Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Anyway, there was only one option left for me. Prevent Cassius Brudenell from getting hurt that day—

…Without revealing my identity at all.

Fortunately, I knew the reason why he was hurt.

Unlike other high-ranking aristocratic families who, at best, were at odds with the most influential domestic families, the Duke of Brudenell was also active abroad. As a result, Cassius often confronted assassins sent from abroad.

Usually, he would easily escape from assassination threats with his male protagonist skills, though his luck ran out that day.

He was attacked by the elite assassin raised in the Kingdom of Bynell, the Duke of Brudenell’s long-standing enemy.

He suffered a fatal injury throughout Ophelia’s treatment.

Understandably, the relationship between the two grew more and more affectionate during the care.

‘We have to stop that, somehow.’

I stopped in front of a newsstand. “Five copies of the Daily Peveril, please.”

“Five copies?”

“Yes.”

The seller peered at me with strange eyes, but gave me five copies without saying much when I gave him a handful of jingle coins.

Well, money is the best in any world.

***

The undisputed heir of the Duke of Brudenell had one unique hobby.

It was direct mail sorting.

Cassius Brudenell, who had let all the servants out of the house, slowly approached the table full of mail. He did not pay a single glance to the letters sent by the noble family.

The ones that he picked out of the piles of envelopes were all letters from an unknown sender.

He skillfully opened the envelope with a paper-knife, and a household account book that could be used by a commoner’s wife dropped out.

His sharp eyes moved quickly.

The letter, which on the surface looked like an ordinary household account book, came from the Marquis of Deiju, and contained a willingness to accept the black deal.

The rest of the letters were also cryptograms containing important information.

Cassius then picked up an exceptionally thick envelope.

‘…?’

The golden eyes narrowed. He had received countless cryptograms over the years, but this was the first time he had seen such a clunky and thick envelope. Curious, he opened the envelope with a slightly faster hand than usual.

Unexpectedly, what came out of the inside was not cryptogram, but plainly readable text.

[The meeting held at Tovetun Inn on April 20 is a trap. Be careful.]

Rather than the content itself, the writing style caught his eyes.

The sender of this letter cut out each letter from the newspaper and pasted it on cardboard with the intent of hiding the handwriting.

‘…Interesting.’

One of his mouth’s corners twisted up.

Generally, those who want to hide their handwriting hire a great scriptwriter, but the great scriptwriter also has unique characteristics.

With the intelligence and wealth of the Duke of Brudenell, he could find the great writer who wrote the article in a matter of days.

Although, if the printed type was cut out and pasted to make a phrase, there is no characteristic. Moreover, the person who sent this letter used the ‘Daily Peveril’ that commoners enjoy.

If it had been cut from a single book, it could have been traced back to find the sender.

However, ‘Daily Peveril’ was a newspaper enjoyed by men, women, and young people, mainly by commoners. It was sold everywhere in the empire, so the scale of the investigation would become absurdly large.

‘…’

Looking through the letter, he was lost in deep thought.

This wasn’t the first time he had worried about himself. It also wasn’t the first time someone tried to inform him of such a dangerous situation directly as well. In spite of everything, it was the first time someone tried to help him while concealing their identity.

The reason was simple.

If they hide their identity, they wouldn’t get paid.

‘…They don’t want anything else in return.’

If it was just a bad joke, it wouldn’t have been a concern. Because it was common for those who tried to harm him by using such petty and clumsy techniques.

Nonetheless, Cassius’ intuition was whispering.

This letter is right.

They are trying to help him without any interest in mind.

‘Why, me?’

The kind of interest that he hadn’t been feeling for a long time, has boiled up.

‘Then… I’ll find you.’

It became somewhat normal and expected to be attacked wherever he went anyway. Cassius was confident that he would get through obstacles that were coming his way.

Still, he had no intention just to dismiss the person who sent such a cute letter. It didn’t matter whether they were a male or a female, old or young, a noble or a commoner.

A cold smile appeared on his face.

The sender will soon be greeted by Cassius Brudenell at their doorstep.

