Chapter 3
To do that, she first needed to understand the situation.
The only thing Ayla knew about her enemy was his name.
Just a name.
Byron.
No family name.
Nothing else.
How ridiculous.
She had called him Father for so many years, yet all she knew about him was his first name.
And she had only learned even that just before her death, from someone else’s mouth.
The Duke and Duchess had lost their daughter when she was two years old.
She had lived as Byron’s daughter for fourteen years before returning to the Duke’s family at the age of sixteen.
She knew what kind of alcohol he liked.
What food he enjoyed.
She knew how to make him smile and praise her.
But when it came to who he really was…
She knew absolutely nothing.
She couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at how pathetic she had been.
Still, things were completely different from her previous life.
Now she knew who she really was.
And she knew who her true enemy was.
At the very least…
She would never again be manipulated by that devil named Byron.
“Young Lady, don’t tell me you’ve gone back to sleep? Why are you taking so long? Master will be angry if you keep this up!”
Laura pounded on the old door as if she meant to break it down.
It seemed she wasn’t going to give Ayla even a moment to organize her thoughts.
Besides, sitting alone in this room wouldn’t change anything.
She simply didn’t have enough information.
She didn’t even know exactly how old she was.
Or where she was.
“I’ll be out in a moment.”
After answering Laura, Ayla splashed the cold water from the washbasin onto her face.
The icy water cleared her mind.
The sensation felt so real.
She really was alive.
After drying her face with the towel Laura had left beside the basin, she changed into the clothes laid out next to it.
They were the riding-style training clothes she had worn throughout her childhood.
Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she stepped outside.
Laura greeted her with an annoyed expression.
“What took you so long? Don’t tell me you don’t want to do your morning training. Why are you acting so strangely today? If this continues, I’ll have no choice but to report it to Master. Just imagine how disappointed your father will be.”
Just as she had when she was older…
Laura acted as though she herself were the master.
It had been the same at the Duke’s mansion.
When other people were around, Laura behaved politely.
But once they were alone…
She became a completely different person.
Back then, when Ayla had known only Laura and Byron’s followers, she had never thought it was strange.
But after living with the servants of House Weisshafen, who had genuinely cared for her…
She realized just how abnormal Laura’s behavior had always been.
If Ayla had truly been Byron’s daughter…
Laura would never have treated her like this.
Even if she couldn’t sincerely care for her the way the Duke’s servants had, she would have shown her at least basic respect.
“…Are you even listening to me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m listening.”
The Ayla of the past would have nervously watched Laura’s expression in a situation like this.
Nothing in the world had frightened her more than disappointing Byron.
In fact, her old self probably wouldn’t even have moved this slowly.
Although…
Laura likely would have found something else to criticize anyway.
Seeing Ayla behave differently than usual, Laura looked at her suspiciously.
From Laura’s point of view, it was only natural.
It was like watching a dog that had wagged its tail obediently until yesterday suddenly refuse to obey.
A dog.
That was all Ayla had been to Byron.
A hunting dog.
One he intended to throw away after the hunt was over.
A foolish dog that happily wagged its tail without realizing its master was already planning to kill it.
But things were different now.
From this moment on…
She would become a vicious puppy patiently waiting for the chance to bite her master’s throat.
Of course…
On the surface, she would continue wagging her tail exactly as before.
At least until she discovered who Byron truly was.
And what his real goal was.
His actions had always been too suspicious to be explained by a simple desire to assassinate one duke.
Back then, while she blindly trusted him, she had never questioned anything.
Now, looking back…
Everything about him seemed suspicious.
Even the attack on the Duke’s mansion.
Yes, Byron had taken advantage of the confusion surrounding Ayla’s birthday banquet.
But that alone shouldn’t have been enough for the attack to succeed.
During the two years she had lived as the Duke’s daughter, she had learned a great deal about House Weisshafen.
The Weisshafens were the Empire’s steadfast guardians.
They commanded one of the greatest armies and knight orders in the Peles Empire.
The knights stationed in the northern territory were even larger in number.
But even the capital residence where she had lived was heavily defended.
Many knights guarded the mansion.
Each one was exceptionally skilled.
