“Where are you going?”
“Yes. My wife’s attire will be uncomfortable, so change her into a comfortable one. And make sure to guard her until I return.”
“All right.”
Unlike when he was facing Irene, his expression was stern. But his figure was more like Noel than anything else. That was why sometimes he was surprised at how he appeared when facing Irene. But he didn’t hate it. Rather, it was comfortable. He just wanted to be with Irene for a little longer.
Does she think the same way?
Although sometimes forgetting, the two were bound by a contract. The period specified in the contract, which was adhered to strictly, was two years. If it were short, it would feel short. If it were long, it would feel long. Two years – it depended on the will of the person how they interpreted time. But it was a fleeting moment for Noel. It was too fast.
I shouldn’t have written that contract.
Noel rebuked his past self. But it was all in vain. In any case, the fact that it was a fixed-term relationship did not change.
Shall I get rid of it secretly?
And thoughts of making it stolen appeared ...
I’m being ridiculous.
When the thought of telling her it had been stolen, in spite of how thorough the security was, it meant he was blatantly lying or that security was poor. There was no need to stab himself in his own foot. But Noel seriously thought about it.
Meanwhile, Noel, who arrived at the flower warehouse, brushed off his thoughts. Now was not the time to think about it. The priority was to find out who gave Irene trouble.
“Your excellency, you are here.”
The maid who was waiting in front of the warehouse led him inside. It was dark inside the storage. Since it was not originally built to store flowers, there were a lot of unnecessary bends.
Not only was it curved, but it was also used as a warehouse to store unused items, so scattered about were many large items. The overall structure was dizzying and difficult to look around at a glance.
“Who else visited this place?”
“Yes. I stopped by to check the flowers in the morning. It was fine at that time, but when I came back in the afternoon to pick up flowers….”
“Have you seen anyone come and go?”
“I haven’t found anyone yet.”
“I see.”
Hearing her maid’s report, Noel lowered his posture and looked at the traces of the trampled flower. Not a single flower was found as if the criminal deliberately trampled on the flower.
Then Noel found something in the crushed flower.
Footprints?
Footprints stamped in the shape of a flower were pressed down. However, it was not an ordinary footprint.
These are stealth shoes.
He also worked as a mercenary and dealt with assassins, so he knew these shoes well.
It was made of a special fabric and had no heel, so it was optimised to kill the sound of footsteps. Its characteristic was that it had no heel, and it was difficult to guess the shape and size of the wearer’s foot. This was precisely the shape of the footprint carved on this flower.
Are they still in the Duchy?
Noel got up.
You’ve been hiding here all along.
Noel thought as he looked around the scenery of the storage area where the culprit could possibly hide.
On the day he returned from Kreisen, Noel noticed that there were assassins among the knights of the Grand Duchy. It was also known that he had killed the captured assassins to clear their tracks, but the reason he allowed them to return without being caught was to warn the mastermind.
He knew who it was, and it was his warning to them not to cross the line anymore. In that sense, the assassin was sent back, alive.
I thought you’d understand enough, but it seems like that wasn’t the case.
He didn’t think he was that short-sighted.
Then, was it something the assassin did arbitrarily?
Was it an assassin who ignored his master’s will and acted arbitrarily? It was a situation that was likely to cause laughter, but Noel’s expression was cold.
When you leave this repository, it means that you will carry out the plan. Did you deliberately trample on the flower?
With that train of thought, his fists tightened. He acted wisely, but the thought of the hardships Irene must have had made him furious. His fury encircled his entire body.
But he never showed his anger. Noel spoke to her maid coldly.
“Leave the flowers for a while, close the door so no one can enter.”
“All right.”
Noel left the warehouse immediately after giving the order and quickly moved to the room.
They’re not after me.
If the assassin were after himself, there would be no better time than now when he was alone. Even if it wasn’t, Noel had not felt a gaze aimed at him.
Then, it was clear whom the assassin was targeting.
I shouldn’t have left it as it is.
I should stay by her side all night and see to it tomorrow.
She has Louiselle, so I don’t have to worry.
Nevertheless, the uneasy feeling was still there, and Noel forgot the eyes watching him and ran towards the room.
***