I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 74: The Inside Enemy

Editor : Aizen

There was a sense of urgency, but Vincent believed that the present moment was the right time to execute his plan.

Two days ago, news arrived that the heiress and her party were departing from Ardenum. A flash of inspiration acrossed his mind.

He was well aware of the usual route the Robeheim family took when travelling from Bellucci to Hespania, and he decided to capitalise on that knowledge.

The route had very few people and included a section passing through a mountain, making it easy to fabricate a story about encountering thieves.

Furthermore, within the Robeheim family, it was common knowledge that the heiress is rarely accompanied by escorts, making the ruse more believable.

As luck would have it, Yulken was away from the castle for an inspection, making it an opportune moment for his rebellion.

“I shall play my card right,” Vincent thought, content with his elaborated scheme.

With the help of one of his vassals, Lux Feldner, who took on most of the risky tasks, he could now proceed with the plan.

This time, there was a justifiable reason to create a situation where one could distance oneself from the other.

If the trick worked and the perceived threat, the “pest,” was removed, he would assist Lux’s child, and Ariel in forming a connection.

[T : Bee Edgar evolved into pest Edgar, PFFFTTT.]

This would significantly benefit the Feldner family.

Having mitigated the risks, Vincent felt confident in proceeding with the negotiations.

All he had to do wad sit back while expecting victory to be within reach.

Relaxing in leisure, savouring wine and cheese, his moment of tranquillity was abruptly interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.

Annoyed by the intrusion, he inquired about the matter, irritated that someone dared to disturb his peace over something trivial.

“What’s going on?”

“Sir Roland, the lady’s party has arrived.”

“… What!?”

Startled by the unexpected news, Vincent set down his wine glass with force and stood up.

If he hadn’t misheard, they said ‘party’.

Which meant not only Ariel but also the others had returned safely.

Something felt amiss, and Vincent urgently summoned the servant to his room.

Although he usually disapproved of lower servants entering his chambers, he made an exception for today.

“Ummm, did you call?”

Even the servant, who had connections within the castle, was nervous about the sudden intrusion into his room and stuttered as he replied.

“You said the lady returned?”

“Yes, yes.”

“What about the rest of the group? Are there ladies-in-waiting and the young lady’s boyfriend who went with her?”

Vincent found it disgraceful to address someone without a prestigious lineage with honorifics, but Vincent tried to remain composed.

“Yes, they all returned together.”

“So, they came back unharmed?”

“… Yes?”

“Oh, no. I was inquiring if they had a safe journey, you misunderstood me.”

With a puzzled expression, the servant calmly informed Vincent that the group seemed to have returned without incident.

Vincent felt a surge of frustration, as if he wanted to hurl his wine glass at the wall. However, he managed to leave the room with trembling hands, concealing his disappointment and rage.

Vincent couldn’t believe it until he saw it with his own two eyes.

“Guide me. Since the lady is back, I should say hello,” Vincent requested.

“Sure, this way…”

The servant guided Vincent, but he couldn’t help but notice the strange difference in his behaviour.

Vincent was known for his haughty personality and rarely left his room unless it was for significant events.

At most, it was for significant events involving Yulken, like when Yulken went to the battlefield or returned.

It was uncommon for him to step out just because Ariel had been away on business and had visited another estate.

‘Is he being capricious?’ the servant wondered.

Knowing how uncomfortable it was for the castle’s servants to deal with Vincent, the servant pushed himself to stay as far away from the castle as possible to avoid disturbing him.

Ariel had disembarked from the carriage and was engaging in conversation with the servants and retainers who came to greet her at the castle gate.

“Oh, Sir Vincent. What are you doing?”

Hadler, who was known for being friendly even within the family, approached Vincent.

Even Hadler was surprised by the unusual sight of Vincent being outside his room.

“I came because the lady has returned from a long journey. Since His Highness is also away, it’s appropriate for me to be here at this time.”

Vincent replied with a friendly smile, though he felt inwardly irritated.

“What on earth is happening, Sir Lux!”

Vincent silently clamoured to Lux, who stood next to the carriage, looking awkwardly at Ariel.