Yet somehow…
A man who lived like a fugitive, hiding in abandoned fortresses deep in the mountains…
Had possessed enough forces to break through those defenses.
Wasn’t that suspicious?
There was something else as well.
Even while hiding in remote places where no one ever came…
Byron always lived lavishly.
Where did all that money come from?
As a child, she had never thought about such things.
But after receiving the education expected of a duke’s daughter, she realized just how expensive Byron’s clothes, food, and lifestyle truly were.
There’s definitely something.
Something I don’t know.
Thinking that, Ayla clenched her fists.
Following Laura out of the old fortress, she found that the sky was still dim.
The sun had only recently risen.
She looked around.
All she could see were endless forests and towering mountains.
It had always been like this during her childhood.
A forest whose location she never knew.
An abandoned fortress or mountain hideout.
After staying there for a few months, they would move somewhere else.
Even if she killed Byron right now…
With the body of a child, she wouldn’t even be able to leave this forest, let alone reach the Duke’s estate.
Even on horseback, it looked as though it would take at least a full day before she reached the nearest village.
Not that it mattered.
She couldn’t ride a horse in the first place.
Thinking back on it now…
It was almost laughable.
Byron had taught her countless skills to turn her into a human weapon.
Yet there was one thing he had never taught her.
How to ride a horse.
He must have wanted to prevent her from escaping.
To keep her chained to his side.
Not that the Ayla of the past had ever considered running away.
She had trusted Byron completely.
It’s still early, but it’s already a little warm.
Is it summer?
She searched for clues to determine when exactly she had returned.
Her memory was good.
But since she had lived in so many similar hideouts, the surroundings alone weren’t enough.
Judging by her appearance, she looked about eleven or twelve years old.
But she couldn’t be certain.
I wish I had some clearer clue.
She was fairly sure it was summer.
Laura had given her light clothing.
And the water for washing her face had been cold.
No matter how poorly Laura and the others treated her…
They had never neglected her food, clothing, or health.
That, too, had been for Byron’s sake.
A poorly fed body could never become a strong assassin.
Keeping her healthy had served the same purpose.
“…Good morning, Young Lady.”
After walking for some time while lost in thought, Ayla came face-to-face with someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Her teacher.
Byron’s loyal shadow.
Cloud.
For Cloud, it had only been yesterday.
He saw her every day.
But for Ayla, who had spent the last two years in the Duke’s household…
It had been a long time.
Unlike Laura, who openly looked down on her, Cloud had always treated her with at least a little respect.
Still…
She wasn’t happy to see him.
She didn’t know how much Cloud knew.
But regardless…
He had helped Byron deceive and use her.
“You are late. Did you oversleep?”
“…Sorry.”
Cloud wasn’t scolding her.
Even so, Ayla couldn’t afford to let either him or Laura become suspicious.
So she hid her true feelings and apologized.
The sky wasn’t even fully bright yet.
She couldn’t understand why everyone kept insisting she was late.
Laura glared at Ayla, who apologized with a downcast expression, as though she had expected her to be punished.
Then she returned to the fortress to help prepare breakfast.
“You’ll be eating with Master, so this morning we’ll only do physical training. We’ll practice with weapons after breakfast.”
Cloud spoke quietly.
To him, it was probably nothing more than an ordinary schedule.
But to Ayla…
Those words became an important clue.
Weapon training?
She suddenly looked down at her hands again.
She hadn’t paid much attention before.
Fresh cuts and scratches covered her small hands.
She remembered.
It was during the summer when she turned twelve that she had first begun learning to use weapons like daggers and bows.
Because she was just starting out, she had constantly injured herself.
The bowstring had bruised her arms.
The sharp dagger had cut her fingers.
Seeing those old wounds again—wounds that had long since healed without leaving even a scar—felt strangely nostalgic.
Then…
I’m twelve years old.
She still had four years before she would enter House Weisshafen.
To Ayla, who wanted nothing more than to return to her parents immediately and beg for forgiveness…
Four years felt unbearably long.
But perhaps…
It was actually a blessing.
She now had four whole years to uncover Byron’s true plans.
Ayla tightly clenched her scar-covered hands into fists.
