Chapter 180: Why Are You Here?
Exclusive: Damian Vandemir Rings the Bell of Victory at the Border!
Aracila’s lips curved into a smile as she read the bold headline splashed across the morning paper. In the early days, the absence of news about Damian had left her anxious, but as time passed, he’d begun sending word of his steady victories in battle. Seeing Aracila’s face light up with her brightest smile of the week, Audrey mirrored it with a grin of her own.
“Your husband is truly remarkable,” Audrey said. “The youngest Sword Master in the empire and the leader of the Red Hawk Knights for a reason. I hope he comes back safely, just like this.”
“He will,” Aracila replied confidently. “He promised me he would.”
“Absolutely, absolutely! But honestly, banning him from sending letters is a bit much. He’s fighting so hard out there—wouldn’t it be nice if they let him write as a reward?” Audrey’s voice trailed off into a grumble.
The imperial court had forbidden Damian from contacting the outside world, citing his deployment as punishment for a crime rather than an honorable mission.
For months, Aracila had pored over newspapers daily, clinging to every scrap of news about him.
She could have tried contacting him secretly, but she didn’t want to risk causing him trouble.
To prove his innocence and return untarnished, Damian needed to avoid any further suspicion.
“I’m fine,” Aracila said, carefully folding the article about Damian and setting it aside. “I trust him. A little waiting doesn’t bother me.”
Despite her words, she couldn’t deny the ache of missing him. Lately, collecting his articles had become a quiet hobby of hers.
“I need to do my part just as hard as Damian’s doing his,” she said. “If I keep at it, one day I’ll look up, and he’ll be back.”
“You’re right, my lady,” Audrey replied. “I’ll do my best to serve you until the master returns.”
“Thank you, Audrey.” Aracila gave the maid’s shoulder a gentle pat before standing. It was nearly time to head to the Magic Tower.
Dressed neatly in her Magic Tower uniform, she climbed into the carriage. Her routine these days was simple: work at the Magic Tower during the day, then investigate House Lester in her spare time. The problem was that digging into the ducal family proved far more challenging than expected. As one of the empire’s three great houses, they were a formidable target. Duke Lester’s prickly, domineering personality didn’t help—his wariness made it nearly impossible to get close enough to gather information.
At least I found out his aide has been making suspicious late-night trips recently, Aracila thought. Unable to approach the duke directly, she’d shifted her focus to his inner circle—a wise move. She’d learned that the duke’s closest aide had been slipping out to the capital’s outskirts every night at midnight. Where he was going and whether it tied to the duke’s affairs remained unclear, but tonight, Aracila planned to find out by tailing him herself.
I’m fully prepared, so there’s nothing to worry about.
She felt a surge of confidence. For this mission, she’d taken crash courses in stealth from Riley and gathered an arsenal of tools: a dye to temporarily darken her hair, a mask to conceal her face, a pitch-black robe that blended into the shadows, enchanted shoes that silenced her footsteps, and several vials of healing potions in case of injury.
After work, she returned home and leisurely got ready. She dyed her hair black, donned the full-face mask and dark robe, slipped on the silent shoes, and packed the potions securely. Leaving her home before midnight, she slipped into an alley near the aide’s residence.
I’ll find a weakness and bring them down.
Hidden in the shadows, Aracila steeled her resolve as she watched the aide’s house. Whether the weakness belonged to the aide or Duke Lester himself didn’t matter—she was confident she could use either to her advantage.
Shortly after midnight, the aide emerged, cloaked in a robe. He glanced around cautiously, ensuring no one was watching, then set off on foot, avoiding a carriage to stay discreet. Aracila followed quietly, her steps light and deliberate. As expected, he headed toward the capital’s outskirts, where the bustling nightlife provided cover.
The aide blended into the crowd, momentarily vanishing from sight. Unfazed, Aracila used a tracking spell to pinpoint him again. He veered into a deserted clearing, and she followed, keeping her distance as he paused occasionally to scan his surroundings.
Deep in the clearing, he passed through a hidden path obscured by foliage, leading to an abandoned wooden cabin. Two burly men stood guard outside, their presence unmistakably suspicious. Aracila narrowed her eyes as the aide approached them.
Hiding behind a tree, she strained to listen as the men bowed to him.
“You’re here,” one said.
“Still not talking?” the aide asked.
“No, sir. Stubborn as hell.”
The aide let out an irritated sigh, raking a hand through his hair. “Orders came down—if he doesn’t talk by tomorrow, dispose of him. He’s cut ties with his family and left home, so as long as the body’s handled cleanly, there’ll be no trouble.”
