Ch.49Shining Knight (7)

“The eldest daughter of Count Hexter. Daisy Hexter?”

Asena continued questioning with her hand pressed against her forehead. Shallon answered cautiously, as if walking on thin ice.

She needed to clearly distinguish between what she could and couldn’t do right now. She couldn’t promise something and then fail to deliver later. Shallon answered carefully.

“…Daisy Hexter has…Caden by her side…”

“When I mentioned separating my brother.”

“Then I could probably kidnap her for about a day. I don’t think I could do it longer. There’s a risk of getting caught.”

“…Only one day?”

Asena finally turned her head to look at Shallon. Hiding the pressure she was feeling, Shallon measured her response.

“…I think two days might be possible. Anything beyond that would be really difficult.”

“What about a maid working in the Academy kitchen? How long could you keep her?”

“A maid, you say…?”

“Yes.”

At the mention of a commoner maid, Shallon’s expression relaxed noticeably and she spoke confidently.

“If it’s a maid, there’s no problem at all. If you wish, we could even dispose of her.”

They both understood what “dispose” meant without having to discuss it.

Asena approached Shallon and fidgeted with the cards in her hand.

Caden was drifting further away, and she couldn’t just sit by and watch. She needed to do something, but not knowing what, she was checking her options like this.

In truth, Asena knew better than anyone that seeking out Shallon now wasn’t a rational decision.

Seeing Caden smiling brightly with another woman instead of her, she realized she had started responding emotionally.

Even Asena wasn’t ignoring the potential aftermath of this situation. Caden had already discovered many of her actions. She couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t discover this too.

Nevertheless, Asena kept staring at the cards in her hand.

Because it was possible.

If she wanted, she could threaten Daisy and dispose of Ewin.

That’s what the Praester Family could do.

If someone was in the way, remove them. That had always been Asena’s method.

If she just gave the order. If she just uttered those simple words to Shallon here.

“…Asena, what should we do…? Should we kidnap Daisy Hexter?”

Shallon asked.

Asena closed her eyes, deep in thought, then spoke.

“…No. Forget it.”

“Pardon?”

“Everything I said… forget it all. I spoke nonsense.”

“…Should I forget about the maid too? If the target is a maid, the job would be extremely simple.”

“…Forget everything.”

Asena suddenly wanted to be alone. She couldn’t bear how pathetic she felt.

“…Shallon. You may go. I’m done here.”

“…..”

As all tension suddenly dissipated, Shallon secretly sighed and rose from her seat. She bowed to Asena, who was covering her face with one hand, then left the room.

-Creak, thud.

Asena couldn’t understand why she was acting this way. Putting aside all other methods, lately only extreme, violent approaches came to mind.

She kept contemplating these things despite knowing that everything would only get worse, not better, in the aftermath.

Emotions made things difficult for Asena. Part of her wanted to ignore the consequences and destroy Daisy. The image of Daisy sitting beside him, laughing together amicably, still lingered in her mind.

But actions have consequences. If she unleashed all the violent acts swirling in her head on Daisy as she wished, Caden wouldn’t stand idle.

He would track down who was behind it until he eventually reached her.

And then.

It would be completely over.

She couldn’t risk losing Caden just for her own satisfaction.

In the end, she writhed in pain, caught in this impossible situation.

When would Caden come back to her?

Should she approach him?

Was he not seeing how she was falling apart? Did he not worry about her at all? She wished he would cherish only her. And she wished he would see her as a woman and treat her preciously.

He always thought of her only as a little sister and gave her only that kind of love. And the more she struggled against this, the further he drifted away.

She whispered to him in her heart.

‘Brother… I’m struggling… Can’t you see me? Or do you just not care anymore?’

Caden always seemed to know instinctively when she was having a hard time. Was he not noticing now, or was he pretending not to notice?

Either way, Asena’s heart remained troubled.

****

After finishing her duties for the day, Shallon walked through the alleyways on the outskirts of the Academy. Some farmers lived in the area, but most residents were maids, servants, and workers employed by the Academy.

With all classes finished and cleanup complete, people were either returning home or washing away the day’s fatigue with beer at taverns.

For some reason, Shallon found herself captivated by their laughter. After standing there blankly watching them for a while, she finally moved on. They weren’t her target, after all.

She headed down winding paths to a place where even moonlight couldn’t penetrate. Arriving at her destination, she knocked on the door in a specific rhythm.

-Knock. Knock-knock.

-Slide!

A small window in the door opened to check who she was, then closed again. Immediately after, the door opened.

“…You’ve arrived.”

The doorkeeper greeted her.

Shallon entered without responding.

The interior was almost as dark as outside. In the spacious room lit by a single candle, everyone observed Shallon as she entered.

From the deepest, most central spot, a large man asked her:

“Lady Shallon, the reason you’ve sought us today…”

As he spoke, he rose from his seat.

Naturally, Shallon took his place.

The large man clasped his hands behind his back and bowed his head, focusing on her words.

Various people inside gathered around the candlelight.

“Miles. How many people in your organization can enter the Academy?”

“About… 20 people.”

“No more than that?”

“If you wish, we can dispatch more. After all, if they move around like workers, they won’t be easily detected.”

“……”

Miles, the leader of the organization, studied Shallon’s expression. He gestured to a subordinate lingering nearby, silently ordering him to bring something.

There was one reason these people were so attentive to Shallon: she was a member of the Payne Family.

The Payne Family, which primarily engaged in intelligence activities, had close ties to the underworld, and the power of a noble family was not to be taken lightly.

Though the Payne Family wasn’t particularly large, they wielded more power than street gangs or criminal organizations.

As a result, the Payne Family, which had been connected to this world for generations, had made a name for themselves in the back alleys, and Miles couldn’t treat the second daughter of such a family carelessly.

Additionally, the benefits of this relationship were substantial. Backed by Shallon Payne and her family, his operations thrived, recently allowing him to significantly expand his organization.

At the same time, he was in a position where he had to grant Shallon’s every wish. What goes around comes around. Miles didn’t dare think of defying Shallon’s words.

After contemplating for a while, Shallon finally spoke.

“…It seems Lady Asena Praester is having some issues.”

“I’m listening.”

Miles leaned in, exuding a sour wine scent, to hear Shallon better. His lord, whom Shallon served—Asena Praester. People like Miles couldn’t help but be swayed by even her slightest influence. Just as Shallon was swaying now.

“She’s still considering it, but… it’s only a matter of time. Daisy Hexter. And… some maid working in the kitchen who’s recently become associated with the Praester Family. Keep an eye on both of them.”

“…As for who this kitchen maid is…”

“That’s for you to find out.”

“I see. You’re right. As it happens, I have a subordinate working in the Academy kitchen, so I’ll ask him about it.”

“…..”

Shallon recalled the recent incident. Asena was still deliberating, but as she said, Shallon thought it was just a matter of time. She had never seen that kind of expression on Asena’s face before. Though Asena had momentarily suppressed her emotions and abandoned the plan, they would discuss this matter again.

Every action requires preparation. If the time came when Asena gave the order again, Shallon wanted to be ready to move immediately. Having had such a conversation with Asena today, she didn’t want to just wait without doing anything. At the very least, when Asena next questioned her about Daisy or the kitchen maid, she wanted to provide information that even Asena didn’t know.

Shallon wanted to believe she was doing the right thing. She thought of her family at home. Did they know she was working this hard, visiting a criminal organization in the dead of night?

Sighing, she explained the precautions to Miles.