Chapter 26
The mansion was in an uproar.
Henry, leading a band of knights, was dashing this way and that, determined to catch a spy.
But neither the knights, who had been idling until now, nor Henry himself could keep up with the nimble intruder.
“A spy! In my mansion!” Viscount Zichelia bellowed upon hearing the report. “Seal the front gates at once and let no one leave!”
Even Duke Railaten joined the frenzy, vowing to capture the elusive figure.
“Hmm.”
Amid the chaos, only one person remained serene: Roshanne.
“These pancakes are divine” she said, her eyes sparkling with awe as she gazed at the fluffy stack before her.
“How are they so light and tender, yet perfectly sweet? It’s like they were made for my taste buds. And what’s this topping? So refreshingly tart!”
“They’re topped with cherries and wild strawberries,” River explained. “Usually, they use raspberries, but the wild strawberries were particularly good today, so they paired them with cherries.”
“It’s perfection. The flavors marry so well.”
“The chef will be thrilled to hear that.”
“No, this won’t do,” Roshanne declared, snapping her fingers. “Fetch the chef. I must reward him personally for this masterpiece.”
With a quick nod, River scurried off to summon the chef.
“Um… Lady Roshanne?”
As River dashed away, a maid who had been lingering in the background stepped forward hesitantly, her voice low.
“Yes?” Roshanne replied, glancing up.
“There’s a spy in the mansion, they say. The Duke and the knights are searching, but they haven’t caught them yet.”
“And?”
“Well… isn’t it dangerous to be out here enjoying brunch in the garden? Perhaps you should eat inside…”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Roshanne said with a dismissive wave.
“But it’s dangerous—”
“Delicacies like these taste even better under the warm sun, don’t you think?”
Her tone was firm, and the maid, unable to press further, mumbled a soft “Yes, my lady” and retreated.
“Lady Roshanne, I’ve brought the chef!” River announced, returning with the man in tow.
“Oh! Chef!” Roshanne exclaimed, rising from her seat with enthusiasm. “Thank you for making such delectable pancakes today!”
“Oh, it’s nothing, my lady,” the chef stammered, flustered. “Your enjoyment is my greatest reward.”
“I expect you to keep crafting such delightful desserts!” Roshanne said with a grin, slipping a bracelet off her wrist and pressing it into the chef’s hand.
“L-Lady Roshanne!”
“Consider it payment for today’s pancakes. Take it, no fuss.”
The maids and servants nearby watched in quiet awe. To think, their lady had handed over her bracelet simply because the pancakes pleased her. A mistress who rewarded good work so generously was a rare and cherished leader.
“I’ll strive to do even better, my lady!” the chef vowed, his voice brimming with resolve.
“That’s the spirit! Off you go, then.”
Roshanne gave the chef’s shoulder a hearty pat, sending him on his way before settling back into her seat.
“Lady Roshanne, it seems we’re low on napkins. Shall I fetch more?” a maid asked, eagerly scanning the table for any unmet need.
“Lady Roshanne, is the sun too strong? I can hold a parasol for you,” another offered.
“Lady Roshanne, are you warm? I’ll fan you until you’re done eating,” chimed a third, already waving a fan to stir a gentle breeze.
“What are you doing?!” River interjected, indignant. “She’s my lady! Hand over that fan—I’ll manage her breeze!”
“Why is she your lady, River? Lady Roshanne belongs to all of us!”
“Don’t hog her!”
Roshanne nodded with satisfaction. Truly, nothing inspired loyalty quite like a well-placed reward.
But then, something shifted. As she savored another bite of pancake, Roshanne’s brow furrowed, her senses sharpening. Her hand tightened around the knife she held.
“My lady?”
Without warning, she flicked her wrist, hurling the knife forward with startling force. Despite the casual motion, the blade flew true, striking something behind a tree in the distance.
Thud!
A scream of pain followed, sharp and unmistakable. The maids froze, their shoulders stiffening at the sound of a human cry from behind the tree.
“Oh dear,” Roshanne said lightly, resting her chin in her hand. “My hand slipped.”
“My lady! Inside, quickly!” a panicked maid urged, reaching to pull her to safety.
But Roshanne remained unruffled, calmly spearing another piece of pancake with her fork. “The knights are coming. It’s fine.”
“What? But I don’t see any knights…”
The maid’s eyes darted around nervously …
“Miss!!”
Knights who had clearly been out of sight just moments ago came rushing from somewhere in a horde.
“The spy is over there.”
Roshanne, her mouth full of pancake, chewed vigorously and pointed with her fork toward the back of the tree.
There, a spy was pinned to the tree by a knife that had flown in and pierced through his palm, unable to move and crying out in pain.
“We found him!”
The knight’s booming report was quickly relayed, and knights who had been searching elsewhere swarmed over, followed soon by Duke Railaten himself.
“My lord, we… we found him, but there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
The duke furrowed his brow and headed toward the spot where the spy had been located.
