The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak Chapter 101

A black carriage was parked in front of the residence in the Kennys frontier territory. The heraldry displayed on it belonged to the Ealdred family, one of the three great ducal families of the Slibegrad Kingdom. The man who emerged from the carriage was a bearded gentleman. He seemed familiar with the butler of the Kennys frontier territory and was greeted with a warm smile.

“It’s been a while, Duke Ealdred. I’m sure my lord will be pleased to see you.”

“I’ve heard his condition has improved quite a bit. Is it alright if I visit today?”

“Of course.”

The butler answered with a smile, taking the duke’s hat and coat while the duke kept his cane.

Duke Ealdred followed the butler. This was his first visit since Hamilton Kennys, the frontier lord, had fallen victim to an assassin’s blade. Since the lord's condition had stabilized, the duke felt it was an appropriate time for a visit.

They were headed to the lord’s private room. Normally, visitors would be shown to the reception room, but Duke Ealdred and the frontier lord had had previous interactions. It seemed both the duke and the staff understood that there was no issue with this. The duke was familiar with the other servants as well.

This familiarity made it easy for him to engage in pleasant conversation. Although the lord wished to resume his duties, the paralysis from the poison he had received from the assassin still affected his left side, and his family and staff were united in preventing him from working. 

The duke had already heard about this through a letter from the lord himself, and he struggled to suppress his laughter while listening to the butler’s complaints. When they arrived in front of the private room, the butler stopped and bowed deeply to the duke.

“I’ve heard that my lord’s safety was thanks to you, Duke. We are truly, deeply grateful.”

It seemed the butler wanted to express his gratitude. The duke gave a wry smile. In the end, he had not been able to stop the assassination attempt itself, and the lord’s survival was entirely due to his own strength and the tireless care of those around him.

“I didn’t do much. All I did was provide a magical tool for instantaneous transportation to this residence and a little bit of advice.”

The butler looked up with tearful eyes at the duke’s modesty.

“No, if he hadn’t been able to return to this residence, my lord would have lost his life. The healing mages are only here. Even though his left side is paralyzed, having survived is a stroke of luck for us. My lord never liked magical tools, but thanks to your words, he was persuaded to use them. The entire household, including the lord’s family and the residents, are deeply thankful from the bottom of our hearts.”

Realizing that refusing the gratitude would not be accepted, Duke Ealdred nodded slightly. The butler then knocked on the private room door. A firm voice was heard from inside. When the duke entered, the frontier lord was sitting up on the sofa, reading documents laid out on the table.

“My lord—”

The butler shot a reproachful glance at the lord. The lord himself twisted his mouth into a frown.

“Don’t blame him; I asked him to bring it.”

“I haven’t said anything yet, my lord.”

The butler’s blunt words made the lord grunt in irritation. Duke Ealdred, smiling, approached the sofa and took the documents from the lord’s hands, placing them on the table.

“If you push yourself too hard, you won’t recover properly. It’s important to rest as well.”

“Even you are saying such things now.”

The lord’s tone was irritable, but it was clear he wasn’t serious. Duke Ealdred laughed and took a seat opposite him. The butler bowed and left the room. Duke Ealdred watched the back of the devoted butler before turning his attention back to the Kennys frontier lord.

“You seem to be looking much better.”

“I’m being given bitter medicine.”

The lord was originally a robust man. Though he had sustained numerous injuries in battle, he had rarely been afflicted by illness. He could endure some discomfort and continue working through injuries, but being confined to bed and taking medicine, as in his current situation, was a torment for him.

However much he wanted to move, his body wouldn’t comply.

“Even with the bitter medicine, my left side won’t move. If only I could ride a horse, I’d probably start moving again.”

Duke Ealdred let out a small smile. The Baron of Kennys spoke half in earnest, but the other half was in jest. After barely surviving, the Baron reportedly remained unconscious for about a week. When he finally awoke, the entire left side of his body, including his face, was paralyzed, leaving him unable to speak or even swallow saliva.

