Chapter 867

Chronie watched intently as the group and Ian debated.

Children are truly inscrutable. Ah, yes, that’s just how children are. Only moments ago, he had been smiling innocently, carefree and bright-eyed, and now he wouldn’t even meet Chronie’s gaze.

“So, I believe that battle was a mistake. Cutting off the retreat was a smart move, but the way the surrendered soldiers were treated was excessively cruel. In fact, because of that, Count Arkadi, who was responsible for the war funds, withdrew his support.”

“But at the time, it was the best option available.”

“From whose perspective?”

The boy chattered nonstop, as if desperately trying to uncover every secret of the world. This must be what genius looks like. Chronie tilted his chin thoughtfully.

‘How did I not notice? If he’s this sharp at five, there must have been signs earlier… Though they’re far from the capital, it’s not that distant. Did the lord and lady deliberately keep this hidden?’

Most nobles, even if their children were dull or slow, would somehow try to claim them as prodigies, parading them like trophies. If Ian belonged to another noble family, his reputation might have already spread throughout the capital—or even across Bariel—so that everyone knew his name.

‘Because he’s of the royal bloodline.’

But Hadel isn’t just any noble house. Being a collateral branch of the royal family means they’re always under scrutiny, a potential threat to power.

Though the current emperor lies ill, he’s vigilant about his own safety. They must have hidden Ian’s talents to prevent any baseless rumors that could endanger the boy.

‘He’s still very young, after all.’

Hmm. How should I handle this? Since he’ll be under guardianship anyway, maybe it’s better to have someone sharp rather than dull.

‘No, that’s too risky.’

Chronie hid his fickle thoughts behind a sip of tea. At least the boy is young enough to be shaped however they want.

“Sir Chronie?”

“Ah.”

“What is the Imperial Defense Department’s stance on this?”

The question snapped Chronie back to attention. Ian looked at him with calm, clear eyes—truly beautiful blue eyes. Chronie rubbed his chin and replied.

“It’s unfortunate that Count Arkadi cut off the funds, but there was no alternative. This isn’t a military issue, but a personal matter involving the count.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

Ian asked, puzzled. This was new information to him. It’s clear that those currently in office see things differently.

“Officially, it was said that the count opposed the matter, but that wasn’t the case.”

Chronie smiled faintly and leaned toward the boy. Should I tell him? After all, whether we like it or not, we’ll be close from now on.

“There was conflict within the Arkadi family.”

“Conflict?”

“Someone tried to assassinate Count Arkadi.”

“…!”

Ian’s eyes widened. Chronie continued leisurely, clearly amused by the reaction.

“Fortunately, the count survived, but it became necessary to consolidate the scattered assets and people. What’s more important than outside affairs? When your own house is in chaos.”

He lit a cigarette and rubbed his brow as if recalling the details.

“Do you know what happened? Was the culprit caught?”

“No.”

Chronie shrugged. The others who knew the full story coughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact.

“Count Arkadi is a tough man. He killed everyone who would have benefited from his death. So whoever tried it is probably dead. Most likely.”

Ian couldn’t tell what shocked him more: that the count had killed all those who stood to gain, or that something similar might be happening to him—or maybe something else entirely.

“Oh, you’re surprised.”

“Sir Chronie, the young master is still a child.”

“Ha ha. My apologies. He’s so sharp I spoke without holding back. Are you alright?”

“…Yes.”

“Pardon?”

Ian stared at Chronie with a half-dazed look, then quietly muttered:

“That’s right. You just line them up.”

The people who would benefit if his father died.

Aside from his mother, that would be himself. But since he didn’t plot anything, he’s excluded. Next—

‘Those who would gain through me.’

His guardian.

But as long as his mother lives, the guardian won’t benefit. That means his mother is also in danger.

‘They’ll try to kill her too.’

And then—

“Ian, young master?”

Ian jumped up from his seat. He wanted to find evidence of his father’s assassination and inform his mother immediately. No, the sooner the better.

His father’s death had taken so long because his mother was by his side, but that wouldn’t be the case with her.

‘No one will be there to watch over her or question it. It’ll be over in an instant.’

His mother would be killed swiftly.

As Ian staggered backward, the others burst out laughing. Even a smart child is still a child.

“Oh, young master, you’ll get a scolding from the lady if you keep that up.”

“Yes, indeed. She’ll ask what you’ve been told. Ian, don’t be so scared. Things like this happen all the time in the capital.”

“Sir Chronie, please say something. The young master is frightened.”

Chronie exhaled a plume of cigarette smoke and studied Ian’s expression. Well, he was scared, but was it really because of the Arkadi count incident?

“Ian, nephew.”

He spoke gently, offering comfort.

“Don’t worry too much. The Hadel family is peaceful, isn’t it? There are no siblings fighting over inheritance.”

Ian was alone—the sole heir to the vast mansion, lands, and fortune.

“There are no rebellious factions targeting the lord. His illness is purely health-related, isn’t it?”

Chronie asked, staring deeply into the boy’s eyes. A flicker of hesitation. A fleeting shadow of fear. A look that said he didn’t know what to do. Lips hesitating to answer… his reaction was transparent.

Just as Ian was about to speak—

Boom.

A heavy noise came from upstairs.

Everyone looked up at the ceiling simultaneously. Wasn’t that the room they were staying in? What was going on?

“Ah, um—”

Ian stepped back but casually grabbed the study door.

“I’ll just go to the bathroom for a moment.”

“Yes, young master. Please do.”

“Can you go alone?”