***

I couldn’t just be satisfied with just one letter.

‘Is Cassius Brudenell the kind of person who would blink an eye because of a letter?’

Of course not.

I had to come up with a reason why he should never go to the Tovetun Inn. Though, I couldn’t stay around him any longer as it would only create unnecessary doubts.

I hate that there’s a possibility that he would fall in love with me, but I also despise the idea that I might be trampled on at some point in the future because he’d think I was a threat.

‘As expected, the answer is at the inn.’

So, on April 20th, wouldn’t it be enough just to make the inn not open the door itself?

Fortunately, I am the heir of Count Garneid.

If it was money, it was already overflowing the garage. That means that my pocket money is enough to buy an entire inn.

‘Well, I won’t be able to buy new clothes for a year, but what’s the big deal?’

If you die anyway, there’s no use in a dress. After falling into this strange world, my motto was only one.

Even if you were to roll in dog poop, you’re better off dying!

If there was a guarantee that I could survive being locked up in a mental hospital, I would have gone to a mental hospital already. However, the mental hospital in this world was nothing more than a brutal laboratory that turned a normal person into a corpse.

I cannot enter where death awaits me.

How far did I walk?

Finally, the wooden signboard of the Tovetun Inn caught my eye.

I raised my head proudly and pulled the doorknob.

Of course, as I am wearing a maid’s clothes, I will not be seen as a noble young woman. It was because I didn’t want to reveal my identity. I can’t let Cassius Brudenell recognize who I am.

I had only one purpose. To be seen as a maid with a master rich enough to buy this inn.

As I entered the inn, the man who seemed to be the owner stared at me with a wary look.

‘This is not an ordinary inn.’

It was an inn full of suspicious people just by glancing around. In a place like this, it would not be strange if Cassius Brudenell, a nobleman, was struck by a sword and wandered through his deathbed here.

“What’s going on?”

The innkeeper opened his mouth with a stiff voice.

I sneaked open a wallet full of money towards him. Then, trying to make up a voice that sounds as authoritative as possible.

“My master wants to purchase this inn.”

The innkeeper groaned as if what he heard was absurd.

“Who the hell is that ‘master’?”

“I can’t tell you that. But, he said he would pay the price you asked. The master is generous, so call him whatever you want.”

The innkeeper snorted and shook his head.

“Lady, tell your master to stop talking nonsense. Also, this is not a place for the wandering aristocrats to pass.”

Bang!

At that, the door closed right in front of me.

If I had been a rookie who had possessed this world for only a few days, I would have argued with him, asking if he knew who I was.

I have to buy this inn somehow. Right now, my life depends on this!

Though after half a year of rolling in this year, I got the hang of it. If I do things impulsively, I will be treated like a madman and locked up in a room in an instant.

No, just being confined?

This time, undoubtedly, I will be taken to a mental hospital.

‘I have to find another way.’

I sat down on the street, biting my nails frustratedly. Luckily, no one paid attention to me in my maid’s clothes.

‘I’m going to send you another letter. This time, in a way that will certainly be familiar to Cassius’ eyes.’

Two letters are better than one.

Especially if the letter is a warning.

Nonetheless, no matter how many letters I sent, it would not have as much effect as closing the inn down itself.

‘Let’s give up buying.’

Although it felt like I should have gone to a property agent, the result would have been the same anyway. No matter how much money I offered, he didn’t seem willing to sell it in the slightest.

I have to consider a more radical way.

‘I can… set fire to the inn?’

…I did not want to be caught as an arsonist and hanged, so I quickly dismissed the idea. Even if I can save my own life, thanks to my status as Count Garneid’s heir, I would still be detained in a mental hospital for such an act…

Finally, I got up from the street with a sigh.

There is a saying that even if the sky collapses, there is a way to live as long as you get your act together.

Moments after, a group of men marched past me in a row with glittering knives.

It was the capital guard.

At that moment, a realization struck me. There was a way. To close the inn without even touching it…!

‘Yes, that’s it!’