Translator: Nox

Chapter 129

Adi met Yuls’s gaze, her expression one of pure astonishment. Although the prospect of accompanying him thrilled her, she knew she had to prioritize logic over her own excitement.

“That is out of the question, Your Excellency.”

“……”

Yuls fell into a brooding silence at her blunt refusal. He hadn’t expected her to simply jump at the chance. Had their roles been reversed, he likely would have offered the same resistance.

“Grimaldi is far too risky,” he pointed out.

“It is my birthplace,” Adi countered. “I am well aware of the dangers.”

“I refuse to let you go there on your own.”

“Then it would be wiser to dispatch someone else. For Your Excellency to abandon the dukedom’s lands right now…”

“Are you suggesting I send my Guard away with a different escort?” Yuls interrupted.

He fixed her with a direct look. “You are aware of my feelings for you, Guard. Do you honestly believe I would allow the person I care for to travel to a place as remote as Grimaldi in the company of others?”

When he framed it like that, Adi found herself without a retort. She had been consumed by jealousy merely seeing Lea Connolly sharing a table with Yuls and the Marchioness; insisting she could go off with others while he stayed behind felt hypocritical.

Still, Yuls was a Duke. A man of his standing couldn’t just vanish on a whim. Every step he took was analyzed for hidden political agendas.

“The timing is simply too volatile for such a risk,” she insisted.

“In that case,” Yuls said, leaning toward her until his head rested against her shoulder. “What if we just slipped away?”

Adi’s eyes narrowed. Despite her own impressive height, the difference between them was significant, yet he managed to nuzzle into her shoulder quite naturally as he looked up at her.

“Only the two of us.”

As he spoke, he reached down and laced his fingers through hers. Adi felt a wave of heat at the deliberate way he toyed with her hand, weaving their digits together. She had never given much thought to the anatomy of a hand or the length of fingers before, but now, every point of contact felt electrified. His face was so near she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. Unable to maintain eye contact, she looked away, feeling as though Yuls was intentionally trying to undo her resolve.

“Give me an answer, Guard.”

It was a ridiculous proposition. They couldn’t just disappear into the night like runaways. And yet, despite knowing better…

“Very well,” Adi whispered.

They both knew it was an impossibility, but she wanted to give him the response he was fishing for.

“Let’s do it.”

“We shall go together,” she added.

Startled by her sudden shift in tone, Yuls pulled back and looked at her.

“I can act as your protector during the journey,” Adi said, her mind already racing with logistics. “If we travel light and stay in inns rather than camping, our burden will be minimal. Moving between established quarters will make the trip less grueling. We could make excellent time on horseback.”

Yuls let out a sudden burst of laughter. He had braced himself for a flat rejection, but seeing her immediately pivot into serious tactical planning was delightful.

“I will keep you safe, Your Excellency,” she promised over his laughter.

The irony of the guard protecting the master who had proposed the trip wasn’t lost on him, but the sentiment warmed him nonetheless. Yuls nodded, a lingering smile on his lips.

“I’m putting my life in your hands then, Guard.”

---

According to Joel, Lev’s recovery would be a slow process. He clarified that while the physical wounds were stabilized, healing the flesh didn’t always mean the mind would follow; some patients simply never regained consciousness.

The primary concern now was Lev’s political status.

He was no longer officially a knight of Grimaldi, yet his reputation was tied to that house. Without knowing who his current benefactor was or his current standing, there was no logical place to send him. The plan had been to question him and send him on his way once he woke, but for now, they were stuck as his caretakers.

“He wouldn’t have received this level of care anywhere else,” Bert remarked.

“He was run through,” he continued. “They used him as a pawn to be discarded from the start.”

“That makes the whole thing feel like a setup,” another added. “It’s very likely someone is trying to frame Grimaldi for this.”

“Doesn’t the Count usually look after his subordinates?” Bert asked.

The question hung in the air, met with mixed feelings. Count Grimaldi valued his people, but only through the lens of their utility. His vassals were well aware of this, fighting desperately to remain useful enough to avoid the scrap heap.

“Is that not how he operates?” Bert pressed.

No one had a solid answer. Adrina was the only person present who had truly suffered under the Count’s thumb, and everyone knew the grim circumstances that had led her to Woodpecker. Even Bert seemed to realize the flaw in his own logic.

“Moving on,” Yuls interrupted before the silence became too heavy. “I intend to travel to Grimaldi with Guard Adrina Dean.”

A new, much deeper silence filled the room. This wasn’t the silence of having no answer, but rather the silence of men holding back a flood of objections.

“That is absolutely out of the question,” Gavin finally snapped.

