Chapter 868

“…You have something to say?”

The man slammed the door shut and stared intently at the butler. Approaching with a puzzled look, he glanced over the scattered clothes and belongings strewn about.

Just as Crony had said, there was a rat in the bedroom. Leaning on the table, the man pulled out a cigarette.

“Answer me first.”

“Huh?”

“What were you doing here?”

“Ah, well, that is—”

The butler faltered, trailing off nervously. Hana’s ears perked up even more.

She, too, was curious. What exactly was the butler searching for? She was here to find the traitor within the mansion, but what did the butler need?

“Such little trust, really.”

But the man chuckled as if he had a rough idea.

“We’re already in this together. Don’t waste time doubting and trying to uncover things. Whether it’s you or us, we’re bound by life and death.”

“That’s not it.”

“Look, I get it. You’ve served the master for a long time. The atmosphere’s been tense, hasn’t it? Even the lady seems to have noticed.”

“T-The lady noticed?”

Hana’s eyes rolled wildly. So the butler had clearly betrayed Crony and his group through some kind of deal.

Yet, they still didn’t fully trust each other. The butler was searching for a contingency plan. That meant there was something in this room they could use as leverage.

‘But the lady noticed? Has Lord Ian already told her? That can’t be.’

“So, I’m thinking of adjusting the plan.”

“How much does she know?”

“That’s not something you need to know. After all, the dead don’t speak.”

Hana’s eyes widened. What on earth were these bastards talking about?

“Butler, I want the lord dead tonight. Let’s finish this quickly. Tell the servants to watch for the right moment—before midnight.”

The butler nodded silently. A brief silence followed, then footsteps outside the door. It was Crony. He had come down from upstairs, wondering why the person hadn’t returned.

With more and more people gathering, Hana held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Are you in the middle of a conversation?”

“No, it’s over. Goodbye.”

The butler hurried out, and Crony watched his retreating figure with suspicion. Once the door closed, he surveyed the messy bedroom.

“Looks like there was a fight.”

“Seems he came looking for a letter.”

“Foolish.”

Crony confirmed the bundle of letters was gone. The pathetic butler had finally made his move. Did he really think something so trivial would protect him? Shaking his head, Crony gave instructions to the man.

“Have the lady order the butler to clean this up.”

“Yes, understood. It’s going to be noisy.”

The man left in a rush, but Crony showed no sign of moving anytime soon. Hana wanted to leave quickly and report what she’d learned. But whatever he was thinking, he just sat at the table, chain-smoking.

“……”

Hana kept her mouth tightly shut, afraid even the slightest breath might be heard. Her heart pounded wildly, but she dared not move. If she were caught here, it would mean death.

---

“Mother! Mother!”

Ian ran frantically, searching for the lady, but the steward caught him by surprise.

“Young master, you mustn’t run around like this. Where is Hana? Why are you alone?”

“Let me go! I have to see Mother.”

“She’s gone out to meet the village tenant manager. Please wait.”

“Even if it’s urgent!”

“No.”

Ian struggled and threw a tantrum, but the steward firmly lifted him up. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free. So Ian changed tactics, lightly tapping the steward’s shoulder with his tiny hands—no pain at all.

“Calm down, young master. Hana needs a good scolding. You were supposed to watch her, yet she went off alone.”

“I sent her on an errand!”

“An errand?”

At that moment, Ian spotted Filia passing by and called out.

“Filia!”

Startled, Filia turned around. Ian’s eyes glistened with tears as he reached out to her, silently begging for help.

Reflexively, Filia ran over and took his hand.

“Young master? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. The young master’s just being unusually fussy today.”

“Filia, Filia…”

“Come on, let’s go!”

“Wait!”

Filia gently grabbed the steward’s arm. She didn’t know the full story, but sending the child off like this didn’t feel right.

“I’ll take him to his room.”

“You? You’re busy.”

“Busier than the steward, perhaps. I was just about to rest anyway. It’s fine. Bring him here.”

Seizing the chance, Ian twisted his body, trying to break free from the steward’s grip. Well, there was no other way.

Filia took the child from the steward, who left with a frown, clearly feeling a bit hurt. How could someone she’d known since birth act this way? Muttering under her breath, she entrusted Ian to Filia.

“Please take good care of him.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry.”

Ian buried his head in Filia’s arms.

After the steward left, Filia sighed and gently set the boy down. Her eyes were moist.

“Ian, don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

“Those who want to harm Father will surely hurt Mother, too. I want to warn her, but I can’t find her.”

“Ah, she must be busy handling the lord’s affairs.”

“I want to tell her…”

“Ian, look at me.”

Filia cupped his cheeks and gave a faint smile.

“Do you think the lady doesn’t know what you know?”

Ian hesitated at the unexpected question.

He was her son, but to the lady, he was her husband. Maybe, just maybe, the lady suspected far more than Ian realized.

“Don’t worry so much. Let’s wait a little. I’ll stay by her side until she returns.”

Ian’s tear-filled eyes sparkled faintly—clear and pure like the sky itself. He nodded slightly.

