CH 118

Kane observed the maid in front of him—the hairstyle and color was different, and thick glasses covered the face, but he recognized her in one glance. ‘Without a doubt, it’s the maid from that time. I’m glad I departed late.’ He took a step and closed the distance between them.

Estian had already set off with the knights for the dukedom of Etia. Normally Kane would’ve been at Estian’s side, but matters requiring his attention had forced him to delay his departure. Earlier that day, he had entered the empress’s palace to relay the empress’s future schedule, but had been surprised by Cecile’s unexpected request.

“Oh, it seems Lady Irene’s entry permit has not been issued yet. I’ll trouble you to handle that matter as well,” Cecile interjected.

“Lady Irene? Is there a matter with her?” Kane asked, wondering at the sudden mention of Irene.

“It’s been decided that she is to become my handmaiden.”

“Is His Majesty aware of this?”

“No, I suppose not since I forgot to inform him. Is that an issue?”

“Understood. Before issuing the permit, I will first meet Lady Irene.”

Recalling how since long before, Irene would confidently declare that she was the only one suited as empress, Kane couldn’t help but fret over Cecile’s decision. It was a mystery how Irene had crossed paths with the empress, or how she had ended up selected as a handmaiden, but he felt that nothing good would come from this pairing. He intended to personally confirm whether Irene still harbored such foolhardy thoughts, and to prevent her access to the palace if necessary. He could at least delay the approval until Estian returned.

Setting off to meet with Lady Irene, Kane recalled their previous conversation regarding that maid. The one that had run away. After the palace had settled down following the dragon summoning incident, Kane had visited Irene’s mansion in the hopes of meeting the mystery maid found on scene of the incident.

“That maid? She ran away. Far away. Very, far away,” Irene insisted.

“What do you mean she ran away!” Kane had involuntarily jumped to his feet when he heard the maid was no longer at the mansion.

“That girl was always crazy for handsome men. She found herself a new beau and he used his charms and wiles to pilfer my maid out of her hard-earned savings.” Irene had let out a heavy sigh.

“New man? Savings?” Kane sputtered incoherently.

“Yes, you know the type. Those scoundrels that beguile and scam innocent women with their dazzling looks and serpentine tongues. They’re known as grifters, I believe? Anyhow, that child… she was always weak to those with a pretty face. Apparently, her new beau needed cash urgently, so she made off with my jewels and skipped town with him.”

The knight commander was so taken aback that he found himself at a loss of words, and could only nod with a grimace. Instead of carrying out a thorough investigation and questioning all the servants in the vicinity, he found himself bidding a half-hearted farewell, and quickly taking his leave and returning to the palace.

“I’d rather she scammed me…” Kane froze upon realizing what he’d inadvertently muttered to himself. This was a surprise. What was he thinking? Even as he questioned his sanity, errant thoughts continued to run rampant in his mind. ‘Why hadn’t she latched on to him? Was his appearance lacking compared to that unknown scoundrel? Or was he deficient elsewhere?’ As the knight commander, he had never considered himself inferior in any regard! The fact that an important witness and potential suspect had disappeared had long slipped his mind. Suffering an inexplicable sense of defeat, Kane had trudged back to the imperial palace and closed the case log of the Girgantia incident, believing that this was the end of the matter.

That is, until Cecile brought up Irene. Suddenly, hope sprouted anew in his heart. He found himself quickly making his way towards Irene’s quarters. As it came into view, Kane spotted a maid emerging from Irene’s room. She sported short, light brown hair, and wore a silly-looking pair of glasses. She appeared completely different from the maid in his memory, but he instinctively knew it was her. ‘Lady Irene was hiding her after all.’

Kane quietly trailed the maid until they passed a secluded corridor, where he quickly made his move. Intercepting her path, Kane slapped both hands against the wall above the maid’s shoulders, successfully cornering and trapping her between his arms.

“How could somebody, who gave their body and heart away to some random man at first sight and thieved her lady’s jewels, be here in the imperial palace?” He asked.

“Huh, eh?” The maid stuttered nervously.

Duty dictated that Kane investigate the incident related to Girgantia. However, his heart had a more pressing question and his mouth spoke with a mind of its own. “I have much to ask. But firstly… did you break up with him?”

“What?” The maid said confusedly.

“I’m asking if you broke up with the scoundrel who fooled and scammed you of jewelry,” Kane growled.

“Uh… There’s no such person…?” The maid muttered defensively with a sour look.

‘I knew it was a lie.’ A grin blossomed on Kane’s face. However, before he could continue their conversation, a soldier appeared in the corridor.

“Captain! We must set off!”

Kane clicked his tongue in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to whisk the maid away and thoroughly question her, but his priorities were to quickly follow after Estian. His directive as knight commander was not to protect the emperor, but to protect the knight order from him. If he was delayed, the knight order would suffer greater losses.