CH 80

Akim was escorted to the prison in the basement of Yeckhart’s villa that afternoon.

His hands and ankles were tightly bound so that he could not escape.

After hearing that they had put Akim in an underground prison, Kendrick went with the knights to the underground. 

Because he tried to run away when he was caught, Akim’s face was swollen and beaten.

Kendrick stared at Akim, who lay squirming in the dungeon without a glimmer of light.

There was no light in the dark walls.

“Get up.” 

After Kendrick finished speaking, two knights grabbed Akim by the arms and straightened his collapsing back. 

Then he got down on his knees and looked up at Kendrick.

“…Akim.” 

“…L, Lord. I, I really….” 

Tears dripped from his swollen eyes. Kendrick sighed and opened his mouth slowly.

“Confess the truth from now on. Are you the one who put Giles pollen on all the food in the mansion?”

“Yes? G, Giles flowers. I’ve never even heard of such a thing. S, so… It’s definitely a sleeping pill.”

Akim trembled and stuttered. His face was pale. He looked up at Kendrick as he put his hands together, all of which had lost his fingernails.

“P, please spare me, Lord… Please… My sister, my sister is trapped in Raniero. So I can’t help but listen, Ugh!” 

Akim cried and vomited blood. The internal injuries appear to be considerable. Kendrick narrowed his eyes and listened to Akim’s words before speaking slowly. 

“Your sister is in Raniero… What did you give in exchange for treating your sister?” 

“….” 

“You’d better say it properly, Akim. I tend to have no patience.”

After Kendrick finished speaking, two soldiers pointed their swords directly at Akim’s neck.

Akim opened his mouth, raising his messy hair and tear-stained face.

“T, they ordered me to report the situation of the mansion once a week….” 

“How long has it been since you started reporting?”

“I, it has been about three years… Please spare me, my Lord… My sister is in Raniero. So…” 

“Tell me the truth about what and how much you reported.”

Akim trembled and confessed everything he had done in the Yeckhart family.

He had previously reported Arsene’s condition and the atmosphere inside Yeckhart, but he confessed that after Linsy came, he also reported Linsy’s every move.

He also said that the sleeping pills were delivered by an unknown blackbird the day before the banquet when everyone was busy.

“Where did you get it and keep it?”

“…In the basement storage….”

Ah. 

Kendrick slowly closed and opened his eyes as if realizing something.

‘That’s why the door was left open.’

On the day of the banquet, Linsy entered the room where she was trapped by surprise.

But there was something strange.

‘Linsy hates the dark, so why did she fly into that room?’

Kendrick narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Did you leave the lights on when you went into the storage room?”

“Yes? Yes… It was dark inside, so I left the light on at the entrance. And when it came out, I turned it off….”

“That’s why Linsy flew in.”

“Oh, I really didn’t see her go in! It was so dark and hectic, so I just locked the door and left!”

Kendrick sighed.

If Akim had worked in the Yeckhart mansion for a long time, he could have had the keys to the basement.

Besides.

‘You must have known that the warehouse had not been used for a long time.’

It must have been a perfect place for Akim to hide something.

Akim, who says he hasn’t seen Linsy, has a really sad expression on his face.

Kendrick didn’t trust Akim’s words, but he thought he might be true.

‘Because Linsy is very small.’

To the wolf clan, a baby bird as small as Linsy was a stranger.

So, even in a bright place, it was often difficult to see when Linsy transformed into her bird form.

It would have been even worse if it was in a dark place. Kendrick clicked his tongue.

“Call Ethan and ask the servants of this mansion to investigate the warehouse where Linsy was trapped.”

On Kendrick’s orders, the soldier left the underground. 

Kendrick stood up from his seat.

“For now, let’s lock him up. The disposition will be decided after this is over.”

“P, please spare me, Lord! My sister, my sister is still in Raniero…!” 

Bang! 

The door to the underground slammed shut with a loud bang.

Kendrick left Akim, who was almost crying, behind him.

***

“Degon.” 

When Kendrick called him, a big knight appeared out of nowhere and stood tall in front of Kendrick.

“Yes, my Lord.” 

“Keep your capture of Akim a secret.”

