HBTF 4

Chapter: 4

Bring That Woman

Classie was sick all day the next day.

She wasn’t sure if it was due to the stress from Merran or the shock from the mysterious bloodied man.

Every time her mind wandered, Classie saw her older sister sitting in front of her.

“Sister…”

When Classie reached out her hand, her older sister held it tightly.

Classie gripped her hand tightly, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up, sniffling.

Her parents were always abroad due to their work as diplomats. Her older sister took on the role of guardian in place of their parents for Classie.

Growing pains, debuting in society, studying, mundane daily life, horseback riding—Classie shared these experiences with her older sister, Mary, just like her friends did with their parents.

It was already Mary, who was married, who brought Classie to the royal capital ten years ago.

‘Does my sister resent me?’

As Classie sniffled again, unexpectedly, her sister’s apparition rose and embraced her.

* * *

“It seems like the young lady has already fallen asleep.”

The door opened, and the maid, Anna, entered with a basin of hot water.

“She woke up for a moment.”

Merran looked down at the sleeping Classie and said.

“Please rest, Lady Merran. You’ve been taking care of her since dawn. At this rate, you’ll end up collapsing too. We can take turns caring for her.”

Anna said, looking worriedly at Merran’s pale face. Merran’s limbs were long and frail, and she swayed a little if she overexerted herself.

Just a few days after they started living together, on a day when Merran was severely ill, Classie cried and made a fuss, saying she was going to die.

Despite the doctors’ objections, Classie wouldn’t leave Merran’s side for several days, nursing her in her own bed.

Anna smiled faintly. Merran was eleven years old at that time. Did she remember those days?

“It’s amazing that the little girl who was taking care of Lady Classie has grown up and is now taking care of Lady Classie.”

Merran dampened a white towel in the basin and wiped the cold sweat from Classie’s forehead. Even after several hours, her fever didn’t seem to subside.

When Classie furrowed her brow in pain, Merran took her hand and gently patted the back of it.

“That’s right, Anna. A while ago, my aunt called me ‘sister.’”

“My lady looks just like Lady Mary. Since she’s not feeling well, I guess she mistook you for Lady Mary.”

Anna urged her to rest a few more times, but when Merran stubbornly refused to get up, she reluctantly left the basin and exited the room.

As she walked down the hallway, she glanced back at Classie’s bedroom before going down the stairs.

‘They really care for each other,’ Anna thought, her lips curling up again.

Suddenly, a loud bell rang from beyond the door.

Anna wiped her hands on her apron and quickly dashed to the front door.

“If this were my hometown, outsiders wouldn’t have been able to come up to the door and knock.”

Grumbling to herself, she reached the front door and called out loudly, “Who is it?”

“It’s the palace guard.”

However, as soon as Anna heard the words “palace guard,” her complaints vanished.

“What brings the palace guard here?”

Anna, feeling scared, opened the door.

The palace guard was an organization directly under the emperor. Although its name included “guard,” it performed various tasks under the emperor’s orders, in addition to guarding the palace.

Those “various tasks” were sometimes great and sometimes felt like trash. The infamous Fourth Squad was particularly notorious, but the other squads were equally feared by the people.

When Anna saw the soldier in guard uniform, she nearly fainted.

“Excuse me. Is there anyone in this house who attended the party at the Rayburton estate yesterday?”

The soldier asked calmly, as if Anna’s reaction was unremarkable.

Anna reflexively shook her head, then suddenly stopped, realizing her mistake.

The mansion Classie hastily acquired, thinking she would live here alone for a few years, looked indistinguishable from a noble’s mansion or a wealthy merchant’s house at first glance. Yet, the soldier had come here.

Although he asked if anyone had attended, he surely already knew the answer.

“Yes, there is.”

Anna confessed in a trembling voice.

“But what is the matter? Did something happen there?”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. A valuable item has gone missing from the Rayburton estate, and we’re asking the attendees about it.”