As their eyes met, Lux shook his head as if he had no idea, wearing an expression that made everyone look pitiful.

This only fueled Vincent’s anger further.

“If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have handled it differently.”

Despite his frustration, Vincent restrained himself from resorting to violence, understanding that it was not the right way to act as the head of a family.

He clenched his fist, acknowledging that he had misjudged the situation and should have acted with a longer-term approach.

“Let’s calm down and plan for the future. There’s no need to rush.”

While today seemed perfect, there would be other opportunities in the future.

With over 60 years of experience, Vincent knew the value of patience and waiting for the right moment.

However, what bothered him was the unusually bright demeanour of Ariel and her companions.

‘Didn’t they face an attack?’ he wondered.

If assassins had attacked them, they wouldn’t be able to stand so relaxed.

It had been the right decision to inform the vassals about the attack and strengthen the castle’s defences.

But if there was no attack, how could that be?

Did they come not through the direct route, but through a longer route through other villages?

However, it was difficult to arrive so early because the road was quite long.

The normal arrival time should be from evening to night.

On the other hand, what if they were hiding the fact of an attack?

In that case, the situation became even more unpredictable.

“My head hurts.”

Nevertheless, since he had ostensibly come out to greet Ariel, he thought engaging in conversation rather than standing in silence would be better.

Approaching Ariel as she approached the castle gate, Vincent bowed his head and greeted the party in a cunning look.

“How are you, my lady?”

“Yes, it went well. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Sir Vincent come out.”

Despite his initial reservations, Vincent managed to calm himself and replied with a benevolent smile.

“Since His Highness was away, I thought I should also come out. The other vassals must think the same.”

“Oh, did your father say he went on an inspection?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Vincent had attempted to probe for information, but unfortunately, it didn’t yield the desired result.

“By the way, what is Young master holding…?”

Vincent asked curiously, noticing Edgar carrying a large bag over his shoulder.

It was big enough for almost one person to fit in, so Vincent, feeling strange, asked for the identity of the object in the sack.

Ariel replied with an unusually bright smile.

“It’s a souvenir. A precious item I got from Ardenum.”

“That’s right. It’s quite large, but…”

“Do you not wish to give it to Sir Vincent?”

“I am not so cruel as to covet the things you have received.”

Vincent laughed benevolently once again.

“… …!?”

However, at that moment, he felt a sudden chill running through his body.

It was as if a blade had momentarily stopped at his throat.

He raised his head to meet Ariel’s eyes, but she maintained her innocent smile.

“Perhaps I’m getting weaker as I age.” Vincent thought.

Or maybe it was due to the unease of postponing what he should have done today.

Once he returned to his room, Vincent resolved to go to bed early while drinking the unfinished wine.

Observing everything from the side, Ariel turned her head away and walked into the castle.

“Sir Vincent.”

She knew the head of the household, Yulken, or the hidden individual whose face was barely visible, would come out of the castle to assess the situation.

He put on a good-natured smile, mentioning a peculiar reason, but Ariel suspected there might be another motive.

“Perhaps he wanted to check something.”

That’s why she refrained from discussing the incident with her vassals.

Although she couldn’t be certain, given the circumstances, it was reasonable to assume that the assassins were targeting Edgar’s life.

Then, who would be most bothered by his presence?

At least it didn’t appear to be someone from outside.

If those bandits had hidden within the family and committed these unseemly acts secretly, they would have known that the group would not return safely today.

But how would they react when they hear the news that the person who was supposed to be dead returned unharmed?

Ariel suspected that those individuals would likely show their anxiety and concern in some way.

And in this situation, three people known for their heavy-handedness were present here.

“Vincent, Gale, Julius,” Ariel whispered to herself.

She was considering the possibility that they could all be accomplices.

Moving forward, she knew the key was to carefully analyse the situation step by step, relying on logical reasoning to uncover the truth.

With a composed expression, Ariel covertly summoned Shuri and discreetly handed her a request.

Whether the individual responsible was a high-ranking member of her own family or the leader of another clan, Ariel understood that it was not her concern.

After all, what worth did such a person hold if they were ultimately destined to meet their demise?