Episode 46
“Hm… There’s been an unusually high number of monster sightings in the north lately. Was it always like this?”
Gilbert put down his teacup and asked, sitting on the guest sofa in Duke Hereis’s office.
It was true that the North had always seen frequent monster appearances, but the Valentine family had handled it well for generations.
However, the recent sightings included monsters that didn’t even originally live in the northern lands—something truly strange.
“…No, it wasn’t like this before.”
Hereis answered calmly.
Gilbert narrowed his eyes. “It feels like the monsters are being drawn to this area. You’re not even a little worried?”
Duke Hereis smirked and set down the papers he’d been reviewing.
“We’ve always handled the monsters in the north. For a very long time.”
“That’s true.”
“So, there’s nothing to worry about. We’ll just do what we’ve always done.”
His words were confident—no, arrogant. As if a few more monsters didn’t mean anything.
But Gilbert didn’t argue.
He knew how obsessed Hereis was with monsters.
The duke had obsessively studied monster-hunting methods, and now he was the most experienced monster slayer in the empire.
His knights, too, followed in his footsteps.
‘He looks like a noble, but he’s no different than a pack of wild monster hunters…’
Gilbert suddenly felt foolish for worrying about him and quickly changed the topic.
“By the way, have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“I heard the child of Grand Duke Blake from the south is now traveling around to protect the empire’s borders by the Emperor’s command.”
Hereis nodded. Every few years, the Emperor gave orders to inspect the families guarding the empire’s borders.
There were four key noble houses assigned to protect the borders of the Empire: the Valentine family for the north, and others for the south, east, and west.
Every four years, the palace would send an envoy to check whether these houses were doing their duties, not plotting rebellion, avoiding taxes, or hiding anything from the Emperor.
Gilbert chuckled.
“They say it’s the Emperor’s order, but I’m sure Grand Duke Blake pushed his son into it. Everyone pretends not to know, but it’s no secret what goes on in that house, right?”
It was widely known among the noblemen that Grand Duke Blake despised his eldest son and heir.
The intention was clear.
‘He probably wants to get rid of him. Either the boy returns home injured… or not at all.’
Hereis is the same. Gilbert even clicked his tongue in disgust.
“They say that young man is coming to the north soon. I hope you treat him well.”
“…”
“We are adults. Let’s act like it, no matter the politics or power games.”
Hereis didn’t answer, but Gilbert took the silence as agreement.
Then Hereis narrowed his eyes and asked, “How long do you plan to stay here? You know Rachel is still a criminal in our territory. You can’t just take her away.”
Gilbert kept his gaze fixed on nothing, in particular, speaking slowly.
“I didn’t come to take her. I already know what she did.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Children… they didn’t do anything wrong. You know that better than anyone.”
“But…”
“You and Rachel kept them hidden. That’s something parents might do… but that’s no longer your role now.”
“…”
“So now, I’d like to try being a proper grandfather.”
Hereis had no words in response.
A few days later…
‘Sweetheart, want to go for a walk with Grandpa?’
‘Can you call me Grandpa just once? If you do, I’ll give you this delicious chocolate!’
‘Good morning, sweetheart!’
It had been days since Gilbert started following Catherine around, calling her “sweetheart.”
After her talk with Alex, Catherine began to feel a little overwhelmed and came to the library where Eleanor was.
Watching Gilbert chase her around reminded Catherine of her past—how she had once followed Eleanor around just like that.
‘Was Eleanor exhausted when I kept bothering her?’
For some reason, Catherine suddenly felt sorry again.
Maybe people really do have to experience something themselves to understand.
She glanced at Eleanor, who was sitting across from her, reading a thick book.
‘What’s she reading? “The Empire’s… A Thousand Years of History”…?’
It looked so heavy it could be used as a pillow. Catherine made a face.
‘How can she read that like it’s a fairy tale?’
Recently, Catherine had been spending more time alone with Eleanor.
Eleanor never told her to leave or stop following her—she just occasionally glanced at her and left it at that.
