The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak Chapter 132

Exchange of Opinions 10

Near the Ealdred Duke's mansion in the royal capital, Cocoefuki lay in wait. Normally, he would never linger at the scene after completing a job. But this time, there was still unfinished business.

"Honestly—he's a nuisance, even in death."

He muttered softly to himself. Cocoefuki had only realized that fact shortly after his target, Duke Ealdred, succumbed to the poison. Initially, he hadn't thought the magic the Duke employed was particularly complex. He assumed it was a simple spell designed to extract a confession from the target. If he hadn't taken one last look at the Duke's cane on his way out, he likely never would have noticed it. And had that been the case, not only Cocoefuki, but also his employer, would have been doomed. Even after realizing the truth, there remained a problem: Cocoefuki had no idea where the evidence of the assassination left by the Duke's final act was hidden.

"It can't be too far."

Cocoefuki whispered under his breath. Even though the Duke’s cane was a magic tool, it couldn’t host a magic circle large enough to cover significant distance. The power and range of a spell or curse magic are largely dependent on the size of the circle. The spell that had activated when Cocoefuki broke into Duke Ealdred's room had spread across the entire floor, but that was only because the Duke had expanded the magic circle using his own power. As per the information Cocoefuki had gathered, the Duke wasn’t particularly skilled in magic. That meant he could amplify a spell's effects near him, but sending the spell far away was beyond his capabilities.

Letting out a sigh, Cocoefuki waited for nightfall, until the mansion grew quiet. Perhaps due to the Duke’s passing, his second son, who usually stayed at the Royal Knights' barracks, had returned to the mansion. More people would only make Cocoefuki’s task harder. Likely in a few days, the Duke’s family and relatives would gather in the capital for the funeral. His body would not be taken back to the estate. It was with this in mind that Cocoefuki had spent nearly the entire day crafting a magic tool. The work had been somewhat rushed, but he felt confident it wouldn't be detected. While crafting magic tools wasn’t his specialty, he was skilled enough.

Once the mansion had finally gone still, Cocoefuki pulled a black hood low over his head, covering his mouth with a black cloth. Tonight was a moonlit night, but thick clouds hid the moon most of the time. It was the perfect night for someone of his profession to operate.

Blending into the darkness, Cocoefuki completely erased his presence as he infiltrated the mansion. The wards cast around the entire estate were powerless before him. Without alerting the caster, Cocoefuki, one of the continent's most skilled assassins, easily slipped inside and made his way to the room he had in mind.

Typically, when a noble felt their life was in danger, they entrusted their final wishes to either their successor or a trusted ally. The only people currently in the mansion were the heir, the second son, and the household staff like butlers and attendants. Thus, the person most likely to have received something from the deceased was obvious.

"Ulysses Pat Ealdred."

Cocoefuki muttered quietly. The next head of the family—no, with the Duke dead, Ulysses was now the current head. Cocoefuki silently made his way to Ulysses’s room, his presence still completely concealed. Without a sound, he leaped up, gripping the ceiling with his hands. Using the smallest protrusions as support, he lifted his body and removed a wooden plank, slipping through the narrow opening into the ceiling space. Once above Ulysses’s private room, he carefully removed a portion of the ceiling to peer down.

A grin spread across Cocoefuki’s face. Without a sound, he dropped into the room. It was Ulysses’s study. Sensing that the room’s occupant was in the adjoining bedroom, Cocoefuki nodded in satisfaction. Without a word, he began rifling through the shelves and desk drawers. But the object he sought was nowhere to be found.

"The bedroom, then?"

If Ulysses had deemed it important, he might have taken it to his bedroom instead of leaving it in his study. Cocoefuki almost clicked his tongue in frustration but stopped himself and silently made his way to the adjacent room. From his pocket, he took out a small pouch. Opening the door to the bedroom just a crack, he lit the pouch and tossed it inside. After shutting the door, he slowly counted to thirty.