He couldn’t eat or drink on his own, and those around him feared he might weaken further. His family and servants, led by physicians and healing mages, attended to him day and night. About a month after his collapse, he regained his ability to speak. Even now, he still couldn’t walk on his own, even with a cane, and needed assistance to move.

Today, he insisted on being moved from his bed to the sofa, complaining that it would be inappropriate to greet Duke Ealdred while lying in bed. He ordered one of the knights from the Kennys Knights, who were stationed near his private quarters, to assist him. It seems he also had the knight bring him some documents. One could easily imagine him stubbornly demanding to be taken to his study if the documents weren’t brought. No matter how concerned the servants were about his health, only the butler could stand up to him.

“I’d prefer it if you focused on your recovery for now, Baron. We need you to stay in good health.”

“It’s quite frustrating when your body doesn’t do what you want it to.”

“There’s no point in rushing these things.”

As they chatted lightly, a maid brought in tea and pastries. After setting them on the table and leaving the room, Duke Ealdred finally broached the main subject once they were alone.

“Even so, for someone to have inflicted such a wound on you, the assassin must have been quite skilled.”

“It’s true that I let my guard down a bit,” the Baron muttered bitterly.

During the previous king’s reign, when a political upheaval occurred, Hamilton Kennys, the Baron, suppressed a neighboring country that had tried to take advantage of the internal chaos in the Kingdom of Slibegrad. He himself could have easily become a target for purges, but his ability to read the political tides and handle the various threats to his territory earned him quiet praise.

At that time, he donned armor and took up a sword, leading his knights into battle. Even when facing more enemies than the knights he commanded, he showed no hesitation, defending the borders with unyielding determination and striking like a fierce hawk. He was rightfully called a mighty general. Once he identified the enemy commander, he would stop at nothing until he claimed their head. Such was the intensity of his resolve that it demoralized the enemy soldiers.

Of course, facing multiple opponents alone inevitably led to injuries. However, in one-on-one duels, few could defeat Hamilton Kennys. A renowned general from a neighboring country, known for his brute strength, and a knight celebrated as the finest swordsman in the land were both no match for him. There were those who could fight him to a draw, but in the end, it was always the Baron who remained standing.

For someone to have injured such a man, the assassin must have been extraordinarily skilled. The Duke took a sip of his tea.

“Do you have any leads?”

“On the assassin? Or the one who hired them?”

When the Baron asked which he was referring to, the man known as a genius smiled wryly and answered, “Both.” The Baron grinned.

“You’re asking a lot.”

“They say it’s wise to listen to all opinions.”

“I’ve never heard that. Some opinions aren’t worth listening to.”

Duke Ealdred didn’t argue with the Baron’s words. Of course, the Baron wasn’t trying to dodge the question. After a moment of thought, he carefully chose his words.

“I have no idea who’s behind it. There are plenty of people who would like to see me dead.”

Because of his position as Baron, his life was targeted not only by certain nobles within the country but also by neighboring countries. It was a well-known fact that some believed that killing the current head of the Kennys family would make it easier to invade the Kingdom of Slibegrad. Moreover, the Baron had killed many enemy commanders in battle. Though it was part of war, some of those left behind or who had admired those commanders might hold a grudge against him.

Knowing this, the Baron refrained from making any definitive statements. And from his choice of words, Duke Ealdred quickly realized what the battle-hardened Baron was implying.

“You have some idea about the assassin?”

“Most likely.”

The Baron readily nodded in response to Duke Ealdred’s question. His emotionless eyes met the Duke’s, silently asking if he had reached the same conclusion. But the Duke didn’t answer, waiting silently for the Baron to speak the name. With a resigned sigh, the Baron finally gave a short response.

“It must be a member of the Calamity Clan. No one else could have used a poison so potent that even healing mages struggled to treat it.”