That silent approval made Catherine feel strangely at ease.
‘This is weird. I never liked quiet places like this…’
But being near Eleanor calmed her.
While Eleanor continued reading, Catherine pulled out two letters from her pocket.
Helen had given them to her earlier, saying they were sent for her.
She opened the mustard-colored letter first—the one with a deer seal.
Letter #1: From Abigail Prongs
*To my careless but lovely dear cat,
Catherine Valentine! You naughty cat friend! You’re ignoring my letters again, huh?!
Is this your mother’s doing again?
I won’t be too harsh since it’s your mom, but she worries too much!
You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, right?
I hope the smart you understand how I feel, even if your mom doesn’t.
So, what have you been up to?
I’m currently at the southern beach for work! I heard the pearls here would look perfect on you, so I came running.
Look forward to it! I’ll send you a beautiful pearl soon.
Oh! I hope you read this letter quickly!
And if you do—you MUST write back!
Otherwise, I’ll make you write your reply in front of me next time!
Love you, Catherine.
From, your dearest Abby.
P.S. Did you hear? Everyone in high society is talking about Eleanor now. But you’re still the true flower of society in my eyes!*
Catherine chuckled after reading the letter.
‘Why does this girl like me so much?’
She didn’t understand why, but she could tell Abigail was truly on her side.
Abigail was the kind of friend who would even support her in doing bad things—because she genuinely liked her.
Catherine picked up a pen and began writing her reply.
Reply to Abigail:
*To my lovely red-haired bunny,
Don’t worry, Bunny.
I read your letter, even if I was late.
The southern beach? Sounds amazing!
A gift? I’m honored. Thank you, Abby.
Let’s meet again soon. I’ll be waiting.
From your dear Cassie.
P.S. I’m not interested in society stuff anymore. So don’t worry too much.*
Next, she picked up the second letter.
It had a red eagle and a feather quill stamp—the symbol of the Red Bird.
Letter #2: From Evan Ortega
*To the poor young lady,
Are you doing okay? I heard you were thrown in the dungeon of the Duke’s house because of a misunderstanding.
But it looks like you didn’t intend to harm anyone, huh?
Since they let you out so easily.
How do I know? Come on, you know how hard it is to survive in this empire as an information broker.
Only someone with my talent can stay on top.
By the way, I recently lost some money.
But then suddenly someone showed up offering a huge payment for blue flower berries. Not just to us—but to all our competitors too.
We were all scrambling to make money.
They said they needed it to cross the Black Forest in the north.
Isn’t that monster territory? Why go there?
If you carry crushed blue flower berries, the monsters avoid you.
You never mentioned that before, did you?
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks.
You took all the berries before, but luckily we still had a big stock.
We made a lot of money.
So—thanks again.
And next time you need anything, remember us at Red Bird!
From, Eve.
P.S. Be honest. Did you already know someone would buy those berries?
Because the timing of our losses and the big deal lined up a little too perfectly. You almost sound like someone who knew I’d need the money…*
Catherine raised an eyebrow.
‘Wow. He straight-up admitted they have a spy in the Duke’s house. Or maybe he’s just confident he won’t get caught.’
She was impressed by Evan’s sharp thinking.
He was right—Catherine had predicted everything: that Red Bird would need money soon, and someone would come to buy the blue flower berries.
She knew because it was all in the novel she remembered.
Around this time, Red Bird would face betrayal, and Calypse—the male lead—would travel to the north.
The final stop of his journey across the empire was the Valentine estate.
To get there, he’d pass through the dangerous Black Forest—filled with monsters and poisonous plants.
In the novel, Calypse uses blue flower berries to create a paper-like perfume.
The scent tricked monsters and wild beasts, letting him pass through the forest safely with his knights.
‘Which means… soon I’ll witness the moment Eleanor and Calypse start falling for each other.’
Just imagining that moment made Catherine’s heart flutter with excitement.
At that moment, Eleanor looked up from her book and saw Catherine smiling to herself.
‘Why is she smiling like that?’