“Yes. His… palm is pierced by the knife and stuck to the tree, but even with all the knights pulling together, it won’t come out.”
“Hah, huh, please, just pull it out!”
At the scene, the spy was stamping his feet and weeping, begging desperately.
“…What is that?”
“It’s a table knife.”
“Where did that suddenly come from… Who threw it?”
“Well…”
At the duke’s question, everyone’s gaze turned to one spot. The duke followed suit and turned his head.
“Ah, now I’m full.”
In the distance, Roshanne was seated at the table, enjoying her dessert. As she wiped her mouth with a napkin, her eyes met the duke’s. His gaze inadvertently shifted to the table.
The knife that should have been there was missing.
“Why?”
Sensing the duke’s stare, Roshanne lightly mouthed the question and rose from her seat. Then she approached him closely.
“Ah, miss! There’s a spy there! It’s dangerous!”
“It’s gruesome, so don’t look!”
The maids tried to dissuade her, but Roshanne lightly ignored them and brushed past the duke’s side, stopping in front of the spy.
“Hmm. I was wondering where my thrown knife ended up, and here it is.”
Without paying any mind to the spy who was bleeding and writhing in pain, Roshanne reached out toward the knife.
In that moment, the duke involuntarily recalled their wedding day. The tremendous grip strength when he had held Roshanne’s hand.
That power he couldn’t shake off even if he wanted to.
If it’s Roshanne, she’ll pull that knife out easily…
Press.
“Huh?”
Press. Press hard.
He had thought that even a knife embedded so deeply that no one could pull it out would naturally be extractable by Roshanne.
But her action was different.
“Why pull it out?”
Press. Press hard.
“We can just interrogate him with it stuck in like this.”
Roshanne put all her strength into pressing down firmly, ensuring the knife wouldn’t come out of the tree.
“Aaaah! It hurts! It hurts, I said!”
The spy was screaming, but Roshanne cleanly ignored him.
Not only the duke but even Henry, who had been running around the whole time following Roshanne’s orders to capture the spy, wore a dumbfounded expression.
‘Good.’
Having pressed the knife down firmly, Roshanne nodded with a satisfied look.
Now, no one should be able to pull it out.
“What are you doing?”
Having finished her task, Roshanne turned her body. The surroundings were silent, but she paid it no heed and jerked her chin toward the duke.
“Aren’t you going to interrogate him? Aren’t you going to find out whose orders he was following?”
“Ah, uh-huh.”
The duke stepped forward with a reluctant face. It was clearly his job to do, so why did it feel like he was moving on someone else’s command?
“Tell us whose instigation you’re acting under.”
The duke gestured to the knights. The knights, who had been momentarily stunned by Roshanne’s actions, snapped back to attention and all drew their swords, aiming them at him.
“If you don’t talk, we’ll kill you.”
At the chilling threat, the spy clenched his teeth.
“Grrk. You might as well kill…”
“Duke. Killing him is too merciful. You can’t even do this right, ugh. Move aside.”
Lightly cutting off the spy’s cry, Roshanne gestured for the knights to sheathe their swords while grumbling discontentedly.
“These guys come here prepared to die anyway, staking their lives on this. You think threatening to kill them will scare them?”
Roshanne stared down at the spy blatantly.
“If you don’t talk now, I’ll leave you hanging on that tree like that all day today.”
The spy’s shoulders flinched and trembled.
“And tomorrow, I’ll hang your other palm on that tree over there.”
The spy’s eyes naturally turned toward the tree Roshanne was pointing at.
“That’s too far. If you hang my other hand there, my skin will tear apart!”
“Of course.”
Roshanne let out a scoff as if it were absurd.
“Did you think I’d hang you up comfortably? Naturally, your skin might tear a little bit. Ouch, that would hurt.”
“You, you barbaric…”
“If you still don’t talk tomorrow, the day after that I’ll hang your legs up. It’ll feel nice, like floating in the sky.”
“You devil!”
“Says the guy who sneaked into someone else’s house to steal?”
Roshanne tilted her head with an expression that showed she wasn’t affected at all.
“I’m only going to ask once.”
The spy’s pupils turned back to the tree Roshanne had pointed at earlier.
“Who’s the one who sent you?”
The spy’s pupils wavered.
“Looks like you have no intention of talking. Fine. Then tomorrow we can…”
“Wait! You have to give me time to think, at least!”
“Do you think you’re on some vacation resort? You sure ask for a lot. No such thing. I’m not waiting.”
Roshanne lightly waved her hand and turned away. Then she waved her hands at the gathered knights to disperse as well.
“Leave him like that for today, and at dawn tomorrow, come and nail his other palm to that tree too.”
“……!! I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I said I’ll talk!!”
Hearing Roshanne’s merciless mutter as she turned away, the spy hurriedly shouted.
“The Magic Tower! It’s the Magic Tower!”
Roshanne’s foot, which had been turning away, came to a sudden halt.
“The Magic Tower sent me!”