Hearing the soldier’s words, Anna felt relieved.

“Oh, you scared me. In that case, I’m glad to hear it. Our young lady wouldn’t carelessly take someone else’s belongings.”

“How many people from this house attended?”

“One, uh, no, two people.”

“Why did your answer change?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say. Originally, Lady Classie was the only one invited, but Merran secretly followed her, saying she wanted to go too.”

The soldier’s eyes sparkled.

“At night? What time was that?”

Why is he asking that? Anna thought anxiously as she checked her watch. Her mind was racing.

“Um… it was probably around nine o’clock in the evening.”

The soldier’s eyes gleamed even more.

“Did they happen to pass through Balowal Road by carriage at that time?”

Anna grew more anxious. Why was he probing like this? Does our young lady have something suspicious about her?

Though Anna couldn’t answer, the soldier read the silence as an affirmative. In fact, it was common knowledge that Hodgawa (Hod) and Teiwood Streets led to Balowal Road, so even without hearing a reply, he had his confirmation.

The soldier internally cheered and asked, “Are Classie and Merran sisters?”

“No. Lady Merran is the niece of Lady Classie.”

“Oh, I see. How old is Lady Merran?”

“She’s twenty years old.”

* * *

Sub-lieutenant Phils, who had come out of 12th Hod Street, sought out his superior, who had given him strange orders.

Kishin was sitting alone in a large café near the palace’s main gate, drinking tea as usual. It was a spot hidden from view due to pillars and partitions, a place the café owner reserved exclusively for Kishin.

“Sir Kishin, I have come with information. I checked Hodgawa from zone one to zone twenty, and one woman fitting your description appeared.”

Phils smiled brightly after receiving Kishin’s permission to sit across from him.

This morning, Kishin had told Phils to find a woman and had given him several conditions.

First, she must be a noblewoman who attended the Rayburton estate party yesterday.

Second, she must have passed through Balowal Road by carriage between ten and eleven o’clock in the evening.

Third, she should be in her early to mid-twenties.

“There were quite a few women who met conditions one and three. However, only one met condition two: Merran Kalashi Omel, who lives on 12th Hod Street. She is the eldest daughter of Marquis Omel and, after her mother passed away when she was young, she has been living at her aunt’s house since her father remarried.”

Although it was said that two noblewomen attended the party from that house, Phils judged that the aunt was certainly not the person Kishin was looking for.

Since the niece was twenty years old, her aunt must be significantly older. The age didn’t match.

Moreover, the aunt went to the party alone, and the niece secretly followed in a carriage at nine o’clock in the evening. This meant that the aunt had attended the party before that time. The timing didn’t add up.

On the other hand, considering the distance to the Rayburton estate, the niece would definitely have passed through Balowal Road around ten o’clock.

“Have you met her?”

“No. I heard she’s been taking care of her sick aunt all night, so she wasn’t prepared to receive guests.”

Phils cautiously added while watching Kishin’s reaction, “You said not to force a meeting.”

“Good job.”

Kishin set his coffee cup down and stood up.

The young stallion Dernick had said that a noblewoman stole his identification card. While he didn’t fully believe that, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

If the opponent really did take his identification, they needed to approach carefully since the purpose was unknown.

As Phils stood up with his superior, he couldn’t help but ask subtly, “So, what do we do now?”

Phils was feeling quite excited at that moment.

Kishin had said that a noblewoman had ‘accidentally’ taken his identification card. Phils was curious about what that ‘accidental’ situation was.

Kishin Hayward was known as a cold man whose tears would freeze; people whispered about him. A man who didn’t date, let alone marry or get engaged, was finally getting involved with a woman!

What on earth had that cold man done to give his identification card to a woman?

Philse did his best to suppress the grin that was creeping onto his face.

“Bring her.”

However, the order that came out was not the atmosphere Phils expected.

“What?”

Philse’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Bring her? A noblewoman? Uh, where to?”

“To the guardhouse.”

“!”