Bert rubbed his temples in frustration, while Dimitri bit back a sigh. It wasn’t hard for them to piece together how this had happened. Adi likely wanted to investigate Grimaldi, believing they were behind the Oak Forest fire. Yuls, unable to let her go alone into enemy territory, had inserted himself into the plan.

They understood the motive, but the execution was madness. Why only the two of them?

Julius had to be the mastermind behind the ‘duo’ idea. Yuls’s infatuation with Adi was transparent to everyone in the room. Adi, being who she was, would have volunteered to go solo; she never would have asked the Duke to risk himself.

“Just send Adrina by herself!” Bert argued.

Despite his usual habit of defending her, this was a step too far. He shot Adi a look of pure betrayal, his eyes accusing her of failing her duty as an escort. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t talked the Duke out of such a reckless whim. Adi pointedly looked at the floor.

“It’s too risky,” Yuls countered.

“You are in significantly more danger than she is, Your Excellency,” Bert argued.

“We are both highly capable warriors,” Yuls shrugged. “We can handle ourselves.”

Capability wasn’t the point. A Duke didn’t just wander the countryside because he was good with a sword. Yuls was ignoring his responsibilities out of pure, stubborn desire. He simply wanted her to himself.

“What if I accompanied Adi instead?” Dimitri suggested.

Yuls’s expression soured instantly. The suggestion clearly meant leaving the Duke behind. Dimitri was a solid choice—he was Adi’s kin and a fiercely loyal servant—but he wasn’t the person Yuls wanted to spend weeks on the road with.

Dimitri didn’t miss the Duke’s irritation. Neither did Bert or Gavin. It was the look of a man who was going to get his way, logic be damned.

“If that won’t work, I will mobilize the Knights Order,” Gavin said.

“Marching an army into Grimaldi without a summons?” Yuls asked. “That’s practically a declaration of war.”

“Then we request a formal invitation. A diplomatic visit would be perfectly legal.”

“An official visit to Grimaldi immediately following the Council? You know exactly how the public will interpret that,” Yuls pointed out.

“Precisely, Your Excellency,” Dimitri said, catching on. He looked at the other vassals, who seemed to be reaching the same conclusion.

“It is a perfect chance to use public perception to our advantage and keep our rivals in check.”

By visiting Grimaldi, Yuls could freeze his enemies’ movements. Furthermore, the alliance between Macauliffe and Grimaldi had shown cracks during the Council. It was the only reason Count Montac, usually an enemy of Grimaldi, had sided with them.

Macauliffe was clearly trying to manipulate Woodpecker, knowing the Duke’s relationship with Grimaldi was strained. Pitting those powers against each other was a shrewd move. Many other nobles were already wary of Macauliffe’s growing influence. Had the forest fire not canceled the ball, Yuls might have gathered even more intelligence, but this visit could serve as a substitute.

“What do you think, Guard?” Yuls asked, turning the attention back to Adrina. “Does that satisfy you?”

Yuls wasn’t thrilled about bringing a whole entourage, but for Adi, the priority was simply getting to Grimaldi.

Dimitri and Bert looked relieved that a compromise had been found. Sighing in disappointment, Yuls gave the order.

“Draft a letter to Count Grimaldi.”

“At once, Your Excellency,” Dimitri replied.

“And send word to Claude as well,” Yuls added. “I want an update on the situation in the Capital.”

---

The Grimaldi estate sat at a high altitude where the summer sun was harsh, yet the air remained crisp and cool in the shadows. The estate itself was a grim, imposing structure—half of it was an ancient fortress of stacked stone. It was a labyrinthine place, a ruin that had been haphazardly renovated over generations.

The newer wings housed the staff and the County’s administrative offices, while the original stone heart of the castle contained the Count’s private study, the archives, and the subterranean dungeons.

Spencer’s office was a circular room that saw no natural light. Lamps burned at all hours, creating an environment where time seemed to stand still. It was easy to lose track of day and night within those stone walls, a fact that weighed heavily on the vassals, though the Count remained indifferent to their exhaustion.

“Your Excellency.”

Late into the night, the head chamberlain knocked and entered the dim room. Spencer didn’t look up from the documents he was signing. “Speak.”

“A missive has arrived from House Woodpecker.”

The Count froze. He slowly lifted his head, his interest finally piqued. “Bring it here.”

The chamberlain stepped forward, presenting the message on a silver tray alongside a letter opener. Spencer took the parchment, noting the prominent Woodpecker seal. It wasn’t marked as a private or secret correspondence, which meant its contents were strictly official. He slid the opener through the wax and unfolded the paper.

“How very droll,” Spencer murmured, a sharp chuckle escaping him. The message was surprisingly blunt.