STGAAB Novel MTL - Chapter 763
Chapter 763: Secret Garden (4)
Will there truly never be anything ‘easy’ in my fate? After finishing an unplanned duel with Demon Eyes, the building we arrived at was completely empty. They had already fled with the Marquess while I was busy fighting……
“A villa! There’s a villa a little ways from here!”
Eltora suggested a ‘villa’ when advised that we needed to think carefully about where the Marquess might have hidden.
“A villa……?”
“A secret villa known only to the Marquess! It’s within District 4!”
“If you know about it, it can’t be much of a secret, can it?”
“It’s a place absolutely no one knows about! I, I only know about it because I went there when I was young. Even within the family, no one else knows about it!”
“When you were young……?”
When I frowned, Eltora seemed to realize what the misunderstanding was and quickly clarified.
“To be precise, I mean when the original owner of this body was young. There was a diary written by the original owner in my room, and it mentioned the secret villa.”
Wow, so this guy not only started off as the son of the Prime Minister, but he also had the original owner’s diary? Meanwhile, I had to worry about getting hit with an axe the moment I woke up.
“My father took me to the villa… There was a garden filled with beautiful flowers, and I was a bit surprised to see father tending to the garden himself… That’s what it said!”
“Hmm?”
“Anyway, I secretly investigated the location of that secret villa later on, trying not to get caught as an evil spirit, but no matter how much I searched through all the assets owned by the Marquess’ family, I couldn’t find a trace of it.”
“Oh, but how did you find it then?”
“Thanks to Countess Peprok. After she appeared, I looked into it just in case. It turned out she owned a piece of land. The countess herself didn’t even know she owned it. When I finally went there, I found an old caretaker employed at the villa. He didn’t even know that the Marquess was the one who had hired him.”
Oh, I see. It’s definitely a suspicious place. Except for one contradiction.
“But if it’s such a secretive hideout, how could the Marquess flee there? He’s unconscious right now.”
When I pointed out this flaw, Eltora let out an ‘Ah!’ and indirectly admitted that he hadn’t thought of that problem. But perhaps he was too reluctant to give up.
“Still…… wouldn’t at least one of his close aides know about it?”
Eltora threw the suggestion out there, subtly gauging my reaction. When I just stared at him, he seemed to realize how weak his reasoning was and avoided my gaze.
But……
“Fine. Let’s go there.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. Doing something is better than just standing around here.”
I decided to check out the ‘secret villa’ Eltora mentioned. After all, the Prime Minister knew this guy was an evil spirit. There’s a chance one of the Marquess’ close aides knew about the villa and took him there. Well, it seems more likely that’s not the case.
‘But still, a place like that might hold some other value.’
Even if it turns out to be a wild goose chase, checking out the Marquess’ secret villa would be worthwhile enough. Perhaps I might stumble upon some secret I wasn’t aware of, just like when I found the Marquess’ hidden chamber during my previous search.
“Tell me, where is this villa?”
“It’s not far from here!”
With that, I decided our next destination, and soon we arrived. It was surrounded by high walls, and the building itself was quite modest, about two stories tall. Looking at it, I was reminded of ‘that house’ where I once stayed with Erwen. As I climbed over the wall and entered, just as Eltora said, there was a beautifully landscaped garden.
“…It’s been well-maintained.”
As soon as we stepped into the garden, Amelia looked around and said while gently touching the flowers.
“It seems someone has been taking care of it until recently. At most, two days ago. At the earliest, yesterday.”
I had no idea how to tell whether this place had been recently tended to or not. Well, if Amelia said so, it must be true.
“Anyway, it feels like we might have made a mistake… but just in case, let’s investigate inside the building as well. There could be a hidden space where the Marquess might be hiding.”
“Agreed.”
Just as we were about to begin a thorough search of the villa as Amelia’s suggested.
“……”
Suddenly, Amelia whipped her head toward the building and then glanced at me, signaling with her eyes. It seems she sensed someone inside…
Step, step.
Before I could even focus on sensing a presence, the sound of footsteps echoed from inside the building. Just one person. I thought it might be the old caretaker Eltora had mentioned, but…
“……Huh?”
The figure that soon appeared was someone entirely unexpected.
“It’s been a while, Baron Yandel.”
Eltora was the first to react, recognizing the woman who greeted us with a polite bow.
“Harin Savy……? Why are you here?”
“We meet again, Young Master Tercerion. You were here not long ago, weren’t you?”
“Not long ago? Wait, don’t tell me… back then too……”
“Yes. I was hiding and watching. From the moment you started searching the villa until you finally discovered its secret.”
Eltora’s expression hardened at Hyeonbyeol’s straightforward confirmation.
And……
“What are you up to, you bitch… Agh!”
After getting smacked, his expression softened again.
“Don’t make a fuss and stay quiet.”
“…Ah, understood.”
Seriously, calling someone else’s ex-girlfriend a ‘bitch’. After Eltora was silenced by the smack, I took over the conversation.
“Harin Savy, why are you here?”
Yes, let’s start with that. Why on earth was she at the Marquess’ secret villa?
“……Pardon?”
“I’ll ask again. Why are you here?”
I pressed firmly, indicating that I wanted a clear answer, and Hyeonbyeol responded.
“Uh… Weren’t you aware……?”
“Huh?”
“…I sent you a message. Telling you to come here. On that piece of paper.”