The Duke gave a quiet nod in response to the Baron's words. With that single gesture, the Baron was certain that the man who had been called a rare genius had reached the same conclusion as he had. However, the path they each took to arrive at that conclusion was likely different. When the Baron urged him to continue, the Duke allowed a small smile to play at the corner of his mouth.

“There have been reports that the Calamity Clan has become more active lately. Additionally, there's a rumor that a certain noble in our kingdom reached out to an information broker in the underworld to hire someone particularly skilled.”

The Baron furrowed his brow. As always, he couldn’t fathom where Duke Ealdred was getting his information. The Baron also had his own network, and he prided himself on being among the best in the kingdom when it came to gathering intelligence. But the “facts” Duke Ealdred was aware of far surpassed his own. The ability to collect vast amounts of information and the ability to discern a single truth from multiple facts are separate skills. The world the Duke perceived was undoubtedly different from his own, the Baron mused.

But more troubling words reached his ears. The Baron, momentarily tempted to lean forward, masked his irritation at his unresponsive left side as he asked, “Hiring a skilled assassin—? If they were serious about hiring someone highly competent, they’d choose from the Calamity Clan, but surely it couldn’t be that one of their own was actually dispatched.”

“I don’t have concrete information on that yet, but I think the possibility is quite high,” the Duke responded, confirming the Baron’s suspicions, albeit with regret.

The Baron frowned deeply. As high-ranking nobles, they weren’t directly involved with the underworld. There was an unspoken rule that the two should never mix. Even so, rumors could still reach their ears.

“Do you know which noble it was?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t,” Duke Ealdred replied, shaking his head. However, hiring a member of the Calamity Clan would require an enormous sum. It wouldn’t be within the means of just any noble. Considering who might have access to such vast funds, the list of candidates was naturally limited.

“There’s no certainty that the assassin hired by that noble is the same one who attacked me, but it’s something we should keep in mind.”

“Yes, I agree,” the Duke nodded.

If the assassin hired by the noble and the one who attacked the Baron were different individuals, it would complicate matters further. The unsettling truth would then be that there were at least two highly skilled assassins in the Kingdom of Slibegrad.

With the poison he had been afflicted with, the Baron’s body wasn’t functioning as it should. While his eldest brother, Lucian, had taken over most of the practical responsibilities with the support of the steward, the people believed that it was Hamilton Kennys, the Baron himself, who protected the borderlands. With his strength waning, there was a real possibility that a neighboring lord, confident of their chance to defeat the Kennys Knights, might attempt a border incursion. Having concerns both domestically and abroad would significantly weaken the kingdom's defenses.

“Let’s assume that the assassin who targeted me had no connection to any noble in our kingdom.”

The Baron spoke after pondering for a while. The Duke raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

“In the worst-case scenario, we must consider the possibility that the assassin was sent from a neighboring country.”

“Indeed.”

“And if that’s the case, there may be other targets as well.”

Though the Baron spoke cautiously, his expression conveyed that he believed the likelihood was very high. The Duke nodded in agreement.

If the assassin had been sent by a neighboring country, the likely targets would be the King and the Crown Prince. If it were the Grand Duke, they might attempt to install him as a puppet king, but Riley, who had recently begun making his mark, would be a difficult figure for any foreign power to control. At the very least, the neighboring Yunitian Empire would certainly be aware of this.

Both men had reached the same conclusion. The Baron asked in a low voice, “Do you think we should increase the security around His Highness?”

“For an ordinary assassin, that might suffice, but if they’re as skilled as the one who wounded you, they’d likely accomplish their mission even if it meant outmaneuvering the guards. If my son were to become a member of the Royal Guard, it might change the situation somewhat.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Yes, truly. I can’t wait to see the day when His Highness and my son stand side by side.”

Duke Ealdred relaxed his expression. Having Austin, the Magic Knight, as a guard would certainly improve the quality of protection, but the issue was that it wasn't the right time yet. The Baron frowned and covered his chin with his right hand. The Duke, observing him, suddenly seemed to have an idea and spoke up.