The pouch contained a powder made from a plant his clan called "sleep grass." Once turned into powder and mixed with other herbs, the smoke from lighting it became a potent sleeping agent. Even those with a high tolerance for poison would fall into a deep slumber after inhaling it. Of course, Cocoefuki himself was immune, but as a precaution, he never entered a room immediately after using it. Once he finished counting, Cocoefuki carefully opened the door. After confirming that the smoke had dissipated, he slipped inside, picking up the pouch from the floor as he entered.

His eyes quickly scanned the room. His gaze fell on a small bedside cabinet near the pillow. The cabinet’s design wasn’t from the Kingdom of Slibegrad, but from the East. He carefully opened it, ensuring it made no noise, and peeked inside. Cocoefuki narrowed his eyes.

"—"

The room’s occupant slept nearby. Thanks to the sleep grass, Ulysses would not be waking up anytime soon. Satisfied, Cocoefuki stifled his breathing further. He reached out, grabbing a sealed letter placed under a book. Taking out a similar letter from his pocket, he made the switch.

His job was done. Feeling relieved that the mission had gone off without a hitch, he swiftly moved to leave the mansion. Cocoefuki made sure to return everything to its original place, erasing any traces of his intrusion.

Once outside the mansion, he took a deep breath. The satisfaction of completing his mission brought a rare sense of elation. Blending into the night once more, Cocoefuki headed to his next assignment.

The letter he had swapped—its recipient was addressed as "Lord Playsted.”

Though Liliana had collapsed in front of Riley, she quickly regained consciousness. It seemed that Riley had immediately tried to summon a doctor, but by the time the doctor arrived, Liliana was already awake, and she felt a bit embarrassed. The raging storm of emotions that had been churning within her before she fainted had somehow calmed. Still, her complexion remained pale. Perhaps noticing this, Riley called out to her with concern in his voice, “Sasha.”

“You must be exhausted from the inspection. I think it’s best if you return home for now. Ideally, you’d go to your estate near the capital, but—”

“I appreciate your concern. I was originally planning to do so, but considering Duke Ealdred’s situation, I believe it would be better to stay at the mansion in the capital.”

“Sasha…”

Riley’s face paled at Liliana’s words. With the doctor and attendants present, he couldn’t say what he truly wanted to. However, it was clear that Riley was uncomfortable with the idea of sending Liliana back to the Duke Clarke’s estate.

Liliana understood why. Riley was still grappling with the suspicions Marquis Finch had shared. To him, Duke Clarke represented a potential threat to Liliana. And Liliana herself couldn’t entirely dismiss those concerns. At the same time, she realized that while Riley might be wary of Duke Clarke, he still trusted Liliana. This realization made her emotions even more complex, though she managed to hold back her feelings, offering a faint, strained smile.

Whether Riley noticed or not, he called out to her again, his voice more urgent.

“I’ll come up with a reason. So please, stay at the palace.”

“Will?”

Liliana tilted her head in response to Riley’s almost desperate words. His grip on her right hand was so tight it hurt slightly, but seeing the pleading expression on his face, she couldn’t bring herself to pull away.

“I’ll assign guards to you, so—”

For someone like Riley, it was rare to see him faltering for words. Then, in a voice so soft that only Liliana could hear, he muttered something almost unconsciously.

“I don’t want to lose you too…”

Liliana was left speechless. She couldn’t find the right words. Surely, she hadn’t been unconscious for a short time. That meant Riley had yet to recover from the shock of Duke Ealdred’s assassination. Even so, Riley had been doing everything he could to be considerate of her. Before she collapsed, too, Riley had been focused entirely on Liliana. Despite the sudden news, despite the turmoil he must have been feeling, he held her hand and defended her against Marquis Finch’s accusations.

Liliana gently squeezed Riley’s hand in return. His large hand twitched slightly at her touch. She suddenly remembered that just a few years ago, his hand hadn’t been that much bigger than hers. Without her realizing it, Riley had grown, becoming not only physically larger but also someone struggling desperately to protect her. Though she wasn’t as fragile as he might think, part of her felt a warm softness spreading inside her.

