CH 74

Returning from the palace, Riett was briefly organizing documents when their maid, Abigail, entered.

“You have a guest downstairs.”

At this hour?

Since it was late and unusual for someone to visit without an appointment, it couldn’t help but raise Riett’s curiosity. She asked Abigail.

“Who is the guest?”

“It’s a gentleman named Samuel Plum.”

Samuel?

‘The Samuel I know?’

Thinking that it was a name she hadn’t heard in a long time, Riett stood up from her seat.

“Do you know him?”

“Yeah, Samuel Plum, right?”

“Plum, Samuel Plum…”

Abigail frowned.

Riett knew what that reaction meant.

‘If it’s Plum, he comes from a noble family that is known to everyone.’

In a rather unfavorable way.

The Plum family, despite being nobles, had accumulated wealth through illegal arms trading, and that fact was secretly known to everyone.

Therefore, many nobles avoided getting close to the Plum household. They criticized their behavior, which resembled that of mercenaries, for tarnishing the dignity of nobility.

Even after graduating from the noble school, Riett had no interaction with Samuel. It was not because Riett avoided Samuel as other nobles did, but rather because Riett had been too busy to meet friends.

Even if they had met in the social circle, it would have been nice, but the Plum family members rarely appeared at social parties, perhaps due to the gazes that didn’t view them favorably.

So, this was the first time Riett had seen Samuel since graduating.

“Riett!”

“Samuel.”

Waiting in the drawing room, Samuel spotted Riett and jumped up from his seat. His bear-like build remained the same, but time had erased the boyish face and revealed a fairly mature Samuel.

However, Samuel’s expression, full of excitement like wagging a tail, reminded Riett of his childhood, and a faint smile appeared on Riett’s face.

“Why did you suddenly come without informing me beforehand?”

“Well, I just suddenly thought of Riett today.”

Samuel sat down, exclaiming, 

“Wow, noble families are indeed different. I wonder how long it took to walk from the main gate to the mansion.”

Even now, he seemed quite restless, looking around his surroundings, but seeing Samuel like that made Riett quite happy.

“Why didn’t you ever come to visit all this time?”

“Well… you know, Riett, you’re famous. I thought if I met you casually, it might give the impression that you’re involved with our household.”

Indeed, since attending the noble school, Riett’s position had changed significantly.

As Samuel said, even meeting a member of the Plum family privately would cause rumors to circulate the next day about Riett’s involvement in illegal weapons manufacturing.

Riett secretly admired Samuel’s deep consideration.

After Natasha left the room, Samuel, who had become much calmer, began the conversation.

“Are you doing well as a representative?”

If Riett had received this question just a few days ago, she could have said that it was tough but not bad. However, at the present moment, when she was being mocked as a spy for the Haren Empire, she couldn’t even lie and say that she was doing well.

Sensing Riett’s loss of energy, Samuel glanced around and asked.

“Why…? Is there someone bothering you?”

“No.”

But there was no reason for Riett to sigh in front of Samuel, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. Riett forced a smile, trying to appear fine while capturing his expression.

“Anyway, it doesn’t seem like you just came here because it crossed your mind. What brought you here all of a sudden?”

“Ah… That.”

Samuel hesitated. Riett realized that he didn’t come at this hour for no reason.

“Why?”

“Today, I heard about you from Hemsworth’s back alley.”

Laughter disappeared from Riett’s face once again. She quickly put down the teacup.

“Hemsworth’s… back alley?”

If it was the back alley of Hemsworth, it was the darkest place in the Truto Empire. There was no reason for her name to be mentioned in that den of all illegal activities.

“I don’t know the reason. But Hemsworth has been rummaging through all the information brokers in the back alley, trying to obtain your personal information.”

“My information?”

Who, on earth, is trying to dig up her information, and why?

“So I tried to find out who is trying to find your information using Hemsworth’s connections for a while… But no matter how resourceful my ally was, they left no trace.”

For whatever reason, it wouldn’t be a good one.

At this moment, the country is striving to rectify economic problems at a national level, but many people who lost their livelihoods due to the exploitation of the nobles have fallen into crime.

As crime increased, the back alley of Hemsworth grew with it. It was a place where all sorts of illegal activities gathered.

Although it was originally a place that avoided the law and was activated discreetly, now it was even more so. It had become a place where you could easily find skilled assassins if you just had the money.

So the fact that someone was digging up her information in such a place gave her a sense that it wasn’t just about gathering information, even though she didn’t know who it was.

There was no need to think positively, but the truth was that no good thoughts came to mind.

“And, Riett…”

Samuel trailed off, glancing at Riett’s reaction. Riett knew that he hadn’t finished speaking.

“What else is going on?”

