Hiding My Identity From My Husband — Chapter 19

...WHA-

...I SPOKE FOR TOO LONG BEFORE SOMEONE WHO'S UNWELL.

PLEASE REST NOW.

...WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?

FAR FROM HAVING FEELINGS FOR ME,

I ALREADY KNEW LUVANTES SUSPECTED AND WAS KEEPING WATCH OVER ME.

BUT WHY...

WHY DO I FEEL SO HEARTBROKEN?

IT'S NOT LIKE BEING RESENTED IS ANYTHING NEW TO ME, SO WHY AM I ACTING LIKE THIS NOW?

...AH!

COME TO THINK OF IT, ISN'T TODAY THE DAY I'M SUPPOSED TO MEET PINKY?

RIGHT, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO INDULGE IN SENTIMENTALITY.

SINCE THINGS HAVE COME TO THIS, I NEED TO FOCUS ON MY MISSION AND GATHERING INTEL FOR THE TIME BEING.

THE NEXT DAY

THERE'S NO ONE AROUND, RIGHT?

LUVANTES HASN'T VISITED SINCE YESTERDAY, WHICH MAKES SLIPPING OUT EASIER,

BUT SOMEHOW, MY HEART FEELS HEAVY...

NO, LET'S NOT DWELL ON DISTRACTING THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW.

THE CROCODILE INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED A FEW DAYS AGO...

「HERO」 CHARLES RESCUES A CHILD FROM CROCODILES...

THAT, TOO, WAS DEFINITELY CAUSED BY CATACLE'S MEDDLING.

THEO, WHO HAD SUPPOSEDLY GONE TO WASH HIS HANDS,

WAS FOUND INSIDE THE CROCODILE ENCLOSURE HOLDING BLOODY BISCUITS FOR SOME REASON.

SOMEONE DELIBERATELY LURED THE CHILD AND DREW THE CROCODILES OVER.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CATACLE'S MOTIVE FOR ENDANGERING THE EMPIRE'S NOBILITY...?

DEPENDING ON THE INFORMATION PINKY BRINGS TODAY, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET A CLUE.

LADY CHARLES! OVER HERE! OVER HERE!

...PINKY!

HAVE YOU BEEN KEEPING WELL?

YOU SEEM TO HAVE GROWN EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!

SEEING YOU SHOWER ME WITH EMPTY FLATTERY,

I TAKE IT YOU COULDN'T DIG UP MUCH INFORMATION?

HA, HAHA...! HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!

ACTUALLY, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.

I FIGURED AS MUCH.

BUT IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVE NOTHING AT ALL!

Take a look at this.

ASIDE FROM THE INCIDENTS YOU WERE PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN, LADY CHARLES,

I'VE COMPILED A LIST OF SUDDEN, SUSPICIOUS ACCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED AMONG NOBLE HOUSEHOLDS.

DUCAL HOUSE OF MONDALT: THE DUKE'S CHILD WENT MISSING DURING A CONCERT.

VISCOUNT HOUSE OF HOWARD: THE VISCOUNT WAS SEVERELY INJURED BY A CARRIAGE EXPLOSION.

MARQUISATE OF BELMORE: SYMPTOMS OF MASS FOOD POISONING.

AND BEHIND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE INCIDENTS,

LIES THE FACT THAT CATACLE IS INVOLVED.

...THEY’RE ALL ARISTOCRATS OF THE IMPERIAL FACTION.

AND HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL NOBLES AT THAT.

WHAT DOES CATACLE GAIN FROM PULLING OFF STUNTS LIKE THIS?

I WASN’T ABLE TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

EVER SINCE THE VICE COMMANDER VANISHED, THE SCOPE OF INFORMATION I CAN ACCESS HAS SHRUNK, SO...

BUT!

I DID MANAGE TO FIND OUT THAT LORD ADRIAN IS WORKING ON SOMETHING SEPARATELY RIGHT NOW.

ADRIAN IS? WHAT IS HE UP TO?

LORD ADRIAN IS CURRENTLY... DISTRIBUTING AN ALTERED VERSION OF AURA.

WHAT...? ADRIAN IS DISTRIBUTING MODIFIED AURA...?

YES. IT'S ALREADY INSANELY POPULAR AMONG THE YOUNG NOBLES.

THEY SAY NOBODY EVEN HOSTS LATE-NIGHT PARTIES WITHOUT IT ANYMORE.

AS IT TURNS OUT, THAT SEEMS TO BE THE VERY REASON THEMIS WAS KILLED.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT...? THEMIS WAS THE ONE WHO CREATED AURA...!

BACK THEN, THEMIS WAS REPORTEDLY OPPOSED TO DISTRIBUTING MODIFIED AURA.

SO LORD ADRIAN DISPOSED OF HIM AND TOOK MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS TO BREW THE MODIFIED AURA DIRECTLY-

WHAT? THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I WAS TOLD...!

...ADRIAN SAID KILLING THEMIS WAS THE COMMANDER'S ORDER.

...WHICH MEANS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A LIE?

IF THIS WAS ALL ADRIAN'S SCHEME TO GET HIS HANDS ON AURA...

THROWING ESTABLISHED NOBLE HOUSES INTO CHAOS,

AND GETTING THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF NOBILITY HOOKED ON DRUGS?

COULD IT BE...?

IS CATACLE NO LONGER ON THE EMPIRE'S SIDE?

JUST HOW MUCH OF THIS WAS TRULY CARRIED OUT UNDER BAYLOR'S ORDERS?

I'LL HAVE TO VISIT HEADQUARTERS AND MEET WITH THE COMMANDER SOON.

...GOOD WORK FOR NOW. TAKE THIS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

LET'S MEET AGAIN ON THE NEXT NIGHT OF THE NEW MOON.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED ME TO LOOK INTO UNTIL THEN?

KEEP ME UPDATED ON CATACLE'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS JUST LIKE YOU'VE BEEN DOING.

DIGGING DEEPER INTO ADRIAN WOULD BE GREAT TOO.

UNDERSTOOD!

AH, WAIT! PLEASE HOLD ON A SECOND BEFORE YOU GO!

THIS IS SOMETHING VICE COMMANDER HENRY GAVE ME BEFORE.

JUST IN CASE, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST FOR YOU TO HOLD ONTO IT, LADY CHARLES.

A HAIRPIN WITH A MAGNET?

YES. I WAS TOLD IT'S MEANT TO UNLOCK SOMETHING LIKE A SECRET SAFE...

I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS, BUT I'M CERTAIN SOMETHING IMPORTANT MUST BE KEPT INSIDE.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WATCH YOUR BACK OUT THERE.

BY THE LOOKS OF IT...

WE'VE STEPPED INTO A FAR MORE DANGEROUS GAME THAN I ANTICIPATED.

EVER SINCE I RETURNED, I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN CONSTANTLY EMBROILED IN INCIDENTS.

THE EMPIRE, THE HOLY KINGDOM, AND EVEN CATACLE...

JUST HOW LONG HAS THE EMPIRE BEEN FESTERING FROM THE INSIDE OUT LIKE THIS?

I NEED TO FIND OUT WHETHER EVERYTHING I HEARD TODAY WAS ADRIAN'S SOLO DOING OR NOT.

LET'S SEE, THE SHORTCUT TO THE BACK OF THE MANOR IS...

...HUH?

WH-WHY IS LUVANTES HERE...?

...CHARLES?

IT'S LATE AT NIGHT. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?