mindful of their surroundings.
What happened to Gilbert…?
She had left him abandoned in the dilapidated building with all the evidence of his betrayal. After using a stronger paralytic poison, she had even untied him.
To ensure he was found quickly, she had lured a nearby herbalist to the area, arranging for him to contact the Knights. The evidence was clear, and Gilbert, for whatever reason, hadn’t even tried to hide what he’d done, leaving him no room to claim he’d been framed.
‘This time, there are no snake bite marks, so there’s no way I’ll be caught.’
She had been careful, knowing that Gilbert being found unconscious in the abandoned building could be linked to the servant who had collapsed from the paralytic poison in the storeroom during the previous banquet.
Even if she had blocked their communication, she replayed the events in her mind, making sure no trace of her involvement remained.
She climbed into the carriage, now somewhat accustomed to the Knights’ carriage after riding in it a few times. However, the moment she stepped inside, she felt a different kind of unease.
Simultaneously, she became aware of the man already inside.
“…Damian?”
Damian Ditronil smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Allow me to escort you this time.”
He even patted the carriage seat, inviting her to sit comfortably. Startled, she blinked slowly, and he gently tugged her wrist.
As soon as she sat beside him, she regained her composure.
“Why are you here… No, wait, what about Ricardo…?”
“Vice-Captain Div had some urgent business to attend to, something that required his immediate attention.”
As she listened to Damian’s voice, she turned her head. She could see Ricardo talking with the knight. As if confirming Damian’s presence, Ricardo frowned at the carriage. But he didn’t seem surprised or approach the carriage. He must have already heard the details from the knight.
It couldn’t be helped if something urgent came up. She gave Ricardo an awkward smile.
“Shall we go then, Amelia?”
As Damian’s voice reached her ear, the carriage door closed.
***
She crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and gave Damian a suspicious look.
He met her gaze calmly, leaning back against the carriage seat with a languid smile.
“…The person who should be here isn’t you, but another knight, isn’t it?”
“Why do you think that?”
“They wouldn’t hand over Crow Knight business to you, Damian.”
Her words only deepened Damian’s smile.
Knowing Ray Kewind’s personality, she wouldn’t delegate tasks to outsiders, no matter how busy she was. Since she needed Ricardo, the deputy commander, she would have sent another knight in his place.
But the fact that Damian was here meant…
“Don’t tell me you forced the knight to leave?”
It was a plausible suspicion. She stared at him, pressing for an answer.
After a long moment of meeting her gaze with a languid expression, Damian’s lips slowly parted. Then, she heard,
“Haha!”
A genuine laugh.
“Why are you suddenly laughing?”
She hadn’t said anything funny.
It wasn’t a forced emotion. She was bewildered by the sight of Damian lightly laughing, covering his mouth with one hand.
“No, it’s just that you, Amelia…”
He composed himself, resting his chin on his hand, and gazed at her intently. She could see his red lips moving between his slightly parted fingers.
“You know me so well now.”
His whispered words clearly conveyed his pleasant surprise.
“…So, what’s the answer?”
She almost lost her words at his bewildering response, as usual, but managed to collect herself. She’d spoken informally in her fluster.
She quickly added, “Did you force him out or not?”
What had she said to make him so pleased? She couldn’t understand what Damian was reacting to. If it was a feigned emotion, it was truly remarkable acting.
“Half right, half wrong.”
“…?”
“It’s true that a Crow Knight should be here in the deputy commander’s place.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I didn’t force the knight out.”
At his lighthearted tone, she glanced around the small carriage. No, there was no need to look around. Even looking at Damian’s face, it was clear they were the only two people inside.
“The knight is over there.”
As she frowned, Damian gestured. She turned her head and saw a small window connecting to the driver’s seat, or rather, the shoulder of someone sitting next to the driver.
“I think he’ll go far. He readily agreed to my request.”
What Damian had said to the knight was definitely not a request, and the knight definitely wouldn’t have readily agreed. As if to prove her point, the knight’s shoulder beside the driver twitched.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.