“That… Recently, Evan was sighted in Hemsworth’s back alley.”

“Evan?”

Now her head was throbbing.

As if her mind wasn’t already troubled because of Evan, his name came up here too.

If it was the back alley of Hemsworth, it was a place where ordinary nobles would never directly visit. Revealing oneself in such a place meant that one intended to engage in something illegal.

“…What was Evan doing there?”

“He seemed to be gathering information.”

What misdeeds is this guy committing again?

And on top of that, Evan couldn’t be as discreet as usual.

If it was the Evan she knew, he would have handled things secretly without anyone knowing, but now Samuel had caught wind of his visit to the back alley of Hemsworth.

Seeing Riett grimacing, Samuel awkwardly tried to comfort her.

“I don’t know about Evan… But it may not be a big deal that someone is trying to dig up your information, so don’t worry too much.”

It seems like a big deal, though…

Even with Samuel’s comforting words, Riett’s furrowed brow didn’t easily smooth out.

“Because you’re quite famous, someone might be digging up your information out of curiosity. In fact, there are quite a few noble gentlemen who make backstreet contacts to get information on noblewomen they wish to woo.”

If she had only heard the previous explanation, she might have thought along the lines of Samuel’s words. However, the mention of Evan created a negative synergy.

Coincidentally, when Riett was caught up in her thoughts, Evan visited the back alley of Hemsworth.

If it had nothing to do with her, she would have been relieved, but considering Evan’s recent strange behavior, it seemed likely that there was a connection.

When Riett was deeply absorbed in her thoughts, she heard Samuel’s somber voice.

“Riett, I’m sorry. The only things we’ve talked about since meeting after a long time are these kinds of things.”

“What are you talking about?”

Only then did Riett straighten her hunched back and gesture with her hand. Although the conversation they had after a long time of not seeing each other wasn’t like a gift, she appreciated the fact that Samuel had rushed here as soon as he sensed that something was wrong.

“Thank you, Samuel.”

“What’s there to thank for!”

Samuel awkwardly stood up from his seat.

“I have to get back to work, so I’d better get going.”

If someone were to hear that he was starting work at 9 p.m., they might wonder what kind of work he was doing, but Samuel’s secret activities began late in the evening.

Samuel stood in front of the main gate and spoke to Riett.

“If I find out more or learn something, I’ll send you a message right away.”

“Be careful.”

As Riett waved her hand to bid farewell, Samuel formed a determined expression and chuckled as if saying, “Who would dare to do anything to me?”

‘…Right.’

Who would dare to mess with someone like him, who had a rough appearance?

‘I should worry about myself.’

After seeing Samuel off, Riett sat down in her chair and organized her thoughts.

First, someone was trying to dig up her information in the back alley of Hemsworth.

Second, for some reason, Evan had recently visited the back alley of Hemsworth.

For now, she set aside the second issue and focused on the first. Why would someone try to dig up her information?

‘Could it be that someone is trying to harm me?’

If that were the case, the easiest solution would be to hire a bodyguard. Even in the capital where the public order was good, some nobles occasionally employed personal guards.

However, what bothered her was that she didn’t want to let the enemy who was gathering information about her know that she had noticed something.

If she suddenly started moving around with a bodyguard, the enemy would undoubtedly become cautious. Indeed, no matter how much she thought about it, hiring a bodyguard was not a fundamental solution.

To catch the enemy’s tail, she had to lure them in pretending not to know anything. However, there was a possibility that they intended to harm her, so she needed to have a contingency plan.

‘Then, what should I do?’

Lost in thought, Riett’s eyes fell on the dagger Evan had given her on the day of the dance party back when she attended the noble school.

‘Hmm…’

Riett picked up the dagger and headed towards the fencing training ground located behind the mansion.

Swish!

Riett swung the dagger back and forth. The short blade didn’t carry much strength, but it seemed like it would be enough to momentarily push back someone who came too close.

‘It’s been a while, and I’m not used to swinging it.’

Her body, which had grown accustomed to the larger sword, didn’t adapt well to the smaller dagger.

Still, this dagger was perfect for self-defense.

Riett decided to return home early for the time being and practice her swordsmanship with this dagger.

‘I have a lot of work to do, but my life comes first, of course.’

If she died, there would be no point in tax reforms or anything else.

Feeling the weight of the dagger firmly in her hand, Riett regained some stability. However, there was still one unresolved bomb in her mind.

‘Why did Evan go to the back alley of Hemsworth?’

Normally, she would have barged into the Kreutz’s mansion and pestered Evan until he revealed the reason.

But because they had a serious argument yesterday, she simply couldn’t act like that.

‘Fool, idiot.’

Just cursing in her mind and swinging the dagger was all she could do.