“Understood.”
After barking a few more threats, the aide left. Aracila stayed put, her mind racing. From what she’d overheard, someone was being held captive in the cabin—likely at Duke Lester’s command, given the aide’s role.
They’re trying to force something out of whoever’s in there, she thought. But who could it be? Someone who’s cut off their family, so there’d be no fallout if they disappeared?
Whoever it was, and whatever the reason, Aracila couldn’t let House Lester make them vanish. As the aide’s footsteps faded, the guards relaxed, and she seized her chance. With a flick of her wrist, she launched a magic orb at them—strong enough to knock them out instantly.
“Urk!”
“Gah!”
The men collapsed with short cries. Aracila stepped over them calmly and approached the cabin door. It was locked, but a quick spell undid the latch. Nudging the door open with her foot, she stepped inside.
Who could Duke Lester be holding captive, someone worth interrogating like this? A former subordinate? An assassin hired by an underworld guild? Her mind raced with possibilities.
But the figure before her was the last person she expected.
Bound hand and foot with rope, gagged, and staring back at her with wide eyes was a young woman. Aracila’s voice trembled with shock as she called out, “Lady White…?”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“What are you doing here?”
Nora, her hair disheveled and clothes tattered, writhed in her bonds. Her large eyes, brimming with tears, gazed up at Aracila with a mix of desperation and relief. Aracila’s mind spun—why would House Lester kidnap a noblewoman rumored to be in seclusion?
For now, Nora clearly needed help. Aracila knelt, untying the ropes and removing the gag. The moment she was free, Nora threw herself into Aracila’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Waaaah, I was so scared! I thought I was going to die like this, I was so terrified…”
“Calm down, Lady White,” Aracila soothed.
“Thank you for saving me, thank you!” Nora wailed, clinging tighter.
“Okay, okay… Just cry it out. Talk when you’re ready.”
Feeling Nora’s body tremble, Aracila gently patted her back. Nora wept for a long time, her eyes swelling red. When she finally stopped, she took the handkerchief Aracila offered, wiping her tears and nose with an embarrassed expression, suddenly self-conscious now that the worst was over.
“Lady White, why were you locked up here?”
“Well, it’s a long story… How did you end up here, Lady Vandermir?”
“I was following one of Duke Lester’s aides.”
Nora’s eyes widened, though her swollen lids made them look smaller than usual.
“D-Duke Lester? Why…”
“I answered you honestly, so it’s your turn to explain properly. How did you end up getting kidnapped?”
“Well, the thing is…”
Nora’s shoulders hunched slightly as she began to haltingly recount her story.
After the fabricated scandal between Frederick and Aracila, Nora had been practically exiled to her family’s estate with her parents. From that moment, her relationship with them had soured dramatically.
Defiant and resentful, she argued and talked back to her parents, who blamed her and tried to control her every move. The rift between them grew quickly.
“I never wanted any of this in the first place! You and Father forced me into it, so why am I the only one being blamed? How long do I have to live as your puppet?”
Nora no longer wanted to be Nora White. Even if it meant losing everything, she yearned to live freely as herself.
But simply walking away felt too unjust. Would her disappearance even make a dent in her parents’ lives?
“To them, I was never a daughter—just a tool. I’m not going to just leave quietly.”
The night she decided to run away, Nora snuck into her parents’ room. Having had everything taken from her when they were sent to the estate, she intended to take something to fund her independence.
She started with her mother’s jewelry box, carefully selecting the most valuable pieces. Then she moved to her father’s study, planning to take just a few gold pieces from the safe.
Nora had once glimpsed her father opening the safe over his shoulder. After a few tries, she managed to unlock it.
“What? It’s practically empty. Guess I’ll just take this… Wait, what’s that?”
Disappointed by the sparse contents, far less gold than she’d expected, she rummaged further and found some documents tucked at the bottom of the safe.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she pulled them out to read. But when she came across an ominous phrase, she froze.
This is bad.
Realizing she’d stumbled onto something dangerous, she quickly tried to put the documents back. But then, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Startled, she hid, then fled in a panic, inadvertently taking the documents with her.
And so, Nora cut ties with her family and headed to the capital alone, brimming with dreams of a new life.
But then she was suddenly attacked and dragged to this place.
“They probably kidnapped me because of those documents,” she said. “They kept demanding I hand them over.”
“What kind of documents are they?”
Nora hesitated before answering cautiously.