“What if we fill the gaps in the Royal Guard by placing someone proficient in magic nearby?”

The Baron furrowed his brow. Even though there might be magicians capable of serving well as the Crown Prince’s guard, none immediately came to mind. Duke Ealdred allowed a small smile to escape.

“We can't rely on the magicians in the Magic Ministry. Ben Draco, who was demoted after the recent monster attack stampede, would have been someone we could trust with this, but...”

“So you’re saying that most of the Magic Ministry harbors ill will toward the Crown Prince?”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘ill will,’ but I doubt any of them would risk their lives to protect him. Furthermore, the two most capable magicians in the Magic Ministry are Ben Draco and Petra Muirulainen.”

However, one was under house arrest, and the other had yet to return to the Magic Ministry. It was impossible to formally request their protection. Even so, Duke Ealdred wasn't ready to give up.

“Do you know of anyone with high magical ability who isn't affiliated with the Magic Ministry, and who wouldn’t seem out of place by the Crown Prince’s side?”

“Ridiculous. Anyone that skilled would have joined the Magic Ministry by now. And even if such a person existed, a commoner couldn't possibly be—”

The Baron stopped himself mid-sentence. The disdain in his eyes was replaced by a thoughtful gleam. Duke Ealdred stared intently at the older man and continued.

“Even my information network hasn’t been able to identify the one who brought an end to the recent monster attack stampede. The Magic Ministry and the Knights both report that they don’t know who used such a large-scale purification spell. But what’s certain is that the spell was man-made.”

The Duke had only been able to confirm that Ben Draco and Petra Muirulainen were researching an alternative to the highest-level light magic necessary to purify the monster attack stampede. He had also confirmed that the purification array they developed had not yet been put into practical use. However, given the circumstances surrounding the purification of the monster attack stampede that occurred just before the Crown Prince's birthday celebration, he suspected that the array might have been used after all.

“If my suspicions are correct, then the monster attack stampede that occurred both before and on the day of the birthday celebration was purified using that array. However, even if we assume Petra Muirulainen activated the array during the first attack, we have no idea who activated it during the second one.”

At the time when the largest monster attack stampede in history was purified, Ben Draco was imprisoned in the royal palace. Petra Muirulainen’s whereabouts were unclear, but it was confirmed that she had been with the youngest two members of the Draco family until the day before. Afterward, it was reported that she had been seriously injured and was staying at the Draco residence with the twins.

The twins who had been with Petra were still very young, with vast potential and magic power, but they were not yet experienced enough to handle a monster attack stampede on their own. In other words, even the most exceptional magician wouldn’t have been able to use the purification array while taking care of two children. And besides those two, there was no one else who could possibly use the untested purification array.

Duke Ealdred concluded his thoughts.

“That’s why I can’t be certain if the purification array was actually used during the monster attack stampede on the day of the celebration. However, if someone didn’t use it, then there’s no way to explain how such a massive attack was purified so quickly.”

“Are you saying this spell was a magic array or a curse array?”

The Baron listened quietly to Duke Ealdred's explanation before asking a question in a calm tone. The Duke nodded and confirmed that it was indeed an array that combined both magic and curse techniques.

The Baron, uncharacteristically, let out a small laugh. The possibility that had crossed his mind was so absurd that he couldn’t help but laugh at it. Yet, the idea lingered in his mind, refusing to disappear. He hesitated to speak, unsure if it would even be believed, and he himself wanted to dismiss it as ridiculous. However, his rational mind whispered that it couldn’t be entirely dismissed.

“Duke, in that case, we might consider proposing Lady Liliana of the Clark family as a potential fiancée for His Highness.”

“Lady Liliana…?”

Duke Ealdred’s reaction suggested that the idea had taken him by surprise. For someone who was usually so composed, he blinked rapidly in apparent confusion. The Baron Kennys nodded heavily.