Ah, the love paper……
“Did you… not see it?”
Uh… I didn’t have time to check it. As I awkwardly cleared my throat with an embarrassed expression, Hyeonbyeol shook her head.
“Never mind. Whatever the process, you’re here now. In fact, this feels even more fateful, which I like.”
“…Fateful?”
It was Amelia who muttered that, not me, but Hyeonbyeol heard it and shrugged.
“Yes. No matter how much their paths diverge or get twisted, people who are meant to meet will eventually meet again.”
“That’s… quite an interesting perspective.”
“I’m glad you find it interesting. Nice to meet you, Amel… Ah, Emily Raines, right?”
Hyeonbyeol paused for a moment while greeting her. It looked like a mistake, but to me, it seemed like a deliberate action. A subtle hint. She was revealing that she knew Amelia’s real name.
‘…Why she revealed it, though, I have no idea.’
Anyway.
“Yes… nice to meet you. Harin Savy.”
After the brief exchange of greetings, Hyeonbyeol returned to the main topic, looking at me again.
“So, you asked why I’m here, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Come inside. Let’s talk there.”
And with that, we entered the villa.
***
The interior of the villa was quite modest. If you scrutinized every detail, it was clear that a lot of money had been spent on the decor, but it wasn’t as luxurious as one might expect from the Marquess’ ‘secret villa’. Moreover, the atmosphere of the interior didn’t match the Marquess at all. It felt simple yet warm… Like the cozy home of a harmonious, wealthy family.
“I’m sorry, but could the others step out for a moment? There’s something I need to discuss with you privately. There’s a very comfortable room to rest in over there—.”
“I refuse.”
Amelia quickly rejected the suggestion, and Hyeonbyeol turned her gaze toward me without saying a word.
‘Haa……’
I sighed inwardly and spoke to Amelia.
“Sorry, but please step out for a moment. It’s important that I hear her out first.”
“…Alright.”
With that, Amelia led the others out to the room Hyeonbyeol had mentioned, and I sat on the sofa, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.
“Ah, just a moment.”
Hyeonbyeol pressed a button on a device that looked like a recorder and placed it on the table. However, unlike its appearance, it wasn’t a recorder, but a magic device that prevented any sound within a certain radius from escaping.
“You’re still the same.”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“The person with control isn’t the one who chooses but the one who creates the choices. Wasn’t that your saying?”
“Are you really going to keep talking so stiffly?”
“Ah, it just feels bit awkward in this body, that’s all. So, tell me now. What exactly is this villa?”
I consciously switched to Hansu Lee’s way of speaking, and Hyeonbyeol, seemingly satisfied, smiled and answered.
“Well, to put it simply… I guess you could say it’s Marquess Tercerion’s ‘memory box’? Something like that.”
“Memory box……?”
“You know, like a box where you keep cherished items that hold good memories from the past. Don’t you have something like that?”
“No, I don’t…..?”
“What did you do with all the letters I gave you before……?”
……I threw them away. I felt that if I left them in my room, they would only make me regretful. However, Hyeonbyeol nodded as if she understood.
“No wonder I couldn’t find them no matter how much I searched your room.”
“……It seems like we’re straying from the topic.”
“Ah, right…… Anyway, this place is a memory box. The place where the Marquess would escape to and hide whenever things got tough.”
“But why are you in a place like that?”
“Because the Marquess sent me here.”
“What do you mean? Can’t you just get to the point?”
“Countess Peprok is asleep in the underground bunker below here. And the Marquess sent me here to guard Countess Peprok and take care of her.”
“So, you’re saying the Marquess isn’t here?”
“Yes… that’s right.”
“And you have no idea where he is?”
“Yes. How would I know that?”
“…I just thought you might. You were the one who informed me about Ainar’s scheduled execution, after all.”
“Ah, I really found out about that by chance. The Marquess stopped by here briefly at that time. When I asked how the war was going… he talked about this and that, just like when we used to chat.”
“…You chat with the Marquess?”
“He’s surprisingly gentle. Quite the romantic, too. He’s also rather lonely, given his age.”
Well, I can’t agree with that. Still, I suppose everyone has unexpected sides to them.
“He’s a man who loves his daughter dearly. So, I guess he’s quite fond of me too, as his daughter’s friend and right-hand woman.”
“Is that so……?”
“Oh my, are you just brushing this off? Even though the reason the Marquess started this war was because of his ‘daughter’.”
“……What?”
As I flinched and raised my head, Hyeonbyeol shrugged and pulled out a book. I gave her a questioning look, but she simply motioned for me to read it.
Swish.
As I opened the first page and began reading from the top, I quickly realized what this book was.
[There is a certain rumor within the Palace of Glory. When a ball is held and the night reaches its peak, an unnamed girl is said to appear somewhere in the ballroom.]
[According to eyewitness accounts, the girl is very beautiful, small in stature, with pure eyes and a bright voice.]
[However, when male nobles captivated by her, approach and ask for her name, the girl, who had been happily conversing, doesn’t respond and soon vanishes like a ghost right before their eyes……]
[When I first heard it, I laughed it off as just another story. But to my surprise, the rumor turned out to be true.]
[On July 16th, in the middle of summer where even the night sky couldn’t cool the scorching winds.]
[At the royal ball I attended with my father, I encountered the unnamed girl.]
…This is the Marquess’ diary.
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