“It’s… a contract between Duke Lester’s household and a dark mage.”
Aracila’s blue eyes widened. Even the Grant family, the empress’s kin, had been nearly destroyed for purchasing dark magic bombs. No matter how powerful the three great ducal houses were, involvement with dark magic would undoubtedly ruin at least half the family. This was, without question, a critical weakness of Duke Lester’s.
“I later heard that when my mother was close with the Duchess of Lester, their family was under investigation for tax evasion,” Nora continued. “They must have entrusted some important documents to her for safekeeping.”
The Marchioness of White had found the contract among those documents and secretly swapped it with a fake. Duke Lester’s household, too preoccupied to notice, let it slide.
“But when our family fell into crisis, my mother must have used it to blackmail them. And then I ran off with it.”
The White family, outraged by Nora’s actions, had informed Duke Lester’s household, fully aware they wouldn’t let her off easily.
Despite all manner of coaxing and threats, Nora refused to reveal the contract’s location, knowing she’d be killed the moment she did.
And that was a wise decision. If they recovered the contract, Nora would have been disposed of immediately.
Her stubbornness had kept her alive long enough to cross paths with Aracila.
“Thank you for saving me again,” Nora said. “If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead for sure. I don’t know how to repay this debt…”
Owing her life to someone she had once one-sidedly despised and tormented left Nora at a loss. Aracila gently placed her hands on Nora’s shoulders and met her gaze.
“Lady White, would you hand that contract over to me?”
“To you…? I can do that, of course, but what if it leads to a fight with Duke Lester’s household?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll win.”
Aracila flashed a bright smile and stood, extending her hand.
“Let’s go.”
Nora hesitated, then took her hand and rose. As they left the wooden cabin, she teared up, overwhelmed by the fresh air she hadn’t breathed in so long.
Using magic, Aracila moved the unconscious men into the cabin and locked the door before turning to Nora.
“By the way, where did you hide the contract?”
“I paid a hefty sum to leave it at a temple. I didn’t think it was safe to keep it on me.”
“Smart move. We’ll retrieve it tomorrow morning, then. For now, let’s head to my place.”
Nora gave a small nod. With nowhere else to go, it was a welcome offer.
Aracila handed Nora her robe. Unlike Aracila, who had changed her hair color and worn a mask, Nora’s appearance was unaltered and conspicuous.
Together, they slipped quietly out of the capital’s outskirts.
As promised, Nora handed the contract to Aracila, who in turn gave her a ticket for a ship bound for the Kingdom of Silin.
“They’ll help you find a job and a place to stay there,” Aracila said.
Despite the chaos at the New Year’s festival, Prince Noah, still friendly toward Aracila as a fellow mage, had agreed to her request.
In exchange, he asked her to give a magic lecture in his kingdom, which she readily accepted.
“They might not know you’re a noble, so they could treat you like a maid,” Aracila warned. “If you’re okay with that, go. It’s safer than staying in the empire.”
It couldn’t be helped. Revealing her noble status might draw Duke Lester’s attention, and they could come after her.
But Nora, no longer inclined to complain as she once had, gripped the ticket and said resolutely, “I’ll go.”
“Good choice. Stay out of the empire for now. Come back when the crown prince changes.”
“…Haha, you’re joking, right?”
Nora chuckled, glancing at Aracila, but her smile faded when she saw the seriousness on her face.
“Oh… you’re serious.”
Muttering to herself, Nora straightened and bowed politely.
“Thank you for helping me, Lady Vandermir.”
“No need to thank me. I got something valuable out of it too.”
Aracila’s smile was genuine. The unexpected information Nora had provided was a significant gain.
“Take care, Lady White.”
“…Goodbye.”
Nora, carrying her small bag, walked away slowly. Then, suddenly, she stopped, turned, and ran back to Aracila.
Aracila looked at her, puzzled. Panting, Nora hesitated before speaking timidly.
“Um, if it’s okay… next time we meet, could you call me Nora? I’ve left the White family, so I’m not Lady White anymore.”
“Sure.”
Aracila’s answer was straightforward, and a bright smile spread across Nora’s face.
“I’m really going now! See you next time!”
Unlike before, Nora’s farewell was cheerful, and she left with a lighter step.
She crossed over to the Kingdom of Silin. Later, Aracila heard through Prince Noah that Nora had taken a position as a low-ranking maid in the royal palace.
It was a good outcome. Working in the palace would make it harder for the White or Lester families to find her.
And with the contract Nora had given her, Aracila uncovered something astonishing.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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