“Are you feeling better now?”
It had only been a brief moment.
Their bodies had separated, yet his heart was still pounding wildly in his chest.
“...”
“Lexion?”
Milena gazed up at him with concern, staring into his crimson eyes that looked dazed, as though he were intoxicated.
What exactly was wrong with him?
She reached out to brush aside the strands of hair covering his eyes, but hesitated.
“Milena.”
Before she could pull back, her hand was caught in his much larger one and gently pressed against his cheek.
He leaned into her palm.
“I don’t think I’m normal anymore. I think something’s wrong with my heart.”
As he claimed his heart was beating as though it had broken, Milena answered firmly.
“Yes. You definitely don’t seem to be in good condition.”
She refused to be swayed by his nonsense.
This time, she seemed determined not to fall for his words no matter what.
Lexion let out a quiet chuckle and tightened his grip on her hand.
Maybe Jer had been right.
Perhaps he really was going crazy.
He didn't want to be apart from this woman.
“Why exactly is that happening? Are you alright now?”
His gaze briefly flickered toward the empty space that had caused all of this before he answered honestly.
“There was something I was looking for. But it wasn’t there.”
“That made you feel that awful? Looking at you now, you’re more fragile than I expected.”
“Hm. I’m quite confident in my stamina. Unfortunately, there’s no way to prove it here.”
Milena shook her head.
Now that he felt a little better, he had immediately gone back to saying ridiculous things.
“So you came into the Grand Duke’s castle to find an object?”
“Yeah. The Grand Duke stole something that belonged to me.”
Until now, she had assumed he had infiltrated the castle like any ordinary spy, gathering information.
But stolen property?
If the Grand Duke had taken it, it couldn't possibly be an ordinary item.
Judging by Lexion’s reaction, the object had originally been hidden in that empty chamber before disappearing.
It was unfortunate that he had come all this way and still failed to find it.
For someone who ruled an entire duchy, what could the Grand Duke possibly lack that he had to steal from others?
“More importantly, sweetheart.”
“Yes?”
“How much longer are we staying here? Weren’t we supposed to be robbing a treasure vault?”
Ah.
Right.
More time had passed than she realized.
They needed to hurry.
Milena pointed toward the piles of gold coins and precious gems.
“Lexion, can you store things like these with magic? Or do you have some kind of magical artifact?”
“Hm. Something like this?”
He pulled out a small pouch.
It was a rare magical item capable of storing a certain amount of objects within a pocket dimension regardless of their size or weight.
The moment she saw such a valuable item, Milena’s face brightened.
“Then please put these inside. I worked without pay too, you know. I deserve at least five years’ worth of salary.”
She hadn’t simply acted as Ashid’s nanny.
Alongside the butler, she had helped manage much of the castle’s internal affairs and shared countless responsibilities.
All of it had been a futile effort to earn Calion’s affection.
As Lexion snapped his fingers and swept the jewels and gold into the pouch, Milena ventured deeper into the chamber.
Her eyes settled on a single object.
The Lord’s Scepter.
A ceremonial staff used only during the Grand Duke’s investiture.
It was infused with powerful magic and symbolized authority and rule.
“What about that one?”
Lexion, who had already packed away half the treasury, stepped up behind her.
Milena casually picked up the scepter and smiled.
“Lexion, don’t you want to see the Grand Duke’s face when he panics?”
With this, she could shatter the coffin covered in layer upon layer of magical seals.
In her memories, the Master of the Mage Tower had clearly told her:
‘When you regain your memories, use one of the Grand Duke’s treasures to destroy the coffin.’
She didn’t know why he had said such a thing.
Yet his voice echoed inside her head, guiding her.
She would break the coffin.
She would confirm whether Lariette’s body was truly gone.
And while the entire Grand Duke’s castle was thrown into chaos, she intended to quietly marry this man.
“What do you think? I don’t know where the object you’re looking for is, but if it’s ways to torment the Grand Duke, I know plenty.”
At her question, Lexion’s gaze settled on her lips.
Looking as though he might kiss her at any moment, he smiled.
“Perfect, Milena.”
Ways to torment the Grand Duke.
It was an incredibly tempting proposal.
He hadn’t given up on his original objective.
But for now, he decided to follow her plan.
Watching Milena walk away carrying the Lord’s Scepter, Lexion laughed softly.
Could her scheme really surprise him?
To shock the master of an information guild, the dead would practically have to come back to life.
“First, let’s return the stolen key.”
Where on earth had she even gotten it?
Thinking about it, even someone as skilled at gathering information as he was had never discovered the existence of this treasure vault.
Uncovering the Grand Duke Castle’s secrets was as difficult as plucking stars from the sky.
Which meant one of two things.
Either she was close enough to the Grand Duke to know his secrets—
—or she was capable enough to steal them herself.
Considering everything he knew about her, the latter seemed more likely.
Even so, something felt suspicious.
With wary eyes, Lexion followed Milena out of the tomb-like chamber.
By then, dawn was beginning to break, and the castle servants were starting their day.
Lexion cast a spell that concealed the presence of anyone within a certain radius.
Thanks to it, Milena could walk freely through the restricted areas of the Grand Duke’s castle.
This was the place that hid Calion’s most carefully guarded secret.
A place even the servants dared not enter.
“Do you want to stand guard here, or come inside with me?”
Milena asked as she stopped before a massive ancient door.
Lexion recalled the orders he had once received during a protection assignment.
Prevent Milena from entering the Grand Duke’s bedroom.
It had been like putting a fox in charge of a henhouse.
Even the Grand Duke’s aide could never have imagined that he himself would become her accomplice.
“I’ll come with you.”
There were still many secrets hidden within the castle that even his information network had failed to uncover.
This place was one of them.
A location forbidden not only to servants but even to the Grand Duke’s most trusted confidants.
He himself had attempted to infiltrate it in the past and failed every time.
As though reading his thoughts, Milena spoke while stepping across the threshold.
“Do you know the condition required to enter this place?”
“Not really.”
Still wearing Hubert’s appearance, he shrugged casually.
“Only people connected to Lariette can enter. You can pass because you're with me.”
Yet even as she answered, Milena’s expression darkened.
Aside from the Grand Duke himself, only she and Ashid were permitted to enter this place.
Even in his absence.
Everything about him was still tied to his dead wife.
Milena shook her head as though frustrated and quickly returned the stolen key to its rightful place.
After passing through several rooms, they arrived at a vast hall lined with countless portraits.
There, she found herself face-to-face with her sister’s image.
Lariette... you always smiled like this.
As though there wasn't a single worry in the world.
As though you carried all the happiness in existence within your heart.
Once, Milena had envied that smile.
But not anymore.