“I understand. I’ll be imposing on you, Will.”

“You’re not imposing at all. I’m just… relieved that you agreed.”

Riley’s expression softened, and he lifted his head. His eyes, though still filled with the turmoil of sorrow and shock, held a firmness that touched Liliana deeply. She responded with a gentle smile, one that she hoped would convey kindness and reassurance.

Once Liliana agreed, Riley wasted no time instructing the attendants to make the necessary arrangements. Noticing her pale complexion, he hurriedly had a guest room prepared for her to rest. Marianne, who had accompanied Liliana during the inspection, also followed suit. Fortunately, the change of clothes they had brought for the inspection was proving useful, and there was no need for Marianne to return to either the mansion in the capital or the nearby estate.

After entering the guest room, Liliana sat down on the sofa. The fatigue weighed heavily on her body. Marianne was next door, unpacking clothes and making preparations for their stay. Sensing her presence through the closed door, Liliana closed her eyes.

“You seem tired.”

“Ajulite…”

A deep voice echoed in the room. Liliana opened her eyes slightly, and as she turned toward the sound, she saw the black lion sitting on the floor near the window. It felt like it had been a while since she last saw him, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s been a while.”

“There were always people around you.”

“I thought you said you could make it so others couldn’t see you.”

“I’m not fond of places with too many people.”

Ajulite snorted, and Liliana found the gesture amusing, letting out a soft laugh. Ajulite observed her with a curious expression. Tilting her head slightly, Liliana asked, “What is it?” He hesitated for a moment before answering.

“It’s rare to see you laugh so genuinely.”

“Is that so?”

Liliana tilted her head further in confusion. Even though Ajulite had said it, she didn’t quite grasp the meaning. It was true that the smile she always wore was both her strongest defense and her most potent weapon. After thinking about it for a moment, she arrived at a possible explanation.

“I’ve been undergoing Crown Princess training for so long… I believe that’s the reason.”

“Crown Princess training? And that’s why you don’t laugh from the heart?”

“Rather than not laughing, it’s more that I’ve been trained not to express my emotions easily.”

“I see…?”

Ajulite nodded, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced. He stared at Liliana suspiciously but didn’t pursue the matter further, as if losing interest. Sensing this, Liliana took the opportunity to ask her own question.

“What have you been up to recently?”

“I’ve been to various places.”

“My, like a pilgrimage of sorts?”

There weren’t many reasons to travel to various places in this world. Royal or noble families might do so for leisure or official inspections, but that didn’t seem to fit Ajulite. For commoners, such journeys were usually religious pilgrimages. However, the black lion gave an ambiguous nod.

“A pilgrimage… rather, I’ve been visiting old acquaintances.”

“Old acquaintances?”

Liliana furrowed her brow. The words “old acquaintances” seemed out of place when referring to the black lion in front of her. Ajulite had always given off the impression of a solitary figure. Seeing her puzzled expression, Ajulite bared his teeth, clearly displeased.

“Is it strange for me to say I have old acquaintances?”

“It’s not strange, but… I’m surprised.”

“Well, some of them have disappeared without a trace…”

Liliana couldn’t help but wonder just how old these “old acquaintances” were. In fact, how old was this black lion? She recalled asking about his age once, but he hadn’t answered. It seemed unlikely he would now. Instead of pressing the issue, Liliana asked a different question.

“So, after meeting them all, you’ve come to see me?”

Her unspoken question of whether he had a particular reason for visiting was met with an exasperated look from Ajulite. After a moment, he sighed and spoke.

“I told you, once we started calling each other by name, we became friends. And a friend doesn’t need a reason to visit.”

He then turned the question back on her, asking if she needed an excuse to meet her friends. Liliana fell silent, lost in thought. As she searched her memories, she realized she had no reference for such situations.

“I… I didn’t have any friends to begin with.”

Ajulite’s expression immediately softened into one of pity. Internally sighing at how expressive the black lion could be despite his nature, Liliana offered a faint, bittersweet smile.

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ToC

Chapter 133