He recalled an incident from two years ago. When he came to the capital to capture the culprits behind the disappearance of “Northern Immigrants,” a boy named Yeori, whom he had brought from his Baronate, was kidnapped. During the search for the boy, Lady Liliana had used a curse array to locate him. Though the interpretation of the array had led to sending his men to a slightly different location, the array itself had undeniably succeeded.

Afterward, the Baron had suspected that it was Lady Liliana who had wiped the memories of the kidnappers and freed Yeori along with the other children. This was why he had instructed his nephew, Sir Brendon Carey, the captain of the Seventh Knight Squad, to keep an eye on Liliana and, if possible, avoid making her an enemy.

In other words, Liliana might have the ability to use the purification array that Duke Ealdred mentioned. Whether she had actually activated it wasn’t the immediate concern. The important point was that if she were engaged to the Crown Prince, she could potentially serve as a guard by his side. The issues were twofold: first, that the Baron had never confirmed the extent of Liliana’s magical abilities, and second, that he hesitated to entrust the Crown Prince’s safety to such a young girl.

However, the Baron was reluctant to share the series of events that led him to suggest Liliana with the Duke. If he did, he would have to reveal that Liliana could use magic. That, in turn, would mean admitting that she had regained her voice but was keeping it a secret. Liliana had asked the Baron not to disclose this to anyone, and he had no intention of breaking that promise, even to a child.

Meanwhile, Duke Ealdred seemed to have reached a different conclusion.

“I see.”

The Duke murmured thoughtfully. Even without the details, Duke Ealdred was certain that the Baron had good reasons for his suggestion. The Baron was not one to speak without justification.

In other words, Liliana likely possessed the potential to protect the Crown Prince with her magical abilities—or at least, there was a strong possibility of it.

At the same time, Duke Ealdred recalled some information he had obtained: there were rumors that Liliana had been learning curse magic from Ben Draco and Petra Muirulainen. Only the people involved should have known about this, but if Liliana did have the capability to guard the Crown Prince and had some involvement in the development of the purification array, it increased the likelihood that she might have activated the array during the monster attack stampede on the day of the Crown Prince's birthday celebration.

“Indeed, that’s a strong possibility. The problem lies with Duke Clark, who opposes her engagement. And despite receiving Crown Princess training, Lady Liliana is still only nine years old. Entrusting a nine-year-old girl with such a responsibility as a guard is a heavy burden.”

“She’s quite mature for a nine-year-old,” the Baron replied with a complicated expression.

He nodded, acknowledging that while her age might cause hesitation, Liliana was much more mature than her years would suggest. Compared to the other candidates undergoing Crown Princess training, the difference was stark—a testament to her exceptional qualities.

Moreover, while it was known that Liliana couldn’t speak, this wouldn’t be an issue outside of social and diplomatic settings. Furthermore, it wasn’t that she was unable to speak; rather, she was pretending to be mute. In other words, if necessary, she could use her voice. There shouldn’t be any problems with finalizing the engagement.

The greatest obstacle would be gaining the consent of Liliana’s father, Duke Clark. Convincing him through straightforward means would be nearly impossible, and the reasons for his opposition to the engagement remained unclear.

“We may need to enlist His Highness’s help, Duke.”

“Yes, I agree. It seems there is a secret agreement between His Majesty and Duke Clark to remove her from the list of candidates if she doesn’t regain her voice by the age of ten. We’ll need to secure the engagement before that deadline.”

Duke Ealdred expressed his agreement. Although the secret pact between the King and Duke Clark was kept confidential, a few people knew about it. Among that small circle, the two men began to devise a plan.

Everything would have to be carried out in secrecy, with only a select few involved. Ideally, even Liliana herself wouldn’t be informed.

The clandestine discussion between two of Slibegrad Kingdom’s most influential figures continued until the sun set.

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