Akim confessed that Raniero gave him “sleeping pills” and ordered him to put them in Yeckhart’s food.

The problem was that there was no way to prove this story.

‘To prove that Akim and Raniero are related.’

He needs to find evidence that Akim’s sister is, or has been, in Raniero. 

That way, he can prove the connection between Akim and Raniero.

The problem is,

‘If they knew that Akim was captured, Raniero would immediately try to kill Akim’s younger sister.’

No, maybe they had already killed her.

It would have been a waste if she had already died. He can’t reveal that Raniero was involved in this. 

On the day of the incident, he caught Arthur Raniero’s direct knights, the Peregrine Falcon Knights, near the mansion.

‘Tsk, they’re all dead…’

For no good reason, it was clear that Raniero would be caught if it was known that he had killed the Knights of Raniero straight away.

The Peregrine Falcon Knights had been monitoring the area around Yeckhart’s mansion, but there was no evidence that they had invaded the airspace.

It would have been better not to create unnecessary trouble because Linsy was involved.

So—.

‘First, I’ll have to check if Akim’s younger sister is in Raniero.’

However, Kendrick couldn’t step directly into the Raniero mansion.

It’s because of sacred relics.

The clans that possessed the sacred relics were able to use the relics to form a barrier around the mansion, just like during the festival. 

Raniero would also have a barrier, so he wouldn’t be able to step directly into the mansion without Arthur Raniero’s permission.

‘I’ll have to send a messenger to Raniero.’

There was no other way but to send a letter of everyday content and mix it with the messenger’s shadow using his power. 

Of course, the distance could have been too much for Kendrick to handle.

But.

‘There’s no way, so I can’t help it.’

The use of this ability wasn’t known to other members of the clan. 

Knowing how to use it is tantamount to telling them how to prepare for this ability.

So, the other clans didn’t know how far Yeckhart’s ability could be used.

The fact that it is possible to spy with the shadow of the wolf clan by mixing the power. 

If he sent a messenger, Arthur Raniero would let the messenger step into the mansion just to get the letter. At that moment, it was the same as letting Kendrick ability to step through the barrier.

Kendrick strode over and stepped into the study.

Then he ordered the maid standing outside to call for Ethan.

“Ethan.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“I need to send a shadow letter to Raniero.”

Ethan immediately understood what Kendrick meant.

And.

“Yes, I will prepare.”

He left the room with a short word that he would prepare.

And not long after Ethan left,

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Betty opened the door to Kendrick’s office and came in with a troubled look.

***

Betty was tidying up Linsy’s room while Linsy and Arsene went out to eat.

When the visible areas were roughly cleaned, the other maids came in and meticulously cleaned the inconspicuous areas.

Betty first cleaned up the things that had fallen on the floor and wiped the mirror clean. 

But.

“…What is this?” 

A strand of hair was stuck to the mirror.

Betty carefully picked up the hair.

Betty picked up her hair carefully.

No matter how much she looked at it, it wasn’t her own hair, but it wasn’t even the hair of the Lady or Young Master.

Because.

‘It’s red, right?’

Because the hair was red. Betty squinted her eyes and looked at the hair in the sunlight.

It was bright red.

“Why is this in the Lady’s room…?” 

Betty covered her mouth.

So, does that mean there was an intruder in the Lady’s room?

None of the wolf clans had red hair.

Then.

‘It means a different clan.’

Betty wrapped the red hair carefully in a handkerchief.

And she searched further around the room.

Finally, Betty found several red hairs clumped together in a trash can.

Betty’s face went pale.

‘There must be an intruder in the Lady’s room.’ 

Otherwise—.

Then. 

Betty noticed that the length of the hair was somehow familiar. 

It felt exactly the same length and thickness as Lady Linsy’s hair, which she groomed every day. 

‘But, Lady Linsy’s hair is wheat-colored?’

Betty looked down at the hair with her puzzled eyes.

‘Did the Lady happen to start molting? Did she change color because of molting?

But Betty soon shook her head.

‘She’s only seven years old, what do you mean molting?’

This was not something she should have jumped to conclusions about alone.

She narrowed her brows and wrapped the hair in a handkerchief.

And went straight down to report to Kendrick.