The group chuckled rudely, but Ian didn’t hear them. He stormed out of the room.

Seeing this, the others stretched and slowly got to their feet.

“That should be enough, right? The little one’s questions were pretty sharp. I thought he might die from the pressure.”

“Indeed. His intelligence is extraordinary.”

“That’s what genius looks like. Lady Rolf should see this for herself. It’s ridiculous how she keeps insisting her dull child is a prodigy…”

“Everyone, hold on.”

Chronie flicked the ash from his cigarette and interrupted. The chatter stopped abruptly as they turned to him.

“Let’s revise the schedule.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

Though sudden, no one questioned him. They trusted Chronie had his reasons.

“Today, we must attend to the lord’s bedside.”

“Oh, today?”

He meant to end the lord’s suffering today.

The group was taken aback, but Chronie pointed to the spot where Ian had been sitting.

“Didn’t you notice? The boy isn’t good at lying.”

No matter how smart, he’s still a child. His fleeting expressions were so raw, it was almost endearing.

“Ian suspects assassination. It might be just his own suspicion, but honestly, no matter how clever, it’s unlikely he came to that conclusion alone. So where did he hear it?”

From his mother. Since she suspects it, her son reacts the same way.

The group’s faces darkened instantly. If the lady herself suspects and begins investigating…

“This could be a serious problem.”

“If it’s true, we must act quickly.”

“Let’s proceed immediately.”

They nodded in agreement with Chronie’s proposal and hurried to their feet. They needed to relay orders to the servants scattered throughout the mansion.

Chronie also rose and began assigning roles.

“Sir, meet with the butler and pass on the orders—”

“Yes, understood.”

The first ally: the butler.

Through him, they could connect with all the servants in the mansion.

“I’ll check upstairs for a moment.”

“Upstairs?”

“There was that thud, wasn’t there?”

They had to investigate. Who knew? Maybe a rat had sneaked in. As everyone left the room, the study fell silent, as if nothing had happened.

But what they didn’t know was that the magic stone brooch glowing softly inside the desk drawer—the one Ian used as a recorder to review lessons—had been listening to everything.

Even Ian seemed to have forgotten about it, but the brooch continued to shine quietly in the darkness.

---

Click. Click.

Hana fiddled with the doorknob using her hairpin, glancing left and right down the hallway. She was clearly checking if anyone was coming. Maybe because it had been a while, or maybe because she was nervous, it wasn’t going smoothly.

Then—

Click.

“Ah, it’s open.”

After a few struggles, the bedroom door finally gave way. Hana tucked the hairpin back into her hair and stepped inside, making sure to close the door behind her without a sound. Perfect.

“Alright, let’s see.”

She quickly scanned the room, then without hesitation, dashed toward the trunk bags piled up in one corner. There were quite a few—around a dozen or so.

“Wow, that’s a lot.”

It was obvious they’d come prepared to stay for several days. The bags were stuffed with clothes, books, and all sorts of miscellaneous items.

Hana carefully rifled through the luggage, making sure not to scatter anything.

‘No poison or anything suspicious…’

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then again, if this was the culprit, they probably wouldn’t be the one handling the dirty work directly.

Just as she was thinking that, her fingers suddenly stopped on a bundle of letters hidden beneath one of the bags.

“This is it!”

With a triumphant grin, Hana lifted the bundle like she’d just caught a big fish. But then it hit her.

“Oh, right. I can’t read.”

What an idiot! She smacked her forehead in frustration. She couldn’t possibly memorize every word, and if she took the letters with her, they’d definitely notice signs of a break-in.

She had no choice but to focus on the seals. Maybe just knowing who they were communicating with would be enough.

‘Or maybe… the notes!’

Hana grabbed a notepad from beside the bed and began copying down the characters. It was basically the same as drawing, but Ian would be able to make sense of it.

‘If I copy even a little…’

Her fingers, wriggling as she lay flat on the floor, suddenly froze on one particular letter.

‘Huh? Is this from Hadel?’

The envelope bore the official stamp of the Hadel post office. She might not recognize much, but she definitely knew the seal from the town she’d lived in all her life.

Hana rifled through the envelopes. It was sent from Hadel, but there was no seal from the mansion. So it wasn’t an official dispatch from the estate.

‘Ah.’

She instinctively realized these people were in cahoots with someone from the Hadel territory.

Ignoring everything else, Hana started copying that letter first. But the handwriting looked so familiar…

‘The black ink is the writing, the white is the paper… but somehow this looks really familiar. The slant to the left, the sharp, elegant strokes…’

Just as Hana tilted her head in confusion—

Click.

Someone grabbed the bedroom door handle. Startled, Hana snapped her head up and froze. Outside, it looked like someone was trying to open the door.

Click, click.

Squeak.

“Ahh!”

Clutching the papers to her chest, Hana crawled under the bed. Soon, the door creaked open, and a man’s polished shoes came into view.

He quietly paced around the room, then began reading the documents on the table.

‘What’s going on? What’s going on?’

Hana covered her mouth, eyes darting wildly. Suddenly, sensing something was off, the man’s footsteps moved closer to the bed. His shoes stopped just inches away.

Hana realized those shoes looked very familiar. Where had she seen them before…?

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

At that moment, another man entered behind him. They were part of the group sent by Crony to inspect the bedroom.

“…!”

Suddenly, Hana understood. She knew exactly who those shoes belonged to. And she recognized the handwriting on the letter she’d just been copying.

“Well, this is perfect timing. I have something to discuss with you, butler.”