“And—”

“Yes?”

“Hana went into the guest room.”

Whispering, Ian’s confession left Filia looking surprised. Judging by the lowered voice, it seemed Hana had snuck in.

“If she found something, she’d have told me. No news yet, so I’m worried.”

“The guest room… is that the annex?”

“Yes. We were having a scholarly debate, then she said she needed to use the bathroom and came here. I have to go back, but could you come and check the situation with me?”

“Of course.”

Filia took Ian’s hand, and they headed back to the annex. The study was empty—either everyone had left out of impatience or scattered at the right moment; it was impossible to tell.

Ian ran up the stairs and stared at the firmly closed guest room door. He could sense movement inside.

‘Is Hana hiding in there? Is that why she can’t come out?’

Knock, knock.

Ian knocked cautiously. Crony appeared, peeking through the slightly opened door. Ian wanted to look inside, but his view was limited.

“Uncle, sorry. Everyone had something come up.”

“Ah, well—”

“We’ll end the scholarly debate here and look forward to the next time. I’m not feeling well and need to rest.”

In other words, stop bothering me. I don’t have time for children. Crony was politely but clearly shutting him down.

Ian couldn’t say a word and could only watch the door close tightly.

“Ian.”

Filia whispered to the boy.

“It’s best to leave now. If you keep trying, you might raise suspicion. If Hana really is inside, it could put her in danger.”

Let’s wait for another time.

Ian agreed with Filia’s suggestion. For now, retreating was the wiser choice. If Hana were caught, things would become truly difficult.

Of course, Ian himself was fine. He was the only son of the mansion’s master, a noble, and after all, just a child.

But Hana?

‘She’ll be thrown out of the house, dragged to the guards for questioning. She could face terrible consequences.’

Ian quietly backed away and left the annex. He was curious about what Hana had found, but the time to learn that would surely come.

He smiled up at Filia.

“Filia, want to see my room?”

“Shall we? I’m looking forward to it, young master.”

Creak.

Ian invited Filia into his room—a neat, cozy space with a faint scent of fresh grass.

“What do you usually do at this hour?”

“Read a book, then take a nap.”

“I see. Shall I read to you?”

“That sounds nice.”

Ian thought: When Mother returns from her outing, the steward will tell her what I said. She’ll definitely contact me—or come find me.

He hugged the blanket close and lay down comfortably. Filia sat by his side.

“What shall I read?”

“Read me ‘The Legend of the Karbo Temple.’ I hear there’s been a lot of fuss about it in the capital lately.”

“Oh, yes. That’s true. How did you know?”

“The tutor brings us a discussion topic once a week,”

“Excellent. Then I shall read it. Close your eyes and rest easy.”

Philia gently patted the child’s chest as she read the storybook. Her voice was soft and warm, wrapping around Ian’s heart like a soothing balm. In that comforting embrace, Ian felt himself slowly drifting, as if his body were floating weightlessly.

‘…Mother.’

Suddenly, the image of his mother surfaced in his mind. His damp eyelashes trembled, then stilled.

‘……?’

But why, when he thought of his mother, did Philia’s face come to mind? Was it because she was sitting kindly beside him now?

Still, his whole body was too languid to search for an answer. Ian drifted off to sleep. Outside the window, the sun was slowly setting.

Thump! Thump!

How much time had passed?

Ian’s eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar noise.

“……?”

Philia was gone. So was Hayna.

From beyond the door came hurried footsteps. A sense of dread prickled Ian’s skin as he threw off the covers and rose from the bed, stepping into the room.

“You have to hold her firmly! We can’t let the blood flow!”

“M-Master! Please, try to stay conscious!”

“What are you doing? Snap out of it!”

“Warm water and clean cloths, quickly!”

“Remove the bloodied blankets! And—someone contact the lady immediately!”

Chaos reigned. The servants rushed about, carrying away the soiled bedding, while Miss Kelly and her pupils hurried back and forth through the bedroom. Philia was there too.

Ian, stunned and frozen, bumped into a servant’s shoulder.

“Ah! Ian-sama!”

At the sound of his name, everyone momentarily stopped. On the disheveled bed lay the lord, sprawled and weak, coughing up blood in a steady stream. His appearance was so ghastly it was hard to believe he was even human.

Ian was paralyzed by shock, but someone covered his eyes and pulled him away.

“Ah—!”

“You mustn’t look!”

“F-Father! Father!”

“Ian-sama, please come this way!”

“Let me go! I said, let me go! Father!”

Ian screamed and lunged forward, but the servants held him back. Philia averted her gaze from the child and, following Kelly’s orders, focused on stemming the bleeding. The sharp, metallic scent of blood filled the mansion.

“Oh dear.”

It was then that someone gently wrapped an arm around Ian’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.

“I came to see what all the commotion was about. Tsk, tsk.”

It was Crony. His expression was unnervingly calm, utterly out of place. Ian’s face stiffened and twisted with growing unease.

Crony lifted the child lightly into his arms and asked the servants,

“And the lady? Has she not returned to the mansion yet?”